Chương 97: First Steps on the Demonic Path (Part 9)

After devouring Zhan Huntian's origin essence, Su Chen left the battlefield. The Purple Extreme Demon Venerable—who had fallen during the Southwestern Domain war, leaving behind only a wisp of remnant soul that had seized the body of a Sun-Devouring Sacred Land true disciple to be reborn—had now died beyond any possibility of revival. An old monster had encountered an even older one. This was probably an outcome the Purple Extreme Demon Venerable could never have dreamed of.

The ancient ruin was said to be the battlefield of ancient Saints. A cataclysmic war that once swept across all five domains had erupted here. Countless powerhouses perished, including dozens of Saints. Su Chen's goal was the remnant saint artifact left behind by the Primordial Remnant Clan's Saint Ancestor. Guided by the pull of his bloodline, he easily reached the place where that ancient powerhouse had fallen. Over tens of thousands of years, the site had transformed into a vast underground world.

Following the bloodline's guidance, Su Chen arrived before a tattered soul banner.

"This must be the saint artifact left by that ancestor of the Primordial Remnant Clan. Only someone with the Primordial King Bloodline can take it. Unfortunately…" Su Chen felt a trace of disappointment. The soul banner was indeed a saint artifact, but it had suffered catastrophic damage. Even if activated, its power would at best reach quasi-Saint level. The ferocity of that ancient battle was evident—capable of shattering even a saint artifact.

"Wait… no." A glint flashed through Su Chen's eyes. The bloodline resonance had not faded. Upon entering this place, the pull had split into two strands. One led to the soul banner… the other pointed toward… Suddenly, the ground trembled before Su Chen appeared an even deeper space. It was pitch-black and eerily cold. At the center of this space stood a single altar. Resting upon it was a three-meter-long great blade crafted from the bone of some unknown creature.

A terrifying aura emanated from within, yet to Su Chen it felt strangely familiar.

"Sacrificing the body to forge the weapon…!" Shock surged through Su Chen's heart. Hidden here was another perfectly intact saint artifact. He stepped forward and gripped the blade tightly. The power of his bloodline surged through his body. Black flames spread across his arms. In that instant, a vision unfolded before him. A gravely wounded, supremely powerful figure murmured in a low voice.

"The Spirit Divine King… is simply too strong… I am going to die…"

"I, Zhou Tianwen, once dominated all five domains. To fall like this… how unwilling I am. I refuse to vanish with the tide of the era…"

"I sacrifice my bones to form the hilt. I sacrifice my flesh to become the edge. I sacrifice my soul to ignite the saintly might. Even in death… Zhou Tianwen will not die an ordinary death. Descendant of later generations—if you have reached this place, it means you share my blood. Take up the Heaven-Questioning Blade. Sever all obstacles. Step onto the ancient starry path. Complete the path to ascension that I could not finish!" …

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. As the memory faded, a surge of respect rose in Su Chen's heart. This had been a seeker of the Dao born in the wrong era—a man of immense ambition who nevertheless perished in a chaotic war. He had abandoned everything, transforming himself into a weapon, waiting for an inheritor to carry his unfinished dream forward. Su Chen concealed the Heaven-Questioning Blade. This was an unexpected windfall.

A flawless saint artifact—one he could fully control. It would become his greatest trump card, his most reliable foundation. Su Chen continued exploring the ancient ruin in search of opportunities. Whenever he encountered other geniuses, they became his opportunities. Death was commonplace inside this ruin. Whenever Su Chen struck, no one survived. Within the ruin, both his cultivation and aptitude soared dramatically.

He slaughtered prodigies without restraint until ordinary geniuses could no longer provide any meaningful improvement to his aptitude. Only then did he stop. By the end, Su Chen's cultivation had reached the Void Refining realm. A young sovereign. Across all five domains, he could now rightfully be called a martial dao monster. One year later, violent tremors shook the ancient ruin. Fragments of ancient scenes flickered across the sky like shattered mirrors.

Countless terrifying powerhouses surrounded and attacked a colossal figure that towered between heaven and earth. Even this mere glimpse of the battle was suffocating. Su Chen recognized the name of that supreme being. Spirit Divine King! In the outside world, Saint-level experts stood at the pinnacle, untouchable. Yet before this existence, they were no different from ants—casually exterminated. An ancient palace materialized. Spirit Divine Palace!

In the faded images, that invincible figure stepped into the Spirit Divine Palace… and never emerged again.

"I… stood invincible in my era. My ambition was to seize the origin of the Heavenly Profound Domain and walk the path of absolute invincibility. Yet I never expected the living beings of this domain to resist so desperately. Under the combined assault of the domain's strongest… I fell with regret."

"I have sealed my inheritance within the Spirit Divine Palace, awaiting a worthy successor. Whoever is fortunate enough to obtain my legacy must carry forward my will!"

"Invincible beneath the stars!" Invincible beneath the stars… those four words alone were enough to drive almost anyone mad with desire! A Quasi-Emperor inheritance! This was the legacy of a Quasi-Emperor! For nearly every prodigy present, reason evaporated. A Quasi-Emperor inheritance appearing in the world—this was an unprecedented event!

"Fight… we must fight for it! A Quasi-Emperor inheritance—that is one of the supreme existences beneath the starry sky in an entire era!"

"In all of Heavenly Profound Domain's history, Quasi-Emperors can be counted on one hand. If I obtain this legacy, I could surpass my ancestors and become the strongest in Heavenly Profound Domain!"

"Hahahaha! The Quasi-Emperor inheritance is destined to be mine!"

"…" The gates of the Spirit Divine Palace swung open. Prodigies surged inside like a tide gone mad. Su Chen followed closely behind, stepping into the palace. A Quasi-Emperor inheritance… the temptation was simply too great. Even if obtaining it meant ending this life right here and now, Su Chen would consider it worth the price. The interior of the Spirit Divine Palace formed its own independent space. Su Chen and the others arrived within this vast domain.

[I was born from nothing, walked through chaotic eras, and rose step by step from a mere mortal to Quasi-Emperor. All of it rested upon a single technique.] [Spirit Communion Emperor Scripture] [If you pass my trial, I shall bestow upon you the complete Spirit Communion Emperor Scripture.] Emperor Scripture! Only those supreme techniques created by beings who had truly stood at the peak of the myriad races were qualified to bear the title of Emperor Scripture! Everyone went berserk.

Even the most iron-willed cultivators could not suppress the greed that flooded their eyes. No one could remain calm. Except… Su Chen. As he stared at the words suspended in the starry sky, an icy chill crawled across his entire body. A bone-piercing cold shot straight to his mind. Spirit Communion Art… Spirit Communion Emperor Scripture… Coincidence? No… thousands of years of honed instinct screamed that this was no coincidence!

That technique he had obtained long ago in the Heavenly Wind Kingdom—the very same flawed, bottomless pit of a cultivation method that had abruptly ended one of his previous lives—was undoubtedly a backhand left behind by an unimaginably terrifying existence! Looking at the sea of frenzied, red-eyed prodigies around him, Su Chen felt a wave of sorrow and faint pity rise in his heart. Even if he spoke the truth aloud right now, not a single person would believe him. Should such a terrifying being ever reappear…

it might spell the doom of the entire Heavenly Profound Domain!