142: The Azure Heaven Palace in the Azure Heaven Order!

...

“What in the world is all this nonsense!” Xiao Qinger quickly closed it, feeling that it was extremely offensive to the eyes.

She continued reading.

[Pinned: Xuan Guang Cave has sealed its gates; it is rumored that its Great Cave Master comprehended the second layer of the Void Returning Realm.]

[Pinned: Ten thousand miles of the Heavenly Demon Cave were leveled, and the Demon Emperor perished entirely. Was it possibly a Mighty Expert of the Sword Dao who acted?]

[Pinned: The Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect has finally found love (literally: an iron tree blossomed). Someone saw her buying candied hawthorns for an old man in Yunzhou City...]

[Pinned: Someone in the Great Xia Imperial Capital broke through to the Soul Transformation Golden Body stage, suspected to be a person from the Martial Temple. Moreover, Golden Body temples are being built everywhere in Great Xia, and the appearance of the Golden Body Dharma Idol within them is identical to the Ninth Mountain of the Heavenly Sword Sect. What is the relationship between these two? Come chat!]

[Pinned: Someone saw the second Disciple of Xuan Guang Cave slapped into a bloody mist at the entrance of the Ruins by Shen Nian, the Chief Disciple of the Ninth Mountain of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Was the reason that this second Disciple of Xuan Guang Cave had bad breath?]

Xiao Qinger's eyelids twitched as she looked at the stream of messages.

What is all this?

More than half of it is related to Senior Brother, but why does it look so strange?

“The Human Race is like this. It's best not to let this stuff spread to the Upper Realm...” the Female Yan Emperor said, otherwise, she really wouldn't know what it would evolve into, as there are even more talented people up there.

Not long after.

Shen Nian returned to the Ninth Mountain of the Heavenly Sword Sect. With his current strength, unless he wished it, no one except Lin Tian could discover his presence.

“Where did Lin Yuan go?” Shen Nian swept out his Divine Thought but did not find Lin Yuan's aura. Even the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect was absent.

However, he was not worried about Lin Tian's safety, as his strength was already considered unrivaled in this Lower Realm.

Immediately after, Shen Nian pushed the wooden door and entered.

“Senior... Senior Brother Shen, you've returned??” Long Stick Li was wiping the tables and chairs with a rag, his face full of surprise.

“Mm.”

Shen Nian nodded. He had already noticed Long Stick Li, so his expression was very calm.

“Well, Senior Brother Shen, please rest first. Junior Brother will take his leave...” Long Stick Li immediately bowed respectfully and withdrew. These days, he frequently came to the Ninth Mountain to clean, thinking that it would be quite unpleasant if Senior Brother returned from a trip only to find the place dusty and devoid of life.

“Thank you.”

Shen Nian's voice transmitted out, causing Long Stick Li's sturdy body to tremble. He glanced at Shen Nian in disbelief.

Did I hear that correctly!

Senior Brother Shen actually said thank you to me!!

He departed with a look of utter shock.

Meanwhile, Xiao Qinger and the others were still some distance away from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

After Long Stick Li's figure disappeared, Shen Nian immediately submerged his Divine Thought into the cangtian token, feeling somewhat impatient.

“Who are you?”

Shen Nian looked solemnly at the luxurious woman who was half a head taller than himself. She had no fluctuations of power on her, yet she brought Shen Nian an unprecedented sense of danger.

One must know that Shen Nian's height was over 1.8 meters, meaning this woman was at least 1.9 meters tall. This was the first time he had encountered someone so tall.

He saw her three thousand strands of white hair hanging over her shoulders, and a pair of long legs faintly visible beneath her pale blue robe, as she watched him with a smile.

The Bodhi Mother Tree Spirit beside her had its head buried in the ground, its hands covering its head, its rear end sticking up, and it was constantly trembling.

“I am the Cangtian Artifact Spirit, the honored controller of this generation's cangtian token. You may also call me Nether Moon,” Nether Moon explained with a light chuckle, her tone extremely respectful, yet there were no emotional fluctuations in her eyes.

“The cangtian token's Artifact Spirit...” Shen Nian narrowed his eyes, seemingly verifying the truthfulness of her words.

The Old Ancestor had never told him that the cangtian token possessed an Artifact Spirit.

Even though he could sense that the other party held no malice and even displayed the demeanor of a servant before him, Shen Nian still couldn't be certain immediately.

“Yes. Previous Controllers did not discover my existence because your strength was insufficient. If you haven't entered the Dao, you cannot see Nether Moon,” Nether Moon said, seemingly having read Shen Nian's mind.

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian's expression cleared, and he immediately asked, “Did you take the previous items?”

Nether Moon shook her head and said, “Controller, please follow me.”

Having spoken, her figure moved, walking towards the depths. With a single step, she seemed to traverse vast distances, appearing hundreds of thousands of miles away.

And now that Shen Nian had entered the Void Returning Realm, he could also catch up.

“Is the Controller wondering if merely possessing the cangtian token is enough to gain the Artifact Spirit's recognition?” Nether Moon asked as she walked.

Shen Nian glanced sideways, not speaking, but feeling somewhat surprised internally.

Could this Artifact Spirit read his mind?

Indeed!

He was indeed thinking that, judging by the Artifact Spirit's behavior, she clearly recognized his status as the Controller. But this was the Shen Family's Holy Item after all; it couldn't be that whoever carried it and reached the Void Returning Realm became the Controller, could it? There would be too many of those.

That would be too much of a joke!

“To gain the recognition of the cangtian token, besides possessing the Shen Family Bloodline, one must also step into the Void Returning Realm before the age of thirty,” Nether Moon said slowly. In just a few steps, she had brought Shen Nian before a hazy barrier of light, and then added, “Of course, there is one more crucial point: passing the Assessment within the cangtian token...”

After speaking, Nether Moon looked at Shen Nian, her eyes still devoid of emotional fluctuation.

After listening to Nether Moon, Shen Nian fell into contemplation.

The cangtian token had actually been observing him all this time without his knowledge. The grade of this item was definitely not low.

At the same time, he understood that the recognition of the cangtian token, besides checking the Shen Family Bloodline, also assessed talent. Void Returning Realm before thirty... this was the standard required to participate in the Assessment. It was likely that even ordinary Void Returning Realm experts couldn't pass that Assessment.

No wonder only the Sequence holders could achieve it.

“Are we going to the Assessment?” Shen Nian asked.

Nether Moon shook her head and said, “No, someone wants to see you.”

Someone wants to see me?

Who could it be?

Are there really other living beings inside this cangtian token?

Shen Nian was momentarily stunned.

“Where is this?”

Shen Nian asked, looking at the halo of Chaos before him.

Nether Moon softly replied, “Cangtian Palace.”

Shen Nian's body trembled slightly, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

This place is actually the Cangtian Palace??

That supreme Holy Land of the Shen Family, where it was rumored that only the Peak figures of each generation could reside. Even the Shen Family members always believed the Cangtian Palace was located within a Small World opened up by the Shen Family.

He never expected it to be inside the cangtian token!

The next second.

Shen Nian stepped inside, and the world before his eyes changed, revealing a paradise-like realm.

“The items belonging to the previous Controller were taken by your Ninth Ancestor, Shen Qing. He is waiting for you inside. Nether Moon will not enter...”

After speaking, Nether Moon's figure slowly disappeared.

Shen Nian walked thoughtfully along a small path lined with blooming peach blossoms. The surrounding scenery was extremely beautiful: streams, green mountains, and ancient buildings faintly visible in the distance.

The only thing that surprised Shen Nian was that everything here was the most ordinary of mortal things, lacking the transcendent grandeur he had imagined the Cangtian Palace would possess.

“The Ninth Ancestor?”

“Right. Legend says the Ninth Ancestor has always resided in the Cangtian Palace. When I was young, the Old Ancestor said that the Ninth Ancestor's Lifespan was nearing its end and he wouldn't last much longer...”

“He's probably about to kick the bucket. Did he call me here to hear his last words?”