Chapter 544: Sixth Layer

The First Layer of the Tower of Heart.

Fang Xing walked down a long corridor and arrived atop a stone platform.

Boom!

As if triggering some mechanism, the stone platform rose automatically.

Opposite him, another stone platform emerged, upon which stood a man clad in black priestly robes.

His face was masked, concealing both gender and age; above the mask was written a single character: "One."

"Challenger, you must defeat me in a five-on-five battle to proceed to the second layer!"

A genderless voice echoed.

The black-robed priest summoned a bronze holy scripture, and streams of light shimmered across its surface.

"Five general-tier heart beasts?!"

Fang Xing sighed: "Can't you skip the first few layers of the Tower of Heart for me?"

"No. It is bound by the rules."

The black-robed priest replied in his genderless voice: "Begin."

Boom!

Only then did Fang Xing notice the surroundings begin to shift.

From grasslands and forests, to deserts, oceans, volcanoes, and skies…

Various environments flashed past, finally settling over a swamp.

Glug glug!

Bubbles rose from the swamp water, radiating potent toxins.

"Spatial transformation? Parallel displacement? Now this is interesting."

Fang Xing casually released the Wind God Pterodactyl: "You're it."

Splash!

The Wind God Pterodactyl roared, unleashing its sovereign-level aura.

The five general-tier heart beasts let out mournful cries and collapsed to the ground.

"Passed!"

The black-robed priest bowed, and the surroundings returned to the Tower of Heart; the stone platform began to rise slowly.

…

The opponent in the second layer was likewise a general-tier Yuzhe, easily defeated by Fang Xing.

The Yuzhe in the third layer possessed one lord-tier heart beast, his strength roughly equal to that of the former mayor of Green Forest City.

The fourth layer consisted entirely of lord-tier heart beasts.

The fifth layer featured only upper-lord-tier heart beasts…

Unfortunately, all of them were trash, effortlessly slaughtered by Fang Xing with just the Wind God Pterodactyl.

Boom!

The stone platform rose slowly, arriving at the sixth layer.

"Those who reach the sixth layer are all sovereign-tier Yuzhe."

On the opposite platform, a white-robed Yuzhe spoke in a genderless tone, his body radiating a faint sovereign aura: "Come forth, my core heart beast!"

Crash!

A colossal tortoise emerged.

Its body was immense, its shell covered in intricate, arcane patterns; its cultivation level reached roughly five thousand years.

"Roar!"

The tortoise roared, summoning a raincloud; rain began to fall from the sky.

Splash!

The surroundings had already changed, now a vast grassland.

Then, the Yuzhe produced his golden holy scripture, and more heart beasts appeared.

Upper-lord-tier — Rain Arrow Frog!

Upper-lord-tier — Water Azure Dragon!

Amidst the mist, the two upper-lord-tier beasts vanished, as if hidden.

"Rain Team?"

Fang Xing clapped his hands, ordering the Wind God Pterodactyl to attack.

Whizz! Whizz!

In the rain curtain, droplets transformed into arrows, striking the Wind God Pterodactyl and leaving faint wounds.

"You cannot rely on just one heart beast against me."

The white-robed Yuzhe, whose mask bore the character "Six," spoke with pride.

"Hmm… your Rain Team is impressive—using rainfall to conceal your heart beasts while enhancing the Rain Arrow Frog's abilities… but even so, it cannot harm my Wind God Pterodactyl… therefore, you've hidden another auxiliary heart beast, specialized in boosting water-based skills."

"Moreover, your final heart beast is most likely a healing type…"

"Combined, these factors could indeed challenge my Wind God Pterodactyl—though victory would still likely be mine, it would cost me dearly."

Fang Xing retrieved his Heart Phantasm Holy Scripture.

"Finally, it's coming?"

The sixth-layer guardian's eyes darkened as a green light flared.

Amidst the rain, a massive green willow tree suddenly appeared!

This heart beast was enveloped in layers of green radiance; each willow branch was thick and monstrous, seemingly mutated, adorned with jagged thorns.

"Upper-sovereign-tier — Hell's Beat-You-Down Willow!"

The sixth-layer guardian gasped: "Indeed, you have a second sovereign-tier heart beast… even among sovereign-tier Yuzhe, you're no novice."

This Hell's Beat-You-Down Willow was, of course, Fang Xing's hard-won prize from years of adventuring.

Not only had it reached nine thousand years of cultivation, but it had also undergone one mutation, granting it a peculiar blood-draining recovery ability, perfectly complementing his Destruction Domain.

It also excelled in crowd control and defense.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered with a sovereign-tier heart beast at all.

Crack! Crack!

The Hell's Beat-You-Down Willow lashed out with countless branches, covering half the sky of the grassland; its tendrils became steel whips.

Crack!

A giant frog-like heart beast was flung through the air, bleeding profusely.

Strangely, its blood was absorbed by the jagged willow branches.

Then, a green glow settled upon the Wind God Pterodactyl.

The tiny wounds on its wings vanished instantly; its spirit surged, revitalized.

"Crowd control, blood-draining, healing… truly an excellent plant-type heart beast."

The sixth guardian sighed, his eyes filled with unmistakable envy.

Though controlling one sovereign-tier heart beast qualifies one as a sovereign-tier Yuzhe, their strength varies greatly—weak ones are merely novices with a single sovereign-tier combatant.

The strongest among them can claim the title of "Heavenly King!"

The gap between them is immeasurable.

He too wished to capture a powerful sovereign-tier heart beast, but such sovereigns were not only immensely strong, but often ruled vast heart beast clans—not easily subdued.

In comparison, cultivating a sovereign-quality heart beast egg was simpler, yet he simply lacked the funds.

"Go! Water Healing!"

The sixth-layer guardian commanded; a shell-like heart beast surfaced in the rain, releasing a stream of water onto the Rain Arrow Frog.

Compared to the Hell's Beat-You-Down Willow's healing, the Rain Arrow Frog merely barely stopped the bleeding—it had lost most of its combat capability.

Crack! Crack!

The Hell's Beat-You-Down Willow moved again, its branches lashing out.

"Roar!"

At that moment, the colossal tortoise bellowed, and walls of earth rose like a great wall.

In one glance/p>

"Screech!"

In the sky, the Wind God Pterodactyl dove downward, unleashing torrents of blue wind blades onto the sixth-layer guardian.

Puff! Puff!

Outside, the earthen fortress was effortlessly pierced by the willow branches; one lord-tier heart beast after another withdrew.

Finally, amid the tortoise's mournful cry, the Wind God Pterodactyl had pecked through the sixth-layer guardian's protective aura.

As his core heart beast, it let out a final cry and exploded into glowing particles, retreating back into its core heart phantasm.

"I yield!"

The sixth-layer guardian sighed.

"Is it really necessary to go this far? Even if your core heart phantasm can reform and be cultivated back to sovereign-tier, it will cost a vast amount of resources."

Fang Xing frowned.

Even if the Tower of Heart bore the cost of those resources, what of the time wasted?

"Only the Lord of Faithful Hearts."

The sixth-layer guardian answered Dandan.

Boom!

As the stone platform ascended once more, Fang Xing finally reached the seventh layer of the Heart Tower.

…

Outside.

Hummm!

The pristine Heart Tower suddenly trembled.

"What's happening?"

"No—look! The seventh layer of the Heart Tower has lit up!"

The riders still on the square cried out in shock: "It's the King Battle!"

"Someone in the Heart Tower has reached the seventh layer and triggered the King Battle?"

"A grand event! Even if they fail, they'll be famed throughout the Heart Capital."

"Perhaps today, a new King will be born?"

"Hah! Lucky day—the seventh-layer challenge of the Heart Tower is broadcast live..."

Countless riders surged forward, then saw the massive projection screen cast by the Heart Tower.

On screen, a handsome young man stood beneath the Hellfire Whip Willow, while a Wind God Winged Dragon circled the colossal tree, roaring in the sky.

"So young!"

"That's him!"

The rider who had exchanged a few words with Fang Xing widened his eyes: "I actually had the honor to speak with a King-level Rider?"

…

Seventh layer of the Heart Tower.

The surroundings shifted endlessly, finally settling into a desert.

Opposite him, the seventh-layer guardian bowed first: "Finally... someone has come to the seventh layer. If you pass this trial, you won't only earn the title of King—you'll also receive a reward within the Heart Tower!"

"Oh? Who built this Heart Tower?"

Fang Xing stood with his hands behind his back, asking with keen interest.

The grand cathedral of the Heart Sanctuary was already a marvel.

Yet compared to this sky-piercing Heart Tower, it paled in comparison.

"Naturally, the Great Lord of Hearts!"

The seventh-layer guardian answered without hesitation, then slammed his holy scripture.

Roar! Roar!

A giant formed from countless molten rivers emerged, followed by a flaming steed, a Sky Roc, a Man-Eating Flower, and a Earth Rock Snake.

…

"All King-level heart beasts—this is the difficulty of the seventh layer?"

Outside, Nan Gong Qiushui watched this scene, biting her lip in frustration.

"How impossible to defeat five King-level beasts?"

Other riders, seeing this, felt a sense of despair.

"No... not right..."

At this moment, Nan Gong Qiushui stared at the seventh-layer guardian and saw his form enveloped in a crimson spiritual light, merging with the molten giant.

"Is this... Heart Technique: Fusion?"

"Fusing with one's primal heart beast not only amplifies its power in every aspect, but eliminates all weaknesses..."

"A grueling battle! Unprecedentedly grueling!"

Nan Gong Qiushui's clear eyes never wavered, fixed on the young Rider in the projection: "How will you handle this trial?"

…

"Heart beast fusion technique?"

Fang Xing smiled faintly: "Come out... my primal heart beast!"

"Wang wang!"

A flash of light revealed a two-hundred-centimeter-long Husky, lying on the ground, lazily scratching its hind legs.

"What is that? A canine heart beast?"

Nan Gong Qiushui's face showed a hint of confusion: "It seems only lower-tier King-level... Canine heart beasts are inherently weak—even their kings can't match a molten King. It's a racial disadvantage..."

(End of Chapter)