After being publicly defeated by Gu Chen, Qi Yang and Wang Yun had no face left to continue staying in Tiandu, and they left the palace immediately.
After leaving Tiandu, Qi Yang’s face was as dark as water as he said, "The ancient artifact must be on Gu Chen’s person."
Hiding his presence and following the two from afar, Gu Chen overheard the words "ancient artifact" and couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.
"What is an ancient artifact?" Obviously, Gu Chen was somewhat puzzled and did not know what this so-called "ancient artifact" meant.
Wang Yun nodded and said solemnly, "He has cultivated the Pure Yang True Body, which means he definitely achieved the highest accomplishment in the first trial of the trial tower. According to the records of our sect, the ancient artifact must be on his person!"
The ancient artifact was of utmost importance, even in the Upper Realm it was extremely precious. The Pure Yang Martial Sect of the Lower Realm had acquired it by chance, only to believe it was just a more powerful divine weapon of high quality, and so they placed it in the trial tower.
An ancient artifact is not like divine weapons, classified by the type of weapon they are, but rather, it is a general term for a special category of items.
The so-called ancient artifacts are objects of mysterious origin and ancient vintage, possessing extraordinary power and various wonderful uses.
Some ancient artifacts are even many times stronger than famous weapons in the Upper Realm. When the power of some ancient artifacts is unleashed and wielded by the mightiest beings, they can even annihilate stars and destroy boundless lands with their terrifying power!
This is what an ancient artifact is!
Any ancient artifact would cause an uproar even in the Upper Realm, attracting the involvement of Great Powers who would personally compete for it. Even an ultimate force like the Pure Yang Martial Sect in the Upper Realm was no less covetous of ancient artifacts.
Knowing that their sect had neglected an artifact of profound mystery and infinite power in Shen Zhou, the sect leader and elders of the Upper Realm’s Pure Yang Martial Sect were furious. Had it not been for the closure of the passageway between realms, they would not have waited until now.
Qi Yang and Wang Yun were among the first batch sent by the Pure Yang Martial Sect to descend to the Lower Realm. The higher-ups had given them the order to find the ancient artifact before anyone else learned of its existence.
However, what they had not anticipated was that the ancient artifact would actually appear on Gu Chen, and moreover, that they would not be able to defeat him.
This frustrated Qi Yang and Wang Yun immensely.
"The ancient artifact, covered in dust, is actually in the hands of a native from the Lower Realm – how detestable!" Wang Yun said with hatred.
Qi Yang took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, Gu Chen remains unaware to this day. With his barbaric Lower Realm’s yokel vision, he will only think it is a somewhat powerful weapon. For the moment, the ancient artifact is safe in his hands."
"Hmph!" Wang Yun snorted. Unable to defeat Gu Chen, they had no choice but to accept the situation, devoid of any better options.
Luckily, as Qi Yang said, Gu Chen was unaware of the artifact’s value, which was the best news possible for them.
"In due time, when elder brothers from the sect descend to the Lower Realm, we will ensure Gu Chen gets what he deserves. I will have him dismembered and his soul cut into ten thousand pieces!" A deep hatred flashed in Wang Yun’s pupils.
Qi Yang, however, frowned. It wasn’t that he disagreed with Wang Yun’s plan. Gu Chen needed to be killed, that was certain, but if they waited for their elder brothers to descend, even if they recovered the ancient artifact, the merit would have nothing to do with them.
"What if we inform that King Huai of Da Xia and ask for his help?" Qi Yang hesitated.
"Absolutely not!"
Wang Yun’s expression changed as he quickly said, "King Huai at a glance is clearly an old fox, harboring unknown schemes. If the news of the ancient artifact gets out, the whole world will boil over, and everyone in the Upper Realm will set their sights on it!"
The people of Shen Zhou might not recognize its value, but that would not be the case for the people of the Upper Realm. Once other forces from the Upper Realm detected the presence of the ancient artifact, they would spare no effort to vie for it.
"I was too simplistic in my thinking," said Qi Yang.
"No matter, we’ll just let that Gu Chen keep hopping around for a while longer. If it were not for the instability of the passage between realms, we would not have arrived in this realm empty-handed," Wang Yun said resentfully.
Qi Yang nodded in agreement. The prosperity of the Upper Realm far exceeded that of Shen Zhou, and as an absolute top force in the Upper Realm, the Pure Yang Martial Sect had various divine weapons and powerful artifacts. Had the passageway just opened not been stable enough, and had they been unable to bring their own handy weapons, how could they possibly not be a match for Gu Chen?
As they spoke, they each took out a radiant pill from their spatial treasures and swallowed it. The injuries within their bodies were rapidly healing.
Meanwhile, Gu Chen was at a distance, looking at his left palm with a momentary sense of emotion.
How could he not understand? The so-called ancient artifact was actually residing deep within the flesh of his left hand, the mysterious glove that had long been silent with no signs of activity.
If not for his encounter with Qi Yang and Wang Yun today, Gu Chen would not have known that the mysterious glove originated from such an extraordinary background.
That it could provoke the people from the Upper Realm to fight over it spoke volumes of the mysterious glove’s rarity.
"An ancient artifact?" Gu Chen murmured to himself. Counting the mysterious glove, this was the second item on his person that would drive the people from the Upper Realm mad with desire.
The other, of course, was undoubtedly the heavenly seed.
Little could those in the Upper Realm who looked down on the so-called barbarians of Shen Zhou imagine that one of them would possess two things they themselves could not obtain even if they begged for them.
It was not just the first batch of Upper Realm people who had descended. Whether the heavenly seed or the mysterious glove, even an absolute top force like the Pure Yang Martial Sect yearned for them endlessly.
"It seems I must be even more careful from now on," Gu Chen said to himself. If the two items on his person were exposed, it would certainly lead to a relentless pursuit by countless individuals.
Especially not knowing how many from the Upper Realm might arrive in Shen Zhou, he needed to be even more cautious and not reveal them lightly.
Of course, should he be pushed to a certain point, there would be no choice left.
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At this moment, Gu Chen slightly furrowed his brows. His participation in the Pure Yang Martial Sect’s trials was widely known, so inevitably, people descending from the sect would come to learn of it soon.
Not far away, Gu Chen once again overheard the conversation between Qi Yang and Wang Yun.
"Though Shen Zhou is nothing but a decrepit land and a prison, its origins are not insignificant; it has some remarkable aspects. Perhaps this land conceals some opportunities. We, as the first to descend, must not waste this precious chance," they said.
"Remarkable origins?" Gu Chen eavesdropped on another secret.
Unfortunately, soon after, Qi Yang and Wang Yun stopped talking and focused on their journey, refraining from discussing anything further.
"With such tight-lipped answers and a guarded tongue, what use is there in keeping the two of you alive?"
Gu Chen was displeased. His pace quickened as he took a step forward and instantly arrived in front of the rapidly moving Qi Yang and Wang Yun.
Seeing Gu Chen, both men were immediately taken aback, evidently not having expected that Gu Chen had been following them all along.
"What do you want!"
Qi Yang and Wang Yun weren’t fools; they had a hunch about Gu Chen’s intention and trembled at the thought.
"Tell me the purpose of your mission to the lower realm," Gu Chen said coldly.
This was one of the reasons he had followed them: he wanted to know what drove people from the upper realm to continuously cross realms.
"Will you let us go if we tell you?" Qi Yang and Wang Yun asked in a heavy tone.
"Speak, and you might have a slim chance of survival. Keep silent, and you will die right here and now." An intense aura emanated from Gu Chen’s body, causing both men’s hearts to hang in the balance.
After exchanging glances, they said, "We descended to the lower realm on the orders of our sect, for something in the Nine Provinces..."
As they spoke, they paused, and the energy within their bodies surged dramatically.
They were employing a secret technique from the Pure Yang Martial Sect, burning their essence blood to fight Gu Chen to the death!
"Die!"
Qi Yang and Wang Yun roared in anger, turning into two dazzling beams of light rushing towards Gu Chen, clearly having decided not to reveal anything from the beginning.
"You refuse to speak, then you shall die!"
Gu Chen was merciless and unforgiving, standing there like a great demon lord, and with a clap of his hands, the Three Suns True Energy within him, cultivated for over sixteen hundred years, began to circulate. A golden sun blossomed on his body’s surface, its brightness radiant like a deity descending to the mortal world!
"Ah..."
Endless light swept over them, with blazing flames scorching the void. Caught in the middle, Qi Yang and Wang Yun’s pupils dilated in horror. Amidst the brilliant light and a scream, they disintegrated, turning into formless dust and dissipating into the air.
Inside the palace, it was not suitable for Gu Chen to kill the two men, but once out of Tiandu, he could take their lives as easily as flipping his hand.
Moreover, with their deaths, the news of the mysterious gloves in his possession could remain hidden for a little while longer.
"Upper realm geniuses arriving one after another? I’ll be waiting for you," Gu Chen looked up at the sky, his eyes brimming with a thick fighting spirit.
With the Three Suns Scorches the Heavens Skill, all traces were eliminated without a need for any cleanup. After killing the two men, Gu Chen’s figure flashed and he left the area.
After returning to Gu Mansion, at the entrance gate, the gatekeeper Uncle Zhang informed Gu Chen that there was a letter for him.
Gu Chen took the letter, opened it, and slowly a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
When he saw the signature at the end of the letter, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Eldest Master, has something happened?" Uncle Zhang had been working in Gu Mansion for many years and had essentially watched Gu Chen grow up; this was the first time he had seen Gu Chen with such an expression.
"It’s nothing, thank you, Uncle Zhang." A hint of a smile appeared on Gu Chen’s face, then he walked into Gu Mansion.
...
In Jiangzhou, Ping’an Prefecture, Sword Leaning Prefecture.
Jiangzhou is the second largest province after Shen Zhou in the Nine Provinces, with a vast geographical area, great wealth, and beautiful scenery comparable to the legendary Yandi regions, where some areas experience eternal spring.
The only thing Jiangzhou lacked in comparison to the Yandi regions was a sea; instead, it had a great river that wound its way around the province, hence the name Jiangzhou.
The martial spirit of Jiangzhou is very strong; even ordinary people know a few farming martial arts moves. There are many martial arts schools, and children of a certain age are often sent by their families to study in these schools.
Now, under a night sky where all was still, stars twinkled brilliantly above, and the gentle moonlight poured down like water, illuminating a manor not far away.
This was Jiangzhou’s largest martial arts school, known as Wang Ling Manor.
The reason Wang Ling Manor had become the largest in Jiangzhou was none other than the influence behind it—the Spirit One Sect.
The Spirit One Sect, ranking among the top nine forces listed by the Diancang Pavilion, held a place near the top, its overall power formidable.
Its old sect master was also a prominent martial god pinnacle master, a longtime famous figure in the martial arts community.
Therefore, with the support of the Spirit One Sect, Wang Ling Manor was able to become the foremost martial arts school in the region. Yearly admission drew countless people drawn by its reputation, all hoping to get an opportunity to join the Spirit One Sect, one of the top forces in the martial arts world.
And for this reason, Wang Ling Manor also became the greatest money-making machine for the Spirit One Sect in the martial arts community, delivering terrifying wealth to the sect each year.
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After all, there is no shortage of wealthy people in this world, and any amount of money is worth it for the chance to join the Spirit One Sect.
Under the dark night sky, punctuated by a brilliant canopy of stars, Wang Ling Manor stood quietly.
This night, within Wang Ling Manor, the lights shone bright, as clear as day.
This night, Wang Ling Manor played host to the gathering of various top forces from all over the world, and all had come together for one person!