Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

In the vast training grounds, Gu Chen looked up, questioning the Heaven-reaching Pagoda.

After all, his primary goal this time was to obtain the Sun Flame Stone within it and successfully cultivate a unique type of Gangqi.

As Pure Yang Martial Sect was a peak force in the ancient era, it was possible that the Heaven-reaching Pagoda still harbored the Sun Flame Stone.

Unfortunately, no matter what Gu Chen said, the Heaven-reaching Pagoda wouldn't give him any response; the place remained utterly silent.

"Could it be that there's no spirit in the pagoda?"

Gu Chen furrowed his brows, but then he thought that couldn't be right. After all, even the Blood Shadow Sword, an inferior divine weapon, had a spirit; how could the Heaven-reaching Pagoda, a relic passed down from ancient times, not possess one?

Of course, the spirit of the Blood Shadow Sword had been sealed because the trials of the Pure Yang Martial Sect only accounted for personal strength. The might of divine weapons was completely suppressed the moment one entered, rendering them no different from ordinary weapons, save for their extraordinary hardness.

Gu Chen pondered, thinking that the Heaven-reaching Pagoda was deliberately ignoring him. After all, he was merely a martial artist at the peak of the Gang Qi Stage, and even though he had excellent talent, the Heaven-reaching Pagoda had been inherited from ancient times and had seen countless outstanding and monstrous figures over the years.

Naturally, it wouldn't regard Gu Chen with any special favor.

At this moment, Gu Chen checked his panel and, sure enough, saw the Pure Yang True Body now listed under the martial skills.

However, suffering from a lack of merit points, he hadn't even reached the preliminary stages of the Pure Yang True Body.

But Gu Chen wasn't in a hurry; what was making him anxious at the moment was the Sun Flame Stone.

If even the interior of the Heaven-reaching Pagoda didn't have the Sun Flame Stone, then Gu Chen would have no choice but to give up cultivating the unique Gangqi and advance to the Returning to True Stage.

Just then, a grand voice once again emerged, echoing in Gu Chen's ears.

"The fourth trial—combat prowess!"

The voice had barely faded when Gu Chen suddenly felt the world spin around him. By the time his vision cleared, he had arrived at a different location.

"This is truly a divine method!"

Gu Chen exclaimed in awe. The ability to change places instantaneously and move through space so effortlessly was indeed exceptional. Was this the power of a formation?

Before coming here, Gu Chen had already heard Wang Jiuzhi describe the ancient formations contained within the Heaven-reaching Pagoda, but it was only after experiencing them firsthand that Gu Chen truly comprehended their power.

With this realization, Gu Chen felt even more terrified of the Six Holy Lands; no wonder they had reigned supreme over the countless beings in the nine provinces for tens of thousands of years.

Even at its peak, the Six Union God Sect, as well as Da Xia, had failed to bring the Six Holy Lands down to the mundane level, despite the two strongest figures, Dugu Yun and the Emperor of Xia.

The inheritance from the ancients was indeed no ordinary matter.

Moreover, it was said that even in ancient times, the Six Holy Lands were among the top forces.

At that moment, Gu Chen suddenly heard the sound of fighting nearby. Looking towards the sound, he saw a dazzling light ascending into the air, as brilliant as a small sun and extremely eye-catching.

"What is that?"

Even with Gu Chen's physical strength, he felt a stabbing pain in his eyes. His eyebrows raised slightly, and he became intrigued.

This fourth trial tested combat prowess, and unlike the previous three solo trials, this one gathered various individuals together.

Undoubtedly, the object releasing light akin to a small sun was the reward for this trial.

The strongest in battle, or rather, the final victor, would be able to claim it.

"Was the Pure Yang Martial Sect raising a nest of vipers?" Gu Chen frowned, but he didn't dwell on it further, and followed the signs all the way to the destination.

"Roar!"

At that moment, a fierce roar sounded, and suddenly, a wild beast emerged from the nearby jungle and leaped towards Gu Chen.

Thud!

With a casual flick of his finger, Gu Chen unleashed a sword Qi that bisected the beast, which was as massive as a wild ox.

"There are wild beasts here?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Gu Chen was slightly surprised, but then he let it go, understanding that this place wasn't much different from the outside world, only that it wasn't as vast as the nine provinces, but it was sufficient for these beasts to survive.

"Roar!"

At the same time, more and more wild beasts began to appear from the dense jungle around him, encircling Gu Chen.

Seeing this, Gu Chen had no intention of engaging with the pack of beasts, as it would delay his progress. His figure flashed, and he quickly darted off into the distance.

As he drew closer to his goal, Gu Chen noticed that the wild beasts he encountered along the way became increasingly terrifying.

In time, some of the wild beasts even rivaled martial artists of the Vajra Stage in strength, which greatly astonished Gu Chen.

Since the ancient times, when the world had undergone great changes, not only had the martial path declined, but even the occasional spiritual beasts from the ancients had completely vanished.

In the nine provinces, only some wild beasts remained, with the Human Clan being the undisputed masters. If not for the appearance of demons that disrupted everything, nothing could have shaken the Human Clan's supreme status in the nine provinces.

Apart from the Ten-Thousand Mile Mountains, Gu Chen truly hadn't heard of any other place where wild beasts could compare with martial artists of the Vajra Stage.

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The reason the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains are as they are is that they have existed since primitive times, rumored to be the place where ancient gods and demons disappeared, with remnants of their power lingering, creating an environment vastly different from today.

It is said that within these mountains, some ferocious beasts live in forbidden areas formed by the residual powers of gods and demons. Influenced by these divine forces over the years, they possess various extraordinary abilities, with some even rivaling human martial artists in strength.

The tribal people have lived here generation after generation because they have the bloodline of gods and demons, allowing them to adapt to the environment of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and to survive within it.

However, Gu Chen found it strange to encounter beasts here that could match human warriors at the Vajra Stage.

After all, no creatures with lifespans over ten thousand years have ever appeared throughout the nine provinces; these beasts could not have survived from ancient times.

Nor could the beasts born in the more recent ages of the nine provinces possibly possess such strength.

"Could it be because of this environment?" Gu Chen pondered. He probed surreptitiously but could not detect any difference between this place and the outside world.

"Could it be that!" Gu Chen suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on the miniature sun suspended in the sky.

"What exactly is that thing?" Gu Chen frowned, not expecting that such a peculiar item could influence the beasts, endowing them with such power.

Swish!

Gu Chen's figure flickered as he stepped on the Controlling Wind Step Shadows, choosing not to waste time entangling with these beasts. He pressed on and, after some time, finally reached his destination.

At this moment, more than a dozen martial artists had already gathered here, clearly competing for the mysterious object suspended above in the sky.

Among this group, Gu Chen unexpectedly saw Kui Gang of the White Tiger Clan and Qiu Li of the Qiu family—indeed, enemies often cross paths.

"Gu Chen?!" Both Kui Gang and Qiu Li flashed a brief murderous look when they saw Gu Chen.

Having witnessed Gu Chen's strength before, they knew that even if the two of them joined forces, they would stand no chance against him.

However, there were not just the two of them here; other martial artists were present, all from various factions.

Only one person was from the Jing Tian Department, a commander named Dong Ziwei, who was now glaring darkly at Gu Chen.

Gu Chen glanced at them but was unconcerned, instead focusing his attention on the skyward mysterious object.

The others were also curious, wondering what it was that could provoke such evolution in the beasts and grant them terrifying power.

Kui Gang and Qiu Li exchanged a glance. With Gu Chen here, they couldn't hope to obtain the item, and since they couldn't have it, they were determined not to let Gu Chen get it either!

At that moment, Kui Gang from the White Tiger Clan said, "Do you know what that mysterious object in the sky actually is?"

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up, turning their gazes eagerly.

"It's Dragon Origin!"

As soon as Kui Gang's words fell, all the martial artists were shocked, their attention riveted.

"Dragon Origin? Impossible. There are no dragons in the nine provinces, that's just a myth," a martial artist said doubtfully, somewhat incredulous. Stay connected with empire

Kui Gang snorted coldly—he would have rebuked them already if he hadn't been counting on this group to confront Gu Chen later.

Kui Gang declared emphatically, "Are you questioning me? Inside the White Tiger Clan, we have ancient records that clearly detail this is Dragon Origin, without a doubt!"

"There may be no dragons in recent times, but that doesn't mean the same was true in ancient times!" Qiu Li added.

"But isn't that a legacy from ancient times?" asked a martial artist humbly, not daring to offend Kui Gang and Qiu Li.

Qiu Li said, "There were dragons in ancient times, and although they disappeared along with the ancient gods and demons, their bloodline has been passed down. In ancient times, though there were no true dragons, there were lesser dragons and horned dragons, whose Dragon Origins were equally terrifying."

Kui Gang even said more sternly, "If it were the Dragon Origin left by a true ancient dragon, let alone us, even innate realm grandmasters or even stronger people would be instantaneously crushed into powder by its terrifying pressure."

Qiu Li added, "The Dragon Origin of a true dragon is exceedingly terrifying. It's not a divine object for the nine provinces, but a great destructive weapon. No one in the nine provinces could withstand it."

"Lesser dragons and horned dragons, what level would they be considered?" asked a martial artist, still not quite understanding as the tales of ancient times were only recorded in the top factions and within Da Xia itself.

Trying to contain his impatience, Kui Gang said, "Even the lowest-level horned dragon is at least equivalent to an innately skilled grandmaster of martial arts, and Dragon Origin is comparable to a drop of essence blood in a grandmaster's body. Do you understand the value of Dragon Origin now?"

Hiss!

Upon hearing these words, the dozen or so martial artists, including Dong Ziwei, took in a sharp breath of cold air. Even though Dong Ziwei was the commander of the Jing Tian Department in Yan State, he had never delved into these matters and was hearing about this for the first time today.

Gu Chen stood aside, watching coolly. He had only been in this world for a little over a year, and most of that time was spent completing tasks or on the road to them, leaving him little time to learn about these things.

But according to what Gu Chen knew of Kui Gang, the latter was not the sort of person willing to freely share such information. Moreover, for Kui Gang to reveal the news of the Dragon Origin, it did not benefit him at all. On the contrary, once the martial artists became aware of this coveted item, even if they hadn't thought of competing for it, they would now be tempted.

Even horned dragon's Dragon Origin would significantly assist martial artists in cleansing and transforming their marrow, altering their physique, and greatly enhancing their physical strength.

To say they weren't tempted would be a lie.

Sure enough, just as Gu Chen predicted, after Kui Gang explained the value of Dragon Origin to everyone, he coldly smiled, looked at Gu Chen, and said, "This is Lord Gu from the Jing Tian Department of Tiandu, a powerful man comparable to a fully-realized Return to True Stage master.

Among all of us here, no one is a match for him, so if you are interested in the Dragon Origin, we must unite and confront him together!"

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