The Purple Firmament Holy Land?
Ouyang Yuntian, the Scarlet Flame Cult Master, froze briefly, then let out a long sigh of relief inwardly.
He had never imagined that the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body's master came from the Purple Firmament Holy Land. That was a terrifying power with even deeper foundations than the Hundred Refinements Devil Palace, its legacy enduring for tens of thousands of years!
No wonder that senior had thought nothing of the Hundred Refinements Devil Palace from the very start.
But that had been a projection of a living Devil God, yet this Clear Void Peak Master had killed it with a single punch.
Were all the peak masters of the Purple Firmament Holy Land this formidable?
Whatever the case, he had not made the wrong choice again this time!
Zhao Wuji and Li Canglan exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with horror, not a trace of their earlier self-importance remaining.
They had never imagined that the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body's master actually came from the Purple Firmament Holy Land!
Never mind a peak master of the Purple Firmament Holy Land-even if one of its true disciples arrived, they would have to receive them with the utmost respect and care!
"All that fetching water with a bamboo basket, and nothing to show for it! Should we... go... beg forgiveness?"
Li Canglan looked numb, a bitter smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.
Zhao Wuji gave a long sigh and said ruefully, "At least we didn't die at the hands of the Blood Refining Hall Master, nor were we caught in the wake of that Devil God's projection!"
"Escaping with our lives was already a blessing from Heaven!"
"As for the Ye Lineage, with the Purple Firmament Holy Land behind them, they're destined to soar to glory. They're no longer an existence we can afford to provoke!"
"We must beg forgiveness, and we must bring sufficient sincerity with us!"
"Otherwise, neither of our families will have any place left to stand in Green Yang City!"
Not only they, but everyone in Green Yang City understood that the Ye Lineage of Green Yang City was about to take flight!
Meanwhile, thunderous cheers had already erupted throughout the Ye Lineage.
Ye Hao's master had killed the Hundred Refinements Devil God's projection with one punch, setting all their minds at ease and filling them with confidence.
The Ye Lineage was finally going to rise!
Deep within the void, old fossils from numerous ancient powers were investigating this place through various means.
Upon hearing Jiang Chen's origins, every one of them was astonished.
"The Purple Firmament Holy Land? Even one of its peak masters is this ferocious now?"
"There isn't a trace of the power of divine path laws on this man. He must undoubtedly be a Venerable Lord!"
"Venerable Lords who can easily erase a Divine Spirit's projection can be counted on one hand even within a holy land! They would all have long since become supreme elders of their respective holy lands! Yet this man is merely a peak master?"
"Is the Purple Firmament Holy Land preparing to reveal its foundations in this golden age?"
"If the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body can break the curse of heaven and earth and the shackles on his cultivation realms, he will probably have a very good chance of growing to maturity with the Purple Firmament Holy Land behind him!"
"Hmph! An Ancient Desolate Sacred Body encounters countless tribulations throughout his life. The Purple Firmament Holy Land might not be able to withstand them! Whether this move brings fortune or disaster is hard to say!"
"In an age of great contention, cultivators must contend! If you shrink from this and fear that whenever something happens, what right do you have to compete with all under heaven?"
"The true intent of the Dao of Slaughter in that punch was almost tangible. This man's attainments in the Dao of Slaughter are unimaginably profound! Even if the Hundred Refinements Devil God came in person, he might not be able to do anything to him!"
"You're giving him far too much credit!"
"Indeed. The higher one's cultivation realm, the harder it becomes to fight across realms!"
"The gap between the Venerable Lord Realm and the Divine Realm is practically a heavenly chasm! The Devil God's projection possessed less than a hundredth of his strength. Defeating it amounts to nothing!"
"If the Devil God came in person, this man would undoubtedly die!"
"Heh, this rising talent comes from the Purple Firmament Holy Land. That Hundred Refinements Devil God would need the courage to come knocking first!"
"I'm more interested in how far this Ancient Desolate Sacred Body will go in the future."
The strength Jiang Chen had displayed was considerable, but to the old fossils of the various major powers, it merely made their eyes light up. It did not draw excessive attention from them.
The Purple Firmament Holy Land, the ancestral mausoleum.
An ancient black coffin covered in archaic Dao patterns cracked open slightly, and an aged voice filled with puzzlement murmured, "Our Purple Firmament Holy Land has a heaven's chosen like this?"
"Wasn't Qing Xuanzi the Clear Void Peak Master? How did it become this Jiang Chen?"
"It seems I'll have to ask the current Holy Lord!"
When the Purple Empyrean Holy Lord heard this ancestor's voice transmission, he was utterly dumbfounded.
What?
Clear Void Peak Master Jiang Chen had taken an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body as his disciple?
And he had killed the Hundred Refinements Devil God's Divine Spirit projection with a single punch?
When had Junior Brother Jiang become so ferocious?
Or had Junior Brother Jiang always possessed extraordinary strength, only keeping a low profile all along?
The Purple Empyrean Holy Lord considered his wording before reporting to the ancestor, "In reply to Ancestor Lingtian!"
"Junior Brother Jiang Chen joined our Purple Firmament Holy Land over a hundred years ago. He became Martial Uncle Qing Xuanzi's disciple, the sole disciple of Clear Void Peak. His performance was always unremarkable."
"Over eighty years ago, Martial Uncle Qing Xuanzi passed away in meditation. Junior Brother Jiang Chen revealed his Emperor Realm cultivation and naturally became the master of Clear Void Peak."
"All these years, Junior Brother Jiang Chen has never reported any breakthroughs in his cultivation and has always received the treatment of an ordinary peak master. I thought he was merely an ordinary Emperor."
"To think Junior Brother Jiang Chen can actually kill a Devil God's projection!"
"It seems Junior Brother Jiang Chen has been concealing his abilities all these years."
"No wonder his appearance hasn't changed much since back then. I thought he had taken some pill that preserved his looks."
"Now it seems his cultivation is so profound that the years have yet to leave any marks upon him!"
After hearing the Purple Empyrean Holy Lord's report, Ancestor Lingtian gained some understanding of Jiang Chen and regarded him as a seeker devoted to cultivating the Dao.
"What do you think of him taking the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body as his disciple?" Ancestor Lingtian asked the Purple Empyrean Holy Lord.
The Purple Empyrean Holy Lord considered for a moment, then said slowly, "Although this world has long since become unsuitable for an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body to cultivate, the myriad Daos now give rise to tribulation, and an age of great contention has begun. Anything is possible!"
"Since Junior Brother Jiang Chen could help the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body open his Wheel Sea, perhaps he can resolve his other problems as well!"
Ancestor Lingtian narrowed his eyes slightly and said mildly, "There is no need to pay excessive attention for now."
"As long as that Ancient Desolate Sacred Body can defeat the current Holy Son, there is no harm in giving him the position."
"In our Purple Firmament Holy Land, one's treatment is determined by one's abilities!"
"For that Clear Void Peak Master to find an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body as his disciple, he must possess great providence."
"If he needs anything, the Purple Firmament Holy Land can satisfy him, provided it isn't too excessive!"
Hearing this, the Purple Empyrean Holy Lord nodded lightly. "Given Junior Brother Jiang Chen's performance, I naturally won't treat him like an ordinary peak master anymore."
At this point, the Purple Empyrean Holy Lord seemed to remember something. His brows furrowed slightly as he said, "It's just that I find Junior Brother Jiang Chen's conduct somewhat difficult to fathom."
"For example?"
Ancestor Lingtian was curious.
The Purple Empyrean Holy Lord mused, "Ever since Junior Brother Jiang Chen joined the Purple Firmament Holy Land, he has attended every disciple recruitment ceremony, without exception, even before he became a peak master."
"Yet he never recruited any disciples."
"But at the disciple recruitment ceremony several months ago, he took a girl with a congenital deficiency as his disciple."
"Now he has taken in an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body. He truly leaves one unable to fathom him!"
Somewhat surprised, Ancestor Lingtian asked, "Oh? He took another disciple as well? How is that disciple doing now?"
The Purple Empyrean Holy Lord used his divine sense to examine the relevant information recorded in the holy land's registers, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
The Purple Empyrean Holy Lord considered his wording before replying, "In just a few months, that girl with a congenital deficiency not only opened her Wheel Sea, but also opened her Life Palace and even condensed a True Spirit!"
"A few days ago, she even completed her trial mission with ease!"
"Such a performance ranks among the best of our Purple Firmament Holy Land's many true disciples!"
"Could Junior Brother Jiang Chen have been born with discerning eyes?"
Hearing this, Ancestor Lingtian said with considerable interest, "That little girl should have returned to Clear Void Peak to cultivate after completing her trial mission, correct? Let me see just what makes her different!"
With that, an immortal divine presence spread from Ancestor Lingtian's coffin, pierced the void, and descended upon Clear Void Peak.
The Purple Empyrean Holy Lord waited for a long time, but Ancestor Lingtian gave no response. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Ancestor, what did your investigation reveal?"
"I cannot see through this Clear Void Peak!"
Ancestor Lingtian replied in a muffled voice, his tone carrying a measure of frustration.