A Suspected Martial Saint, Heavenly Tribulation Approaches

At the foot of Fulong Mountain.

Several hundred Super-Rank Realm martial artists were still waiting there.

They were all inheritors of the martial legacies of those elderly martial artists who had gone up the mountain, waiting for the final outcome of the battle.

These martial artists understood clearly in their hearts as well.

Of the more than three hundred elderly martial artists who had gone up the mountain,

only one would ultimately survive.

And obtain the Ten-thousand-year Ginseng.

Thus, they too waited anxiously for the final result.

When they heard the earth-shaking cries of slaughter coming from Fulong Mountain,

they naturally assumed

that the more than three hundred elderly martial artists had begun fighting one another.

After all, in these young people's eyes, no matter how powerful Li Chunfeng was, it was absolutely impossible for him to contend against more than three hundred elderly Martial Arts Masters.

Then Fulong Mountain fell utterly silent.

Everyone's hearts tightened.

"The fight for it is over! Who is the final winner, the one who seized the Ten-thousand-year Ginseng and will live out a second life?"

Every martial artist was filled with curiosity and anticipation.

But at that moment,

a staggering figure came rolling down the steps.

The man wore tattered clothes and was covered in blood.

"Gu Botong! This is Gu Botong, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader from fifty years ago! He cultivated the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill, and his defense was said to be invincible. Yet even he has been injured so terribly! It seems the battle among those three hundred elderly martial artists for the Ten-thousand-year Ginseng far exceeded our imagination!"

Someone cried out in alarm.

Gu Botong's disciples hurried forward as well,

supporting him.

But even more people crowded around.

They all wanted to ask after their own masters.

Yet Gu Botong was already on the brink of madness. He shrieked miserably,

"Dead! Hahaha! Everyone is dead! A second life? What right do ants like us have to live out a second life? Hahaha..."

"The Heavenly Humans are dead!"

"The Martial Saint has emerged!"

"Pfft..."

Gu Botong spat out a mouthful of Heart Blood.

His will completely scattered,

and all life left him.

The great battle had ended. The four great Heavenly Humans led by Xiao Qingfeng, along with more than three hundred elderly True Man Realm martial artists, had all perished atop Fulong Mountain.

This dealt an unprecedented shock to the entire Great Gan.

After that,

countless martial artists finally learned

that above the Heavenly Human Realm,

there was another realm known as the Martial Saint Realm.

And within the Imperial Observatory,

there was supposedly a living Martial Saint.

Within the Imperial Observatory,

Ren Xiaoyao naturally did not need to participate in any cleanup. He remained the unnoticed little nobody, and words appeared before his eyes once more.

[Congratulations, you have obtained a Martial Arts Technique: Life and Death Palm]

[Life and Death Palm, Superior Martial Art. Upon cultivating it to great mastery, a pair of palms can sever rivers and split mountains, wielding immense power. In battle, a single palm strike can decide life and death.]

Ren Xiaoyao looked at the introduction to the Life and Death Palm.

He nodded as well.

This Life and Death Palm was indeed a martial art of tremendous power.

However, Ren Xiaoyao did not like using palm techniques.

He preferred the sword.

One Sword Frost Cold Fourteen States.

That was the romance carved into his bones.

Yet as an inherited technique, the Life and Death Palm required no time for Ren Xiaoyao to cultivate. It meant he had instantly learned another martial art, which was hardly a bad thing, so Ren Xiaoyao was in quite a good mood.

After mastering the Life and Death Palm,

another line of text immediately appeared before Ren Xiaoyao's eyes.

[Your comprehension is heaven-defying. Through cultivating the Life and Death Palm, you have comprehended the Life and Death Mark.]

Afterward,

information about the Life and Death Mark surfaced in Ren Xiaoyao's mind.

The Life and Death Mark was a terrifying martial art.

It could transform True Essence into a Life and Death Mark and drive it into an opponent's body. The mark would then cling to them like maggots on bones, leaving them unable to live and unable to die.

After reading the information about the Life and Death Mark,

joy appeared on Ren Xiaoyao's face.

The Life and Death Mark might not be particularly practical in battle.

But it could be used to control others.

Ren Xiaoyao also discovered

that if the Life and Death Mark was formed from True Essence,

an opponent could still possibly dissolve it with their own True Essence.

But a Life and Death Mark formed from Ren Xiaoyao's spiritual power

could not be dissolved by an opponent's True Essence at all.

Ren Xiaoyao did not delay.

He began cultivating the Life and Death Mark.

Thanks to his heaven-defying comprehension, Ren Xiaoyao quickly grasped the trick behind the Life and Death Mark.

He could be considered to have successfully cultivated this martial art.

Next,

Ren Xiaoyao continued absorbing the spiritual energy within the Ten-thousand-year Ginseng. The spiritual energy it originally contained had been incomparably abundant, but it was now nearly depleted. Ren Xiaoyao also felt that his accumulation in the Dao Realm Fourth Heaven was nearing its limit.

He had a premonition

that he would enter the Dao Realm Fifth Heaven

within the next few days.

At the foot of Fulong Mountain,

the Huben Guards of the Imperial Court had already gathered up the corpses of those elderly martial artists from the steps and the wilderness, so their disciples could identify them and bring them home.

However,

within the Dragon Capturing Organization,

the corpse of Dragon Head Xiao Qingfeng naturally had to be taken away personally by Ren Xuanji.

Ren Xuanji looked at Xiao Qingfeng's unclosed eyes, then at the corpses of elderly True Man Realm martial artists covering the ground. His scalp tingled, and he felt as though he could barely remain standing.

He was the Sect Master of the True Martial Sect,

and was hailed as the foremost expert of the Imperial Court.

Yet

Ren Xuanji did not believe he could defeat any one of the corpses lying on the ground.

In truth, this was not surprising.

These elderly martial artists on the ground

had all been martial prodigies of the previous era.

They had devoted their lives wholeheartedly to martial arts.

Only then had they attained the True Man Realm and even the Heavenly Human Realm.

In fact,

within the Imperial Court,

the Empress must also secretly have elderly Heavenly Humans like these under her command.

Otherwise,

the Empress's regime could never have remained stable.

But Ren Xuanji had youth on his side.

He was only forty years old.

Though he was currently in the True Man Realm,

if he continued practicing martial arts until he was eighty or ninety,

he might not be unable to attain the Heavenly Human Realm.

One had to know that Gu Botong had also only been in the Heavenly Human Realm when he was in his forties.

Although Ren Xuanji could not compare with a monster like Xiao Qingfeng,

he might not be unable to become a second Gu Botong.

But just as Ren Xuanji consoled himself that he was still young and possessed great potential, his gaze turned toward the Imperial Observatory atop Fulong Mountain, and his expression immediately became even uglier.

Li Chunfeng was about the same age as him.

"This Li Chunfeng killed more than three hundred elderly Martial Arts Masters by himself. Could it be that he truly is in the Martial Saint Realm?"

Ren Xuanji's heart trembled.

When Li Chunfeng had merely been in the Heavenly Human Realm,

Ren Xuanji had believed that he might one day catch up to Li Chunfeng.

But now,

Ren Xuanji was utterly despairing.

For the rest of his life, he feared he could only look up at Li Chunfeng.

"If Ren Xiaoyao follows Li Chunfeng, and Li Chunfeng restores Ren Xiaoyao's aptitude and teaches him martial arts, then he will soar ninety thousand li into the sky!"

Ren Xuanji's expression abruptly turned sinister as he said darkly,

"No matter what, that little bastard must be made to leave Li Chunfeng's side. Otherwise, he will surely become a grave threat!"

Within Princess Taiping's Residence,

Princess Taiping also received the latest intelligence. It was her first time hearing of the Martial Saint Realm, so she looked at the Phoenix Hall Master beside her and asked,

"Phoenix Hall Master, the Martial Saint Realm lies above the Heavenly Human Realm? Does that not mean Li Chunfeng is even more powerful than the Venerable Envoy in Qianqiu Pavilion?"

Princess Taiping was somewhat alarmed for a time.

Her greatest trump card

was in fact the Heavenly Human Realm Venerable Envoy secretly dispatched by Qianqiu Pavilion.

But now,

she discovered

that a Heavenly Human Realm Venerable Envoy

did not seem capable of sweeping aside everything.

Though the Phoenix Hall Master also feared the Martial Saint Realm, he still said gravely,

"Though the Martial Saint Realm is powerful, Li Chunfeng is still not qualified to challenge Qianqiu Pavilion! Still, Li Chunfeng truly is a variable. I will report his affairs as soon as possible. Qianqiu Pavilion will naturally make its move."

Princess Taiping was somewhat doubtful upon hearing this. "The Martial Saint Realm cannot be that easy to deal with, can it?"

"Hmph! Wasn't the first Director of the Imperial Observatory in Great Gan also in the Martial Saint Realm? Yet in the end, he still died at Qianqiu Pavilion's hands!"

The Phoenix Hall Master let out a cold laugh before continuing.

"Princess, during this time, you need not concern yourself with anything else. You need only focus on cultivating the demonic art and prepare to replace the Empress in the future!"

Within the Imperial Palace,

Xiao Qingfeng's head was placed before the Empress. Although Xiao Qingfeng had been a thorn in the Empress's side, now that this thorn was dead, she could not smile.

Xiao Qingfeng was dead.

But he had brought forth a being suspected of being in the Martial Saint Realm,

whose stance was still uncertain.

How could such a deeply suspicious Empress rest easy?

"Li Chunfeng, I truly underestimated you. Could it be that you have completely comprehended the Great Evolution Tome left behind by the first Director and are nearing the same height as him?"

The Empress's expression was grim as she spoke in a deep voice.

"Now, a struggle over the transfer of power is underway within Qianqiu Pavilion, and they may not continue choosing me. Meanwhile, such a being has appeared within Great Gan. Internal strife and external threats have erupted together."

At that moment,

a breeze stirred.

The osmanthus blossoms outside the window gave off a fragrance that refreshed the heart and delighted the spirit.

The Empress looked at the osmanthus tree and spoke faintly. "If you were still here, Dream God, what advice would you give me?"

The outside world was a sea of shifting clouds and treacherous waves.

Yet it could not disturb Ren Xiaoyao within the Imperial Observatory in the slightest.

On the third day after the great battle ended,

Ren Xiaoyao finally completely absorbed the spiritual energy within the Ten-thousand-year Ginseng.

He once again welcomed an opportunity to break through.

However,

a sense of crisis arose in Ren Xiaoyao's heart.

With his Spiritual Sense spread out, he discovered clumps of Dark Cloud gathering above the skies of the Imperial Observatory.

It seemed that a violent storm was about to descend.

Yet Ren Xiaoyao felt

that what the Dark Cloud carried

was not water vapor.

Instead, bolts of thunder rolled within the Dark Cloud one after another.

It was as though the thunder was gathering strength, seeking to devour and destroy everything in the human world.

"Lightning Tribulation!"

Ren Xiaoyao understood in an instant.

When he had previously reached the Dao Realm Fourth Heaven,

he had also sensed Thunder Force gathering, as though this heaven and earth could not tolerate his existence. However, the Thunder Force had failed to take shape and soon dispersed.

And now,

Ren Xiaoyao was about to break through to the Dao Realm Fifth Heaven.

The Thunder Force had completely taken form.

Cang was about to send down a Lightning Tribulation!

Immediately afterward,

lines of text appeared before Ren Xiaoyao's eyes once more.

[It has been detected that you are about to break through, drawing forth a Heavenly Tribulation of thunder. You have the following two choices.]

[One, evade the Heavenly Tribulation of thunder. You may choose to disperse part of your cultivation, allowing yourself to remain at the Dao Realm Fourth Heaven. After successfully evading this Heavenly Tribulation, you may receive the reward: martial art—Great Art of Dissolving Power.]

[Two, face the Heavenly Tribulation of thunder head-on. You must contend against the Heavenly Tribulation. After passing through it, you will attain the Dao Realm Fifth Heaven. You may receive the reward: spell—Palm Thunder.]