Supreme Emperor of Swords

Chapter 716 Who Is the True Master?

Someone recognized Uncle Tianshu.

“It’s Old Reverend Tianshuzi!”

There were hundreds of human experts here. Someone finally called out Uncle Tianshu’s alias.

The crowd started to buzz, and everyone began talking loudly.

Many had heard the name Tianshuzi before. Although his background was mysterious and the man had performed a few astonishing feats, no one had realized his strength had already attained that of an absolute master.

Uncle Tianshu nodded shamelessly to everyone he knew.

The faces of the nearly hundred other experts of the Demon Clan turned a little pale. The strength of one Clan was on the rise, while the other was waning. If Tianshuzi was really the absolute master they claimed, it would spell disaster for the Demon Clan.

Everyone soon neglected Ding Hao.

“Humph, an impudent wolf pup tried to block my way. I killed it with one palm.” Uncle Tianshu walked through the crowd shamelessly and came to the spiral staircase. Riding on the back of the white tigress, he stared down at the two gatekeepers of the Demon Clan.

The strength of the two Demon gatekeepers on this floor was far superior to the Black Wolf Demon Emperor’s. They were Emperor-level experts from the Nine-Headed Lion Tribe.

They had both assumed human forms, their bodies gleaming like a billowing smoke signal. Their Qi and blood seemed tangible, glowing fierily. Although they did not show their true Demon forms, their terrifying auras were enough to make one suffocate. They were doubtlessly showing off the power of an Emperor-level expert.

There were several bodies of Human experts lying at their feet.

There were quite a few Human experts around who had been injured by these two Emperor-level experts of the Lion Tribe.

But even so, when Uncle Tianshu gazed down at them, these two Emperor-level experts were gripped by fear. They did not dare look at him in the eye. An ancient mountain seemed weighing down on them. If they ever dared to resist, they would be steamrolled into a mangled corpse.

“Why? Are you two blocking my way?” Uncle Tianshu looked imperious.

The two gatekeepers of the Demon Clan were terrified. After all, they were no match for the Patriarch of the Black Wolf Demons himself. Afraid that Tianshu would kill them immediately, they instinctively moved aside to let him pass.

Uncle Tianshu started to chuckle loudly.

The laughter made all the experts of the Demon Clan lower their heads.

Although the Demon Clan was powerful and fearless, they were not brave enough to challenge such an invincible presence!

Tianshu kept thinking of his treasures, so he mounted the spiral staircase and climbed up to the 97th floor.

Ding Hao, Evil Moon, and the others followed behind.

When passing by the two gatekeepers of the Demon Clan, Ding Hao shot them a glance.

At this moment, a murderous thought flashed across his mind. If he were to kill these two Demon Emperor experts with his Devil Saber, he would be able to obtain an even purer primitive energy through his saber, comparable to another half year of diligent cultivation!

But in the end, he suppressed this murderous thought.

Since the absolute experts of the Human and Demon Clans had reached some kind of an agreement, their relationship was now quite peaceable. There was no indiscriminate bloodbath, at least for now. The Demon Clan had a numerical advantage. They could also unleash their powers to the full in this pagoda’s oppressive environment, unlike the Humans. If that happened, the experts of the Human Clan might be massacred.

Since these two gatekeepers from the Nine-Headed Lion Tribe had already made way for Ding Hao, he had no excuse to attack them.

If he killed them for no reason, their truce might collapse, bringing calamity to the other Human experts.

When he thought of this, Ding Hao retracted his gaze and passed them by calmly.

The two Demon Emperor experts from the Nine-headed Lion Tribe could clearly sense the murderous intent emanating from this brawny man in black armor passing by them. Fury arose in their hearts.

They could not afford to offend someone like Tianshuzi.

But a mere lackey and bodyguard actually intending to kill them?

Did he really think they were just figureheads at the Demon Emperor level? But when they saw the back of Tianshuzi riding on a white tigress, they gritted their teeth and restrained their desire to fight.

Ding Hao and the others finally climbed the spiral staircase.

It was not until the two men disappeared up to the 97th floor, when the nearly one hundred experts of the Demon Clan finally felt the huge boulder weighing down their hearts relieved. Their trembling fear finally subsided.

Soon—

A flurry of hurried footsteps was heard.

A large number of Human experts had climbed up from the 95th floor.

“Eh? That brawny man in black armor has already left?” a Human Clan expert who had just mounted the stairs asked regretfully. “Was there a fight here just now?”

“The gatekeepers of the Demon Clan decided to step aside,” someone answered.

“Haha, is that brawny man in black armor really an absolute master? He didn’t even dare fight the gatekeepers of the Demon Clan on this floor!”

“What brawny man in black armor? Isn’t the real master that sage-like Tianshuzi?”

“Tianshuzi? He didn’t fight on the 95th floor. The man who defeated the Black Wolf Demon Emperor was that brawny man in black armor!”

“What? So the one who consigned the Patriarch of the Black Wolf Demon Tribe to defeat is also…”

“It’s that same brawny man in black armor. We really didn’t expect that man, who looked so reckless, to be an absolute master. You should never judge a book by its cover, nor measure the quantity of sea water by…”

This exchange left the experts of the 96th level dumbstruck.

So the man who really defeated the Patriarch of the Black Wolf Demons was not the sage-like Tianshuzi, but that reckless black-armored warrior?

Well…

The two Demon Clan gatekeepers exchanged glances and saw relief and terror in each other’s eyes.

Fortunately, thanks to Tianshuzi, they did not confront that brawny man in black armor. Had they shown him any hostility, the two of them would be like the Black Wolf Demon Emperor, utterly annihilated for infuriating him.

When they thought of this, the two Demon Emperors from the Nine-headed Lion Tribe could not help but restrain their bloodlust for the moment.

They attacked the next challengers less brutally, no longer subjecting them to ruthless slaughter. If they ever met another disguised master like that brawny man in black armor, they would be in serious trouble.

Many more Human Clan experts managed to pass the test and ascend to the next level.

Although initially surprised, a few Human experts soon realized what was happening. They were secretly grateful to Ding Hao and Tianshuzi.

To Ding Hao’s surprise, the 97th level of the Towering Buddha Pagoda was at last different from the previous 96 levels. It was no longer a large empty space.

Four maze-like passageways appeared on this story, leading north, south, east, and west from the spiral staircase.

There was a stone door every three meters in these passageways.

“There are a total of 500 secret chambers on this floor. You can choose any room you like to cultivate, heal your wounds, and recover your strength. This is because the challenges on the next two floors will be extremely grueling. This is your only chance to rest.”

A voice rang out in the air.

Ding Hao and Tianshu exchanged glances and instantly understood.

So these stone doors each led to a secret chamber, used for recovery and rest.

Judging from the architectural style of the passageways and the age of the stone doors, they must have been built at the same time as the Towering Buddha Pagoda. These chambers were now temporarily assigned to the absolute masters of the two Clans.

They walked down each passageway once.

Ding Hao realized something. If there was an illuminated green lamp outside a stone door, it meant that the room was occupied.

“We don’t need to rest. Let’s go all the way up in one breath. Otherwise, someone might grab all my treasures…” Uncle Tianshu was only concerned about his treasures.

Ding Hao thought for a moment and shook his head. He chose a secret chamber at the end of the east passageway, went in, shut the stone door, and began to cultivate.

“Hey? Lad… we don’t have any time to waste. And you want to rest!” Uncle Tianshu was so angry that he gnashed his teeth.

“Is this tower really filled with treasures as rumored? We don’t know for sure right now. Even if there are treasures, you need strength to contest for them. It’ll be no different from suicide if you dash up recklessly.” Ding Hao’s voice rang out from behind the stone door. “It’s not easy to get the three divine treasures. The absolute experts of the two Clans have reached some kind of agreement, which means we have to wait.”

There was no more response from Ding Hao behind the stone door.

Uncle Tianshu gnashed his teeth and thought for some time in the passageway. Finally, he said, “Lad, I won’t wait for you. I’ll go up first. Hurry up… Kitty, do you want to stay here or go up with me?”

Of course, the Demon King, Evil Moon, would not waste its time waiting too.

In the end, Tianshu took Evil Moon, the black puppy, the white tigress, and her cubs to the spiral staircase in the center that led up to the 98th floor.

The secret chamber was very small.

It was a squarish room that could only accommodate three or four people, completely empty and devoid of any weapons or crockery. The pale yellow walls on all four sides had the natural striations of rocks. Slightly rough to touch, they were stripeless and unadorned, like they had been rinsed by the rain.

Everything here was spartan.

After observing for a while, Ding Hao took out the torn rush cushion from his Storage Ring and placed it on the floor. He sat down.

The rush cushion was from the Saber Tower of the Heaven Saber Peerless Sword Tower. Like the rush cushion from the Sword Tower, it looked shabby and torn, but it was a peerless magical artifact. It contained the inconceivable realm of star-like Saber Intents, which could help him comprehend their meaning.

After Ding Hao sat on the Saber Intent Rush Cushion. He did not immediately enter the starry world of Sword Intents. Instead, he took out the Devil Saber and began scrutinizing it.

In the fight on the 95th floor, Ding Hao was thoroughly shocked by the bizarre change in the Devil Saber.

He remembered there was a great change in the heavens and the earth when he first acquired the Devil Saber on the ancient westbound road. A savage bloodthirsty aura filled the realm. If the rusted sword had not countered the saber at that critical moment, Ding Hao might not have been able to subdue it.