“Father Emperor, steady now, steady.”
Ji Wuba broke into a sweat and hurriedly glanced around. Fortunately, none of the surrounding cultivators had noticed his father emperor’s lapse in composure.
“I’m steady, you… Hah~~”
Ji Tianqing drew in a deep breath, forcing himself not to lose his temper.
But the disappearance of the key to the ninth layer was no small matter.
In truth, there had never been a key to the ninth layer in the secret realm of the eighth. The key had always been kept under the custody of the Dayan Dynasty.
This had been the Daoist Nun’s arrangement.
As a result, no one had ever set foot in the ninth layer.
The so-called key was merely a piece of Profound Heaven Jade Marrow extracted from the Profound Heaven Tower itself. By returning the Profound Heaven Jade Marrow to the tower for absorption, the entrance to the ninth layer would naturally open.
Ji Tianqing looked toward Ji Wuba but did not speak aloud. Instead, he sent a sound transmission.
“The Profound Heaven Jade Marrow is stored in a secret chamber within the Dragon Derivation Pavilion. The Daoist Nun has set up formations there, and she personally carved out the chamber itself. No one can approach it under normal circumstances. Even if someone manages to enter the Dragon Derivation Pavilion, they would never find that secret chamber!
“Moreover, the moment the Profound Heaven Jade Marrow leaves its place, the Dragon Derivation Formation of our Dayan Dynasty in the chamber will activate. Its power is enough to kill a Marquis Realm expert. At the same time, the alarm formation on the other end will trigger, alerting us immediately. Has the alarm been triggered?”
Ji Wuba’s eyes darted away as he replied via sound transmission.
“No… it hasn’t. It was Eunuch Li who discovered it. The alarm formation had been destroyed, and all the guards were dead. I’ve already sent people to investigate.”
Ji Tianqing flew into a rage.
“What audacity! Who the hell is behind this!”
Ji Wuba shrank back. Though he was the crown prince, in front of Ji Tianqing, he was no more than a frightened chick.
He was utterly terrified of his father emperor’s anger.
Tread carefully, he said, “Father Emperor, you said no one could approach the Dragon Derivation Pavilion, and even if they did, they couldn’t find the secret chamber. But I recall… our Ji family bloodline can sense the location of that chamber, can’t it?”
Ji Tianqing paused for a moment.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Indeed.
The Ji family bloodline could sense the secret chamber’s location.
But only those with sufficiently pure bloodlines could do so.
He raised his head and gazed at the Profound Heaven Tower, lost in thought. After a moment, he murmured gravely, “For now, take some men and search for clues. Zhen will go report this to the Daoist Nun.”
Ji Wuba understood the gravity of the situation and assented at once before hurriedly withdrawing.
Once Ji Wuba had left, Ji Tianqing vanished from his seat, preparing to use the teleportation formation linking the Dayan Dynasty and the Heavenly Dao Academy to relay the news.
…
Inside the Profound Heaven Tower.
The pressure from a Sealing King Realm expert was indeed far stronger than that of a Marquis Realm one. Luo Yin found it somewhat taxing to walk, though it was hardly insurmountable.
The Third Prince, for his part, had strolled up casually at first.
But once the others arrived, he began feigning strain.
Luo Yin had no idea what he was playing at.
Why did he drop all pretense in front of Luo Yin alone, only to put on an act for everyone else?
After pondering for a moment, Luo Yin decided to divine the Third Prince’s life.
He had not done so earlier because no signs of opportunity had appeared around the Third Prince.
Not even the opportunities gained upon entering the Profound Heaven Tower had manifested.
Yet the Third Prince’s string of bizarre behaviors had piqued Luo Yin’s interest.
The divination began.
【Ding! The target is a non-living entity. Life divination impossible.】
Luo Yin: ???
What was this?
A non-living entity?!!?
Luo Yin’s heart jolted with shock as he turned a startled gaze toward the Third Prince.
The Third Prince noticed Luo Yin’s look and turned to meet it with a faint smile.
That smile sent chills down Luo Yin’s spine.
He quickly averted his eyes, his brows knitting tightly.
The Third Prince was a non-living entity—yet he clearly existed!
Everyone knew him!
He couldn’t have appeared out of thin air, could he?
There was only one possibility.
The Third Prince was already dead!
What stood there now was likely just a puppet!
What was its goal?
With that realization, Luo Yin immediately sharpened his focus to the utmost.
As Luo Yin’s mind raced with suspicions, Su Chen’s voice sounded from behind him.
“Senior Brother Luo, I never imagined you possessed such a profound technique to dispel this pressure.”
Su Chen strode forward boldly, his Prison Suppressing Divine Body at work, quickly catching up to Luo Yin.
Luo Yin collected himself, his expression returning to normal as he glanced back with a smile. “I never imagined your physique was so extraordinary either—strong enough to shoulder a mountain, yet also capable of resisting this pressure. I’m quite intrigued. Care to teach me afterward?”
Su Chen laughed heartily. “If Senior Brother is interested, I’ll make sure to give you a chance to cultivate it someday.”
At that moment, the Third Prince watched Su Chen with keen interest, as if sensing the uniqueness of his physique.
But he failed to recognize it as one of the Nine Great Divine Bodies.
Luo Yin smiled without responding.
He didn’t for a second believe Su Chen would so generously share the cultivation method for a divine body.
Far fewer people had reached the fifth layer. After all, not just anyone could withstand a Marquis Realm expert’s pressure to make it this far.
Those present were without exception the top talents of the various sects and powers.
Luo Yin glanced back to see Liu Qingchan trailing behind. Just then, she looked up and met his eyes.
They exchanged a glance, and Liu Qingchan flashed him a sweet smile.
Luo Yin nodded to her before turning to the Third Prince. After giving him a once-over, he probed casually, “This layer has Sealing King Realm pressure. Don’t tell me the next one is Void God Realm?”
The Third Prince smiled. “Exactly as you suspect.”
Luo Yin rolled his eyes, at a loss for words.
He had hoped for a proper brawl inside the Profound Heaven Tower, but instead, it was all about trudging forward under immense pressure…
“Hahaha! Looks like you’re a battle fiend too. Don’t worry—on the seventh, eighth, and even ninth layers, you’ll get your chance for a proper fight.”
The Third Prince regarded Luo Yin with a smile plastered on his face. Whatever had him so amused remained a mystery.
Luo Yin frowned warily. “The ninth layer? You know what’s up there?”
The Third Prince shook his head. “Of course not. Just a guess.”
Luo Yin eyed him suspiciously but saw nothing amiss in his demeanor, so he looked away.
Deep down, though, he suspected the guy knew something.
Since he wasn’t talking, Luo Yin wouldn’t press. He put it out of mind, focusing on the trial while keeping a cautious eye out.
As the end of the layer came into view, Luo Yin broke into a sprint.
The others watched helplessly as Luo Yin and the rest pulled ahead, managing only wry smiles.
What kind of freaks were these?
They could move so swiftly under Sealing King Realm pressure!
Some had only just entered the fifth layer and promptly collapsed onto their rears, gasping for breath.
Others made it halfway before giving out and sitting down to meditate on their insights.
Meanwhile, Luo Yin had already reached the next layer.
…
Outside the Profound Heaven Tower.
Ji Tianqing used the teleportation formation between the Dayan Dynasty and the Heavenly Dao Academy to dispatch a strand of his divine soul, sending it to the academy to report the theft of the Profound Heaven Jade Marrow to the Daoist Nun.
