Eternal Heavenly Emperor

"You dare!" He Tong was furious. He had already stopped fighting, why was the other party still pestering him!

Chu Hao did not respond, just let his palms fly, launching one terrifying attack after another.

He Tong's anger was uncontrollable. As a martial master, sparing Chu Hao's life was already giving him a lot of face! While counterattacking, he said, "Boy, do you have a death wish?"

"Rubbish, you want to kill me, but I'm not allowed to kill you?" Chu Hao snorted coldly, increasing the intensity of his attacks.

"This is what you asked for!" He Tong roared, unfolding the folding fan in his hand, and immediately, a black light scattered out like water splashing.

Oh, a Treasure Artifact!

Chu Hao did not dare to be careless. The opponent was a First Tier martial master. After summoning the Treasure Artifact, his combat power would naturally be significantly enhanced. Chu Hao originally could barely hold his own against him, how could he afford to be complacent?

With a 'ding', the Grey Rock Sword at his waist unsheathed, a trail of fire light dancing towards the black light.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh, ding ding ding ding!

The fire light and black light clashed, the Grey Rock Sword and the folding fan constantly collided, sparking bursts of flames.

Fortunately, Chu Hao thought to himself. Although his opponent was a martial master, the Treasure Artifact in his hand was only of the eighth rank, on par with his Grey Rock Sword. However, using an eighth-rank Treasure Artifact actually did not greatly enhance the martial master's combat power and might even reduce it.

This was because the most potent weapon of a martial master was Starlight. Due to material limitations, an eighth-rank Treasure Artifact could hardly withstand the power of Starlight and would be damaged in the process.

Therefore, if one uses Starlight, the Treasure Artifact would break; if one doesn't use Starlight, it's like giving up the most powerful ability of a martial master.

The same went for Chu Hao. He could make the Grey Rock Sword burn, but did not dare use the Blue Flame, as its power was similar to Starlight and could fundamentally damage an eighth-rank Treasure Artifact.

"Splashing Ink Like Mountains!" He Tong softly shouted, the folding fan in his hand unfolding, spreading out a large swath of black light forming a black giant wave, imposing and shocking.

Chu Hao wielded his sword with his right hand, while his left hand continued to expel the Sky Wind Eight Styles. Although using one hand greatly reduced its power, it was better than doing nothing.

"Heh heh, you fell for it!" He Tong sneered, pressing his thumb lightly on the folding fan. Whoosh whoosh whoosh, seven thin needles shot out from the ribs of the fan, aiming at Chu Hao.

Why didn't he go all out to buy a seventh-rank Treasure Artifact?

The reason was simple. This Ink Jade Fan was not just an ordinary eighth-rank Treasure Artifact; it also had mechanisms inside. These thin needles were called Shadowless Heart-Piercing Needles. 'Shadowless' referred to their thinness, making them nearly invisible to the naked eye. 'Heart-Piercing', well, that was terrifying. Once inside the bloodstream, they would be carried to the heart by the blood flow.

At that point, the needle tips would prick the heart, unleashing their power. Even a martial master would be finished.

Why could he become a martial master?

It was because he had obtained this ancient Treasure Artifact by chance, using it to kill a martial master. Unexpectedly, the person had a Rose Ganoderma, which was a top-grade precious medicine. After ingesting it, He Tong sensed the existence of his first Reverse Meridian and successfully broke through, advancing to a martial master.

So, even after becoming a martial master, he couldn't bear to discard this Treasure Artifact. He always kept it with him—useful for showing off, and crucial for critical moments as a powerful weapon.

Unfortunately, because this was an ancient Treasure Artifact, the manufacturing technique had been lost. No one anymore knew how to make the Shadowless Heart-Piercing Needles, nor how to assemble them.

He Tong thought, once the needles were all used up, he would get a new Treasure Artifact.

As the needles shot rapidly, a cold smile appeared on He Tong's face. His opponent was as good as dead.

His earlier words were not to alert Chu Hao, but rather to affect his judgment.

Generally, when one hears someone speak, they subconsciously get distracted and think about what the other person said. He Tong's words were headless and brainless, what did "you fell for it" mean? Fall for what?

If one really pondered this question, before understanding, they would already be caught.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh, seven fine needle rays shot straight at Chu Hao!

Chu Hao, ever vigilant, had never let his guard down. The moment the Shadowless Needles were fired, their cold glint reflected in the firelight warned him. He immediately leaped up.

Boom boom boom, activating the Sky Stepping Technique, he walked in the air, completely evading the Shadowless Needles' attack. Then, with a burst of Star Force, he descended from the air, flicking his sword out with a sharp thrust.

"You take this sword as well!" Chu Hao shouted, executing the Mad Thunder Sword Technique.

Thunderclap Miles!

Boom, the sword's edge swung, forming rumbling thunder sounds. The sword was so fast, it defied one's ability to blink.

Who could track lightning?

"What!" He Tong exclaimed, a wall of flames expanding before him, making it impossible to dodge.

—After launching the strongest attack, one's defense would inevitably drop to the lowest.

His face twisted, knowing defense was futile. He decided to attack instead, hoping to force Chu Hao to withdraw his attack. He roared, "If you intend to kill me, then we perish together!"

He abandoned the folding fan, punching forward with both fists as Starlight reappeared.

Splat!

A moment ago, the two moved as fast as the wind, now instantly motionless. The Grey Rock Sword had pierced deep into He Tong's heart, while He Tong's fists struck Chu Hao's abdomen, blood oozing out instantly.

Chu Hao withdrew his sword, and He Tong's body fell, his face still twisted in disbelief.

He would never have expected to die at the hands of a martial master.

Chu Hao staggered back two steps, looking down at his abdomen. There were two bloody holes, broken open by Starlight. The Jade Wall Technique was utterly useless against it.

On the contrary, his powerful physique played a defensive role.

This should be the result of his physical strength surpassing the limit of a million pounds!

Another crucial reason was his elemental transformation of the body. Although just a tiny amount, it helped him avoid significant damage. Though the two bloody holes seemed terrifying, they were merely flesh wounds. Circulating Star Force stopped the bleeding.

Chu Hao closed his eyes, reflecting on the recent battle.

Do not be deceived by how he killed He Tong in a second; the preceding fight had been extremely dangerous. Without his keen observation and terrifying deduction ability, the Shadowless Heart-Piercing Needles would have hit him earlier.

If not for his physique exceeding the limit and partial elemental transformation, He Tong's final retaliatory strike, though not fatal, would have left him severely injured.

If his physique were a bit stronger, his elemental transformation more extensive, he could have further mitigated the injury.

However, elemental transformation depended on the strength of one's bloodline and cultivation, and he had no way to enhance it for now. As for physique, that required body cultivation techniques for improvement.

When this trial ground adventure was over, he would return to Yunliu Sect's Scripture Pavilion to see if he could find any body cultivation techniques. Since entering the Inner Sect, he hadn't spent a single point. It would be a waste to not use them now.

Chu Hao opened his eyes again, storing He Tong's folding fan into the Mustard Seed Ring and taking He Tong's ring as well. With a surge of Star Force, he explored its contents and couldn't help but smile.

This guy was quite wealthy, the number of Star Stones was substantial. While there weren't many Fourth Grade Star Stones, there were at least tens of thousands of pounds of Fifth Grade ones.

Indeed, the law of the jungle was the quickest path to wealth.

Chu Hao pondered, he would never intentionally harm or kill for wealth. However, if someone was foolish enough to provoke him, he wouldn't endure it quietly.

Surveying his surroundings, he had fought with He Tong for a long time but no one had come from outside. Inside, it was silent.

This wasn't the time to dig a pit and bury He Tong. That guy was just unlucky.

Chu Hao moved to the high tower's edge, searching for an entrance.

Strangely, the tower was solid, without doors or windows, making it unclear how people got inside. The tower body seemed to be made of glass, emitting a faint glow even in the dim environment, no wonder it was visible from far away.

Chu Hao laughed while looking at the tower. The tower shot up into the clouds, truly a "Sky-Pillar" and it could even glow, impressive!

He looked into the distance, spotting the nearest two towers on either side. The farthest one was out of sight, given the great distance across the diagonal.

There must be a special significance in the four towers.

Thinking this, he placed his hand on the tower wall to feel its texture and understand what material it was made of.

Buzz!

As his palm touched the tower, a strange pulling force overwhelmed him. He felt his body sink, and in a moment of darkness then light, he appeared in another place.

It was a large, circular enclosed space resembling a plaza, with a flight of stairs in the center, quickly blocked by a wall.

Beside the stairs was a jade stone tablet, surrounded by a crowd of people.

This was...inside the tower!

No wonder no one came out to watch the fierce fight earlier—how could anyone hear outside in such an enclosed space?