Chapter Eighty-Nine: The New Estate Lord

Page 1 of 3

He forced his heavy eyes open, and a vast blue sky came into view.

White clouds drifted past him, and Lin Cheng hastily rose.

A searing pain shot through his entire body.

Looking at himself, he saw that although most of his wounds had healed, many places were still raw and festering. He drew a deep breath.

He took out a healing pill and swallowed it in one gulp, then sat cross-legged to continue mending his injuries.

No one knew how long had passed before the surrounding spiritual energy surged toward him at high speed.

A breakthrough?

Noticing the change within his body, Lin Cheng’s mind stirred. One million spirit stones appeared around him, and a torrent of spiritual energy condensed into substance, enclosing him completely.

The vast energy heaved into his dantian like a whale swallowing the sea, and under the circulation of the Five Elements Sword Art, drops of golden sword essence gathered into a river, flowing into every limb and bone.

His flesh and bones were tempered as he charged upward through the realm.

One spirit stone after another turned to dust, while the fluctuations within Lin Cheng’s body kept rising.

From afar, within a hundred-zhang radius, a cyan whirlpool of spiritual energy spun rapidly around him.

Ha!

A clear shout rang out.

He could vaguely hear the cracking of an eggshell, and Lin Cheng’s aura stepped into the second level of the Minor Spirit Realm.

Yet it did not stop there. The momentum continued to climb.

Third level of the Minor Spirit Realm!

Earth Spirit Realm!

Only when it had broken through to the fifth level of the Earth Spirit Realm did the aura gradually settle down.

-------

Slowly opening his eyes and exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, Lin Cheng rose to his feet, and a tremendous aura burst forth from his body.

Clenching his fists and feeling the formidable power of the fifth level of the Earth Spirit Realm within him, he smiled.

Four realms broken through in one go!

With a long howl, Lin Cheng threw a punch through the air, and the white clouds a hundred zhang away instantly vanished into vapor.

Only then, full of triumph, did he begin to examine his surroundings.

Was this not the suspended platform where he had been before?

It seemed he had already made his way out of the killing formation.

Hm?

Suddenly, that immortal crane flew back from the distant sky.

Chirp!

A clear cry echoed through the heavens. The crane circled once, then landed steadily before Lin Cheng.

Before he could step forward, the crane abruptly transformed into a wash of radiant feathers, gradually gathering into a jade gate.

Lin Cheng was overjoyed.

At last, he could leave this damned place!

He lowered his head to look at his body, still not fully restored despite swallowing so many pills, and could not help but feel helpless.

Page 2 of 3

One side of his body was still mottled and burned, as though scorched by fire.

He sighed inwardly.

With a wave of his hand, he took out a set of green robes and changed into them, then stepped through the jade gate.

The light was dazzling.

When his vision cleared again, he was once more in that vast, empty black plaza.

And now he was standing on the ninety-ninth stone step. One step farther, and he could push open the white stone door that had stood there for who knew how many years.

He glanced back at the silent black plaza.

Turning around to face the massive stone door so near at hand, Lin Cheng drew a deep breath and no longer hesitated.

He slowly pushed open the white stone door.

A sound seemed to come from beyond the heavens, as if someone were singing, dancing, and plucking strings, with immortal music lingering all around.

A blaze of multicolored radiance spilled from the great door, forcing him to raise a hand against his eyes.

After a moment of adjustment, he stepped through.

------

Not long after Lin Cheng entered the stone door,

waves of disturbance rippled above the black plaza, and one figure after another tumbled out, crashing heavily onto the ground.

They were precisely Dong Wuwang and the others who had entered the restriction together with Lin Cheng earlier, including Liu Feng, Dongfang Yu, and the yellow-robed woman from the Western Sand Sect.

Their auras were feeble, their bodies covered in blood, their injuries grievous, each of them on the verge of death.

Abruptly cast out from the brink of life and death, they had no time to be astonished. Hastily swallowing large handfuls of pills, they sat cross-legged to heal themselves.

After the time it took to burn a stick of incense,

the somewhat recovered few slowly opened their eyes and looked at one another.

“I presume you all have only just escaped the reaper’s grasp?” spoke the young man in the golden robe. He was the crown prince of the Zhao Kingdom’s royal house, the first in line to inherit the throne, Prince Zhao Tian.

“I entered a illusion formation before. Several versions of myself appeared before my eyes, and after a bitter battle, I nearly had my soul and spirit scattered...” said the yellow-robed woman.

Dong Wuwang frowned. “Could it be that we did not enter the same sealed formation?”

Liu Feng and Dongfang Yu exchanged a glance.

“I entered an ice-and-snow trapping formation...” Liu Feng said.

Dongfang Yu said, “I entered an ancient battlefield. I only remember charging into the battle lines, and then I lost consciousness.”

Hearing this, the broad-faced man from the Western Sand Sect said, “I also entered that ancient killing battlefield. It was filled with boundless murderous qi, and even after I used my sect’s secret art, I still could not avoid having my mind eroded....”

“Thinking about it now, if I had not been inexplicably transported out, I’m afraid I would have truly become a walking corpse that knew only slaughter.”

As the few of them discussed in lingering fear, a vague, ethereal voice sounded, making it impossible to tell where it came from.

“A new master of the estate has been chosen. The losers will now be expelled from the barrier....”

The words had barely fallen before the others had time to react when a great force surged forth, and all of them were instantly teleported out of that space.

By the time they disappeared, disbelief filled every one of their eyes.

Someone had passed the trial!

Someone had obtained the inheritance of an emperor-rank expert!

That was the final thought in their minds.

------

As for Lin Cheng, after stepping through the stone door, he appeared on a small island.

Page 3 of 3

Encircling it was an endless expanse of azure seawater, with no shore in sight and no way to measure its depth.

At that moment he stood before a palace on the island. A stone stele stood in front of the palace, engraved with three grand characters in a vigorous, flowing hand: Heavenly Net Manor.

Behind the palace stood ten side halls in orderly rows.

On the roof of each side hall stood a ferocious beast. Lin Cheng looked closely, but found that he recognized none of them.

Taking his gaze away, he started walking into the palace.

Four round pillars stood on both sides of the hall, carved with dragons and phoenixes in play, as well as various strange insects, birds, beasts, cloud patterns, flowers, and trees.

A long table was set beneath the main hall.

On it seemed to rest three items.

Seeing the treasures, Lin Cheng’s eyes lit up, and he hurried forward.

He picked up the first item and examined it closely.

It was a token.

Made of some unknown material, it was entirely dark and glossy. On the front were engraved the words Heavenly Net, while the back was carved with an unusual beast unknown to him: ox-like in shape, with a blue body, no horns, and only one foot beneath it.

A Heavenly Net Token?

What was it for?

No matter how he turned it over, he could not discern anything special about the token, so he simply tossed it into his storage ring.

When he looked at the second item, Lin Cheng immediately grew excited.

It was a yellowed book.

The Four-Point Sword Formation!

Needless to say, this had to be the method behind the sword formation that had nearly cost him his life before.

With trembling anticipation, he eagerly opened it.

What met his eyes was yet another passage of text, clearly added later:

The moment you pick up the Heavenly Net Token, you become the ninety-eighth master of this manor. It is with some regret that I tell you the resources of Heavenly Net Manor have already been nearly exhausted by me. After all, my predecessor before me did not leave me much either.

Still, you need not despair. Before leaving, I secretly left you a few things, such as the Four-Point Sword Formation you are reading now, along with the four killing swords that go with it.

You need not be moved just yet; I also prepared a gift for you behind the ten halls.

All right, now you may cry.

Done crying?

Good. Then I will say a few more words, since who knows whether I shall ever have the chance to speak with you again in the future.

With the Heavenly Net Token in hand, you may activate the island’s restrictions. This island is in fact a defensive treasure, though I could not take it with me....

As for what kind of power Heavenly Net Manor was, to be honest, I do not know either!

A friendly reminder: before your strength has grown, do not reveal to the world that you are the heir of Heavenly Net Manor. Otherwise, when the time comes, you will discover that simply being alive is itself a torment.

Also, this sword formation is overwhelmingly powerful and may even offend the harmony of heaven. Use it with care!

May we meet again someday!

------