119: Inherited, the power of heaven

Outside the Tianji Mountain Range, countless gazes were fixed on the ancient city's illusionary image, which was gradually dissipating in the air, as well as the pillar of inheritance light that shot up into the sky. When the light pillar completely receded and Xiao Chen's figure vanished with it, the entire perimeter of the mountain range fell into a deathly silence, followed by an earth-shattering uproar!

"The inheritance... Xiao Chen got it!"

"Heavenly Realm Soul! He actually broke through to the Heavenly Realm Soul in the ancient city!"

"A Heavenly Realm Soul at twenty years old... This... This is simply a myth!"

"The Soul Hall Young Master, Soul Jade, was utterly defeated! He had no power to retaliate!"

"From now on, among the younger generation of the Central Plains, who else can contend with Xiao Chen?"

Exclamations, praises, and incredulous discussions swept out like a tide. Elders and disciples from various factions all showed expressions of shock. Xiao Chen's performance today completely overturned their understanding of genius! As a Dou Zun, he defeated the Soul Hall Young Master, seized the ancient city's inheritance, and broke through to the Heavenly Realm Soul! Such a battle record was enough to be recorded in the annals of the Central Plains!

In the Pill Tower area, Han Xue, Qiu Ji, Ye Chong, and others trembled with excitement, their eyes filled with pride and fervor. Xuan Kongzi's projection stroked his beard and laughed heartily, immensely pleased: "Good! Good! Good! With this child in our Pill Tower, how can we not prosper!"

Meanwhile, the Soul Hall camp was utterly silent. The Two-Star Dou Zun-level Soul Hall Heavenly Venerable's face was so gloomy it could drip water, and his body was engulfed in surging death qi, almost losing control of his killing intent! Soul Jade was supported by his attendants, his face ashen, his eyes unfocused. His soul had suffered severe damage, and his Dao heart was almost shattered. He stared intently at the direction where the ancient city disappeared, his teeth grinding audibly, as endless resentment and humiliation almost consumed him!

"Xiao Chen... Xiao Chen! Soul Jade and I will never rest until one of us is dead!!!" He let out a beast-like growl, his voice filled with bone-deep hatred.

The Heavenly Nether Sect, Ice River Valley, and other factions allied with the Soul Hall also looked grim. Xiao Chen's rise was certainly not good news for them.

The Flower Sect, Starfall Pavilion, Sound Valley, and other neutral or Pill Tower-allied factions had various thoughts, but without exception, they all elevated the name "Xiao Chen" to the highest level of vigilance.

After this battle, the name "soul sword" Xiao Chen would no longer be limited to the younger generation. His strength and potential were already enough to warrant serious attention from all factions in the Central Plains! An era belonging to him had officially begun!

...Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away from the Tianji Mountain Range, on a desolate mountain peak, space rippled slightly, and Xiao Chen's figure slowly emerged. He was still clad in a green robe, his face serene, but his eyes were deeper than ever before, as if containing the entire starry sky. His aura was condensed to the extreme; if one didn't sense carefully, they might even mistake him for an ordinary person. But if a strong practitioner were present, they would feel the vast soul pressure, like an abyss, and the Dou Zun aura subtly resonating with heaven and earth.

"Heavenly Realm Soul... truly profound." Xiao Chen felt the changes within himself, his heart surging. His sea of consciousness had expanded several times, his soul power condensed as if solid. With a thought, he could cover an area of tens of thousands of feet, every detail clear. His perception and control over energy had reached a meticulous level, even allowing him to vaguely capture the trajectories of laws flowing between heaven and earth. More importantly, a perspective that transcended all living beings naturally arose, giving him a deeper understanding of everything.

He slowly raised his hand, and a wisp of chaotic soul power danced at his fingertips. With a slight thought, this wisp of soul power transformed into a fine needle, instantly piercing into a giant rock a thousand feet away, disintegrating its structure from the most microscopic level. The giant rock silently turned into dust.

"Soul materialization, interfering with reality... this is the power of the Heavenly Realm." Xiao Chen nodded with satisfaction. Now, with just his soul power, he could easily crush any Spirit Realm Soul practitioner and even contend with low-star Dou Zuns. If combined with his Dou Zun cultivation and the Nine Axes of Heaven Opening, his combat power was difficult even for him to estimate.

He sat cross-legged, immersing his mind in his sea of consciousness, and began to carefully sort through the massive amount of information brought by the Heavenly Secret Ancient City inheritance.

First, there was a soul cultivation secret technique called the "Star God Contemplation Method," of a high-grade Heavenly rank! This technique was not simply about accumulating soul power, but rather visualizing the stars of the cosmos, drawing upon the power of the stars to refine the soul, ultimately condensing a "Star God" and possessing various incredible soul divine abilities. Cultivating it to mastery could even allow one to cause stars to be born and extinguished with a single thought, making the soul immortal and indestructible! This undoubtedly pointed him to a broad path for his future soul cultivation.

Secondly, there was a vague sense of Origin Qi. The inheritance information mentioned that Origin Qi was the primal energy of heaven and earth, crucial for breaking through to Dou Di. After ancient times, Origin Qi became depleted, and the path to Emperor was severed. However, the inheritance vaguely indicated that thin Origin Qi might still exist in the depths of the void or in certain ancient ruins. This offered him a glimmer of hope in finding an opportunity to break through to Dou Di.

What concerned Xiao Chen the most was the obscure mark pointing to the ruins of the ancient Xiao Clan ancestral land! The information in the mark was incomplete, only vaguely showing that the ruins were located in a forbidden area in the far west of the Central Plains called the "Fallen God Mountain Range." The space there was chaotic and full of dangers, and it was said that even Dou Saint powerhouses dared not venture deep. But the throbbing from deep within Xiao Chen's bloodline told him that perhaps the truth of the Xiao Clan's decline and... the hope of its resurgence were hidden there!

"Origin Qi... Xiao Clan ancestral land..." Xiao Chen's eyes blazed. These two were undoubtedly his most important goals for the future. But with his current strength, rashly heading to the Fallen God Mountain Range would be tantamount to suicide. The most urgent task was to quickly digest the inheritance, stabilize his realm, and improve his strength.

"After this defeat, the Soul Hall will certainly not let it go. I'm afraid they will soon make a bigger move against me." Xiao Chen's eyes were cold. "And there's the Heavenly Secret Pavilion... Teacher once warned me to be careful of them."

He recalled the "Myriad Souls Sacrifice" forbidden technique that Soul Jade used at the end in the Heavenly Secret Ancient City. The Dark Breath (netherworld aura) that descended seemed different from ordinary Soul Hall cultivation techniques, carrying a hint of something older and more sinister. This made him even more wary of what lay behind the Soul Hall.

"Strength! Still not enough strength!" Xiao Chen clenched his fists. Although he stood at the pinnacle of the younger generation, against a behemoth like the Soul Hall and those hidden ancient factions in the Central Plains, he still seemed insignificant. Dou Zun was just the starting point. Above it were Dou Saints, and even the legendary Dou Di!

"First, I'll find a place to go into seclusion, thoroughly master the power of the Heavenly Realm Soul, and get started with the Star God Contemplation Method. Then, I'll plan for what comes next." Xiao Chen made his decision. He needed a absolutely safe and energy-rich place for seclusion.

He recalled that Teacher Xuan Kongzi had mentioned a secret cultivation holy land of the Pill Tower in the Central Territory—the star tower. It was said that the star tower connected to the outer starry sky and could draw upon the power of the stars, which would be of great benefit to cultivating the Star God Contemplation Method.

"I'll go to the star tower!"

Xiao Chen's figure moved, merging into space, and he sped towards the direction of the Pill Tower Holy Domain. Now that he was a Dou Zun and a Heavenly Realm Soul, his speed far surpassed before. In less than half a day, he had already reached the outskirts of the Pill Tower Holy Domain.

However, just as he was about to enter the Holy Domain, his soul perception caught an extremely subtle spatial fluctuation and killing intent!

"An ambush?" Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed, and his figure instantly froze in the void. His Heavenly Realm Soul power spread out like mercury, instantly covering an area of tens of thousands of feet!

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Three dark spatial cracks silently appeared around him. From within the cracks, three ghostly hands wrapped in dense death qi reached out, grabbing like lightning towards his head, heart, and Qi Sea! Their attacks were vicious and cunning, their timing precise, clearly the work of experts skilled in assassination! Moreover, the power contained in these three attacks had all reached the level of a Two-Star Dou Zun!

"Soul Hall Heavenly Venerable? Finally couldn't hold back?" Xiao Chen snorted coldly. Facing this sudden, deadly attack, not only was he not surprised, but his eyes instead blazed with fighting intent! This was a perfect opportunity to test the power of his Heavenly Realm Soul!

With a thought, his Heavenly Realm Soul power instantly erupted!

"Star God Visualization, condense spirit into sword!"

In his sea of consciousness, the visualized stars suddenly lit up, and vast soul power transformed into three formless, intangible Star soul swords, yet containing the will to sever divine souls. They struck first, precisely slashing towards the three ghostly hands!

There was no earth-shattering collision, only a slight tearing sound, as if from the very level of the soul!

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

The three ghostly hands, powerful enough to crush mountains, instantly disintegrated and melted away like snow meeting the sun upon contact with the Star soul swords! The three Soul Hall Heavenly Venerables hidden in the spatial cracks simultaneously let out muffled groans, their souls severely damaged, and their auras instantly became chaotic!

"Heavenly Realm Soul?! Impossible!" A horrified roar came from within the spatial cracks!

"Cowardly rats hiding your heads and tails, get out here!" Xiao Chen, having gained the upper hand, showed no mercy. He pointed his fingers like a blade, unleashing a "Void Breaking" axe intent, infused with the Power of Space, through the air!

"Crack!"

The three spatial cracks were forcibly torn apart and shattered! Three figures, dressed in Soul Hall Venerable Elder attire and looking terrified, stumbled out of the void, blood spilling from their mouths. Their gazes towards Xiao Chen were filled with fear!

"Die!"

Xiao Chen's eyes were icy cold, giving the opponents no chance to breathe. His Heavenly Realm Soul power transformed into an invisible giant net, instantly enveloping the three of them! Soul crushing!

"No!!!"

The three Two-Star Dou Zun-level Soul Hall Heavenly Venerables couldn't even put up a decent resistance. Their souls were completely crushed, their eyes dimmed, and their bodies fell from the sky like kites with broken strings!

With a wave of his hand, he instantly killed three Two-Star Dou Zuns!

This was the terrifying power of the Heavenly Realm Soul!

Xiao Chen flicked his sleeve, collecting the three corpses, and his gaze coldly swept over a certain spot in the void: "Soul Hall, if you dare to attack again, no matter how many come, I will kill them all!"

His voice was not loud, but it spread in all directions like thunder, imbued with the supreme majesty of a Heavenly Realm Soul!

The spies from various factions secretly observing were all terrified and retreated. Xiao Chen's ruthlessness and power once again shocked the entire Central Territory!

After this battle, no one dared to underestimate this newly advanced Dou Zun and Heavenly Realm Soul practitioner! Xiao Chen's prestige was once again forged with the blood of Soul Hall Heavenly Venerables!

He no longer lingered, stepping into the Pill Tower Holy Domain and heading towards the star tower. His upcoming seclusion would be crucial for him to break through to higher realms! And the winds and clouds of the Central Plains would undoubtedly become even more turbulent when he emerged from seclusion again!