Jiang Chen smiled honestly and gently.
"I knew I wouldn't be able to hide anything from Master."
Elder Wang He.
Elder Jiang.
Elder Wang, who suppressed the forbidden area.
All three trembled slightly.
"There's… more?" Elder Wang He asked, his voice tight.
Buzz!
A palm-sized bronze tripod appeared in Jiang Chen's hand. Its surface was mottled with rust, engraved with the marks of endless time. Ancient scenes were carved upon it—primitive tribes from primordial eras, auspicious beasts such as dragons and phoenixes, and ferocious creatures like 漼杌 and other ancient fiends. It was as if all living things were contained within this single cauldron.
"This is…!"
Elder Wang He's beard quivered as he stared at it. The ancient aura radiating from the bronze tripod was undeniable—far older than the Yin Dynasty itself. A terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.
Elder Jiang's breathing grew rapid. His eyes locked onto the cauldron as he spoke in a low voice,
"Could this be the true cause behind the fall of the Yin Dynasty… the treasure that drew the greed of supreme powers from beyond this world?"
"Mm."
Jiang Chen nodded calmly.
That single admission sent shockwaves through everyone's hearts.
Boom!
The Great Phoenix Sutra had already been an unimaginable gain. The Zhenguo Sword had nearly stunned them with joy. And now—this mysterious inheritance had appeared. Their minds reeled.
"This may not be a blessing," Elder Jiang said solemnly, forcing himself to calm down.
"Even the Yin Dynasty, at its peak, couldn't protect such a thing. Our sect has only just stabilized—how can we guard it?"
"Since we have it, we can naturally hold it," Chu Xun said lightly, confidence filling his words.
"No one knows this cauldron has fallen into our hands. Give us time—and even the powers beyond this world need not be feared."
Jiang Chen smiled brightly, lifted the cauldron with both hands, and said sincerely,
"Master, this is your disciple's filial offering."
---
Ding!
Please choose:
One: Accept the disciple's filial gift and obtain an additional sacred weapon.
Two: Refuse the disciple's gift and obtain ten times the reward.
Note: Accepting the gift will reduce the disciple's luck back to deep purple.
There was no need to hesitate.
No sacred weapon could compare to the value of a disciple's mysterious inheritance. Accepting it would also damage Jiang Chen's fortune—something Chu Xun would never do.
He shook his head.
Elder Wang He.
Elder Jiang.
Elder Wang, who suppressed the forbidden area.
Even Xiao Rongyu—who had just regained consciousness—trembled. She could clearly sense how extraordinary this object was, yet Elder Chu remained unmoved.
"Master—!" Jiang Chen began.
Chu Xun interrupted gently,
"What belongs to you is yours. Even if this falls into my hands, it may not suit me. If you don't believe me—open it and see."
Boom!
Jiang Chen lifted the lid.
The instant a crack appeared, terrifying divine energy surged skyward. A colossal stream of power shot upward, attempting to pierce the heavens and summon strange phenomena.
Jiang Chen's expression changed dramatically.
Buzz—buzz—!
The bronze cauldron trembled violently, on the verge of breaking free and flying away.
"Suppress."
Chu Xun reached out and clenched his palm.
His cultivation erupted.
Human Emperor Sixth Realm.
Human Emperor Seventh Realm.
Human Emperor Eighth Realm.
At the peak, he forcibly pressed everything down, concealing the strange phenomena and sealing the cauldron's aura.
Hiss!
Jiang Chen sucked in a sharp breath. He never imagined that merely opening the cauldron would unleash such power. At the same time, he felt fortunate—if this had happened elsewhere, the entire world would have been alerted.
A question surfaced in his mind.
Why had Ye Chen caused no such disturbance when he obtained this cauldron in the original trajectory?
"What terrifying fluctuations!" Elder Wang He exclaimed.
Then realization struck him.
He stared at Chu Xun, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Elder Chu… what is your cultivation level?"
Not just him.
Everyone looked over.
Frozen.
Like wooden statues.
"Human Emperor… Eighth Realm?"
Xiao Rongyu was utterly stunned. Just months ago, Chu Xun had only been at the fifth realm of the Human Emperor. How much time had passed?
Elder Wang, who guarded the forbidden area, felt his mind go blank.
He had cultivated for three hundred years to reach the eighth realm—and Chu Xun had done it as if it were effortless.
At this rate…
Would he be a Saint the next time they met?
Facing their shocked gazes, Chu Xun said calmly,
"Just a bit of good fortune."
"…Oh."
Silence followed.
But it was devastating.
Elder Wang He.
Elder Jiang.
Both elders—who had spent half their lives in the Human Emperor Realm—felt their hearts pierced. They stiffly turned their heads away.
This man was too lethal to their confidence.
Buzz!
At the same time, Jiang Chen received the inheritance memory. When he opened his eyes again, his expression was complicated.
"Master was right," he said slowly.
"This bronze cauldron contains an inheritance—left behind by an ancient Dao tradition that has gone extinct. It can be inherited… but it comes with many shackles."
One of them alone was unacceptable to Chu Xun.
To inherit it meant rebuilding the sect, becoming its disciple, and restoring its former glory at all costs.
That was enough to dismiss the idea entirely.
"I see," Elder Jiang said with understanding.
"No wonder it drew the greed of external powers. Such inheritances are worth any price."
"Do I want to inherit it?" Jiang Chen asked quietly.
"Of course," came the answer.
…
…
The Eastern Holy Lands were in turmoil.
So was the outside world.
In the Eastern Region, far from civilization, stood a sect nestled among snow-capped mountains. The land was frozen year-round—uninhabitable for ordinary people, yet a paradise for body cultivators who tempered themselves in the extreme cold.
This power was known as Snow Mountain Palace.
Though not as renowned as the six great Holy Lands, it was still a formidable force. Its master was an expert of the Human Emperor Eighth Realm.
At that moment, the palace master frowned. A sudden sense of dread seized his heart, as though a calamity was approaching. He stepped out of the hall uneasily.
What he saw made his pupils shrink.
A young man wearing the robes of a Donglin Sect disciple hovered in the air. His lips curved slightly, eyes brimming with malice and greed as he stared at the palace master and the disciples training below.
Swallow.
Swallow.
"What magnificent body cultivators," the handsome youth said excitedly.
"Such rich blood and qi—swallowing them would quickly restore my cultivation. If the Eastern Region had more like this, it would be perfect."
"Demon!" the Snow Mountain Palace master shouted.
Too late.
The youth's demonic aura erupted. The palace master was powerless to resist. The disciples below screamed as their blood and vitality were forcibly drained.
Buzz—!
A crimson phantom cauldron hovered in midair, devouring blood and energy madly.
"What a pity," the youth muttered.
"I still don't know where my true demonic cauldron has gone. I can only rely on this phantom method."
Then he grinned, watching the surging energy gather.
"This blood and qi…"
"…is enough for me, the Green Bull Demon Lord, to reshape my body!"