The shrill screams of the Weeping Demon and his three brothers now joined Lei Jingtian's hoarse roars. That ancient underground cave passage had truly turned into a miniature version of the nine hells. The air around it felt sticky, boiling from the intense heat of the Dragon Vein lava and vibrating from the pressure of the rampaging black Qi. Xiao Chen walked away from the 4 Hells Array. His black robes fluttered softly from the shockwaves generated by the energy circulation of the four demons. His face was flat, yet his black eyes radiated an incredibly dark urgency. "A weak and trashy cultivator..." The Weeping Demon's innocent words kept spinning inside his skull. That sentence pierced straight into the Demonic Emperor's ego, burning his pride hotter than the lava at the bottom of this mine. "That cowardly demon is right," Xiao Chen thought. He gritted his teeth until a soft grinding sound could

The screams echoing from three different corners of the cave slowly faded away. They were swallowed by the absolute silence at the deepest point of the Ancient Dragon Cave. At the end of this dark and suffocating tunnel, the granite walls radiated dark red veins that pulsed like a giant heart. The primal Qi in this place was so dense it made the air feel like a thick liquid choking the throat. Xiao Chen stopped walking. The damp cave wind blew against his black robes. His hair, which had now turned completely white, fluttered softly to cover part of his face. He stood alone. In front of him was only an empty circular space bordered by solid rock. The Demon Emperor raised his right hand. With a single flick of his finger, five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones looted from the capital shot out from his storage ring. The stones hovered in the air and radiated a blinding, deep blue light. They then fell and pierced into the rocky ground with a ma

A light rain wet the marble roofs of the Zhao Imperial Capital and brought a cold breeze smelling of iron and damp earth. Inside the deepest pavilion of the Supreme Palace, the sound of the rain was barely audible. It was muffled by the thick walls and an absolute, suffocating silence. This was Emperor Zhao Wuji's eightieth birthday celebration. There were no fireworks. There were no thousands of dancing concubines. There was no wine banquet inviting all imperial officials. There was only a round green jade table in the center of the room. It was filled with dishes made from high-tier spirit beast meat with steam rising softly. Sitting around the table was the flesh and blood of the mortal ruler. The First Prince Zhao Long, Second Prince Zhao Hu, Third Prince Zhao Ming, and Youngest Princess Zhao Yue. And in the corner of the room, blending perfectly with the shadow of a golden pillar, stood the Mad Ascetic, Zou Ci. The

The tension inside the pavilion had reached an absolute boiling point. The air felt so heavy, pressing against the chests of everyone in the room as if all the oxygen had been drained. On his throne, Emperor Zhao Wuji leaned forward. The old tyrant's eagle eyes stripped away Crown Prince Zhao Long's soul. He peeled back every layer of false masks, fictitious loyalty, and cowardly fear hidden by his eldest son. Silence. The thunder roaring from outside the palace seemed to serve as the background music for tonight's judgment. Emperor Zhao Wuji slowly swept his gaze across the room. He looked at Zhao Ming, who was still kneeling with a face covered in crocodile tears. He glanced toward the exit where Zhao Hu was dragged away. Finally, he stared at the jade cup filled with red wine sitting well within his right hand's reach. "So," Emperor Zhao Wuji's heavy voice echoed and shattered the pavilion's silen

Deep within the lowest depths of the Iron Spirit Mine, behind a sealed colossal granite door, the vortex of Yin and Yang energies finally subsided. Five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones had been reduced to gray dust, their pure essence completely drained by the figure sitting cross-legged at the center of the chamber. Xiao Chen slowly opened his eyes. BZZZZT! Instantly, the air inside the ancient cavern detonated. Pitch-black Qi struck in all directions, fracturing the stone walls that held the lingering power of the Dragon Vein. Xiao Chen exhaled a long breath, expelling turbid air that burned as hot as molten lava. Within his Dantian, his mortal Qi sea had transformed entirely. The pure energy of the Dragon Vein had been brutally refined by the Nine Hells Scripture and tempered by the Five Heavens Scripture. The bottleneck that had trapped him at the King Realm was shattered to pieces. Now, his foo