46: Chapter 46 Heavenly Palace on the Clouds, one of the top-tier secret realms

Just as Jiang Changge was about to say a few more words, the System's notification sound suddenly rang in his mind.

[Ding, detected the appearance of a Xuanhuang World treasure — Nine Heavens Tower.]

[Nine Heavens Tower, a supreme treasure of the Xuanhuang World, is one of the paths to enter the Yunding Heavenly Palace.]

[Yunding Heavenly Palace, one of the top Secret Realms in the Xuanhuang World, holds countless Opportunities and treasures within.]

[The Host may leave a special mark on the Nine Heavens Tower. When the Nine Heavens Tower enters the Yunding Heavenly Palace, the Host can directly teleport in using the instant transmission array disk.]

Jiang Changge felt a slight shock in his heart after hearing the System's prompt.

A Xuanhuang World treasure? Yunding Heavenly Palace?

He had originally thought the Nine Heavens Tower was just a trial tower that had suddenly appeared in the Purple Bamboo Forest; he hadn't expected it to have such a significant background.

"System, what exactly is the origin of this Nine Heavens Tower?" Jiang Changge asked in his heart.

[Ding, Nine Heavens Tower, an ancient treasure of the Xuanhuang World, ranked at the Immortal Tier.

The tower consists of nine levels, each with different trials.

Those who challenge the tower can obtain corresponding rewards; the treasures are random and vary from person to person.

The Nine Heavens Tower does not belong to any faction and is not controlled by anyone; it only appears in various places across the Xuanhuang World by chance.

The Nine Heavens Tower has appeared in the Southern Wasteland several times, and the Purple Bamboo Forest is one of them.

The Nine Heavens Tower ultimately points to the top Secret Realm of the Xuanhuang World — the Yunding Heavenly Palace.

Yunding Heavenly Palace is the Legacy dojo left behind by the ancient mighty figure, Heavenly Venerable Yunding, containing his complete Legacy, as well as countless Heaven And Earth Treasures and divine weapons and Magical Artifacts.

Whenever the Nine Heavens Tower absorbs enough spiritual power and Luck from the challengers, it will return to the Void Realm deep within the Xuanhuang World to open the Yunding Heavenly Palace.

At that time, those holding the mark of the Nine Heavens Tower can enter the Yunding Heavenly Palace to compete for that supreme Opportunity.]

Jiang Changge understood after listening.

"An Immortal-tier treasure, the Legacy of Heavenly Venerable Yunding."

He muttered to himself, a flash of light crossing his eyes.

He didn't care much for these things.

After all, he had the System; the System would reward him with any Cultivation Technique, Magic Treasure, or Medicinal Pill.

However, as the Yunding Heavenly Palace was one of the top Secret Realms in the Xuanhuang World, if he could go inside and sign in, receiving a hundredfold critical reward would definitely be a guaranteed profit.

Furthermore, he could also bring Lu Jinghan and the others along.

If they could obtain an Opportunity within the Yunding Heavenly Palace, it would certainly be a great boost to their future Cultivation.

Jiang Changge nodded slightly, already having a plan in mind.

He stood up, his gaze passing through the cabin wall of the spirit boat, looking toward the direction of the Purple Bamboo Forest.

"Nine Heavens Tower."

He whispered, then closed his eyes, his Divine Sense spreading out like a tidal wave.

With his Mahayana Late Stage cultivation and the profoundness of the Creation Sutra, it was not difficult for his Divine Sense to pass through the Restrictions of the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Within a few breaths, his Divine Sense had probed deep into the Purple Bamboo Forest, landing on that towering black giant tower.

The Nine Heavens Tower was pitch black, its body forged from unknown meteorite iron, its surface covered in mysterious runes, exuding a cold and heavy aura.

Jiang Changge's Divine Sense slowly swept over the tower, searching for a position to leave his mark.

A moment later, he found it.

Directly above the tower gate, behind the plaque engraved with the three large characters "Nine Heavens Tower", there was a palm-sized blank area.

There were no runes or Restrictions there; it was as smooth as a mirror, as if prepared specifically for leaving a mark.

Jiang Changge moved his mind, and a strand of Divine Sense brand separated from his Sea of Consciousness, like an invisible stamp, precisely imprinting onto that blank area.

The moment the mark landed, the Nine Heavens Tower trembled slightly.

The vibration was extremely subtle, so much so that even the Cultivators in front of the tower did not notice it.

But Immortal Zizhu, deep within the Purple Bamboo Forest, suddenly opened his eyes.

His turbid gaze passed through layers of bamboo forest, landing on the Nine Heavens Tower, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

"Someone left a mark on the Nine Heavens Tower?"

He muttered to himself, his tone filled with disbelief.

"This aura, is it that Fellow Daoist in white?"

Immortal Zizhu was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"It seems this Fellow Daoist's background is even deeper than I imagined."

He closed his eyes again, thinking no more of it.

And inside the spirit boat, Jiang Changge had already withdrawn his Divine Sense.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he leaned back on the soft couch.

The mark had been left; what remained now was to wait.

Wait for the Nine Heavens Tower to return to the depths of the Xuanhuang World, wait for the Yunding Heavenly Palace to open.

As for now, his gaze fell on Lin Yanzhou beside him.

"Yanzhou, continue to Cultivate. Once you are finished, Master will take you to eat something delicious."

Lin Yanzhou's eyes lit up, and he nodded heavily.

——

Inside the Nine Heavens Tower in the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Lu Jinghan was completely unaware of this; his entire focus was on the eerie old man before him.

The old man's figure flickered in and out of the Void Realm, his speed astonishingly fast.

Every time he appeared, it was accompanied by a sharp black light, aiming straight for Lu Jinghan's vital points.

Lu Jinghan closed his eyes, not relying on vision, but only using his Divine Sense to capture the old man's trajectory.

The Jinghan Sword was swung repeatedly in his hands, streaks of ice-blue Sword Qi tearing through the air, colliding with the black light and emitting harsh explosions.

"Not bad, not bad."

The old man's voice came from all directions, carrying a hint of mockery.

"With Early Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, you can actually keep up with my speed. It seems you are not one of those fools who only knows how to bury their head in Cultivation."

Lu Jinghan did not answer, simply continuing to swing his sword, dodge, and swing again.

He was adapting to the old man's speed, searching for the old man's flaws.

The experience of a thousand years of slaughter in his past life told him that when facing such a speed-type opponent, one must not be impatient or panicked.

One must be calm, one must be patient.

Wait for the Opportunity, then strike to kill.

"However—" the old man's voice suddenly changed, shifting from mockery to coldness, "Only knowing how to dodge is not enough!"

Before the words faded, a black light thicker and brighter than before slashed out from the Void Realm, heading straight for Lu Jinghan's face.

This strike was several times faster than before, and its power was also several times stronger.

Lu Jinghan's pupils constricted, his body reacting instinctively.

He did not retreat; instead, he took a step forward.

The Jinghan Sword traced a profound arc in his hand, and ice-blue light suddenly ignited on the sword's edge.

"Jinghan Sword Strike!"

The sword light erupted, colliding fiercely with the black light.

"Boom—!"

Amidst the loud noise, the black light shattered into pieces, dissipating like fireflies across the sky.

Lu Jinghan stood holding his sword, his robes fluttering in the strong wind, his expression unchanged.

The old man's figure appeared from the Void Realm, staggering back a few steps, his withered face full of disbelief.

"You—!"

Before he could finish, the old man's figure completely dissipated.

Leaving behind only a pitch-black token floating in mid-air, emitting a faint spiritual glow.

Lu Jinghan reached out and caught the token; it felt cold to the touch. The front of the token was engraved with the character "One", and the back featured a relief of the Nine Heavens Tower.

He looked down and examined it for a moment, then tucked the token into his sleeve.

In the battle just now, he had not used his full strength.

It was not arrogance, but rather that he was testing.

Testing the upper limit of the strength of the first level of the Nine Heavens Tower.

Nascent Soul Mid Stage cultivation, eerie movement techniques, and sharp offensive capabilities.

Placed in the outside world, it would be enough to make the vast majority of Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators regret their actions on the spot.

But for him, it was not enough.