Chapter 54: The Emergence of the Immortal Treasure

"It is done."

Su Chen opened his eyes. His internal organs were fully connected, suppressing the blood flames, bone resonance, and jade marrow, linking his entire body together. Another layer of Qi, possessing a jade-green luster, adhered to the surface of his skin.

This caused Su Chen to frown.

The fusion of the third stage of Qi recorded in the ancient books seemed somewhat different from what he expected.

The connection of the internal organs was Internal Qi.

But his was not merely the Nine-Refined Organs; it was a connection of both internal and external, condensing a form of "Qi" that could be projected outward to kill enemies.

"Wait, am I not following the Path of the Body?"

"Even a First-Grade Leakless Minor Grandmaster has never been heard of possessing this kind of externalized 'Qi'."

He shook his head.

Su Chen cast the matter aside.

*Boom!*

The abandoned house in the bamboo grove collapsed with a roar, leaving only a solitary grave deep within the forest. Su Chen mounted a swift horse and rode straight toward the Imperial City.

"I hope I can still make it..."

***

Great Liang.

Outside the western suburbs.

Night.

The moon was bright and the stars were clear.

Great Liang was experiencing a cataclysm.

Even the Imperial City and the Imperial Palace were no longer safe. Countless high officials and nobles, protected by their cultivation guards, were fleeing toward the outskirts of the city.

There were also countless commoners and wealthy merchants, crowding together in a chaotic scene.

Everyone was fleeing. Even powerful cultivators, high-ranking civil and military officials, and even the powerful Second and Third-Grade practitioners—and even the few First-Grade cultivators—were all in a state of panic, fleeing for their lives as if pursued by ferocious beasts.

Yet, at this moment, there was a youth who, aside from being incomparably handsome, was otherwise unremarkable and possessed no cultivation. He came from afar, moving against the tide of people toward the Imperial City.

"Young man, the Imperial City is in chaos, do you have no regard for your life...?"

A young lady in a carriage, seeing this, could not help but offer a warning.

"Quiet."

"He has no regard for his life."

"What young man? He might be older than your father and me."

"In this scramble to escape, he is moving against the flow. He must clearly be some extraordinary cultivation expert, perhaps a hermit rushing to join this battle of Grandmasters..."

Inside the carriage, an elderly Earl with cultivation powers covered his daughter's mouth in terror, offering Su Chen a strained, fearful smile.

"Thank you for the reminder."

Su Chen thanked the girl. Feeling that he was moving too slowly, he directly crushed the blue bricks beneath his feet and soared into the sky. Moving as if treading on the wind, he leaped across a dozen points, covering thousands of meters in an instant before vanishing from sight.

This scene was witnessed by the powerful cultivators present, who all let out collective gasps of astonishment.

Even the Second-Grade practitioners were no exception.

Such a feat could likely only be achieved by a First-Grade practitioner who had comprehended the True Intent.

"I remember now! He is the number one on the Martial Rankings, the Wind-Snow Minor Grandmaster. He has come too?" the girl exclaimed.

Only then did she realize why this breathtaking countenance looked so familiar; it was the true visage of the Martial Rankings' top rank, which she had once had the fortune to see in a portrait.

However, even a portrait could hardly capture even thirty percent of his handsome charm and divine aura.

No wonder she hadn't recognized him immediately.

"What?"

"The Wind-Snow Minor Grandmaster!"

"It seems he has stepped into the First Grade and wishes to share in the immortal destiny..."

The elderly Earl's eyes were complex. He sighed inwardly; this Wind-Snow Minor Grandmaster had an infinite future—why seek death so soon after reaching the First Grade?

This battle was earth-shattering; even First-Grade practitioners were suffering heavy casualties.

The true protagonists here were the Peak experts and the Grandmasters, not the First-Grade practitioners.

The Wind-Snow Minor Grandmaster...

Would likely die here as well!

***

The Imperial Palace was empty.

Su Chen did not step into the fray. He merely sat cross-legged atop the empty palace gates, clutching his sword casket, watching this world-shaking battle, just as he had once done in the Library.

"My friend Zhang Gui, today I shall use Great Liang to hold your funeral, and fulfill the regret you could not achieve eight years ago..."

...

In the Great Liang Imperial Palace, that battle lasted for nearly three days and two nights. The entire palace, and even the seventy-eight wards of the Inner City, were affected. Houses collapsed, leaving behind ruins and piles of corpses that stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the seventh year of Jianwu, the incident at the Heavenly Martial Tower had gathered more than half of Great Liang's foundation. Over a dozen Minor Grandmasters were present, and Zhang Gui—who possessed the potential of a Grandmaster and a Peak First-Grade—died in grievance, forcing the Great Liang Demon Ancestor to take action.

The world thought that was the peak of the Great Liang chaos.

Now.

They finally knew what a peak truly was.

The Great Zhou Protector God had descended, bringing three thousand Black Dragon Heavy Armors and three Protector First-Grade experts. Counting Xu Han, a Peak First-Grade, there was also a purple-robed figure and two First-Grade demons on the field.

As for those First-Grade experts who tried to fish in troubled waters, almost all of them had died here, numbering well over twenty.

An ordinary First-Grade was nothing more than an ant.

A Peak First-Grade was merely a slightly larger ant.

As for the Peak experts...

They could barely survive.

The true stage here belonged to the Grandmasters!

***

Inside the Heavenly Martial Tower.

Two figures, one in black and one in white, were constantly clashing. Their combat caused the entire Heavenly Martial Tower to erupt with massive roars. Beneath the tower, massive cracks were deep enough to swallow a person whole, leaving no trace of life or death. These spiderweb-like cracks nearly permeated the entire Imperial Palace and extended for hundreds of miles through the Imperial City!

Within the Heavenly Martial Tower, any area swept by the residual winds of battle was invariably destroyed. Even Peak First-Grade experts were fleeing frantically, while palaces and pavilions swept by the wind were instantly reduced to ash.

Without a doubt, these were two Grandmasters.

"Too strong."

"Three thousand Black Dragon Heavy Armors were enough to besiege a Peak First-Grade, yet they cannot do even a fraction of damage to a Grandmaster..."

"Is this what a Grandmaster is?"

King Tiance's eyes bled from his seven orifices. His face was filled with terror as he stared at the battle within the Heavenly Martial Tower, a profound sense of powerlessness washing over him.

The full foundation of Great Zhou had been deployed.

He had even conspired with Xu Han, a Peak First-Grade.

Yet, he did not even have the qualification to step into the battlefield within the Heavenly Martial Tower.

The three thousand heavy armors were wiped out; of the three Protector First-Grades, one was dead and two were injured. Even he and Xu Han, two Peak First-Grades, were heavily wounded and near despair.

And this wasn't even because the two Grandmasters were attacking them; it was merely the result of being swept by the gale while trying to force their way into the tower.

Before the Grandmasters had even made a move, they were already decimated!

Despite their numbers, they were the weakest of the three factions.

Undoubtedly.

They were out of the game!

Or rather... they never had the qualification to be in the game at all...

To think they had dared to dream of using a Peak First-Grade to shake a Grandmaster and seize immortal treasures.

Grandmasters had not appeared for three hundred years.

As a result, ants like them had forgotten the terror of a Grandmaster.

"Xu Han."

King Tiance's voice rang out.

"What is it?"

The armless Xu Han turned to look at his ally, only to see a palm striking toward him. He was sent flying, heading straight toward the approaching white-haired purple-robed figure and the two First-Grade demons.

"I am the Great Zhou Protector God. I cannot die, so you shall die here in my stead."

"King Tiance never came!"

"It was you who forged the Black Dragon Heavy Armor, intending to rebel and frame our Great Zhou Dynasty!"

King Tiance fled.

He struck his ally with a single palm.

He led the two Protector First-Grades in a panicked retreat.

They fled for a long time.

"We will never come to Great Liang again."

They were ecstatic as the palace gates came into view, believing they were about to escape with their lives.

At that moment.

A figure leaped down from the palace walls, blocking their path.

Clad in black with raven hair and eyes like stars, he was a graceful youth under the moonlight.

"Why did you strike that palm?"

The youth asked.

"Get lost!"

"Where did this rat come from? Daring to block my path!"

A First-Grade expert roared, his true essence surging as he transformed it into a giant palm, intending to crush the suicidal boy blocking the way.

King Tiance's eyes flashed with cold, mocking light.

Perhaps this person was a Great Liang First-Grade.

But what kind of nobody thought they were worthy of blocking their path?

Even among First-Grades, there were hierarchies.

One was a Peak expert, one was a First-Grade. Even if they were fleeing like beaten dogs, no one in this world except a Grandmaster was qualified to block them. Even if the two Great Liang Peak experts were resurrected, neither Xu Han nor Zhang Gui would suffice.

"I didn't actually intend to kill you."

The youth sighed softly. Within his body, the resonance of bones and sinews rang out.

*Boom!*

The First-Grade expert exploded into a mist of blood.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out.

The Peak First-Grade expert's courage failed him a second time.

Without even seeing a move, he had obliterated a First-Grade. Could this person before him be another Grandmaster?

Since the era of Great Yu, aside from the two Ancestors, Grandmasters had vanished from the world. Where did a third Grandmaster come from?!

"The one I want to kill is you."

Su Chen stood with his hands behind his back, a sword casket on his back, as if he had just performed a trivial task. His eyes turned toward King Tiance.

"Since he called me Master Su, the brats in my house aren't people anyone can just plot against."

*Bang!*

The blue bricks shattered and the ground dented. A massive shadow in silver armor lunged forward. King Tiance struck with a sneer; under his punch, purple lightning gathered on his silver armor, making the very air scream piercingly.

"A mere Second-Grade dares to play god. Su Chen, you eunuch dog, just because you were number one on the Martial Rankings, do you truly think you are the world's top First-Grade?"

"This King commands your death!"

*Boom!*

Under this punch, even a Peak First-Grade would meet their end. Su Chen was sent flying backward, destroying the floor tiles beneath him and smashing through countless buildings before finally being driven thirty meters into the palace walls.

The walls collapsed, burying him under the rubble of bricks and stones.

"Pah."

"Wind-Snow Minor Grandmaster, you're nothing."

"It is calm and sunny now, with no wind or snow. That Wind-Snow Intent you comprehended is worth nothing."

"Let's go."

"He is already dead."

King Tiance withdrew his fist and walked toward the palace gates, speaking to the last remaining Protector First-Grade.

This battle had been fruitless.

Having lost three thousand Black Dragon Heavy Armors and two First-Grades, he didn't know how he would explain this to his Imperial Brother...

King Tiance was worried.

However, he actually didn't need to worry about how to explain it, because he was going to die here.

"The... King Tiance... Highness, he doesn't seem... to be... dead..."

A dignified Protector First-Grade, a Peak First-Grade, stood frozen, not daring to move. His voice trembled as he pointed behind King Tiance.

*Boom!*

"Huh!?"

King Tiance's scalp went numb. His entire body was filled with extreme blood qi, and his true essence was trembling. An unspeakable, immense terror surged in his heart.

At this moment, he felt as if he had returned to the battlefield of the Heavenly Martial Tower, facing those two Grandmasters once again.

He tried to move, but his body was stiff and sluggish, his blood qi feeling as if it had been frozen solid.

A dignified Peak First-Grade—he was actually being suppressed.

This was not Wind-Snow Intent.

It was *Momentum*!

An even more terrifying Momentum!

*Tap, tap!*

Footsteps approached from behind.

And the sound of a sword leaving its scabbard.

"The winds and snow of Great Liang fell for three years. I used myself to hone my sword for three years, only to receive the 'One Sword, Three Transformations' from that Sword Immortal in my dreams, allowing me to comprehend my first sword strike."

"I didn't originally need this sword to kill you. Unfortunately, there is no wind or snow today, so I cannot perform my seventy-percent Wind-Snow Strike."

"To die under this sword is your honor. After all, this was prepared for the Jianwu Emperor—for a Grandmaster..."

Su Chen's voice was low.

At that moment, thousands of sword shadows converged, transforming into a single, brilliant sword light that soared hundreds of feet into the sky, as if competing with the bright moon.

"No!"

At this moment, the terror reached its peak.

King Tiance went nearly mad, burning his true essence and blood qi. His body withered as the lightning-infused silver armor surged, erupting with his most brilliant, peak power.

Surrounded by purple lightning, gaunt as a skeleton, he threw a ferocious heavy punch toward the sword light, seeking life within death!

At this moment, the two Grandmasters fighting in the Heavenly Martial Tower both turned their heads to look.

Their hearts were in turmoil.

Since when did Great Liang hide a third Grandmaster?

"This is Micro-Control... it is actually a Micro-Control Sword Momentum! Could it be the Grandmaster I sensed in the palace? No, that's not right. If a Grandmaster were using Micro-Control Sword Momentum to kill, how could it be so weak?"

"To wield Micro-Control Sword Momentum, even among Post-Heaven Grandmasters, one would be among the strongest. A single sword piercing three hundred feet and cutting through the palace should be..."

Could it be...

The one wielding Micro-Control Sword Momentum was not a Grandmaster, but a First-Grade?

The two Grandmasters breathed a sigh of relief. If that were the case, they wouldn't have to fear a "mantis stalking the cicada" behind them.

After all.

If it truly were such a powerful Grandmaster, even the two of them working together would not be enough to survive a single strike!

Then.

A wave of extreme shock hit them again.

A First-Grade could wield Micro-Control Sword Momentum and touch upon the path of a Grandmaster—what kind of monster was this! He was undoubtedly a supreme prodigy destined to become the strongest Grandmaster.

They did not know that Su Chen was currently only a Second-Grade.

Of course.

The world's only, strongest Second-Grade.

***

Outside the palace.

Su Chen's figure passed through the body of King Tiance, who was still surrounded by purple lightning. The Dust-Washing Sword, glowing with azure light in his hand, had already returned to the sword casket on his back.

"This sword is named: Star Burial!"

As the words fell.

*Boom!*

King Tiance collapsed heavily. Along with his divine armor, he was shattered into pieces, leaving behind nothing but fragmented remains.

Three years of seclusion.

Upon emerging, a single sword under the moon decapitated a Peak expert.

"Spare me!"

"Mercy!"

The last Protector First-Grade knelt on the ground, kowtowing incessantly. He had none of the high spirits he arrived with; he was weeping and snotting.

He knew.

This Great Liang palace was full of monsters. He would rather die than ever come back here.

This Wind-Snow Minor Grandmaster was the same age as Xu Han, only about thirty years old, yet he was also a Peak expert—no, something even more terrifying, a Peak expert who could slay other Peak experts with a sword.

"Do one thing for me."

"And you may live!"

A brocade box was placed before him. He remained prostrate, not even daring to lift his head, only hearing Su Chen say

"Just deliver this to Xu Han."

"Yes!"

This Great Zhou Peak First-Grade, filled with trepidation, scrambled to pick up the box and rushed back toward the Heavenly Martial Tower battlefield.

The battlefield of the Heavenly Martial Tower was indeed terrifying.

But by comparison, this Wind-Snow Minor Grandmaster was even more terrifying.

In the Heavenly Martial Tower, the two Grandmasters were locked in a stalemate, but here, against this Lord Su of Great Liang, there was no opponent at all...

"As expected."

"This sword strike was still too forced."

Su Chen stood atop the city wall, gazing toward the Heavenly Martial Tower battlefield. He stood with his hands behind his back, but his right arm, which had wielded the sword, trembled slightly, covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

Micro-Control was something only a Grandmaster could truly master; it was not something a First or Second-Grade could easily wield.

"If only there were wind and snow tonight."

Perhaps.

Heaven heard Su Chen's heart.

In the silent night.

The temperature plummeted.

A vast expanse of wind and snow swept in.

No!

That wasn't right!

This wind and snow did not fall from the sky, but rather...

*Boom!*

At that moment, the hundred-foot-tall Heavenly Martial Tower, forged from fine iron and standing nine stories high, exploded. The cry of a giant whale rang out, and accompanied by a blizzard, a terrifying pressure descended from the deep underground.

Terrifying frost swept out from the center of the void where the Heavenly Martial Tower had vanished, covering thousands of miles in an instant, nearly freezing the entire Imperial Palace and the Imperial City.

The meager national destiny of Great Liang could no longer suppress him.

That long-lived, immortal-cultivating beast had emerged!