In a secluded cave in the rear mountains of the Xuantian Dao Sect, the vice sect master was respectfully facing a screen of light. Within the screen was a person, but their figure was extremely indistinct, and it was impossible to tell if they were a man or a woman.

“Oh? A demon-class genius has appeared in our Eastern Wastelands’ branch sect?” A voice came from the screen. The voice sounded extremely strange, and it even seemed similar to a spiritual fluctuation.

“Yes. Sect master, this person’s name is Long Chen…” The vice sect master began to recount everything he knew about Long Chen.

At the same time, he also activated a few photographic jades. Of course, no one had dared to activate photographic jades during the trial, as that was just courting death.

A portion of their memories regarding the 999th stair had been erased. But Long Chen’s triumph over the Four Heavenly Geniuses hadn’t.

“To draw trash three times is truly inconceivable. It is definitely unprecedented!” said the figure on the screen.

“Furthermore, the final treasure was a Heavenly Water Pearl. It’s useless to Long Chen, and useless to any of the people by his side. His luck is heaven-defying, so it makes me think of the legends…” The vice sect master shut his mouth here.

“It’s fine. I’ve already arranged a heaven-deceiving grand formation here. You won’t be noticed by the Heavenly Daos. You wish to say that he is a Divergent!” The strange voice was still completely calm without the slightest shock.

“Yes.” The vice sect master nodded.

“There truly are a kind of inconceivably unlucky figures amongst Divergents. It seems they are called Heaven-Seizers. They can’t rely on luck to live, and have to rely entirely on gambling with their lives on the line to gain opportunities. Because they forcibly snatch those opportunities from the heavens, they are called Heaven-Seizers.

“But the legends say that these people are destined to be bloodthirsty devils who create mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Such figures can’t have any friends or companions. Heaven-Seizers are surrounded by hatred, and any people by their side will fall. They are the bane of other people’s existence, and so they are all solitary figures, which causes them to be so vicious and leave no room for compromise.

“As for Long Chen, he is similar to them, but there are also aspects where he is the opposite of them. It is still too early to say that he is a Heaven-Seizer!” said the strange voice.

“My meaning was… shouldn’t we send Long Chen to the Central Plains? Leaving such a figure in our branch sect is a waste of talent. The Central Plains is the true playing field of geniuses,” probed the vice sect master.

“You should be afraid of being implicated, correct?”

“I… Yes!” said the vice sect master awkwardly. He was thinking about the Xuantian Dao Sect. If Long Chen was a Heaven-Seizer, their branch sect would be completely overturned by him. Most likely, not even one of the Four Heavenly Geniuses would survive.

It would be better to send him to the head sect. There were countless geniuses there who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Furthermore, he would obtain the best grooming. That was the best place for Long Chen. Most importantly, this place would be safe.

The Four Heavenly Geniuses might have fought each other and been disharmonious before, but it had always been within a certain limit. However, Long Chen had only just arrived and they directly began a battle to the death. So the vice sect master was truly worried.

“Sigh. As people grow older, their guts shrink!” the figure in the screen sighed.

“Please give me your wisdom, master!”

Hearing him say master, that voice’s tone became slightly more gentle. “To tell the truth, it was your master who let you down!”

“Disciple doesn’t deserve such words!” cried the vice sect master reverently.

“Let me finish. I’ve been focused on cultivating these past few years, so I left the Dao Sect to you to handle. I didn’t tell you many things, which has ended up holding back your cultivation. However, you really are foolish enough. Just because I didn’t tell you about some things, can you not comprehend them yourself?

“The four families have fought against each other for countless years, but I never bothered to discipline them. When I handed the Dao Sect to you, I also never said anything about them. Do you really not understand?” The figure’s voice was clearly a bit disappointed.

“Please forgive disciple’s foolishness,” said the vice sect master.

“Did you think that just because I left the sect to you to handle, that it truly was yours? That the rise and fall of the sect were predicated entirely on you? Do you think you’re a god?

“When the Xuantian Dao Sect is about to prosper, do you think you could stop it? When the Xuantian Dao Sect is about to be destroyed, do you think you could stop it?”

“I…” The vice sect master didn’t know how to respond.

“You couldn’t. Even I couldn’t. Even the patriarch wouldn’t be able to pull against the tide. A large sect has its own destiny, and when that destiny is over, no one can stop its decline. Tell me, what are you so worried about? You are just a housekeeper. Just complete your necessary duties. Because of Long Chen, you are actually worried about the entire Dao Sect. Why don’t you just start worrying about the fate of the entire continent?” said the figure helplessly.

The vice sect master was red, but he didn’t say a word.

“If Long Chen isn’t a Heaven-Seizer, then there’s nothing for you to worry about. If he is a Heaven-Seizer, then there’s even less for you to worry about. His life has been arranged by the heavens. It’s already fated when the heavens will take his life away.”

“Yes. Disciple was foolish.”

“Go. Everything will go according to fate. Don’t interfere in such huge matters, because the gains won’t make up for the losses. Let nature takes its course. Take the position of a spectator and you’ll gain more,” said the figure.

The vice sect master shook slightly. That last sentence was clearly telling him that he had been too strongly attached, to the point that he had lost himself in a maze. If he could escape that maze, then his mental realm would immediately leap to a new level.

“Many thanks for master’s pointers!”

“Go.”

After the vice sect master left the cave, the figure on the screen was silent for a moment before muttering, “Long Chen? Heaven-Seizer? Interesting. If I have a chance, I’ll definitely test that little fellow!”

…

Long Chen rested a night, but he only recovered to twenty percent. His injuries were too heavy, and the four types of Heavenly Dao energies’ were wreaking havoc in his body. Even with the primal chaos bead, he couldn’t heal them quickly.

His guess was that it wasn’t that the primal chaos bead had lost its effect, but that the trees he had planted were just not strong enough and were no longer able to keep up with his requirements.

He would need to find some new trees, or when he was injured in a fight, he would no longer possess the ability to heal quickly.

Furthermore, his physical body was growing more and more powerful, and healing pills had almost no effect on him. He would have to rely on the primal chaos bead.

“Girl, let’s go. Accompany this old man for a walk.” Long Chen saw Tang Wan-er waiting for him when he left his room. As for Tang Wan-er, she was delighted to see Long Chen had gotten out of bed.

“Oh, old man, your broken bones have only just healed! Are you sure you’re ready for a walk?” she teased.

“Of course. A person can become old, but that doesn’t mean their heart has become old. An old cow eats young grass[1]; come little girl, give this old man a hug!” laughed Long Chen as he went to wrap his arms around her waist.

Tang Wan-er twisted slightly and avoided Long Chen’s devil claws. She rebuked, “You only just recovered, but you want to mess around!”

“Hey, isn’t it just a joke? If we were like an old married couple, it would be too boring,” laughed Long Chen. He really liked how Tang Wan-er looked when she was angrily rebuking him. He considered that her most beautiful side.

“Who is an old married couple? Shameless.” Tang Wan-er turned red. Although she had been with Long Chen for this long, such frank words still caused her to blush.

“Where’s Meng Qi?” Long Chen changed the subject.

“She’s in seclusion refining those spiritual crystals. It seems it will take a long time,” said Tang Wan-er.

In the Nine Netherworld Path, Long Chen had destroyed a terrifying soul with an unknown cultivation base. The spiritual crystals that the soul had exploded into were too terrifying, and Meng Qi would need a long time to refine them.

But that was also a good thing. Those spiritual crystals were made of pure soul energy, and since they had formed in the Nine Netherworld Path, there wasn’t the slightest downside to absorbing them.

“Alright. But I really want you to accompany me for a stroll. I have some proper matters to handle,” said Long Chen.

“Even you know how to do proper things?” questioned Tang Wan-er.

Long Chen was speechless. “Fine, then we’ll do some improper things right here.” He pulled Tang Wan-er into his embrace and gave her a kiss.

“You scoundrel!” Tang Wan-er struggled but found it was useless. Long Chen had originally been punishing her, but in the end, a fire lit within him.

“Long Chen, stop!” Tang Wan-er suddenly felt that change.

“Why? Do you not like me?” Long Chen asked, disappointed.

“You… you scoundrel, if I didn’t like you, do you think I’d let you get away with this much? I’d have long since crushed you!” raged Tang Wan-er. She began to tear up.

Long Chen was stunned. Hadn’t he just asked a question? Why was she getting so emotional? It seemed he didn’t realize just how sensitive a woman was to such a question. He had called her feelings into question.

“Cough, I was wrong.” When a woman was crying, the first thing to do wasn’t to ask why, but to apologize. This was what Long Chen’s experience told him.

“You scoundrel, can’t you act more natural? You’re not even the slightest bit sincere.” Seeing Long Chen act like an obedient child, even an idiot could tell that he was faking. Tang Wan-er beat Long Chen in her rage.

“Ah, stop. Tell me why we can’t do this?” Long Chen continued to hold Tang Wan-er. A certain desire had already built up within him. Wasn’t it said that there weren’t so many taboos upon reaching the Xiantian realm? They could do whatever they wanted!

Tang Wan-er was red. Clenching her robes, she quietly said, “Sister Meng Qi, sister Chu Yao, and sister Zhiqiu… We all agreed that only once we all marry can you… can we… do that…”

“What the fuck?!”

Long Chen collapsed on the ground. He was to be surrounded by beauties, but unable to touch them? How would he pass his days?

[1] This is an expression for a romantic relationship in which the man is much older.