Master: This Villainous Disciple Is Not The Holy Child - Chapter 17: An Avatar of an Ancient Emperor? Bring It On!

Two days later, on the 88th floor of the Tai Su Divine Pagoda…

Chu Xiu’s fist punched clean through the chest of a woman at the early Divine Bridge realm. Blood and viscera sprayed from the gaping hole in her back. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the corpse aside.

Exhale…

‘Three early Divine Bridge realm opponents on the 88th floor…’

‘Which means… from the 90th floor onwards, I’ll be facing mid-stage, late-stage, and even peak Divine Bridge realm cultivators…’

He had been inside the pagoda for almost a week, and he had a clear understanding of his current strength.

Swordsmanship and combat experience alone allowed him to defeat early Divine Bridge realm opponents.

Adding the power of his Archaic Saint Body, he could even take on peak mid-stage Divine Bridge realm cultivators.

And with his Heavenly Slaughter Sword Intent, even late Divine Bridge realm cultivators were within his reach.

‘But against a peak Ninth Layer Divine Bridge realm cultivator… that would be a tough battle…’

Such overwhelming combat prowess… if he were to reveal his true strength, no one would believe him.

[89th Trial Commencing]

…

Back on the Tai Su Plaza, the crowd of disciples hadn’t diminished; in fact, it had grown larger. Most were watching the Tai Su Monument, their eyes scanning the rankings, searching for familiar names.

Among them was Chu Xiaoran.

She knew Chu Xiu was inside the pagoda, but the rankings wouldn’t update until he emerged.

“Junior Sister Chu, do you really think that Chu Xiu can reach the 80th floor and obtain the Emperor’s Sands?” a young man in yellow robes asked, his brow furrowed in skepticism.

Chu Xiaoran gazed at the Sea of Qi Monument, her expression thoughtful. She wasn’t sure if Chu Xiu could reach the 80th floor.

‘Perhaps… perhaps not…’

She estimated his chances at about fifty-fifty.

A female cultivator, her face marred by acne, her robes garish and mismatched, sneered. “Even Su Ruxue, at the Ninth Layer of the Sea of Qi realm, could only reach the 78th floor. And Chu Xiu is only at the Fourth Layer! You think he can reach the 80th floor? Junior Sister Chu, I think you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.” Her voice dripped with schadenfreude.

“If anyone here truly understands Chu Xiu’s strength, it would be Junior Sister Ren Hongying, wouldn’t it?”

They turned their gazes towards Ren Hongying, who had been standing silently, observing the monument.

She, dressed in her signature crimson robes, frowned slightly. “I don’t know his true strength. A mere Sea of Qi realm cultivator… he’s not worth my attention.”

“Haha!” The yellow-robed young man, Qi Ming, couldn’t help but laugh.

Three years ago, Chu Xiaoran’s mother had been poisoned by a Demonic Mire Toxin, a poison that could only be cured by the Emperor’s Sands found on the 80th floor of the Tai Su Divine Pagoda, within the Endless Fire Domain.

Qi Ming, who had been pursuing Chu Xiaoran, had offered to have one of his highly talented junior brothers suppress their cultivation, preventing them from breaking through to the Divine Bridge realm, so they could enter the pagoda and retrieve the sands for her.

Of course, his offer came with a condition: Chu Xiaoran had to accept his advances.

She had refused, of course. While she desperately wanted to cure her mother, she couldn’t bring herself to accept Qi Ming’s arrogant and manipulative offer.

And today, Qi Ming had come to gloat, to revel in her potential misfortune.

“Senior Brother Qi Ming,” Ren Hongying said, her voice sweet, her eyes narrowed, “Master has been showing Chu Xiu special favor lately. I suggest you refrain from mocking him too openly. You wouldn’t want to incur Master’s wrath, would you?”

Qi Ming waved his hand dismissively. “He may be Master’s direct disciple, but he’s still my junior brother. We’re practically family. There’s no need for such formalities.”

Indeed, Qi Ming was Qi Meng Die’s nephew. His elevated status within the Tai Su Holy Land, despite only being at the mid Dao Palace realm, stemmed from his connection to his powerful aunt, a cultivator on the verge of breaking through to the mid Great Saint realm.

“Thirty years… and still stuck at the Other Shore realm,” a sarcastic voice sneered.

Xiao Yifeng, the second true disciple of Yúnxiá Peak, had approached them unnoticed.

He bowed slightly towards Qi Ming. “Greetings, Senior Brother Qi Ming.”

Despite being at the fifth layer of the Divine Ability realm, he addressed Qi Ming, who was at the mid Dao Palace realm, as “Senior Brother” without a hint of hesitation or resentment.

“Yifeng, you’re here as well,” Qi Ming replied with a smile.

“I heard that my… incompetent… senior brother actually had the audacity to attempt the Tai Su Divine Pagoda,” Xiao Yifeng sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “I simply had to come and witness this… spectacle.”

“Hehe… does he really think he’s some kind of big shot just because he got lucky and killed a Divine Bridge realm cultivator? What a joke.”

His words, laced with venom, revealed the depth of his resentment towards Chu Xiu.

It was understandable, of course. He, a true genius, at the fifth layer of the Divine Ability realm, having to address a mere Sea of Qi realm cultivator as “Senior Brother”… it was a constant source of humiliation.

…

Chu Xiu, currently on the 95th floor of the Tai Su Divine Pagoda, was oblivious to the drama unfolding outside.

He was enduring the Willpower Trial.

Encased in a massive block of ice, the chilling cold seeping into his bones, threatening to freeze his very soul.

If it weren’t for his Archaic Saint Body, he would have been forced to withdraw long ago.

‘The cold… it’s intensifying…’

‘At least five hundred degrees below zero…’

‘This Archaic Saint Body… it’s truly incredible. Despite the bone-chilling cold, my saint blood flows freely, unhindered. In fact… I can feel it growing stronger…’

‘If only I could stay here longer…’

And then, he vanished, transported to the next trial.

…

Half a day later, under the twin moons and starlit sky, Chu Xiu finally reached the 98th floor.

A sea of crimson 彼岸花(red spider lily) stretched before him, a blood-red sun setting on the horizon, painting the landscape in hues of crimson and gold. The scenery was beautiful, yet desolate, its beauty tinged with a sense of profound loneliness.

A thousand meters away, a woman in a flowing white dress, her hair as silver as moonlight, stood holding a strange, ice-crystal sword.

Chu Xiu had anticipated a peak Ninth Layer Divine Bridge realm opponent.

He hadn’t expected this.

Her cultivation… it was identical to his.

Ninth Layer of the Sea of Qi realm.

But what was even more unsettling was… he couldn’t describe her features. He couldn’t hold onto the image of her face. The moment he looked away, it was as if she had never existed, her presence erased from his memory.

This… this was no ordinary cultivator.

His heart pounded in his chest, excitement and apprehension mixing in his veins.

“Could you be… the Tai Su Emperor herself?!” he asked, his voice echoing across the desolate landscape.

The woman didn’t respond, her silence only adding to the mystery. She stood motionless, her figure seemingly blending with the surrounding scenery, as if she were a part of the world itself.

“Hahaha!” Chu Xiu’s eyes gleamed with a predatory light, a mixture of excitement and battle lust surging through him. His lips curled into a smile, his body trembling with anticipation.

“An Ancient Emperor… hahaha… an Ancient Emperor…”

“Come then, Emperor! Let’s battle!”

He roared, drawing his Azure Blood Sword, its blade humming with power. He activated his Shadow Flow Technique, his body blurring, his movements faster than the eye could follow, leaving seven afterimages in his wake. He charged, a whirlwind of motion, scattering crimson petals in his wake, a scene both beautiful and terrifying.

A red sword beam, as if descending from the heavens, slashed towards the woman’s neck, its momentum unstoppable.

Beheading his opponents… it was a habit, a preference ingrained deep within his soul.

The white-clad woman slowly raised her sword, her movements languid yet precise, each motion filled with a profound understanding of the Dao, a mastery of countless principles.

The tip of her ice crystal sword met his attack, a gentle tap against the weakest point of his sword beam.

Clang!

His sword light shattered, its power dissipated.

Mid-air, Chu Xiu’s eyes narrowed. He twisted his body in an impossible angle, defying the laws of physics.

“Die!”

His right leg, wreathed in crimson energy, shot out like a striking dragon, aimed at the woman’s head, its momentum creating a ripple of sonic booms.

Such a powerful kick… even a cultivator at the Other Shore realm would struggle to withstand it.

The woman raised her hand, meeting his attack with a single palm strike.

Boom! Crack!

A shockwave erupted, scattering the crimson flowers within a hundred-meter radius, the force of the impact carving a smooth, circular crater in the ground.

Chu Xiu’s body was flung backwards, landing heavily in the dirt.

The white-clad woman took half a step back, a flicker of something akin to surprise appearing in her previously emotionless eyes.

“How…?” Chu Xiu muttered, his body covered in dirt and grime, as he scrambled to his feet. His eyes, wide with disbelief, were fixed on the woman.

He, Chu Xiu, with his perfected cultivation base, his Archaic Saint Body… he had been sent flying by a cultivator at the same realm, using nothing but brute strength?

Even if she was an Emperor… this… this was impossible.