The moment the three of them stepped into the ninth layer of the Profound Heaven Tower, the entire tower erupted in dazzling light under the cover of night.
Countless formations rose from the ground, each one cloaked in layers of azure law runes, with intricate mystical inscriptions materializing in the air.
Radiant magical light shot into the heavens, and a terrifying aura spread out, sealing the Profound Heaven Tower within its grasp.
Ji Tianqing shot up from his dragon throne with a sharp whoosh, his fists clenched tight as draconic fury blazed in his eyes.
Everyone who witnessed the scene was left dumbfounded.
“This… what’s going on?”
“The ninth layer! Someone’s entered the ninth layer!”
“Who? Who is it? Who else was still inside?”
“The Dayan Dynasty Third Prince, Taiyi Holy Land’s Luo Yin, and Taiyi Holy Land’s Su Chen! Two from Taiyi Holy Land!”
“Not necessarily! What if only one of them went up, and the others are still on the eighth layer? Or maybe they’re already dead.”
“Impossible! Are you an idiot? The light from the eighth layer has faded completely. Only the ninth layer is shining like a beacon now! Besides, anyone who dies inside the Profound Heaven Tower gets teleported out. Do you see any bodies?”
“That’s a miracle for the ages, then! Three people reaching the ninth layer! Two from Taiyi Holy Land—they’re the big winners here! If they snag some heaven-defying opportunity on top of that, it could be Taiyi Holy Land’s chance to rise!”
“But why are all these formations activating now that someone’s reached the ninth layer? What the hell is this about?”
“……”
The crowd buzzed with heated discussion, while the people from Taiyi Holy Land wore expressions of delight.
Ling’er, seeing that Luo Yin had truly entered the ninth layer, was so thrilled that all her sleepiness vanished.
Only Ling Qingxue narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing that something was off about the Profound Heaven Tower.
She glanced up at Ji Tianqing and noticed his face had turned incredibly ugly.
Unable to hold back, she murmured to herself, “You wretched disciple, you have to come out alive! I’m counting on you to help me restore my strength!”
……
Inside the Profound Heaven Tower.
Ninth layer.
The instant Luo Yin stepped into the passage, the world spun into darkness, and a wave of dizziness crashed over his mind.
He didn’t know how much time passed.
Luo Yin slowly opened his eyes.
Before him stretched an endless sea of blood, vast black earth, and countless corpses.
The sounds of slaughter echoed endlessly in his ears.
He couldn’t make out the faces of the people around him—their figures were even blurred shadows.
Yet he could see figures dropping beside him one after another, only to rise again before crumbling back into dust.
High in the sky, two radiant silhouettes clashed in a battle that darkened the heavens and shattered the stars.
Luo Yin even felt, in that moment, that this was the true world he belonged to—that the Profound Heaven Tower, Taiyi Holy Land, and even Earth had all been nothing but a dream.
Suddenly!
A shrill sound pierced the air right by his ear.
Sensing the killing intent, Luo Yin instinctively raised his weapon to block in the direction it came from.
But he still couldn’t fully fend it off.
A long spear thrust through his chest, blood gushing out as agony twisted his face.
His vision began to blur.
Then, a faint, ethereal voice rang in his ears, clear as day: “Young man, do you crave power?”
At that ridiculous question, Luo Yin snapped awake. The pain vanished in an instant, and he roared at the voice, “I crave boobs!!”
Boom!!
The scene before him shattered like a mirror, the mountains of corpses and rivers of blood vanishing without a trace.
When Luo Yin could see clearly again, he found himself in a dim space.
A few wall lamps flickered around the edges; otherwise, the place was empty.
Su Chen stood not far away, his eyes glazed over as if lost in some illusion.
The Third Prince’s corpse lay nearby, slowly crumbling to ash under Luo Yin’s gaze.
And the token he had been holding was nowhere to be seen.
Luo Yin’s heart jolted.
This was the ninth layer of the Profound Heaven Tower?
This was what the ninth layer looked like?
What the hell was going on?
What had that illusion been about?
Why was the Third Prince just… gone?
Where was the token?
“Interesting. Truly interesting. I didn’t expect you to break out so quickly.”
A raspy, shrill voice suddenly spoke in Luo Yin’s ear.
“Who’s there!?”
Luo Yin whipped around warily, scanning his surroundings and sweeping out with his divine sense, but he detected nothing else.
The next moment, the voice shifted, now tinged with surprise. “The aura on you… that’s the Blood Nether General’s aura! You’ve come into contact with the Blood Nether General!”
“How fascinating. Truly fascinating.”
As the words faded, a phantom figure materialized before Luo Yin.
It didn’t look human at all. Its features were indistinct, its entire form shrouded in black mist, save for two crimson glints where its eyes should be.
The figure was so illusory and insubstantial that a strong gust might scatter it entirely.
“What are you!?”
Luo Yin eyed it warily.
Was this the Profound Heaven Tower’s boss?
No!
This had to be something sealed or suppressed by the tower!
What the hell was this Blood Nether General it was talking about?
When had he ever made contact with it?
Damn it!
Ten thousand mud horses thundered through Luo Yin’s mind right then.
That Divination Turtle Shell had screwed him over big time!
What kind of opportunity was this shit?
He should’ve never come up here. Screw Taiyi Holy Land—who cared? He could’ve just grabbed the girls and bolted!
But who could’ve known the ninth layer hid a freak like this!
Luo Yin couldn’t gauge its cultivation level from its aura.
But since it was sealed here, its power had to be unimaginable.
In that moment, he realized the Third Prince must have been under this thing’s control.
The figure ignored Luo Yin’s question and stared at him instead. “You suit my tastes perfectly. Such a strong mind to escape the illusion so quickly. And you’ve even touched the Blood Nether General, Lord. You’re ideal as my new vessel!”
It turned its gaze to Su Chen.
“This one… Prison Suppressing Divine Body. Hiss~ I hate that aura. So… die!”
Crimson light lanced from its eyes, condensing into a bloody hand in front of Su Chen. Before Luo Yin could react, the hand punched straight through him.
Bang!
The bloody hand detonated inside Su Chen’s body.
Su Chen burst into a cloud of blood mist.
Shockwaves ripped through Luo Yin’s heart.
How was that possible!?
The Child of Destiny, killed just like that!?
Weren’t they favored by the Heavenly Dao!?
Well, good riddance. Saved him the trouble. Killing Su Chen himself would have been a real headache.
With Su Chen dead, did that mean he was safe now?
Or would a new Child of Destiny pop up?
Luo Yin shoved those thoughts aside.
He glared at the figure with bulging eyes. “You goddamn bastard! I hadn’t even gotten the Prison Suppressing Divine Body cultivation method from him yet!!”
“You’re an interesting one. Not worried about yourself, but pissed about missing out on that cultivation method. Sadly, with an aura I despise so much, you’ll never get it. Lucky for me it was only a minor accomplishment divine body, or there might’ve been trouble.”
The black shadow spoke with keen interest.
Luo Yin fell silent, eyeing the shadow. He knew now wasn’t the time to fight—this inhuman freak was an unknown quantity.
He had to stay calm, pry some information out of it first.
“You want to control me? Or possess me?”
Luo Yin asked gravely.
The shadow shook its head, then nodded. “You could say that. But you won’t vanish. I’ll give you power. Think of it as coexistence.”
Dual personalities?
Luo Yin narrowed his eyes. Coexistence, huh? More like his consciousness getting tortured who-knew-how.
“What exactly are you?”
“I’m no person. Of course, I’m no beast, spirit, or any race you know.”
The shadow sounded wistful, yet proud.
Its crimson eyes fixed on Luo Yin. “Enough questions. I’ve waited a hundred thousand years for this moment! Do you know how I’ve endured that? No more waiting! A year ago, I seized my chance, split off a wisp of resentment, slew that so-called Third Prince, took control of him, and planned all this—sabotaging the formations, grabbing the keys—just for now!”
With that, it lunged forward, dissolving into a cloud of black mist as if to burrow into Luo Yin’s body.
Luo Yin’s face changed. He couldn’t let it take him like this. He circulated his cultivation art in a frenzy, unleashing a barrage of attacks!
