Chapter 451: Yan Luo Men (Thanks to the patron Shan Gen Meng for the reward)

Puff!

A Nascent Soul overlord unleashed a Dao-formation sword at full power, piercing Fang Xing's chest.

Fang Xing looked up, a strange smile appearing on his face.

Splash!

His illusion of a black-clothed boy instantly shattered, revealing a true "black hole!"

Warped spacetime forces crashed down, plunging the surroundings into utter darkness, accompanied by terrifying gravity that even light could not escape…

The serpent woman Lv Nu seemed twisted, pulled toward the black hole.

"Go!"

She split her body, a jet-black form emerging from her original body and swiftly escaping the black hole's range.

The original body fell into the black hole, shrinking into an infinitesimal point and vanishing instantly.

"The final move… truly terrifying, but it's a mutual destruction type."

The serpent woman sighed: "Yet as a master of the Life Dao, I excel at survival…"

"Is that so?"

A hand emerged from behind the serpent woman, piercing straight through her chest.

Fang Xing's true form finally appeared.

"How is this possible? That was clearly your true body!"

The serpent woman's face was filled with disbelief.

"It was the Mirror of Years. I used this extraordinary treasure to create a temporary 'past self'… you've been fighting my past self all along…"

Fang Xing sighed. Since treasures weren't forbidden, he'd certainly use them.

"So that's how it is…"

A faint smile appeared on Lv Nu's face as her body exploded into a shower of flying petals.

"Eighth Layer… passed!"

Fang Xing felt excited and stepped into the eighth level of Dou Tian Palace.

"Young Master… we meet again."

Lv Nu smiled sweetly at him, a soft whip still in hand.

Snap!

With a flick of the whip, it seemed a slumbering giant dragon suddenly awakened, its aura so overwhelming it made Fang Xing's face change: "Imperial Weapon?!"

…

Boom!

Outside Dou Tian Palace.

Fang Xing staggered out, a wry smile on his face: "Sigh… women with whips are dangerous…"

He'd used the Mirror of Years to defeat Lv Nu without an Imperial Weapon.

But once she wielded the Imperial Weapon whip, he was no match—even three of him together wouldn't stand a chance.

"Still, not a loss… ninety-eight Pangu Tokens are enough for plenty."

Fang Xing looked at the exchange list:

"Since I'm here, I might as well take a few jars of Chaos Wine? And use odd artifacts to push my cultivation to Nascent Soul Ninth Layer…"

"Hmm, the rest I'll spend refining the Space-Time Dao Stele, plus exchanging for body-strengthening odd artifacts… after all, a Grand Master still has plenty of proficiency to grind…"

…

Cultivation passed swiftly, heedless of years.

One day.

Fang Xing trembled all over and suddenly appeared outside the Pangu Secret Realm, landing at the edge of the massive Chaos Vortex.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Two beams of light shot out, dragging him and Ao Xin back onto the Tai Xu Ship's deck.

"Black Dragon Brother…"

Ao Xin now bore the form of a dragon, more majestic than before—her throat bore inverted scales, her claws five toes, radiating true dragon majesty.

"Oh? Imperial Blood? Congratulations."

Fang Xing smiled faintly.

"After arriving at the Ancient God Hall, I was teleported to a demonic world and barely completed a standard quest, earning the chance for a Sacred Blood Baptism, eventually ascending to Imperial Blood."

Ao Xin was also delighted—after transforming into Imperial Blood, she was now a true Imperial Heir, enough to catch up with Qiong Bai.

As for Fang Xing?

Having witnessed his slaughter of Imperial Heirs, Ao Xin had not a single thought of comparing herself to him.

"Too bad… I didn't complete the ultimate quest, so I didn't gain access to the core region…"

Ao Xin sighed: "I wonder what kind of genius could possibly meet the requirements…"

This was clearly a probe, but she didn't expect much.

After all, in her view, Fang Xing's strength was roughly equal to Qian Son of Heaven's.

And such strength had never met the core region's requirements in the past.

"Huh? Where's Qiong Bai?"

Fang Xing asked in surprise.

"Qiong Bai has perished…"

The same ethereal voice spoke: "Within the Pangu Secret Realm, Imperial Heirs kill each other for Pangu Tokens—death is normal."

It was Mo Wen Tian Yao, who accompanied the Tai Xu Ship.

At this moment, the heavenly immortals and heavenly demons of various factions had finished communicating with their prodigies.

From the Qingdi Palace, a horned heavenly demon surged forward, crashing toward the Tai Xu Ship: "Black Dragon… dare you kill my Qingdi Palace's Imperial Princess?"

Xiong Xiong!

A burst of flame appeared, the Dao of Fire crashing down to block the horned heavenly demon.

Li Huo Tian Xian appeared on the deck—a red-haired youth who laughed loudly: "Within the Pangu Secret Realm, life and death are fate… your Imperial Princess died? I'm delighted! Hahahaha…"

As fellow Tian Xian, he and Mo Wen Tian Yao were safe inside the Tai Xu Ship—only Chaos Realm cultivators could break through. Naturally, they had full confidence.

"Hehe… Li Huo, you're quite good."

A heavenly demon from the Wei Huang Palace sneered immediately.

At these words, several other heavenly immortals and heavenly demons cast hostile glances.

"You four-legged snake—how many Imperial Heirs have you slaughtered?"

A graceful figure landed beside Fang Xing—a stunningly beautiful woman, the heavenly demon Mo Wen, who now stared at Fang Xing, utterly speechless.

"Not many—just four…"

Fang Xing waved his hand.

"Four… Li Huo, let's go."

Mo Wen Tian Yao sighed softly; her ethereal voice echoed across all sides: "Within the Secret Realm, life and death are ordained by Heaven… if any of you still seek vengeance, I and Li Huo will accept it."

As a heavenly demon, she was far from the frail appearance she projected—she was ruthless to the core.

Of course, after delivering her threat, Mo Wen Tian Yao didn't linger—instead, she and Li Huo Tian Xian piloted the Tai Xu Ship straight into the Tai Xu Void…

"You, Black Dragon…"

Li Huo Tian Xian stepped onto the deck, looking at Fang Xing with a smile: "You've given us quite a surprise… the more Imperial Heirs you slaughter in the first stage, the more Pangu Tokens you gain—and the greater your advantage in the Ancient God Hall trials… even if you fail the final trial, you can still exchange for plenty of good items…"

"Tsk tsk… Li Huo, don't be so blunt."

Mo Wen Tian Yao licked her lips, gazing at Ao Xin and Fang Xing with a soft voice: "But I must warn you—Wu Jie Mountain pays top prices for everything you obtained in the Pangu Secret Realm… yet not every heavenly immortal or heavenly demon is as reasonable as we two."

Fang Xing understood perfectly—even within a single faction, the powerful oppressed the weak.

To these heavenly immortals and demons, what did an Nascent Soul Imperial Heir matter? Even if they later ascended to Tian Xian or Tian Yao, what benefit was that to them?

Naturally, they seized every opportunity to extract as much as possible—even bending rules, using gray-area tactics to bully the weak.

After all, in their eyes, no matter how talented these prodigies were, their chances of reaching the Chaos Realm were slim—almost nonexistent.

As long as they didn't reach the Chaos Realm, there was no fear of future revenge. Of course, if they knew Fang Xing was now a Nascent Soul overlord, equal to them in status, their attitude would be entirely different.

"I brought three jars of Chaos Wine, meant for Hun Tian Da Sheng."

Fang Xing sneered outright.

"Three jars of Chaos Wine…"

Li Huo Tian Xian's eyes lit up instantly: "Can you spare me one jar? Hun Tian is powerful but stingy—I'll trade you merit points."

"Tsk tsk… I never imagined Hun Tian would reward a core member with three jars of Chaos Wine. This deal interests me too."

Mo Wen Tian Yao leaned in, eyes gleaming.

Ao Xin, watching this, felt her scales bristle.

Though she had heavenly demon patrons in Wu Jie Mountain, protecting her gains wouldn't be easy.

"Thank you both for escorting me this far. These two jars of Chaos Wine are a small token of appreciation."

Fang Xing didn't care about the wine—he tossed out two large vats.

"Hah! You're a smart lad—if you ever run into trouble, name me, Li Huo…"

Li Huo Tian Xian and Mo Wen Tian Yao were overjoyed, snatching up the Chaos Wine and turning to look at Ao Xin.

Ao Xin's dragon face immediately turned slightly green…

…

Baihou Mountain.

Whoosh!

The void shattered, and the Tai Xu vessel flew out.

Fang Xing descended gracefully, only to see the Tai Xu vessel swiftly turn its bow, as if planning to flee without a word.

"Two fellow cultivators… have you done something shameful and dare not face this old monkey?"

Whoosh!

The Chaos Sea descended, covering a hundred thousand li, and a giant monkey with flaming fur walked across the sea toward them.

The terrifying aura was enough to frighten ordinary Foundation Establishment ninth-layer cultivators to death!

"Bad… the old monkey's chasing us."

"Hurry, go! Hmph, Hun Tian… inside this Tai Xu vessel, do you think we fear you?"

Though Li Huo Tianxian and Mo Wen Tianyao were weaker than Hun Tian Dasheng, they relied on the Tai Xu vessel and outnumbered him two-to-one. Even as the endless staff shadows shattered the void across a hundred thousand li, they departed calmly.

Fang Xing had just landed when Hun Tian Dasheng returned, shouldering a club as thick as a mountain peak, fuming: "Did those two bully you? Black Dragon, just tell me—I'll avenge you!"

【Avenge you? More like reclaim the treasure, right?】

Fang Xing rolled his eyes and smiled: "Grandmaster Hun Tian, Black Dragon happened to acquire some Chaos Wine in the secret realm—I've come to offer it to you."

"Chaos Wine?"

Hun Tian Dasheng exhaled two white plumes from his massive nostrils: "Good, good, good… Li Huo, Mo Wen—I, Hun Tian, remember this."

Fang Xing felt speechless and handed over a jar of "Chaos Wine."

In truth, he still had several more jars—after all, with so many Pan Gu Tokens, he had to exchange for some local specialties.

Chaos Wine was highly effective for enhancing cultivation after reaching Tianyao, and he was certain he'd reach Tianyao someday—he'd better stock up.

"Grandmaster, I've been a long-term guest here at Baihou Mountain. Now that the Pan Gu Secret Realm has ended, I wish to travel the outside world."

Hun Tian Dasheng had shrunk considerably, hugging the large jar of Chaos Wine, and glanced at Fang Xing: "So… you gained much in the Pan Gu Secret Realm… hmm? Your cultivation seems to have risen significantly too… Hah! Go, go! Since you've already made your plans, make sure you shock the outsiders."

His power was indeed greater than Mo Wen Tianyao and Li Huo Tianxian—he'd sensed something.

Fang Xing bowed, then turned into a streak of black light and drifted away.

His immediate priority was naturally to go to Qinghua Small Realm and inherit his legacy again.

Though Qinghua Small Realm only permitted Foundation Establishment beings to enter, he was already Qinghua Shizun's disciple—so long as he remained within a certain range of the realm, the realm spirit, Snake Woman, would sense him and guide him in…

Fang Xing's goal now was not those few Imperial Weapons, but the Emperor Weapons!

【Though the realm spirit said I must reach Tianyao before claiming an Emperor Weapon… but I am now a Soul Sovereign, my power rivaling Tianyao… surely I can pass the trial?】

【Once I hold an Emperor Weapon, my strength will surge further—nothing beyond Chaos Realm will frighten me…】

After obtaining the Pan Wu Da Dian and numerous treasures, and cultivating for many years, Fang Xing's physique had advanced greatly within the Black Hole tier.

If he could acquire one more Emperor Weapon, it would be a true shock to those Tianxians and Tianyaos!

…

Qingdi Palace.

Eight terrifying Tianyaos gathered together.

Among them were the silver-haired Tianlang Huang, the emerald-bodied Tianshe Huang coiled in one corner, and the Deer-Antler Yao Huang who had entered the Pan Gu Secret Realm.

Deer-Antler Yao Huang spoke in a low voice: "The situation is this… Empress Daughter Shi Qing has been confirmed dead at the hands of the Black Dragon of Wuji Mountain!"

"Damn! Again, that Black Dragon!"

Tianlang Huang roared: "I knew that brat was a curse! Last time, if not for Hun Tian, I'd have swallowed him whole!"

"Sssss… What's the use of saying this now?"

Tianshe Huang of She Xi Bu hissed: "Qingdi is absent. We, the Eight Tribes, can convene and declare war on Wuji Mountain immediately!"

"Declare war? Not wise…"

A massive Tianpeng shook its head: "Within the Pan Gu Secret Realm, the Emperor's Children must fight to the death—no regrets. This was agreed upon by all our factions. To use this as a pretext for war would be a massive loss of face… Besides, even if ten or eight Emperor's Children died, it wouldn't harm us a bit. But war with Wuji Mountain? Real Huangs will die. Are you… truly willing?"

At these words, Deer-Antler Yao Huang, Tianlang Huang, and Tianshe Huang felt a chill.

Strictly speaking, only these three had truly lost face and interest; the other five Yao Huangs were probably just watching the show. Forcing a war would be impossible.

"Then let this matter be dropped. But privately seeking revenge—or hiring third parties—is perfectly fine."

Tianlang Huang's emerald eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"Naturally…"

The other Yao Huangs nodded. It was common for factions to target rival prodigies!

Only those who endure survive to become Tianyao.

Those who can't? They die.

Even Shi Qing, a dead Empress Daughter, was nothing now.

…

A desolate, hostile land.

"No… don't…"

With a cry of agony, a ninth-layer Soul Sovereign was pierced through the heart.

Behind him stood a black-robed Daoist, who bit down hard on the heart, blood streaming from his mouth.

Suddenly, the black-robed Daoist froze, pulled out a token, and his consciousness descended into a mysterious space.

"Wuxin Dao Ren…"

A humanoid figure clad in bronze mask emerged from black mist: "I have a commission…"

"Of course. Who to kill?" Wuxin Dao Ren chuckled: "You've interrupted my meal. If this isn't a big job, you'll owe me ten hearts…"

"Wuji Mountain. Black Dragon."

The bronze-masked figure tossed a jade slip: "All intelligence is inside. Success brings you 100, 00 Fang Yuan Crystals."

"So it's an Emperor's Child from a major power… This money's hot to hold."

Wuxin Dao Ren smiled: "Still… I'll take it."

"Good. Standard terms: half upfront. I trust your 'Yanluo Men' reputation."

The bronze-masked figure gave a hidden location for the Yuan Crystals, then vanished instantly.

"Heh… reputation? We Yanluo Men don't have any of that…"

Wuxin Dao Ren chuckled: "Though you hide your face, that wolfish stench… Qingdi Palace? With the Pan Gu Secret Realm over, business has picked up nicely…"

(End of Chapter)