The Tenth Floor – The Hall of Fate’s Treasure
BOOOOOOM!
The golden portal pulsed as Jiang Chen, Bai Muchen, and Xiao Dong emerged onto the Tenth Floor—and what they saw stole the very breath from their lungs.
Unlike the previous battlefields of blood and war, this place was a land of celestial splendor.
Towering golden pillars stretched endlessly into the sky, inscribed with ancient runes that shimmered with divine light. The air itself hummed with power, thick with the presence of countless treasures, artifacts, and untold wonders.
A massive, temple-like structure loomed ahead—The Hall of Fate's Treasure.
Jiang Chen's golden-amber eyes flickered as he took in the impossible sight.
Vast floating islands of spirit herbs hovered in the air, each one growing legendary plants that radiated life energy strong enough to shake the soul. Massive stone pedestals held ancient techniques sealed within jade slips, their aura alone enough to send shivers down his spine.
Even further inside, mystical beast eggs pulsed with divine energy, their shells covered in glowing inscriptions—each one containing a dormant creature of immeasurable potential.
And yet—
Despite the overwhelming abundance of treasures… there was no chaos.
Xiao Dong took a step forward and immediately froze.
A faint golden light flickered around every single treasure—a barrier that prevented anyone from simply grabbing whatever they wanted.
Bai Muchen narrowed his eyes. "A restriction?"
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly. "Not a restriction. A test of fate."
The moment he said it—
A deep, ethereal voice resonated throughout the hall, much like when they first entered the temple.
"Welcome, challengers. You have passed the trials of the First Nine Floors.
You now stand before the Hall of Fate's Treasure.
The rewards within are not chosen by desire—they are chosen by destiny.
Step forward, and the treasure that calls to you shall be yours.
Choose wisely.
For once you take your reward, you may not change it."
BOOOOOOM!
A pulse of golden energy swept over the entire floor, activating the treasure formations.
A trial of fate.
Jiang Chen's smirk widened. "Interesting."
Xiao Dong ran a hand through his hair. "So, what? We just step forward and hope something cool calls out to us?"
Bai Muchen crossed his arms. "It's not that simple. If we choose something unworthy of us, the barrier will reject us. We have to find what is meant for us."
Jiang Chen nodded. "Then let's not waste time."
They stepped forward—
And the treasures reacted.
The deeper they walked, the more the air pulsed with power.
Before them, rows of pedestals and platforms stretched into the distance, each carrying a treasure beyond mortal comprehension.
Yet, not all treasures were equal.
Engraved on the stone slabs before each section, they saw the rankings of the rewards:
Mortal Tier – Treasures beneficial to early-stage cultivators, including spirit herbs, Qi-enhancing pills, and basic techniques.
Earth Tier – More profound rewards such as high-grade techniques, ancient artifacts, and powerful weapons.
Heaven Tier – Legendary-level rewards, including divine beast eggs, rare elemental inheritances, and secret arts lost to time.
Forbidden Tier – Unknown. The very air around these treasures was warped, making it impossible to see what lay inside. Even the strongest cultivators had failed to claim these in the past.
Xiao Dong whistled. "Well, I know where I'm going." He made a beeline straight for the Heaven Tier treasures.
Bai Muchen smirked. "You're too greedy."
Jiang Chen, however, was focused on something else.
He wasn't alone.
Across the Hall of Fate's Treasure, other cultivators were present.
There were at least four other groups spread across the hall, each wearing different sect robes.
Jiang Chen immediately recognized a few of them by their faces and robes. He had long been taught the major geniuses of other forces by Zhao Yan.
Lan Tian of the Celestial Frost Palace – A cold, sword-wielding cultivator with an aura like frozen death. He glanced at Jiang Chen before turning back to the treasures, clearly uninterested in conversation.
Jiang Ming of the Azure Dragon Clan – A burly warrior radiating dragon bloodline pressure, currently standing before the Heaven Tier rewards with a calculating gaze.
Liu Renshu of the Thundering Sky Pavilion – A lightning cultivator whose presence crackled with suppressed storms. He briefly met Jiang Chen's gaze and smirked.
Jiang Chen didn't care for introductions. He walked past them without hesitation.
However—
As they moved deeper into the hall, one person blocked their path.
A young woman in crimson robes, her hair tied in a high ponytail, stood with arms crossed. Her aura burned like a wildfire, flickering with an uncontrollable intensity. She wore a bright red veil that covered her face, but you could see her alluring figure outlines in the silk dress she wore.
She smirked, eyes flickering with amusement as she looked Jiang Chen up and down.
"So, you're the one making all the noise in the Heaven Sundering Sect," she said lazily.
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"
He felt a very strong aura radiating off of her and assumed her identity, but wasn't quite sure.
It was no coincidence to see these people here, other sects were also training their geniuses for the opening of the secret realm, and the Temple of Heaven and Earth was known throughout the entire continent.
Feng Yuechan's smirk widened. "You'll learn soon enough."
Then, without another word, she walked past him, heading toward the Forbidden Tier treasures.
Xiao Dong snorted. "What's her deal?"
Bai Muchen cracked his neck. "Doesn't matter. Let's focus."
One by one, Jiang Chen, Bai Muchen, and Xiao Dong separated, drawn by the pulse of fate itself.
Xiao Dong's Treasure – His Madstorm Qi surged as he stopped before a crimson war gauntlet. The air around it howled with battle cries, as if it had absorbed the rage of a thousand warriors.
He grinned. "Oh yeah. You're mine."
Heaven's War Gauntlet – A battle artifact that amplifies physical strength and grants the wielder an unbreakable defense against weaker attacks. Forged only for the most relentless and battle hungry cultivators.
Bai Muchen's Treasure – The moment he stepped before a massive golden tablet, his Titanblood Physique roared in response. It was a body refining technique, one that required a monstrous physique to endure.
Titan's Descent– A divine technique that required one to have a strength based divine physique or a Titan Emperor bloodline to cultivate. Allows the user to grow, reaching tens or hundreds of meters tall depending on capability. Massively amplifies physical strength.
Jiang Chen's Treasure – The moment he touched the Heaven Tier artifacts, they all rejected him.
Instead, his Chaos Qi reacted violently to something deeper within the hall.
His eyes narrowed. "Not this section, huh?"
He walked forward.
Deeper.
Past the Heaven Tier.
Toward the Forbidden Tier.
And then he felt it.
A pull.
Far beyond the grand floating relics.
Far beyond the treasures radiating divine energy.
Far beyond what should have been available to him.
His eyes snapped toward the farthest corner of the treasury—toward the place where no other presence lingered.
And there it was.
A single shard, floating alone in the dark void, pulsing with a silent presence.
It was unlike the other treasures.
There was no aura.
No golden radiance.
No celestial reverence.
No divine acknowledgment.
It simply… existed.
And yet, Jiang Chen knew.
This was the only thing in the entire temple that was his.
Slowly, he stepped forward.
His pulse quickened.
Every inch closer felt like stepping deeper into an abyss he could not understand.
And then—
BOOOOOOOOM!
The world around him vanished.
He was no longer in the temple.
He was no longer in his own body.
He was witnessing… something ancient.
A battlefield beyond comprehension unfolded before him.
The very skies were torn apart, celestial bodies shattered into dust.
The laws of the world were collapsing, unable to contain the one being standing at the center of it all.
A lone figure.
A man clad in black and crimson robes, standing alone against the Heavens themselves.
Jiang Chen's breath caught.
The weight of this being's existence was beyond anything he had ever felt.
If the world itself was a kingdom—
Then this man was the exiled king.
No, not exiled.
Erased.
"They have betrayed me."
"The Heavens themselves have turned against me."
"But I shall not kneel. I shall not fall. If the Heavens cannot tolerate me—"
"Then I shall erase the Heavens themselves."
Jiang Chen's soul shuddered.
It was not arrogance.
It was not rage.
It was a decree.
This man had once stood above all.
The greatest sovereign to ever walk the path of absolute dominance.
Yet, for some reason—he no longer existed.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The heavens collapsed.
The forgotten emperor vanished.
Jiang Chen snapped back into reality.
His body trembled as he stumbled back.
Cold sweat ran down his back. His mind spun wildly. His chest ached—his Chaos Seed was shaking violently, as if it had just been burned with an ancient truth.
And then—
The shard in front of him pulsed.
For the first time, it acknowledged him.
Jiang Chen took a breath, steadying himself.
Then, without hesitation, he reached out.
BOOOOOOOM!
The moment his fingers touched the shard, his soul burned.
[INHERITANCE UNLOCKED – FORGOTTEN EMPEROR'S REMNANT]
[CHAOS SEED EVOLUTION – ACTIVATED]
[STARSHADOW BODY – ADVANCING…]
[INNATE ABILITY – ??? – UNLOCKED]
Jiang Chen gritted his teeth. His very existence was being rewritten.
The Chaos Seed was no longer the same.
His Starshadow Body… was mutating.
A new power surged through his veins, deeper than just Qi—something more fundamental.
His body felt heavier—not in burden, but in presence.
The air resisted his existence.
As if reality itself struggled to accept him.
Then he felt it—
A new pulse of power deep within his being.
A voice spoke to him in his soul. [New Ability Awakened – Sovereign's Presence]
A force beyond comprehension now radiated from him.
Wherever he stood—
The world would acknowledge him.
The space around him would bend for him.
The laws of the world would pause for him.
It was not control.
It was existence.
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly, his golden-amber eyes flickering with something new.
He felt that not only had his Chaos seed evolved and somehow imprinted a new divine ability onto his physique, but there was a resonance he felt in the Chaos seed.
Definitely something I'm gonna have to explore later, He thought.
Something undeniable.
He had not simply gained a treasure.
He had taken the first step toward reclaiming a lost throne.
A throne that once stood above all of existence.