I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Layer by layer, Qin Yuan steadily climbed upwards.

Each level of the test was a tempering of his character, courage, wisdom, and will.

But he approved them all.

Because his resolve was already as firm as a rock.

Finally, he stepped onto the fifth floor.

The view on the fifth floor is completely different from that on the first four floors.

There are no books here, no bookshelves, only an empty hall.

In the center of the main hall stands a stone pillar.

On the stone pillar lay a jet-black token.

The eighth War God Token.

Qin Yuan's eyes narrowed.

He stepped forward and walked toward the stone pillar.

He walked up to the stone pillar and reached for the token.

Just as his hand was about to touch the token—

A voice rang out.

"Young man, you've finally arrived."

Qin Yuan looked up.

Above the stone pillar, a phantom figure slowly emerged.

He was an old man with white hair, an aged face, and an unfathomable aura.

"Who are you?"

The white-haired old man smiled slightly.

"I am the seventh generation leader of the Wanfa Sect, and my Daoist name is 'Wen Dao'."

Qin Yuan was shocked.

The seventh generation leader of the Wanfa Sect—that was a figure from ten thousand years ago!

"Why are you here, senior?"

The Taoist priest looked at him with profound eyes.

"I am here, waiting for you."

Qin Yuan frowned slightly.

"wait for me?"

The Taoist priest nodded in response.

"To be precise, we're waiting for someone who can collect all nine War God Tokens."

He pointed to the token on the stone pillar.

"This is the eighth one. The ninth one is in the Valley of the Underworld."

Qin Yuan asked, "Why are you telling me this, senior?"

The Taoist priest remained silent for a moment after asking the question.

"Because back then, I fought alongside the God of War, Xing."

A hint of reminiscence flashed in his eyes.

"In that battle, the alien demons invaded, and the heavens and earth shattered. Xing led his men to fight them, but ultimately perished. I was severely wounded and passed away shortly after returning to my sect. Before my death, I left a wisp of my divine consciousness here, waiting for a destined person."

He looked at Qin Yuan.

"You possess the token of punishment, are recognized by the Xingtian Sword, and have mastered the Ice and Fire Dual-Pole Scripture. This means you are the one chosen by Xing."

"The person Xing chose?" Qin Yuan asked. "What do you mean?"

The Daoist asked, "Before Xing died, he used his last strength to deduce the secrets of heaven. He calculated that ten thousand years later, someone would inherit his mantle, collect the nine tokens, open the Nine Heavens Palace, and fight against the alien demons that would descend once again."

He looked at Qin Yuan.

"That person is you."

Qin Yuan remained silent.

Otherworldly demons.

He had heard this word many times.

The lingering regret of the Heavenly Punishment Warrior was mentioned in the Temple of War.

The Ice and Fire Taoist also mentioned this in his last words at the Ice and Fire Temple.

Now, the seventh-generation leader of the Wanfa Sect has mentioned it again.

What exactly are these otherworldly demons?

Seemingly sensing his confusion, the Taoist asked, "The demons come from beyond the heavens. They revel in destruction and feed on living beings. Ten thousand years ago, they launched a massive invasion, nearly destroying this world."

He paused.

"In that battle, countless powerful figures perished, including Xing. In the end, we barely managed to seal them away. But the seal can only last for ten thousand years."

"The time of ten thousand years is approaching."

"At that time, the seal will break, and the demons will descend once more."

He looked at Qin Yuan.

"And you will be the last hope for this land."

Qin Yuan remained silent for a long time.

Then he said, "I just want to become stronger and protect the people I want to protect. I never thought about saving the world."

The Taoist priest smiled when he asked the question.

"That's enough. When there are more people who want to protect, the world will naturally be protected."

He raised his hand, and the token on the stone pillar slowly flew up and landed in Qin Yuan's hand.

"Here's the eighth token. The ninth is in the Netherworld Valley. After collecting all nine, go to the ruins of the Temple of the God of War; there's a gate leading to the Nine Heavens Palace."

"Remember, you only have three years."

Three years later, the seal was broken.

His figure gradually disappeared.

Finally, it turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared into the air.

Qin Yuan held the eighth token, remaining silent for a long time.

Three years.

Three years later, the Otherworldly Demons descended.

He is our last hope.

When I stepped out of the Wendao Pavilion, it was already late at night.

Ling Shuanghua and Lei Dong were waiting for him outside.

Seeing him come out, a hint of concern flashed in Ling Shuanghua's eyes.

"How is it?"

Qin Yuan nodded.

"Found it."

He didn't say much.

Ling Shuanghua didn't ask any further questions.

The three of them walked silently toward their lodgings.

The night breeze was slightly cool.

Qin Yuan looked up at the night sky.

The starry sky was as bright as ever.

But he knew that beneath this starry sky, an unprecedented crisis was brewing.

Three years.

He only has three years.

Three years later—

He gripped the token tightly, his eyes resolute.

No matter what the Otherworldly Demons are or how powerful they are.

He will fight.

It's not about saving the world.

It's all just to protect the people I want to protect.

Three days after the conclusion of the Dao Asking Conference, Qin Yuan left the Wanfa Sect.

He didn't tell anyone where he was going, but left a letter for Ling Shuanghua before he left:

"I'm going to retrieve the ninth token. If I don't return in three days, don't look for me. —Qin Yuan"

The letter was short, but it was enough to make Ling Shuanghua frown.

But she didn't chase after him.

Because she knew that once that man made up his mind, no one could stop him.

All she could do was wait.

—And, appearing promptly when he needs it.

Three thousand miles west of Tianyun City lies a valley shrouded in black mist year-round.

The Valley of the Netherworld.

This place was originally an ancient battlefield, littered with corpses and filled with malevolent energy. For tens of thousands of years, countless evil cultivators have secluded themselves here to cultivate, gradually turning it into a demonic lair. Five hundred years ago, the Southern Branch of the Netherworld Sect officially moved here, transforming Netherworld Valley into an impregnable fortress.

Three hundred miles outside the valley, Qin Yuan stopped.

He stood on a desolate mountain, gazing at the area shrouded in black mist in the distance.

The black fog was so thick it couldn't be dispersed, obscuring the sky and sun, and even divine sense couldn't penetrate it. From within the fog, faint sounds of ghostly wails and wolf howls could be heard, sending chills down one's spine.

But Qin Yuan's expression remained unchanged.

He took out seven fragments of the War God's Token and held them in his palm.

The seven tokens glowed faintly, pointing towards the depths of the black mist.

The ninth one is right there.

He put away the token, took a deep breath, and walked towards the black mist.

The moment you step into the black mist, a chilling aura washes over you.

The aura was like countless invisible hands, trying to penetrate his pores, erode his meridians, and corrupt his soul.

Qin Yuan snorted coldly, and starlight shone brightly around him.

The "Undying Body of the Universe Stars" activated automatically, blocking all the cold, gloomy energy from its body.

He continued on his way.

Visibility was obstructed and divine sense was limited in the black mist, leaving him only able to discern direction through intuition. However, Qin Yuan had seven tokens to guide him, making his direction clear and his steps firm.

After traveling a hundred miles, a rustling sound suddenly came from ahead.

Qin Yuan paused in his steps.

Within the black mist, countless pairs of eerie green eyes lit up.

It was a patrol team from the Netherworld Cult.

There were thirty people in total, led by an old man in black robes who was at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm.

They had clearly noticed Qin Yuan's intrusion long ago and were now surrounding him in a fan shape.

"Qin Yuan!"

The old man in black robes grinned maliciously.

"The Valley Master is indeed a master strategist, foreseeing that you would walk right into his trap! Today, you have no chance of escape!"

Qin Yuan remained silent.

He simply raised his right hand, pointing his index finger at the old man in black robes.

The old man in black robes' expression changed, instinctively sensing a deadly threat!