Chapter 54: Sword Prodigy (Part 4)

"Grandpa, let's talk this out, meow~"
With a thud, the tiger-headed demon prodigy's legs went weak, and he knelt before Su Chen.
He hoped this would be enough to get Su Chen to spare his life.
'Is this guy a tiger or a cat?'
Su Chen felt something was off.
The tigers of the Southern Region were truly strange.
Su Chen raised his hand, reaching towards the fruit on the vines in the center of the lake: "Go and pick that fruit, and I'll spare your life."
Su Chen wouldn't risk his life himself if there was danger.
The little tiger that had delivered itself to his doorstep was just right.
The tiger-headed demon prodigy, seeing this, knew immediately that there was danger in the lake.
"Grandpa, can I refuse?"
The tiger-headed prodigy looked distressed.
"Either die now, or fight for a chance to live."
The sword hanging over his head plunged a little deeper.
Without thinking, the tiger-headed prodigy plunged into the lake.
As soon as Su Chen stepped into the lake, he saw a huge shadow leap from the surface—a ferocious Blood Shadow Fish, incredibly powerful, attempting to swallow Tiger Head Prodigy whole.
Tiger Head Prodigy cried out in terror, "Meow, Master, save me!"
In an instant, a sword aura shot through the air, striking the Blood Shadow Fish. The fish, in pain, sank to the bottom, emitting gurgling steam that quickly stained the water red.
Tiger Head Prodigy, overjoyed, reached the small island, wanting to pick fruit. However, after reaching out and touching the green vines, Tiger Head Prodigy froze, his eyes glazed over, as if controlled.
Su Chen squinted at this scene: "Something's definitely wrong. It can actually control a person's mind. If I rashly enter, I might really fall into its trap."
"I absolutely mustn't touch those strange vines."
Having understood the problem, Su Chen calmed himself down.
Approaching cautiously, he plucked the emerald green fruit. The green vines withered visibly, becoming dry and brittle.
Tiger Head Genius gradually regained his senses, filled with lingering fear. He knelt before Su Chen, bowing deeply, saying, "Thank you for saving my life, Master. I have no way to repay you, so I am willing to be your mount."
Su Chen chuckled, "You're quite quick-witted, aren't you?"
He had just entertained the thought of slaying the demon before him with his sword when Tiger Head knelt down.
"Very well, I just happen to lack a first-generation spirit beast, so I'll spare your life."
Su Chen sheathed his Tribulation Dust Sword.
Tiger Head revealed a fawning smile, transforming into a spirit tiger several meters in size, with a pair of wings on its back and impressive bloodline.
Su Chen nodded in satisfaction, riding Tiger Head towards the next destination.
Inside the Heavenly Void Tomb
Geniuses gathered, a dazzling array of heroes.
Some wield a single sword, dominating the world; others leave their mark on mountains with a single palm strike.
Some wield a brush, leaving their true names for posterity to admire.
Some shine like the sun; others are as radiant as the moon.
And Su Chen, riding a tiger demon, traversed the secret realm, his three-foot-long green peak a testament to the prodigies of both human and demon races.
That year, Su Chen was twenty years old, possessing the cultivation of the ninth level of the Spirit Soul Realm.
“Shen Chen, I heard the Heavenly Void Palace is about to open. Aren’t you going to join the fun?”
A young man wielding a spear spoke to Su Chen.
His name was Yan Chong, a genius ranked forty-eighth on the Southern Region’s Prodigy Ranking.
Su Chen found him, and the two fought a fierce battle, developing a mutual respect.
Su Chen showed interest and asked, “Brother Yan, why don’t you tell me about the Heavenly Void Palace?”
Yan Chong smiled and slowly said, "The truly good things are inside the Heavenly Void Palace."
"The Heavenly Void Tomb, according to a powerful member of our clan, is the place where a Saint passed away. The Heavenly Void Palace is where that Saint chose his successor. The things outside are good, but compared to the inherited items inside the Heavenly Void Palace, it's like comparing dog shit to gold!"
"Those geniuses from the Holy Lands come here specifically for the inheritance within the Heavenly Void Palace."
Su Chen was intrigued.
He had considered the Heavenly Void Tomb to be extraordinary, but he had never heard of anything this extraordinary.
It was actually the inheritance site of a Saint!
In his previous life, he was also a disciple of a Holy Land, so he naturally knew how revered Saints were.
Transcending the mortal realm and becoming a Saint was no easy feat.
Every being who could transcend the mortal realm and become a Saint was the most brilliant person of their era.
Su Chen and Yan Chong traveled together, riding Tiger Hair, towards the Heavenly Void Palace.
Many geniuses gathered inside the Heavenly Void Palace.
Disciples of the Holy Land, true inheritors of the Holy Land, and heirs of various ancient families.
And those powerful demon prodigies.
However, Su Chen's arrival still attracted the attention of some.
"Human, how dare you! You actually dare to enslave my race's genius!"
Su Chen recognized the demon prodigy.
A prodigy from the Flaming Lion Clan, comparable in strength to the top twenty on the human prodigy list.
His golden fur leaped with flames, as if it could incinerate the heavens and earth.
His gaze towards Su Chen was filled with chilling killing intent.
"So what?"
Su Chen's gaze was calm, utterly fearless.
"You're courting death!"
The Flaming Lion Clan prodigy roared, furiously attacking, determined to crush this person who dared to defy him.
"A mere lion demon dares to attack my human race so recklessly? Does it think my human race is helpless?"
The instant the Fiery Lion attacked, the feathered-robed youth sitting in the void made his move.
The power of his Divine Soul and Sacred Body was revealed without reservation.
With a single strike, he pinned the incomparably powerful lion demon to the ground, severely wounded and on the verge of death.
This caused the demon race to be extremely wary.
The feathered-robed youth lowered his head and looked at Su Chen.
"You, are you willing to become my follower?"
He wanted to take Su Chen under his wing!
Su Chen shook his head, refusing, "Thank you, sir, but I'm used to traveling alone."
Gu Yan was somewhat disappointed, but didn't say anything.
He had only acted on a whim; he found Su Chen pleasing to the eye and wanted to give him a chance.
Several days later, the Heavenly Void Palace opened, and Su Chen entered the Heavenly Void Palace with the others.
Su Chen was unfamiliar with the Heavenly Void Palace, but Yan Chong's family had some records of it. The two traveled together and found many treasures, including seven or eight royal-grade medicinal herbs.
Among them, Su Chen even witnessed the birth of a royal-grade medicinal herb.
Unfortunately, that was not a battlefield he could interfere with.
Su Chen, on a whim, found a place of inheritance.
Just as he and Yan Chong were about to enter, they heard a voice:
"I want the inheritance here."
Su Chen and Yan Chong turned around and saw a young man dressed in black, carrying a sword box.
He looked somewhat familiar.
Su Chen and Yan Chong quickly remembered.
This man was the disciple of the Sword Demon from the Heavenly Sword Holy Land.
Cao Tianming's gaze swept over the two of them, and he said indifferently, "Leave, or die."
Yan Chong shuddered and tried to pull Su Chen away, but found he couldn't budge him. He lowered his voice and said, "Brother Shen, this guy is the Sword Demon's disciple, a madman. Even if we join forces, we might both die by his sword."
Su Chen remained unmoved, his hand resting on the Tribulation Dust Sword at his waist.
Yan Chong sensed Su Chen's intention and angrily shouted, "You're courting death!"