Ling Tian Sword God

The wildly fierce sword qi tornado unfurled like a catastrophic storm. Despite the two figures' desperate defense, they were still successively struck by over a dozen instances of sword qi.

SPLAT! With a sickening crack, the enemy figure behind had half its head shorn off, vanishing into thin air. The Long Sword of the figure in front shattered, and a deep gash was carved into its chest. However, it wasn't completely destroyed, merely severely injured.

He actually survived. Ling Chen's expression turned grim. Even the eighth move of his Dragon Seeking Sword Technique hadn't been enough to kill the opponent. He was nearly out of strength and worried he might be defeated by a counterattack.

However, just then, the enemy figure before him suddenly dispersed, vanishing without a trace.

Ling Chen breathed a sigh of relief. It seems that last sword strike hit the figure's vital point; otherwise, I would have been in grave danger.

BOOM! The enclosed space trembled. The white fog in the room dissipated at a rate visible to the naked eye, revealing a wide-open stone door before him. Beyond the stone door seemed to lie an open, brightly lit expanse.

Have I finally passed? Ling Chen's eyes lit up. He focused his mind and stepped through the stone door.

「Meanwhile, on the square outside.」

Two more figures were ejected: Young Master of Myriad Dao and Mei Ji of the Demon Way.

"Young Master of Myriad Dao has been eliminated too!"

The members of the Righteous Path were all shocked. Young Master of Myriad Dao was second on the Heavenly List, the leader of the Righteous Path Disciples, and currently the strongest among them. Yet, unexpectedly, even he couldn't pass the trial.

"Mei Ji, you failed too?" Yao Fang looked at Mei Ji with some surprise. He knew her strength very well. The fact that even Mei Ji couldn't pass the trial proved its extreme difficulty.

"It can't be helped. Those who can pass the fifth trial are undoubtedly freaks of nature," Mei Ji shook her head, her eyes indifferent. "If anyone from the Righteous Path manages to pass this trial, we must watch them closely. Even if they pose no threat now, they will surely become our formidable enemies in the future."

"From the Righteous Path, Young Master of Myriad Dao is also out," Yao Fang looked towards the Righteous Path camp and said softly. "It seems only two juniors remain. One is Xu Ruoyan, daughter of Heavenly Void Palace Master Xu Feihong. The other is Ling Chen, a disciple of the Divine Intent Sect, said to be the son of its former Sect Leader and Martial Arts Supreme, Ling Tianyu."

"Ling Tianyu's son? Isn't he also the Saintess's son?" A look of surprise flickered across Mei Ji's devastatingly beautiful face. "Why didn't the Saintess bring her son into our Holy Church? Wouldn't that add an unparalleled genius to our ranks?"

Yao Fang shook his head. "The Saintess tried before, but it didn't work. It's said that at Ghost Fog Mountain, the Saintess once used Heavenly Shadow Poison to try and force him into the Holy Church. But that boy was unyielding, declaring he would rather die than join the Demon Way. Later, somehow, despite being afflicted with the Heavenly Shadow Poison, he didn't die. Moreover, his Cultivation continued to progress smoothly and rapidly."

"In that case, we should find an opportunity to eliminate him." A glint of killing intent flashed in Mei Ji's beautiful eyes. Xu Ruoyan is protected by the Sky Void Palace, making her a difficult target. Ling Chen, however, is different. Ling Tianyu is dead, and the Saintess doesn't seem to care about him. It should be easy to arrange his death.

"If even Mei Ji has been eliminated, doesn't that mean all of us Demon Way experts have been wiped out?" At this, Xu Chao, who was nearby, frowned and interjected.

"No, there is one more. She will undoubtedly pass the trial and complete the mission we couldn't." A seductive curve touched Mei Ji's lips as she gazed at the grand hall before them, a mysterious smile gracing her features.

Inside the great hall, Ling Chen had passed through the stone door and entered a vast chamber. The chamber was vast and empty, save for a massive stone slab in its depths, densely inscribed with text. As Ling Chen approached, he could clearly see the inscribed words.

"Those who can enter this place must be the foremost geniuses of the Five Kingdoms. Only such talents are worthy of knowing Tienzong's greatest secret: the Void Emperor's royal decree."

As Ling Chen read the words, his eyes lit up. Tienzong's greatest secret, the Void Emperor's royal decree. Perhaps even top-tier Jianghu experts like Xu Feihong and Lu Youzhen might not be able to reach this specific place, even if they managed to enter the trial grounds. Because they would face 'themselves' with Cultivation several realms higher, and two such opponents in the final trial. The stronger one's own Cultivation, the more difficult it is to challenge opponents of a significantly higher realm.

Ling Chen's gaze fell upon the center of the stone slab. A token was embedded there, conspicuously engraved with the three characters for "Void Emperor's royal decree."

What exactly is this Void Emperor's royal decree, hailed as Tienzong's greatest secret? Ling Chen was extremely curious about the Void Emperor's royal decree. What kind of item could possibly be deemed Tienzong's greatest secret? This Void Emperor's royal decree appeared to be just an ordinary token, with nothing remarkable about it.

Just as Ling Chen was about to retrieve the token, the sound of light footsteps came from behind him.

Someone's coming! Ling Chen was startled. He hadn't expected anyone else besides him to have passed the final trial.

Turning, Ling Chen saw a slender figure in white approaching. It was none other than Xu Ruoyan, with her bright eyes, pearly teeth, and peerless beauty.

"I didn't expect you to make it through as well." Seeing Xu Ruoyan, Ling Chen was surprised, yet not overly so. He was aware of her potential; if they were to truly fight, the outcome would still be uncertain. Though his own progress had been swift, Xu Ruoyan's had been equally so.

"Well, well. So only you, Ling Chen, the great genius, are permitted to pass five trials and arrive here, while everyone else is just incompetent fodder, fit only for elimination?" Xu Ruoyan gracefully glided closer.

"Of course not," Ling Chen turned back to the slab and said lightly. "You, Xu Ruoyan, are a favored daughter of heaven, a once-in-a-century genius of the Sky Void Palace. It's perfectly normal for you to be here. However, there's only one Void Emperor's royal decree. With two of us here, how should we decide who gets it?"

"Simple." Before her words had even faded, Xu Ruoyan had already drawn her Cloud and Water Sword, clearly prepared to fight Ling Chen for it. "We'll compete. Whoever wins, the Treasure naturally belongs to them."

She had been in such a sorry state against Wang Yan earlier because he had ambushed her. She had succumbed to his poisonous smoke before she could even deploy her Ice Heart Divine Soul, leading to her defeat and subsequent rescue by Ling Chen. But now, she was certain Ling Chen would fight her honorably, without resorting to any schemes or underhanded tricks. Thus, she was confident in facing him.

It seems this is the only way. Ling Chen nodded, his right hand resting on the hilt of his Cloud-hidden Sword. Against Xu Ruoyan, he certainly wouldn't resort to any cunning schemes. He had harmed her before and still felt a lingering guilt. If defeating her honorably in a direct confrontation would lead to Xu Ruoyan's genuine acceptance of the outcome, then that was the path he had to take.