Chapter 584

Seventy-second place!

Seventy-first place!

The breaths of all martial artists in the Tower of Ascension square grew rapid.

No one now doubts that Lin Chen is invincible at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Stage; even among Foundation Establishment Fifth Stage, he is merely one step away from invincibility.

The top seventy in the entire Tower of Ascension are all Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage, and Lin Chen now stands at the very front of Foundation Establishment Fifth Stage—just one step away from facing a Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage warrior.

A martial prodigy who conquers an entire realm and remains invincible—such a talent has not appeared in the Yan Emperor’s Realm for countless years.

In memory, only the sect’s ancient texts occasionally recorded such peerless prodigies.

“Pity—if Lin Chen were not in Canglan Sect, but in some other sect… the Yan Emperor’s Realm would soon produce another titan.”

A powerful figure murmured softly; Canglan Sect was now at war with Bahuang Sect and had been consistently on the defensive. Given Lin Chen’s displayed talent, Bahuang Sect would never allow him to grow unchecked—they would spare no effort to eliminate him.

Lin Chen’s safety was uncertain!

In a peaceful sect like Qianji Sect, protected by sect elders, no one would dare risk war with Qianji Sect to kill Lin Chen. Given time, he would not only enter the Ten Thousand Phenomena Realm but also become one of its brightest stars.

But now, the more brilliant Lin Chen’s performance, the stronger Bahuang Sect’s killing intent became.

Central Plains!

The imperial harem’s treasure tower.

“Second Grandfather, if Lin Chen truly enters the top seventy, he will shake the entire Yan Emperor’s Realm with his fame, drawing even more destiny’s favor—and the Divine Seal’s destiny will be plundered again, perhaps even more than last time. I beg you, Second Grandfather, intervene.”

Yan Yang looked at the old man, his expression agitated. The old man did not respond, only sighed deeply: “Is there truly no way to reconcile with this Lin Chen?”

“Second Grandfather, you know well—this kind of genius, betrayed by my third brother, can never harbor goodwill toward our imperial family. The one-tenth of the Divine Seal’s destiny that vanished is proof.”

“Emperor, is this also your view?”

Beside Yan Yang stood his father, Emperor Yan Zun of the Yan Emperor’s Realm.

“Second Uncle, do you have some suspicion?”

Yan Zun did not immediately answer, but asked in return.

“The Qianji Sect’s Yan Feng once owed me a favor. Several years ago, I had him perform a divination for our Yan Emperor’s Realm.”

“What did the omen reveal?”

Yan Zun’s eyes gleamed. His Second Uncle would not mention this without reason—Yan Feng must have seen something.

“The great tide cannot be reversed,” the old man shook his head. “Yet within this great tide, there exists a variable—and this variable has appeared only briefly…”

“What kind of variable?” Yan Zun pressed. Why had his Second Uncle never told him of such a critical matter?

“The rise and fall of an empire is not easily foreseen. Even Yan Feng’s divination arts could only glimpse this variable vaguely—let alone determine whether it is good or bad for our imperial family.”

“I did not tell you because the more people who know of the variable, the more new variables emerge.”

The old man seemed to know what Yan Zun was thinking and explained.

“So Second Uncle believes Lin Chen might be this so-called variable?”

Yan Zun understood why his Second Uncle hesitated—he feared losing this variable.

“I merely suspect. But until the final moment, no one knows who the variable is. You are the emperor of this generation—it is your decision.”

Yan Zun’s eyes held deep thought. Though his Second Uncle was an elder, the imperial family revered the emperor above all—he was emperor, and every member of the imperial family must obey his command.

“Since this variable’s effect on our imperial family is unknown, better to discard it. Our imperial family cannot entrust its fate to another’s hands.”

In the end, Yan Zun made his decision.

The fate of the imperial family must be held solely by the imperial family itself.

“I understand your decision, Emperor. I shall now activate the Divine Seal to influence the Tower of Ascension.”

The old man said no more, turned, and walked into the tower. The cost of interfering with the Divine Seal through human means—the emperor knew better than he did.

Outside the tower, Yan Zun stood with his hands behind his back, gazing toward the distant horizon: “Yang, do you think your father made the right choice?”

“Father, now that Dongfang Canglang relies on his father’s power, he no longer respects our imperial family. He seeks to accelerate the Divine Seal’s decay. If Lin Chen truly is this variable, he will likely act like Dongfang Canglang—using this chance to threaten our imperial family. We cannot allow Lin Chen to gather more destiny’s favor in the Yan Emperor’s Realm.”

Yan Yang did not hesitate. In his view, whether or not Lin Chen was the variable, Lin Chen had shamed the imperial family—he could not be allowed to live.

Without our imperial family, how could the martial artists of the Yan Emperor’s Realm have reached such prosperity? Our imperial family has bestowed great grace upon all martial artists in the realm. Even if my third brother betrayed Lin Chen, Lin Chen and Yin Wushuang of Canglan Sect had no right to publicly humiliate him.

One who shows no reverence to the imperial family must never be allowed to grow.

Yan Zun listened to his son’s answer and said nothing further, yet his eyes held the coldness of a sovereign.

…

…

Inside the Tower of Ascension.

Lin Chen finished his meditation and rose to his feet. He was now seventy-first. His next opponent was the warrior ranked seventieth.

The seventieth-ranked warrior was a Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage expert.

That was why, after defeating his seventy-first opponent, he had meditated for a full quarter-hour.

So far, he had faced only one Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage martial artist—the old servant by Dongfang Canglang’s side. But that old man was clearly no ordinary Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage warrior; Lin Chen could barely withstand a single strike from him.

Against a Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage expert, he was not certain of victory—but since he had come this far, Lin Chen had no reason to give up.

He no longer needed to conceal his strength. No matter how he hid his true power, Bahuang Sect would do everything to eliminate him—and so would the imperial family and Dongfang Canglang.

The more brilliant his performance, the greater the morale boost for his Canglan Sect brothers and the martial artists of Canglan Domain.

Gathering his focus, Lin Chen turned to walk toward the jade stele—yet as he took his first step, the solemn voice within the Tower of Ascension sounded once more.

“Thirty consecutive victories. With Foundation Establishment Fourth Stage, you have defied Foundation Establishment Fifth Stage. The Invincible Arena has opened. You may battle the greatest prodigies in imperial history. You will be automatically transported to the Invincible Arena in three hundred breaths. Prepare yourself.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen froze. The Invincible Arena had opened?

Battle against the greatest prodigies in imperial history?

Lin Chen recalled the swordsman he had encountered during his first attempt at the Tower of Ascension—the man who had slain him with a single slash.

That swordsman had been one of the top hundred strongest among Foundation Establishment Third Stage.

So his next opponent would not be the Foundation Establishment Sixth Stage warriors—but the most powerful Foundation Establishment Fourth Stage warriors in history.

Realizing this, Lin Chen’s entire being surged with excitement. Fighting across realms proved his strength—but battling the strongest of his own realm would grant him far greater combat experience.