Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Led by the Black Emperor, Jiang Chen arrived at the center of the Celestial Demon Grassland.

Here stood a nine-story, tower-like structure.

The entire structure was pitch-black. Over a hundred meters tall and covering tens of thousands of square meters, it stood upon the land like a divine peak piercing the heavens.

”This is the location of the second test. The Venerable Emperor calls it the Nine-Layered Demon Tower.” The Black Emperor flapped its wings, landed on Jiang Chen’s shoulder, and spoke.

His voice was crisp and clear, like a child’s.

Jiang Chen tilted his head back to look at the towering structure, then glanced sideways at the Black Emperor and asked, ”Little Black, don’t tell me the second test is to fight my way through this Nine-Layered Demon Tower?”

”Correct, but there’s no prize!”

The Black Emperor shot him a glance. Its glossy black eyes twinkled as it said lazily, ”The Nine-Layered Demon Tower has some Demon Spirit Combat Puppets sealed within it. If you can fight your way to the 9th Floor within three days, you’ll pass this test. If you fail... well, my apologies, but you’ll be obliterated!”

The Black Emperor grinned, revealing sharp fangs in a mocking smile. ’You’d better fail and be trapped in the Nine-Layered Demon Tower forever,’ it thought.

Jiang Chen sized it up, then suddenly shot out a hand, grabbed the Black Emperor by its feet, and slammed it to the ground.

BAM—

He leaped up and pinned the Black Emperor underfoot, stomping on it furiously.

”AWOO! AWOO! Jiang Chen, take it easy! My poor old back...” the Black Emperor shrieked, now covered in dust.

Jiang Chen snorted. ”Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Cursing me? Watch out, or I’ll finish you off first. Now, just you behave and wait here until I get out of the Nine-Layered Demon Tower!”

”G-Got it!” The Black Emperor hung its head and squatted on the ground, stammering meekly.

Jiang Chen walked straight into the Nine-Layered Demon Tower.

Inside the 1st Floor.

The moment Jiang Chen stepped inside, nine black figures appeared before him. Each Demon Spirit Combat Puppet’s face was icy and devoid of emotion. A cold voice, like metal striking metal, rang out: ”To pass, you must kill us!”

”Then I won’t hold back!”

Jiang Chen nodded, his sword flashing through the air.

The light from his sword was incandescent, bright, and swift as a weaver’s shuttle.

Flowing Light Technique...

Wielding his longsword, Jiang Chen seemed to merge with it. Body and sword, sword and man, became one. He moved like flowing water, weaving through the nine Demon Spirit Combat Puppets.

Every time he swept past a Demon Spirit Combat Puppet, his blade would glide across its neck.

In the blink of an eye...

The heads of all nine Demon Spirit Combat Puppets hit the floor.

”Test passed!”

A dispassionate voice echoed across the 1st Floor. Drawn by a black light, the heads of the nine Demon Spirit Combat Puppets reattached to their bodies. The nine cold figures now stood flanking the path forward. Jiang Chen glanced at them and cupped his fist. ”I appreciate the bout!”

Then came the second floor, the third, the fourth...

Jiang Chen cleared every floor with ease, all the way up to the seventh.

Until the eighth floor.

”To reach the eighth floor in such a short time at only the True Martial Realm Second Stage... you’re quite impressive.” A burly figure clad in Black Armor and a Black Iron Helmet stood in the center of the eighth floor. An icy gaze pierced through the Battle Helmet, landing on Jiang Chen. ”I am your opponent on the eighth floor. You only need to survive one of my techniques without dying, and you will pass!”

”Please.”

Jiang Chen nodded, his expression turning grave.

This Demon Spirit Combat Puppet in Black Armor radiated a terrifying, heart-pounding aura. It was far more powerful than Zhao Qiankun, likely possessing the strength of a master at the Peak of True Martial Realm Sixth Stage.

’I know nothing about its techniques. I have to be careful.’

”I see you are skilled in the Sword Dao, so I shall use a sword technique as well. Watch out!” the black-armored expert said coolly.

Black energy swirled in its hand, and black True Essence coalesced into the form of a massive sword.

The blade was as wide as a palm and about two meters long, its body engraved with dragons, phoenixes, and mystical runes. As the armored puppet raised the greatsword, a gale erupted from the blade.

Ripples of black True Essence pulsed along its length, coiling around it like a Spiritual Snake.

SWOOSH—

With a single slash, space itself seemed to tremble.

’This is... Wind Sword Intent? Such exquisite Swordsmanship, to completely fuse Wind Sword Intent into a Sword Technique. The two are perfectly combined—it’s far more profound than my own. The power of this one strike is probably enough to slay a master of the True Martial Realm Seventh Stage, isn’t it?’

Jiang Chen’s pupils constricted, a fervent battle lust flashing in his eyes. ’A perfect chance to test my Gale Break...’

VMMM!

A sphere of Sword Qi condensed, stable and un-dissipating.

It reached a diameter of one hundred and fifty feet before Jiang Chen thrust his arm forward, sending it shooting out.

”...”

The technique created no ripples and had no grand presence. Instead, it was utterly restrained, as still as a statue.

As it flew forward, the sphere of Sword Qi continued to shrink.

By the time the two masses of Sword Qi collided, the sphere had already compressed to a diameter of just fifty feet.

The black Sword Aura slammed viciously into the sphere of Sword Qi.

”Hm?”

The armored puppet’s posture shifted slightly as a flicker of astonishment crossed its icy eyes. ’What a highly condensed Sword Technique. This little fellow’s talent for the Sword Dao is truly remarkable. Perhaps he really does have a chance of passing the 9th Floor’s test!’

Almost as soon as the thought crossed its mind...

The sphere of Sword Qi suddenly erupted. Compressed to its absolute limit, it burst apart with a BOOM. The Sword Qi sealed within crisscrossed as it exploded outward, forming a terrifying Sword Qi Storm that enveloped the black Sword Aura, frantically shredding and strangling it.

Still as a statue, swift as a striking viper!

BOOM—

A deafening roar tore through the air as both attacks annihilated each other.

Jiang Chen stumbled back several steps, his vital energy and blood roiling within him, but his eyes shone with a brilliant light. ’I blocked it!’

”Congratulations, you have passed the eighth floor,” the armored puppet said coolly. ”I hope you can make it through the 9th Floor.”

”Thank you!”

Jiang Chen nodded respectfully and stepped onto the 9th Floor.

There were no Demon Spirit Combat Puppets on this floor. Instead, the Black Emperor himself presided here, standing atop a Lotus Platform and grinning at Jiang Chen. ”Not bad at all. It’s only been a day, and you’ve already made it to the 9th Floor.”

”What are you doing here?” Jiang Chen asked, stunned.

The Black Emperor grinned. ”I’m the Test Master of the 9th Floor!”

”Fine.”

Jiang Chen shrugged, looking nonchalant. ”Does that mean I don’t have to fight on the 9th Floor and can just pass? It’s not like you can beat me, anyway!”

”You...”

The Black Emperor was furious, his face flushed with anger, but there was nothing he could do. It was true that he was no match for Jiang Chen now.

But...

The Black Emperor chuckled slyly and said, full of smug satisfaction, ”I can’t beat you, but who told you the test on the 9th Floor was a fight?” He raised a claw and tapped the Lotus Platform beneath his feet. ”This is the test for the 9th Floor!”

”What is it?”

Jiang Chen sized it up. The Lotus Platform seemed to be crafted from a special kind of jade. The carvings were exquisite and lifelike, but he couldn’t discern anything else special about it.

”This is the Water Mirror Lotus Platform. The Celestial Demon Emperor Venerable forged it long ago from an Outer Heaven Blood Spirit Crystal and fused the soul of a Void Spirit Snake within it. You will have six hours to observe the Water Mirror Lotus Platform. After those six hours are up, you must tell me how many Void Spirit Snakes you saw. As long as your answer is within ten of the correct number, you pass!”

The Black Emperor flew off the Water Mirror Lotus Platform and landed on Jiang Chen’s shoulder, grinning. ”Good luck, kiddo. You’ve only got six hours. If you fail, the only path left for you is death, hahaha...”

”Sorry to say, but you’re going to be disappointed.”

Jiang Chen snatched the Black Emperor, tossed it to the ground, and gave it a few good stomps. Ignoring its miserable shrieks, he walked straight toward the Water Mirror Lotus Platform...