The Night of Blood and Breakthrough

The last few who vaulted over the wall spoke no word. They lunged straight at Xiao Chen, striking without mercy, and several sword beams blazed brilliantly in the night sky.

Xiao Chen could no longer sit still. He rose to his full height, grasped the Basiste Ancient Spear, and stepped forward with a sweep that carried the momentum of a thousand armies. Wind and thunder howled, and blood sprayed across the sky.

Puff! Puff!

Several blossoms of blood burst forth, and four corpses toppled over in the courtyard. They were all around thirty years old, their throats torn open as if by a blade—ripped apart by the blood-drinking divine spear. These practitioners were all around the Sixth Heaven, trivial for Xiao Chen; they had clearly been sent to disrupt his breakthrough.

"Roar..."

The Azure Dragon King howled and charged, its target—the Little Defiant Dragon!

Cyan divine light flared like raging flames, and its eyes were cold and merciless, as if it had already forgotten that Xiao Chen was once an acquaintance.

The Little Defiant Dragon shook its head proudly, let out a dragon roar, and leaped forward to meet it.

Whoosh.

The figure lurking in the shadows darted away like a startled swan, vanishing in an instant, as if its only purpose had been to deliver the Azure Dragon King here.

The Azure Dragon King growled low, a bloody light flickering in its draconic eyes.

The two dragon kings clashed fiercely. Beams of cyan divine light swept down repeatedly, and the Azure Dragon King had clearly awakened many dragon clan divine abilities. Over the past year or more, its strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, no longer what it had been on Dragon Island. Moreover, it had already evolved an Ancestral Dragon tail.

But the Little Defiant Dragon did not sweep out a single beam of divine light. It fought entirely with unique ancient dragon combat techniques, moving like a seasoned practitioner. Every step it took was profoundly mysterious, evoking sighs of admiration—the most efficient footwork imaginable. Its attacks were equally fierce; claws, tail, head, and horns moved in unison, every part of its body a lethal weapon, killing without a trace.

Locked in battle with the Azure Dragon King, though facing volley after volley of draconic divine arts, it did not fall behind at all. Instead, it steadily suppressed the Azure Dragon King!

Ancient dragon combat techniques—superior by a full measure!

Keke retreated to Xiao Chen's side, its big black eyes cautiously scanning the surroundings.

Only two groups of enemies remained on the scene. One was the rough-looking middle-aged man; his strength was certainly at the Spirit-Treasury realm, or else why would the energy fluctuations he emitted upon arrival have shattered a pavilion?

The other was a young person, though she was shrouded in black mist, using powerful divine sense fluctuations and energy fog to conceal her traces. But Xiao Chen could still make out her silhouette. His spiritual perception had become exceptionally sharp, and he could tell this was a very beautiful woman—though she deliberately hid, he could not clearly see her mist-shrouded features.

The golden-furred ape beside the mysterious woman was extraordinarily spirited, but its gaze was too ferocious. It stared coldly at Keke, as if it wanted to devour the little snow-white beast.

"Ya-ya!"

The little snow-white beast huffed indignantly, muttered a displeased complaint, and unceremoniously swiped its small paw. A multicolored light screen spread like a rainbow cloud, swiftly covering the meter-tall golden ape.

In an instant, golden light blazed brilliantly, and the ape's body seemed to turn to metal. Endless divine flames leaped and danced. It let out a low roar and swiped a paw in return.

Golden light coalesced into a blade of light, slashing fiercely toward the multicolored glow.

Thump!

A dull sound rang out in the air. The multicolored light screen was temporarily blocked by the golden blade.

This enraged Keke. Divine light burst from its bright eyes, and it was no longer lively and playful. In an instant, it became solemn and serious. Its small paw pushed forward with force, and the multicolored light swelled abruptly, pressing down the golden light before enveloping the golden ape.

Xiao Chen was astonished. Though Keke held the upper hand, he could see how powerful and fearsome the golden ape was, able to briefly resist Keke—something that had never happened before. Below the half-god level, all beings were swept away in a single brush against Keke. Once the multicolored divine light descended, no one could withstand it.

What kind of sacred beast was this, to possess such might? Its divine abilities were truly extraordinary.

"Ao hou..."

The golden divine ape howled at the sky, its whole body blazing with golden light. It forcibly pushed back the multicolored light screen that was about to fall over its head, stalling it temporarily.

A soft sigh came. The mysterious beautiful woman spoke: "Can you ask the little snow-white beast to stop? I actually mean no harm. I only wanted to test Gold's strength."

Her voice was like celestial music, extremely pleasant to the ear. Under normal circumstances, this should be a peerless beauty. But tonight was too sensitive—who could say she truly was not an enemy? Even a woman of unparalleled beauty was nothing but a red-dust skeleton before Xiao Chen at this moment. He was utterly unmoved. He temporarily classified everyone who came here as an enemy.

Xiao Chen ignored the mysterious woman's words.

Whoosh.

The multicolored light descended, instantly enveloping the golden divine ape and firmly trapping it, leaving it unable to move. Then Keke waved its fluffy little paw and lifted the golden ape into the air from a distance, the multicolored light firmly binding it. Then it slammed the ape viciously to the ground.

Boom!

Dust billowed. The golden ape leaped high, enraged, howling at the sky. All the golden fur on its body stood on end, making it look even more ferocious. Streams of golden light shot out from its body like sword qi.

"Gold, don't move!" The mysterious woman stopped the furious ape and extended a jade-white hand to soothe it gently. Only then did the ape gradually calm down.

But Keke was not grateful at all. It huffily waved its little paw and was about to strike again.

Xiao Chen quickly stopped it. As long as the mysterious woman did not attack again, he did not wish to cause more slaughter.

At that moment, the middle-aged man standing nearby sneered, "I thought you only had a rare dragon king by your side, but I didn't expect the little white pet to be so formidable. I underestimated you."

"Ya-ya..." Keke felt belittled and cried out indignantly, as if saying, "Who do you think you are?" Then it directly waved its small paw. With a whoosh, multicolored light firmly locked onto the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's face was full of disbelief. He had witnessed the little white beast's power, but he never thought it could immobilize a Spirit-Treasury realm expert like him. Too late for regret!

"How is this possible? It's so small!" was the lament in the Spirit-Treasury expert's heart.

Boom!

Keke slammed the Spirit-Treasury expert to the ground, then used multicolored divine light to bind him again, lifted him into the air, and smashed him down once more. Even an iron man would shatter after dozens of such repetitions.

After several dozen blows, the middle-aged man was spewing blood from his nose and mouth.

Xiao Chen had Keke stop. He asked the middle-aged man, "Which family are you from? I'll only ask once. If you don't speak, you die." Very blunt, no hesitation.

"Hmph!" The middle-aged man responded with a cold snort.

Xiao Chen said nothing more. He walked straight to the multicolored light screen, raised the Basiste Ancient Spear that had slain gods, and with a puff, thrust it into the man's chest. A spurt of blood shot out.

It did not pierce the heart, but it was nearly fatal.

"Don't kill me! I am from the Rigen family. I am Hoffman's uncle. Two of the corpses in the courtyard are also from our family." Facing the threat of death, the middle-aged man lost all his arrogance. Not only did he hastily reveal his identity, he also added extra information.

Puff!

Xiao Chen flicked his wrist and drove the spear straight through his heart. The middle-aged man screamed, the light in his eyes gradually dimming. He muttered to himself, "You are so ruthless... I already spoke, yet you still killed me..."

"I said I'd only ask once. I don't want to waste words. I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. Killing you—I said I would, and I did." Xiao Chen shook the divine spear and shattered the man's body, then murmured to himself, "The enmity with your family is sealed."

On the other side, the Little Defiant Dragon and the Azure Dragon King had also decided the victor. The Little Defiant Dragon defeated the Azure Dragon King with ancient dragon combat techniques, tearing off a large piece of flesh. Finally, its twin horns shot out a beam of divine light, directly knocking the Azure Dragon King down.

It had used only one dragon clan divine art in the entire battle—the Little Defiant Dragon was indeed exceedingly proud.

"Keke, immobilize it! Don't let it escape!" Xiao Chen shouted.

Keke swept out a beam of divine light, instantly enveloping the Azure Dragon King and trapping it.

Xiao Chen knew that Liu Mu must have run into trouble. And by instinct, he sensed that the Azure Dragon King was also not right. He had to keep it here to investigate later.

The courtyard fell silent.

The mysterious woman's very pleasant voice sounded: "This dragon king of yours seems different from the others." But she was more interested in Keke. She sighed softly, "This adorable little snow-white beast is also extraordinary. It actually defeated Gold."

Xiao Chen said nothing, but Keke was very dissatisfied. It curled its little lip, then its big black eyes glanced at the divine ape, seemingly unconcerned.

This expression infuriated the divine ape. If not for the mysterious woman holding it back, it would have fought the little snow-white beast to the death.

"If you knew Gold's origin, you wouldn't look down on it," the mysterious woman said softly, apparently fond of Keke. "It is a descendant of a Heavenly God."

Hearing this, Keke was utterly unconcerned, but Xiao Chen was startled. He asked, "Deep in the Southern Wastes, a divine island floats. The 'Heavenly God descendant' you speak of—are those the two young sacred beasts that appear on the Divine Island?"

"That's right. Gold is one of them."

Xiao Chen could not help but look at the woman with new respect. She had actually managed to subdue a descendant of a Heavenly God. He remembered that many elders had competed for them back then.

As if reading his doubt, the woman explained, "It was an elder of my clan who subdued it. The other one, a different species from Gold, was taken by someone else."

"You came tonight just to test Gold's strength?" Xiao Chen asked.

The mysterious woman was quite open. Her voice was pleasant to the ear. "My information is very thorough. I have accurate knowledge of what happened on Dragon Island. I knew there was a little snow-white beast with vast divine powers, so I brought Gold to spar with it."

These words pleased Keke greatly. For once, it looked a little embarrassed, its bright eyes blinking furiously.

"In terms of its current strength, this little snow-white beast can rank among the top ten of all young sacred beasts on the Eternal Continent!"

The mysterious woman's evaluation of Keke was very high. But Keke was unhappy. Only in the top ten? It would have been fine if she'd said first. Keke puffed out its chest proudly.

Xiao Chen, smiling, reached out and rubbed its head vigorously, drawing an indignant ya-ya cry from the little beast.

Xiao Chen was indeed very pleased. The descendant of a Heavenly God had been defeated by Keke. The little beast's potential was limitless—perhaps it really was a primordial divine beast that could rival the Ancestral Dragon!

"Xiao Chen, would you be willing to go north with me? I can offer you great fortune," the mysterious woman said, sounding very serious.

"Fortune is earned, not given." Xiao Chen shook his head. "I'm used to being free and undisciplined. I don't want to be constrained." He could already tell that the mysterious woman had an extraordinary background, and he did not want to become entangled with large power blocs or nations.

But that was only his thought for now. Who could say what the future held?

The mysterious woman nodded, then silently withdrew with Gold.

Only a few corpses remained in the courtyard, and then it was quiet again.

Xiao Chen stood holding the Basiste Ancient Spear. The blood of gods dripped from his hand. The divine runes on the ancient spear gave off an eerie light, mingling with the starlight above.

On the pavilion, the white-shelled little turtle had its thief's eyes wide open, staring unblinkingly at those divine runes, then shook its head and wore a thoughtful expression.

Under the starry sky, Xiao Chen's whole body shimmered with precious light. His bones creaked and cracked. The broken bones were reconnecting, his flesh writhing and squirming. His physical form was undergoing a transformation!

A true transformation, advancing toward the Spirit-Treasury realm!

Boundless radiance enveloped him. In that moment, the courtyard was filled with sacred aura, and even the starlight in the sky seemed to dim.

"Cough..." An old, raspy cough sounded. A dark shadow appeared under the grape trellis. The figure muttered to himself, "I have returned. The protection of the Phoenix clan? I don't believe they are really so all-knowing, able to know everything that happens tonight."

A terrifying aura instantly enveloped the entire courtyard. The precious light on Xiao Chen's body was forcibly suppressed and dimmed.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Three figures leaped into the courtyard. It was King Qin Guang, King Yan Luo, and King of Reincarnation. Following them, an old man with a ruddy complexion and white hair walked in. It was the elderly spiritist who had taken the three skeletons. He smiled kindly at the shadow under the grape trellis and said, "Do you really not believe in the Phoenix clan's abilities? If you act tonight, everything that happens will be clearly recorded, and sooner or later the Phoenix Maiden will come to settle accounts with you."

"I am very unwilling!"

"Your descendants were too overbearing and lacked discipline. Otherwise, why would another five Spirit-Treasury experts have died? They couldn't tell right from wrong and didn't know what was good for them." The old man smiled amiably, looking very benevolent. He continued, "Of course, this kid also went too far. He struck without mercy. He deserves a scolding."

The shadow under the grape trellis turned its head and asked Xiao Chen coldly, "Do you truly come from the deepest part of the Southern Wastes?"

Xiao Chen's expression was cold; neither humble nor arrogant, he replied, "The being in the deepest part of the Southern Wastes once gave me some guidance, but there is no deep relationship between us."

Upon hearing this, the dark shadow under the grape trellis turned and left without another word, rising into the sky like a wisp of smoke and vanishing in an instant.

"Hehe..." The kindly old spiritist laughed warmly, walked over, patted Xiao Chen on the shoulder, then turned and left with the three skeletons.

King Qin Guang, King Yan Luo, and King of Reincarnation all gestured animatedly at Xiao Chen, indicating that they would come back to find him after learning great divine abilities. Then they waved goodbye to Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon.

The figure under the grape trellis had returned, but now he truly departed. Xiao Chen knew that at last, this night was safe!

Practitioners of the Mortal-Shedding and Spirit-Treasury realms might not know what that five-colored divine feather on the rockery represented, but the figure under the grape trellis certainly did!

Tonight, under the brilliant starlight, Xiao Chen bathed in the sacred radiance of transformation. Thus, he stood holding the Basiste Ancient Spear in the courtyard all night.

This night was destined to be extraordinary. The news of Xiao Chen challenging several Ninth Heaven experts in a single night had surely already reached many in the city.

It would inevitably set some circles ablaze.

Sure enough, the next morning, Fatty Zhuge came running over early, shouting and yelling.

"Brother, you're too strong! You're too strong! You stirred things up all night and left many families in the city sleepless! You're too strong..." The fatty had already become too excited to know what to say, repeating over and over, "You're too strong..."

Then the incomparably beautiful Hai Yuntian also came running. When he saw the Basiste Ancient Spear, his beautiful eyes nearly popped out, and he cried out in an unseemly manner, "This is... the Basiste Ancient Spear?!"

"There's an important banquet tomorrow. I managed to get you this invitation on the fly. Tomorrow night, I'll take you to flaunt your presence," the fatty prattled on. In short, this early morning, he was already showing signs of menopause.

"You two help me with one thing first," Xiao Chen said. "Auction off this Basiste Ancient Spear for me."

"Have you lost your mind?!" Hai Yuntian and the fatty both stared, dumbfounded.