Chương 54: Sword Dao Genius (Part 4)

"Young hero, let's talk this over nicely—meow~" With a thud, the tiger demon prodigy dropped to his knees before Su Chen, hoping the pitiful display might earn him mercy.

'Is this guy a tiger or a cat?' Su Chen found the scene oddly unsettling. The tigers of the Southern Barbarian Lands were truly strange. He raised a hand and pointed toward the center of the lake, at the fruit hanging from the vines.

"Go pick that fruit for me, and I'll spare your life." Su Chen never took unnecessary risks when danger lurked. This convenient little tiger who had delivered himself was perfect for the job. The tiger demon prodigy glanced at the lake and immediately understood the peril hidden within.

"Young hero, may I refuse?" His face twisted in misery.

"Die now, or take your slim chance at survival." The sword hovering above his head pressed down a fraction deeper. Without another thought, the tiger demon prodigy plunged into the lake. The moment his feet touched the water, a massive shadow surged upward from below the surface—a ferocious blood-shadow fish, its power terrifying. Its jaws snapped open to swallow him whole. The tiger demon prodigy let out a panicked cry.

"Meow! Save me, young hero!" In an instant, a streak of sword qi sliced through the air and struck the blood-shadow fish. The creature recoiled in pain, sinking back into the depths amid bubbling heat and rapidly spreading crimson. Relieved, the tiger demon prodigy reached the island and stretched out to pluck the fruit. The instant his hand brushed the green vine, he froze. His eyes glazed over, vacant and lifeless, as though his mind had been seized. Su Chen narrowed his eyes at the sight.

"As expected—there's something wrong with it. It can actually control a person's mind. If I'd rushed in blindly, I would have fallen for it. Under no circumstances can anyone touch those strange vines." Having grasped the danger, Su Chen steadied himself. He approached with extreme caution, carefully harvested the emerald-green fruit, and watched as the vines withered at a visible pace, shriveling into dry husks. The tiger demon prodigy gradually regained his senses.

Terror flooded his face as he dropped to his knees before Su Chen.

"Thank you for saving my life, young hero! This humble Hu Mao has nothing to repay you with—please allow me to serve as your mount!" Su Chen let out a surprised laugh.

"You're pretty quick on the uptake." He had just begun to consider finishing the demon off with a single slash when Hu Mao promptly knelt.

"Very well. I happen to need a spirit beast for travel. I'll spare your life." Su Chen sheathed the Calamity Dust Sword. Hu Mao flashed a fawning grin, then transformed into a several-zhang-long spirit tiger. A pair of wings sprouted from his back, revealing impressive bloodline talent. Su Chen nodded in satisfaction, mounted Hu Mao, and set off toward the next destination. Within the Heavenly Void Tomb, prodigies gathered in dazzling numbers.

Some carved their path alone with a single blade that dominated the world. Others left palm imprints on towering mountains with one strike. Some wielded brushes that inscribed their true names for posterity to revere. Some shone like blazing suns, others glowed with the purity of the moon. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

And Su Chen rode atop a tiger demon, traversing the secret realm with his three-foot azure blade, meeting and surpassing the prodigies of both human and demon races. This year, Su Chen turned twenty, his cultivation having reached the ninth layer of the Spirit Soul realm.

"Shen Chen, I hear the Heavenly Void Palace is about to open. Aren't you going to join the excitement?" A young man holding a long spear called out to him. His name was Yan Chong, ranked forty-eighth on the Southern Barbarian Lands Prodigy Ranking. Su Chen had sought him out earlier. The two had fought a fierce battle and parted with mutual respect. Su Chen showed interest.

"Brother Yan, why don't you tell me more about the Heavenly Void Palace?" Yan Chong smiled and spoke slowly.

"The real treasures are inside the Heavenly Void Palace. According to the elders of my clan, this Heavenly Void Tomb is the place where a Saint once sat in meditation and passed away. The Heavenly Void Palace is where the Saint selects his inheritor. The opportunities scattered outside may be good, but compared to the inheritances and artifacts within the palace, they're nothing more than dog shit on the ground next to pure gold.

The prodigies from the sacred lands are all here for the inheritance in the Heavenly Void Palace." Su Chen's heart stirred. He had known the Heavenly Void Tomb was extraordinary, but he had never imagined it could be this extraordinary. A Saint's place of inheritance! In his previous life, as a disciple of a sacred land, he understood full well the supreme status of beings who had transcended mortality and entered sainthood. It was no exaggeration.

Every individual who achieved sainthood stood as the most radiant figure of their entire era. Su Chen and Yan Chong traveled together, riding atop Hu Mao as they made their way toward the Heavenly Void Palace. Inside the palace gathered a dazzling array of geniuses. Sequence disciples from sacred lands, true inheritors of those same sacred lands, heirs of ancient noble families, and powerful demon prodigies. Even so, Su Chen's arrival drew attention from several quarters.

"A human—such audacity, daring to enslave a genius of my race!" Su Chen recognized the demon prodigy at once. A prodigy of the Blazing Mad Lion Clan, whose strength rivaled the top twenty on the human Prodigy Ranking. Golden fur danced with leaping flames, as though it could incinerate the heavens and earth. The gaze fixed on Su Chen brimmed with murderous coldness.

"So what?" Su Chen met the stare calmly, showing no trace of fear.

"Courting death!" The Blazing Mad Lion prodigy roared in fury and struck without hesitation, intent on crushing this insolent human who dared defy him.

"A mere lion demon dares act so brazenly against my human race. Do you think we have no one left?" The instant the lion moved, the feathered-robed youth seated in the void acted. The might of the Divine Soul Sacred Body revealed itself fully. With a single strike, he slammed the formidable lion demon into the ground, leaving it gravely wounded and on the verge of death. The surrounding demons recoiled in deep wariness. The feathered-robed youth lowered his gaze toward Su Chen.

"Would you be willing to become my follower?" He wished to take Su Chen under his wing. Su Chen shook his head and declined politely.

"Many thanks, sir, but I'm accustomed to walking my own path." Gu Yan showed a flicker of disappointment but said nothing more. It had merely been a passing whim—he had taken a liking to Su Chen and wanted to offer him the chance. After several days of waiting, the Heavenly Void Palace finally opened. Su Chen entered alongside the crowd. Though Su Chen was unfamiliar with the palace's layout, Yan Chong's clan possessed some records of the place.

Traveling together, the two discovered quite a few treasures—even seven or eight stalks of king-grade medicine. Along the way, Su Chen even witnessed a sovereign-grade herb emerge into the world. Unfortunately, that was a battlefield far beyond his reach. Then, on a sudden impulse, Su Chen located a place of inheritance. He and Yan Chong had just prepared to step inside when a voice cut through the air.

"This inheritance belongs to me." They turned to see a young man dressed in black robes, a sword case strapped across his back. He looked somewhat familiar. Su Chen and Yan Chong quickly remembered. This was the disciple of the Sword Demon from Heavenly Sword Sacred Land. Cao Tianming's gaze swept over the pair indifferently.

"Leave, or die." Yan Chong shivered from head to toe. He grabbed Su Chen's arm and tried to pull him away, only to find Su Chen rooted in place. Lowering his voice urgently, he hissed, "Brother Shen, this guy is the Sword Demon's disciple—a complete madman. Even if the two of us joined forces, we might both die under his sword!" Su Chen remained unmoved. His hand settled on the Calamity Dust Sword at his waist. Yan Chong realized what Su Chen intended.

"You're courting death!"