The Griffin Beast, an Overlord Level aerial Magical Beast, possessed unrivaled speed, formidable physical strength, and terrifying tearing power. However, on the current Extreme Martial Continent, aerial Magical Beasts were already exceedingly rare. The Griffin Beast’s breeding environment was exceptionally harsh, and they were often attacked and killed out of vengeance by other Magical Beasts before they could fully mature. As a result, the Griffin Beast had all but vanished from the Extreme Martial Continent.

But the Griffin Beast that Mu Chen was looking at now was a true adult. According to the Magical Beast knowledge stored in his mind, its true strength should have been at an esteemed level. However, due to the Tower of Calamity’s restrictions, Mu Chen’s Martial Artist Realm was only at Seven-Ring Martial King, so this Griffin Beast’s Demon Beast Realm was merely at Fourth-Ring Martial Sect. Defeating it would be a near-instantaneous affair.

A flicker of interest appeared in his eyes. Mu Chen reached out with his pitch-black right hand, grasped the Profound Jade Box on his back, and pulled it free with a sharp tug. Mu Chen was naturally right-handed. After his right arm was restored, it had taken him only a year to make it as agile as his left. It was truly a gift from the heavens.

With a flip of his wrist, the Profound Jade Box opened with a CLANG. A massive, black Giant Fan floated before Mu Chen. At his mental command, the Profound Jade Fan fully unfurled with another CLANG, its dark surface reflecting a black gleam under the sunlight.

"Time to test out the Dual Blade Mode."

Mu Chen smiled faintly and gripped the rings of the Profound Jade Fan with both hands. With a deft twist of his fingers, the Profound Jade Fan split right down the middle into two parts. With a blade in each hand, Mu Chen’s mind quickly fell into a state of calm.

From a distance, the Profound Old Ghost sighed with emotion. In the Netherworld Purgatory, Mu Chen had trained most extensively with the Profound Jade Fan’s Dual Blade Mode. Every time the Profound Old Ghost saw Mu Chen strike with those fluid, unpredictable, and fierce attacks, he was stunned. It was a type of Combat Technique he had never seen before—swift, agile, precise, and versatile. It seemed to integrate the attack styles of all weapons into its moves. Furthermore, as Mu Chen executed the techniques more, the speed at which he wielded the dual blades grew faster and faster. In the end, even the Profound Old Ghost, without activating his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, could only see afterimages like a black hurricane roaring in Mu Chen’s hands.

To put it without exaggeration, Mu Chen, with his dual blades in hand, had become an invincible existence!

As if sensing the battle intent in Mu Chen’s eyes, the Griffin Beast shrieked again. It closed the distance in an instant, its sharp beak cutting through the air with a ZING as it thrust toward Mu Chen’s chest.

The attack was ferocious, accurate, and aimed only for a vital point. In the past, Mu Chen would have had no choice but to dodge. Otherwise, he would have been crippled, if not killed. But now, Mu Chen’s expression hardened. His evolved Purple Sky Demon Pupils flared open, and a pair of fantastical, bluish-purple eyes saw every one of the Griffin Beast’s movements with perfect clarity.

With a quick sidestep, a wisp of Thunder erupted from the tip of Mu Chen’s foot. His figure turned illusory for a moment, and the Griffin Beast’s beak struck empty air. Even the Griffin Beast itself seemed unable to comprehend why a guaranteed hit had been dodged by that boy, and it froze on the spot.

But in that fleeting moment of hesitation, Mu Chen’s figure reappeared behind it out of thin air. With a flick of his wrists, he fully unleashed the split forms of his Overlapping Waves Nine Fans. Slashing, hacking, uppercutting, stabbing, swinging, and smashing rained down on the Griffin Beast’s body in an exceptionally fluid sequence.

"SHH SHH SHH... BOOM!"

The sounds of cutting flesh rang out as huge gashes appeared on the Griffin Beast’s body, spraying blood everywhere. The Profound Jade Fan was already at its maximum weight, but especially after obtaining the Nether Bone Arm, such force was no burden to Mu Chen at all.

"SCREECH!!"

A blood-curdling cry erupted from the Griffin Beast’s mouth. Following Mu Chen’s final spinning strike, its body was sent flying backward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, crashing into an invisible wall with a BOOM.

After landing the hit, Mu Chen didn’t pause for a second. With a flash of his will, a strange Soul Engraving materialized on his forehead. Around this engraving, two small imprints were shimmering with a faint, fluorescent light. One was a diamond-shaped Ice Crystal, and the other was a jade-colored leaf.

His hands clashed together. The dual blades merged back into one with a CLANG, reforming the massive black fan. His expression grew serious, and the blue Bingling on his forehead flashed with a DING. A vast surge of Primordial Power erupted from within him. Immediately after, seven solid Martial Rings extended from beneath his feet. At the same time, five spinning Ice Crystal Petals appeared out of thin air behind him—it was the Red Lotus Ice Technique.

"Overlapping Waves Nine Techniques: Ice Prison Cold Mist!"

A low shout, like a Brahma Sound, escaped Mu Chen’s lips. The entire battlefield in the sky was instantly filled with a bone-chilling mist. A look of terror flashed in the Griffin Beast’s eyes. This was a power it had never felt before. It abruptly began flapping its wings, trying to escape the range of the icy fog.

But no matter how it scrambled around, it could not escape the mist’s reach, for the fog had already enveloped the entire sky.

"SCREECH!!"

At that moment, right before Mu Chen’s eyes, the Griffin Beast did something shocking—it actually prostrated itself, begging Mu Chen with a pitiful look and letting out continuous whimpers.

Seeing this, Mu Chen was taken aback and couldn’t help but be moved. He remembered Aiolos once saying that being captured and forced to act as Guardians in this tower was not of their own free will. This Griffin Beast was only acting according to the tower’s rules. Now that its life was threatened, this overlord of the skies had no choice but to surrender.

His Primordial Power gradually receded, and the dense fog around them instantly dissipated. Mu Chen put away his Profound Jade Fan and said, "Griffin Beast, are you surrendering?"

The prostrated Griffin Beast nodded eagerly. The instant it did, a viceless, emotionless voice echoed from within the tower.

"Challenger Mu Chen, challenge successful. Evaluation: perfect clear. Clear time: forty-six seconds."

With a great BUZZ, a golden pillar of light shot into the heavens, causing all the people of the Xuanling Empire to raise their eyes in unison. However, high in the sky where no one could see, a faint golden light barrier rippled once from the impact of the light pillar before going still. It was a sight they remembered vividly; two years ago, twelve such golden pillars had pierced the clouds.

Standing below the Tower of Calamity and watching the golden pillar of light rise and then slowly fade, Elder Mu and Wu Kui had different expressions. Elder Mu wore a confident smile, as if everything was going according to plan, while Wu Kui’s face was a mask of unprecedented shock.

As the keeper of the Tower of Calamity, Wu Kui kept a clear record of every challenger who cleared a floor. The last time Mu Chen had achieved a perfect clear on the twelfth floor, his record was six minutes! A full six minutes!

But now? He had cleared the thirteenth floor in only forty-six seconds. This increase in strength was definitely not because the Tower of Calamity’s difficulty had decreased; its difficulty only grew more insane with each ascending floor! There was only one possible explanation for Mu Chen’s current state: he had become countless times stronger than he was two years ago!

Before Wu Kui’s thoughts could even return to him, another intense golden light once again rose from the Tower of Calamity. A dispassionate, Brahma-like voice transmitted from within.

"Challenger Mu Chen, challenge successful. Evaluation: perfect clear. Clear time: twenty seconds."

"This..." Wu Kui’s jaw dropped open. He stared in disbelief as the golden pillar of light, which had just faded, rose from the Tower of Calamity once more. He forced a wry smile. "It seems this kid is a monster no matter when or where."

As he said this, Wu Kui grew faintly excited. ’Mu Chen has achieved a perfect clear fourteen times now,’ he thought. ’If he does it one more time, won’t he break that legendary limit? Does that mean if he passes the next floor, Mu Chen will receive the Martial Emperor’s inheritance?!’

Elder Mu looked at the excited Wu Kui beside him. It was obvious what he was thrilled about. He couldn’t help but chuckle. "Kid, what are you so excited for? You’re not the one clearing the floors."

Wu Kui gave an embarrassed laugh. "You’re right, Elder Mu. But at the end of the day, the one breaking the legend is a student from our academy. That’s something to be proud of, isn’t it?"

Elder Mu pursed his lips. "That’s true enough. Just keep watching. Whether he can break the legend still depends on the next floor."

The scene shifted. Mu Chen had now appeared in the space of the fifteenth floor. As soon as he entered, he felt a gentle aura drifting around him. When his vision cleared, Mu Chen was surprised to find himself submerged in seawater. He was surrounded by an azure world. Countless soft sunbeams penetrated the water’s surface to reach the seafloor, allowing Mu Chen to appreciate the beauty of light and shadow.

"The environment here is really nice."

At this moment, faint fluctuations of Primordial Power radiated from Mu Chen’s body, a sign that he hadn’t fully retracted it after his advancement. The Profound Old Ghost flickered into existence beside Mu Chen. Looking at the familiar sea, the Profound Old Ghost raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. "To think it’s the Endless Sea Area. The one who created this tower-like ruin was certainly well-traveled."

"The Endless Sea Area?"

Mu Chen was surprised. It seemed his Master not only had knowledge of the lands and skies of the Extreme Martial Continent but also understood the Endless Sea Area that terrified everyone else.

The Profound Old Ghost nodded. "The Endless Sea Area. It is an unknown world, but also a cruel one. The law of survival of the fittest runs through all the Magical Beasts there. Because of this, no matter how weak a Magical Beast from the Endless Sea Area is, it will be several times stronger than a land-based Magical Beast of the same rank. Based on this environment, Xiao Chenzi, your next opponent will definitely be a powerful Sea Magical Beast. You must be careful!"

Hearing this, Mu Chen nodded grimly, his fantastical purple pupils cautiously scanning his surroundings. Although he was now countless times stronger than before, his heart had not grown arrogant or complacent. He remembered the principle that there was always someone stronger as clear as day. As long as he had not reached the pinnacle of this continent, he had no reason to feel superior.

Seeing Mu Chen’s serious and steady expression, the admiration in the Profound Old Ghost’s eyes deepened. ’Good kid,’ he thought. ’His temperament is so steady. I really didn’t misjudge him. This child’s future accomplishments will likely surpass my own...’

"ROOOAR!!"

A primeval roar echoed from below Mu Chen. His brow furrowed. Of all the possibilities he’d considered, he never expected the Guardian Magical Beast of the fifteenth floor to appear from beneath his feet.

He looked down, and his entire body tensed up...