Chapter 606 - Embarking on a Long Journey

The destruction of the Golden Ring Sect shook the entire Great Chu Empire.

When news broke that the Golden Ring Sect had been colluding with the Blood Demon Cave, the people of the empire applauded their downfall, praising the Spring Autumn Sect for their righteous action.

Had the Golden Ring Sect remained hidden within the orthodox alliance, they could have caused some kind of trouble in the future.

By exposing and eliminating this hidden threat, the Spring Autumn Sect had removed a dangerous tumor from within the ranks of the orthodox forces.

When the Spring Autumn Sect attacked the Golden Ring Sect, the Blood Demon Cave’s army had indeed ambushed the Spring Autumn Sect’s base camp. However, the sect had anticipated this.

When the enemy forces attacked, several Divine Nascent realm powerhouses, who had been lying in wait, revealed themselves. The demonic beings walked right into the trap, and two of their blood demon commanders were slain.

After this battle, the Blood Demon Cave lost a total of five Divine Nascent realm powerhouses, including the Golden Ring Sect’s Sect Master Li Yu. These heavy casualties severely weakened them.

When the orthodox alliance had first swept through the Great Chu Empire to hunt down the blood demons, the Blood Demon Cave lost many of their Divine Nascent realm commanders.

Now, they had lost another five. The Blood Demon Cave did not have many commander-level experts left.

After this, the Blood Demon Cave no longer could stir up a storm.

What shocked the people the most was that during the battle, Chen Fan had killed the tenth blood demon commander, a veteran Divine Nascent realm, alone. He had utterly overwhelmed the demon.

While the events on Hidden Dragon Island had been impressive, many had found them hard to believe. But after this battle, Chen Fan’s ferocious reputation was thoroughly established.

He had proven his heaven-defying ability to defeat a Divine Nascent realm expert—not on some distant island, but within the borders of the Great Chu Empire and in full view of countless witnesses.

The spotlight on Chen Fan grew so intense it could almost be felt.

......

Chen Fan sat cross-legged in a room. He opened his eyes, a light flashing across them.

“Hegemonic Golden Body...”

After eradicating the Golden Ring Sect, they had seized its treasures. Chen Fan inadvertently found a body cultivation technique in the sect’s Scripture Depository.

The Hegemonic Body Mantra was similar to the Myriad Elephants Divine Art. However, when he had seen the technique, the small golden person in Chen Fan’s glabella transmitted some information to him. It was the improved version of the Hegemonic Body Mantra, named the Hegemonic Golden Body.

When fully mastered, the Hegemonic Golden Body would grant the power to split gods and devils with a single palm, rendering one’s flesh indestructible.

After all, gold is said to last forever.

However, after ten days of intense effort, Chen Fan had only scratched the surface of the Hegemonic Golden Body. This proved that its intricacies were on a higher level than even the Green Lotus Sword Scripture.

At present, he could be said to be a well-read scholar. By drawing analogies and comprehending new concepts, his understanding of martial arts deepened significantly

Yet, half a month of effort brought him little understanding of the Hegemonic Golden Body.

Days turned into weeks, and time passed swiftly.

Three months later, news spread throughout the Hong Domain and reached the Great Chu Empire: the True Martial Academy would open the Ancient Trial Roads in six months.

Everyone from the eastern continent could undertake the trials. Success would mean entry to the True Martial Academy for further cultivation.

Many in the Great Chu Empire had never heard of the True Martial Academy, but the announcement created a huge stir once it became known.

“The Ancient Road Trial will open in half a year, huh...”

The news also piqued Chen Fan’s interest.

He knew that he would have to leave the Great Chu Empire in half a year and step onto the bloody Ancient Trial Road and compete with the geniuses from all domains and empires across the eastern continent. It would be even more brutal and bloody than the expedition to the Hidden Dragon Island. Nevertheless, he was not afraid.

Martial artists must possess a competitive spirit to challenge heaven and earth.

Taking advantage of this time, Chen Fan visited the imperial city to spend time with his parents, knowing he might not return for a long while.

As a result, time flew by like a white steed racing through the plains.

The half-year period went by in a flash, and Chen Fan’s cultivation level also advanced into the seven-revolution Golden Core realm.

After bidding farewell to the sect and his parents, Chen Fan embarked on the journey toward the True Martial Academy.

All martial artists had to walk on one of the eight Ancient Trial Roads to enter the True Martial Academy, tempering themselves on the way. They had to reach True Martial City, where the academy was located, within a year to be considered disciples.

Half a month later, Chen Fan arrived in Shunan Prefecture, a city under the Spring Sea Domain's Great Ming Empire, which bordered the Hong Domain.

The Spring Sea Domain was ranked in the middle among the eastern continent's 108 domains, boasting at least ten Heavenly Star realm experts. Its overall strength far surpassed that of the Hong Domain.

Therefore, their martial artists often felt a sense of superiority when encountering those from the Hong Domain.

Shunan Restaurant, the largest and most luxurious establishment in Shunan Prefecture, was bustling with customers. It was also the place where information traveled the fastest.

“Another hundred years have passed. The True Martial Academy is about to open its doors to recruit new disciples.”

“That’s right. Our prefecture happens to be a crucial passage for those from the Hong Domain on their way to the True Martial Academy. Hehe, whenever the academy is about to open its doors, those from the Hong Domain come running, like ants looking for food.”

“

Tch

, their so-called geniuses are nothing but trash. They just come here for a good show. Entering the True Martial Academy is nothing more than a fool’s dream for them! The Hong Domain simply can’t compare to our Domain when it comes to producing talent.”

“I heard the strongest person there is the Great Li Imperial Court’s Emperor Li, but get this. He just recently became a Heavenly Star realm expert. Hehe, let alone the top forces in our Spring Sea Domain, just our Great Ming Empire’s Emperor Ming has been in the Heavenly Star realm for over a century. He’s probably in the second-level Heavenly Star realm by now. Our national strength could crush the Hong Domain.”

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“Well said! I heard that the Hong Domain recently compiled a list of the top ten younger generation experts. Guess who was ranked first? That Emperor Li’s son, Li Yao. I nearly laughed myself to death when I heard that he just entered the Divine Nascent realm. That's their number one genius, haha! He wouldn’t even make it to the bottom of the rankings here."

Several youths dressed in luxurious clothing were talking loudly in the restaurant, disparaging the martial artists of the Hong Domain.

“Weak domains like the Hong Domain are simply not worth looking at. Those so-called geniuses will only be heading to their deaths if they participated in the Ancient Trial Road.”

“That’s right. It will be fine for those so-called geniuses from the Hong Domain to fight inside their nest, but the Ancient Trial Road is a competition between the real outstanding talents. Being in the Divine Nascent realm is simply the threshold.”

“Hehe, this time, our Shunan Prefecture’s killing star Xiong Lang will also embark on the road to the True Martial Academy.

Heh heh

, many martial artists have come from the Hong Domain, and he loves killing people. If one of them provokes him, we might get to see a real massacre. Hahahaha, the people from the Hong Domain are just walking into their own graves. They might as well just end their journey here.”

“You people are too arrogant!”

Suddenly, someone stood up indignantly. From their clothing, it was clear they were martial artists from the thirty-six nations of the Hong Domain.

“Your Great Ming Empire is indeed very strong, but did you really think our Hong Domain’s thirty-six nations are all weak lambs? Just because he’s a genius from a provincial area doesn’t mean he can single-handedly stop all the experts from our domain. That’s delusional!"