“Congratulations on passing the test. As your reward, I will always stay by your side,” the small animal said.

“You will stay by my side?” Chen Feng was surprised.

“How is this considered a reward? I don’t even know what you are.”

“I am known as Hell Dog,” the small animal said proudly as it slowly walked towards Chen Feng. Chen Feng, on the other hand, warily took several steps back.

Hell Dog. So, it is a dog. However, this name sounds impressive. Could it be a creature from hell? Chen Feng thought.

“Don’t be afraid. This is the rule that my master set when he was still alive. If someone can break the illusion here, I will be free. Speaking of which, I have to thank you. As per my master’s instructions, I may choose to leave or follow the one who broke the array. I have been trapped here for so long that I don’t know what is going on outside. The way I see it, I should follow you first. However, if I am not happy, I can leave anytime I wish,” the Hell Dog said.

The Hell Dog appeared to be quite the talkative fellow. It would appear that it had been feeling cooped up all this time.

“For you to be able to cultivate the Magic Eyes of Darkness with this level of cultivation, it would appear that you are quite blessed with luck. However, your understanding towards the power of darkness is still too superficial. Additionally, even your Magic Eyes of Darkness is only at the beginner level.

“Tsk, tsk. You are presently at level 7 of the Sky Human stage, but your strength is already comparable to that of a Human Immortal. You can already be considered as quite the genius. You have a formidable fleshly body too. I have never seen the primary energy that you cultivate before, but it must be a top-tier wood-type cultivation technique.

“Owowowo! Extraordinary! Extraordinary indeed! You actually managed to open up so many insight acupoints. Let me see what insight acupoints you have opened. The Heavenly Origin acupoint, Twin Magnetic acupoints, Three Stars, Four Extreme… Impressive, you actually went all the way to the Nine Palace acupoints. Oh, let’s not forget the Dark acupoint! Ha ha, a genius! I have never seen such a genius before!” The Hell Dog laughed loudly.

“Also, your soul power is far stronger compared to cultivators on the same level as you. However, I smell hints of world essence on you. Did you devour world essence before in the past? Are you thinking of cultivating a Chaos Constitution?” When the Hell Dog said that, it revealed a look of shock.

Chen Feng frowned. He was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Unexpectedly, this dog-like, little animal would possess such a keen pair of eyes. It was actually capable of accurately assessing his cultivation state.

“Enough. Don’t talk so much. What level are you at? And, are you a yao beast or a demonic beast?” Chen Feng said coolly.

“Err, I will not be telling you that for now. You will find out about it in the future,” the Hell Dog said with an air of mystery.

“However, whether or not you can acquire Ascendant Immortal Skylodge’s legacy will depend on your own abilities. I will not be helping you.”

“Of course.” Chen Feng nodded.

Chen Feng secretly inquired the Divine Phantom Mink about the Hell Dog. By then, the Divine Phantom Mink had already awoken.

“A Hell Dog?!” Hearing that, the Divine Phantom Mink nearly jumped to his feet. Even though he was inside the Longevity Tower, he was able to see everything happening outside. Thus, he could see the Hell Dog. Finally, he nodded his head.

“That is indeed a Hell Dog. Additionally, it is a very high-level Hell Dog.” As he spoke, the Divine Phantom Mink’s face took on a serious look.

The eight Demon Kings were also shocked. Looking at the dog-like creature outside, they were all taken aback.

“Hell Dog. Is it a very powerful creature? Did it truly come from hell?” Chen Feng asked curiously.

“It is indeed powerful. If we are consider it, the Hell Dog should be a type of yao beast. And yes, it is indeed a creature from hell. Creatures that come from hell are generally very powerful. As for the Hell Dog, it is one of the best amongst those creatures,” the Netherpython of the Nine Abyss said.

“In that case, what level is this Hell Dog at?” Chen Feng finally asked the question that had been on his mind all this time.

“It is probably a Yao Immortal.” Only after some time did the Divine Phantom Mink answered, but his voice was filled with uncertainty.

“Yao Immortal!” Chen Feng exclaimed. At the same time, a sense of danger rose within him. An existence of this level was likely something that even the Longevity Tower could not handle.

Just now, the Hell Dog managed to see through my cultivation state. Did it also notice the Longevity Tower? The Longevity Tower was Chen Feng’s greatest trump card. Having something happen to it would be bad. If someone were to snatch and refine it, Chen Feng would probably end up wanting to kill himself.

“Don’t worry. It is only an Earthen Immortal equivalent of a Yao Immortal. There is no way it could notice me, unless it is an Ascendant Immortal.” It was then that Tower spoke up.

“It is actually an Earthen Immortal.” Chen Feng grew silent. Unexpectedly, this seemingly-harmless little dog was actually so formidable. His strongest helper, the Divine Phantom Mink, was only a peak-level Yao King. There was still quite a large gap between the Divine Phantom Mink and the Yao Immortal stage.

Cultivation wise, it seemed as though there was only a one-step difference between the two. However, Chen Feng knew that not even ten Divine Phantom Minks could be a match for the Hell Dog.

“It really is a Yao Immortal! I wonder when I will be able to break through,” the Divine Phantom Mink mumbled in a hushed tone. Although he had been cultivating himself inside the Longevity Tower for quite some time, he still did not have the confidence to rise up to the Yao Immortal stage.

As for the eight demonic beasts, they were only high-level Demon Kings. There was an even greater distance between them and the Earthen Immortal stage.

Chen Feng was aware. Even though each of the seeds from the Heavenly Yao-Demon Lotus could increase their cultivation base by 1,000 years, all it could effectively do was to increase some of their accumulated power. In order to rise up to the Earthen Immortal stage, they also require the capability to comprehend that stage. Take the Divine Phantom Mink for example. There was only one step left between him and the Yao Immortal stage. However, this step could take him either a very short time or over 1,000 years. Rather, he might not even be able to break through after 1,000 years.

If the Divine Phantom Mink can break through to the Yao Immortal stage, there would be no need for me to worry as much, Chen Feng thought.

“Don’t worry. The other party might not necessarily hold malicious intentions. Besides, even though I haven’t reached the Dao artefact tier, it still wouldn’t be an issue for me to suppress this little pup,” Tower suddenly said with a chuckle.

“If that is the case, I can rest easy. Hopefully, it does not hold any malicious intentions.” Chen Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Truth be told, Chen Feng was hoping that this Hell Dog would follow him. This was a Yao Immortal, after all. It would be of great help to him.

Even the weakest Yao Immortal was the equivalent of an Earthen Immortal. It could already be considered as a pinnacle existence in Eternal World. Chen Feng believed that, with this type of helper, he could go about unchallenged even after returning to the Northern Plains.

Suddenly, the Hell Dog turned its head and cast a deep stare at Chen Feng. Then, it chuckled. “Looks like you have some secrets.”

Shocked, Chen Feng then asked, “You said you are going to follow me. What do you mean by that?”

“Ha ha! I understand what you are trying to ask. However, given your present level of strength, giving me orders is simply impossible. It is as I have said earlier. If I am happy, I will follow you, but I can leave you anytime I want. What, did you think I will become your subordinate?” The Hell Dog laughed.

“Even though you are a Yao Immortal, you will follow me with all your heart,” Chen Feng said coolly.

Shua!

Hearing that, the Hell Dog’s gaze instantly enveloped Chen Feng. It was a gaze capable of reaching the Nine Heavens and Nine Abysses. However, when the gaze fell upon Chen Feng, it became obstructed.

At that very moment, in the eyes of the Hell Dog, Chen Feng had seemingly become the strongest piece of rock, one capable of stopping all probing attempts.

In the beginning, the Hell Dog had been capable of seeing through Chen Feng’s fleshly body and cultivation state. At that very moment, however, its gaze was utterly obstructed. Chen Feng’s sea of wisdom had seemingly transformed into a profound cosmos. Gazing upon it would cause one’s soul to get sucked inside.

“Humph! An insignificant Hell Dog dares to probe me? You have a death wish!” A soul wave with no parallel spread into the Hell Dog’s sea of wisdom, conveying the words into it, each word ringing loudly.

Immediately, the Hell Dog – with a pained expression – shut its eyes as it kept backing away. Blood trickled out from every part of its black and shining fur.

What happened? Tower, is this your doing? However, I didn’t feel you do anything. Chen Feng was shocked to see that.

The Hell Dog was a Yao Immortal, after all. He didn’t think that Tower would possess such an ability.

“Heh!” Tower merely chuckled in response. He did not answer the question.

That, that, that peerless will! Just what kind of existence is that? The Hell Dog’s eyes were still closed and threads of blood trickled down from it. It looked like a drizzling rain of blood.

Although the Hell Dog was feeling fearful, it breathed a sigh of relief. The will earlier was simply too formidable. Not even its former master, Ascendant Immortal Skylodge could compare against it, far from it. It knew that the will had chosen to spare its life. If the will so desired, those words alone were enough to shatter its mind.

What power! Is that a high-level Ascendant Immortal? Or the one above Ascendant Immortal, the True Immortal?! The Hell Dog saw Chen Feng in a new light. For such an existence to emerge from his sea of wisdom, he must surely be an extraordinary character.

Having reached that line of thought, the Hell Dog’s heart became aflame. By following Chen Feng, it might be able to establish a relationship with that person in the future. Its cultivation base was only at the Earthen Immortal equivalent stage. Breaking through to a higher stage on its own would be very, very difficult. However, if some legendary existence were to give it some pointers, then it might actually succeed in rising up to the Ascendant Immortal equivalent stage.

Taking a deep breath, the Hell Dog then said, “Follow me, then. I know where the good items are at.”

“Ke he he he he he he!” At that moment, Tower was secretly snickering. “Boundless, looks like you couldn’t hold back after all. How unexpected. You actually left such a formidable power within this kid’s sea of wisdom.”

“Tower, isn’t your rate of recovery too slow here?” A faint voice rang out within the Longevity Tower.

“Don’t go pointing fingers at me. As if you are any better.” Tower chuckled.

This time, the sound did not respond and only Tower’s smug snicker could be heard.

Left in the dark, Chen Feng felt somewhat confused. However, he did not think too much about it. Instead, he followed the Hell Dog. It didn’t take long for the Hell Dog to stop before an unassuming mountain.

The Hell Dog swung one of its paws and a stream of black light flashed out. Next, the 1,000-zhang-tall mountain instantly split in half and a palace, flashing with golden radiance appeared before Chen Feng.

“This is the Goldenlight Palace. I have already broken the restrictive arrays outside this palace. However, obtaining the items inside will depend on your own abilities,” the Hell Dog said.

“Does this contain the treasures that Ascendant Immortal Skylodge left behind, or is this his legacy?” Chen Feng asked.

“Treasures, not legacy. Ascendant Immortal Skylodge left many items behind. This Goldenlight Palace is just one of them,” the Hell Dog said.

1 zhang = 3.333 m