What just happened?Willow and the others were completely confused."Let's go. It's all taken care of," Chase called out. With a wave of his hand, a portal appeared beside him.The Lightning Dragon King stood nearby with a forced smile, even making a welcoming gesture."Master, what's going on?" Walter, as the contracted beast, decided it was best for him to ask."I've negotiated terms with the Lightning Dragon King. We can go straight to see Lord Light Divine Pearl," Chase replied with a grin."What?!""Stop that. Move it. If you don't go in now, I'm closing the portal.""Alright, alright! We're going!"They then entered the portal one after another.Just before going in, Lisa curiously glanced at the Lightning Dragon King. This so-called world master, once so high and mighty, now stood like a doorman, ushering them into the gate.For the first time, Lisa realized what it meant when people said that the world was a fickle place. It was almost absurd.Once Chase and his gro
Only the Lightning Dragon King and his woman stayed behind, embracing each other and soaking in the cheers from the crowd.However, strangely enough, neither Carla nor Sierra detected any sign of ascension from Chase and his group.Carla dismissed the equally puzzled Sierra, then activated her messaging talisman and began chatting with Fallon."Fallon, did you see that? That Chase guy...""Yeah. He's strong, no doubt. The kind of ruthless man who could kill six elders with a single blow.""No, not that. Didn't they ascend? Did you notice any ascension phenomenon?""I was cultivating at the time, so I didn't pay attention. Why?"Carla felt a twinge of doubt in her heart.This world was inherently flawed. It was easy to find loopholes in the laws of heaven. They just lacked the power to exploit them. However, detecting them was still possible.Spiritual consciousness could easily cover most areas. A phenomenon as massive as ascension should have triggered some kind of reaction—e
Willow and the others still had no idea what was going on. They thought this was only the sixth level."This place is way too different from the previous ones. There's not a single person here."Walter looked around and realized that aside from plants and rocks, he had not seen any living creatures on this island."This is the ninth level, where the Light Divine Pearl resides.""What? THe Light Divine Pearl?"After all, it was Willow who had told Chase about the Light Divine Pearl. Walter and Lisa still did not understand what was going on."The ninth level?"Lisa's confusion was understandable. As a native of the fifth level, she only knew about the fifth and sixth layers as the transitional realms between the lower and upper worlds. She knew nothing beyond that."Willow, explain things to those two. I'll go check the surroundings," Chase instructed, then turned to explore the area.Willow began explaining the Dark and Light Dark and Light Mineral Ore and the existence of the
It actually suited the Light Divine Pearl's temperament quite well.That was Chase's assessment. It was because of that that he trusted the figure's identity a little more.More importantly, his spiritual consciousness still had not detected any hostility from the figure.He also understood that if a real fight broke out inside the world created by the Light Divine Pearl, his chances of winning were close to zero."Since that's the case, let me see your strength first."The moment the words were spoken, the surrounding scenery changed completely. Chase suddenly found himself engulfed in a sea of flames.He turned around, and there was no island anymore. This was a different dimension, a realm of fire.Flames filled the sky, and black smoke rolled across the horizon. The temperature was scorching. It was unbearable even for a physical cultivator like him.Not to mention, he began to question whether his earlier conclusion about the lack of hostility was incorrect for the first t
Walter's entire body instantly shriveled up. Willow only noticed something was wrong when she swept her spiritual consciousness across the area.She was shocked. She could only deduce that it was damage caused by a fire-type spell.A curse? Fire-based?"Lisa, help him—quick!"That was the first thing that came to her mind since Lisa was a Water Dragon. Her water-based spells would definitely be stronger than Willow's own.She quickly called her over for help, and Lisa rushed over immediately.When she saw that Walter had almost turned into a dried corpse, she, too, was stunned."Hurry up and cast something!" Willow shouted, panic-stricken."Oh!" Lisa fumbled as she moved.This was the first time she had ever seen something so gruesome. A giant serpent dozens of feet long had shriveled into a dried-up husk only a few feet across. Could something like that still be alive? Was this even the same Walter she knew?Her thoughts raced uncontrollably.With trembling hands, she cast
Just the fact that the Light Divine Pearl could silently drag him into this world of fire was enough for Chase to understand that this was a being he could never hope to contend with.Plus, Chase also noticed that the earlier firestorm had, unexpectedly, functioned as a tempering for his body. His physique had become even more resilient, almost as if it had merged with the surrounding space itself.It felt like every part of this realm welcomed his presence without the slightest trace of rejection."What did you do to my body?" Chase asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.It was called a trial, and the process had been agonizing, but the result was an all-around enhancement. What exactly was the Light Divine Pearl's intention in doing this?"You've gained an enormous benefit. Can't you feel it?" Light Divine Pearl's voice remained calm and unshaken.Chase still could not detect any trace of emotion in his tone. Logically, someone called the Light Divine Pearl, representing the
This could be a trick."What do you think?"The Light Divine Pearl suddenly gave a playful smile. It was like a robot had suddenly come to life as a human. Chase found this unsettling.A teleportation door appeared after that.Willow and the others saw Chase in the air with the Light Divine Pearl."Who's that young man? Why is he red all over?"Lisa pointed at the Light Divine Pearl and asked in surprise. He was too dazzling, and he had moved Chase next to the teleportation door.Everyone below was not able to have a clear view of what was happening up there."I can sense that he's very powerful. Who is he?"Willow's consciousness was the strongest among all three. She could grasp a sense of the Light Divine Pearl's aura and asked with shock."Master is over there! He found the teleportation door! Does that mean we can leave now?"Walter used his link to Chase to detect him and was the first to discover Chase floating in the air."Go on. The sixth, seventh, and eighth level
"What? The Light Divine Pearl? His image? What's going on? Could the story of the 12 Primal Treasures be true?" Willow was a disciple of the nether realm's second-greatest sect and knew plenty of the world's secrets. She was aware of the 12 Primal Treasures.However, Walter and Lisa had no idea what they were. Why did so much unfamiliar information appear after seeing the young man in red?"Willow, what are the 12 Primal Treasures? Why haven't I heard of it before?" Lisa looked bewildered.Walter was a powerful monster and he had inherited memories in his mind. However, those memories could only be evoked during certain times.Most of the time, they would be evoked when he achieved a certain cultivation level or saw something in connection with the memory that unlocked it. Walter did not directly experience the body refinement of the Divine Order's Flame. He had indirect contact with it via Chase. Hence, even though Walter had been tortured incessantly by it, he did not fulfill t
Tania once attended celebratory events held by other sects, only to encounter top-tier demonic beasts on the road. A brutal battle left her covered in wounds, and she missed the celebration entirely, offending the host.At that time, her master's resentment had already reached its peak.That thousand-year-old wolf demon became the last straw that broke the camel's back.Her master unleashed Emerald Lake Holy Land's most powerful technique—Radiance of Emerald, Eternal Slumber.Heaven and earth changed color the moment it was unleashed. The thousand-year wolf demon gathered all of its cultivation but still could not withstand the strike. It was reduced to ashes in an instant.Tania once thought that the gap between her and her master was not too wide and that she would rightfully inherit the mantle of leadership over Emerald Lake Holy Land within a century.Yet after witnessing that attack, she realized how wrong she had been. From then on, she started training harder and more dilig
Chase, who was standing directly in front of that sword strike, was equally stunned.Zacharias had been right!From that sword, he sensed the same divine intent as the one he had felt earlier in the clouds from that figure that resembled the Nine-Sea Giant Squid. It was evil, filled with pain and oppression, spreading boundlessly.Clive was indeed a projection—or a fragment—of Klondike!Chase's rage simmered down, replaced by a cold gleam in his eyes. This was the one who wanted to kill him?He was ready to strike back with full force. He summoned Greedy Wolf from the void, and his killing intent surged across the arena. The moment the blade appeared, it once again drew gasps from the audience.The overwhelming sword intent Clive had released earlier was instantly compressed and forced back by half as if it were afraid of Chase's blade. Then came the killing aura of Greedy Wolf. It was nearly tangible, sweeping across the hearts of every spectator.Earlier, Clive's sword aura had
Clive finally seemed to snap out of his daze."You brat, did you drug me?" he barked angrily, vaguely aware that something felt off. It was as if he had just taken a nap in the arena. His first thought was that Chase must have slipped him some kind of drug."If I had drugged you, would you still be standing there?" Chase scoffed at such a ridiculous accusation.That was true. If Chase truly had drugged him, Clive would probably already be lying unconscious in the rest area.Clive reluctantly accepted Chase's explanation for now."Let's settle this once and for all!" he shouted, raising his Heaven and Earth Sword as a boundless sword aura swept across the arena.Huh? His strength felt even greater than before. Clive grew smug with pride.Chase appeared completely unaware of his incoming strike.Rookie move, he thought. Chase must have been stunned by his sword intent and was now completely frozen.Clive was imagining it all in his head.Then, he shouted, "Boundless Heaven and E
As soon as Zacharias spoke of Klondike, Chase's sea of consciousness suddenly darkened.Chase was startled. He sensed a presence—some sort of power—watching him. He released his spiritual consciousness and swept the area but found nothing."That's Klondike's power. Just mentioning him will make you a target and draw his gaze," Zacharias warned. "I no longer have anything to lose, but you must be careful. If his true body takes notice, there's only one outcome—death.""It's too late. My master already has his eyes on you. Kid, did you not see what happened to Zacharias? I suggest you learn from it and—"Before Gideon could finish his sentence, an invisible chain shot out, binding his soul and sealing his mouth, leaving him completely unable to speak."You'd better behave. This is my sea of consciousness," Chase said coldly.The last time he struck Gideon with a bolt of lightning, it obliterated his soul, but Gideon had reformed using a portion of Zacharias' spirit. If Chase destroy
Chase had been wondering why it took Zacharias so long to wake up. Now that he was finally awake, why was he still so weak? More importantly, why did he immediately turn against his old acquaintance?What exactly had happened in between?"He's a fraud. The Nine-Sea Giant Squid and the Nine Sea Holy Sword are all projections or incarnations of that evil deity. All that nonsense about being fated with me was a setup—just a ploy to steal my divine foresight," Zacharias said as his spiritual form twisted like wisps of smoke, looking unstable and on the verge of dispersing completely."Evil deity? Projection? Are you talking about Klondike?" Chase asked, recalling the Nine-Sea Giant Squid he encountered on the fourth level among the Worthingtons as well as the so-called expert they summoned. He remembered they had mentioned someone named Klondike.Upon hearing Chase speak that name, Gideon visibly flinched in shock."So, you actually know?" he asked with a dark expression."My soul has
Fallon was a little speechless when he heard Ford's words.He had made up the whole "spiritual consciousness duel" thing on a whim, yet this kid delivered his commentary with such confidence and flair. It looked like he was a seasoned show-off too!Truly, the younger generation was not to be underestimated. Fallon could not help but let out a snort of laughter.Carla, standing beside him, transmitted a quiet message via spiritual consciousness, "Ford… isn't wrong.""What?" Fallon was stunned.In terms of soul and spiritual consciousness, Carla was undoubtedly one of the top experts in the nether realm. As someone who focused on physical cultivation, Fallon had always respected her spiritual skills.However, this so-called "spiritual consciousness duel" had just been something he made up.Even Carla had believed it was a lie earlier. Yet now, she was suddenly vouching for Ford, saying he was telling the truth?It really gave Fallon a scare."I made this up on the spot. Are you s
"Could they be rigging the match?""The reward for the Holy Path is at the martial god level. Would they fake a match for that?""It's exactly because it's a martial god-level reward that they'd rig the match, got it?""No way. I object. City Lord, these two are definitely up to something!"As Clive and Chase remained motionless for longer and longer, Fallon and Carla also noticed something was wrong.However, after scanning the arena with their spiritual consciousness, they did detect a clashing of energy between the two.After a brief moment of thought, Fallon spoke up. "Everyone, please calm down. These two prodigies are currently engaged in a rather novel type of battle—a spiritual consciousness duel. The fight between them is currently in a deadlock. A single misstep could mean complete annihilation of their souls."Only those whose spiritual consciousness is highly refined can perceive what's going on. So please, be patient and wait for the match to conclude."The crowd im
"Kid, if I hadn't deliberately transmitted my voice to you, do you think you could hear me?"Chase flinched. That voice had clearly echoed within his sea of consciousness. Could it be that Zacharias Crane had awakened?He quickly recalled the Seer of Whitepeak—the former elder of the Shadowless Sect whom he had subdued—and hurriedly searched within his sea of consciousness.Zacharias' soul still lay dormant."Heh, just as I thought. That old fellow is suffering too, hiding out inside you." The voice sounded pleased.Chase was completely stunned."Let me be honest with you. I'm the Nine Sea Holy Sword, Gideon. That Zacharias kid always bragged about being a peerless divine seer. But it turns out that even he couldn't escape his fate."As he spoke, a translucent figure materialized within Chase's sea of consciousness. He wore a gray robe and carried nine long swords on his back."Sir, and you are…"Chase was shocked. This man had entered his sea of consciousness silently. If he m
"That's no surprise. They're human too and have emotions. It's normal.""Aren't cultivators supposed to develop noble hearts as part of their cultivation? How can they allow such raw emotions to control them?""Well, not everything looks like it seems. The way they vent their emotions is different from us common folk."Chase looked exasperated while listening to the discussion below. He did not want to listen in on them. However, there was something about Clive.When Chase tried to sense Clive with his consciousness, he could sense an ordinary cultivator and an unfathomable cultivator who was as mysterious as a deep, black hole. It got him curious. Could this man have a split personality? Or was he possessed?Chase released his consciousness completely to be safe. This way, he could watch over every move Clive made.This move had also caused him to hear every unnecessary voice below the ring.Clive had no idea what Chase had done. All he knew was that a pair of mysterious eyes s