As the glowing characters faded from the ancient stone tablet, two distinct currents of energy materialized from the surrounding mist before Han Jue's eyes.
One radiated pure golden light.
The other shimmered with brilliant silver luminescence.
Together, they spiraled through the air toward him, their trajectories carrying an unmistakable sense of purpose and power.
"Boom!"
The two energy streams erupted simultaneously, revealing their precious contents.
The silver current burst apart first, unveiling a magnificent suit of armor that hung suspended in midair. The armor stood approximately two meters tall, its streamlined design embodying both elegance and lethal efficiency. The craftsmanship was extraordinary, every surface engraved with layers of intricate, mysterious patterns that seemed to pulse with fundamental connections to the laws of space and time themselves. It was a complete full-body armor set, each piece perfectly proportioned to provide comprehensive protection without sacrificing mobility.
The golden current exploded next, revealing an enormous fruit that resembled nothing Han Jue had ever encountered. At first glance, it bore superficial similarities to Earth's mangoes in shape and color, but this specimen was massive, approximately the size of a watermelon, with thick, lustrous skin that exuded a penetrating fruity aroma so intense it seemed to permeate the surrounding air itself.
"Master, that silver armor is the Henggumu Armor!" Rimuru exclaimed instantly, his voice vibrating with barely contained excitement.
"The Henggumu Armor is considered exceptionally superior defensive equipment among Immortal beings, even surpassing the more widely known Pupa Snail Armor in protective capabilities," Rimuru explained rapidly, his database clearly containing extensive information about this legendary artifact. "Most who possess it are King-level Immortals or higher."
"This particular Henggumu Armor was a masterwork forged by an ancient tribe called the Chimu during the early epochs of the universe," Rimuru continued, his tone taking on a more scholarly quality. "However, the Chimu civilization has long since gone extinct, and the production method for this armor has been completely lost to time. Its value is extraordinarily rare, approximately three times that of the Pupa Snail Armor. At auction among the great powers, it could fetch anywhere from 2.7 to 3 million Hunyuan Units, and finding one for sale is an exceptional rarity in itself."
"Master, this is vastly superior to the armor you're currently wearing," Rimuru added enthusiastically. "The Henggumu Armor can reduce physical attacks from a Primary King-level Immortal, that is, ten thousand times the power of a Realm Lord, to merely one-tenth of their original strength! Against attacks from ordinary Immortals, it can diminish them to one-hundredth of their force!"
"Of course, this defense only applies to physical attacks," Rimuru cautioned. "Soul-based attacks will bypass it entirely."
"That's quite impressive," Han Jue murmured, his eyes lighting up with genuine appreciation.
He was still wearing the fifth-grade premium Force armor that Rimuru had purchased along with the Cloud Sea Dragon Hunter blade during their earlier preparations. Unlike his alloy combat suit which he'd removed before entering the inheritance grounds, this Force armor provided basic protection but nothing approaching what the Henggumu Armor offered.
And this Henggumu Armor, like his previous alloy suit, could be worn simultaneously with the Force armor, layering multiple defensive systems for maximum protection.
"What about this fruit?" Han Jue asked, reaching toward the enormous golden specimen suspended before him.
Before Rimuru could respond, new characters materialized on the stone tablet, providing the answer directly.
"The first reward for preliminary candidates: the Henggumu Armor, defensive equipment given to warriors. With this protection, the chances of survival in the dangerous universe increase dramatically. The second reward: the Extreme Body Fruit, which bears fruit once every three thousand epochs and possesses the miraculous effect of fundamentally transforming the physical body, making it more suitable for receiving the complete inheritance. Both the first and second stages of this inheritance include treasures capable of bodily transformation. However, to this day, no life form has successfully received the complete inheritance left behind by this temple's original master."
Extreme Body Fruit?
Han Jue examined the massive golden fruit with renewed interest. Not the most appealing name, perhaps, but if it could genuinely transform his body to better accommodate the inheritance's teachings, the benefits would be immeasurable.
I wonder how effective the transformation will be, Han Jue thought analytically.
He no longer hesitated. Reaching out, he grasped the fruit and bit directly into its thick golden skin.
The moment his teeth penetrated the surface, the entire fruit liquefied instantly, transforming into a concentrated golden stream of pure energy. Han Jue felt the transformation immediately, warmth flooding through his entire body, circulating once through every major meridian before seeping deep into his cells themselves, transforming his physical structure from the molecular level upward.
The sensation was extraordinary. Every trace of previous fatigue vanished instantly. His muscles felt denser, more resilient. His bones seemed to resonate with newfound strength. Even his blood took on a faint golden tinge, visible through the veins in his forearms when he examined them.
Han Jue looked down at the luminous traces in his arms, sensing the profound changes occurring throughout his entire physical form. His body felt fundamentally different, not just stronger, but restructured at a basic level to accommodate greater power.
Then, he turned his gaze toward the massive staircase on the opposite side of the chamber.
I wonder what level I can reach now after consuming this Extreme Body Fruit, he thought with anticipation, already feeling the enhanced resilience coursing through his transformed physique.
Seventeen years within Demon Mountain.
The deeper Han Jue progressed into the inheritance temple's trials, the more difficult each subsequent challenge became.
Even after consuming the Extreme Body Fruit, Han Jue's physical fitness remained comparable to that of an ordinary Immortal, exceptional by most standards, but not transcendent. The amplification provided by his Ice-Evolved Body technique helped tremendously, but the inheritance demanded more than simple physical strength alone.
The final level he achieved: 4,381!
A terrifying 4,381-fold power amplitude, approaching the fifth level of the Ice Peak Nine Hells Body cultivation technique. Typically, only the more powerful Marquis Immortals could reach this threshold. For someone at the World Master level to achieve it represented an almost inconceivable accomplishment.
"The inheritance trial is over," Han Jue announced, his voice carrying both satisfaction and a trace of disappointment that he hadn't reached even higher.
In the space of a single breath, Han Jue found himself transported back to the square outside the inheritance temple. The environment around him was empty and still. The protective white light barrier continued covering the temple's exterior, preventing the phantasmal beasts from the levels below from ascending to this sacred ground.
"Time to leave," Han Jue said decisively.
His figure flashed, and he instantly departed the palace structure, emerging into the open air of the underground space.
"ROAR!"
The moment Han Jue appeared outside the inheritance palace, the protective white light layer vanished completely, instantly attracting the attention of the endless swarm of phantasmal beasts occupying the cavern below!
"ANG!"
Countless phantasmal beasts became frenzied, their excited roars echoing throughout the massive underground chamber as they surged toward Han Jue's position. Among them were numerous Realm Master-level phantasmal beasts, and even several Immortal-level creatures whose mere presence radiated crushing pressure.
Han Jue ignored them completely. With a thought, he instantly activated the power of his Water-Sky Origin Fire.
The Origin Fire can now be used as a permanent enhancement, he noted with satisfaction. No more temporary bursts that strain my body.
The power equivalent to 1x Realm Master strength erupted from his body, but this was merely the beginning.
Boom!
Simultaneously activating seven different Origin Fire seeds throughout his body, Han Jue unleashed a devastating 128x Realm Master power amplification!
His figure disappeared from its position instantly, relying on this explosive speed to break through the encirclement of phantasmal beasts and fly toward the distant corner of the abyssal world where the exit passages awaited.
With Han Jue's current enhanced physical condition after consuming the Extreme Body Fruit and completing the inheritance trials, he could routinely utilize this 128-fold burst of Realm Lord power without significant physical strain. The primary limitation remained his soul and consciousness rather than his body, maintaining such intense amplification required tremendous mental focus and willpower.
Fortunately, his consciousness rivaled that of a peak Realm Lord, strengthened by the inheritance from the Lord of the Mirage Sea. The mental burden, while present, remained manageable for extended periods.
Speaking of soul-based matters, Han Jue thought as he flew through the underground cavern, effortlessly evading pursuing phantasmal beasts, I should ask Venerable Lianyi again if I could visit the Demon Sound God General's inheritance temple after this. Perhaps having completed one inheritance makes me eligible for another.
But Venerable Lianyi had been clear during their previous discussion: candidates could only accept one inheritance at a time. Attempting to merge different inheritance systems simultaneously would create fundamental conflicts in one's cultivation foundation.
He flew in a carefully calculated direction, utilizing his enhanced spatial perception to navigate the massive underground realm efficiently.
The concentration of phantasmal beasts around him gradually diminished as he traveled farther from the central temple area. Eventually, entire sections of the cavern contained only scattered creatures, and significant distances separated individual encounters.
He didn't know exactly how far he had traveled, perhaps hundreds of millions of kilometers, perhaps billions or even tens of billions. The underground space was so vast that conventional distance measurements felt meaningless.
Finally, the oppressive heat of the deep underground began giving way to a different sensation: an invisible chill that grew steadily stronger with each kilometer traveled.
Han Jue's eyes brightened with recognition, and he accelerated even further, charging forward with renewed purpose.
After flying for several hundred thousand additional kilometers through increasingly frigid air, the entrances to the tunnel passages finally appeared before his eyes, familiar openings carved into the cavern walls that would lead him back to the inhabited zones of Demon Mountain.
"I have fewer than 10,000 black tokens remaining," Han Jue murmured thoughtfully, mentally reviewing his inventory. "And I don't have a detailed map of this particular region. I should hunt some natives first to replenish my token supply before departing Demon Mountain entirely."
After making this pragmatic decision, Han Jue randomly selected one of the cave passages and entered, moving swiftly through the familiar ice-carved corridors.
With Han Jue's current strength, enhanced by the inheritance, the Extreme Body Fruit, and the legendary Henggumu Armor now protecting his body, there existed no enemy within this region of Demon Mountain capable of posing a genuine threat to him. Even Immortal-level natives would find themselves hopelessly outmatched by his comprehensive abilities.
For three months, Han Jue methodically hunted natives throughout the passages and chambers of Ice Mountain, accumulating tokens and testing his newly enhanced capabilities against various opponents. When he finally emerged from the frozen depths, his black token count had surpassed the required threshold by a comfortable margin.
Yuhuang Palace.
The structure was truly massive, a palace that towered hundreds of thousands of kilometers into the void, its scale defying conventional architecture. Almost half of the entire outer wall served as canvas for an enormous carving depicting a strange, magnificent bird whose species Han Jue couldn't immediately identify from known classifications.
More than a thousand guards wearing golden armor stood stationed outside the palace entrance, their disciplined formations and alert postures speaking to professional military training. Among these guards were no fewer than ten Immortal Gods, each radiating power sufficient to dominate entire star systems.
Every guard made way respectfully as Han Jue approached, recognizing either his identity or simply acknowledging the overwhelming presence he now projected.
Han Jue strode confidently through the parted formations and stepped directly into Yuhuang Palace.
The main hall on the first floor embodied magnificence and grandeur on an almost overwhelming scale. The dominant colors throughout the massive space were gold and deep ink-black, creating a striking visual contrast that suggested both wealth and power. Enormous pillars supported the distant ceiling, each carved with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and flow when observed from different angles.
Han Jue paused briefly to appreciate the architecture, then proceeded deeper into the palace, ready to report his successful completion of the Ice Mountain inheritance and claim his rightful rewards.