The Ten Heavenly Caves Merge into One, Reward: Grass Sword Art, Thunder Emperor True Blood!

Su Chen had just been preparing to leave when he sensed the commotion below and stopped in his tracks.

He looked down at the two men from above.

The face beneath Yue Guan's thick makeup forced out an exceedingly bright smile, one that even seemed a little obsequious.

He stepped forward and bowed deeply to Su Chen on the stage.

"Please wait, Mr. Su."

Yue Guan's posture was exceedingly humble, and his tone was full of ingratiation.

"I am Yue Guan, an elder of Spirit Hall."

"This is Gui Mei."

When Yue Guan introduced himself, the people in the hall, who had still been groaning in pain, fell silent in an instant.

Two elders of Spirit Hall? What did they want?

Su Chen glanced at them and asked flatly:

"What is it?"

Yue Guan hurriedly straightened up, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Mr. Su, you possess extraordinary foresight and peerless power that stands above all under heaven. You are truly a model for spirit masters like us."

"Her Holiness the Pope heard of your great talent and greatly admires you."

"She specially ordered the two of us to invite you to Spirit City for a conversation."

The more Yue Guan spoke, the more confident he became. He went straight to the terms Bibi Dong had promised.

"Her Holiness the Pope said that, so long as you are willing to honor us by joining Spirit Hall,"

"the position of Honorary Elder, the highest honor in Spirit Hall, will be yours at once! Your status will be second only to the Pope!"

"Not only that, you may choose any three Top-Grade Spirit Bones from Spirit Hall's treasure vault!"

"As for your usual cultivation resources and Gold Soul Coins, there will be an endless supply. Take as much as you like!"

At this point, Yue Guan lowered his voice slightly, his tone full of temptation.

"Even if you want the whereabouts of a legendary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Spirit Hall will certainly do everything in its power to find one for you!"

Boom!

As soon as Yue Guan finished speaking,

a chorus of sharp breaths rang out through the entire hall of Listening Rain Pavilion.

Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen looked especially shocked.

This was hardly Spirit Hall trying to recruit him. They were practically throwing the entire foundation of Spirit Hall at him!

Honorary Elder! His choice of any Top-Grade Spirit Bone! They would even help him hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!

待遇 this outrageous was beyond anything even the leaders of the Upper Three Sects could offer!

Everyone held their breath and looked toward Su Chen on the raised platform.

In their eyes, faced with such a generous offer, an olive branch so rich it was impossible to refuse, there was no one in the world who could say no.

Yet after hearing Yue Guan's long pitch, Su Chen on the platform did not even lift an eyelid.

He casually opened the folding fan in his hand and fanned himself twice.

"Honorary Elder?"

"Top-Grade Spirit Bones?"

"Does Spirit Hall really think its pile of scrap metal is worth that much?"

At those words, the smiles on Yue Guan and Gui Mei's faces froze.

"Mr. Su, what do you mean by that..." Yue Guan's heart lurched, and a deep sense of foreboding welled up within him.

"What do I mean?"

Su Chen gave a scornful laugh and bluntly tore away the pretense.

"Bibi Dong sent you here to recruit me on the surface, but in reality, she's after the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art I talked about yesterday, isn't she?"

At the words Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art, Yue Guan and Gui Mei's pupils constricted. Cold sweat broke out on them at once.

How did he know?!

Su Chen paid no heed to their horrified expressions. Instead, he slowly took a step forward.

He looked down at the two Spirit Hall elders, his eyes holding the detached calm of someone who saw through everything.

"That's not all."

"She's desperate to get the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art because the flaw in her Twin Martial Souls is about to slip beyond her control, isn't it?"

"After all..."

Su Chen snapped his folding fan shut, his tone full of mockery.

"The cultivation she gained by devouring the flesh and soul of the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, was never clean to begin with."

"Now that she's suffering the backlash of the Rakshasa Divine Sense, she has only herself to blame."

Rumble!!!

Su Chen's few casual words landed in the ears of everyone in the hall like a world-shattering nuclear bomb going off!

What?!

The current Pope, Bibi Dong, had devoured the flesh and soul of the previous Pope, Qian Xunji?!

Hadn't Qian Xunji been gravely wounded by Tang Hao and then died of his injuries?!

For a moment, the entire hall fell deathly silent. Everyone felt their scalps prickle.

This was a scandal of the utmost depravity, known only to the innermost and darkest heart of Spirit Hall.

And this storyteller had just casually laid it bare before the whole world!

"You! You're spouting nonsense!"

Yue Guan was so terrified his soul nearly flew out of his body. He pointed at Su Chen with a violently trembling finger, his voice warped with panic.

If this got back to Spirit City, Bibi Dong would skin them alive!

"Spouting nonsense?"

Su Chen sneered.

"Go back and tell Bibi Dong."

"If she wants the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art, if she wants to settle the filthy debts she's kept hidden,"

"then she can get off the throne in Pope Palace herself, crawl to the entrance of my Listening Rain Pavilion, bowing her head to the ground every three steps as she comes to beg me."

"Otherwise..."

"I don't mind adding an extra tale to tomorrow's storytelling."

"I'll tell the spirit masters of this world all about the disgusting deeds that took place in Spirit Hall's secret chamber back then."

After dropping that devastating threat, Su Chen paid no further attention to Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who were already completely stunned below.

He turned around and slowly walked backstage under the gaze of countless astonished onlookers.

He left the two Spirit Hall elders standing rooted to the spot, their bodies icy cold.

Just then, Su Chen had barely stepped into the lounge when the system's crisp mechanical notification rang in his mind, right on cue.

[ Ding! Today's storytelling has concluded. Popularity points are being tallied... ]

Su Chen made his way down the long backstage corridor and pushed open the door to the top-floor lounge, shutting out the commotion and panic outside.

He walked straight to a redwood armchair and sat down, then poured himself a cup of freshly brewed Yuqian Longjing Tea.

Just as he lifted the teacup and took a light sip,

the system's crisp mechanical notifications rang out one after another in his mind.

[ Ding! Today's storytelling has concluded. Popularity points tallied! ]

[ Congratulations, Host! Today's storytelling has caused unprecedented upheaval across the Douluo Continent! ]

[ You successfully astonished Peerless Douluo Bo Saixi, Heaven Dou Crown Prince Qian Renxue, the leaders of the Upper Three Sects, and the elders of Spirit Hall! ]

[ You also exposed Spirit Hall's secrets in public, overturning the former continent's balance of power and its established beliefs! ]

[ Popularity points gained this time: five million! ]

As he heard the number announced by the system, Su Chen's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

Five million points.

That was more than six times the eight hundred thousand he'd earned yesterday!

But after thinking it over briefly, he understood.

After all, today he had not only had the climactic Battle of the Two Stones to boost his popularity, but had also publicly suppressed Bo Saixi and even revealed all of Bibi Dong's old dirty business.

With all those bombs dropped, anything less would have been hard to explain.

[ Ding! Host's popularity points have reached the threshold. A stage-based critical reward has been triggered! ]

[ Congratulations, Host! Your cultivation has broken through repeatedly! ]

Boom!

As the system's voice fell,

Su Chen felt the golden blood and qi within him, as vast as an ocean, roil violently like water brought to a boil.

Without borrowing any external power,

the immense popularity points alone surged back into him.

The space above his head twisted violently. Beside the Grotto-Heaven that had been floating there in silence, another series of rumbles rang out.

The second!

The third!

The fourth...

One after another, Grotto-Heavens emerged in midair, each like the mouth of a volcano, spewing forth endless essence of creation!

They continued until the ninth Grotto-Heaven took shape.

The space throughout the lounge was already being squeezed by this terrifying power of devouring, and cracks began to appear faintly.

Had the system's barrier not sealed it off, the pressure from these nine Grotto-Heavens drawing in the power of heaven and earth would have sucked the entire Heavenly Dou Imperial City dry in an instant, leaving behind a wasteland barren of spiritual energy.

Yet the breakthrough did not stop there.

"Open!"

Su Chen set down his teacup, a flash of keen light in his eyes.

The purest yang blood and qi within him surged skyward without reservation, crashing directly into the void.

Rumble!

The tenth Grotto-Heaven, like an intensely dazzling golden sun, forcibly squeezed its way into existence between heaven and earth!

Ten Heavenly Caves, all revealed!

At that moment, Su Chen was bathed in endless divine radiance, like a true ancient God King.

But this still wasn't the end.

"Since I've spoken of the Unique Cave Heaven,"

"then I, as a storyteller, naturally can't settle for second best."

"Merge!"

At a thought from Su Chen, the ten Grotto-Heavens suspended above his head slammed toward the center, crashing together and compressing into one!

All methods returned to one; destruction gave way to rebirth.

Amid a series of low rumbles like the creation of heaven and earth, the ten Grotto-Heavens finally fused completely.

They became a single, profound halo, one that seemed capable of swallowing every trace of light and every law!

The halo hovered quietly behind Su Chen's head.

Not a trace of its aura escaped, yet it exuded an absolute suppressive power that could make even the Great Dao of heaven and earth submit.

All methods were powerless against it; the Unique Cave Heaven stood alone!

"Phew..."

Su Chen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Feeling the terrifying foundation within him, now hundreds or even thousands of times stronger than before, he withdrew the halo with great satisfaction.

With this Unique Cave Heaven, he had become truly immune to all methods on the Douluo Continent.

Whether it was a Titled Douluo's ninth Soul Skill, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring's domain, or even the divine punishment sent down by those so-called gods in the Divine Realm,

anything that entered the Unique Cave Heaven's range would be instantly broken down into the purest spiritual energy and reduced to nourishment for him.

Just as Su Chen had finished restraining his aura, the system spoke again.

[ Ding! Host currently possesses 5.8 million popularity points (including yesterday's remaining balance). ]

[ Would you like to activate the God-Level Lottery Wheel? Each draw costs 2 million popularity points. ]

"Activate it. Two draws in a row." Su Chen gave the order without the slightest hesitation.

Popularity points would only gather dust if he held on to them. Turning them into real trump cards was the only sensible choice.

[ Ding! Four million popularity points deducted. The God-Level Lottery Wheel is spinning... ]

A massive wheel emanating an ancient, primordial aura appeared out of nowhere before Su Chen's eyes.

Its pointer spun rapidly, passing over one section after another that gleamed with peerless treasure-light.

At last, the pointer slowly stopped in a section that radiated razor-sharp sword energy.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! You drew the Peerless Art, Grass Sword Art (Complete Version)! ]

Hiss.

At the sight of those four words, even Su Chen, with his composure, couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.

The Grass Sword Art!

One of the three great sword arts of the Primordial Age!

Its power was so terrifying that words could scarcely describe it.

Legend had it that a Nine-Leaf Sword Grass born before heaven and earth had been created could cleave open the void and cut down the sun and moon in the highest heavens with nothing but its single blade of grass!

This was a supreme art of slaughter in the truest sense!

Next, the pointer on the wheel spun once more, finally stopping over a drop of blood that radiated boundless vitality and an aura of destruction.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! You drew a drop of the Ten Fiends' Origin: Thunder Emperor True Blood! ]

Thunder Emperor True Blood!

Seeing this, an incredibly bright light flared in Su Chen's eyes.

He had just been thinking that with the Unique Cave Heaven, his defense was invincible, while the Grass Sword Art gave him mastery over killing.

If he could add some thunderous methods to that, he would truly have no weaknesses.

And then the system had sent him the Thunder Emperor True Blood, one of the Ten Fiends, embodying the very pinnacle of the laws of thunder!

The Thunder Emperor was an unparalleled being who commanded heavenly tribulations and administered punishment on behalf of heaven!

Once he refined this drop of True Blood, he would master the Thunder Emperor Precious Technique. Every thunder-attribute Martial Soul on Douluo Continent would be reduced to the chirping of insects before him.

That so-called Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon wouldn't even be worthy of holding his shoes!

"Extract."

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Chen drew the drop of Thunder Emperor True Blood out of the system space.

Hum!

A drop of blood, shimmering with nine-colored lightning, floated quietly in midair.

It seemed to contain an entire world of thunder, with countless ancient runes of lightning appearing and vanishing as they flowed within it.

Su Chen opened his mouth and drew the drop of Thunder Emperor True Blood straight into his body.

Rumble!!!

The instant the True Blood entered him, an incredibly domineering streak of nine-colored lightning appeared within his golden blood and qi.

Countless profound runes embodying the laws of thunder were also imprinted without reserve deep in his bones and meridians.

He didn't even feel the pain of refining it. The drop of True Blood instead melded into his Unique Cave Heaven with remarkable ease.

At the same time, the vast ocean of sword-path insights contained in the Grass Sword Art poured directly into Su Chen's mind.

Su Chen slowly closed his eyes, and his entire being seemed to sink into a wondrous state of enlightenment.

Meanwhile.

Outside Listening Rain Pavilion.

Two black figures, like stray dogs, were fleeing desperately toward the outskirts of Heavenly Dou Imperial City.

They were Yue Guan and Gui Mei.

They hadn't even dared return to Spirit Hall's base in Heaven Dou City. Instead, they had summoned their Martial Souls and shot toward Spirit City like twin streaks of light.

"Quick! Faster!"

"Su Chen even knows about what happened in the secret chamber back then. This is beyond our ability to handle!"

"We must report this to His Holiness the Pope immediately!"

Gui Mei said nothing. He drove his Soul Power to its limit and sprinted through the air like a cloud of black mist.

They had brought back news that Tang Hao had been crippled and Bo Saixi had been subdued.

More than that, they had brought back an earth-shattering secret that could send Bibi Dong into a complete frenzy.

They both knew full well.

The moment these pieces of news reached Pope Palace,

all of Spirit Hall—

indeed, all of Douluo Continent—

would come crashing down!