Chapter 140: Chapter 121 Ye Chen Returns!
"The opportunity of the Ancient God Tower has finally come to an end!"
Ye Chen, who was transmitted outside the Ancient God Tower, looked back at the immensely gigantic eighteen-story ancient tower, his eyes twinkling with sharp light.
Inside the Ancient God Tower, he had stayed a total of five hundred and forty days, yet only fifty-four days had passed outside. With the time compression opportunity of the Ancient God Tower, he had cultivated for over four hundred days more than everyone else!
This precious extra cultivation time had allowed him to advance from the seventh level of True Qi to the eleventh level!
It allowed him to transform from mastering three Sword Intents to comprehending all four Sword Intents, evolving to possess the even more powerful Slaughter Sword Intent!
And the Nine Transformation Fighting Body!
And his cultivation of the Crimson Fire Flying Sword had made significant progress!
What was even more precious was that Ye Chen had once again gained the three divine skills and transformations of the Primordial Star Scripture, Gang Yuan Three Transformations!
Ye Chen's strength had far surpassed what it was before.
Now, although he still could not compete with a Rotating Pill Realm powerhouse, sweeping through mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses became incredibly easy, and even facing late-stage Spirit Sea Realm powerhouses, he had the power to fight. Even if he could not match them in strength, with "Void Instantaneous Change," he could directly escape.
Ye Chen had finally made himself more powerful once again!
For the upcoming Taixuan rendezvous, competing with the genius disciples of the Taixuan Sect Outer Sect for the first spot in the True Disciple selection, Ye Chen had absolute confidence.
He could hardly wait to see Jiang Yao, and he could hardly wait to leave the Secret Realm to see his father and mother!
At this moment, the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact and the golden monkey also saw Ye Chen being transmitted out of the Ancient God Tower.
"Ye Chen!" the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact immediately called out excitedly.
The palm-sized, furry, golden monkey, radiant all over with flying golden light, with eyes like black gems, also "swooshed" in a blink and hopped in front of Ye Chen.
The golden monkey blinked at Ye Chen with its gem-like eyes, tilting its little head and looking at Ye Chen curiously.
"Artifact Spirit, my lord!"
Ye Chen smiled as he looked at the hundred-meter-tall giant golden monkey that the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact had transformed into, recognizing it as the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact.
After many days of arduous cultivation in the Divine Tower, he had finally met the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact once more.
At the same time, Ye Chen also saw the extraordinarily divine golden monkey.
"Wow, what a cute little monkey!"
Ye Chen looked at the golden monkey, which, unafraid of strangers, directly "scurried" onto Ye Chen's shoulder and affectionately rubbed its little head against Ye Chen's clothes.
"This is..."
Ye Chen was wondering why the little monkey was so intimate with him when the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact walked over to Ye Chen with a smile: "Ye Chen, congratulations on making it through the Ancient God Tower!"
"You have far exceeded the ultimate challenge set by my old master, Heavenly Saint Di Kong, and you will receive the highest reward left by my old master!"
Heavenly Saint Di Kong's highest reward?
Ye Chen looked towards the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact, of course, he remembered the highest reward of Heavenly Saint Di Kong. The three old clan chiefs had been quite preoccupied with it, saying that in this Ultimate Land, one might receive Di Kong's highest reward.
Previously, Ye Chen thought that the highest reward was the time flow rate opportunity of the Ancient God Tower, but surprisingly, there was another reward beyond that.
The Spirit of the Sacred Artifact pointed at the golden monkey on Ye Chen's shoulder with a smile and said, "This highest reward is also related to this little one."
"Related to the little monkey?" Ye Chen looked at the golden monkey on his shoulder, puzzled.
At this moment, the golden monkey also pricked up its little ears, eager to hear what the highest reward was!
"Ye Chen," the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact said slowly as it looked at Ye Chen, "Originally, when my old master Heavenly Saint Di Kong left the ultimate challenge of the Ancient God Tower, it was partly to bring you all an opportunity, but also to find a powerful genius to fulfill a mission he had entrusted."
"Back then, when my old master was injured, he was rescued by your three clans. You know about it, right?"
Ye Chen nodded. It was because Heavenly Saint Di Kong was injured and encountered the ancestors of the three clans that he left a great opportunity in the Ancestral Land Secret Realm.
"When my old master was injured, it was because he had provoked a very powerful individual, whose strength was even slightly greater than that of my old master."
"To repay your three clans for saving him, my old master left the Sacred Artifact 'Ethereal Spirit Holy Temple' in this Ancestral Land, and he also left behind something he couldn't put his mind at ease about, here in the Ancestral Land."
"This thing is a True Spirit egg, which was this golden monkey before it hatched."
A True Spirit egg?
This golden monkey was hatched from a True Spirit egg?
Ye Chen knew that monkeys are typically born live, he had never seen a monkey hatched from an egg!
And what's more, what exactly is a True Spirit egg?
"True Spirit, is an incredibly powerful divine object in the world that can even traverse different spaces, moving across various continents. This golden monkey is a descendant of a close friend of my former master. After that friend went to another world, he entrusted my former master to take care of the monkey."
"Afraid that enemies might pursue and threaten the monkey's safety, my former master left the True Spirit egg within the Ethereal Spirit Holy Temple and entrusted me that if he came back to retrieve the True Spirit egg, all would be well, but if he did not return, whoever could make it to the fifteenth floor of the Ancient God Tower would be charged with caring for the True Spirit egg."
"Moreover, my former master decreed that if the monkey were hatched, staying inside the Ethereal Spirit Holy Temple would hinder its growth. Whoever was to look after it must make a 'Lifebound Oath' to take the monkey out of the secret realm, with a promise to care for it well, never to harm it, and eventually, when there's a chance, to send the monkey to the Jindi Ancient Clan."
"Ye Chen, when you entered the Ethereal Spirit Holy Temple, it so happened that this little one had just been born not long before. It seems you two are fated. Are you willing to fulfill my old master's entrustment—to look after this little one and eventually send it to the Jindi Ancient Clan?"
"If you're unwilling, I will erase this secret from your memory, and you may leave the Ancestral Land Secret Realm as usual."
Having said these words, the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact looked at Ye Chen.
The golden monkey was also blinking its shiny black eyes, looking at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen glanced at the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact and then at the golden monkey. He smiled and nodded, "The Ancestral Land Secret Realm has given me a great opportunity, and the ultimate test of the Ancient God Tower has yielded significant gains for me. Since it's a task entrusted by Heavenly Saint Di Kong, I am willing to complete it!"
"How should I take care of the monkey, and how do I send it to the Jindi Ancient Clan?"
Ye Chen was familiar with Lifebound Oaths.
This Lifebound Oath is a martial artist's fundamental commitment, which can absolutely not be reneged upon. Otherwise, one's martial arts spirit will be severely damaged, and advancement in cultivation will become impossible.
Ye Chen had no aversion to making a Lifebound Oath to take care of the little monkey.
Seeing that Ye Chen had agreed, the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact was overjoyed, and the golden monkey's eyes, brilliant like black jewels, also sparkled mysteriously, showing it had grown even more affectionate toward Ye Chen.
"We can talk about the Lifebound Oath later."
"Ye Chen, let me first tell you about three treasures. These three treasures are gifts for taking care of the little monkey, and they are also the greatest rewards set by my old master. If you decide not to fulfill my old master's entrustment, then these three treasures will have nothing to do with you," the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact said with a smile.
"The first treasure is known as the 'Heaven Spirit Ring'. It is a space-based secret treasure that one can carry around. The little monkey will be able to live in it in the future. Carrying the 'Heaven Spirit Ring' will also greatly benefit you.
How to use this ring, along with the location of the Jindi Ancient Clan, and other matters, are all stored within it—you will know once I hand the Heaven Spirit Ring to you."
"The second treasure is called 'Heavenly Saint Bracelets.' There's a pair of them, consisting of an 'Attack Bracelet' and a 'Defense Bracelet,' each containing thirteen Heavenly Saint Law Beads crafted by my old master, imbued with Heavenly Saint Level attacks and defenses, to aid you in your cultivation and ensure your safety while caring for the little monkey."
"The third treasure is called the 'Great Shift Law Bead.' If you face an irresistible threat of death, it can transport you back to the Ethereal Spirit Holy Temple, saving you and the monkey's safety once. Of course, if the Great Shift Law Bead is used, you will no longer be able to look after the monkey, and I will consider whether to take back the other treasures, depending on the situation."
Heaven Spirit Ring! Heavenly Saint Bracelets! Great Shift Law Bead!
These are the three great treasures left by Heavenly Saint Di Kong, the greatest rewards for taking care of the little monkey!
"Ye Chen, now, let's proceed to give your 'Lifebound Oath'."
"After the vow, I will also hand over the three great treasures to you, and once you've performed a blood sacrifice, you will be able to use them!"
After explaining everything, the Spirit of the Sacred Artifact began to tell Ye Chen about the method of making a Lifebound Oath.
...
Half an hour later, within the ancestral lands of the three major families of Ye, Bai, and Qian, a storm suddenly whipped up.
Then, a figure of a youth appeared above the ancestral land and was then directly transported outside of it.
This youth, who had stayed in the outer and central areas of the Ancestral Land Secret Realm for ten days and in the Ancient God Tower for fifty-four days—an entire two months and four days—had finally emerged from the Ancestral Land Secret Realm.
Ye Chen had finally returned to the three clans!
Ye Chen, with newfound strength, had finally come back!
Touching the Ethereal Spirit Ring on his hand, Ye Chen smiled faintly. Inside the ring was an even more precious "Heaven Spirit Ring," in which the golden monkey was soundly sleeping.
After making the Lifebound Oath, the golden monkey finally followed Ye Chen out of the Ancestral Land Secret Realm and into the world beyond!
Within the Heaven Spirit Ring, there was also a fist-sized Law Bead treasured away—this bead was the "Great Shift Law Bead" that Ye Chen had sanctified with his essence blood.
On Ye Chen's wrists were black bracelets on each hand, which appeared ordinary from the outside. However, they were forged by Heavenly Saint Di Kong himself, each containing thirteen powerful law beads: the Heavenly Saint Bracelets!
The adventure in the Ancestral Land Secret Realm for over two months had yielded tremendous gains for Ye Chen!
As Ye Chen was gathering his thoughts, ready to return home to see his parents whom he hadn't seen for months, he suddenly heard an excited shout: "Ye Chen!"
Next, he saw Bai Xiaodie with tears streaming down her face, flying towards him.