Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 366: The Sword Command

"Why won't you submit?" Just then, a chilling voice rang out.

Unnoticed, a Red-Crowned Crane Demon had silently appeared not far in front of Tang San.

Tang San's heart skipped a beat, for he had no idea how the other had appeared, indicating formidable strength. Although indeed not the Sword Saint Demon Emperor, this was no ordinary Demon King.

Tang San bowed slightly in greeting and said, "Our attributes are incompatible, so..."

"Why come here if your attributes are incompatible?" the Red-Crowned Crane Demon King asked coldly.

Tang San bowed again, "I came to refine my spiritual power."

The Red-Crowned Crane Demon King's gaze softened slightly, sizing him up a few times, and said indifferently, "Your spiritual power is stable, already at its peak. Well-rounded and flawless. Quite rare. If you wish to join the Sword Saint Palace, even as a human, you will be valued. You could even attain the rank of Demon King. Why not?"

Tang San bowed again and replied, "Because I have not yet found my own true path, I am still in the process of searching. If I find it in the future, I will naturally seek a worthy lord to serve."

The Red-Crowned Crane Demon King's gaze intensified, staring at him, "Interesting. You are one of the most interesting humans I have met. Despite the lowly status of humans, you possess considerable ambition, which is rare. Should you wish to join the Sword Saint Palace in the future, you are welcome to do so anytime. You should know that among the eight palaces of the Demon Emperors, our Sword Saint Palace is the most free of racial discrimination."

He flicked his hand as he spoke, and a small token flew towards Tang San.

Tang San quickly caught it; it was a token shaped like a tiny sword, compact yet sharp. Forged from very fine metal, it could even be used as a small dagger.

"This is the Sword Command of my Sword Saint Palace. With this token, should you find yourself in trouble, you can claim to be of the Sword Saint Palace and will be protected. I give you a year to find your path. After a year, if you have not found your way or choose not to join the Sword Saint Palace, you must return this Sword Command."

"Thank you, senior." Tang San looked at the Red-Crowned Crane Demon King before him, somewhat surprised. Was this a bribe to win him over? Were the Demon Emperor Palaces now so desperate for talent?

"Go," said the Red-Crowned Crane Demon King with a sweeping gesture of his hand. A force swept up, propelling Tang San out of the grand gates of te Sword Saint Palace.

As the sharp sword intent surrounded him again, Tang San looked once more at the Sword Command in his hand, tucked it away, and then descended the mountain to find his companions.

Having truly visited this Demon Emperor Palace, Tang San realized that they could not possibly visit all the surrounding Demon Emperor and Nymph Emperor palaces before the start of the Great Beast Fighting Arena. Just one palace would likelyake a day to explore.

Wu Bingji and Cheng Zicheng were only halfway up, meditating and resting in place. Du Bai and Gu Li hadn't moved, both honing their spiritual power.

Although Gu Li had climbed high, his body was now trembling, seemingly on the verge of collapse, clearly due to an excessive expenditure of spiritual power and nearing his limit.

On the other hand, Du Bai could hold out a bit longer.

Tang San moved to Gu Li's side, standing in front of him to shield him from most of the sharp aura.

Gu Li exhaled deeply, opening his eyes, "Incredible, truly incredible."

Tang San said, "Senior brother, you've exhausted quite a bit of energy. Let's head back down to the carriage to rest and recover."

"Okay." Gu Li stood up and led the way down the mountain.

Tang San did not leave; he continued to refine his spiritual power while watching over his companions.

Du Bai persevered an hour longer than Gu Li, ended his meditation, and then descended the mountain as well.

Cheng Zicheng reached the spot where Du Bai had been and held out for another half an hour. However, her insights were clearly not just about refining spiritual power, as she was utterly exhausted when she came down.

Wu Bingji made it to about three-quarters of the way, enduring another hour longer than Cheng Zicheng before he could no longer keep up. Under Tang San's protection, they both descended together.

When everyone regrouped at the carriage, the sky had completely darkened.

Exhausted, the group couldn't possibly visit another Emperor's Palace. They returned directly to the hotel, ate something simple, and each returned to their rooms to cultivate and reflect on the day's gains.

Despite their physical exhaustion, their gains were significantly substantial, especially for Cheng Zicheng and Wu Bingji, who both gained a new understanding of sharpness.

Tang San's own gains were not small either. They involved compressing spiritual power and refining divine consciousness. Of course, there was also the Sword Command.

After a conversation with Zhang Haoxuan, Tang San learned that for these Emperor Palaces, those who could enter were beings capable of achieving godhood. Any Demon King-level powerhouse was worth recruiting. One could choose to join the palace or not, but if one were to break through to the god level either upon entering or just before entering, they would certainly receive the palace's protection to help them achieve godhood.

This assistance, of course, was not without strings. Once a breakthrough to the god level was successful, one had received great benefits. There would be no more choice but to submit to that Emperor's Palace and become part of it. Otherwise, one's divine consciousness would be destroyed before they were allowed to leave.

Previously, Zhang Haoxuan had not expected anyone from their group to enter an Emperor's Palace, so he had not explained these details. Yet unexpectedly, Tang San had entered the first palace they visited.

Different Emperor Palaces exert different kinds of pressures. Being able to enter one does not necessarily mean one could enter another, even for god-level powerhouses—this required compatibility in attributes and also a certain amount of fate. Thus, being able to step through the gates of an Emperor's Palace was akin to passing its test.

Tang San, unaware of these nuances, had simply walked in and was immediately enveloped by the will of the Sword Saint Demon Emperor.

This piqued Tang San's interest. If he were to enter other Emperor Palaces, could he also receive protective tokens? And was it better to have as many of these tokens as possible?

He posed this question to Zhang Haoxuan, who surprisingly confirmed this was true.

Before breaking through to god-level, the more Emperor Palaces recognized him, the more resources he would receive and the more he would be valued if he chose to join one of them.

It was said that a dragon clan powerhouse had once gained the favor of eight Emperor Palaces, becoming a key figure for cultivation. He joined the Crystal Palace and, although he could not become the heir to the Crystal Demon Emperor, he became the chief steward of the Crystal Palace with the cultivation of a peak Demon King. It was rumored that if he could break through to the Demon Emperor tier, he might inherit the Crystal Palace should the Crystal Demon Emperor fall.

Since then, all the grand palaces have highly valued those who could gain recognition from multiple Emperor Palaces, sometimes even receiving early investments.

Receiving the Sword Command from the Sword Saint Palace was an investment in Tang San.

With sufficient information, Tang San thought carefully, and an idea swiftly formed in his mind.

As a human, to accomplish more, one indeed needs considerable strength, especially when facing the entire realm. Twelfth-order powerhouses are formidable beings within the realm. If one's breakthrough could garner sufficient support from beings of such stature, even the realm's master would have to reconsider their stance. The path through the Emperor Palaces seemed increasingly viable!

The only concern was his identity as a human. If he could gain widespread recognition from numerous Emperor Palaces, could they overlook his human status and support his eventual breakthrough?

This was uncertain, but it wasn't entirely impossible either. Much would depend on how he managed the situation.

The journey through the Emperor Palaces must continue, and so must his companions'. However, they would have to adopt different approaches.

By leveraging his connections and proving his worth within the Emperor Palaces, Tang San could potentially build a coalition powerful enough to challenge even the greatest authorities of the realm, transcending the usual limitations humans face.