At last, a soft glow appeared up ahead.

Jiang Chen was so excited he almost cried. Anyone who had walked for ten days in this sunless place would be unable to contain their excitement upon finally seeing the end.

"I’m finally here! That wasn’t easy!"

Jiang Chen sprinted forward. The point of light ahead grew larger and larger. After running for a full double-hour, he finally left the Ancient Heart Refining Dao.

The moment he burst out of the Ancient Heart Refining Dao, he was met with fresh air, a gentle breeze, and a view filled with lush green vegetation. With babbling brooks and the fragrant scent of flowers and songs of birds, it was truly like a paradise on earth.

"I’m finally out! ROAR..." Jiang Chen let out an excited roar, then dove onto the soft grass.

He greedily breathed in the fresh air.

It felt like he had been reborn.

After a good while, he finally got up and looked around, finding himself on a stretch of verdant grass, with a few lush little trees scattered about.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The sound of wings beating the air caught Jiang Chen’s attention.

He glanced over and saw a small, wobbly bat flying toward him. It was entirely purple-black, with two horns on its head, a pair of large, bright black eyes, and two flapping, purple-black fleshy wings. The purple-black bat was only the size of his palm. It flew up to Jiang Chen and landed directly on his chest.

It nudged its small head under its leathery wings, its big, bright black eyes staring intently at Jiang Chen.

It grinned slightly, revealing two sharp, white fangs, and actually spoke in a human voice, "Kid, you actually managed to persevere and finish the Ancient Heart Refining Dao. Not bad at all!"

The little bat’s voice was as clear as a baby’s, and surprisingly pleasant to the ear.

Jiang Chen was stunned. He blinked and sat up straight. The little bat took flight again and landed gently on his knee, tilting its head to look at him, showing no fear of a stranger.

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but feel curious. "Little guy, who are you?" he asked.

"Little guy? Gahaha! Back when I followed my master across the world, feasting on the flesh of Beast Kings and drinking the blood of Martial Venerables, you were still just a tadpole! And you dare call me ’little guy’?" The purple-black bat burst out laughing, clutching its belly with its leathery wings, convulsing with mirth.

"Ugh..."

Jiang Chen’s eye twitched, and imaginary black lines slid down his forehead.

’Damn it!’

’This little thing feasted on the flesh of Beast Kings? Drank the blood of Martial Venerables? And it dares to call me a tadpole?’

Infuriated, Jiang Chen snatched the purple-black bat by its feet, holding it upside down, and said viciously, "You’re the damn tadpole! Your whole family are tadpoles!"

"Let go of me... Waaah! How dare you treat me like this! Believe it or not, I’ll bite you to death!" the purple-black bat roared in a rage, flapping its wings wildly and baring its fangs, threatening to bite Jiang Chen.

But instead...

SMACK!

Jiang Chen, holding it by its legs, slammed it hard against the ground.

"Waaah! You little human brat! How dare you slam me on the ground? You’re dead..." The purple-black bat was dazed and confused, but it kept on roaring.

SMACK!

"You son of a—"

SMACK! SMACK!

"Fuck—"

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

"You—"

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK...

Jiang Chen’s hand grew numb from all the slamming. A half-meter-deep pit had been smashed into the ground. Seeing the purple-black bat was still baring its fangs, Jiang Chen raised his hand again.

"Stop, stop... I give, buddy, I give! I really give up..." Spirals seemed to spin in the purple-black bat’s eyes. Dizzy, dazed, and utterly confused, it brought the little claws on its wings together, bowing repeatedly to Jiang Chen as it yelled.

"If you’d just behaved from the start, you wouldn’t have had to get beaten!" Jiang Chen finally let go.

The purple-black bat’s eyes lit up. With a flap of its wings, it shot into the air.

Hovering in mid-air, it bared its fangs at Jiang Chen and said viciously, "Hahaha, kid, you’re just too young! Ever heard that all’s fair in war? You actually let me go! Now you’re dead meat! Wahahaha..."

VWOOM—

The purple-black bat began to expand, swelling from the size of a palm to the size of a small house. A flap of its wings stirred up a fierce gale, which formed into a giant hand of wind that crushed down toward Jiang Chen.

The corner of Jiang Chen’s mouth twitched. He snorted coldly. "Get down here!"

He threw a punch through the air.

VWOOM!

The Fist Force surged like a tide, tearing through the air with a RUMBLE as it crashed into the giant hand of wind.

BANG—

As the Fist Force trembled violently, it twisted like a Spiritual Python, directly shredding the giant hand of wind. Its power undiminished, it slammed into the purple-black bat, smashing it brutally to the ground.

"Fuck! This kid is clearly only at the True Martial Realm Second Stage! How can he be so strong?" The purple-black bat spat out a mouthful of dirt, cursing.

Just as it was about to get up, a shoe came down on its head, pinning it to the ground.

"Gently, go easy! Oh, my old back..." the purple-black bat shrieked miserably.

Jiang Chen bent down slightly, a playful smile on his face. "Tsk tsk, I’ve had tiger penis soup and eaten the wings of a Fiery Fire Sparrow King, but I’ve never tried bat meat! Should I steam you? Braise you? Or maybe just roast you over a fire? I bet you’d taste great, right?"

"..."

Hearing that Jiang Chen wanted to eat it, the purple-black bat trembled and quickly shook its head. "I’m not tasty! My meat is too old, it’ll break your teeth! Not tasty, not tasty at all!"

"Old? No problem. I’ll just stew you for a while longer until you’re tender!" Jiang Chen said with a smile.

The purple-black bat’s eyes rolled back in terror. "You’re heartless! How could you even think of eating someone as adorable as me? And let me tell you, I haven’t bathed in over ten thousand years! I’m completely foul! I really wouldn’t taste good..."

Jiang Chen’s eye twitched. ’Holy crap! It hasn’t bathed in ten thousand years and it has the gall to call itself adorable?’

"Hmph. If you don’t want me to eat you, that’s fine too. Honestly tell me what this place is, and what the hell you are," Jiang Chen said coolly, lifting his foot and snorting. "Don’t try any funny business. If you piss me off, I’ll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"I wouldn’t dare! I really wouldn’t dare..."

The purple-black bat hung its head, sneaking a timid glance at Jiang Chen before saying hesitantly, "Th-this is the inside of the Celestial Demon Ancient Castle. The path you just walked through is called the Ancient Heart Refining Dao, and it’s the first trial left by my master. As for me..."

At the mention of itself, the purple-black bat couldn’t help but get cocky again. It folded its wings behind its back, stood up on its hind legs, and puffed out its chest. "I am the number one strategist under the Celestial Demon Emperor Venerable, the one and only Purple-winged Heaven-devouring Bat across the Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies, the great Lord Black Emperor!"

SMACK—

With a sharp sound, Jiang Chen slapped it back into the mud. "Speak like a normal person and get to the point!"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

The Black Emperor spat the mud out of its mouth, a look of utter grievance on its face. ’The great Lord Black Emperor, the one and only Purple-winged Heaven-devouring Bat across the Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies, was so majestic back in the day, yet now I’ve fallen to such a state!’ He felt like crying but had no tears. "My name is Black Emperor, and I am the Celestial Demon Emperor Venerable’s Battle Pet. But the Venerable Emperor met with a great disaster back then and unfortunately perished, leaving this Celestial Demon Ancient Castle behind for a fated person to inherit his legacy. And I am the guardian of the Venerable Emperor’s inheritance!"

"Keep making things up. Go on," Jiang Chen sneered.

Although he didn’t know what kind of existence the Celestial Demon Emperor Venerable was...

...anyone who could call themselves a Venerable Emperor definitely had a powerful cultivation, probably at the Union Palace Realm or even higher.

’Would such an insanely powerful being choose a weakling like this as a guardian? Who would believe that?!’

The Black Emperor hopped about anxiously. "Young man, on what grounds do you question my identity?"

Jiang Chen glanced at it. "You’re too weak!"

"I... I..."

The Black Emperor was furious but helpless. It hung its head and said, "You think I want to be like this? Back then, the Venerable Emperor suffered a catastrophe. Even an unrivaled expert like him perished. I was also gravely injured and have been slumbering in the Celestial Demon Ancient Castle ever since. I only woke up a few hundred years ago, but my power is far from recovered. I can only open the Celestial Demon Ancient Realm once every decade or so to absorb some Demon Beast Essence Blood to heal my injuries."

"But the people outside are too pathetic! All they send is trash Tier One and Tier Two Demon Beast Essence Blood. I haven’t even recovered one ten-thousandth of my power yet!"

The Black Emperor said with a wronged expression, "Over a hundred years ago, two little guys with decent strength came in. I thought I could finally see the light of day again. But not only did they fail halfway through the Ancient Heart Refining Dao, they also killed each other over a mere Mixed Element Golden Pill, dashing my hopes. I finally managed to wait for you to show up, and you just beat the crap out of me. Being a guardian is so frustrating..."

Jiang Chen: "..."

’A hundred years ago? Mixed Element Golden Pill? Killing each other?’

’Isn’t that Bai Changsheng and the others?’

’And this guy who calls himself the Black Emperor is saying he’s the one who opens the Celestial Demon Ancient Realm? That he’s the one who actually needs the Demon Beast Essence Blood?’

Putting together all the information he had, Jiang Chen was now inclined to believe the Black Emperor’s identity. He frowned and said, "Little Black, are you really the guardian of the Celestial Demon Emperor Venerable’s inheritance?"

"You’re Little Black! Your whole family is black!" the Black Emperor retorted irritably. "There are no other living things in the entire Celestial Demon Ancient Castle besides me. If I’m not the guardian, are you?"

Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Little Black, since you’re the guardian, does that mean the Celestial Demon Emperor Venerable’s inheritance is under your control?"

"Hold it!"

The Black Emperor said, "Although I am the guardian, whether or not you can obtain the Venerable Emperor’s inheritance all depends on your own fortune. You’ve already passed the first trial, the Ancient Heart Refining Dao. As long as you pass two more trials, you will naturally be able to obtain the Venerable Emperor’s inheritance. These are the rules the Venerable Emperor left before he perished. Even I cannot change them!"

Jiang Chen paused. Seeing the serious look on the Black Emperor’s face, he knew it wasn’t lying.

Jiang Chen said, "Since it’s a trial, isn’t there a reward for passing the first one?"

"There is!"

The Black Emperor shrugged its leathery wings. "The reward for passing the first trial is that you are now qualified to take the second trial. Oh, right. And since you’ve passed the Ancient Heart Refining Dao and learned the secrets of the Celestial Demon Ancient Castle, you are now a candidate for the Venerable Emperor’s inheritance. There are only two paths before you now: one is to pass all three trials and obtain the Venerable Emperor’s inheritance. The other... is to die!"

Jiang Chen’s mouth fell open. He gave a wry smile. "Is that even a choice? Let’s go. Take me to the Second Stage trial."