Chapter 439 - 415: Clearance Reward

Chapter 439: Chapter 415: Clearance Reward

"You... you’re courting death!"

The Tier Five Demon Beast was furious and shocked. It clearly hadn’t expected Zhang Chi to possess a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, let alone be able to set up a Tier Five Sword Array of such Mighty Power.

ROAR!

But it was still fearless. With a roar, its body contorted as it revealed its true form.

Its true form was that of a giant black bull, its entire body wreathed in endlessly burning black flames.

In this form, its defense, offense, and regenerative abilities were all greatly enhanced.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

At this moment, it stomped through the air, violently ramming the Sword Array. The array shook violently in an instant, looking as if it might shatter at any moment.

"Sword Containment Technique, kill!"

But Zhang Chi just sneered. He raised a hand and pointed into the air. A vast number of Flying Swords immediately erupted with exceptionally powerful might. They then converged and, empowered by the Sword Array, slashed down viciously.

CRACK!

The black bull’s head was instantly lopped off.

Here, however, the black bull seemed to possess an immortal body. It immediately began to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, trying to recover.

But the Sword Light continued to slash down, and in the blink of an eye, it had pulverized the creature’s body, successfully killing it.

WHOOSH!

Afterward, an unprecedented, massive amount of Vitality surged forth like a tidal wave.

Zhang Chi immediately executed the Divine Whale Devouring Sea Technique, ensuring not a single bit was wasted.

Then, Zhang Chi channeled all this Vitality into his Spiritual Treasure and Star Swords. The quality of the Star Swords skyrocketed, successfully breaking through their limits to reach Celestial Grade.

At this point, the Star Swords had all become Pseudo-Spirit Treasures.

When arranged in a Sword Array, even without the addition of the Spirit Sword, their Combat Power was comparable to a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure—stronger, even, than an ordinary one.

If the Spirit Sword were included, its killing power would be even greater.

At the same time, the Spirit Sword recovered further. A new Artifact Spirit would appear before long.

Moreover, this new Artifact Spirit was created by Zhang Chi, so once it appeared, it would surely be very close to him. As a result, the Mighty Power of the Spirit Treasure Flying Sword would be greatly enhanced.

This was unlike the other Spiritual Treasures Zhang Chi had obtained. Some had Artifact Spirits that were too weak to manifest. Others, even if they could manifest, had a very ordinary relationship with Zhang Chi and were generally unwilling to show themselves.

"Excellent!"

Zhang Chi was overjoyed.

He knew that the upgrade to his Star Swords alone had already made this trip worthwhile.

This also proved that his decision to slay the Tier Five Demon Beast had been the right one.

Of course, this was also thanks to his thorough preparations.

He had used the powerful Sword Qi accumulated from over two hundred years of nurturing to finally complete the kill.

Any other Cultivator would have found it impossible to succeed. If they had rashly chosen to confront it head-on, most would have been killed by the Tier Five Demon Beast.

Of course, although this Tier Five Demon Beast was powerful, it was ultimately just a Demon Soul that had absorbed the Spiritual Qi within the Demon Suppression Pagoda to take form. It had no powerful treasures for protection. Otherwise, even with his Sword Containment Technique, Zhang Chi might not have been able to successfully kill it.

After all, the gap between the Divinity Transformation and Nascent Soul Peak realms was simply too vast.

Moreover, the higher one’s Cultivation, the more difficult it was to fight across realms—let alone a Nascent Soul killing a Divinity Transformation.

Putting aside everything else, the immense pressure exuded by a Divinity Transformation Level existence alone was not something an ordinary Nascent Soul Peak Cultivator could withstand.

Zhang Chi’s Divine Soul was powerful, and he had the protection of the Jade Pendant, which was the only reason he could completely ignore this immense pressure.

SWISH!

Next, Zhang Chi immediately retrieved his Flying Swords and Spiritual Treasure and quickly left the Ninth Layer.

The next moment, he reappeared on a platform. This was the very top of the Demon Suppression Pagoda.

The area was deserted, but in the middle of the platform, a Teleportation Array was slowly spinning—the entrance to the central region of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield.

At the far end of the platform was another portal, which led directly out of the Demon Suppression Pagoda for those who wished to give up the Exploration and return to the outside world.

However, no one who made it this far would ever choose to give up.

At the same time, a gentle golden light once again appeared in the sky, coalescing into objects that fell into Zhang Chi’s hands.

These were the rewards for clearing the Demon Suppression Pagoda.

This time, however, three items had appeared at once.

All three were Elixirs: a Soul Condensing Pill, a Calamity Relief Pill, and a Heaven-Stealing Pill.

The Soul Condensing Pill needed no introduction; it was required for advancing to the Divinity Transformation realm.

Although Zhang Chi already had one, he certainly didn’t mind having another.

The Calamity Relief Pill was the size of a pigeon’s egg, black and white, and perfectly round, emitting a strange aura.

This Pill’s greatest function was to help a Cultivator resist a Thunder Tribulation, so it could also aid in advancing to the Divinity Transformation realm.

Finally, there was the Heaven-Stealing Pill. This Pill resembled a ball of constantly burning crimson flame and radiated intense heat. It had only one function, but it was a crucial one: to improve a Cultivator’s innate aptitude.

For example, if a Cultivator who had formed a Nascent Soul from an Eight Patterns Golden Core used this Pill, the effect would be comparable to that of a Nascent Soul formed from a Nine Patterns Golden Core.

Zhang Chi’s own aptitude had already been enhanced multiple times, making it comparable to that of a Nascent Soul formed from an Eight Patterns Golden Core. Now, using this Heaven-Stealing Pill would undoubtedly allow him to reach even greater heights.

When the time came, his chances of successfully condensing a Primordial Spirit would be greatly increased, and upon success, he would become even stronger and have greater potential.

’The first-place reward from the Demon Suppression Pagoda is truly extraordinary. The Six Great Powers of the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield are truly generous!’

Looking at the three rewards, Zhang Chi was ecstatic. He immediately sealed the three Elixirs carefully and put them away.

Then, Zhang Chi took a step and instantly appeared inside the Teleportation Array. The array immediately began to operate with great intensity.

SWISH!

Zhang Chi then vanished from the top of the Demon Suppression Pagoda. When he reappeared, he had already passed through the Arrays and the high wall barrier, entering the central region of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield.

—

"What’s going on? Someone passed the Demon Suppression Pagoda’s assessment and entered the central region this quickly?"

"Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible!"

"Not even our Six Great Powers have such an outstanding talent. How could such a powerhouse exist among these Cultivators?"

Just as Zhang Chi entered the central region, the six Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs hiding high in the sky and waiting outside suddenly cried out in alarm.

It turned out that the Demon Suppression Pagoda and the central region had been under their surveillance the entire time.

Although they couldn’t know the specific details of what was happening inside the Demon Suppression Pagoda in real time, they would know the instant someone passed the highest layer and entered the central region.

So, the moment Zhang Chi cleared the trial and entered the central region, they all sensed it.

But this was clearly beyond all of their expectations.

They had originally thought that even if a hidden powerhouse was among these Cultivators, it would take at least ten-odd days, or even longer, for anyone to clear the trial.

After all, they all knew how difficult the top layer of the Demon Suppression Pagoda was.

But now, only a short while had passed since the assessment began.

Even if they were to participate themselves, they couldn’t possibly be this fast.

"Could a Divinity Transformation Powerhouse have snuck in?" one of the Divinity Transformation experts couldn’t help but speculate.

"Impossible. This Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure only allows Nascent Soul Cultivators to enter for the trial. Even if we wanted to go in, we would be teleported out immediately. Using a Secret Technique to hide our Cultivation wouldn’t work either."

"Therefore, the strongest person who entered can be no higher than Nascent Soul Peak. There’s no doubt about that!"

But another Divinity Transformation expert immediately shook his head and said.

"That’s right. There’s no need to doubt that!"

The other Cultivators all nodded in agreement.

"Then what’s going on? Could this person really be stronger than the Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators of our Six Great Powers?"

"Exactly. You have to remember, this Demon Suppression Pagoda is a treasure jointly held by our Six Great Powers, normally used for the trials of our Nascent Soul Cultivators. This treasure has a special characteristic: the faster you clear it, the higher the difficulty becomes. Not even the most outstanding Nascent Soul from our Six Great Powers could achieve what he did, right?"

"Forget them, even we never accomplished this back in our day! And since he passed so quickly, his reward must be exceptionally good. It’s highly likely he’s already obtained one of the three ultimate rewards: the Soul Condensing Pill, the Heaven-Stealing Pill, or the Calamity Relief Pill!"

But having confirmed the person’s Cultivation realm, the Divinity Transformation experts became even more shocked and suspicious.

As it turned out, the Demon Suppression Pagoda had a special mechanism.

The faster one passed, the better the reward.

At the same time, the faster one passed, the greater the difficulty.

For example, since Zhang Chi had entered the final stage extremely quickly, the Divinity Transformation Level existence he encountered was definitely the most powerful one.

If another Cultivator were to enter the final stage now, the Divinity Transformation Level existence they encountered would be weaker.

The later they entered, the weaker the opponent the Cultivator would face.

Furthermore, if Cultivators entered ten-odd days or even longer after the assessment began, the opponents they faced would definitely be even weaker.

It was precisely for this reason that the Demon Suppression Pagoda was used here as a screening assessment.

Because under normal circumstances, the fastest any of these Cultivators could reach the final layer would be after ten-odd days.

By that point, even if they encountered a Divinity Transformation Powerhouse, the most outstanding Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators would be able to pass using Escape Techniques and the like.

If they were to attempt the final stage after twenty or thirty days, or even a few months, it would certainly be relatively easier.

Otherwise, if the difficulty remained at its highest level, it would normally be impossible for any of these Cultivators to pass successfully.

But Zhang Chi had clearly created a miracle.

The thought that Zhang Chi might have received the best rewards made even the six Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs feel a pang of heartache and envy.

After all, the three top-tier rewards in the final stage had been put there by the Six Great Powers themselves.

Normally, these items were reserved for the top Nascent Soul prodigies from within the Six Great Powers.

But now, one of them had very likely fallen into the hands of this unknown Nascent Soul Powerhouse.

The reason the six Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs thought he had likely only obtained one reward was that, without being able to kill the Divinity Transformation Demon Beast, a contestant could at most receive one of them.

"Let’s stop guessing. We can just use our Secret Techniques and authority to review what happened inside. Then we’ll know everything!"

"Good idea. In any case, that person has already entered the central region. With his immense Combat Power, it’s highly unlikely he’ll die in there. So after we figure out the situation, all we have to do is wait for him to come out."

"Mm, that makes sense!"

"Alright, then what are we waiting for?"

Following that, the six Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs immediately joined forces, forming Spirit Techniques with their hands. A white screen of light instantly appeared in the air before them, displaying the events that had just occurred inside the Demon Suppression Pagoda.

"Heavens, this person didn’t get one reward, but all three?"

"He... he actually killed the Divinity Transformation Demon Beast directly? And he did it in the blink of an eye, without getting injured at all? This is just too powerful, isn’t it?"

"What is this Sword Array? It’s so incredibly sharp!"

"It turns out he even rested for a moment. Doesn’t that mean his actual time to clear the trial was much shorter than we thought?"

And upon seeing this, although the six Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs now knew the truth, they were even more astounded.