Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao

“The Celestial Realm isn’t as peaceful as you think!” the large black dog said solemnly.

“So you’re saying that there’s some kind of profound karmic fate that even Celestial Kings can’t avoid?” Ling Han asked. He kind of understood the large black dog’s meaning now.

The large black dog nodded, and said, “This child can be taught; you’ve finally developed some intelligence!”

Ling Han also became serious, and he asked, “What kind of karmic fate can cause Celestial Kings to die one after another? Strange… If such a grand battle has occurred, why do so few people in the Celestial Realm know about it?”

“I’m not sure, either,” the large black dog replied as he scratched his head. He looked extremely unreliable at this moment.

Ling Han couldn’t help but ask, “Then how have you come to this conclusion?”

The large black dog glanced at him in disdain, and said, “Because of my memories, of course.”

“You clearly don’t remember this, so what memories are you speaking of?” Ling Han retorted.

“Are you stupid or something? I’ve already lost my detailed memories of this matter, yet I can still remember the existence of the profound karmic fate. What does this mean? It means that this karmic fate is of incredible importance!” the large black dog explained and shook his head. His face was filled with disdain.

Ling Han stroked his chin, and asked, “Then how is this related to what you said in the beginning?”

“How is it not related?” the large black dog said with a scoff. “If you’re not powerful enough, you’ll still be cannon fodder even if you’ve reached the Celestial King Tier!

“The Celestial King Tier is divided into Nine Heavens, where each heaven is unfathomably more powerful than the last. A first heaven Celestial King coming across a second heaven Celestial King is equivalent to a Severing Mundane Tier cultivator coming across a Dividing Soul Tier elite!

“Moreover, if one wants to become a ninth heaven Celestial King, they need to reach a level of perfection in all of the previous cultivation levels.

Ling Han smiled, and said, “Rest assured, I’ve reached a level of perfection in all of my cultivation levels.”

He wasn’t boasting, as this was the reality.

“It’s because of your conceited nature that I’m specifically warning you about this!” the large black dog said in a haughty voice. “Do you think that severing heaven and earth signify perfection?”

“Hmm?” Ling Han was slightly astonished, and he asked, “This doesn’t signify perfection?”

“No, no, no!” The large black dog shook his head, and said, “My memory tells me that this isn’t enough to become a ninth heaven Celestial King, a Heavenly Venerate, or whatnot. Not only do you need to sever heaven and earth, but you even need to… reach the fifth severance!”

“Fifth severance?” Ling Han couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

Was this even possible?

The fourth severance was the limit, and one wouldn’t be able to sever anything else. Otherwise, they could only sever their own life. This was common knowledge. If one could continue to sever the mundane, then why didn’t people reach the fifth severance, the 10th severance, or even the 100th severance? At that time, wouldn’t they be able to crush even Dividing Soul Tier elites and Immortal Palace Tier elites?

Since the minor tiers were designed as such, there was naturally a good reason behind it.

“Reaching this level is naturally extremely difficult. In fact, casting one’s gaze through past and present, few people have managed to succeed. However, I know that if you want to reach the highest pinnacle of cultivation, you must reach the fifth severance!” the large black dog said in a solemn voice. “Severing heaven and earth can only allow you to become a king among kings. However, reaching the fifth severance… can allow you to become one of the rare few paramounts in the world. However, this is only a possibility. If you don’t reach the fifth severance, though, you won’t even have the right to entertain this possibility.”

According to the large black dog, only those who had severed heaven and earth could advance to the Celestial King Tier. Through the countless epochs, countless prodigies had managed to achieve this even though it was extremely difficult. As such, a large number of Celestial Kings had come and gone.

Ling Han gazed at the large black dog, and asked, “Fifth severance?”

“Fifth severance!” the large black dog replied with a nod. “If you only want to become a Celestial King, you can continue to follow your current path. However, if you want to become a ninth heaven Celestial King, you have to take a path that’s filled with many more obstructions and challenges.

“Moreover, you have to reach a level of perfection in not only the Severing Mundane Tier, but also in the Dividing Soul Tier, the Immortal Palace Tier, and the Ascending Origin Tier. You have to surpass all of the kings among kings. Only by doing so can you reach the pinnacle or even surpass the pinnacle.”

Ling Han pondered for a moment before asking, “You mentioned Heavenly Venerate just then?”

“What Heavenly Venerate? Did I ever say that?” the large black dog asked with an expression of puzzlement.

‘Did he mention it without knowing? Or is he purposefully acting oblivious?’

Ling Han still remembered Small Tower referring to the original owner of the Black Tower as a Heavenly Venerate. Was this a title of respect, or… was it some kind of cultivation level?

However, neither Small Tower nor the large black dog appeared keen to delve deeper into this topic. Thus, Ling Han didn’t push them on it, either. In any case, he would eventually reach this level one day. If he couldn’t reach it, what would it matter whether he knew about it or not?

“Why are you suddenly telling me about this?” Ling Han asked.

“I need to head somewhere soon,” the large black dog replied as he gazed into the distance. His gaze was profound, and his expression was extremely solemn.

“Where?” Ling Han asked in surprise. By telling him this so suddenly, it was as if the large black dog were making arrangements for after his death. Was he about to go to some incredibly dangerous place?

“An incredibly dangerous place,” the large black dog said in a low voice. There was an air of tragedy and heroism about him.

Ling Han frowned, and asked, “What in the world are you planning to do?”

“In the past…” The large black dog recollected his memories for a moment before continuing, “I promised myself that I would steal Celestial King Ling Miao’s panties. Now that Grandpa Dog has returned to the Celestial Realm, it’s time for me to act on this promise!”

When the large black dog finished speaking, his tongue was hanging out, and his eyes were gleaming with excitement.

‘F*ck!’

Ling Han immediately launched a kick. He had thought that the large black dog was finally becoming serious for once, yet he had been as wrong as could be.

“Little Han, don’t cross the river and destroy the bridge! Grandpa Dog has finally seen you for what you are, you ungrateful wretch!” the large black dog shouted as he dodged Little Han’s attacks.

Ling Han chuckled coldly in reply.

They continued to advance. This plain was astonishingly large, and it was also riddled with all kinds of unknown dangers. In fact, just flipping a rock might release a burst of chaotic aura that would transform into arrows and swords and attack those nearby. To say nothing of Ling Han, who was only at the second severance, even those at the Immortal Palace Tier might be killed by these unexpected dangers.

Thus, they were all incredibly careful as they ventured forward. They would check the surroundings again and again even for the simple task of plucking some Saintly medicine.

At Ling Han and the Empress’ cultivation, the use of Saintly medicines was simply to help them accumulate more Origin Power. Meanwhile, they could use Celestial medicines to aid their comprehension of Regulations. However, the effects of Saintly medicines were already minimal, and they would need to ingest a huge amount of it to see any tangible benefit.

A dozen or so days passed, and they finally managed to exit the vast stretch of plain. They arrived at the foot of a mountain, though this wasn’t the volcano that released Blood Dragon Stones. Gazing ahead, that volcano still appeared to be far away in the unreachable distance. It was truly difficult to determine how far away the volcano genuinely was.

Anyhow, there was a palace atop the mountain before them.

Ling Han had researched the Hidden Dragon Mystery Realm before, so he knew that this palace was called Ascending Dragon Palace.

Why was this mystery realm called Hidden Dragon Mystery Realm? In fact, this was related to the Ascending Dragon Palace. According to legends, this was one of the few palaces in the Hidden Dragon Mystery Realm that hadn’t been destroyed. More accurately, it was a structure that had suffered relatively little damage.

The Ascending Dragon Palace was most likely a location for examining the disciples of the Celestial King Tier force. Moreover, it was for examining those at the Severing Mundane Tier. Because the formations were still relatively intact, they could still be triggered by those who entered. If one managed to successfully pass the examination, they would be able to obtain some rewards.

In the past, those who had entered the mystery realm had occasionally obtained some cultivation techniques. Almost 99 percent of these had come from the Ascending Dragon Palace. Otherwise, after countless years of “plunder”, how could there still be any treasures left in the mystery realm?

When traversing through the plain, everyone’s path would have been different. After arriving here, however, everyone would be gathered together once again. This was a location that one had to pass. At the same time, it was also a land of huge opportunities that no one could avoid.

Far away in the distance, a large white rabbit nibbled on a carrot as it used its ruby-red eyes to gaze at Ling Han. It then cracked a slight grin, and a sinister expression spread across its wolf face.