Battle Through the Heavens: Marry Cao Ying, Reward is Devouring Ancestral Symbol

Chapter 362 Revisiting the Imperial PalaceShen Wen put away the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade and did not stay in Pill City for long.

Information from the Northwest was summarized and sent over by Cao Ying every few days.

The conquest by the Heavenly Serpent Empire was much smoother than he had anticipated; the dozen or so surrounding Empires either surrendered voluntarily or were beaten into a rout.

Now, on that vast land of the Northwest, aside from the Heavenly Serpent Empire, the only notable power left was the Lion Underworld Sect, which was still putting up a desperate resistance.

Standing behind that Sect was the Hall of Souls, providing a continuous supply of resources, Cultivation Technique, and Medicinal Pill, allowing it to hold out for so long despite being surrounded like an iron bucket.

Shen Wen had previously bothered to ignore it because he felt it was unnecessary.

They were merely ants; once the great trend rolled over them, they would naturally cease to exist.

But now that the Hun Clan had even sent out Dou Sheng, he did not have the spare time to play house with these small fries.

The Lion Underworld Sect was located in a perilous mountain range where Peaks like swords pierced straight into the clouds, and the mountains were shrouded in mist, with faint traces of Formation fluctuations.

When Shen Wen stepped out from the space crack, it was noon. Sunlight shone through the clouds, gilding the rugged rocks with a pale gold hue.

He did not conceal his figure, standing openly above the Lion Underworld Sect.

The guards in front of the mountain gate were stunned for a moment, then their expressions changed drastically as sharp alarm whistles pierced the sky.

Figures rushed out from various halls—Dou Wang, Dou Huang, and even two Dou Zong auras rose from the depths of the mountain range.

Shen Wen looked down and raised his hand. He struck down with a palm.

There was no Dou Technique, no secret art, just an ordinary palm strike.

But the moment that palm print fell, the entire sky darkened.

A phantom hand that blotted out the sky descended from above, covering the entire Lion Underworld Sect.

The crowd that had been rushing out froze in place, looking up at the approaching palm, their eyes filled with fear.

Some tried to run but discovered the surrounding air had solidified like iron, unable to move even a finger.

Boom— A deafening roar echoed through the mountain range.

The mountain gate collapsed, the halls shattered, and those meticulously arranged defensive Formation were like paper; they shattered into spots of light the moment the palm print touched them.

The mountain Peak was forcibly shaved off, rubble tumbled down, and dust filled the sky.

After the dust settled, only a flat ruin remained where the Lion Underworld Sect had stood.

Those buildings, those Formation, those people, all vanished. It was as if they had never existed.

Shen Wen withdrew his hand, his expression calm. A Sect supported by the Hall of Souls was nothing more than this.

He had previously needed to be cautious because he did not want to alert the enemy. Now that he had even killed a Dou Sheng from the Hun Clan, a single palm was enough for these small fries.

He turned and stepped into the space crack.

The imperial capital of the Heavenly Serpent Empire had expanded significantly since Shen Wen’s last visit.

The city walls had been pushed out by several miles, the streets were wide and straight, shops lined both sides, and crowds flowed like a loom, presenting a scene of prosperity.

The population and wealth brought by those surrendered Empires had caused this city to expand several times over in just a few short months.

Shen Wen did not alert anyone and landed directly in front of the palace deep within the imperial capital.

Hei Jue was in the hall handling government affairs.

He was wearing a deep black brocade robe, his face cold and stern, and the aura around him was much more composed than before.

A mountain of files was piled on the desk, and he was annotating something with a brush, his brows slightly furrowed.

The moment he sensed the aura, he suddenly looked up, then rose from his seat, walked quickly to meet him, and knelt on one knee.

”Venerable.”

Shen Wen waved his hand and took his seat in the main position, his gaze sweeping over the furnishings in the hall. It was much more impressive than before, yet still simple, without any unnecessary decorations.

”I have dealt with the Lion Underworld Sect.” He spoke, his tone flat.

Hei Jue looked up, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and said in a deep voice, ”This subordinate will arrange for personnel to take over the territory of the Lion Underworld Sect immediately.”

Shen Wen nodded and added, ”In the Northwest, speed up. I do not want to see any more powers capable of contending with the Heavenly Serpent Empire.”

”Yes.” Hei Jue replied, paused, and then continued, ”Venerable, the matter of the State Religion has already been rolled out in all occupied areas. Seventy-two faith anchor points have been built, and there are over ten million believers.”

Shen Wen gave a hum and did not say much else.

These Power Of Faith were refined through the Great Origin Technique, opening up a fifth Origin within his body.

That power was not Qi, not Soul, but something even purer and more fundamental.

It merged into his flesh, bones, and Soul, making his Foundation even more stable than before.

”Continue.” Shen Wen stood up and walked out of the hall, ”If there is information, transmit it directly.”

”Respectfully sending off the Venerable.”

Hei Jue knelt in place, and only after that dark-robed figure completely disappeared into the Void Realm did he slowly stand up.

He stood at the hall entrance, gazing in the direction Shen Wen had left, was silent for a moment, then turned back to arrange the matters of taking over the Lion Underworld Sect’s territory.

Jia Nan Academy.

When Shen Wen stepped out from the space crack, he landed right above the magma lake behind the academy.

Scorching heat waves rushed toward him, and the churning magma dyed the entire sky a dark red. People in the academy could not detect him; with his current cultivation, even if he flew over the heads of those Elders, they would only think it was the wind.

He looked down at the churning magma, his figure moved, and he sank directly into it.

The magma layer was much thicker than in his memory, and the scorching high temperature was enough to burn an ordinary Dou Zong to ashes. But to Shen Wen, it was just walking from one door into another. The power of the space ancestral talisman formed an invisible barrier around him, isolating the lethal Fire Poison and high temperatures, not even scorching his robes in the slightest.

His figure continued to sink, the surrounding firelight grew brighter, and the sound of the churning magma exploded in his ears like muffled thunder.

He did not know how long had passed when the surrounding magma suddenly dispersed, revealing an empty underground space. Shen Wen landed on the hard rocky ground, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

It was still that place.

That corpse was still sitting cross-legged on the stone platform, the bones charred black, maintaining the posture from before its death. But the Soul on the corpse had disappeared, leaving only an empty skeleton sitting there all alone.

Venerable Skyfire.

Shen Wen watched for a moment, then withdrew his gaze.

He had taken the Fallen Heart Flame, and Xiao Yan had not ventured deep here, so naturally, he had not discovered the remains of this ancient Dou Zun. That strand of remnant Soul had held on for so many years, but in the end, it still could not wait for someone to come and save it.

He did not stay long and continued to walk deeper.

The further he went, the more expansive the space became, and the fire-attribute energy in the air grew increasingly dense. Strange patterns began to appear on the surrounding rock walls; they were not naturally formed, but traces left by some kind of Formation. Those patterns were obscure and ancient, faintly emitting fluctuations of Space Power.

Shen Wen’s footsteps paused slightly.

The space here was much more stable than he had anticipated. Small World created by ordinary Dou Sheng would all experience varying degrees of collapse and disorder after the passage of long years. But the spatial structure here remained intact, and there was even a faint trace of it having been forcibly reinforced by some kind of power.

He continued forward.

Then, he saw those two figures. Lizardmen.

Two Half-Saint level Lizardmen, their figures a full ten zhang tall, were covered in dark red scales and held huge stone spears, standing on both sides of the passage like statues. Their eyes were tightly closed, their breathing so weak it was almost undetectable, yet the aura radiating from their bodies was like a dormant volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.

When Shen Wen approached, both pairs of eyes opened simultaneously.

Dark golden vertical pupils, cold and indifferent, carried a kind of violence after being disturbed. They looked down at this intruder, their stone spears slowly raised, the tips pointed at his chest.

Shen Wen looked at them and raised his hand. With a gentle squeeze.

The bodies of the two Half-Saints suddenly stiffened, then as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, their bones emitted creaking sounds. They opened their mouths wanting to roar, but could not make any sound. The dark red scales shattered inch by inch, blood seeped out from the cracks and flowed down their bodies to the ground.

Then, their bodies exploded with a boom.

Blood mist filled the air, and two fist-sized Monster Cores fell to the ground, rolled twice, and stopped at Shen Wen’s feet.

He did not look down.

These two Half-Saints had once left him severely injured and near death; it was only because he had life-saving power before that he recovered.

Now standing here again, they were nothing more than ants he could crush with a raise of his hand.

Shen Wen stepped over the two pools of blood mist and continued forward.

At the end of the passage was an open space.

There was no magma here, no fire, only a silent Void Realm. The surrounding rock walls were covered with dense runes; those runes were layered and connected to each other, forming an extremely complex Formation. At the center of the Formation was a door.

To call it a door, it was actually more like a crack. A space crack.

That crack was about a zhang long, pitch black and deep, as if leading to another world. The Space Power around the crack was dense to the extreme, slowly circulating according to a certain pattern, contracting and expanding like breathing.

Shen Wen stood still, his gaze falling on that crack.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor’s Cave Abode. It was right behind this crack.

He closed his eyes, and his Soul Power spread out like mercury spilling onto the ground, attempting to pass through that crack. But the moment his Soul touched the crack, it was bounced back by a vast and domineering power. That power was not repulsion, but isolation. It was as if this crack was not meant for people to enter at all, or rather, not meant for the living to enter.

Shen Wen opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.

He raised his hand, and that deep cyan jade piece appeared in his palm. Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade.

The moment the jade piece appeared, the surrounding Space Power suddenly became restless. Those runes that had been circulating smoothly began to jump violently, and the silver-gray light around the crack grew brighter and more intense, as if something was awakening.

Shen Wen did not hesitate. Gu Treasure Art.

The silver-gray light surged from his body, intertwined with the power of the space ancestral talisman, and transformed into an invisible tentacle that probed into the crack. The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade vibrated slightly in his palm, the luster flowing on the jade piece becoming brighter and brighter, creating a subtle resonance with a certain power deep within the crack.

That resonance was weak, intermittent, as if calling out from across thousands of mountains and rivers. But it did exist.

Shen Wen’s Soul Power followed that resonance, carefully extending forward.

Passing through the crack, through layers of spatial barriers, through those turbulent currents capable of tearing ordinary Dou Sheng to pieces—

Then, he sensed it.

An aura so vast it was suffocating.

That aura was sleeping, as quiet as a pool of stagnant water. But even in its slumber, that aura still radiated a heart-palpitating pressure, as if an ancient Vicious Beast was lurking at the bottom of an abyss, ready to wake up at any moment.

Peak Dou Sheng. No, more than that. The level of that aura had already exceeded the category of Dou Sheng.

Shen Wen’s Soul Power stopped at the periphery of that aura and did not go any further. He was silent for a moment, then transmitted his voice via Soul, his tone calm and clear:

”Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun, are you there?”