Atop the Ninth Celestial Palace.
The Dragon Emperor and the Asura Blood Emperor, both greatly drained, sat cross-legged on the flat ground, meditating to recuperate.
Previously, both had exhausted themselves charging up to the Ninth Celestial Palace and had no spare energy to monitor what was happening behind them. Naturally, they were unaware of what had happened to the Sword Emperor.
Upon sensing a powerful expert ascend to the Ninth Layer of Heaven, they both opened their eyes.
When they saw the perfectly calm Jiang Chen, their eyes widened in disbelief as they exclaimed in unison, "Jiang Chen... how are you here?"
Jiang Chen bowed to the Asura Blood Emperor and said with a smile, "Elder Asura!"
The Asura Blood Emperor laughed. "Good lad. You truly are the peerless genius that old fellow from Celestial Secret holds in such high regard!"
By a silent, mutual agreement, the two of them treated the Dragon Emperor as if he were thin air.
The Dragon Emperor Ancient Country had tried to kill Jiang Chen time and again. Combined with the fact that Jiang Chen had slain Long Jingyun and Long Jingtian, the two sides were like fire and water.
Naturally, Jiang Chen wasn’t about to be courteous to him.
The Dragon Emperor snorted coldly, his face dark. "You brat, what kind of treasure did you use? With your ant-like strength, how could you possibly have ascended to the Ninth Celestial Palace?"
"What’s it to you?"
Jiang Chen glanced at him and said coolly.
"You..."
The Dragon Emperor’s face sank. A grim killing intent pulsed in his eyes as a ball of golden light condensed in his hand, ready to strike at any moment.
The Asura Blood Emperor was already on guard. He gave a cold laugh. "Dragon Emperor, are you pretending I’m not here?"
"Fine, fine. The two of you. Excellent!" The Dragon Emperor’s face went from pale to livid.
While he didn’t fear the Asura Blood Emperor, the Mystic Sect’s inheritance was now within reach, and he didn’t want anything to go wrong.
The Asura Blood Emperor let out a defiant snort and smiled at Jiang Chen. "Young friend Jiang Chen, come quickly. Sit beside me. No one will dare to touch you!"
"Thank you, Elder!"
Jiang Chen immediately sat down beside the Asura Blood Emperor.
He began to survey his surroundings.
The Ninth Celestial Palace was also quite simple—just a platform. Aside from a black and a white stone gate in the very center, there was nothing else.
At that moment, the Mystic Sect Spirit was standing between the two stone gates, smiling at Jiang Chen. Despite his excellent concealment, Jiang Chen could still detect a flicker of surprise in those profound eyes. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. ’It seems my arrival at the Ninth Celestial Palace has truly taken this great Mystic Sect Spirit by surprise!’
Recalling how the Mystic Sect Spirit had confidently declared he would only be able to reach the Fourth Celestial Palace, Jiang Chen felt a wave of smug satisfaction.
「During the long wait.」
The clamor of the ascent to the Ninth Celestial Palace gradually died down as every expert reached their limit.
All eight Emperor Realm masters made it to the Ninth Celestial Palace.
The Sword Emperor was one of the last to arrive, his expression incredibly grim. If Jiang Chen hadn’t been sitting between the Asura Blood Emperor and the Celestial Secret Elder, he would have been unable to stop himself from attacking and killing him.
The Mystic Sect Spirit glanced around the Ninth Celestial Palace and then announced, "Very good. You have all given your utmost and reached your limits. Those who stopped below the Third Celestial Palace shall enter the Outer Sect to receive an inheritance. Those who stopped below the Sixth Celestial Palace shall enter the Inner Sect."
He waved his hand.
All those other masters vanished from the Ninth Celestial Palace, transported into the Mystic Sect to receive their inheritances.
Only the eight Emperor Realm masters and Jiang Chen remained, seated upon the Ninth Celestial Palace.
The Mystic Sect Spirit’s calm gaze swept over the group. He smiled, a hint of satisfaction on his face. "Good. Very good. It seems you have not idled away all these years. By reaching the Ninth Celestial Palace, if this were the Ancient Era, all of you would be worthy of receiving the Mystic Sect’s ultimate inheritance—the Demigod Inheritance!"
The Demigod Inheritance!
Upon hearing those two words, everyone present looked thrilled.
They had slumbered for over a hundred thousand years and waited for over a hundred thousand years to finally enter the Mystic Sect. Wasn’t obtaining the Demigod Inheritance the entire reason they came?
The Mystic Sect Spirit smiled. "Everyone, you now have two choices. The first is to enter the Gate of Hope. Behind it lies the Mystic Sect’s ultimate inheritance: the Demigod Inheritance. As for this second gate, the Gate of Despair... it leads to the Land of Despair, a path opened just before our Sect Leader fell. The Sect Leader once said that anyone who could make it through the Land of Despair would become the next Mystic Sect Master and would also receive the Demigod Inheritance. Gentlemen, the choice is yours."
Everyone was taken aback, exchanging glances.
The Asura Blood Emperor frowned and looked at the Mystic Sect Spirit. "The Land of Despair? Hmph. Even a Demigod would have only a slim chance of surviving a place like that, to say nothing of us."
The Dragon Emperor sneered. "The Mystic Sect was annihilated over a hundred thousand years ago. That final battle completely drained its resources. What’s the point of becoming the Mystic Sect Master now? The only thing that matters is one’s own strength. I choose the Gate of Hope!"
As he spoke, the others all nodded in agreement.
They had been trapped in the Emperor Realm for over a hundred thousand years, their lifespans nearing their end. Their sole purpose in coming here was to find a way to become a Demigod.
Once they became Demigods!
Not only would they possess absolute power and extended lifespans, but they could also establish their own sects, ones no weaker than the Mystic Sect in its prime. Why would they need to inherit the empty shell of the Mystic Sect?
At this thought, the various Emperor Realm masters all chose the Gate of Hope.
Watching the Emperor Realm masters enter the Gate of Hope one after another, Jiang Chen hesitated. He remembered that the Cyan Ox Child had told him to ascend to the Tenth Celestial Palace.
But there was no path to the Tenth Celestial Palace here at all!
Just then, the Celestial Secret Elder’s voice echoed in his mind. "Young one, do you remember the third divination I cast for you? Follow your heart!"
"Hm?"
Startled, Jiang Chen looked up just in time to see the Celestial Secret Elder’s back vanishing into the Gate of Hope. ’Follow my heart? Can the Celestial Secret Elder read my mind?’
The Mystic Sect Spirit watched the eight Emperor Realm masters choose the Gate of Hope, his expression showing neither joy nor sorrow. His gaze fell upon Jiang Chen. "Young man," he said with a smile, "will you also choose the Gate of Hope?"
Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment before asking, "Elder, I’d like to ask... is there a Tenth Celestial Palace?"
"The Tenth Celestial Palace?"
The Mystic Sect Spirit froze, frowning at Jiang Chen. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and the intimidating coldness of his glare sent a shiver through Jiang Chen. An icy voice sounded by his ear, "How do you know of the Tenth Celestial Palace?"
Jiang Chen quickly replied, "Elder, I only heard about the Tenth Celestial Palace by chance. But after arriving here, it seems I’ve reached the end. So I dared to ask."
"Oh?"
The Mystic Sect Spirit narrowed his eyes, studying Jiang Chen as if trying to see right through him.
「A moment later.」
He finally let out a long sigh and pointed to the Gate of Despair. "My Mystic Sect did once have a Tenth Celestial Palace. However, something happened long ago. The Tenth Celestial Palace shattered and became the Land of Despair. Even a Demigod has only a slim chance of surviving there. Thus, it became a Forbidden Land. After the Sect Leader fell, he designated it as the test to select his successor. Young man, the fact that you could reach the Ninth Celestial Palace has already surprised me greatly, but I would advise you against choosing the Gate of Despair. Even for the likes of the Dragon Emperor and Asura, it would be a one-way trip..."
Jiang Chen fell silent.
On one hand, a place where even Demigods faced near-certain death; on the other, the Cyan Ox Child’s counsel.
Which path should he choose?
’Hm? Am I actually hesitating? Is this fear?’
’No... Back then, I was just a weakling in the Martial Arts Realm, yet even when facing the incomparably powerful Lan Haichen, I felt no fear. A Martial Artist must always press forward, shattering every obstacle on the path to the Peak of the Martial Dao. How can a mere Land of Despair possibly stop me?’
Jiang Chen’s gaze grew resolute, his will hardening like steel. He rose to his full height and, under the astonished eyes of the Mystic Sect Spirit, took a step through the Gate of Despair—the very gate that had made even Emperor Realm masters recoil in fear...