Chapter 41: Second-Grade Viscera

In the Imperial Study, the young emperor sat opposite an elderly figure in purple robes, his hair and beard white as snow. They each held a chess piece, staring intently at the board before them.

"Do you think, regarding this Eunuch Su of the Library, how he will fare when he enters the fray tonight?" the elderly man in purple asked.

"He will die!" the young emperor sneered.

"Oh?"

"I think not," the purple-robed man smiled faintly.

At this, the young emperor's mockery deepened. He placed a piece and spoke slowly.

"That is why I say you are old; you should have died long ago, just like my Imperial Father, or rather, my ancestors..."

"Is that so?"

"However, in my view, in the three hundred years of the Great Liang, he is the most monstrous talent ever born..."

"Even three First-Rank experts combined could not kill him!" the purple-robed man replied, placing a piece of his own.

"A monster? Heh, my subordinate, Chief Eunuch Fugui, will personally twist his head off and deliver it to me." The young emperor stared coldly toward the Library.

...

...

The wind howled, and the snow roared. The heavy snowfall surged like waves of a vast sea, blotting out the sun and crashing down.

Amidst this vortex of killing intent, Su Chen's black robes billowed violently.

The thousand-year precious medicine caused his blood, bones, and marrow to surge frantically, washing through his respective extreme realms.

Since his extreme realms could no longer be broken through, the rolling medicinal power surged into his limbs and skeletal structure, refining his internal organs, attempting to force open the gates to the Second-Rank realm for him.

"Heh!"

"After three years, I thought Eunuch Su had achieved great success and reached the First-Rank, which is why he dared to use thousand-year medicine to lure us here."

"To think he is still just a little brat in the Third-Rank Marrow-Cleansing stage..."

The first to arrive was a man in red robes. His temples were graying, and he wore a reserved smile, appearing disdainful of the idea of lifting a finger against a mere Third-Rank cultivator.

"Not fighting? Then get lost."

If the man wouldn't move, Su Chen would.

Rolling flames of blood rose like waves, reaching three zhang in height. At that moment, Su Chen threw a punch, and ninety-nine thunderclaps exploded simultaneously.

*BOOM!*

Before the red-robed man could show terror, he was stunned by the thunderous sound. Swept away by the blood-waves, he—along with four other red-robed men rushing in behind him—was sent flying out of the Library, coughing up blood.

"Is this the legendary Blood-Flame Realm?"

"Wait."

"How many thunderclaps was that just now..."

Atop the Library, nine levels up, three First-Rank experts descended. Their expressions varied, but their eyes all held an indescribable meaning.

This was a monster.

However, so what if he was a monster?

Facing three First-Rank experts, he would still die here.

"Kill him and take his blood; the precious medicine will still be effective! At this moment, he is nothing more than a human-shaped thousand-year medicine. Fight for him with your own skills," the leader of the Black Abyss Sect sneered.

In the next instant, he struck.

His black robes burst as his withered body rapidly filled out, actually blooming with a dark golden hue.

Before long, he had become a gaunt Vajra!

The *Sixteen-Foot Golden Body Art*! This was the perfected First-Rank version of the technique!

"I want thirty percent!"

A First-Rank expert from Great Zhou, an old man in cloth armor, gave a ferocious grin. His long spear thrust through the wind and snow like a dragon under the moonlight, heading straight for Su Chen.

"Haha!"

"A prodigy of such Blood-Flame Thunder is truly unique under heaven. Now, my interest in the medicine has diminished."

"I want his head..."

The plump eunuch in brocade robes also struck amidst his laughter.

And so, outside the Library, five disheveled red-robed men and the three late-arriving Guard Commanders watched as three peak First-Rank Grandmasters of the era surrounded and hunted this mere Third-Rank Eunuch Su amidst the moonlight and snow.

Tonight, whether it was the Great Liang empire, the great aristocratic clans, or the secret sects, all eyes would be focused on this Library and this battle.

Regardless of life or death, the name of Eunuch Su of the Library would once again sweep across the Great Liang, under the title of a monstrous prodigy...

"A pity."

"Retreating from Third-Rank to Second-Rank... with such monstrous combat power and youthful potential, even Zhang Gui is not his equal. It is just a shame this Eunuch Su is too reckless; he is destined to die in..."

The gray-templed red-robed man had just finished shaking his head when, amidst the swirling snow, Su Chen's aura surged violently.

At that moment, he stepped into the Second-Rank Viscera Realm.

How powerful a Second-Rank Viscera Realm achieved by stepping through three extreme realms could only be known by Su Chen himself.

"By the way."

"Does that gaunt golden body of yours even count as the *Sixteen-Foot Golden Body Art*?"

"How about this..."

"Let me teach you what a real Sixteen-Foot Golden Body looks like!"

Su Chen's body grew taller, his robes exploded, and his entire being erupted in gilded light. His muscles swelled, carrying terrifying air currents, as he threw a punch directly against the Black Abyss Sect leader's gaunt golden body.

In an instant, with the two as the center, the countless floor tiles of the Library exploded, and spiderweb-like cracks spread in all directions outside the building.

The wind and snow cleared.

*Pfft!*

Blood splattered everywhere.

A dignified First-Rank perfected Grandmaster, the leader of the Black Abyss Sect, had actually been struck down, coughing blood and forced back over a dozen steps before he could stabilize himself.

"This..."

The Black Abyss leader fell into a stunned silence, feeling somewhat demoralized. For some reason, he felt that the *Sixteen-Foot Golden Body Art* Su Chen had just displayed was more authentic than his own.

That shouldn't be possible. This First-Rank body-refining technique was a secret of the Black Abyss Sect. Where on earth had Su Chen stolen it from that it made his own version feel like a knockoff?

It was as if Su Chen had learned the true, primordial version of the technique.

"How is this possible?"

"Even if he has stepped into the Second-Rank Viscera Realm, he shouldn't be like this! He just went head-to-head with a First-Rank Grandmaster at the peak of cultivation!"

Outside the Library, the five Chief Eunuchs, the three Guard Commanders, and the many spies from hidden factions all gasped in unison.

A Third-Rank repelling a Second-Rank with one punch was already world-shaking! They hadn't expected the truly world-shaking part to come next.

With another single punch, a Second-Rank body repelled a perfected First-Rank Grandmaster!

"No matter!"

"That old ghost of Black Abyss was heavily wounded by our Great Liang's Founding Emperor three years ago; he isn't a true First-Rank Grandmaster..."

The gray-templed red-robed man retracted his dropped jaw, regained his composure, and sneered.

In the next instant, a dragon of wind and snow charged forward.

"The Black Abyss leader is nothing special. The martial arts of Great Liang are truly lacking."

"If you want to see a true First-Rank Grandmaster, look to our Great Zhou!"

"Hahaha!"

The Great Zhou First-Rank expert, the old man in cloth armor, laughed arrogantly. He had broken through the threshold to become a True Yuan Grandmaster.

*BOOM!*

The next moment, the dragon of wind and snow, along with the cold spear, pierced the sky with a roar, driving into Su Chen's body and sending him flying into the darkness along with the massive force.

The courtyard was covered in ice and snow.

The swirling blizzard seemed to make way for this spear, which pierced through the air, leaving an indelible scar in its wake.

"A single spear to execute!"

"I shall gladly accept this body full of thousand-year medicinal blood."

The old man in cloth armor reached out his hand, manifesting his True Yuan into a hand, intending to pull the spear from Su Chen's corpse.

However, another hand firmly gripped the spear.

Out of the darkness, Su Chen stood up. A tiny crack appeared on his gilded body, clearly caused by that spear strike.

"This..."

"A strike from a First-Rank True Yuan Grandmaster didn't even cause a light wound?"

The old man in cloth armor lost his confidence. In a fit of rage, he prepared to strike a second time.

"It is only polite to return a gift."

"Here!"

Holding the spear with one hand, Su Chen unleashed his blood-flame and thunderous strength all at once, hurling it forward with immense force.

As the spear passed, the wind roared so violently that the nine-story Library was nearly overturned by the pressure of the spear's wake.

"Bastard!"

"A mere Second-Rank!"

"I will show you my true—"

Before the Great Zhou First-Rank expert could finish his roar, the spear, wrapped in terrifying astral wind, pierced directly through his chest and sent him flying.

"I have heard that among the First-Rank of the world, even Grandmasters are divided by levels. Those who borrow power from Heaven and Earth are worlds apart from ordinary First-Rank experts."

"Seeing it today, it is indeed so."

Su Chen stood bare-chested like an angry, golden Vajra. With every step he took, the ground trembled slightly.

With every breath, white streaks of energy, sharp as blades, left terrifying marks upon the floor of the Library.

Though he was only Second-Rank, he was no less capable when contending with the First-Rank.

Outside the Library, there was a deathly silence.

Only the gray-templed red-robed eunuch remained stubborn, looking toward the final First-Rank expert with expectation—the unnamed, plump eunuch in brocade.

"There is still one more First-Rank! The finale is always the strongest."

At this moment, Su Chen's cold eyes fixed upon the plump eunuch, filled with scrutiny.

"I heard you wanted my head?"

"A misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding!"

The plump eunuch was drenched in sweat. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned to flee.

Two infamous First-Rank experts—the Black Abyss leader and the Great Zhou Butcher General—had both been defeated. How could he, a newly ascended First-Rank True Yuan Grandmaster, dare to be insolent?

"You practice the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art. So, in the Imperial Palace, you are not the only one ordered to cultivate?"

A chilling voice rang out behind him.

*BOOM!*

In that instant, the plump eunuch's scalp went numb, his hair stood on end, and a sense of profound terror flooded his heart.

Without hesitation, he unleashed his massive True Yuan.

He turned his head to look back.

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"Good heavens!"

"This is..."

"Three years ago, that Wind and Snow Sword that shocked the world?!!"

Chief Eunuch Fugui was so terrified his soul nearly left his body. He wanted to resist, but he had no way to strike. Before practicing the Heaven-Swallowing Remnant Scroll, he was merely a lowly Third-Rank Astral Qi cultivator; how could he possibly withstand a sword strike imbued with the True Intent of Wind and Snow?

The blizzard surged like waves, blotting out the sky. Thirty percent of the snow was condensed into the rudimentary shape of a sword, which, following the pressure of Su Chen's palm, fell with crushing force.

*BOOM!*

In that moment, the Library ceased to exist.

Tonight, a First-Rank expert had finally fallen.

"The moon hangs lonely."

"The night."

"Wind and snow collide."

"Su Chen of the Library has reappeared in the world! Repelling five red-robed men with a single punch! Advancing to the Second-Rank, defeating two First-Rank Grandmasters, and slaying one nameless First-Rank expert..."

The gray-templed red-robed eunuch's voice trembled. He could not fathom that such combat techniques were possible for a Second-Rank cultivator.

A Second-Rank fighting the First-Rank, only for the First-Rank to suffer two defeats and one death.

Was this truly something a martial prodigy could achieve?

Outside the Library, a brief, heavy silence fell.

"After tonight, even the Great Liang will not dare to issue a wanted order for this Eunuch Su. Even the purple-robed Zhang Gui likely won't dare to continue searching for his remains to desecrate them..."

"Thirty-odd years old, Second-Rank Viscera, First-Rank combat power... a future Grandmaster of his generation..."

The spies of countless factions were filled with shock, speechless for a long time.

Amidst the snow and ruins of the Library, Su Chen walked out, carrying Xu Zhuzi and several unconscious young eunuchs.

"What are you standing there for? Aren't you going to arrest that bandit leader and the invading Great Zhou expert?"

"Yes! Eunuch Su!"

The red-robed men snapped out of their daze, instinctively obeying him as if he were the purple-robed one.

...

"You lost."

"Not just the game of chess."

"You cannot protect the immortal treasures of Great Liang. Tell me, where is the coffin where the Founding Emperor was sealed..."

The elderly man in purple placed his final piece, ending the game. His cloudy, aged eyes gradually sharpened.

"I have not lost!"

The young emperor, consumed by rage, flipped the chessboard over. Behind him, a black-robed figure appeared. The figure lifted its head, revealing a rotting face plastered with a yellow talisman, staring intently at the elderly man in purple.