Once his cultivation realm was completely stable, Xu Chuan withdrew from his cultivation.
With a cultivation base at the fifth level of the Divine Ability Realm, Xu Chuan was confident that he could traverse the Ancient Palace world with impunity.
From now on, he didn't need to be so low-key.
Most of the objectives for this journey had already been achieved.
Only the last goal remained.
That was to head to the center of the Ancient Palace world and participate in the trials of the Golden Ancient Palace!
It was said that all participants in the trial would receive substantial rewards.
He also wanted to see how far he could go.
After tidying his clothes, Xu Chuan stood up.
Beside him, Su Miaoyin, leaning against the stone wall, had actually fallen asleep.
During the time she guarded Xu Chuan's cultivation, she had stayed up all night, watching over him.
At first, seeing Xu Chuan in so much pain, she had been filled with anxiety.
Only when Xu Chuan began to absorb the martial arts experience did she finally relax.
Then, she continued to stay by his side.
Finally, utterly exhausted, she leaned against the stone wall and fell asleep.
Xu Chuan's fusion of the Supreme Bone had taken a full five days.
Seeing her tired appearance, Xu Chuan couldn't bear to disturb her.
He just watched her sleep quietly.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Su Miaoyin slowly woke up.
"Ah!"
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Xu Chuan, his face beaming, staring intently at her.
Like a startled little rabbit, she suddenly jumped up.
"Senior Brother Xu, when did you finish cultivating? How long did I sleep?"
After tidying her hair, Su Miaoyin asked.
"I also just finished cultivating. Seeing you sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you!"
Xu Chuan said with a smile.
"I was just too tired..."
Su Miaoyin said sheepishly.
"It's fine, let's go!"
"You've wasted so much time following me, it's time to find some opportunities that belong to you!"
Xu Chuan waved his hand, unconcerned.
If he complained about her guarding him for so many days, he would be ungrateful!
"Where are we going?"
Su Miaoyin asked curiously.
"A good place, a place where everyone can find their opportunities."
Seeing her curious expression, Xu Chuan couldn't help but want to tease her, speaking mysteriously.
"Oh, Brother Xu, just tell me!"
The more mysterious it was, the more curious she became.
She directly grabbed Xu Chuan's arm and acted coy.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you!"
Xu Chuan couldn't stand this, and quickly pulled his hands away from hers.
"In the center of this world, there is a trial ground. Anyone who enters that place will be pulled into it. For each stage passed, a reward will be received."
"The rewards include heavenly treasures, weapons, and legacies. The rewards for each stage are different, but they are all rare items rarely seen outside!"
Xu Chuan explained patiently.
He had come to understand.
Su Miaoyin had wholeheartedly decided to come here to find him, without any understanding of what was in the Golden Ancient Palace.
He didn't know how her master had felt comfortable letting her come in.
Xu Chuan shook his head, chuckling.
"Oh, so that's how it is."
Su Miaoyin said, her eyes widening in realization.
"Then, Senior Brother Xu, let's go! If we're late, all the rewards will be taken by others!"
Saying that, she pulled Xu Chuan's hand and together they left the cave and returned to the outside.
Suddenly.
A man's figure emerged from the woods ahead, blocking Xu Chuan and Su Miaoyin.
"Yo, I wonder who it is. Isn't this the famous new true disciple of the Taiyi Holy Land, Xu Chuan? Still alive?"
The man was dressed in a black robe and wore a black hat, completely obscuring his face.
His voice was hoarse, but he emphasized the words 'Taiyi Holy Land true disciple' heavily, making it sound very unpleasant.
"Who are you, and why are you blocking us?"
Xu Chuan frowned and asked him.
For some reason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with this person.
"True disciple Zhou, you are truly forgetful. You've forgotten me so quickly!"
"You may have forgotten me, but I remember you very clearly!"
"Look closely at who I am!"
After saying that, he removed the hood he was wearing, revealing his face.
What a face it was! His face was full of terrifying ravines, covered everywhere with hideous scars and red marks. A child would probably cry from fright if they saw it!
Seeing this face, Xu Chuan's frown deepened.
The person's appearance did not match anyone he remembered.
Especially these terrifying scars.
"Who exactly are you?"
Xu Chuan asked sternly, growing impatient.
"Who am I?"
"I am Xu Chen! Xu Chuan, you dare not recognize me?"
Hearing that Xu Chuan still didn't recognize him, Xu Chen became instantly furious.
He roared at Xu Chuan.
"Xu Chen?"
Xu Chuan was stunned.
A figure gradually emerged in his mind.
Xu Chen, who had defected from the Holy Land after being defeated by him in the grand competition.
But the Xu Chen from before, while not particularly handsome, did not look as terrifying as he did now.
This made Xu Chuan curious about what he had experienced during this time.
"What happened to you...?"
"You want to ask how I ended up like this, right!"
"It's all your fault, it's all because of you! You're the one who made me this way!"
As Xu Chen spoke, he became more agitated, finally letting out a hysterical roar.
After the grand competition, unable to accept his defeat, he was lured by inner demons, killed patrolling disciples, defected from the Holy Land, and joined the ranks of the demonic path.
In order to gain power, he did not hesitate to sell his soul to the demons.
After undergoing inhuman torture, he finally obtained immense power.
But the price for this power was that his entire body was ruined, and his voice became incredibly unpleasant.
He looked like neither man nor ghost.
Out in the world, he dared not show his true face. No matter who saw him like this, they would show disgust and contempt.
He blamed all of this on Xu Chuan.
If Xu Chuan had not snatched his first place and his position as a true disciple, he would never have become like this.
Intense hatred drove him to endure the inhuman torture of the demonic path.
The first thing he did after obtaining power was to seek revenge on Xu Chuan.
For this purpose.
He hid his identity, mingled with rogue cultivators, and entered the Golden Ancient Palace, all for the sole purpose of capturing Xu Chuan, torturing him severely, then killing him, and subsequently killing everyone related to him.
Only then could his inner rage and hatred be appeased!
"Are you sick?"
Xu Chuan was bewildered. What did this have to do with him?
Wasn't all of this your own doing?
"Hmph, you will die here today without a doubt!"
Xu Chen snorted coldly, his gaze becoming increasingly sinister.
He was too lazy to exchange more words with Xu Chuan.
Now, all he wanted was to quickly capture Xu Chuan and then torture him severely.
As soon as he finished speaking, a foul and disgusting aura emanated from Xu Chen's body.
Xu Chuan's mind stirred.
He sensed a sense of danger from this aura, as well as a familiar feeling.
He felt like he had encountered this aura somewhere before.
Right!
He suddenly remembered.
He had sensed this aura from those remnants of the demonic path, but it was not as strong or disgusting as Xu Chen's.
Xu Chuan instantly understood.
Xu Chen had joined the demons and become a remnant of the demonic path!