Chapter 300 : The Truth of the World
Chapter 300: The Truth of the World
In the blink of an eye, Chen Ming was already standing before a grand and majestic hall. He looked up at the plaque above the main gate—it bore three ancient seal script characters: Heaven's Punishment Hall!
"Heaven's Punishment Hall? Could it be…"
A thought stirred in his mind as he recalled what the Hall Master of Reincarnation from the Six Doors Authority had mentioned earlier—back in the previous dynasty, the Demon Suppression Division originally had six halls. One of them had later been handed over to the Celestial Master Residence.
Could this be the one he was talking about?
As Chen Ming pondered this, an incomparably authoritative voice suddenly echoed from within the great hall. "Who dares trespass into the Heaven's Punishment Hall?"
The voice was so powerful it triggered a celestial phenomenon—streaks of lightning flashed across the sky.
The towering palace seemed to come alive, radiating a faint purple electric glow.
From the perspective of the "Yin Spirit," that purple glow was clearly composed of two entirely different forces—one was the power of thunder, and the other, a strange and sinister purple aura.
This voice… it sounded familiar.
Just as that thought flickered through Chen Ming’s mind, the massive doors of the palace opened on their own. A figure appeared at the entrance, surrounded by arcs of lightning, exuding divine might like a prison.
Celestial Master?
He saw the Daoist inside, with a longsword on his back, and was instantly alarmed.
That Daoist was unmistakably the Celestial Master he had slain inside the Nine Nether Tower!
"Didn't he die?"
"Why is he here?"
A chill ran down Chen Ming’s spine.
"A First Grade Yin Spirit? Where did you learn the Nine Heavens Divine Control Art? Wait—" The "Celestial Master’s" face suddenly lit up with ecstatic joy. "Do you have the Purple Mansion Secret Volume on you? Hand it over!"
That last sentence boomed like thunder.
With a deafening rumble, an incredibly terrifying bolt of lightning lit up the sky, turning it as bright as day. The lightning struck the top of Heaven's Punishment Hall directly, and the entire building began to emit dense electric arcs—it was a fearsome sight.
Holy shit!
Without thinking, Chen Ming instantly activated the purple volume. His figure vanished from the spot.
"Stop—!"
The next moment, he was already back where he had started. The roar of the "Celestial Master" still echoed in his ears.
His heart was still thumping wildly.
"That was close!"
If the one in Heaven's Punishment Hall really was the Celestial Master, then that would be a Level 120 existence—equivalent to someone who had opened two Divine Repositories.
…
After a while, Chen Ming replayed everything in his mind and felt that something was off.
Why hadn’t the "Celestial Master" chased after him?
With the speed of a Yang Spirit, if the "Celestial Master" truly intended to catch him, he would have had ample time before Chen Ming could escape from Heaven’s Punishment Hall.
After all, he hadn’t been far from the entrance at the time.
Yet, even until the moment he left, the "Celestial Master" hadn’t made a move to pursue.
"Could it be—not that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t?"
A new possibility dawned on Chen Ming as he began piecing together more details.
The Celestial Master had indeed died—the System had verified it.
Add to that the eerie purple aura emanating from that figure…
The person’s identity was now all but revealed—a Divine Soul Fragment of the Undying Demon Venerable.
"Maybe he was suppressed there by the Celestial Master himself..."
Chen Ming guessed.
Perhaps that Divine Soul Fragment had taken on the form of the Celestial Master in an attempt to deceive Heaven’s Punishment Hall, but even so, he couldn’t escape the confines of the palace.
"When he mentioned the Purple Mansion Secret Volume just now, he went completely mad. It seems that this purple volume is the key to escaping from Heaven’s Punishment Hall."
Chen Ming felt that he had likely figured out the truth. As for confirmation, he could always consult someone more knowledgeable.
So, he closed his eyes and silently chanted in his mind, “Daoist Master Wang Chenzi, Daoist Master Wang Chenzi, Daoist Master Wang Chenzi…”
…
"First Grade Yin Spirit?"
When a strand of Chen Ming’s consciousness arrived at that mysterious cave dwelling, the Old Daoist’s jaw almost hit the floor upon seeing him. He was so shocked that he even snapped the whisk in his hand.
He exclaimed in disbelief, “Have I gone senile? Did I meditate for three years instead of just one month?”
Chen Ming smiled and said, “You’re not mistaken, Senior. The last time we met was exactly one month ago.”
"Truly one month?"
The Old Daoist kept tugging at his beard, to the point one would worry he might pluck out what little remained. “And you’ve already reached First Grade in your Yin Spirit? How is that possible?”
Chen Ming gave a slight cough and said, “Just a few insignificant lucky encounters. No need for Senior to mind it. Actually, I’ve come this time to ask for your advice.”
Insignificant lucky encounters?
The Old Daoist almost felt like cursing.
Back in his day, it had taken him thirty years to go from Third Grade Yin Spirit to First Grade.
And this brat had done it in thirty days.
What kind of miraculous encounter could make someone leap two major realms in such a short time?
Perhaps such heavenly treasures existed in ancient times, but they had long vanished from the world.
After a moment of silence, the Old Daoist finally calmed himself down. “What do you want to ask?”
Chen Ming said, “Senior, have you ever heard of Heaven’s Punishment Hall?”
The Old Daoist replied, “Seems like you’ve already been there. No wonder. Since you’ve cultivated the Nine Heavens Divine Control Art to First Grade, you’re qualified to become the master of Heaven’s Punishment Hall.”
Chen Ming inquired further, “What exactly is the origin of this Heaven’s Punishment Hall? And what are the benefits of becoming its master?”
The Old Daoist explained, “Eight thousand years ago, the Eternal Life Emperor founded the Eternal Life Immortal Dynasty and established six halls to suppress various secret realms. Heaven’s Punishment Hall was one of them.
“Heaven’s Punishment Hall is specifically tasked with suppressing the Demon Domain, the Monster Realm, and Hell. That is the responsibility of its master. The reason the Celestial Master held that title was because he wielded authority over Heaven’s Punishment Hall.
“Once you become the hall master, as long as you remain inside the hall, you can draw upon its power, granting you strength far beyond your own cultivation realm. However, you’ll also be bound by its responsibilities. You’d better think it through carefully.”
Chen Ming then asked, “Then where exactly are the Demon Domain, the Monster Realm, and Hell?”
The Old Daoist said, “The entrances to the Three Realms all lie beneath the Heaven's Punishment Hall. About once every hundred years, the Celestial Master Residence gathers their strength to enter the Three Realms and slay the demons, monsters, and ghosts within, in order to weaken their power. If we calculate the time, the hundred-year cycle is due now. The experts of the Celestial Master Residence are probably within the Three Realms right now. This is both a responsibility and a form of tempering.”
Only then did Chen Ming understand. No wonder after the Celestial Master had an accident, only a few juniors came from the Celestial Master Residence.
For the Celestial Master Residence to gain fame across the world and suppress the Three Realms with the strength of one sect, their power must be formidable. So it turned out that their top experts weren’t around.
He asked, “Senior, what do you think the Celestial Master Residence would do if I became the master of Heaven's Punishment Hall?”
The Old Daoist replied, “That’s hard to say. The Heaven's Punishment Hall is the foundation of the Celestial Master Residence, and you are, after all, an outsider. No one knows what thoughts those people might harbor. Perhaps they’ll accept it with clenched teeth, or maybe they’ll fight to the death to take back the hall master’s seat.
“But tell me, do you truly wish to become the master of Heaven's Punishment Hall?”
Chen Ming said, “I’m still considering.”
Perhaps, for others, becoming the master of Heaven's Punishment Hall—having to suppress the Three Realms from then on and bear the duty of slaying countless demons and monsters—was a grueling task.
But for him, it was a lucrative one. It meant that once he became the hall master, there would be an endless supply of monsters to farm for experience.
Just thinking about it was exhilarating.
…
After returning to reality, Chen Ming left the underground dark river space and once again arrived at Huanshou Mountain.
He took an item from his robe—it was the jade token he had obtained earlier after killing Xie Jianqiu.
This jade token was likely the “key” to open that secret realm.
Now that he had broken through to First Grade, although still far from the First Grade peak, he was very curious about this so-called secret realm. Since he had come all this way, naturally, he wanted to explore it.
Chen Ming held the token and injected a sliver of his mind into it.
【You have obtained access to the dungeon “Fall of the Xingyue Sect.” Note: This is a solo dungeon. Minimum level requirement: LV90.】
【Please select your next action: 1. Enter the dungeon directly. 2. Create a temporary token to enter the dungeon.】
Seeing these prompts appear before his eyes, Chen Ming couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
So it really was a dungeon!
So, this world was actually a game world. No wonder killing enemies and monsters granted him experience points.
Those so-called secret realms were actually dungeons. Moreover, this game likely centered around dungeon gameplay.
In the main world, the max level was 99. To change class, one had to complete missions inside dungeons.
Thinking of it this way, many of the world’s oddities suddenly made sense.
“Looks like I’m the only player.”
Chen Ming’s heart surged with emotions. Although he had already guessed it, confirming it for real still left him with a sense of awe.
“I choose option one, enter the dungeon directly.”
With that thought, he immediately felt the jade token in his hand glow. That familiar sensation returned—space seemed to tear apart, sucking him into another world.
【You have entered the dungeon map: Xingyue Sect.】
Another prompt appeared before his eyes.
Chen Ming looked around and found the place eerily desolate—a land of yellow sand, not a trace of life in sight. The sky was dark and oppressive, suffused with the stench of death.
This dungeon felt much like “Qingwei Heaven.”
“Could this world have already died too?”
Chen Ming was filled with doubt.
At the same time, another mystery was resolved.
No wonder when Du Rusong entered this dungeon, he came out so quickly—and hadn’t obtained any rare treasures, nor broken through to the Divine Repository Realm.
So that was why.
A dead world naturally wouldn’t produce any “Heaven and Earth Treasures.”
“I wonder what level this dungeon is.”
He didn’t leave immediately but searched around instead. Since he was already here, there was no way he would just walk away.
He still had many questions about this “dungeon.”
The map was vast, larger than any secret realm he’d visited before. It was likely a high-level one.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single living thing—not even a corpse.
After circling once and finding nothing of value, Chen Ming finally left.
Back inside Huanshou Mountain, Chen Ming was still pondering the dungeon.
He found it strange—why hadn’t similar prompts appeared when he became the master of “Qingwei Heaven”?
Could it be that Qingwei Heaven had been re-refined by ancient cultivators and no longer counted as a dungeon?
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out.
“Looks like this world still holds many secrets.”
Chen Ming stopped overthinking and left the place.
…
A few days later, Qingfeng City.
Months had passed, and now, returning to the place where the dream had all begun, Chen Ming’s emotions were mixed. In the blink of an eye, he had already reached First Grade.
Unfortunately, even at this level, he still couldn’t openly reclaim his true identity.
As his cultivation climbed higher, he realized the deeper the waters of this world became.
Beyond First Grade were Divine Repository, Fate Palace, Primordial Embryo, and Path Assimilation Realms.
So it turned out that First Grade was only the beginning.
Fortunately, he had his golden finger. Now that he knew the secret of the secret realms, his path ahead had become clear—find more dungeons and grind for experience inside.
Once he reached the Divine Repository Realm, he’d return to Heaven’s Punishment Hall to annihilate that Divine Soul Fragment of the Undying Demon Venerable. By then, he would control Heaven’s Punishment Hall and have three worlds to continuously farm for experience.
Chen Ming strolled through Qingfeng City, planning his future.
Unconsciously, he passed by the Chen Residence. A sweep with his divine sense confirmed everything was well, finally putting his mind at ease.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and looked toward an inconspicuous corner on the wall, where a faint mark could be seen—four interconnected circles.
A smile crept onto Chen Ming’s face. He raised a finger and wiped the mark away from afar, then quietly departed.
Deng Residence.
Ever since Deng Ziyang resigned from the Six Doors Authority, the place had been vacated. Later, when Deng Ziyang joined the Blood Demon Sect, the Six Doors Authority had sealed the property.
Chen Ming climbed over the wall and entered the Deng Residence, arriving at the courtyard where he used to spar with Deng Ziyang and others—where he saw Deng Ziyang, now clad in black robes, sitting there.
“You’ve come.”
He looked up, a faint blood-red glow flashing in his eyes.
Chen Ming walked over and sat across from him, just like a few years ago, and said, “Congratulations on advancing to First Grade.”
At this moment, Deng Ziyang’s cultivation had already reached First Grade—at the peak, only one step away from the Divine Repository Realm.
It had to be said, the Cult of Eternal Life always managed to rise again after being purged—there was a reason for that. Cultivating demonic arts really was fast.
Even with all his cheat-like advantages, Chen Ming’s progress to First Grade had already been shocking.
Yet Deng Ziyang, simply by cultivating a demonic art, had progressed nearly as fast. It was absurd.
With this speed of improvement, it was no wonder countless poor disciples would flock to such paths.
Deng Ziyang’s expression was unusually complex. “Likewise.”
In truth, he was more shocked than Chen Ming.
He had long known how extraordinary this friend’s talent was, yet he never imagined Chen Ming would reach First Grade so quickly.
Chen Ming asked, “When did you come out of seclusion?”
“It’s been a while.”
While pouring tea for him, Deng Ziyang said, “After I came out, I returned here. According to our agreement, I made a mark on the wall of your family’s residence. I’ve been waiting here ever since.”
Chen Ming asked him, “So what are your plans moving forward?”
“At this point, I can only take it one step at a time. And you? Your situation now is hardly better than mine.”