Signing in for a hundred thousand years, I emerged invincible
Chapter 20: A Holy Lord shocks the ancient city; signing in shatters all arts
Immortal mist wreathed Heavenly Evolution Ancient City, and the sounds of the Dao rang out.
Chu Xuan walked calmly along the broad bluestone street, his white robes whiter than snow. Not a trace of Spiritual Qi leaked from him, yet he possessed a supreme bearing that towered above the nine heavens, as though all the Daos of heaven and earth had to bow beneath his feet.
Zhao Shanhai followed close behind, not daring even to breathe heavily.
The scene outside the city had already shaken him to his very core.
A casual flick of a finger had sent a King prodigy flying; a sweep of a sleeve had instantly killed a supreme elder at the peak of the King Realm.
Such strength had already surpassed everything he understood about cultivation.
"Mr. Chu, Heavenly Evolution Square is just ahead. The Heavenly Evolution Pillar is there," Zhao Shanhai said quietly.
Chu Xuan nodded slightly and gazed into the distance.
Ahead lay an immense square spanning a thousand zhang. At its center stood an azure stone pillar that reached from earth to heaven, its surface covered in runes from High Antiquity. Divine light flowed over it, and its pressure weighed upon the ages.
That was the symbol of Heavenly Evolution Ancient City-the Heavenly Evolution Pillar.
Only those who left a mark on the Heavenly Evolution Pillar qualified to enter the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm and compete for the Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit.
By now, the square was already a sea of people.
Prodigies, elders, and ancestors from all the major powers of the Azure Mysterious Domain had gathered here. Their voices roared, and their presences surged into the sky.
"Have you heard? The prodigies of the Xuanyuan Aristocratic Clan, the Primordial Jiang Clan, the Ice and Snow Goddess Palace, and the Myriad Demon Domain have all arrived!"
"This Heavenly Evolution Assembly is the grandest in ten thousand years!"
"The Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit is destined to fall into the hands of the very finest prodigies!"
Throughout the crowd, gazes burned like fire as they fixed upon the sky-supporting stone pillar.
Just then.
[Ding! Host has reached Heavenly Evolution Square. Sign-in triggered!] [Ding! Sign-in successful!] [Ding! Obtained: Great Dao Ignoring Talisman ×3!] [Ding! Obtained: Holy Lord-Level Pressure Experience Card ×1!] [Ding! Obtained: one layer of advancement in the Eternal Indestructible Physique!]
The system notifications sounded punctually in Chu Xuan's mind.
Chu Xuan remained composed, neither surprised nor pleased.
After a hundred thousand years of signing in, he had long since grown numb to receiving Great Emperor Dao fruits, cosmic divine artifacts, and supreme cultivation methods.
These rewards were merely flowers added to brocade.
"Mr. Chu, should we register at the Heavenly Evolution Pillar first?" Zhao Shanhai asked cautiously.
"No hurry," Chu Xuan said indifferently. "Let's watch the show first."
His words had barely fallen.
An incomparably violent presence suddenly erupted above the square!
Purple Qi shot skyward, countless rays of rosy light blazed, and pressure swept across the square like a tsunami.
A group of purple-robed cultivators approached through the air, surrounding an arrogant-looking young man.
Unbridled arrogance marked the young man's brow, and his eyes looked down upon all living beings.
"They're from the Purple Cloud Sect!"
"That's the Purple Cloud Sect's young sect master-Zi Chen! He's a few years older than Lin Xiaotian, and his cultivation reached the King Realm Third Layer long ago!"
"They say Zi Chen received the inheritance of the Purple Emperor from High Antiquity. He's practically invincible among his peers!"
The crowd instantly erupted.
Zi Chen swept his gaze across the square before finally resting it on the Heavenly Evolution Pillar, a contemptuous curve forming at his lips.
"The Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit is destined to belong to me, Zi Chen.
Are ants like you even worthy of competing with me?"
His arrogant declaration left the entire square deathly silent.
Countless people seethed but dared not speak.
The Purple Cloud Sect was powerful, and Zi Chen's talent defied the heavens. No one wished to provoke him lightly.
Zi Chen's gaze shifted and suddenly landed on Chu Xuan.
Seeing Chu Xuan's plain clothing and complete lack of Spiritual Qi fluctuations, making him resemble a mortal, he immediately scoffed.
"Where did this lowborn wretch come from, daring to sneak into Heavenly Evolution Square?
Get out!"
As his words fell.
A mighty wave of King pressure bore straight down upon Chu Xuan!
Zhao Shanhai's expression changed drastically. He hurried to stand in front of Chu Xuan. "Young Sect Master Zi Chen, this gentleman is my honored guest. Please show mercy!"
"Your honored guest?"
Zi Chen laughed uproariously, as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "A mortal without even a trace of Spiritual Qi deserves to be called an honored guest?
Zhao Shanhai, has your Azure Cloud Sect run out of people? You drag in any stray cat or dog and treat them like treasure?"
"You!"
Zhao Shanhai trembled with anger, yet he was powerless to refute him.
The gap between their cultivation was like a heavenly chasm.
Chu Xuan gently patted Zhao Shanhai's shoulder. A gentle yet irresistible force moved him behind Chu Xuan's protection.
He raised his eyes toward Zi Chen in the sky, his gaze as indifferent as ice.
"You're very noisy."
Those few simple words exploded through the entire square like thunder!
The entire square instantly fell deathly silent!
Everyone was stunned.
A mortal actually dared speak to the Purple Cloud Sect's young sect master like that?
The smile on Zi Chen's face abruptly froze, and his eyes instantly turned sinister and terrifying.
"Good! What a creature who doesn't know the meaning of death!
You're the first person who's dared speak to me like that!"
"Today, I'll crush your soul and teach you that disaster comes from the mouth!"
Boom-!
Purple Qi surged around Zi Chen as he struck a palm across the sky!
The force of his palm was like a mountain, suppressing all directions. Even the void trembled slightly.
This palm strike was enough to instantly kill an ordinary King Realm Second Layer cultivator!
"Mr. Chu!"
Scared out of his wits, Zhao Shanhai cried out involuntarily.
Everyone believed Chu Xuan was certain to die.
However.
Chu Xuan still stood where he was, motionless, his gaze calm and unruffled.
[Ding! Host is under attack!] [Ding! Enemy: Zi Chen, King Third Layer. Combat rating: ant.] [Ding! Available counterattacks: suppress with one finger, slap away with one palm, erase directly.]
An indifferent thought stirred in Chu Xuan's mind.
"Noisy."
He merely raised one finger lightly.
There was no divine light, no extraordinary phenomenon, not even a trace of Spiritual Qi fluctuation.
Just a gentle tap.
Hum-
The void trembled faintly.
The next instant.
Splat!
Zi Chen's palm force, powerful enough to suppress an entire region, instantly shattered!
As though struck head-on by a primordial divine mountain, he shot backward, spewing blood, and slammed hard into the Heavenly Evolution Pillar with a thunderous crash.
The entire square fell deathly silent!
One could have heard a pin drop!
Everyone stared slack-jawed, their scalps tingling and their minds utterly blank.
"What just happened?"
"Young Sect Master Zi Chen... was flicked away with one finger?"
"He's a prodigy at the King Third Layer! How could he be so easily beaten?"
"That young man in white... just where did he come from?!"
Countless hearts pounded wildly as cold sweat poured down their bodies.
Those who had mocked Chu Xuan earlier were now pale as paper, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Zi Chen struggled up from the ground, his hair disheveled and his body drenched in blood, his eyes filled with horror and venomous resentment.
"You... you dare injure me?
I'm the Purple Cloud Sect's young sect master! My master is a Saint-level existence!
You're dead!"
Chu Xuan looked down at him indifferently, as though looking down upon an ant.
"The Purple Cloud Sect?
It isn't even worthy of carrying my shoes."
The words were casually spoken, yet arrogant to the extreme!
Zi Chen was so furious that smoke seemed to pour from his seven orifices. He roared, "I want you dead!"
He gritted his teeth fiercely, pulled out a purple token, and crushed it.
"Master! Save me!!"
Hum-!
A boundless, supremely terrifying presence erupted from deep within Heavenly Evolution Ancient City!
In an instant, it crossed a thousand li and descended above the square!
An imposing old man in purple robes approached through the air.
Saint pressure swept from him in all directions. Heaven and earth changed color, and winds and clouds rolled backward.
"It's the Purple Cloud Sect's guardian elder-True Person Zixuan!
A genuine Saint-level expert!"
"It's over, it's over! That young man in white is absolutely doomed now!"
"Anger a Saint, and death is certain!"
True Person Zixuan's lightning-sharp gaze fell upon Chu Xuan, and his voice was bone-chilling.
"Junior, you injured my disciple and disgraced my Purple Cloud Sect.
Today, you must atone with your life!"
The might of a Saint crushed the entire square!
Countless cultivators prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling, without even the courage to raise their heads.
Zhao Shanhai's face was ashen, his despair absolute.
A Saint!
That was an existence from legend!
No matter how strong Chu Xuan was, how could he possibly match a Saint?
Seeing this, Zi Chen revealed a savage smile. "Brat, you dared provoke my master! Today, your death is certain!
I'll watch your soul be utterly annihilated with my own eyes!"
Chu Xuan raised his head toward True Person Zixuan in the sky, his gaze still indifferent.
[Ding! Enemy detected: True Person Zixuan, Sage First Level. Combat rating: speck of dust.] [Ding! Recommendation for host: slap him to death as a warning to others.]
A faint, disdainful curve formed at the corner of Chu Xuan's lips.
"A Saint?
You dare lord over others and claim supremacy before me?"
As his words fell.
He made no movement; his gaze merely sharpened slightly.
Hum-!
A supreme pressure originating from the first opening of chaos, transcending all heavens and worlds, suddenly erupted!
This pressure held no killing intent, yet it was more terrifying than any killing intent!
It was as though all of heaven and earth bowed in submission at that moment!
The indifference on True Person Zixuan's face instantly froze.
His expression shifted from arrogance to shock, then to terror, before finally collapsing completely!
"This... this presence...
Impossible!!"
"What exactly are you?!"
He tried to flee, only to discover that his body could not move at all.
It was as though the entire universe had locked onto him!
Chu Xuan spoke impassively, his voice like a verdict from the Heavenly Dao.
"Kneel."
One word.
Boom!
True Person Zixuan shuddered violently, his knees buckling beyond his control.
A mighty Saint fell to his knees with a thud, before the eyes of the entire crowd!
Dead silence fell over the scene!
Everyone was scared witless!
A Saint... had knelt?
Before a young man who appeared to have no cultivation at all?
This sight completely overturned everything they knew!
True Person Zixuan trembled all over, frightened out of his soul, and kowtowed frantically.
"S-Senior!
This junior had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended your heavenly might!
Please spare my life, Senior!"
He finally understood that the one he had provoked was no junior at all.
Rather, he was a supreme being who had slumbered for countless ages and emerged into the world invincible!
Zi Chen collapsed to the ground, soiling himself, utterly scared witless.
His master, whom he took such pride in, a mighty Saint, was actually kneeling and kowtowing to someone?
Chu Xuan's gaze remained indifferent, without the slightest ripple.
"From this day forth, the Purple Cloud Sect will cease to exist."
A single, lightly spoken sentence.
True Person Zixuan's face turned deathly pale, but he dared not resist in the slightest and could only answer in a trembling voice:
"Yes... this junior obeys!
The Purple Cloud Sect... is hereby disbanded!"
A great sect vanished like smoke and clouds, all because of a single sentence from Chu Xuan.
Without sparing him another glance, Chu Xuan turned and walked toward the Heavenly Evolution Pillar.
Along the way, every cultivator dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Reverence!
Utter reverence!
[Ding! Host has intimidated a Saint and completed a hidden achievement!] [Ding! Obtained: Chaos Dao Physique, first layer!] [Ding! Obtained: Great Dao True Words ×1!] [Ding! Obtained: Complete Secret Realm Map · Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm!]
The system notifications came one after another.
Chu Xuan walked up to the Heavenly Evolution Pillar, gently extended his right hand, and pressed it against the pillar.
Hum!
The Heavenly Evolution Pillar instantly erupted with hundreds of millions of rays of divine light that shot into the heavens!
The ancient runes on the pillar flashed wildly, as though paying homage to a supreme sovereign!
[Ding! Host has touched the Heavenly Evolution Pillar, a divine object from High Antiquity, triggering a supreme check-in!] [Ding! Check-in successful!] [Ding! Obtained: The Greatest Eye of All Ages-Chaos Heavenly Eye!] [Ding! Obtained: Great Emperor-grade cultivation method, "Primordial Myriad Dao Instruction"!] [Ding! Obtained: Secret realm core access privileges!] [Ding! Obtained: Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit maturation acceleration ×100!]
A boundless flood of insight into the Great Dao surged into Chu Xuan's mind.
Once the Chaos Heavenly Eye opened, all things in the world, every illusion, every fortuitous opportunity, and every enemy's weakness had nowhere to hide!
Chu Xuan slowly withdrew his hand, while the Heavenly Evolution Pillar continued to send divine light soaring into the heavens, unabated for a long time.
The entire square remained deathly silent.
Everyone knelt on the ground, gazing at that white-robed figure as though looking up at a god.
Just then.
Another terrifying presence erupted from the depths of the ancient city!
This presence was ten, a hundred times stronger than True Person Zixuan's!
Vast as a sea of stars, majestic as a Heavenly Emperor!
"What exalted being has descended upon my Heavenly Evolution Ancient City?"
An aged, commanding voice resounded throughout the ancient city.
A white-haired old man in a plain Daoist robe slowly stepped out of the void.
With every step he took, heaven and earth resonated, and the myriad Daos paid homage.
"It's... the guardian of Heavenly Evolution Ancient City!
The legendary old monster who has lived for nearly a million years-the Heavenly Ascension Holy Lord!"
"A true Holy Lord-level powerhouse!
One of the very greatest beings in the entire Azure Mysterious Domain!"
The Heavenly Ascension Holy Lord's gaze fell on Chu Xuan, his eyes filled with the utmost gravity and reverence.
He could clearly sense that this seemingly ordinary young man before him was unfathomable!
Even at his peak, he had fallen far short!
The Heavenly Ascension Holy Lord reined in all his oppressive might and bowed respectfully.
"This junior, Tianyan, pays his respects to the supreme Senior.
I did not know you were coming and failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive me."
A Holy Lord had bowed!
This sight shocked everyone once again!
Chu Xuan nodded impassively. "When does the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm open?"
The Heavenly Ascension Holy Lord hurriedly answered respectfully, "Senior, it was originally to open in three days.
But since you have arrived, the secret realm can open immediately!
If you desire the Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit, this junior will personally pick it for you!"
Before absolute strength, every fortuitous opportunity had to be offered up with both hands.
Chu Xuan said impassively, "No need.
In three days, I will take it myself."
"Yes! This junior obeys!" The Heavenly Ascension Holy Lord was utterly respectful, not daring to disobey in the slightest.
Chu Xuan said no more and turned to leave.
His white robes fluttered as he walked at an unhurried pace, disappearing at the far end of the square.
Only after Chu Xuan's figure had vanished completely.
Did everyone finally dare to rise slowly, their hearts still trembling, their fright still unsettled.
"Who... was that just now?"
"Even the Holy Lord had to bow respectfully. A being like that must be at least Great Emperor level!"
"A hundred thousand years of check-ins, invincible upon emerging into the world...
I think I've heard that legend before!"
"Everything has changed for the Heavenly Evolution Assembly!
What comes next is destined to be that supreme being's stage!"
The Heavenly Ascension Holy Lord gazed in the direction Chu Xuan had left and let out a long sigh.
"The Azure Mysterious Domain has been silent for too long.
Today, a true god descended.
From now on, the order of countless ages will be rewritten."
Inside the inn.
Chu Xuan sat quietly by the window, resting with his eyes closed.
The Great Dao flowed around him, and no art could assail him.
Zhao Shanhai stood respectfully to one side, not even daring to breathe loudly.
[Ding! Host has checked into a top-class inn in Heavenly Evolution Ancient City, triggering a daily check-in!] [Ding! Check-in successful!] [Ding! Obtained: Great Dao Origin ×10,000 points!] [Ding! Obtained: Saint Dao Fruit ×3!] [Ding! Obtained: Coordinates for the next level of the secret realm!]
Chu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, chaos swirling within them, as deep as the universe.
After a hundred thousand years of check-ins, he had long since become invincible.
Now that he had emerged into the world, he was merely strolling through a quiet courtyard, watching the human world's heavenly geniuses for amusement.
"Mr. Chu, we'll be entering the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm in three days," Zhao Shanhai said quietly. "I've heard that the secret realm contains not only the Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit, but also the inheritance of a Great Emperor from High Antiquity!"
Chu Xuan smiled faintly.
"A Great Emperor's inheritance?
Before me, it is merely a minor Dao."
He rose and looked out the window.
His gaze pierced layer upon layer of void and landed directly in the deepest part of the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm.
There, an immortal fruit, golden all over and radiating an endless presence of the Saint Dao, was slowly ripening.
It was none other than the Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit.
Beyond that, several ancient and powerful presences lay dormant within the secret realm.
There were ferocious beasts from High Antiquity, slumbering ancient Saints, and killing formations left behind by Great Emperors.
But in Chu Xuan's eyes, they were all ants.
"In three days."
Chu Xuan spoke softly, his tone calm, yet carrying a dominance that could sweep through all the heavens.
"In the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm, I will let everyone know.
In this world, the so-called heavenly geniuses, the so-called Saints, the so-called Holy Lords.
Before me, they can be destroyed with a mere flick of my finger."
A hundred thousand years of check-ins, invincible upon emerging into the world.
This was no legend, but fact.
The Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit?
Heavenly geniuses from every faction?
Inheritances from High Antiquity?
They were merely an insignificant speck of dust on his invincible path.
In three days, the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm would surely become his stage.
And the entire Azure Mysterious Domain, even all the heavens and myriad worlds, would tremble because of him!
His legend had only just begun.