The Tomb Sovereign's approach was methodical—not the wild aggression of a beast, but the calculated precision of a purpose-built weapon system. Its form blurred through multiple states of existence, simultaneously solid and incorporeal, making conventional attacks meaningless. Divine energy condensed around its limbs, forming weapons that existed as concepts rather than physical objects—blades that cut "distance" itself, making the space between Su Chen and the attack simply cease to exist.
Su Chen's response was instantaneous. His dual pupils flared, analyzing the attack's fundamental structure even as his body transformed through multiple states using the Kun Peng's techniques. He became spatial distortion, existing in the gap between locations rather than at any specific point. The conceptual blade passed through where he had been, severing nothing because there was nothing present to sever.
"Albedo, defensive anchor! Esdeath, temporal disruption! Saeko, find its coordination core! Everyone else, support fire!" Su Chen's commands came rapid-fire as combat experience took over.
Albedo slammed Frostmourne's replica into the ground, and nine layers of defensive formations erupted outward, creating a bastion that anchored reality itself. The Tomb Sovereign's attacks crashed against the barriers like waves against a cliff—overwhelming force meeting immovable object. Each impact created shockwaves that cracked the chamber's bone floor, but Albedo held firm, her hybrid nature allowing her to draw power from multiple sources simultaneously.
Esdeath activated Mahapadma, and time fractured across a three-hundred-meter radius. The Tomb Sovereign froze mid-strike, its divine energy constructs suspended in temporal stasis. For seventeen seconds, it was completely vulnerable, unable to perceive or respond to anything.
Saeko moved like lightning made flesh, her sword intent extending to encompass every fragment of metal, bone, and crystallized energy in the chamber. She wasn't looking for physical weak points—constructs didn't have organs or vital spots. Instead, she searched for the coordination core, the central consciousness that directed the Tomb Sovereign's actions.
There. Her enhanced perception detected a node of concentrated divine energy at what approximated the construct's center mass—a crystallized fragment of the original cultivator's will, sustaining the guardian even millennia after death.
"Target acquired," Saeko transmitted through their mental link. "Center mass, three meters deep within the energy matrix. It's shielded by seven layers of divine energy barriers, each one requiring Formation Arrangement Realm power to breach."
"Insufficient time to penetrate all layers during single time-stop," Esdeath reported, her voice strained from maintaining Mahapadma against a Formation Arrangement entity. "I can give you one more freeze after this, maybe two if I burn my reserves completely."
Su Chen's mind calculated rapidly. Seven layers of divine barriers, three time-stops maximum, Formation Arrangement level defenses. Conventional approach—overwhelm through sustained assault—would work eventually but consume too much time and energy. The other expeditions would capitalize on their distraction, claiming treasures while they were occupied.
Alternative approach: don't destroy the barriers. Copy them, understand them, then manipulate them from within.
"Maintain current approach," Su Chen commanded. "When Esdeath's freeze expires, I'm going direct contact. I need to analyze its structure up close."
"That's suicide," Bibi Dong protested immediately. "You'll be within its optimal strike range. One hit from divine energy at that concentration will—"
"—be survivable with my transformation abilities and copied divine energy resistance," Su Chen interrupted. "Trust me. I've survived worse."
The time-freeze expired, and the Tomb Sovereign resumed motion instantly, its mechanical consciousness adapting to the temporal manipulation. It shifted tactics, recognizing that direct assault against Albedo's defenses was inefficient. Instead, it began manifesting smaller constructs—dozens of divine energy projectiles that curved around the defensive barriers through spatial manipulation.
Xiao Yi Xian responded by dissolving into toxic mist, her distributed consciousness intercepting the projectiles. Each one that passed through her poison cloud became contaminated, its divine energy corrupted by conceptual toxins that infected even non-biological entities. The projectiles destabilized and dissipated before reaching their targets.
Bibi Dong's twin spirits manifested fully, the massive arachnid forms weaving webs of soul energy that captured and redirected attacks. Her hybrid nature allowed her to operate on multiple planes simultaneously—physical attacks, spiritual assaults, and soul-based techniques all falling within her domain.
Lin Xiya, positioned safely at the chamber's rear, extended her psychic awareness to maximum range. "I'm detecting pattern in its attack algorithms. It's prioritizing Su Chen specifically—seventy-three percent of its combat calculations focus on eliminating him while only defending against the rest of us. We're categorized as secondary threats."
"Because it recognized me as a dimensional anomaly," Su Chen confirmed, already moving toward the Tomb Sovereign through a series of rapid spatial shifts. "It's programmed to eliminate entities that violate this realm's natural laws. I'm the primary target; you're all just obstacles in its way."
He closed the distance to twenty meters, then ten, then five. At three meters, the Tomb Sovereign's attention locked onto him completely, abandoning all defense to focus overwhelming offense on eliminating the anomaly. Divine energy constructs erupted from its form in a storm of lethal force—blades, spears, hammers, all conceptual weapons designed to destroy on fundamental levels.
Su Chen's response was to stop evading entirely. Instead, he activated every defensive capability simultaneously—Indestructible Diamond Body, copied divine energy from the Source Crystal, spatial distortion to redirect force, Lich Bloodline's death immunity, psychic barriers from Tatsumaki's techniques. Layer upon layer of protection, each one operating on different principles, creating a defensive matrix with no single point of failure.
The attacks struck. Divine energy met divine energy, spatial manipulation clashed with spatial manipulation, conceptual weapons encountered conceptual defenses. The collision generated a shockwave that cracked Albedo's barriers and sent the Fire Country survivors—who were still fleeing toward the exits—tumbling across the chamber floor.
But Su Chen held. More than held—he endured, and in enduring, he analyzed. His Origin Mirror activated at maximum capacity, recording every aspect of the Tomb Sovereign's structure. The formation arrays that sustained it, the divine energy circulation patterns, the consciousness fragment's connection methods, the barrier layers protecting its core—all of it flowing into his understanding at rates that would have burned out normal minds.
Three seconds of sustained contact. Five seconds. Ten. The Tomb Sovereign poured more power into its assault, drawing on the Tomb's accumulated divine energy reserves. The chamber itself began to crack, unable to withstand the escalating power levels.
Fifteen seconds. Twenty. Su Chen's defenses were degrading, layers being stripped away faster than he could regenerate them. His Indestructible Diamond Body had been corroded to sixty percent integrity. His spatial distortions were becoming unstable. His psychic barriers were developing cracks.
But it was enough. The Origin Mirror had recorded everything.
"Esdeath! Second freeze, now!" Su Chen commanded.
Mahapadma activated again, and the Tomb Sovereign froze mid-assault. Su Chen didn't retreat. Instead, he pressed forward, placing both hands directly against the construct's energy matrix. The Origin Mirror's copying function activated, but not to duplicate the entire construct—that would be impossible with something this complex and powerful.
Instead, he copied the barrier control frequencies. The specific vibration patterns that the consciousness fragment used to communicate with its seven defensive layers. With those frequencies copied, he could impersonate the core, sending commands the barriers would recognize as legitimate.
"Barriers, acknowledge command authority," Su Chen transmitted on the copied frequency, speaking the language of pure divine energy. "Priority override—defensive protocol suspended, core access granted."
The barriers hesitated—their ancient programming struggling to reconcile the impossible situation of receiving legitimate commands from an external source. But the frequencies were perfect, the authority codes flawless. After a microsecond of uncertainty, they obeyed.
Seven layers of divine energy barriers dissolved, granting Su Chen direct access to the consciousness fragment at the Tomb Sovereign's core.
"Saeko, now!" Su Chen called out. "Core is exposed, three seconds before the freeze ends!"
Saeko's blade struck with surgical precision, her Supreme Sword Bone allowing her to cut through the divine energy matrix without damaging the consciousness fragment itself. She severed the connections between the core and the construct's greater structure, isolating the fragment.
Time resumed. The Tomb Sovereign lurched, its coordination shattered. Without its central consciousness directing operations, the divine energy comprising its form began to destabilize. It flailed wildly, attacks becoming uncoordinated and random rather than calculated and precise.
"Xiao Yi Xian, corrosion!" Su Chen commanded. "Bibi Dong, soul binding! Break it down!"
The Poison Body manifested her most lethal toxins, conceptual acids that corroded the bonds holding divine energy in organized patterns. Bibi Dong's spirits wove soul-binding webs that constrained the destabilizing energy, preventing it from exploding outward in a final destructive release.
The Tomb Sovereign collapsed, its form dissipating into streams of unbound divine energy that flooded the chamber. Su Chen immediately activated spatial storage formations, capturing as much of the energy as possible before it could disperse or be reabsorbed by the Tomb's environmental systems.
In his hands, isolated and helpless, the consciousness fragment pulsed with impotent fury. It was aware, intelligent, and absolutely dedicated to its original purpose—but without connection to power sources or a body to inhabit, it was effectively harmless.
Su Chen studied the fragment with his dual pupils, analyzing its structure. This was the remnant will of an ancient Formation Arrangement Realm cultivator who had failed their breakthrough attempt millennia ago. Rather than truly dying, they had transformed themselves into this guardian construct, dedicating their post-death existence to protecting the Tomb from unworthy intruders.
"Impressive dedication," Su Chen acknowledged quietly. "To sacrifice even your death for a purpose. But your programming is outdated. The world has moved beyond the categories you were designed to enforce."
He could destroy the fragment—it was vulnerable now, easily crushed. Or he could attempt communication, potentially gaining information about the Tomb's deeper levels and hidden treasures. Or...
The Origin Mirror pulsed with possibility. He could copy the fragment itself, preserving its knowledge and capabilities while destroying the original. Create his own guardian construct, one loyal to him rather than to ancient protocols.
"Su Chen," Lin Xiya's voice cut through his contemplation with urgency. "The Upper Realm cultivators have noticed our battle. They're approaching this chamber at high speed. Estimated arrival: ninety seconds."
Decision time. Su Chen could engage the Upper Realm trio directly—risky but potentially rewarding. Or he could withdraw with captured prizes, avoiding conflict until he'd had time to process the divine energy and integrate new capabilities.
"Tactical withdrawal," Su Chen decided. "We've accomplished primary objectives—defeated a Formation Arrangement threat, captured divine energy, and obtained a consciousness fragment for study. Engaging Upper Realm cultivators now would be high-risk, low-reward. We retreat to secondary chambers and continue treasure acquisition."
He activated a spatial portal, its destination locked to a section of the Tomb Lin Xiya had identified as currently unoccupied. His team moved through efficiently, combat discipline maintaining their formation even during retreat.
As the portal closed behind them, Su Chen caught a glimpse of the Upper Realm trio entering the chamber. The female cultivator's eyes locked onto his position for just an instant before the portal sealed completely.
She had seen him. Registered his presence. And her expression had shifted from casual interest to focused attention.
"They've identified us as significant," Bibi Dong observed, having noticed the same reaction. "We're no longer just another Lower Realm expedition—we're targets of interest for Upper Realm powers."
"Expected development," Su Chen replied. "Now let's make ourselves even more interesting. Lin Xiya, guide us to the nearest high-value treasure cache. We have approximately four hours before other expeditions consolidate positions and start actively competing for resources. I want to claim as much as possible before organized opposition forms."
The team moved deeper into the Tomb's structure, following paths Lin Xiya's psychic senses identified as least occupied. The chambers they passed through were archaeological treasures themselves—walls carved with techniques from extinct cultivation systems, floors inscribed with formation theories that predated current frameworks, ceilings painted with star maps showing constellations that no longer existed in observable space.
They entered a chamber that had clearly served as a cultivation space for multiple experts simultaneously. Twenty meditation platforms arranged in a circle, each one still resonating with the residual spiritual pressure of its final occupant. At the circle's center stood a pedestal holding what appeared to be a simple stone tablet.
Su Chen's dual pupils immediately identified it as anything but simple. This was a Dao Comprehension Stone—an artifact that recorded the insights of whoever meditated upon it, preserving their understanding for future cultivators to study. And this particular stone had been used by twenty Formation Arrangement Realm experts, possibly higher.
"Jackpot," Saeko breathed, recognizing the treasure's value. "That's millennia of accumulated wisdom from peak-level experts. Any major sect would pay billions for access to something like this."
"We're not selling it," Su Chen stated firmly. He approached the pedestal and placed his hand directly on the stone. The Origin Mirror activated instantly, beginning the copying process.
Information flooded his consciousness—insights into spatial manipulation, time flow comprehension, energy condensation techniques, soul refinement methods, divine energy integration principles. Twenty different cultivators' understanding of fundamental laws, each one approaching transcendence from different angles and philosophies.
It was overwhelming. The sheer volume of knowledge would have taken decades to properly absorb and integrate under normal circumstances. But the Origin Mirror compressed the process, directly encoding the information into his consciousness in a form he could access even if he hadn't fully comprehended it yet.
"This will take approximately thirty minutes to fully copy," Su Chen reported, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead from mental strain. "Establish defensive perimeter. If anyone interrupts this process, drive them off but don't pursue. The stone is priority one."
His team spread out efficiently, each member taking position at chamber entrances and establishing overlapping fields of awareness. Lin Xiya's psychic scanning, Bibi Dong's soul sense, Saeko's sword intent detection, Esdeath's spatial awareness through temperature fluctuations, Albedo's brute-force presence scanning, Xiao Yi Xian's toxin-based tripwires—together they created a detection net that would identify approaching threats from hundreds of meters away.
Twenty minutes passed in tense silence. Then Lin Xiya spoke quietly: "Contact. The Eternal Profound Sect's expedition is approaching from the eastern passage. They're moving cautiously, likely aware that someone's already claimed this chamber."
"Non-hostile interaction if possible," Su Chen instructed without opening his eyes or removing his hand from the stone. "Bibi Dong, handle initial contact. Offer to share the chamber—there are nineteen other meditation platforms and we're only using the central stone. They can claim peripheral positions without interfering with our acquisition."
Bibi Dong moved to the eastern entrance, her diplomatic training immediately apparent in her body language. She positioned herself to appear confident but not aggressive, powerful but not threatening—the posture of someone willing to negotiate from strength rather than fight from desperation.
Patriarch Huo Tianyun entered first, his experienced eyes immediately assessing the chamber's occupants and resources. He saw Su Chen connected to the central stone, the team's defensive positioning, and the chamber's other available treasures. His expression showed calculation rather than hostility.
"Stellar Void Pavilion," Huo Tianyun greeted formally. "We observed your battle with the Tomb Sovereign through remote surveillance formations. Impressive victory against a Formation Arrangement guardian—most expeditions would have been decimated."
"Patriarch Huo," Bibi Dong responded with equal formality. "We've claimed the central Dao Comprehension Stone, but the meditation platforms remain available. If the Eternal Profound Sect wishes to utilize this chamber's residual energies for cultivation advancement, we have no objection to shared occupancy."
The offer was carefully calculated—generous enough to avoid appearing unreasonably greedy, but firm enough to establish that the central treasure was non-negotiable. Huo Tianyun recognized the diplomatic nuance immediately.
"A fair proposal," he agreed after brief consideration. "My sect will occupy six platforms for breakthrough attempts. We will not interfere with your acquisition, and we expect reciprocal non-interference."
"Agreed," Bibi Dong confirmed.
The Eternal Profound Sect's experts spread out to selected platforms, each one sitting in meditation and beginning intensive cultivation. The chamber's ambient divine energy—stirred up by Su Chen's interaction with the stone—provided an excellent environment for forcing breakthroughs.
Ten more minutes passed. Su Chen's copying process entered final stages, his consciousness now containing over ten thousand years of accumulated cultivation insights compressed into accessible mental frameworks. When he finally released the stone and opened his eyes, his spiritual pressure had noticeably increased—not a formal breakthrough, but substantial refinement that pushed him closer to the threshold.
"Copy complete," Su Chen announced. "Lin Xiya, next target location. Bibi Dong, thank the Eternal Profound Sect for professional cooperation. Everyone else, prepare for departure."
As they moved toward the exit, one of the Eternal Profound Sect elders—a Spirit Transformation peak expert named Yu Qingshan—suddenly gasped, his cultivation base surging dramatically. He had achieved breakthrough to Formation Arrangement Realm, pushing through the bottleneck that had constrained him for decades.
Patriarch Huo Tianyun's expression showed genuine satisfaction. "Excellent. Elder Yu, stabilize your advancement. Everyone else, continue cultivation—this chamber's energy concentration is exceptional for breakthrough attempts."
Su Chen noted the successful advancement with interest. The Heavenly Tomb's environment was indeed effective for forcing breakthroughs. If one elder could advance so quickly, then his own team—who had spent the past ten days preparing specifically for this—should achieve even better results.
They departed the meditation chamber and followed Lin Xiya's guidance deeper into the Tomb. The next several hours passed in a blur of treasure acquisition:
**Chamber of Divine Artifacts:** Su Chen copied seventeen Formation Arrangement grade treasures, each one containing techniques or principles worth studying. Notable acquisitions included a sword that cut through karma rather than physical matter, armor that existed in multiple dimensions simultaneously, and a crown that granted temporary comprehension of fundamental laws.
**Hall of Technique Scrolls:** Six complete cultivation methods covering systems that predated current frameworks. Su Chen copied all of them for future analysis and potential synthesis.
**Garden of Spirit Herbs:** Deceased for millennia but preserved through formation arrays, the garden's herbs had crystallized into concentrated essence. Su Chen collected samples of each unique species—forty-three varieties unknown in the current era.
**Treasury of Materials:** Refined metals, condensed energies, processed beast remains—all components for artifact crafting or formation construction. Su Chen copied representative samples, giving him infinite materials for future projects.
By the time they reached what Lin Xiya identified as the Tomb's deepest accessible level, they had accumulated treasures worth potentially hundreds of millions of Origin Stones—and that was before accounting for the fact that Su Chen could infinitely duplicate most of what they'd acquired.
The final chamber was different from all the others. It was small—barely twenty meters across—and completely empty except for a single floating orb of divine energy so pure and concentrated that approaching it caused spiritual foundations to resonate painfully.
"That's... that's not a treasure," Saeko said slowly, her sword intent recoiling instinctively from the orb's presence. "That's a test. Maybe the test—the Tomb's final trial."
Su Chen's dual pupils analyzed the orb, and what he perceived confirmed Saeko's assessment. This was condensed divine tribulation energy—the power of heavenly judgment made manifest. Ancient cultivators who had attempted to break through to divine realms would have faced tribulations of this nature. Someone had captured and contained this tribulation energy, preserving it as the ultimate trial for future generations.
Touching that orb wouldn't grant power—it would judge worthiness. Pass, and you'd be baptized by divine energy, forcing advancement to heights that normal cultivation couldn't reach. Fail, and you'd be destroyed on fundamental levels, erased so completely that even resurrection techniques couldn't restore you.
"This is it," Su Chen stated quietly. "The real prize. Everything else we've collected was secondary—treasures and techniques valuable but ultimately replaceable. This orb represents genuine transcendence opportunity. One chance to force breakthrough beyond normal limits."
"Or one chance to die absolutely," Esdeath observed. "Which makes it perfect for your methodology. High risk, high reward—exactly the kind of gamble you've been building toward."
Su Chen smiled coldly. "Not a gamble. A calculated risk with stacked odds. I've spent ten days preparing for exactly this moment. I've accumulated divine energy resistance, copied transcendence techniques, integrated multiple breakthrough methodologies, and positioned myself at the absolute peak of what my current realm can achieve. If anyone in this entire Tomb can pass this trial, it's me."
He turned to face his team fully. "However, I won't be attempting it alone. We came here as a team, we've fought as a team, and we'll face this final trial as a team. Each of you will attempt the orb as well—but in sequence, not simultaneously. We learn from each person's experience before the next one tries."
"Order of attempts?" Bibi Dong asked, immediately understanding the tactical logic.
"Me first," Su Chen stated firmly. "I have the highest survival probability and the most diverse capabilities. If the trial proves too dangerous, I abort and we withdraw entirely. If I succeed, the rest of you follow in order of breakthrough readiness: Esdeath, Saeko, Bibi Dong, Xiao Yi Xian, Albedo. Lin Xiya observes but doesn't attempt—her advancement path doesn't require this kind of trial."
No one argued. They understood that Su Chen was taking the greatest risk by going first, testing unknown dangers so that others could benefit from his experience.
"Ten minute preparation period," Su Chen announced. "Final equipment checks, meditation to achieve optimal mental state, emergency protocols verified. Then we begin."
The team settled into focused preparation, each member conducting their own pre-combat rituals. Su Chen himself entered deep meditation, circulating his spiritual energy through all his Cave Heavens, synchronizing his various bloodlines and abilities, achieving the perfect balance of readiness and relaxation.
When ten minutes elapsed, he opened his eyes and stood. His expression was calm, focused, showing neither fear nor arrogance—just professional readiness for an extremely dangerous task.
"Beginning trial attempt," Su Chen announced formally. He walked toward the floating orb, each step measured and deliberate.
At five meters, his skin began to tingle from divine energy exposure. At three meters, his spiritual foundation started resonating uncomfortably. At one meter, pain lanced through his entire being as the orb's judgment energy scanned his existence, evaluating his worthiness for transcendence.
At half a meter, Su Chen raised his hand and touched the orb.
Reality exploded into white light, and the final trial began.
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