Chapter 195: Approaching Ranked Matches

Heavenly Profound Treasure, ranked first!Held by mortals, it slaughters gods and destroys heavens!

Every description of the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword is deeply soul-stirring. It’s like a mythical sword from legends, immensely powerful, yet so ethereal it shouldn't exist.

Yun Che was acutely aware of the power of the Sky Poison Pearl, another Heavenly Profound Treasure. With the Sky Poison Pearl, despite his mediocre strength at the time, he dominated the Azure Cloud Continent for seven years, slaying countless experts far stronger than himself. Given that the Sky Poison Pearl's primary function isn't even destruction, its terror was immense. The power of the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, ranked first, was simply unimaginable.

The claim that it could slaughter gods and destroy heavens in a mortal's hands was obviously an exaggeration, but it still underscored its extreme power.

"Why do you want me to find this sword?" Yun Che asked, still in shock.

"Because..." the voice of the Primordial Azure Dragon suddenly grew sorrowful, "because my daughter is sealed within the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword! Both her body and soul are trapped inside that sword!"

Yun Che: "Your... daughter?"Jasmine: "...!!"

"After the gods were destroyed, the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword never reappeared. I yearned for it to be found, yet I also feared its discovery. If it isn't found, my daughter will remain forever sealed within the sword, enduring eternal darkness and solitude. But if the sword is found... and the person who obtains it harbors even a trace of greed or ill will, once they break the seal, my daughter will become their cultivation vessel... After all, my daughter possesses the complete Dragon God bloodline!"

"So you want me to find the sword because you want to..."

The Primordial Azure Dragon's voice was heavy: "I trust your character; you are a trustworthy person. If the sword falls into your hands, I believe my daughter can be saved."

Yun Che chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Primordial Azure Dragon, I'm not trying to refuse your request, it's just... you think too highly of me. I've never even heard of the place you speak of, let alone know its location. And according to you, it's the highest level of power in this world, where people wield various true god powers passed down through countless generations. I'm merely a profound practitioner in the True Profound Realm. That place, that level, is simply too distant for me. It's unknown if I'll even be able to leave the Azure Wind Empire in my lifetime, so reaching the place you mentioned is utterly impossible."

"I understand," the Primordial Azure Dragon slowly said. "The difficulty of this request I've made far surpasses ascending to heaven. I have no right to demand that you fulfill it. I simply hope that if, one day, you truly set foot in the Realm of Gods, you might attempt to seek out the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword. If you never leave this continent in your lifetime, then you may forever forget what I've said."

The most important reason the Primordial Azure Dragon made this astonishing request to Yun Che was Jasmine's existence. Without Jasmine, Yun Che truly couldn't have had any connection, not even the slightest, to that world; he might not even have known of its existence in his entire life. But Jasmine's life was now intertwined with his, and the divine power within him originated from Jasmine. Whether he would one day step into that world was no longer a question with only a negative answer.

With the Primordial Azure Dragon having said this, Yun Che naturally had nothing more to add. He nodded earnestly and replied, "Alright, I've remembered everything you've said. If I truly reach that place one day, I will certainly try to find the sword you mentioned... And if I do find it, I will do my utmost to find a way to break the seal and allow your daughter to see the light of day again."

"...Your voice is sincere, and your soul shows no trace of hesitation. I was indeed not mistaken about you. Thank you for this promise." The Primordial Azure Dragon said with relief, "My Dragon God clan never owes anyone. I won't let you make this promise in vain... This wisp of my residual soul exists by clinging to the Dragon God's blood. Creating this trial realm and sacrificing the Dragon God's blood has greatly depleted me; this wisp of soul can only last for three more years at most. And this is my last remaining soul; all other remnants of my soul left elsewhere have dissipated after completing their respective inheritances. I originally wanted to bestow everything I had left upon you, but alas, your current power level is too low. Even with the protective divine power of the Evil God and the Desolate God, you simply cannot bear it."

"I will wait for you for three years. If you reach the Earth Profound Realm within three years, then return to this place to find me. I will bestow upon you my final 'Dragon God Marrow' and 'Dragon God Soul'!"

"But I can only wait for three years. After three years, everything of me, except my lingering concern, will vanish like smoke."

Dragon God Marrow, Dragon God Soul... whatever they were, anything associated with the words "Dragon God" was bound to be immensely powerful, even a single hair shed by a Dragon God. Yun Che naturally couldn't resist such temptation: "Alright! I will definitely reach the Earth Profound Realm within three years... no! Two years at most! When that time comes, I will immediately come and find you."

"Heh heh, good... good."

The Primordial Azure Dragon gladly assented, and then its azure eyes slowly faded from above.

The darkness around Yun Che quickly dissipated, and dim light appeared. Yun Che glanced around and found himself back in the gloomy mountain cave at the center of the Death God's Wilderness.

"It is time for you to leave. Remember what I said: when you reach the Earth Profound Realm, you must return to find me. I am not doing this for you, but to gain more hope for my daughter."

"Don't worry, I won't forget such a great benefit," Yun Che replied.

"So, are you planning to return to the place you mentioned earlier?"

Yun Che looked towards the cave exit, feeling the power surging within him. Clenching his fists, he said solemnly, "What I need to do now, of course, is to get out of the central region of the Death God's Wilderness alive!"

The central region of the Death God's Wilderness was the domain of Sky Profound Beasts, and further out lay the domain of Earth Profound Beasts. When he arrived, he had Chu Yuechan's protection, but now he was alone. For Yun Che, these two vast areas were undoubtedly terrifying, a death trap where every step was perilous.

Exiting the Death God's Wilderness was a challenge almost as difficult as the Dragon God's trial. However, this "challenge" didn't frighten Yun Che at all. His profound strength had increased by six levels in seven days, and he now needed extensive combat to stabilize his surging power.

"I wish you all the best."

Yun Che smiled and nodded, bid farewell to the Primordial Azure Dragon, then took a deep breath and rushed towards the cave exit, stepping into the perilous Death God's Wilderness...

Time flew by, and imperceptibly, the date for the Azure Wind Ranking Tournament drew closer.

What was once the Azure Wind Ranking Tournament held every ten years was now compressed to once every three years. Although the frequency increased slightly, the major sects' emphasis on it had not diminished in the slightest.

The results of the Azure Wind Ranking Tournament determined a sect's standing. The most authoritative way to prove one's strength was to achieve a good ranking in the tournament. If a previously unknown sect suddenly rose to prominence in the tournament, breaking into the top hundred, that sect would undoubtedly become famous overnight, and the number of disciples seeking to join would become countless.

For sects at the pinnacle, their ranking was even more crucial, as it determined their position and prestige for the next three years.

And ranking was only one reason the major sects valued the Azure Wind Ranking Tournament. Other reasons included: firstly, disciples who ranked in the top ten would receive incredibly generous rewards, especially the top three. These rewards came from the Heavenly Might Sword Region, one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, and were treasures unobtainable for any amount of gold, treasures that even the top sects of the Azure Wind Empire could not produce! Secondly, sects that ranked in the top ten would be eligible to explore the "Heavenly Pond Secret Realm," which opened once every three years.

This "Heavenly Pond Secret Realm" was also what all sects valued the most.

The sole reason the Azure Wind Ranking Tournament was compressed to once every three years was that the opening time of the "Heavenly Pond Secret Realm" had been shortened from once every ten years to five years, and then to three years.

To this day, no one knew the origin of the "Heavenly Pond Secret Realm." There were only rumors that it was an independent space created long, long ago by super-experts, at least of the Sovereign Profound Realm, and for some reason, it appeared in the Azure Wind Empire. However, its true origin was not important; what was beyond doubt was that the "Heavenly Pond Secret Realm" contained countless treasures. Every time disciples from sects entered it, they returned with a bountiful harvest. Moreover, although this "Heavenly Pond Secret Realm" had been opened many times, no one had ever reached its edges, and everyone believed that the greatest treasure hidden within this secret realm had yet to be discovered.

As the date for the Azure Wind Ranking Tournament drew closer, all major sects were making intensive preparations.

The Azure Wind Profound Palace was no exception, though for certain reasons, their preparations this time seemed particularly rushed. With only three days left until the tournament began, many sects were already en route to Heavenly Sword Villa, while the Azure Wind Profound Palace was still conducting the final selection of its participating disciples.

At Cang Yue's request, the Inner Palace selection, which should have taken place a month earlier, was delayed by more than half a month.

Only this evening was the selection of participating disciples finally completed. Qin Wushang hurried to the Moon-Embracing Palace where Cang Yue resided, personally informing her of the selection results.

"Your Royal Highness, the results of the Inner Palace selection are out. As expected, it's precisely the top three from the Inner Palace's Heavenly Profound Ranking List."

Cang Yue calmly accepted the list handed to her by Qin Wushang, but Qin Wushang could sense the sorrow beneath her composure... and a near-dead indifference. He sighed deeply in his heart. He could only lament that Yun Che not only possessed astonishing profound energy talent but also seemed to possess some magical charm, captivating Princess Cang Yue, who had resolutely rejected even Fen Juecheng, to the point where she was willing to die for him.

"Fang Feilong, Spirit Profound Realm Level Two; Feng Bufan, Spirit Profound Realm Level Three; Fen Juechen, Spirit Profound Realm Level Five..." Cang Yue softly read out the names on the list, saying somewhat distractedly, "So it's exactly the top three from the Inner Palace's Heavenly Profound Ranking List. If I remember correctly, Fang Feilong and Feng Bufan were already twenty years old when I returned to the palace eight months ago. Won't their age exceed the limit?"

"Your Royal Highness, please rest assured. Both Fang Feilong and Feng Bufan are still about a month shy of their twenty-first birthday, so they are within the twenty-year age limit. I even specifically tested their bone age with a Profound Stone, and it also showed twenty." Qin Wushang replied respectfully.