I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 299 A True God Among Mortals
When Yu Haitang visited Chen Ming again, it was half a month later. She brought bad news with her: "It is said that Pan Zhiyuan has opened the Divine Treasury and taken that step. He is currently stabilizing his realm."

Seeing her calm demeanor, Chen Ming said, "The first thing he'll probably do after he emerges from seclusion is to send you away. How will you deal with that?"

"At most, I'll just have to leave Jiangzhou. The world is so vast, where can't I find a place to live?"

"I thought you had a way to deal with him."

"He used a top-grade rare artifact to open the Divine Treasury. Once he entered the Divine Treasury Realm, his strength far surpassed his peers. He is not comparable to the likes of the Blood Demon Sect. Besides, he represents the Six Doors. How can I, a mere second-grade, contend with him? Naturally, I can only retreat."

Seeing her pitiful expression, Chen Ming knew she was mostly acting. With her methods, having cultivated Jiangzhou for over a decade, she wouldn't leave so easily.

He changed the subject, "How is the Azure Moon Sect doing?"

That day, Ling Ruochen of the Cangyue Sect took action against the Qin family and Shenzang of the Wushan Sect. If the news were to spread, the Cangyue Sect would surely be wiped out.

Among the major powers in Jiangzhou, the Qin family is the most prominent aristocratic family, and the Wushan Sect is the most respected sect. If these two families were to unite, they would be able to wipe out any other power.

Yu Haitang said, "The elders of the Qin family and Gu Dongquan of the Wushan Sect died at the hands of the Blood Demon Sect and in the explosion at Golden Light Valley, respectively. What does that have to do with the Cangyue Sect?"

It's understandable that Gu Dongquan of the Wushan Sect framed Jinguang Valley, but how could the Qin family's escaped elder have died at the hands of the Blood Demon Sect?

However, Chen Ming did not press for details, only asking, "What exactly happened in Golden Valley? Who caused that explosion?"

Yu Haitang recalled the events of that day, a hint of lingering fear flashing in her eyes. "The Luo family of Golden Light Valley is not like the other four families. Their lineage has never been broken. There is a Divine Treasure Realm expert in the family who is in charge. This person has an extremely fierce temper. After realizing that the destruction of the Luo family was inevitable, he destroyed the entire Golden Path Secret Realm. If I hadn't run fast, I would have been buried in that explosion."

She didn't want to bring up the matter again, and instead asked, "How is your understanding of the Golden Element True Skill progressing?"

Chen Ming said, "It will take some more time."

She then asked, "What are your plans next?"

"Naturally, I'll find another secluded place to continue my secluded cultivation until I reach the peak of the first rank, and then try to find a spot in a secret realm."

"Once you reach the peak of the first rank, come find me directly. I can just get you a spot in a top-grade secret realm."

Chen Ming looked at her and asked, "How precious are the spots in the top-grade secret realm? Are you willing to give them to me like this?"

Yu Haitang said, "No matter how precious it is, it can't compare to the suspected tomb of the Longevity Emperor. To me, the higher your cultivation level, the better."

"Aren't you afraid I'll kick you aside and take the dungeon for myself?"

She countered with a question, "Can you?"

"That's impossible to say."

Yu Haitang suddenly laughed and said, "If you ever have the idea of ​​monopolizing the immortality method of the Suspicious Tomb, you only need to do one thing for me."

After saying that, seeing that Chen Ming didn't speak, he asked curiously, "Aren't you going to ask what it is?"

Chen Ming said, "Even if you don't say it, I can guess. You want to kill the person who predicted your fate back then, right?"

"Hahaha……"

Yu Haitang suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears almost came out.

Chen Ming said with an annoyed look, "What are you laughing at?"

“I laugh at your ignorance and arrogance. The one who divined my fate is a true god among men. Even if you eventually form a primordial embryo and enjoy immortality, you will not be able to kill Him.”

"A true god among men?" Chen Ming heard this for the first time and looked puzzled. "What is that?"

Yu Haitang took out a silk handkerchief and wiped her eyes, saying, "You don't actually think that the method of immortality was researched by the Emperor of Immortality, do you?"

"Since ancient times, geniuses have emerged among the human race. As early as the ancient times, there were powerful beings who created methods for achieving immortality. These powerful beings have lived from ancient times to the present day. Some have lived for hundreds of thousands of years, some for tens of thousands of years, and the lifespan of others is now unknown."

"These immortal beings are the true gods of the mortal realm. The person who divined my fate was one of these true gods, known as a demigod. He could predict people's destinies with unparalleled accuracy and had never made a mistake."

"Otherwise, why would the prestigious Yu family kill an infant because of a few words of prophecy?"

Chen Ming was quite shocked to hear such a secret.

True gods among men, immortals, demigods, fortune tellers...

However, a huge question arose in his mind: "If true gods exist in this world, why is it like this now?"

His question was vague, but Yu Haitang knew what he wanted to ask and smiled, "Are you trying to say why this human world isn't ruled by those true gods?"

"Not bad!"

Those true gods on earth are immortal and cannot be killed by anyone; the passage of time cannot erase their lives. Their power is unimaginable.

Logically speaking, such a powerful being should be the ruler of this world. Even if not the overt ruler, they should be hiding in the shadows.

Yu Haitang smiled mockingly. "The Way of Heaven is fair. If you want immortality, you must pay a price. Since these true gods in the mortal world are called gods, they are naturally non-human beings. They have no human emotions or desires, nor human selfishness. They are in harmony with the Way of Heaven. In a sense, they are the embodiment of the Way of Heaven."

Chen Ming gasped. "You mean, these true gods on earth have already been deified?"

Yu Haitang hadn't heard of this term before, but she roughly understood what it meant. She nodded, "In ancient times, there was one more realm than now. After the Primordial Embryo realm, there was the Transformation Realm. However, after seeing the fate of these immortals, those ancient powerful beings were unwilling to take that step again and began to search for new methods of immortality."

"So far, it seems that only the Longevity Emperor has succeeded. Unfortunately, he was later betrayed, and his fate is unknown. The Longevity Immortal Dynasty also collapsed overnight. There has never been a true immortal in this world since, leaving only the legend of the nine suspected tombs."

Chen Ming said, "What about those demon lords of the Longevity Sect? In a way, they can also be called longevity beings."

"They're all heretical paths, not true immortality. In the end, their fate will probably be similar to those true gods on earth. They'll lose themselves and become chaotic consciousness driven only by instinct."

"I've heard that there's another way to achieve immortality: becoming the true master of the secret realm."

Possessing a token grants the ability to open secret realms at will, but it doesn't make one the master of the realm; at most, it only grants the right of passage.

To become the true master of the secret realm, one needs to kill its original owner and then refine its core. Doing this is by no means easy.

Yu Haitang said, "That can't be considered a true method of immortality. The secret realm can be destroyed, and once it's destroyed, its master will naturally die as well. Moreover, in that case, you'll be forever bound to the secret realm. This secret realm will become a cage from which you can never escape. Do you want that kind of immortality?"

Chen Ming finally understood why the appearance of the suspected tomb of the Longevity Emperor would attract so many people to fight for it.

Because the Immortal Emperor is indeed the only person to date who has truly achieved immortality.

Yu Haitang said, "So, you can't kill a true god among mortals. What I need you to do for me is to destroy the Yu family."

She spoke these words without any trace of hatred on her face, appearing quite calm.

It was unusually calm.

Chen Ming smiled wryly, "The Yu family is one of the five great clans, with a history spanning thousands of years. They have remained unaffected by dynastic changes. Destroying such a force is no easier than killing a true god in the mortal realm."

"If it were easy, I would have done it myself."

"..."

"If you are unwilling, then don't even think about the suspected tomb of the Longevity Emperor."

Chen Ming didn't continue the topic, but asked, "What are your plans next?"

"I'm leaving. I've come today to say goodbye. I have something very important to do."

"Then how will I contact you in the future?"

"We'll meet here again a year from now. By then, I believe you'll have reached the pinnacle of the first rank."

After saying this, Yu Haitang got up and left without any hesitation.

Chen Ming hadn't expected her to be so decisive, leaving so abruptly. He only had time to say, "Take care."

Having already left the courtyard, Yu Haitang heard the farewells behind her and murmured, "Husband, take care of yourself too." ...

After Yu Haitang left, Chen Ming felt a little lost. He had expected that this brief reunion would involve some romantic words.

As it turned out, Yu Haitang didn't mention those things at all; they only talked about serious matters, and she left in a hurry.

He composed himself and didn't stay at the villa for long before leaving.

He needed to find a safe place to integrate the techniques.

Chen Ming didn't tell Yu Haitang the truth earlier. In the past two weeks, he had actually comprehended the Golden Element True Skill and was able to integrate the techniques.

However, that would have caused too much of a stir, and he didn't want to expose the secret of the Five Elements True Skill, so he told a lie.

I was planning to sneak away quietly, but unexpectedly, Yu Haitang left first.

Jiangzhou has become a place of trouble. So many martial artists have died in Golden Light Valley, including three Divine Realm cultivators, two of whom were from the Qin family and the Wushan Sect.

For Jiangzhou, this was tantamount to a magnitude 10 earthquake.

The Qin family and the Wushan Sect have each lost a Divine Realm expert, and they will definitely not let this go easily.

There might be survivors outside Golden Valley who witnessed the battle. Therefore, it's best to leave this place.

Two days later.

Chen Ming arrived at the Huan Shou Mountain, which was the location of the Xingyue Sect. He went directly into the underground waterway, to the place where the Xingyue Sect's secret inscription was kept.

This place is secluded enough that he can cultivate in peace.

He sat cross-legged on the ground and opened the control panel.

[Detection indicates that "Mysterious Gold True Skill" can be fused into "Five Elements True Skill (Missing)". Fuse?]

The day has finally arrived.

He felt a surge of excitement and silently murmured, "Yes!"

[The techniques are currently being merged and are expected to take 48 hours. During this time, please do not use your inner energy. Find a place to sit still and do not move around.]

Then, Chen Ming felt a dramatic change in the internal energy within his body...

……

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Within the underground river's space, the turbulent energy finally subsided.

As for the source of all this, Chen Ming slowly opened his eyes and carefully sensed the changes within his body.

"The Qi energy has increased more than tenfold."

"As for its power—"

He flicked his finger, and a sword aura flew out, silently disappearing into the stone wall.

"It has increased at least several times."

This enhancement is simply unbelievable.

With his current strength, there are probably few who can compare to him among the first-rank cultivators. Both the total amount and quality of his Qi are far superior to those of a normal first-rank cultivator.

but--

"I'm still a bit short of being able to challenge the Divine Treasure Realm."

Chen Ming had once possessed the power of the Divine Treasure Realm, and he knew very well how powerful a Divine Treasure Realm expert was.

Even now, he might not be able to defeat the heavily injured Divine Treasure of the Blood Demon Sect.

It needs to be improved further!
"Add some points."

Without hesitation, he directly upgraded the "Nine Heavens Divine Control Technique" to the eighth level, spending a total of ten million experience points.

Instantly, his Yin spirit solidified, and his spiritual power increased once again.

Once you reach the first rank, your strength is determined by two factors: your physical energy and your spiritual sense.

With the enhancement of spiritual awareness, the power of the罡元 (罡元 is a concept in Chinese astrology) naturally increases as well.

The Heavenly Alliance is known as the number one sect in the world because of the "Heavenly Heart Technique". This technique combines martial arts and cultivation. Once you reach the first rank, your spiritual sense will far surpass that of a martial artist, and your strength will naturally be far superior to your peers.

"not enough."

Chen Ming added more points, raising the "Nine Heavens Divine Control Technique" to the ninth level in one go.

Boom!
As if lightning were born from his Yin spirit, it swelled up once more, solidifying to the extreme, almost becoming tangible!

Once the Yin spirit is fully solidified and becomes a physical entity, it can be transformed into a Yang spirit by undergoing the baptism of lightning tribulation, from extreme Yin to extreme Yang.

He is still 100 million experience points away from reaching the Yang God realm.

Chen Ming had almost used up all his experience points at this point.

The effect is obvious. Now his martial arts realm and cultivation realm have both reached the first rank, and his strength has reached its peak.

If he were to encounter that Divine Realm expert from the Blood Demon Sect again at this moment, he would be able to kill him without relying on the power of the sapling.

His current strength is comparable to that of an ordinary Divine Realm cultivator.

"I'm so strong!"

Chen Ming felt that he was now incredibly strong, and that no one in the first rank was his match.

"Next, we just need to keep accumulating experience points."

As for the task the emperor assigned him—to investigate the Blood Demon Sect—that was no longer important.

He has already killed a Blood Demon Sect member at the Divine Realm level, which is enough to show his loyalty and dedication.

He believed that if he returned to the capital now and the emperor saw that he had broken through to the first rank, he would not blame him, but would only be happy.

As for where to grind experience points, he already had an idea in mind.

With a thought, Chen Ming suddenly held a purple booklet in his hand, which was the "Secret Book of the Purple Mansion" that the Celestial Master had left him.

After reaching the first rank, Yin Shen felt the connection with this booklet more clearly.

That feeling is very similar to that of a tortoise shell.

It seems that this "Secret Book of the Purple Mansion" is also a key to unlocking the secret realm.

"bring it on."

Now that Chen Ming was highly skilled and daring, he released a wisp of his mind and activated the restriction within the purple booklet.

Suddenly, a vast power surged through him, and he vanished from his spot.

(End of this chapter)