Monarch of Time

''You... did you already break free from the hex?! How is that even possible?'' The old man's voice wasn't overly loud, but in the emptiness and silence that governed the mountain peak, his words sounded particularly vociferous as they echoed throughout his surroundings.

This old man had seen millions and millions of challengers undertake the trials of the 'Heavenly Tower' under his supervision, some of them appearing so extraordinary that they could be considered rare geniuses even in the 'Imperial Mandate sect', but this was the first time he had met someone like Shun Long.

A monster like him who had somehow broken all conventional concepts and shattered one record of the tower after the other, how was the old man supposed to stay calm after looking at his performance?

In fact, the only reason why Shun Long wasn't ranked first in the 'Heavenly Rankings' earlier after his overwhelming performance on the fifth floor, was because there had been a single Dao Emperor who had already passed the sixth trial before everyone else, comfortably occupying that first-place spot. But now, the purple-robed elder had no more qualms about pushing the azure-robed monster in front of him another place up in the rankings.

Cupping his hands, Shun Long glanced at the stunned elder at the dais with a deep look, not bothering to answer his rhetorical question.

And indeed, a moment later, the old man sighed and shook his head before he continued with a self-deprecating smile

''You little brat, I'm not sure what to do with you. Should I commend you for not feeling any guilt in your heart, or should I call you heartless instead? Do you truly have nothing to feel ashamed of in how you've lived your life so far, or is it that you don't care about anyone else but yourself?

Haiz... whatever it may be, it's still a fact that you've already passed the sixth trial, so here, take this!'' As he finished speaking, the old man took out a crude-looking, golden talisman from his robes and handed it to Shun Long.

The talisman looked ordinary at first glance, the thin lines that adorned it almost wearied after suffering through the relentless passage of time. However, the moment he touched it, Shun Long could instinctively tell that the materials used to create this thing were anything but ordinary.

At the very least, the thin yellow paper used to make this talisman had most likely come from the bark of a tree equivalent to rank 9 spiritual herbs, while the 'ink' used to inscribe the formation on its surface had actually originated from the blood of a rank 9 magic beast! This was, without a doubt, a talisman above the 3-star rank... one that could even influence Earth Immortals!

Looking at Shun Long, the purple-robed elder didn't wait for him to ask any questions and promptly explained everything

''Sigh, you have no idea how lucky you are, kid. This 'Earth Slaying Immortal Reaping' talisman is something I personally refined a long time ago, after failing dozens of times first. It contains one of my most powerful attacks and can be activated just by infusing a sliver of your qi inside it. No matter which family or sect you've come from, this is a treasure that should be considered priceless in your mortal world!''

The bald old man paused for a brief moment and then added in hesitantly

''I don't have a second one to give you so only use this thing if your life is truly in danger! In fact, it's better if you never have to use it in the first place, and just let it rot inside your spatial ring! Actually, try to avoid getting in trouble and just cultivate quietly until you become an immortal, how about that?''

As he accepted the golden talisman, Shun Long stored it inside his spatial ring and cupped his hands at the rambling old man before he responded

''Thank you, senior! I won't promise you anything but I'll take your words to heart!''

Seeing the lackluster look on his face, the bald old man was about to explode as he roared angrily

''You crazy brat! At least say you are going to do your best and not get into any trouble! What kind of demon are you? Do you really have to look for fights everywhere you go? Can't you even guarantee this old man one simple thing?

Not only did you kill tens of thousands of peak rank 6 magic beasts in the first trial right after you entered, instead of being satisfied with just a dozen like most others, but you even fought with Luoyang in the fifth trial out of your own volition! Do you think I can feel at ease letting you go out there after all that? What if you end up dying shortly after leaving my trial grounds?''

The old man's voice became progressively louder and louder with each sentence, his old eyes burning with fury. At the end of it, it was almost as if he couldn't wait to tie Shun Long up and force him to stay inside the 'City of Immortals' and cultivate! At the very least, he wouldn't die this way.

However, Shun Long merely shook his head as he looked at the old man before he calmly

''Senior, it looks like you have the wrong idea about me. I'm actually a very peaceful person. I'd even go so far as to say that I actively avoid getting in trouble whenever I can. It's usually others who try to find trouble with me!''

The bald old man's eyes twitched when he heard Shun Long's nonsensical excuse before he waved his hand and said with a sigh

''Alright, you brat. I can't seem to reason with you anyway. Just sit over there and wait for the sixth trial to end. Whether you like it or not, you will have to fight most of these brats here anyway.''

As he said that, the old man threw a look behind him, at the remaining eleven, no, ten people who were still in deep meditation undergoing the sixth trial, and took a sip from the gourd in his hands.

As soon as they woke up, the last trial of the 'Heavenly Tower' would begin.