60: The emperor reigns over the capital, and nine dragons pull the coffin.

Chu He killed the Imperial Ancestor with a single punch and crushed the Xuanming Two Elders with a single thought.

This scene, comparable to myths and legends, completely shattered the Great Yan Dynasty's final will to resist.

When Chu He's figure appeared above Tianyan City once more, no City Protecting Grand Array was activated, and not a single Cultivator dared to draw their sword in this majestic capital that had stood for a thousand years.

The city gates were wide open, and countless commoners and Cultivators alike knelt on both sides of the streets, trembling as they welcomed their new Dominator.

Inside the imperial palace, things were even more chaotic.

Upon learning that the three Nascent Soul Old Ancestors and the national treasure had been wiped out by Chu He in an instant, the Emperor of Great Yan was overcome by anxiety and anger; he spat out blood and fainted directly onto his dragon throne, remaining unconscious to this day.

The remaining princes, ministers, eunuchs, and palace maids were in disarray; some tried to flee with their valuables only to find the capital's teleportation arrays disabled, while others knelt before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, weeping and begging Chu He for mercy.

Chu He hovered above the imperial palace, his Divine Sense sweeping through like a tide, taking in every aspect of this human spectacle without a single ripple in his heart.

He had no interest in the lives or deaths of these ants.

He had come this time for only two things.

"You, come out."

Chu He's gaze locked onto a remote yet magnificent palace deep within the inner court.

As his voice fell, the palace doors opened with a creak.

A young girl about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing goose-yellow palace attire, stepped out slowly; she possessed an exquisite face and an ethereal, immortal-like temperament.

She seemed to have never seen such a spectacle before; her clear eyes held a bit of confusion and fear, but more so, an innate nobility and tranquility.

She was the current emperor's most beloved Ninth Princess, Zhao Linger, who possessed the Supreme Yin Body.

"Are... are you calling me?"

The girl's voice was like a clear mountain spring, crisp and pleasant to the ear.

Chu He did not answer; he simply reached out his hand toward her.

A gentle yet irresistible force lifted Zhao Linger into the air, slowly bringing her before him.

"From today on, you are my woman."

Chu He announced her belonging in an unquestionable tone.

Zhao Linger's pretty face instantly turned crimson. She wanted to object, but looking into this man's eyes—deep as the starry sky—and feeling his domineering aura, she found herself unable to utter a single word.

For the first time, her heart, which had been frozen for years due to the Supreme Yin Body, throbbed violently.

Chu He ignored her further, keeping her confined by his side as he turned his gaze toward the deepest part of the palace—the bedchamber that only successive emperors could enter.

He could feel an aura inside that was closely linked to this city and even the dragon vein of the entire Dynasty.

The second thing he wanted was right there.

"nine-aperture exquisite heart."

Chu He's figure flickered, and taking the Ninth Princess with him, he vanished instantly, reappearing inside the emperor's bedchamber in the next moment.

In the center of the bedchamber stood a massive dragon bed, and at its head, a fist-sized, translucent stone with nine apertures constantly breathing out dense purple mist floated quietly.

It was exactly the last core Materials needed for the Formation!

Chu He reached out, and the nine-aperture exquisite heart let out a soft hum before flying obediently into his hand.

The moment he grasped the strange stone—

"Ang—!"

A sorrowful dragon roar echoed from deep beneath Tianyan City.

It was the Great Yan Dynasty's Destiny Golden Dragon wailing!

With the Eye of the Dragon Vein taken away, the aura of this Destiny Golden Dragon, which had been passed down for a thousand years, withered at a visible rate. Its massive body began to turn illusory, threatening to dissipate at any moment.

Chu He felt all this, a cold arc curling at the corners of his mouth.

This was the moment he had been waiting for!

"System, perform Luck Plunder on the Great Yan Dynasty!"

[Ding! Command received! Performing Luck Plunder on the target 'Great Yan Dynasty'!]

[Plunder beginning!]

Boom!

Above Chu City, the three-hundred-zhang-long Chu Family Destiny Golden Dragon seemed to receive a summons and snapped its eyes open.

It opened its massive mouth and sucked hard toward the direction of Tianyan City!

Above Tianyan City, the dissipating Destiny Golden Dragon belonging to the Great Yan Imperial Family let out a desperate cry. Its massive body was uncontrollably pulled and shredded by an invisible force, turning into a torrent of pure golden Luck that spanned thousands of miles before being swallowed in one gulp by the Chu Family's Destiny Golden Dragon!

[Ding! Plunder successful! Congratulations Host, you have obtained a total of 5,000 family fortune value!]

[The Chu Family Destiny Golden Dragon is ranking up...]

[Rank up successful! Current Rank: Rank 4!]

[Unlocked new ability: Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin!]

Chu He felt the explosion of Family Luck and nodded with satisfaction at the new ability unlocked by the System.

From now on, the Great Yan Dynasty existed in name only.

And his Chu Family would take its place!

Having done all this, Chu He returned to Chu City with the Ninth Princess and the nine-aperture exquisite heart.

He ignored the surrendered soldiers kneeling all over the ground and made no move to deal with the Dynasty's mess, instead heading straight to the backyard.

He handed the nine-aperture exquisite heart to Su Qingxue and Su Mo, who were already waiting there.

"Father, Qingxue, the City Protecting Grand Array can now be perfected."

Su Mo and his daughter looked at this legendary divine object, their eyes welling with tears of excitement. They immediately made a solemn vow to complete the grand array within three days.

Afterward, Chu He found Qing'er and Lin Waner.

He handed the newly brought back Ninth Princess, Zhao Linger, to them.

"Qing'er, she is the Ninth Princess Zhao Linger. She will be part of our Family from now on. Please make the arrangements."

Qing'er looked at this girl with an otherworldly temperament and incredible beauty; though her heart felt a bit complicated, she nodded gently and took Zhao Linger's hand.

Finally, Chu He went to the peak of the back mountain alone.

With a thought, he communicated with the System.

"Check new ability: Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin."

[Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin (Special Ability): The Host can consume 5,000 family fortune value to summon nine Bone Dragons from the Nine Nether Lands to pull a mysterious ancient coffin.]

[The ancient coffin can carry the Host and his Family to perform ultra-long-distance space jumps, ignoring any space barriers or Restrictions.]

[Note: This ability can serve as the Host's mount for touring the myriad worlds, or as... an ultimate trump card.]

Looking at the System's final description, Chu He's pupils constricted suddenly.

An ultimate trump card?

What exactly is the origin of this coffin?

While he was pondering, a Sound Transmission Talisman suddenly flew in from afar and hovered before him.

He reached out to catch it, and as his Divine Sense swept over it, his expression instantly became solemn.

It was urgent intelligence sent back by Lin Waner's Pill Hall from a place in the far north called the Northern Desolation.

"The ancient Secret Realm 'Heaven-Reaching Pagoda' is about to appear. Rumor has it that the Secret of Spirit Transformation is hidden at the top. All Sects, great families, and even reclusive old monsters in the Northern Desolation are moving upon hearing the news!"

"Also, according to reliable news, the Grand Elder of the Blazing Sun Sect—the one Husband repelled in the capital, an old monster at the Late Nascent Soul Stage—has declared that he will take Husband's head within the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda!"

"Secret of Spirit Transformation? Blazing Sun Sect?"

Chu He crushed the Sound Transmission Talisman. Instead of fear, a raging battle intent ignited in his eyes.

He was just worrying about how to break through after the Nascent Soul stage; this Secret of Spirit Transformation came at just the right time!

As for that old monster from the Blazing Sun Sect... Chu He let out a cold laugh.

Perfect, I'll use him to test my newly acquired means!

He turned around and spoke indifferently to the empty back mountain.

"Come."

As his voice fell, the space behind him distorted.

Nine Bone Dragons, each a thousand zhang long and made entirely of pale white bone with ghostly blue soul-fire burning in their eye sockets, silently tore through space and poked out their hideous heads.

Behind them, they pulled a primitive, massive Bronze Ancient Coffin emanating an aura of endless vicissitudes and deathly stillness.

Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin, descend!

"Prepare the carriage."

Chu He took a step forward, and his figure appeared atop the Bronze Ancient Coffin.

"Target: Northern Desolation!"