I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chen Lin glanced around.

Although everyone was watching him, no one came over, after all, there was a powerful ruler by his side.

The old man with the gray crow was on the other side. Crossing the rift would inevitably result in being struck by the power of the rules. Even though he was seriously injured, he did not dare to act rashly and just stared at him with a sinister gaze.

He ignored it.

With anticipation, I reached out and tapped to open the treasure chest.

The treasure chest emitted a dazzling array of colors, illuminating the entire space. When the light faded, a huge axe phantom was revealed, which flashed and disappeared into Chen Lin's body.

Ruan Qingxi, standing nearby, looked astonished.

The old man with the gray crow on the other side frowned, then his expression changed unpredictably, as if he was deep in thought.

The others were either surprised and doubtful, or bewildered, or showed great enthusiasm.

But immediately.

The dazzling light filled the space once again, drawing everyone's attention.

Princess Jade Butterfly opened the treasure chest.

As the rosy light shone, an exquisite hairpin appeared, then shattered with a bang, transforming into a colorful butterfly that circled the space once before landing on Princess Jade Butterfly's head, bathed in the rosy light.

It turned back into a hairpin.

Followed by.

Princess Yudie was enveloped in a rosy glow, like a fairy descending to earth, making everyone feel like ants in her presence.

"My darling!"

The fourth prince smiled and praised him.

Then, with a gentle tap, he opened his own treasure chest.

It was a golden scroll.

Although it is just an object, it carries supreme majesty, like a king sitting high and looking down on his subjects.

"hehe."

The wizard elder, Ge Yuye, who was not far away, chuckled.

He said sarcastically, "The Fourth Prince is truly destined by Heaven, actually issuing an imperial edict. It seems the ruler of Tianlong Kingdom is about to change. I wonder what Emperor Ning and your brothers will think when they find out about this."

The fourth prince remained silent.

He casually picked up the scroll, unfolded it briefly, and then put it into his personal bag.

The glow of dawn completely dissipated.

The space became dark again.

The crowd's turbulent emotions gradually calmed down, and then they became filled with sorrow. Almost half of them had died in an instant, and everyone felt heavy-hearted. No one knew if they would be the next to die.

Before everyone could even rest.

Figures moved about freely beneath the crack, one after another, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of men and women flew up, most of them looking surprised and suspicious.

"Where is this place?"

Someone spoke up to ask.

However, no one offered an explanation; instead, they observed it with a critical eye.

Chen Lin also quickly glanced at it.

His gaze immediately sharpened.

Among the newcomers, there were three he recognized!
Spring wine at the Heavenly God Palace, Fu Tianxue of the Four Seasons Villa, and his old acquaintance, Beitangzhu of the Seven Wonders Gate.

What surprised Chen Lin the most was that all three of them now possessed powerful auras, carrying a strong aura of dominance, clearly indicating that they had all entered the dominance realm!

The spring wine was nothing special.

The opponent was very strong before.

But Fu Tianxue and Beitang Zhu were similar to him, and only a few years had passed, yet they had become rulers. This made him wonder if something major had happened in the outside world, or if a large number of opportunities had appeared.

Otherwise, a ruler might not emerge in the entire Star Ruins for a thousand years.

The difficulty of advancing to the level of a Dominator is comparable to ascending to heaven. Each one requires absorbing endless luck, and they cannot appear in clusters.

Chen Lin did not step forward.

The three knew each other quite well and gathered together to greet each other. However, Beitang Zhu landed on the other side of the rift, making it difficult to meet him. So, he decided to check his own situation first.

A thought crossed my mind.

Within the space of the soul's origin, the phantom of a giant black axe appeared, exuding a strong aura of the Punisher.

Influenced by this aura, Chen Lin felt his body expand infinitely, becoming towering and imposing, possessing the power to look down on everything and slay all demons and monsters.

Chen Lin's thoughts raced.

He had seen this giant axe before; its phantom had appeared when he successfully dispelled the soul and advanced his torture techniques.

It is said to be the mark of the Punisher.

The books left behind by the Shadow Scholar also mention this, saying that it is the only formal instrument of punishment for the Punishment Lord, and can only be manifested after one has been promoted to the Great Punishment Lord.

This axe is terrifyingly powerful.

Slaying ordinary Overlord-level invasive alien creatures is as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Even against king-level beings, it can have a strong restraining effect. Back then, the Great Punishment Lord Yun Feiyu used this item to kill the Nightmare King.

But there is one thing.

The power of the 'Execution Axe' is mainly manifested in killing alien creatures, and it has no restraining effect on local cultivators.

of course.

It's not entirely useless.

Just like the Soul-Destroying Finger, the power is a whole level lower when used on strange creatures compared to when used on normal creatures.

Even so, Chen Lin was overjoyed.

This is something only a Great Punishment Lord can possess, and a Great Punishment Lord is at least equivalent to a mid-level ruler, and the powerful ones can rival high-level rulers. Even if they are a whole realm lower, they still possess the power of a first-level ruler.

With this item.

Even if he were a true ruler-level powerhouse!

There is another benefit.

According to the records in the Shadow Scholar's book, after obtaining the exclusive torture instrument, the identity of the Punisher is recognized by the rules of heaven and earth, which is equivalent to the 'Guardian of the Great Dao'. Anyone who kills him will be devoured by the rules of the Great Dao.

It's like having an extra talisman.

Thinking about all this, Chen Lin finally understood why the old man with the gray crow had such a grim expression after he obtained the giant axe; he was probably furious.

However, we cannot be careless.

Chen Lin did not become arrogant.

The fate of the Book of Creation's owner is unknown, and the Primordial Monument is controlled by various forces. This world has long since become ownerless, and the rules of the Great Dao are no longer perfect.

It's hard to say how much deterrent power he, as a guardian of the Great Dao, can have.

"Little brother, what are you doing here? How long have you been here?"

Beitangzhu's voice appeared in Chen Lin's mind, interrupting his thoughts.

He came to his senses.

Looking at Beitang Zhu across from her, she nodded and transmitted her voice, "I came in by chance. More than ten or twenty years have passed. Sister, how did you get in? Are there so many people together? Is it a gathering?"

"No."

The candle in the north hall answered telepathically.

"It's because of an unusual omen in the straw weaving in the treasure vault inside the gate. I had just been promoted to the Sovereign not long ago, so they sent me here to train and see if I could get the Exquisite Treasure Chest."

Chen Lin suddenly realized.

He already knew that people who normally entered this place first obtained the straw weaving, and then were pulled in using the straw weaving as a medium when the energy tide appeared.

His case was an accident.

For some unknown reason, the tattered straw sandal appeared in the void, and upon seeing it, it flew directly in.

This situation does occur, but it is relatively rare.

"The exquisite treasure chest just appeared, sister, you're late. But congratulations on your advancement to the Sovereign level. From now on, I'll rely on you for my care. If Fu Tianxue targets me later, don't stand idly by."

"hehe."

Beitang Zhu smiled.

"Don't worry, this Broken Straw Sandal Secret Realm is no ordinary place. He wouldn't dare to cause trouble here and won't make a move." After saying that.

She asked directly, "I heard that three exquisite treasure chests just appeared, and you got one of them?"

"good."

Chen Lin did not hide anything.

"I'm lucky to have obtained the Xingjun's inherited Xing Axe. If you need to deal with strange creatures, you can ask me for help."

"This is not luck."

Beitangzhu's eyes flickered.

"This is Heaven's recognition of you. You will surely have a place at the next Heavenly Dao Book Listening Conference."

"I'm afraid there's no chance. The Trial of Ascension is about to begin, and I will definitely participate. Whether I can survive is a question."

Chen Lin replied.

He immediately asked, "I've been in the secret realm the whole time. What's the situation outside? How much time has passed since I killed that strange duke?"

"You killed the Mysterious Duke?"

"Is that the Heavenly Martial Fierce Yellow Qi Four Directions Pure and Righteous Grand Duke? That was more than two hundred years ago. Now the creatures of the strange kingdom have withdrawn, and the Great Worship has ended."

Upon hearing the other party's reply, Chen Lin sighed inwardly.

He had originally hoped that the flow of time in the Shadow Scholar's secret realm was different from that in the outside world, but now it seems that he was overthinking it; the flow of time in both places is the same.

"Sister, do you know about Dream City and Horseshoe Mountain? I have people there."

"There's nothing wrong with Dream City. It's just that Gu Tianhan failed to advance to the seventh level of the Sovereign and suffered serious injuries. He's currently in seclusion recovering. Everything else is as usual."

"I don't know about Horseshoe Mountain."

"You can ask Chunjiu. She has been in charge of fighting against strange creatures in the Northern Region, so she should know something."

Chen Lin's heart sank.

"The Heavenly God Palace is in charge of the Northern Region operations, which is not good news for him. Hopefully, it won't affect Sun Caiyi and the others."

"Pity."

At this time.

Beitangzhu let out a sigh.

He transmitted his voice to Chen Lin, saying, "You weren't outside during the Great Pilgrimage of the Mysterious Kingdom, so you didn't get the energy of the divine light. Otherwise, you might have been able to advance to the position of Sovereign. This opportunity is unprecedented and will probably never come again."

"Divine light?"

Chen Lin was taken aback.

"Can cultivators use the divine light of the strange realm? Won't there be any problems?"

"Originally, they were not needed, but the Pill King Valley successfully refined the God-Locking Pill, so they became usable and had a wonderful help in condensing Dao traces. A total of thirty-six pills were awarded to the quasi-ruler cultivators in the allied forces who made outstanding contributions, and eighteen of them successfully advanced to the ruler level."

"Eighteen..."

Chen Lin was speechless.

If he were outside, given his methods of punishing the ruler and his record of killing the Black Armor Duke, he should be able to obtain one as well.

This is the uncertainty of fate.

He gained a wealth of theoretical knowledge in the Shadow Scholar's Secret Realm and received three spiritual items from Xiao He, but he also lost the opportunity to advance to the position of Dominator.

The gains and losses are difficult to measure.

However, now that he has obtained the exquisite treasure chest and mastered the execution axe, it can be considered another kind of opportunity to dominate.

There's something I need to tell you.

The sound of the candle in the north hall rang out again.

"Based on the deductions of various powerful figures, and the divination of the Heavenly Mystery Elder of the Five Elders City, the Trial of Ascension to Heaven will begin within a thousand years, and may be as early as five hundred years."

"This coverage is extremely broad, you will definitely be selected."

"If you want to survive, relying solely on Xing Jun's methods won't be enough. You must quickly advance to the level of a Sovereign. A true Sovereign and possessing Sovereign-level methods are two completely different things; the difference is enormous."

"I understand, thank you for reminding me, sister."

Chen Lin immediately thanked him.

The other party genuinely cared about him and their attitude did not change despite his advancement in cultivation.

"Would you like to join the Seven Absolutes Sect?"

Beitangzhu suddenly asked.

He then explained, "I am now the Palace Master and have the authority to admit you directly into the inner sect and give you the position of Tower Master. With the Punisher's exclusive torture instrument, it is also possible for you to become the Deputy Palace Master directly."

"As long as you join our sect, you will receive special care during the Ascension Trial, greatly increasing your chances of survival."

"Thank you for your kindness, sister, but I have already made a promise to someone and cannot break my promise. Please understand."

Chen Lin politely declined.

Actually, joining isn't impossible. His agreement with Xiao He only applies during the Heavenly Trial, but excluding the dangers of the Heavenly Trial, there's no need to join the Seven Absolutes Sect.

"let it go."

Beitangzhu didn't ask any further questions.

The two exchanged a few more words and then stopped communicating.

Chen Lin looked at Chunjiu and Fu Tianhan, both of whom were surrounded by a large group of cultivators and were gathering information.

Not long after.

The two approached Ruan Qingxi one after the other, bowed and greeted him, and even Chunjiu showed great respect.

then.

Spring wine was the first thing that came to Chen Lin.

"I heard you acquired a unique torture device. It's a pity the invasion from the strange kingdom has ended, otherwise you could have really shone."

He made a comment.

Then he asked, "Would you be willing to join the Heavenly God Palace?"

Chen Lin was stunned.

He exclaimed in surprise, "Elder Chunjiu, you're not joking, are you? I have a grudge against the Heavenly God Palace. You want me to join?"

"Those are minor matters."

He waved his hand dismissively.

"You're probably referring to the matter of killing Qu Zixian, right? That's just a personal grudge between you and him, and it doesn't apply to the Heavenly God Palace."

"Now that you have your own special torture device, you have the power to punish foreign creatures. The Mysterious Kingdom will also be participating in this Ascension Trial, so your role will become more prominent. As long as you are willing to join, I will guarantee that you will become an elder of the Heavenly God Palace and resolve the grudge between you and the Fisherman of Heavenly Lake."

Chen Lin remained silent for a moment.

shook his head.

The reason given was the same as the one given to Beitangzhu.

"Thank you for your high regard, Elder Chunjiu, but I have already signed a contract with someone to help them in the Heavenly Trial, so I cannot agree to your request."

You'd better think this through.

Chunjiu glanced at Chen Lin.

“Apart from my Heavenly God Palace, it will be difficult for Four Seasons Manor and the Fisherman of Heavenly Lake to resolve their grievances with you. They may very well attack you during the trial.”

"I know, but there's really nothing I can do. The contract has been signed, and there's no going back."

Chunjiu shook his head.

"Alright then, I hope the person you find is strong enough. The Trial of Ascension to Heaven is no ordinary trial; its difficulty is beyond imagination, and less than one in a hundred will survive."

After saying that, he ignored Chen Lin and went to chat with the others.

Fu Tianhan merely glanced at him without speaking, completely ignoring him.

Chen Lin was happy to have some free time.

After observing the newly arrived cultivators for a while, he sat back down on the futon, preparing to continue studying the execution axe and figure out how to use it and how powerful it was as soon as possible.

However, just as he sat down, a thin man approached him.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"May I ask if you are Fellow Daoist Chen Lin?" (End of Chapter)