The Great Ruler

When Mu Chen saw a small body of clear water still quietly sitting within the swamp, he let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the treasure was unscathed, or else he would have been depressed to the point of vomiting blood.

When he saw that the Nine Rotation Lotus was unharmed, Mu Chen dared not procrastinate. His actions previously had been too loud, so he must’ve been detected by scouts. He had to quickly leave with the treasure.

At that thought, Mu Chen did not delay and immediately appeared above the pool. Spiritual energy suddenly burst from his palm, locking onto the jade-like lotus at the bottom of the pool and pulling it out directly. A glob of clear water enveloped the mud, and the mud enveloped the crystal clear lotus as it flew out of the swamp. Finally, it rested in front of Mu Chen, floating in the air.

A gust of strange air spread out, and the immense vitality within it instantly alleviated the pain in Mu Chen’s body. The shattered bones regenerated with a tingling feeling.

Mu Chen flicked his finger, clearing the dirt away, and the jade-like lotus became clear again. The Nine Rotation Lotus was the size of a palm, but it looked absolutely exquisite. It was lifelike, especially because the lotus seed in the heart of the lotus was exuding vitality. Many complicated patterns were inscribed on the surface of the lotus. It was a scene of the sky and the earth, changing unpredictably.

“So this is the Nine Rotation Lotus, huh?” Mu Chen was slightly obsessed with this beautiful artifact and could not help sighing in awe. If it were to be auctioned anywhere in the Great Thousand World, countless Grade Nine Sovereigns would give their all to compete for it. With it, one could improve the chances of breaking through the shackles of being a mere Sovereign, truly stepping into the level of Earthly Sovereign.

Once an Earthly Sovereign, it would be an exponential leap and everything would change. If the Sovereigns were top powers in the Great Thousand World, then Earthly Sovereigns would be overlords.

In the North Territory, a Grade Nine Sovereign may be a higher echelon of the top forces, but they would never be a ruler because only Earthly Sovereigns could offer the top forces enough protection. With this position, one would naturally have more resources for cultivation, allowing one to continue further on the path of cultivation.

Mu Chen exclaimed in his heart and carefully stowed the Nine Rotation Lotus. As he left, he waved his sleeves and spiritual energy surged out in a roar, completely exhausting the pool of water beneath.

He did not want anyone who would come there later to discover that the Nine Rotation Lotus was once there. Combining that with the destructive force there, it wasn’t hard for prying eyes to see what had happened. If that occurred, it would definitely cause him trouble. Mu Chen was relieved after destroying the pool of water. As he moved, he became a figure of light and flew away from that land.

Not long after Mu Chen left, the sound of air rending came from the far end of the sky. Several forces emerged simultaneously, carefully approaching the tattered land. They were extremely curious and carefully observed the surroundings. Finally, they all stopped at the destroyed pool. Although the site was wrecked, the remaining vitality was too obvious in this land full of death-gas.

Although they had found the site, because it had been destroyed, they could not determine what had been there previously. They could only shake their heads in disappointment. They could perceive that a treasure had been there, but they could not confirm it. So after staying for a while, the teams had no choice but leave in regret.

At this time, Mu Chen was already far away from the destroyed site. With a flash, he appeared at the top of a hill. There, Nine Nether and the rest waited with their heads raised. They looked joyful when they saw Mu Chen returning unhurt. They were obviously relieved, as without Mu Chen, the path onward would have been bleak.

“You’ve got it?” Nine Nether asked smiling. She could see the happiness in Mu Chen’s eyes. Apparently, he had brought back something.

Mu Chen nodded with a smile. With the Nine Rotation Lotus in his hands, he was filled with gladness.

Nine Nether did not ask anything else when she saw this. She knew that it wasn’t an ordinary artifact, because Mu Chen was willing to risk himself, even using a trump card like the Heart of the Thunder-Devouring Beast just to get it. Since Mu Chen did everything by himself without any help from them, it should belong only to him. Nine Nether, who was close to Mu Chen, was not the only one who had this thought. Even Han Shan and Ink Blade seemed to understand this and did not ask anything about it.

“Let us find a place to rest, then move into the inner region of the Divine Cemetery.” Mu Chen looked at the others. He was feeling unwell, and he had the Nine Rotation Lotus now. He must use its strength to truly have his spiritual energy break through to Grade Seven Sovereign.

Once his spiritual energy reached Grade Seven Sovereign, with his Grade Seven Sovereign body, Mu Chen was confident that nobody below Grade Eight Sovereign could go against him. At that time, even if fighting with Bai Ming, who had a sacred artifact, he would not have any fear.

Any army that could enter the inner region was a top force. Their leaders were valiant, mightier than Golden Sky Prime. And so, Mu Chen must continue to improve his capabilities. Understanding his intentions, Nine Nether and the others nodded.

The party continued on. Mu Chen spied with his Exterminating Eye, evading the overwhelming beast spirit hordes and areas filled with death-gas. The death-gas in these places was as potent as those in the valley. In these dangerous places, according to Mu Chen’s experience, there must be treasures. However, he no longer desired treasures. Without the Heart of the Thunder-Devouring Beast, venturing into these dangerous places would be akin to seeking death. As such, Mu Chen extinguished the flame of desire in his heart. Then, he looked for a place where the death-gas was thinner and tunneled into a mountain there.

Nine Nether and the others spread out around the mountain and stood guard over him. Mu Chen sat down cross-legged in the cave he had tunneled. The Nine Rotation Lotus floated before him. It glowed, and its vitality filled the entire cave, causing some dead grass within the cave to gradually revive.

Mu Chen stared dead straight at the white lotus seed in the heart of the lotus. It was the essence of the Nine Rotation Lotus. Only through refining it could one depend on its mystical powers to break through the shackles to Earthly Sovereign.

However, the vitality contained within this white lotus seed was not something he could bear at that time. Fortunately, he did not need to refine it now. He just had to absorb it into his body. When the time to break through came, he would activate its powers.

Fuhhhhh… Mu Chen inhaled deeply, and the white lotus seed steadily rose. Then he directly sent a stream of spiritual energy into the lotus.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

A spiritual light bloomed from the lotus, and the palm-sized lotus expanded quickly. Within a few breaths, it grew to about five feet tall, and it looked like a lotus seat. Mu Chen slowly dropped himself onto the seat. This lotus seat could not be absorbed and refined, but it had the effect of calming the mind and strengthening spiritual energy. It was a treasure to support one’s cultivation. Mu Chen would naturally keep a treasure as valuable as this.

When all was set, Mu Chen opened his mouth without hesitation, sucking the white lotus seed in and swallowing it whole. At the moment he swallowed it, an overwhelming vitality burst out from within, causing his hair to grow uncontrollably, covering the cave in an instant like a pile of seaweed.

The overwhelming vitality bursting from within left Mu Chen shell shocked. After all, this was merely the power leaking out from the lotus seed. If all of the energy within were to explode, it could very possibly cause Mu Chen to explode, too.

Thankfully, Mu Chen only required the power that was leaking out. After absorbing and refining it, he should be able to use it to complete his breakthrough, elevating his spiritual energy to the level of Grade Seven Sovereign. With his capabilities now, he should be able to control it perfectly.

The cultivation proceeded quietly, and the vitality within the cave continued to flourish.

While Mu Chen was cultivating, Nine Nether and the other three sat cross-legged outside to protect the area. From time to time, they looked at where Mu Chen had secluded himself, and their eyes were full of surprise. They, too, felt the overwhelming vitality that filled the air. Immediately, they were secretly thankful that the death-gas was thin there. Otherwise, they would have attracted countless beast spirits.

After a short glance, Nine Nether looked away. She was not worried about Mu Chen’s breakthrough this time. The latter had attained strength far superior to Grade Six Sovereign a long time ago. With the added experience from the hard battles recently, his next breakthrough was just a matter of time.

When he succeeded in his breakthrough, he would truly have the strength to fight Bai Ming. When that time came, Mu Chen would not even fear a Grade Eight Sovereign. At this thought, Nine Nether was secretly delighted. Without noticing it, the youth that had required her protection everywhere had now truly surpassed her. After the events in the Land of the Divine Beasts, no elder in the clan would dare despise him.

She also knew that this was just the beginning. Mu Chen would definitely become even stronger in the future. He would become a matchless master. Others may not believe it, but she had no doubts that it would happen.

She sighed silently and shut her eyes to conduct her own cultivation. The next day, she suddenly opened her eyes. She saw a sudden burst of overwhelming spiritual energy from inside the cave. A slender figure enveloped in that spiritual energy slowly walked out.