Martial God Asura

“It’s probably Ouyang Canyang. The likeliest person who can clear the late Martial Exalted level category is him,” an elder with yellow eyebrows said.

“I think Xu Tianjian stands a better chance. After all, Ouyang Canjian isn’t a junior anymore,” another elder with black hair, sharp eyes, and a vicious appearance said.

“So what if he isn’t a junior? We all know about Ouyang Canjian’s talent. There was no junior back in that generation who could compete with him, including our own clansmen. We even sent people to advise him not to suppress his cultivation just to claim the champion seat for the late Martial Exalted level category. With his talent, he could have competed for the strongest title in the Half-God categories,” the elder with yellow eyebrows said.

“But he still chose to suppress his cultivation anyway. Doesn’t that mean that he lacks confidence? I admit that Ouyang Canjian was indeed a formidable figure back in his generation, but the juniors back then cannot be compared to the juniors of the current age. The current generation of juniors is the strongest ever in history. God’s Era even commenced for them.

“Xu Tianjian is the young master of the Cloudheaven Sword Pavilion, and he wields incredible strength. Amongst the juniors of our Totem Dragon Clan who are below Half-God level, Long Feiyang is the only one who might stand a chance against him,” a black-haired elder said.

“It doesn’t matter who clears the trial. What’s more important is that those from the other categories clear the trial too. The weakening of this land’s energy is a rare opportunity for us to breach this mechanism. I hope that our preparations won’t go to vain.

“If even the top prodigies of our Totem Galaxy are unable to breach the mechanism, we’ll have to attract talents from all over the world of cultivation. We would require much more than an honorary token for that,” a short elder on the table said.

The short elder was only 1.3 meters in height, but his snowy beard was over ten meters long, coiling around him like a white python.

The others nodded in agreement to the short elder’s words. They were all aware of the true goal of the trial.

…

Meanwhile, the crowd outside was starting to get frustrated.

They had come here not to attend the Trial of the Strongest but to watch the commotion, but they weren’t seeing anything at all. Heck, they didn’t even know who was still in the tournament. They felt like they had traveled here in vain.

Perhaps, they might have felt less indignant if they knew that even the Totem Dragon Clan was unable to view the happenings in the trial.

However, there was one person who could see what was happening inside the spirit formation gate, and that was the mysterious woman Chu Feng had met in the mountain valley. She had secretly followed him all the way here from the True Dragon Starfield.

There was a mirror floating in front of her, and it reflected a person flitting through a forest. Needless to say, the person shown in the mirror was none other than Chu Feng.

“You’re here, Ling’er,” the mysterious woman suddenly said.

“Teehee, nothing escapes the notice of the young miss.”

The space behind the mysterious woman quaked, and a person appeared out of thin air. It was Ling’er.

She had left the mountain valley to gather some medicinal herbs, only to find the mysterious woman gone when she returned. The mysterious woman had left a letter containing some instructions for her, and it was by following those instructions that she managed to find the mysterious woman here.

“Did you manage to gather the required medicinal herbs?” the mysterious woman asked.

“Yes, I found everything that we needed. Young miss, why are you following him?” Ling’er curiously looked at the man projected in the mirror.

It was her first time seeing the young miss paying so much attention to an outsider, to the point of following him here.

“I’m still hesitating whether we should bring him under our wing,” the mysterious woman said.

“Him? That won’t do. We are strictly forbidden from coming into contact with outsiders. How can you let him join us?” Ling’er exclaimed in astonishment.

The young miss should have known the rules better than she did. That was the restrictions that the young miss’ master had imposed on her.

“He possesses the Heavenly Bloodline,” the mysterious woman said.

“So what if he possesses the Heavenly Bloodline?” Ling’er didn’t think that there was anything amazing about the Heavenly Bloodline.

“Imperial God-tier,” the mysterious woman elaborated.

“Ah?” Ling’er was stunned for a moment before it finally struck her. “Young miss, are you saying that his Heavenly Bloodline has reached Saint King-tier?”

The young miss had once told her about the Saint King-tier Heavenly Bloodline. That was the strongest tier for Heavenly Bloodlines, something that only existed in the legends. There was no one in the present era who possessed it.

She had never heard of Imperial God-tier Heavenly Bloodline before, so she naturally assumed that the young miss had misspoken.

“No, I mean Imperial God-tier,” the mysterious woman emphasized.

“Imperial God-tier? What’s that? Young miss, you have never mentioned that before,” Ling’er said.

“It’s a tier higher than Saint King-tier,” the mysterious woman replied.

“There’s actually such a tier? Young miss, is what you said true? Does he really possess such great talent?” Ling’er found it hard to believe.

“I saw it with my own eyes. I tested his talent with an Immemorial Era’s talent assessment tower, and the tower crumbled as it reflected the result,” the mysterious woman said.

“My gosh! There’s actually such a talented junior in the present era? Imperial God-tier!!!” Ling’er exclaimed in shock. She suddenly remembered something and asked, “Young miss, could he possibly be the person who has triggered God’s Era?”

“That’s what I’m wondering too. Do you finally know why I want to bring him under our wing? It’ll be troublesome if someone of his talent joins those people,” the mysterious woman said.

“We definitely ought to bring him under our wing. Our sect definitely doesn’t have anyone with such astounding talent. Even the young master would pale in comparison to him!” Ling’er exclaimed with glowing eyes as she re-evaluated the man reflected in the mirror.

“I don’t dare to make a move without my master’s permission, so I thought that I should observe his character first,” the mysterious woman said.

“How is his character?” Ling’er asked.

“Based on what I’ve seen thus far, he’s not a bad person. I’m just a little surprised that the Totem Dragon Clan is using these outsiders to open the Saint Dragon Ancient Remnant,” the mysterious woman said.

“Is it really the Saint Dragon Ancient Remnant?” Ling’er asked.

The people of the Totem Galaxy had heard of the Trial of the Strongest, but they didn’t know about the Saint Dragon Ancient Remnant.

From the moment they caught wind of news that the Trial of the Strongest was divided into four categories, the mysterious woman and Ling’er had already suspected that it had something to do with the Saint Dragon Ancient Remnant.

“There’s no mistake about it. It is the Saint Dragon Ancient Remnant,” the mysterious woman said.

“The Totem Dragon Clan sure is bold. What makes them think that they can successfully open the Saint Dragon Ancient Remnant when so many renowned figures in the Ancient Era had failed to do so,” Ling’er mocked.

“The first trial of the Saint Dragon Ancient Remnant requires cultivators at four different stages of cultivation to clear a test. That, by itself, had already stopped all challengers in their tracks. No one knows what awaits in subsequent trials. It is unlikely for them to succeed.

“Still, the rewards are indeed tempting. I’m not surprised that the Totem Dragon Clansmen, as descendants of the Dragon Clan, would be so determined to open it. I reckon that they are crowdsourcing right now because their own clansmen are unable to pull it off by themselves,” the mysterious woman said.

“I wonder if Chu Feng will be able to clear the test,” Ling’er said.

“He probably has already cleared it,” the mysterious woman said.

“He did? That’s fast!” Ling’er exclaimed.

“Yes, it’s indeed fast,” the mysterious woman agreed.

“So, those from the other categories just have to clear their respective tests in order for them to clear the first trial?” Ling’er asked. However, she soon shook her head and said, “But again, I doubt that the others would succeed.”

“Are you curious?” the mysterious woman asked.

“Of course I am,” Ling’er replied.

The mysterious woman took out a net that emanated an incredibly holy aura.

“Young miss, are you really intending to use this Heaven Capturing Truth Net here?” Ling’er widened her eyes in astonishment, knowing how valuable the net was.

This net allowed one to peer into the secrets of an ancient remnant, uncovering truths that would have otherwise eluded one’s notice. It was an invaluable treasure, but it could only be used once.

This was the first time Ling’er had seen the young miss using this treasure.

“I am also curious about how far they are at opening the Saint Dragon Ancient Remnant, as well as where the Totem Dragon Clansmen are hiding. It’ll be good to check it out,” the mysterious woman said.

With a wave of her hands, the net flew into the air and expanded in the sky. However, it remained perfectly concealed, such that no one else other than the mysterious woman was able to sense the net.

…

Chu Feng was swiftly advancing in the forest with his Heaven’s Eye activated. Soon, he saw two people crossing blows in the forest.

One of them was an elder and the other one was a junior.

The junior was brandishing an Exalted Armament spear with incredible finesse.

The elder was wearing a veiled bamboo hat that concealed his appearance, but his revealed palm was as emaciated as a tree branch. He looked almost like a walking corpse.

Both of them had reached peak Martial Exalted level, and they were displaying fighting prowess two cultivation ranks above their current level. It was an intense fight, but the junior was starting to claim the upper hand here.

All of a sudden, the elder emanated a blood-red aura, which brought about another rise in his fighting prowess. That granted him a heaven-defying battle power capable of surmounting three levels of cultivation.

With this abrupt boost of strength, the elder sent the junior flying with a palm strike. The junior crashed onto the ground and spewed fresh blood.

“Zou Ya, I’ll spare you in view of your talents, but I have to clarify that I’m not the one who killed your grandfather. If you continue to bother me over this matter, you shouldn’t blame me for getting nasty,” the elder said before advancing on.

Chu Feng quickly tailed the elder.

It wasn’t normal for someone to be able to raise his fighting prowess by three cultivation ranks at peak Martial Exalted level. The elder must have been either exceptionally talented or had utilized special means.

Cough cough!

After traveling a distance away, the elder suddenly began coughing violently, spitting out black blood with each cough. Not daring to move anymore, he hurriedly took out a pill to recuperate.

“Chu Feng, what happened to him?” Eggy asked.

“There are cultivators who have tempered their body to exert strength far greater than their limits to claim the title of the strongest in this tournament. Such means have the unfortunate effect of diminishing one’s lifespan, and the backlash is far worse than consuming forbidden medicine. In the worst-case scenario, it might even lead to death. This elder has probably resorted to such means too,” Chu Feng said.

“Are you confident of defeating him?” Eggy asked.

“Of course. My Heavenly Lightning Nine Slashes is not just for show!” Chu Feng said.

“Haven’t you been warned against using your Heavenly Lightning Nine Slashes? You must be tired of living!” Eggy said with a tone that was both worried and reproachful.

“I’m just saying for the sake of it. I’d be able to defeat him even if I don’t resort to the Heavenly Lightning Nine Slashes,” Chu Feng said as he took out a crystal.

This was the crystal he had uncovered in the Nameless Sect’s mine. It was densely suffused with Martial Exalted level martial power and martial enlightenment. It was filled with impurities back when Chu Feng first found it, so he constructed a formation to purify it.

With the removal of the impurities, the crystal was now ready to be assimilated.

“Can this be used now?” Eggy asked.

“Yes, it can be used now,” Chu Feng replied.

“Are you confident of making a breakthrough?” Eggy asked.

Chu Feng was unable to use his spirit power, open his World Spirit Space, or borrow Eggy’s power here, which meant that he only had himself to count on. His current martial cultivation was at rank eight Martial Exalted level, and his means allowed him to raise his fighting prowess by three cultivation ranks.

Without using the Heavenly Lightning Nine Slashes, it was unlikely that he would be a match for the elder.

However, if he could further raise his cultivation by a single rank, the elder wouldn’t be a match for him anymore. That would further raise Chu Feng’s chances of claiming the strongest title for the late Martial Exalted level category.

“I wouldn’t have been able to make a breakthrough if I assimilated the crystal back when I first obtained it, but after cultivating hard over the past few days, I’m confident that I’ll be able to make a breakthrough now,” Chu Feng said.