"That kid... He actually chose the Gate of Despair?"
The Mystic Sect Spirit stared, stunned, at the spot where the Gate of Despair had vanished. The shock on its face didn’t fade for a long time. It then shook its head and sighed, "I hope he can succeed. Ever since the Tenth Celestial Palace collapsed, no one has ever come out of there alive."
Its figure slowly faded away.
「Meanwhile...」
「Inside the Gate of Despair.」
Jiang Chen’s figure appeared in a patch of pitch-black darkness. There was nothing here, only blackness.
It was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. He couldn’t see a thing!
’What a bizarre place. I have to see what’s around me...’ Lost in the boundless darkness, Jiang Chen activated his Profound Technique, trying to conjure a ball of fire for light.
BOOM!
A ball of flame condensed on his fingertip, radiating searing heat.
However, his surroundings remained utterly black.
"Wh-what’s going on?"
Jiang Chen’s jaw dropped.
He could feel the flame on his fingertip, which should have been enough to illuminate a hundred-meter radius, yet now he couldn’t even see the flicker of the fire itself.
He tried a few more times, but it was all in vain.
Jiang Chen had no choice but to give up. He shook his head with a wry smile. ’I’ll try using my Divine Thought, then...’
His current Divine Thought Power had reached the High-Tier Spirit Emperor Level; a single thought from him could cover an area spanning thousands of miles.
He swept his Divine Thought across the area.
Jiang Chen’s expression grew uglier. ’My Divine Thought can’t even sense my own existence? This Land of Despair is too bizarre! What on earth is happening?’
Unable to observe his surroundings, Jiang Chen could only walk forward cautiously.
TAP, TAP, TAP!
In the pitch-black darkness, only the echo of Jiang Chen’s footsteps could be heard.
It felt as if he had been walking for days, months, even years, yet there was no way to leave this place, no trace of any light.
’Damn it, how can this be? Is there no exit at all?’
’No wonder this place is called the Land of Despair. A place where you can’t see your hand in front of your face, with no end in sight, where you can never see any hope... what else could it be called?’
’Am I, Jiang Chen, going to die of old age here?’
Jiang Chen frowned, deep in thought. ’No, that’s impossible. The Cyan Ox Child has a deep and complex connection to my father. Since he let me enter the Tenth Celestial Palace, he definitely wouldn’t have sent me to my death. Forget it. If I can’t walk out, I’ll just cultivate here. I happen to have not fully comprehended the North Nether Divine Fist yet!’
Jiang Chen’s North Nether Divine Fist had already reached Second Stage Perfection and the Third Stage Entry Level. If he could cultivate the Third Stage to the Perfection Realm, a single punch could unleash eight times its normal power.
With that kind of power... even without using the Secrets of Time, Jiang Chen could defeat top experts at the Peak of the Human Emperor Realm.
As for the Emperor Realm!
That was the strongest level of existence below a Demigod; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the pinnacle for mortals. Without using the Secrets of Time, it was impossible to contend with them!
’The Kun’s original body was enormous, and its power was terrifyingly immense. When it was in the Emperor Realm, it could activate the Fifth Stage of the North Nether Divine Fist and shatter a Demigod with a single punch. My physical body may not be as strong as the Kun’s, but it’s already at the top tier within the Human Emperor Realm. Using the Third Stage shouldn’t be a problem...’
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
Jiang Chen’s figure blurred, transforming into a series of afterimages.
His fists flew continuously.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
One fist shadow after another shook the void, terrifyingly powerful enough to make the heavens and earth lose their color. The entire dark space seemed to tremble under his fists, feeling as if it was about to be blown apart.
’No, no, the angle of force is wrong...’
Jiang Chen trained in the North Nether Divine Fist relentlessly, entering a frenzied state.
「Three months later.」
The North Nether Divine Fist reached the Third Stage Entry Level!
Five months later, he reached Initial Mastery!
Ten months later, Great Success!
A year and a half later, Jiang Chen finally cultivated the Third Stage of the North Nether Divine Fist to the Perfection Realm. A single punch could unleash eight times his power. This punch alone could shake the void and tear apart the sky. Before this, Jiang Chen had needed the Spirit-Slaying Sword to tear through the void.
Now, he could shatter the void with a single punch, relying on his physical body alone.
This was a huge leap in progress!
’Damn it, it’s been a year and a half, and I still can’t find a way out. There are only three months left until my three-year pact with Xiang Tianwen. And Qingyi... although she has the Profound Celestial Ice Coffin, made from Profound Celestial Mother Marrow, which can extend her life for five years, I need to reach the Spirit Emperor Level to save her. That’s impossible without a fortunate encounter. I have to get out of here as soon as possible...’
Jiang Chen grew increasingly anxious.
He continuously activated his Martial Skills and Sword Techniques, relentlessly attacking the dark space.
But the dark space was like a bottomless abyss, mercilessly swallowing his power. The space itself remained as steady as a mountain, completely unmoved.
Despair gradually took hold of Jiang Chen’s mind.
"Let me out!"
"I can’t stay here any longer..."
"Let me out of here..."
Jiang Chen roared in fury. The bloody light in his eyes grew redder, his long hair whipped about wildly, and the True Essence in his body uncontrollably surged out, forming a terrifying gale.
These were the signs of succumbing to his inner demons!
The three-year pact with Xiang Tianwen; Xiao Qingyi’s uncertain fate; the endless darkness with no hope in sight...
All of it combined to form a bottomless, dark abyss. It was as if countless demonic claws were grabbing hold of him, trying to drag him down into the depths.
Just as Jiang Chen’s mind was about to be completely consumed by despair, the voice of the Celestial Secret Elder suddenly echoed in his mind, "Follow your heart! Follow... your heart!"
"My heart?"
Jiang Chen was stunned. A flash of clarity shot through his blood-red eyes, and he shook his head violently. ’No, I can’t despair. Qingyi is still waiting for me to save her. I still have to kill Xiang Tianwen to avenge Qingyi and my master and the others. I still have to find my father... I can’t despair. I absolutely cannot die here. There must be a way out. There must be!’
Jiang Chen took a deep breath.
He sat cross-legged on the ground once more, stopped all of his cultivation, and began to search for a way to leave the Land of Despair.
While Jiang Chen was trapped in the Land of Despair and all the other experts were receiving their inheritances within the Mystic Sect...
No one knew...
That in the distant Eastern Continent, a world-shaking event was unfolding!
「Eastern Continent.」
「Profound Celestial Ice Field!」
His blood-red hair flowing, his body emitting a terrifying demonic light, the Ice Emperor gazed with cold eyes at the expert standing before him.
This expert was clad in a purple robe, standing perfectly still.
If Jiang Chen had been there, he would have recognized this purple-robed figure as the mysteriously vanished Zifeng Tianhen!
The Ice Emperor said faintly, "Zifeng Tianhen, how are the preparations coming along?"
"Reporting to the Old Ancestor, everything is ready. We only await your command to begin the ’Demon God’ plan!" Zifeng Tianhen said with a respectful expression.
The Ice Emperor nodded, a vicious light flickering in his eyes. He said faintly, "Very good. It was not in vain that I expended a sliver of my life-bound soul to help you advance to the Emperor Realm. Pass down my order: the Demon God plan is to be executed immediately!"
"Yes!"
Zifeng Tianhen’s figure vanished into the air.
The Ice Emperor’s gaze swept out, seeming to pierce through endless space and land upon the North Nether Sea. A hint of madness filled his eyes. "Jiang Chen, Dragon Emperor, Asura... By preventing me from entering the Mystic Sect, you have severed my path to godhood. Heh heh heh... what a pity you could never have imagined that even without the Mystic Sect’s Demigod inheritance, I still have a way to become a god. You all forced my hand! You forced me to blood-sacrifice the people of the Eastern Continent! No one will stop me from becoming a god! No one..."