Within the earthen walls.

Jiang Chen looked at Lan Haichen’s corpse on the ground, a fiery glint in his eyes. ’A Celestial Tier Fifth Grade Martial Soul... once I devour it, my Martial Soul should be able to advance to Celestial Tier Third Grade, maybe even Fourth Grade! As for my cultivation... this is a genuine Union Palace Realm expert. Perhaps devouring him will allow me to climb another level and step into the Heavenly Destiny Realm Eighth Stage!’

He had already dispelled his God-Devouring Realm.

His cultivation had returned to the Heavenly Destiny Realm Seventh Stage, and his Divine Thought had been greatly depleted.

Therefore...

Jiang Chen first used a Secret Technique to seal Lan Haichen’s corpse and Martial Soul, preventing any major energy loss.

He consumed a few Spirit Pills and some Spirit Medicine to recover his Divine Thought Power.

Once all his preparations were complete,

Jiang Chen activated the Devouring Spirit Ten Thousand Dao Scripture!

As soon as he activated the Secret Technique, a dark-gold vortex began to spin wildly inside him. With a wave of his hand, he reached out toward Lan Haichen’s body. "Martial Soul, separate!"

SWOOSH!

Five thin, golden threads surged into Lan Haichen’s body.

Amid a flash of pulsating golden light, a white, wordless, celestial book radiating Vast Righteous Qi appeared before Jiang Chen.

This was Lan Haichen’s Martial Soul, the Celestial Tier Fifth Grade—Vast Righteous Qi Book!

’Such pure Vast Righteous Qi... no wonder Lan Haichen was able to cultivate the Vast Heavenless Technique to such a level. Although his Vast Righteous Qi Book Martial Soul had no other offensive abilities, it provided him with a ceaseless source of power. By combining it with the perfectly compatible Vast Heavenless Technique, Lan Haichen was able to reign supreme among the prodigies of the Ten Great Dynasties!’ Jiang Chen’s mind raced as he analyzed the details.

’Now that I’ve killed Lan Haichen and destroyed the Sect Master’s Spirit Body, I’ll definitely have to face the Sect Master’s thunderous wrath when I return to the Saint Martial Sword Sect. I need to find a way to raise my cultivation to its absolute limit before leaving the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm!’

Although he had dealt with his great enemy, Lan Haichen, Jiang Chen knew perfectly well that he was in an extremely perilous situation.

The Sect Master of the Saint Martial Sword Sect alone was enough to give him a world of trouble. A single moment of carelessness could very well mean a trip to the Yellow Springs.

He had to be fully prepared.

"Devouring Spirit Ten Thousand Dao Scripture—devour!"

Jiang Chen let out a cold shout, and the dark-gold vortex within him began to spin madly.

Streams of pure Martial Soul Power flowed from the Vast Righteous Qi Book Martial Soul, continuously devoured by Jiang Chen.

The God-slaying Sword hovered above his head. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Boosted by the Martial Soul Power from the Vast Righteous Qi Book, the God-slaying Sword flared with brilliant light. The draconic pattern coiling around its blade also grew increasingly bright.

The Martial Soul’s grade rose steadily!

The green light grew ever brighter and more dazzling.

The entire process was incredibly fast. The Vast Righteous Qi Book was refined and devoured by the Devouring Spirit Ten Thousand Dao Scripture, and the God-slaying Sword successfully reached the level of a Celestial Tier Third Grade Martial Soul.

Jiang Chen let out a long, turbid breath. ’Celestial Tier Third Grade? A pity I couldn’t break through to the Fourth Grade, but even so, it’s much stronger than before. Next, it’s time to devour his Essence Blood and raise my cultivation!’

This round of devouring lasted for almost half a double-hour.

The total Essence Blood of a mighty Union Palace Realm expert contained an immense amount of energy.

And at this very moment, the Mixed Element Golden Pill inside Jiang Chen’s body finally dissolved completely.

In the instant the Mixed Element Golden Pill dissolved, Jiang Chen’s cultivation took another step forward. A brilliant light erupted from his eyes as he spoke coldly, "Heavenly Destiny—Eighth Stage, break through!"

RUMBLE!

The Heavenly Destiny Tribulation descended once more.

This time, the Heavenly Destiny Tribulation posed no difficulty. The tribulation clouds, which pressed down like a black shroud, were shattered by Jiang Chen’s sheer power.

Jiang Chen’s cultivation officially entered the Heavenly Destiny Realm Eighth Stage.

He flicked his finger, and a wisp of fire shot into the earthen walls. With a WHOOSH, a raging inferno ignited, incinerating Lan Haichen’s corpse to ash. He held a Storage Ring in his hand and smiled playfully. It contained Lan Haichen’s entire life’s fortune, enough to triple his own net worth!

ROAR...

An ocher Dragon of Fortune, a full 236 meters long, rushed upward and merged into the one above Jiang Chen’s head.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

A series of terrifying and resounding dragon roars echoed from the massive Dragon of Fortune above his head, which now stretched a full 470 meters in length.

Its boundless Dragon Aura caused the blood of many Martial Artists outside the Celestial Pride War Hall to roil, their faces filled with horror.

A Dragon of Fortune four to five hundred meters long lay coiled above his head.

How domineering and ostentatious!

Outside the Celestial Pride War Hall, the many experts present all turned to look, their faces filled with envy and jealousy.

However...

None of them dared to harbor any improper thoughts.

This was an Evil Star who dared to kill Lan Haichen and even destroy the Spirit Body of the Saint Martial Sword Sect’s Sect Master!

In the crowd, the Night Emperor was speechless. "This freak... how in the world does he cultivate? How long has it been, and he’s broken through again?"

"I’ve said it before, you can’t judge these ten prodigies by normal standards..." Xue Yinhao said with a wry smile.

"Our Alliance Leader is invincible!"

"Hahaha, our Heaven-Soaring Alliance’s Leader is number one on the Venerable List! Hahaha..."

Yuwen Xunyi, Bai Ling, Lin Feifei, White Tiger, and the others all shouted in excitement.

Watching Yuwen Xunyi gesture excitedly, Yuwen Tiandu couldn’t help but chuckle wryly. "That kid... he really has attached himself to an incredible Alliance Leader!"

Beside him, Baihua Fairy also gave a wry smile. "Back in the Saint Martial Sword Sect, we were the undisputed main characters. But ever since this guy showed up, he’s completely overshadowed us all."

"A Golden Scale is no creature of a common pond!"

"He has already transformed into a dragon; he will surely soar through the Nine Heavens!"

"That’s not a given. He’s killed so many experts from the Ten Great Dynasties and even destroyed the Spirit Body of the Saint Martial Sword Sect’s Sect Master. He can only act so mightily in the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm. If he dares to leave, it’s a dead end for him!"

Though the crowd’s murmurs were quiet, how could they escape Jiang Chen’s ears?

He remained expressionless, seemingly unconcerned.

In reality, however... his heart grew vigilant. ’They’re right. I’ve killed five of the ten great prodigies, and each of them was backed by a powerful Sect no weaker than the Saint Martial Sword Sect. Before I leave the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm, I must raise every aspect of my strength to its peak. My cultivation should ideally break through to the Heavenly Destiny Ninth Stage, or even the Union Palace Realm. As for my weapon, I’ll need enough Spirit Crystals and refining materials to help the Spirit-Slaying Sword break through to the Celestial Tier!’

’As for techniques, I have the Profound Yellow Undying Technique, but my Martial Skills are still a bit of a weakness and need to be improved as soon as possible.’

’On top of that, if my Divine Thought Power can advance to the level of a Fourth-Grade Grandmaster of Divine Thought, I’ll stand a fighting chance even against those old fossils!’

Jiang Chen’s gaze burned with intensity.

Both Spirit Crystals and refining materials were immense resources.

He was in the Celestial Fate Ancient Realm and had a huge number of points, but the truly top-tier treasures and Martial Skills cost billions of points.

If he wanted to obtain enough resources to increase his strength, there was only one way...

Jiang Chen’s gaze swept over the experts on the Venerable List, the Hundred Kings List, and the Thousand Marquis List, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

Just then...

The Celestial Fate Daoist spoke up, "Does anyone else wish to fight?"

"..."

No one answered.

After Jiang Chen’s battle with Lan Haichen, everyone wanted to steer clear of him. Who would dare to provoke this Evil Star?

The Celestial Fate Daoist smiled faintly and said, "In that case, the contest for fortune ends here. Next, before I open the Inheritance Space, you will have some time to exchange your points for treasures!"

As soon as he said this, Jiang Chen was the first to step forward...