Chapter 670: The Heart Sword

Tang San shook his head and said, "We don't know either. We acquired this sword intent by chance in an ancient relic. The sword intent chose Mei Gongzi and has been with her ever since, only able to be activated through divine consciousness. However, the sword intent seems to be able to grow stronger with cultivation. Perhaps in the future, we might find the actual divine weapon."

The Sword Saint Demon Emperor sighed. "It must really be an extraordinary divine weapon. If you do find it, be sure to bring it to me so I can take a look at it. There are few things in this world that interest me anymore, but after taking a glimpse at the truth contained within this sword intent, I feel a strong urge. I think I understand what you meant by the sword being born from the heart. I presume you’d call that the Heart Sword.

"This Heart Sword requires first having a stable and resolute heart[1]. One must seek to have a clear conscience, which leads to a righteous heart. Only after having a righteous heart can one truly begin to comprehend the profound meaning of the Heart Sword. This has opened a new door for me, and perhaps the bottleneck that has limited me for many years might be challenged again. Thank you. Regardless of the outcome of your evaluation, I will ensure your safety."

Tang San took Mei Gongzi’s hand, and together they bowed to the Emperor. The fact that his promise had no ambiguity whatsoever made it clear that their goal had been achieved.

The Sword Saint Demon Emperor looked at Mei Gongzi and said, "Your talent is exceptional, and you have this divine sword intent protecting you. But if you wish to become an Emperor in the future, you must be prepared to slay an Emperor. Only by slaying one Emperor can another rise. Therefore, the greater your talent, the more pressure you may face in the future."

Mei Gongzi's heart tightened. The White Tiger Demon Emperor had said something similar. The number of Emperors was limited; it seemed that sixteen Emperors was the maximum on the Daemon Continent.

She instinctively looked at Tang San beside her, but Tang San remained calm, simply thanking the Sword Saint Demon Emperor.

The two of them bid farewell and left the Sword Saint Palace.

Mei Gongzi let out a slight breath, but her eyes showed undeniable worry. She had some confidence before coming to the Ancestral Court this second time. But after talking with the two Emperors, she now truly understood how difficult it would be to pass the evaluation and become the true master of Kali City successfully.

Moreover, she began to understand why Tang San had said that the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor would be their biggest challenge. Although the Sword Saint Demon Emperor hadn't explicitly stated it, the implication was clear: the one in charge of the Ancestral Court likely did not support them. And who was the one in charge? None other than the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor.

Tang San wrapped his arm around her waist, saying, "Don't worry about it too much. All you need to do now is focus on improving yourself. I'll handle everything else. I've already thought of measures to take. Even though I didn’t know the part about the Ancestral Court not allowing other races to become Emperors, it’s not something overly shocking."

Feeling the warmth from him, Mei Gongzi felt her inner turmoil subside a bit. "So, should we go back to Kali City now?"

Tang San shook his head and said, "We've come all this way; there's no rush to return. Your grandfather's place is the best for your cultivation. Stay there and train hard. You have to reach the Great Demon King level as soon as possible. Once you reach that level and combine it with the Asura Sword's intent, even an Emperor would find it difficult to kill you. I also have some things I need to take care of."

"Alright," Mei Gongzi nodded, already accustomed to his arrangements. "But you must be careful. Even though your appearance has changed, those Emperors who have seen you up close might still recognize you."

"I know, don't worry."

The two returned to the top floor of the White Tiger Grand Hotel. Not wanting to waste the opportunity to cultivate in the amethystine training room, they first spent some time working on their divine consciousness. This time, however, they made sure not to overstay. Mei Gongzi moved to another room and continued her meditation, while Tang San left once again.

This time, Tang San had come to the Ancestral Court for two reasons: one was to gauge the attitudes of the two Emperors, and the other was to prepare for the integration of his next transcendent bloodline.

With the Golden Armor Transformation protecting him, Tang San's body had now reached an impressive level of resilience.

To complete the transformation of the Blue Silver Emperor into a transcendent bloodline, he needed to prepare several things. First, he required bloodline power of extreme yin and yang. Naturally, this had to come from the Scorching Sunflowers and the Nethermoon Flowers, and it had to be at least at the peak of the ninth order. Additionally, he required a balanced and harmonious nymph bloodline power to act as a stabilizer, ensuring that the Blue Silver Emperor imprint was strong enough not to collapse during the fusion of yin and yang. This required the balancing bloodline to be a first-tier bloodline as well.

In other words, the next transcendent bloodline would have to be a fusion among not two, but

three

first-tier bloodlines.

The power of the Golden Armor Transformation had given Tang San a certain level of confidence. He was preparing to do something truly extreme, something that—if successful—would change everything. Of course, if he failed, he would be dead without a question. That was why he had been making all kinds of preparations and running various simulations. This time, he wasn't here to grab the yin and yang bloodlines; it wasn't the right time yet. His first priority was to make his Blue Silver Emperor resilient enough.

Therefore, his target was neither a Scorching Sunflower, nor a Nethermoon Flower, but rather an Adamant Nymph. Yes, he wanted to acquire the bloodline of the Indestructible Adamant Nymph Emperor, sixth among the seven Emperors of the nymphs.

The origin of Adamant Nymphs was, of course, adamant—the toughest mineral in existence, which had given rise to the toughest of all the Nymph Emperors. If Tang San could acquire the Adamant Nymph bloodline and fuse it into the Blue Silver Emperor, then not only would it make the Blue Silver Emperor itself incredibly resilient, but also elevate Tang San’s physical body to a terrifying level.

Thus, the place Tang San was heading to now was the Adamant Sacred Mountain, where the Indestructible Adamant Nymph Emperor resided!

The Adamant Sacred Mountain was located in the northwest of the Ancestral Court. It was comparatively far from the center, which was clearly due to this Emperor's relatively low ranking.

The overall strength of the Solstice Empire was lower than that of the Empyrean Dominion, mainly due to the difference in the number of Emperors. With a deficit of two Emperors, the gap was naturally vast. If not for the extreme power of the Sunborne Nymph Emperor and the Earthshade Nymph Emperor as a pair, the Solstice Empire would have been comprehensively suppressed.

Of course, the nymphs didn't particularly fear the demons; despite being at war in a sense, the nymphs and demons were in the end two parties with shared interests. Another important factor was that the most powerful among the demons, the almighty Crystal Demon Emperor, was very old and could fall at any time. It rarely appeared and would not easily involve itself in the affairs of the Ancestral Court. This had allowed both sides to maintain a balanced state in the past centuries. Without the Crystal Demon Emperor, the demons, even with one more Emperor, might not necessarily gain the upper hand in their conflict with the nymphs.

Tang San disembarked from his carriage at the foot of the Adamant Sacred Mountain and looked up. He immediately felt a sense of overwhelming brightness.

Though the Adamant Sacred Mountain was located in a corner of the Ancestral Court, it could hardly be more visible. It radiated a brilliant golden light and it looked like an actual mountain of gold, emanating a sharp aura.

What was most peculiar were the powerful beings at the foot of the mountain, either waiting to climb or already ascending. At a glance, they were all bizarre and varied, entirely different from those who climbed the sacred mountains of the Demon Emperors.

Not far in front of Tang San was a being with a bloated figure resembling a large boulder. It was more or less oval, like an oversized potato, and after paying its fee, it was now "rolling" toward the Adamant Sacred Mountain. Tang San wasn’t sure where its legs were, or if it even had any. Another climber was pretty much a walking tree, with bark, branches, and all the trimmings.

All sorts of beings were present, truly a bizarre and varied spectacle.

This was the world of the nymphs! It was indeed strange. Tang San thought that if he had the opportunity in the future, he really should visit the nymphs’ territories to see what opportunities the Solstice Empire had to offer.

1. The original word used here is commonly used with the meaning of "making up one’s mind," i.e. being fully determined. ☜