NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1342: South Sea Immortal Palace
"No—" The Fiery Flame King finally let out a cry of unwillingness, and with his voice, his life was ended by Shi Jian.
A Grand Power in the Zifu Realm, a ruler who had reigned over the Fiery Flame Country for nearly a hundred years, an unparalleled presence holding the lives of millions, had met his end at the hands of a youth in the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core Realm. If such news were to spread, it would surely cause an uproar across the Mystic Spirit Continent.
Having slain the Fiery Flame King, Shi Jian was filled with deep emotions and musings. He never imagined he would one day reach this point, standing at such great heights.
And all of this was granted by his Master. Without his Master, he would not have anything he has now.
In less than a short year, his life underwent an earth-shaking transformation. From being a kid in the Sixth Layer of the Mystic Law Realm, he had grown with unmatched brilliance to his current Realm. Even the Fiery Flame King had fallen by his hands. Before meeting his Master, let alone the Fiery Flame King, even an ordinary person in the Golden Core Realm seemed like an insurmountable mountain to him. The existence of the Fiery Flame King was like the sky itself, utterly impossible to transcend.
But now, he had personally slain the Fiery Flame King. This caused Shi Jian's state of mind to swell and rapidly mature.
Defeating a being from the Zifu Realm while in the Golden Core Realm was akin to a legendary feat on the Mystic Spirit Continent, unimaginable by anyone. Shi Jian achieved it, and he refrained from excessive pride because he knew he was still far from meeting his Master's expectations. He was currently only in the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core Realm. The Fiery Flame King was but an ordinary practitioner in the First Layer of the Zifu Realm. If confronted by a more formidable being from the Zifu Realm, he surely wouldn't be able to cope. Hence, he had no grounds for elation now.
What he needed most at present was to quickly elevate his strength to the Zifu Realm. Only by stepping into the Zifu Realm would he have some capital to help his Master alleviate difficulties.
For now, he was still slightly weak.
"The emperor is dead."
"The Fiery Flame King has been slain."
"It's over, it's over, we are finished."
The death of the Fiery Flame King was a heavy blow to the Fiery Flame Country's army, instantly plunging their morale to rock bottom. All were dumbstruck, filled with fear. The dozen or so Golden Core Realm individuals were all stunned, exchanging glances in a state of disarray.
Panic, true panic ensued. The leaderless situation was the most distressing of all.
In contrast, over at Anyang County, excitement and cheers filled the air, the Qi Masters were exuberant, their voices echoing to the heavens.
Shi Jian collected the Fiery Flame King's Qiankun Bag and respectfully returned to Tangyu's side, handing over the Qiankun Bag to Tangyu.
Tangyu said, "This is your prize of battle, keep it yourself. Anything you don't need, hand it over to An Shitong. Anything useful, keep it for yourself."
Shi Jian nodded, then stored the Qiankun Bag away. This was the Qiankun Bag of the Fiery Flame King, surely containing the vast majority of the Fiery Flame Country's wealth. The thought alone was astonishing.
An Shitong let out a hearty laugh, his resonant voice echoing through the skies, "The Fiery Flame King is dead, the Fiery Flame Country is no more. I, An Shitong, will soon establish a nation. Submit to me now, and I promise to make good use of you. If not, join the Fiery Flame King in death."
With the situation settled, these people had long been aimless. An Shitong's voice prompted them all to knee down in succession, expressing their willingness to submit to Anyang County.
The dozen or so in the Golden Core Realm hesitated briefly, but then knelt as well, showing surrender. They had no other options now; with the Fiery Flame King dead and no backing, refusal to surrender would only lead to death. Thus, they had little hesitation, all choosing submission.
This situation was left for An Shitong to handle, while Tangyu and Shi Jian returned first. The victory of this grand battle had thoroughly spread the renown of Anyang County; the Fiery Flame Country's extermination showed the neighboring countries Anyang County's might, deterring them from provoking. The next step was to prepare for nation-building, further transforming and elevating Anyang County to a nation's status, joining the ranks of the pinnacle forces on the Mystic Spirit Continent.
In a mere less than a year's time, they had advanced from a small power to this stage. Many people in Liufeng City were filled with deep emotions, and the major families were grateful for their wise decisions back then.
The An family members felt as if they were dreaming, an incredibly dreamy experience. Such wonderful fantasies, they wouldn't have dared to dream even in their dreams.
Tangyu was quite pleased with this kind of accomplishment. He had been on the Mystic Spirit Continent for a year. Following this trend, the game should conclude in half a year at the earliest, or a year at the most. It was slightly shorter than he had anticipated. Spending a year or two on a game was frustrating for Tangyu, but there was no choice, he had no alternatives.
During this time, he hadn't grown much himself. He was currently stuck at a significant barrier, which was exceedingly difficult to overcome. Fortunately, the Four Directions Contemplation Map gave him a glimmer of hope, which might be his greatest gain from his journey to the Mystic Spirit Continent.
However, he still had no clue about the last piece of the Four Directions Contemplation Map.
He couldn't search for it openly, which indeed gave Tangyu a headache.
"Master, come and have a look at this," Shi Jian suddenly approached with something in his hand, handing it to Tangyu.
It was an item shaped like a token, with the ancient characters "South Sea Immortal Palace" on the front, and a map-like illustration on the back featuring an Immortal Palace. The material of this token was exceptionally special and valuable, extremely sturdy, which even Tangyu found hard to damage. To make a token from such material, clearly, the creator must possess significant power, not something that could be done by someone from the Zifu Realm, but likely by an entity from the Seeking Immortal Realm.
Upon seeing it, Tangyu's interest was piqued, and he carefully studied the token.
"Judging by its appearance, this should be a pass token for an Immortal Palace. With this token, one can find an Immortal Palace left by a predecessor. The illustration on the back seems to be a map leading to its precise location. It seems a predecessor left an Immortal Palace before dying, placed their inheritance inside, waiting for a destined successor to receive the token, head to their Immortal Palace to endure trials and eventually be chosen as the successor," said Tangyu.
Shi Jian nodded, having guessed the same. Such things were not uncommon, and even Tangyu had encountered several in the Cultivation World before.
However, what intrigued Tangyu was the extraordinary nature of the owner who left behind this Immortal Palace, which made Tangyu consider visiting it. There could potentially be something to gain.
Tangyu said, "Shi Jian, haven't you heard any rumors about the South Sea Immortal Palace?"
Shi Jian shook his head, "Master, I haven't heard anything, so I am also puzzled. Maybe we should ask Senior Brother if he has heard anything."
Tangyu nodded and had An Shitong brought over. After examining the token, An Shitong showed a bit of excitement: "Haha, I didn't expect us to be so lucky as to find a South Sea Immortal Palace token. Remarkable that the Fiery Flame King had such a treasure hidden. This token is priceless and enough to make someone at the Zifu Realm risk everything. This thing has always been legendary, and I never thought it actually existed."
"Oh, so it seems there's an interesting legend behind this. Tell me about it," Tangyu said.
An Shitong nodded and began to explain.
The Mystic Spirit Continent has long held a legend from the Ancient Era about an Immortal with immense Divine Powers, known as the South Sea Immortal. He dominated an era, and after his celestial departure, left behind the South Sea Immortal Palace, claiming it as an Immortal Artifact. Moreover, he dispersed nine tokens, and the South Sea Immortal Palace opens once every three thousand years, only accessible to token holders who can enter and seek immense celestial fate.
This legend was just that — a legend for many. An Shitong thought the same until realizing it was indeed true now.
In the legends of the Mystic Spirit Continent, the South Sea Immortal was an exceptional figure across time, unparalleled in fame similar to his. Many legends even regarded the South Sea Immortal as a true Immortal.
Tangyu was quite moved: "I didn't expect such a figure to appear in Ancient Times on the Mystic Spirit Continent. The South Sea Immortal Palace is definitely worth checking out."
An Shitong nodded with a smile, "Indeed, Master, it is worth seeing. Who knows, the South Sea Immortal might truly be an Immortal. But it's said that without Zifu Realm strength, going there is a death sentence. Master, if you go, you'll have a strong chance. Otherwise, sending Junior Brother Shi Jian might be dangerous."
Tangyu smirked, "This time, I'll go check it out myself. The Immortal aspect intrigues me, and it might aid my cultivation."
Tangyu quickly decided to visit the South Sea Immortal Palace himself, leaving An Shitong and Shi Jian to handle matters here. With Shi Jian in charge, Tangyu didn't need to worry too much. Shi Jian's strength was enough to stand alone without fearing ordinary Zifu Realm threats. Moreover, An Shitong should focus on consolidating and reorganizing troops without expanding for the time being, so there shouldn't be too troublesome matters. With Shi Jian present, everything could be trusted.
The nation-building efforts could also be advanced.
Without burdens, Tangyu was naturally at ease and directly left for the South Sea Immortal Palace to explore what wonders the palace held. To see what kind of existence the legendary South Sea Immortal was.