Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates
Chapter 199 - 197 Four-layered Heaven

Chapter 199: Chapter 197 Four-layered Heaven

The Five Young Supremes stared intently at the King soaring towards the Space Rift, each of them bubbling with excitement, even Crown Prince Long Chen was no exception.

In the ten thousand years of the True Spirit Continent, only four Great Emperors have emerged, each standing at the Martial Arts Peak, overlooking the Nine Desolates.

The Emperor’s Cultivation Land, as the inheritance site of the Supreme Empress before she ascended, is a place countless young talents yearn for. It is rumored to contain many treasures left by the Empress. Many have benefitted from them, ultimately becoming Mystic Martial, and reaching the peak of power in the Yulan Domain.

Boom!

At this moment, the King unleashed his Martial Arts True Intent with full force, conjuring a vast domain that sent waves of terror throughout the Nine-layered Heaven.

The King’s Dragon Robe billowed as he stood within it, resembling an invincible deity with piercing eyes that could penetrate the heavens.

"The King is so powerful!"

The bodies of the five young talents trembled, even their Innate True Qi within was restrained. They couldn’t help but to feel the urge to kneel before the King’s overwhelming pressure, which was far stronger than anything on White Jade Avenue and beyond comparison.

"Is this the demeanor of the Black Dragon Country’s strongest?" Xiao Ye thought to himself, resisting the pressure while secretly astounded.

"Open!"

The King extended his hands, with intense light swirling in his palms, tearing open a huge hole in the Space Rift under the watchful eyes of the Five Young Supremes, large enough for one person to enter.

Through the massive opening, they could see majestic mountains, blue skies with birds of prey flying past, and the shadows of giant creatures darting in the lush jungle...

A primitive and ancient aura hit them face-on.

Xiao Ye was stunned. The Emperor’s Cultivation Land was actually a vast world; such power was beyond his wildest imagination and sent chills down his spine.

"Everyone, enter. The Emperor’s Cultivation Land will close again in a year and will not open until ten years later."

Having said that, the King stood by the side of the Space Rift after completing his task.

With a renewed sense of urgency, the Young Talents steeled themselves. Long Chen stomped his foot and soared into the sky, the first to dash towards the Space Rift.

Boom!

As he entered the Space Rift, a horrifying aura enveloped Long Chen. After a stalemate of about ten breaths, his figure flashed, and he rushed in.

Swoosh!

Unable to contain himself, He Wudao was the second to charge towards the Space Rift. Like Long Chen, he was enveloped by the horrifying aura before entering the Emperor’s Cultivation Land.

Then, Xue Zhan and Jiang Yunfan entered the Emperor’s Cultivation Land in succession.

"Let’s go!" Xiao Ye, his heart ablaze, was the last one to rush towards the Space Rift.

"Xiao Ye, since you have cultivated the Four Tripod Heavenly Technique and are tied by cause and effect to the Empress, I hope you can inherit the Empress’s legacy." Before entering the Space Rift, the King’s voice reached him.

Xiao Ye smiled faintly and stepped into the Space Rift.

Boom!

In an instant, the horrifying aura covered him, scanning him from head to toe, before allowing Xiao Ye to enter.

"Could this terrifying aura measure a martial artist’s age and cultivation?" Xiao Ye recalled rumors about the Emperor’s Cultivation Land being accessible only to martial artists under thirty who haven’t reached Mystic Martial.

As he stepped into the Space Rift, Xiao Ye felt as if he had plunged into endless darkness. When his vision was restored, he found himself standing on an immensely vast prairie.

"Is this the Emperor’s Cultivation Land?" Xiao Ye looked into the distance, unable to spot Long Chen or the others.

Their entry was only separated by a few dozen breaths. Logically, it should have been impossible to lose sight of each other.

However, Xiao Ye no longer had the time to ponder this, as he was surrounded by powerful Ferocious Beasts, their large figures emitting bloodthirsty auras.

Above the sky, hundreds of birds of prey lurked, ready to attack.

"Blue Demon Beasts, Six-tailed Pythons..."

Fortunately, having visited Fierce Beast City, Xiao Ye recognized many of the beasts. Their strength was roughly at the Seventh Level of the Innate Realm.

Roar! Roar!

The roars of those beasts shook the heavens as they pounced towards Xiao Ye.

"Hmph, do you really think you can kill me?" Xiao Ye’s eyes flashed with a cold glint, his Innate True Qi bursting forth and forming a giant palm to suppress them.

Although the strength of these beasts was not great, their numbers were too many, overwhelming Xiao Ye like a tidal wave.

Xiao Ye fought as he moved forward. After ten days of travel, he still found himself on the vast prairie, the scenery unchanged.

"What’s going on?" Xiao Ye frowned slightly.

Now, let alone treasures and the Empress Inheritance, he couldn’t even find a trace of Long Chen and the others; it was as if he was the only one in this world, spending all day battling with ferocious beasts.

If Xiao Ye’s willpower was not strong, he probably would have been driven mad by this feeling.

"I have a fated tie with the Empress; surely I won’t be this unlucky, the others must be the same as me," Xiao Ye muttered to himself, then calmed down and continued to explore ahead.

After all, his formidable strength meant he was not afraid of these ferocious beasts.

When a month had passed, Xiao Ye, who was in the midst of killing a ferocious beast, suddenly narrowed his eyes. He saw a towering, cloud-piercing Heavenly Ladder in the distance.

"Ascending that Heavenly Ladder, who knows where I’d reach? But it’s certainly better than staying in this vast prairie," Xiao Ye decided, heading swiftly towards the Heavenly Ladder.

The material of that Heavenly Ladder was unknown; it emitted a faint glow, reaching into the sky, as if leading to another world.

Birds of prey followed Xiao Ye, circling above in the heavens, ready to attack at any moment.

"Hehe... After waiting for so many years, we’ve finally got a cultivator of the Empress Technique," just as Xiao Ye prepared to climb, an aged voice suddenly rang out.

"Who is it?"

Hearing a human’s voice under these circumstances made Xiao Ye’s heart skip a beat, and he hastily turned to look back.

Unbeknownst to when, a young man had appeared beside the Heavenly Ladder, with a jade-like presence and handsome features, watching Xiao Ye with a gentle gaze.

"Don’t be nervous, I am a follower of the Empress; you can call me ’Ling’," the young man said.

"A follower of the Empress!" Xiao Ye exclaimed, shocked.

The Supreme Empress was a figure from True Spirit Continent 6,000 years ago, so wouldn’t her followers also have lived for 6,000 years?

In the True Spirit Continent, could someone live that long? What level of a powerhouse would that be?

Seemingly perceiving Xiao Ye’s confusion, Ling smiled lightly and said, "Don’t be surprised. I’ve been dead for many years, but it’s because of the energy left by the Empress that I can continue to exist in this unusual form and manage this world for the Empress."

"So that’s how it is." Xiao Ye relaxed, his gaze shifting to see that indeed, Ling’s body seemed vague, like a wisp of light smoke floating there.

Immediately after, Xiao Ye’s heart filled with excitement.

The Ling in front of him was a being who had lived for six thousand years, an absolute antique, and also the manager of the Empress’s Hard Cultivation Land. He could learn a lot of information from him—this was a great opportunity.

"Lord Ling, I am from Black Dragon Country of the Yulan Domain, I entered the Empress’s Hard Cultivation Land with companions, why have I been separated from them?" Xiao Ye hurriedly asked.

Ling replied, "According to the rules set by the Empress, young Martial Artists from Yulan Domain who enter here must explore alone, relying on fate to obtain treasures. I am not allowed to divulge any information casually. However, since you have a fated tie with the Empress, you are an exception."

Hearing this, Xiao Ye’s face showed excitement—having a fated tie with the Empress was truly a stroke of extreme luck, essentially giving him a backdoor.

"The Empress’s Hard Cultivation Land is divided into Four-layered Heaven. The place you’re at now is the First Layer Heaven, where every Martial Artist who comes in is scattered to brave alone until they find the Heavenly Ladder to the Second Layer Heaven. The chances of running into each other are very slim."

"At the same time, the First Layer Heaven is the most vast and devoid of any treasures. In my sensing, some people found the Heavenly Ladder within two hours, so your luck is rather poor, as many young Martial Artists have advanced to the Second Layer," Ling said with a smile.

Xiao Ye’s face showed embarrassment, not expecting to be the slowest.

"Lord Ling, is the Empress Inheritance in the Fourth Layer Heaven?" Xiao Ye asked after a moment of silence.

Acquiring the Empress Inheritance was one of his most important objectives for entering here; of course, he was very concerned about it.

"Indeed, the Empress Inheritance is in the Fourth Layer Heaven."

"However, entry is only granted to those with the Emperor’s Stature, standing within the Great Emperor Domain. These are the rules left by the Empress, which I cannot change."

"At the same time, the Empress was aware of how difficult it is for a genius with the Emperor’s Stature to emerge from your Yulan Domain. Therefore, she left a glimmer of hope that those with heaven-defying luck could directly enter the Fourth Layer. But such people are one in a million. Despite your fated tie with the Empress, both conditions must be adhered to."

"Ten years ago, there was a Young Martial Artist whose luck defied the heavens and he entered the Fourth Layer. But his talent was mediocre and he couldn’t withstand the Empress Inheritance," Ling explained.

"Heaven-defying luck?" Xiao Ye muttered to himself; wasn’t that just like the Old Madman?

Xiao Ye then couldn’t help but smile bitterly, as it was not very realistic for him to enter the Fourth Layer with heaven-defying luck like the Old Madman—it all came down to his own strength.

But he had already tried countless times, yet his Innate True Qi had never reached perfection.

"With the talent of one acupoint, you have cultivated the Four Tripod Heavenly Technique to such a level; you must have obtained no small opportunity," Ling looked at Xiao Ye meaningfully.

Xiao Ye’s mind became alert, as Ling had wide-reaching divine abilities, able to discern the number of his acupoints at a glance.

"Lord Ling, is there no other way to ascend to the Fourth Layer Heaven?" Xiao Ye asked, not wishing to dwell on this topic.

"Since ancient times, only geniuses with the Emperor’s Stature were able to stand in the Great Emperor Domain; it’s an unbreakable law. With your low talent, it is unlikely to reach such a level."

"However, there is a treasure left by the Empress here that might help you break this law and achieve the Perfect Innate True Qi," Ling said with a smile.

What!

Xiao Ye immediately showed excitement on his face.