’The Nine-layered Heaven Palace’ was extremely spacious, and the staircase was also very broad, absolutely enough for five or six people to walk side by side. However, among the nine surviving people, only Lan Feng was at the foremost, followed by Qin Yu, and the seven others, including Man Qian, trailed behind Qin Yu.

"Man Qian, this Lan Feng is too strong. Even Fang Tian, who took the True Dragon Spirit, was so easily defeated by him. Do you have any hope of dealing with him?" Du Zhongjun transmitted his voice in secret through the Communication Order.

A wry smile appeared at the corner of Man Qian’s mouth as he transmitted back, "Brother Du, you really overestimate me. If we’re talking about the most powerful ’Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures,’ this True Dragon Spirit is definitely in the very top category. Moreover, when a Five-clawed Golden Dragon consumes the True Dragon Spirit, the effect is the best. Even if I were to use all my treasures, along with a Low Grade Divine Artifact, my strength would at most be slightly stronger than Fang Tian, who took the True Dragon Spirit. I will still be bound to lose in front of Lan Feng."

Du Zhongjun fell silent.

Not only were Du Zhongjun and Man Qian feeling helpless, but others like Hua Yan, Fang Tian, Ao Feng, Zong Jue, and the rest were also close to despair. After all, the strength Lan Feng had just demonstrated was too powerful, so much so that even with their last trump cards, they couldn’t contend with him.

Everyone had initially held out some hope for the treasures within the Ni Yang Realm, but Lan Feng’s formidable strength shattered their greed like a hammer. The gap was just too vast.

"The expressions on these experts’ faces are really quite amusing," Qin Yu casually glanced back and couldn’t help but laugh to himself, "There should be plenty of treasures in the Ni Yang Realm, and I only need so few; I’ll leave those more abundant ones for them."

Stepping onto the second floor of the Nine-layered Heaven.

In the center of the Nine-layered Heaven was a magnificent hall, with three passages leading out of it, each having quite a few rooms. The most eye-catching feature in the hall was the large green stele that stood about five meters long and three meters high in the center of the hall.

All attention was focused on the large green stele.

"Congratulations to everyone for reaching the second layer of the Nine-layered Heaven—’Self Bright Sky.’ In the trial of this second layer, it will be determined who among you will ultimately obtain the ’Mysterious God Scroll.’" Upon reading this first line, everyone’s breathing became heavy.

However, Qin Yu was puzzled, "What is the Mysterious God Scroll?"

Man Qian, Ao Feng, Hua Yan, Du Zhongjun, and others became excited; their very purpose of descending to the Mortal World this time was for this ’Mysterious God Scroll,’ said to be the absolute top treasure in all the Immortal, Demon, and Beast realms.

"If my predictions are correct, there should be envoys from the Demon World, the Dragon Clan, and the Demon World here. It’s just I wonder if the Immortal Realm Envoy is still alive. Presumably, you descended for this Mysterious God Scroll. However, there is only one copy of the scroll, so if you want to seize the Mysterious God Scroll, it will depend on each of your strengths,"

The stele was huge, and there were many words; everyone read attentively.

"The treasures of my Ni Yang Realm are countless, with the majority hidden throughout the realm. The essence of them is stored within the Nine-layered Heaven, specifically in the Ninth Layer Heaven, Eighth Layer Heaven, and Seventh Layer Heaven."

Everyone’s eyes shone brightly.

The mere thought of how terrifyingly numerous the treasures of Immortal Emperor Ni Yang had been over the years made it clear that the Nine-layered Heaven Palace could not accommodate them all if they were all placed inside. Hence, only the essence was placed in the Seventh to Ninth Layer Heavens.

"From the Seventh to the Ninth Layer Heaven, each layer contains a Divine Artifact, and in addition, the Ninth Layer Heaven holds the Mysterious God Scroll, making the most precious treasure still reside in the Ninth Layer Heaven."

That was all the text on the front of the stele.

Man Qian’s voice rang out, "Truly worthy of being called the Immortal Emperor with the most Divine Artifacts, having one on each layer? Good heavens, along with the Ten Thousand Beasts List, that’s at least four Divine Artifacts."

"With the Mysterious God Scroll in his possession, it is not surprising that Immortal Emperor Ni Yang had so many Divine Artifacts," Hua Yan said indifferently.

At this moment, having read these words and heard the others’ discussions, Qin Yu had come to understand quite a few things.

"Immortal Emperor Ni Yang, known to possess the most divine artifacts among the immortals," Qin Yu noted in his heart, "That Mysterious God Scroll, to covet it even the powerhouses of the Immortal, Demon, and Beast realms, one can imagine how precious it must be."

At this time, Man Qian and the others did not move; they had already guessed that there would be inscriptions on this side of the stele as well. However, since Lan Feng did not move his feet, Man Qian, Ao Feng, and the rest dared not step forward rashly.

"Brother Lan Feng, there are also inscriptions left by Immortal Emperor Ni Yang on the back," Ao Feng reminded out loud.

It was then that Qin Yu came to his senses.

"So these people are waiting for me," Qin Yu silently chuckled. Meanwhile, Lan Feng also spoke, "Yes, I am aware of that. But it seems to me that you all are quite afraid of me?"

Lan Feng said, looking at everyone around him.

The smiles on everyone’s faces immediately froze.

Lan Feng smiled, "Don’t worry, didn’t you see these inscriptions just now? Immortal Emperor Ni Yang said that from the seventh to the ninth layer, there are divine artifacts. I won’t take more than what suits me. I will take what is right for me, and I have no intention of seizing anything else. In the end, it will depend on your own luck to see who can obtain something."

Surprise and delight immediately spread across the faces of Ao Feng, Du Zhongjun, and the others.

Even if they could not obtain the Mysterious God Scroll, acquiring a divine artifact was still something to be wildly excited about.

Seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces, Qin Yu sneered inwardly: "Laugh now, laugh! If Man Qian and the others get a divine artifact, that’s one thing. But as for Ao Feng, Du Zhongjun, Hua Yan... you lot are dreaming!"

Qin Yu vividly remembered the communication from these people when he was on Qingyun Road.

With the additional news he had learned, it was easy for Qin Yu to surmise that people like Du Zhongjun wanted to enter the Nine-layered Heaven as soon as possible, akin to sending themselves to their deaths. The commanding tone in that communication, the disregard for Qin Yu’s life—all of it made Qin Yu repulsed by these individuals.

However...

Now, Qin Yu couldn’t be bothered to deal with them.

"Everyone, let’s take a look at the back," Lan Feng said indifferently and then stepped towards the back of the stele. As Lan Feng’s voice faded, Ao Feng and the others quickly walked to the back of the stele and began to observe carefully.

"Below is Ni Yang Realm’s final test for you, and it is the only way for you to leave alive!"

Qin Yu’s eyes lit up.

He knew how to enter the Ni Yang Realm, but how to leave it? He had no idea, but now it was mentioned on the stele.

"To leave alive or to obtain treasures from the seventh to the ninth layers, one must step into the third layer of the Nine-layered Heaven. Once you set foot on the third layer, you will be faced with a choice, to confront the ’Sky-breaking Sword Energy’ of varying strengths head-on."

"Inside the third layer of the Nine-layered Heaven, are seventeen rooms. Inside the first room is the maximum strength Sky-breaking Sword Energy that I, at the power level of a First Level Golden Immortal, could unleash. The second room contains the Sword Energy I’d unleash at the full power of a Second Level Golden Immortal... and so on. The ninth room contains the Sword Energy I’d release at the strength of a Ninth-level Golden Immortal. The tenth room features the maximum power Sword Energy of a First Level Profound Immortal... The seventeenth room, that of an Eighth Level Profound Immortal’s full strength Sword Energy."

"Each room contains three waves of Sword Energy, and every individual must choose a room to enter. Once inside, you must confront one wave of Sword Energy head-on. Should one rely on movement technique to evade, they would be instantly killed by the room’s restriction. Failure to withstand the Sword Qi means death, only by succeeding can you live to exit!"

All present felt a tremor in their hearts.

One must face the attack head-on; only those who successfully withstand it can survive.

"If one does not choose to enter a room, the ultimate outcome is still death!" This statement obliterated the last shred of hope in Hua Yan and the others.

"The final stage determines how many levels the challengers can overcome in withstanding the Sword Qi. For instance... a Ninth-level Heavenly Immortal who chooses to enter the second room—facing the Sky-breaking Sword Energy at the strength of a Second-level Golden Immortal. If he withstands it successfully, then he is deemed to have overcome two levels. The one who surpasses the most levels in the end will rank first and be directly transported to the Ninth Layer of the Nine-layered Heaven. Depending on the number of levels exceeded, the top three will respectively enter the Ninth, Eighth, and Seventh Layers."

Seeing this detailed section of text, the eyes of everyone in the arena lit up.

The more levels surpassed, the higher the probability of obtaining the Mysterious God Scroll!

At this moment, Du Zhongjun became excited, "Haha, so it’s about surpassing levels. I possess the Blood Spirit Grass, which can almost withstand a blow from a Sixth-level Golden Immortal’s Sword Qi—that’s surpassing five levels right there. Lan Feng’s strength is formidable, but how many levels can he overcome? Five? How could he possibly withstand the Sword Qi of a Fifth Level Profound Immortal?"

It wasn’t just Du Zhongjun—Man Qian and the others were also extremely excited.

This so-called ’surpassing a number of levels’ was greatly advantageous for them.

Regrettably, they were unaware that Sword Immortal Lan Feng was just a Sword Immortal Puppet.

"I’m only at the Great Success Stage; if I withstand a blow from a Ninth-level Golden Immortal, wouldn’t that mean overcoming eighteen levels? Victory is certain." Qin Yu was full of confidence.

But Qin Yu was also puzzled by Immortal Emperor Ni Yang’s arrangement.

The rule focused on the number of levels surpassed, not the challenger’s strength.

"Could it be... is this meant to test the challenger’s potential?" Qin Yu grew suspicious, realizing that overcoming higher levels of Sword Qi meant the challenger could exert strength beyond their own rank.

"Oh no, what if Lan Feng realizes this rule is unfavorable to him? Would he resort to killing us?" Du Zhongjun was the first to come to this realization.

No matter how many levels they could surpass, if Lan Feng killed them in an instant, wouldn’t all the treasures still fall into his hands anyway?

A gust of wind was heard.

Du Zhongjun was the first to rush towards the Third Layer, and, catching on, Hua Yan and the rest followed suit, speeding towards the Third Layer. In just the blink of an eye, only Qin Yu and the Sword Immortal Puppet remained in the hall of the Second Layer.

"In such a rush, afraid that I’ll kill them? If I wanted to kill them, I would’ve done it long ago." Qin Yu said with an indifferent smile.

Challenging the levels?

Being able to surpass eighteen levels, who could outdo me? The treasures within the Ninth Layer of the Nine-layered Heaven were already destined to be mine.

"Let’s see what exactly this Ten Thousand Beasts List is," Qin Yu didn’t hurry to enter the Third Layer, instead, he took out the Ten Thousand Beasts List and carefully began Blood Recognition.

As a droplet of fresh blood fell upon the surface of the Golden Scroll and was absorbed, the whole Golden Scroll began to light up.

...

"Fortunate youth, I congratulate you on obtaining the Ten Thousand Beasts List." The familiar voice echoed in Qin Yu’s mind, and a solitary figure also appeared within Qin Yu’s consciousness—Qin Yu’s first reaction was that this person was Immortal Emperor Ni Yang.

After merging the two rings into Yanxuan’s Ring following the acquisition of Bai Xuanjun’s Ring, this figure also appeared in Qin Yu’s mind.

"The Ten Thousand Beasts List is an exceptionally precious Divine Artifact. Young one, let me introduce you: there are three layers within the Ten Thousand Beasts List. The first layer is inhabited by Spiritual Beasts of the Heavenly Demon Level. The second layer is home to Demon King Level Spiritual Beasts. Within the third layer are Demon Emperor Level Demon Beasts."

Qin Yu’s heart trembled: "Good heavens, it’s similar to having countless Spiritual Beast Rings. The third layer even contains Demon Emperor Level Demon Beasts?"

"Once one attains the power of a First Level Heavenly Immortal, the first layer world can be opened, gaining control over all the Spiritual Beasts in it. Achieving the power of a First Level Golden Immortal allows one to unlock the second layer world, controlling all the Demon Beasts within it. Upon reaching First Level Profound Immortal strength, the third layer world can be opened, and control over all the Demon Beasts within it is granted."

"Young one, for those of you with relatively weak powers, the Ten Thousand Beasts List is indeed an exceedingly valuable treasure. Make good use of it, with it... you should be able to enter an even more formidable room in the next challenge and surpass even more levels," said Immortal Emperor Ni Yang with a tone full of benevolence.

Qin Yu could only feel his heart trembling.

At the same time, Qin Yu began to channel the Star Power within his body into the Ten Thousand Beasts List, to see if he could unlock the first layer world.

Though simply at the Great Success Stage, Qin Yu’s cultivation through Star Transformation had certainly reached the level of a First Level Heavenly Immortal. According to the introduction, it just looked at how much power was reached.

Sure enough...

The Ten Thousand Beasts List within vibrated, and Qin Yu’s entire spirit entered the first layer world of the Ten Thousand Beasts List.

A green expanse, vast land, and a rich concentration of Spiritual Energy.

But in just an instant, Qin Yu sensed a vast number of Spiritual Beasts in the entire first layer world. He had a feeling in his soul that he was in complete control of these Spiritual Beasts’ lives.

This Ten Thousand Beasts List was hardly different from a Spiritual Beast Ring in function, as both made Demon Beasts become Spiritual Beasts, acknowledging him as their master. The only difference was that the Ten Thousand Beasts List had no limit in numbers and could contain a vast amount of Spiritual Beasts.

"Who is the leader of the Spiritual Beasts in the first layer world of the Ten Thousand Beasts List?" Qin Yu issued a command in his mind, and all the Spiritual Beasts within the first layer world of the Ten Thousand Beasts List heard Qin Yu’s command.

...

Within the fourth layer of the Nine-layered Heaven.

A dark and skinny man was seen sitting cross-legged. The man seemed mature, yet his stature was like that of a youth. However, the dark, skinny man’s entire body and muscles emitted a strange glow.

The seated man’s eyes suddenly opened.

Where his gaze passed, the void shattered!

"The challengers have finally arrived. Ni Yang, I am also about to leave this Mortal World. Alas... why did I fall for your trick back then, trapped for a day, trapped for a lifetime," the complexion of the skinny man’s eyes flickered with helplessness.

(Today I am somewhat tired from writing, probably because setting up the vast scenario in the Demon, Immortal, and Demon World is too troublesome. Now, as I write about the various treasures in the Ni Yang Realm, many are foreshadowings, can you guess who the guardian of Qingyun Road and this skinny man are? Hehe...)

(To be continued, for more information please visit WWW.CMFU.COM, more Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)