Chapter 445: The Battle Heaven Hall

"The Emperor's Daughter Qing… dead? She was an Imperial Son—so long as she didn't perish, the Heavenly Demon Realm would be hers for the taking…"

Ao Xin stared at the scene, face filled with disbelief: "And… that last voice—was that thunder?"

"Clearly, some demon has violated the rules of the Pangu Secret Realm…"

Fang Xing sneered, utterly unconcerned about provoking a Nascent Soul overlord.

Not to mention, the Peach God's true form is sealed within the Peach Valley Secret Realm and cannot leave.

Even if it could leave, the one to worry would be the opponent, not oneself—do you truly think so many Celestial Immortals and Celestial Demons of Wuji Mountain are just sitting idle?

"Besides, in every opening of the Pangu Secret Realm, it's never just one or two Imperial Sons who die… Let's go."

He landed directly on Ao Xin's shoulder after her transformation, appearing like a black, four-legged serpent with wings.

"Perfect opportunity—kill a few more Imperial Sons, reduce the competition in the Ancient God Palace! They say the more Imperial Sons you slay, the greater the rewards later…"

Even now, if those Imperial Sons break through to the Nascent Soul Realm and have enough Nascent Soul Fluid, reaching Nascent Soul Ninth Layer still requires time!

Fang Xing, who cultivates the Dao of Time, loves nothing more than striking while the enemy is halfway across—catching them off guard!

Ao Xin suddenly felt a chill, inexplicably pitying the future enemies of the Black Dragon.

…

Time flew by.

Several years later.

A streak of light arrived before the Ancient God Palace, gazing at the palace towering nine light-years high, its face showing relief: "Finally… finally escaped that four-legged serpent…"

He was the Imperial Son of the Wa Huang Palace, having broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm upon entering the Secret Realm.

Yet even so, he was still tormented by that Black Dragon.

Had he not been naturally gifted at escape, he might already be dead…

"Wuji Mountain has produced a monstrous Imperial Son this time… that physique—it's cheating!"

The Wa Huang Palace Imperial Son recalled something, a flicker of fear crossing his face.

"That Black Dragon… may rival 'Qian Tian Zi' of the Tian Xuan Palace…"

Among the demon race, the most outstanding offspring are called 'Imperial Sons,' signifying the potential to become a Demon Emperor.

But among the human race, there is no rank above True Disciple.

Thus, among True Disciples, the quality varies wildly—some are Imperial Prince-tier, some Imperial Son-tier, even more monstrous beings.

'Qian Tian Zi' is the one who, even among all Imperial Sons entering the Pangu Secret Realm, remains utterly unmatched!

At that moment, the Wa Huang Palace Imperial Son's face twisted in disbelief as he fled desperately toward the Ancient God Palace: "Qian Tian Zi—save me!"

Compared to the Ancient God Palace, the countless demon and human cultivators were not even like ants—they were less than dust.

Even passing through the gate required immense time.

At that moment, near the gate of the Ancient God Palace, a figure wearing a Ping Tian Crown and Nine-Dragon Robe, with a stern visage and faint purple aura, suddenly halted: "It's the Wa Huang Palace's 'Di Yun'… My Tian Xuan Palace and Wa Huang Palace are allies—I should save him."

The next instant, he raised his hand lightly; nine dragon shadows emerged, coiling around him as they flew toward Di Yun's location.

…

"Heh? Still trying to run?"

On Ao Xin's jade hand, the black Stone Dragon Child shot out like an arrow, striking Di Yun's head.

Boom!

Fang Xing pierced through multiple defenses, causing the Imperial Son's head to explode like a watermelon.

Then he returned to Ao Xin's shoulder.

"Big Brother Black Dragon… little sister yields."

Ao Xin stroked the Stone Dragon Child, her thoughts swirling: 'Could this fellow's true form be some powerful parasite? After achieving Nascent Soul, he's become so tiny… I wonder if there are more of his kind—I should find a few to cultivate, take the Parasite Master path—it seems highly beneficial…'

Of course, this was merely her playful thought.

Though Fang Xing's body had shrunk to the size of the Stone Dragon Child, his Dragon Blood had grown denser, nearly overwhelming Ao Xin's composure.

Roar! Roar!

At that moment, nine dragon roars echoed.

Ao Xin turned her gaze, her expression shifting slightly: "Qian Tian Zi… likely the strongest among all Imperial Sons entering this realm, cultivating the 'Qian Kun Classic,' with the Qian Tian Dao Principle refined to the Fifth Layer… The Qian Tian Dao Principle is inherently vast, and combined with 'One Thought, All Heaven,' it could reach terrifying heights."

"Wuji Mountain…"

Qian Tian Zi's face flashed purple aura, radiating absolute authority over life and death: "You… dare to be so bold!"

"Qian Tian Zi… Qian Tian Dao Principle…"

Fang Xing gazed at him, his heart stirred: "What a perfect target…"

He had always been curious about the Qian Kun Dao; now that he finally encountered an Imperial Son of the Qian Tian Dao Principle, he intended to see it properly.

'The Qian Tian Dao Principle, like the Dao of Time, if refined to the peak of the Fifth Layer and paired with Nascent Soul Ninth Layer power… there's a chance one could become a Nascent Soul Overlord like 'Shi Guang'… This is a path to Nascent Soul Overlord status through Dao Principle mastery.'

'Of course, this Qian Tian Zi is still far from it!'

Though both had reached Fifth Layer Dao Principle insight, the gap between a novice Master and a perfected Master was immense.

Not to mention, the final step of the Qian Tian Dao Principle was surely comparable to the final step of the Dao of Time—capable of trapping Nascent Soul Overlords for lifetimes!

Whoosh!

With a single thought, Fang Xing struck.

He flapped his wings, appearing before Qian Tian Zi, his wings slicing through space.

The nine dragon shadows, brushed by the Black Dragon's wings, burst into mournful cries and vanished instantly. Fang Xing pressed his advantage, relying once again on his signature move—he charged headfirst.

Bang!

A deep, muffled sound echoed as a black circular shield materialized before Qian Tian Zi.

A profound, terrifying force erupted from the shield.

Even so, Qian Tian Zi was blasted back dozens of miles, his face flushed with alternating red and blue: "Such a powerful physique!"

"Imperial Artifact? Too bad…"

Fang Xing gazed at the circular shield, shaking his head regretfully.

After reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, one could awaken partial power of an Imperial Artifact; combined with such a defensive artifact, he likely couldn't kill Qian Tian Zi.

"Die!"

With a single thought, Qian Tian Zi caused space itself to freeze.

This was the Fifth Layer Dao Principle ability: 'One Thought, Dao Arises!'

A pure qi surged skyward, cleaving the heavens—its scale dwarfed Shi Qing's Rule Realm by over a hundredfold!

Beneath the Qian Tian Dao Principle, all other Dao Principles and laws were suppressed to their limits.

Then… Qian Tian Zi gently turned his palm.

Turn palm—clouds; flip palm—rain!

His palm descended, more terrifying than any divine or demonic hand—entire heavens and even the world tilted beneath it, as if the very 'Heaven' itself sought to crush Fang Xing!

"So strong!"

"No wonder—it's the Qian Tian Dao!"

Fang Xing's body shimmered with black-purple light as he delivered another headbutt.

Boom!

He shattered the 'Qian Tian World' outright, becoming a black meteor that carried Ao Xin into the Ancient God Palace: "Too bad… you can't kill me, and I can't kill you."

Qian Tian Zi did not pursue; instead, his gaze burned with intensity: "Since achieving Nascent Soul, I've never met anyone who could break through my Qian Tian Dao Realm… Such a powerful physique, yet utterly unrelated to Dao Principle insight… Truly astonishing."

After just one clash, Qian Tian Zi confirmed: that Black Dragon was his equal.

He paused, then pulled out a transmission talisman: "Black Dragon of Wuji Mountain—his strength rivals mine. If you encounter him, surrender immediately…"

Fang Xing was unaware his dossier had been updated again—he was now an absolutely untouchable, prodigious threat even among Imperial Sons.

Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

…

Inside the Ancient God Palace.

A flash of teleportation light—Fang Xing and Ao Xin appeared.

In the boundless space, only a few vortexes, like rivers of stars, floated ahead.

"Finally arrived—the Ancient God Palace."

Ao Xin spoke: "Different passages lead to different trials… Conditions vary—sometimes you even face Imperial Sons dueling each other…"

"Once here, we can't travel together anymore. The star vortexes are unpredictable—choose yours first."

Fang Xing said.

"Then little sister will go first…"

Ao Xin transformed into a snow-white dragon, nodded slightly to Fang Xing, then plunged into one of the vortexes.

Compared to her dragon body, the vortex was infinitely vast, swallowing her effortlessly.

"They say some trials here fling you into an entire great world—you must complete a task to return, possibly taking decades or even centuries…"

"Others are mere duels, decided in an instant."

Fang Xing's eyes gleamed as he flew into a vortex.

Hum!

In an instant, heaven and earth changed!

Before him stood a grand hall, and before the hall stood a stone stele.

Upon the stele, rules were inscribed in lines of Dao Script:

"Hall of Fighting Heaven!"

"This hall has thirteen levels; each level has a guardian. Defeating a guardian grants a different number of Tokens as reward... By spending Tokens, one may exchange for opportunities to contemplate the Great Dao Stele, various lineages, Imperial Weapons, secret treasures, and more..."

"If, by the time the secret realm ends, a challenger has not reached a level satisfactory to the realm, they will be immediately expelled from the Pangu Secret Realm and barred from entering the core region."

……

Fang Xing glanced at the rules, a thought stirring in his mind: "My luck's neither good nor bad... I wasn't sent to a great world for a mission, nor did I face a trial where only the survivors may continue... Otherwise, if I'd encountered the two demons of Wu Jie Mountain, it would've been troublesome indeed."

He murmured softly and pressed his claw against the stele.

In an instant, a mysterious message surfaced in his mind, revealing the number of Pangu Tokens he possessed—five!

"Five Pangu Tokens... are these from the four Imperial Heirs I killed? Oh... and there's the one I already had."

Fang Xing nodded and turned to the exchange list.

In an instant, countless unimaginable treasures and lineages appeared before him:

【Opportunity to Contemplate the Great Dao Stele: One Token per day】

【One Jar of Chaos Wine: One Token】

……

(End of Chapter)