Chapter 216: The Throne of Heaven, Who Doesn't Want It? (Part 2)

Chapter 216: The Throne of Heaven, Who Doesn't Want It? (Part 2)

The remaining conditions are even more challenging and stringent.

Seven-colored entries, Twelfth Rank Core Formation, Twelfth Rank Nascent Soul—these things are almost impossible to gather even on the Vast Continent, a Second Rank Continent!

Not to mention anything else.

She herself was a native cultivator of the Vast Continent, and after so many years, she had only managed to elevate her Profound Void Domain to the Sixth Rank. If she were to gather all her resources, she might be able to reach the Ninth Rank Profound Void Domain.

But the cost was too high.

Spending such a vast amount would have almost no impact on her combat power, merely elevating her domain by one rank. For her, it was a losing deal, or rather, a losing deal for most cultivators without an absurdly deep foundation.

Domain rank only needed to be sufficient, ensuring that one wouldn't be absolutely suppressed by others.

Her Sixth Rank Profound Void Domain would be instantly and absolutely suppressed by Chen Qiu's domain. Currently, relying on her early-stage Profound Void cultivation, she could still manipulate Chen Qiu, but once he broke through to the Essence Condensation Realm, she would undoubtedly lose to him at the same cultivation level.

". . ."

After a long while, the old woman's trembling hand gradually steadied. Although she couldn't comprehend how a Lower Continent could nurture such a monstrous existence, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

After all, he was someone who had single-handedly completed twelve Milestone Tasks.

He possessed both formidable strength and heavenly fortune.

To complete twelve Milestone Tasks required not only strength but also a certain degree of heavenly fortune. You also needed to ensure that none of the twelve Milestone Tasks were completed before you.

After a long silence, the old woman finally lifted her head to look at the middle-aged man sitting across from her, "Every rise to power has its signs. Take Chen Qiu's first battle, where he annihilated an entire clan with his Core Formation Apex cultivation."

"Where did his Twelfth Rank Core Formation come from before that battle? Didn't the Heavenly Path Edict sense it?"

"Where did his nearly one hundred million virtue points come from? They couldn't have appeared out of thin air, could they?"

"It's not like he was born at the Core Formation Apex and then, upon taking his first breath, proceeded to annihilate the Evil Clan, could it?"

"No."

The middle-aged man replied firmly, "Reporting to the Elder Madame, Chen Qiu suddenly appeared on the Xuantian Continent and has been the most prominent figure there in recent years. Many factions have been gathering intelligence on him."

"Chen Qiu's first battle on the Xuantian Continent, to be precise, wasn't a solo clan annihilation. It was the first major battle."

"The first battle took place in Quzhou during a special event called 'Long Night Approaches'!"

"During that special event, Chen Qiu claimed almost all the rewards and, on the second day, when he was wanted by the Great Cause Sect, he returned to Great Cause City and wiped out the entire Great Cause Sect."

"Later, he revealed his prowess in the Su Family's talent conference in Quzhou, and after that, he annihilated the Evil Clan in the Demon State."

"However, the previous incidents were too minor to be widely known."

". . . Great Cause Sect?"

The old woman poured herself another cup of tea, her lips slightly parted as she whispered the familiar name. She was the Supreme Elder of the Great Cause Sect, but from the Vast Continent.

I have not heard of the long-dead Sect Leader of the Dao Gua Sect, whether he was from Xuantian Continent or not, perhaps there is a connection, or perhaps it is just a coincidence.

But none of this matters.

Even if there is a connection, she doesn't feel much sorrow. The connection is so distant that it doesn't concern her. What she cares about is Chen Qiu.

"What is Chen Qiu's combat strength like?"

"At the Golden Core Apex, he was invincible among his peers and even killed a Nascent Soul in the early stages."

"Not bad."

"When he reached the Nascent Soul Intermediate stage, he defeated numerous Nascent Soul Apex cultivators and claimed the top spot on the Heaven Sovereign Rankings."

"Impressive."

"After reaching the Divine Transformation Late stage, he killed hundreds of Demon Race cultivators with a single move, most of them at the Divine Transformation Late stage, including several at the Divine Transformation Peak."

"Very good."

". . ."

In the private room of the teahouse, the old woman fell silent again. She had also wanted to try for the Heaven Sovereign Throne's opportunity, after all, the effect was so tempting that anyone would want it. But it seemed that this opportunity had nothing to do with her.

First of all, her cultivation was not among the top-tier in the entire Mystic Heaven State.

She was only at the Essence Condensation Initial stage.

According to her knowledge, several Essence Condensation Late stage and even Essence Condensation Peak cultivators had already come out of seclusion for this opportunity.

Among these people, her cultivation did not give her any advantage.

Even without these people, the Heavenly Palace could not be entered within a month, and Chen Qiu was already at the Peak Divine Transformation stage, clearly preparing to break through to Essence Condensation. Even if it were just the two of them, she would definitely not be a match for Chen Qiu, who was also at the Essence Condensation Initial stage.

Since that was the case.

She could completely give up on this opportunity.

Then she looked up at the middle-aged man in the private room and asked casually, "When you were in Xuantian Continent, which sect did you belong to?"

"Reporting to the old madam."

"When I was in Xuantian Continent, I was the head of a small family called the Cao Family in Central Province. I had always been at the Divine Transformation Intermediate stage. After the Vast Continent passage opened, I was fortunate enough to break through to the Divine Transformation Late stage. It was then that I dared to venture into the Vast Continent in search of opportunities."

"Hmm."

The old woman nodded, speaking indifferently, "Are you willing to join my Mystic Origin Sect? I can offer you an Outer Sect Offering position, with the resources of an Inner Sect Offering. In the future, if you make contributions or gain enough seniority, I will promote you to an Inner Sect Offering position. The position of an official Inner Sect Elder is not out of reach."

"If one day you can attain the Spirit Refinement Reverse Void, the position of Sect Leader is not impossible."

The Divine Transformation Late stage seemed just one step away from Essence Condensation.

But this one step was enough to stop most people.

The Essence Condensation Tribulation was no laughing matter. Throughout history, countless Divine Transformation Peak cultivators had died not at the hands of their enemies, but at the Essence Condensation Tribulation.

"Thank you, Madam, for your trust!"

The head of the Cao Family, with a sincere expression, immediately knelt on the ground, "If Madam does not abandon me, I am willing to stay in the Mystic Origin Sect and serve you for life!"

". . ."

Just as the old woman was about to say something, she saw the overly respectful attitude of the head of the Cao Family, and her mouth twitched involuntarily. For a moment, she didn't know what to say, and after a long while, she spoke softly, "When did the people of Xuantian Continent become so flexible and adaptable?"

It wasn't that no one from Xuantian Continent had come before.

But most of those who came had particularly stubborn personalities and were difficult to recruit. This was not only true for Xuantian Continent but also for the other eleven Lower Continents.

After all, those who could come from the Lower Continents were the outstanding talents in their respective regions.

Who would be so easily recruited and even kneel down?

She had never seen someone kneel so skillfully and naturally, without any psychological burden. Normally, a Divine Transformation Late stage cultivator would not kneel so easily, even in front of an Essence Condensation cultivator.

"Ahem."

The head of the Cao Family, with an embarrassed expression, stood up from the ground and sat back down on the chair, speaking softly, "Actually, there are still many people in Xuantian Continent who cannot be flexible and adaptable. For example, the Demon Race cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage would rather die than surrender. But later..."

"What happened later?"

"Later, all of them died."

Before leaving Xuantian Continent, Chen Qiu had visited almost all the sects in Central Province with fruit baskets. In the end, those who refused to surrender met their wish and were annihilated. Those who survived and made it to the Vast Continent were mostly those who had knelt down decisively and promptly.

As for him.

He was different. Chen Qiu had visited most of the sects in Central Province with fruit baskets, but he had not come to the Cao Family. As a result, the Cao Family had escaped this fate. On the day the Three Springs Tower was destroyed, Chen Qiu had already visited the Cao Family, following the guest list of the Three Springs Tower.

However, on that day, the Cao Family had behaved well, hosting a grand banquet to celebrate Chen Qiu's breakthrough to the Divine Transformation stage. Although it was a bit fake, they still gained Chen Qiu's approval and escaped the disaster, and the Cao Family was marked as a "Friendly Sect" by the Mock Heaven Sect.

After half a day of silence, the old woman in the teahouse private room finally nodded, "I understand."

Then she stood up.

The hair piled on the ground seemed to come to life, quickly shortening until it reached her waist, and then she walked out of the private room, "Follow me, I'll take you back to the sect."

Mystic Heaven State, Cloud City.

Located in the westernmost city of Mystic Heaven State, it could also be considered the farthest city from the Heavenly Palace.

At this moment, in the busiest street of this city, inside a "Ten Thousand Beasts Sect" shop with a half-open door.

The Sect Leader of Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and Zhang Kui, with eyes full of shock, slowly got up from the ground after the heavenly power dissipated. They trembled as they sat on the bench, looking at each other in silence for a long time, and no one spoke for a long time.

No one knew how long it had been.

Zhang Kui, who had regained her female appearance, had a flash of fear in her eyes, "Why couldn't this Chen Qiu be more low-key when he first came to Xuantian Continent?"

"Does this guy understand the concept of temporary restraint at all?"

"Hmm?"

The Sect Leader of Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, sitting opposite her, sharply caught the fear in Zhang Kui's eyes and was slightly startled. Then, with some disbelief, he said, "Kui'er, don't scare me. You don't have a grudge against Chen Qiu, do you?"

"I suddenly feel like I don't have any feelings for you at all."

"Please!"

Zhang Kui glared at the Sect Leader of Ten Thousand Beasts Sect with some resentment, and then spoke in a soft voice, telling the story between her and Chen Qiu.

"I understand."

The Sect Leader of Ten Thousand Beasts Sect nodded, "So, you're saying that Chen Qiu doesn't even know you, and he doesn't even know your name. It was you who scared yourself and ran around, and in the end, you were caught by the Great Elder of the Mock Heaven Sect and taken away as a tool person?"

"Hmm hmm." Zhang Kui looked a little aggrieved.

Only July Cat, hiding under the table, looked up at Zhang Kui in confusion. Why are you feeling aggrieved? You're not even dead yet. The one who should be feeling aggrieved is her.

She was truly wronged, wasn't she? She swore! Chen Qiu definitely didn't know her name or even her existence. She never intended to harm Chen Qiu, nor did she ever think of getting close to him. All she wanted was to live quietly, but every time, she ended up dying directly or indirectly at Chen Qiu's hands.

Who could she complain to about this?

Even if she wanted to blame Chen Qiu, she couldn't, because Chen Qiu had no idea she existed.

"However..."

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect Master sighed heavily. "This Mystic Heaven State is different from the Xuantian Continent. The Mystic Heaven State is a place where heroes gather, and even those above the Transcendence Stage are not unheard of."

"Then Chen Qiu will face attacks from all the strong cultivators in the Mystic Heaven State."

"It's almost impossible for him to survive."

"Even if Chen Qiu breaks through to the Transcendence Stage, how will he deal with those at the peak of Transcendence and above?"

"It's impossible."

"Unless... a miracle happens."

July Cat, who was lying on the ground under the table, not caring about her image, suddenly stiffened upon hearing these words. She quickly stood up, scattering the sunflower seed shells all over the ground, and a hint of horror flashed in her eyes.

Damn it!

She felt like she had forgotten something very important! She knew that Chen Qiu still had a Virtue Attack Token.

When she left the Xuantian Continent, Chen Qiu had nearly 200 billion virtue points. With so many virtue points, if he used them all to activate the Virtue Attack Token, the entire Evil State could be destroyed, as it had been with nearly 100 billion virtue points in the past.

With 2000 billion virtue points now, wiping out the Mystic Heaven State didn't seem like a big problem.

"..."

Oh well.

July Cat, who had just stood up, showed a hint of nonchalance in her eyes and lazily lay back down on the pile of sunflower seed shells, stretching out her body and assuming a rather comfortable pose.

She could wait to die again.

That was fine; she was familiar with this.

In the Vast Continent, a few hundred miles from Cloud City, there was a small valley.

An old man from Green Mountain Palace, hiding in a cave, looked at the Buddhist Sect's ancestor with admiration and gave him a thumbs up. "You were right. Chen Qiu never stops for a moment and is always in a state of combat."

"He's been in the Vast Continent for just a moment, and he's already in a battle state without a break."

"It's like he's declaring war on the entire Mystic Heaven State."

"Tsk."

The Buddhist Sect's ancestor was quite proud, holding a white chess piece in his hand and placing it casually on the chessboard. "This is called Buddhist wisdom. Next, all the people with some strength in this area will definitely want to try their luck at the Heavenly Palace."

"Then the opportunities in this area during this time will belong to no one, right?"

"Both of us are at the Half-step Transcendence Stage, and while we may not be able to dominate, we're still stronger than most people. It's time for us to step up."

"But..." The Green Mountain Palace ancestor hesitated. "Do you think Chen Qiu can survive? It seems quite difficult for him to survive this time. After all, he's up against the entire Mystic Heaven State. As long as Chen Qiu is alive, his Heaven Sovereign Throne will be coveted by others."

"Don't even mention it. If you were at the Transcendence Stage or even the peak of Transcendence, wouldn't you covet that Heaven Sovereign Throne?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

The Buddhist Sect's ancestor shook his head solemnly. "Even if I were at the peak of Transcendence, I would never covet that Heaven Sovereign Throne. I wouldn't even look at it, let alone covet it. Looking at it more is a sign of disrespect for death."

"There's a saying that goes, 'The person who knows you best is always your enemy.'"

"When we were setting up a backup plan to deal with Chen Qiu, I personally went to the Endless Snow Mountain and found the entrance to an unknown miniature world at the top of the mountain. There was a seal at the entrance, and breaking it would allow entry into the miniature world."

"This entrance to the miniature world is not far from Death's Town, which is where Chen Qiu arrived on the Xuantian Continent."

"In other words, before breaking through to the Golden Core Apex, Chen Qiu was cultivating in this miniature world."

"That's the problem."

The Buddhist Sect's ancestor looked at the Green Mountain Palace ancestor meaningfully. "I tried the seal of that miniature world, and I could clearly sense that even if I were at the peak of Transcendence, I couldn't break it."

"Do you know what this means?"

"It's impossible for a cultivator at the peak of Transcendence to ever appear on the Xuantian Continent, because the concentration of spirit energy and opportunities on the continent are not enough to nurture a cultivator of that level."

"But the seal is far more durable than what a cultivator at the peak of Transcendence could create."

"Then who set up this seal?"

"And who was it meant to seal?"

"And who is Chen Qiu, who emerged from this seal?"

"Once I realized this, I actually wanted to back out. Chen Qiu can't die. Even if he's in a situation where he's almost certainly going to die, he won't die."

"Because I have a hunch in my heart..."

"It's possible that some indescribable existences were sealed within the Xuantian Continent, and Chen Qiu, the strongest among them, found a way to leave the seal and arrive on the Xuantian Continent."

"At first, I thought the seal was set up by the Mock Heaven Sect tens of thousands of years ago to hide from the world, but later I realized it was impossible. The Mock Heaven Sect of the past didn't have the strength or the need to set up such a seal."

"In this situation, even if the entire Mystic Heaven State believes Chen Qiu is in a hopeless situation, I believe he can survive."

"..." The Green Mountain Palace ancestor stood there in a daze, and after a long time, he said with disbelief, "Aren't we partners? Why didn't I know about this information? Didn't you say we'd share information?"

"Ahem."

The Buddhist Sect's ancestor coughed lightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. "At the time, I thought you had a Tenth Rank Domain, so there might be a glimmer of hope."

"But after Chen Qiu came to our door, I realized the reality."

"Fortunately, you didn't activate your Tenth Rank Domain at the time, or we would be meeting in the underworld now."

"Alright, alright."

Seeing that the Green Mountain Palace ancestor was about to explode with anger, the Buddhist Sect's ancestor, who was shirtless, hurriedly patted him on the shoulder. "Let's forget about the past and move forward. You'll see how I perform."

It wasn't that he wanted to be shirtless.

It was just that his kasaya had been taken by that self-proclaimed disciple of the Mock Heaven Sect, the brown bear.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end