Jiang Chen patiently recounted every detail of what had transpired at the Danxia Mountain pill contest to Exalted Venerable Chongxiao.
After listening, Exalted Venerable Chongxiao sighed. "The formation arrays surrounding Danxia Mountain were my design. In the beginning, they were extraordinarily difficult. But the Sect Master told me — if the outer formations were too difficult from the start, how would anyone ever get the chance to enter the forbidden grounds of the Danxiao Ancient Sect?"
"The outer perimeter of Danxia Mountain, the ancient medicinal garden, and then the sacred altar — they are all parts of the Danxiao Ancient Sect, each linking to the next."
"Of course, the core prerequisite was obtaining that nameless treasure blade. Only that nameless blade is the true key to unlocking the ruins of the Danxiao Ancient Sect."
"Otherwise, even if someone were fated to find the place, the best they could do would be reaching the ancient medicinal garden. They would never be able to enter the ruins of the Danxiao Ancient Sect."
From Jiang Chen's own account, Exalted Venerable Chongxiao learned how Jiang Chen had come to possess the nameless treasure blade.
That nameless blade was something Jiang Chen had seized back in the Eastern Kingdom, when he had raided the residence of the person in charge of the Hidden Dragon Examination. He had confiscated it along with everything else.
At the time, Jiang Chen had simply thought the blade looked impressive and pocketed it on a whim. Who could have imagined that it would lead to so many incredible connections down the road.
One had to admit — the workings of fate were truly wondrous.
As Exalted Venerable Chongxiao listened to Jiang Chen recount these events, he sighed with emotion again and again.
Jiang Chen had also encountered several crises within the forbidden grounds of the Danxiao Ancient Sect, but he had managed to dodge every one through sheer luck.
"Sect Master, those trials were designed to probe the heart. Anyone with impure intentions who entered the Danxiao Ancient Sect would certainly fail those tests and be unable to obtain the inheritances. That you received them is entirely well-deserved."
Exalted Venerable Chongxiao grew quite emotional when speaking of sect affairs.
He pressed Jiang Chen with question after question about the Danxiao Ancient Sect, and Jiang Chen held nothing back, recounting everything he knew in full.
Exalted Venerable Chongxiao sighed. "Now that the Danxiao Ancient Sect can see the light of day once more, this old man has no regrets. Sect Master, I am now the guardian of the Six Palaces of Inheritance, bound by an agreement with the master of the Glazed Jade Pagoda. So, here in the Danxiao Palace, I cannot play favorites or bend the rules. I hope you understand."
Jiang Chen smiled. "I entered the Glazed Jade Pagoda precisely so that I wouldn't have to rely on favoritism. If I passed through underhanded means, the whole challenge would lose its meaning."
"Exactly!" Exalted Venerable Chongxiao was even more impressed when he heard Jiang Chen say that. Here was an upright and honorable man — someone truly worthy of entrusting with the sect.
"However, these three formations — you already broke through them on your way to the Inheritance Tower of the Danxiao Ancient Sect. Although the difficulty here has been raised several times over, I estimate they should pose no problem for you."
Jiang Chen was taken aback. "Don't tell me it's the same three — the Minor Illusion Formation, the Nethergloom Seven Kill Formation, and the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Formation?"
"The Minor Illusion Formation has been upgraded to the Grand Illusion Formation. The Nethergloom Seven Kill Formation is at its highest difficulty level. The Great Dream Spring and Autumn Formation has also been raised considerably in rank. But before you attempt to break through them, the Danxiao Palace contains countless formation principles for you to study and ponder. The time limit is three months."
Jiang Chen thought for a moment, then said, "Exalted Venerable, before I challenge the Danxiao Palace, I'd like to consolidate my cultivation first and attempt a breakthrough to the Emperor Realm."
"Of course, that is perfectly acceptable."
In truth, Jiang Chen could have attempted to break through to the Emperor Realm long ago, but he had been deliberately holding himself back. Now, having obtained that earth-attribute treasure bead from the Bengyun Mountain Range, he had finally gathered all five elemental attribute treasures. Everything was in place.
With all five elemental attributes complete, breaking through to the Emperor Realm was an absolutely perfect choice for Jiang Chen.
He retrieved the bead from his Storage Ring. The dense earth-attribute energy washed over him, and the powerful aura that surged forth made Jiang Chen unable to help but feel intoxicated.
This bead was absolutely extraordinary.
Just think of the terrifying power of the Earth Pulse formation it had sustained. Consider that this single bead had been supporting the entire underground world and powering the outer formations. That alone spoke to its heaven-defying nature.
The moment this bead had been removed, the entire underground world had collapsed. Such was the heaven-defying quality of this bead.
As soon as Jiang Chen brought it out, the Danxiao Palace was instantly enveloped in a powerful surge of earth-attribute elemental energy. The surrounding void was saturated with it.
"Oh? Sect Master, that bead in your hand is quite remarkable, isn't it?" Even someone of Exalted Venerable Chongxiao's caliber — an ancient powerhouse — was visibly moved.
Jiang Chen explained the bead's origins, and Exalted Venerable Chongxiao blurted out, "If what you say is true, this bead should be the Earth Treasury Origin Pearl — the supreme treasure of the ancient Earth Treasury Sect!"
"The Earth Treasury Origin Pearl?" Jiang Chen was mildly surprised. "Was the Earth Treasury Sect also an ancient sect?"
"Not merely an ancient sect — a formidable one. When it came to formation mastery in ancient times, even the Danxiao Ancient Sect might not have matched the Earth Treasury Sect. It wasn't that their heritage ran deeper than ours — it was that they possessed this Earth Treasury Origin Pearl!"
Exalted Venerable Chongxiao sighed softly. "Who would have thought that you, Sect Master, would be so blessed as to obtain the Earth Treasury Sect's supreme treasure. Ha ha ha! Back in the ancient era, the Earth Treasury Sect bullied and oppressed our Danxiao Ancient Sect at every turn, claiming to be the number-one sect in formations. And now… ha ha ha! Their supreme treasure has fallen into the hands of the Danxiao Ancient Sect's master. How fate loves to turn the tables!"
Jiang Chen could feel the immense spiritual power radiating from the Earth Treasury Origin Pearl. As the supreme treasure of a top-tier ancient sect, it truly was extraordinary.
Setting everything else aside, one only had to consider the Earth Pulse formation to understand just how fearsome the energy of the Earth Treasury Origin Pearl was.
The Danxiao Ancient Sect was indeed extraordinarily rich in formation heritage. But the Danxiao Ancient Sect had lacked a supreme treasure — it had never possessed a heaven-defying artifact like the Earth Treasury Origin Pearl.