Slanted Axe Tower

Virtual Universe, Fengwu Mountain.

"Have you found it?" An Changyan sat upright on a cyan stone chair, her fingers lightly pinching a small, jade-carved wine cup.

Initially, An Changyan had only conducted a cursory investigation into Chen Beixun's background. But now, Chen Beixun's strangeness—or rather, his mystery—had piqued her curiosity.

A woman in white bowed slightly, speaking with utmost respect: "Your Highness, I have found it."

Beep—beep beep.

An Changyan set down her wine cup, her eyes cold and deep as she meticulously scanned the window that had popped up before her.

Slave... Star-level comprehending a domain... participating in the Genius Tournament...

An Changyan frowned slightly, speaking with surprise: "This isn't right! Why is the year 275 missing?"

To be precise, it was a blank space.

The more An Changyan looked, the stranger she felt, recalling every detail she knew about Chen Beixun in her mind.

"How is this possible? Based on the talent he displayed 275 years ago, he shouldn't possess such strength." An Changyan's cold, noble jade-like face revealed a look of profound disbelief.

For Chen Beixun, the 275th year was not merely a matter of lifespan, but a metamorphosis.

"Demon Island Vine—this guy only displayed it a few times when he was at the Star-level, and they were few and far between!" An Changyan's gaze turned icy. "I must test this fellow; otherwise, I cannot trust him."

Eccentric, skilled at disguise—this was the evaluation An Changyan gave him.

Meanwhile...

Virtual Universe, Tianchen Island.

"Qishan, how much detailed information can you find regarding the family An Changyan belongs to?" Chen Beixun asked with a serious expression, unable to hide his impatience.

Qishan appeared out of thin air, his image having undergone a drastic change. With ancient cyan skin and eyes that were aged yet piercing, he seemed to possess astonishing life experience.

"That might be a bit difficult," Qishan shook his head. "The Fengwu Family is very good at maintaining secrecy. The last report was quite brief."

Chen Beixun felt a sudden sense of disappointment. He only knew that An Changyan's grandfather and parents were all Immortals.

"Heh, no matter," Qishan said with a faint smile. "Give it some time. There is no wall in this world that wind cannot penetrate."

When it came to gathering intelligence, Qishan was a true master.

Chen Beixun knew this well.

"How are Luoduo and the Flame Star Behemoth doing now?" Chen Beixun asked.

The subsidiary AI of Qishan was the one remaining on the three life planets to cultivate the two of them.

"Their cultivation progress is quite good," Qishan replied calmly.

Luoduo was a top-tier genius. The reputation of the Flame Star Behemoth was resounding, and its strength was beyond doubt. Once both of them grew up, they would be of immense help to Chen Beixun.

"I'm not becoming Huyan Bo 2.0, am I? Walking the path of the soul... all I'm missing is a possession technique." Chen Beixun felt a moment of self-satisfaction.

"I should go cultivate, Qishan. If there is any intelligence, notify me immediately," Chen Beixun said solemnly.

Qishan nodded with a smile and vanished into thin air.

To Chen Beixun, Qishan was a mentor in the truest sense. In the past, Chen Beixun's cultivation methods could be described as crude. In his early years, he had been somewhat neurotic, suspicious of everyone.

That was why he had no friends and no one to recommend him. A thousand-mile horse is common, but a talent scout is not.

When he tried to recommend himself, he was met with nothing but cold shoulders. Only at the very end did he manage to join a 'private security company'—in other words, a mercenary group.

Seeing that the other had left, Chen Beixun pondered for a moment before logging out of the Virtual Universe.

"Time to cultivate mental power," he thought.

A few days later...

"Mental power amplitude reached 43!" Chen Beixun panted heavily, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. After calming himself down...

"Excellent." The corners of Chen Beixun's mouth twitched, his eyes returning to their usual calm.

Suddenly...

Beep beep—!

"Time to go." Chen Beixun stood up and bounced twice. He felt as though he had become a little lighter.

He had discussed this with Pavadode a few days ago and formulated a detailed plan, which Pavadode then relayed to An Changyan.

This was to seek her approval.

An Changyan had agreed.

To summarize the plan the three of them had formulated:

Under the guise of heading to the Thousand Blade Land for cultivation, they would leave the territory occupied by Lote. Then, they would activate the stealth function to shake off any tails following them.

The plan went smoothly. Though, well.

After Luote Wosike learned of this matter, he was so angry he nearly exploded.

Luote Family occupied territory.

"Heh." Luote Wosike looked at the farewell email sent by Chen Beixun and couldn't help but chuckle softly: "Am I a fool?"

Immediately, he asked the people around him: "Am I a fool?"

The crowd was dumbstruck, not daring to make a sound.

"I think you lot are the fools!" Luote Wosike suddenly flew into a rage, roaring at the crowd.

"Who approved it? Who approved it?! Who the hell approved it!" Luote Wosike shouted three times in a row, nearly hysterical. The veins on his forehead bulged and writhed like little snakes.

"They only said they were going to the Thousand Blade Land for some cultivation," a short man said, trembling.

Luote Wosike's mouth twitched, forcing a strained smile that looked rather ferocious.

"How long have you lived, you!" Luote Wosike quickly stepped forward, pointing at the man's nose to ask.

The short man shrank his head, terrified.

Luote Wosike blinked his eyes and thought carefully, "The wood is already carved into a boat; getting angry is useless."

"You, go!" Luote Wosike's eyes were vacant, as if his soul had been drained away. He said softly, "Return to the clan and await your punishment."

Luote Wosike was usually very lenient with his subordinates and rarely lost his temper.

After all, getting angry was futile now; the three of them had already boarded the spaceship and were nearly at the territory occupied by the Win Pavilion.

There were no obstacles along the way, as the stealth capabilities of the Machine Race Spaceship were self-evident. Before long, they arrived at the territory occupied by the Win Pavilion.

"Holy crap!" The worker who came to receive them upon receiving the news was instantly stunned.

The Machine Race Spaceship hovered in the air.

The low, rumbling sounds it emitted fully displayed the performance of this "beast."

The hatch of the pyramid-shaped spaceship opened, and one person emerged.

It was none other than Chen Beixun.

Chen Beixun scanned the surroundings with his telekinetic power, then flew down toward the worker below.

"Hello, I am Chen Beixun. I am here to sign the agreement on behalf of His Highness," Chen Beixun spoke first.

"Understood, Mr. Chen Beixun." The worker took out a metal disc with a circular groove 4.3 centimeters in diameter.

Seeing this, Chen Beixun took out the black coin given by An Changyan and placed it into the groove on the metal disc. With that, the process was complete.

This granted them the right of entry, flight, and residence within the Win Pavilion's occupied territory.

That black coin was the highest specification grade of the Win Pavilion, with copper being the lowest. They were distinguished in ascending order by five colors: copper, silver, blue, gold, and black.

Only the gold and black colors could command such immense privileges.

Having obtained the flight rights, the three did not linger and took the Machine Race Spaceship, speeding toward the Slanted Axe Tower.

Inside the rest cabin of the machine spaceship...

The three gathered in a circle.

"Ahhh—" An Changyan stretched lazily, a playful and charming smile gracing his fair, jade-like face.

"His Highness is truly possessed of vast magical powers," Chen Beixun said.

"Average, just average," An Changyan chuckled. "If you want a black coin, I can help you apply for one."

After An Changyan finished speaking, a unique hue flowed through his eyes. His gaze seemed to freeze, staring intently at Chen Beixun.

"This..." Chen Beixun avoided the other's gaze and found an excuse to brush it off.

Suddenly—

A wave of Formless pressure struck, as abrupt as could be.

The three were caught completely off guard.

They felt a "buzzing" sound in their ears, rapid and urgent. It vanished quickly, as if the "buzzing" had moved far away and would no longer linger.

"We've arrived." Chen Beixun's expression turned tense, his breathing becoming rapid, as if it had ignited his passion for exploring the unknown.

This was the unique "greeting" of the Slanted Axe Tower.

Everyone who came had to experience it once.

They were gradually drawing closer to that unfathomable depth. At this moment, it felt as if they were surrounded by raging fire; that dry heat invaded from the surface of their skin, suddenly surging up to their crowns.

For the sake of reason, a tense adventure of life.

"If I leave now, I will never be able to find peace," Pavadode said.

The Machine Race Spaceship slowed its approach, coming to a halt more than two hundred kilometers away.

The three of them immediately switched to traveling on foot.

In just a moment, they arrived within the first ring of the Slanted Axe Tower.

Inside the first ring, plaster statues similar to "Ancient Greek" sculptures could be seen everywhere.

Each statue was so lifelike that it seemed as if they were real people, or perhaps they actually were.

Chen Beixun stepped on a kneeling plaster statue, gazing into the distance. A long white staff was strapped to his back.

A building shaped like a giant axe stood in the distance, its blade pointing downward, cleaving into the ground. Several emerald vines extended downward from the axe handle.

The diameter of those larger vines could reach up to 254 meters. The texture on the surface of the vines looked like countless green geckos crawling and clustering together.

In a trance, one could even hear the "chi-zz" sounds emitted by those 'green geckos.'

"This is so strange," An Changyan said, clutching her chest, her figure swaying unsteadily.

"Hoo, hoo~~" An Changyan took a long breath and exhaled forcefully.

"Can't take it?" Chen Beixun's eyes flickered as he stared coldly at An Changyan.

An Changyan shook her head, though her complexion was visibly shifting from rosy to deathly pale.

Chen Beixun walked to her side, gently stroked her back, and whispered, "Do not deliberately listen to those sounds."

Those "buzzing" or "chi-zz" strange noises were looping infinitely in An Changyan's mind.

An Changyan's vision gradually blurred, yet she still stubbornly insisted, "I'm fine!"

"Take... your hand away." An Changyan extended her soft, weak, and slender white hand to push Chen Beixun away.

The sound continued to echo in An Changyan's ears, driving her to the brink of madness. Before long, she collapsed, powerless.

Chen Beixun caught her, pinched her back hard with his hand, and twisted it, forcibly tearing away a large chunk of flesh.

"Ah! Hah!" An Changyan's eyes widened, and she was instantly jolted awake by the pain.

Before they set out, Chen Beixun had explained the situation in advance, so everyone's armor was set to manual activation to make it easier to wake them up.

It wouldn't be as convenient once the armor was fully engaged.

"I just... almost..." An Changyan's face was deathly pale.

"Sigh," Pavadode sighed, then said in a low voice, "Your willpower, Your Highness, is not very good."

Pavadode had been watching the whole time.

"It's fine, just keep reminding her," Chen Beixun said, sounding as if he hadn't had his fill yet.

"You..." An Changyan had felt a shred of gratitude toward him, but at this moment, it vanished like smoke, leaving nothing behind.

"Heh heh." Chen Beixun was all smiles. He was waiting for Qishan to plan the route.

Beep-beep!

Chen Beixun raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced roughly at the route map, and then said, "Let's go, everyone."

Several figures soared into the sky, rushing toward the Slanted Axe Tower.

There were 30 people in total: Chen Beixun, Pavadode, An Changyan, 15 of Chen Beixun's guards, and 12 guards from the Lotte Family.

"You all enter from that opening ahead!" Chen Beixun said, immediately sending the general coordinates to everyone.

Chen Beixun changed his trajectory, breaking away from the group.

He had keenly sensed a trace of a dangerous aura, for he himself had often ambushed enemies in his early years.

"Scatter!" Chen Beixun's mind stirred.

The Heng Divine Weapon behind him released several small white swords.

Swish!

A beam of white light plummeted from the sky, imbued with endless chill, and slammed into the ground.

Boom!

A terrifying shockwave swept through the surroundings.

In an instant, cold white mist swirled as if the world had turned white, and ice crystals drifted through the mist, slicing through everything like tiny blades.

"F*ck you, go to hell!" Chen Beixun's face twisted, and the aura on his body exploded with immense power! In an instant, it reached its peak!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sounds were incessant, and a massive crater was blasted directly into the ground.

Chen Beixun gradually emerged from the white mist, holding three severed heads in his hands.

Chen Beixun's mouth twitched, and he chuckled softly, "Heh, trying to ambush me?"