Chapter 365: Entering the Palace

Gu Li stopped when he reached about three-quarters of the way and sat cross-legged to meditate.

Tang San passed him and continued upwards.

At this position, the pressure intensified, and the sharpness of the sword intent invisibly struck at the spiritual world. Tang San estimated that anyone with a bloodline and spiritual power below the ninth order couldn't continue upwards.

Although his own cultivation hadn't reached the ninth order, the combination of his powerful bloodline powers and peak ninth-order spiritual power made it trivial for him.

Continuing upwards without the company of his companions, Tang San quickened his pace.

He faintly felt that, for these Demon Emperor and Nymph Emperor palaces, ascending the palaces was also a journey of discovering his own cultivation path. The best results came when facing the aura of a Demon Emperor's palace that suited his own bloodline talents. If the attributes didn't match, the effect was significantly reduced.

The Sword Saint Palace undoubtedly suited Wu Bingji and Cheng Zicheng, especially Cheng Zicheng. So, it was better for them to train more here rather than having to visit all the palaces. Finding the one that suited oneself was truly the best option.

For Tang San himself, his diverse bloodlines naturally made it suitable to visit more palaces to gain insights, reap greater benefits, and better understand this world.

Step by step, Tang San was nearly at the summit. As he quickened his pace, his spiritual power, influenced by the sword intent, compressed even more. His divine consciousness was at the core, naturally polishing and merging with the compressed spiritual power. At this moment, it was as if Tang San was using external forces to help transform his spiritual power into divine consciousness.

The consumption of spiritual power in this process was immense, but no matter the cost, it was absolutely worth it for him! Transforming spiritual power into divine consciousness usually required gradual cultivation, but now, he had been given a chance for transformation.

Tang San realized that this was likely also the way for the demon and nymph clans' ninth-order powerhouses to advance to the god level. If one could cultivate in such a place, especially in a Demon Emperor's or Nymph Emperor's palace that matched one's attributes, the chances of consolidating divine consciousness and making a breakthrough were much more significant. He just didn't know if the demon and nymph clans had to pay any price after such a breakthrough.

Finally, Tang San was about to reach the summit, and the Sword Saint Palace grand doors were now right before him.

The doors were immense, fifteen meters tall, and triangular on top. The double doors were open, and the overwhelming sword intent surged from within.

At this moment, aside from Tang San, no one else had reached the summit with him. As he stepped onto the final stair, the pressure did not decrease; instead, it became even more concentrated.

The powerful and sharp aura even made Tang San's skin tingle with pain, necessitating the activation of the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral to defend against it.

It must be said, the power of a first-tier bloodline was formidable. Moreover, the assimilative capacity of the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral was exceptionally strong, even capable of absorbing some of the sword intent, which in turn sharpened Tang San's own aura. More precisely, this ability of the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral was called assimilation—it took the opponent's power and assimilated it, adding temporary attributes to one's bloodline power.

This means if the opponent's ability is sharp, then upon assimilation, the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral will also gain a sharp attribute. This aspect is far more formidable than the Golden Holy Fire of the Golden Lion clan, which can temporarily devour an opponent's energy but only purely enhances one's own bloodline power.

With the empowerment of the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral, Tang San steadied his stance and then continued step by step until he reached the grand doors of the Sword Saint Palace.

The sharp sword intent caused his hair to flutter backward as if blown by an invisible wind. The impact of the sword intent on his body sped up the polishing of his spiritual power while the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral quickly assimilated it. It felt as though countless swords were slicing through his body, yet also stimulating it to grow stronger incessantly.

Truly a fantastic place! These ten naturae coins were well spent. Below the god level, the stronger one's cultivation, the greater the benefits one can gain here. However, the gains would likely diminish for those above the god level, as this pressure would be less effective on god-level powerhouses. Of course, it's already a great deal whether it's five or ten naturae coins. It would likely cost much more if it also significantly boosted god-level powerhouses.

Tang San stood at the doorway for a while, gradually adjusting to the sharp sensation, before stepping inside.

A strange scene occurred. As he stepped into the Sword Saint Palace, the intense pressure that had been present just a moment before suddenly vanished, and his whole body felt empty.

Tang San might have stumbled forward if not for his extraordinary self-control.

He faltered for half a step but managed to control his form. Tang San took a deep breath.

Even such a simple deep breath made Tang San feel like he was inhaling not air but a torrent of energy from heaven and earth. At that moment, his body seemed to be filled to the brim. Pure life energy entered his body, purifying it. Tang San's whole body trembled slightly as the previously intensely drained bloodline power quickly replenished, and even his spiritual power, nourished by the dense energy, experienced an indescribable sense of comfort.

Subconsciously lifting his head, Tang San felt a thunderous crash as a terrifying thought struck directly into his sea of consciousness.

This unparalleled sharpness felt like it would cleave his skull in two, causing Tang San to lose focus in his eyes momentarily.

A powerful consciousness emerged in his mind, and a cold voice echoed in his brain.

"Would you enter the Sword Saint Palace? Would you submit to me?" The grand voice, laden with overwhelming force and oppression, shivered Tang San's spiritual power.

Such a powerful thought pressed down on him, nearly forcing him to his knees.

Tang San didn't engage his divine consciousness to resist. Such a fearsome spiritual thought was undoubtedly from the master of the Sword Saint Palace, the Sword Saint Demon Emperor. Perhaps this was merely a fraction of his consciousness left within the palace, but if Tang San were to use his divine consciousness to resist and were discovered, he would be in great trouble.

Thus, he desperately used his spiritual power to shield his divine consciousness, preventing the intrusive thought from detecting it.

"Would you enter the Sword Saint Palace? Would you submit to me?"

The voice rang out again, its oppressive force causing Tang San to stagger. Yet, he forcibly controlled his body, preventing himself from kneeling. Instead, he sat down right there, guarding his mind inwardly, resisting with all his might.

"Would you enter the Sword Saint Palace? Would you submit to me?"

The voice echoed a third time. This time, it felt as if thousands of swords were piercing through Tang San's sea of consciousness, causing him to groan in pain. Yet, with his peak ninth-order spiritual power, he barely managed to endure the agony, gritting his teeth and holding on.

Finally, the powerful thought receded like a tide, and Tang San's sea of consciousness gradually stabilized.

All pressure vanished, leaving only the dense vital energy from heaven and earth enveloping him.

Tang San slowly opened his eyes.

Before him stood a colossal sculpture.

The sculpture, about thirty meters tall and humanoid, depicted a man clad in a white robe, holding a black sword. Behind him, a pair of immense white wings spread out as if ready to take flight.

No sharp aura emanated from it, but as Tang San looked at the statue, he felt a stinging in his eyes and his spiritual power trembled.

Such a powerful aura.

Tang San took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

Without a doubt, this was the statue of the Sword Saint Demon Emperor.