The Great Ruler

After Zong Teng had escaped, the exciting fight outside the Body-refining Tower came to a close. The top powers looked warily at Mu Chen before they left.

After the Body-refining Tower had been activated, it would shut down for a long period of time. Thus, no one wanted to linger.

The Land of the Divine Beasts was expansive, with many opportunities far and wide. Hence, it was rare for one remain in just one place.

Although they had left, many of them remembered the human being, Mu Chen. His strong physical body had surpassed the Divine Beasts, which had left a deep impression on them. They all knew that it would not be the last time that they would see him. By then, all of the geniuses in the Land of the Divine Beasts would know of his existence!

They were curious to know what would happen, when Mu Chen met the geniuses of the Supreme Divine Beasts clans. It would definitely be interesting to see them fight.

The test in the Land of the Divine Beasts had just started. Once more powerful geniuses were gathered together, the tests would be at their peak.

“Hohoho, Brother Mu, you are great. Your physical body is so strong, even I am no match for you.”

After the noise died down, Han Shan cupped his fist and smiled. He was much friendlier now, as it was apparent that, after he had seen the fight between Mu Chen and Zong Teng, he now held Mu Chen in a much higher regard.

Mu Chen smiled and cupped his fist, returning the friendly mannerism. He was not harsh or sharp toward him, not like he had been toward Zong Teng or Lu Sui. After all, it would be better to befriend people like Han Shan, who were indeed extraordinary beings.

“Brother Mu, you have offended Zong Teng today,” Han Shan looked at the place where Zong Teng had disappeared, then and said with a smile. “Although Zong Teng is the genius of the Heavenly Roc Clan, you don’t have to be too worried about him. However, according to what I know, the Heavenly Roc Clan and the Giant Bird Clan are very close to each other. And, Zong Teng is related to the Giant Bird Clan…”

“The Giant Bird Clan?” When Mu Chen heard this, he froze. Although he knew very little about the Divine Beasts clans, he knew that the Giant Bird Clan was supreme, their heritage as strong as the Phoenix Clan’s!

Nine Nether and Ink Blade looked grave. The Heavenly Roc Clan had the bloodline of Golden-winged Roc, and all the rocs’ clans branched out from the Giant Bird Clan. The Golden-winged Roc was thus considered to be from the Giant Bird Clan. It was similar to the Nine Netherbird Clan having the bloodline of the Primordial Undying Bird, which was from the Phoenix Clan.

Since Zong Teng was related to the Giant Bird Clan, if he managed to get the geniuses of the Giant Bird Clan to support him, they would surely be tough to deal with, as such geniuses from the Supreme Divine Beasts clan were much more powerful than the ordinary geniuses.

Although Mu Chen knew that this meant that he would have to be more careful, he was still not afraid at all. After all, he had never been a coward!

“We will take note of that. Thanks.” Mu Chen cupped his fist and thanked Han Shan for warning them.

Han Shan smiled in acknowledgement of the gratitude, then said, “Where do you plan to go next?”

Mu Chen heard this, then looked at Nine Nether, who replied, “We would like to try searching for the Primordial Undying Bird.”

She did not hide her intention. After all, if the Undying Bird truly existed, news of it would inevitably leak out sooner or later. The most important thing was to be able to find it. Throughout all of these years, the Nine Netherbird Clan had never stopped searching for it, but to no avail.

Han Shan was not surprised to hear this. After all, he knew that the Nine Netherbird Clan had the bloodline of the Undying Bird. He smiled and asked, “Do you have any leads?”

Nine Nether shook her head.

“In that case, I may be of some help to you,” Han Shan said.

Mu Chen and Nine Nether were shocked. They both looked at Han Shan with disbelief, while Nine Nether asked, “Do you know where to find the Undying Bird?”

If this was the case, why would Han Shan be willing to disclose this information?

“I do not know how accurate this lead is,” Han Shan smiled and said, “but, it is better than searching blindly for it.”

“I would like to hear more details.”

Nine Nether nodded her head seriously, urging him to continue. The Land of the Divine Beasts was too vast, and although Mu Chen possessed the aura of the real phoenix, it was still not easy for him to sense the location of the Undying Bird. As such, it would be great if they could be given some reliable leads.

“Have you heard of the Myriad Beasts Tomb?” Han Shan asked.

When he had said that, Mu Chen had no reaction, but Nine Nether and Ink Blade turned pale. They looked grave and became wary.

“What kind of place is that?” Mu Chen asked curiously.

“As the name suggests, it is a place where many Divine Beasts have died. As such, it has become a large graveyard, where the gas of the dead linger around the area still to this day. As it has now mixed with the evil spirits from the Extraterritorial realm, it is considered to be extremely dangerous. It is an evil ground in the Land of the Divine Beasts,” Nine Nether explained gravely.

“It is rumored that there is more than one Sovereign Divine Beast, who has died in the Myriad Beasts Tomb…” Ink Blade added.

“Do you mean that the Undying Bird is one of them?” Mu Chen looked at Han Shan and said.

“When the Land of the Divine Beasts was activated previously, some of our clan members had entered the Myriad Beasts Tomb. They heard the cries of the phoenix and saw the unperishable flame,” Han Shan said.

Nine Nether was suddenly breathing very fast, her mind racing.

The unperishable flame…only the Undying Bird has the unperishable flame! If what Han Shan has said is true, the Undying Bird must have died in the Myriad Beasts Tomb!

However, it is a dangerous place, and none of the clan members from my Nine Netherbird Clan have ever gone to such places in the Land of the Divine Beasts!

“Brother Han has suddenly told us these things…” Mu Chen’s eyes glittered, as he smiled guardedly at Han Shan. He must have some hidden motive. Otherwise, he would not have given them this information.

“I am looking for partners,” Han Shan said frankly.

“What have you found in the Myriad Beasts Tomb?” Mu Chen probed, still not satisfied. Han Shan would not risk entering the evil ground, if there was not something that he wanted for himself there.

After pondering this for a while, Han Shan nodded and said, “Someone from our clan has found an Ancient Treasure Beast in the Myriad Beast Tomb.”

“An Ancient Treasure Beast?” Nine Nether and Ink Blade cried out in unison, when they heard the name. Even Mu Chen’s eyes widened in shock.

The Ancient Treasure Beast was not only well-known among the Divine Beasts clans, but it was also well-known in the human world! It had been rumored that the Ancient Treasure Beast loved to consume strange metals and worldly treasures.

These items would then be refined within its body and turned into powerful Divine Artifacts via a special method. Some of the most powerful Ancient Treasure Beasts could even refine Quasi-Divine Artifacts and Divine Artifacts, which even the Earthly Sovereigns coveted!

Such Ancient Treasure Beasts were known to be innate craftsmen. Thus, many people would desire to possess the Ancient Treasure Beast, once it died. After all, it was a treasure!

However, it was rare to find Ancient Treasure Beasts. They were already very few in number during the ancient times, and even more so currently in The Great Thousand World. Being such rarities only increased their fame among the lands, so even Mu Chen, who was unfamiliar with the Divine Beasts clans, knew about them.

When Han Shan saw the shocked look on their faces, he nodded and said, “This Ancient Treasure Beast was extremely powerful, when it was alive. It has almost reached the Sovereign Divine Beast realm. If not for the calamity it sadly met, it might have turned into a Sovereign Divine Beast!”

If it had turned into a Sovereign Divine Beast, it could refine powerful Divine Artifacts…

Mu Chen and the rest did not find this a pity, and their eyes brightened up. The Ancient Treasure Beast was near to the realm of the Sovereign Divine Beast! That would mean that there would be Quasi-Divine Artifacts in its body!

“There should be more than one Quasi-Divine Artifact in its body…” Han Shan nodded and said, as if reading their thoughts. He would be content, if he could get his hands on even one Quasi-Divine Artifact.

Hiss.

Mu Chen and the rest gasped. If this news leaked out, the geniuses would definitely head straight for the Myriad Beasts Tomb.

“Why are you willing to share such important information with us?” Ink Blade looked at Han Shan with disbelief. After all, most men would want to keep such a treasure for himself.

“We have to look at our capabilities realistically, when weighing out every opportunity,” Han Shan smiled and said. “Other than the danger that is present in the Myriad Beasts Tomb, there are some other obstructions where the Ancient Treasure Beast died. Also, I am not the only one who knows about this information, as a few top powers from the other clans have been there as well. This leads me to believe that they will also be targeting this very place. Thus, we need people we can trust.”

Han Shan looked at Mu Chen, Nine Nether and the rest, then added with a smile, “I don’t mean to offend you. If Mu Chen had not proven his power earlier, I would not have approached you. So, what is your decision?”

Mu Chen looked at Nine Nether, Ink Blade, and Ink Ring, their eyes all glittering. After reading each other’s eyes, they came to a shared agreement.

Mu Chen then turned to look at Han Shan, smiled, and stretched out his hand.

“I do hope that we can have a good partnership.”