Chapter 131: The Final Assessment

The Blood Demon Ancestor said, "The first possibility is clearly remote. I do not believe the demon and human races currently in this Holy Realm are capable of annihilating the Divine Phoenix clan. Therefore, it is far more likely that the entire clan migrated. Since the Divine Phoenix clan does not exist anywhere else in this Yin-Snow Realm, if they did migrate, the only possible destination would be the Realm of Gods. They must have used the Eternal Stairway to migrate there in their entirety."

Damn!

The entire Divine Phoenix clan migrated to the Realm of Gods?

Chen Changsheng was slightly startled. What a bold move!

"Young Master Chen, Young Master Chen, the Ancient Emperor is speaking to you."

The Holy Empress’s respectful voice reached his ears, and Chen Changsheng suddenly snapped back to reality. "Oh, is that so?"

He looked at the Ancient Emperor, who was standing to the side with a clear look of displeasure on his face. Chen Changsheng asked immediately, "Ancient Emperor, were you speaking to me?"

Bastard!

This "Young Master Chen" is truly arrogant!

I am the noble Holy Emperor of the Holy Realm, the strongest being in the Yin-Snow Realm. When I speak to him, he doesn't even bother to acknowledge me.

The Ancient Emperor’s chest heaved slightly, and he felt the urge to slap this Young Master Chen down right then and there.

How preposterous!

He exhaled a long breath, struggling to suppress the fury burning within his chest, and nodded at Chen Changsheng. "Young Master Chen, since you came from the Spring-Autumn Holy Kingdom to the Holy Realm and we have met here, it is a matter of fate. Would you be interested in joining me at the main palace for a chat?"

He was desperate to know why the demon race was so respectful toward this ordinary-looking young man, which was why he extended the invitation. If he could confirm that this man truly possessed some peerless treasure, he would strike immediately to kill him and seize it.

"Oh."

Chen Changsheng replied indifferently and shook his head. "Not interested."

The Ancient Emperor’s breath caught in his throat. The anger he had just forcibly suppressed surged up again, and a flash of murderous intent appeared on his face.

Damn it! This bastard! This Young Master Chen really doesn't give me any face at all!

I am the Holy Emperor of the Holy Realm; crushing you would be as easy as pinching an ant!

The Holy Empress felt a jolt in her heart, her expression tightening slightly: The Ancient Emperor has developed murderous intent toward Young Master Chen!

However, remembering that the young master and his daughter were immortals from the World of Immortals and Gods, she calmed down. Hmph, in front of them, even the Ancient Emperor is nothing.

Chen Changsheng naturally saw the murderous intent on the Ancient Emperor’s face, but he only sneered inwardly. I have a super bodyguard, why should I be afraid of you?

He simply ignored the Ancient Emperor and turned to ask the Holy Empress, "By the way, Holy Empress, does an Eternal Stairway exist in this Holy Realm?"

"Young Master Chen, you actually know that there is an Eternal Stairway in the Holy Realm?"

The Holy Empress’s heart pounded wildly once more. She had heard from Xue'er that the young master commanded the entire world, and it was true—he had never been to the Holy Realm, yet he knew of the existence of the Eternal Stairway.

Terrifying! Simply too terrifying!

With turbulent waves crashing in her heart, she replied respectfully, "Back to Young Master Chen, yes, there is indeed an Eternal Stairway in the Holy Realm."

Chen Changsheng glanced at her and shook his head lightly. "Holy Empress, there is no need to be so formal."

"Yes! Yes!" the Holy Empress replied, though her tone remained as respectful as ever.

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly and let her be, continuing, "Endless ages ago, the Divine Phoenix clan of this Holy Realm carried out a great migration, moving the entire clan through the Eternal Stairway to the Realm of Gods."

He looked at the Divine Phoenix Tree behind him. "This tree was planted by an ancestor of the Divine Phoenix clan. It contains the blood essence of that ancestor, which condensed into a fruit kernel. That kernel happened to be collected by you and later gifted to Princess Qianxue, bestowing upon her the Divine Phoenix bloodline."

"Young... Young Master Chen, are you saying that the Divine Phoenix clan once existed in this Holy Realm and that they all migrated through the Eternal Stairway to that world of immortals and gods?"

"Exactly." Chen Changsheng nodded.

The Holy Empress’s heart trembled violently again. As a native of the Holy Realm, even she did not know this, yet the young master knew it with such clarity!

It was confirmed. As Xue'er had said, this young master was indeed someone who held mastery over the entire world. For a moment, the Holy Empress felt as if she were walking on thin ice, acting with extreme caution and reverence.

"Holy Empress, you don't need to be so nervous. I am just a mere mortal."

Seeing the tiny beads of sweat that had already appeared on the delicate tip of her nose, Chen Changsheng smiled faintly and waved his hand. "Holy Empress, let us return."

He was now completely certain that the Eternal Stairway in this Holy Realm led to the Realm of Gods, and that the entire Divine Phoenix clan had used it to migrate there in the distant past. He believed that when the time came, the Blood Demon Ancestor would surely be able to take him and his daughter into the Realm of Gods.

"Very well."

The Holy Empress answered, and as before, she used her palm force to condense a blue barrier, enveloping Chen Changsheng and his daughter. She then lifted the barrier and soared into the sky.

The Ancient Emperor remained where he was, looking up at the three figures as they moved away at high speed. His mind was in turmoil: This Young Master Chen is truly extraordinary. He actually knew that this was a Divine Phoenix Tree planted by one of their ancestors. Not only that, he knew that the clan had migrated to a high-level world of immortals and gods through the Eternal Stairway in the distant past. He is just a common young man—how could he possibly know all this?

"Hoo..."

The Ancient Emperor let out a long breath, a cold expression surfacing on his face. "It seems that after the final assessment, I must take action. I must find out what secrets are hidden on this Young Master Chen."

The most critical point was that he had keenly sensed that the young master also had the desire to enter that high-level world of immortals and gods via the Eternal Stairway. The Eternal Stairway was the "Way of Heaven" comprehended by the progenitor of the Divine Phoenix clan; with his own cultivation, he could never reach the top. However, the Ancient Emperor had a strong intuition that this Young Master Chen might be able to do it.

If he could use this young master to enter that high-level world through the Eternal Stairway, that would be wonderful.

Thinking of this, the blood in the Ancient Emperor’s body began to boil. He chuckled to himself, "Perhaps the arrival of this Young Master Chen will bring me a heaven-sent opportunity."

...

Three days later, the final assessment for the princes and princesses from the four realms arrived as scheduled.

Among the countless floating immortal mountains of the Holy Realm, one had been transformed into a massive martial arena. Usually, all martial competitions in the Holy Realm were held there.

The arena was built like a coliseum, circular in its entirety, with a vast open space in the center, several hundred meters in diameter. Surrounding the open space were tiered spectator stands, dozens of levels high. The entire arena could accommodate a million people.

Early that morning, Chen Changsheng, his daughter, and others from the Spring-Autumn Holy Kingdom followed the demon race, led by the Demon Ancestor Di Shitian, toward the arena.