"The Calamity Divine Body, immune to all poisons in the world!"

Mu Chen couldn’t help but say it out loud, his cheeks flushing slightly with excitement. The Profound Old Ghost beside him gave a helpless smile. "It seems what I said wasn’t just baseless speculation. You truly are a person of great fortune."

Mu Chen couldn’t help but rub his nose. ’I’ve said the same thing to myself countless times, but always denied it. Now, it seems only someone with great fortune could possess such heaven-defying luck.’

"Immune to all poisons in the world! Haha... To think such a constitution exists. It’s truly been an eye-opener for me. I’ve only ever heard of constitutions immune to the nine Primordial Energy Attributes, but now one that’s immune to poison has appeared. If word of this gets out, those terrifying Poison Cauldron Masters will lose their minds."

The Profound Old Ghost laughed freely. On the Extreme Martial Continent, if you were to ask who was the strongest, the answer would undoubtedly be the great Martial Saints. But if you were to ask who was the most feared, it would have to be the Poison Cauldron Masters. They were even more elusive than Dark Attribute Martial Artists and impossible to guard against. Once they targeted you, you wouldn’t even know how you died or who killed you.

What was even more horrifying was their ability to control the pace of your death. If they wanted you to die quickly, it would be over in the blink of an eye. If they wanted you to die slowly, you could be tormented by incurable illnesses for over a decade, suffering endless torture before finally dying in terror. It was for this very reason that countless people steered clear of Poison Cauldron Masters, this Death God-like profession. They were terrified of being targeted and silently erased from existence...

Sometimes, the unknown is what people fear most!

Of course, this wasn’t the true reason for the Profound Old Ghost’s joy. He was truly happy because if Mu Chen cultivated the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique to its absolute limit and obtained all nine Extreme Attributes, his only weakness would be eliminated. An Extreme Attribute was the overlord of its element, granting absolute mastery. With control over all Extreme Attributes and the support of the Calamity Divine Body, it would be difficult for Mu Chen *not* to reach the very peak!

"Master, with my current strength, what’s the strongest opponent I could defeat fighting above my rank?"

Mu Chen had just asked a crucial question. ’What is the purpose of cultivation? Isn’t it to have the power to protect yourself and your loved ones when it matters?’

Instead of answering immediately, the Profound Old Ghost smiled. "What do you think?"

"I think... if I use a few of my Secret Techniques, I can kill a powerful Fifth-Ring Martial Emperor."

Mu Chen hadn’t expected the question to be thrown back at him. He had a decent grasp of his own strength, he just wasn’t completely certain.

"A Fifth-Ring Martial Emperor?" The Profound Old Ghost shook his head. "You’re more or less right, but you need to add the word ’ordinary’ before that."

"An ordinary Fifth-Ring Martial Emperor..." Mu Chen thought for a moment, then understood. ’My comparisons have always been too simplistic. The Extreme Martial Continent is a bizarre and complex place; I’m not the only one with Secret Techniques. Some people even have Secret Skills that grant them temporary berserk power. Besides, after breaking through to the Emperor Realm, the gap between each level is like a bottomless chasm. How could it be so easy to cross?’

"Alright, we should go. Judging by the time, it must be almost morning. The Empire tournament is today. If we’re late, the Xuanling Empire will be in a perilous position."

Mu Chen nodded. ’Defeat? No. I absolutely will not allow us to fail in this tournament!’

’I will lead the Xuanling Empire into the ranks of the High-class Empires!’

Mu Chen vowed fiercely to himself. Then, he exchanged a glance with the Profound Old Ghost and was teleported out of the Tower of Calamity...

"Damn, that kid’s finally out! Hahaha... Old Dragon, Griffin, let’s go! We can finally see the light of day again!"

Hiding in another Independent Space, Aiolos stretched out his Iron Arm and gave the two Giant Beasts beside him a hearty slap. The other, lower-level Giant Beasts also cheered, unable to contain their excitement.

Thinking of that once-immature face, Aiolos suddenly released a wisp of his Spiritual Power, sending a message out. Mu Chen, who was just about to step out of the Tower of Calamity’s Teleportation Array, froze for a moment. He then shook his head, glanced back with a small smile, and stepped out of the tower.

SWOOSH.

A white figure blurred into existence before Elder Mu and Wu Kui. Elder Mu sized Mu Chen up carefully. Besides his clothes being different, he didn’t seem particularly special. Of course, that was only to Wu Kui’s eyes. What Elder Mu saw was another sight entirely.

With his keen senses, he could clearly feel the unnerving pulses of Primordial Power emanating from Mu Chen’s body. Their frequency was a perfect match for the terrifying aura he had sensed just moments ago.

"Young man, it seems you’ve had a bountiful harvest." A sharp glint flashed in Elder Mu’s eyes as he gave a kindly smile, showing no intention of asking about the reward for completing the tower.

Mu Chen was touched to see that Elder Mu and Wu Kui had been waiting for him outside the entire time. He quickly realized, however, that they saw him as the Xuanling Empire’s hope, so it was only logical for them to be so concerned.

"I gained a little something."

Mu Chen simply smiled. ’I can’t just tell people about the Emperor Vein. Master repeatedly warned me against it. Even though I trust Elder Mu’s character, for my own safety, I should keep this quiet for now. Besides, he didn’t ask about the final rumored prize, so it’s fine if I don’t bring it up.’

"Quite the modest young man. It’s getting late. If we use the Empire’s Teleportation Array, we can get to the Sacas Dynasty instantly. However, the Sacas Dynasty is vast, so it will likely take us until noon to reach its Imperial Capital."

After speaking, Elder Mu turned and leaped into the air, flying toward the Imperial Palace. Mu Chen gave Wu Kui a polite bow and then shot into the sky as well. Within a few flashes, he and Elder Mu disappeared from Wu Kui’s line of sight.

"What are this old man and young man up to? I can’t make heads or tails of it."

Although Wu Kui was dying to know if the final inheritance of the Tower of Calamity was truly what the rumors claimed, their strange behavior made it obvious they were hiding something. He shot a quizzical look at the empty sky, then slowly sat down in his rocking chair and picked up his teacup. "Ah, forget it. Better to just drink my tea. Yes, tea is good."

Letting out a long sigh of relief, Wu Kui slowly closed his eyes...

「In the back mountains of the Imperial Palace」

Seven figures stood before a golden Teleportation Array. They were, of course, the Xuanling Empire’s Four Great Guardians, plus Xuan Yin, Elder Mu, and Mu Chen.

Xuan Yin wore a bitter, helpless expression. "Elder Mu, as you can see, this cross-regional Teleportation Array has lost all its power. To restore it, we’d have to let it absorb Primordial Power for another five years. We... we younger generations are not powerful enough. We truly cannot activate it again."

Hearing this, Elder Mu blew on his beard and glared. "You brat, of course I know that better than you do. I just came to borrow the array, not because I needed it to be working. Now all of you, get out of the way."

Elder Mu was slightly impatient. ’What do these brats take a Martial Saint for? It’s just a cross-regional Teleportation Array. If I wanted to, I could activate it two more times without a problem.’

At Elder Mu’s words, everyone retreated in unison. They knew he was about to act. A great power like a Saint either didn’t make a move at all, or when they did, it would be earth-shattering.

Mu Chen stood in the distance, his expression solemn as he watched Elder Mu. This wasn’t the first time he had seen the old man take action. The last time the Celestial Eagle Empire invaded, Elder Mu had single-handedly intimidated their three Martial Venerables and more than a dozen powerful Martial Emperors, none of whom dared to cross the line. Not only that, but in front of everyone, he had viciously slapped their National Guardian Elder across the face several times. Mu Chen had long admired that awe-inspiring aura of a supreme, great power.

Seeing that everyone had retreated, Elder Mu abruptly closed his eyes and slowly raised a palm. Immense Primordial Power began to surge from his body. Even from dozens of meters away, Mu Chen could feel a terrifying pressure washing over him, leaving him utterly shocked.

’This is just the initial release of his Primordial Power, not even the full force, yet it already makes me want to fall to my knees.’

Mu Chen gritted his teeth, consciously fighting the urge to retreat, his body ramrod straight. The others were already circulating their own Primordial Power to resist the ceaseless waves of energy rolling off Elder Mu.

As if knowing his Primordial Power wouldn’t harm the others, Elder Mu gathered it all in the center of his palm with a great RUMBLE. He swiftly compressed it and then channeled it into the Teleportation Array. The entire sequence was perfectly fluid, without a hint of awkwardness.

The movements were simple, and aside from that initial, violent surge of Primordial Power, there were no other world-shaking phenomena. Yet, it was enough for everyone present to feel the terrifying might of a Martial Saint.

"Young man, get ready. I can only force this cross-regional Teleportation Array open for one second. The moment it starts to glow, you must enter. Understood?"

Mu Chen, who had been watching Elder Mu’s actions, was startled for a moment, but he quickly nodded. "Understood!"

"Good. Get ready. I’m starting now!"

With a low shout, Elder Mu manipulated the Primordial Power with both hands and gave a gentle push. With a deep HUMMM, the golden Teleportation Array began to spin violently. As it spun, the very space at the base of the mountain began to CRACKLE and twist. In less than a moment, a huge space-time tunnel appeared above the array. At the same time, Elder Mu’s expression hardened, and he increased the output of his Primordial Power by another ten percent. The entire array suddenly erupted with a blinding light.

"Go!!"

It was a single word, nothing more. Mu Chen, already prepared, vanished from the base of the mountain with a SWOOSH. Aside from Elder Wu and Elder Mu, no one else understood how he had gotten in...