Jiang Chen had subdued more than ten demon gods in various battles on Myriad Abyss. He’d killed some and captured some. Of those he’d executed on the spot, most of their divine essences had gone to the sacred beasts. Those he’d taken captive, he naturally squeezed them dry. He refined their life essences, but also fed their flesh to the Goldbiter Rats.

The body of a demon god was incredible nutrition for the tribe. The rat king, in particular, had seen his cultivation soar in recent years and had finally leapt past the threshold of the divine realm. Most importantly, he’d completed his evolution into an ancient Goldbiter Kingrat.

His temperament made a complete turnaround almost overnight.

The presence about him no longer paled in the least compared to the sacred beasts, even when in their presence. And now today, he was overjoyed by the gift of fresh divine corpses. 

His tribe could yet again exceed its limits thanks to this gift. As his kin rose in strength almost beyond recognition, he felt an ever deeper reverence for Jiang Chen.

It was a pity he hadn’t been able to follow the young lord on his battles across Myriad Abyss, or he and his descendants would’ve obtained a greater share of the rewards still. Their path of evolution would be even more perfect.

Of course, the sacred beasts had reaped substantial spoils as well. Each of them went into seclusion to pursue greater cultivation heights.

Jiang Chen wasn’t to be outdone. He’d gained more in the recent fighting than through several decades of labor, a bigger haul than expected. But, since he’d reached fourth level not too long ago, he was still a little distance away from the next breakthrough.

Therefore, he had to borrow external help.

He wasn’t interested in demonic life essence, of course, but he recalled the three divine relics among the gifts bestowed by the Great Divine Veluriyam.

If memory served correctly, those were mid divine treasures. Perhaps he could reach his goal with their assistance.

He took out one of them and observed it for a moment before refining it. There was nothing groundbreaking about the process. He’d refined empyrean relics before, and the steps were the same this time.

Divine relics were the condensed martial essence form of ancient divine cultivators. Like miraculous pills, they produced near instantaneous effects. 

A single relic overflowed his veins with a surge of divine power. The excess of energy filled him with an indescribable urge to break through.

Whoosh!

The divine power within him coagulated into a mighty river that circled forty nine times around his consciousness before loudly ramming open a brand new gate.

Fifth level divine realm!

To think stepping into the fifth level would prove this easy!

He inwardly gasped in admiration. Worthy indeed of treasures left by the Great Divine Veluriyam, the relics were clearly no ordinary items and worked much faster than expected!

He’d been prepared for a certain period of gestation, but to his surprise, he’d succeeded on the spot.

Once at fifth level, another link of the chain seal broke. It transformed into a ball of light that landed in front of him before shattering into tiny stars that twinkled brightly before slowly fading.

Another object appeared the next moment. Like the previous ones, it felt intimately familiar. By now, he was well acquainted with the ways of his celestial emperor of a father.

Like the others, this treasure was surely a feigned mundanity.

It took the form of a zither he’d often played in his previous life when lonely and weary. Although exquisite, its exterior wasn’t particularly conspicuous, but he’d never mistake it for a run-of-the-mill item.

Feigned mundanities might look lackluster, but how could treasures forged by a mighty celestial emperor be anything but extraordinary?

Jiang Chen probed at it with his consciousness. 

“The Cloudsurge Zither. Clouds surge as music rises from its chords. As the clouds gather, the life and decay of all things living coalesce into a single thought.”

The Cloudsurge Zither!

A very overbearing name, one he’d never learned of when he’d played it in his former life. Nevertheless, the instrument felt like an old friend in his hands.

Most of all, it came with several melodies in different styles, all grand and imposing. Some screamed of conflict and some devoured the soul, others dazzled the mind and some roused the spirit...

It was a zither to encompass the entire universe.

Father truly loved me dearly. From the Measure of Heaven, to the True Dragon Rope of Water and Fire, the Scrutiny of Existence, the Immaculate Robe, and now this Cloudsurge Zither, every item must have been a fruit of boundless love.

To refine a mundane-looking object into a supreme treasure was exceedingly difficult, even for a celestial emperor. His father must have spent countless sleepless nights to pave the way for him.

Four links were left in the seal, the items hidden within probably each more wondrous than the last, the fruit of his father’s sweat and blood.

A mix of emotions welled up from his heart.

He gently caressed the zither. If only he could charge right this instant into the demons’ den and slaughter them all!

He still had two relics left, but they were no longer of use to him. Like realm-enhancement pills, they could only be used once within the same realm.

More would produce no additional effects, so he could only award them away.

At the present stage, apart from the four sacred beasts, Xia Tianze and An Kasyapa’s groups were the most entitled to them.

Xia Tianze’s cultivation had already reached the sixth level. Rather than a mid divine realm item, he’d be better served with a Divine Transcendence Pill.

In consequence, An Kasyapa was the most suitable candidate.

Jiang Chen had been waiting for the Divine Dwelling Grass to refine the Divine Transcendence Pill. After obtaining it from Flora, he decided to immediately tackle this task. Time waited for no man, after all.

The pills were of utmost importance. A single one allowed for an unconditional increase of a full level within the divine realm. Such a pill was a tremendous blessing. It even worked on those in possession of a divine decree.

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