The Great Ruler (Web Novel)
chapter-1006

Above the black stone tablet, the sparks in the seventh bronze lamp dissipated after flashing for a while. This situation clearly showed that they had failed to ignite it, but Ink Blade still remained calm and did not feel dismayed. He slowly retracted his palm, the golden Phoenix feather on his arm gradually disappearing.

His previous blow seemed to have been too casual, but he knew that it had contained all of his physical strength. Behind him, Zong Teng looked at this scene, his face steely.

When he clashed with Ink Blade, they had fought each other to a standstill, but now, when it came to pure physical strength, he was slightly inferior. Although this did not mean that Ink Blade's real fighting capacity was stronger than him, Zong Teng, who was an arrogant person, still felt uncomfortable.

"Haha, Brother Ink's blow was really fierce, but there was a cry of a phoenix when you executed that blow, so it seems that Brother Ink had deep associations with the Phoenix Clan?" Han Shan's gaze flashed, as he smiled.

Ink Blade was non-committal, choosing not to pay too much attention to his words. Instead, his eyes stared at the black stone tablet before him, a scorching gaze flashing in them.

Buzz.

Under Ink Blade's intense gaze, the black stone tablet stirred. Its surface started shaking and an aura of chaos surged out. This time, the stone tablet spewed out the vital essence of the Heaven-Devouring Divine Beast, which, when compared with what Zong Teng had gained, was clearly more intense!

Ink Blade looked at the aura of chaos and opened his mouth to inhale it, swallowing it. Immediately, it seemed that crimson flames were ablaze in his eyes, as wisps of flames rose on the surface of his body and a majestic aura slowly emanated from him.

The fluctuation in Ink Blade's body lasted for a dozen minutes. He then opened his eyes, as a faint sense of oppression emanated from his body. Apparently, absorbing the vital essence of the Heaven-Devouring Divine Beast had greatly enhanced his abilities.

After the fluctuations in his body calmed down, Ink Blade retreated from the black stone tablet. As he retreated, only two people in the ancient square, Han Shan and Mu Chen, had not made a move. Mu Chen glanced towards Han Shan, as the latter smiled. "After observing two rounds, I'm also itching to try, so may I go the next round?"

Mu Chen nodded gently in agreement. Han Shan stepped out, and as he walked, everyone's gazes converged upon him. From a certain perspective, among the ten supreme talents who entered the Body-refining Tower, Han Shan should be regarded as one of the top characters.

Even those who were proud, such as Zong Teng, had to admit that, if it came to mere physical power, Han Shan, who came from the Demonic Rhino Clan, would have the upper hand. Of course, physical strength was only part of one's real combat power. Therefore, characters who had overbearing physical force might not necessarily be able to win the final victory in a real life-and-death struggle.

Thus, supreme talents like Zong Teng had have some means to make up for the gap in physical strength. Han Shan's figure, under many gazes, stood before the black stone tablet. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the stone tablet. He was standing there so carelessly, but there was a frightening sense of oppression that emanated from him.

At this moment, it was as if he was a primordial rhinoceros demon about to collide with heaven and earth, and where his hoofs passed, the mountains and rivers would fall apart. Han Shan's eyes gradually closed, as his body slowly turned crimson red.

These were the signs of the blood in his body, which was beginning to surge frantically. Finally, the blood seemed to flow through his body, then out of it, as it condensed into a blood red giant rhinoceros behind him!

The giant rhinoceros stepped on the earth, and on its head, a blood red horn stood tall, its sharp peak shaking slightly, causing even the space to be torn apart. This revealed its terrifying sharpness!

The giant rhinoceros stood quietly behind Han Shan, its front hoofs slowly rubbing against the ground. Although there was no sound, everyone was aware that the momentum of the giant rhinoceros seemed to be surging frantically. The blood-like aura surrounding Han Shan's body also grew, gradually becoming richer.

His eyes suddenly opened at this time, his pupils having turned blood red. In the next moment, he stepped out and crooked two of his fingers to strike at the black stone tablet.

Behind his back, the blood red rhinoceros also rushed out, directly piercing through Han Shan's body. Its head then drooped, its rhinoceros horn facing up, perfectly integrating with Han Shan's two fingers. That finger was like a rhinoceros demon that was destroying the world, the raised rhinoceros horn threatening to penetrate any defense in the world!

Dong!

Han Shan's two fingers pierced through the void, and under countless gazes, landed heavily on the stone tablet. That impact caused the flesh on his fingers to split into a gash, blood seeping out from it immediately.

However, the whole surface of the stone tablet shook, as visible ripples could be seen, even by the naked eye. The ripples then spread out rapidly on the surface of the tablet. That kind of movement was far more powerful than that of Ink Blade's and the two others before!

Mu Chen's gaze stared, fixated above the stone tablet. There, ripples spread out and a brilliant flame swept out of the final dark bronze lamp!

Ablaze!

In just the time it took to inhale a breath, the first five bronze lamps ignited at the same time, followed by a slight pause in the sixth bronze lamp. Then, a crimson red flame appeared in a puff, as the lamp was ignited entirely.

When the sixth bronze lamp was ignited, Mu Chen and the others' gazes locked onto the seventh lamp. This was because they could feel that Han Shan's power had not yet been expended completely.

Under their gazes, in the seventh bronze lamp, there were indeed sporadic sparks of flames, which, at last, began to gather at a slow pace. That speed, although slow, was much more stable than during Ink Blade's attempt.

Whoosh!

As the sparks increased and were condensed to a certain extent, they completely bloomed and became ablaze. Thus, the seventh bronze lamp was ignited successfully!

Woah!

Outside the Body-refining Tower, an uproar burst out, and all the powerful characters were amazed. This Han Shan was indeed worthy of being the most outstanding supreme talent of the Demonic Rhino Clan! With one blow, he had outperformed Zong Teng and Ink Blade completely.

"This Han Shan is formidable indeed." Even Nine Nether nodded in admiration.

Although the stone tablet only depended on one's physical strength, she was aware that Han Shan's overall combat prowess, even among the Seventh Grade Sovereigns, was not weak.

"He actually managed to ignite seven bronze lamps!"

Ink Ring was impressed too. Even her elder brother had only been able to ignite sparks in the seventh bronze lamp, but even then, he was not able to ignite it completely. Clearly, when it came to physical strength, Han Shan had an edge over Ink Blade.

"Now, only Brother Mu Chen has yet to make his move. I wonder what he's going to achieve," Ink Ring said curiously.

Nine Nether shook her head, as she did not know much about Mu Chen's physical strength. The only thing she knew was that this guy had never slacked in the cultivation of his physique. From the Thunder God Physique in the past to the Dragon-Phoenix Body now, these were some of the most mysterious Body-refining techniques, and Mu Chen had attained much in every one. Thus, although Mu Chen was not a Divine Beast, his physique was stronger and more domineering than most Divine Beasts.

"With his ability, passing the test of the fourth level should not be difficult. But, as to whether he can compare with Han Shan, that remains to be seen," Nine Nether said.

Han Shan's achievements, according to what had heard, were already considered outstanding. Whether or not Mu Chen could surpass them, she really could not determine.

As the uproar outside of the Body-refining Tower continued in that ancient square, the blood red rhinoceros behind Han Shan also dissipated. He slowly retracted both fingers, and as he shook them, the wounds on his fingertips healed rapidly. He stared at the seven burning bronze lamps with a faint smile, apparently not surprised by what had just transpired.

Buzz.

The black stone tablet began to tremble, followed by the appearance of some faint blood runes on its surface. Wisps of an aura of chaos permeated the space, but this time, it contained hints of dark red, too.

"That's..." Mu Chen gazed at the vital essence of the Heaven-Devouring Divine Beast, which seemed to be different from the previous rounds, a glint in his eyes.

"That's the blood energy that's contained in the flesh of the Heaven-Devouring Divine Beast! It's purer than even its vital essence! However, only those who performed very well can get it," Ink Blade explained calmly.

Not far away, Zong Teng's eyes stared at the aura of chaos greedily, with a burning gaze. Mu Chen nodded slightly. It seemed that only those who lit the seven bronze lamps would receive this prize.

Standing before the stone tablet, Han Shan took a deep breath, sucking the slightly reddish aura of chaos in entirely. Then, his body suddenly turned blood red, and behind him, the blood red giant rhinoceros, which had dissipated, once again condensed. Then, it grew bigger, its ferocious aura growing in intensity.

Phew.

The great rhinoceros' change lasted a few moments, then gradually dissipated, as Han Shan's body returned to his original state. He looked down at his palm, smiled slightly, then turned away. Apparently, he was immensely satisfied with the benefits that he had just gained.

Following Han Shan's retreat, Zong Teng and Ink Blade directed their glances towards Mu Chen. At the same time, outside the tower, curious glances also made their ways towards Mu Chen.

Obviously, they wanted to know, what results the black horse, who had been rising in the Body-refining Tower, could achieve in this test.

Would this black horse be reduced to his original state? Or achieve an impressive feat again?

Regarding this subject matter, everybody expressed immense anticipation and curiosity. Under the scrutiny of countless gazes, Mu Chen took a slow step towards the black stone tablet.