After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Li Musheng was also scrutinizing the middle-aged man who had entered the bronze hall, his brows furrowing slightly. However, before he could speak, the middle-aged man who had slowly approached spoke first:

"Young man, release my daughter first, and we can talk things over."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng looked down at the princess in his arms and asked:
"You're his daughter? Then who is he?"

The princess's eyes, as clear as lake water, remained undisturbed as she calmly said:
"Didn't you already have a guess in your mind?"

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow slightly, then looked again at the middle-aged man not far away, and said with a sudden realization:
"So, they arrested the young one, which attracted the old one?"

The middle-aged man, his expression remaining gentle, shook his head slightly and said:

“Young people don’t need to worry. I didn’t mean to bully the younger ones. It’s just that as a parent, I naturally can’t bear to see my children in trouble.”

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng stared at the middle-aged man who was still slowly walking towards him for a while, then waved his hand and said:

"I'm not an unreasonable person. Now that your daughter is in my hands, what are you going to give me in exchange?"

At this moment, the middle-aged man walked to the bronze coffin and stopped. His eyes, which seemed to have seen many hardships, gazed at Li Musheng above the bronze coffin, and he calmly said:
"I overheard part of your conversation just now."

"How about this, let's make a bet. If you win, you can choose anything in the White Emperor Tower."

Li Musheng pondered for a moment, then asked:
What are you going to bet with me on?

If you are not defeated within ten moves, then you win.

The middle-aged man spoke calmly with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Li Musheng, as if quietly waiting for his reply.

"no problem."

Li Musheng readily agreed, and at the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought the other person wanted to gamble with him on some random thing, and if it was just a fight, then there was nothing to worry about.

However, at this moment, the middle-aged man shook his head and said slowly:

"Young people are quick to act, but bets are about fairness. If you lose, what price are you prepared to pay?"

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng stroked his chin, then glanced at the princess in his arms, and deliberately said:

"If I lose, I'll just become your son-in-law."

Upon hearing this, the imperial princess in Li Musheng's arms spoke indifferently, saying:

"Your plan is quite clever, but it's not the price of a fair bet. I disagree."

At this moment, the middle-aged man did not rush to speak, seemingly deep in thought about Li Musheng's words.

Seeing this, Li Musheng coughed lightly, looked at the middle-aged man, and said in a serious tone:

"I was just joking with you. There are plenty of people chasing after me outside. I have no interest in an old woman like this, who might not even be human."

Upon hearing this, the princess in Li Musheng's arms had a sudden change in her eyes, clearly having been broken down by Li Musheng's words once again.

However, before she could say anything, Li Musheng put one arm around her and beckoned to the middle-aged man below with the other, saying:

"Enough with the small talk, let's get down to business. If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me."

"Even if you insist on making me your son-in-law, I can only accept it reluctantly."

Upon hearing this, the Empress's gaze sharpened like a knife as she stared intently at Li Musheng, while the middle-aged man below nodded slightly and said:
“I have seen countless heroes throughout the world, but I rarely see a young man as confident as you.”

As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot, and at the same time, his voice echoed throughout the entire bronze hall from all directions:

"My first palm strike is called 'Mountain Overturning,' and I used about half of my strength in it."

As the middle-aged man's voice rang out, a phantom humanoid hand, emitting bursts of earthy yellow light, appeared above Li Musheng's head.

The illusory hand shape appeared to have no imposing presence, yet it seemed to be pressing down on an insurmountable mountain. The immense aura it contained caused the entire bronze hall to tremble slightly, and the large black cat was so frightened that it buried its head under its belly.

Li Musheng looked up at the descending phantom hand, his eyelids not even twitching, and then struck out with his own palm, saying:
"I can tell you're quite capable, but you're still far behind me."

An invisible aura rose from Li Musheng's palm, showing no power whatsoever. Yet, in the blink of an eye, it dispersed the illusory image of the descending palm.

The true energy of heaven and earth vanished abruptly, and the heavy aura, as thick as a mountain, dissipated into thin air. In an instant, the entire bronze hall returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

At this moment, the middle-aged man was no longer visible in the bronze hall; only his voice returned from all directions, saying:
"Indeed, it is rare to have such strength at such a young age."

However, Li Musheng, who was holding the princess with one arm, remained noncommittal about the middle-aged man's words.

He stood suspended in mid-air, his eyes gazing at the void opposite him, as if a person stood there, and said:

"By probing with every move you make, you are completely wasting opportunities and time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Musheng pressed his hand into the void in front of him nine times at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

The princess, held in his arms, could see everything clearly. At first, it seemed like he had simply pressed down nine palms without any ripples, as if nothing had happened.

But as time passed, the middle-aged man's voice was no longer heard in the entire bronze hall.

This undoubtedly aroused a hint of doubt in the princess's heart. Then, a subtle glint appeared in her eyes as she focused on observing everything around her once again.

This time, the scene the princess saw was completely different from what she had seen before.

All that could be seen was that the entire bronze hall space centered on her and Li Musheng seemed to have turned into a mirror riddled with nine holes and cracks.

The cracks on the mirror's surface resembled ancient scars in the surrounding space, filled with a twisted, devouring power containing the destructive energy of martial arts, constantly pulling and obstructing everything in the surrounding area.

There were nine traps invisible to the naked eye, and nine interconnected ravines that blocked the space between the two people. Anyone who wanted to get close would have to fall into them first.

The middle-aged man stood on the edge of the ravine, his hands behind his back, staring at what lay before him. His brows were slightly furrowed, but he remained motionless.

Only after another breath had passed did the middle-aged man finally make his move.

He took a step forward, and strands of martial arts light emerged from beneath his feet, like countless supreme blades slicing through the space beneath him.

A terrifying blade intent pierced through the space before him, slashing towards one of the ravines that stretched out in front of him. The middle-aged man stood behind the blade intent, like an executioner wielding a knife. He was ruthless and devoid of any murderous intent, only displaying a seemingly innate ability to wield the blade.

The sword intent clashed with the cracks and fissures, the destructive and devouring power intertwined with the flickering sword light, and the stagnant air around them flowed down like melting ice and snow. All of this seemed calm on the surface, but at the same time, the entire bronze hall was rapidly collapsing. Almost instantly, the enormous bronze hall's dome silently turned into green patina copper dust, falling down to reveal an endless, boundless darkness above.

Meanwhile, the bronze coffin in which the princess had been sleeping was also cracking, with wisps of bronze mist evaporating and dissipating from the cracks.

At this moment, the princess glanced at her naked body and saw faint, indistinct bronze chains appearing on her limbs and body.

These illusory bronze chains connected her to the bronze coffin below, and as the bronze coffin continued to crumble, her complexion turned pale, as if the power in her body was being drained away little by little.

It is entirely predictable that if the bronze coffin is completely destroyed, she will also truly perish.

Just then, the middle-aged man wielding the executioner suddenly stopped, the martial arts light beneath his feet dissipated, and the blade light that had cut less than halfway into the ravine slowly disappeared.

"I lost this bet."

The middle-aged man spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on Li Musheng, who stood in mid-air opposite him.

At this moment, there was less than half a zhang between them, but it seemed as if there was an insurmountable chasm between them.

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng nodded slightly and then casually waved his hand.

Although the surrounding world remained unchanged, the Empress could see that in that instant, the mirror, which was covered with nine scars containing the destructive aura of martial arts, was completely smoothed out without leaving any creases.

"That's right, I like people who accept defeat after making a bet. Of course, your skills are actually quite good too."

Li Musheng looked at the middle-aged man opposite him and, unusually, uttered a word of comfort.

At this moment, the big black cat, which had been burying its head under its belly, finally poked its head out and quickly glanced at the situation above with its pair of bright green eyes.

Then, it swept away its previous fear, narrowed its eyes into crescents, stood up on all fours, and then flashed to Li Musheng's feet.

Now that Li Musheng has won the bet and the dangerous middle-aged man has voluntarily conceded defeat, it's time to divide the treasures, and it certainly can't miss out.

At this moment, the princess in Li Musheng's arms remained silent, while the middle-aged man opposite him glanced at the large black cat out of the corner of his eye, then scrutinized Li Musheng again, and suddenly asked:

"Young man, how old are you now?"

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng didn't urge the other party to immediately pay up the bet, and replied casually:

"I can't compare to you who have lived for a thousand years. I'm still young, not even twenty years old yet."

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then said:

"This is the first time I've ever seen a Martial God at such a young age."

Upon hearing this, the princess in Li Musheng's arms looked at him again, her expression no longer calm and composed, but filled with disbelief.

"You didn't use your full strength..."

The princess glanced at the middle-aged man out of the corner of her eye, but he shook his head and said:

"I knew his level as soon as he made a move, but I still wanted to test his true strength."

Then, the middle-aged man turned to Li Musheng and said:

"Since you look down on my daughter, then let her go. Next, I will fulfill the bet you made earlier."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng looked down at the princess in his arms, feeling a cool, delicate, and soft touch on his palm, even though it had no temperature.

"To be honest, I'm a little reluctant to part with it."

A faint smile appeared on Li Musheng's face. Upon hearing this, the princess in his arms stared intently at him, but her expression was extremely complicated.

At this moment, Li Musheng suddenly loosened his grip, and the imperial princess floated lightly into the bronze coffin below.

"I'm not kidding you anymore, I have more important things to do."

Li Musheng landed on the ground, then looked at the middle-aged man and said:

"Let's go, let me see the strength of you, the White King."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression remained as calm and gentle as ever, and he nodded slightly, saying:
"Please wait a moment."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man raised his hand and slapped the ground below the bronze hall. The next moment, the entire bronze floor sank, and a loud rumbling sound came from it.

Then, a large, ancient bronze panel, about ten feet long, emerged from the sunken ground. The middle-aged man casually grabbed the bronze panel and lifted it into the air above the bronze coffin.

The next moment, the middle-aged man used his fingers as knives to draw upon the true energy of heaven and earth in the surrounding space, as well as some hidden power beneath the bronze hall, and rapidly inscribed talismans and incantations on the smooth, mirror-like bronze panel.

In just a few breaths, countless talismans and incantations covered the bronze panel, transforming it into a coffin lid that emitted a hazy bronze glow.

Then, the middle-aged man continued to create various ancient secret techniques and imprint them between the coffin lid and the coffin body, generating clusters of bronze chains that connected each other, completely covering the imperial princess lying inside.

"In this way, it can remain intact for another hundred years."

After doing all this, the middle-aged man spoke to the imperial princess inside the coffin through the coffin lid, a tenderness that had never appeared before appearing in his eyes.

However, the empress inside the bronze coffin seemed unimpressed, saying:
"Living in a state of neither life nor death is not what I want."

"Furthermore, we are both practitioners of both divine and martial arts. You clearly possess even more powerful divine abilities that you haven't yet unleashed. Why did you admit defeat just now?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man turned around and glanced at Li Musheng, who shrugged and said nothing.

At this moment, the middle-aged man turned around, gently stroked the bronze coffin, a smile appearing on his face, and said:
“A thousand years have passed, and you’re still so competitive.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man shook his head, seemingly in response to the princess, but also as if addressing Li Musheng:
“Going all out comes at too high a price, and it was never my choice from the beginning. Besides, I am no longer the person I was in my prime.”

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on the middle-aged man, his expression unreadable.

At this moment, the other party seemed to notice Li Musheng's gaze, and immediately changed the subject:

"Of course, this young man is indeed very strong. Even if I go all out, I'm afraid I might not be his match."

"More importantly, he has already reached the realm of Martial God at such a young age, and his future achievements are immeasurable. I naturally have to cherish his talent."

Upon hearing this, the imperial princess inside the bronze coffin suddenly fell silent and stopped speaking. (End of Chapter)