The opportunity of the Western Ruin soon spread throughout the entire Heavenly Dragon Sect. It is said that there is an Emperor relic, and all the young Warriors below 200 years of age are allowed to participate.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect is divided into various parts. It is situated on a large plain, and there are various small worlds built specifically for higher-class Warriors. It was an Emperor-level force when it was the Heavenly Soul Sect, but after the Soul Emperor disappeared, it faced its demise in the long river of time.
In one of the small worlds, Meng Xian heard from the maid about the Emperor relic, and his eyes narrowed. He murmured inwardly.
"There was indeed an Emperor relic, but from what I recall, it should have appeared 90 years later. It was a trap set up by the Soul Emperor. In fact, if not for my survival until the end of the Great Inheritance of Ascendance, I wouldn't have known that this inheritance, which was won by Ye Fan, would later prove to be a trap. However, what was the point? At the end of the day, that demon Li Gang massacred all Rank 8 Warriors, and even the Soul Emperor died in his hands. It's a pity that I couldn't see the outcome—whether they managed to take him down or not. From the situation I remember, Li Gang must have faced defeat. The Elemental Emperor was no easy foe!"
He thought about the current situation and smirked. "The appearance of the Emperor relic at this point can only be due to three reasons—either my memory is flawed and the one who made me regress must have done something, or my appearance caused some changes, or everything is fine and this is a trap!"
"The first two possibilities are highly unlikely, and even if they are true, I have to wait and see. I can't do anything about it. As for the third possibility, it is the most likely one. I believe this is a trap set up by Ji Changchen. He must have targeted me. The Emperor relic must belong to the Celestial Sect. If they are targeting me and Ye Fan, they are likely to use the excuse of a younger generation competition to lure us onto the battlefield."
He immediately thought about a solution. "I need to unite with Ye Fan if I want to deal with Ji Changchen. As long as I get Ye Fan's help, I will be able to get Wang Xiaoyao to team up as well. I remember they fell in love with each other during their journey to explore the ruins. The list merely speculated on her battle prowess based on her Spiritual Imprint. However, her Spiritual Imprint is equally as strong as Li Yuxong's. She has never shown her full potential, and her ranking on the list didn't do her justice. That Ye Fan is also pitiful; he was toyed with by that demon Li Gang. However, I need him now, so I have to use him."
He took out a paper and wrote something on it. He called his maid and said, "Take this and go to the Holy Daughter, Wang Xiaoyao. Tell her it is something important and that I need her help."
The maid took the letter and bowed before leaving as she heard, "Make sure the Holy Son hears about it!" The maid, who was about to leave, paused and said politely, "Yes, master!"
It's not that Meng Xian didn't think of revealing this information to the Long brothers, but he was well aware of how smart a Rank 8 Warrior is. They would immediately suspect him as the source of the information. He couldn't take their help in this situation no matter what. He could never reveal that this relic is a trap set up by Ji Changchen.
Western Ruin
Shin Tai was no fool. From the way Ji Changchen had been acting all these years, he could already deduce one or two things. However, he pretended to be ignorant. He had long realized that Ji Changchen's strength increased after targeting these special people. He didn't know what was special about the Warriors he targeted, but as the protector who had observed his actions more closely than anyone, he had the most accurate judgment—Warriors blessed by heaven, having extraordinary luck! He believed Ji Changchen's Spiritual Imprint had something to do with the luck factor; it fed on luck and increased his battle strength.
What is luck? Luck is a mere coincidence working in your favor. In this world, people call the blessing of heaven luck. There is no such thing as true luck—it is all coincidences and heavenly blessings.
Shin Tai glanced at Ji Changchen and asked slowly, "What do you think Meng Xian will do?"
He had already speculated that Ji Changchen's new target was Meng Xian. Initially, he thought it was Ye Fan, but later he changed his mind. His understanding of Ji Changchen was as clear as water.
Ji Changchen smiled deeply. "He will look for reinforcements. He will likely seek help from the Holy Son and Holy Daughter, as they are the strongest ones. Furthermore, getting help from the Holy Son and Holy Daughter would also mean that the entire sect would support him."
Shin Tai was surprised. "Why would he look for reinforcements? Unless... he realized this is a trap!"
Ji Changchen nodded. "He must have realized it is a trap—if he is not a fool. I just don't know to what extent his knowledge exceeds mine!"
Shin Tai narrowed his eyes. He could instantly figure out a few things from Ji Changchen's words. Ji Changchen also didn't mind sharing a few things with Shin Tai. He was aware that the System would directly filter its existence from everyone besides him. As for other aspects, he didn't care about them. Shin Tai was a trustworthy ally.
Ji Changchen smiled. "Don't worry. This time around, I am not going to target him. This arrangement is just to test his depth. He might prove to be an important tool if we can get hold of him. We can never kill him because of the presence of Rank 8 Warriors. We are in Eastern Continent territory, so we must behave well."
Shin Tai thought for a moment and said, "If he is going to seek reinforcements, he should ask Long Tianfang or Long Tianchan. Why would he seek holy son and holy daughter instead?"
Ji Changchen smirked. "He will never ask those two. It would make him vulnerable and also suspicious in their eyes. The source of his information can never be leaked. Thus, he will ask Ye Fan and Wang Xiaoyao!"
Shin Tai was surprised, but he didn't ask further.
Ji Changchen smiled. "Do you know the real reason I created the trap in the Western Ruin?"
Shin Tai shook his head, gesturing for him to continue.
"Because this Western Ruin truly possesses an Emperor relic. I don't know the real reason why it survived the catastrophe, as if the Soul Emperor had already expected the catastrophe to happen and made some preparations beforehand! The small world was destroyed, but it was not completely damaged. Part of the small world is still somewhere in the Western Ruin. As long as we find the proper spatial node, we will be able to enter it and retrieve the relic," Ji Changchen said with deep eyes.
As soon as a Warrior enters the Rank 7 soul cultivation stage, he is able to perceive all the dimensional axes. They are able to feel the presence of space and time and are able to control these elements.
Even Shin Tai never knew about the existence of the Soul Emperor's relic. However, he understood the deeper scheme Ji Changchen was plotting.
Meng Xian has more information, so his real plan is to use him to find the Emperor relic present in this small world. He would also likely trap Meng Xian in the small world and soul-search him to obtain information he is unaware of. If Ye Fan is also a Warrior with a heavenly blessing, then he is targeting three birds with one stone!
Northern Continent
Renhuo Trading has already started spreading its branches throughout the continent. It is a slow and steady process and cannot be rushed. Its main branch has been developed at the border of Shu, Wu, and Golden Crow.
At this time, the leaders of Wu, Shu, Wei, Golden Crow, the Demon Faction, and Li Gang were sitting together. They had been having discussions about the future development of the Northern Continent and had made various changes.
At this moment, Li Gang spoke. "Since we are together, I wanted to add one more thing!"
Jin Long and the others looked at him curiously. 'Here it comes, the main reason for today's meeting!'
Li Gang had already been crowned as the new ruler of the Northern Continent. The entire Northern Continent was shocked when this news spread, but now everyone had already accepted the outcome.
Li Gang said lightly, "Since the beginning of the new era, the world has seen changes in the cultivation environment. There are hundreds of S-rank talents emerging throughout the world. Even in the Northern Continent, though the scope is limited, a few appear every year."
Due to the increase in talent levels, a new grade of talent had been introduced in the cultivation world, known as SS and SSS! However, they were very rare. Initially, all talents beyond A were considered S because of the rarity of the S grade. But now, according to the new system, talents like Li Yuxong and Ye Fan lie in the SSS grade! Now, SS grade has become as rare as S grade once was, and SSS is the most precious in the world. Meanwhile, S grade has become as common as B-grade talent!
Jin Long nodded. "So, does Your Majesty want to cultivate talents?"
Li Gang said lightly, "There are two things I want to develop. First, a secret force of my own, and second, a sect that will train geniuses! The eastern part of the Golden Crow Kingdom will be converted into the Ruler Sect."
They were all smart people and immediately understood Li Gang's motive. Even though he had obtained the crown, he was still an empty king who relied on Jin Long. What king could settle down knowing his subject had more power than him? He was taking action while Jin Long was still willing to bow his head. Who knew if he might change sides in the future?
This was obviously weakening the Golden Crow Kingdom under the guise of developing a sect while simultaneously creating a force to keep a check on each of the four Great Dynasties separately.