The Great Ruler

Inside the ancient Ancestor Pagoda.

Mu Chen sat in the air in the pagoda. It seemed as if the space within the pagoda was endless. He looked up, his gaze flickering as if he could see the nothingness beyond the twinkling of the ancient light. The whole space was filled with that kind of boundless aura.

“This Ancestor Pagoda is the Budur Ancient Clan’s strongest heritage that has been passed on for hundreds of thousands of years. Before every Great Elder passed on, each of them would enter the area and scatter their spiritual energy, integrating it into the Ancestor Pagoda. Over time, it gave the Ancestor Pagoda infinite strength.”

Beside Mu Chen, Qing Yanjing’s expression was solemn and dignified. “If the Ancestor Pagoda were to unleash its full power, even a Divine Heavenly Sovereign would be killed. When the Extraterritorial Race invaded the Great Thousand World, they also attacked us. With the help of the Ancestor Pagoda, three Heavenly Demon Emperors were suppressed and killed.”

Mu Chen was shocked upon hearing that. Heavenly Demon Emperors were the equivalent of Divine Heavenly Sovereigns, and he did not expect that they had been killed by the Ancestor Pagoda. This showed how frightening its power was.

“To put it simply, this Ancestor Pagoda should be considered a Rare Divine Artifact. In fact, it is one of the top Divine Grade Rare Divine Artifacts.”

Mu Chen nodded, as he had seen the Eight Ancestral Glazed Bowl that the Martial Ancestor had cultivated. It was also a Divine Grade Rare Divine Artifact that could withstand Budur Xuan’s furious blow. It only flew due to the impact but had not incurred any damage at all. Thus, this exemplified how powerful a Divine Grade Rare Divine Artifact was.

Apparently, the Ancestor Pagoda of the Budur Ancient Clan was even stronger than the Eight Ancestral Glazed Bowl. According to Mu Chen’s estimation, perhaps this Ancestor Pagoda should be regarded as one of the strongest Divine Grade Rare Divine Artifacts in the Great Thousand World.

“I will summon the Ancestral Aura later, and you will try your best to accept it. Now, your Holy Pagoda can be regarded as the top of ordinary Rare Divine Artifacts, but in fact, it is not even a Spiritual Grade Rare Divine Artifact. I hope to use this enhancement to improve its quality.” Qing Yanjing smiled.

Hearing this, Mu Chen was moved. He was well aware of the Holy Pagoda’s power. Not only did it have the power of sealing, but it had the ability to transform spiritual energy into a more pure and powerful crystal spiritual energy. This was the most fundamental spiritual technique he used to challenge a God Grade with his strength as a Spiritual Grade. Otherwise, he would have been crushed by a God Grade alone. The benefits were bountiful now that his Holy Pagoda could be strengthened again.

“Alright.” He nodded solemnly and expectantly.

Qing Yanjing conjured up seals, and the space suddenly shook. An ancient rumble seemed to pierce through multiple spaces as it descended toward them. Mu Chen looked up and saw a wisp of ancient aura penetrating through the nothingness as it descended.

When the ancient aura had just appeared, Mu Chen felt the Holy Pagoda vibrate madly in his body, like a starving man seeing delicacies. Without even waiting for Mu Chen to summon it, holy light surged on his forehead. The crystal-clear Holy Pagoda emerged and then quickly expanded, transforming into a massive pagoda tens of thousands of feet in size. The pagoda swayed as it emitted hundreds of millions of beams of holy light, sucking down the ancient wisps of aura and swallowing them into the pagoda.

As the wisps of ancient aura entered, the holy light flickered. Suddenly, it surged and became more profound and pure. At the same time, the original massive Holy Pagoda was as if it had been rid of impurities, and it began to shrink. As it shrank, the holy light that emanated from the pagoda became purer, and an ancient halo of light flowed out of the pagoda.

Mu Chen was aware of the changes in the Holy Pagoda as he gradually closed his eyes. He ventured directly into the deep state of practice, because he felt that when the Holy Pagoda was huffing and puffing with ancient aura, a magnificent spiritual energy flowed back into his body.

Beside him, Qing Yanjing looked at the scene with a smile and then slowly disappeared into the nothingness.

…

Mu Chen’s cultivation lasted for a full month.

When Qing Yanjing appeared again in the space a month later, she looked at the scene before her as surprise and joy flitted across her face. At this time, Mu Chen was still sitting in the nothingness, but the original Holy Pagoda that had been tens of thousands of feet tall was now only palm-sized. It hovered above Mu Chen’s head, continuously absorbing the wisps of ancient aura.

The pagoda had changed not only in size but also in color. Its original crystal-clear color now had more gravity as it exuded a wisp of ancient charm. The Holy Pagoda no longer seemed to be formed from spiritual energy but was condensed to the extreme. It was like a true crystal tower on which a halo of light flowed, emanating a mystical aura. Moreover, there was an extremely strong fluctuation of spiritual energy on the pagoda, as if it were a true Rare Divine Artifact.

According to Qing Yanjing’s estimate, Mu Chen’s Holy Pagoda should have attained the quality of a Spiritual Grade Rare Divine Artifact. However, this was not the ultimate form… For Qing Yanjing could feel that the Holy Pagoda was constantly shaking as it inhaled the wisps of ancient aura, which was a sign that it wanted to grow stronger again. However, its further strengthening was slowed down by the fact that the ancient aura that had befallen it was not too strong.

Qing Yanjing smiled and said, “Since Chen’er has such capabilities, I will do everything I can to help you.” She would naturally ignore the circumstances if it were the ordinary elders, because the Ancestral Aura of the Ancestor Pagoda was so precious that it would not have been obtained if it had not been for a man of great merit.

However, Qing Yanjing was not a stickler who was too strict with the rules. In her view, although the Ancestral Aura was precious, it would be a pity if it remained here without anyone to use it. She might as well make good use of it, so she pointed to a spot, only to see a spark in the nothingness. The original wisps of ancient aura suddenly became a lot more powerful, constantly descending and pouring into the palm-sized crystal pagoda.

Buzz!

As this great amount of Ancestral Aura poured into it, the pagoda suddenly vibrated violently. The tiny pagoda burst out with endless divine light as thick as the earth, as if it could suppress all things. Qing Yanjing could also see ancient inscriptions begin to emerge on the pagoda, cryptic and mysterious.

Boom!

When the ancient inscriptions had covered the pagoda’s surface, the crystal pagoda suddenly shook. The sudden flash of light caused even Qing Yanjing to close her eyes momentarily. The light glimmered for a long time and then finally faded away.

The pagoda was suspended quietly over Mu Chen’s head as the light grew more subtle. The ancient inscriptions emanated an indescribable aura, permeating the space and causing it to shake.

Mu Chen opened his eyes that had been closed for a month, and as he stretched out his palm, the pagoda over his head fell into his palm. He held the crystal pagoda in his hand, and his gaze was burning. He could feel the astonishing power of the crystal pagoda. By his estimate, this pagoda was not much weaker than the Celestial Emperor Sword he had obtained from the Heavenly Emperor.

The power that remained in the Celestial Emperor Sword was one of his ace cards. But now his Holy Pagoda, even though it was not comparable to the Celestial Emperor Sword in its heyday, might still be able to approach it. Most importantly, over the course of the month, the Holy Pagoda had fed him vast powers. When they were incorporated into his body, he found that his own strength had once again advanced, and he was now in the middle stage of Spiritual Grade.

Beside him, Qing Yanjing exclaimed, “It is the Holy Pagoda, indeed! Borrowing from the Ancestral Aura, it can be strengthened to this extent.” At this time, the Holy Pagoda had reached the quality of a God Grade Rare Divine Artifact.

It was very difficult to possess a God Grade Rare Divine Artifact, even if one was a God Grade Heavenly Sovereign. Some Divine Heavenly Sovereigns still had God Grade Rare Divine Artifacts, demonstrating their precious value. This class of Rare Divine Artifacts, even held by a Complete Earthly Sovereign, was capable of dealing with a Spiritual Grade Heavenly Sovereign.

“It’s all thanks to you, mother.” Mu Chen laughed heartily. He knew that if his mother had not controlled the Ancestor Pagoda and provided him with a great deal of precious Ancestral Aura, it would have taken him a long time to enhance the Holy Pagoda to this extent.

Qing Yanjing smiled and said, “It is useless for the Ancestral Aura to remain here. Since you have this ability, there is no harm in giving it to you, but after all, this is owned by the Budur Ancient Clan. Since you have used this opportunity, if the Budur Ancient Clan meets with trouble in the future, you should help.”

Qing Yanjing knew that Mu Chen disliked the Budur Ancient Clan and held a grudge against them, but it was not what she wanted to see, so she wanted to alleviate some of Mu Chen’s grievances.

Hearing this, Mu Chen nodded and said, “As long as you are safe, there is no grudge that cannot be resolved between me and the Budur Ancient Clan,” he said. “My techniques come from your bloodline, and mother, you are from the Budur Ancient Clan. I will certainly help them if they encounter trouble in the future.”

Qing Yanjing nodded with a pleased expression on her face. She patted Mu Chen’s head lovingly and smiled. “Since you have finished your cultivation, let’s get ready to leave.”

Hearing this, elation emerged on Mu Chen’s face. “Yes!”

Looking at the joy that flitted across Mu Chen’s usually calm face, Qing Yanjing was also influenced by his infectious happiness. She smiled as immense longing surfaced in her gaze.