Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao

This was no ordinary city, but rather a stronghold. Formation patterns covered the walls of the city, exuding a powerful air of danger that was supreme, as if it was a Ninth Heaven Celestial King.

No, no, no. It was not like one, but 10, or even tens of them working together to stand guard here, which was extremely frightening.

Ling Han nodded internally. If that wasn't the case, how could they possibly stand guard against the mad barrage of assaults from the Foreign Realm?

This was a stronghold. There were no gates of entry on either side, which Ling Han was slightly stunned by. He had no idea what he should do.

Right at this moment, a man strode towards him. He wore only a piece of animal hide on him, his figure broad, wide, and sturdy. There was actually a star on his shoulder. Though it was only the size of a fist, it was emanating a fiercely powerful aura.

"Where have you come from?" this man asked. He looked to be in his thirties, and the parts of his body that were not covered by the animal hide were covered with scars.

Ling Han was slightly surprised. That was because this man's cultivation level was the Immortal Palace Tier, and had even reached the extent of Third Secret. For Celestials, even if they were missing limbs, their injuries would recover in an instant. How could so many scars be left behind?

There was only one reason, and that was the martial intent of the Foreign Realm was left in these scars, and this affected his recovery.

This was a stronghold, standing off against the front lines of the Foreign Realm. Clearly, the injuries he had were left behind by the cultivators of the Foreign Realm.

Ling Han felt great respect to those in the stronghold. They were fighting bravely at the front lines, but to say nothing of gaining the gratitude of others, there were not many people in the Celestial Realm that were even aware of their existence.

Yet now, this person's attitude displeased Ling Han slightly.

This was a kind of interrogating question that carried disdain.

Ling Han suppressed his displeasure. On the basis that the other man had bled and fought for the Celestial Realm, he answered calmly, "Saintly Origin Academy."

"Saintly Origin Academy?" The middle-aged man faltered slightly, and then revealed a disdainful expression, saying, "The students of Saintly Origin Academy have arrived eight years ago. Though there were some that arrived later, it would not have passed the limit of two years."

He peered at Ling Han, and the disdain at his lips became even more pronounced. "You must be a coward, coming only after dragging it out so long. Hehe, you must have some powerful figure backing you up, right?

"However, forced by the circumstances, you had to come whether you were willing to or otherwise!"

Ling Han was slightly surprised. This guy really had a good imagination. How did he manage to come with such a deduction?

He smiled calmly, and said, "I have come to report here as commanded by the Eternity Celestial King, so it would be best to let me enter the city first."

"Humph, how do I know that you aren't a member of the Foreign Realm here in disguise?" this middle-aged man demanded coldly, a cold smirk on his face.

"Are you purposely causing trouble here?" Ling Huo demanded loudly. He was manifested from the Source Power of Flames, so his temper was also extraordinarily explosive. He was the first that lost his patience.

The middle-aged man glanced at him, and scoffed, "Do you think that just any random character would be qualified to enter into the Clear Heaven Pass?"

Right, in his eyes, Ling Han and his group had all become random characters.

He felt that Ling Han and his group had come too late, so they had to be cowards fearing death, so it was natural that he felt a great disdain towards them.

"When we were bleeding for the Celestial Realm, what were you people doing?" The middle-aged man surveyed Ling Han and his group arrogantly. "Your lives were exchanged with the lives of the many generations of our ancestors.

"And you actually dare act unreasonable with me? And shout at me? Who do you people think you are!" By the look of things, it seemed like he wanted nothing more than to spit all over their faces.

Finally, Ling Han understood. This guy was actually feeling unbalanced.

Judging by his words, he had been in this stronghold since birth, and had never seen the prosperity of the Celestial Realm. Originally, it was nothing too major. He had grown up in a world of violence and danger, and had long since become accustomed to bloodshed.

However, when large masses of students from the Saintly Origin Academy came here, "poor kids" like them, who had grown up in the stronghold, found out that there was actually a colorful world outside of this place.

Some of them would be defiant, and their unbalanced psyche would naturally be expected. Indeed, they could not understand. Why was it that generations of them had to stand guard here in this harsh place, bleed, and cry, and might have to make funeral arrangements for their companions every day?

With this kind of psychology, when this middle-aged man discovered that Ling Han and the others were cowards, his negative feelings naturally burst out completely.

Now that he understood this, Ling Han felt slight pity for this guy, and thus did not get angry. Instead, he pressed a hand on Ling Huo's shoulder, and said, "Hehe, we also hope to do what we can for the Celestial Realm. so please make arrangements for our entry into the city."

"'Our'?" The middle-aged man scoffed. "Sorry, the Clear Heaven Pass does not welcome cowards! I know that people like you who have come here merely want to gain some experience and military credit, but you all have come to the wrong place!"

Ling Han's expression darkened slightly. "Don't just throw insults as you please! There was a reason why we have come late, and even Celestial Kings have not reprimanded us. What right do you have to blabber nonsense like this here?"

"Humph, so you've shown your true colors now?" The middle-aged man sneered. "Because I hit the nail on the head, you are now shamed into anger. Don't use whatever Celestial King to intimidate me. I fight bravely here, and am not even afraid of the people from the Foreign Realm. How could you possibly scare me?"

Ling Han didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This man went down a dead end too easily. After he was sure that they were cowards, he insisted firmly that this was the truth.

He shook his head, and said, "If you continue to blabber nonsense like this, I won't be polite."

"Ha, you actually want to fight me?" The middle-aged man sneered. "How would delicate flowers that had been cultivated in a greenhouse like you know the cruelties of war? I have been battling the Foreign Realm every single day, polishing my own battle prowess. Even if our cultivation levels were the same, I would still be able to suppress all of you single-handedly."

He smirked coldly. The auras emitting from Ling Han and his group were only at First Secret, their cultivation level being far lower and weaker than his.

"Get out of the Clear Heaven Pass. This is not the place for you to come and act recklessly!" He moved aggressively. Boom, multiple veined patterns immediately appeared on his right hand, humming loudly as he grabbed out at Ling Han.

Ling Han was slightly surprised because while this man was clearly not a king tier, the attack he delivered was close to the standards of a king tier

This was very inconceivable. Could it be that the daily contact with death would transform one completely?

Ling Huo roared furiously. He hadn't been able to hold himself back in the first place, and had not exploded only because Ling Han was subduing him. Now, seeing the middle-aged man attack, he was naturally the first to rush out, and greet the oncoming attack with a punch of his own.

Boom, his whole person had turned into flames. The Nine Heavens Flame was naturally overbearing.

Peng!

The two of them exchanged a blow, and at the same time, their figures trembled. The shock wave created from the impact point reverberated boundlessly.

The middle-aged man's expression inadvertently changed drastically as he asked, "Monarch tier?" The other was a First Secret, yet could manage to tie with a Third Secret like him. If he was not a monarch tier, how could he accomplish this?

Yet, the disdain in his expression was even more pronounced. A great monarch tier was actually such a coward; what a humiliation.

"So what if you are a monarch tier? In this Clear Heaven Pass, even a monarch tier would have to crawl!" He moved aggressively, and with a tremor of his hands, multiple veins popped, turning into strong dragons, boosting his battle prowess endlessly.

"Go down!" He sent out his fist in a punch that moved to suppress Ling Huo.