Eternal Heavenly Emperor-Chapter 405: After Two Months

As long as one’s realm met the requirement of being below a War Venerate, they could enter this ancient ruin as many times as they wished without restriction.

Because one could gain various benefits within the ruins while also facing numerous dangers, those who survived often improved their strength to varying degrees. Long ago, some older War Kings had relied on this ruin to continuously build their foundation, ultimately surging to the rank of War Venerate in one fell swoop.

However, for these older War Kings to achieve a breakthrough, the opportunities consumed far exceeded those required by younger people. Consequently, a new rule was later introduced, limiting the entrance to martial artists under the age of 50.

Below the age of 50, whether a Warrior or a War King, one could still be considered young. As for the Three Minor Realms... they could barely make it far in the ruins, so what if a 50-year-old Martial Disciple entered? If they couldn’t even surpass such beings, how could they call themselves Heaven Talented?

Another point was that at the Heaven Talented Assembly of the Nine States, ultimately only one person would reach the top.

"Chu Hao, this ancient ruin has been opened after a hundred years, which means the opponents you will face are the strongest of this era!" He Luo said solemnly.

Chu Hao nodded. In recent years, martial arts had clearly entered a golden age. Previously, he had never seen anyone with Great Perfection in the Three Minor Realms, but now just Cang State alone had produced two, not to mention the other states. Even Yue State, which ranked second to last, had at least ten people reaching this level.

Looking at Yue Feng and other young kings from the earlier generation, they too had the opportunity to become Ten Springs Warriors, with equally unbelievable strength.

Perhaps even earlier generations of kings might have boasted the presence of Ten Springs War Generals and Ten Springs War Kings, which would be even more astonishing.

This was not impossible, as Su Wanyue had already been a War General three years ago and stepping into the role of a War King now would not be surprising, especially if she had been making breakthroughs from Great Perfection before that, Chu Hao would not find it strange.

This stunning lady had such potential.

While being cautious, Chu Hao also felt a strong desire to fight, excited at the prospect of battling these Heaven Talented individuals, as that would make his journey worthwhile.

The Barbaric Girl was especially eager, hailing from a tribe of warriors where a day without fighting was unbearably itchy for her. She wished the ruin would open immediately.

The Blood Bat carried them over the sea, the real ocean, which was larger than all of the Nine States combined. The sea had harsh Gang Winds above, and the Blood Bat dared not fly too high, sticking close to the sea surface.

This increased the danger, as the sea also harbored ferocious beasts, some overwhelmingly powerful, forcing He Luo to sometimes summon the Ancestral Artifact for deterrence.

"Perhaps, there are Divine Level ferocious beasts in the sea, which is why even the War Gods dare not cross it!" Chu Hao speculated. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The sea area far exceeded the land in size, and the ocean was vertically expansive, providing far more living space than land. By proportion, the sea creatures could be a hundred times more than those on the Nine States’ mainland.

Hence, it would not be surprising if the number of War Gods also greatly increased.

More crucially, while human martial arts heritage might face interruptions, ferocious beasts did not, as they passed down traits through bloodlines, setting their future growth potential from birth.

Several days later, the trio and the cat finally arrived at an island.

The island was large, but it was filled with sharply protruding rocks and scant vegetation, hardly suitable for habitation. Yet now, the island was nearly overrun, as seen from above, it was densely packed with people.

There were still two months left until the Heaven Talented Assembly.

Chu Hao, puzzled, asked, "Uncle Luo, how do we know when the relics will open if they aren’t already?"

He Luo smiled, pointing to the island below, "This is the island. As long as this island appears, the ancient ruins will inevitably open within a year."

So, it even comes with an advertisement.

"There are too many people here, let’s find another place. After all, we still have two months," Chu Hao suggested.

"Good idea." He Luo motioned for the Blood Bat to leave. Half a day later, they arrived at a nearby island which also had many martial artists, presumably with the same idea, but it was nowhere near as crowded as the ancient island.

"Let’s stay here."

The Blood Bat landed, and the trio set up tents from their Mustard Seed Rings, and they had also prepared fresh water and food well in advance – not for two months, but they could have stayed for two years without any issues.

Moreover, entering the ancient ruins was not a matter of one or two days. History recorded the shortest stay as ten days, and the longest... up to three years! This duration changed depending on how often the ruins were opened, and with a hundred years since the last opening, it could potentially last up to three years this time.

Of course, the longer the time spent inside, the more benefits one could gain.

Chu Hao secretly calculated that if it really took three years, then he should come out as a War Venerate, on par with He Luo.

This was not an exaggeration because the benefits brought by the Ancestral Pool baptism should allow him to reach the War King level without difficulty and very quickly. So, mixing in an ancient ruin full of opportunities for three years, couldn’t he break through a major realm?

Even though this major realm was advancing from the Middle Three Realms to the Upper Three Realms!

A 24-year-old War Venerate, hmm, not bad at all.

Chu Hao and his two companions settled on the island, spending each day either Cultivating, sparring with He Luo, or going to sea to endure the terrible pressure of the seabed and battle with the mighty ferocious beasts in the ocean.

The trio remained low-key, not alarming anyone, and just like that, two months swiftly passed by.

Chu Hao had reached the peak of the Eight Springs, his progress as rapid as flight. He was now in a position to break through to Warrior, but of course, he wouldn’t do that. Instead, he set out to open the ninth Human Life Spring.

He had been in seclusion for three days and three nights, with He Luo loyally guarding outside the tent. As for the Barbaric Girl, she was playing wildly with Fat Cat. Her progress wasn’t as terrifying as Chu Hao’s—her current strength was equivalent to that of the Five Springs, but coupled with her Physique, she was by no means inferior to a regular Eight Springs. Moreover, with her Dragon Transformed hands, she could fight even a Nine Springs or Ten Springs Warrior.

After the Ancestral Pool’s baptism, Martial Artists could experience extremely rapid growth in cultivation, but it could absolutely not help someone reach the Nine Meridians if they were previously unable to achieve it. Therefore, Chu Hao was slightly stuck at this stage.

But it was only for a moment; the Double Great Perfection of the Three Minor Realms evidenced his tremendous potential. If there were to be any delays, it would only be at the Ten Springs, perhaps with its integration, but never at the Nine Springs.

On the fourth day, the ninth Human Life Spring was successfully opened, bringing him further close to the peak of Warrior.

Unfortunately, if there had been another month, he could have reached the peak of the Nine Springs, opening the tenth Human Life Spring and standing at the very pinnacle of Warrior. However, the duration of this Ancient Ruins adventure should last at least a year or two, so there’s no need to worry too much about this aspect.

This time, it gathered the Heaven Talented from across the Nine States, including many former Heaven Talented from the Fledgling Dragon List, who would make their presence known one by one. Many of them might have already reached the War King, a power Chu Hao could not yet match.

No choice, he was disadvantaged by age, and compared to Yue Feng, he was only a Ten Springs Warrior. Nevertheless, his cultivation speed was already inconceivably fast.

"Young master, once we enter the ruins, try to keep a low profile. If you die in there, it’s likely to be in vain!" He Luo said very solemnly, actually suggesting that Chu Hao need not participate at all, or at least wait until he reached the War King level before venturing out, because the leap from War King to War Venerate was a huge barrier, not something achievable through mere secluded cultivation.

But since he was the servant and Chu Hao the master, once Chu Hao made up his mind to venture forth, all He Luo could do was make sure Chu Hao understood the stakes. Yet the trials within the ruins varied, and his experience might not be of any use.

However, one thing remains the same after every opening of the Ancient Ruins—that is, upon entry, one must first undergo a trial. After passing such trials, the remaining contenders would vie for supremacy, and eventually one individual would stand atop all as the king.

That day, a beam of light shot up into the sky in the distance, as if it could pierce the heavens and the earth.

"The ruins have opened, let’s go!" He Luo summoned a Blood Bat, and the three of them rode it, immediately flying toward the ancient island. As they departed, many others also took to the sky around the same time.

Some simply flew with their bodies, Star Force Giant Hand grabbing a few juniors, others piloted Sky Boats, which, though not as imposing as Skyships, boasted quick and nimble speed. Still others, like Chu Hao and his group, rode on various birds.

It was like a multitude on a pilgrimage, and as they neared the ancient island, more and more people could be seen flying towards the island from different directions, swarming like a plague of bugs, dense and overwhelming.

Half a day later, Chu Hao and his companions arrived on the island, only to see a gigantic Light Gate at the island’s center, which had appeared out of nowhere, rising a hundred feet tall and fifty feet wide, emitting a black light with an aura that could unsettle the heart.

He Luo maneuvered the Blood Bat down, stopping near the Light Gate, and said, "Young master, I can only take you this far."

Chu Hao nodded and replied, "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Luo."

"Be careful," He Luo advised, "Don’t overexert yourself. Life is most important; without it, there’s no hope at all."

"I understand," Chu Hao didn’t mind the other’s nagging.

"All who wish to participate in the Nine States Heaven Talented Assembly, come here and test your bone age first. Anyone trying to cheat through will be found out and will certainly face a joint manhunt from three thousand major forces of the Nine States. I advise everyone to respect themselves." Around the Light Gate sat ten figures with incredibly powerful auras, all of them War Emperors. Such a lineup meant that unless a War God was present, it would be very difficult to get through.

These ten War Emperors all sat on the ground, eyes fixed on the nose, nose on the heart, resembling stone statues. However, anyone harboring a stroke of luck would surely be asking for trouble.

"These are the Dharma Bodies of the ten War Emperors. Their true bodies are all Cultivating and couldn’t possibly come here," He Luo explained to Chu Hao.

Dharma Body was an ability of the Upper Three Realms’ powerhouses. He Hao also had a Dharma Body, but it could only move within a limited range of his true body, unlike the War Emperors, who could virtually travel unrestricted to any location. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote on qidian.com—your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)