!

Within the secret chamber of Chaos Peak.

Spirit Stones were piled high like mountains.

Various rare heavenly and earthly spiritual objects floated in midair, emitting strange, radiant glows.

Chu Chen sat cross-legged. He released his Spiritual Power, enveloping all the spiritual objects, and began to refine them.

Each spiritual object contained peculiar energy. The refining process usually required extreme caution.

If an ordinary Essence Condensation Ninth Heaven cultivator wanted to refine a single spiritual object, it would take at least half a day to fully absorb it and convert it for their own use.

In other words, refining the seven spiritual objects in this secret chamber should take at least three or four days.

But for Chu Chen?

It took only an instant!

"Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual, swallow for me!!"

With a thunderous boom, Chu Chen reached out and grabbed at the seven spiritual objects suspended in midair.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several streams of black Qi abruptly burst from his palms, instantly enveloping the spiritual objects and thoroughly refining them.

The seven spiritual objects visibly turned to ash. They were decomposed into the purest energy, surging endlessly into Chu Chen's body and filling his six spiritual roots.

"Whew-"

"This feeling is... simply too satisfying!"

After absorbing the energy of all seven spiritual objects at once, Chu Chen let out a long breath.

Feeling the opportunity for a breakthrough descend once more, Chu Chen did not choose to advance. Instead, he forcibly suppressed his cultivation.

How many days had it been?

If he continued to break through at this pace, he would likely be captured and studied by those with hidden motives.

Moreover, Chu Chen deliberately suppressed his cultivation for another purpose.

He wanted to give someone a surprise.

"Let me first look at this Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill. After all, defense is sometimes more important than attack. It is a true life-saving measure."

Having absorbed the seven spiritual objects, Chu Chen began to comprehend the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill.

Although it was a remnant scroll, the technique's grade still reached the Heaven Opening Realm. Its preciousness went without saying.

Chu Chen possessed a top-grade, full-attribute, full-spiritual-root constitution. His cultivation aptitude was practically the absolute peak of the entire Desolate Ancient Continent. No matter how obscure or difficult a technique might be, a little pondering was enough for him to fully grasp it.

Back in the Ye family, whenever his older sisters-including Ye Lingyue-encountered techniques they couldn't comprehend, they often consulted him.

"By absorbing the metal-attributed Spiritual Power floating between heaven and earth, circulating it through specific meridians, sequentially stimulating the Dazhui, Guanyuan, and Shenque acupoints, and activating the metal-attributed spiritual root within the body... the metal-attributed Spiritual Power will cover the body's surface, forming a highly resilient golden film impervious to water and fire..."

"Profound! Truly profound!!"

As Chu Chen continuously comprehended and experimented, metal-attributed Spiritual Power circulated through his meridians. A layer of golden film actually began to form over his skin.

Time passed bit by bit, and the golden film covering Chu Chen grew thicker.

In the end, Chu Chen directly transformed into a little golden man.

From the start of his comprehension to reaching Perfection, it only took a little over a day.

If word of this spread, how many Holy Sons and Holy Daughters would drop their jaws in shock? How many prodigies and monsters would be put to shame?

"Let me test the defense of this Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill."

Having mastered the technique, Chu Chen reached out. A flying sword appeared in his palm out of thin air. Without any hesitation, he gripped the hilt and slashed it directly at his own left arm.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking stone echoed throughout the secret chamber.

When the sharp flying sword struck Chu Chen's arm, it was actually knocked away, sparking a shower of tiny sparks.

"This flying sword is a Sea Cleaving Realm Dharma Treasure. Even a Sea Cleaving Realm cultivator couldn't withstand a direct hit, yet it can't even pierce my skin?"

Chu Chen raised an eyebrow, overjoyed.

He had gained another life-saving measure.

"It's just a pity that this Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill is a remnant scroll. It can only be cultivated up to the Heaven Opening Realm."

Chu Chen habitually stroked his chin, a look of regret on his face.

"If I could find the complete Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, its value would probably surpass even the Slaying Heaven Sword Canon!!"

But Chu Chen wasn't worried. After all, he was a Child of Providence.

From the moment he began cultivating the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, an unseen, inextricable connection had formed between him and the technique.

A karmic cause and effect had been established.

If even he, a Child of Providence, couldn't find the complete Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, then who could?!

"Next is this Slaying Heaven Sword Canon. I want to see just what is so extraordinary about this sword canon that even Qi Lao'er, a Saint King Realm powerhouse, values it so highly!"

He crushed the token containing the sword canon's inheritance. A surge of sword Qi instantly shot into Chu Chen's brow, transforming into a vast sea of sword techniques and formulas that flooded his Sea of Consciousness.

The Slaying Heaven Sword Canon had a total of three forms:

First Form: One Sword Severs Mountains and Rivers!

Second Form: One Sword Destroys a Man's City!

Third Form: One Sword Breaks the Heavenly Gate!!

Each of these three sword forms was stronger than the last, but also vastly more complex and difficult to comprehend.

However, for Chu Chen, whose cultivation aptitude was at the absolute peak, comprehending these techniques was not difficult. After spending about two more days, he had fully mastered the Slaying Heaven Sword Canon.

It was just that his current cultivation was too low. With his Essence Condensation Ninth Heaven cultivation, he couldn't even execute the first sword form.

Even for him, he would need to break through to the Sea Cleaving Realm to barely execute the first form, One Sword Severs Mountains and Rivers.

To execute One Sword Destroys a Man's City, he would at least need to break through to the Heaven Opening Realm.

And to execute the strongest strike, One Sword Breaks the Heavenly Gate, he would need to reach the Spirit Communication Realm or even the Divine Fire Realm.

"Comprehending this Slaying Heaven Sword Canon is like walking into a world composed entirely of swords. Truly profound."

Taking a deep breath, Chu Chen was in a fairly good mood after comprehending the two major techniques.

But he didn't rush to leave the secret chamber. Instead, he calmed his mind once more and, with an extremely excited heart, summoned the Heaven-Swallowing Magic Jar, his Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon.

Ten days had quietly passed. Finally, it was time to use Grasping Heavens again.

What kind of treasure would this third Grasping Heavens yield?

Chu Chen was both expectant and nervous.

He reached his entire right hand into the jar. His Divine Sense was once again pulled into the void. He looked up at the stars twinkling and flickering above his head, fading in and out of sight.

With his desired item in mind, Chu Chen reached out and grabbed at the starry sky.

A giant arm reaching to the heavens grasped one of the stars in its palm. It continuously shrank and shrank until it retreated back to the real world.

Opening his palm, a particle of light instantly drilled into his brow. A specific cultivation method emerged deep within his mind.

Boom!!

An Imperial-level technique: Great Puppet Art!

"This... this Grasping Heavens is so heaven-defying. It actually managed to grasp this puppet art?"

Chu Chen's face was full of disbelief. He looked at the Great Puppet Art suspended deep within his mind, feeling as though he were in a dream.

When he performed Grasping Heavens, he had imagined grasping a technique or divine ability similar to a puppet art. He never thought he would actually get it-and that it would be the most powerful Imperial-level puppet divine ability on the entire Desolate Ancient Continent, the Great Puppet Art.

Legend had it that this Great Puppet Art was created by the Puppet Great Emperor a hundred thousand years ago. It could invisibly control a person's Divine Sense and thoughts, forcibly refining them into a puppet for one's own use.

Once a cultivator broke through to the Saint King Realm and cultivated this Great Puppet Art to Perfection, they could, with a single thought, instantly refine a city of millions into a puppet nation...

Although Chu Chen was currently only at the Essence Condensation Realm and would find it difficult to unleash the true power of this Great Puppet Art, as long as he used some medium to gradually erode and influence another's Divine Sense...

Given time, there would be unexpected surprises.

"Hmm? Someone has come to my Chaos Peak?"

Just as he was about to continue comprehending the Great Puppet Art, Chu Chen frowned, his vigilance aroused.

Although he was in Secluded Cultivation within the secret chamber, the entirety of Chaos Peak was enveloped by the Heaven-Sealing Grand Formation. No matter what happened on Chaos Peak, Chu Chen, as the master of the formation, could monitor everything with a single thought.

"This person... is not from the Divine Flame Emperor Palace. On his body..."

"How does he have the aura of the Ye family? What is the Ye family doing at my Chaos Peak?!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Chen's body vanished from the secret chamber out of thin air.

"Damn it, you are courting death!!"