Chapter 128

Let me see what's going on.

Chen Zhangsheng began to deduce.

His hand's spiritual technique shifted, countless obscure forces flowed over the ancient tortoise shell, profound qi surged continuously, and divine radiance emanated from his surroundings.

Ring after ring of spiritual patterns appeared.

"Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, Li, Dui!"

Moments later.

Chen Zhangsheng slowly opened his eyes, looked at the omen before him, furrowed his brow slightly, and said, "Clearly it shows my longevity opportunity is on this Martial Forge Tower, so why, when I contend with Ye Chen for the Bronze Ancient Hall's Dao Resonance, is it a great omen of misfortune? Yet if I simply leave, it would be great good fortune!"

He fell into contemplation.

He had never encountered such a situation.

Chen Zhangsheng murmured, "In that case, my longevity opportunity is neither the Bronze Ancient Hall's Dao Resonance nor the Martial Forge Great Emperor, but something else."

He was somewhat puzzled.

Within this ancient inheritance secret realm, the most valuable things are the Martial Dao Great Emperor's inheritance and the Bronze Ancient Hall's Dao Resonance!

What else could there be?

Chen Zhangsheng continued to deduce, and the omen showed his opportunity was a person…… not an object.

In an instant, Chen Zhangsheng entrusted his divine sense to dozens of puppets, causing them to instantly begin scouting the surroundings.

The puppets' gazes swept over every genius monster on the Martial Forge Tower, finally landing on Ye Chen.

Suddenly.

A flash of lightning crossed Chen Zhangsheng's mind!

"Ye Chen!"

He exclaimed outright.

Chen Zhangsheng immediately activated the ancient tortoise shell again and began to deduce.

Indeed, he discovered that he had an extraordinarily strong karmic bond with Ye Chen!

In his lifetime, the number of people with whom he could share such a deep karmic bond does not exceed the fingers on one hand!

Could the longevity opportunity actually be related to Ye Chen?

This exceeded his expectations!

He immediately recalled that, from his arrival at this ancient inheritance secret realm to now, whenever he deduced, as long as he was near Ye Chen, the omen would show "the opportunity is right before his eyes!"

Before, he had been deceived!

A single leaf obscures the eye, Mount Tai unseen!

Chen Zhangsheng put away the ancient tortoise shell, fell into contemplation, and murmured.

"Why is my longevity opportunity on Ye Chen?"

"Could Ye Chen possess a supreme technique?"

"No, Ye Chen's martial dao technique is indeed powerful and unfathomable, but it runs contrary to my Dao! The martial dao path focuses on slaughter, which is utterly incompatible with me!"

In Chen Zhangsheng's mind, questions flashed forth one after another.

Taking Ye Chen as the root, question after question formed a towering tree fraught with doubt!

These questions ultimately pointed to the power of karma, to the longevity fate method.

Chen Zhangsheng felt a headache.

Upon thinking of this.

Chen Zhangsheng secretly recalled the dozens of puppets on the Martial Forge Tower.

Keeping them there is now meaningless!

We can no longer contend with Ye Chen for the Bronze Ancient Hall's Dao Resonance!

Moreover, Chen Zhangsheng also retracted that strand of divine sense from Ye Chen's body.

Next, he ought to plan how to obtain the longevity opportunity from Ye Chen's body.

Chen Zhangsheng wore a grave expression; today's affair could be counted among the ten most significant events of his life.

He immediately sent a voice transmission to Lu Xuan, "Friend, I will not contend for the Bronze Ancient Hall's Dao Resonance."

Lu Xuan blinked slightly, "Why? I still wanted to fight you."

Chen Zhangsheng: "..."

A moment of silence.

Chen Zhangsheng said, "Friend, could you do me a favor? In the Martial Forge Great Emperor's secret realm, there are still many cultivation resources untaken. If you have no use for them, I will take them."

Lu Xuan pursed his lips, "They're just trash; take them."

Chen Zhangsheng was speechless.

Moments later, he flicked his sleeve; the dozens of puppets, having barely rested a few breaths, again tirelessly concealed their forms and shot out in all directions to seek opportunity.

This can be considered a loss in the east, a gain in the west.

Not long after.

These puppets entered those ancient caves, directly ignoring the seal restrictions, and headed straight for the opportunity.

Top-grade spirit stones, quasi-emperor grade spiritual herbs, damaged imperial armaments…… all poured into Chen Zhangsheng's storage ring.

As for this, the Martial Forge Great Emperor's lingering obsession actually failed to notice it at all!

"Huh? I wonder what Qin Wang is up to?"

Chen Zhangsheng murmured, extending his divine sense, and soon saw Qin Wang hiding in a secluded spot, again engaging in self-amusement……

Still just a few breaths.

Chen Zhangsheng covered his forehead and sighed, "If I had known, I wouldn't have looked!"

……

Martial Forge Tower, the Heaven-Reaching Stairs.

Ye Chen surged ahead, leaving everyone in the dust; he had already climbed ten thousand steps, which for other disciples was already unattainably far.

More and more genius monsters gave up!

Trying to catch up to Ye Chen is too hard!

Liu Xuan, Fang Yan, and others stopped at the seven-thousandth step to rest briefly.

Luo Lingkong was still continuing the climb!

Liu Xuan's long skirt fluttered down, the brilliant petals beneath her jade feet swirling, her waist slender as she stood on the step, gazing at Ye Chen's back, she sighed, "Ah... first Fuyao Junior Sister crushed us, then Ye Chen Junior Brother, you say, Peak Master Lu won't take another disciple, will he?"

Fang Yan panted like an ox, "Ah? No way. Peak Master Lu is too absurd! Seven years without taking disciples, and those he does take are heaven-defying! I actually hope that if Peak Master Lu still takes disciples, he'd best take one with mediocre talent and weak strength, so we can get 'revenge' and regain some face."

Liu Xuan gave a charming smile, "You wouldn't be thinking of going to Xuan Qing Feng to spar later, would you?"

Fang Yan clenched his fists, "I mainly can't swallow this anger! Fuyao Junior Sister has already entered the Profound Sage Realm, and now even Ye Chen Junior Brother's combat power crushes us. If Peak Master Lu's third disciple is an 'ordinary person,' I'll beat him up badly!"

Liu Xuan said, "Count me in!"

Other Zhuan Chuan Di Zi also chimed in, "Count me in!"

Liu Xuan looked at Luo Lingkong, who was trudging forward under a burden, "Luo Lingkong, what about you? Will you go to Xuan Qing Feng later to find a fight?"

Luo Lingkong said, "Go."

On another step, many disciples of the Yao family gathered together, their legs feeling as heavy as if filled with lead; they were truly already moving at full speed.

Yao Huanhuan's lively big eyes blinked, she gave a light smile, revealing cute tiger teeth, "Forget it. The advantage of my Yao family's geniuses isn't here! If we force our way up the stairs, it would be bad for us. If anyone feels they can't continue, they can withdraw from the Martial Forge Tower."

Hearing this, several disciples whispered, "Senior Sister, are you serious?"

Yao Huanhuan laughed, "Of course."

The next instant.

Dozens of Yao family disciples had divine rainbows rise beneath their feet, they stepped into the void and flew straight toward the ground.

In just a few breaths, they all ran away!

Yao Huanhuan stood frozen in place.

A moment of silence.

Yao Huanhuan also ran away.

At this moment, in the Heaven-Reaching Stairs, many geniuses saw the Yao family's geniuses all leave, and they muttered, "The Yao family's geniuses have all gone; maybe we should leave too?"

Soon.

More and more people left the Martial Forge Tower.

They gazed up at Ye Chen's figure, each letting out a long sigh.

This time, Ye Chen's performance was a bit too heaven-defying!

They were somewhat struck by it.

However, on the Heaven-Reaching Stairs, many monsters were still continuing their ascent.

Such as Chu Yuan of the Tai Shang Xuan Sect, Nan Chen of the Cangmu Academy, Wang Teng of the Ancient Wang Clan, and so on… they were still gritting their teeth and climbing.

They refused to accept Ye Chen!

One day later.

Ye Chen was only ten steps away from the peak of the Heaven-Reaching Stairs!

He raised his head and looked toward the summit of the Martial Forge Tower.

There, three forces were in opposition: the Dao Resonance of the Bronze Ancient Hall, the martial will of the Martial Forge Emperor, and the myriad Dao-seal prohibitions of the Nan Huang Emperors!

They had reached a delicate balance!

Ye Chen secretly felt astonished; these were all Emperor Realm powers, filled with 'Dao' and 'Resonance,' and the closer he got, the more he could sense that terrifying power.

That strand of the Bronze Ancient Hall's Dao Resonance was like a Milky Way pouring down, leaning against the tip of the Martial Forge Tower; although it was sealed by countless Dao seals, to Ye Chen it still appeared extremely carefree and light, floating with spirituality above the void.

Soon.

Ye Chen ascended to the absolute pinnacle of the Martial Forge Tower.

For a moment, everyone looked up at Ye Chen; starlight blazed on his body, and behind him the martial forge furnace evolved, its light intertwining and shining together with the Martial Forge Emperor's will.

Liu Xuan gave a charming smile, "Ye Chen Junior Brother, he succeeded!"

Fang Yan clenched his fists and laughed, "Ye Chen Junior Brother, well done!"

At this moment.

The Martial Forge Emperor's voice slowly transmitted into Ye Chen's mind.

"Excellent, now I will pass my martial legacy to you!"

The Martial Forge Emperor's wisp of obsession transformed into a middle-aged man in a black robe, tall in stature, with deep eyes, his martial will coiling around him, the surrounding space distorted by it; he looked at Ye Chen with great satisfaction.

In an instant, Ye Chen's figure vanished before everyone's eyes as he stepped into the Martial Forge Tower's independent space.

The Martial Forge Emperor said, "Now begin suppressing the Dao Resonance of the Bronze Ancient Hall."

Ye Chen took out the jade slip of the Cang Xuan Elder; endless complex Dao patterns surged, the Bronze Ancient Hall's Dao Resonance experienced a momentary lag, and the Martial Forge Emperor's soul flew out from the ancient coffin, rushing straight toward Ye Chen's brow.

Ye Chen suddenly felt a icy killing intent, shocked and dismayed, "Senior, what are you doing?"

The Martial Forge Emperor snorted coldly, "The truth is revealed," "Naturally, it's possession!"

Ye Chen's face drastically changed; he immediately unleashed the Heaven-Swallowing Furnace, trying to stop it.

However, the Martial Forge Emperor is a Seven-Star Emperor; merely his aura suppressed Ye Chen, leaving him utterly unable to move.

The gap is too great!

Ye Chen shouted, "Master!"

The Martial Forge Emperor sneered, "No one can save you! I have long laid the Heaven-Reaching Formation; that blue-clothed man cannot possibly enter the formation within the time it takes an incense stick to burn…"

Is that so?

He hadn't finished speaking when Lu Xuan, in a green robe, had already arrived before Ye Chen.

But the Martial Forge Great Emperor showed no panic, turning into a stream of light and looking at Lu Xuan with mockery, saying, "I've been waiting for you to step into this place! My Heaven-Reaching Grand Formation, laid out for tens of thousands of years, lets you in but never out! Just wait to be refined here!"

In an instant, countless formation patterns and restrictions erupted suddenly, blazing like a galaxy.

Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Wind, Water, Fire, Mountain, Marsh!

Wave after wave of formation patterns spread like ripples, centered on Lu Xuan, gathering the might of heaven and earth, beginning to reveal killing intent.

Lu Xuan snorted, lightly shook his head, and said, "Just petty tricks!"

Meanwhile, Ye Chen felt a powerful suppression, blood trickling from his nose and mouth; Lu Xuan lightly flicked his sleeve, a gentle force enveloping Ye Chen and pushing him a thousand zhang away.

At that moment.

Endless brilliant Heaven-Reaching formation patterns surged over Lu Xuan's body, yet this wooden puppet ignored all formation restrictions; every seal and prohibition was ineffective.

Seeing this, the Martial Forge Great Emperor was stunned.

How is this possible?

These are the formation patterns he painstakingly laid out over endless ages!

The Martial Forge Great Emperor snarled, "I never expected you to be a formation master!"

Lu Xuan's lips curled slightly, wearing an air of nonchalance, as he said, "Any more tricks? Bring them on!"

Hearing this, the Martial Forge Great Emperor flew into a rage!

This green-robed man simply didn't put him in his eyes at all!

Truly outrageous!

Thinking of this, the Martial Forge Great Emperor said coldly, "Since you're a formation master, I'll use Heaven-Reaching power to slay you directly!"

The Martial Forge Great Emperor's soul condensed into the likeness of a middle-aged man, his hand seal shifting as he began to drive the power of the entire secret realm!

You must know that in this world, the imperial palace is the center, and he can control the power of the entire small cosmos!

This will surpass the power of a Seven-Star Great Emperor!

In an instant, the Martial Forge Great Emperor's aura surged like a massive dark star, rolling with tremendous force, his aura directly surpassing that of a Seven-Star Great Emperor!

Lu Xuan's face remained calm as he frantically drew power from the wooden puppet's interior, and a terrifying, unparalleled force surged forth.

Ye Chen was utterly shocked.

This is the battle of a High-Star Great Emperor—too terrifying!

For a moment, Lu Xuan and the Martial Forge Great Emperor went berserk with their attacks, like two vast stars colliding; their mighty forces surged and roared, the spectacle extraordinary, with imperial Dao patterns spreading across the sky.

Lu Xuan's wooden puppet could slay a Seven-Star Great Emperor, but now the Martial Forge Great Emperor controls the entire secret realm, like a sovereign, so Lu Xuan cannot instantly kill him!

But Lu Xuan wasn't the least bit panicked.

Boom boom boom boom!

Lu Xuan and the Heavenly Martial Forge Great Emperor struck out; each blow was a collision of supreme lethal force, with endless Dao patterns continually annihilated.

Both were immersed in the 'momentum', spiritual energy surging; the Martial Forge Tower actually cracked, the void where they stood shattering and re-forming endlessly; within the Martial Forge Secret Realm, the laws of heaven and earth began to destabilize, the earth splitting into abysses millions of zhang deep, dark rivers drying up, mountain ridges snapping, and heavenly power falling into chaos.

Not long after.

As the wooden puppet was consumed, Lu Xuan's power waned, and he was actually shoved back by the Martial Forge Great Emperor!

Ye Chen blinked slightly, "Master..."

Lu Xuan said calmly, "Don't panic."

The Martial Forge Great Emperor's aura erupted again, overbearing and fierce, like thunder shattering darkness, as he sneered at Lu Xuan, "I originally wanted to cooperate with you, but since you spurn a toast and choose a penalty, then die!"

In an instant, the Martial Forge Great Emperor unleashed a supreme strike!

Terrifying energy boiled over, like a bursting ocean, waves slamming the shore, directly crushing toward Lu Xuan.