Chu Chen was an honest man; he despised lying.

At the same time, he possessed a deeply compassionate heart.

Even toward the imprisoned flood dragon Yan Hua, he still offered two choices.

The first was to submit as his master and become his mount.

The second, naturally, was to become his cultivation resource-to be forcibly devoured and refined for his own use.

Even before posing the question, Chu Chen knew exactly how this arrogant flood dragon would choose.

Yet, he still asked.

Not because he had nothing better to do.

But because, having lived two lives and weathered life and death, this was a profound truth he had realized.

And that truth was:

Always leave this flood dragon a sliver of hope to survive.

In reality, regardless of Yan Hua's choice, even if it willingly submitted and became his mount...

He would still be its master. Skimming a bit of its Spiritual Qi, life force, blood energy, and mental strength wouldn't be crossing the line, would it?

The only reason he danced around the issue was to offer it a glimmer of hope. He feared this temperamental Saint-level beast might act rashly, choose mutually assured destruction, and initiate Self-Destruction on the spot!

After all, this was Chaos Peak. That cheap master of his, Qi Lao'er, who harbored his own dark schemes, was nowhere to be found, and the Empress Lin Shuwang remained in Secluded Cultivation.

Although Chu Chen had consecutively shattered several realm bottlenecks, his time cultivating had been far too brief. He could ruthlessly crush his fellow disciples, but he stood no chance against a Saint.

Furthermore, even though this Saint-level flood dragon was restrained by the Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon, the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, Chu Chen had only barely refined the artifact. Immobilizing the dragon's physical body was his absolute limit; if it truly wished to self-destruct, he had no power to stop it.

Fortunately, Chu Chen had anticipated this from the very beginning and had skillfully dangled an alluring, empty promise before the beast.

The Dao was fraught with hardship. Having one's cultivation and Dao fruit forcibly plundered was agonizing, but weighed against one's own life, what did it truly matter?

Only with the hope of survival would one abandon the thought of dragging their enemy down with them into the abyss.

"Damned human! What have you done? What have you done?!"

"Ah! How is the Spiritual Qi within my body being stolen by you?!"

"My cultivation base! Ah!! Release me at once! Release me!!"

.......

Amidst Yan Hua's hoarse wails and venomous curses, the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual relentlessly devoured its Spiritual Qi, funneling the endless torrent directly into Chu Chen's body.

As a Great Saint of the Third Heaven, the Saint-level flood dragon Yan Hua possessed terrifying might, yet before the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual, it was nothing more than a lamb awaiting the slaughter.

Boom!

Having devoured for barely a few breaths, Chu Chen once again touched the threshold of a breakthrough.

The invisible bottleneck within his meridians materialized, only to be instantly shattered into absolute nothingness beneath the bombardment of terrifying Spiritual Qi.

Essence Condensation Realm, Third Heaven-Break!

"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!!"

"Just two mere breaths, and I've already broken through to the Third Heaven!"

Chu Chen was genuinely astonished, overflowing with ecstasy. His gaze lingered on Yan Hua with a ravenous intensity:

"A Great Saint truly lives up to its title! So much richer than that trash, Zhang San!"

Since even a Saint-level flood dragon could be devoured, why waste breath on idle chatter?

Plunder it all!

"Devour! Devour! Devour!!"

Boom!!

The Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual flared to life once more within him. As his realm and cultivation soared, the terrifying devouring force surged exponentially, accelerating his plunder to a violent frenzy.

Whether it was Spiritual Qi, life force, mental strength, or blood energy surging through Yan Hua's veins, nothing was spared. Any trace of energy was indiscriminately swallowed, flowing endlessly into Chu Chen to be refined and absorbed.

Thus, what Chu Chen gained was not merely a higher cultivation base, but raw physical might and profound soul power.

It was an absolute, all-encompassing tonic, infinitely faster than painstakingly drawing in the ambient Spiritual Qi drifting between heaven and earth.

Bang!

Essence Condensation Realm, Fourth Heaven-Break!

Bang!

Essence Condensation Realm, Fifth Heaven-Break!!

......

Time trickled by. Within the secret chamber, Yan Hua roared ceaselessly, utterly helpless and devoid of options.

Aside from the ultimate path of Self-Destruction, this Saint-level flood dragon had no other recourse.

Yet, should it detonate its core, whether or not it managed to kill Chu Chen, it would definitively ensure its own physical annihilation and the utter scattering of its soul.

For now, Chu Chen was merely siphoning away its Spiritual Qi. To a Saint-level powerhouse, such a loss was but a single hair from nine oxen-entirely negligible.

It was not yet time to burn bridges. Yan Hua could only spew curses while observing from the shadows, desperately seeking a sliver of an opportunity to escape.

The foolish dragon was even calculating how it might snatch away the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual and the Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon, the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, during its getaway...

"Not even an hour has passed, and I've already broken through to the Essence Condensation Realm, Seventh Heaven. This truly is..."

Stopping his devouring, Chu Chen felt the surging, torrential power within him. His eyes widened in absolute astonishment:

"You stupid dragon, how are you still at the Great Saint Third Heaven? Your realm hasn't fallen at all?!"

One must understand, in a mere hour, he had crossed from the Essence Condensation Realm Second Heaven all the way to the Seventh Heaven-a full five minor realms!

All of this was fueled by draining Yan Hua's Spiritual Qi. Yet, after relinquishing such a vast ocean of energy, the Saint-level beast merely suffered a slight dip in aura. Its realm and cultivation foundation remained entirely unshaken. This left Chu Chen genuinely staggered.

A beast is a beast-truly resilient!!

A predatory crimson glint flickered in Chu Chen's eyes. If he were to drain this flood dragon until it was naught but ash, to what terrifying heights would his cultivation ascend~

But upon further reflection, it made sense. Yan Hua was a Great Saint of the Third Heaven; the ocean of energy within its flesh was unfathomable. Merely breaking through the Essence Condensation Realm barely scratched the surface of its reserves.

However, the further he advanced-through the Sea Cleaving Realm, the Heaven Opening Realm, and eventually the Spirit Communication Realm and Divine Fire Realm...

The higher he climbed, the more monumental his energy requirements would become, multiplying by dozens, if not hundreds of times over.

"Stupid dragon, we end here for today."

Chu Chen dusted off his hands and rose to his feet. Meeting Yan Hua's fiery, hateful glare, a faint, mocking smile tugged at his lips:

"Whenever you finally see reason and willingly submit as my mount, I will halt this harvest and spare your life!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Yan Hua unhinged its massive maw, unleashing a torrential wave of blinding, scorching flames directly at Chu Chen.

"Insolent human, you are courting death!!"

Yet, these very flames that could once boil oceans and incinerate mountains were utterly smothered under the suppression of the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar. The instant the inferno erupted, it was ruthlessly devoured by the earthen vessel, leaving not even a stray ember behind.

"You... Damn you!!"

"You are nothing but a mere Essence Condensation ant! How could you possibly refine an Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon?! And what is this demonic art that plunders the cultivation of others?! Just how many secrets are hiding within you, how many..."

Before the infuriated beast could finish its roar, Chu Chen waved a hand. The Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar erupted with boundless devouring force, forcibly dragging the colossal dragon into its pitch-black depths. Brushing an invisible speck of dust from his robes, Chu Chen stretched lazily and strolled out of the secret chamber.

Truthfully, if Chu Chen so desired, he could have continued draining Yan Hua dry. The beast's internal energy reserves were simply too vast. If he consumed it entirely, he estimated he could instantly shatter the bottleneck of the Heaven Opening Realm.

But haste invariably breeds ruin. Having painstakingly reforged his severed cultivation path, he could not allow a moment of gluttony to destabilize his Dao foundation.

Moreover, one could not reach the peak in a single stride. Breaking through seven minor realms in one Secluded Cultivation session was already an act of defying the heavens. If he bypassed the Sea Cleaving Realm and vaulted straight into the Heaven Opening Realm, wouldn't it send seismic shockwaves through the entire Divine Flame Imperial Palace?

Should that happen, it was highly doubtful his cheap master, Qi Lao'er, could suppress his treacherous greed.

In fact, the other Palace Masters might very well risk a death match with Qi Lao'er just to forcibly capture Chu Chen and harvest his secrets.

According to the memories of his previous life, there was still a margin of time before the Empress Lin Shuwang successfully mastered the Divine Flame Imperial Palace's Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon. If a palace coup erupted prematurely now, the variables would simply be too chaotic to control.

"Master, you have finally emerged."

Stepping beyond the heavy stone doors, he was immediately greeted by Yu Youwei, who had clearly been waiting for a long time, holding a tray of steaming, fragrant dishes.

Judging by the thinly veiled anxiety tight on her face, she clearly bore urgent news:

"Master, while you were in Secluded Cultivation, the Divine Flame Imperial Palace's Saintess, Zhang Ke'er, came seeking an audience with you several times."

"She seemed incredibly frantic, as if carrying matters of grave importance. When I informed her you were in Secluded Cultivation, she refrained from intruding, merely sighed heavily, and departed."

Chu Chen took the exquisite meal from Yu Youwei's hands and began to eat voraciously, though a deep frown creased his brow.

The Empress Lin Shuwang should not have finished her Secluded Cultivation yet. Wasn't Zhang Ke'er supposed to be acting as the Empress's Dharma Protector? Why would she come seeking him at a time like this?

Could it be...

A chilling thought suddenly crystallized in Chu Chen's mind.

Was the Empress Lin Shuwang in danger?

Had those ambitious branch Palace Masters finally lost their patience? Were they exploiting the Empress's Secluded Cultivation to stage a bloody palace coup? Had they moved their timetable forward?

His brow knit into a tight knot. Slamming his bowl down, he shot to his feet, instantly turning to leave.

"Master, you... you haven't finished your meal yet~"

"Also, Senior Brother Zhang San and the others are still inside the secret chamber, right? Should I prepare some provisions for them? After all..."

Yu Youwei spoke without a second thought. Gentle to her very bones, she only recognized that guests had arrived. Since they were guests upon the peak, they naturally required hosting, lest they breach common etiquette.

But before the words could fully leave her lips, Chu Chen snapped his head back, his icy gaze piercing right through her. He spoke with terrifying calm:

"Senior Brother Zhang San and the others? What Zhang San?"

"I have crossed paths with this Zhang San but once. When did he ever set foot upon my Chaos Peak? Do not speak such nonsense!"

Yu Youwei's eyes widened in utter bewilderment. Stunned, she instinctively pointed toward the still-sealed stone doors of the secret chamber.

Just as she opened her mouth to argue, she caught a fleeting glimpse through the cracks-the entire chamber was barren. Not just empty of people, but completely devoid of life.

This...

This was impossible!

Even if Senior Brother Zhang San and the rest had been slaughtered by the Master, their corpses would still remain! But this...

"..."

The sheer panic on Yu Youwei's face vanished in a flash. Collecting herself instantly, she bowed deeply in a frantic salute:

"Youwei misspoke. Senior Brother Zhang San and his entourage have indeed never stepped foot upon our Chaos Peak. I beseech Master to punish me."

"Guard Chaos Peak well. If anything happens, send me a sound transmission!"

Chu Chen nodded in dark satisfaction, then swept his sleeve. Drawing upon the profound power of the Heaven-Locking Grand Formation, he warped to the foot of Chaos Peak in the blink of an eye, then shot directly toward the Empress's imperial palace.

His Killing Intent surged, piercing the heavens!

"Empress, I've spouted so many sweet-talking confessions, yet I haven't even stolen a single kiss!"

"Lin Shuwang, you absolutely cannot fall here!!"

......