Chapter 704 - 700: Who Is It? Who Exactly Is It?

Chapter 704: Chapter 700: Who Is It? Who Exactly Is It?

BZZZT!

As Hong Yu entered the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness, the Array Spirit appeared with a smile. "You’ve finally come!" As it spoke, a look of astonishment crossed its face. "How is this possible? You’ve already broken through to the Peak of the Primordial Spirit Realm? How long has it even been..."

Hong Yu rubbed his nose and chuckled. "Just lucky, I guess!"

"This is more than just luck!"

The Array Spirit smiled, then said, "You have one more chance to enter the Celestial Ladder. Go on!"

"Alright!"

Hong Yu nodded and stepped into the Celestial Ladder.

It was the same massive, floating Celestial Ladder. As he faced the magnificent structure once more, Hong Yu’s eyes burned with fervor. ’What exactly are the top three Treasures? Heh, this time, I have to reach the top three levels and see what they are!’

With that, Hong Yu stepped onto the Celestial Ladder.

Almost at the same moment he stepped onto the Celestial Ladder, a terrifying spatial fluctuation rippled outside the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness, and two towering figures appeared.

The man in the lead was clad head to toe in golden armor, which radiated a terrifying brilliance.

Like a Golden Armored War God.

He carried the unparalleled, domineering aura of the world’s strongest.

Standing beside him was an old acquaintance of Hong Yu’s: Venerable Xiahuang!

Venerable Xiahuang looked at the man in golden armor beside him. "Imperial Uncle, is this the great opportunity you spoke of?"

"Yes."

The golden-armored expert nodded.

He was none other than the man known as the number one City Lord in the True Dragon Battlefield, the master of Xiakang Divine City—Xiahuang the First!

Xiahuang the First gazed at the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness before them, his eyes gleaming with fervor. "Venerable Xiahuang, you know of the object I have been studying. It is a Treasure I obtained from this very Celestial Ladder. I made a deal with the Array Spirit back then: if I could fully comprehend the Treasure, I would be granted another chance to challenge the Celestial Ladder."

Venerable Xiahuang gasped. "Imperial Uncle, you obtained that Treasure of yours from here?" he asked, his voice filled with shock and disbelief.

Xiahuang the First nodded. "This place contains endless Treasures and opportunities. Back then, my strength was still meager, so I failed to obtain the highest-ranking Treasures. It is said that whoever can reach the very top floor can claim every Treasure on the Celestial Ladder. This time, I intend to seize that number one spot!"

"Haha, Imperial Uncle, your strength is unparalleled throughout the ages. Of course you can accomplish such a grand feat!" Venerable Xiahuang said with a wide grin.

But as he spoke, his eyes flickered shiftily.

Xiahuang the First shot him a glance and said nonchalantly, "I know what you’re thinking. It’s just about some Hong Yu, isn’t it? Relax. The True Dragon Ancient Hall is about to fully manifest. When it does, I will personally take action and kill him."

"I thought my current strength would be enough to kill him, but he actually managed to defeat Yao Yueye back in the Hongmeng Divine City. That, combined with the True Dragon Ancient Hall manifesting, is why I held back," Venerable Xiahuang said, frustrated.

Xiahuang the First said coolly, "It was wise of you not to act. Your younger brother, Xiahuang Shang, was also there that day. It seems he has some secret deal with the Eastern Asura, though even I don’t know the details. You must remember, Hong Yu is a mere clown who can be dealt with whenever we please. You should treat Xiahuang Shang as your true rival. He is the greatest obstacle to your succession!"

"That bastard Xiahuang Shang is not weak, and Father seems to favor him more. The only way to take the throne from him is to make sure he stays here forever!" Venerable Xiahuang’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint within them.

Xiahuang the First nodded, a look of approval in his eyes. He smiled. "Don’t worry. Once I take the number one spot on the Celestial Ladder and claim all its Treasures, I will naturally pick out a few for you."

"Then I thank you, Imperial Uncle!"

Venerable Xiahuang chuckled slyly.

Xiahuang the First nodded and proceeded toward the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness.

However...

BZZZT!

Just as the two were about to step into the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness, they were blocked by an invisible barrier of energy, unable to take a single step further.

Xiahuang the First’s expression shifted. A sense of unease crept into his heart, and he immediately roared, "Array Spirit! Array Spirit, show yourself!"

SWOOSH!

The Array Spirit appeared at the entrance, its expression calm as it gazed at Xiahuang the First.

But Xiahuang the First didn’t dare to underestimate the small dog before him. He cupped his fists respectfully. "Array Spirit, you once promised that if I could fully comprehend that Treasure, you would grant me another chance to challenge the Celestial Ladder. I have now achieved complete comprehension and have come to take that challenge!"

Xiahuang the First’s eyes were filled with confidence and burning fervor.

There was even a hint of crazed obsession in them.

When Xiahuang the First first entered the True Dragon Battlefield, his talent was not much different from Venerable Xiahuang’s.

Then, by a stroke of luck, he stumbled upon this place. With near-superhuman willpower, he tenaciously challenged the Celestial Ladder and finally obtained that mysterious Treasure. It was because of this that he became the strongest warrior in the True Dragon Battlefield and founded Xiakang Divine City.

Indeed, the very reason Xiahuang the First never left the True Dragon Battlefield all those years ago was in preparation for this day.

He stayed to fully comprehend that Treasure so he could challenge the Celestial Ladder again!

Now, decades of waiting and hard work were about to pay off. He was naturally ecstatic and filled with immense anticipation.

However, the Array Spirit gave Xiahuang the First a strange look, then shook its head. "Sorry, someone already went in before you."

"What?"

The smile on Xiahuang the First’s face crumbled. He staggered back several steps, the color draining from his face.

In that instant, he felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

’Decades of obsession and effort, only for someone to beat me to it at the very last moment?’

The feeling was like a groom on his wedding night who had finally overcome all the teasing and games from the guests, gotten rid of everyone, dropped his pants, and was ready for action—only to pull back the covers and find his bride pinned beneath another man.

The feeling was, in a word—FUCKING! HELL!

"Impossible... How could this be? How did this happen?" Xiahuang the First murmured, utterly devastated.

Venerable Xiahuang frowned and reminded him, "Imperial Uncle, calm down. That person probably just stumbled upon this place by chance. He’ll likely only manage a mediocre result, grab some ordinary Treasure, and leave!"

"Yes, yes, that must be it! The Celestial Ladder isn’t something just anyone can conquer..."

Xiahuang the First regained a little of his composure and looked at the dog-like Array Spirit. "Array Spirit, do you know what level that person has reached?"

"Oh... let me see..."

The dog-like Array Spirit squinted. A moment later, a look of shock appeared on its face. "Well, bark my meow... this kid is incredible, isn’t he?"

"Hm?"

Seeing the expression on the Array Spirit’s face, Xiahuang the First felt his heart bleed. It sank in his chest, and his sense of unease grew even stronger.

The dog-like Array Spirit gave a wry smile. "Sorry, but I have to go now."

"What? Why?"

Xiahuang the First’s eyes went wide.

The dog-like Array Spirit said dejectedly, "That kid passed the final level of the Celestial Ladder and obtained all the Treasures. My master’s Array has been activated, so I have to leave this place now!"

"What? He obtained all the Treasures? N-No... impossible! This is impossible!"

Xiahuang the First roared in a panic.

"Why is this happening?"

"The Treasures on the Celestial Ladder should have been mine! They were mine! How could this happen..."

"Who was it? Who the hell was it? Who stole the Treasures that were meant for me?! WHO?! I’ll tear you to a million pieces! I’ll exterminate your entire clan!"

Xiahuang the First roared in a frenzy.

「Meanwhile...」

One hundred thousand kilometers away, in the middle of a mountain range, Hong Yu’s figure suddenly appeared.

He was in a sorry state, covered in mud and panting heavily, but his eyes were filled with excitement. "Hahaha, I hit the jackpot! I really hit the jackpot!"

SPURT!

Hong Yu staggered and fell to the ground, blood spilling from his lips, but his eyes still blazed with excitement and an almost crazed fervor.

After clearing the final level of the Celestial Ladder, he finally knew what the ultimate Treasure was: a Martial Arts Origin Crystal Core left behind by the master of the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness!

This Origin Crystal Core contained the insights into the Martial Dao of the creator of the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness.

The path he walked was the Dao of "Desolation."

He had cultivated the Great Wilderness No Truth Technique; a single palm strike from him could turn a vast prairie into a barren wasteland, devouring all Life Power.

It was remarkably similar to the Luo Rune Seal!

’The Luo Rune Seal has already merged with my body, but I’ve never been able to truly activate it. Now, with this Origin Crystal Core from the master of the Ancient Hall of the Great Wilderness, I just need to refine it. Then I’ll be able to truly master the Luo Rune Seal, and my strength will soar once more.’

’Yao Yueye once said that Xiahuang the First is terrifyingly strong—that even she couldn’t last ten moves against him.’

’Even with all my trump cards, I wasn’t confident I could face Xiahuang the First.’

’But now... now I actually have a chance to defeat him!’

’As long as I completely refine this Origin Crystal Core, I’ll have the power to fight Xiahuang the First on equal footing. Better yet, by mastering the complete Luo Rune Seal, I can use the Martial Skills from the Great Wilderness No Truth Technique to kill him!’

At this thought, the fire in Hong Yu’s eyes burned even hotter. ’But first, the most important thing is to get back to the Hongmeng Divine City, heal my injuries, and distribute the Treasures I got from the Celestial Ladder.’

With that, Hong Yu left.

He moved quickly, returning to the Hongmeng Divine City that very day.

Not long after Hong Yu departed, a crimson figure appeared in the spot where he had been. It seemed to melt into the void, lacking any solid form, as ethereal and indistinct as the air itself.

Its eyes glinted with a brilliant light as it muttered to itself, "So, Hong Yu has already reached this level? It seems the mission Hai Tongtian gave me just got a little more difficult. Heh heh heh, when I get back, I’ll have to demand ten times the commission from him. Otherwise, I’ll be taking a loss on this job!"

"Heh heh heh... Hong Yu, oh, Hong Yu... the True Dragon Ancient Hall will be your grave!"

The figure once again vanished into the void.

「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」

BOOM!

A terrifying pressure instantly swept across the entire True Dragon Battlefield. All the powerful experts left their strongholds, knowing that the True Dragon Ancient Hall had finally, fully manifested.

This trial in the True Dragon Battlefield was finally drawing to a close...