Chapter 544: The Legend
Chapter 544: The Legend
"A new Heavenly King is born... What a fortunate sight to witness."
"Quick, I want all the information on that Ruler!"
"Damn it... The Tower of the Heart only releases footage of the seventh-level challenges. I really want to see the battles on the eighth level... Will there be an Emperor-rank Heart Beast?"
At this moment, on the white marble square, countless Rulers' eyes turned crimson, a hint of madness flashing within.
What did the Heavenly King represent?
In this world, it meant the rise of a powerful feudal lord!
If they formed an alliance, it would bring immense benefits for decades.
But if they became enemies, death and the annihilation of their clans were possible!
These noble Rulers, who usually held themselves with dignity, couldn't help but abandon their composure and act like madmen.
...
Fang Xing paid no heed to the commotion outside the tower.
He had Pipi Dog unleash the Annihilation Domain, and as expected, his three Heart Beasts easily defeated their opponents.
"If they weren't up to the task, I would have wasted all the time I spent nurturing them and feeding them so many heavenly treasures..."
Some heavenly treasures could directly increase one's cultivation just by consuming them.
Moreover, Fang Xing had localized the pill refining techniques from the cultivation world, maximizing the effectiveness of these treasures.
With Pipi Dog's continuous advancements and fearless exploration of dangerous places, they had acquired numerous treasures.
If not limited by the Sovereign Grade, Fang Xing might have been able to cultivate several Emperor-rank Heart Beasts.
Boom!
The battle platform rose again, reaching the eighth level.
"A newly ascended Heavenly King... truly rare."
On the opposing platform stood an elderly man.
His eyes were gentle, his hair mostly white, and he wasn't wearing a mask.
"The guardian of the eighth level?"
Fang Xing was a bit suspicious: "Can you not wear a uniform?"
"Hehe... As the Pope of the Church of the Heart, even a retired Pope from the previous generation has some privileges."
The old man casually revealed his identity: "Congratulations, young man. As the new Heavenly King, you will receive a large fief and can choose a gift from the Tower of the Heart... But if you defeat me, you will gain unimaginable benefits..."
"It's the previous Pope, Your Holiness."
Fang Xing slightly bowed: "Let's begin!"
"Battle... start!"
The old Pope spoke slowly.
Then...
Fang Xing felt himself falling into darkness.
"Hmm? An illusion?"
"Impossible! Aside from my Soul Beast's protection, how could my will be affected?"
Fang Xing was startled.
His will was that of a Lawmaster Realm powerhouse, and as a martial cultivator, his martial will was well-trained. How could he fall for an illusion?
"My Soul Beast is 'Darkness'..."
The old Pope's voice slowly echoed from the darkness: "After that, I also subdued four Mental-type Heart Beasts: 'Rage', 'Shock', 'Fear', and 'Death'..."
"The five colors blind, the five tones deafen, and the thrill of the hunt drives men mad..."
"This is my Heart Beast combination technique—Five Intent Prison! It has defeated thirteen Heavenly Kings... If you can escape, I will concede defeat."
"If you can't escape, you might die!"
...
Listening to the old Pope's calm voice, Fang Xing's heart stirred with rage.
"No, this isn't my anger... It's the 'Rage' being provoked."
Fang Xing forcefully calmed his mind.
"This old Pope's Soul Beast might be of Emperor Quality, and those four 'Intent Beasts' are probably only of King Rank... Their combined technique is powerful, but it shouldn't be able to trap me! The only explanation is the power of the Heart!"
In the three layers of the soul, will is in the middle, and the most fundamental is the True Spirit!
Fang Xing had previously used Will Attacks to ignore defenses and defeat many enemies.
This time, he faced a more advanced 'True Spirit Attack', and no defense could stop it, putting him at an immediate disadvantage.
'But this can't be considered a True Spirit Attack, just the influence of a True Spirit-level illusion... Otherwise, my main body, with its attribute panel, would have turned this old Pope into ashes...'
'Even so, it's still terrifying.'
...
Tower of the Heart, Eighth Level.
On the battle platform, Fang Xing looked dazed.
Pipi Dog anxiously stood up and circled around him.
In the outside world, a layer of darkness descended like a canopy.
This darkness first engulfed the Hellish Hitter Willow, a 9000-year-old tree, which offered no resistance and was devoured by the darkness.
Next, it was the turn of the Titan Ant and the Wind God Winged Dragon.
Although the Wind God Winged Dragon could fly in the air, it was still caught up by the darkness and submerged...
Then, the darkness swept towards Fang Xing!
But in the next instant, the darkness abruptly stopped.
Within the darkness, the Wind God Winged Dragon silently vanished.
And then... a shadow emerged and merged into the darkness.
Emperor Quality—Ghost Shadow!
—Ghost Possession!
This wasn't even intentional on Fang Xing's part; it was the Ghost Shadow's instinctive struggle against death as it was being devoured by darkness.
But this very struggle allowed it to effortlessly seize control of the Darkness Heart Beast.
"How is this possible?"
The previous Pope's eyes widened in shock.
There had never been a case of a Soul Beast being controlled without being killed first.
But now... he felt like his own Soul Beast had been taken away!
"An Emperor Quality... Ghost Shadow?"
He exhaled a long breath and died.
The Soul Beast was the manifestation of the Heart Image, and in this world, Rulers only cultivated Heart Power, resulting in increased lifespan and physical quality, but not significantly.
In other words, the death of the Ruler doesn't necessarily mean the demise of their Soul Beast.
But if the Soul Beast is taken away, the Ruler will undoubtedly perish!
The next instant—
The darkness dissipated, and Fang Xing regained his senses, gazing at the darkness before him, silent. "Fang Leng... it seems he's truly the protagonist."
The fusion skill of the eighth floor of the Tower of the Heart was so formidable that even he had some trouble dealing with it, and he was already prepared to use his trump card, allowing Pipi Dog to unlock the seal.
However, he never expected that when the Darkness Heart Beast encountered the Shadow Heart Beast, despite having the same quality, it seemed to be suppressed and was directly 'possessed and displaced'.
One could imagine that if Fang Leng had come to this eighth floor and was attacked at the moment his Soul Beast was exposed, the Shadow Heart Beast would also instinctively counterattack, seizing the Darkness Heart Beast and winning effortlessly!
"So... is my little brother really the protagonist of this world?"
"Then what does that make the Gray Wolf that killed him? The King of Villains?"
After this internal monologue, Fang Xing glanced at the battlefield and noticed that although the battle was swift, the outcome was devastating.
The Infernal Man Willow, Titan Ant, and Wind God Winged Dragon had all been engulfed and killed by the darkness...
After the Shadow Heart Beast took over the darkness, it also slew the old Pope's four Lord Rank Thought Beasts.
"Who would've thought that the former Pope would strike with such lethal force..."
Not a single mistake, a single shot, a single miss, a single containment, a single...
"Isn't it normal for a Ruler to die during a battle?"
Fang Xing sighed.
At this moment, the stone tablet of the battle slowly rose, as if crossing an invisible space, about to reach the ninth floor of the Tower of the Heart.
...
In the plaza.
"Look!"
Many Rulers and representatives from various factions stood guard at the tower's entrance, awaiting the emergence of the new Heavenly King.
No one believed that Fang Xing could pass the eighth floor, as all previous Heavenly Kings had failed.
The once arrogant Heavenly Kings became much humbler after their experiences, and even their strongest Heart Beasts had perished, with some even transforming into Heart Manifestations. There were even examples of Heavenly Kings who had died in battle.
But at this moment, a Ruler suddenly looked up, gazing at the Tower of the Heart.
The Tower of the Heart was shimmering with ever-changing brilliance—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple... like a rainbow.
"This... this is an anomaly!"
"Could it be... he's passed the eighth floor?"
Nangong Qiushui watched this scene, feeling both awe and despair in her heart.
The awe was because no one had ever challenged the ninth floor of the Tower of the Heart, and finally, a challenger had arrived.
The despair was that she felt she would never be able to catch up to Fang Xing in this lifetime.
"So... on the seventh floor, he wasn't even at his limit?"
"And the ninth floor, which no one has ever challenged... could it be breached as well?"
...
At the headquarters of the Heart Shrine.
The massive statue of the Holy Dragon of Light roared.
Cardinal Saint Canon sprinted to the current Pope.
He saw a 'Divine Crow' perched on the Pope's shoulder, shedding a large number of feathers, revealing red, goosebumped skin, which looked quite comical.
"This is..."
Several cardinals who had rushed over were all shocked.
"I just used the Divine Crow to glimpse a corner of fate... that new Heavenly King has already passed the eighth floor of the Tower of the Heart..."
The Pope spoke in a calm voice.
"He actually passed the eighth floor?"
The other cardinals were all astounded. "Could it be that another 'Great Emperor' is about to be born?"
The longevity of ordinary Rulers, or even the most ancient noble lineages, couldn't compare to the antiquity of the Heart Shrine.
Therefore, their belief that no Ruler had ever passed the eighth floor of the Tower of the Heart was incorrect.
Long ago, there had been records of Rulers passing the eighth floor.
Unfortunately, that era was so distant that everyone had forgotten it.
Of course, this was also related to the Heart Church deliberately concealing these records.
Because, although that Ruler Emperor failed to pass the ninth floor, he had briefly unified the entire world with his powerful Heart Beast, establishing a glorious dynasty!
Alas... after his death, the dynasty immediately fell apart.
"But... no one has ever passed the ninth floor. This is something that has never happened since the establishment of the Tower of the Heart."
A cardinal looked towards the Holy Light Plaza.
"Yes... Legendary Rank Heart Beasts have only existed in legends."
"No one has ever truly seen one, nor has any Ruler been able to tame one..."
The other cardinals spoke up.
"Fate is fickle, and that's what makes it fate."
Witnessing this scene, the old Pope couldn't help but sigh, a premonition forming in his heart.
...
On the ninth floor of the Tower of the Heart.
The surroundings were an expanse of sky, with only the stone platform where Fang Xing stood suspended.
"At this moment, three of my Heart Beasts have died, leaving only Pipi Dog, Shadow, and Darkness..."
"Who will be my opponent now?"
Fang Xing was enveloped in a layer of darkness, with Pipi Dog at his feet, its eyes gleaming with anticipation.
In this short time, he had become familiar with the Darkness Heart Beast and confirmed its Emperor Quality, possessing 50,000 years of cultivation.
Shadow was actually useless now, as its three chances of possession had been used up, and it could only control the Darkness Heart Beast.
"So, is it just two of us against the ninth floor?"
Fang Xing looked forward but didn't see a battle platform or a Ruler.
Roar!
Suddenly, accompanied by a dragon's roar, a ray of light descended and transformed into a Heart Beast! It had the body of an Eastern dragon and the flesh wings of a Western dragon, its form majestic and exuding a divine aura!
"A Legendary Rank Heart Beast, with over 100,000 years of cultivation—the Holy Dragon of Light!"
(End of Chapter)
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