To Live

The roars of the Wind and Thunder Divine Fire Tiger grew increasingly agonizing. The power of wind, thunder, and fire that it erupted with all its might could not stir up even the slightest ripple before the chaotic black mist.

Its indestructible scales were smashed to pieces by the attacks of the chaos incarnation. Boiling tiger blood spewed from the wounds, dyeing the ground beneath it red.

It was finally afraid.

This ancient mutant beast, which had been ferocious for tens of thousands of years, now had nothing but extreme terror in its eyes. It let out whimpering sounds of begging from its throat, its four limbs prostrated on the ground, completely stripped of its former fierce prestige.

"Oh? So you know how to yield?" Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused.

"However, hissing at me comes with a price."

"Die."

The Wind and Thunder Divine Fire Tiger trembled violently as its soul was completely annihilated by Ye Chuan.

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water and floating clouds, taking no more than a dozen breaths of time.

Silence returned to the canyon once again.

Seeing that massive body fall, Ye Chuan spoke, "Rise."

Black mist spread, and the Wind and Thunder Divine Fire Tiger stood back up, though its appearance was now no different from the other chaos incarnations.

This divine tiger seemed to be guarding a wealth of minerals, all of which Ye Chuan collected.

It seemed he would not be lacking materials for forging magical treasures for a while.

The people of the Divine Sword Sacred Land, including the Sword Master, all froze in place.

The Sword Master had never seen anyone subdue a quasi-Ascension Realm mutant beast so effortlessly!

Such beast-taming ability in itself...

Was truly terrifying.

"Sacred Lord Ye... your strength reaches the heavens. This old man... is thoroughly amazed."

The Sword Master took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Ye Chuan. His tone no longer held the slightest bit of polite distance, leaving only genuine awe.

The dozen or so Tribulation Transcendence Realm elders behind him hurriedly followed suit, bowing in respect. The way they looked at Ye Chuan was filled with extreme worship and reverence, not even daring to lift their heads.

"It is nothing, I just caught a Pokemon," Ye Chuan waved his hand dismissively.

"A Poke-what?"

"Never mind."

"Alright..."

But right at this moment, the entire small world suddenly trembled violently!

A golden pillar of light piercing the heavens and the earth suddenly shot up into the sky from the very center of this small world!

The pillar pierced through the light curtain of Dao principles that enveloped the entire world. Golden light swept across the land like a tide. Even from hundreds of thousands of miles away, one could clearly see that dazzling, ultimate pillar of light!

A vast, ancient aura carrying supreme pressure spread out along the pillar of light, sweeping across every corner of the small world.

Whether it was the cultivators hunting for treasure in the secret realm, the sect teams besieged by spirit guards, or the major factions currently in standoffs, everyone stopped their movements and looked in unison toward the direction where the pillar of light rose.

Even Bai Qianshuang and her group, far away on the other side of the Sword Burial Valley, stopped in their tracks. Looking up at the golden pillar of light shooting into the sky, Elder Hongluan and the others had faces full of shock and excitement.

"This... what is this aura?!"

"The pillar of light is at the very center of the small world! Could it be that Almighty Xuanqiong's inheritance has appeared?!"

"It must be! This pressure was definitely left behind by Almighty Xuanqiong!"

Elder Hongluan and the others instantly grew excited. Even Bai Qianshuang looked at the pillar of light, a glimmer flashing in her eyes.

Ye Chuan should be over there too, right?

Meanwhile, inside the Sword Burial Valley, the Sword Master looked at the soaring pillar of light, his expression instantly becoming incredibly solemn. He subconsciously tightened his grip on his sword hilt and said to Ye Chuan in a deep voice:

"Sacred Lord Ye, this pillar of light... is likely the core of this small world! I have a premonition that it is either where Almighty Xuanqiong's coffin is located, or..."

He paused, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremble, "Or, he never died at all, and is waiting right there for all of us to come."

"Who cares if he is dead or alive," Ye Chuan laughed.

"We are already here anyway, so will we not know once we go take a look? Besides, you cannot get out."

"True, after all, none of us can leave." The Sword Master admitted this point; after entering the small world, they had not yet found a way out.

"Who said that? I can get out," Ye Chuan said.

I can just unplug the internet cable, you know.

Sword Master: "?"

Ye Chuan: "?"

The Sword Master's mouth twitched. "Alright, you can get out... Sacred Lord Ye is truly a god among men."

With that said, his figure flickered, directly tearing through space and teleporting toward the direction of the pillar of light.

...

The closer they got to where the pillar of light rose, the more cultivators appeared around them.

Cultivators from the major sacred lands, hidden sects, and millennial noble families of the Four Great Divine Continents were all converging in the same direction. Each of them looked vigilant, yet could not hide the greed and excitement in their eyes.

After all, that was the core inheritance of Almighty Xuanqiong, a half-step Ascension realm expert. It might even be a passage to ascend to the upper realm. No cultivator could resist such a temptation.

Along the way, Ye Chuan also saw quite a few familiar faces, all hurrying toward the pillar of light.

Just as Ye Chuan passed through a patch of ancient ruins and was about to reach the core area where the pillar of light was located, a familiar silvery-white figure suddenly sped over from the distance.

"Ye Chuan!"

Bai Qianshuang's voice carried unconcealable joy. With a tap of her toes, she instantly landed in front of Ye Chuan.

Her plain white dress was stained with a bit of dust, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, clearly showing she had rushed all the way here.

"Qianshuang, you are not hurt, are you?" Ye Chuan smiled, pulling the girl into his embrace and looking her up and down.

"Are you okay?"

"Nothing major, I just encountered an illusionary flower sea and a few waves of blind spirit guards, but I took care of them all," Bai Qianshuang shook her head.

But a trace of hesitation flashed across her face. The scene in the illusion where Luo Xi pierced her chest flashed through her mind once again.

She opened her mouth but ultimately swallowed her words. It was just an illusion, there was no need to say it and make Ye Chuan worry.

Right, it was just an illusion.

Just an illusion.

Ye Chuan did not ask further. "That is good. Stay close to me. It is crowded and chaotic up ahead, who knows what kind of trouble might pop up."

"Mhm." Bai Qianshuang nodded heavily, obediently standing by Ye Chuan's side and walking forward with him.

Elder Hongluan led the people of Danxia Valley and quickly followed, bowing respectfully to Ye Chuan, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

After walking a few more miles forward, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

That golden pillar of light piercing the heavens and the earth stood right before their eyes.

Directly beneath the pillar of light was a massive plaza that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The plaza was entirely forged from obsidian. Every brick and stone was carved with profound ancient runes. As the runes flowed, they emitted a terrifying pressure capable of suppressing the heavens and the earth.

In the very center of the plaza, a giant golden light curtain enveloped an area of a hundred meters.

Within the light curtain, a profound black stone coffin ten meters long was tightly bound by countless golden chains carved with runes, floating suspended in mid-air.

That golden pillar of light piercing the heavens and the earth was shooting up into the sky from exactly this stone coffin.

At this moment, the massive plaza was already packed with cultivators.

Almost all the top factions from the Four Great Divine Continents had arrived. They scattered across various corners of the plaza, staring vigilantly at the stone coffin in the center while simultaneously guarding against the other factions around them. The atmosphere was heavy to the extreme, so much so that even the air seemed to have solidified.

Everyone knew clearly that inside this stone coffin, there either lay a supreme opportunity to ascend to the heavens in a single step, or...

It held a terrifying existence that could doom them all to eternal damnation.

Ye Chuan led Bai Qianshuang and his group, slowly landing at the edge of the plaza. His gaze fell upon the suspended stone coffin. He stroked his chin, a hint of interest flashing in the depths of his eyes.

He could clearly sense that within the stone coffin hid an extremely terrifying aura, one that was completely integrated with the origin of this small world.

Moreover, that aura was alive.