Chapter 766

This primitive forest contained not only medicinal materials scattered everywhere, but also dangers—such as poison ants that fed on medicinal materials, even the medicinal materials themselves.

Yet these poison ants possessed no spiritual intelligence, and their strength was all below the Supreme level; though numerous, Xiao Yan was a master of flame, and fire was a natural counter to poison ants.

Xun Er's slender hand flipped, and the wooden cube appeared in her palm; if one examined it closely with Soul Force, one would see the wooden cube was no ordinary wood—its surface was densely covered with Spiritual Seals, arranged in irregular patterns.

This wooden cube was also one of the Trials—requiring one to decipher the arrangement of the Spiritual Seals on it, finding the correct sequence from chaotic order, much like a complex maze, Sudoku, or Huarong Dao, needing to be rearranged properly.

Originally, Zhu Ye had found the location of the Ancestral Inheritance Site by decoding the arrangement of the Spiritual Seals on the wooden cube, barely passing the first Trial.

The clue to solving the second Trial's Mist Array was also hidden on the wooden cube; Xun Er had already cracked it earlier, and the third Trial was to break the Spirit Array Seal on the Ning Tian Bamboo—the very array Xun Er had used to instantly kill Zhu Ye and the Four Sects.

Although Xun Er had fully understood the entire Spirit Array from the wooden cube, breaking it required vast quantities of Supreme Spirit Liquid and spiritual energy, so Xiao Yan lured Zhu Ye and the others into triggering the array recklessly, allowing Xun Er to seize control of the array and thus break the third Trial.

Xiao Yan followed Xun Er not in a straight line but along winding paths—the wooden cube concealed a map, skillfully avoiding many dangers.

Finally, following the map on the wooden cube, Xun Er led Xiao Yan to a grassland. The grassland was small, only about ten mu, and contained nothing—not a single precious thousand- or ten-thousand-year medicinal material, not even an ordinary Spirit Herb.

On the grassland stood only one ice-blue stone with a sharp corner exposed; the stone was ancient and worn, appearing utterly ordinary.

Xiao Yan knew Xun Er would not bring him here without reason—without doubt, this was the entrance to the secret treasure left by this Earth Supreme!

Xun Er's gaze was also grave; if one compared it to the Dou Qi Continent, this place was equivalent to an Emperor Inheritance. On the Dou Qi Continent they were invincible, but in the Great Thousand World, one misstep could mean death—annihilation!

Xiao Yan nodded to Xun Er and said: "Don't worry—no matter what, I'll be by your side."

"Brother Xiao Yan." Xun Er's beautiful eyes flickered with warmth, then she no longer hesitated—her fingertip condensed a Spiritual Seal and gently tapped.

Ding-ding-ding! At that moment, Spiritual Seals from the array landed upon the sharp stone, instantly emitting streams of light—with a hum—the Ice Bamboo Divine Array was reactivated.

Xun Er had merely hidden the array; to reach the true secret treasure, one needed this array—and this was the third Trial: only by mastering the array could one reach the deepest core of the inheritance.

Creak-creak-creak!! At that moment, the massive sharp stone beneath the ground shifted, sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain; boundless cold energy, under Xun Er's control, flowed into the sharp stone, and soon an ice path extended from the ground all the way to the top of the Ning Tian Bamboo.

When Xiao Yan and Xun Er followed the ice path to the top of the Ning Tian Bamboo, they discovered that the towering bamboo's peak was in fact a Small Valley, and above them floated the enormous Celestial Cube.

One must remember: bamboo grows in segments; its interior is not entirely hollow—it contains something called a bamboo node.

"It seems someone once lived here."

As Xiao Yan and Xun Er passed through the array and entered the top of the Ning Tian Bamboo, they realized the Small Valley contained traces of ruined walls and broken pillars—as if someone had once dwelled here.

"Probably the Spirit Array Master lived here before his death."

Logically, no one else could have lived here—only the Spirit Array Patriarch who left the inheritance.

The Small Valley was shrouded in thick, emerald-green Life Spiritual Energy, as if a treasure were about to emerge; though small, entering this Life Spiritual Energy easily disoriented one—losing all sense of direction, unable to use Soul Force Perception to explore, forced to rely solely on the wooden cube in Xun Er's hand for guidance.

"This place…" Xun Er stood there, glancing around, then looked up at the enormous Celestial Cube just above her, and murmured thoughtfully.

Xiao Yan did not disturb Xun Er's thoughts—this must be the final Trial, or perhaps the very place to receive the inheritance; the Celestial Cube above them was likely the complete inheritance left by the Spirit Array Master.

If they could obtain that massive Celestial Cube, they would gain the inheritance of a Spirit Array Patriarch!

After surveying the area, Xun Er locked onto a direction and rushed toward it with Xiao Yan; they quickly ran along the cut edge of the giant bamboo until they reached a sheer cliff—no path remained ahead.

Yet at the base of the cliff was a small hole, no larger than a fist; the hole was pitch-black, appearing bottomless.

Looking at the hole, Xiao Yan and Xun Er exchanged glances—it was perfectly square, exactly matching the size of the wooden cube!

"Give it a try—we've come this far."

"Mm."

Xun Er held the wooden cube and gently placed it over the hole—click. The cube slowly sank in, fitting perfectly, leaving not a single trace. Only then did Xiao Yan realize the wooden cube had been carved from this giant bamboo.

A hum sounded—the faint black glow shimmered from the massive Celestial Cube above, and the enormous wooden cube, large enough to cover the entire Small Valley, began to rotate.

At that moment, countless Spiritual Array patterns glowed across the surface of the Celestial Cube—the faint black wooden cube was woven from countless intricate Spiritual Array lines, its scale and complexity far surpassing anything known.

The massive Celestial Cube began to rotate; cracking sounds echoed from above, and soon the giant cube transformed into a black door—seen from afar, the door stretched into endless depth, like a Shen Yuan, sending chills down the spine, as if this black gateway led straight to hell.

"This isn't just an ordinary Upper-Plane Earth Supreme…" Xiao Yan said, surprised. The Ning Tian Continent possessed such a vast inheritance.

"Brother Xiao Yan, it seems we were wrong—this may be the inheritance of a Divine-Star level Spirit Array Patriarch, perhaps even approaching a Divine-Star Grandmaster Alchemist," Xun Er said, staring at the abyss-like door before them.

"Heh—heh, perfect! It proves your luck is excellent, great fortune awaits," Xiao Yan wrapped his arms around Xun Er's slender waist and said firmly: "Let's go in."

Xun Er took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and said: "I'm ready."

As Xun Er tightly embraced Xiao Yan's waist, Xiao Yan roared—behind him, a pair of golden Ancient Phoenix Wings erupted, flaring violently as they flew toward the black door.

Whoosh! In the instant Xiao Yan and Xun Er flew into the black door, Space Turbulence surged like flying sand and rolling stones—the black door instantly sucked Xiao Yan in, and Xun Er, held tightly in his arms, was dragged in with him.

As they were pulled into the black gateway, Xun Er felt as if her body were being torn apart—next second, a Heavenly Flame burst from Xiao Yan's body, enveloping both of them, shielding them from the Space Turbulence's tearing force—this Spirit Array door was nothing like ordinary legendary arrays.

Whoosh! The next moment, Xun Er felt as if she'd been slammed—had Xiao Yan not held her tightly, she would have been flung away; she steadied herself upon landing.

When Xun Er opened her eyes, they stood atop a mountain range—the range stretched across the sky, shrouded in Chaos energy.

Looking up, they saw a massive palace hidden within the clouds; upon closer inspection, the palace was built entirely from the giant Ning Tian Bamboo, rising slowly from the Chaos energy like a sea of mist.

"We've finally reached the Treasure Palace!" Xiao Yan stared intently at the giant bamboo palace and smiled: "Let's see what treasures lie inside."

Seeing the divine palace before them, the faint aura of treasures emanating from within, and the Chaos energy drifting from the bamboo palace—it was clear that astonishing treasures lay inside!

And this very palace itself was a Secret Treasure—no less significant than Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Heavenly Flame Square, perfect to serve as the Soul Palace of Ning Tian Continent's Tian Dian!

Just as Xiao Yan was rubbing his hands together, preparing to enter the Treasure Palace with Xun Er and claim their reward—

Boom! A thunderous explosion shook the heavens—the Treasure Palace suddenly erupted with divine light; the surrounding Chaos energy churned violently, and a massive, blurred figure revealed its true form—undoubtedly, this was the residual soul left by the inheritance's master, like those of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor and the Yellow Spring Demon Saint, the judge and guardian of the inheritance.

At that moment, a spiritual pressure far stronger than a Nine-Pin Sovereign erupted—unhidden, overwhelming, standing before Xiao Yan and Xun Er like a divine deity.

Instantly, dragon roars and phoenix cries echoed through the Chaos energy, as if divine beasts were awakening.

Facing this terrifying divine might, Mao Wu appeared—Black Flame surged skyward, shielding Xiao Yan and Xun Er from the pressure.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness before him; a smile curled his lips. Facing a being who might have once reached Earth Supreme Perfect, he remained calm—as if this were ordinary.

Seeing the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness appear, Xun Er frowned slightly in confusion: "Strange—the wooden cube showed only three Trials. Mastering the Ice Bamboo Divine Array should have been enough to reach the inheritance site… is there a fourth Trial?"

First Trial: find Wan Zhu Lin and activate the inheritance—Zhu Ye had already opened it. Second Trial: pass through the TenThousandWorldsMist Array—Xun Er had passed it. Third Trial: master the Ice Bamboo Divine Array—she had done that too.

"You are not from the Great Thousand World." The Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness did not speak—instead, a divine thought echoed in their minds.

Clearly, the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness was designed to prevent Domain Beyond demons from seizing the inheritance. Yet what puzzled it was that they did not resemble Domain Beyond creatures.

Xiao Yan spread his hands helplessly: "We're from the Lower Plane—not Domain Beyond demons."

"In the Lower Plane, there is someone with such a talent for Spirit Arrays." The Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness looked at Xun Er; it naturally recognized that she possessed the Wisdom Eye Array Heart, for without it, a Seven-Star Sovereign could never have passed its three trials of Spirit Arrays—such talent was rare even in the Great Thousand World, appearing but once in a thousand years.

Xun Er bowed slightly and said, "Senior Brother overstates it; it was merely luck."

For a moment, the entire space fell into deathly silence—the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness suddenly fell silent!

Xiao Yan and Xun Er exchanged a glance. Had the inheritance malfunctioned? Had the Spirit Array Patriarch's final moments been corrupted by Demon Qi from the Domain Beyond, causing the inheritance to go awry?

Suddenly, the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness transmitted a voice: "Apologies, I cannot bestow the inheritance upon you."

!?

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression darkened slightly; his eyes narrowed, and he asked in a low tone, "Is it because we are not natives of the Great Thousand World, but merely from the Lower Plane, that we are ineligible to inherit?"

"I sense a strange energy from you—very similar to the Demon Qi of the Domain Beyond. Though not Demon Qi itself, you do not meet the inheritance's conditions," said the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness.

At this, Xiao Yan's eyelid twitched, his heart sank—he truly did harbor a peculiar energy within him, but it was not Demon Qi, nor Spiritual Energy or Battle Qi; it was Source Qi!

Xiao Yan had used all his Battle Qi to forge his Battle Formation Body, even dissolving his Qi Vortex—but when all his Battle Qi vanished, a strange energy remained: the Source Qi required to ascend to Emperor.

This Source Qi was exceedingly strange: useless for the Battle Formation Body, unconvertible into Spiritual Energy, and unusable for Cultivation—so Xiao Yan had hidden it within the slumbering Emperor Flame.

Who would have thought someone would still detect it!

Xiao Yan smiled and said, "I am merely from the Lower Plane; perhaps my cultivation system differs."

"You do not meet the inheritance's conditions," said the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness, mechanical in tone.

"Besides, I am not the one who will receive the inheritance," Xiao Yan continued to explain.

"Your bond with her is close; she too does not meet the inheritance's conditions," said the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness.

"Perhaps you misperceived—I have no Spiritual Energy at all, and Xun Er possesses such extraordinary talent; surely she can carry your inheritance to greatness," Xiao Yan smiled and explained.

"Does not meet the inheritance's conditions."

"Sigh," Xiao Yan let out a deep breath, then his smile vanished. He raised his gaze to the colossal Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness, his expression calm and composed. "Do you know? When someone speaks to you politely, you ought to consider carefully—don't be so rigid about everything."

"Once, a powerful inheritance stood before me. Its Spiritual Consciousness said I was not the one it awaited—so I blew it to ashes. You are indeed powerful, but far from truly invincible."

"I stand here now. Though the Great Thousand World's laws have weakened me from my former state, you are but a Spiritual Consciousness—a dead person who has been dead for who knows how long! I dislike waste. If I destroy this place, I'll feel regret."

Boom! Boom! At that moment, Xiao Yan raised his right hand; a golden divine thunder shot forth from his arm. The Nine Mystery Golden Dragon transformed into a colossal divine dragon, staring at the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness before it.

At this moment, as the Inheritor Flame and Golden Thunder appeared, the entire inheritance space trembled violently. Xiao Yan spoke slowly: "Even if I am not as strong as before, I am not subject to orders from a dead man. I give you one more chance."

"Will you give me this inheritance?"

Faced with Black Flame and Golden Thunder, even the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness fell silent for a moment. Soon, a voice came: "You do not meet..."

Before it could finish, Xiao Yan pointed his finger. "Roar! Roar! Roar!!!" A Dragon Roar shook the Nine Heavens. The Nine Mystery Golden Dragon opened its massive jaws and unleashed a beam of golden lightning that tore through Space, striking straight ahead—not merely Golden Thunder. Black Flame surged through the space, devouring all, transforming into endless flames that crashed forward like a tidal wave toward the colossal Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness.

"Hmph!" Sensing Xiao Yan's assault, the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness snorted, then swept its sleeve. Countless Spiritual Seals flew out. Instantly, the earth shook and the heavens trembled; the Ice Bamboo emitted brilliant light as the Ice Bamboo Divine Array was activated by the Spiritual Consciousness.

Yet Xun Er had already prepared. Her delicate fingers tapped Space, and she softly commanded: "Stop."

Suddenly, countless Spiritual Seal lights appeared across Wan Zhu Lin. Every node of the Ice Bamboo Divine Array was sealed, cutting off the Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi. Without Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi, the Spirit Array was nothing but an empty shell.

At this moment, the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness stared at Xun Er. Had it a face, its fury would have been unmistakable—indeed, its expression would have been utterly black with rage.

Rebellion! Rebellion! Its own inheritor dares to rebel!!

Boom! At that instant, Golden Thunder and Black Flame struck the Bamboo Pavilion with invincible force. The Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness waved its hand, and boundless Chaos energy surged around it, forming a shield to block the assault.

At the moment of collision, heaven and earth seemed to collapse; Space shattered. Above the Ning Tian Bamboo, the sky erupted in ten-thousand-zhang-high energy waves.

"Kuang! What's happening in the sky!!"

"It's above the Ning Tian Zhu Bamboo!"

Is it the Flame Elder? Could it be the disturbance from his attempt to inherit?!

Instantly, countless people on Ning Tian Continent looked up—but all they saw was a colossal Chaos vortex engulfing the giant bamboo, obscuring everything within.

"Sigh. Just when one storm subsides, another rises."

At this moment, the Nine Mystery Golden Thunder and Emperor Flame's immense forces clashed—but were still blocked by the Inheritance Spiritual Consciousness's use of Chaos energy.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of cold light passing through them. He smiled: "You think that's all I have? Though I didn't plan to use it here, I have no choice now."

Today there must still be more—if I can't finish this, I won't ask for monthly votes this month!! I'm pushing through!

(End of Chapter)