Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Jiang Chen entered the secret chamber.

This was an inconspicuous courtyard in a remote corner of Celestial Relief City. Beneath the courtyard were several secret chambers.

They were likely used as cellars for storing food in the past.

Jiang Chen went inside and carved several defensive Inscriptions on the stone door at the entrance. They could withstand two attacks from a master at the Ninth Stage of the Heavenly Destiny Realm.

Only then did he sit down on the stone bed.

With a wave of his hand, the Spirit Nurturing Divine Fruit, the *Celestial Flame Sun-Devouring Slash*, and the *Five Thunder Secret Technique* appeared before him.

Jiang Chen’s Divine Thought coiled around the Spirit Nurturing Divine Fruit, drawing it into his palm.

It was a palm-sized, purple fruit shaped just like a baby, so exquisitely detailed it seemed alive.

It was as if a purple-skinned infant was sitting upright in his palm.

"The world is truly full of wonders. At first glance, you really might mistake this for a baby..." Jiang Chen smiled faintly, then opened his mouth and bit into the fifty-million-point Spirit Nurturing Divine Fruit.

CRUNCH!

A rich, spring-like essence flooded his mouth, then coursed through his limbs and bones before converging toward his brain.

That was the root of Divine Thought!

At the same time, it was also the foundation of the soul!

The Spirit Nurturing Divine Fruit was a Divine Fruit that gathered the purest essence of heaven and earth, which it infused into the soul to empower it and strengthen one’s Divine Thought.

His entire soul was enveloped in the potent medicinal power of the Spirit Nurturing Divine Fruit, which nourished it as gently as a silent rain, strengthening his Divine Thought.

Jiang Chen involuntarily spread out his Divine Thought Power.

A radius of one hundred zhang!

This was the limit of his Divine Thought Power’s range. Everything within a hundred zhang was under its surveillance. He could perceive even the ants crawling on the ground and hear the breathing of a gecko lying in wait in a dark corner, all as clearly as if he were seeing it with his own eyes.

A Divine Thought range of one hundred zhang was the limit for a Third-grade Junior Level Divine Thought Master!

According to legend, if one could advance to the realm of a Fourth-Grade Grandmaster of Divine Thought, a single sweep of their Divine Thought could cover a thousand-zhang area, bringing everything within it under their control.

Wherever one’s Divine Thought reached, everything was under their command.

As he absorbed the Spirit Nurturing Divine Fruit, the dense medicinal power around his soul thinned out as it merged into his being, and his Divine Thought began to grow rapidly.

The most direct change was that the area covered by his Divine Thought had already expanded from one hundred zhang, reaching the three-hundred-zhang mark.

And it was still increasing.

Three hundred ten zhang!

Three hundred twenty zhang...

「Three full days and nights passed.」

Jiang Chen’s Divine Thought range finally reached a saturation point at five hundred ten zhang, and the medicinal power of the Spirit Nurturing Divine Fruit was completely absorbed.

"Hah!"

Jiang Chen let out a long breath.

His eyes opened, his Ten Thousand Laws Golden Pupil growing even brighter. A pure, brilliant, blue-gold light flickered within them. ’I’ve finally raised my Divine Thought Power to the Third-Grade High-Level. It’s a shame I still couldn’t break through to the realm of a Fourth-Grade Grandmaster of Divine Thought. And at this rate, I’ll need to consume at least two more Spirit Nurturing Divine Fruits to break through to Fourth Grade!’

The advancement of Divine Thought was similar to cultivation.

It had its limits.

It was like a bottle that can only hold a fixed amount of water. To hold more, you either have to expand the bottle’s capacity or break the bottle entirely.

But either path was exceptionally difficult.

After all, improving Divine Thought was linked to the soul, and almost no one would dare apply the principle of "breaking and rebuilding" to their own soul.

’A Third-Grade High-Level Divine Thought Master... Once I master the *Five Thunder Secret Technique*, I should be able to sweep away all the experts on the Hundred Kings List.’ Jiang Chen took out the *Five Thunder Secret Technique*.

This was only the first scroll, and it contained just a single Secret Technique.

This Secret Technique was called "Thunder Realm"!

It used Divine Thought as a catalyst to channel the power of the world’s Thunder Law, forming a Thunder Realm.

Within this domain, he would become like the Thunder God himself.

Wherever his Divine Thought pointed, thunder would strike!

Even a master at the Ninth Stage of the Heavenly Destiny Realm would be heavily suppressed and battered if trapped within the Thunder Realm. Some experts with weaker physiques could even be instantly obliterated by Jiang Chen’s lightning!

Killing enemies with a flick of a finger!

Such was the terrifying and domineering power of a Martial Skill exclusive to Divine Thought Masters!

"What a move, this Thunder Realm!" Jiang Chen’s eyes glinted, and he clenched his fists.

He immediately began to comprehend the *Five Thunder Secret Technique*.

Use Divine Thought as a catalyst, create a resonance with the world, and borrow the world’s thunder for one’s own use...

As he silently chanted the obscure and profound incantation, the blue-gold light within his Ten Thousand Laws Golden Pupil fluctuated violently. A faint, flickering purple bolt of lightning seemed to flash through his eyes and vanish. The lightning then multiplied, filling both of his eyes, and as it pulsed, the Spiritual Qi in the air before him seemed to turn turbulent.

"Thunder Realm—"

Jiang Chen let out a low roar. His Divine Thought converged in front of him into a round, purple orb of light. In the space where the orb hovered, the Spiritual Qi suddenly erupted.

Wisps of purple electrical arcs flickered in and out of existence.

It let out a series of SIZZLING sounds.

Several arcs of lightning collided, erupting in a blinding flash before disappearing again.

Jiang Chen’s face had turned pale, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. The consumption of Divine Thought was immense, and his consciousness began to blur.

He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, and the sweet taste of blood filled his mouth. Jiang Chen let out a low cry, "Thunder Realm—form!"

CRACKLE...

SIZZLE...

RUMBLE...

Bolts of lightning descended from above, appearing within the ring of light in front of Jiang Chen. Each bolt was as thick as an arm. The terrifying lightning raged, with bolt after bolt connecting the heavens and the earth, resembling a great net woven from thunder. Any expert caught within it would find it impossible to escape the bombardment.

Even body-tempering Martial Artists with powerful physiques, who could withstand the lightning head-on, would have their movements restricted and their combat power greatly reduced.

This was an absolute offensive weapon!

The Thunder Realm lasted for a full ten breaths before Jiang Chen dispersed it. His face was pale as he gasped for air. ’The Thunder Realm is powerful, but it’s a move that only a Fourth-Grade Grandmaster of Divine Thought should be able to use. Even if I go all out, I can only sustain it for thirty breaths at most. Otherwise, the Divine Thought consumption will be too great and cause irreparable damage to my soul. Still, thirty breaths is more than enough!’

"Next up is cultivating the *Celestial Flame Sun-Devouring Slash*. I’ll use the opportunity to raise my cultivation to the Heavenly Destiny Realm Fifth Stage!" Jiang Chen muttered to himself.

Cultivating a Martial Skill consumed a tremendous amount of True Essence.

This would accelerate the circulation of True Essence in his body, speeding up the absorption of the Mixed Element Golden Pill and thereby raising his cultivation.

Immediately, astonishing sword shadows filled the secret chamber. Sword Qi crisscrossed through the air.

This was, after all, a Celestial-Tier Martial Skill. Even with Jiang Chen’s Heaven-defying Level Martial Arts Talent, cultivating the *Celestial Flame Sun-Devouring Slash* still took a great deal of mental effort.

After seven days and nights of arduous cultivation, he finally succeeded in mastering the First Technique of the *Celestial Flame Sun-Devouring Slash*—the Celestial Flame Cross Slash.

"Celestial-Tier Martial Skills are far too difficult. I can’t believe mastering just the first technique took me a full seven days. Now, it’s time to refine the Mixed Element Golden Pill and strive to break through to the Heavenly Destiny Realm Fifth Stage!" Jiang Chen put away his Dustfall Sword, sat cross-legged, and began circulating the *Profound Yellow Undying Technique* and the *Soul-Devouring Sacred Technique* to absorb and refine the Mixed Element Golden Pill within his body.

In cultivation, time has no meaning.

「In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since Jiang Chen went into seclusion.」

With the help of the Mixed Element Golden Pills he had bestowed upon them, Sima Qingling, Xing Haisheng, Xu Canghai, and Shaoyang Yu had all advanced their cultivation once more.

Sima Qingling advanced from the Heavenly Destiny Realm Seventh Stage to the Eighth Stage Realm.

Shaoyang Yu also reached the Late Stage of the Heavenly Destiny Realm.

Xing Haisheng and Xu Canghai went even further, taking a step beyond the Peak of the Ninth Stage of the Heavenly Destiny Realm to advance to the Half-Step Union Palace Realm. Their combat power soared. With their strength, the three of them would be qualified to challenge the top ten of the Hundred Kings List!

However, during this time, news of Jiang Chen’s appearance on the Hundred Kings List was finally spotted by a master from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect who had secretly returned to Celestial Relief City to exchange treasures. He spread the word.

When Dugu Xue and her followers, who were leading a large force searching for the Female and Male Thieves throughout the Sixteenth State, heard the news, they nearly coughed up blood from rage.

They had calculated every possibility but never imagined that after robbing the experts of the Seven Great Dynasties, Jiang Chen would actually dare to return to Celestial Relief City.

With Xing Haisheng, Xu Canghai, and Shaoyang Yu helping to block any information, it was only now that they learned of Jiang Chen’s whereabouts. Dugu Xue and the Ghost Emperor immediately gave the order for the experts of the Seven Great Dynasties to converge on Celestial Relief City.

A crisis was imminent.

But Jiang Chen remained in seclusion, striving to break through to the Heavenly Destiny Realm Fifth Stage...