The Neglected Heir of the Namikaze Clan

by joeywheelerUzumaki

Extreme AU: Naruto was abandoned as a child in a small village in the lands of Ninshu. He knows not whether his parents are even dead or alive, but when immortal ninja of legend pluck him from his homeland, nobody can stop the rise of the Namikaze Heir! He will prove to those who cast him away, that they were painfully wrong! Strong/Godlike! Naruto. NaruHina! unrequited NaruSaku!

11. Unsurpassably Killing Kirito

For the following several days, the meat jelly spoke nonstop of all the bad things the parrot had done. From the Milky Way Sea, all the way down to their bandit days in the Eastern Lands, it revealed everything, complete with highly embellished details. It even voluntarily handed over three bags of holding that contained all of its portion of the spoils they had taken.

Naruto had constantly smashed it into the ground over and over during the past few days, and it feared further reprisals. Furthermore, Naruto's cultivation base was now incredibly high, and if he felt like it, he could use a strand of Immortal Chakra to seal its mouth and prevent it from speaking even a single word. To the meat jelly, that was the most terrifying thing that could happen.

As far as the parrot was concerned, Naruto didn't ask it any questions at all. He kept it sealed inside the copper mirror, with no chance whatsoever to even see anything that had fur or feathers. That was the greatest punishment which could possibly be inflicted on it.

After studying the black feather for a while, Naruto was shocked. The feather brimmed with transformative power, which was why the parrot had been able to release such an astonishing aura. It was all thanks to the feather.

According to the meat jelly, the feather had simply fallen from the sky when the two of them were on their way from the Milky Way Sea to the Eastern Lands….

Naruto wasn't quite sure that he believed this, but after putting the feather away, he returned to the Namikaze Clan. By this time, the members of the sects and clans from the Ninth Mountain and Sea had long since departed. The lands of the Southern Domain had now quieted down. Unfortunately, Naruto's older sister still hadn't emerged from secluded meditation.

An entire month had soon passed by.

During that time, word of Naruto began to spread in the world outside of Lands of Ninshu, in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Of course, the stories told about him were always accompanied by gnashing teeth. Soon, many people in the Ninth Mountain and Sea knew that on Planet Lands of Ninshu, there was a shameless fellow who went by the name of Naruto.

He had monopolized the good fortune of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple, had caused the corpse of a woman to become attached to Fū, had captured numerous Chosen, had defeated Chiyo in one move, and most excessive of all was his unusual habit of forcing people to write promissory notes.

No one could figure out that last matter, or guess why Naruto had such a strange hobby….

There was another matter that shook the Ninth Mountain and Sea during that month, and caused a huge stir among countless cultivators. Many clans took special note of the event.

The Three Great Daoist Societies, which consisted of the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, and the Nine Seas God World, were holding a disciple recruitment event open to all cultivators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

Anyone of the Nascent Soul stage or higher, but below the Immortal Realm, could participate.

Furthermore, members of the Five Great Holy Lands, the Three Churches, and Six Sects would all participate, so that this disciple recruitment event would be as grand as possible. Any rogue cultivator from the four planets and all over the 9th Mountain and Sea would be able to participate regardless of their age or heritage as long as their cultivation base met the requirements.

To most cultivators, it represented a chance to make great advancements in a single leap. This was especially true of the cultivators who normally had no way of leaving their respective planets. It was a chance they had to seize, a once in a lifetime opportunity that would change their fate if they were successful.

A disciple recruitment event such as this was something that might happen only once in a period of tens of thousands of years. Now that the event was underway, it was impossible to say when it would happen again. In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the four great planets contained many cultivators of the appropriate cultivation base to participate. There were even more such cultivators who actually resided on the Ninth Mountain itself.

Then there were the various meteor-like islands in the Ninth Sea, which were also inhabited by numerous cultivators, as well as various other smaller worlds attached to and dependent on the Ninth Mountain and Sea. It was easy to see that an enormous number of people would be participating.

There were to be three levels of recruitment during the event. Nascent Soul. Spirit Severing. Dao Seeking. The participants from these three different stages would all compete in different areas, and would have no contact with each other.

Even more shocking was the news that anyone who got first place in any of the three stages would not only just be able to join one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, but they would immediately become a Conclave disciple, and would be rewarded with precious treasures.

That even caused the Chosen of the various great clans to be excited. Clan cultivators were not required to remain within their respective clans, but often went out to join other sects. The clans generally did not force their members to stay.

When it came to the Three Great Daoist Societies, they had existed for countless years, and apparently had histories that stretched further back than the current era.

That was one of the reasons why the Three Great Daoist Societies were so aloof, and rarely involved themselves in any sort of conflict. Actually, the only enemies the Three Great Daoist Societies had were themselves. Most important of all, they never participated in various clan struggles.

For instance, in the year Lord Hebi altered the Heavens, the Three Great Daoist Societies did not interfere in any way, seemingly because they had already seen far too many changes occur throughout the long years of their existence.

In this particular disciple recruitment event, the Three Great Daoist Societies were each looking to recruit only one disciple.

From all the vast crowds of cultivators from the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they would be the only three who were formally recruited. From this, it could be seen that whoever those three people were, their lives and destinies would soon be completely changed.

As for those who didn't end up being recruited by the Three Great Daoist Socities, it was still possible that the Five Great Holy Lands or perhaps the Three Churches and Six Sects would select them from within the competition.

News of the matter spread like wildfire throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, via the mouths of innumerable cultivators. Even the four great planets, including Planet Lands of Ninshu, were informed.

In fact, Lord Hebi issued a Dharmic decree to Planet Lands of Ninshu, which the Hebi Clan there sent throughout all the lands. In the blink of an eye, all of the cultivators on Planet Lands of Ninshu who were of the Nascent Soul stage or higher, were filled with excitement.

There were many among them who hadn't even been aware that other worlds existed outside in the starry sky. When they found out, their hearts trembled. As for those who already knew about these other worlds, they were filled with even more intense anticipation.

The whole Ninth Mountain and Sea was in a spectacular stir. The recruitment event was the subject of almost every conversation in every location.

It was at just about this time that Naruto received a jade slip from Grandmaster Pill Demon.

"Return to the Violet Fate Sect immediately!"

The message was short, but Naruto could sense Immortal will within its words!

Minato stood next to Naruto. He wasn't looking at the jade slip, but rather, up into the sky, as he said, "Your master is about to attempt to transcend his Immortal Tribulation."

Naruto's heart trembled. He was well aware that true Immortal Ascension was a very difficult matter. Furthermore, he knew that when the true Immortal destiny appeared on Planet Lands of Ninshu, it would not be his. The true Immortal destiny came once every ten thousand years, and as to which of the four great planets it would appear on, that only became detectable in the few hundred years before it appeared.

Furthermore, only people born on that planet would be qualified to acquire the destiny. Since Naruto wasn't born on planet Lands of Ninshu, the true Immortal destiny did not belong to him.

"True Immortal destiny," said his father said calmly. "Immortal Tribulation approaches…. Your master will be competing with people who intentionally arranged for their male heirs to be born on Planet Lands of Ninshu. They will come to try to seize the Immortal destiny!

"There will also be other peak Dao Seeking experts from Lands of Ninshu who will choose that moment to strike!

"Your master showed great kindness to you, and that kindness will be paid back. I will act as his Dharma Protector during the true Immortal Tribulation. I will not allow anyone from the outside to enter Planet Lands of Ninshu. As for the lands of Lands of Ninshu themselves… I will leave that to you!"

Naruto took a deep breath, then stood and faced his father.

Minato flicked his sleeve, and the air around them began to distort. Ghost images sprang up in front of them, which then formed into the image of a map of the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Minato stepped forward, followed by Naruto, and the two of them stepped into the illusory map. Naruto's eyes swam, and when his vision grew clear again, he could sense the aura of the Southern Domain.

In one instant, they traveled from the Namikaze Clan in the Eastern Lands, to the Violet Fate Sect in the Southern Domain.

The Violet Fate Sect's grand protective spell formation had long since been activated. A soft glow spread out in all directions, and the enormous statue of Reverend Violet East emanated a bright glow as well. If you looked closely, you would be able to see that Immortal Chakra swirled around it.

Shockingly, a person could be seen sitting cross-legged on the very top of Reverend Violet East's head. It was Pill Demon.

He opened his eyes from meditation and turned his head to look at Naruto and Minato. A kind smile broke out on his face, and he waved his hand, causing an opening to appear in the grand spell formation. A beam of light extended out toward Naruto.

"You go," said Minato. "Father will wait here for the Immortal Tribulation to start, and then act as Dharma Protector." He nodded to Naruto, and before Naruto could even enter the spell formation, sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Naruto took a deep breath and then stepped onto the flowing light. In a flash, he appeared directly in front of the statue of Reverend Violet East, and Pill Demon.

"Master…." said Naruto softly, his heart filled with nervousness and worry. He already had a cultivation base with eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. His path was different from Pill Demon's, but he could still faintly sense that when he reached one hundred percent of the power of a true Immortal, his own Tribulation would descend. That tribulation would be even more terrifying than Pill Demon's true Immortal Tribulation.

In true Immortal Tribulation, the chances of making it through alive were small.

"You should be happy for your master," said Pill Demon, smiling kindly. He looked at the disciple who had kowtowed to him three times, binding their destiny as master and apprentice. Now, his own apprentice was already stronger than him, and that made Pill Demon happy.

"Your master has prepared for true Immortal destiny for two lives…. In my last life, I was Reverend Violet East. At the peak of Dao Seeking, I refused to become a false Immortal. I desired true Immortality, so I reincarnated to reestablish my cultivation!

"In this life, I started out as a medicinal pill, which refined a strand of consciousness and then formed a body. Finally, I have reached this day…. Regardless of whatever destiny or tribulation there is, the next step… must be taken!

"Even if my Dao vanishes and my body dies, I will have no regrets!" Pill Demon sighed softly, then looked up into the Heavens. His eyes gleamed with stubborness and determination, as well as anticipation.

It was anticipation regarding the Dao, and the determination to become Immortal.

"I had thought of giving up before. Not because I didn't dare to make the attempt, but because of you. When Immortal destiny descended, how could I possibly fight over it with my own apprentice? But now, everything is clear. This Immortal destiny… belongs to your master!" As Pill Demon spoke, his energy surged, and Immortal Chakra flourished.

"Immortality 仙. One man 人 and one mountain 山!

"In Immortal Ascension, a Dao Corroboration Mountain is required. The mountain statue from my first life is that Dao Corroboration. It represents my Dao Heart. I shall stand atop my first life, to search for Immortality in my second!

Pill Demon turned to look at Naruto and carefully said, "Whether I succeed or fail, the next few days will be an interesting experience for you.

"Pay close attention. What you see happening will be extremely important to you in your coming true Immortal Tribulation!

"I have your father to act as Dharma Protector, which is good. As for the other old-timers from the lands of Lands of Ninshu, they have the same mind-set as me. You don't need to interfere with them. If master isn't confident enough to contend with them, then how could I become a true Immortal!

"You stay here and just watch as your master… transcends true Immortal Tribulation to become a true Immortal!" Pill Demon's voice rang out, and Naruto took a deep breath. He looked at his master, and could sense the determination he had to corroborate his Dao, and pay any price to achieve his goal.

He did not fear death. He only feared… not achieving true Immortal Ascension!

Naruto's mind trembled. Seeing his master like this, and hearing the determination in his voice when he spoke of Immortal Ascension, caused his heart to twinge. He offered no words of advice, but rather sat down cross-legged, an enlightened expression on his face.

"If you wish to achieve Immortal Ascension," said Pill Demon, "you must possess incredible willpower and ambition. Fuse them into a Dao Heart, which searches for Immortality.

"That Dao Heart represents a lifetime of obsession that will cause you to feel regret to your dying day if you cannot achieve true Immortality."

Pill Demon smiled slightly, then closed his eyes. In only a few days, the true Immortal Tribulation would descend. During that time, he needed to preserve his calm mind, and keep himself at the absolute pinnacle of readiness. Then, he could be ready to meet the Immortal Tribulation that he had been waiting for two lifetimes to see!

Time passed. More and more Immortal Chakra began to circulate through Pill Demon's body. The Violet Fate Sect's grand protective spell formation was in full rotation, and all of the sect's disciples sat cross-legged reciting scriptures. Their will poured out, forming together to create a bizarre power that bolstered the statue of Reverend Violet East. As a result, the statue appeared to grow more and more lifelike.

Sakura was in the crowd. She saw Naruto, and then closed her eyes. She could sense that the gap between the two of them was only continuing to grow more vast. Naruto was almost an Immortal, and she was still in the Nascent Soul stage.

It was as if a vast ravine existed between the two of them that cut off any future possibilities.

The atmosphere in the lands of the Southern Domain was gradually becoming oppressive. Sagiri came, along with the South Cleaving Sentinels of the Western Desert, as well as countless other cultivators. They did not approach the Violet Fate Sect, but rather took up positions around the perimeter to stand guard and act as Dharma Protectors.

Anyone who had been shown favor by Pill Demon throughout the years appeared to pay back his kindness by acting as Dharma Protectors. At the same time, in the vast Eastern Lands, as well as in other secret locations throughout Lands of Ninshu, people who had suppressed their cultivation bases and gone into secluded meditation, began to awaken. These were people who had been waiting their entire lives for true Immortal Ascension.

They stepped out into the various mountains in the wilderness that housed their places of secluded meditation, and used varied methods to approach the lands of Lands of Ninshu. They didn't interfere with the Violet Fate Sect, but rather chose nearby locations to set up their own restrictive spell formations, within which they sat cross-legged, rotating their cultivation bases as they waited for the chance to fight for Immortality!

On this occasion, all the cultivators in the lands of the Southern Domain who wished to fight for Immortality, would appear.

This was the reason that the experts from the Northern Reaches had originally decided to wage war on the Southern Domain. They had wanted to occupy the key position in the fight for Immortal destiny.

The sky gradually grew murky; even at nighttime, it was still not completely black. The heavens were in a perpetual state of evening. Furthermore, a shocking pressure weighed down on all of Planet Lands of Ninshu.

The mortals all slipped into comas, and the vegetation seemed to fall dormant and become devoid of life. The animals all lay prone on the ground in hibernation.

The highest of mountains no longer seemed high, and the rivers ceased to flow. No waves could be seen on the Milky Way Sea; it was as flat and smooth as a mirror.

It was at this point that countless beams of light appeared outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu. Numerous teleportation portals popped up, sending ripples out in all directions. People hurried toward Lands of Ninshu from locations all over the Ninth Mountain and Sea. These were people who, by various methods, had left clan members behind on the planet who were now emerging to fight for Immortal Destiny. It was only natural for their relatives to return at this critical juncture.

However, as they neared the lands of Lands of Ninshu, a beam of Sword Chakra rose up into the starry sky and encircled the entire planet. Minato's voice then resonated out.

"Planet Lands of Ninshu is now sealed. Fellow Daoists, please take your leave."

When the people rushing through the starry sky heard the echoing voice, their faces flickered. Many of them transmitted requests to step foot onto the planet, along with promises and pledges of various sorts, but Minato ignored them. He continued to sit with his eyes closed outside of the Violet Fate Sect, using divine sense to control the Sword Chakra that had sealed all of Planet Lands of Ninshu.

He knew that such actions directly cut off the path of Immortality for many. He also knew that numerous other sects and clans would be displeased by the matter. Although it wouldn't affect him very much, it wasn't a good thing for Naruto.

Minato had previously explained these things to Naruto, who hadn't said anything in response. The determination glowing in his eyes said all that needed to be said.

"That's exactly how my son ought to be," thought Minato. "Kindness should be repaid, and enmities should be avenged!"

Planet Lands of Ninshu was sealed, making it impossible for the crowds on the outside to enter. They could only look on nervously. Some of them gritted their teeth and transformed into beams of prismatic light that tried to force their way in. However, before they could even get near, the Sword Chakra swept out, and they were sent flying back, blood spraying from their mouths.

"That was just a warning," said Minato, his voice cold. "From now on, any trespassers will be executed immediately." The people on the outside were both resentful and, at the same time, filled with fear.

Three days later!

The lands of Lands of Ninshu were filled with rumbling sounds that emanated not from the planet itself, but from the starry sky overhead. It was almost as if a giant were roaring from outer space.

Roaring out to cause a character to appear!

That character, was the character 'Immortality!'"

As the sound echoed out, it seemed as if everyone in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea would hear it, and yet… it was only audible on Planet Lands of Ninshu!

At the same time, the starry sky outside Lands of Ninshu trembled, and countless shards appeared that began to form together into… an enormous door!

The door emanated boundless antiquity. It appeared to be made of bronze, and was carved with countless totemic patterns. Although it was impossible to clearly make out all the details, the archaic air of the door made it seem as if it had existed since the beginning of Heaven and Earth.

The door was somewhat dilapidated, as if it had experienced horrifying wars. Black stains could be seen on its surface that appeared to be blood, and it radiated a powerful, terrifying aura that was virtually impossible to describe. As for the size of the door, it was matchlessly gargantuan, seemingly large enough to prop up the starry sky itself.

Even Minato was mentally shaking after sensing the door and its aura. Were this thing a magical item, it would surely be able to suppress all living things once its power was unleashed.

When it appeared in the starry sky, the crowds of cultivators outside, who were incapable of entering Planet Lands of Ninshu, looked on with shock and couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

"The Door of Immortality has appeared! True Immortal destiny has arrived!"

"Dammit! Minato is blocking the way so that we can't get in! Don't tell me that we're just going to have sit idly by and watch the good fortune get taken away!?"

"Does Minato really think that he alone can stop all of us! Let's storm the place!" The eyes of all the onlookers were completely bloodshot.

At the same time, gusts of Immortal mist began to emanate off of the Door of Immortality, which then flowed directly toward Planet Lands of Ninshu.

It covered all of Planet Lands of Ninshu in the blink of an eye, making it seem like a planet of mist. Next, the door began to move forward, passing through the crowds to enter those mists, then sink down toward the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

As of this point, the cultivators on the outside were going crazy, and they began to charge Lands of Ninshu. In response, Naruto's father sent his icy divine will out. Sword Chakra rumbled, sweeping across the crowds that wished to descend onto Lands of Ninshu.

Rumbling echoed out, and the starry sky trembled. Miserable screams could be heard, and blood showered down like rain. The Sword Chakra swept about, making it impossible for even a single person to pierce through to the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Down on Lands of Ninshu, the sky was a mass of roiling Immortal Chakra that replaced the previous perpetual evening. Rumbling filled the air, the result of the mists chafing against each other; this was Immortal thunder.

There were also lightning bolts that danced about within the mists. Every single lightning bolt that appeared filled the onlookers with shock, and they felt as if their souls were about to shatter.

"Immortality!" An archaic voice spoke from within the mists, and the word echoed throughout all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, to be heard in the minds of all Dao Seeking cultivators. That character became a key that opened the path of Immortality to any who were qualified.

"Immortality!" Pill Demon looked up and opened his eyes, which shone with intense determination. Slowly, he rose to his feet.

At the same time, there were all the other Dao Seeking experts who were now in the Southern Domain, be they from the Eastern Lands, be they experts who had suppressed their cultivation bases for an entire life, or be they cultivators like Pill Demon who had reestablished their cultivation.

All of them were waiting for this true Immortal Tribulation!

Simultaneously, all of them opened their mouths and began to speak the word 'Immortality.' Then, they began to fly up toward the source of that ancient voice in the mists.

Naruto's mind trembled, and he rotated his cultivation base. His blood began to circulate faster; just now, the Immortal Chakra in his body had been stimulated, and even he had almost began to call out 'Immortality.'

However, he was not born in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and was not part of the group to whom this destiny belonged. Therefore, he endured. However, everything that was happening up in the sky left him with an indelible impression.

Next, the mists began to churn. More thunder rumbled out, and countless bolts of lightning danced as a gigantic door began to descend!

The ancientness of the door was impossible to describe, as if it had existed from the beginning of Heaven and Earth. It was incredibly old, perhaps even older than the Nine Mountains and Seas. Its emergence made it seem as if the lands below were nothing in comparison. The carvings on its surface were stained with blood, and the aura it emanated left everyone breathing raggedly. It was almost as if looking at this door was looking back into the lost pages of history!

"Where did it come from?" thought Naruto as he looked at it. "How come it can turn people into true Immortals?" Suddenly, the bronze lamp in his bag of holding began to vibrate, as if there were some resonance between it and the bronze door.

Pill Demon lifted his head up and laughed.

"The Door of Immortality descends! This… this is true Immortal Tribulation!

"There is no tribulation for false Immortals. They only need a Dharmic decree from a true Immortal, and then they can achieve false Immortal Ascension. However, if a true Immortal dies, then his false Immortals will also die!

"That's not the path of a cultivator. That's charity! What cultivators cultivate defies the laws of Heaven; it is a path of freedom. How could a cultivator become an Immortal enslaved to another?!

"Step onto the Dao Corroboration Mountain, break open the Door of Immortality during Immortal Tribulation. That is true Immortal Ascension!

"If the Door of Immortality doesn't open, and the Immortal Tribulation does not dissipate, then what does it matter if you die?!"

Beneath Pill Demon's feet, the mountain that was the statue of Reverend Violet East uprooted itself. Rumbling rose up as a soft and gentle power spread out, pushing Naruto away from the enormous statue.

At the same time, the same bizarre power caused the statue to rise up into the air and head toward the Door of Immortality.

Simultaneously, seven completely unique mountains suddenly appeared throughout the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Of those seven mountains, the largest resembled a needle-like sword, and the smallest looked like a burial mound. Each one was different, but all seven of them belonged to ancient beings who would contend with Pill Demon over the Immortal destiny. These were the Dao Corroboration Mountains of powerful Dao Seeking experts!

In much the same fashion as Pill Demon, those powerful experts stood on their respective mountains as they rose up into the air toward the Door of Immortality.

Beneath the feet of each person was a mountain that was their own Dao Corroboration Mountain. One person 人, one mountain 山, that… was an Immortal 仙!

Eight people, eight Immortals, flying through the air.

The true Immortal Tribulation was not something that would eventually fade away. No, it would only grow more and more intense until, in the end, it would be strong enough to destroy any cultivator in the Spirit Realm. Even cultivators of the Immortal Realm or the Ancient Realm… would all be destroyed when facing that level of power!

The key to transcending the tribulation was attacking the Door of Immortality!

Only by breaking open that door could the tribulation be dispersed, and successfully transcended.

Almost in the same instant that Pill Demon and the other eight began to fly up on their respective mountains, the Immortal mist up above churned, and eight bolts of lightning shot down. Each bolt of lightning was as thick as an arm, and moved with incredible speed. They contained enough power to easily eradicate any normal peak Dao Seeking expert.

A massive boom rang out from the direction of each of the eight cultivators. The ground quaked and the sky churned. Magical items were utilized and divine abilities unleashed. All eight cultivators roared and forced their way through the lightning as they continued on toward the Door of Immortality.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he hovered there in midair. He could clearly tell that of the eight bolts of lightning, his master Pill Demon's was somewhat different from the others.

That particular lightning bolt seemed to possess intelligence and personality. Although initially it seemed similar, upon closer examination, it was clearly different.

"That's the main bolt of lighting, while the other seven are auxiliary!" he thought. "Right, father mentioned that the true Immortal destiny of this lifetime belonged to my master. Considering the level of father's cultivation base, and his vast experience, he wouldn't randomly say such a thing.

"It goes to show that the Immortal destiny of this lifetime has selected master. Therefore, the main bolt of lightning sought him out. However, the others could still seize the main position and take his place!" Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. He had experienced many things in his time as a cultivator, and had long since developed a decisive and ruthless personality.

He didn't know these seven people, but since they were just about to fight his master over the true Immortal destiny, that made them Naruto's enemies.

He snorted coldly, and killing intent glittered in his eyes. He flew out and began to head in the direction of one of the old men, circulating the Immortal Chakra which existed inside of him as he prepared an explosive attack.

Up in midair, Pill Demon was charging toward the Door of Immortality along with the other seven cultivators.

"Naruto, get back!" he shouted, his tone serious. "Master will fight alone for the Immortal Destiny. Stand down!" Of course, he was also concerned that considering Naruto's current state, participating in this Immortal Tribulation might have an influence on him in the future. Therefore, he instructed Naruto to hold back.

Naruto stopped in place. He could hear the urgency and care in his master's words, and he didn't want to cause any distractions. Therefore, he clenched his jaw and ceased his charge. However, eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal surged out explosively. Instantly, a wind whipped up, and the seven old men who were about to contend for the Immortal destiny trembled.

"Listen up, you seven!" said Naruto, his eyes glittering. "Do your best to fight with my master, and I won't interfere. But if any of you try any tricks, then don't blame me for attacking.

"And let's make another thing clear. Even if you succeed in getting the Immortal destiny… well, I've killed a few false Immortals and… I'm itching to try to slaughter a true Immortal." The first statement was intimidating, and the second was outright threatening. His goal was to sow chaos in the hearts of the seven contenders, to thoroughly distract them on their path to fighting for Immortality.

Immediately, two among the seven spoke, their voices cold and sinister.

"The Immortal destiny is descending on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and anyone born here qualifies to fight for it. What the hell gives you the right to say something like that!?"

"Hmph! You're playing with fire, kid! Immortal destiny is good fortune, and anyone can get it! If you dare to interfere, then you'll be fighting against the Door of Immortality. I'm also curious to know why the hell you think you can interfere with Immortal destiny!"

Clearly, these two people had been in secluded meditation for far too long, and had no idea what had happened recently in the outside world. The only reason they emerged was because of the Immortal destiny, and they had no idea who Naruto was. Of the rest of the seven, four were from the Eastern Lands, and didn't say anything.

"What the hell gives me the right?" said Naruto, flicking his sleeve. "How about my father, who's preventing people from all over the Ninth Mountain and Sea from returning to Lands of Ninshu to help the offspring they planted here on Lands of Ninshu!

"How about the fact that if they managed to return, you would have no chance of fighting for the Immortal destiny!

"How about the fact that the Southern Domain is my home!"

"Who cares about all that?" responded one of the old men among the seven. "Immortal destiny is in front of us and we all have the chance to get it. Your master has been waiting for a long time, but so have we. Even if we steal the Immortal destiny, what's so wrong with that?"

Naruto's face darkened. Looking over the seven, he continued, "You're right, there's nothing wrong with it. My mistake. However, even if I'm mistaken, I'll still do exactly as I said."

The old men who had just spoken made no retorts. Not only could they sense the massive ripples of the huge battle being fought in the starry sky outside, they could also feel the determination in Naruto's words.

Rumble!

A second round of lightning descended. Booms rang out as Pill Demon and the others were shaken, and came to a stop. A third round of lightning bolts then materialized and slashed down like flying swords. Rumbling filled the air as Pill Demon and the others unleashed divine abilities and magical items. Even still, blood sprayed from their mouths.

However, they continued to press on toward the Door of Immortality. By the time the sixth round of lightning descended, they were there. They arrived at almost exactly the same time, and immediately began to levy attacks against the Door of Immortality itself.

Massive booms rattled out, and yet Pill Demon and the others, despite unleashing the full powers of their cultivation bases, could not budge the door even the slightest bit. It didn't even crack open, which caused all the hearts of all eight to begin to thump.

Down below, Naruto's face was anxious.

More waves of lightning crackled down. The sky churned as the ninth wave fell. These lightning bolts were as thick as water buckets, and illusory flood dragons could be seen inside of them. As soon as they appeared, wild colors flashed, and a massive pressure weighed down. The flood dragon that shot toward Pill Demon had a long horn, and was clearly different than the other seven flood dragons.

The booms that rattled out caused the land to quake and the air to shatter. Pill Demon coughed up blood, and the magical items he had just been using collapsed into pieces. He trembled and fell back a few paces. As for the other seven, they also coughed up blood. However, they seemed to have taken less damage than Pill Demon. They gritted their teeth and resumed their attacks on the Door of Immortality.

And yet, the door still would not budge!

It was at this moment that Pill Demon raised his head and roared. Immortal Chakra swirled around his body, almost as if he were on fire. Beneath him, the statue of Reverend Violet East was also wreathed in flames, and the statue's eyes shone with bright light.

It almost seemed as if the statue were coming to life. As for Pill Demon, he stood on the head of the statue, performing a double-handed incantation. Then he pointed out at the Door of Immortality. Instantly, the statue trembled and, carrying Pill Demon with it, flew up directly through the lightning to appear directly in front of the Door of Immortality. The statue then clenched its right hand into a fist and punched out at the door.

Pill Demon also clenched his hand into a fist and punched out.

This was the combination of two lifetimes' worth of cultivation, all coalesced into a single strike!

The blow coming from the statue of Reverend Violet East almost seemed to be coming from ten thousand years in the past, traveling through time to appear here to join with the power of his second life and create an indescribable force.

"Immortality!" shouted Pill Demon, and his voice echoed out in all directions. The other seven cultivators were shocked to see the punch… slam directly onto the surface of the enormous Door of Immortality.

Crashing sounds filled the air as the Door of Immortality… finally moved! The combined attack of Pill Demon and the statue of Reverend Violet East caused the door to open by a tiny, tiny sliver!

In the instant that the sliver-like opening appeared, Pill Demon coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. Beneath him, the statue trembled, and almost looked as if it might collapse into pieces. However… in that moment, the Immortal Chakra within Pill Demon suddenly grew denser.

Tribulation Lightning descended again. As for the other seven cultivators, one lightning bolt descended on each of them. In contrast, three bolts of Tribulation Lightning fell toward Pill Demon. Seeing this caused the seven others' faces to flicker, and their hearts to tremble.

"We can't let him continue to attack! We have to kill him!"

"He's already opened the door by a sliver! If he keeps going, the Immortal destiny will belong to him!"

"Stop him! Kill him! The only way for us to keep fighting for Immortal destiny is for him to die!"

Naruto's threat had been somewhat effective before, but now that the good fortune was clearly visible, and everyone had the chance to get it, how could the other seven continue to act rationally?

Killing intent flickered in their eyes. They had practiced cultivation in hiding down to this very day; they were Paragons of their generation, and this caused determination to flicker in their eyes. There were three in particular who charged directly toward Pill Demon.

"He has the aura of Immortal destiny on him! Whoever kills him will be wresting away destiny!"

As the three closed in on Pill Demon, three lightning bolts also descended. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his face was pale; he seemed to be just on the verge of collapsing.

From his position down below, Naruto looked up, his eyes bloodshot. Eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal exploded out. His Dharma Idol materialized, and his energy rocketed up. He flickered, appearing in front of Pill Demon, and punched out at the incoming three cultivators.

"Don't force me to kill you!" he said, his voice echoing like thunder. His voice, backed by eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, transformed into a destructive attack that slammed into the three men. Instantly, their faces filled with shock, and blood sprayed from their mouths. There was even one among their number whose arms exploded in a haze of blood. A bloodcurdling scream echoed out, and a vicious gleam appeared in the old man's eyes. His eyes began to bleed black blood, and two beams of black light shot out from them. The two beams seemed capable of defiling anything and everything as they shot toward Pill Demon.

"You're looking to die!" shouted Naruto, his body transforming into something like a hurricane as he whistled forward through the air and let out another punch.

This punch shook the sky and rocked the land. The armless old man was simply too slow to dodge to the side. He didn't even have time to produce one of the magical items he had prepared to help transcend the tribulation. In the end, he was simply at the peak of Dao Seeking; despite the fact that he was participating in Immortal Tribulation, he had still not achieved Immortal Ascension.

"You dare to interfere with Immortal destiny!" he screamed as he died. "You will be punished!" Then he exploded, completely destroyed in body and spirit.

Naruto snorted coldly and turned away. In that instant, the mist up above seethed, and a sound like a roar of rage could be heard as a lightning bolt descended that was clearly different than all the other lightning bolts. This lightning bolt was crimson, and it tore a rift into the air as it shot down toward Naruto.

This was the punishment!

The punishment for interfering with Immortal Tribulation!

"Naruto!" cried Pill Demon anxiously, and was just about to assist him.

Naruto looked up and took a long, deep breath. As he did, his Dharma Idol was sucked inside of him. He performed an incantation gesture and then pointed up toward the red lightning bolt.

Flashes of color swept across the sky and land; mountains crumbled and the land shattered. Massive rumbling filled the air as Naruto was shoved downward several paces. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, but the red lightning bolt vanished.

"That was the punishment?" said Naruto, looking up. "Master, don't worry about me. You keep blasting that Door of Immortality. Apprentice… will act as your Dharma Protector!"

Pill Demon knew that his apprentice was powerful. After all, he had completely suppressed all of the experts from the Northern Reaches, and had transformed over a hundred thousand cultivators into felon citizens. The mountain called Sin of the North still stood, within which were five peak Dao Seeking experts, whose spiritual energy was being used to replenish the Southern Domain.

Pill Demon took a deep breath. He saw the determination in Naruto's eyes, and it filled his heart with warmth. He smiled, and then his expression turned decisive. His body flickered as he once again used the power of two lifetimes to attack the Door of Immortality.

Pill Demon knew Naruto, but when it came to the two remaining old men among the group who had attacked Pill Demon, this was their first time encountering him. Their faces fell, and their scalps went numb. The red lightning bolt that had fallen just now was clearly far more powerful than any of the other lightning bolts that had descended during the Immortal Tribulation. Had they been the subject of such an attack, they would surely have been killed.

And yet, the young man in front of them directly fought back against it with his own might. He didn't even use magical items, and most importantly, the only thing that happened as a result was a bit of blood seeping out of his mouth. In their view, that made Naruto completely inhuman, and caused their breathing to come in ragged pants. However, they did not retreat. If one did not succeed in Immortal Tribulation, the result was death.

"If you don't do anything to interfere with my master, and simply struggle normally to acquire the Immortal destiny, then I won't do anything to you," said Naruto. He hovered in midair, looking at the two men in front of him, as well as the other four who were still nearby.

The six men exchanged looks. Even the cultivators from the vast Eastern Lands who knew the might of Naruto's status, didn't care about that by now.

"Struggle normally to acquire Immortal destiny…? Killing the lucky one and taking his destiny IS the normal way. There's no going back now!"

"There is no enmity between us, and you block our path to Immortality? That makes us irreconcilable foes!"

"There is no going back! Defeat means death! Only by killing this guy with two lifetimes can we have the chance to reach Immortal Ascension!"

Considering their hearts were filled with the desire to transcend the tribulation, how could they possibly fear death? Killing intent flickered within the six men's eyes as they suppressed their dread of Naruto and shot toward him.

Naruto stood there silently. He wanted to block their way, and had no desire to kill any of them. However, when it came to the path to Immortality, there was no right or wrong. Blocking the path to Immortality truly did make them irreconcilable foes.

Naruto hovered by Pill Demon. Not making his stand in this way would be the wrong thing to do. However, from the perspective of the other six men, Naruto's actions were an unforgivable sin!

"There is no enmity or hatred between us," said Naruto, his voice profound. "Perhaps blocking your way to Immortal Ascension and cutting off your path to Immortality… will result in Karma. If so, I will do my best to accept it." A cold gleam flickered in his eyes.

As the six men closed in, Naruto's body flickered, and suddenly shone with boundless golden light. He transformed into a golden roc that shot screaming toward one of the incoming enemies.

From a distance, it was possible to see the golden roc swooping down, with talons sharp enough to slice metal and rock. It slammed into the old man, who was employing all of the divine abilities he could summon, as well as magical items. None of it made any difference. The gap between him and Naruto was too great. In a few short breaths of time, he was seriously injured and on the verge of death. At the critical moment, his eyes filled with madness and he suddenly reached out his right hand, within which appeared a jade slip.

The jade slip pulsed with Immortal Chakra, and emanated a feeling of nameless danger that caused Naruto's eyes to widen.

"DIE!" cried the old man, crushing the jade slip. This was an object he had prepared for use in a critical moment when transcending tribulation. However, considering he had been pushed into a corner, he didn't hesitate to use it now. Rumbling spread out as something like a sun materialized in front of the old man. Boundless rays of blinding light shot out from the sun as it hurtled toward Naruto.

Naruto remained silently in place. He could have used the Lightning Cauldron and Form Displacement Transposition. However, out of respect toward these people and their struggle for Immortality, he did not wish to use tricks to kill them.

The jade slip unleashed incredible power, such that even a false Immortal would be shocked by it. Back when Naruto only had fifty percent of the power of a true Immortal, he would have had no choice other than to dodge. Now, though, he had eighty percent of that power. As soon as the sun began to explode, he lifted up his right hand, causing magical light to surge up around him. He shot forward, stabbing directly into the sun. As it exploded, Naruto pointed his finger toward the old man's forehead.

The old man's eyes went wide with disbelief at what he was seeing. The item he had specially prepared to assist him in transcending this tribulation unexpectedly… was incapable of doing anything against this terrifying figure in front of him.

Smiling bitterly, the old man's eyes began to grow dim. Suddenly, however, a gleam could be seen in them once more, as if in looking at Naruto, he had suddenly realized something. His eyes went wide, and he laughed loudly.

"So, it turns out you are a thief too."

A boom could be heard as the sun exploded. Before the ripples could even begin to spread out, Naruto was back in his original position. As for the old man, none of his aura could be sensed anymore.

Naruto waved his hand, and the old man's corpse began to peacefully float back down to the ground.

The Immortal mist up above began to rumble loudly, and a red bolt of lightning even bigger than the previous one suddenly began to fall. It moved with incredible speed, giving Naruto almost no time to react.

A rumble could be heard as Naruto's golden roc collapsed into pieces. Naruto himself reappeared, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Then he took a deep breath and shifted his gaze toward another of the incoming old men.

The old man's face was pale white, and filled with the utmost astonishment.

"After all my years in secluded meditation, how could someone so inhuman have appeared in the lands of Lands of Ninshu!" he exclaimed bitterly. "Just who is this man!? Tribulation Lightning can't kill him, and he's already killed two of us! Don't tell me this is how our Tribulation will end!?" The old man wasn't willing to give in. His eyes gleamed with venomous madness, and, knowing that he couldn't hide or flee, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a bottle of blood. He placed it against his lips and consumed the entire bottle, and his energy suddenly began to flow in reverse. At the same time, a bloody mist began to emerge from the top of his head.

His face distorted, and veins bulged out on his face as he let out a vicious roar like that of a wild animal.

"Blocking my path to Immortality is the same as cutting off my chance at life! If I can't achieve Immortal Ascension, then I am certain to die. Therefore… it doesn't matter whether I die by the Immortal Tribulation or by your hand. There's no difference!" Face filled with bitterness, the old man charged Naruto.

Simultaneously, lightning crashed, as Immortal Tribulation Lightning bolts descended one after another. They grew stronger and stronger, causing everything to shake. Pill Demon once again neared the Door of Immortality. Surrounded by rumbling sounds, he focused the power of two lifetimes, braced himself against the Immortal Tribulation, and attacked the Door of Immortality again.

Blood sprayed from Pill Demon's mouth, and the Door of Immortality trembled as it opened slightly further. However, it was in that instant the the remaining four old men unleashed divine abilities and magical techniques in a direct attack against Pill Demon.

It was a moment of grave crisis. Pill Demon was already seriously injured, and was fighting back with everything he had. Not only was he forced to fight these four people, but lightning continued to fall on all of them. Everything was shaking as Naruto battled against the beast-like old man.

The old man roared as he fought. He wasn't a match for Naruto, but in his heart, he was prepared to die, and didn't care about defending himself. He attacked with full power, causing Naruto to sigh as he lifted his right hand and utilized the Star Plucking Magic. A gigantic hand appeared out of thin air, and crushed down on the old man, whose body was smashed into pieces as he screamed.

Naruto did his best to keep the body intact as it floated back down toward the ground, then he shot toward the remaining four old men who were attacking Pill Demon. Up above, a third red lightning bolt formed within the roiling clouds. This time, the lightning also contained blackness, which made the entire lightning bolt appear violet. As it slammed into Naruto, his body trembled, and he coughed up two mouthfuls of blood before he managed to continue onward.

He transformed into a golden roc that shot toward the remaining cultivators who were fighting Pill Demon. At the same time, lightning descended onto Pill Demon. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and the mountain beneath his feet seemed on the verge of collapsing.

Magical light swirled around Naruto as he closed in, transforming into a cyclone. Rumbling filled the air as he attacked the four old men, forcing them into retreat, blood spurting from their mouths. They smiled bitterly, and at the same time, their desire to kill grew even stronger.

"All of you, stop forcing my hand!" said Naruto, standing firm in front of Pill Demon. Pill Demon's face was pale and he appeared to be on the verge of collapse. He consumed some medicinal pills and then attacked the Door of Immortality once again with all the strength he could muster.

The door trembled, and the crack opened wider. More Immortal Tribulation descended.

The glittering glow of lightning covered the land, and Naruto stood between Pill Demon and the four other cultivators, almost like a massive, uncrossable ravine!

"There is nowhere to turn back to! Unless we kill this cultivator with two lives and steal his destiny, there is no way we can break open the door!"

"Death lies on the left and the right. Life only exists straight ahead! If we die, we'll die fighting!"

"We have waited for this day for too long. Now that it is here… it seems it truly is a tribulation…." The four men began to laugh loudly. Their hearts were focused on striving for the Dao, a desire that had not lessened even now.

Laughing, they transformed into beams of colorful light, burning their cultivation bases to achieve the absolute pinnacle of power as they shot toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was complex. Silently, he took a deep breath as the four cultivators bore down on him. His Dharma Idol suddenly began to expand, transforming into a giant that stepped toward the four incoming old men. It became something like a wall that the four of them then slammed into.

A huge boom rattled out, and everything shook as an astonishing shockwave spread out. However, because of the Dharma Idol, none of the ripples interfered with Pill Demon.

Pill Demon looked over at Naruto silently. Although he said nothing, it was clear that everything that was happening was being etched deeply onto his soul.

"If this sows Karma," he murmured, "then I refuse to allow my apprentice to bear it! Let their souls be entangled with mine for all generations to come!" With that, his body flashed as he attacked the Door of Immortality yet again. The statue beneath his feet seemed to be on the verge of collapse, and his own body appeared to be at its limit. However, the attack shook the door, which was now opening even wider than before. At the same time, however, the Tribulation Lightning was getting even stronger!

Meanwhile, the four old men on the other side of the Dharma Idol were like lamps with little oil left in them. Laughing bitterly, they all suddenly flew straight up into the air. They did not wish to die by Naruto's hands, but rather, chose to die by Immortal Tribulation!

They flew up, and the Immortal Tribulation descended. Booming sounds rang out as all of them were destroyed in body and soul.

Although Naruto didn't kill them himself, they had died because of him. In the same moment that they died, the mist in the sky above seethed, and something like a roar of rage echoed out. Massive quantities of red lightning bolts began to form together, transforming into a sea of lightning that then shot down toward Naruto.

From a distance, the massive quantity of lightning looked almost like a huge hand that wished to crush Naruto to death.

Despite the level of Naruto's cultivation base, the massive lightning hand that descended caused him to feel a sense of impending doom. Almost as soon as it began to fall from the sky, Naruto's eyes glinted with madness. He raised his hand, and the Blood Demon Grand Magic surged with full power. Rumbling filled the air, and his entire body radiated magical light.

In the blink of an eye, all existence was illuminated by the glow of his magic.

At the same time, the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex roared like a beast from ancient times. All the cultivators in the Violet Fate Sect could clearly see a red horn protruding from the middle of the vortex.

Next, a gigantic head appeared, the head of a Blood Demon that then hurled itself directly toward the glittering lightning hand.

When they met, the resulting explosion caused all creation to shake violently. The Blood Demon head's horn shattered, after which, the entire head collapsed into pieces. The blood-colored vortex shattered, as did Naruto's Dharma Idol.

As for the lightning hand, it was also shaken. One finger after another collapsed, until all that remained was a single finger that continued to jab viciously down toward Naruto.

Just when it was about to slam into him, Naruto's body began to shine with boundless golden light. He became a golden roc, which flapped its wings, sending him speeding off into the distance. As the palm raced after him in pursuit, Naruto rotated his cultivation base and then unleashed another divine ability. He pointed directly toward the incoming palm.

BOOM!

A huge crash could be heard, and the lightning palm vanished. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and he staggered backward to a position nearly three thousand meters away. After coughing up seven successive mouthfuls of blood, he finally came to a stop.

His face was pale, and his body was wracked with trembling. Sparks of electricity continued to dance around his body, and he had lost more than half of his Chakra and Blood. There was a massive wound in his chest, which burned with intense pain.

Naruto gritted his teeth and looked up; his eyes shone with a boundless, intense light.

He had completely surpassed the Tribulation Lightning's punishment!

As of this moment, all of the Southern Domain cultivators who had come to act as Dharma Protectors for Pill Demon were left in complete and utter shock. What they had just witnessed exceeded anything they had ever seen before in their lives.

They had the impulse to rush to help Pill Demon in his true Immortal Tribulation. However, the massive pressure that weighed down not only filled them with awe, it made it impossible for them to even fly into the air.

They could only look on as Naruto acted, and his intense strength only deepened their impression of him.

In the Violet Fate Sect, all of the disciples' minds were shaken. Everything that Naruto was doing caused their gratefulness to him to become even more intense.

Were it not for Naruto's presence, Pill Demon might still have been able to avoid death during this tribulation. However, it definitely would have been much more difficult to acquire the true Immortal destiny. And if he had failed… he would have perished and his soul would have been dispersed.

Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up into the sky. He saw his master Pill Demon, standing on the damaged statue of Reverend Violet East, once again combining the power of two lifetimes to strike the Door of Immortality.

Once, twice, three times….

He struck the door again and again, and it continued to open wider and wider. At the same time, more Immortal Tribulation Lightning descended, with increased intensity. By now, all of Pill Demon's magical items were in use, and the Immortal Tribulation had reached a shocking level of intensity.

The Violet Fate Sect's grand spell formation was activated to the fullest extent to help Pill Demon fight back against the Immortal Tribulation. However, the Immortal Tribulation was growing more intense, and the Door of Immortality was only forty percent open! There was still another sixty percent to go!

"Fellow Daoist Pill Demon, use this magical item of mine!"

"Senior Pill Demon, take my magical item!"

"Pill Demon, this is a treasure I prepared to help you transcend the tribulation!"

Many among the crowds down below began to produce various magical items. They severed their own connection with them and then tossed them up into the sky.

The magical items transformed into countless beams of glowing light that shot toward Pill Demon and then swirled around him. These were all lightning-resisting items, and all of them were extremely valuable.

At this moment, they didn't hesitate for even a second to give them to Pill Demon. Pill Demon trembled, and his heart filled with appreciation. Now was not the time for words, though. He took a deep breath, clasped hands to the crowds below, and then waved his arm, causing the hundreds of magical items to emit a boundless glow that fought back against the Immortal Tribulation!

Naruto hovered off in the distance, watching the scene. He also waved his hand, sending a magical item out, his beast claw. It emitted an incisive glow that, when it joined the other magical items around Pill Demon, transformed into a bizarre light.

Naruto's eyes gleamed with the anticipation of being able to bear witness to his master becoming a true Immortal.

RUUMMMMBLLEEEE!

Bolt after bolt of Immortal Tribulation Lightning slammed down, without end. Soon, they were so numerous that they became a lake of lightning. It was almost as if a hole had been ripped into the sky, and lightning was falling like rain in a violent downpour.

Pill Demon's figure was submerged in the lightning to the point where onlookers couldn't see him clearly. Only Naruto was just barely able to see him.

The blasts against the Door of Immortality continued. Fifty percent. Sixty percent….

The magical items surrounding Pill Demon were beginning to shatter. In the instant that the door opened by sixty percent, even Naruto's beast claw collapsed into pieces. By the time all of the magical items were destroyed, Pill Demon was like a flickering lamp about to be extinguished. He laughed bitterly, and looked up at the Tribulation Lightning, then at the Door of Immortality, which was only sixty percent opened. Then, he sighed.

"True Immortality really is a challenge…." he said, his voice filled with pain. "A chance that comes once in ten thousand years, and is incredibly difficult…. Despite my best efforts, I fell short by forty percent." The sky rumbled, and the lake of lightning screamed. It seemed to cover everything, filled with destructive power as it bore down onto Pill Demon, who stood in front of the Door of Immortality.

However, at this moment, Naruto's eyes glittered, and he smacked his bag of holding. The meat jelly appeared, and Naruto threw it into the air before it could even react. It shrieked as it became a beam of prismatic light that shot toward Pill Demon and the Heavenly Tribulation.

"Master, keep battering that door!" yelled Naruto. As soon as the meat jelly reached the lake of lightning, it let out a curse and then opened its mouth. It began to inhale, and the lake of lightning trembled, then began to move toward the meat jelly.

Popping sounds rang out from the meat jelly, and it turned completely black in the blink of an eye.

"Naruto you bastard, you bully! You've gone too far! Y-y-you…! Lord Third is gonna convert you!"

Pill Demon trembled, but didn't hesitate for a moment to lash out toward the Door of Immortality with all of his power. The meat jelly continued to consume the lake of lightning, and currently, no more Immortal Tribulation Lightning fell. Pill Demon went all out, combining two lives' worth of good fortune to break open the Door of Immortality!

Seventy percent….

Eighty percent!

When the door opened by eighty percent, a boundless glow of Immortal light spilled out, as well as thick Immortal Chakra. Instantly, the sky became like an Immortal paradise, and the air filled with the music of great Daos, as well as the sound of scriptures being chanted.

The cultivators down below, and the disciples of the Violet Fate Sect, were bathed in the light of Immortality. Their cultivation bases instantly began to rotate as they acquired good fortune.

However, it was in this moment that the meat jelly let out an agonized shriek. It trembled, and countless rips spread out across its body. Although it was capable of consuming Immortal Tribulation Lightning, it could only withstand so much. Finally, it screamed and flew away, unable to hold on any longer.

The lake of lightning once again rumbled down, enveloping Pill Demon. Pill Demon roared and caused his cultivation base to explode at full power to fight back. His entire body shook violently, and the statue of Reverend Violet east was starting to collapse.

Naruto was getting very worried. However, something suddenly occurred to him, which caused him to take a deep breath. Without any hesitation, he summoned his second true self. He extended his hand and pointed, and his second true self began to tremble. His eyes grew dim as his soul flew out of the top of his head.

This was… a true Immortal's soul!

In the past, Patriarch Blood Demon had mentioned that this soul would be strangely effective when transcending tribulation, most especially when reaching true Immortal Ascension.

Naruto wasn't sure if the soul of the true Immortal would be of any help in this situation; no matter how he had contemplated it or observed it in the past, it didn't seem useful for anything. Having no other options, Naruto extracted the soul itself.

In the instant in which the true Immortal's soul emerged, all of the lightning that was striking toward Pill Demon suddenly stopped in place. Then, it abruptly left Pill Demon and shot toward Naruto, or, more accurately speaking, toward the soul of the true Immortal.

This soul… could actually attract Immortal Tribulation!

Rumbling filled the air as the lightning shot forth. It rapidly surrounded the true Immortal's soul, as if it violated some Heavenly decree, and deserved to die a horrific death at the hands of the lightning.

With no lightning striking him, Pill Demon, his eyes completely bloodshot, went all out. Both he and the Dharma Protecting cultivators below had expended all the resources they could. This was the critical moment. If there was no success now, the result would be death!

Pill Demon roared, and his body burst into flames. He was burning his life force, as was the statue of Reverend Violet East beneath him. This was the power of two lives' worth of cultivation base.

Within the flames, Pill Demon turned into something like a shooting star that sped toward the Door of Immortality. He would blast into it with all of the power of his life force.

A huge boom rattled out through the entire Southern Domain, and, in fact, through all the lands of Lands of Ninshu, as the Door of Immortality was knocked open even more.

Ninety percent!

Massive rumbling could be heard as the statue of Reverend Violet East collapsed. Pill Demon had aged dramatically, and he looked as if he were at the very end of his life. However, he was not willing to give up. Roaring at the top of his lungs, he used the power of his life force to once again strike against the Door of Immortality, like a moth drawn to the flame.

BOOM!

The sound shook all of Planet Lands of Ninshu, and even rolled out into the starry sky, to be heard by all of the people outside who were trying to fight their way past Naruto's father.

When they heard the sound, everyone felt as if… their minds were reverberating with the tolling of bells.

The Door of Immortality… was ninety-five percent open. Only a tiny sliver… and it would be completely open!

However, it was in this moment that the sky churned, and a wind sprung up in the seething mists!

This was a Spirit Extermination Tribulation Wind, the second stage of tribulation that came after the Tribulation Lightning!

When the wind blew, Pill Demon, who was already like a sputtering candle, whose statue of Reverend Violet East had already been destroyed, began to fade away.

He had failed.

In this moment, all the lands went quiet, and everyone who was watching the scene felt waves of sorrow rise up in their hearts. The sound of wailing began to drift out of the Violet Fate Sect.

Pill Demon's body began to rapidly vanish. Behind him, the Door of Immortality started fading away….

It was ninety-five percent open, with only a tiny bit left to go!

Pill Demon sighed. He felt no bitterness. However, his reluctance to part with the world could be seen on his face. He did not wish to leave the people he knew down below. He did not wish to say goodbye to his apprentice. Nor did he wish to abandon his Dao. But he had reached the end.

Pill Demon wanted to say something, but by this point, he couldn't speak. His body was growing illusory, and half of it had already transformed into ash and been destroyed. The rest of his fleshly body was now continuing to turn into ash. His skin fell off, and he began to vanish into the air.

He could only use his gaze to offer his blessings to all of the crowds of people down below.

Naruto was trembling, and his eyes were shot with blood. Seeing that the Door of Immortality was fading, and that Pill Demon was on the verge of death, he couldn't hold back. He shot forward.

"Master, I'm coming to help!"

Spirit Extermination Tribulation Wind was the second form of true Immortal Tribulation, and was far more powerful than the Tribulation Lightning from earlier. Once the wind blew, the fleshly body would scatter, and the soul would vanish.

In the instant that Pill Demon's body began to fade away, Naruto unhesitatingly shot forward. There was no time to consider the danger he may be facing, nor was he thinking about how his actions might benefit him in the future. In this moment, the only thing he was thinking about… was how kindly his master Pill Demon had treated him.

That kindness had originated in the days of the Violet Fate Sect, and had grown with all the little things that happened after that. It was the relationship of a master and an apprentice.

Back when he didn't know where his father and mother were, back before his father-son experience with Mui, Pill Demon had been the only parental figure in his life that had cared about him.

Because of that, Naruto charged in without hesitation.

As soon as he entered the Spirit Extermination Tribulation Wind, his fleshly body began to vanish, his soul began to get blurry, and his spirit began to gradually disappear. However, he didn't care about any of that.

Time seemed to stretch out, but Naruto was filled with determination, and as he closed in on Pill Demon, he used all the power he had to fight back against the agony that the deadly wind sent through him. Then he grabbed Pill Demon and rammed the Door of Immortality himself!

Head first!

BOOM!

The Door of Immortality had been on the verge of fading away, but now it trembled. That tiny bit that had remained unopened, was now thoroughly gone! The door was completely open! Rumbling filled the air, and majestic Immortal light poured out. Naruto had used every scrap of strength he could muster to push Pill Demon into the Door of Immortality!

Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and his entire body became incredibly withered, almost completely fading away. Now, he was shooting down toward the ground at rapid speed.

Everything happened so quickly that the people down below didn't even have time to react. Naruto slammed into the ground and flopped over a few times. His body was virtually in pieces, his flesh decayed, his aura incredibly weak. However, his eyes shone brightly, completely devoid of any regret as he looked up into the sky.

Up above, Pill Demon could be seen within the Door of Immortality. His eyes were somewhat blank at first, but as soon as he entered the door, his entire body surged with boundless Immortal Chakra. It rapidly swirled around him, reforming his body anew. At the same time, the tribulation mist up above no longer sent down tribulation, but rather, swirled toward the Door of Immortality.

At the same time, boundless Immortal light rose into the sky. Immortal Chakra surged, and Dao music floated about. Pill Demon was surrounded by swirling lights as the aura of a true Immortal came into being around him.

"In my previous life, I was Violet East, and in this life, Pill Demon. For a lifetime, I focused everything on cultivating the Dao of alchemy…. Now, I am a true Immortal, and have formed true Immortal pill Chakra…. This Chakra contains my life force, and I won't restrain it inside of me. Instead, I will give it to my apprentice…." Pill Demon looked down at Naruto down below, and his expression was one of kindness and gratitude. He extended his right hand, and suddenly, a beam of green Chakra flew out toward Naruto.

As it flew through the air, flowers bloomed, sleeping animals awakened, and rainbows filled the sky. All the lands filled with a majestic medicinal aroma. This was the life force pill Chakra formed as Pill Demon became a true Immortal, and it exceeded even an Immortal pill!

Naruto couldn't refuse this pill Chakra even if he wanted to. In the instant it fused into his body, all of his injuries began to heal up. Furthermore, his Eternal stratum, which had never fully recovered, was now completely restored.

With his Eternal stratum fully returned, Naruto's body filled with roaring sounds. His injuries healed completely, and he rose to his feet. He looked at his master up in the sky and then clasped hands and bowed deeply.

As Pill Demon stood within the Door of Immortality, more and more Immortal Chakra began to gather. Everyone present felt some of that Chakra washing over them, like a baptism, and their cultivation bases experienced advancement. There were even some who made cultivation base breakthroughs because of it.

The aura of a true Immortal around Pill Demon became more and more intense. After the space of about ten breaths, rumbling filled the air, and Pill Demon began to radiate a mighty pressure similar to that of Naruto.

True Immortal!

As his energy surged, true Immortal will became even more apparent, although it was different than Naruto's. Boundless light radiated off of Pill Demon. His soul became the soul of a true Immortal, and his Dao became the Dao of a true Immortal.

His body… became the body of a true Immortal!

In this instant, he was thoroughly, in all aspects, a true Immortal!

The Door of Immortality also rumbled. Apparently, there was an entire world inside of it, a world that others could not see. Even Naruto could barely make out any details. Only Pill Demon could see it clearly, and when he looked at that world inside the Door of Immortality, his body trembled.

Next, a beam of Immortal light emerged from inside the door, within which was a scroll. When the scroll unfurled, one could see that countless names were written upon it.

Some of the names were dim, as if the people to whom those names belonged were now dead. But others shone with light as bright as the sun. It was impossible to see exactly how many there were. These were… all of the true Immortals who had existed in the boundless history of the great Nine Mountains and Seas.

There seemed to be many, but in actuality, when compared to the vast population of cultivators in the Nine Mountains and Seas, true Immortals… were as difficult to find as phoenix feathers or qilin horns.

After all, the Nine Mountains and Seas would only produce nine true Immortals every ten thousand years, one for each of the Mountains and Seas.

Of course, there were also the Immortality Illumination Vines, which meant that the number was larger than that. Even so, the number of true Immortals that appeared in the Nine Mountains and Seas in any ten thousand year period would not exceed one hundred.

And as of now, a new name appeared on that scroll…. Pill Demon!

This meant that as of now, Pill Demon was a true Immortal in all respects!

Furthermore, in the following one thousand years, there would be Chosen in the Nine Mountains and Seas who used Immortality Illumination Vines to also become true Immortals. Their names would also appear on the scroll, although no one would be there to see that happen. Only after another ten thousand years had passed, and someone else acquired Immortal destiny and achieved true Immortal Ascension, would anyone be able to see them.

The Door of Immortality faded soundlessly, transforming into a beam of light that shot up into the sky and out into space. As for all the crowds in the starry sky, the ones trying to get into Planet Lands of Ninshu, they sighed and stopped in place. None of them said anything as they slowly turned and left, filled with regret.

Of course, it would be difficult for them not to harbor resentment toward Minato, and the person down below who had succeeded in becoming a true Immortal.

It was at this moment that an enormous teleportation portal suddenly appeared in the starry sky. Boundless light spread out to cover everything, and an old man materialized, mounted on a white deer.

The old man's features were ordinary, and he wore a smile. The white deer he rode had a vicious set of antlers, and its eyes shone with a savage glow. It was only a white deer, and yet, it emanated a completely shocking aura. When the old man made his appearance, everything trembled, and the starry sky went dim. Among the departing crowds were people who recognized the old man, and instantly gasped.

"Daoist Baldy from the Baldy Society!"

"The Baldy Society is one of the most mysterious of the Three Churches and Six Sects, and Daoist Baldy is their Sect Leader!"

"I can't believe that he actually showed up here…. That white deer must be the fiendish deer that wreaked havoc in the Ninth Mountain fifty thousand years ago!"

Minato's eyes glittered, and his pupils constricted a bit.

"Greetings, Daoist Baldy." Despite how powerful he himself was, Naruto's father clasped hands and bowed deeply to Daoist Baldy.

"Minato," replied the old man with a smile, "I'm here to get my apprentice back. He inherited my teachings via a dream of mine, and his name is Violet East. Now that he has achieved true Immortality, the time has come for him to return." Everyone in the area looked on in shock. Many people's eyes widened, and the hatred they had been feeling toward the person who had just become a true Immortal, vanished completely.

The Baldy Society was one of the Three Churches and Six Sects, and were shrouded in mystery. They kept their secrets to themselves. Furthermore, had they lent their assistance to Lord Hebi when he altered the Heavens, the Baldy Society would have become a Holy Land, and there would now be more than five Holy Lands.

Minato's eyes widened, but he said nothing. Daoist Baldy did not pressure him, but instead smiled.

A moment later, the image of Minato that had materialized outside of Planet Lands of Ninshu stepped aside, then gestured for Daoist Baldy to enter. Daoist Baldy smiled and nodded.

"I will not forget this kindness," he said. Everyone watched as the white deer approached Planet Lands of Ninshu and then appeared in the Violet Fate Sect in the Southern Domain.

When Naruto caught sight of the old man riding the white deer, his jaw dropped.

Up in midair, Pill Demon saw the old man, and an absent-minded expression could be seen on his face, as if he had suddenly recalled something. He approached the old man, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"Do you remember now?" said the old man, smiling.

"I remember. Greetings, master!"

"In the childhood of your previous life, I appeared in your dreams to offer guidance in your cultivation, pointing the way to the Dao of alchemy. In that life, before your Nirvanic Rebirth, I left, and you asked when we would meet again.

"At that time, I said that when you reached true Immortal Ascension, that you would become my Legacy Apprentice.

"Today, I'm here to accept you." The old man smiled.

Pill Demon took a deep breath, then bowed once again.

"Master, my own apprentice, he…."

"He has his own path. Come, it's time to leave. Who knows, you may meet him again soon in the future. However, there are a few people within the sect you founded that have the necessary latent talent, and we can bring them along too." After a glance and nod at Naruto, Daoist Baldy's eyes swept over the rest of the Violet Fate Sect. He raised his hand, and seven or eight people, including Sakura, slowly flew up into the air with stunned looks on their faces.

"Let's depart. You shall walk the path of Baldy, and speak of the Dao of Baldy. From now on, your cultivation will leave with the desire to prostrate yourself before Baldy."

Daoist Baldy chuckled, then waved his sleeve, sweeping up Pill Demon, Sakura and the others as he turned to leave.

Pill Demon looked back at Naruto with an encouraging look in his eyes.

Sakura also looked back, but she looked as confused as ever. Complex emotions could be seen in her eyes as she looked at Naruto, but then, her eyes grew calm. She nodded at Naruto, and then turned away.

Naruto looked on in shock as Pill Demon, Sakura and the others were taken away by Daoist Baldy. Gradually, they disappeared off into the starry sky.

Then his father appeared next to him.

"Planet Lands of Ninshu is too small," he said softly. "You and your master, and even that little girl, all have your own paths to tread… out in the stars, not on this planet.

"Don't waste time missing them. The Ninth Mountain isn't a very big place either. You'll see them again one day."

"The next time we meet," murmured Naruto, "it will be out in the starry sky." The departure of Pill Demon, Sakura, and the others, was too sudden, and left him feeling empty.

He thought back to his hundreds of years of cultivation, and it seemed like there many people who had ended up departing, and were no longer in the lands of Lands of Ninshu.

Patriarch Reliance was gone. Hinata was gone. Pill Demon was gone. Sakura was gone….

Thankfully, Fatty, Guy, and the others were still there. There were some people Naruto wasn't sure about; Madara for example, Ino from the former Black Sieve Sect, and of course Dong Hu, who had joined the Reliance Sect at the same time as him.

Naruto sighed. He did not leave the Southern Domain along with his father. Instead, he went to the Golden Frost Sect. He and Fatty drank together. Fatty sent his more than one hundred beloved concubines away, and he and Naruto sat on top of a mountain, drinking and talking about the past.

They talked about the Five Elements Nation, and about Konoha County. They talked about the Reliance Sect, and everything that had happened there. Eventually, evening fell, and the stars slowly came out. It was impossible to tell how much exactly they had drunk.

"I'm going to join the disciple recruitment event held by the Three Great Daoist Societies of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!" declared Fatty, tossing aside his alcohol flagon and looking determinedly over at Naruto. "I don't want to be stuck in the lands of Lands of Ninshu for the rest of my life. I want to go out into the starry sky!"

Naruto looked back at Fatty. He himself had heard from Tsukino about the Three Great Daoist Societies' disciple recruitment trial by fire. News about the matter had now spread throughout the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, even here to Planet Lands of Ninshu.

Fatty gazed at Naruto with an expression of determination.

"You don't need to say anything," Fatty continued. "I know that you won't stay in the lands of Lands of Ninshu for much longer either. Your path exists in the starry sky. Well, we're brothers, so if you go, then I won't stay behind! I'm going to give it a shot!"

Naruto didn't respond at first. He simply lifted his wine flagon and took a drink, looked at Fatty, and smiled.

Then he said, "Considering those teeth of yours, you'll definitely get some good fortune!"

Fatty laughed uproariously, then grabbed a flying sword and began to file at his teeth. The two of them laughed together, and then continued to chat until the sky turned bright. Naruto stayed with Fatty for a few days before leaving. The next stop on his journey through the Southern Domain was to visit Guy.

Guy sat as he always did, next to the mountain boulder. Naruto meditated silently next to him. Guy no longer drank alcohol, but the stubble of a beard was still visible on his chin. An abstruse gleam could be seen deep in his eyes, but most of his time was spent gazing at the boulder, as if he were immersed in memories.

Naruto didn't interrupt him, but rather sat next to him for an entire night.

When the sky grew bright and the time had come for Naruto to leave, Guy suddenly said, "I've decided to go to the trial by fire held by the Three Great Daoist Societies."

Naruto nodded and left.

His next stop was the Blood Demon Sect. He saw Shikamaru, who, much like Fatty and Guy, was interested in the trial by fire.

He also decided to participate, to take a chance for his future.

Naruto didn't see Patriarch Blood Demon. Outside of Patriarch Blood Demon's Immortal's cave, Naruto could sense a dense aura of death. He stood there for a long time before finally clasping hands and bowing deeply.

"Senior, I will never forget your kindness in helping me to Sever the Devil and Seek the Dao!" He bowed again.

The aura of death was the same as ever as Naruto finally turned to leave. Off in the distance, he could see the valley where he and Hinata had spent their final days together, as well as the location where they had been married.

It was a mountain, on one side of which were the beautiful memories of Hinata, on the other side of which was carnage and battle. That was where he and Hinata had been married.

As he gazed at the location, Naruto suddenly felt very lonely. After staring for a long moment, he finally left.

Now, he wasn't sure where to go in these sprawling lands. All he could do was look up into the starry sky.

"Perhaps it's time for me to leave as well."

Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Naruto went to the Milky Way Sea, to the Western Desert, to the Northern Reaches, and finally to the Eastern Lands. Eventually, the day came when the sky began to rumble, and the music of a great Dao spread out in all directions. Three enormous, multi-colored vortexes appeared in the sky.

The three vortexes' rotation caused a sound to echo out that could be heard by all cultivators in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. Be they in the Western Desert or the Southern Domain, in the Northern Reaches or the Eastern Lands, in that instant they could all see the three bizarre vortexes up above.

They looked like they were up in the sky, but actually, they existed in everyone's eyes.

Regardless of where the cultivators were located, as long as their cultivation bases met the requirements, and they had the desire to seek the Dao and find good fortune, then all they had to do was take a step forward and enter the vortex.

At the same time the vortexes appeared, an archaic voice echoed out from within them. Everything trembled, and no natural law could prevent the voice from echoing out as if from ancient times, striking fear into the hearts of all.

"The trial by fire was founded by the Three Great Daoist Societies, the Five Great Holy Lands, and the Three Churches and Six Sects!

"Anyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea may participate, regardless of background, regardless of age, as long as the cultivation base requirement is met!

"The three vortexes are for the Nascent Soul stage, the Spirit Severing stage, and the Dao Seeking stage!

"First, walk upon the Ancient Road. The ten thousand people who reach the end the fastest will be able to participate in the honorable trial by fire!

"Of those ten thousand people, seven thousand will be from the Nascent Soul stage, two thousand from Spirit Severing, and one thousand from Dao Seeking! Cultivators of the Ninth Mountain and Sea…. let the trial by fire begin!"

Planet Lands of Ninshu trembled. Everyone knew that the enormous disciple recruitment trial by fire held by the Three Great Daoist Societies… was now underway!

Countless cultivators were prepared to participate. Their blood boiled at the possible good fortune in front of them. Without becoming Immortal, it was impossible to tread through the starry sky. Therefore, if they could seize this opportunity, they could have a meteoric rise, and be like a fish leaping from the sea into the heavens.

Simultaneously, similar vortexes appeared on Planet North Reed, Planet East Victory and Planet West Felicity, along with an identical voice with identical words. It was the same in the Ninth Sea and the Ninth Mountain. Throughout all locations in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the voice echoed out, and three vortexes appeared.

The Ninth Mountain and Sea was completely abuzz, and countless cultivators were filled with determination, and hearts that wished to search for the Dao. They flew up toward the vortexes from innumerable locations.

More than ten thousand people flew up from the lands of Lands of Ninshu alone. Most were Nascent Soul cultivators, who flew into the Nascent Soul vortex to tread the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul. There were a smaller group who flew into the Spirit Severing vortex.

The smallest group was that which walked… the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

If you looked at the Ninth Mountain and Sea as a whole, it was really impossible to tell how many people tread the Ancient Roads.

This was a grand event for the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, so the Three Great Daoist Societies, the Five Great Holy Lands and the Three Churches and Six Sects all sent people to stand guard over the three Ancient Roads.

These three roads had a long history. They might be called Ancient Roads, but in truth, they comprised an ancient set of crumbled ruins within the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Within those ruins existed uncountable good fortune, and they had supposedly existed longer than the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

In truth, the three roads were only a small portion of the larger set of ruins that the Three Great Daoist Societies exercised control over. The fact that the roads were opening now aroused ambitions in countless hearts in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

This was especially true because… these ruins were called the Ruins of Immortality, and in the past, people had discovered Immortality Illumination Vines there. That was what had changed the entire structure of true Immortality in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Furthermore, the other eight great Mountains and Seas had similar ruins in them.

Most areas inside of the ruins were restricted areas. This was especially true in the depths of the ruins. If you entered those places, you would almost certainly die. Throughout countless years, only the most powerful of experts had ever dared to travel into the depths of the Ruins of Immortality, and virtually no one had ever emerged alive.

Rumor had it that Lord Asura had traveled into the depths of the ruins, but as for what had happened there, no one knew. They only knew that the Dharma Clone he had left behind issued the Dharmic decree regarding returning life to the Heavens.

It was because of that Dharmic decree that, in following days, Lord Hebi replaced the Heavens, which in turn drew the support of most of the powers within the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

There was another rumor that in the great Nine Mountains and Seas, regardless of which Mountain or Sea, anyone who could gain enlightenment regarding the ultimate secrets of the Ruins of Immortality, would become the Lord of all the Nine Mountains and Seas.

Although this was a generally acknowledged point, no one could actually accomplish it, not even Bunpuku, the Lord of the Fourth Mountain and Sea.

Now that the trial by fire had begun, countless figures vanished into the three vortexes. Fatty, Guy, Shikamaru, and others all decided to take a chance to try to get some good fortune.

As for Naruto, he sat cross-legged underneath a towering tree in the Namikaze Clan of the Eastern Lands, looking up at the three enormous vortexes. After sitting there quietly for a moment looking at the flashing vortexes, a strange light gleamed in his eyes.

"You have the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion, so if you want to join the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, then you don't have to participate in the trial by fire." The voice came from Naruto's father, Minato, who strolled up from behind him. He stood behind Naruto and continued, "Furthermore, there is always the danger of perishing in the trial by fire. Aren't you scared of that?"

"Other than the chance to join one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, is there any other good fortune to be had?" asked Naruto.

"Of course there is!" replied his father. "If you get first place, then you can acquire a precious treasure. Considering the resources at the Three Great Daoist Societies' disposal, even I would be excited at the prospect of getting a magical item from them.

"Furthermore, father can tell you another secret. In addition to the founders of the Three Great Daoist Societies, the founders of the Four Great Clans, the Five Holy Lands, and the three Churches and Six Sects… all previously walked the Ancient Roads of the Ruins of Immortality!

"It was there that they acquired the unimaginable good fortune that allowed them to found their various clans and sects.

"It was the same with the Namikaze Clan Ancestor. That was where he acquired the bloodline that has ensured that the Namikaze Clan stands tall in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. That, of course, is…. the Namikaze Clan's Four Lives Awakening!"

"Dad, did you go there?" asked Naruto.

Minato didn't respond at first. After a long moment, he shook his head.

"Originally, your mother and I planned to wait for you to grow up, then we planned to take a trip there."

When he looked at his father, Naruto could sense that some amount of regret existed in his heart. He glanced back up at the three vortexes, and then a gleam of determination appeared in his eyes.

"Dad, I want to go."

"If you want to go, then go. We cultivators should never be afraid of dying!" Minato looked at Naruto, and the love in his eyes was clear, as was the look of encouragement.

"At the end of the Ancient Road are the arena matches. Actually… I hope that you do participate in this event!

"Do you know why your father's name is known throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and is even known in other Mountains and Seas? That's because even when I was in the Spirit Realm, I never shrank from a fight with anyone in the same stage as me. I fought and killed my way to the place I am now. I passed up all the members of my same generation, suppressed them, and seized destiny. That is how to become powerful! You must always strive forward; that is the way to reach the pinnacle of power!"

Naruto coughed dryly, and a bashful smile appeared on his face.

"Dad, I can't really identify with your path. I think… getting all of the Chosen in the Ninth Mountain and Sea to owe me money is the ideal way."

Minato's jaw dropped as Naruto chuckled and then flew into the air. His body flashed as he flew toward the Dao Seeking vortex. He took a deep breath, and without any further hesitation, entered.

The vortexes in the sky rotated, sending rumbling sounds echoing out in all directions. In virtually all regions of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, people were flying up into the vortexes. However, many of those people took steps to change their appearance upon entering.

They had various reasons for not wanting others to know who they truly were. After all, a grand event like this would draw the attention of the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

As soon as Naruto entered, he immediately sent some divine will out to the meat jelly. Moaning and groaning, the meat jelly helped Naruto to change his appearance to that of Kazama, from back in his days in the Violet Fate Sect.

Naruto was attending this event only for the trial by fire, and considering how he had flaunted his abilities in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and was now making his way alone off planet, he figured it would be much more convenient to rely on a second identity.

Furthermore, there would be no better opportunity to become famous under a second identity than this trial by fire hosted by the Three Great Daoist Societies.

"It's too bad my second true self is temporarily incapacitated because the true Immortal's soul was damaged by the Immortal Tribulation," he thought. "But, that's not such a bad thing." Naruto's eyes glittered brightly after making the transformation, and he looked out at the pitch blackness surrounding him. He could just barely make out a vortex spinning around him, with faint beams of light occasionally coming into view as they spun around him.

The sensation of being pulled along grew even stronger, and he felt increasing pressure weighing down on him.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, a bright light became visible up ahead in the darkness. It grew brighter and brighter, and soon, completely enveloped Naruto.

When his vision grew clear once again, Naruto found himself looking out at a void, which was densely packed with countless platforms. Some were thirty meters wide, others, three hundred, and some three thousand.

The sizes varied, and in the center of each of the platforms was a stone stele, upon which could be seen a map. Beneath each stone stele was a candle holder. The candles were unlit, leaving the maps on the stone steles cloaked in darkness.

As for how many platforms there were, it was impossible for Naruto to count. His divine sense was under incredible pressure, making it impossible to send it out very far. As Naruto looked around, more and more people came into view. Much like Naruto, they stared out in shock at all the platforms.

All of them had peak Dao Seeking auras, and there were even a few who didn't quite measure up to the Chosen he had encountered before, but were very close.

They all wore different clothing, and bore different appearances. There were men and women, old and young. Some weren't even humanoid, but looked like beasts. From what Naruto could tell, there were several hundred in his immediate vicinity, with more and more people appearing off in the distance.

It was hard to tell who it was that flew out first, but soon, one of the three-thousand-meter platforms was occupied by a cultivator. After that, all of the cultivators who materialized in the void shot out toward the platforms at full speed. Each person who appeared occupied a single platform. Fighting broke out, but it was controlled. After all, there was no reason to unleash vicious fighting the moment they entered the Ancient Road trial by fire. It wasn't worth it.

Furthermore, any ownerless platform apparently created a bond to whoever set foot on it first, and the unlit candle would then begin to burn, illuminating the map on the stele.

As such, there wasn't very much fighting. As the saying goes, first come, first served, so anyone who was beaten to a particular platform would quickly leave in search of another.

Naruto's eyes glittered. The three-hundred-meter and three-thousand-meter platforms were relatively far away from him, and the closest one to him was a thirty-meter platforms, so he quickly made his way toward that one.

However, just when he was about to step foot onto it, someone else nearby apparently had the same idea as he did. It was a tall, hulking man with ripples spreading out from beneath his feet which, if you looked closely, resembled illusory seawater that contained three swimming fish. Overall, it made the hulking man seem incredibly impressive.

He and Naruto were both about to step onto the platform at exactly the same time, when the hulking man snorted coldly. Killing intent flickered in his eyes.

"Screw off!" he said.

With that, his right hand made a hurling motion toward Naruto. The fish began to swim through the water at incredible speed, and an intense power surged out, transforming into an illusory sea dragon which shot toward Naruto, mouth gaping open to consume him.

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever, but he moved with explosive speed as he dodged past the sea dragon and then set foot onto the platform one breath of time before the hulking man.

In that instant, the candle on the platform burned to life, sending light spreading out in all directions. The hulking man's face was very unsightly as he glared at Naruto, and he let out a cold snort as he shot toward another nearby platform.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, and he completely ignored the hulking man as he sat down cross-legged in front of the stone stele to examine the map. The map encompassed a huge area, but roughly ninety percent of it was covered in darkness, leaving only about ten percent clearly visible.

Within that small visible area, he could see numerous narrow roads spreading out, the origin of which was the location he was in now. The end location of all the roads was a place near the dark area on the map.

Out in the void, more and more candles were springing to life; apparently the number of platforms here was equal to the number of people who had arrived. Before long, all of the cultivators had occupied a platform.

Unfortunately, a handful of unlucky cultivators ended up dying in the fighting.

As for the hulking man from earlier, he had managed to secure a platform to the right of Naruto. He looked over at Naruto occasionally, his eyes glowing with killing intent. The spat between the two of them had obviously left him irritated.

Apparently, Naruto didn't notice the man, and focused intently on studying the map.

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, everything grew quiet. Finally, an archaic voice boomed out through the void.

"I am Dengaku of the Nine Seas God World. As of now… the Dao gate has opened, and the Ancient Road stretches out. All of you must traverse the road… use it to corroborate your Dao, and to corroborate your destiny!

"The road is well-lit, but is filled with danger. Any who tread it must do so with utmost caution!

"As of this moment, if you turn back, you still have a chance to retreat. But once you step forward…when you look back, there won't even be the safety of a shoreline." His voice rang out over all the platforms, filling the entire area. All of the Dao Seeking competitors in the trial by fire could hear him.

When Naruto heard the Nine Seas God World mentioned, he looked up. It instantly made him think of Fū, and he felt a bit apprehensive. He reminded himself that he had changed his appearance, but still didn't feel any less nervous. He quietly took out the black feather the parrot had acquired, and placed it an easily accessible location in the front of his robe.

"You may now enter the road. This is a trial by fire, and anyone with unsuitable latent talent will be eliminated first, leaving behind only the most suitable candidates.

"After that, you shall not simply walk as you wish along the road. At every stage along the way, you will be tested.

"Depending on your performance in the tests, I will arrange for you to proceed a certain number of steps. Everything you do here is visible to observers on the outside, so you need not fear that I will be unfair in my decisions.

"And now, let the first stage begin, the stage of combat!

"You may use any means fair or foul, even deadly means, to snuff out as many candles as you can in the time it takes an incense stick to burn! Anyone whose candle is snuffed out will lose the qualification to continue. Anyone who is killed will automatically be considered to have their candle extinguished!" As soon as they heard Dengaku's words, all the Ninth Mountain and Sea cultivators in the Dao Seeking trial by fire felt their hearts tremble, and their killing intent exploded up.

Everyone had assumed that all participants would be allowed to enter the Ancient Road, and that the fastest one thousand among them who reached the end would be able to proceed. They had never imagined that the trial by fire would actually begin in this way.

The point of the first stage was to prevent one's candle from being extinguished, and at the same time, put out the candles of the others.

In the blink of an eye, people began sending out Dharma Clones to charge toward other platforms. Instantly, fierce fighting broke out; divine abilities and magical techniques caused everything to rumble and shake. The entire area was thrown into chaos, and roaring filled the ears of everyone present. It only took a moment before screams of death rang out.

Even as Naruto's eyes began to glitter coldly, the hulking man off to his right who had been glancing at him murderously gave a vicious laugh and waved his right hand. Instantly, a Esoteric compass flew out, which then transformed into a glittering spell formation that spread out to protect his candle. Then the man flew out toward Naruto.

"I've killed lots of peak Dao Seeking experts," he said. "Since you dared to compete with me, then you'll be the first person I kill in this trial by fire!" The illusory seawater swelled beneath his feet as he stepped onto Naruto's platform. He quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing a sea dragon to roar toward Naruto.

Naruto was sitting cross-legged next to the candle, and when he looked up his face was calm. There wasn't even a cold gleam visible in his eyes. He looked placidly over at the hulking man, then waved his hand through the air in a snatching motion. Shockingly, the Star Plucking Magic was unleashed.

The first thing that it grabbed was the sea dragon, which was completely incapable of fighting back, and although it struggled for a moment, Naruto simply pinched his fingers together, and it collapsed into pieces. The hulking man's eyes widened; he was well aware that the sea dragon had materialized with roughly eighty percent of his total power. Normally speaking, there were few peak Dao Seeking experts in the Ninth Sea who could possibly evade this sea dragon.

However, he had just watched as his opponent casually waved a hand and crushed it to pieces. In that instant, the hulking man's scalp went numb, and he was very nearly scared out of his mind.

"Not good!" he thought. "Don't tell me this is one of those inhuman freaks from one of the sects or clans? Impossible! I've seen all of those people from afar, but I've never laid eyes on this guy before!"

The man's face fell, and he immediately cried out with a loud voice: "Misunderstanding! Fellow Daoist, this was just a misunderstanding…."

As he spoke, he retreated at top speed. However, Naruto's Star Plucking Magic bore down on him and snatched up him. The hulking man's face filled with fear, but Naruto's was expressionless as he gently squeezed down.

Boom!

Before the hulking man could even let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body was crushed into pieces, and he was destroyed in spirit and body. When he died, his candle immediately snuffed out.

After making his deadly attack, Naruto pointed toward the Esoteric compass that covered the hulking man's candle. It trembled, and was just about to fly back toward Naruto when a black beam flew toward it. The beam turned into a black-robed youth, who reached out to grab the Esoteric compass.

However, almost as soon as his hand latched onto the item, Naruto's cold snort echoed out. When it entered the young man's ears, he began to tremble violently, and subconsciously looked over at Naruto. When their gazes locked, his mind filled with a roaring sound.

To him, Naruto's gaze felt like two sharp swords, stabbing into his eyes and threatening to slash his mind into pieces, stabbing into his brain and down into his soul.

The young man's face fell, and he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. His face was pale, and he ceased all attempts to grab the Esoteric compass.

"Fellow Daoist!" he cried urgently in a raspy voice. "Pardon my offense!"

Naruto didn't immediately slaughter the young man. He calmly beckoned with his hand, causing the Esoteric compass to fly over and settle onto his hand. Because the hulking man was dead, the item was currently masterless, so after Naruto sent some divine sense into it, it was branded to him.

"It's definitely mysterious," he said, "but unfortunately, not very powerful." He waved his hand again, causing two ultra high-grade spirit stones to fly out from his dwindling collection. He pushed them onto the Esoteric compass before their aura could spread out and be detected.

In the blink of an eye, the Esoteric compass changed. Although it looked normal, it now exerted a spell formation which was far mightier than it had been before. It was worlds apart. Naruto quickly placed it down next to him, whereupon its glow spread out to cover the candle.

"Unless someone like Bisuke or one of the other Chosen show up, this should hold out for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Ordinary peak Dao Seeking cultivators won't be able to break through it." He rose to his feet and looked around. By now, half of the time was already gone, and he had only extinguished one candle. There were others off in the distance who had snuffed out seven or eight. Perhaps some people even further off had extinguished even more.

In the same moment that Naruto left his platform, people in the outside world, in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, were looking up at what had once been merely swirling vortexes, but now contained enormous viewing screens.

Those screens displayed everything that was happening on the Ancient Roads, although the images were very small. Of course, if one's cultivation base was high enough, it was still possible to clearly see each and every individual despite how small they were on the screen.

Countless people in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were watching the screens. There were people from the Three Great Daoist Societies, the Four Great Clans, the Five Holy Lands, and the Three Churches and Six Sects, as well as various powerful rogue cultivators.

The various sects were paying especially close attention. They were not clans, and therefore had to recruit disciples from outside. Therefore, they would be paying close attention to the trial by fire. Many would not wait until the end of the event was reached, but would select disciples to recruit throughout the process.

Of course, numerous conversations could be heard among the crowds throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"The Three Great Daoist Societies have created ten stages within the three Ancient Roads in the Ruins of Immortality. Each stage involves a different test, which will allow them to slowly filter out the competitors, and leave behind only the future Chosen."

"It's possible that some of the people who get eliminated might have great potential, but were just unluckily knocked out."

"Look, the current leader on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul has already extinguished 39 candles. Although the Nascent Soul cultivators' cultivation bases aren't very high, they have an intense will to fight!"

"The highest number of extinguished candles on the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing is 27!"

"Who is that masked young man on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking…? He's already extinguished 19 candles!"

"The Ancient Road of Dao Seeking is the most interesting after all. See that one guy? He's probably a disciple of the Shimura Clan. He's changed his appearance, but you can recognize who he is from the divine abilities he's using. He's already put out 15 candles."

Even as the discussions were going on outside, Naruto flew out toward a thirty-meter platform on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. As soon as he set foot on it, an enraged roar echoed out, and an old man with disheveled hair appeared. A will of madness radiated out as he charged toward Naruto.

"Die!" he cried, performing an incantation gesture that caused a fissure to appear, which then transformed into a broadsword!

"Void Severing!" he cried, causing some others in the area to look over in shock and then backpedal. Naruto turned, his expression calm as he gazed at the incoming Void Severing attack. He did not retreat, but instead utilized the Golden Roc Transformation. At the same time, he used the powers of the black feather inside his robe so that the golden roc actually looked like a pitch-black vulture instead.

The vulture sped through the air toward the incoming Void Severing attack. When they slammed into each other, a huge boom echoed out, and the Void Severing blade collapsed, completely incapable of fazing Naruto in the slightest. When the old man saw this, his face filled with shock, and he fell back. However, before he could get very far, a blast of wind gusted against him as Naruto swooped down in vulture form. Claws slashed out, and a splattering sound could be heard as the man's head was crushed.

This was a trial by fire, a fight for good fortune. If you didn't kill your opponent, your opponent would kill you.

Naruto had experienced much gory brutality, so he was used to things like this. He wouldn't allow such a thing to affect him inwardly. When the old man died, his candle went out, and Naruto proceeded to the next platform. If nobody blocked his path, he would merely extinguish the candle; if people tried to kill him, he would return the favor and end their lives.

In a brief moment, Naruto swept across the entire area. No one could offer any resistance for longer than the space of a single breath, and ended either with a death, or an extinguished candle.

Naruto proceeded along as if he were walking across dried up weeds, his intense energy allowing him to rapidly rise up above the others.

Three candles. Four candles. Five candles….

Naruto attacked viciously and decisively. Currently, of the dozen or so people in his vicinity, there were four or five who were concealing their cultivation bases. When Naruto attacked them, their power exploded out; although none of them seemed to be on the level of Bisuke and the other Chosen, they still possessed unique and exceptional divine abilities.

There was even one person who controlled powers which resembled those of Zabuza, the Chosen from the Northern Reaches who used a Time divine ability. When this person attacked, he could seemingly lock down space and time in shocking fashion.

Any other peak Dao Seeking expert who went up against people like this, especially the one who could control space-time, would most certainly perish. However, Naruto possessed eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, and could even eradicate false Immortals. Each and every attack he made either killed someone, or snuffed out a candle. Booms rattled out constantly.

The only time he didn't instantly attack with lethal force was when he faced the old man who could control Time. After a bit of observation, he realized that this Dao of Time was the same type he had gone up against when he fought Zabuza. At the time, it had definitely tantalized him, but was something that until now he still couldn't quite understand no matter how much he contemplated it.

When he attacked, he paid close attention to the results. Considering he had eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, he was able to pick up some clues. As they fought, the old man grew more and more shocked, until finally he was virtually scared witless. From his view, he was fighting what appeared to be an ordinary youth, one that still somehow appeared to be analyzing and even imitating his Dao of Time. At a certain point he even seemed to be utilizing some of the same power, which left the old man completely shocked.

"Inhuman! This guy must definitely be one of those legendary Chosen!" The old man's heart trembled, and it was without hesitation that he suddenly extinguished his own candle to ensure that he could continue to live.

Naruto's eyes glittered in response to the old man's decisiveness, and he made no further attacks. After the candle went out, he gave the old man a glance and simply teleported past him and continued onward.

Roughly a third of the amount of time it takes an incense stick to burn remained, and Naruto had already extinguished 19 candles!

Most of the platforms in the area were empty. As for the people whose candles were extinguished but who were not killed, one by one, they faded and were teleported away by the power of the Ancient Road, having lost any qualifications to continue with the trial by fire.

Many people were shocked by this; it didn't matter if you died or simply lost the qualifications, you were eliminated either way. This was a heavy blow to anyone who had placed high hopes in coming here and skating through some of the tests.

"So that Dao of Time is similar to the power of Time that I wield. There are similarities, but they're actually different!" Naruto's eyes were calm, but a thoughtful flicker could be seen in his pupils. The battle just now had not been short, and Naruto had actually benefited quite a bit. 2

As of now, he stood on one of the platforms, and his eyes swept about the area. Finally, his body flickered and he flew off in a different direction.

It was at this point that the archaic voice of the Nine Seas God World's Dengaku suddenly echoed out again.

"Of that one incense stick's worth of time, there are now less than one hundred breaths of time left…. After those one hundred breaths of time, the first stage will be complete. Those of you who extinguish the most candles during that time, and also prevent your own candle from being extinguished, will receive a special reward!"

This announcement caused the entire Ancient Road of Dao Seeking to boil with excitement. Similar announcements were made on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul and the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing. The participating cultivators' killing intent immediately soared upward.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, vast crowds were paying close attention to the three screens visible in the giant vortexes. The Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul was a mass of chaos. On the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing, the fighting was more orderly.

The Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was unique. On the screen, what was clearly visible were over ten thousand locations in which a powerful expert had completely cleared out all of the candles nearby, making something like a vacuum for themselves.

Of those ten thousand or so areas, some were large and some were small. However, if you could rise above the field of competitors like an awl poking through a sack, it proved that you were a powerful expert. Soon, the experts began to fight among themselves.

"There's already someone who's extinguished seventy candles on the Dao Seeking road!"

"There's not much time left! This trial by fire is completely brutal! So many people have already been eliminated!"

The outside world was abuzz. Back on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, many people were so agitated that their eyes were completely red. Some were attacking with deadly force, and some had already made significant achievements and were just stalling, waiting for time to run out. Naruto looked around, then barreled into a nearby area where eight people were all fighting each other at the same time. All of these people were powerful experts who had already cleared out the other nearby areas.

Shockingly, one of them was a fierce pangolin, a wild beast whose bright eyes revealed that it was no less intelligent than any human.

There was also a woman whose body appeared to be young, but whose face was covered with wrinkles. A pink, illusory image, which was clearly the early form of a Dharma Idol, could be seen behind her.

All of these seven or eight people fought with vicious attacks that sent booms rattling out in all directions. However, none of them seemed capable of overcoming the others, and in fact, some of them appeared to have joined forces.

As soon as Naruto neared, they looked over at him. None of them knew him, nor each other; they were all from different locations in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. They were here to fight for good fortune, so the instant they saw Naruto, the pangolin flashed through the air as it charged toward him. A few of the others also charged Naruto, their eyes flashing.

"No matter how much we fight, we can't overcome each other! Instead of wasting time fighting each other, let's go kill some other people! The good fortune will go to whoever is lucky enough to land the killing blow!"

"Yeah! This guy showed up here after us. His battle prowess is obviously ordinary, otherwise he would have already wiped everyone in his own region out!"

"He's just unlucky! Kill him!"

The seven or eight people charged with killing intent in their eyes. Of course, despite their words, they were still on guard against each other. They might seem to have joined forces to attack someone else, but that didn't mean they were any less likely to attack each other.

As the eight people closed in, Naruto's expression was calm, and he stopped in place. There were now less than 61 breaths of time left before the conclusion of this stage; time was running out quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the eight people were upon him. The pangolin's numerous scales lifted up as a divine ability rumbled out, seemingly powerful enough to break apart a mountain. The woman also waved her hand, causing a pink aura to spread out behind her, which transformed into a pink skull.

The others also unleashed various divine abilities as each and every one leveled astonishing attacks.

Naruto looked on calmly, then clenched his right hand into a fist and punched out toward them through the void.

When the punch landed, an indescribable blast rose up, sweeping across the eight attackers. Their faces fell as Naruto made his move!

He transformed into a wind. A whirlwind!

The intense whirlwind swept out in all directions through the void, filled with crackling lightning. It was like a windstorm that swept across everything as it shot toward the incoming eight cultivators.

When the windstorm hit them, their divine abilities were shaken, and their expressions became that of shock. Their hearts trembled with astonishment. All of these people had slaughtered their way out of their own respective zones among the platforms, and were essentially the strongest people from those areas. In the outside world, they could be completely domineering in all the Spirit Realm, to the point where it was even difficult for them to outdo each other.

No one had ever been able to stand up to them, or outdo them in terms of power. And yet, Naruto's one punch left them feeling as if they had run into a windstorm.

This was a windstorm they couldn't fight back against nor resist. This windstorm… contained the might of Heaven and Earth, limitless destructive power that could rip them to pieces as easily as dried up twigs!

This was… a completely and thoroughly crushing power!

Intense rumbling rose up, and the whirlwind screamed, filled with never-ending bolts of lightning as it hurtled at top speed toward the eight cultivators. The eight cultivators' minds filled with roaring sounds, and intense light. The incredible scene instantly drew the attention of other people on the larger battlefield.

In that moment, everyone outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea who was watching the trial by fire stared fixedly at the three vortex screens.

On the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, massive carnage was visible. The Ancient Road of Spirit Severing was similar. Fatty could be seen there, soaked in blood, roaring as he pounced forward to latch his teeth onto the neck of an enemy. His eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth glittered brightly. He howled as his opponent's candle was extinguished.

Even Fatty didn't realize how ferocious, and even savage, he appeared. He had already drawn the attention of quite a few sects.

Then there were Guy, Shikamaru, Chino, and others who Naruto knew from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. They were all on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul. Some died, some were disqualified, others… fought until the very end!

Guy held a sword in his hand. His expression was gloomy, seemingly without the slightest bit of life in it whatsoever. He seemed empty and dark, which affected his attacks, causing them to be filled with a similar gloominess. However, a black aura swirled around his sword, and anyone who encountered it would feel their emotions suddenly being affected. Therefore, Guy was also distinguishing himself on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, and drawing quite a bit of attention.

Fatty and Guy had both been noticed, as had many others. This was merely the beginning of the event, and if they could continue to perform so stunningly, or even take first place on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, then they would definitely have a chance at good fortune.

Of course, what drew the most attention was the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. The fighting there had given rise to a foul wind and a bloody rain and, having come to its most critical juncture, was definitely the focal point for most of the audience.

It was easy to see the contrast with the chaos of the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing. The Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was filled with a shocking murderous aura. Of the previous ten thousand or more areas, each one was now controlled by a single powerful expert, all of whom were now fighting each other viciously as they attempted to extinguish each others' candles.

Victory or defeat was determined within the space of a few breaths in battles like that, and soon, massive changes to the situation on the battlefield could be seen.

"93 candles extinguished! Who is that? I've never seen anything like it!"

"Look at that guy in the mask! He's put out more than almost anyone else. He's the first to extinguish more than 100!"

"Look, the Chosen from the Shimura Clan has extinguished more than 100 too!"

Everyone was in an uproar, and was crying out loudly.

"200! The person in first place has put out 200 candles!"

"Things are happening too fast! The suspense is killing me! The guy with the mask, he's… he's… he's actually exceeded 300!"

"He's the only one who's exceeded 300. The next four people behind him have around 200 or more. Those five are definitely the most powerful people in this stage!"

"Time's almost up!"

The sound of the uproar filled the air.

Back on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, there were five people who had attracted the most attention from the other cultivators. The cultivators from the Three Sects and Six Churches, the Five Great Holy Lands, and the Three Great Daoist Societies watched the vortex screens, eyes filled with strange gleams. All five of those people shared something in common….

They stood completely alone in their respective areas, surrounded by emptiness!

Of those five people, the most prominent was the young man wearing the pitch-black mask. His black hair floated around him, and he wore a black robe. He looked almost like a shadow, and he exuded a cold, desolate and deadly aura.

His attacks were incisive, and he didn't even seem to use any divine abilities. The simple wave of a finger would cause the divine will of other peak Dao Seeking cultivators to be destroyed, and their Nascent Divinities would be shattered and perish.

There was another person among the five, a young woman. She wore a gauzy violet gown that made her look like the flower of the same name. Her face was obscured by some unknown technique, making it impossible to tell exactly what she looked like. She seemed charming and gentle, but attacked with complete ruthlessness. She was surrounded by countless violet flower petals, and upon each one could be seen a drop of blood. It was an astonishing sight.

The third among the group of five was a boy. He was skinny and virtually hairless, but possessed of remarkable speed. Furthermore, his body was covered with countless blue-colored decorative patterns that looked like sealing marks, which appeared to have formed naturally, as opposed to having been added later.

He exuded a wild and barbaric aura that he concealed as best he could; however as his blood flowed through his veins, the aura seeped out, and it made him seem like he wasn't a cultivator, but rather some savage beast from the wilderness.

The fourth person was a middle-aged man. His expression was cold and haughty, and he wore a white robe. He was surrounded by a cloud of brown mosquitos, each one of them the size of a fist. Their mouthparts were long and pointed, and buzzing could be heard as they circled around him. The sight was enough to cause anyone's scalp to go numb.

The mosquitos' bright red eyes and savage bloodthirsty appearance left everyone trembling from fear.

The fifth person was extremely peculiar. Sometimes he looked old, sometimes he looked middle-aged, and sometimes he looked like a teenager. It was as if his age were in constant flux. Every time he changed, his battle prowess would surge; he clearly cultivated some strange and bizarre Daoist magic.

These five people were currently the focus of most of the attention on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. Each one of them had extinguished more than 200 candles, and the masked young man had put out more than 300.

Ranked behind them were many other Chosen who weren't the focus of as much attention. However, this was only the first stage, so it was really impossible to say how things would turn out in the end.

"There are less than thirty breaths of time left!"

"These people are the mightiest amongst the mighty! With only thirty breaths of time left, it would be hard to change the outcome. The first stage is essentially over! The results are set!" Most people were thinking this way. Even the cultivators from the major sects felt the same way.

It seemed like time was about to expire, but just at this moment the whirlwind created by Naruto's fist swept over the eight people who were attacking him.

"Impossible!" cried the woman. Her eyes shone with disbelief, and she performed a double-handed incantation in an attempt to fight back. All of the power she could muster transformed into a mist that blocked the windstorm. However, the mist was instantly shattered, and the woman let out a bloodcurdling scream as she first began to vibrate and then was ripped to shreds by the windstorm, destroyed in spirit and body.

The windstorm spread out, accompanied by her shriek. Three more people went all out with their cultivation bases, and yet were incapable of standing up to the crushing power of the windstorm. Popping sounds rang out as they were exterminated.

The remaining four people were scared out of their minds, and wanted to flee, but couldn't. The windstorm surrounded them, and the shadow of death loomed up. Their original intent was to slaughter Naruto, but his deadly counterattack left them trembling, minds filled with terror.

They were about to plead for mercy, but the windstorm overwhelmed them. Two of them had no time to even speak, and were shattered into fragments. Their candles winked out.

"I refuse to accept this!" roared the beast cultivator, the pangolin. His fleshly body was the most powerful among them, but even he could only hold out for a single extra breath of time before his scales were ripped off and his flesh shredded by the windstorm. In an instant, he was nothing more than a skeleton.

All eight cultivators were dead!

In that moment, Naruto's count of extinguished candles broke past the 100 mark and began to climb toward 200!

The windstorm did not fade away. Naruto remained in the center position, his expression calm as he punched downward three more times. Then he took a deep breath and punched another three more times.

Rumbling filled the air as the windstorm experienced a threefold increase in size. Massive amounts of lightning crackled about, and the sound of thunder was deafening. The gigantic windstorm swept out in all directions, and reached a size of 3,000 meters in the following ten breaths of time.

By now, even the people on the outside world had noticed the enormous, lightning-filed windstorm on the vortex-screens.

"What's that!?"

"I didn't notice that before! Where did that huge windstorm come from?!"

"Heavens! That windstorm is still growing!"

It wasn't just the crowds who were now paying attention to the windstorm. Even Dengaku from the Nine Seas God World was eying it. By now, there were only three breaths of time left before the first stage ended!

Three. Two! One!

Boom! BOOM! BOOOMMMM!

In the same instant in which the stage concluded, Naruto's windstorm spread out to a size of 30,000 meters! Simultaneously, it exploded, accompanied by numerous miserable shrieks, cries of alarm, and roars of defiance.

Furthermore, the number of candles listed next to Naruto's name rose rapidly!

200!

300!

400!

500!

All of the cultivators caught up in the enormous 30,000-meter windstorm were completely wiped out. In the blink of an eye, the entire area of the windstorm was swept completely clean. The only person remaining… was Naruto. He stood in the middle of the windstorm, his hair whipping about, his expression calm. However, even the outside audience could sense that deep within the calmness was a vicious ruthlessness.

In that instant, the entire Ancient Road of Dao Seeking went completely quiet. The audience outside stared at the vortex screens, eyes wide with disbelief at the sight of Naruto standing there, surrounded by complete emptiness.

He had come up from behind at the last minute to clinch first place in the first stage!

As of this moment, all eyes were on Naruto!

It wasn't just the people watching in the outside world. The remaining cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking couldn't help but look over at Naruto. Although everyone was separated by large distances, within the void of the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking he was the only one who had been able to clear out everyone within 30,000 meters. The sight was enough to shock everyone.

Even the person who had previously been in first place, the masked young man, had only been able to clear an area around 20,000 meters wide to call his own.

As of now, the high-level members of the Three Sects and Six Churches, the Five Great Holy Lands, and even the Four Great Clans, were all inwardly shaken. Their eyes glittered brightly, and many voices could be heard.

"Use any means necessary to send that man a message. Whatever his requirements are, get him to join the Burning Incense Stick Society!"

"Getting first in the rankings during the first stage doesn't say too much. There are quite a few more stages to go, so there will certainly be others who rise to prominence. I'm afraid the person who came in second place won't be shown much interest at the moment. However… the first place winner, even if he doesn't do well in the following stages, showed such amazing strength in the first stage that we, the Church of the Emperor Immortal, must have him as a disciple! Send word down immediately!"

"His battle prowess is astonishing, and his temperament ruthless. A person like that is perfectly suitable to join us in the Church of the Blood Orchid!"

Quite a few of the powers who made up the Three Churches and Six Sects were instantly attracted to Naruto because of his flashy display of power.

As for the Five Great Holy Lands, the Four Great Clans, and the Three Great Daoist Societies, although they were astonished, none made any such proclamations. However, they definitely looked at him differently than the others.

Also watching the Ancient Roads on the vortex screens were Naruto's parents. They were in the Namikaze Clan in the vast Eastern Lands, looking up at the spectacle. Naruto might have changed appearances, but Minato and Kushina could still recognize him instantly.

When they saw that he had taken first place in the first stage, both of them smiled. They were smiles filled with pride and anticipation. Of course, Naruto's mother's smile also contained a bit of concern. However, she knew that Naruto's path… was his own to tread.

In the Baldy Society, Grandmaster Pill Demon was watching the Dao Seeking vortex screen. Although nobody else might recognize Naruto, how could Pill Demon not be able to identify that person who had once been called Kazama?

Sakura stood next to Pill Demon, looking on silently. There were emotions in her heart which she would never be able or even willing to forget. After all this time, she had grown used to watching Naruto from a distance.

She was Pill Demon's apprentice, but in the Baldy Society, Pill Demon had been directly accepted as Daoist Baldy's apprentice, and had instantly become a blazing sun. Because of that, Sakura also had a unique position. It only took a short time for her to become acquainted with many of the Chosen there. Furthermore, because of her incredible beauty, countless Baldy Society disciples began to pursue her.

Her worldview was now completely different. There was no sky above her head now, but rather, stars. What she saw when she looked around were not towering mountains, but rather, a sea of heavenly bodies.

Despite all of that, though, the memories of everything that had happened on Planet Lands of Ninshu were etched deep into her soul.

The first stage was over. Vast numbers of competitors had been eliminated from the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking. Those who had made it through now waited for the second stage, exhausted and anxious.

Next, archaic voices spoke out in the three different Ancient Roads. The words spoken were different, but the meaning was the same, as the voice notified everyone that the first stage was over, and at the same time… announced how many steps each competitor would be able to take!

"Those who extinguished fifty candles or less in the first stage may go forward 3,000 paces! One hundred candles or less, 5,000 paces!

"Two hundred candles or less, 7,000 paces. Three hundred candles or less, 9,000 paces… Five hundred candles, 10,000 paces!" For the first time, Dengaku of the Nine Seas God World appeared personally in the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. He was thin, and wore a long green robe. He had white eyebrows, and a blue mark could be seen on his forehead that seemed to contain an entire ocean!

He stood there, his aura pulsing with monstrous power, as if he himself were made of a sea of stars!

Shockingly, the illusory image of a nine-headed sea dragon could be seen behind him. Although it was illusory, when Naruto looked at it, he felt as if he were looking at some celestial force.

Dengaku could be considered one of the top most powerful experts in the whole Ninth Mountain and Sea!

His eyes swept the area, lingering for a moment on Naruto.

After he finished speaking, Dengaku waved his sleeve, causing everyone in the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking to disappear as they moved forward beyond their own control, traveling an exact amount of steps in accord with the explanation that had just been provided.

Step by step, they advanced, encountering no candles or platforms along their way. They floated through the void until they reached a stretch of endless ruins. The crumbled remains of buildings could be seen, as well as ancient statues, dried up forests, rivers, and mountain ranges.

They were now in… the Ninth Mountain and Sea's Ruins of Immortality.

The void they had just been in was simply the entrance!

The only words that could be used to describe this area were: lifeless, archaic, ancient, mysterious, silent, and enormous!

Those were the six words that floated in the minds of all the competitors as they laid eyes on the Ruins of Immortality for the first time. The last word was actually the most prominent feeling that they experienced.

It was almost impossible to tell that this was a road of any sort. The one thing that stood out were the countless altars that stretched off in a line off into the distance. They seemed to be filled with an air of time, an ancientness. They were carved with complex magical symbols that were impossible for anyone to understand. The altars further off in the distance were covered even more thickly with magical symbols than the nearer ones, and gave off an air of incredible mystery.

If you had to call this place a road, then perhaps… the way the altars stretched out made the shape of that road visible.

It was impossible to tell how many altars there were; they extended out endlessly off into the distance.

Upon first glance, the altars didn't seem very big. However… they were actually incredibly enormous. In fact, the smallest of them were about thirty percent of the size of the entire void they had just been in.

Each and every one of the altars was simply gargantuan!

From this, it can be imagined how shocking the Ruins of Immortality were. From the feeling Naruto got, it was as if this place had not been constructed for use by cultivators, but rather, but some enormous race of giants.

But then, he suddenly changed his mind as he thought back to… what he had seen in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple in the mountains in the Eastern Lands. In his vision, he had seen many things that seemed to indicate that many such things existed ancient times. Perhaps giants and cultivators were actually one and the same.

The group that stopped at 3,000 paces was relatively small. They all ended up on one of the altars, and there was no crowding whatsoever. The largest group was made up of those who could go 5,000 paces. Despite the large number of people, each person still had a large area to call their own on that particular altar.

Next were those who could move 7,000 paces. There were fewer in that group, and they quickly spread out across the altar, eyeing each other.

When it came to 9,000 paces, there was only the masked young man and the person who could change his age. Currently, he had changed from being an old man to being young. He and the masked youth shared one enormous altar.

As for Naruto, he was the last person to come to a stop, in the lead position. He was the only person to occupy an entire altar all by himself!

Similar scenes were playing out on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing.

"The second stage, is the stage of killing!" said Dengaku, his voice cold.

"The first stage was a test of your ability to engage in magical combat. Cultivators practice cultivation to be able to fight. We fight people, we fight the Heavens, we fight Earth. Only by fighting can we hew out a Heaven-defying destiny!

"This second stage of killing tests exactly how powerful you are in the Dao Seeking stage!

"This stage seems similar to the first stage, but is actually very different. In the first stage, you all fought different opponents. Some were weak and some were strong. There was no way to objectively determine exactly how powerful you are.

"In the second stage, you will all be fighting exactly the same enemy!

"To us cultivators, the Dao is of utmost importance. Our magics are prepared to protect our Daos. Without sufficient magic, how can we achieve our Dao? Therefore, all of you must unleash all the power you can in this second stage!

"In this stage, the time limit will again be set at one incense stick. This test is not regarding the number of fatalities you can inflict, but rather… how fast you can kill!

"Kill everything that you see. Anyone who cannot complete the task in the time it takes one incense stick to burn will be eliminated. In this second stage, your lives will be at risk. If you wish, you may turn and leave of your own volition right now!" Dengaku's eyes swept across the crowd, but no one chose to withdraw. His expression cold, he swished his sleeve, and immediately, the magical symbols on the altars began to shine brightly. Rumbling filled the air, and brilliant light swirled everywhere.

The light quickly spread out to cover the entirety of each altar, completely enveloping each and every person.

1,000 paces behind Naruto, the masked young man stood there, staring at Naruto as the light enveloped him. His eyes shone with a fierce gleam as he watched Naruto disappearing.

"You won the first stage, but the second stage will not belong to you!"

The old man with the age-changing ability was now a teenager, and his eyes shone with a similar light.

Behind them were all the other contenders who had earned top marks in the first stage. Each one was looking at Naruto's disappearing figure, their eyes filled with stubborn gleams.

"Earlier, he obviously used some trick at the last minute. This time… he'll be forced to show his true colors!"

At the same time, on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing, everyone was also being covered up by the brilliant light. Soon no one was visible at all, and the only thing that could be seen within the glowing light was a list of names.

After each name was a number that indicated how many fatalities they had inflicted.

Back on Naruto's altar, a cold voice suddenly rang out in his ear asking his name. Naruto's face flickered slightly, and after muttering to himself for a moment, he responded with "Kazama Namikaze."

In the blink of an eye, the words Kazama Namikaze appeared in the altar's light. Immediately, everyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea could see it.

"His name is Kazama!"

"Could it be possible that he's connected to the Namikaze Clan? Although, there are tons of people surnamed Namikaze who aren't connected to the Namikaze Clan."

"Kazama. Kazama…. He got first place in the first stage, I wonder how he'll perform in the second stage…."

"Don't think too much of it. There's no way somebody could take first place in the first stage and then again in the second stage. I suspect that he used some sort of forbidden Daoist Magic at the very last minute. Otherwise, he would never have come to the fore in the first stage. That's why he suddenly jumped into the spotlight at the last minute."

"Be that as it may, if he takes first place again, it would be totally Heaven-defying. The sects would be thrown into an uproar!"

The three Ancient Roads were filled with splendorous light that covered everyone. The only thing visible were the lists of names, some of which were real and some assumed.

Soon, the only thing Naruto could see was bright light, and then everything around him changed, even the sky; the altar seemed to become a massive, glowing spell formation. It didn't last for very long, only the space of a few breaths of time, and then the light vanished.

Everything around him had changed. There was no sky up above, only stars. There was no ground beneath his feet, only a gigantic 3,000-meter long ancient beast!

It was an enormous python, completely pitch-black in color, its body covered with scars and wounds. It was even possible to see its bones in some places, and in other locations, you could see all the way through its entire body.

It appeared to be just on the verge of death, its life force fading, with barely enough energy left to even fly. Although it seemed to be just barely clinging to life, there was still a terrifying aura surrounding it it, the power of which shocked even Naruto. Were it to explode out, even a true Immortal would likely be killed by the blast.

Naruto was standing on the head of the ancient python, and it appeared to connected to him, as if he could control it.

After staring in shock for a moment, Naruto looked down to find that he was wearing a suit of armor. The armor seemed brand new, and it radiated a mild energy. Overall, he seemed to physically be in this place, but at the same time, his body also seemed to be illusory. Furthermore, up ahead of him was a planet!

It was much, much smaller than Planet Lands of Ninshu, and in fact, might not even have been large enough to actually call a planet. Perhaps it was nothing more than a large asteroid. It also seemed completely unstable, filled with chaos.

Almost as soon as Naruto laid eyes on the black planet, innumerable dots of light appeared that looked like eyes. All of the eyes opened and looked straight at Naruto.

An intense sense of crisis filled Naruto, and his mind trembled. Suddenly, whistling sounds could be heard, and, astonishingly, one thousand beams of light shot toward Naruto from the planet.

Figures could be seen within these beams of light, figures that weren't cultivators, but rather, puppets!

Naruto was not the only one to be seeing this. Each and every one of the cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was in a unique world of their own. What they were seeing and experiencing was exactly the same as Naruto.

Naruto's eyes glittered coldly, and he didn't instantly spring into action. Instead, he took advantage of the time it would take for his opponents to reach him, to further study the ancient python. It appeared to be severely wounded, and on the verge of death, although it clearly had the power to make one final attack.

Such an attack would surely leave the beast completely dead in spirit and body. However, that final attack would surely be shocking, that much Naruto could tell.

He frowned and sent his divine sense out, then sighed. All of the puppets flying out from the planet had peak Dao Seeking auras, though not one of them was comparable to a false Immortal.

Just then, however, five auras suddenly exploded out from the planet, five auras that were all of the false Immortal stage. If that were all there were to it, it wouldn't be a big deal. But in that moment, yet another aura, even stronger than the others, exploded out.

The planet shook, and ripples spread out in all directions. The energy rose up, growing more and more powerful. It was very similar to the asteroid-like planet, completely filled with a will of chaos and madness.

Naruto's face sank, and his eyes widened….

It was a true Immortal!

"One thousand puppets, five false Immortals, and one true Immortal…so this is the trial by fire?

"According to what Dengaku said, I'm supposed to kill all of these enemies within the time it takes an incense stick to burn. That's the only way to pass this stage. Ordinary attack methods would never be able to accomplish such a thing."

Naruto muttered to himself as the more than one thousand puppets whistled ever closer to him.

"There's no way that this trial by fire will eliminate almost all the competitors in only the second stage…." Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked down at the ancient python beneath his feet.

"This ancient beast is powerful…. The last attack it makes before dying will be powerful enough to kill all those thousand peak Dao Seeking puppets. Or, if I wait a bit, I could kill the five false Immortals with it. If I wait until the very end to use it, then I could kill the true Immortal.

"I only have one shot….

"That's the choice we competitors are being given!" The light of understanding flashed in his eyes.

In the various other worlds in which the cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking all faced the same scenario, everyone was hesitating regarding how to stick out from the crowd. There were many Chosen hidden among the competitors, and they were all intelligent people. It only took them a moment to come to the exact same conclusion Naruto had about the crux of this stage.

The masked young man looked out with flickering eyes. Without hesitation, he shot out to fight the more than one thousand peak Dao Seeking puppets, intending to use the ancient python's final attack to kill the true Immortal.

Such a decision was audacious, and required incredible self-confidence.

As for the old man with the age-changing transformation ability, his eyes flickered as he chose the same tactic.

There were, however, quite a few cultivators who chose to use the ancient beast's powerful attack first, rumbling out and slaughtering the thousand peak Dao Seeking puppets. After the puppets had been completely wiped out, the cultivators would step forward themselves to fight against the five false immortals.

There were multiple cultivators who made each of the various choices. Shortly, the echoing sound of booms and the glow of magical abilities rocked Heaven and Earth within each of the various worlds.

However, the actual scenes playing out within these worlds was hidden to the observers out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea; the only thing they could see was the list of names and the numbers representing the kill count next to each name, which were quickly soaring.

As for the high-level Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies, Four Great Clans, Five Great Holy Lands, and the Three Churches and Six Sects, they were all sitting cross-legged in an enormous palace in the starry sky, staring at an enormous ancient mirror.

The mirror was split into three sections, within which could be seen clear images of everything that was happening on the three Ancient Roads.

"That masked young man chose the hardest path, but from that, you can see that his heart is as resolute as a boulder. He definitely has potential."

"That cultivator with the age-transformations is most likely an apprentice of Patriarch Mirage. He might also be a rogue cultivator, but in any case, it's quite rare to see cultivators of the Dao Seeking stage who practice time transformation magic."

"There are many potential stars in this trial by fire…."

"From the three choices given them, we can learn about their personalities. Although, it doesn't matter which choice they make, as long as they pass this stage, they can be considered Chosen!"

The old Patriarchs discussed the matter calmly, occasionally glancing at the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing to identify people they deemed worthy of notice.

Naruto, naturally, also received some attention. And yet, on the outside, there were currently no numbers displayed next to the name Kazama.

Meanwhile, the Patriarchs were continuing to discuss the matter….

"Hmm. That young cultivator with the mosquitos is the first one to make an unexpected move."

"There's also that kid in the yellow robe. He didn't make any of the obvious choices either!"

All eyes in the palace were fixed on one of the scenes playing out on the mirror's surface. The young man with the mosquitos waved his hands, causing his mosquitos to fly toward the python, whereupon they stabbed their mouthparts into it and began to absorb its blood.

Another image depicted a young man who had performed unremarkably in the first stage. His body suddenly went blurry, and he fused down into the python. He quickly took control of it and set it to fighting, hoping to use it to kill both the puppets and the false Immortals.

Not too much time passed before other cultivators also began to use various unorthodox methods that did not conform with the three obvious choices. None of the members of the crowd in the palace seemed to find this unexpected, and in fact, had apparently predicted that such a thing would happen.

"This is excellent. There are far more people doing the unexpected than in the last trial by fire."

"From ancient times until now, there are always competitors in the Ancient Road's trial by fire who make breathtaking achievements in their later days. This group of cultivators is not bad at all!"

"How come that Kazama hasn't done anything yet?"

Amidst their chatting and laughing, some people had been paying attention to Naruto all along. Instantly, all eyes turned to the image portraying Naruto. He stood atop the head of the python, seemingly in a daze as the more than one thousand puppets bore down on him. They were now only about three hundred meters away.

"That Kazama most likely doesn't have any plan at all. It's not uncommon for cultivators to struggle when it comes to making decisions."

"That's too bad. I'd hoped to see if he could perform exceptionally well in the second stage too."

"For someone to take first place in two stages in a row isn't unheard of, but isn't very common either. Unfortunately, I'm afraid he's not the type that can do it."

As the puppets whistled toward him, Naruto's eyes glittered, and his lips turned up slightly into a cold smile.

"The three choices seem different, but in fact, they are the same. Perhaps by using some unexpected tactics, it would be possible to introduce some degree of variation in the results. However, even if you were able to wipe all of these things out, that would be overlooking something even more important!

"And that is… that planet!" His eyes shone with a strange light as he looked at the planet.

"In truth, this python has another function other than its one attack… and that is the power of flight!

"Before I proceed, though, I need to test out whether or not this body is real!" Eyes glittering, he suddenly reached his right hand out and then slapped it down hard onto his chest.

A boom rang out, his body trembled, and his eyes began to glow with a brilliant light. He'd felt like something was off as soon as he'd entered this place. Although everything seemed real, after experiencing the illusory world of the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, he had a much deeper understanding of such things.

In all the other worlds, everyone was already in the midst of furious fighting.

In Naruto's world, the puppets were closing in. Naruto suddenly sat down cross-legged and then stretched his hands out to rest on the ancient python's head.

The python's eyes turned bright red, and it let out a roar. Then its body burst into flames as it used the last scraps of its life force to shoot forward at blinding speed.

The puppets scattered as the python swept through them. Even the five false immortals were incapable of blocking it. It moved with shocking speed as it carried Naruto directly toward the planet.

As soon as it reached the planet itself, the python collapsed into bits of ash that vanished. At the same time, the aura of a true Immortal exploded out from within the planet. A figure flew out, wreathed in golden light, moving with astonishing speed toward Naruto, who had just stepped foot onto the planet itself.

Its energy soared, and it looked like a windstorm as it bore down on Naruto.

However, even as it neared, a vicious expression appeared on Naruto's face, and he unleashed the Star Plucking Magic. A huge hand appeared that grabbed onto the golden figure, after which, Naruto closed his eyes. With ruthless decisiveness, he caused his cultivation base…

To detonate!

The power of the self-detonation was channeled directly into the golden figure through the Star Plucking hand. It didn't matter how incredibly powerful this figure was; its body was filled with roaring and, because its aura was chaotic to begin with, the power of the self-detonation compelled its inner aura to become even more turbulent, such that the figure was also forced…

To self-detonate!

A massive boom rattled out as both Naruto and the figure self-detonated together. The entire planet was then thrown into instability, causing it to shatter into countless pieces. A massive destructive power was unleashed as the fragments then transformed into a black hole which began to suck everything in!

The puppets and false Immortals had no time to fight back; they were instantly swallowed up by the black hole.

In the palace in the starry sky, the members of the crowd looked on in stupefaction.

Crowds in locations all over the Ninth Mountain and Sea were watching the events on the vortex screens. However, regardless of location, the eyes of every spectator suddenly went wide with disbelief.

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Kazama's name had previously had no number next to it. In the blink of an eye, there was suddenly a number: 1,006!

The number appeared so quickly, so suddenly, that people didn't even have a chance to register it mentally before both the number, and Kazama's name, disappeared.

The light that covered the altar upon which Naruto stood slowly faded away, to reveal Naruto, sitting there cross-legged.

He was the first person…

To pass the stage!

"That's… that's impossible!"

"What just happened? I remember that just now, Kazama didn't have any numbers next to his name at all. That means he hadn't even killed a single enemy. Then I blinked my eyes, and he passed the stage?"

"A bunch of numbers appeared just now, and then they vanished, and Kazama passed the stage. Is it possible… is it possible that he used only one move to kill all of the enemies!?"

"Heavens! He got first place in the second stage too! Hardly any time has passed, not even a hundred breaths!"

"He got first place in the first stage, and now first place in the second stage!" Everyone out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was completely shocked. Cries of astonishment rang out in all of the locations where people were watching, and the buzz of conversation immediately rose up.

In the vast Eastern Lands, Minato and Kushina were gaping at the scene. Even they weren't too sure exactly what Naruto had done.

Pill Demon and Sakura were also looking on with wide eyes, staring dumbly at Naruto on the screen.

The crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were in an uproar.

"That Kazama, he's definitely the star of this whole trial by fire!"

"How powerful is he exactly? He actually… he actually killed all of the enemies with one move!"

"I want to see how exactly he did it. It must have been breathtaking!"

Meanwhile, not too far away from Planet East Victory, an enormous turtle floated in the starry sky, carrying an entire continent on its back. He was staring in shock at the three vortex screens down below on East Victory.

"Dammit. It must be him! Even if he transformed into dust, the Patriarch would still recognize that little bastard!

"But… what exactly did he do? He got first place in the blink of an eye!" This gargantuan turtle was of course none other than Patriarch Reliance.

At the same time, in another location in the starry sky, a figure could be seen sitting cross-legged on an asteroid, hair disheveled as he looked up at three vortex screens. His expression was taciturn, but a brilliant light glittered in his eyes.

"How could I have imagined that I wouldn't die…. Naruto, Planet Lands of Ninshu was only the first half of my life. I have to thank you for helping me understand so much. In the remaining years, I will definitely find a way to pay you back."

Even as everyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was shaken, back in the palace among the stars, silence reigned. The Patriarchs of the various sects and clans, even the representatives from the Three Great Daoist Societies, were all watching with wide eyes and slack jaws.

After a long moment, one of the old men chuckled wryly and said, "That's cheating!"

These people were the only ones who could clearly see what had actually happened.

"The fact that he came up with a way to seize victory like that might be considered cheating, but it's amazing nonetheless!"

"He didn't hesitate to kill himself along with the enemy! Fervor like that is what clinched the victory!"

"Compared to this Kazama, all the others couldn't even be considered to be using unorthodox tactics. His methods are truly astonishing. To self-detonate with such decisiveness, and furthermore, to control it so ingeniously… we can be certain that Kazama was the first person to realize that the second stage was an illusory world!"

"Even still, he should be disqualified! Fraudulent methods like that are a complete disgrace!"

"Oh please, you want him disqualified so you can secretly go recruit him! That's not cheating. The other competitors just didn't think of that idea, or perhaps couldn't pull it off. That's just weakness on their part. This Kazama has definitely cleared this stage!"

As the discussions continued in the palace, one of the three Elders from the Three Great Daoist Societies who sat at the head of the group suddenly opened his eyes, filling the palace with endless light.

"Kazama. Stage cleared!" He spoke only four words, but they echoed out from the palace into the starry sky, and then, by means of a special technique, echoed throughout the Ancient Road, and then out into the rest of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Suddenly, a ranking list appeared in the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, and in first place was the name Kazama. Every spot beneath it was blank.

The Ninth Mountain and Sea was abuzz, and many of the Patriarchs seated in the palace pulled out jade slips to transmit information to their sects, ordering them to attempt to recruit Kazama.

It was at this point that Naruto opened his eyes. At first, they seemed blank, but then quickly grew bright. His expression was calm as he sat there cross-legged and unmoving.

The second stage was a complete illusion, and the so-called risk to the lives of the competitors was false. However, because of the brutality of the first stage, the other competitors subconsciously assumed that the second stage would be exactly the same.

By now, roughly half of the prescribed time period had passed. Shockingly, a blue-robed young woman from the group who had proceeded 3,000 paces suddenly became visible from within the light that surrounded her. Her eyes brimmed with confidence as she looked over at the ranking list, and then suddenly went wide with shock.

"He was actually faster than me!" she thought. "I possess the Dao of souls, allowing me to take control of the puppets. And yet Kazama possesses some more powerful divine ability? Just what is it?!"

More people began to clear the second stage after the young woman. It didn't take long for enough time to pass for an incense stick to burn. Roughly a third of the competitors didn't manage to clear the stage. As for those who did, they used a variety of methods to succeed. When it came to the true Immortal, most of them chose to use the python to destroy it in a single blow.

No one used the same method as Naruto.

As people emerged from clearing the stage, they looked over at the ranking list, and were shocked.

"Kazama took first place in the first stage, and now he took first place in the second stage too!"

"Dammit!" The masked young man was one of the last to emerge from the second stage. Behind his mask, his face was extremely unsightly. His previously high aspirations had been dealt a heavy blow. As for the old man with the age-transformation powers, he also looked ashen-faced, and was frowning.

Most of the cultivators who distinguished themselves in the first stage did not fare very well in the second stage.

Meanwhile, on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing, the second stage had likewise concluded. Fatty, Guy and Shikamaru had all succeeded. Guy put on the most astonishing performance, and although he didn't take first place, he was in the top 100, which was quite an accomplishment!

As for Fatty and Shikamaru, they ended up in the top 1,000.

Chino ranked toward the bottom, and had barely been able to pass.

It was only the second stage, but the previously large number of competitors had already been whittled down by roughly half.

Of course, Naruto's performance caused a huge stir in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and the name Kazama was now planted thoroughly in everyone's minds. Many people were now looking forward to the third stage, to see if he could take first place yet again!

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Dengaku of the Nine Seas God World stood there in illusory form, looking out at the crowds. This time, his gaze lingered on Naruto for a bit longer than it had last time.

Without another word, he then waved his hand, causing everyone to disappear. When they reappeared, they were further along down the Ancient Road. They still stood on altars, although everyone's positions were now changed. Some who were in the lead, were now sent further back, whereas some who had been far in the back, had now caught up.

Only Naruto was alone, far up ahead of everyone on his own altar. Behind him were all the other Dao Seeking cultivators, staring at his back, faces filled with the desire to do battle.

"The previous two stages tested your battle prowess," Dengaku said coolly. "You will now pass through the third, fourth, and fifth stages simultaneously. They will test your latent talent, the depth of your cultivation base, and also… your true age!

"The higher your latent talent, the deeper your cultivation base, and the younger you are, the more outstanding your results will be!

"This is a composite test. Even if you did not perform well in the first two stages, if you do well in this third stage, you can still rise above the other competitors." With that, he waved his hand, causing everything to flash with bright colors, and a wind to pick up. Suddenly, three enormous stone steles rose up out of the altars in front of each competitor.

Each stone stele was inscribed with a single large character.

Talent! Cultivation! Age!

"Place your hand onto the stone stele, and allow its power to enter into you. Let the testing begin!"

The majority of the cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking stepped forward and placed their hands onto the 'talent' stone steles. In the blink of an eye, columns of light began to rise up from the stone steles, each one reaching a different height. Most reached a height of approximately 30 meters. However, there was one that suddenly shot up to 60 meters, drawing quite a bit of attention.

To any sect, the latent talent a cultivator possessed was actually more important than battle prowess.

Next, a 90-meter column of light appeared, then a 150-meter column, a 180-meter column, and even a 300-meter column!

That one belonged to the young woman who had emerged from the second stage right after Naruto. She looked at the column of light, her expression as calm as it usually was.

Behind her, more 300-meter columns appeared. Among the other cultivators who possessed 300-meter columns were the masked young man and the cultivator with the mosquitos. Those two, along with the young woman, were known to the audience by now. The others whose columns reached 300 meters were all people who hadn't attracted much attention in the previous two stages, but were now making a spectacular showing.

"A 300-meter column of light shows an incredible level of latent talent. I never imagined that there would be seven people with such latent talent in the Dao Seeking division of the trial by fire!"

"There are nine in the Spirit Severing division!"

"There are even more in the Nascent Soul division! A total of seventeen 300-meter columns!"

"I wonder how Kazama will perform…." While the crowds outside discussed the proceedings, the Patriarchs in the palace who represented the various sects and clans were looking on with glittering eyes. They eyed the various cultivators with exceptional latent talent, and of course, were looking at Naruto.

Naruto hesitated for a moment. He had never really paid much attention to his latent talent, but he lifted his hand up and then placed it onto the stone stele.

As soon as he touched it, a gentle power spread out into his body from the stone stele. It quickly flowed into his Chakra and Blood passageways, eventually swirling out through his whole body. However, it was at this point that the illusory Immortal meridian created by the bronze lamp suddenly quivered. Then, it began to emit a gravitational force that… instantly sucked up the gentle power from the stone stele.

Naruto's eyes went wide.

On the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, glittering light rose up. Fatty stared blankly at the stone stele in front of him; the beam of light that rose up was only 90 meters tall, although there were still quite a few others that weren't as tall as his.

"Fudge!" he thought, his eyes blazing with fury. "Why the hell isn't my latent talent the best? That doesn't make sense! All those years ago the Golden Frost Sect told me that my latent talent was unequalled in the whole world!" He was especially depressed when he looked over and saw that Shikamaru's column of light was 150 meters tall.

Then he looked over at Guy, and Fatty's eyes went wide with disbelief. Guy's beam of light… was actually among the 300-meter columns!

Chino's wasn't quite 300 meters tall, but was still tall enough at 250 meters.

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, as the competitors placed their hands on the stone steles, radiant light shot up, filling the area with scintillating brightness. Only Naruto's stone stele was completely without any light whatsoever. He smiled wryly.

It was impossible for the stone stele to emit any light whatsoever, because the gentle power that was the source of the light never returned from Naruto's body into the stele. Instead, it had been swallowed up by the ethereal Immortal meridian inside of him.

Right now, the audiences in the outside world were all abuzz. Much importance was attached to the latent talent stage of the event. After all, latent talent was an important foundation for cultivators, and all sects paid close attention to it. As for the cultivators who displayed unusual amounts of latent talent, they were immediately taken note of.

There were quite a few people who looked over at Naruto. He had taken first place in the previous two stages, which put him directly in the limelight. Many people were waiting in anticipation to see if he would take first place in the third stage as well. Of course, there were also others who looked on with cold smiles, just waiting to ridicule him.

By now, all of the stone steles were lit up, be they on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul or Spirit Severing, or the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. Now, all attention was focused on Naruto….

This was especially the case because, after taking first in the first two stages, he was now ahead of everyone on the Ancient Road. There weren't even any other cultivators around him, which made his position even more conspicuous.

"What is Kazama up to?"

"Eee? There's no light coming from the stone stele at all! What's wrong? He can't possibly be completely devoid of latent talent. Even if it's poor, there would still be some light, right?"

"Maybe he didn't actually start the analysis yet. But hold on, his hand is clearly resting on the stele!"

Soon, everyone on the outside was looking over at the image of Naruto on the vortex screens, and were astonished.

The powerful experts from the various sects were also watching, as was everyone in the palace up the starry sky. Everyone from the Three Churches and Six Sects, the Five Great Holy Lands, the Four Great Clans, and even the Three Great Daoist Socities, was now looking at Naruto and his lightless stone stele.

"What crafty scheme is that little bastard pulling off?" thought Patriarch Reliance, his face twisted with fury. Although he had a complex relationship with Naruto, Naruto was the sole Inner Sect disciple from the Reliance sect. Therefore, the scene that was playing out right now left Patriarch Reliance feeling quite disgraced.

Back in the vast Eastern Lands, Minato and Kushina were also staring in shock. They knew exactly what kind of latent talent Naruto had. Although he'd experienced the Seventh Year Tribulation, he was also the first person in the entire Namikaze Clan in years to actually experience a second and even a third lifetime.

Because of that, they knew that his bloodline ran especially strong. A cultivator's bloodline was one of the aspects of their latent talent, so they couldn't understand why the stone stele in front of Naruto did not shine with light.

Naruto cleared his throat and looked around at all the other people and their columns of light. Feeling all the eyes boring down into his back, he slowly lifted his hand up and then pressed it down again onto the stone stele.

The gentle power appeared once again, but just like the last time, the Immortal meridian swallowed it up. It was at this point that Naruto noticed that after absorbing the power, the Immortal meridian was a bit different.

He casually lifted his hand up again and then pushed it down, causing more of the gentle energy to spread out inside him. The spectators looked on in shock as Naruto continuously attempted to activate the light.

After trying seven or eight times, he realized that the Immortal meridian had absorbed too much of the gentle power, and now there wasn't any emanating out from the stone stele at all. However, the Immortal meridian inside of him had changed from it's previous illusory state. About ten percent of it had solidified.

This development caused Naruto's heart to pound with wild joy and excitement. He knew that the moment the Immortal Meridian was complete, he would step into true Immortality.

Suppressing his excitement, he plastered an expression of surprise onto his face and then pushed his hand down onto the stele a few more times experimentally. He glanced around, then looked up, apparently frustrated, and called out into the void: "Senior Dengaku, are you there!? This stone stele is broken! Can I have another?

"Actually, sir, it would be best to bring out several, just in case there are any other broken ones. That will save you some frustration in the long run." He gazed up into the starry sky, an expression of eager anticipation on his face.

Everything was silent. The other cultivators on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking all looked on silently.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs from the various sects were all frowning. However, they knew that the Ruins of Immortality were veiled in mystery. Even though the Three Great Daoist Societies held control of the three Ancient Roads, there were many things about them that they didn't understand.

After a long moment, the Patriarch of the Nine Seas God World said, "Fellow Daoist Dengaku, give him another."

The voice echoed out into the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, and Dengaku materialized out of the void. He looked down indifferently at Naruto, then waved his sleeve, causing the stone stele in front of him to vanish as if had been teleported away. Moments later, it was replaced by another stone stele.

Naruto's eyes gleamed as he quickly reached his hand out and pushed it down onto the stone stele.

"SHINE!" he bellowed. The gentle power once again entered his body and began to flow about. At the same time, an imperceptible flicker appeared in Naruto's eyes as he used both the meat jelly and the black feather to conceal anything that was happening inside of him.

The Immortal meridian quickly sucked in every last bit of the power, although it didn't seem to have a very drastic effect on the meridian itself. Naruto blinked. Then, as Dengaku looked on wide-eyed, he dramatically inspected the stone stele and tried to place his hand onto it several times. Soon, all the power from the stele was sucked away by the Immortal Meridian.

Dengaku wasn't the only person who was paying close attention to what was happening. The people in the starry sky palace were also observing closely, and their frowns deepend.

"There's something wrong!"

"The stone stele isn't defective. Even though everything seems normal, there's actually something strange going on inside of his body."

"He must cultivate some unique Daoist magic…."

As the discussions buzzed in the palace, an old man wearing a long crimson gown suddenly rose to his feet.

"There's no need for any testing," he said. "Ladies and Gentleman, Mount Sun would be happy to dispel any doubts for you. I will recruit him to join Mount Sun, and then all disputes will be resolved." Laughing heartily, he began to walk forward, but then his path was suddenly obstructed.

"There's no need for the Holy Land of Mount Sun to go to that trouble! The Burning Incense Stick Society is more than willing to take the risk of recruiting him."

In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere in the palace was completely astir. As they verbally sparred over the matter, Naruto stood on his altar on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. Sighing, he looked up at the grim-faced Dengaku.

"Senior, this… this one's broken too! Why don't you give me a few more…?"

Dengaku stared at him silently for a moment, then waved his hand. Rumbling echoed out as four stone steles with the character 'talent' inscribed on them suddenly appeared.

Naruto's heart thumped, and he coughed lightly again and began the assessment.

"Hm, this one's broken.

"Eee? This one's broken too! Dammit!

"Heavens! Who would have thought that this one would also be broken!

"I… I can't believe it! This one's broken too!" Naruto looked up with a sheepish, pained expression, as if the Heavens were playing a cruel joke on him. Dengaku looked back with an extremely unsightly expression.

Of course, inwardly, Naruto was extremely excited. Although the five stone steles from just now had not been incredibly effective, they had pushed his Immortal meridian from being ten percent solid to twenty percent.

Of course, all of the crowds looking on in the Ninth Mountain and Sea weren't sure whether to laugh or cry. Although Naruto was no longer in first place, he was actually even more a center of attention than before, when he had placed first.

"Senior, why don't you give me another ten," Naruto said expectantly.

Dengaku's eyelids twitched. With a cold harrumph, he waved his hand, then apathetically announced the first place winner of the third stage.

After that he said, "The next stage assesses cultivation base! Let the assessment begin!"

As his words rang out, the 'talent' stone steles vanished.

The first place winner of the third stage glared at Naruto in frustration, but could do nothing except wallow in anger.

"Senior!" Naruto cried out in distress. "Hey, senior! I'm not done with the assessment! This isn't fair!"

Dengaku completely ignored Naruto, and in fact, vanished into thin air.

Nobody paid any attention to Naruto's complaints whatsoever. At the same time, everyone else on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking stepped forward toward the 'cultivation' stone steles. The Patriarchs in the starry sky palace up above looked on with glittering eyes. Although they had been bickering moments ago, it was all in accord with the various plans they had.

As for the crowds in the Ninth Sea, they had originally had high expectations for the third stage, but after what had happened with Kazama, the mood… was completely different.

"This is so unfair!" grumbled Naruto. He walked forward to the 'cultivation' stone stele, reached out his right hand, and was delighted to find that the gentle power, although somewhat different than the power from before, was actually slightly more powerful. As soon as it entered his body and began to circulate around, the Immortal meridian trembled and then thirstily spread out to absorb all of it.

"Dammit! How could this one be broken too?" exclaimed Naruto, seemingly furious. As all of the other stone steles around him shone with bright light, Naruto continued to attempt to get his to work, looking as though he refused to believe it wouldn't. After the seventh or eighth attempt, he had absorbed enough power from the stone stele to solidify his Immortal meridian to thirty percent.

His cultivation base, with its eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, actually experienced some advancement.

Licking his lips, Naruto once again called out loudly. "This really isn't fair! Senior Dengaku, please, let me switch steles!"

Dengaku materialized and, his expression dark, looked at Naruto and waved his arm. The 'cultivation' stone steles vanished, and then Dengaku's annoyed voice echoed out.

"Pipe down! Any more chatter from you and you'll be disqualified! Next stage, the age assessment!"

Naruto blinked. Feeling slightly guilty, he proceeded toward the 'age' stone stele and pushed his hand down onto it.

On the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, everything was normal. The cultivators on the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing had made incredible progress. These three stages of talent, cultivation, and age assessments tested one's foundation, and as such, were of great importance to the various sects and clans. There were already quite a few people from both the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing whose names had been recorded by the sects. As long as they continued to perform well in the following stages, their future good fortune was essentially guaranteed.

Guy was just such a person!

Unfortunately, Fatty and the others had not yet made it onto any of the lists.

In contrast, the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was in complete chaos. It wasn't that the proceedings themselves were chaotic, but rather, there was a feeling of unpredictability because nobody was paying attention to who would take first place in the assessments of talent, cultivation and age.

All sorts of conversations were playing out throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Just what kind of latent talent does Kazama have? And what cultivation base? How old is he?!"

"I can't believe the stone steles didn't work! They even changed steles several times. There's obviously something special about Kazama!"

"Oh right, who took first in the talent and cultivation assessments?"

"I wasn't really paying attention. I'm just wondering whether the age-assessing stone stele will be effective on Kazama!"

Back on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Naruto was like an unwelcome guest whose style and actions took the wind out of everyone's sails. He was now, once again, the focus of all attention.

Although he wasn't in first place… the current first place competitor was being completely ignored.

More and more sects were becoming interested in Naruto, and in fact, his name had already been recorded by all of the Three Churches and Six Sects. Furthermore, it was in first place on all of those lists!

Naruto bashfully placed his hand on the 'age' stone stele, sucked in the energy, solidifying his Immortal meridian to forty percent.

He felt that it was quite a pity that Dengaku was so stingy. Sighing wistfully to himself, he thought of yelling out another complaint about how unfair it all was, but managed to keep his mouth shut. He said nothing, but rather, stood there gauging the other competitors' columns of light. No matter how high any of those columns were, everyone's faces were extremely unsightly.

"The age-assessing stage is concluded!" announced Dengaku with the flick of a sleeve. Everyone except for Naruto vanished and reappeared on altars further off in the distance.

Naruto had now gone from first place to dead last.

This development caused everyone who was competing in the trial by fire on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking to be very agitated. Virtually, all of them turned to glare back at Naruto, inwardly musing about how benevolent Dengaku was. In their minds, someone like Naruto should obviously have been disqualified immediately.

"He obviously just doesn't have enough latent talent, so he used some insidious technique to disable the stone steles. How shameless!"

"There must be something weird about his cultivation base that he doesn't want anyone to know about. To use such methods to skirt the issue is really detestable. You know, he should be disqualified! Merely getting sent to last place is really showing him mercy!"

"Punish him to sate our anger!"

Everyone on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking was furious at Naruto, especially those who hadn't made a name for themselves in the previous two stages. Those who had excelled in the assessments of talent, cultivation, and age were especially angry.

"This isn't fair!" yelled Naruto.

"Not fair?" replied Dengaku, glaring back at him. "You didn't earn any marks in the last three stages, you wasted several stone steles, and even depleted some of the valuable resources of the Ruins of Immortality! You're lucky to not be disqualified! I dare you to keep yapping!"

Anyone else who was in Naruto's position that received such words and such a gaze from Dengaku would instantly be filled with awe, fear, and concern over the consequences of their words. However, as far as Naruto was concerned, he hadn't come here to join any sect.

"Oh great and powerful senior," he said, "I know that I was in the wrong. Listen, how about this. Just give me three more stone steles to try out. If they don't work, then junior will resign himself to his fate."

Dengaku gaped at Naruto, so angry that he almost felt like laughing. Were it not for Naruto's previous performance having attracted the attention of all the spectators outside, he would definitely disqualify him immediately. Naruto was turning into a real headache. In the end, Dengaku just pretended he didn't hear him.

"The sixth, seventh, and eighth stages will assess your divine sense, willpower, and intuition!"

In response to Dengaku's words, Naruto blinked. Inwardly, he vowed that the next time he saw Fū, he would definitely show her who was boss, and vent his anger toward Dengaku on her.

"You will pass through these three stages simultaneously. Each of you will find yourself in your own world, filled with unique and strange phenomena, which you will use to create your own divine ability!

"Depending on the results of your creation, you will be presented with a certain number of…." At this point, Dengaku faltered for a moment before speaking the final two words.

"… stone steles!"

When Naruto heard the words 'stone steles,' his heart began to thump, and his eyes shone brightly.

Dengaku waved his hand, causing all of the altars began to tremble; massive amounts of fog began to accumulate, covering over everyone present. Then, the power of teleportation spread out, and everyone disappeared.

Outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, everyone settled their Chakra and calmed their minds, then focused on the scenes playing out on the vortex screens. It could be said that the first two stages tested fighting, and the third through fifth stages tested the foundation. In that case, the sixth, seventh and eighth stages tested creativity!

For cultivators, creativity required divine sense, willpower, and of course intuition.

Every time the Three Great Daoist Societies held a recruitment event, shocking and peerless individuals would create divine abilities in these three stages that would become incredibly famous.

Everyone was watching with keen anticipation.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were no longer squabbling, but instead, were watching with rapt attention. The Five Holy Lands, the Three Great Daoist Societies, all of them were closely examining the screens, and the cultivators on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing and Dao Seeking.

The people who had ended up on the name lists of the various sects were the subject of special scrutiny. As long as they maintained good positions during these three stages, then there was no question about whether or not they would eventually be recruited.

As for the rest of the people who hadn't made it onto the name lists, if they performed spectacularly in these three stages, they would surely be noticed and their names would be added to the lists.

Up in the palace among the stars, everyone was sighing emotionally.

"Creating a divine ability is not a simple thing! It's very difficult…. I can't wait to see what stunning divine abilities we will see!"

"In any other place, it would probably be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone in this group who could create a divine ability. However, the Ruins of Immortality are a special place, with a unique power. There are astonishing things here that would normally be very rare, or even nonexistent in the outside world, things that can inspire the competitors, and influence them inwardly."

"That's right, on the Ancient Roads, it will be much easier for them to create divine abilities. If they can't make one here, it shows that their future path will not stretch very far."

"Divine abilities must be created, a process that stems from the intuition of the creator. Willpower could be considered part of intuition, whereas divine will acts as a Dao Protector. In the final analysis, the same objects and the same source of inspiration will be viewed differently by different people, and can lead to different forms of enlightenment."

"From ancient times until now, the Daoist Societies have held this trial by fire on several occasions. The most powerful person to ever participate was Sir Nauma from the Nine Seas God World. When he created his divine ability that year, he caused nineteen stone steles to appear, which is a record that stands to this day!"

"He created The Mortal Sea Becomes Immortal, which was eventually developed into a Daoist magic, one of the most powerful ever!"

Meanwhile, as the people in the starry sky palace were sighing in emotional reminiscence, all of the people being teleported opened their eyes as the scenery around them became clear.

A tremor ran through Naruto as he looked around at completely unfamiliar lands. Everything around him was a mass of black soil that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

It was blazingly hot, and nine suns could be seen high up in the sky, almost like nine mighty Immortals looking out across the lands.

This place was a wasteland!

Scattered structures were visible off in the distance, half sunken into the soil; those that remained above the surface were in a state of collapse. However, carvings of auspicious beasts could be seen on their surfaces, harkening back to their former glory.

A moaning wind blew through the land, brushing against the black soil, causing what sounded like a sad melody to spring up. It filled one with the desire to go searching for whoever might have listened to such a song in the past, but as it floated across the land, it seemed to be drifting through countless ages of time, and ancient memories.

Naruto stood there, completely alone in this vast stretch of land.

The only thing to accompany him was the murmuring wind, the black soil that stretched out in all directions, and the ruins that could be seen off in the distance.

Being in such a location caused Naruto's mood to sink, and his eyes flickered with a strange light.

"So, this place can influence the emotions," he thought, sending his divine sense spreading out. It swept the area, and in addition to everything he had already seen, he could now sense a faint pressure weighing down on him.

If he hadn't sent his divine sense out, he would have never detected it…. Furthermore, he was only aware of it within the range of his divine sense.

Naruto's expression slowly changed as he carefully examined his surroundings using divine sense. Now he could sense that there were actually different ranges of pressures, some strong, some weak, coming from all the various ruins lying about!

It was at this point that Dengaku's voice echoed out to everyone on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. It almost sounded like it was coming from a different world that overlapped with this one.

"Sixth stage, divine sense.

"Seventh stage, willpower.

"Eighth stage, intuition.

"The world you are in contains 99 ruins, as well as a virtually intact Immortal pavilion. The pressure is different in each area, and you will find different forms of enlightenment in each location. The more powerful your divine sense is, the more Immortal ruins you will be able to sense, and the greater your enlightenment will be.

"After you find each Immortal ruin, your willpower will determine whether or not you can stand up to the pressure there.

"Your intuition will decide your final type of enlightenment, and how it becomes a divine ability!" Dengaku's archaic voice echoed about in the wasteland; it almost sounded like he was a figure from ancient times, that his voice was being affected by the agedness of the ruins and then transmitted through time into the ears of the competitors.

The wind whimpered, and the land looked as ancient as ever. Naruto's eyes glittered as he sent his divine sense out and found that it was impossible to cover the entire world. He could only see seven sets of ruins.

The nearest was about three thousand meters away, and it appeared to be a dried up well, surrounded by a broken-down wall.

Naruto strolled over, and when he was about three hundred meters away from the well, he could sense pressure pushing down on him. It was powerful, like a windstorm.

The windstorm bore down on him, accompanied by a voice that, when compared to Dengaku, truly did seem to come from ancient times.

"Whenever I see it, I think of you….

"To anyone who hears my voice in the future: Have you felt the same way as I do? Do you also have an object that makes you think of someone?"

Naruto stopped in place and stared blankly at a vague illusion that suddenly appeared in front of him. He saw a middle-aged man wearing a long white robe, sitting cross-legged in front of the well.

The wall surrounding the well was suddenly intact, and a simple hut could be seen attached to it, the sides of which were covered in bottle-gourd vines.

The middle-aged man seemed to be gazing eternally at the well, as if he were locked in a single moment for all eternity.

It was a simple vision, almost ordinary, but Naruto felt himself trembling. The voice in his ear penetrated into his mind and echoed through his soul.

He thought of many things, many people, many objects.

He wasn't sure when, but at some point, he had walked up, sat cross-legged in front of the well and started staring at it. His mind filled with perplexity and struggle, as if the ancient voice from just now was allowing the dilapidated Ancient ruin here to interfere with his willpower and make him lose himself.

Inside, he was fighting against the pressure, and based on the intensity of his willpower, he was able to maintain a scrap of consciousness that prevented him from losing himself.

After two hours passed, the perplexity in Naruto's eyes slowly faded away, and was replaced with a bright light.

"What an incredible Dao Projection!" thought Naruto. Sweat pouring down his forehead, he took a deep breath and thought back to the daze he had just been in, and it frightened him. If there were any deadly forces in this area instead of just good fortune and chances for enlightenment, then Naruto would have been in great danger just now.

"Divine sense will allow me to find more of these Immortal ruins, and my willpower will enable me to fight back against the pressure. As for intuition, that is what I need to gain enlightenment. That… is what leads to creativity."

After a moment of silence, Naruto continued to sit there cross-legged, recalling everything he had just seen.

"There must be an object which, when I see it, will make me think of someone," he murmured. He opened his bag of holding and swept it with his divine sense. Suddenly, he paused, and his eyes flickered awkwardly.

"Uh…." He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a stack of paper from his bag of holding.

"Every time I look at this particular promissory note, I think of the resplendent Bisuke….

"And this paper makes me think of Guren.

"This one makes me think of Sora.

"And this one… Mei. This one is Chiriku. It's too bad I don't have a promissory note from Fū. Chiyo didn't write one either." After looking over the promissory notes, he smiled wryly and realized that the enlightenment he had experienced didn't seem to be the same as that of the middle-aged man in front of the well.

The man obviously missed an old friend or acquaintance, or perhaps a significant other. Naruto's experience was quite different than that.

Sighing, Naruto put the promissory notes back in his bag of holding and rose to his feet. After looking at the ruins one last time, he flickered off into the distance.

"I don't think the enlightenment of that place suits me," he thought, shaking his head. "If it did, how come I would think of promissory notes in a place that was clearly designed to make one think of old friends?" He turned into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Of course, his divine sense was backed by eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, so when he sent it out to search for another ruin, he quickly found one, and then flew in that direction.

What he found was a dried-up old river.

The only thing left behind was an empty riverbed, and pressure once again radiated out as Naruto neared. This time, there was no voice, only pressure, and this pressure was stronger than that which he had experienced at the well.

He sat down cross-legged in the riverbed and wrestled against the pressure for about an hour. When he returned to his normal state, he was panting, and more sweat poured down his forehead.

"If there are 99 sets of ruins like this, plus an intact Immortal pavilion, then that means that the more enlightenment I gain, the better my results will be when I create my divine ability.

"However… I'm only at the second ruin and it's already so difficult. I wonder how many ruins some of the others have reached enlightenment in." Naruto frowned and looked at the riverbed. Fighting back against the pressure with his willpower, he began to experience a vision.

He saw water flowing up into the sky, and boundless waves. This river seemed capable of shaking Heaven and Earth. As it flowed upward, it cut a huge rift through the sky.

"I bet if I can understand this river," he murmured to himself, "I'll be able to create a divine ability that has to do with flowing water. When I unleash it, a celestial river would appear all around me that would sweep over everything." After thinking about it, he decided that such a divine ability would definitely be powerful. Therefore, he continued to sit there cross-legged, silently trying to reach enlightenment.

However, after six hours flowed by, he opened his eyes in frustration. After all that time, he wasn't even able to organize his thoughts.

"When I look at the river, I know that it can lead to enlightenment about a divine ability, but I can't stop thinking about the river beneath Mount Myoboku, the bottle gourd I threw into it, and the slip of paper that was inside." Scratching his head in puzzlement, he remembered how he had written down his great aspiration onto that note, and how he still hadn't achieved that goal. He couldn't help but sigh. 1

"It seems this place doesn't suit me either," he thought.

Standing, he sent his divine sense out to look for more ruins.

Meanwhile, everyone out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was watching the various scenes playing out on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking. Of course, everything was quite blurry; not even the Patriarchs from the various sects up in the starry sky palace could clearly see what was happening.

After all, these Immortal ruins were filled with incredible power. It wouldn't be until the various participants created their final divine ability that everyone outside would be able to see what was happening.

However, the audience was able to see the three Ancient Roads, and knew that all of the participants were trying to gain enlightenment from the ruins.

Up in the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were discussing the scenes on the screen.

"It seems most of the competitors are still immersed in studying their first Immortal ruin. I wonder what type of enlightenment will be gained by the person who studies the most!?"

"Well whoever that is, they will definitely be able to create an incredibly powerful divine ability, that much is certain."

"That's right, Sir Nauma from the Nine Seas God World gained enlightenment from 91 of the Immortal ruins. That was how he managed to create the stunning and peerless Mortal Sea Becomes Immortal! In the end, he got 19 stone steles!"

"Creating divine abilities has a lot to do with one's disposition. Grand and magnificent people create divine abilities that match their personality, whereas people with narrow thinking tend to make extreme divine abilities. Different personalities, different divine abilities."

It was at this point that the Patriarch from the Burning Incense Stick Society suddenly looked over at Naruto's screen. "Huh? Kazama has already gained enlightenment from two Immortal ruins!"

Shockingly, two bright dots could be seen on Naruto's screen.

Meanwhile, on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, Fatty was sitting next to a woodpile, seemingly in a daze. The woodpile seemed ancient, as if it had existed for countless years, and was over three hundred meters tall, towering above the lands.

At the very top of the woodpile was a magic fungus!

It was an enormous magic fungus shaped like a millstone, completely violet in color, and emanating a fragrant aroma. Fatty swallowed, and then his eyes began to shine brightly.

"That thing is a treasure…. Just smell it and you can tell it's some Heavenly material or Earthly treasure." He immediately produced a flying sword from his bag of holding and sent it flying toward the magic fungus. The sword trembled as it neared, then was hit with a jolt that sent it flying back. The mushroom did not move one iota.

Fatty's eyes shone with determination, and he produced some more magical items, then pushed out hard with his cultivation base. After an hour passed, he had not even succeeded in breaking the magic fungus' skin.

"I don't believe it!" he said, leaping to his feet. Gritting his teeth, he flew up to the magic fungus and then opened his mouth ferociously and bit it.

When he bit down, he couldn't help but scream out in pain as he tumbled backward. Stars swam in his eyes, and his teeth felt as if they might shatter. Tears flowed down his cheeks, and his expression was much the same as that year back in the Violet Fate Sect when Naruto had concocted a special medicinal pill for him to eat.

"I won't back down!" he roared, flying forward again and using all the power he could summon from his cultivation base and focusing it on his treasure-like teeth. Once again, he bit down viciously onto the magic fungus.

Pain washed over him, but Fatty endured it and surged with even more energy.

"There's nothing that Grandpa Fatty can't bite through!" he cried, his eyes shot with blood as he bit down even more viciously. It was fortunate that no one was here to witness what was happening, otherwise they would have been dumbstruck.

If someone were to paint this scene, it would depict Fatty, looking much like a wolfhound as he tore at the magic fungus with his teeth….

After biting it over and over again for an hour, Fatty let out a roar of rage and finally, was able to bite a tiny chunk out of the magic fungus.

His eyes were bright red as he chewed the magic fungus viciously and then swallowed it. He was just about to continue with his efforts when suddenly, a tremor ran through him, and he flopped over onto his back, unconscious.

After lying there unmoving for two hours, he finally opened his eyes, and they looked blank.

"What a dream!" he thought. "I saw myself creating a divine ability…." After a moment, his eyes began to shine with a bright light, and he resumed ripping at the magic fungus until he tore off another chunk, after which he passed out again.

The cycle repeated itself over and over again, so many times that even Fatty was unaware of how long it had been going on. Eventually, he had managed to eat about half of the magic fungus.

Also on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul was Guy, who stood silently next to an enormous boulder. A brush could be seen in his hand, and his expression was blank, as if he were submerged in a reverie. Finally, he extended his hand and began to draw the image of a woman.

It was none other than his wife, Rock Lee.

"My spirit has darkened," he murmured, "but I won't forget love, not for the rest of my life."

In another location was Shikamaru, in front of whom was an enormous bronze mirror that looked completely and utterly ancient. He sat there cross-legged, staring at the image of himself in the mirror.

A vicious expression could be seen on his face, which was sometimes replaced by blankness, and then other times, an expression of enlightenment. He had already been sitting there for a long time.

His voice was hoarse as he said: "When I look at the world, when I look out at Heaven and Earth, I see the future, and I see the past…. However, I know that these eyes of mine can see more than that!" He almost appeared to be on the verge of going mad.

When Naruto, Dong Hu, and Shikamaru had joined the Reliance Sect that year, Naruto could be described as quick-witted, Dong Hu as somber, and Shikamaru as stubborn!

There was one other familiar person on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, Chino.

She wore a long white robe, and walked slowly across the black soil, sending out divine sense until she found an Immortal ruin off in the distance.

She would not make her selection casually, nor rashly begin to test herself against the ruin. That was her personality.

After walking along for some time, she finally came across a blood-colored lake. At one time, the lake had been vast and deep, but now there wasn't much left to it.

At the very bottom, a bloody flower was visible.

It was an orchid that was as red as blood.

A Blood Orchid.

Chino looked at the orchid silently for a while, after which a gleam of determination appeared in her eyes, and she walked toward it. This was the first ruin she had selected. Now that she had made her decision, she would see it through to the end. That was her personality.

"There is much good fortune in this world," she murmured softly, "and I can't have all of it. I just want to find something that is suitable for me, that will be good enough." As she walked toward the Blood Orchid, she felt increasing pressure. Eventually, she sat down cross-legged, her expression blank as she submerged herself in contemplation.

Virtually all of the people on the three Ancient Roads were similarly deep in contemplation. Some were like Chino, who made her selection carefully. Others tried out one Immortal ruin after another.

Different personalities. Different paths.

Time passed. Everyone was fighting for their own future, attempting to gain enlightenment regarding their own personal divine ability. The crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were all watching closely and patiently. This was the creation of a divine ability, not some simple copy of some other magic. The more time one spent developing the divine ability, the more likely it would lead to something breathtaking.

"After these three stages, there will definitely be people who become famous overnight and draw the attention of all of the sects. There might even be some people, whether they are on the name lists or not, who be immediately recruited!"

"There will also be people who suffer disastrous failures and completely lose any advantage they previously had."

"We definitely have to watch closely in case someone creates a ten-stele divine ability. In the future, that person will surely be deemed Chosen."

Conversations like this played out in many of the various areas in the Ninth Mountain and Sea where people had gathered to watch the trial by fire. Some of those people were Chosen like Bisuke, who had been to Planet Lands of Ninshu, but most of them were people who had never seen Naruto, only heard of his name.

As of this moment, all of these Chosen were watching the trial by fire with their own thoughts and feelings.

They knew that there very well might be people participating who in future days would be their competition within their own sect.

Time passed by. Soon, three days had passed. Naruto had already passed through 19 Immortal ruins, and after spending some time at each one had left disappointed and wondering if something was defective about him.

"It's so depressing…." he said with a sigh. "How come the enlightenment I achieve at each of these ruins always has to do with spirit stones…." Currently, he was walking up to an enormous copper mirror, which, as soon as he laid eyes on it, filled him with the impulse to pull out a spirit stone and put it on the surface of the mirror.

After a moment, Naruto left the mirror, his face filled with determination.

"Apparently each one of these ruins makes me involuntarily think about spirit stones. That inevitably leads to thinking about those promissory notes… Well then, I'll just make a divine ability that's completely unique!" Taking a deep breath, he made his decision, and his eyes began to shine with a strange light. The more he thought about it, the more sense his choice made.

His body flashed as he shot off toward another Immortal ruin.

More time went by. Fatty had passed out and regained consciousness numerous times during the past few days. Every time he awoke, he would grab hold of the mushroom and viciously chomp a few bites out of it. He was currently chewing the final mouthful of the magical fungus. Feeling a bit anxious about leaving anything behind, he bit a chunk out of the wooden stump that the mushroom had been growing out of, swallowed it down, and then passed out again with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, and a look of anticipation.

Guy still stood in front of the boulder, painting his beloved wife. His brush moved with increasing quickness, and Rock Lee's image was becoming clearer and more and more lifelike with each brushstroke.

Shikamaru continued to sit in front of the bronze mirror, his eyes bloodshot to the point where tears of blood were dripping down his face and onto his clothes. His entire body was trembling, and blue veins bulged out on his face and neck. His expression was savage and hideous.

"I can see more than this!"

As Chino quietly stared at the Blood Orchid, her previously white clothes were beginning to turn red, the exact same red as the flower itself.

Three more days passed. Naruto had now passed through 39 Immortal ruins. It was at this point that rumbling echoed out from the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, and all the cultivators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea who were watching the Ancient Roads turned their attention to the Nascent Soul vortex screen with eagerness.

"Someone succeeded!"

"The sound's coming from the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul! I wonder how many stone steles will appear!"

The Patriarchs in the palace floating in the sky all began to look over.

On the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, an old man had lifted his head back and was laughing uproariously. He waved his hand, and all of the black-colored mud and soil around him suddenly lifted up into the air, then began to form together into a statue. It had three heads and six arms, and as soon as it fully coalesced, emanated a shocking might.

"I have gained the enlightenment of this barrow!" declared the man. "This soil contains spirits, spirits that I will transmogrify into the divine wills of the people who are buried here! This will become my divine ability, which I shall henceforth name… Descent of the Spirits!"

As the old man's voice rang out, two stone steles rumbled out from the void to land in front of him. A powerful glow could be seen that filled the entire world, revealing everything clearly to the onlookers.

"Two stone steles…. Not bad! This guy's pretty good!"

"He also used the least amount of time. Earlier, nobody really noticed him, but now people are going to start paying attention to him." As the discussions continued among the spectators, the representatives from the various sects quickly began to add the old man's name to their records.

However, even while the old man's laughter was still ringing out, rumbling sounds could be heard from seven or eight other cultivators on the three various Ancient Roads, as they too completed their divine abilities.

Rumbling filled the air as one stone stele after another descended. In all cases, though, there were only two pillars, never three.

In the following days, more and more contestants completed their divine abilities, one after another. All of the three Ancient Roads were the same. At the very least, one stone stele appeared, and at the most, four, which of course attracted much attention.

Suddenly, on the seventh day, on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, a roar could be heard unlike anything before it.

The old man with the age-transformation powers now bore the appearance of a middle-aged man, an age that was truly the prime of life. He floated in midair, performing an incantation gesture, causing an extra layer of skin to appear on him, which then began to peel off as if he was molting. These were not scattered bits of flesh, but a fully connected body of skin!

The skin seemed to be smiling, although that smile was horrifying to look at!

"I have created this divine ability, Life Possession!" he said coolly as he floated there in midair. "This skin that I have shed can possess the body of even a false Immortal!" Everything rumbled as eight stone steles descended.

Those eight steles caused wild colors to flash about, and sent the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea completely abuzz.

There were even several Patriarchs in the starry sky palace whose eyes shone with gleams of surprise.

"Eight stone steles! What a shocking creation!"

"He performed well in the previous stages, and now that he's created an eight-stele divine ability, it goes to show that he definitely has potential!"

"Hahaha! The Three Great Daoist Societies might not spare him a second glance, but the Seven Seas Sect must have disciples such as him."

The outside world was in an uproar, too. Eight stone steles was currently the most that had appeared for anyone.

Almost in the same moment as the eight stone steles descended, rumbling could be heard coming from the images of more people on the Ancient Roads trial, as if some specific critical point had been reached. More divine abilities appeared, although none of them caused eight steles to descend; at most, six appeared.

But then… an incredible noise rose up on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, and everything began to tremble. Wind screamed and massive energy surged that stifled even the old man with the eight stone steles. Soon, all of the powerful experts in the outside world were looking over.

The source of the noise… was Fatty!

He hadn't made a very big impression in the previous stages, mostly because of his lack of control. Now, he opened his eyes, and while they seemed blank at first, it was possible to see that nearly half of the huge woodpile had been consumed; it appeared to be in a shambles.

Fatty rose numbly to his feet, then suddenly opened his mouth and took a deep breath. That breath caused the Heavens to tremble, and clouds to gather together. In the blink of an eye… an enormous mouth was visible up above.

The mouth was filled with numerous razor-sharp teeth, and as it bit down toward the ground, it grew larger and larger, until it was more than ten thousand meters wide. Everything trembled violently as the enormous mouth slashed through anything and everything to take an enormous bite.

Everyone on the outside looked on with wide eyes and slack jaws.

It was at this point that the Heavens rippled as thirteen stone steles descended, rumbling, from up above. They were floating in the air around Fatty as his eyes grew clear from his previous reverie.

"Thirteen stone steles! What… what divine ability did that fat guy create?!"

"Thirteen stone steles! That's second only to Sir Nauma from back in the day! This little fatty is extraordinary! I never imagined that he would have such powerful intuition!"

In the palace in the starry sky, the sect Patriarchs were all watching with wide eyes. Even the Three Daoist Societies were shocked. It was at this point that the Patriarch from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, one of the Five Holy Lands, suddenly rose to his feet. It was with incredible speed, and before anyone could react, that he shot forward and disappeared into the screen up ahead.

There were four other Patriarchs who stood up, but they weren't fast enough, and the Patriarch from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum suddenly appeared in the world in front of Fatty. He had long gray hair that draped down over his shoulders, and wore a long robe.

"What is the name of this divine ability?!" he asked as soon as he materialized. He immediately waved his hand, causing the entire area to be locked down so that no one else could enter.

Fatty started shivering.

"I'm not sure," he replied, unsure of how this old man had appeared in front of him. "I just ate some of that wood, and the magical fungus, then I had a dream about being really hungry, and my gums were itching and I constantly felt like I had to file my teeth and eat stuff."

"Excellent, excellent. A loyal personality and an excellent divine ability. Henceforth, it shall be known as Gulping Down Heaven!

"Are you willing to join the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum as one of our disciples?!" The old man's eyes shone with a mysterious and approving light as he looked at Fatty.

"Uh, alright," replied Fatty, blinking. Then he asked, "But… but what about all my beloved concubines back home? Can they come with me?"

"As I thought, you're a man who values relationships. Don't worry. Your concubines may also join the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum!" With an emotional sigh, the old man waved his hand. Fatty was covered with a brilliant light, and then he vanished, and the world around him collapsed. Back in the palace in the starry sky, the various Patriarchs weren't very happy, but there was nothing they could do.

The other Patriarchs were angrily grumbling in the palace up in the starry sky.

"Dammit, I was just a bit too slow and lost out on a potential star! He got snatched away!"

In the outside world, great waves of shock rolled about as a consequence of Fatty being taken as a disciple.

"What was that fat guy's name again? I can't believe he got taken as a disciple by the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, one of the Five Great Holy Lands!"

"I'm pretty sure his name is Choji. His life is sure going to be different from now on!"

"Considering he made a thirteen-stele divine ability, that Choji is definitely Chosen. Think about it; it won't be long before he has a cultivation base breakthrough. Eventually, he'll definitely get to Dao Seeking, and then he'll then move on to Immortality!"

"But what about that tree stump he was on top of? How come it had all those bite marks, as if a dog had been chewing on the wood? Was it like that from the beginning?"

All of the spectators outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were shaken inwardly. Some couldn't figure out what to think, others were filled with envy.

As the discussions continued, another rumbling sound could be heard from the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul. This time, it came from Chino. By now, her garments were entirely the color of blood. She sat cross-legged next to the Blood Orchid, almost as if she herself had become a part of it!

She opened her eyes, and in that moment, the Blood Orchid… completely wilted!

When that happened, Chino's countenance shone with unprecedented spirit and vigor. Instantly, her cultivation base rose up, pushing her immeasurably close to Spirit Severing.

At first, she looked confused, but once she regained clarity, she performed an incantation with her delicate hand and then pointed up into the air. All the Heavens up above turned blood red, and a Blood Orchid materialized over her and slowly began to bloom.

Rumbling echoed out, and one stone stele after another descended from the blood-red Heavens. One, two, three… ten, twelve… thirteen….

In the end, fourteen stone steles fell from up above to stand tall in the earth around Chino, causing everything to tremble and shake. As Chino rose to her feet, she was the complete focus of all attention.

The audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea exploded into an uproar.

"Heavens! She's even more shocking than that fat guy! Fourteen stone steles!"

"She was enlightened about the Blood Orchid? The Church of the Blood Orchid is definitely going to go crazy! They won't hesitate to pay any price to recruit her!"

"How could it be that two Chosen appeared on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul? Neither of them were very eye-catching before, and yet now, they're so shocking!"

When Fatty made his debut, five Patriarchs in the starry sky palace had flown out, including the Patriarch from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. Now, however, seven people flew into the air. No one from the Three Great Daoist Societies had moved a muscle. However, even the Patriarch from Moonset Lake, one of the Five Great Holy Lands, was in motion.

The seven Patriarchs reached the screen at the same time, and then all of them appeared in front of Chino in the world of the trial by fire.

"Girl, are you willing to join the Moonset Lake, one of the Five Great Holy Lands?!"

"The Five Great Holy Lands already have plenty of Chosen," said another of the seven. "If you join them, you might never be able to distinguish yourself. Based on your powers of understanding, you could definitely be an Empress of this generation in the Church of the Emperor Immortal!" Everyone was now trying to recruit Chino.

It was at this point that an old man wearing a blood-colored robe suddenly spoke up.

"You were enlightened regarding the Blood Orchid, and used that to create a divine ability. This shows that you have destiny connecting you to the Church of the Blood Orchid. Join us, and you will be in line to become our Holy Daughter!" The other six Patriarchs present were all shocked. The cultivators recruited from within the trial by fire usually had to pass through a probationary period. However, the Patriarch from the Church of the Blood Orchid offered to make a candidate their Holy Daughter, which was not in keeping with the general rule. However, considering she had been enlightened regarding the Blood Orchid, the others could understand.

Chino looked quietly for a moment at the old man from the Church of the Blood Orchid. Finally, she made a curtseying bow.

"Senior, I am Chino, and I am willing to join the Church of the Blood Orchid."

The uproar in the outside world grew even more intense. Chino left with the Patriarch from the Church of the Blood Orchid, after which all the cultivators from that organization knew that a young woman named Chino was like the fish who had jumped over the dragon gate, and had successfully passed her examination.

In the future, her glory would likely exceed that of Choji. She had gained enlightenment of the Blood Orchid, and had then created a divine ability from it. To the Church of the Blood Orchid, which had been established because of the Blood Orchid itself, this definitely qualified her to be a candidate to become a Holy Daughter.

By this time, Naruto had passed through 72 Immortal ruins. Fewer people were paying attention to him because of all the commotion caused by Fatty and Chino. However, some people with especially high cultivation bases were the type to consider the future, and look deeply into matters.

They did not participate in the various discussions, but when they saw Naruto gaining enlightenment from so many Immortal ruins, they were inwardly shocked. The Patriarchs in the palace were also paying attention to this, although no one took the initiative to say anything about it.

By now it was obvious that if any of the other sects tried to fight over someone like Naruto, they would be forced to offend the Three Great Daoist Societies. After all… the Three Great Daoist Societies were in charge of the entire trial by fire.

Everyone well knew that in the assessment of divine ability creation, only those with wild ambitions could gain enlightenment from so many Immortal ruins. Regardless of whether it be on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Spirit Severing, or the Nascent Soul, there were few people who walked the same path as Naruto. Most others gained enlightenment from a handful at most, which was a vast difference from Naruto.

As people in the outside world discussed the matter of Chino and Fatty, Shikamaru sat cross-legged in front of the bronze mirror. His eyes were completely red, and continuously dripped with blood. His body was trembling, almost as if he were possessed.

"I can see even more! I can see everything….

"My latent talent doesn't measure up to Dong Hu, and my cultivation base is not as good as Naruto's. But I refuse to back down!" More blood built up in Shikamaru's eyes, and his pupils seemed on the verge of exploding.

"This is my only chance. In the past several stages, nobody was paying attention to me. But now… I WILL rise to prominence!

"I want to see… everything! I want to see all destinies. My eyes will see what lies beyond the Heavens, and past the underworld that lies beneath the Earth!" Blood flowed out of his eyes continuously, and his pupils were beginning to shatter.

After ten breaths of time… a rumbling sound could be heard from the world in which Shikamaru sat. At the same time, Shikamaru's murmuring voice could be heard.

"I can see now…." In the instant he spoke the words, his eyes suddenly collapsed into pieces. Everything in front of him went black, and from this instant, was gone for all eternity. As his eyes shattered, he closed them.

The shattering occurred in a split second, and as it did, the world around Shikamaru cracked and… exploded into pieces.

As everything fell apart, he rose to his feet. Stone steles were descended through the shattered canopy above, one after another. By now, all attention on the outside world was focused on Shikamaru.

They saw the world shatter, and saw the stone steles descended, and everyone gasped.

One, five, ten, thirteen, fifteen….

A total of sixteen stone steles descended, swirling around Shikamaru, who stood there quietly with his eyes closed.

"Henceforth, my eyes shall remain closed in perpetuity. Should they open, Heaven and Earth will experience shocking changes!

"My divine ability, is called…. Blackest Night."

As Shikamaru's voice rang out, the Ninth Mountain and Sea looked on in astonishment.

"Sixteen stone steles! There are actually sixteen stone steles!"

"That's Heaven-defying! From ancient times until now, the only person who ever exceeded that is Sir Nauma of the Nine Seas God World, whose exploits are recorded in the ancient records!"

"I bet even the Three Great Daoist Societies are shocked!"

In the starry sky palace, many of the Patriarchs of the various sects gasped as they watched Shikamaru. Even they were shocked by what they were seeing.

"He destroyed his own eyes to create a divine ability, leaving him blind! However, considering his battle prowess, even though he's in the Nascent Soul stage, he's capable of slaughtering Spirit Severing! When he reaches Dao Seeking, if he opens his eyes, the result will be shocking."

"How ruthless! How stubborn!"

Ten people flew toward the display screens with incredible speed. The fastest was the Patriarch from Moonset Lake. However, he did not enter the screen, but rather turned and clasped hands to everyone else.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Daoists, the Daoist magic of Moonset Lake is quite suitable for this child. After the moon sets, there is no light in the sky. Instead, the black night is endlessly deep. I request… that you please do not fight with me over this child!

"Daoist Elders of the Three Great Daoist Societies, if you give some face to Moonset Lake, then we promise to repay the favor in future days!" He clasped hands and bowed deeply, his expression very somber. Everyone else stopped in their tracks, their eyes glittering. No one spoke, but instead looked toward the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies.

The Patriarch from the Nine Seas God World thought for a moment and then nodded his head. "I take no issue."

Sitting in the center position of the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies was an old man who had the bearing of a transcendent being. He wore a white robe, and had a calm expression. Immortal Chakra swirled around him as he said, "There is a person here who has destiny with the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. However, he will not join us during this trial by fire. Actually, the only reason I agreed to hold this event was to see him. The person you have mentioned is not him, so I will do nothing to stop you."

Next to him was an old man from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. He smiled slightly, a smile that seemed somewhat cold and almost looked like a fierce sword.

"I have also taken a liking to this child, but… huh?" The old man from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto had just begun speaking when suddenly, his face flickered, and he looked over at the screens. Next to him, the Patriarchs from the Nine Seas God World and the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite did the same.

"91!"

"He's gained enlightenment from 91 Immortal ruins!"

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Naruto stood in a tall pagoda. When his eyes opened, they seemed confused, but quickly regained clarity. Without pause, he left and headed in another direction.

He sent his divine sense out, looking for more Immortal ruins, eventually finding the 92nd, and then the 93rd….

Time passed by on the Ancient Roads. One person after another created their divine abilities, but none were as shocking as those which had occurred earlier. Guy created his divine ability, but only eight stone steles descended in response.

At any other time, it would have been shocking, but at this point, it was nothing especially noteworthy.

Time passed, and now more attention was being paid to the participants who had not created their divine abilities yet, but were still continuing to gain enlightenment from the Immortal ruins. Everyone understood that these people would either fail, or would have Heaven-defying results.

Once again, Naruto became the center of attention. By now, the number of Immortal ruins he had gained enlightenment from had exceeded that of Sir Nauma!

"96!"

"Does he really seem like the kind of person who can gain enlightenment from all 99 ruins? From ancient times until now, less than a hundred people have ever done that! Of course, of all those people, Sir Nauma was the only person that ended up creating a nineteen-stele divine ability!"

"No one else could measure up to Sir Nauma. I wonder how many stone steles… will descend when Kazama creates his divine ability!?"

Outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, everyone was watching Naruto and discussing his progress.

"Maybe he'll outdo Shikamaru from earlier. Or who knows, maybe he won't match up!"

"There's no way he'll come in behind Shikamaru. From ancient times until now, less than a hundred people have ever gained enlightenment from more than 90 Immortal Ruins!"

"You can tell that this Kazama has terrifying divine sense and incredible willpower. The final creation of his divine ability will truly be a test of his intuition!"

In the palace in the starry sky, each and every one of the various Patriarchs were also staring fixedly at the screen that represented Naruto's area.

While everyone paid such close attention to the screens, Naruto was standing atop a towering cliff. His eyes opened, and his expression was blank like before. Then he headed off into another direction.

Nearby the cliff were the ruins of an archaic temple. This was the 97th Immortal ruin he had gained enlightenment from, which then caused another dot of light to appear on his screen in the outside world. That immediately sent everyone into an uproar.

"97 Immortal ruins! This Kazama defies the Heavens!"

"I can't wait to see whether or not he can create an even more Heaven-defying divine ability!"

"It's not guaranteed. Of all the people who have done a similar thing, only Sir Nauma followed up with a peerless divine ability!"

As for all the other people who were going about the trial by fire in the same way as Naruto, the person with the next greatest amount of Immortal ruins under their belt only had 83!

That was the young man in the mask. Had Naruto not participated in the trial by fire, he would definitely have been the complete center of attention in the previous stages, and would now be in first place.

Naruto's appearance on the scene cast him in the shadows.

Currently, he had no idea what was going on outside his own world. His expression was one of determination as he gritted his teeth and continued onward. He left the 83rd Immortal ruin and then began to search for another.

As more time passed, they made slower and slower progress. It took a few days before Naruto finally regained his senses in the 97th Immortal Ruin. After sitting there cross-legged for some time, he slowly rose to his feet and made his way to a different location, a deep crater.

Glittering light could be seen deep within the crater, as if, years in the past, a meteor had smashed down here.

This was not a location that just anyone could find. Anyone who did find it would find it difficult to endure the pressure. Only Naruto, with his incredible divine sense and shocking willpower, was able to descend into the crater and then sit down cross-legged.

"98!" The crowds in the outside world were shocked, and the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace looked on with glittering eyes.

"After this, there's only one more, and that will be all 99!"

"From ancient times until now, no one in the Spirit Realm has ever gained enlightenment from so many Immortal ruins on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking!"

"Who exactly is this Kazama?! Where is he from? If he can really pull it off, his fame will shake all of the Ninth Mountain!" The outside world was abuzz, but the palace in the starry sky was dead silent.

All of the Patriarchs from the various sects were paying close attention, and none of them were speaking.

As for the other competitors in the trial by fire, no one was paying attention to any of them. Even the masked young man, who had just reached the 88th Immortal ruin, was behind Naruto, who was clearly in first place.

Five days passed!

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He looked exhausted, and even more blank than before. This time, he had teetered on the edge of not awakening. The crater was filled with chunks and fragments of stone, each one of which emitted different auras, which had combined together to transform into an ancient vortex that influenced the mind.

It was as if he had been experiencing a Daoist magic that came straight from an ancient era. Someone had waved a hand, and a star up above was crushed down into a meteor, which then slammed into the ground.

The massive blow had cracked the land, and shattered some of the heavenly bodies up above. In that instant, Naruto had felt as if his own divine sense were being ripped to shreds. It was only by virtue of his intense willpower that he was able to claw his way back to lucidity.

"More and more difficult…." he thought. "I've already gained enlightenment from 98 Immortal ruins. According to what Dengaku said, there are a total of 99 Immortal ruins, and after that, an intact Immortal pavilion!

"But, after sending my divine sense out, I can sense the final Immortal ruin, but not any Immortal pavilion.

"Unfortunately, even with my divine sense, I'm only able to sense the general direction of that final Immortal ruin, and not anything specific about it. However, I have a premonition that it… is very dangerous!" After a moment, he stood up and walked silently out of the crater. After that, he stood on the edge of the crater, thinking.

He was currently hesitating about whether to continue onward, or just make his divine ability right here. By this point, he already had some ideas about what type of divine ability he wanted to create.

After a moment, his eyes shone with decisiveness. He was not the type of person to back down easily. Even if the danger was great, he was stubborn. Were that not the case, he would not have been able to travel the long path from being a scholar to possessing eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal!

"The more powerful the divine ability, the more stone steles will descend. And I need stone steles!" Naruto took a deep breath, ceased any thoughts of hesitation, then headed off in the direction of the 99th Immortal ruin, as indicated by his divine sense.

Although he didn't know the specific location, Naruto was confident that he would be able to find it. He just needed to expend a little bit of time.

One day. Two days. Three days….

The palace in the starry sky was completely silent as the Patriarchs of the various sects looked on.

Then, an archaic voice echoed out within the palace. This person had not spoken at all yet, nor had he attempted to solicit recruits. It was an old man from the Baldy Society.

"Can he find the 99th Immortal ruin? Actually, I'm very curious about something. This 99th ruin which is shared by all three Ancient Roads… what exactly does it look like?

"Fellow Daoists of the Three Great Daoist Societies, could you quell my curiosity?"

Were it any other sect that inquired about the matter, the Three Great Daoist Societies would pay no heed to the question. But the Baldy Society was different. The three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies exchanged glances, after which the old man from the Nine Seas God World spoke up.

"According to the legends, during the great war, the three exalted Paragons united all of the Immortal Ancient Doyens. They extracted all of the Immortal Chakra from the world and sacrificed it to a boundless spirit, which was the fallen… Pāramitā Heaven-Trampling Foundation!" 1

These words provoked a collective gasp from all of the Patriarchs. Looks of astonishment appeared on their faces, and some of them even rose to their feet.

"WHAT?!"

"The legendary Pāramitā Foundation?"

The Baldy Society elder's eyes went wide. He said nothing, but from his expression, he was clearly shaken.

Time passed, and Naruto continued to search for the 99th Immortal ruin. More people created divine abilities on the three Ancient Roads. There were also people who failed, and chose to give up.

Seven days later, there were only seven people on the three Ancient Roads who had yet to create a divine ability!

Those seven people were now the subject of intense scrutiny. Everyone was watching to see what would happen. There was one person on the Ancient Road of the Nascent Soul, two people on the Ancient Road of Spirit Severing, and the remaining four were on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

One of them was the young man in the mask, another was the cultivator with the mosquitos.

"If anybody in this trial by fire can exceed twenty stone steles, it's one of these seven!"

"See that one, with 90 Immortal ruins? His name is Ashitaba, that cultivator with the mask. He's yet another that has gained enlightenment of 90!" 2

"This is really incredible. Now there's a second person in this trial by fire who has acquired enlightenment from 90 Immortal ruins!"

There were many cries of shock in the crowds in the outside world as quite a few people began to pay attention to the masked young man, Ashitaba. As for the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace, they too would occasionally glance away from Naruto to look at the masked young man's screen.

Currently, Naruto was making his way through the world, following the direction of his divine sense as he searched for the 99th Immortal ruin. He had already searched for seven days, and felt certain that he had thoroughly explored all of the areas indicated by his divine sense. Despite that, he still hadn't found the ruin.

"Just… where is it?" Suddenly, Naruto stopped in place. Frowning, he looked around silently, and then simply closed his eyes. He sent his divine sense out again, and could vaguely sense that there were Immortal ruins up ahead of him. When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing.

Muttering to himself, he closed his eyes again. Then, without opening his eyes, he began to walk forward. It was using this method that he proceeded on for about two hours until, suddenly, his body trembled.

He did not open his eyes, and yet, was able to see something incredible with his divine sense, right there in front of him.

He saw… nine bridges! 3

Nine incredibly shocking bridges that seemed to rise above the heavens. The sight of these bridges was unmatchably astonishing as they rose up into the air, each one higher than the one before it. They formed something that almost looked like a staircase, linking up into the boundless starry sky.

As he examined the bridges with his divine sense, Naruto gradually got the feeling that if someone could tread these nine bridges all the way to their end, then that person would definitely become matchlessly powerful.

Naruto's body was trembling; there was an indescribable pressure radiating out from the bridges, something that seemed capable of crushing him in an instant. Right now, it wasn't being sent out at full force, but rather, simply swirling around the bridges.

Even still, Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered backward several paces. He had the intense sensation that these nine bridges were actually incomplete. Were they intact, then even looking at them would destroy him in body and spirit.

"What exactly are these bridges?!" he gasped, not daring to open his eyes. He carefully observed with his divine sense, and began to experience a vision.

He saw illusory images of things that had happened countless years in the past. He saw a figure that looked like a sun attempting to tread on the bridges. However, before he could get past the first bridge, he shattered into countless pieces.

He saw an old man with white hair, who radiated boundless coldness. He stepped onto the first bridge, then the second….

As he proceeded higher and higher, he became more and more powerful. In the end, all the colors in the sky and the land faded. The ninth bridge began to tremble, as if it couldn't stand up to the old man's steps.

The old man reached the end and stood atop the final bridge. Then he turned, and Naruto was able to clearly see his eyes. In that instant, Naruto's mind filled with roaring.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he once again staggered back. When he lifted his head back up, he unhesitatingly opened his eyes.

As soon as his eyes opened, the nine bridges vanished. The air up ahead of him was absolutely empty, devoid of any object.

"This place is the location of the 99th Immortal ruin!" Naruto was panting, and his eyes glowed with a strange light. He wiped the blood from his mouth, sat down cross-legged, and rotated his cultivation base to begin healing his injuries.

It was at this point that, in the outside world, 99 dots of light appeared on the screen which represented him in the outside world!

99!

"He found it!" In the palace, the old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies were all watching with brightly shining eyes. This was especially true of the old man from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, whose entire face glowed with unprecedented brightness.

"He is the first person from ancient times until now to tread the Ancient Road with a Spirit Realm cultivation base and find the Pāramitā Heavenly Foundation!"

"He can only observe from a distance, not get near. Based on his divine sense and willpower, he should be able to determine that it isn't safe. He won't brazenly get close."

"That depends on his good fortune. In these worlds of the sixth, seventh, and eighth stages, time passes differently than in the outside world. Actually, contemplating enlightenment for one day in there is like spending ten years at it out here!"

Murmured conversations filled the palace.

In contrast, the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were buzzing with chatter.

When they saw the 99th dot of light, everyone knew exactly what it meant. Everyone was in an uproar, and now, the name Kazama was deeply imprinted in the hearts of everyone present.

Even as everyone on the outside was in a tumult, Naruto opened his eyes. He breathed heavily for a moment, then gritted his teeth and closed his eyes again. He sent his divine sense out to once again observe the nine astonishing bridges.

The bridges appeared to be complete, but Naruto knew that if they had been, he would have been killed simply by looking at them. Right now, even observing them from a distance caused him to be injured. Actually, it was a good thing the bridges were broken down. Otherwise, considering his cultivation base, as soon as his divine sense touched them, he would have been completely annihilated.

"Nine Heaven-defying bridges like this were actually destroyed…. These are no mere bridges! They were obviously especially created to allow cultivators to experience incredible cultivation base growth, to be able to punch through to an incredible realm of power!

"I never imagined that I would be able to see something like this here! This is extremely good fortune for me!" As he thought about it, Naruto's mind suddenly trembled.

"There was never any rule about only being able to create one divine ability…. In that case, why not create two?" Originally, Naruto had already devised a plan to create a divine ability, but after seeing the nine bridges, a new form of enlightenment had appeared in his mind, which then transformed into the shape of a divine ability. Furthermore, he didn't wish to give up on either of the two ideas.

The first divine ability aligned perfectly with his personality. As for the second one, Naruto sincerely desired to possess it.

He took a deep breath and then decided to stop thinking about it. He focused his divine sense on the nine bridges, and on resisting the pressure. Not only was he imprinting the image of the bridge onto his mind, he decided to try to get a bit closer, to acquire a bit of good fortune from the pressure weighing down.

Time slowly passed by.

Ten days later, only four people remained. The other three had finally realized they couldn't continue to gain enlightenment from the Immortal ruins, and had decided to create their divine abilities. Of those three, the individual who had found the most Immortal ruins had found 76.

The divine abilities they created were powerful. One of them caused eleven stone steles to descend, which provoked a lot of attention.

Ten more days passed, and of the four remaining people on the Ancient Roads, two of them could not continue, and chose to create their divine abilities. One of them was the young man with the mosquitos, who had found 89 Immortal ruins. At that point, he created a thirteen-stele divine ability.

Quite a few people were astonished by this, and the young man quickly rose to prominence.

As of this moment, there were only two people left on the Ancient Road. One of them was Naruto, and the other was the young man in the mask, Ashitaba!

Ashitaba had already found the 93rd Immortal ruin, and was now the second person in the trial by fire to have exceeded Sir Nauma.

He and Naruto were the focus of the attention of the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Three more days passed. Naruto coughed up some blood, and his vision went blurry. During the more than twenty days that had passed, he had sustained injuries on multiple occasions as he forced himself to continue to contemplate the nine bridges, and imprint their image on his mind.

It was difficult, but with his intense willpower, he was slowly but surely able to continue to grind away. He was not so wildly ambitious that he intended to commit all nine bridges to memory, only the first one.

Finally, the twenty-first day arrived. In this special location, contemplating enlightenment for that amount of time was like spending more than two hundred years on the outside. Rumbling filled Naruto's mind, and his eyes shone with the glow of enlightenment as the full image of the first bridge materialized in front of him.

In that instant, deep within his mind, he was able to sense exactly how damaged the bridge was. Suddenly, ninety-nine percent of the bridge actually vanished, and he found that the first bridge was actually… nothing more than a fist-sized rock!

It was a mere stone, but even looking at it caused Naruto to cough up blood, and he knew that if he approached it, he would be destroyed in body and spirit. These more than twenty days of contemplation were like two hundred or more years in the outside world.

In the moment that he understood the real situation regarding the first bridge, and the outline of the bridge itself appeared in his mind, images began to appear in his eyes, a vision.

Within the vision were nine enormous suns hauling an astonishing statue. They seemed so large that they were impossible to see the ends of. An army of countless cultivators lashed out with attacks that ripped a huge hole in the air, which they then entered.

Behind the shocking statue were nine astonishing bridges that shook the heavens. Boundless light that covered everything radiated off of them.

The scene caused Naruto's mind to tremble, and reminded him of the things he had seen back in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple. Some of the images were almost exactly the same. 1

Then, the vision changed. He saw a world-shaking war. Countless living things were being slaughtered, and heavenly bodies collapsed. The starry sky shattered, and in every breath of time, endless numbers of lives perished.

The nine bridges exerted incredible pressure, causing the starry sky to begin to collapse. Next, Naruto saw three enormous figures appear up above. When they joined forces, the starry sky disappeared, and the world went black, as if all the auras in existence were absorbed, condensed to form nine mountains, which then crushed down toward the nine bridges.

The bridges… shattered!

The vision abruptly ended. Naruto had no time to thoroughly analyze the images before they vanished. He was left standing there, his jaw slack, his eyes wide. His mind was blank and trembling.

"Those nine mountains…." Naruto was panting. From what he could sense, he had only been able to glimpse a tiny bit of some huge secret.

"Why does the world I live in consist of only nine mountains and nine seas, with four planets circling around each of those mountains?!

"I never thought about it too much before, but how come Planet Lands of Ninshu is so special? Why did that Outsider want my parents to guard it?!

"Also, what about that place I went to underneath the Ancient Dao Lakes on Planet Lands of Ninshu? That being which was crushed and then sealed there said something like… Immortals are the source of all chaos! 2

"What exactly does that mean?!" Naruto's breathing was unprecedentedly ragged, and he was shivering all over. He now had an idea of what it all meant, but didn't dare to consider that it was true.

As his mind trembled, the nine bridges in front of him vanished. This time, they really were gone; even when Naruto searched with his divine sense, he was unable to find them.

After a long moment of silence, Naruto sighed lightly. The matter of the vision was something far removed from the current situation, and considering the level of his cultivation base, he wasn't really qualified to begin to probe such secrets.

"One day, I'll understand it all!" he thought, his eyes shining with determination. He took a deep breath and sent his divine sense out one last time. Seeing that it was impossible to locate the bridges, he decided to search for the Immortal pavilion that Dengaku had mentioned.

Several days later, he still remained empty handed. No matter what methods he used, even closing his eyes, he was unable to detect any Immortal pavilion. In fact, he was now fairly certain that he would be unable to find it at all, so he decided to sit down cross-legged in the location where the nine bridges had stood, and begin to create his divine ability!

He quickly slipped into a trance.

Many ideas and thoughts flitted through his mind, as well as numerous flickering images. The enlightenment he had received in the 99 Immortal ruins began to merge together, until finally, a will exploded out from within his mind that was a divine ability belonging solely to him.

As Naruto was piecing together the enlightenment to create a divine ability, Ashitaba had passed the 95th Immortal ruin, but could not find the 96th.

After a while, he had no choice but to stop regretfully and begin to create his divine ability.

By this point, everyone out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, as well as the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace, were now waiting to see what types of divine abilities Naruto and Ashitaba would create.

There was something else going on that nobody in the palace noticed. Although the elders from the Three Great Daoist Societies seemed to be looking at the vortex screens with glittering eyes, deep within their gazes could be seen faint sighs of disappointment.

Such sighs were deeply hidden, yet seemed to be a disappointment that was not entirely unexpected.

Days passed, and the anticipation among the audience out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea only continued to grow.

"Just what types of divine abilities are Kazama and Ashitaba creating? Which one will have the most stone steles?!"

"My guess is Kazama. After all, he gained enlightenment from 99 Immortal ruins. That's unheard of!"

"It won't necessarily be Kazama. It could be that he just took advantage of some lucky situations. In the end, I bet the best divine ability will be created by Ashitaba!"

"If neither of them can create a sixteen-stele divine ability, then that means Shikamaru will take first place in the sixth, seventh, and eighth stages!"

Two more days passed, when suddenly the area around the masked Ashitaba burst into flames.

The flames were black, and instantly set the Heavens ablaze. Ashitaba's eyes opened, and his pupils were composed entirely of fire!

Flames roared all around him, covering the land, burning everything. The entire world became a sea of flames, and then began to melt, as if it couldn't sustain the heat. The people outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were now able to clearly see Ashitaba and everything that was happening in his world.

Gasps rang out from many areas in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and in the palace in the starry sky, the Patriarchs looked on with strange gleams in their eyes. The old man from the Bones of the Flamedevil, one of the Five Great Holy Lands, couldn't help but observe with wide, glowing eyes.

"Ashitaba is incredible! What type of flame divine ability did he create? It can actually melt the entire world!"

"He'll definitely get at least sixteen steles. His divine ability appears to be on a similar level as Shikamaru's, but from the feel of it, it's more powerful!"

Ashitaba slowly stood, a proud expression on his face beneath the mask. Then, he breathed in three times.

Each breath caused everything to tremble, and the flame sea to spread out even farther. After three breaths, the entire world was engulfed in flames. Finally, Ashitaba inhaled deeply.

When he inhaled, all of the flames in the world began to churn and roil, tumbling toward Ashitaba as he sucked them into his body.

Next, a rumbling sound emanated out from his body, and although no one could see any flames, when they looked at Ashitaba himself, it caused them to feel twinges of pain like that caused by fire.

"A body magic!"

"Heavens! That's the most difficult thing to create! A body magic!"

"It's not just any body magic, that's almost a Daoist magic!"

"Although it's not a complete Daoist magic, it's definitely unique. If in the future he continues to cultivate it to the peak, there's a high likelihood he could refine it into a true legacy Daoist magic!"

Everyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was completely shaken. In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs of the various sects looked on with strange gleams in their eyes. The elder from the Holy Land of the Bones of the Flamedevil chuckled and rose to his feet.

"Presumably, this young man is not the type to be selected by the Three Great Daoist Societies. This magic is connected by destiny to the Bones of the Flamedevil. Ladies and Gentlemen, I humbly request that you do not compete with me in this matter." Even as he spoke, the old man moved with incredible speed. However, at the same time, eight or nine other people sped forward.

Of the Five Great Holy Lands, Shikamaru and Fatty had been taken by the Moonset Lake and the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum respectively. Up to now, only the Blue Lotus Sky, Mount Sun, and the Bones of the Flamedevil hadn't truly made a move. Now, though, they sprang into action.

Even as they neared Ashitaba's world, rumbling echoed out as multiple stone steles descended. One, three, five, seven….

In total, seventeen stone steles appeared!

One more than Shikamaru!

Each one of the seventeen stone steles was fully three hundred meters tall, and as they spun around Ashitaba, they turned into a vortex that sent light towering up into the sky. Ashitaba stood in the middle of it all, surrounded by the boundless glow, looking like an unparalleled Chosen.

When the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw the seventeen stone steles, they were completely shocked.

"From ancient times until now, he's second only to Sir Nauma!"

"Seventeen stone steles! He's definitely worthy to have been enlightened regarding 95 Immortal ruins! He created a body magic that summoned seventeen stone steles!"

"It's impossible to predict what kind of future he will have, especially since his cultivation base is at the peak of Dao Seeking. Once he joins a sect, he'll get some training and will definitely become an incredible Chosen!"

All sorts of envious and jealous comments could be heard echoing out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. In Ashitaba's world, the Patriarchs from the various sects had arrived. After some bickering, the Bones of the Flamedevil managed to recruit Ashitaba as a disciple.

As of now, the only person left in the world of the sixth, seventh, and eighth stages was Naruto. His divine ability had not fully been created yet.

Everyone was now watching closely, including the Three Great Daoist Societies in the palace up in the starry sky.

The anticipation in the air continued to grow more intense.

"If he can outdo everyone else, then he'll take first place! Let's see how many stone steles his divine ability will cause to descend!"

"He gained enlightenment from 99 Immortal ruins. If he gets anything less than fifteen stone steles, it would be completely disappointing!"

"It's hard to say. I heard that one year, somebody gained enlightenment from 98 Immortal ruins, but in the end only created a nine-stele divine ability!"

Three days later, as Naruto sat there cross-legged, his eyes suddenly opened.

"Each time I gained enlightenment from the first 98 Immortal ruins," he thought, "I saw images of spirit stones and promissory notes. In the future, I hope to make all the Chosen in the great Nine Mountains and Seas write me promissory notes!

"That is my grand aspiration….

"Writing me a promissory note is also sowing Karma, and those Karma threads can be used to interfere with fate. However, most people aren't willing to write promissory notes. Therefore… I will create a divine ability that forms ties of destiny with them by force!" Naruto's eyes glittered and he raised his right index finger.

Immediately, the world began to tremble as countless threads appeared. Some of the threads were bright, and some were dark, but all were Karma Threads, and they did not originate from this world, but from Naruto!

Shockingly, just a movement of his finger had caused all of his Karma Threads to become visible. The entire world began to shake even more violently, and roaring filled the air, as if the entire place were about to collapse.

Naruto looked up and gazed at the Karma Threads, and his eyes glittered brightly. He suddenly formed his right hand into a claw, which reached out and grabbed one of the Karma Threads. The instant he touched it, he suddenly saw an image of Fū.

He yanked on the Thread, and it twisted. At the same time, Naruto pulled out a piece of paper. Then, he unhesitatingly caused the Karma Thread to twist into the shape of a magical symbol, which he then imprinted onto the piece of paper.

As soon as the mark appeared, Fū, who sat cross-legged in meditation in the Nine Seas God World trying to suppress the female corpse on her back, felt a tremor run through her. Her eyes opened wide and then shone with astonishment.

Next, her face flickered, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. A look of astonishment covered her face.

"What just happened? Did somebody just use the Dao of Karma to plot against me?"

In the instant that Fū's face flickered, Naruto's expression became one of excitement. He took a deep breath, and then a strange light appeared in his eyes. This magic which forced ties of destiny was only in the first level of development. In the second level, he would be able to fuse promissory notes into the Karma Threads, and then unleash the full divine ability.

As far as the third level went, he would be able to use the promissory notes as Karma seeds, which, if successfully planted and the magic was allowed to grow to its full extent, would give Naruto the power to determine life or death with a mere thought.

"This is my divine ability. A Writ of Karma. It might not be complete, but in the future, as my cultivation base grows more abstruse, I WILL perfect it!" As Naruto's words rang out, the world around him shook, then filled with fissures. Everything trembled as Naruto came into clear view of everyone on the outside world.

The Patriarchs up in the palace were shocked.

"It's a Daoist magic!"

"It's the Hebi Clan's Dao of Karma! Wait, no! It's something different than the Hebi Clan's Dao of Karma! The Hebi Clan severs Karma, but this forcefully ties destiny together. It's equally domineering, equally shocking!"

"That's not just a Daoist magic, that counts as a secret magic! Kazama's intuition is incredibly high!"

"I'm curious to know what enlightenment led him to create such a Daoist secret magic like this!"

Daoist magics were rare, but secret magics were even rarer!

The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were looking on with wide eyes. Gasps could be heard, and unprecedented looks of astonishment could be seen.

"This defies belief!"

"This Kazama created a magic that seems to be both a Daoist magic and a secret magic! I'm afraid only the powerful experts from the great sects would be able to understand it!"

"In any case, it caused the world to begin to collapse. Now, I wonder how many stone steles will descend!? Will he exceed Ashitaba?!"

As the world trembled around Naruto, intense rumbling sounds could be heard as the stone steles began to fall.

One, three, five, seven….

People looked on, astonished, as a total of twenty-one stone steles descended. They Circulated around Naruto endlessly, creating a completely astonishing spectacle.

Instantly, the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea began to seethe with excitement.

"Twenty-one stone steles! Heavens! That… that exceeds Sir Nauma!"

"Inhuman! This guy's battle prowess is monstrous, and his creativity is inhuman! Even though we couldn't see his latent talent, it's surely extraordinary! He'll definitely take first place in this trial by fire!"

"I bet all of the Three Great Daoist Societies are in shock! Twenty-one stone steles! This Kazama is definitely going to be famous in the Ninth Mountain and Sea!"

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies were all sitting there as before. However, everyone else had already leapt to their feet. Their eyes shone with incredible brightness. If by any chance the Three Great Daoist Societies did not want to recruit Naruto, then they were ready to fight over him.

All of the disciples that had been recruited before Naruto could still be considered Chosen. However, sometimes people or events can come along that are simply beyond compare. Attempting to compare them with others would be unfair.

In the vast Eastern Lands, Minato and Kushina looked at each other and smiled. Kushina's face was covered with a proud smile as she looked back at Naruto on the vortex screen, and her heart filled with love.

"Little bastard!" muttered Patriarch Reliance. "It's good that in the end, you didn't lose me any face!"

Pill Demon and Sakura both let out light sighs. Sakura didn't understand much about Naruto and his proclivity toward promissory notes, but Pill Demon knew something of it, and a strange expression could be seen on his face. As for the rest of the crowds, most of them didn't understand Karma very well, but they could speculate as to the general idea.

"With a magic like this, who will ever dare to refuse to write me a promissory note!" Naruto was inwardly delighted, and completely satisfied with the divine ability he had created.

At this point, everyone assumed that the Three Great Daoist Societies would swoop in to recruit Naruto. The Nine Seas God World and the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto were definitely moved, and they were just getting ready to enter discussions with the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, when all of a sudden, Naruto suddenly closed his eyes again. Apparently… he was sinking back into contemplation!

This scene instantly caused everyone to stare in shock.

"What is he doing?"

"Could it be… could it be that he intends to create another divine ability?" Even as shock rolled through everyone, a bright light suddenly began to shine around Naruto, and the music of a great Dao began to echo out.

Naruto truly was in the midst of contemplating enlightenment. The reason he didn't immediately absorb the power of the twenty-one stone steles was that, considering his current state, he was now ready to use his understanding of the nine bridges to create another divine ability.

"He's actually going to create another divine ability!"

"How… how is that possible? He already created one divine ability, how can he create another one? Does he think that creating divine abilities is as simple as eating or drinking?"

All the spectators in the outside world were completely shocked, even Naruto's father and mother. The Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were also staring with wide eyes.

Ashitaba, as well as all the other competitors who were now waiting outside, stared at Naruto in a daze.

This was especially the case when, only a few hours later, a massive rumbling sound surrounded Naruto, and an intense energy surged up from him. Because the previous world had already collapsed, the energy affected the altar Naruto sat on, which everyone could see. There was no need for them to experience the divine ability; everyone was able to sense that this incoming divine ability was incredibly shocking.

"He's actually creating another divine ability! What kind of jinx is this guy?!" The crowds were in an uproar, and before they even had a chance to calm down, Naruto suddenly frowned.

"No," he murmured, "my line of thinking was a bit off." He waved his hand, causing the surging energy that had shocked everyone to suddenly be extinguished. Once again, he began to contemplate.

When everyone saw that happen, they were left completely speechless…. The other competitors in the trial by fire began to smile bitterly. The divine ability that Naruto felt to be off, was actually far more powerful than any of the divine abilities they had created. Each and every one was left completely without words.

After a few more hours, energy once again began to surge up from Naruto. But then….

"Off again!" he said angrily. He once again quashed the energy and started over.

The crowds were now looking at each other, dumbfounded. They began to smile wryly as they looked over at Naruto on the vortex screen.

As for the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace, their eyes were shining brightly, and it looked like they were getting ready for a struggle. An inhuman cultivator like this was someone each and every one did not wish to allow the Three Great Daoist Societies to recruit as a disciple.

The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies were gaping in astonishment. Then, they exchanged glances, and within each others' glittering eyes, they could all see anticipation and something hidden deep within…. Hope!

This was a hope that they had held throughout all the numerous times they had hosted this trial by fire in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

It was actually a far more important reason than disciple recruitment!

The three elders were panting slightly, but considering their high cultivation bases and levels of concentration, it didn't matter how many years they had watched the recruitment event with such hope; they wouldn't allow others to pick up any clues by looking at their facial expressions.

However… a virtually imperceptible flicker of astonishment could be seen in the eyes of the old man from the Baldy Society, who seemed to have picked up on a few of the oddities about the situation.

Time passed by slowly. Several hours later, rumbling once again surrounded Naruto, quickly vanished… and then returned with even more intensity than before.

This indicated that the divine ability Naruto was creating was growing in power!

The audience in the Ninth Mountain and Sea stared fixedly at the vortex screens, and the cross-legged Naruto. They waited in keen anticipation to find out what miraculous divine ability he would create.

"That Daoist magic from before caused twenty-one stone steles to descend. Then he started making another divine ability. If he succeeds… I wonder how many stone steles will appear?!"

"This is unheard-of! The ancient records don't contain information about the first time the Three Great Daoist Societies held this trial by fire, but from the time records were kept until now, nobody has shaken the stars like this shocking Kazama!"

"A Chosen like that would be the focus of all attention no matter which sect he joined. It's just strange that before today, I've never heard of him before!"

The buzz of conversation echoed out everywhere, both in the outside world, and among the trial by fire competitors on the Ancient Road. Everyone was shaken by Naruto.

They were all waiting… for Naruto's miraculous creation!

The next day, more shocking rumbling could be heard. The following day, the sound of it filled the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking. Three days later… it once again began anew. Even the people on the Ancient Roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing could hear it.

It had filled the entire Ancient Road!

More people were astonished than ever!

Four days later, the intense roaring that echoed out from Naruto left the Ancient Road via the vortexes, passing out into the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

When that happened, Naruto finally opened his eyes.

In that instant, boundless, radiant light poured out from his pupils, such that anyone who faced him would feel blinded by the piercing light. Naruto's expression was calm as he raised his hands into the air. There in his mind was the image of the first bridge, indelibly imprinted there, never to disperse for all eternity.

As he raised his hands into the air, the world around him began to tremble, and countless rifts appeared. The air swirled, and began to scatter in layers. In just a few breaths of time, all of the land around him was shattered and began to break down. Wind screamed, and the air collapsed.

As for Naruto, he remained cross-legged, but as everything around him dissipated, it seemed as if he was floating in the middle of nothing, surrounded by twenty-one stone steles, each one three hundred meters tall.

It was at this point that, all of a sudden, a rumbling sound could be heard coming from the boundless void up above. It was like an echoing roar, which was accompanied by… descending stone steles!

One, two, three… a total of nine made their way down to join the other twenty-one stone steles. Furthermore, these new steles were actually silver-colored!

Their appearance was far more magnificent than the other twenty-one steles, and far more shocking.

The Patriarchs in the starry sky palace looked on with widened eyes, and the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were immediately sent into an uproar of disbelief.

"He… he isn't even finished creating the divine ability! He's just mobilizing his energy, but the stone steles already descended!"

"Those stone steles are silver-colored! I've never even heard of such a thing!"

"This divine ability is surely Heaven-defying! If it wasn't, how come a mere surge of its energy would cause the stone steles to descend, even before it's complete!"

"Just what divine ability is this?!"

While the crowds engaged in heated discussion, Naruto sat there, his face calm, his eyes devoid of either joy or sadness. His mind seemed to be completely immersed in silent contemplation of the first bridge.

His energy continued to grow more intense. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the image of the bridge in his mind suddenly began to expand, growing out in the blink of an eye, until it covered his entire body.

It was as if he had become the bridge!

And at the same time, the bridge… had become him!

Even more noticeable to Naruto was the indescribable pain that completely filled him. It was an anguish that made it seem as if a hundred streams of Chakra were ripping his insides open.

Great beads of sweat rolled down his face as within his body appeared… one hundred meridians!

These one hundred meridians were Immortal meridians, which previously had not yet existed inside of him. However, now that the bridge had spread out, it forced them open. Although it would only last for a moment, and was not permanent, it actually created a mold for Naruto's Immortal foundation!

When you added in the ethereal Immortal meridian he already had, it was a scene that would thoroughly flabbergast anyone who could see it. However, even the three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies would be incapable of seeing what was happening inside of him. Even if they tried to force their vision inside of him, all they would be able to see was a blinding light.

The instant the one hundred meridians were forced open inside of Naruto, massive rumbling could be heard as more stone steles descended from up above. Shockingly, there were nine gold-colored steles!

The sight of these nine gold-colored stone steles threw the crowds in the outside world, as well as the other competitors in the trial by fire, into complete tumult.

"Eighteen stone steles!"

"Heavens! Nine silver steles and nine golden steles! The divine ability isn't fully created yet, but… but there are already eighteen stone steles!"

"This guy is peerless among Chosen!"

Naruto couldn't hear the buzz of conversation from the outside world. His body was trembling, and he was filled with the sensation that this divine ability that he had created was indescribably powerful. It seemed like a magic that he was actually incapable of wielding with his current cultivation base.

It was a magic that required all one hundred meridians to be genuinely open before it could be used!

Even a weaker version would still need at least fifty meridians.

At the moment, all of his one hundred meridians had been forcibly opened, but Naruto knew that it was only temporary. He was borrowing power from his own good fortune, a result of his creation of a divine ability, and it was something that wouldn't last for very long. However, to Naruto, it was still incredible good fortune. It opened up a path for him, so that all he had to do was take a step forward, and he would be able to proceeded unhindered into true Immortality.

"Even if I can't actually use this magic for the time being, I will still see it completely created!" His eyes shone with determination as the full power of his cultivation base surged into action, causing an intense roaring to fill the air.

Gradually, the image of a bridge started to be visible behind him!

The bridge was just a vague illlusion. If a perfectly clear image of the bridge could be considered a hundred percent, then this illusory image would only be ten percent!

However, even with only ten percent clarity, it was still filled with an archaic, ancient aura. It seemed to be filled with a natural law that did not conform with the Nine Mountains and Seas. That natural law was Heaven-defying, as if it could split open the vault of heaven, and place the Heavens… beneath its feet!

The energy was boundlessly domineering, as if, when it looked out, all living things would have no choice but to worship on bended knee! This was a supreme power!

Naruto began to tremble with increased intensity. The one hundred meridians that had been opened had been shining with boundless light moments ago, but were now beginning to grow dim, as if their light were being sucked in by the bridge.

In the blink of an eye, only thirty of the meridians remained open. At this point, a frenzied determination shone in Naruto's eyes. He tilted his head back and roared, and the remaining Immortal meridians inside of him went dim. In that instant, the bridge behind him suddenly became twenty percent clear!

That twenty percent caused all three Ancient Roads in the Ruins of Immortality to quake. Up above in the palace, the Patriarchs' minds were reeling. They appeared to be completely shaken. Outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, there were even some cultivators who coughed up blood.

Furthermore, up above in the void appeared nine… seven-colored stone steles!

Nine silver. Nine gold. Nine seven-colored!

The entire world was dumbfounded!

"What divine ability is that!?"

"That's beyond a Daoist magic, and even above a secret magic! Just what magic is it?!"

"Could it be… could it be a legendary Paragon magic!?"

With the exception of the three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies, everyone in the starry sky palace was on their feet, faces filled with astonishment.

"Paragon magic! For Kazama to be able to create a Paragon magic while in the Spirit Realm means that his intuition is stupefying!"

"He can't actually use the magic right now, but in the future, when his cultivation base rises into the peak of the Immortal Realm, he'll be able to use this magic to slay experts of the Ancient Realm!"

The Patriarchs were now in an uproar. The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were completely astonished, and were staring with wide eyes and open mouths. They didn't know what Paragon magic was, but when the bridge appeared behind Naruto, they could sense their cultivation bases trembling!

Blood sprayed out of Naruto's mouth, and he was incapable of continuing on any further. The bridge winked out, and his body returned to its normal state. However, he felt completely exhausted, almost as if he were ill, and his face was ashen. But his eyes shone with unprecedented brightness.

"When that bridge appears, it is supreme and unparalleled. In that case, its name shall be…

"The Paragon Bridge!

"This is my second divine ability!"

Naruto slowly rose to his feet, under the eyes of the countless people watching in various locations.

Naruto took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and sent his divine sense out to the forty-eight stone steles.

He suddenly inhaled, and the stone steles trembled and began to emit Immortal Chakra. It transformed into a gentle power that rushed toward Naruto, surrounding him like a vortex. As he absorbed it into his body, his Immortal meridian almost seemed to come alive as it voraciously consumed the Chakra.

Thirty percent, forty percent, fifty percent, sixty percent, seventy percent!

Before coming to the Ruins of Immortality, Naruto's Immortal meridian had only been illusory. But now, it was consuming Immortal Chakra with shocking speed. The stone steles began to vanish, and by the time the last one was gone, the Immortal meridian inside of him was fully eighty percent solidified!

This was an Immortal Ancient Dao meridian, formed by the ancient bronze lamp. It was an Immortal meridian that exceeded that which any modern cultivator could have, and came from ancient times. According to Sai, it had even changed Naruto's destiny!

Now, it was eighty percent complete, and radiated Immortal might. Now, Naruto's cultivation base exploded with intense energy, that of a true Immortal!

With an Immortal meridian that was eighty percent complete, he now seemed to be undergoing huge transformations. Although he clearly was not a true Immortal yet, he was actually… even more powerful than Pill Demon when he had become a true immortal!

The crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were staring with wide eyes and slack jaws. Their minds were completely and utterly blank.

"He gained enlightenment from 99 Immortal ruins, created two grand divine abilities, and caused a total of forty-eight stone steles to descend…."

"Never before has something like this happened, and perhaps it never will again…."

"Which Daoist Society… will he choose to join?!"

As the discussions raged, Naruto stood there, filling everyone with unprecedented shock.

That was especially true of the Chosen of the various sects. By now, the name Kazama was deeply rooted in their hearts, and to them, he was clearly the most powerful opponent they would ever face.

"His energy… is that of a true Immortal!" The Patriarchs up in the starry sky palace were all panting, and their eyes shone with light.

"Earlier he was clearly not a true Immortal. Could it be that after creating that shocking Paragon magic, he actually became a true Immortal?!"

"There was a legend in ancient times that creating Paragon magic would transform the cultivation base. It seems that legend is accurate!"

"No, he's still not a true Immortal. He has the energy of a true Immortal, but lacks the Immortal root!"

As the other Patriarchs discussed the matter, the hope in the eyes of the three old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies grew even more intense. They did not speak, but they were all looking at Naruto. More specifically, they were looking at the area surrounding Naruto.

It was at this point that the old man from the Baldy Society suddenly said, "This Kazama has already created a Paragon magic. Logically speaking, he should now appear on the altar on the Ancient Road."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies narrowed their eyes.

By now, the forty-eight stone steles around Naruto had vanished completely. It was then that, all of a sudden, an ancient pavilion suddenly materialized directly in front of Naruto.

It was richly ornamented, and brimming with Immortal will. This was no ruin; it floated up above in the air, surrounded by green stone slabs and exotic plants. Its marvelous appearance made it seem like the only thing in existence.

Immortal Chakra swirled around it, letting off an ancient will, and a feeling of holiness. It was as if this place had at one time been a Holy Land.

The pavilion was decorated with carved black jade, and emanated intense pressure. It was the same feeling Naruto had gotten when looking at the nine bridges. In front of the pavilion was an enormous boulder, upon which two characters were written in calligraphy as flamboyant as flying dragons and dancing phoenixes.

Warrior Pavilion!

The two characters were blood red, and shone with intense light. When Naruto read them, he could hear roars that truly sounded like they came from real dragons and phoenixes.

As for the crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they couldn't see what was happening clearly, because the vortex screen depicting Naruto had suddenly gone blurry.

People began to cry out in shock.

"What just happened?"

"All of a sudden, we can't see the screen!"

Back in the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies slowly rose to their feet. The other Patriarchs were staring in shock; they couldn't see the images on the screen either. Apparently, the Immortal pavilion blocked the view of anyone on the outside.

The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies had very serious looks on their faces as they looked at each other and then transmitted three sentences amongst themselves.

"He actually found it! Activate the spell formation and unleash the Heavenly communication magic!"

"I never imagined that, after all these tens of thousands of years of trials by fire, this day would finally arrive!"

"Throughout the years, our Three Great Daoist Societies have tried every means possible, but have been unable to even lay eyes on it, let alone acquire the legendary item within. According to our previous calculations, only people in the Spirit Realm can actually find the Immortal pavilion!"

Although no one could hear the three Patriarchs' words, the old man from the Baldy Society narrowed his eyes. After a moment of contemplation, his face suddenly lit up.

"So, it turns out that the Three Great Daoist Societies have repeatedly held this trial by fire throughout the ages, not just to recruit disciples, but for another purpose!"

Other Patriarchs apparently recalled something in particular and, from their expressions, seemed shaken. Despite their cultivation bases and abilities of concentration, they were still panting and trembling.

"Fellow Daoists from the Three Great Daoist Societies, this matter…."

The person who responded was the old man from the Nine Seas God World.

"This is a private affair of our Three Great Daoist Societies," he said, his eyes shining with a strange light. "It has nothing to do with you, Ladies and Gentlemen. In a moment, the trial by fire will continue!"

Meanwhile, Naruto was looking at the Immortal pavilion. It had appeared in front of him quite suddenly, apparently in response to his creation of the Paragon magic.

"Dengaku said that there were 99 Immortal ruins as well as an intact Immortal pavilion. Could it be that this pavilion is… the very one I was looking for before, but couldn't find?" His eyes went wide.

After a moment of thought, he was about to step forward when, quite abruptly, an ancient voice was transmitted into his mind.

"Kazama, I am Dengaku of the Nine Seas God World. I represent all of the Three Great Daoist Societies to pass a message to you. Use whatever means necessary to enter the Immortal pavilion and bring out a Esoteric compass that rests inside. If you do, the Three Great Daoist Societies are willing to give you any reward you wish. As long as it is within our power to accomplish, we will do it!"

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he didn't respond. However, he did stop in place, and a look of hesitation appeared on his face.

"There is no need to worry about any danger," Dengaku continued. "The Immortal pagoda appeared because of your good fortune, and I am personally unable to appear there at all; if I were to appear there, it would cause the pavilion to immediately vanish. As for you, there will be no danger to you when you go inside."

Naruto hesitated for another moment before a gleam of determination appeared, and he hurried forward toward the Immortal pavilion.

No one in the outside world could see what was happening on the screens. However, the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies were panting, and their eyes shone with a strange gleam.

They could not enter the world Naruto was in either, and could only remain on the outside. They had waited for many years for this particular opportunity.

As Naruto neared the Immortal pavilion, the pressure grew more and more intense. However, for some strange reason, while the pressure would have prevented any other person from getting close, it actually dissipated for Naruto, making a sort of personal path for him to walk.

Naruto's eyes glittered. He sensed no danger, so he slowly walked up to the Immortal pavilion and stood in front of it. Then he took a deep breath as he lifted his hand and pushed on the front door.

Absolutely no sound could be heard as the door opened. However, the instant it did, boundless light shone out from inside, blinding light that completely enveloped Naruto and then spread out in all directions outside of the pavilion. After a moment, Dengaku let out a miserable shriek. As it turned out, he had actually been following Naruto in an attempt to personally enter the Immortal pavilion.

However, the light instantly forced him back. Blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose and mouth, almost as if he had been cursed. Filled with fear and shock, he immediately shot backward and then left the world, lest he be killed.

Now, Naruto was the only person in the vicinity of the Immortal pavilion. He stood there in the light, completely unharmed, until the glow slowly faded away. He looked blankly at the pavilion in front of him, then took a deep breath.

"What is this place…?" he murmured. Inside of the Immortal pavilion, he could now see numerous shelves, which, shockingly, were completely filled with all sorts of magical items.

There was a whip that was surrounded by a dragon-like mist of swirling smoke. It appeared to have been constructed from sinew and tendons, and it emanated a shocking pressure, as if it had been refined from a true dragon. There was an ancient mirror, covered with cloudy mist. From the look of it, there was some living being sealed inside of it.

There was a crimson eye that, although shut, gave Naruto a shocking feeling when he looked at it.

There was a cauldron that rested atop a toad, which it seemed the cauldron was suppressing.

Further away was a long, green spear, with a spearhead carved from bone. When Naruto looked more closely at the wood that made up the shaft, his mind reeled. He recognized that wood! It was from… the World Tree! 1

There was a broadsword, stained with black, wet blood. That blood seemed to still contain a consciousness and was emitting shocking howls.

In addition to those items, there was also a Esoteric compass. For the most part, it was ordinary in appearance. However, a white crystal was inset into the very middle of the compass. The crystal emanated a gentle glow that caused the entire Esoteric compass to appear extraordinary.

From the look of it, the white crystal could be removed from the center of the compass, as if the compass had merely been created to allow the crystal to emanate its power.

There were many magical items of all sorts, the use of many of which Naruto was unable to determine. The whip was one of the more bizarre items, but actually any of them would cause a huge stir if they showed up in the outside world.

In addition to all the magical items, there was also a desk in the Immortal pavilion, upon which were some bamboo slips, as well as various other writing utensils.

Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes shone with brilliant light as he took a step forward, entering the Immortal pavilion. As soon as he stepped foot inside, the door shut behind him.

Simultaneously, an ice-cold voice suddenly echoed out.

"In compliance with the last will and testament of the Three Great Paragons, anyone with a Spirit Realm cultivation base who creates Paragon magic may enter the Warrior Pavilion and select a treasure."

Naruto looked around, but couldn't see anyone except for himself in the Immortal pavilion. The voice that had just spoken was cold and detached, seemingly emotionless. After it spoke that single sentence, it said nothing further.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then began to look around at the various precious treasures, his heart thumping eagerly.

He actually wished he could take all of the magical items in sight, but after gazing about for a bit, his eyes came to rest on the Esoteric compass.

"That must be the Esoteric compass the Three Great Daoist Societies want me to get for them," he thought, his eyes flickering. After looking at the Esoteric compass for a moment, he began to mutter to himself.

"The Three Great Daoist Societies' trial by fire has an additional purpose, which is to get someone to come in here and retrieve this item for them. If I don't comply with their wishes, I fear my future will be fraught with grim possibilities after I leave this place." He wasn't quite willing to go along with their request, but after a moment of consideration, he looked at the Esoteric compass with glittering eyes. Then he stepped forward and picked it up.

In the moment he lifted up the Esoteric compass, he also retrieved a flying sword from his bag of holding and vigorously went to work trying to pry the white crystal out.

"You people think you can profit at my expense!? Never!" Gritting his teeth, he shoved down on the sword until a popping sound rang out and the crystal flew out from its spot in the center of the Esoteric compass. Naruto grabbed it, then smiled as he carefully put it away in his bag of holding.

Then he looked over the Esoteric compass again. It actually looked perfect. After ensuring that there were no scratches on it, he cleared his throat and looked around at all the magical items.

"Although that voice said I could only take one treasure, it didn't say anything about repercussions for taking another. I might as well try." His heart began to beat even faster as he walked over to the spear. He reached his hand out, but almost as soon as his hand was about to grab it, a powerful force of expulsion pushed back at him.

The cold voice once again rang out inside the Immortal pavilion.

"This item is not connected to you by destiny. You have already taken a treasure. You may leave now."

"Not connected by destiny?" thought Naruto. "Destiny is like the cause and effect of Karma. So does that mean that I have no Karma connecting me to these magical items?" A strange light gleamed in his eyes, and he suddenly cleared his throat. It was at this moment that the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex, the magic of Karmic Hexing, was suddenly unleashed.

The Seventh Demon Sealing Hex was a magic unique to the League of Demon Sealers. It seemed similar to the Hebi Clan's Dao of Karma, but was fundamentally different. As he unleashed the magic, Naruto's eyes gleamed with a strange light, and he looked around at all the magical items.

Instantly, he was able to see numerous threads attached to the various magical items. These were none other than Karma Threads.

All of the magical items had Karma Threads attaching them to the Warrior Pavilion, and now Naruto could see each and every one of them clearly.

"So, even magical items can have Karma on them," he thought. "Well, now I'm not so worried." Clearing his throat, he glanced around craftily.

"First, I'll hex the Karma on these magical items, and then I'll form a destiny connection with them!" Waving his hand, he caused the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex to cover all of the magical items in the Warrior Pavilion.

In the blink of an eye, bright light shot out in all directions, and the entire Warrior Pavilion began to shake.

Naruto's heart pounded as he waited for a few moments. Seeing that there was no further reaction, he relaxed a bit, then looked around craftily one more time.

"The floor tiles here are excellent," he thought, licking his lips. "Later on, I think I'll pry up a few to take with me. And the wood those shelves are made from is anything but ordinary….

"Those decorative tiles are nice too!" His eyes shone brightly as he took a deep breath.

He quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing Karma Threads to appear on top of his head. These were his own personal Karma Threads, which glittered with resplendent colors. Naruto settled his Chakra and calmed his mind, then searched through his Karma Threads until he found one that seemed to be on the verge of fading away.

That Karma Thread was the one that had been created when he first laid eyes on the spear moments ago. Of course, the thread was incredibly thin, as if even a slight breeze would cause it to scatter.

Naruto took a deep breath, then lifted his hand and pointed out toward that particular thread. Instantly, the Karma Thread twisted into the shape of a magical symbol, which then descended into Naruto's hand.

"Bind destiny!" he said. Instantly, the thread began to glitter with radiant light. At the same time, the spear began to tremble, as if it were struggling against something.

As it fought, the Karma thread attached to Naruto's head that represented the spear suddenly grew very clear. Now it seemed to be even more closely attached to Naruto, as if the Karma between the two of them was growing deeper.

"A Writ of Karma! Bind destiny!" Naruto's eyes shone with bright light, and he let out a bellow. The magical symbol on his right hand began to glitter radiantly as he crushed it. A boom rattled out as the magical symbol shattered. In the moment that it dispersed, the spear ceased struggling, and Naruto could suddenly feel something like a summons, echoing out from the spear.

Unable to withhold his excitement, he stretched his hand out into the air. The spear immediately flew through the air with a screaming whistling sound and landed directly in his hand

Naruto laughed out loud.

"Mine! All of the magical items here are mine now!" Even as excitement filled his heart, suddenly, a murderous aura surged toward him from behind.

The aura was so intense that it seemed capable of destroying him in body and spirit by merely brushing against him.

Naruto's face fell, and he jerked his head around. However, there was nobody behind him. The murderous aura was still there, though; apparently it came from the Warrior Pavilion itself.

Cold sweat dripped down Naruto's face, and he didn't dare to move. The murderous aura filled him with intense nervousness, and he began to edge his way toward the door. The murderous aura followed him as he went, as if it were attempting to intimidate him.

"I was just creating some ties of destiny!" Naruto said quickly. "What are you flipping out for?" After a moment, he continued, "Uhh… a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. Warrior Pavilion, my brother, this was all just a misunderstanding, alright?" The murderous aura seemed as intense as ever.

After a long moment, though, Naruto sensed that the aura was dissipating. Seeing that it hadn't attacked him, his eyes darted around. He had half a mind to leave, but when he saw all the magical items around him in the Warrior Pavilion, he just couldn't make himself do it.

"Warrior Pavilion, my brother, don't pay any attention to me!" he called out loudly. "I'm fine here by myself. You get back to whatever it was you were doing, alright?" With that, he carefully sidled over to the sword covered with black blood.

Ever-vigilant of the murderous aura, he quickly used A Writ of Karma to find the Karma Thread that connected him to the sword, then bound the destiny as quickly as possible.

The sword trembled, and the murderous aura from the Warrior Pavilion exploded out. Cold beads of sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and used Ties of Destiny a few more times. After the third time, the sword stopped struggling, and an invisible connection formed between the two of them.

The sword flew out and began to swirl around Naruto like a dragon.

Naruto had no time to rejoice as the Warrior Pavilion's murderous aura exploded in intensity throughout the entire pavilion. It seemed to be incensed, and matchlessly fierce.

"That was the last time!" said Naruto. "The last time!"

He then licked his lips and stood in place, not daring to move for a long moment, after which he cautiously inched over toward a magical jade flower. Gritting his teeth, he immediately slammed A Writ of Karma into the magical flower. A magical symbol appeared; this flower was apparently different from the other magical items, and he succeeded on his first try.

Almost immediately, the shocking murderous aura caused everything to tremble violently. Naruto's entire body was now soaked with sweat.

"That was the last time!" he cried out urgently. "I promise, that was really the last time!

"Warrior Pavilion, my brother, it was really the last time. I'm taking off now, see you!" The intensity of the murderous aura caused Naruto's face to grow pale, and his heart to tremble. Even as he spoke, he quickly began to walk toward the exit.

However, after only a few steps, he couldn't help but use Ties of Destiny on a little bottle he saw on a nearby shelf. It was blackish-green, and although it seemed unremarkable, Naruto could sense a boundless aura emanating off of it.

"Dammit!" he thought, gnashing his teeth. At the same time, he found the Karma Thread connecting him to the bottle and used it to make a magical symbol. As soon as the symbol landed in his hand, he crushed it and, without taking the time to check whether or not he had succeeded, quickly grabbed the little bottle.

As soon as his hand wrapped around it, his body flashed toward the Warrior Pavilion's exit. At the same time, the murderous aura exploded toward Naruto at an incredible speed, and a faint roar of rage could be heard echoing about.

"The last one!" he cried. "That was really, really the last one. I'm going now, I'm going now!" Naruto's scalp was numb as he shot forward. Behind him, the murderous aura swept toward him as if to drive him out.

Next to the door was the table he had seen earlier. As he passed, he couldn't stop himself from reaching out to grab a jade slip he saw sitting there.

That seemed to push the murderous aura of the Warrior Pavilion past the limits of its patience. It transformed into an explosive attack that shot toward Naruto.

A faint howl could be heard from within the murderous aura: "Get the hell out of here!"

When it smashed into Naruto, blood sprayed from his mouth, and he was flung toward the door like a kite with its string cut.

The door slammed open, and Naruto was thrown out, whereupon the door slammed shut again.

Almost immediately, the Warrior Pavilion began to fade away. At the same time, the scene was now clearly visible to the Patriarchs of the Three Great Daoist Societies up in the starry sky palace, as well as the Patriarchs from the other sects.

On the screen, they saw Naruto flying out, blood spraying from his mouth, his expression one of incredible determination. From the look of it, he had been willing to look death calmly in the face in order to complete the task assigned to him, and had been willing to pay any cost.

Naruto coughed up another mouthful of blood and then cried out, "Kazama of the junior generation, despite facing great personal injury and near death, went through hell and high water to accomplish the mission given to him by the mighty Three Great Daoist Societies!" With that, he produced the Esoteric compass and held it aloft.

It was a very moving image. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and his face was pale white. His body trembled, and he was clearly very seriously injured. His words, and the image he presented, instantly moved the three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies.

The three Patriarchs were panting, and were completely incapable of controlling the wild exuberance they felt in their hearts.

It was at this exact moment that the pale-faced Dengaku suddenly materialized in front of Naruto. He immediately made a grasping gesture with his right hand, and the Esoteric compass in Naruto's hand flew over to him. He nodded to Naruto, and then sighed inwardly with emotion. He himself had just been injured by the light from the Warrior Pavilion, and knew how dangerous it could be. When he saw the injuries Naruto had received, he was filled with sympathy. Then he noticed Naruto's solemn and stirring facial expression, and he suddenly had the feeling the things that had previously occurred between the two of them must have been misunderstandings.

"What a good kid!" he said. "Here, take this medicinal pill. It'll take care of those injuries!" Moved, he waved his right hand, causing a white medicinal pill to fly out and hover in front of Naruto. Because of his skill in the Dao of alchemy, Naruto could tell from the medicinal aroma of the pill that it was definitely a treasured pill.

"It's too bad I can't duplicate it right here and now," Naruto thought. He quickly accepted the pill and then put it into his bag of holding.

"I think you should eat it now," said Dengaku, looking concerned. "Those injuries are quite serious."

Inwardly, Naruto chuckled bitterly. He had no desire whatsoever to consume the medicinal pill. All he needed to do was activate his Eternal stratum, and he would recover almost immediately. However, Dengaku's was staring right at him, so Naruto endured the pain of his loss, clenched his teeth, and finally consumed the pill.

As soon as the medicinal pill dissolved into him, a warm current filled his body, and all of his injuries were healed.

"What a loss," he thought. "What a terrible loss. If I could have duplicated that medicinal pill, I could have sold it later for an exorbitant price." Inwardly, he was laughing bitterly, but on the outside he put on an expression of appreciation as he clasped hands and bowed toward Dengaku.

Dengaku nodded again. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Naruto was among the best of the best, both in terms of cultivation base and intuition, not to mention fate.

"I really misunderstood him in the matter of the latent talent and those other stages," Dengaku thought.

Smiling broadly, he then said, "Kazama, are you willing to become a Conclave disciple of the Nine Seas God World?!"

In response to the words, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace all looked on with glittering eyes.

The Patriarch from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite smiled faintly, a smiled that contained abstruse meaning. The Patriarch from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto hesitated for a moment. As for the Patriarch from the Nine Seas God World, he laughed out loud.

Naruto gaped for a moment, and was thinking about refusing. Then he thought about how funny it would be if he joined the Nine Seas God World under his assumed name Kazama, considering that Fū was also a member.

He cleared his throat and clasped hands.

"Junior is willing," he replied. "Unfortunately, I have a few random matters that I have to take care of. If senior is willing to give me a bit of time to handle those affairs, then when I'm finished, I will immediately go to the Nine Seas God World."

"Of course, if that is your wish," Dengaku said with a smile. "Why don't you think about it a bit. Once you get to the Nine Seas God World, you can give me your final answer." He waved his sleeve, causing a command medallion to fly out to Naruto.

"When you've taken care of your affairs, crush that medallion. It will bring you to the Nine Seas God World." With that, Dengaku turned and vanished. At the same time, the air around Naruto shattered. When things grew clear again, he was back on the altar on the Ancient Road.

All of the other competitors in the trial by fire were looking at Naruto with expressions of disbelief.

As for everyone in the outside world, although they weren't sure about the details of what had gone on between Naruto and the Three Great Daoist Societies, that didn't mean they were any less amazed regarding Naruto's rise to prominence in the trial by fire.

This was especially the case due to Dengaku's recruitment of Naruto as a Conclave disciple.

When the spectators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea heard that, their gazes became torn between envy and admiration. All of them were staring at Naruto on the screen.

"He's pretty much the number one figure in the entire trial by fire. It's no surprise that he ended up joining the Nine Seas God World."

"I wonder if he'll participate in the final two stages. Of course, after that is the most important part… the arena matches!"

"If I were him, I would participate in the final two stages, but not the arena matches. After all, the Chosen from the great Sects will be able to join in the fighting there. They're qualified to do so without participating in the testing, which is why they don't walk the Ancient Road. They can directly go straight to the arena matches!

"This Kazama might be strong, but it's doubtful that he can measure up to all those Chosen."

"That's really too bad. Throughout the successive trials by fire put on by the Three Great Daoist Societies, the arena matches are the highlight. There are incredible prizes up for grabs!"

Even as the discussions continued outside, the ninth stage was beginning on the three Ancient Roads.

The number of people still participating in the trial by fire had already been significantly reduced. People had been eliminated consistently throughout the previous eight stages. Plus there were people like Fatty and the others who had been directly recruited and escorted away by various sects, and would not be participating in the final two stages or the arena matches.

Dengaku suddenly materialized on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

"The final two stages will assess the heart, and the Dao!" he said. He looked over at Naruto with an approving smile, and then swept his hands through the air. This caused everyone's positions to change once again, and Naruto was yet again in the lead position.

"The ninth stage refines the heart! The tenth stage inquires of your Dao!

"After these two stages, seven thousand Nascent Soul competitors, two thousand Spirit Severing competitors, and one thousand Dao Seeking competitors, will be chosen to partake in the arena matches!

"I must remind you that there are many prizes available during the arena matches. However, your opponents will not just be fellow competitors in the trial by fire. You will also be up against Chosen from various sects, as well as disciples from the Three Great Daoist Societies.

"This might be a bit unfair, but there are many things under Heaven that are like that. The truly mighty will definitely rise above the others!" Dengaku waved his hand again, and the altar once more began to grow hazy.

The crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were gazing steadily at the screens as they waited for the final two stages. In the palace in the starry sky, the various Patriarchs were also looking on with pensive expressions. None of them asked any questions of the Three Great Daoist Societies, but instead, focused on the competitors in the trial by fire who they had taken note of earlier.

The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies sat up front, their expressions calm. They themselves were the only ones who knew how truly excited they were.

Meanwhile, many discussions were being carried on in the outside world.

"The ninth stage tests the heart, and whether or not the contestants can be victorious over the Devil in their hearts!"

"That stage has something to do with willpower, but not a lot. The key to being victorious over the Devil in one's heart is not just willpower, but most importantly the certitude of one's Dao Heart. That's why the ninth and tenth stages are conducted together.

"I wonder if Kazama will continue to be the center of attention in this stage. If he stays in first place like he has so far, then his glory will be completely and utterly established. After all, he's completely surpassed tens of thousands of others in each of the various stages."

"I'd say… not necessarily. He might have come in first in the previous stages, but now that the final two stages are here, he's definitely exhausted. It will be difficult for him to succeed!"

As the discussions continued, the competitors in the trial by fire on the Ancient Roads were gradually being covered over by the blurriness as they were taken to a special world. This world was completely different than the others they had been to.

Naruto opened his eyes to see… a purgatory!

It was a world of flames. Even the sky was on fire, and what land was visible that didn't have flames was dry and cracked, without the slightest sign of life.

Furthermore, Naruto quickly realized that he had been strung up, bound by an iron chain. As he looked around, he saw that there were iron chains everywhere, all of which bound people.

Among those were Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing cultivators, as well as some Dao Seeking cultivators like Naruto. Naruto saw the young man in the mask, as well as Guy with his Nascent Soul cultivation base.

"What's… what's going on?!" Before coming into this world that tested the heart and the Dao, he had been full of confidence. After all, he had passed through all the previous levels as the center of attention.

Now, though, as he looked around at this unique world, for some unknown reason he was suddenly filled with a stifling sense of crisis.

He was not the only one to be regaining clarity. Around him, there were roughly a hundred thousand cultivators all recovering their senses. When they realized the situation they were in, they began to cry out in alarm.

"What is this place? How could the final two stages be like this!?"

"I never thought… I never thought that we would all be tested together!"

Naruto's breath came in ragged pants as he tested out the chain that bound him and found that he couldn't make it budge an inch. Also, his ability to use his cultivation base had apparently been suppressed, leaving him with nothing but the ordinary power of Dao Seeking.

Even more shocking to Naruto was that he could feel the iron chain that bound him swaying back and forth. Also, when he looked off into the distance, what he saw caused him to gape. In fact, there were even some people whose eyes went wide when they saw what was off in the distance, and they let out cries of shock and alarm.

Naruto was able to clearly see that at the very end of the iron chains that bound all the cultivators was an enormous cudgel, which was in turn slung over the shoulder of a giant!

The giant was gargantuan, and bare chested. He wore animal hide clothing, and his skin was pitch-black, with a violet tint. He moved forward at a run, which caused the iron chains to sway back and forth, making everyone attached to them feel as if the entire world was spinning.

The crowds in the outside world of the Ninth Mountain and Sea were equally shaken. They watched the vortex screens, and the gargantuan giant which had appeared.

"So the final two stages are like this!"

"What kind of test is this?"

It was at this point that a huge rift appeared in the sky of the world that Naruto and the others were in, out of which flew hundreds of thousands of figures.

These figures were not cultivators, but rather, winged beasts. Their appearances were savage, and they kicked up a shocking wind as they immediately began to fly toward the cultivators.

It was at this point that the giant suddenly stopped running, and then swung the huge cudgel into the air, which also swung the iron chains attached to its end. All of the cultivators were buffeted by gale force winds that made it feel as if they had been slammed into a huge cliff face. The cultivators were sent flying directly into the charging flying beasts.

The beasts' eyes were bright red, and voracious grins could be seen on their faces. They immediately pounced onto the cultivators, and in the blink of an eye, miserable screams could be heard. Many people were instantly killed in the initial salvo, completely wiped out by the beasts, who swallowed them alive.

A rain of blood fell down toward the ground, causing the sea of flames down below to dim and darken.

A vicious gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes as his body swung with the chain, completely out of his own control. However, he was still able to attack, and he didn't hesitate to perform an incantation with his right hand. He made a claw-like gesture, and lines of claw marks appeared, which slammed into an incoming beast's head.

A boom could be heard, and the beast shrieked, after which its head exploded. However, even as its body tumbled past Naruto, three more beasts appeared behind it.

More booms could be heard as Naruto attacked like the wind. He had a vicious personality that he now made no attempt to hide. His attacks sent blood flying through the air, and the killing intent which shone in his eyes grew more and more intense. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, more than thirty beasts had died under his attacks.

There were many other cultivators like Naruto, all engaged in fierce fighting. Gradually, more and more of them died. The few people that were left behind were now facing ever greater numbers of beasts.

Furthermore, some beasts had appeared that were similar to the Dao Seeking stage in power. Within an hour, false Immortal beasts were on the scene, and one cultivator after another died around Naruto. After two more hours passed, there were less than a hundred people, who were surrounded and quickly being overwhelmed.

Naruto held on for fifteen breaths of time before his body collapsed and his head was devoured by a beast. In the last moments before his death, he was able to see that he had held out long enough to be the last person to die.

Everything went black.

When things became clear again, Naruto found himself in a world of flames, with a dismal sky, and swaying chains. Everything he saw was exactly the same as before. Other people began to awaken, then stare around themselves in shock.

Naruto was also gaping, and then his scalp went numb. Apparently, nothing had changed. The giant was still running forward, and everyone who had died was back where they had been before.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, the rift opened up in the sky and the beasts poured down. It was all exactly the same as before, almost as if they had been reincarnated. Yet again the giant roared and flung the cudgel out. Naruto and all the other cultivators who were attached to the chains were once again thrust into battle.

Naruto quickly found that exactly the same beasts as before came to attack him.

After two hours passed, Naruto died. When he opened his eyes, the chains were still there, swinging….

Once, twice, three times…. Naruto quickly lost track of time and how many times he had died. Soon, people around him began to grow numb to what was happening. As soon as they were tossed out, they chose to die, then begin the cycle again.

An expression of frustration gradually appeared on Naruto's face. There was no way to leave this place. This was supposed to be a trial by fire, but there seemed to be no chance to live.

Die, die, and die again.

Revive, revive, and revive again.

Some people began to collapse into frenzied howls. However, that made no difference. Some people silently contemplated different methods of success, but all craftiness and plots were in vain.

Naruto watched as a Dao Seeking cultivator used some unknown method to try to possess one of the attacking beasts, then use it to flee. Soon, he vanished, apparently having escaped.

However, the next time Naruto regained consciousness, the man was still strung up on the chain, just like before.

As to what exactly had happened, the man gave no explanation.

Dying fills people with fear. Dying 100 times will make people numb. Dying 1,000 times can cause one to feel lost. Dying 10,000 times…

That can make someone feel as if they aren't even human any more.

Such an experience gave birth to pain, a pain that the competitors could only hope would just come to an end. A pain that spread into the hearts of everyone. Their hearts filled with torment to the point that their Daos were in peril of being lost.

This trial by fire was like an enormous grindstone, slowly crushing away their wills as it turned and turned.

More and more people gave up on fighting back. If fighting back 10,000 times in a row did no good, how many people were there that could persevere…?

Naruto persevered. Every time he woke up, he would continue to fight and kill the beasts that attacked him. 10,000 times.

As time went by, Naruto saw countless cultivators making various decisions. Some chose to try to flee. Some chose to attack the giant. Some chose to commit suicide.

There were even some people who attacked other cultivators.

Regardless of what they did, every time Naruto regained his senses, he saw the same people in the same places on the iron chains, without exception.

The audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea watched the screens, and their hearts and minds trembled. If you said that the spectators had been shocked by the previous eight stages, then this stage left them completely astonished.

Before, they had been envious of the competitors, and had even sighed, wishing that they could switch places. Now that they saw what was happening in the final two stages, however, they could only watch silently.

As for how many times the cultivators had actually died, nobody knew.

"Just what kind of test is this? How does dying over and over again help their hearts and their Daos?"

"These last two stages are basically Hell!" By this point, the audience members were all breathing in ragged pants.

"You can see people trying all kinds of different methods. If you add everything together, it seems they're trying every possibility! But in the end, there's no other result than defeat."

"How can this test be passed? I'm afraid Kazama will have no way to clinch first place."

Complete silence reigned in the starry sky palace as the Patriarchs stared wordlessly at the display screens.

The dying continued, over and over again, an endless cycle.

Naruto remained silent and taciturn throughout the process. However, unlike many of the people around him, he never attempted to flee, nor did he lose his desire to fight. From beginning to end, every time he regained lucidity, he would begin killing.

However, his deaths came more and more quickly. That was because more and more of the others ceased resisting. When the iron chains were flung out, they would simply close their eyes and wait to die.

Gradually, fewer and fewer people were like Naruto, constantly fighting back. Of the tens of thousands of people who had started out fighting, there were now only a few thousand remaining. Suddenly, Dengaku's voice echoed out within the world.

"If you say 'I give up,' you can leave."

The instant these nine words spread out, among the countless cultivators who had grown numb to the constant dying and were once again on the verge of being killed, someone quaveringly spoke up.

"I give up…." As soon as he spoke the words, he vanished, leaving the world entirely.

After him, one voice after another began to ring out, and one cultivator after another began to vanish.

Without the presence of despair, if someone is given hope, they might not attach too much importance to it, especially if they have a steadfast heart and an unchangeable Dao.

However… if you torment someone to their limits and place them in the midst of despair, then give them a sudden scrap of hope, an opportunity to be extricated, then most people would not hesitate to grab that chance.

More and more people chose to give up. However, there were also others who had previously ceased resisting, who suddenly seemed to be filled with energy, and began to fight the beasts.

Time passed by. They died over and over again, and as they did, the words 'I give up' seemed to become like an inner Devil, lurking in the hearts of all the cultivators.

Simply speaking, all they had to do was say some words, and the constant torment would be over. They would be released.

"What a brutal test," said one of the Patriarchs in the palace.

"From ancient times until now, the mark to pass this stage has been 30,000 deaths."

"More than 50,000 marks a participant as Chosen!"

"To date, no one has exceeded 79,113. That was the mark set by Sir Nauma."

"So, he participated in this part too. Without the element of despair, perhaps many could grit their teeth and continue on. But with hope right there, so close that all they have to do is reach out and grab it, how many people will be able to persevere?"

"The ninth stage tests the heart, the tenth stage inquires of the Dao. These two stages test how strong one's heart is and how unyielding one's Dao is!"

"The longer they endure, the more terrifying everything becomes!" In addition to the Patriarchs in the palace who were discussing the matter, there were many outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea who were able to piece together some clues about the nature of the two stages.

"I heard that when Sir Nauma reached these last two stages, he died more than 79,000 times. He held on until he was the very last person before giving up."

The outside world was abuzz, but their discussions could not pass into the world in which Naruto was continuing to persevere. Inside of him, two voice were speaking, one of them telling him to give up, the other telling him to endure.

Every time, he would die wracked with pain, and would wake up confused. It is a simple thing to describe, but it was nothing short of torture. The number of cultivators left behind continued to shrink.

The sound of the words 'I give up' that echoed around was like the voice of that inner Devil. It actually caused even more of the remaining cultivators to eventually decide to quit.

Time passed by. Fewer and fewer cultivators remained behind. Soon there were only a few hundred. After three days, there were only a hundred. After another three days, there were only nine.

Of those nine, there were three who were enduring, but had ceased to fight back. It was a somewhat fraudulent method, and although it initially seemed as if it would lessen their torment, in the end, it actually made things even more painful.

The other six included Naruto. Every time he awoke, he would begin to fight.

He had no idea how many times he had died. His eyes were bloodshot, and everywhere he looked, he saw blood. Another three days passed, and the three people who had been passively allowing themselves to be killed, finally couldn't take it any more and gave up.

Of the five people other than Naruto who had continued to fight, four quit.

There were now only two people left. One was Naruto, the other was… Guy!

Guy fought. Every time he regained his senses, he fought viciously, almost as if he hoped to achieve some special state amidst all the carnage.

Out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, everyone was shocked. In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were watching with baited breath, closely observing Guy.

Guy had had his outstanding moments in the previous stages, but had not attracted much attention when creating his divine ability. Now, in these last two stages, he was suddenly rising to prominence.

"With such a heart and such a Dao, this young man has incredible good fortune!"

"He could give up at any time, but has endured all the way to this point! He's already died 70,000 times!"

"He'll most likely be able to hold on for a while longer. In this stage, the most difficult point is when there is only one person left. At that point, first place is secured, which leads to a softening of the heart, making it difficult to continue on. Even Sir Nauma, when he reached that point, didn't last for more than a thousand deaths before giving up.

A day later, Guy began to tremble, and finally chose to quit. He had endured for more than 70,000 deaths, which was second only to Sir Nauma's performance all those years ago. He was now quite the center of attention, and there were several sects who were preparing to try to recruit him.

At this point in the shocking trial by fire, everyone was looking at the final remaining participant… Naruto.

"He took first place in the first two stages, outshone the first place winner in the middle three stages, and then in the following three stages, took first place yet again. Now in the final two stages… he actually… took first place again!"

"He's definitely going to rise to complete prominence! Nobody can get in his way. As long as he doesn't get killed, then he's going to be thoroughly famous in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!"

"It's like we're looking at a future Paragon…." All of the cultivators who were watching the trial by fire out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea could now feel their minds spinning.

By now, especially after seeing the final two stages, they all had to admit that if they were in Naruto's place, they would not be able to do what he was doing.

Naruto was still hanging on. He knew that he was the only person left, and yet he didn't give up. A vicious, ruthless smile appeared on his face, and each time he regained consciousness, he would wade into battle with the countless beasts. It was in the middle of this carnage that he tempered his heart and his Dao.

"My Dao is the endless path of life, freedom and independence! Now, I am restrained by these chains, which is the furthest thing from freedom!

"My heart is unconstrained. If Heaven and Earth collapse, it will not be destroyed. If all living things become ancient, it will not wither. But now, it hesitates!

"My Dao is not free, but I desire freedom! My heart hesitates, but I wish to persist past the point of hesitation!

"This trial by fire is testing me, and I'm using it to polish my Dao. In this way, although I might seem to be restrained, in actuality they are nothing but chains. They can't tie me up, they can only polish my Dao!

"As for my heart, if I wish it to be unhesitating, then I need to endure. Endure to the point… where I do not feel pain in this trial by fire, but instead, happiness!

"When I pass this stage, then I will be truly free, and my heart will be incredibly strong!" Eyes shining brightly, he launched an attack.

73,000. 76,000. 79,000….

80,000!

When Naruto died for the 80,000th time, the audiences in the outside world roared, and the patriarchs in the starry sky palace, despite being somewhat accustomed to how Naruto worked wonders, were still completely shaken.

"He exceeded Sir Nauma!"

"I just added it up, and that was the 80,000th death! That puts him in first place among everyone from ancient times until now!"

"Kazama. Kazama! This name is definitely going to shock the Heavens!"

While the audience was in an uproar, Naruto continued to persevere. A smile could be seen on his face, and he actually seemed to be incredibly happy. It wasn't happiness because of dying, or killing, but rather, a happiness because of his own Dao. His heart was now growing even more resolute.

To his heart and his Dao, death… was unworthy of being anything more than a grindstone.

A few days later, he died for the 90,000th time!

A few more days, and it was… 100,000!

That 100,000th death caused universal uproar. When Naruto opened his eyes afterward, wild colors flashed in the sky, and a wind screamed. The giant slowly dropped to one knee and raised the cudgel aloft. The countless beasts that had poured out of the rift all dropped to the ground.

It was as if they were prostrating themselves in worship!

The stage had been cleared!

"What a Chosen!" By this time, all of the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace had risen to their feet with expressions of deep emotion on their faces. They were looking at the vortex screens, where the giant and the beasts were all bowing in worship to Naruto.

All of the sects wanted to recruit Naruto as a disciple, but the Nine Seas God World of the Three Great Daoist Societies had already made a move, leaving them with no opportunity.

It wasn't just the other Three Great Daoist Societies who were in such a position, but also the Five Great Holy Lands.

"This Kazama is one of the most incredible Chosen to appear in countless years!"

"Congratulations to the Nine Seas God World. Kazama will definitely demonstrate extraordinary talent and skill in the God World!" In response to such words from the various Patriarchs, the old man from the Nine Seas God World laughed heartily. His expression was one of extreme contentment.

By now, it was clear that Kazama was definitely in first place in this trial by fire!

Of course, the crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were in commotion. When it came to the final two stages of the heart and the Dao, Naruto was the first person to ever clear the entire stage. Not even Sir Nauma had been able to do so.

Naruto had earned everyone's complete and utter attention!

"He definitely deserves to be in first place!"

"His name will soon shake the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea. He's going to be number one among all Chosen! Once he joins the Nine Sea God World, if he continues on this path of growth, he'll definitely become a Divine Son! If he and Fū get together, then they'll definitely become a legend!"

"You guys didn't notice, but in the final twenty thousand deaths, Kazama was actually happy! Compared to the pain everyone else was in, that's probably even more frightening!"

As the echo of discussion spread throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, Patriarch Reliance was out in the starry sky, looked quite pleased. Then, he suddenly shuddered.

"Dammit! I've been thinking about this wrong! What the hell does that little bastard's life or death have to do with me? His being the center of attention has nothing to do with the Patriarch! We're enemies! Dammit! Dammit! I've been looking at it all wrong!"

Also somewhere in the starry sky was Madara, his hair disheveled, his eyes narrowed as he looked off into the distance.

"Strong… much stronger than I remember," he murmured. Deep within his eyes flickered the glow of Sasuke's spirit. "Naruto, I truly can't wait until the moment when we meet again!" With that, he turned and disappeared into the distance.

In the Baldy Society, Pill Demon and Sakura looked on with trembling hearts. Having personally witnessed everything that had gone on in the trial by fire, were they not already aware that Kazama was Naruto, they would never have possibly drawn a connection between the two.

Kazama… really was the complete focus of attention.

"Planet Lands of Ninshu is too small," Sakura murmured, a twinge of obsession visible in her eyes. "You were being held back there. Your world… is out among the stars."

Back on Planet Lands of Ninshu, in the Namikaze Clan in the vast Eastern Lands, Naruto's parents looked at the vortex screens with smiles on their faces. Of course, buried within those smiles were emotional sighs.

"Naruto really is going to leave us," murmured his mother, her voice soft.

After a moment of silence, his father gently said, "Planet Lands of Ninshu is too small for him, and was limiting his growth. He was bound to leave Lands of Ninshu sooner or later. After this trial by fire is over, I won't try to get him to stay too long."

"But he's just a child," she replied bitterly.

"He's grown up. If you don't let him fly, how can he ever come to know the boundless universe?"

Meanwhile, on Planet West Felicity, Kazan was polishing his sword, and the desire to fight flashed within his eyes. Then he looked away from the vortex screen up in the sky.

"I must not underestimate all of the other members of my generation out there. I never imagined someone else like Naruto of Planet Lands of Ninshu existed. But now, this Kazama appears in the trial by fire!" The desire to fight burned hot in his eyes.

"I truly hope that you participate in the arena matches!" said Kazan, taking a deep breath and then closing his eyes. He would of course take part in the arena matches, and would actually lead the disciples of the Sublime Sword Flow Grotto into the fighting.

Only one cultivator from the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking stages would come out victorious in the arena matches. Then, they would be recruited as a disciple by one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, and become a Conclave disciple at that.

Of course, that didn't mean that participation was restricted. On the contrary, if disciples from the Three Great Daoist Societies participated and took first place, then they would also be able to join the Conclave.

As far as other sects went, they did not participate for the chance to join a Daoist Society, but rather, for the incredible prizes offered up in the arena matches.

In the Nine Seas God World, Fū sat cross-legged with her eyes closed. Her complexion was ashen, and there seemed to be a trace of Karma in it. For some reason, she kept thinking about Naruto, whom she hated with a passion that had permeated even her bones.

Behind her, as always, was the female corpse. When her master saw the corpse, he did not attempt to help her get rid of it. Instead, he told her that it was good fortune for her.

However, Fū did not wish to have good fortune like this.

"How come just looking at this Kazama pisses me off!?" thought Fū as she looked up at the vortex screen, her graceful brow furrowed. She was another of the Chosen who would participate in the arena matches.

In the Shimura Clan on Planet North Reed, Mei's expression was indifferent as she sat cross-legged in the clan's Daoist rite centers. Seated in front of her was a large group of Shimura Clan members, all of whom were listening to her give a speech about cultivation. To these clan members, Mei was like a celestial goddess, selfless, incorruptible, and aloof.

Occasionally, the vortex screens up above would draw the attention of the Shimura Clan members, and even Mei would occasionally look over.

When the clan members asked her if she would participate in the arena matches…

"Yes, I will!" she responded coolly.

Bisuke, as well as Chiriku of the Church of the Emperor Immortal, were both required by their sects to participate in the fighting. Virtually all of the sects and clans sent their Chosen to join the arena matches.

Some of them were people Naruto knew, but many were Chosen who hadn't ever been to Planet Lands of Ninshu.

In the outside world, everyone was preparing for the arena matches. As for Naruto, the world around him shattered into pieces. When he reappeared, he was back in the lead position on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

Behind him were all the other competitors in the trial by fire. They looked at Naruto with awe in their eyes, even the masked young man and the cultivator with the mosquitos.

Naruto had used his own strength to crush the other participants in virtually every way.

Dengaku materialized up in midair. He hovered there, looking at the crowd for a moment before speaking.

"The ten stages of testing have concluded," he said coolly. "Being responsible for the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, I will now select one thousand people to continue." With that, he waved his hand, causing several thousand Dao Seeking cultivators to instantly vanish, teleported back to their places of origin.

One thousand people remained.

"All of you have passed the testing phase. Next, you may decide whether or not to participate in the arena matches.

"In the arena matches, anyone who makes it to the top 100 will receive a prize of 1,000 Immortal jades. Perhaps some of you are unfamiliar with Immortal jades. They are objects that can be used in cultivation after you reach the Immortal Realm. They are a rare thing in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. 1,000 Immortal jades is similar in value to 10,000,000 spirit stones."

Originally, Naruto hadn't been very interested in participating in the arena matches. However, when he heard this, his eyes went wide and began to shine with a bright light.

"10,000,000 spirit stones…." he thought, panting. "The Three Great Daoist Societies are way too rich! You get 10,000,000 spirit stones just for getting in the top 100?!" Naruto was now feeling a bit excited.

"If you get into the top 16, the prize is 5,000 Immortal jades," Dengaku continued. As his voice echoed out, Naruto got even more excited. All of the remaining participants were now panting eagerly.

"If you reach the top 8, the prize is 10,000 Immortal jades!"

Naruto's mind filled with roaring, and he was mentally adding up how much 10,000 plus 5,000 plus 1,000 Immortal jades was in spirit stones. After finishing the calculation, his eyes began to shine with fierce light.

"The prize for reaching the top 4 is an Immortality Illumination Vine!" continued Dengaku, which instantly caused many among the thousand remaining participants to cry out loud in disbelief. Naruto didn't seem to care too much, but the eyes of the others around him instantly went completely bloodshot.

To most people, Immortal jades were just material wealth, and although they could be used in cultivation, that wouldn't help until the Immortal Realm. However, an Immortality Illumination Vine could completely change one's fate in life, and could make true Immortal Ascension possible!

This was especially important because of the fact that a true Immortal had recently appeared on Planet Lands of Ninshu. In the following thousand years, Immortality Illumination Vines could be considered precious treasures to everyone, except perhaps Naruto.

They could change fate and determine the future!

There were different prizes offered on the other two Ancient Roads. However, regardless of the stage they were in, when the cultivators found out what rewards that were being offered, it sent their blood boiling. They weren't the only ones. When the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea heard of the prizes available on the three Ancient Roads, their eyes went bloodshot, and they began to breathe heavily. Were it not for the fact that they didn't possess the requisite qualifications, they too would be there to participate in the fighting.

This was especially true when they heard that one of the prizes on the Ancient Path of Dao Seeking was an Immortality Illumination Vine.

"I can't believe the prize is… an Immortality Illumination Vine!"

"Dammit! If I had known that, I would have participated! In the next thousand years, anyone who has an Immortality Illumination Vine has a high likelihood of becoming a true Immortal!"

"True Immortality! Although using an Immortality Illumination Vine doesn't measure up to seizing destiny, it doesn't matter how you become a true Immortal among the stars, you're still a true Immortal!"

Dengaku looked out with satisfaction at all the looks of shock. However, when he looked at Naruto, he could tell that although he was cheering like everyone else, it seemed a bit perfunctory. After a moment of thought, Dengaku spoke out again.

"Kazama, although you are a Conclave disciple of the Nine Seas God World, if you don't perform enough meritorious service in the future, you won't be awarded with an Immortality Illumination Vine. You must seize this opportunity to acquire one."

Naruto quickly nodded his head, and then suddenly asked, "How many spirit stones is an Immortality Illumination Vine worth?"

Dengaku's jaw dropped.

"They're priceless," he responded. "If you put one up for auction, it's very likely that it would sell for millions of Immortal jades."

When Naruto heard that, his mind spun, and he began to tremble. Immediately, his eyes went completely bloodshot, and his expression turned completely vicious.

Seeing Naruto like this caused Dengaku to clear his throat. He was gradually starting to understand Naruto's personality a bit more.

"Whoever takes first place will receive a prize of…." Dengaku paused dramatically.

"A drop of blood passed down by the Three Great Paragons!"

The response to his words was complete silence. However, there were some people who began to tremble, and expressions of intense disbelief covered their faces, looks that exceeded the ones that had appeared when they were told about the Immortality Illumination Vines. The outside world was quiet too, but only for a moment, after which a great tumult broke out.

"A drop of blood from the Three Great Paragons! Heavens! That would contain the Dao of the Three Great Paragons!"

"The Three Great Paragons!? According to legend, they were powerful experts from ancient times. They… they actually left behind a drop of blood!?"

"Is this for real?!"

Even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace could hardly believe it. They shot to their feet, panting, expressions of shock written on their faces.

Only Naruto didn't seem to have much of a reaction. However, Dengaku's next words, which were clearly directed at him, caused Naruto's heart to skip a beat.

"Kazama, if you put this drop of Paragon's blood up for auction, it would be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone in the Ninth Mountain who could afford it."

Naruto took several more deep breaths, but he was unable to calm himself. Even he had to admit that deep down, his main weakness was… his love of money.

But that wasn't his fault! He had been poor since he was little, and even though lots of people owed him money, those debts hadn't been repaid. Things really weren't easy for him!

When he was young, he had been so poor that he developed a fear of lacking money. After he grew up, he entered the world of cultivation, and still had never really been rich. There was that short period of time in the Milky Way Sea, and his unexpected windfall. However, when he thought about it, the only reason he had been able to save up the money he had now was because he hadn't used the copper mirror in a long time. When he thought about how voraciously the copper mirror consumed wealth, it made Naruto feel completely impoverished.

1,000 Immortal jades made him excited. 10,000 sent his blood boiling. The value of the Immortality Illumination Vine made his eyes go bloodshot. Now, there was the drop of Paragon blood, which caused Naruto's eyes to go green.

When Dengaku saw that green glow, he stared in shock for a moment. He had never before seen a light like that shining in someone's eyes. This was the first time.

However, it only took a moment for more heavy breathing to be heard. Many of the other participants were much like Naruto, and didn't originally understand the value of a drop of Paragon's blood. When they heard Dengaku's second sentence, their minds filled with roaring.

They weren't the only ones. The Patriarchs in the starry sky temple were also panting; to them, a drop of Paragon's blood was like a precious treasure.

They were well aware that an item like that was something that only the Three Great Daoist Societies could possess. They would most certainly not have very many either. It was a precious treasure, the likes of which was not common in this age. And yet, unthinkably, the Three Great Daoist Societies were offering it up as a prize in this trial by fire.

The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies smiled slightly, but did not speak. Obviously, there was some profound meaning behind offering the Paragon's blood as a prize. Actually, it didn't really matter who it was specifically that acquired it. The point was to let everyone know that they had Paragon's blood!

The crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were seething with excitement. Even the Chosen out in the various sects who were preparing to participate in the fighting began to pant. The disciples from the Three Great Daoist Societies were much the same. Although they were members of the Daoist Societies, it would normally be impossible to acquire the things that were being offered as prizes unless they performed some incredible service to the sect.

But now… all they had to do was win first place, and it would be theirs!

Kazan rose to his feet, bursting with the desire to fight. "Paragon's blood…. It's impossible to say which Paragon, but if I fuse it into my Dao of swords, it will definitely make my Dao even more incisive!"

Fū's eyes went wide, and she began to pant.

"With that blood, perhaps I can finally free myself from this corpse!"

Mei, Bisuke and Chiriku, as well as the other Chosen, all had similar reactions. There were even some Chosen who had elected not to participate in the fighting, such as Sora and some others, who immediately regretted their decision.

"The arena matches will take place inside the Ruins of Immortality," continued Dengaku. "However, the location will not be here on the three Ancient Roads, but rather, on an ancient Dao Tree located further within!

"All of you will be given three days of rest, after which, I will personally take you to the ancient Dao Tree!

"During those three days, if any of you wish to leave, you may do so freely." With that, Dengaku turned to leave.

"Patriarch, please wait a moment!" Naruto hurriedly cried out.

Dengaku stopped in place, then turned back to look at Naruto. His eyes were filled with approval, and a smile could be seen on his face.

"What's the matter?"

A bashful smile could be seen on Naruto's face as he somewhat embarrassedly said, "Patriarch, er… earlier you mentioned that I could ask for anything I want, and you would give it to me. Well… I think that a drop of Paragon's blood would do nicely."

When Dengaku heard this, his eyes went as wide as saucers. He was just about to rebuke Naruto, when he noticed Naruto's expression. Then he thought about how stirring all of Naruto's actions had been, and his anger cooled.

"That is not something I can personally decide," he said, shaking his head. "How about this: once you get to the sect, we will continue this discussion." With that, he left.

"I knew all along they wouldn't keep their promise," Naruto thought. "I should have plucked off the pointer needle on the Esoteric compass too."

Time passed. None of the thousand participants on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking chose to leave. They all sat down in meditation, taking every moment of opportunity to practice cultivation, hoping to put themselves in top fighting condition.

Most of them felt quite drained from the previous ten stages of the trial by fire. They had expended much, were mentally exhausted, and their cultivation bases were running low. This was especially the case after the final two stages, and their near collapse into complete despair.

The torment they had experienced was severely draining mentally. However, the remaining 1,000 people were naturally outstanding individuals, so they took advantage of every moment to restore their energy.

Naruto had his Eternal stratum, so he was the only person who didn't need to spend any time recovering.

"So, there are three more days until the arena matches," he thought. "Why do I have the feeling that I've really lost out on a lot during my time here? I wasn't able to take the floor slabs and decorative tiles from the Warrior Pavilion, not to mention the shelving. There wasn't any time….

"The Three Great Daoist Societies took the Esoteric compass as well." He turned to look over at the trial by fire contestants on the other altars, then suddenly felt a flash of inspiration. He stood up and flew to the edge of the altar, and as he neared, sensed an intense pressure. A faint rumbling sound could also be heard.

The rumbling immediately attracted the attention of the other thousand participants. They looked over with wide eyes to see what Naruto was doing, and instantly, their faces began to flicker. Even the people in the outside world noticed and were shocked.

"What's he doing?"

"He needs to calm down! Why is he trying to move off of the altar?"

In the palace in the starry sky, the Patriarchs of the various clans looked on with shock. Dengaku suddenly appeared as well, and he looked on in astonishment.

Naruto had once again succeeded in drawing all attention onto himself. As he moved out into the gap between his altar and the one behind it, the pressure grew even more intense. Finally, massive rumbling filled the air, and great beads of sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead. He began to tremble, and yet, his eyes shone with a brilliant light.

When the spectators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw this, they immediately picked up on what they thought were the hidden details, and began to heave sighs of praise.

"He's practicing cultivation!"

"He definitely deserves to have taken first place in the trial by fire! Even during the three days of rest before the arena matches, he actually refuses to waste time, and is working hard at cultivation!"

Soon, everyone came to the conclusion that the only possible explanation for Naruto's actions was that he was practicing cultivation.

The Patriarchs in the starry sky palace began to nod in approval.

"Excellent. Using the pressure weighing down on the Ancient Roads to practice cultivation. Considering the level of pressure, cultivating there for three days is like spending thirty days in the outside world. If you spent longer, you would get even more used to the pressure, and once you were released, would be able to unleash explosive might. Such a thing would give you much greater momentum going into the arena battles."

"No wonder he was able to take first place in the trial by fire. His awareness of cultivation is deeper than most people could comprehend."

As the Patriarchs nodded and discussed the matter, the three elders from the Three Great Daoist Societies were all smiling.

Meanwhile, the Chosen from the various sects on the outside were practicing cultivation in preparation for the arena matches. They cared little about most of the people they would be facing up against. However, there were some that had left them with deep impressions. Naruto, of course, was the one from whom they felt the most pressure.

When the Chosen saw Naruto practicing cultivation out in the pressure of the Ancient Roads, their expressions became serious.

"In a situation like that, to be able to think up such a method to practice cultivation…This Kazama really is extraordinary," said Kazan.

"This Kazama will be a formidable adversary." Fū frowned.

Mei, Bisuke, and Chiriku all had solemn expressions on their faces.

Back on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Dengaku hovered in the void, slowly nodding his head, the look of praise on his face growing even deeper.

Slowly, the participants on the other altars began to react. Quite a few began to imitate Naruto, and stepped off the altars and into the pressure. However, none of them could last for very long before being forced to return to their altars.

That only served to increase their awe of Naruto.

Four hours passed by, after which Naruto finally managed to close in on the nearest altar. On that altar, Ashitaba's pupil's constricted. Although he had long put himself on guard inwardly, his expression didn't change, and he looked over at Naruto coldly.

He had also attempted to move out into the pressure outside the altar, but had only been able to last for an hour before being forced to return. As for Naruto, he had persisted for four hours; that was something that left Ashitaba completely shocked.

At first, he assumed Naruto would only rest for a bit and then go back, but in complete contrast to his expectations, Naruto actually approached him.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, come no closer!" he said, his eyes glittering coldly. His hair was already standing on end, and he couldn't be any more vigilant. He waved his hand, causing a shield to immediately appear, bursting with energy.

The scene instantly attracted quite a bit of attention. The people in the crowds in the outside world all began to look over.

"Fellow Daoist," Naruto responded with a smile, "don't get the wrong idea. I have no ill intentions. I'm just here to sell some medicinal pills. Look, right here, I happen to have a wonderful Spirit Reviving Pill." With that, he adroitly produced a medicinal pill from his bag of holding.

"One pill will completely enliven you, and will increase your energy by a hundredfold. How about this: for 100,000 spirit stones, I'm willing to part with this medical pill and give it to you!" He looked over at Ashitaba.

Ashitaba was staring with wide eyes, as were all of the other competitors in the trial by fire. Up in midair, Dengaku was in complete shock.

The crowds in the outside world looked on agape, and all of the Chosen were staring fixedly. Even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were gaping.

"He… he expended all that effort, fought back against that enormous pressure, just to… just to sell some medicinal pills?!"

"And he wants 100,000 spirit stones for a Spirit Reviving Pill? That's… that's way too expensive!"

Dengaku wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. At first he wanted to get angry, but then he thought about how sensitive Naruto was regarding spirit stones, as well as the stirring matter of the Esoteric compass, and he sighed.

"This kid is definitely a rogue cultivator. He's no doubt experienced many hardships in his practice of cultivation. Therefore, he has a strong attachment to spirit stones."

Ashitaba looked hesitantly at Naruto. He actually did want to buy the medicinal pill. The problem wasn't about the amount of spirit stones, but that he didn't dare to actually buy it. At this moment, he wasn't sure if he could trust that what Kazama was saying was true or not.

After a long moment, Ashitaba carefully replied, "Fellow… Fellow Daoist Namikaze, I actually have my own medicinal pills."

"Oh, I see," said Naruto, looking disappointed. He then turned to look at the participants on the other altars.

Most of them looked back silently. However, there happened to be a middle-aged man who stood six altars away from where Naruto currently was. He looked on with an arrogant expression.

"I can't believe someone who cares so much about money could take first place," he called out. "I've really been blind. If you can personally deliver those medicinal pills to me, then however many you want to sell, I, Inuzuka, will buy.

"However, I'll only wait for half a day. If you can't make it here in that amount of time, then you'll just have to scram."

Naruto looked up at the middle-aged man. Then, a bashful smile appeared.

Naruto stood there on the second altar, looking at the man standing on the eighth altar. There were a total of five altars standing between them!

This man was one of the thousand participants on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, and back home, he was a Chosen. That was why he was able to stick out so well on the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking.

Originally, he had believed himself capable of struggling his way into the top ten, but the brutality of the trial by fire had resulted in him sustaining some severe blows to his self-confidence. However, during the three trials of talent, cultivation, and age, he had taken second place in the trial of talent. He had been very excited about that, but then Naruto had thrown everything into chaos, the result being that few people had taken note of him.

Jealousy of Naruto had taken deep root within him then and there. Then, Naruto's spectacular performance in the other stages had caused that jealousy to transform into bone-deep hatred.

Of course, he was not a witless person. If he was going to attempt to humiliate Naruto in full view of everyone, he would definitely have to ensure his own safety. That was why he had put a half-day time limit on his offer.

He did not believe that Naruto could possibly make it to him in half a day. After all, Naruto had spent roughly four hours to get to the second altar. Half a day contained twelve hours, so therefore, the man was confident that Naruto would not be able to reach him.

"If the time passes and he still comes, he won't be able to do anything at all to me. There are rules, after all! If he tries to attack me, the Three Great Daoist Societies will intervene. That he's a disciple of the Nine Seas God World… makes no difference!

"Rewards come only with risk. If I humiliate Kazama, people will definitely notice me. This is my opportunity to get my name out there to the sects. This is my chance to get noticed!" The man's eyes flickered, and his mouth turned up into a cold smile.

A bit of a bashful smile tugged at Naruto's lips. He nodded at Ashitaba, then turned and headed toward the edge of the altar. When he stepped out into the void, the pressure of the outside once again weighed down on him. Naruto was like a rowboat in an angry sea, his robes whipping about. However, he proceeded forward with firm steadfastness, moving ahead one bit at a time.

When he started out toward the next altar, it instantly caused all of the competitors in the trial by fire to look over. Their eyes glittered as various thoughts ran through their heads.

"Even if Kazama does something more spectacular than he already has, I don't think he can get to that man in half a day."

"That's not very smart. He should just have put up with the man's words and waited to handle the matter after the arena matches."

"That guy really is malicious. He's smart though. He actually went out of his way to provoke Kazama. If he ends up humiliating him, he'll really earn a name for himself."

The remaining competitors in the trial by fire were intelligent people, and they quickly understood what was going on.

Up in midair, Dengaku looked on with a cool expression. Considering the level of his cultivation base, he wouldn't pay too much attention to the competitors jockeying for positions. However, he couldn't help but feel quite a bit of admiration for Naruto, and began to watch, wondering if Naruto would be able to reach his destination in less than half a day.

The cultivators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea looked on with interest, and quite a few of them realized what the middle-aged man was thinking. There were, of course, varying opinions about the matter.

"This Kazama is a bit impulsive."

"He shouldn't have tried to sell those medicinal pills. He's just giving his opponents an opportunity and invitation to humiliate him."

The Patriarchs up in the starry sky palace settled their Chakra and calmed their minds. The conflicts between the trial by fire competitors weren't something they would pay close attention to. However, considering everything that Naruto had accomplished, many of them were waiting to see how he would resolve this issue.

"This is actually a test in and of itself," said the Patriarch from the Church of the Emperor Immortal. "The previous stages all tested internal weaknesses. A person's response to provocation can reveal a lot about their instincts." Many others nodded in response.

Time passed by. Two hours later, Naruto was moving along at a quick pace. He was now between the second and third altars, and the pressure weighing down on him from the surrounding void sent his hair whipping about. However, his expression was calm, and he continued without pause.

The other competitors were all silently shaking their heads. They knew that the half-day timetable was something Naruto couldn't meet.

The middle-aged man's facial expression was one of complete complacency. When he'd opened his mouth earlier, it had actually been with some nervousness, but now he was completely calm and even laughing.

"Kazama, you only have half a day! If you can't make it here by then, you can just get the hell back to your own altar. After half a day passes, even if you offer your medicinal pills to me for free, I won't take them."

The arrogance in his tone was extremely apparent.

Naruto looked up at the man far off in the distance, and smiled. He proceeded forward, taking about an hour to get to the third altar.

This time he finished the trip an hour faster than the last time, which was of course shocking to many onlookers. However, of the twelve hour time limit, there were now only nine hours left. The middle-aged man looked even more relaxed, and laughingly called out.

"Kazama, you have five altars to go, but only nine hours left! You'd best take advantage of your time. I'm curious to see how many altars you can get under your belt before the nine hours is up!"

Naruto smiled bashfully, then stepped out into the void once again. The pressure surrounded him, and his energy surged. Boundless light radiated off of him, and he continued onward without pause. Although he was moving slower, and the pressure was increasing, he managed to reach the fourth altar in only two hours.

That gave rise to quite a bit of astonishment among the onlookers. The middle-aged man's face flickered a bit, but he called out just as arrogantly as before.

"So what? There are still four altars between us, and you only have seven hours! Do you really think you can make it here?"

"I don't need that much time," said Naruto, his first time speaking to the middle-aged man. Even as he spoke, lightning crackled out around him and he stepped out into the void. Rumbling echoed out because of his incredible speed, almost as if from friction. This time, he used only one hour to set foot onto the fifth altar.

"What!?" Many of the trial by fire competitors jumped to their feet, their expressions that of astonishment. The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were also looking on wide-eyed.

To cross the gap between two of the altars in only one hour required astonishing speed. That was especially true considering that his first attempt had taken a full four hours.

"Was he intentionally holding back the first time around? Or is he just getting used to the pressure!"

"Is this Kazama really going to pull off some kind of miracle?!"

The outside world was in an uproar, and the middle-aged man's face had fallen. He was panting as he stared at Naruto, fully cognizant of the fact that there were only three altars between them.

In terms of the time limit, there were six hours left!

"Impossible!" thought the man. His face was ashen, and his eyes wide as he looked over at Naruto charging toward him. There was a shy smile on Naruto's face, and it seemed almost apologetic.

Next, Naruto strode out to cross the void. This time, his speed was such that he only needed the time it takes an incense stick to burn before landing with a bang on the sixth altar. He was now very close to the middle-aged man on the eighth altar.

Without even a pause, he proceeded from the sixth altar out into the void toward the seventh altar. This time, he didn't even need the time it takes an incense stick to burn before he was standing at the edge of the seventh altar, looking at the middle-aged man not too far off in the distance.

The man's scalp was numb as he rose to his feet, an expression of astonishment on his face.

"Impossible!" he said, trembling, and edging backward slowly. He now felt incredible regret, and if he had a chance to do things over, he would definitely never have chosen to provoke Kazama.

All of the surrounding competitors were also astonished, especially the cultivators on the seventh altar where Naruto currently stood. They quickly rose to their feet and made a path for Naruto to walk through, clasping hands and bowing deeply at the same time.

Naruto's might left them all stunned. The cultivators watching from outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were equally shocked, especially the Chosen. They stared at Naruto on the vortex screens, and by now, had placed him in a very high position mentally.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs had strange looks in their eyes.

Dengaku hovered in midair, smiling slightly and looking at Naruto with admiration. His cultivation base was profound, and he had long since seen through the various clues. This was not a case of Naruto concealing his cultivation base, but rather, him becoming accustomed to the pressure in the place.

"For him to be able to create Paragon magic, to have the image of the Pāramitā Bridge in his heart, and considering the profundity of his cultivation base, very few types of pressure under Heaven would be able to stop him."

Now many among the crowds of trial by fire competitors were looking over mockingly at the middle-aged man. His face was ashen, and he was trembling. Earlier, he had been surrounded by no small amount of fellow competitors, but now, they had all edged away from him.

"It's never a good idea to provoke people, and yet this guy chose to provoke Kazama."

The middle-aged man trembled, and his heart was pounding. Roaring filled his mind, and he had no time to think of any more ideas as Naruto flew out and crossed the last void in the space of twenty breaths of time.

Naruto looked like an Immortal Divinity as he flew through the void to appear directly in front of the middle-aged man. All of the other competitors immediately clasped hands and bowed, then backed away.

The man trembled and stared fixedly at Naruto. After taking a deep breath, he then let out a cold snort.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, clearly you have a profound cultivation base to be able to come here personally. Fine, I, Inuzuka, will buy your medicinal pill." With that, he produced a bag of holding which he tossed over.

"There are 100,000 spirit stones in there. Take them and leave."

Naruto smiled as he caught the bag of holding. Then his expression turned a bit bashful.

"Oh, this won't do," he said. "I have a lot of Spirit Refreshing Pills, you know." With that he patted his old bag of holding to produce… a pill bottle.

He waved the pill bottle in front of the middle-aged man's face. Inside were dozens of medicinal pills.

The middle-aged man's eyes went wide, and he began to inch backward.

"You never said how many you had! You…."

"Huh?!" In one moment, Naruto had a sincere smile on his face, but the next, it darkened.

"I came here from all the way over there to deliver medicinal pills to you! And now you're not going to buy them!?" He stepped forward until he was directly in front of the man, and then his hand lashed out.

The man tried to fight back, but how could he possibly be a match for Naruto? A boom could be heard, and blood sprayed out of the man's mouth. Naruto grabbed his hair and shoved him down onto the ground.

"Trying to make a fool of me?" growled Naruto, killing intent flickering in his eyes. He lifted his right foot up and kicked down viciously onto the man. Cracking sounds could be heard, and blood sprayed from the man's mouth. Bones were smashed, and the man opened his mouth to say something, but in that moment, a vicious expression appeared on Naruto's face and he punched downward.

A boom echoed out. Naruto had attacked viciously, immediately prompting a miserable shriek from the middle-aged man. He was now broken and bleeding, miserable to the extreme.

"Misunderstanding! Fellow Daoist Namikaze, this was just a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding my ass!" Naruto leapt up into the air and then trampled down onto the man's face. A bloodcurdling scream rang out. The man was now soaked in blood, cradling his head in his arms as Naruto thrashed him.

"Wanna buy my stuff? Buy it! Don't wanna buy it? You're gonna buy it anyway!" Naruto grabbed the man by the hair, lifted his head up, and then slammed it back down into the ground.

Before the man could even scream, Naruto lifted his right leg up and kicked down hard. A crack could be heard as the man's leg was shattered!

This scene of explosive violence, and the rapid change in Naruto's facial expression, caused all of the surrounding onlookers to stare in complete, jaw-dropping shock.

The audiences outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea gasped, and stared blankly at what was happening on the vortex screens. Naruto's savagery left them totally astonished.

"This guy is definitely someone you can't provoke!"

"What a brutal personality! He's definitely someone to avoid pissing off!"

"I can't believe that a cultivator with a scholarly aura like that could have such a violent temper!"

The Chosen from the various sects were also taken aback, some more than others. For example, Chiriku looked on with wide eyes, panting. He watched blankly as Kazama grabbed the middle-aged man's hair, and then Chiriku began to tremble. He suddenly called to mind something that had happened to him that he would never be able to forget for the rest of his life, a completely humiliating and embarrassing memory.

"This seems… somewhat similar…. But that's not him, is it…?" Chiriku hesitated for a moment. After recalling that certain person, a tremor ran through him. The whole incident was a nightmare. After returning to the Church of the Emperor Immortal, he had often been jolted out of meditation by the shocking memories. Furthermore, he had shaved his hair, and was now completely bald.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs looked on with wide eyes, staring in shock as Naruto violently beat the middle-aged man. At first, they were completely shocked, but then they began to chuckle.

"This Kazama's personality is kind of amusing."

"He exacts revenge for the slightest offense, and isn't willing to suffer any losses whatsoever. Well, truth be told, the other man was the one who started the whole thing."

On the Ancient Road of Dao Seeking, Dengaku chuckled and shook his head, pretending as if he hadn't seen what was happening.

The middle-aged man was dripping with blood, and was both screaming miserably and also trying to fight back. However, the more he struggled, the more ruthlessly Naruto beat him. More cracking sounds echoed out as another bone was broken.

Of the surrounding trial by fire competitors, one after another gasped, and all of them were looking at Naruto with intense terror in their eyes. They were so afraid of Naruto that their scalps were numb.

"This guy seemed perfectly normal! How could he be so brutal!?"

"Must not provoke him! Absolutely must not provoke him!"

Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent, and he jabbed two fingers of his right hand toward the middle-aged man's eyes.

The man let out a miserable shriek and then urgently cried out, "Buy! I'll buy!"

The words floated into Naruto's ears like a melody of nature. His right hand stopped in place, and the brutal, vicious expression on his face vanished, to be replaced by a bashful smile and a somewhat embarrassed expression.

He cleared his throat and then said, "Well, look at you! Why didn't you speak up earlier?"

He quickly squatted down and, as the trembling middle-aged man looked at him with terror in his eyes, slowly helped him to his feet.

"You don't need to help me up, really…." The simple action of being helped to his feet caused the man to be even more frightened than before, and he began trembling violently. Before he could even finish speaking, though, Naruto glared at him, and he didn't dare to say another word.

"This pill bottle is full of Spirit Reviving Pills," said Naruto. "Delivery fee included, one pill costs 200,000 spirit stones. There are a total of 15 pills, so that's a total of 3,000,000 spirit stones." He placed the pill bottle into the man's hand and then looked at him expectantly, eyes gleaming.

The man was on the verge of bursting into tears. The single thought that occupied him now was just to get Naruto to leave as quickly as possible, lest he find himself in an even more deadly situation.

"Okay, I'll buy them…." The middle-aged man immediately produced a vast quantity of spirit stones.

Naruto's eyes gleamed as he caught sight of the huge amount of the spirit stones that were still left in the man's bag of holding. He obviously had quite a few left over even after buying the pills. Naruto cursed the fact that he only had one bottle of Spirit Reviving Pills in his bag of holding.

"Look, you're a customer, so I'm responsible for your safety," Naruto said solemnly. "Tell me who it was that beat you up, okay? Or, well, never mind. That's not important. The important thing is that you're hurt, and you're going to be participating in the arena matches that begin in two days. But you don't need to worry, Fellow Daoist. I have more medicinal pills!

"These are top-notch injury-treating pills, for only 200,000 per pill. Don't worry, I'm honest and fair with all customers." Naruto immediately pulled out seven or eight pill bottles, which he then handed to the middle-aged man.

The man stared in shock. He really and truly wanted to weep now. For a moment, he considered not buying them, but when he looked at Naruto and his bashful smile, he began to shiver uncontrollably. Gritting his teeth, he purchased each and every one of the pills.

Naruto took a deep breath, then began to stare at the man's bag of holding, his eyes shining brightly. Clearing his throat, he said, "Fellow Daoist, considering the level of your injuries, I don't think those medicinal pills are enough. It seems even your Nascent Divinity was injured."

"What?" The middle-aged man's scalp was going numb. His Nascent Divinity had not, in fact, been injured, but when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes, he knew that it very easily could be.

The man scowled miserably, and his heart was filled with intense regret. He was already starting to run out of spirit stones; these were his life savings, including special rewards given to him by his sect.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, let me go, alright?" he pleaded. "It really was my mistake…." Of course, deep inside, his hatred burned, and he wanted to tear Naruto into pieces.

Naruto smiled, but his eyes were completely cold as he said, "You know, the first person I ever killed was also surnamed Inuzuka." 1

The man trembled, and he felt like a cold breeze was filling his entire body. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out some more spirit stones and bought Naruto's new medicinal pills. By now, his bag of holding was completely empty.

Naruto nodded in satisfaction, then patted the man on the shoulder.

"If you have any other needs, don't hesitate to call me over."

The middle-aged man trembled and nodded.

Naruto turned and stepped back out into the void. This time, his trip all the way back to his original position on the first altar only took about an hour. The entire way, the other trial by fire competitors clasped hands and bowed, making way for him, their eyes filled with fear.

Back on the first altar, Naruto sat down cross-legged and began to take inventory of everything he had acquired. Looking at the accumulation of spirit stones inside, he finally felt as if his trip here hadn't been a waste.

"It's too bad that Warrior Pavilion was so stingy, though," he thought. "All I did was take a few magical items, right? I didn't take the floor tiles or the shelving. I didn't even touch the decorative tiles!

"Back in the Bridge of Immortal Treading, I dug up all the floor tiles!" When he thought about how stingy the Warrior Pavilion was, his hatred grew. There was nothing he hated more than stingy people.

"Well, in any case, a lot of small gains can add up to a windfall. As long as I keep going in life, then one of these days, I'm going to be the richest person in the all the Nine Mountains and Seas!" Thinking about his grand aspirations, he took a deep breath. For some reason he felt as if he was now one step closer to fulfilling his dreams.

"When I find Hinata, the two of us will always have more than enough money to spend." He sighed emotionally.

Time passed by, and soon the three day rest period had ended. The trial by fire competitors opened their eyes, and bright gleams could be seen. With Naruto there, most had no thoughts of trying to take first place; they just hoped to make it into the top 8!

Dengaku materialized out of the void and glanced over the crowds.

"The arena matches will be held in the ancient Dao Tree of the Ruins of Immortality. All of you must keep one point firmly in mind. The location of the Dao Tree cannot be considered the depths of the Ruins of Immortality, but it is still a place of extreme danger. Virtually anything could happen outside of the tree while you participate in the fighting. Remember… you must not, under any circumstances, leave the ancient Dao Tree.

"Only by staying on the tree itself can you guarantee your safety. If you leave the tree… it is impossible to say whether you will survive or not!" Dengaku gazed sternly at the competitors, then waved his hand. Immediately, a red glow sprung up everywhere, and the void trembled. Ripples spread out as everything present, including Naruto, flew up into the air. Dengaku suddenly seemed to grow incredibly large, whereupon he swished his sleeve, causing everyone to fly inside of it.

This scene caused Naruto's heart to tremble!

"What an extraordinary divine ability!" he thought, panting. After all the trial by fire competitors were pulled into Dengaku's sleeve, they could clearly see the outside world whizzing by, and knew that Dengaku was now moving forward at incredible speed.

The audiences in the outside world watched as similar scenes played out on the Ancient roads of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing. The two old men in those locations also flew up, and soon joined Dengaku as they flew off into the distance.

The path they traveled was covered with mist, and occasionally, wails and howls could be heard echoing about, as well as terrifying roars. Gradually, an enormous head became visible, floating there in the mists. Blood oozed out of its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and an enormous centipede could be seen burrowing in and out of its eyes.

When the crowds on the outside saw these things, they gasped and stared at the vortex screens in shock.

"Ruins of Immortality! These are the real Ruins of Immortality!"

"That giant's head is at least ten thousand meters tall!"

Inside of Dengaku's sleeve, Naruto could see everything that was happening outside. He also saw the giant's head, and he couldn't help but feel shocked as they passed it by.

More time passed. The mists grew thicker, and the wailing undulated endlessly. Eventually, a huge vine appeared up ahead, swinging back and forth. Shockingly, there were countless corpses bound up on the vine, corpses that were ancient and shriveled, and yet who possessed magical items and treasures that were related to bags of holding.

Considering that the items still existed after all these years, it showed that… this vine was incredibly mighty, and would tolerate no incursions.

Several days passed, during which time Naruto saw countless bizarre things. He saw an enormous ball of fur the size of a planet. He saw a gigantic bleeding eye. He saw an army of cultivators in tattered clothes, walking slowly through the void with blank looks on their faces.

Each of those cultivators was so powerful that Naruto found it difficult to breathe.

Most shocking of all, though, was when Naruto saw… a ship, floating slowly through the mists. Naruto was not unfamiliar with this ship, and when he saw it, his mind trembled. This was the same ship he had seen in the Milky Way Sea, and just like before, an old man sat at the prow!

Seven days went by. Dengaku and the other two old men gradually began to decrease their speed, and looks of concentration appeared on their faces. Although they had made this trip on numerous occasions, every time they did, it was with the utmost caution. These were the Ruins of Immortality, not some other random location. Although not every single step was filled with danger, there were still many shocking things that could fill even them with senses of deadly crisis.

One misstep, and they might end up being buried in this place. Furthermore, this was a trial by fire, so if there were any accidents, they wouldn't be the only ones who died; all of the people stored inside their massive sleeves would go along with them.

If that happened, it would be a huge blow to the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Dengaku and the others stopped in place for a moment to perform some incantations of augury. Then they exchanged glances, and one of them commented, "Are the lives of the Chosen from the great sects really that much more valuable than all the other lives?"

Dengaku shook his head and declined to answer. Whereas the three of them were personally escorting all of the trial by fire competitors, the Chosen from the great sects would simply wait for them to arrive at the ancient Dao Tree. There, a teleportation portal would be set up, and they could go to the place directly.

The teleportation portal would only be able to remain active for the space of about ten breaths of time, and could only handle a volume of about one hundred people. Even that would require a huge expenditure of resources.

That price would be split between the various sects, all to ensure that their Chosen would reach their destination without any complications.

"There are still ten hours left before the entrance appears," said the old man who carried the Spirit Severing competitors. "Why don't we rest for a bit?" With that, he sat down cross-legged.

The one who had complained before was the old man carrying the Nascent Soul cultivators. He gave a cold harrumph and looked off into the distance.

"Let's bring the competitors out and let them take a look around," said Dengaku. "This ten hour period should be relatively safe." He swished his sleeve, and the one thousand Dao Seeking cultivators, including Naruto, immediately appeared. Many of them gasped as they were finally able to personally see the surroundings. Their minds were clearly shaken, but none of them spoke a single word.

Moments later, the Spirit Severing and Nascent Soul experts appeared in vast groups. They looked around at their surroundings and sharp inhalations of breath could be heard everywhere.

"Do nothing rash, and do not stray too far," Dengaku said, his voice echoing about. "We are now in the real Ruins of Immortality, and there are many dangers lurking about. Considering the level of your cultivation bases, you would never normally be able to come to a place like this. Since you're here with us now, take a moment to experience what it feels like. You can consider this one of your rewards."

Naruto took a deep breath as he looked around. They were surrounded by mists, some thin, some thick. Many areas radiated intense pressure. Clearly, there were different areas, some of which were possible for people of greater power to enter, other areas not so much.

The area they occupied contained the weakest pressure of all. Furthermore, the three old men were pushing back, reducing the power by at least half. Even with much of the power being deflected by the three old men, it was still difficult for many of the competitors to hold up.

The majority of the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing cultivators were meditating cross-legged. The remainder that were not forced to focus fully on fighting back against the pressure, were examining their surroundings. Among the Dao Seeking cultivators, about half were meditating, with the remaining several hundred moving about in the area.

Naruto walked ahead until he was about three hundred meters out. There, he stopped. He suddenly had the feeling that the pressure would increase explosively if he proceeded any further. He stood there silently for a moment before smacking his bag of holding to produce a flying sword. He gradually extended it out, and when it went past the three hundred meter mark, cracking sounds could be heard. Fissures spread out across the sword, and after a few breaths of time, it disintegrated into ash.

"Five breaths of time," he thought, his eyes glittering. The flying sword he had used just now was a Spirit Severing treasure, and yet here, it could only last for five breaths of time.

Shaking his head, Naruto began to back away from the three hundred meter mark, when suddenly, a voice echoed into his mind.

"Come… come…."

He stopped in his tracks, and his eyes began to shine with a brilliant light. As he looked out into the Ruins of Immortality, the voice continued to echo in his mind. He turned to look at the people behind him, but apparently, not even Dengaku and the other two could hear what he was hearing. It seemed that only he could detect the voice.

At the same time that the voice echoed out, the ancient Demon Sealing Jade in his bag of holding suddenly began to emanate flickering light.

The Demon Sealing Jade had remained dormant for a very long time, but now it was glowing once again. However, unlike the previous occasions, it did not speak.

The voice from moments before continued to speak.

"League of Demon Sealers… come here… come to me…." As the voice spoke, the mist in front of Naruto seemed to weaken and change, as… a path appeared.

Naruto's mind trembled as he looked at the path. He did not walk forward, but rather, began to edge backward. He knew that the level of his cultivation base placed him at the peak of his peers. However, when you considered the Mountain and Sea Realm as a whole, he was merely in the Spirit Realm, which made him very weak.

This path might lead to good fortune, but considering the level of his cultivation base, that good fortune could very well lead to his death.

In the moment that he stepped backward, the voice continued on with even more urgency.

"The League of Demon Sealers…. I am a member too. Come to me, I shall give you good fortune…. I shall give you destiny to step upon the Heavens, to achieve a meteoric rise! You can directly become Immortal!"

The more the voice tried to persuade him, the more Naruto backed up. When he had backed up about thirty meters, the mist in front of him suddenly began to churn, as if some incredible power were approaching, heading directly toward Naruto.

His face fell, and he began to speed backward. By this time, Dengaku and the others had sensed that something was happening. Faces flickering, the three of them immediately sprung into action, pulling all of the trial by fire competitors back into their sleeves, and at the same time, striding forward to stand next to Naruto. By this point, the swirling mists had spread to reveal a figure.

It was a cultivator whose body was in a state of decomposition. His head was half destroyed, and his clothes were tattered. An archaic, rotting aura emanated out from him, and he was surrounded by swirling mists. In his hand, he held a tattered banner, and he stood there, staring listlessly at Dengaku and the others with his one remaining eye.

Dengaku and the other old men stared at the man as if he were a deadly enemy. Their energy surged, and the light of magical techniques began to swirl around them.

"Senior, you have already perished," said Dengaku. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We of the junior generation are still alive, and are just passing through here. We disturbed your rest, please forgive us. Senior, kindly return from whence you came!"

The half-headed figure slowly raised his right hand and pointed a decomposing finger directly at Naruto.

"I… want… him…."

Dengaku's face fell, as did those of the other two old men.

Breathing heavily, Naruto backed up until he was behind the three old men. As he stared at the figure, his heart trembled. It was at this point that he noticed that the half-headed man… had a sword stabbed into his waist.

The sword was pitch black and emanated a freezing aura. However, Naruto could also tell that the sword possessed Demon Sealing power. It only took a moment for him to realize that it was the power of a Demon Sealing Hex!

It was at this moment that the ancient Demon Sealing Jade in his bag of holding finally spoke into his mind with its archaic voice.

"Sixth Demon Sealing Hex!"

Dengaku placed his right hand onto his bag of holding. "Senior," he said, "Please don't push us too far!"

The half-headed man suddenly looked over at him, and flames leapt up within his single remaining eye. He suddenly lurched forward, the mists surrounding him seething, as if they contained countless vengeful souls, screaming miserably. He waved the banner, and rumbling sounds could be heard as mist poured toward the three old men.

Dengaku's face flickered and he let out a roar, unhesitatingly slapping his bag of holding to produce a talisman.

It was an ancient talisman that emanated a boundlessly archaic aura. It seemed to have existed through countless years of time. All it depicted was a simple, smiling face. However, as soon as it appeared, the half-headed man stopped in place, and even the incoming mists stopped, seemingly stuck permanently in place, not daring to get any closer.

Dengaku took a deep breath, performed an incantation gesture, and then pointed out. The talisman immediately floated up into midair. At the same time, Dengaku grabbed Naruto and then shot backward at top speed. The other two old men also retreated, leaving the talisman floating there in the air.

"I can't believe we ran into a revenant here. That talisman should hold it in place for twenty hours." Dengaku frowned and looked over at Naruto. "How did you draw its attention?"

Naruto smiled wryly, unsure of exactly what to say.

"It probably has nothing to do with him," said the man carrying the Spirit Severing cultivators, who happened to be from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. "The revenants here usually just look for people they think will be suitable to help them to return to life. We've run into them before, haven't we?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Seniors, what is… a revenant?"

"Some ancient cultivators left strands of resentful will behind when they died. Those strands of will exist outside of the natural law of the Mountain and Sea Realm, and continuously attempt to return to life. Those are revenants."

Naruto nodded and looked back at the half-headed man. He had a mind to go and try to retrieve the sword, but he knew that it was impossible to do so. Inwardly, he sighed with regret.

Soon, ten hours had passed, and the surrounding mists were churning. Naruto was back in Dengaku's sleeve, and yet, was still able to see the world outside. Shockingly, off in the distance… was an indescribably large corpse.

It was so huge that Naruto could do nothing less than gasp. It seemed larger than a planet, seemingly without end. A cultivator who stood in front of it would be smaller than an ant.

The corpse appeared to be almost like an enormous continent, hanging there in the void.

As Dengaku and the other two old men flew forward, they each produced a magical symbol that caused their bodies to emanate a gray light. They shot toward the huge body, and in the blink of an eye, touched down onto it and then sped forward.

Naruto looked on gaping as Dengaku and the other two continued onward for an entire month at an indescribable speed. Despite that, they still had not crossed the entirety of the corpse. Eventually, a tree appeared up ahead.

It was a gargantuan, shocking, ancient tree.

Apparently, the tree was growing directly up from within the corpse, as if it were feeding off of its lood and flesh.

The trunk of the tree stretched high up into the air, until, at a certain point, two huge branches split off in opposite directions, making it look like an enormous fork.

The tree was covered with innumerable leaves, each one of which was fully three hundred meters wide. The leaves did not bend downward, but spread out evenly like platforms.

"We're here!" said Dengaku. He and the other two came to a stop, then waved their hands, causing all of the competitors to fly out from within their sleeves and land on the tree leaves.

The crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were watching on the vortex screens, and could see everything that Dengaku and the others encountered.

That included the decomposing, half-headed man, as well as all the other things lurking in the mists.

Many gasps could be heard from the cultivators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. For most of them, this was their first time ever seeing the Ruins of Immortality. In previous trials by fire, outsiders were not permitted to see these things, but this time was different. Not only were the prizes astonishing, but for the first time, everyone was able to catch a glimpse of the Ruins of Immortality.

Although it was only a tiny portion, it was still enough to capture the attention of innumerable cultivators.

When they saw the gigantic corpse, cries of shock echoed out in all directions. Then the ancient Dao Tree appeared, and even greater shouts of astonishment could be heard.

"It's actually… growing on the top of the giant's corpse!"

"That's the ancient Dao Tree? What exactly is it? Why is it called a Dao Tree?!"

"That corpse… Heavens! I never imagined that things that huge existed! How is this possible?! If that thing wasn't dead… who could possibly fight it? It's… actually a real corpse!"

The faces of the Patriarchs up in the starry sky palace were calm; all of them were familiar with the Ruins of Immortality.

However, they were all wondering what motive the Three Great Daoist Societies had to allow all the crowds on the outside to see.

A huge corpse. An ancient tree.

"The tree leaves are the arenas," said Dengaku. "The leaves on the left side will be the Nascent Soul battleground. The leaves on the right are for Spirit Severing. As for the central main trunk… that is where the Dao Seeking fights will take place!" As his words echoed out, Naruto stood there on one of the leaves on the main trunk, at the bottom level.

All of the other Dao Seeking cultivators were also located on bottom-level leaves. When they looked up, they could see that the branches sticking out from it were arranged in layers, the highest of which was ten levels away.

The higher the level, the fewer the leaves. In fact, at the apex, there was only one golden leaf, which was completely eye catching.

As for the battlegrounds on the left and right, they were also arranged in levels, although instead of climbing straight up, they moved out to the side. Similarly, though, as they reached their ends, the leaves grew sparser, until at the very end of each, was a golden leaf!

Three golden leaves. Those were the limits of the ancient Dao Tree, and the locations where the final matches would be fought.

Even as Dengaku provided his explanation, he and the other two old men performed incantation gestures and produced magical materials which they used to begin to set up teleportation portals on the giant's corpse beneath the tree.

After the teleportation portals took shape, the three old men performed incantation gestures and pointed out, causing boundless light to shine up. Out in the sects of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, as soon as the light from the teleportation portals rose up, Kazan, Bisuke, Fū, and other Chosen all stepped forward onto the teleportation portals at their locations. Light flashed, and they vanished.

When they reappeared, they were standing atop the giant's corpse in the Ruins of Immortality.

It only took the space of about ten breaths of time for roughly a hundred people from all the sects to arrive. Then, cracking sounds could be heard as the teleportation portals shattered and faded away.

As Fū and the others spread out, they looked around with trembling minds. This was apparently their first time coming to this place as well.

From the leaf he stood upon, Naruto could see Fū, Bisuke, even Chiriku and others. His eyes flickered and a smile appeared on his face.

Dengaku waved his sleeve, causing the nearly one hundred Chosen to fly out toward tree leaves according to the level of their cultivation base.

Soon, Fū and the others were standing on leaves on the lowest level of the tree. As for Fū, she wore a white robe, and behind her swirled a globe of white mist. It was very thick, making it impossible to see exactly what was inside.

The leaf she stood upon wasn't very far away from Naruto, and he couldn't help but glance over at her. His eye was especially caught by the white mist behind her.

Fū noticed him looking at her, and frowned. However, she knew the two of them would soon be fellow disciples of the same sect, so she suppressed her anger and merely glared at him.

Naruto quickly looked away, focusing his attention on Kazan, then Mei. When he looked at Mei, he subconsciously… checked out her rear end.

He could still remember how he had spanked her two times, leaving her buttocks uneven.

Mei glanced at him coolly, then ignored him completely. Feeling somewhat pleased, Naruto then looked around until he noticed one particular young man who happened to be looking at him.

When their gazes met, the young man trembled. He was… naturally, Chiriku.

Chiriku didn't recognize Naruto, but for some reason, when Naruto looked at him, it caused him to gasp and be filled with a cold, unsettling feeling.

At first, Naruto didn't recognize who the bald-headed youth was. But after a moment, his jaw almost dropped.

"What happened to all his hair?" he thought. "I seem to remember leaving quite a bit behind." It wasn't just Naruto who was sizing up these Chosen. Many of the other competitors in the trial by fire were examining them closely.

Not much more time passed before Dengaku's voice was heard once again.

"The arena matches of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking, will be completely separate from each other, and shall progress separately. The ancient Dao Tree leaves upon which you stand contain a teleportation function. Not only will it teleport two people onto one leaf to fight, but it will also teleport the winner to the next level!

"The matches will proceed in this fashion all the way until the final battle.

"In the arena matches, life and death are determined by fate. Defeat will result in elimination from the competition. If you utter the words 'I concede,' then you will also be removed from the competition.

"Bear in mind that we are in the Ruins of Immortality, and danger lurks everywhere! Even if some strange things appear on the outside, things which attempt to distract you, or lure you out, you must under no circumstances leave the tree leaves.

"On the tree leaves, you are safe. If you leave them, though… it is impossible to say whether you will make it back alive.

"And now, let the arena matches begin!"

Almost in the same instant that the words left Dengaku's mouth, Naruto suddenly cried out loudly.

"Patriarch, wait a moment!"

His voice echoed out, attracting quite a bit of attention from those around him. Dengaku frowned and looked over at Naruto. At first he was tempted to ignore him, but after thinking about the expression on Naruto's face when he held the Esoteric compass aloft, his heart softened.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Patriarch, I wanted to know, the enormous corpse down there, is it a cultivator?" Actually, Naruto wasn't the only person who wanted to know the answer to that question. All of the competitors were wondering the same thing. As for the newly arrived Chosen, they remained silent; they had already asked about the subject when they were in the outside world.

Dengaku remained silent for a moment. He didn't actually have the sole authority to answer such a question. He looked over at the other two men, and all of them exchanged glances. Then, they produced jade slips which they used to communicate with their sect headquarters, inquiring as to whether they were permitted to respond.

After a moment, Dengaku put his jade slip away and looked back up at Naruto.

"This is a God of the Pāramitā!"

After uttering those words, Dengaku didn't wait for anyone's reaction. He immediately called out again, "Let the arena matches begin!"

Naruto's mind trembled, and he couldn't keep himself from taking in a deep breath in response to the answer he had just received. A God….

Actually, all of the trial by fire participants were mentally shaken. However, even as this happened, the world in front of them distorted, and they began to grow blurry. In the blink of an eye, everyone grew clear again, and they were on the next level of leaves.

However instead of being alone on the leaves, each person was now facing an opponent.

Naruto found himself looking at a young man who had originally been bursting with power. However, as soon as things grew clear and he saw that he was facing Naruto, his face fell.

He was not one of the Chosen from the outside sects, but rather one of the competitors from the trial by fire. Furthermore… he had been on the same altar as the middle-aged man upon whom Naruto had vented his anger earlier. He had personally witnessed the entire incident.

Although he felt torn inwardly, his eyes quickly filled with a fierce light. He let out a powerful roar and employed the full power of his cultivation base as he turned into a prismatic beam of light that shot toward Naruto.

Naruto's face was calm as the young man closed in. He raised his right hand and punched out into the air, then spun and began to walk toward the edge of the arena.

Almost in the same moment that he turned, a huge boom could be heard, and blood sprayed from the young man's mouth. Although he had been approaching like a shooting star, in that instant, his light went dim, and he was forced back more than thirty meters, where he coughed up another mouthful of blood. His expression was now dismal, and his face ashen.

He was well aware that Naruto had been holding back. The blow just now had been directed at the air in front of him, and had it actually landed on his body, he would not have gotten off as easily as being forced back a bit and only slightly injured.

He took a deep breath, then looked sadly at Naruto, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"I concede," he said, sounding a bit bitter.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he faded away, returning to the first level of leaves, which indicated that he had been eliminated. As for Naruto, he sat down cross-legged at the edge of the arena and looked around at the other matches that were taking place.

He was feeling quite pleased with himself, but as for the cultivators from the Ninth Mountain and Sea watching the arena matches, they were completely shaken by Naruto's power.

"One punch… into the air! And he actually injured a peak Dao Seeking cultivator!"

"This Kazama hasn't even used any magical techniques! He's just relying on the strength of his fleshly body!"

"No wonder he could stand up to the pressure outside those altars! Such fleshly body strength is extremely rare!"

The first round of the arena matches was a simple thing for Kazan, as well as the other Chosen. None of them needed more than ten breaths of time to secure victory.

Naruto looked around at the other arena locations and identified about ten other people besides the Chosen who were worth paying attention to. Among those, one was the masked young man Ashitaba. Another was the cultivator with the mosquitos, and a third was a young boy who was also one of the trial by fire competitors. Although he never spoke, he had made it into the group of one thousand Dao Seeking competitors, and had his own unique capabilities.

In the first round, he attacked viciously, the result being that his opponent was instantly reduced to a bloody pulp.

The fourth person was a garrulous old man who constantly shivered and muttered to himself. His first opponent was a Chosen from the Seven Seas Sect. Strangely, as soon as he appeared in front of the mumbling old man, the Chosen suddenly seemed to go crazy and tried to charge outside of the leaf arena. Were it not for Dengaku immediately intervening to save him, he would have been in great danger.

Of those four people, the one who caused Naruto the greatest consternation was not the garrulous old man or Ashitaba, but rather, that unprepossessing young boy!

"He has at least thirty percent of the power of a true Immortal!" thought Naruto, looking at him closely. Almost in the exact instant that Naruto looked at him, the boy turned his head to return the gaze. Their eyes locked over all the various arenas between them, and the boy's mouth twisted into a vicious smile.

Other than those four, there were six Chosen who Naruto hadn't seen on Planet Lands of Ninshu when all the outside Chosen came. Four were men and two were women. One of the women wore a white mask and a long red robe. When she attacked, a Blood Orchid bloomed around her, indicating that she came from the Church of the Blood Orchid.

The other woman wore garments of five colors, and was not very pretty. She attacked with shocking five elements magic, and even though Naruto had previously cultivated a five elements Nascent Soul, he had the feeling that this woman's skill with the five elements exceeded his own. She was from the Five Colors Sect.

The other four cultivators were all young men. One of them did not personally attack his opponent, but rather, caused a coffin to appear, from within which emerged a corpse. The corpse easily slaughtered the young man's opponent. He was from one of the Five Great Holy Lands, the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum.

The second young man was bony, with eyes that burned like fire. Like the other young man, he did not personally attack, but instead, simply stared at his opponent, who then burst into flames and then transformed into nothing but ash.

The third young man was handsome and, shockingly, had a third eye on his forehead. It was clearly a Dharma Eye, and it remained closed the entire time. The young man wore a slight smile, and he seemed almost completely harmless, as if he lacked any ability to attack whatsoever. Furthermore, his opponent didn't attack either! The two of them transmitted a few words to each other, and then the opponent knelt down on one knee, looking at the young man with a pious expression, and conceded.

This young man was from the Burning Incense Stick Society.

The last person was a hulking man from the Baldy Society. He was stalwart, with a powerful fleshly body. He started his match standing there like a mountain. When his opponent attacked, he waved a finger, causing a huge mountain to descend, smashing into his opponent and instantly defeating him. However, he did not kill his opponent.

When Naruto saw that, his eyes suddenly shone with the desire to do battle.

As the intense fighting of the first round of arena matches played out, the audiences outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea closely watched the screens in the three vortexes. Each of those screens was divided into multiple smaller screens which depicted each of the battlegrounds.

In the palace in the starry sky, the various Patriarchs were closely observing to the goings on, and were paying especially close attention to the Chosen from their own sects. They were also watching the cultivators from the other sects. Although most of the Chosen were not particularly powerful, they were the future blazing suns of the various sects.

As long as they did not unexpectedly perish and could mature and grow stronger, they would eventually allow their sects to gain more power and influence.

"This generation has come across the fate of becoming a true immortal; in the Nine Mountains and Seas, every 10,000 years, the true immortality destiny descends, and an entire generation of Chosen always comes out of the woodwork."

"I wonder which three will last until the end to take first place in their stage!?"

Everyone was watching the fighting, hearts filled with anticipation.

Back in the battleground, Naruto's expression was calm as he sat there cross-legged on the leaf. He looked around at the other arenas, and could see many people looking back at him.

After looking around for a while, Naruto had the mind to take a look at the Nascent Soul battles, but unfortunately, it was currently impossible to see the fighting taking place in the other two areas. Finally, he closed his eyes and waited for time to pass.

On the Nascent Soul battleground, Guy's expression was as gloomy as ever. His attacks appeared to be normal, but his opponent seemed to have been infected by his mood, and as such, was only able to fight with half of the power of his cultivation base.

On the Spirit Severing battleground, the fighting was equally intense.

The first round of arena matches for the Dao Seeking stage was the first to end, after a total of four hours. Half of the competitors were eliminated, and the other half stood on their leaves on the second level, eyes flickering. The leaves beneath their feet began to shine with light that spread out to cover everyone and teleport them to the third layer of leaves.

When he reappeared amidst the flickering light, Naruto was facing an old man whose face was covered with dark blotches. Immediately, a murderous aura sprang up, along with shocking energy. The man held a cane in his hand, and as he walked forward, he suddenly realized he was facing Naruto, and his pupils constricted.

"Kazama!" he thought, and his heart began to pound with unease. He had never imagined that he would end up facing the mighty Kazama in the second round. "His fleshly body is incredibly powerful, and his divine sense is incredible. He has a profound cultivation base and attacks without mercy…. Dammit, why did I have to end up facing him? Although, I might not necessarily be unable to earn a victory. I excel in terms of speed!"

Eyes flickering, the old man turned into a blur as, all of a sudden, nine clones appeared.

The nine clones closed in on Naruto, each one coming from a different direction.

Naruto stood there, looking around coldly at the incoming figures. His expression was calm as he raised his right hand and once again released one punch. As soon as the punch landed on the ground, he turned and, just as he had in the last battle, began to walk to the edge of the arena.

Behind him, massive booms rang out. His one punch caused a huge vortex to appear, which emanated a shocking gravitational force and intense rumbling. Ten figures immediately began to be sucked in toward the vortex. Nine of them collapsed into pieces, and the old man's true self coughed up blood. His expression was one of astonishment as he quickly called out that he conceded.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he faded away to reappear back on the first level of leaves. He had been completely defeated.

By that point, Naruto had reached the edge of the arena, where he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Many people in the outside world were paying attention to Naruto, and what they saw shocked them.

"One punch again! It was exactly the same as the first round, except that the old man's cultivation base was clearly much higher than the guy from the previous fight!"

"This Kazama's fleshly body is so powerful that he can create a vacuum! Maybe his speed truly isn't that great, but he's so strong that he doesn't even need speed! Who could possibly fight back against that one punch!"

"He's definitely going to get into the top 16. I can't wait to see him fight against some of those Chosen!"

The outside world was in an uproar. It didn't take long for the second round of arena matches to end, and the third to begin. Naruto appeared on the next level of leaves, where he looked at the glittering lights in front of him and watched his opponent emerge.

This person was no Chosen. Instead, it was the young man with the mosquitos. When he laid eyes on Naruto, instead of looking nervous like the previous two opponents, his eyes gleamed with the desire to do battle.

"Kazama," he said. "It's my pleasure to be able to fight with you. Finally, I'll be able to see exactly how powerful you are!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever; completely emotionless. What he had been paying attention to this whole time was not the young man himself, but rather his mosquitos.

Before the young man even finished speaking, he waved his hand, causing a shocking cloud of fierce mosquitos to appear. The largest were a meter long, and many were the size of a fist. They spread out in a great cloud as they shot toward Naruto.

A buzzing sound could be heard as they closed in. Naruto's eyes flickered as he clenched his fist and then punched out.

Just like the previous matches, it was only one punch. Rumbling filled the air and ripples spread out in all directions. At the same time, Naruto turned and walked toward the edge of the arena.

Behind him, the shocking ripples slammed into the mosquitoes, causing them to collapse into pieces. The young man's body began to vibrate uncontrollably as he shot backward. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his expression was one of shock. He hadn't even been able to attack, and yet his cultivation base was suppressed, and he almost felt as if his vital organs were being tossed about.

At the critical moment, even the young man's voice quavered as he cried out, "Concede… I concede!"

He looked over at Naruto with an unprecedented expression of fear. He had been aware that Naruto was powerful, but had never imagined that he was THIS powerful!

As the scene played out in front of the eyes of the audience in the outside world, it sent them into tumult. In the first round, one punch. In the second round, also one punch. In the third round, facing up against a powerful opponent, and… also one punch!

"Just… just how powerful is he!?"

"He definitely deserves to take first place! With power and confidence like that, he's basically invincible!"

"I'm guessing that only the Chosen from the great sects can actually fight him!"

"I wonder who will force him into using two punches!?"

Up in the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were nodding in approval. None of them had any reason to deny that among his generation, Naruto truly was incredibly powerful!

"He must be using a vibration magic. This Kazama isn't very old, but he's actually mastered the magic of vibration!" 2

"That's a fleshly body technique that can only be learned when the fleshly body has reached a certain level of power. It can be considered very strong within the Spirit Realm. In fact, even in the Immortal Realm, there are only a handful of people who have mastered it!"

Naruto's performance was flashy and eye-catching, making him the center of attention of everyone watching the arena matches. When it came to the Chosen who were participating in the arena matches, they were also paying close attention to Naruto. Although their matches ended quickly, none of them were able to finish them with the ease that Naruto did.

"Hmph, he's just gotten lucky. How could he have run into so many weak opponents?! If he had faced off against formidable adversaries like we did, there's no way he would've gotten off so easy!"

"The further along we get, the more powerful the opponents will be. Let's see exactly how many rounds he can last!"

Discussions like these could be heard as the third round of matches concluded, and the fourth round began. By now, most of the cultivators had been eliminated, and only about a hundred remained.

Each and every one… was incredibly powerful!

Naruto stood on the fifth level of leaves as another opponent appeared amidst glittering lights. It was a hulking man who wore a long robe. Ripples spread out as he materialized. This was not the powerful expert from the Baldy Society, but was a Chosen nonetheless.

He came from the Seven Seas Sect.

In each of the previous rounds, he had torn his opponent to shreds. All of them had died. When walked out into the arena, a cruel smile could be seen on his face, and his eyes shone with a vicious gleam.

"Kazama…" he said. "We meet at last. You made quite a show in the past few rounds, but that was only because the people you were up against were weaklings!

"This time, I'll help you to understand how wide the gap is between a rogue cultivator like you and us Chosen. That gap… will leave you in despair!" The man laughed uproariously, and put on the appearance of being crude and rash. In truth, he was actually being very cautious, and was careful not to let any of his scheming thoughts show on the surface. As he spoke, he began to charge forward, and illusory seawater appeared around him. Seven seas appeared, causing rumbling sounds to fill the air. Simultaneously, a huge sea dragon materialized and roared toward Naruto.

As of this moment, many people among the audiences outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were watching Naruto in the arena. When they saw the Chosen from the Seven Seas Sect attacking Naruto, many of them sighed.

"Kazama will definitely be incapable of pulling off something amazing with a single punch like before."

"Hmph. Going up against weaklings makes it easy to seem powerful. But now that he's fighting a Chosen, he'll have a tough time remaining calm. Even if he wins, this battle is definitely going to be like a fierce struggle between a tiger and a dragon."

"I've heard that the Seven Seas Sect's Yun Tianhe has a bizarre energy. After combining that energy with the cultivation base, it create a power that enables him to fight a false Immortal without being at a disadvantage."

The discussions in the outside world could not be heard in the arenas. At the same time, the hulking man from the Seven Seas Sect let out a powerful roar as he closed in on Naruto. Naruto's expression was as calm as ever as, just the same as before, he punched one time!

"Looking to die!?" said the hulking man with a malicious grin. He was clearly not pleased with Naruto's plan to end the fight with one punch. Sneering inwardly, he redoubled the power he was putting into his attack, and also unleashed a forbidden technique of his sect, which further increased its power by thirty percent.

He didn't just want to win, he wanted to kill his opponent, and he seemed very excited at the prospect of ending the life of the first place competitor who was also a future Conclave disciple of the Nine Seas God World.

Killing someone in an arena match was nothing anyone could complain about, so there was little danger of repercussions. His sect would reward him, and even more importantly, protect him.

What he saw was a chance to make great advancement with little effort, right there in front of him.

"DIE!" he roared, his eyes bursting with a murderous look as he caused the Seven Seas Dragon to suddenly grow another vicious head, which also snapped toward Naruto.

It was at this point that Naruto's fist connected with the dragon.

It was only one punch, but that punch slammed into the dragon with an enormous boom. A violent tremor ran through it, and then its first head cracked and exploded. The second head also exploded, and then, bit by bit, its body.

The seven seas rumbled briefly and then collapsed, vanishing in the blink of an eye, as if they had never been there to begin with. At this point, Naruto's fist slammed into the hulking man's chest.

The big man's eyes went wide as he looked at Naruto, and his face twisted. Naruto's expression was calm as he pulled his hand back and walked off to the edge of the arena.

In the instant he turned, blood sprayed from the hulking man's mouth. Fissures spread out from the point of impact on his chest, and in the blink of an eye, they had covered his entire body. A look of disbelief could be seen on his face, and he opened his mouth to say something. Before any words could come out, though, he exploded.

As the haze of blood and gore blasted out, Naruto reached the edge of the arena and sat down cross-legged. The entire time, only one, placid expression could be seen on his face. He reached up to wipe a drop of blood off of his cheek, then closed his eyes.

Gasps could be heard from the audiences outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea as they watched Naruto in terrified shock.

"That was still… just one punch!"

"Heavens! Just exactly how powerful is this Kazama!? That Chosen from the Seven Seas Sect could match up to a false Immortal, and yet he collapsed from a single punch! Kazama hasn't even punched two times yet."

"Four matches, and he only punched one time each! Kazama is way too powerful!"

"He's already in the top 100, with only four punches!"

Even the eyes of the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace went wide.

Naruto was the focus of the attention of all the Chosen from the various sects, and was now viewed by most of them as a major adversary. Even Kazan was wondering whether or not he could beat the Seven Seas Sect's Chosen with only one punch. Of course, if he used a sword, he was confident he could.

Rumbling booms continued to echo out as the fourth round of arena matches proceeded. There was another battle that was particularly eye-catching. In fact, after Naruto's match ended, most eyes among the audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea turned to watch it.

That battle was the match being fought by a disciple from the Holy Land of Mount Sun, the illustrious Bisuke!

His body was surrounded by boundless light, making him look almost like a sun. His opponent was a boy, the same competitor Naruto had noticed earlier, and had been paying special attention to.

From what Naruto could tell, he possessed at least thirty percent of the power of a true Immortal.

When the battle started, most of the spectators were confident that Bisuke would come out victorious. And yet, contrary to all speculations, he actually lost!

Furthermore, it was an incredible defeat. If he hadn't uttered the words 'I concede,' then he would almost certainly have died. The boy's magic caused a bloody glow to emanate out, and it seemed incredibly bloodthirsty. The sight of it caused quite a stir among the crowds, and many of the cultivators participating in the arena matches were shocked.

"Junior Blood Immortal! That was one of the names that came up in the trial by fire!"

"He actually defeated Bisuke!"

"He's making his rise to the top!"

While the outside audiences were discussing the matter, Naruto looked over at the boy to find him looking back with killing intent flickering in his eyes.

Two hours later, the fourth round of matches ended. There were now only a bit over sixty people left in the competition. The next round… would determine the top 32!

From more than a thousand people, 32 would move on! One could imagine that even if there were a weak person among that number who had happened to overcome more powerful people by chance, then that luck could be considered an aspect of their power.

"The top 32 are about to be determined!"

"Even some of the top Chosen from the great sects were defeated in the previous fights. I wonder who will make it to the top 32!"

While the outside audiences buzzed, Dengaku stood below the ancient Dao Tree and glanced over the more than sixty competitors who remained.

"In the Dao Seeking arena matches," he announced, "the most powerful people will form the top 32. Unfortunately, you have three too many people to make all the matches even. Therefore, some of you will be fighting more than one battle to make it into the top 32. As for who those people are, only the Heavens know. It will all be up to the Dao Tree's teleportation.

"You will have four hours to rest, after which the battles to determine the top 32 will begin!"

During those four hours, Naruto sat there cross-legged, meditating. He could sense that there were many people watching him, but he didn't open his eyes. Considering the level of his cultivation base, he was clearly at the pinnacle of the competitors in the arena matches. Were it not for the Immortal jades and the precious treasures, he would never have participated.

However, now that he was here, there were a few people who had attracted his interest. Unfortunately, he had yet to face them as opponents.

Four hours later, glittering light covered the leaves of the Dao Tree, teleporting Naruto and all the remaining contestants up to the next level of leaves. From within the glittering light in front of Naruto, a young woman stepped out.

She wore a blood-colored robe, and a white mask. This was the Chosen from the Church of the Blood Orchid, and as soon as she caught sight of Naruto, she stopped in her tracks. However, it took only a moment for her to emanate a powerful will to fight.

The intensity of that will caused Naruto's eyes to shine with a fierce glow.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze," she said, her words echoing out coldly from behind her mask, "please give me some fighting tips!" Even as she spoke, she performed an incantation gesture with her right hand, causing a Blood Orchid to appear in front of her. As the flower swayed back and forth, it began to grow rapidly. Rumbling sounds could be heard as, in the blink of an eye, it grew to a size of thirty meters.

It had a thick trunk, blood-colored petals, and looked both extremely imposing and visually stunning. At the same time, the flower twitched, causing branches to shoot toward Naruto.

Naruto stepped forward, clenched his fist, and sent out a single punch.

As of this moment, everyone in the outside world was watching as the punch caused a huge vortex to appear. Rumbling sounds spread out, causing the air to vibrate, and everything else to shake violently.

The incoming Blood Orchid branches twisted and then completely collapsed. However, in that moment, the Blood Orchid's petals spread wide as it bloomed. A drop of blood emerged that flew back to land on the forehead of the young woman's mask. Radiating an intense aura, the young woman then flickered as she shot toward Naruto.

Naruto stood in place, neither retreating nor advancing. However, at the same time, he punched a second time.

This second punch caused the air to ripple, and a massive force to explode out and sweep across the young woman. Her body trembled, and she was about to unleash a divine ability when an intense pressure crushed down onto her cultivation base. In the blink of an eye, she completely lost any ability to rotate her cultivation base, which left her not only completely surprised, but also incapable of avoiding the punch that slammed into her.

A boom could be heard. Beneath the mask, blood spurted from the young woman's mouth, and she staggered backward a full thirty meters, after which she looked up at Naruto, panting.

"You're no match for me," Naruto said coolly.

The young woman was silent for a moment, after which she chuckled bitterly and nodded.

"I concede," she said, and then vanished. When she reappeared, she was back on the first layer of leaves.

Naruto had won once again, but before the audiences outside could comment, light began to glitter on the tree leaf again, and… another person emerged!

It was a boy, none other than the same boy who had just defeated Bisuke. Junior Blood Immortal!

His appearance on the scene instantly sent the audience into tumult.

"Kazama is one of the people who has to fight twice!"

"There were three extra people in the competition, so some people have to fight more than once to get into the top 32. I never thought that Kazama would be one of them!"

"This is going to be one intense battle! Kazama versus Junior Blood Immortal! I wonder who will be strongest!?"

Junior Blood Immortal emerged slowly, and when he saw Naruto, his mouth twisted into a vicious grin. Killing intent flickered in his eyes.

"So, we meet at last!" he said in a raspy voice, licking his lips. A shocking red glow could be seen in his eyes as he stared at Naruto.

Naruto looked the boy over. He knew that he attacked with bizarre ferocity, and had reduced all of his opponents to pools of putrid blood, with the exception of Bisuke.

Contrary to what one might expect, the boy had not made much of an impression during the ten stages of the trial by fire. He had achieved just enough to make it into the top 1,000. Clearly, he had been holding back in virtually all aspects.

Naruto's expression was calm, and he said nothing. He merely looked indifferently at the boy.

When their gazes met, roaring sounds filled both of their minds as their divine senses made contact with each other. The boy's eyes filled with surprise. He knew his opponent was powerful, and yet, still remained fully confident in himself. Taking advantage of the rumbling caused by the divine sense, he charged toward Naruto, raising his right hand to perform an incantation gesture. Bloody light flickered up, and the in the blink of an eye, a blood-colored bottle gourd appeared, rotating as it sped through the air toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he took a step forward. In that instant, the entire arena match leaf began to quake, and a wind began to swirl around Naruto.

"This divine ability of mine will cause all of the blood in your body to boil and turn into a putrid sludge!" The Junior Blood Immortal's voice was now shrill as he called out. In the blink of an eye, the blood-colored bottle gourd began to exert an incredible gravitational force, as if it wanted to suck Naruto inside of it.

Naruto snorted coldly. He did not level any punches; this Junior Blood Immortal had a bizarre cultivation base, and Naruto would not take him lightly. The wind swirling around him quickly transformed into a violent tempest that shot forward. At the same time, his body transformed into a black vulture, which flapped its wings, charging through the gravitational force to appear directly in front of the boy, where it slashed out with claws vicious enough to shatter stone and metal.

The boy's expression flickered, and blue veins popped out on his forehead as he howled at the incoming vulture. Sound waves rippled out that seemed to wish to shatter the air. The boy's expression was vicious as he raised both hands up, causing a sea of blood to appear and surge out toward Naruto.

Booms rang out as the two of them fought back and forth in midair. At one point, the boy let out a shrill cry, causing the sea of blood to turn into a blood-colored vortex that tried to suck Naruto in.

Naruto waved his hand, causing numerous mountains to appear, which then linked together to form a mountain range. However, thanks to the black feather, that mountain range actually looked like a huge river, which then surged in counterattack against the blood-colored vortex. The vortex was crushed as easily as dried twigs, shattering into pieces as vulture-form Naruto once again slashed through the air, his claws extended toward the boy's torso.

Boom!

Blood sprayed from the boy's mouth as a huge hole was ripped into his chest. He immediately shot backward in retreat, biting the tip of his tongue and spitting out some blood, which twisted in the air to become ten blood drops. Each drop immediately began to expand, turning into ten seas of blood that spread out to cover everything.

"Ten Seas, Blood Slaughter!" roared the boy. Naruto's face was calm, and he didn't retreat. Instead, he advanced, an aura of invincibility exploding out of him. As he faced the ten seas of blood, he clenched his hand into a fist and punched out into the air. Then, he punched again.

Two mere punches did not seem capable of fighting back against the ten roaring seas of blood. However, the boy's face flickered as he realized that something didn't seem quite right about the two blows, although he wasn't sure what.

In the blink of an eye, and before he had any time to react, Naruto attacked a total of nine times. He didn't even seem to be paying attention to the seas of blood that surrounded him, but instead, was punching directly forward.

Nine punches, each one more shocking than the one before.

This was… a Daoist magic! Nine Heavens Destruction! 1

As soon as the ninth punch exploded out, the boy's face fell. His pupils constricted as he retreated at top speed. At the same time, a massive boom echoed out, so powerful that cultivators in the surrounding arena matches heard it and were shocked.

A gigantic vortex surged out as a result of the nine punches. The blood seas were completely incapable of doing anything except be sucked up by the vortex. As for Naruto, he stood next to the vortex, his expression cold as he watched the boy fleeing. Then he raised his hand and stretched it out in a grasping motion.

Star Plucking Magic!

BOOM!

Blood sprayed from the boy's mouth. An expression of astonishment covered his face as he was dragged back toward Naruto, his body completely beyond his own control. In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of Naruto, and was close enough that he could even see the cold look in Naruto's eyes.

"You're looking to die!" howled the boy, his eyes bright red. Suddenly, his skin turned crimson, and black mist began to float up from the top of his head. Shockingly, an enormous image began to form above him.

It was a gigantic leech, covered with scales, that emanated an intense pressure. As soon as the cultivators of the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw it, their faces flickered with shock.

"Blood Leech Grand Magic!"

"That's a forbidden magic! That boy's actually using a forbidden magic!"

In the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were looking on with strange gleams in their eyes.

"That boy has remained undercover this entire time. Considering he cultivates a vicious magic like that, it's little wonder he could defeat Bisuke!"

"However, Saint Blood Leech was exterminated years ago by the Three Great Daoist Societies. Even if some of his Divine Clones survived, they wouldn't be able to do this alone! It seems this boy must have gotten his hands on one of them. Although it's only the first form of the Blood Leech Grand Magic, Kazama is still in grave danger."

"According to legend, the only thing that can restrain this magic is the Dao of the Blood Demon. Either that, or an incredibly powerful cultivation base."

Back in the arena, a vicious expression could be seen on the boy's face. This was his trump card, which he had intended to save for someone in the top 4. However, he was now forced into a corner, and had no other choice. His desire to kill Naruto now grew even stronger.

"Killing you won't be a waste of my grand magic," said the boy with a hideous grin. "Considering your reputation, slaying you will make me famous!" The enormous illusory Blood Leech opened its mouth, revealing countless sharp teeth as it pounced toward Naruto.

Naruto frowned slightly. This leech left him feeling as if his blood were unstable, and that it would burst out from inside of him at any moment. He snorted coldly, and rumbling filled the air as his Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

Because of the transformative powers of the black feather, the Dharma Idol now looked exactly like Kazama. It was three hundred meters tall, and emanated boundless magical light. As soon as it appeared, it stepped forward and punched toward the enormous leech.

A boom could be heard, and the boy's face fell. Blood spurted out all over his body as he tumbled backward. The enormous illusory leech trembled, seemingly on the verge of collapsing to pieces.

"I refuse to back down! Kazama, DIE!" The boy howled as countless rips and tears appeared all over his body. At the same time, the image of the leech shattered, transforming into innumerable fragments that shot toward the boy and fused into him. In the next moment, the boy suddenly exploded.

In that moment of explosion, the boy's flesh and blood transformed into numerous blood-colored leeches, a vast cloud of nearly a thousand. Buzzing could be heard as they shot toward Naruto. In addition to the leeches, a bloody mist spread out in all directions, making it impossible for onlookers to see what was happening clearly.

This new development caused great shock among the onlookers in the outside world. Even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were surprised.

"The second form!"

"I can't believe this boy has cultivated the Blood Leech Grand Magic all the way to the second form!"

Not even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace could see what was happening inside the red mist. Were this some other location, nothing could block their divine sense. However, these were the Ruins of Immortality, so they could only watch with their eyes, not with their divine sense.

Even Dengaku and the other two old men couldn't do anything but watch. Their faces flickered as they considered the danger Naruto was in.

The outside world was in tumult.

"Don't tell me Kazama is going to perish!"

What the people on the outside couldn't see was that Naruto was standing in the middle of the bloody mist, his body glowing with red light as he stared coldly at the more than one thousand incoming Blood Leeches. The leeches were now trembling in terror.

The boy's quivering divine sense emanated out from the leeches.

"Blood… Blood Demon Grand Magic? Spare me, Fellow Daoist Namikaze, spare me…."

Naruto ignored him. After sweeping his own divine sense across the leeches, he exercised a bit of will, and booms could be heard as one leech after another began to explode. All of them transformed into nothing more than drifting ash.

As the bloody mist faded away, Naruto walked calmly over to the edge of the arena and sat down cross-legged.

The outside world was in an uproar.

"That boy's grand magic was actually defeated!"

"There were clearly more than a thousand leeches just a moment ago. Then that red mist covered everything over, and we couldn't see anything. How exactly did Kazama secure victory!?"

"Junior Blood Immortal defeated Bisuke, and then Kazama defeated Junior Blood Immortal! Kazama… is invincible!"

The outside crowds were astonished, and the Patriarchs inside the palace were frowning. They were all looking at Naruto with thoughtful expressions.

They had been unable to see what had happened inside the red mist, but they knew that the second form of the Blood Leech Grand Magic was incredibly difficult to deal with. The fact that it had been defeated so quickly was quite puzzling to them.

As everyone pondered these matters, the old man from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite spoke up.

"Perhaps the boy's version of the second form wasn't stable, and he accidentally self-destructed," he said slowly, his voice echoing about.

This was the only answer that made sense. After all, the second form of the Blood Leech Grand Magic was very difficult to cultivate successfully.

Back in the arena, Naruto sat there calmly. His battle with the boy just now had caused quite a bit of shock amongst the other competitors, especially the Chosen. The boy had just defeated Bisuke, so the fact that Naruto had ended up killing him caused even more attention to be sent his way.

The Chosen had been quite shocked just to see the Blood Leech Grand Magic; what had played out after that left them filled with a sense of mystery.

Kazan's eyes flickered, and his desire to fight grew stronger as he looked over at Naruto. He said nothing, but the look flickering in his eyes grew even more intense.

Fū frowned. On the one hand, she felt some mysterious and unexplainable loathing toward Naruto, but on the other hand, she had to admit that he was definitely on her level.

Mei and Chiriku also looked over at him. Compared to Mei, Chiriku's feelings were far more intense; to him, looking at Naruto kept causing him to think about his nightmarish experience on Planet Lands of Ninshu.

The other matches proceeded along. Now that Naruto's battle was over, there was another intense match that drew quite a bit of attention. That was the masked young man, Ashitaba, who was fighting the emaciated youth from the Bones of the Flamedevil.

The youth attacked with a monstrous sea of flames, and fire burned within his eyes. As for Ashitaba, the fighting had reached the point where he had finally removed his mask, revealing a scar-covered face, and eyes that brimmed with the desire to do battle. They fought with shocking attacks until Ashitaba finally ran out of power. However, the Chosen from the Bones of the Flamedevil was also seriously injured.

Because of Ashitaba's defeat, Naruto now had a much better idea of exactly how powerful he was.

The crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were sighing.

"What a pity. It seems Ashitaba isn't strong enough to make it into the top 32. However, this was a battle against Gekomatsu from the Bones of the Flamedevil, and he's incredible. Even though Ashitaba lost, he still managed to seriously injure Gekomatsu."

"You can only chalk it up to bad luck. At least he can feel proud in defeat!"

"I wonder how many competitors from the trial by fire will be left in the end. Will the first place spot for the stages of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking belong to them, or to the Chosen?!"

In the palace among the stars, the Patriarchs were watching the various battles thoughtfully, but their expressions revealed nothing about what they were thinking.

In contrast, bets were already being placed in the outside world regarding who would make it into the top 8.

Soon, this round of matches was over. The extra three people were eliminated, along with half of the other participants, leaving 32 competitors behind!

These 32 were incredibly powerful cultivators!

"Spend the next day in rest and recovery," said Dengaku. "After that, the top 16 will be selected!" Naruto and the others among the top 32 were now getting ever closer to the top of the main trunk of the ancient Dao Tree. Currently, they began to rest and prepare for the battles to get into the top 16.

By now, the battles to select the top 32 had already begun for the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing stages. From Naruto's position up above, he could finally see Guy down in the Nascent Soul arena matches.

Although Guy was currently fighting against a Nascent Soul cultivator like himself, the level of difficulty to get into the top 32 was extreme.

Nevertheless, he was still enduring. His sword strikes had gained an additional sharpness which, combined with his gloomy demeanor, caused shock to fill the heart of his opponent.

Guy had long since drawn the notice of quite a few sects. His sword contained a Domain, even though he himself was only in the Nascent Soul stage. Someone like that was certain to make stunning accomplishments in the future.

One of the Three Churches and Six Sects, the Solitary Sword Pavilion, which was somewhat related to the Solitary Sword Sect, was especially interested in Guy. They were actually the first to take note of him.

The day passed by quickly, and in the end, Guy made it into the top 32.

As for Naruto, he began to fight for his spot in the top 16!

As the battle began, glittering light spread out, and they moved closer to the top of the tree. Naruto's opponent was another Chosen!

It was the young woman from the Five Colors Sect, who wore robes that were a mixture of five colors. Naruto had been paying attention to her in previous battles, and knew that she had astonishing skill in five elements magic.

This young woman was much more cautious than Naruto; once she saw who her opponent was, her heart began to thump. Of the handful of people she truly feared in the arena matches, Naruto was one of them.

After she and Naruto clasped hands to each other, the young woman took the initiative, performing a double-handed incantation, immediately unleashing metal, wood, water, fire and earth, all five elements. They materialized into a massive sea, a huge battleship, a blazing sun, and an enormous clay golem that wielded a golden greatsword, all of which shot toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes gleamed with the light of anticipation. Body flickering, he waved his hand, causing a Violet Sea to descend, which was his water totem. Then the Golden Crow appeared, his metal totem. After that were his wood, fire, and earth totems. Shockingly, five elements fought against five elements.

The clash caused wild colors to flash about, and rumbling to fill the air. The audiences in the outside world were looking on with rapt attention.

In the arena, Naruto and the young woman fought back and forth in midair. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, the five elements, were unleashed amidst rumbling booms. In a short time, they had exchanged several dozen attacks, but throughout it all Naruto never went all out. Rather, he merely relied on the five elements as the avenue of attack while facing off against the woman.

He was using this fight to strengthen his five elements magic. Considering that the young woman was even more skilled than Naruto in the use of the five elements, this match gave those watching it the feeling that it was two disciples from the Five Colors Sect who were fighting.

In fact, the disciples from that very sect were somewhat confused, and watched in shock as the battle unfolded.

"Kazama actually excels in five elements magic as well!"

"This is unbelievable! Although many people can use five elements magic to some degree, no one can compare to the Five Colors Sect. And yet, Kazama is actually evenly matched with Han Mei!"

There were sixteen arenas with thirty-two people fighting in them; no one had secured victory as of yet. It was at this point that a black wind rose up within the Ruins of Immortality. Not even the enormous corpse beneath the ancient Dao Tree could do anything to prevent its arrival. It swept out, appearing directly above the huge tree. Inside of the black wind, a pair of white eyes could be seen, which stared down at the crowds of people fighting down below.

The instant the black wind appeared, the faces of Dengaku and the other two old men flickered. It wasn't just them; the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were also shocked.

Most nervous of all were the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace. They all rose to their feet, even the old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies, their eyes widening in response to the sudden appearance of the black wind.

"The ancient Dao Tree was personally planted by the Paragons, and contains a bit of the Paragons' will," said the Patriarch from the Nine Seas God World. "They will be safe as long as they stay on the tree."

By now, all of the fighters on the Dao Tree had seen the Black Wind, and their faces flickered. Dengaku and the other two old men took deep breaths, and then Dengaku's voice rang out.

"You must not leave the leaves of the tree! As long as you remain on the leaves you will be in no danger!"

Almost in the same instant that Dengaku's words could be heard, a scream rang out from off in the distance, a sound so piercing it seemed capable of shredding iron or rock. It echoed about, and to the people on the tree it merely gave them a twinge of pain in their ears, inflicting not even a minor hindrance to them. However, Dengaku and the other two old men coughed up blood and, faces falling, quickly retreated as close as possible to the tree.

In that same moment, an enormous eyeball began to descend from up above. It was thoroughly bloodshot, and as it neared, the veins of blood within the eye began to extend themselves and whip around. Suddenly, a shrill voice echoed out.

"Who! Who plucked out my right eye!?

"My right eye! Get back here, come back…."

As the sound echoed about, the crowds on the Dao Tree coughed up blood. Thankfully, a bright glow spread out from the Dao Tree, ensuring that there were no deaths, only injuries.

The black wind and the eye merely milled about outside the Dao Tree, apparently in dread of it. However, after a moment, the black wind seemed to lose patience. A shrill shriek could be heard as an enormous, decomposing roc flew out from inside. It was shockingly large, and as it flew out, its sharp talons slashed out toward the Dao Tree.

Before it could get very close, brilliant light spread out from the Dao Tree, causing the roc to let out a miserable shriek and fall back. However, it did not leave. Instead, it continued to loiter outside of the Dao Tree, its eyes radiating an intense aura of death and savagery.

Considering that was all that happened, Naruto, although shocked, didn't pay very close attention to the matter. However, just when he was about to resume fighting with the young woman, another figure approached from off in the distance.

It was a man with half a head, his body surrounded by swirling black mist. He held a banner in his hand, and a sword had been plunged into his side. The grievous wound that had taken off half of his head did not appear to have been inflicted while alive, but rather as if some creature had bitten it off after he was already dead. Instead, the fatal blow that killed him was apparently delivered by the sword that was still stuck into his side.

He approached slowly, his one remaining eye sweeping over the crowds until it finally came to rest on Naruto. Then, he began to head directly toward him.

When Dengaku and the others saw the man, their faces fell. Naruto's eyes flickered.

It was at this moment that the young woman from the Five Colors Sect suddenly performed an incantation gesture and attacked. Her five elements magic caused five-colored light to blaze up, transforming into a five-colored sealing mark that rotated rapidly as it shot through the air toward Naruto.

Naruto frowned. He was no longer interested in fighting, so he punched out with his right hand, simultaneously causing his Dharma Idol to appear. Intense energy surged out, and a boom could be heard as the five-colored sealing mark shattered. The young woman's face fell, and blood spurted from her mouth.

It was in this moment that the half-headed man waved his right hand, causing the banner in his hand to unfurl. A black mist appeared, which transformed into a huge vortex. At the same time, he pointed toward Naruto.

"Come… come… come…." His voice was archaic, as if it had originated in ancient times. As the voice echoed out, an enormous gravitational force exploded out and enveloped the tree leaf Naruto was on. Naruto's face flickered, and he immediately dropped to the surface of the leaf. However, the face of the young woman from the Five Colors Sect fell as she was involuntarily swept up into the air. In the blink of an eye, she appeared to be on the verge of… flying completely away from the leaf.

Everyone looked on as it happened, but none of them were able to do anything to come to her aid. Dengaku and the others stared with wide eyes, but could do nothing to help.

The crowds watching in the Ninth Mountain and Sea observed the scene with wide eyes, and many gasps could be heard.

In the starry sky palace, the Matriarch from the Five Colors Sect watched with an expression of unprecedented anxiety. The young woman participating in the arena matches was not a Chosen of the sect, but one of her direct bloodline descendants.

"Save me!" the girl cried in shrill alarm. She was now flying through the air toward the edge of the leaf, and was just about to be sucked outside. She could see the terrifying roc inside the black wind nearby, opening its decomposing mouth. She could also see the eyeball, with the countless veins stretching out from it.

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he suddenly extended his hand toward the girl and made a grabbing motion. The Star Plucking Magic was unleashed as he grabbed onto her and began to pull her back. However, the suction force was too strong, and all Naruto could do was slow her down a bit.

"Hurry up and concede!" he growled.

The young woman suddenly seemed to come to her senses, and urgently cried out, "I concede!"

As soon as the two words left her mouth, and just as she was about to be sucked outside, glittering light surrounded her and she vanished. When she reappeared, she was back down on the first layer of leaves, badly shaken and her face ashen. She looked up toward Naruto with an expression of deep gratitude.

Naruto heaved a sigh of relief, then sat down cross-legged, looking out coldly at the half-headed man outside of the Dao Tree.

Everyone else who had been watching also sighed in relief. Dengaku looked over at Naruto with even more admiration than before. Even he hadn't thought of using the words 'I concede' to get out of danger.

Everyone out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was completely surprised by everything that had happened. They were especially shocked by how quickly Naruto had reacted. To them, it was evidence of incredible quick thinking and resourcefulness.

"That's right! All she had to do was concede, and then she was teleported out. It took a moment, but that was definitely the simplest method. How come I didn't think of that!?"

"This Kazama is extremely quick-witted to come up with a plan like that in such a situation!"

Up in the palace in the sky, the Matriarch from the Five Colors Sect took a deep breath and then glanced at Naruto on the vortex screen. Her expression was one of gratitude; she was not the type of person who liked to owe favors to others, so this was a kindness she would be sure to repay in the future.

"The arena matches will now continue," said Dengaku from his position beneath the Dao Tree. "All of you must remember to never step foot outside of the arena. If any situation arises similar to what has just occurred, it would be much better to concede than to die." Dengaku sighed. Although he was aware of why the Three Great Daoist Societies had chosen this place to hold the arena matches, the dangers of the area made it such that those in the Spirit Realm really should not be here.

The arena matches continued as the top 32 continued to fight. The dangers of the outside world had now become a sort of a tempering and assessment of their own.

Because the young woman from the Five Colors Sect conceded, Naruto was the first to complete this round, and he sat there cross-legged in the arena, looking at the half-headed man outside. The man looked back at him.

Although there was a vast gap of empty space between them, as they looked at each other, Naruto could sense the feeling of a summons rising up within him.

"If I get the chance, I WILL take back that sword!" Naruto's eyes flickered. Although the sword might not seem special to anyone else, to Naruto, it had the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex!

Each of the eight Demon Sealing Hexes were strange and mysterious. Both the Body Hexing and Karmic Hexing gave him superiority in flexibility when it came to fighting, and basically prevented anyone from guarding against his attacks.

After four hours passed, the various arena matches wound to a conclusion. The top 16 were now set. From over a thousand cultivators, successive victories had led these people into the top 16. Each and every one could be considered a peak expert of the Spirit Realm.

Experts like this could crush false Immortals, and could even compare to some extent to true Immortals. In fact, most of them would assuredly employ an Immortality Illumination Vine in the near future, after which it wouldn't be long before they became true Immortals.

Their path to Immortality would be a smooth one, and given their accumulated resources, it would only be a few short years before they were at the peak of the Immortal Realm.

This sequence of events happened once every ten thousand years; since every true Immortal could cultivate at a speed that far exceeded a false Immortal, true Immortals always rose to prominence and became famous in all the Mountains and Seas.

Were it not for the incredible prizes being offered up during the arena matches, the various sects would not have sent their Chosen here, but would have kept them in secluded meditation to prepare for true Immortality.

Actually, one of the reasons even more Chosen hadn't joined the arena matches was that most of them were still in secluded meditation. Once they emerged, as long as they didn't fail in the process, they would be true Immortals.

Naruto took a deep breath, rose to his feet and looked around at the top 16 competitors in the arena matches.

Kazan was among them, as was Fū. Chiriku, surprisingly, was there too, as well as some of the other Chosen who Naruto had previously taken note of. As far as competitors from the trial by fire, Ashitaba had been defeated, as had the young man with the mosquitoes and Junior Blood Immortal. Other than Naruto, the only remaining competitor from the trial by fire was the garrulous old man.

Top 16!

"Rest and recuperate for one day, and then the battle for the top 8 will begin!"

The next day, the battle for the top 8 began!

On the main trunk of the Dao Tree, at the very top, there was a single golden leaf. Beneath that were two silver leaves, further down were four bronze leaves, and beneath that were eight light green leaves.

The battles for the top 8 would be fought on those eight light green leaves!

Eight battles, fought simultaneously. All of the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were paying rapt attention.

"The top 8 will be selected from these sixteen people! Each one is a top expert of the Dao Seeking stage. This round is definitely going to be spectacular!"

"I wonder who exactly is going to win! Who's going to be eliminated!? Even the top 16 experts have no way of knowing!"

"The thing I'm most curious about is whether that Kazama will be able to enter the top 8!"

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were also paying close attention.

By this point, many people had already forgotten about the main reason why the arena matches of the trial by fire were being held to begin with. Whoever took first place would have a chance to be taken in by the Three Great Daoist Sects as a disciple. The three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies did nothing to remind anyone of this.

It was almost as if the taking of disciples wasn't very important at all.

Light glittered in front of Naruto and next, he was standing on a light green leaf. In front of him, a thin, emaciated figure appeared.

Although he was skinny, amorphous flames spread out around him as he walked forward. They were invisible, but Naruto could feel them, as if what was walking toward him was not a cultivator, but a flame Devil!

Within his eyes, flames could be seen flickering. He wore a long black robe, and his hair floated around him. He stood there, his energy surging, growing more and more powerful. In the blink of an eye, the air around him began to ripple and distort.

This was the Chosen from the Bones of the Flamedevil, one of the Five Holy Lands… Gekomatsu!

Back in the ten stages of the trial by fire, the masked Ashitaba had repeatedly performed just behind Naruto. He had been defeated by Gekomatsu, although he had ended up seriously wounding Gekomatsu in the process.

Naruto looked at him calmly, and Gekomatsu looked back at him.

Neither of them spoke. The flames in Gekomatsu's eyes burned bright, and the air around him distorted as the invisible flames burned. The flames seemed capable of scorching anything and everything as they shot toward Naruto.

No observer could see the fire, but by using divine sense, Naruto was able to sense them clearly. What he saw was an illusory body of flames rushing toward him.

"This is not the fire of the five elements!" Naruto thought, his eyes glittering. The fire of the five elements was a natural law of Heaven and Earth. In fact, the fire wielded by the young woman from the Five Colors Sect had contained that natural law. However, the flames unleashed by Gekomatsu from the Bones of the Flamedevil had no natural law, but instead, a strange will!

After examining it closely for a moment, he realized that it seemed to be bound by some sort of summoning contract, as if… some all-powerful being had bestowed the power of the flames. It was as if this flame was actually a type of life force flame.

Naruto's expression was normal as he clenched his right hand into a fist. As soon as he punched out, a vortex appeared, which sent ripples spreading out. Explosive rumbling could be heard as it slammed into the flames, and was then completely submerged by them.

"Eee?" said Naruto, falling back for the first time. Gekomatsu's eyes overflowed with the desire to fight, and as Naruto retreated, he advanced, performing an incantation gesture that caused more roaring flames to appear around him. Shockingly, they transformed into the shape of an enormous mouth that bit toward Naruto.

The sight of Naruto retreating caused quite a stir in the outside world. This was the first time they had ever seen him back up in a fight.

However, as the flame mouth closed in on him, Naruto stopped in place and set his jaw. A look of anticipation gleamed in his eyes as he performed an incantation gesture. Then, he punched out repeatedly, using the Nine Heavens Destruction once again.

Booms rattled out in all directions as Naruto then transformed into a vulture that shot toward Gekomatsu like black lightning. Gekomatsu's face fell, and he performed an incantation gesture. Immediately, a set of flaming armor appeared around him. He reached out with his right hand in a grasping motion, causing an enormous flame spear to materialize. His hands closed around it, and he stabbed it toward the incoming Naruto.

The scream of the spear was ear-splitting, and countless erupting volcanos appeared around it as it shot toward Naruto in shocking fashion.

Naruto snorted coldly as mountains of his own appeared and linked together into an equally shocking mountain range, although it appeared as a huge river to onlookers. It slammed into the volcanoes, causing a huge boom to rise into the air. It was at this point that Naruto's shocking Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

In that instant, Gekomatsu tilted his back and roared. His own incredible Dharma Idol appeared, a corpse which was covered in scales and emanated black flames. It immediately began to contend with Naruto's Dharma Idol.

When the Dharma Idols collided, Naruto employed the Star Plucking Magic. An incredible force that Gekomatsu could not resist suddenly grabbed him, causing a sense of crisis to well up inside of him. Letting out a bellow of rage, Gekomatsu caused his suit of flame armor to detonate, using the force of the mighty explosion to fight against Naruto's Star Plucking Magic.

Gekomatsu's face was ashen, and blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth. As of this point, he knew that he wasn't a match for Naruto, and yet he chose to continue fighting anyway.

However, in the instant that his flame armor exploded, Naruto's eyes began to shine with an intense desire to do battle. He strode forward; even the roaring flames could do nothing to prevent his charge. As he passed through the sea of flames, he let out a huge roar.

The roar caused the entire leaf to tremble, and even passed outside of the Dao Tree itself. At the same time, his roar caused an enormous wind to spring up, slashing into the sea of flames and cutting a path through them directly to Gekomatsu.

Gekomatsu's face fell as he realized how powerful this Kazama was. It was only at this decisive moment of the battle that he realized that his opponent was completely terrifying. Magical techniques and divine abilities were secondary; the critical factor was his incredible energy.

"He has an aura of invincibility about him!" thought Gekomatsu, madness glowing in his eyes. He bit his tongue and spit out some blood, which then transformed into lava, and then exploded into meteors that streaked through the air toward Naruto.

Naruto snorted coldly, then pointed out with his right finger as he unleashed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex onto the sea of flames and the shooting stars. No outsider would be able to tell what was happening, but Gekomatsu's face instantly fell as his cultivation base lurched to a standstill.

The cost of that standstill was…

Naruto closed in, causing all of the shooting stars and the entire sea of flames to be sent spinning away. As Naruto bore down on Gekomatsu, he punched out. A boom rang out as blood sprayed from Gekomatsu's mouth. It only took a moment for him to recover, after which a fierce flame appeared in his eyes. Taking advantage of his backward motion, he spun his right leg around rapidly toward Naruto's head.

At the same time, a look of determination appeared in his eyes.

"Flamedevil Transformation!" he cried out

This battle was the complete focus of all eyes out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. As of now, they were beginning to see how invincible Naruto's power was. As for Gekomatsu, he also possessed similar power. As they battled, neither of them spent any time on defense, but instead, consistently attacked!

Naruto did nothing to evade Gekomatsu's spinning back kick. He lifted his left hand and grabbed down hard onto Gekomatsu's leg, sending a massive power of vibration into it. Rumbling could be heard, and Gekomatsu coughed up some blood. However, by this time his entire body was turning red!

This red was not the red of blood, but rather, the red of flames!

It was as if all the blood in his body had turned into lava. Flames burst out all around him, engulfing him entirely. His skin didn't seem capable of bearing the flames, and began to split apart all over. Soon, the rips and tears covered him completely.

However, his energy exploded up, and despite the fact that Naruto was holding onto his leg tightly, he let out a bellow and caused flames to surge toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was calm as he released his hand, then kicked out viciously with his foot. A boom could be heard as Gekomatsu was sent flying several dozen meters back.

"Body transformation magic, huh?" said Naruto coolly. "Well, I'll just have to beat you back into your original state." He suddenly transformed into the vulture, which shot forward at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it appeared in front of Gekomatsu and slashed at him with its claws. Then Naruto returned to human form and punched out with a fist.

BOOOMMMM! After changing forms, Gekomatsu thought that he would be even more powerful, capable of fighting Naruto. However, he never imagined that a few punches from Naruto would slam into him like wild tempests. The speed and power were incredible, and he was incapable of standing up to it. Just when he was about to try to resist, Naruto's divine sense transformed into an incredible crushing power that slammed down onto him.

Naruto advanced as if he were crushing rotten twigs. Gekomatsu fell back continuously. In the blink of an eye, dozens of lightning-like exchanges occurred between the two of them. Gekomatsu constantly coughed up blood, and his energy was rapidly depleting. In the end, he slammed down onto the surface of the arena. The flames covering his body were extinguished, and blood spurted out all over. After struggling to his feet, he found a long spear leveled against his throat.

It was none other than the spear Naruto had acquired in the Warrior Pavilion, with the shaft made from part of the World Tree, and a sharp bone spearhead. Thanks to the power of the black feather, however, it looked completely different, and was something no one would ever recognize.

Gekomatsu shivered as he sensed the murderous aura coming from the spearhead, which left his entire body feeling ice cold. Then there was Naruto, whose eyes had remained intensely cold from the beginning of their battle until this moment. He seemed to be waiting for Gekomatsu to say something, and if Gekomatsu didn't say it… then the spear would immediately stab completely through his throat.

Naruto didn't say anything. He just looked calmly at Gekomatsu.

Out in the world of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, cultivators watched the match with thumping hearts. They had never heard of Kazama before, but now, he astonished them in battle after battle, proving that he was more powerful than any opponent could imagine!

"He can definitely take first place!"

"Heavens, he took first place in the trial by fire already. If he also takes first place in the arena matches, then he… he…."

"This is matchlessly breathtaking! Throughout all the years, there has never been another person like this!"

"Just who is he? There's no way a person like him could be an obscure nobody!"

While the audiences were in an uproar, Madara floated in the starry sky. His eyes glittered brightly, and Immortal Chakra swirled around him for a long moment before he retracted it. The desire to fight burned strongly in his eyes.

"Naruto…."

Near Planet East Victory, Patriarch Reliance switched back and forth between smiling broadly and gnashing his teeth. He definitely had very complex feelings regarding Naruto.

Everyone was watching as Gekomatsu lay silently in the arena. He took a deep, painful breath and looked up at Naruto.

"How much of your cultivation base did you use?" he asked suddenly.

"Is that really important?" Naruto replied coolly.

"It is to me!" said Gekomatsu firmly.

"Well, not to me." Naruto shook his head, staring at Gekomatsu coldly and with a bit of impatience.

Gekomatsu's trembling heart filled with coldness. Then he suddenly recalled standing in the outside world, watching some of Kazama's bizarre actions. Immediately, he pulled a bag of holding out from within his robe.

"There are over 3,000,000 spirit stones here. I didn't bring many with me today, but you can have them if you just answer my question."

Moments before, Naruto's expression had been ice cold, as emotionless as a cold-blooded killer. Now, however, his eyes narrowed, and a slight smile could be seen on his face. It happened so quickly that Gekomatsu stared in shock.

Naruto quickly grabbed the bag of holding and scanned it with his spiritual sense. Finally, his face beamed with joy.

"Elder Brother Guy, there's really no need for this," he said, licking his lips. "It's just a question, right? What's the point in pulling out so many spirit stones? Alright, alright. If I refused them, that would be an insult to you. In that case, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and take them." His current expression was indeed vastly different than what it had been before. Gekomatsu stared in disbelief at how different Naruto was now, and how quickly he had changed. It seemed unbelievable how completely natural the change had come to him.

"Taking money to resolve others' issues… Elder Brother Guy… just now I was using…

"Seventy percent full power!" These last four words were transmitted directly into Gekomatsu's mind. Of course, as to how much he actually used, naturally, that was something he would never reveal.

Gekomatsu rose to his feet, taciturn. He didn't want to believe Naruto, but the answer mostly lined up with his own judgement and perception. Giving Naruto a long, penetrating look, he finally uttered the words 'I concede.'

Immediately, he faded away and reappeared on the first level of leaves.

Naruto was feeling very pleased. He had never imagined that he would be able to earn some spirit stones in the middle of fighting. Suddenly, he looked up in thought, and then an annoyed expression appeared on his face.

"How could I have forgotten about making money? If I'd thought of doing this earlier, I probably could have made a small fortune in the past few matches."

As the battles to decide the top 8 continued, Naruto sat down cross-legged. After glancing around at the other battles going on around him, he looked down toward the Nascent Soul arena matches, and Guy.

The Nascent Soul arena matches were also in the middle of determining their top 8. Guy was soaked in blood as he fought a young woman. A look of annoyance could be seen on her face as they fought back and forth. Up to this point in the battle, the gloomy will cast out by Guy's attacks had kept the woman feeling quite suppressed.

However, this young woman was not one of the trial by fire competitors. She was a Nascent Soul Chosen from the Solitary Sword Pavilion, and was definitely powerful enough to make it into the top 4. She and Guy were currently fighting back and forth.

Naruto watched the battle silently. Based on the level of his cultivation base, he was able to tell that Guy had reached the end of the line in this battle.

Moments later, Guy lost, and was unable to enter the top 8. He clasped hands silently to the young woman as his body faded away, and he reappeared down below.

Naruto sighed. He had sensed the deep bitterness within Guy on previous occasions, but it wasn't until Hinata finally departed that he came to understand why Guy had fallen so low.

Time passed, and rumbling booms echoed out. Gradually, victory and defeat were determined in multiple arenas. However, it was at this time that, all of a sudden, numerous figures began to appear outside of the Dao Tree. They hovered there, faces blank as they stared at the arena matches on the Dao Tree.

Each and every one of these figures emanated auras that would cause anyone to tremble. Dengaku and the other two old men immediately started to get nervous.

By the time the battles to select the top 8 had concluded, there were numerous terrifying figures outside of the Dao Tree. One of them had the upper body of a cultivator and the tail of a snake. The creature materialized in midair, then looked coldly over at the Dao Tree, her eyes flickering with a bloodthirsty gleam.

There was another shocking thing that attracted all eyes. It was not a living creature, but rather, an enormous battle-ax. The head of the ax was carved with mountains and rivers, and appeared to be flecked with rust. The battle-ax made no sound as it materialized, but after it appeared, most of the other entities near it immediately moved away.

This battle-ax sent the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea into an uproar. However, there were actually few people who knew what the battle-ax represented, other than… the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace.

The three Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies all rose to their feet. Their expressions were deeply solemn, and within their eyes could be seen gleams of hope and excitement.

The Patriarchs from the other clans also had serious expressions as they stood up. One of the main reasons they had agreed to hold the arena matches in the Ruins of Immortality was because of the plan that had been laid out before them earlier by the Three Great Daoist Societies.

If that plan succeeded, then all of the sects would benefit.

"So… will SHE appear…?" asked the old man from the Baldy Society. When he spoke the word 'she,' his voice quavered a bit.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," said the Patriarch from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. "Either way, we have a chance."

Back in the location of the Dao Seeking arena matches, the top 8 had been selected. They stood on their eight respective green leaves, the center of all attention.

Those eight cultivators included Naruto, the garrulous old man, Kazan, Fū, and Mei. In addition to those five, there was the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, who fought using corpses and coffins.

The seventh person was the tall, muscular man from the Baldy Society who attacked with descending mountains. He was the one who had defeated Chiriku.

The last person was the youth from the Burning Incense Stick Society. He had a third eye on his forehead, and throughout all the matches, had only ever attacked anyone once. All the other times, he merely transmitted some words, whereupon his opponents would prostrate themselves on the ground and look at him with fanatical piety.

Of these eight people, six were Chosen, and two were competitors from the trial by fire. They were now the focus of all attention from the outside world.

Countless eyes looked on with anticipation, waiting to find out which of the eight would make it into the semifinals, and after that, the final battle!

"The semifinal qualification matches will be different than the previous matches," said Dengaku, his voice echoing out in all directions.

"Victory will no longer be determined by a single battle. Each and every one of you must fight at least four battles!

"First, we will determine who are the top 4 and the bottom 4. The winners of the first fight will become the top 4, the losers will be the bottom 4.

"Then, each of the top 4 will fight the remaining three competitors who they did not fight previously. In the end, the four people who end up with the most victories will become the final 4!

"The outcome of any tie will be determined by a tie-breaking match.

"You will have three days to rest and recuperate. After that, the semifinal qualification matches will begin!" This method of determining the final 4 would prevent anyone from winning out through sheer luck. Furthermore, the final 4 would well and truly deserve to be called the most powerful!

The Three Great Daoist Societies had decided on this method, and none of the other sects had disagreed.

Time passed. Naruto sat there cross-legged, feeling quite confident. However, the other seven people in the competition were all powerful experts, especially Kazan and the others. Naruto had already tangled with them on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and was very curious as to how the coming matches would turn out.

Even more curious were the audiences out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Many bets had already been placed on the final outcomes.

"Kazan will definitely make it to the semifinals!"

"Fū will most likely make it as well!"

"I wonder if Kazama will be able to continue his legendary run!"

Three days later, just when Dengaku's echoing voice was announcing the beginning of the semifinals qualification matches, and all eyes in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were focused on the vortex screens in anticipation….

Suddenly, music could be heard drifting toward the Dao Tree from off in the distance. The music drifted slowly about, echoing in the ears, penetrating the mind. Everyone who heard it suddenly felt sorrow in their hearts, which immediately influenced their emotions.

It was a sad song, filled with longing, as if it were recalling the past, and an old friend.

As the music echoed about, a woman approached from off in the distance. She wore a snow-white gown, and was stunningly beautiful. She approached slowly and came to a stop above the Dao Tree. Her face was ice cold, seemingly devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

Her sudden appearance on the scene caused everyone to stare in shock. She was as different from the other beings in the Ruins of Immortality as black is from white. Immediately, the black wind shuddered, and the huge roc let out a miserable shriek; they both fled in terror at top speed.

Apparently, that roc had been killed by the woman in the past!

As for the blood-colored eye, it shrank back, trembling, and then fled. The other almighty figures all dropped to their knees and then… kowtowed to the woman!

As for the naga cultivator, she let out a shriek of astonishment and then fled, terrified.

The battle-ax emitted a droning sound as it approached the white-robed woman, and began to circulate around her. She looked at it, and slowly, an expression of reminiscence and sorrow appeared on her face.

Everyone on the ancient Dao Tree felt their hearts thumping as they stared blankly at the woman.

Dengaku and the other two old men were also trembling, and their faces were pale white. They said absolutely nothing.

Naruto's eyes widened as well. However, what was most concerning to him was not the woman and her appearance on the scene, but the fact that the half-headed man who had been following him, and was now hovering near the arenas, did not flee or bow like the other beings. He quivered a bit, but by force of will remained hovering there just as before.

When Naruto saw this, his heart began to pound.

It was at this point that the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies urgently stepped forward toward the vortex. Their expressions were that of shock, and they seemed to be thinking a variety of thoughts. Moments later, though, they began to tremble with wild joy.

All of the other Patriarchs were staring at the woman, dumbstruck.

"It's actually… HER!"

"She looks exactly like the image recorded in the sect's records!"

"When the Three Great Daoist Societies told us about their plan, I thought it was crazy…. That woman… how could she be alive after all this time!?"

The Patriarchs from all the sects were now on their feet, staring at the white-robed woman in the vortex screen in disbelief.

"She's the Paragon from the legends…." murmured the old man from the Baldy Society.

Similar words echoed about in the minds of all of the other Patriarchs in the starry sky palace, and waves of audible gasps arose from the crowd there.

Meanwhile, at the very peak of the Ninth Mountain, was a statue of a cross-legged man, sitting atop a boulder. The statue seemed devoid of any life force whatsoever, and yet, in this instant, cracks spread out across the surface of the statue. At the same time, the stars in the sky above the Ninth Mountain went dim, with the exception of one, which shone brilliantly, almost as if it were a solitary eye.

It seemed expressionless and ancient, as if it could lord it over all the entire starry sky and everything in it. It looked at the nearby vortex screen and saw the woman floating there, and the eye… trembled.

"Paragon…." murmured an ancient voice.

Back by the arenas, the white-robed woman hovered there in midair, looking at the Dao Tree. All of the cultivators on the tree got the feeling that she was examining them personally.

Dengaku was panting, as were the two old men next to him. After a long moment passed, he clenched his teeth violently and then, face ashen, said, "Cultivators of the Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Dao Seeking stages in the arena matches, let the qualifying round for the semifinals begin!

"Unleash your most powerful divine abilities. Let loose your most powerful Daos. All of you… are fighting in arena matches. However, this is also… a chance for perhaps the greatest good fortune of your entire lives!

"Whether or not you can seize this opportunity is up to your own destiny!" Dengaku wasn't able to reveal any further information. What he had already said pushed the limits of the boundaries.

His words caused the hearts of all the cultivators in the arenas to tremble. Naruto was especially interested in the white-robed woman.

He got a very strange sensation when he looked at her. He could see her with his physical eyes, but when he tried to look at her with divine sense, it was as if she wasn't even there.

It was at this point that glittering light surrounded all of the cultivators, and they appeared on the green layer of leaves. In the blink of an eye, everyone was facing an opponent.

Naruto's opponent was none other than… Mei!

Kazan was facing the hulking man from the Baldy Society. As for the other matches, the garrulous old man was up against the smiling youth from the Burning Incense Stick Society.

The last match was between Fū and the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum.

The match to decide the top 4 and the bottom 4 was now beginning!

As Mei and Naruto faced off against each other, the willow leaf mark on Mei's forehead suddenly began to shine brightly, and an incredible aura exploded out from her.

A strange expression could be seen on Naruto's face, and he cleared his throat. Without even thinking about it, he glanced toward her rear end.

"How shameless!" she said with a cold frown. She raised her right hand, instantly causing an ancient, archaic tree to appear behind her. Shockingly, as soon as it materialized, it seemed to form a resonance with the ancient Dao Tree, and brilliant light rose up to surround Mei, causing her energy to surge.

She waved her hand, causing the ancient tree's branches to whip through the air, weaving together almost like vines as they snaked toward Naruto at incredible speed.

This was not the first time Naruto had gone up against Mei. Back in the Southern Domain, he had defeated her and taken her captive. However, his victory had come as the result of a bit of trickery; he had used the teleportation power of the Lightning Cauldron to quickly defeat her.

It was not possible to use the Lightning Cauldron in the arena matches, lest he reveal his identity.

However, Naruto was also different than he had been during their initial encounter. Now he had an Immortal meridian that was eighty percent solidified, and his true Immortal powers made him vastly, vastly more powerful than before.

Naruto's eyes glittered as he observed the incoming vines. Then, he kicked out, his energy surging with the power of true Immortality. Behind him, his Dharma Idol appeared, disguised with the transformative powers of the black feather. The gigantic Dharma Idol brandished its fists and then punched out, causing boundless light to appear that transformed into a Dharma Sea, which then shot toward the incoming vines.

A huge boom could be heard, and massive ripples spread out. Naruto didn't back up even an inch, but instead headed directly toward Mei. Last time, he had relied on his aura of invincibility to capture her. Now, his true fighting style could be unleashed. As he closed in, he transformed into a vulture, which slashed its claws toward Mei with lightning speed.

Mei's face flickered, and she performed a double-handed incantation gesture. A magical bottle appeared, which she then tossed out ahead of her.

"Shatter!" said Naruto. His vulture-form slashed viciously at the bottle, and at the same time, he secretly unleashed the claw magic that he had learned from the wall of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple. 1

A boom rang out as the bottle exploded. In their last encounter, Naruto had been forced to use the Blood Demon Grand Magic to deal with the magical bottle, but this time, all it took was a single strike on his part. 2

It was just a simple magical technique, but Naruto could clearly sense how much more powerful it was now.

Mei's face fell, and she began to pant. She anxiously fell into retreat, and yet, no matter how fast she moved, Naruto always kept up, bearing down on her as the vicious vulture. He slashed at her again, causing the air to vibrate, as a will of invincibility exploded out.

BOOOOMMM!

Mei was defeated in exchange after exchange. No matter how she attacked, no matter what divine abilities or magical techniques she employed, regardless of the various magical items she used, they were all useless. Naruto bashed her over and over again like a buffeting windstorm, as easily as he would step on a dried weed.

After only the space of a few breaths, the two had exchanged dozens of blows. Blood sprayed from Mei's mouth, and a look of shock could be seen on her face. This match immediately caused her to recall Naruto from Planet Lands of Ninshu. He was equally swift and fierce, equally invincible, equally impossible to rattle.

Were it not for the fact that she got the feeling that this Kazama far exceeded Naruto, she would definitely have assumed that they were one and the same person!

"They can't be the same," she thought. "Naruto might have possessed a will of invincibility, but his energy was not incredible like this. Kazama… has intense energy, far more than that damned Naruto!" She fell back again, gritted her teeth, and performed another incantation gesture, causing her enormous tree to suddenly begin to vibrate.

"World Tree, detonate. Rebuke the Heavens with your spirit. Transform for me! Stifle all the earth!"

Mei's voice echoed with an ancient cadence, and immediately caused the air between her and Naruto to echo with deep rumbling.

Thump!

The sound caused everything to shake. The surface of the arena trembled, and Naruto's face flickered. Mei had used this exact same divine ability the last time they had fought, and it was as astonishing as it had been before; the pressure exerted by the image of the World Tree was intense.

Last time, if he hadn't possessed the sunstone, he would never have been able to win the battle. After all, Mei possessed fifty percent of the might of a true Immortal.

Thump!

Thump!

THUMP!

The successive rumbling sounds seemed to strike at Naruto's heart. The air around him distorted, and wild colors flashed. Everything was shaking as the tree behind Mei suddenly collapsed. Its leaves fell, and its branches withered until all that was left of the tree was a single log!

It was… the World Tree!

As it fell towards the ground, it emitted a droning sound and passed through Mei to shoot toward Naruto. She performed a double handed incantation, causing her hair to whip around her head, and more power to pour into the attack.

At the same time, a pearl appeared above her head. It began to rotate rapidly, which would apparently sustain her cultivation base, preventing it from being drained by the tree.

"That's nothing but an illusory World Tree!" said Naruto, his eyes glittering. His cultivation base far exceeded its previous level. He extended his right hand, and the World Tree spear appeared with its bone spearhead. Naruto hefted it and then flung it toward the incoming illusory World Tree.

From the perspective of the spectators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, a green sun suddenly appeared between Naruto and Mei as the World Tree and the long spear slammed into each other.

In the blink of an eye, a monstrous roaring sound filled the air as the illusory World Tree trembled and, incapable of standing up to the long spear, collapsed into pieces and then violently exploded.

The spear sliced through the illusory tree like a sharp knife through a piece of bamboo, emerging from the shattered remnants to bear down on Mei with incredible speed.

In that critical moment, the pearl floating above Mei's head shattered, causing a gentle force to flow out and then shove her off to the side. The long spear whistled through the air, kicking up a powerful wind that instantly sent Mei's hair into complete and utter disarray. Naruto appeared off to Mei's side, grasping the long spear and glancing down at her curvaceous rear end.

At the same time, Mei, who had just avoided the attack, looked over with eyes that flickered with killing intent. In the same moment that she passed Naruto, she raised her right hand, gathered the power of the exploded pearl treasure, and then stabbed her two fingers toward Naruto's eyes.

In that instant, Naruto let out a cold snort and extended his left hand to violently spank Mei's buttocks!

It was a cruel strike, similar to the strike which had landed on her not too long ago….

The slapping sound was accompanied by a miserable shriek from Mei. Once again, her rear end was now uneven, she even felt her pelvis creaking. She immediately staggered backward in retreat, her face pale and devoid of any blood.

"I'm gonna kill you!" raged Mei. Subconsciously, she had already superimposed Naruto's image over Kazama. She didn't realize that this had happened, as the sudden intense pain in that specific region left her with no time for deep consideration.

Just when she had been about to attack, agonizing pain sent her staggering backward. At the same time, the long spear whistled through the air and came to a stop right in front of her forehead.

Naruto looked down at her coldly. After the previous incident, his mother had told him that Mei was the same Princess Mei whose hair he had lit on fire as a child. He also knew that his Grandpa Namikaze had arranged for the two of them to be married.

However, Naruto did not approve of such an agreement. He only had one wife, and that was Hinata.

Mei trembled as she felt the coldness radiating off of the spear that was pointed at her forehead. A sensation of imminent death washed over her, and she knew that if she didn't say the two words that Naruto was expecting to hear, the spearhead would unhesitatingly stab directly into her forehead.

"I don't want to kill you," Naruto said coolly. Actually, there was something else that he wanted to say…. He still had Mei's promissory note in his bag of holding, so until he got his spirit stones, he needed her alive.

If she died, who would repay the spirit stones…?

Mei glared at Naruto, her ample chest rising and falling as she breathed heavily. Finally, she gritted her teeth and slowly said the two words.

"I concede." Immediately, she vanished, then reappeared on the next layer of leaves. She had not lost her chance to get into the semifinals. If she won out in the following three matches, she would still have that opportunity.

After all, this first round was only to determine who was in the top 4 and the bottom 4.

Immediately, the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea began to comment.

"Kazama beat Mei!"

"He'll definitely be in the top 4! Mei is a Chosen of the Shimura Clan, and will without doubt become a true Immortal in the future. I even heard that she's never been beaten before, and that a fight between her and Fū once ended in a draw!"

"This Kazama is invincible!"

Naruto was actually not the first person to secure a win. Shockingly, the first battle to end was the one between Kazan and the hulking man from the Baldy Society.

That battle had been just as astonishing as Naruto's fight just now, and had drawn quite a bit of attention. When the man from the Baldy Society attacked, he used an enormous chain of mountains. Even he himself seemed like a mountain, completely impervious to all attacks.

However, Kazan was also a terrifying figure, which became clearly apparent in their battle. He only used six Earth-shattering sword moves in the fight. Each sword attack was more shocking than the one before it, and they slashed down onto the mountains, severely injuring the big man from the Baldy Society.

The final sword blow was so powerful that the man from the Baldy Society was powerless to resist it. His mountains exploded, and were it not for the fact that Kazan was holding back his killing intent, the man would definitely have been slain.

The battle's result caused quite a commotion in the outside world. Unfortunately, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were not watching the arena matches, but instead were focused on the white-robed woman. Their expressions were a mix of reverence and other complex emotions.

Booming sounds continued to rattle out as the garrulous old man, one of the trial by fire competitors, fought against the young man from the Burning Incense Stick Society. Although their ages were different, both of them gave off the feeling that they were hustlers of some kind.

One of them didn't attack, but rather, constantly mumbled and chattered madly at his opponents, frothing at the mouth. The other smiled and transmitted words into his opponent's minds, causing them to fall down and worship him. In fact, even after those battles ended, the opponents would continue to look piously at the young man from down below on the lowest layer of leaves.

When they fought, they didn't engage in close quarter fighting. Instead, they sat down cross-legged and looked at each other. Although nothing usual seemed to be going on, those who were in the know understood that they were currently in an extremely ruthless showdown.

"A battle of divine will!"

"The Burning Incense Stick Society excels in the use of divine will. They coalesce the will of many living things to become their Dao of burning incense. Hishaku is a Chosen of the Burning Incense Stick Society, and supposedly, he's in the running to become Dao Child! His strength in divine will is spectacular!" 1

"If I remember correctly, the old man's name is Hoki. He… is actually going to participate in a divine will contest with Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society!" 2

On the other battleground, Fū was facing the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. Fierce fighting raged between the two of them, and the face of the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum twisted with passion. His eyes seemed capable of melting any coldness, but what had driven him mad was not Fū. Rather, part of the mist behind Fū had been scattered during the course of the fighting to reveal the female corpse behind her.

"That is… the most beautiful corpse I have seen in my entire life!" murmured the young man. Seven coffins were arrayed in front of him, all of them opened to reveal seven corpses, which he was using to fight Fū.

Fū was on the verge of going mad. Right now, there was nothing she hated more in the world than corpses, and the look in her opponent's eyes filled her with revulsion.

Booms rang out, and time slipped by. The white-robed woman continued to float above the Dao Tree, coldly watching the cultivators in the arena matches. It was impossible to tell what she might be thinking.

After a long moment passed, a boom rattled out next to Fū, and the young man coughed up a mouthful of blood. He fell back, and as he did, a black hair suddenly appeared in his hand. It did not belong to Fū, but rather, the female corpse.

Fū's face twisted into a unsightly expression as the mist behind her vanished. The white-robed corpse was now clearly visible to everyone who was watching in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"I concede!" cried the young man from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. He coughed up some more blood, but his face was plastered with a look of enchantment. He held the hair up to his nose and inhaled deeply, then carefully put the hair away. Eyes burning, he looked over at the female corpse behind Fū.

"She is my true love. Fū, you better take good care of her." With that, the young man vanished to appear on the set of leaves for the bottom contenders among the top 8. However, he continued to look down at the corpse, intoxicated.

Discussions immediately rose up among the audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"That guy Hinoki from the Paleo-Immortal Museum is such a pervert! He's a Chosen, but it turns out he's actually a necrophiliac!" 3

"I can't believe what everyone has been saying is true! There's a female corpse floating behind Fū!"

"From what I heard, the corpse got attached to her when she ran into some fellow named Naruto on Planet Lands of Ninshu!"

As the crowds buzzed about the matter, the match between the garrulous Hoki and Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society had come to an end. Hishaku's face was flushed, and blood gushed out of his mouth. After wiping it off, he sighed lightly, rose to his feet, and bowed to the old man.

"I have been thoroughly convinced that your divine will magic is an amazing inheritance, Fellow Daoist," he said. "I, Xie, concede."

Hoki's face was also a bit pale. His eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet, then solemnly clasped hands toward Hishaku.

Conversations immediately broke out.

"So, Hoki actually won!"

"He defeated Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society. Just how strong is his divine will? He's really a dark horse in this competition. Earlier I had assumed he wouldn't make it past the top 16. I never imagined he would pull off a win like this and make it into the top 4!"

Regardless of the analyses of the outside crowds, the top 4 had been decided: Naruto, Kazan, Hoki, and Fū!

The bottom four consisted of Mei, Hishaku, Hinoki and the hulking man from the Baldy Society. What would happen next would be the final three battles of the round!

Now everyone from the top four would have to fight against the rest of the bottom four. After all of the battles were completed, the four people with the most wins would become the semifinalists!

After six hours of rest, when everyone was back at their peak readiness, the second fight in the struggle to qualify for the semifinals began! Naruto stood motionless on the bronze leaf as light glittered in front of him to reveal the hulking man from the Baldy Society.

The man stepped forward, and it was like the descent of numerous mountains, although Naruto's expression was the same as ever. Regarding the various sects of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, he was already familiar with the Demon Immortal Sect, because of Tsukino. Also, he knew of… the Baldy Society.

His master Pill Demon had joined the Baldy Society, and because of that, Naruto smiled amiably at the hulking man.

The big man stared in shock, then nodded at Naruto and clasped hands.

"I am Gen'yūmaru from the Baldy Society," he said. "Fellow Daoist Namikaze, please give me some fighting tips!"

"Of course!" replied Naruto, clasping hands back at the man.

Introductions having been made, Gen'yūmaru's eyes began to glow brightly, and a massive aura exploded out as he charged toward Naruto. As he neared, shockingly, numerous mountains materialized around him.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but his pupils constricted. He had noticed before that this hulking man was actually wielding… the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

The Mountain Consuming Incantation was a Daoist magic from the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, and previously, Naruto had assumed it was something only he could wield. Having seen the hulking Gen'yūmaru in action, though, he was now much more interested in the Baldy Society.

"So, the Mountain Consuming Incantation…?" thought Naruto. Laughing inwardly, he also stepped forward, causing numerous mountains to materialize around him. Of course, with the help of the black feather, he made them look like streams of water.

In the blink of an eye, the two began to fight back and forth. They did not use a variety of techniques, but rather, focused on the Mountain Consuming Incantation, and their incredibly powerful fleshly bodies.

RUMMMBLE!

Dozens of exchanges occurred, after which Gen'yūmaru fell back, body trembling, but eyes overflowing with the desire to fight.

"Wonderful! This match is far more enjoyable than the fight with Kazan!" Gen'yūmaru laughed heartily, then clenched his fists, causing the mountains around him to link up into a mountain range. He himself seemed to change into an enormous mountain.

Naruto was laughing as loudly as Gen'yūmaru. He attacked, causing the streams to unite into a mighty river that rumbled through the air. They fought back and forth again, holding nothing back. Booms echoed out, attracting quite a bit of attention from the shocked audience.

They didn't fight for very long, only enough time for an incense stick to burn. Finally, Gen'yūmaru was sent staggering backward seven or eight paces. Panting, he flicked his sleeve, causing the mountains to vanish. Then he stood there and gazed deeply at Naruto. Finally, he shook his head and laughed.

"I'm not a match for you. I have to concede! However, I do have to say that this was the most fun I've had in all of the arena matches!

"Gen'yūmaru won't be entering the semifinals. However, if you have time, Elder Brother Namikaze, please come to the Baldy Society so that we can drink together!"

Naruto laughed. He could sense that Gen'yūmaru was an outspoken and straightforward person. After all of Naruto's years spent in the world of cultivation, he could tell that the man was no hypocrite or faker. Naruto nodded and smiled.

"I will definitely be going to the Baldy Society!" he said.

Gen'yūmaru laughed as he faded away to reappear on another leaf for his third battle.

Naruto took a deep breath and then sat down cross-legged. After an hour passed, light suddenly glittered as the third battle began. However, no opponent appeared. Instead, rumbling could be heard as nine coffins materialized, smashing down from up above.

"The female corpse behind Fū is my true love, so I can't harm her. The rest of you, however, are completely different!" The voice which spoke was soft and feminine, but the figure who walked out of the light was a man.

This was none other than Hinoki from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, one of the Five Great Holy Lands!

When Hinoki made his appearance, a cold wind sprang up, causing his hair and robes to flutter. He was clearly male, but there was also something overtly feminine about him. This was especially true when it came to his cheerless eyes, which caused his handsome features to be strangely twisted.

Hinoki stood there in the middle of the arena, looking at Naruto.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he stood there looking past the nine upright coffins at Hinoki.

"Nine Heavens Asura Squad!" cried Hinoki, his eyes flickering with killing intent. He waved his hand, causing rumbling sounds to emanate out of the nine coffins, which then simultaneously opened, causing a thick aura of death to spill out.

The air twisted, and strange colors danced. Nine tall figures appeared within the coffins, nine corpses who abounded with auras of death. Their bodies were not decomposing, but rather, mummified. They wore tattered clothing and had vicious expressions, and it was just possible to tell that seven were men and two were women.

"Kill him!" said Hinoki with a vicious chuckle. A ruthless gleam could be seen in his eyes as the nine corpses charged toward Naruto, kicking up a foul wind.

They closed in on Naruto in the blink of an eye. However, Naruto's expression didn't change in the slightest. He extended his right hand, within which materialized the World Tree spear with the bone spearhead. Then, he dashed forward like the wind, the spearhead leading the way.

A bang could be heard, along with an ear-piercing rumble as a huge vortex appeared, spreading out in all directions and instantly interfering with the nine corpses' movement.

Naruto moved rapidly, bypassing the corpses and heading directly toward Hinoki. In the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint, Hinoki performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and pointed toward the surface of the arena. Immediately, Yin-type Chakra surged up, transforming into a blast that shot toward Naruto like a huge wall.

A boom could be heard as Naruto's spear pierced the Yin Chakra wall. The wall shuddered and then collapsed, after which Hinoki waved his hand, causing nine black magical needles to appear. They immediately shot toward Naruto like nine black vipers.

At the same time, the nine corpses that were now behind Naruto turned, becoming black beams of light that immediately began to surround Naruto.

Hinoki laughed coldly. He had unleashed his most powerful magic in an attempt to catch his opponent off-guard.

"DIE!"

In this moment of deadly crisis, Naruto simply snorted. He stabbed his spear into the surface of the leaf, causing a boom to echo out. Cracks spread out across the surface of the arena as a shocking energy suddenly exploded. It transformed into a storm-like vortex that spread out in all directions, slamming into the corpses. The corpses fell back, trembling, and as for the nine needles, cracking sounds could be heard as they simply fell to pieces mid-flight.

Within the screaming vortex, Naruto released his grip on the spear, then transformed into the vulture. There was a flash, and then he appeared directly in front of Hinoki and slashed at him viciously.

Boom!

Hinoki's face fell, and he quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing the Yin Chakra to surge, transforming into another wall to block against the vulture's slash. A huge boom could be heard as that wall collapsed, too. Before Hinoki could even fall back in retreat, the vulture vanished and Naruto reappeared, his leg flashing around in a spinning kick.

A bang could be heard as the kick, seemingly powerful enough to smash mountains, formed a semicircle and slammed directly into Hinoki. In that critical moment, Hinoki's eyes went wide, and he spit a pearl out of his mouth. The pearl emanated a powerful glow that attempted to block the kick, and yet instantly shattered, completely incapable of standing up to the attack. However, it did manage to give Hinoki a moment of breathing room. Coughing up blood, he rapidly fell backward in retreat.

At the same time, Naruto increased his speed and levied another attack. Currently, he paid no heed to defending, but rather, attacked like lightning, like a windstorm that could crush anything in its path.

He bore down on Hinoki like a tempest, performing an incantation with his right hand and then stabbing his finger out ahead of him. The shocking finger attack caused the air to vibrate, and Hinoki's face to fall. This magical battle was unfolding so quickly that Hinoki had no time to even breathe. He had to exercise complete and utter attention; the slightest misstep would leave him dead.

Hinoki performed an incantation gesture as fast as possible, causing the Yin Chakra to form into numerous pearls.

"Burst! Burst! BURST!" roared Hinoki. Booms rang out as the pearls flew toward Naruto and then exploded, transforming into a powerful shockwave that swept out in all directions. A vicious smile appeared on Hinoki's face. The Yin Chakra pearls seemed ordinary, but in fact, they were a secret magic from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. Any one of those explosions was powerful enough to slay a peak Dao seeking expert.

Hinoki knew his opponent was powerful, but even a Stone Golem would at least be injured by their detonation.

"I just need to put a bit of distance between us," Hinoki thought with a cold laugh. "Then I can send the nine corpses to slaughter him!" Just as Hinoki was about to continue to fall back, the air twisted as Naruto actually stepped into the explosions. To him, these detonating pearls could do nothing more than inflict flesh wounds. His right hand clenched into a fist and he sent out a punch.

BOOM!

Hinoki let out a miserable shriek. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he tumbled backward. In the blink of an eye, Naruto was on him again, slamming out with an attack that could shatter rock. Hinoki once again fell back, blood pouring from his mouth.

In the blink of an eye, ten more exchanges were made. Naruto's shocking energy and will of invincibility made it so that all Hinoki could do was fall back and focus all of his energy on defending himself. He wasn't the slightest bit capable of attacking.

Naruto's moves were just too swift and too vicious. Booms echoed out in the short span of a few breaths that to Hinoki, seemed like a very, very long time. Then, a cracking sound rang out as his leg was broken by Naruto.

Intense pain caused his face to go pale. A look of complete astonishment could be seen on his face.

"Dammit," he thought, "I can't let him build up any more energy. Otherwise, I'm going to be defeated for sure!"

The crowds outside watched the semifinal qualification rounds with intense concentration. Many were focusing on Naruto, and were completely astonished by what they saw.

"If I were in Hinoki's place, I would be just as powerless!"

"This Kazama is completely domineering! His attacks are swift and fierce; he's totally incomparable!"

"You definitely can't let yourself be put on the defensive when facing Kazama. Doing that… is just giving him a chance to explode with ferocity and turn the battle into a catastrophe!"

Hinoki gritted his teeth, and a look of madness appeared on his face. Roaring, he caused bursts of Yin Chakra to explode out, which formed into numerous ghostly figures. Just as he was going to attempt to make a counterattack, Naruto's fist landed again. All of Hinoki's Chakra collapsed, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, blood spurting from his mouth.

Then, with indescribable speed, Naruto shot toward Hinoki and extended his finger toward his forehead, killing intent roiling.

Hinoki's eyes went wide, and his heart was trembling. In this moment of deadly crisis, he bit the tip of his tongue, burning some of his Essence Blood and longevity to unleash a forbidden magic.

"Time to risk it all," he cried. "YIN MOON SEVERING!"

A crescent moon appeared on his forehead, which rapidly transformed into a black-colored moon that shot toward Naruto in a slashing motion.

Naruto's eyes widened as the moon closed in on him. Suddenly, his Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and its fist shot out to meet the incoming Yin Moon.

A huge boom could be heard, and a tremor ran through Naruto as the Yin Moon exploded. Blood oozed out of Hinoki's mouth, but he used the short moment of freedom to shoot backward. Face twisted with unprecedented bitterness, he let out a shout.

"Nine Corpses Demon Transformation!" he cried. Immediately, the nine corpses that had continuously been behind Naruto and unable to even touch him, began to tremble violently. In the blink of an eye, long black fur began to grow out of their bodies, and their appearance became even more ferocious than before. Furthermore, Demonic Chakra began to surge within them, although that was something nobody would be able to detect.

As the Demonic Chakra surged, the nine corpses' cultivation bases began to rise dramatically. In the blink of an eye, they were comparable to false Immortals!

Nine false Immortals!

This was Hinoki's trump card that he had originally hoped to use to secure first place. It was not something he would casually unleash, but he had been forced into a corner, and therefore, in the frenzy of this fight, he didn't hesitate at all.

"DIE!" he roared as the nine false Immortal corpses bore down on Naruto. One by one, they began to lash out with astonishing attacks that caused the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain to reel in shock.

"Heavens! That's false Immortal energy!"

"What magical technique is that!? He actually gave those nine corpses the powers of false Immortality!"

"Hinoki didn't even use that divine ability in his fight with Fū!"

As the outside crowds were in a commotion, the nine corpses closed in on Naruto, bursting with explosive energy. As for Naruto, an odd expression could be seen on his face.

"Demons…." he thought, his facial expression quickly returning to normal. His right hand suddenly rose into the air, and he performed an incantation gesture. The art of Righteous Bestowal was unleashed. This art was different than the Eighth Hex, and was designed specifically for subduing Demons!

No one got any special feeling when Naruto unleashed the art. However, as soon as his hand lowered, the nine corpses suddenly stopped in place and began to tremble. Their previously blank eyes then began to glow with bright light.

Hinoki's face fell completely, and he retreated in astonishment, frantically performing incantation gestures in an attempt to regain control of the nine corpses.

However, it was at this point that Naruto extended his right hand. A strange light could be seen in his eyes as, under the cover of the transformative powers of the black feather, he unleashed the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex, Karmic Hexing!

Rumbling filled the air as the Karma threads connecting the nine corpses to Hinoki began to separate. As that happened, the corpses trembled even more violently, and explosive death auras radiated out of them. Then they toppled over onto their faces.

Hinoki was trembling, and he coughed up nine successive mouthfuls of blood. From the look on his face, he was completely gobsmacked. He stared at Naruto for a moment, shaking violently.

"I concede!" he yelled, fearful of losing his life in this place.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he was surrounded by flickering lights, and then vanished.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he picked up his spear and walked off to the side.

He stood there, his energy surging, the focus of attention of all eyes in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Three fights, three wins!"

"There's one more fight, but Kazama is definitely in the semifinals!"

"Not even Hinoki was a match for him. From the look of things, Kazama hasn't even used all of his power yet. Just… how strong is he?!"

When Naruto attacked, the white-robed woman floating in midair outside of the Dao Tree looked at him calmly for a moment, although no onlooker would notice that fact, not even Naruto.

Hinoki reappeared on another leaf, his entire body shaking as he looked back at Naruto with terror and astonishment. Before their battle, he had been aware that Naruto was powerful, but he had never imagined that he would only be able to defend and would be completely incapable of fighting back against him.

He had even burned some of his longevity and used his Nine Corpses Demon Transformation, explosively increasing their cultivation bases to be similar to false Immortals. And yet, his opponent had then unleashed some unknown divine ability… to cause his nine corpses to stop in mid-flight, and even sever their connection to him.

As he thought about it, Hinoki took a deep breath. This was the first time he had ever truly been afraid of another person.

"He's somebody I can't ever provoke! If I ever meet him again, I'll simply flee! His magical technique… can inhibit my Dao!" Hinoki took another deep breath as he looked at Naruto. Intense terror filled his heart, and he rejoiced at his decision to concede when he did. If he hadn't, he himself might be a corpse now.

Almost in the same moment that Naruto finished his match, Kazan also secured another victory. After that… the fourth battle began.

Naruto stood as usual on his leaf. From the very beginning to now, he had not moved to the losers bracket. There was only one other among the top 4 who had done the same, and that was Kazan!

Even Fū had been defeated, by none other than Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society.

That match garnered quite a bit of attention, and caused Hishaku to suddenly rise up abruptly in the eyes of the onlookers.

The bizarre Hoki ended up being defeated by Mei, whose magical techniques were somewhat effective at counteracting the old man. However, in the very end, it was actually difficult to say who won and who lost. Mei earned her victory mostly due to luck.

As of this moment, Naruto and Kazan were certain to enter the semifinals, but as for everyone else, it was hard to say.

Naruto's opponent in the fourth battle was the Chosen who had beaten Fū, Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society. As soon as he emerged from the glittering light to stand in front of Naruto, his eyes gleamed seriously.

Of all the people who made it to the top 8, he truly feared three of them. One was the spectacular Kazan, the other was the talkative Hoki, and the last… was none other than this Kazama.

"I am Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society. Fellow Daoist Namikaze, please give me some fighting tips!"

Having said this, Hishaku suddenly sat down cross-legged and performed an incantation gesture with his right hand. Immediately, a copper furnace appeared in front of him.

Stuck into the very top of the copper furnace was an incense stick.

As the incense stick burned, streams of smoke curled up into the air to surround Hishaku, obscuring him slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, my magical technique is different from the kind you've seen before. If you can stand up to it for the amount of time it takes this incense stick to burn, then I will concede."

Naruto stood in place, his expression the same as ever. He had been paying close attention to how Hishaku fought. Right now, Naruto didn't even speak. He took a step forward, and then suddenly, everything around him distorted, and in the blink of an eye, the arena was gone. In its place, a boundless land stretched in front of Naruto.

Countless cities could be seen dotting the land, and within each one was an enormous statue. If you looked closely, you would see that the statues depicted none other than Hishaku.

Naruto's eyes glittered.

At this point, a majestic voice rang out throughout the world.

"The Heavens are grand, the Earth majestic!" As soon as the voice echoed out, the statues of Hishaku trembled and opened their eyes, almost as if they were coming to life. They flew up into the air, a total of 9,000 of them, which then began to circulate around Naruto and emanate radiant light. In a short moment, the statues merged together into one.

They became… a lifelike Hishaku.

He hovered there in midair, smiling slightly at Naruto.

"The Heavens are grand, and the Earth is majestic, but the greatest of all is the host of all living things!

"Living things possess desire. Desire becomes thought. Thought becomes burning incense. Worship the gods, pray for their blessing. Through the cultivation of this burning incense, if they worship me, then I am a god! If they pray to me, I am a god!

"This place is my Burning Incense World. Here… I am a god, and in this place, I cannot be defeated!

"If I say that a single breath will last for ten thousand years, then ten thousand years that breath shall last!

"Fellow Daoist Namikaze, you have a monstrous cultivation base, and shocking divine sense. Willpower and determination like yours is something I rarely see. Why not become my follower here? Become part of my Burning Incense Flock. Cultivate the Dao of burning incense. Then one day, you too can be a god." Hishaku's words were spoken indifferently, but seemed to contain a bizarre power. As they echoed out into Naruto's ears, he felt his mind trembling, as if there was something within the words that made them impossible to resist, and that was forcing him to comply.

"If I become part of your Burning Incense Flock, how many spirit stones will you pay me per month?" asked Naruto coolly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hishaku gaped. After a moment, though, he laughed loudly, then waved his hand. A massive roaring could be heard that transformed into a continent of spirit stones. All of the mountains, cities, even the vegetation, turned into spirit stones.

In the blink of an eye, the entire world transformed into endless, uncountable spirit stones.

"You can have however many you wish."

Naruto looked around and then shook his head. "I don't want these. I want real spirit stones, in the outside world."

Hishaku's face darkened, and he gave a cold snort. The sound started out light, but then rapidly turned into something that sounded like thunder, echoing out with incredible pressure. It was like Heavenly might that crushed down onto Naruto.

"Kneel before me!" said Hishaku. His voice echoed out shockingly, filled with a will that seemed almost impossible to resist.

Naruto looked up, his expression the same as ever.

"That's all the pressure you can exert?" he asked. Suddenly, he transformed into a vulture that shot toward Hishaku. A boom rang out as Hishaku's body collapsed. A moment later, he reappeared some distance off.

"My life force is limitless in this place," he said coolly. "You can't kill me!" He raised his right hand, coalescing the power of the world into a huge palm that shot toward Naruto.

Energy raged, and boundless pressure emanated out.

"Can't kill him?" thought Naruto, frowning. "Is that because the magic is an illusion? Or because I haven't affected the essence of his life force?" He extended his right hand and made a grasping gesture. Instantly the Blood Demon Grand Magic surged into action. An enormous blood-colored vortex appeared, which spread out to cover Hishaku, enveloping him completely.

A boom rang out as his body collapsed into pieces. At the same time, another image of him appeared off to the side. But this time, his face was pale and filled with astonishment.

"What magical technique is that!?"

"Ah, so it was because the essence of his life force hadn't been affected." Naruto smiled, and then suddenly, his hand turned bright red. He immediately flew out, closing in on Hishaku. Even as the young man stared in shock, Naruto slapped out with his palm.

A bang could be heard as Hishaku once again collapsed into pieces. Actually, his battle prowess wasn't very high to begin with. What was truly shocking was his magical technique. Unfortunately, that magic wasn't very useful on Naruto.

In the past, whenever someone killed him in this world, he would come back to life. It could happen over and over again, without end, leaving opponents completely dispirited.

Now, though, every time he died, some of his life force was actually drained away. It was something that had never happened to him before, and in his shock, he tried to evade Naruto. However, he was no match at all. Were it not for the magical technique he was using, Naruto could have killed him numerous times in the blink of an eye.

Rumbling echoed out. Every time Hishaku died, one of his statues would shatter. Every time Hishaku reappeared, his face was covered with astonishment, and he would instantly fall into retreat.

"Elder Brother Namikaze, stop! I'll let you out, you can leave…."

"You don't need to let me out," Naruto replied calmly, "I can get out on my own." With that, he slammed his foot down onto the surface of the ground. A huge boom could be heard as his Dharma Idol appeared, towering 300 meters into the air, its energy surging.

Hishaku's face flickered, and he was just about to say something else when Naruto suddenly stamped his foot down again. Rumbling could be heard as his Dharma Idol rapidly grew in size. Now it was 3,000 meters tall!

Monstrous energy surged, and the power of a true Immortal erupted out. Hishaku's face instantly fell as Naruto stamped down a third time.

BOOM!

Naruto's Dharma Idol grew again. In the blink of an eye it was now 6,000 meters tall, seemingly big enough to prop up the sky.

"Tear this place open!" said Naruto, his eyes flickering with killing intent. As he spoke, he raised both hands high into the air, then slammed them down. Rumbling filled the air as his Dharma Idol also raised its hands up, grabbed ahold of the air, and then began to rip it in two different directions.

Massive, shocking rumbles echoed out. Hishaku's face flickered as he performed incantation gestures, causing the world to begin to rotate and stabilize. However, despite his efforts, a massive rift appeared in the sky.

The world was actually being ripped apart!

"Impossible!" shouted Hishaku. "This is my Burning Incense World! I am God here! Maybe you can hurt my life force, but if I say that nothing can destroy this land, then no power exists that can do so!"

"I'm afraid your cultivation base is simply… not high enough," said Naruto, his voice cool. He stamped his foot down onto the ground a fourth time, and his cultivation base surged with eighty percent of an Immortal meridian, and eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. His Dharma Idol grew again; it was now 12,000 meters tall. It lifted its hands up, then violently ripped at the sky. The earth quaked and bright colors flashed in the sky. A massive rumbling sound echoed out.

The rift in the sky opened wider, and an enormous rumbling sound filled the air. Naruto's Dharma Idol was literally tearing the sky open!

As the sky was ripped open, the entire world, as well as Hishaku, suddenly shattered. When things grew clear again, Naruto was standing in the same place as before in the arena. Hishaku was there in front of him. Only about ten percent of the incense stick in front of him had burned so far. A cracking sound rang out as the incense stick suddenly collapsed into pieces.

When that happened, the smoke dissipated, revealing Hishaku sitting there cross-legged. He opened his eyes and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Face pale, he looked at Naruto and smiled bitterly.

"Elder Brother Namikaze, you are quite powerful… I concede!"

Even as the words left his mouth, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. Suddenly, a rip appeared on his forehead, a wound that seemed very difficult to heal. It was a Dao Wound!

The cause of the wound was none other than the tearing open of his Burning Incense World.

This fight had been a very strange one. From start to finish, barely a hundred breaths of time had passed, and all the other matches were still in progress. The audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were instantly in an uproar.

"Four battles, four victories!"

"The last battle seemed ordinary, but actually, the disciple from the Burning Incense Stick Society was in grave peril!"

"A tear appeared on Hishaku's forehead! I heard that if the magic of the Burning Incense Stick Society is broken, it can cause a backlash that will turn into a Dao Wound! Don't tell me… that's a Dao Wound!"

Everyone watching in the Ninth Mountain and Sea was stunned. Even the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were looking on with surprise. It was clear that the most-watched person in this trial by fire and these arena matches was Naruto.

From the beginning of the trial by fire, all the way to the end of the arena matches, his path had been one of power and prominence.

The qualifying matches for the semifinals were still underway. After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, Kazan finished his battle. He easily defeated Hinoki from the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, who had long since lost his will to fight. His connection with his nine most powerful corpses had been severed, making it impossible for him to fight for a spot in the semifinals.

Kazan was now the second cultivator to secure a place in the semifinals. Throughout all four of the battles he had fought, he never left his arena. He looked over at Naruto, who was two arenas over, and their gazes locked for a moment. Kazan's eyes brimmed with the desire to fight, but Naruto's expression was calm, and after a moment, he looked away.

An hour later, the other two battles concluded. Mei, with four battles and three victories, had successfully made it to the semifinals.

Mei had made quite the comeback. She fought her way from the bottom four into the semifinals, which caused a big stir out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, especially in the Shimura Clan, where everyone was very excited.

Hoki had also won three out of his four battles. His only defeat had been at the hands of Mei. All of his other opponents had temporarily gone insane to some degree or another. Only Mei did not react to his magic at all, which secured her victory.

Fū was eliminated. She had been defeated twice, once by Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society, and once by Mei. All of this was a huge blow to her.

Her expression was gloomy as she sat there cross-legged on the lowest layer of leaves, staring off into the distance. Mentally, she replayed the various battles she had fought, and finally bowed her head. As of now, she understood that the reason for her failures was that her Dao Heart had been split.

That split was caused by the female corpse.

She took a deep breath, after which her expression brightened.

"This is my personal tribulation," she thought. "However, master said that it's actually good fortune for me. Therefore… from now on, I won't hide the corpse. I will reveal her for all to see, and will not resist her, but accept her!" As of that moment, the mist behind her vanished to clearly reveal the female corpse.

She completely ignored all the people who suddenly turned their heads to look at her. Her eyes gleamed with determination.

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarch from the Nine Seas God World nodded his head slightly. From his perspective, this huge defeat for Fū was actually a good thing for her.

The semifinalists had been selected!

These four people were the subject of the complete and utter attention of everyone in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Dengaku glanced cautiously over at the white robed woman floating above the Dao Tree, and then spoke out.

"You have three days to rest, after which… we will find out who is qualified to make into the final round!"

Naruto sat there cross-legged, his eyes closed, not speaking. The half-headed man had remained floating near his arena this entire time, staring at Naruto, not even blinking.

That gaze was enough to cause anyone to feel so terrified that their hair would stand on end. However, after all this time, Naruto had gotten used to it, and ignored the man completely.

A day later, the Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing arena matches produced their semifinalists.

Three days later, the semifinal rounds began!

When Dengaku's voice rang out, a buzz of excitement rose up among the spectators in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"There's no suspense at all! Unless Kazama and Kazan fight each other in the semifinals, then the final match will definitely be between them!"

"You're absolutely right. Mei already lost to Kazama, so the only person for him to fight is Hoki. Hoki's cultivation base is mysterious and unfathomable. That would be an interesting matchup."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see how the matches are arranged!"

As the audiences waited in anticipation, Naruto vanished from his spot in the arena. Before he or any of the other semifinalists reappeared, a virtually imperceptible flicker could be seen in the eyes of the woman floating outside the Dao Tree. Apparently, that flickering did something to the Dao Tree.

Moments later, everyone appeared.

When Naruto emerged from the light, he was just beneath the golden leaf at the top of the Dao Tree.

The leaf he currently stood on was silver-colored, one of only two such leaves on the Dao Tree.

When Kazan appeared, the person he found facing him… was not Naruto! Instead, Mei emerged from the glittering light.

As for Naruto's opponent, it was the crazy old man, Hoki.

These were the exact match ups that the audiences in the outside world had wanted, and the excitement and anticipation was building. Of course, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace noticed that something odd had just happened, and many faces flickered. The old men from the Three Great Daoist Societies took deep breaths, and looks of excitement appeared in their eyes.

"So, she actually did something to interfere with the Dao Tree!"

"That shows that she approves of the competition!"

Back in the arena, Naruto's face was calm as he watched Hoki approaching. In this group of semifinalists, Naruto and Hoki had both risen up from through the trial by fire to reach this point.

Hoki looked at Naruto silently for a moment, and a bright light could be seen coalescing within his eyes. His energy began to rise up, reaching a level far beyond that which had been seen in previous matches.

Not even when he was defeated by Mei had he focused so much energy.

"I am Hoki. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Namikaze. During this battle, I will use all the power I can muster. I want to take first place, and my only chance to do that is by defeating you!"

Naruto gazed at Hoki. He had been paying attention to this old man earlier. The fact that he had made his way through the trial by fire all the way to here proved that he was beyond ordinary.

That was especially the case considering he had won a victory over Hishaku. Although Naruto had seemed relaxed in his fight against Hishaku, if he didn't have the Blood Demon Grand Magic to steal the young man's life force, the battle would have been very difficult. Of course, based on the power of Naruto's cultivation base, the Burning Incense World would not have been able to restrain him forever.

In any case, Naruto wasn't sure exactly how this old man had managed to win out over the Burning Incense World.

"Every person who fought him went crazy," he thought. "Even Hishaku and the other people he defeated all showed signs of insanity to some extent or another." Naruto's eyes glittered brightly. "Interesting."

Clenching his right fist at his side, he nodded at the old man.

Hoki took a deep breath, and then all of a sudden, his body began to inflate like a balloon. Cracking sounds could be heard as his emaciated frame suddenly bulged with muscles. In the blink of an eye, he had grown taller by two heads, and his energy surged with power.

The sight of it caused Naruto's eyes to shine. The audiences in the outside world were shocked; Hoki had never done anything like this in his previous matches, not even when he fought against Mei.

Rumble!

Hoki flew into the air with incredible speed, leaving a ghost image behind as he shot forward to appear directly in front of Naruto. He immediately sent out a punch that was met by Naruto's palm.

As a massive boom shook the arena, Hoki's foot spun through the air toward Naruto in a roundhouse kick.

Naruto's eyes were shining even more brightly now. He didn't retreat, but rather took an exploratory step forward. He waved his hand, causing numerous streams of water to materialize around him, which then formed together into a massive river that swept across the entire arena.

A bang rang out as Hoki fell back. However, he immediately performed an incantation gesture, causing the image of a sun and moon to materialize. They rotated rapidly, creating a vortex that surged toward Naruto. Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he transformed into a vulture that charged toward the old man. It was at this point that a look of surprise appeared in Hoki's eyes, and he suddenly let out a loud shout.

"Wicked!"

The word seemed to contain some bizarre power that poured into Naruto's ears and entered his mind. Suddenly, his mind began to spin, and wicked thoughts suddenly rose up unrestrained within his heart.

Because of the wicked thoughts, Naruto was incapable of maintaining the vulture form, and once again returned to human shape. Hoki then performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and then waved his finger. Naruto snorted coldly and was about to attack when…

"WICKED!" roared Hoki.

This time, the sound was like a thunderclap that exploded in Naruto's mind. Wicked thoughts multiplied in him with an unbridled frenzy. He was incapable of controlling the thoughts, which filled him with a sensation of insanity.

Gradually, Naruto realized that the Devilish will that he had severed during his time of Severing the Devil and Seeking the Dao… was now reappearing. In the blink of an eye, the Devilish will consumed the wicked thoughts. Apparently, the Devilish will had been inside of him all along, hiding deep inside of him, sealed away.

Now, in response to Hoki's astonishing magical technique, the Devilish will was forming once again!

In the blink of an eye, Naruto and Hoki exchanged dozens of moves. Hoki ended up calling out the word 'wicked' six times. Each time, it caused Naruto's magical techniques and attacks to be interrupted. For the first time in all of his arena matches, Naruto was now forced into constant retreat.

Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot. A terrifying aura seemed to be on the verge of being unleashing from inside of him. Hoki was the one responsible for releasing the Devilish will, although he actually had no idea what he was unleashing. Despite not knowing what he was dealing with, he was still very excited, and continued to unleash monstrous attacks.

When the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw what was happening, their expressions flickered in astonishment.

"Kazama is actually being beaten back!"

"Just what magical technique is Hoki using to be able to stifle Kazama?!"

"Could it be that Kazama will finally be defeated!?"

As the audiences buzzed in astonishment, Hoki attacked relentlessly, causing repeated booms to echo about. Naruto's face was pale, and his eyes were completely bloodshot, as if he were on the verge of going insane. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and yet, a faint grin suddenly blossomed on his face.

"You're finished!" Hoki transmitted into Naruto's mind, so that only he could hear. "My magic can steal good fortune from Heaven and Earth! It doesn't matter how strong your willpower is, if you have even a scrap of wicked thoughts in your heart, they will be evoked by my magic!

"When the wicked thoughts explode out, they will cast your body into flames, and you will be defeated!

"I must use this art on you in order to secure my chance at taking first place. I've been holding back this entire time, and I even let myself be defeated by Mei because I was sure I would make it into the semifinals, and I didn't want you or Kazan to be on guard..

"The only thing you can blame is your own bad luck, since you're letting Kazan off the hook by giving him a chance to prepare some defenses!

"I will unleash all of your wicked thoughts, transforming them into a fire of retribution to burn your soul, to destroy you in body and spirit!

"WICKED!" he roared, performing an incantation gesture and pointing at Naruto. This was… the ninth 'wicked!'

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Devilish will inside of Naruto surged and was completely unleashed. His eyes were bright red as he was wrapped up in a gloomy, ruthless madness. Deep within that madness, was an unprecedented coldness.

Black flames leapt from his skin and raged madly high into the sky. However, the flames didn't hurt Naruto in the least. He looked up at Hoki, and a rumbling filled the old man's mind. His face instantly fell.

"These aren't wicked thoughts! What… what exactly did I unleash!?"

Hoki's face fell, and he staggered backward several paces, his face ashen and his eyes wide. An intense sense of deadly crisis crashed through him.

"What exactly did I unleash!?" said Hoki hoarsely. "These aren't wicked thoughts! Wicked thoughts would form fires of retribution, a fire that can burn a person up in moments, destroy them in body and spirit!

"This… this feeling, this aura, even the black flames of retribution are incapable of burning it. This will… is so powerful that it's suffocating!" As Hoki backed up, his heart filled with incredible regret. Were he given another chance, nothing could have convinced him to unleash whatever it was he had just unleashed.

He had the feeling that he had opened a sluice gate, unleashing a horrific Devil.

The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were all astonished at the sight of Naruto on the vortex screens, covered with black flames that seemed completely incapable of harming him whatsoever.

Naruto's red eyes seemed to be filled with the utmost insanity, and yet… they were also unshakably level-headed. Furthermore, his energy was rocketing higher and higher.

"He… he…."

"What state is he in? What technique does he cultivate? Why did he instantly become so blood-chillingly terrifying?"

"Devil! Heavens! It's a Devilish will! A monstrous Devilish will! Only someone who has carried out endless slaughter, who is cold and ruthless to a Heaven-defying extent, could possibly have a Devilish will like that!"

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were all on their feet, panting and watching with serious expressions.

"What a shocking Devilish will! But earlier, he seemed completely normal! This kid… this kid has shocking willpower!"

"A Devilish will like that can never be fully expelled, nor completely severed! It will even accompany him through reincarnation!"

"From ancient times until now, anyone who possessed a Devilish will like that has ended up facing countless deadly twists and turns throughout their lives!"

Up above the Dao Tree, the white-robed woman had floated there absolutely expressionlessly for this entire time. However, as of this moment, her eyes began to shine with a curious light as she looked at Naruto.

As for Hoki, he hadn't ceased backing up, and was trembling with fear. His scalp was numb and he was scared witless. Naruto hadn't even attacked yet, but the energy of the Devilish will and the fire of retribution had astonished Hoki to the extreme. The sensation of blood and gore, the towering murderous aura, left him shaking in his boots. He almost felt like what he was looking at was not a cultivator, but mountains of corpses and seas of blood, an evil star risen up from the Yellow Springs.

"I conc—" Before he could even finish speaking the words, Naruto's eyes turned to look directly at him.

Those eyes were like oceans of blood, with pupils that emanated brilliant rays of eternal light that seemed capable of absorbing the soul.

As soon as their gazes met, Hoki's mind roared, and felt as if it were about to explode. His body trembled, and he felt as if sharp blades were piercing into his eyes, stabbing into his soul. They exploded inside of his brain, transforming into a battlefield covered with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He saw a person on the battlefield, surrounded by a vortex. Wherever that man went, countless cultivators let out bloodcurdling screams as their bodies were withered up, their flesh and blood was absorbed, their souls were consumed. In the end, the only things left behind were desiccated corpses staring wide-eyed up into the sky.

Hoki coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then, suddenly his vision cleared and he saw that Naruto had appeared directly in front of him, covered with raging black flames. Naruto lifted his right hand and grabbed the old man's neck, then lifted him up into the air. His eyes burned with cold madness, and his mouth twisted into a brutal smile.

"Thank you. This feeling is… wonderful. It's too bad that this state doesn't conform with my Dao Heart. I thought I had completely severed it away, and never imagined that it still existed….

"In any case, I still have to thank you for helping me to realize that it was here all along. And now… I will give you a grand burial ceremony!" Naruto chuckled, and Hoki's eyes went wide. He was currently incapable of speaking a single word, and was trembling violently. Within his wide eyes could be seen extreme terror.

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, the black flames that surrounded him surged up, transforming into the shape of a huge mouth. The mouth twisted with savagery and insanity as it shot toward Hoki.

It took only a moment for the black flames to inundate him. He let out a miserable shriek that didn't even sound human. The wretched sound echoed about in all directions, causing all of the cultivators on the Dao Tree to feel not only shock, but sympathy. Then they began to shiver.

Mei's face went pale when she saw what was happening. Even she began to shiver from the intensely terrifying feeling she got from Naruto.

Kazan's face was covered with an expression of intense concentration as he looked over. Both he and Mei were panting.

Hoki screamed as his body rapidly withered. As he slipped into death, he gazed blankly at Naruto, and his mind filled with intense regret. He knew that he should never have unleashed wicked thoughts inside of his opponent. In the end, he had personally… unleashed a Devil!

In the space of only a few breaths of time, Hoki transformed into nothing but drifting ash.

Naruto lowered his hand, and the flames winked out, transforming into black sealing marks that were visible on his skin. As he stood there, his energy raged.

At this point, he suddenly flew up out of the arena and landed on the golden leaf at the top of the Dao Tree, then turned and looked back at Kazan.

"Kazan, you wanted to fight me, didn't you? Well, come on!"

The half-headed man who was watching Naruto apparently sensed the Devilish will, after which he trembled almost imperceptibly. Apparently, even he was in fear of the Devilish will.

A tremor ran through Kazan as he looked up at Naruto. A very serious expression covered his face, and his eyes burned with the desire to fight. Completely ignoring Mei, he also flew up into the air and landed in front of Naruto on the golden leaf.

He reached his right hand out, and suddenly, an azure sword appeared.

The sword was two meters long, and glittered with greenish light, as well as a coldness as vast as a sea. Kazan looked at Naruto, then raised the sword and slashed toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The sword caused the air to vibrate, and wild colors to flash about. Intense coldness surged out in all directions, and dragon-like Sword Chakra formed together into the shape of an Azure Dragon. The Azure Dragon had vicious claws that slashed the air into pieces, and long whiskers that shattered its surroundings. Rumbling filled the air as the dragon shot toward Naruto. The entire arena quaked, and the air was ripped apart. It almost seemed as if this Azure Dragon could smash through any and all obstacles in its path.

In the blink of an eye, it was directly in front of Naruto. In the moment before it impacted, Naruto's expression was cold, and his eyes were bloodshot. Unexpectedly, he did nothing to avoid it, but instead, lifted his hand up and pushed it out toward the dragon.

Massive rumbling could be heard as beams of Sword Chakra rapidly expanded out in all directions, transforming into an arcing barrier formed of ten thousand swords. Naruto's hair whipped about him… as he stood there unmoving, using only that one hand movement to send Sword Chakra out in defense.

It was as if his one hand could eclipse everything!

Everyone looked on with astonishment at this final, decisive battle!

In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs were also watching with full concentration.

The decisive battle had begun too quickly. As of this moment, everyone in the Dao Tree now served as foils to Naruto and Kazan, who were the complete center of attention.

Naruto gazed coldly at Kazan, and slowly clenched his hand into a fist. As he did, the arcing barrier that had spread out began to emit cracking noises, and then suddenly shrank down.

As it shrank, the Azure Dragon within it struggled, but to no avail. Naruto's hand closed into a fist.

Boom!

The Sword Chakra obstacle shattered, and the Azure Dragon collapsed into pieces and then exploded. The sword attack vanished, and all that remained behind to show for it was a white mark on Naruto's palm. It seemed like it should have been a wound, but in the blink of an eye, it was healed, and the mark vanished.

This development was noticed by the audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and they were astonished.

"He has regenerative powers!"

"He used a single hand to block Kazan's sword, and all it did was cut him a little! Heavens! He already recovered!"

"This is Kazama's true power! Before, he was concealing his cultivation base!"

As the crowds were in an uproar, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace were panting, and staring fixedly at the image of Naruto on the screens.

"That must be… an Eternal stratum!"

"He actually possesses the Eternal stratum of legend!"

"With a stratum like that, he can be considered invincible to his peers!"

Meanwhile, outside of Planet East Victory, Patriarch Reliance was staring blankly at the vortex screen, eyes wide. He began to pant, and then moments later, started muttering curses.

"Little bastard, I can't believe he has an Eternal stratum!"

Another strange gleam appeared in the eyes of the white robed woman floating above the Dao Tree as she looked at Naruto.

At the same time, outside of the arena where Naruto stood, the half-headed man hovered there, motionless. However, his one remaining eye stared dead at Naruto, glowing with what seemed to be avarice.

Kazan's face flickered, and he took a deep breath. His Dharma Idol suddenly appeared behind him, and the image it depicted was of himself!

It was an enormous giant, 3,000 meters tall, that radiated shocking energy.

In order to have a Dharma Idol like this, one had to possess one's own power of true Immortality, at least sixty to seventy percent. Back in the Southern Domain, Kazan had been strong, but not this strong. In fact, it was even possible to just barely see some sort of glowing vine on the Dharma Idol!

It was… an Immortality Illumination Vine!

"Heavens! Kazan is actually engaging in battle at the same time as he's using an Immortality Illumination Vine! Most other people would be in secluded meditation right now, but he dares to come out and fight!"

"Is he using battle to contemplate enlightenment? Using a duel to illuminate Immortality and open his path to true Immortality? This Kazan definitely deserves his reputation as one of the two most powerful successors to have appeared in years in the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto!"

Even more shocking was that his Dharma Idol gripped a mighty longsword, upon which were inscribed two characters.

Cloud Sealing!

The words were somewhat indistinct, but everyone could see them.

As soon as people caught sight of the two characters, everyone was sent into an uproar.

"A Cloud Sealing Sword! His Dharma Idol actually produced a Cloud Sealing Sword!"

"The Sublime Flow Sword Grotto has three types of divine swords, and the Cloud Sealing Sword is one of them! They are swords which don't exist in reality, but can only be summoned by cultivating Daoist magic from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. There are only a few Chosen who have the magical techniques and divine abilities to do it.

"But… but for the sword to appear in the hands of a Dharma Idol is completely unheard-of! Doesn't that mean that he can use any magical technique and divine ability he wants, and still unleash the power of that Cloud Sealing Sword at the same time!?"

Kazan suddenly looked up at Naruto, and his eyes overflowed with the desire to fight. Before his trip to Planet Lands of Ninshu, there had only been two people of his same generation who filled him with such a desire to fight.

After Planet Lands of Ninshu, there was another, Naruto. And now… yet another, Kazama.

Monstrous fighting desire raged inside of him. Behind him, his 3,000-meter Dharma Idol held the Cloud Sealing Sword, and was radiating shocking Sword Chakra. As Kazan raised his head, he also lifted up his hand. Simultaneously, his Dharma Idol raised the Cloud Sealing Sword.

"First Sword, Felling the Mortal!" cried Kazan, and the sword descended!

The sword did not transform into an Azure Dragon, but rather, a green beam of light that instantly caused the entire golden arena to quake. A huge rift was ripped open in the air, and a massive rumbling sound echoed out. Wild colors flashed, and the heavenly bodies shook. Radiating a monstrous will, it shot toward Naruto, seemingly incapable of being blocked.

Almost as soon as the first sword descended, Kazan's energy surged upward, and in the midst of the already intense power, more explosive power appeared. Kazan swept forward like a whirlwind, and then gave a piercing shout.

"Second Sword, Shocking the Spirit!"

After that, a third sword appeared.

"Third Sword, Severing the Immortal!"

This sword caused rumbling to fill the air as it followed the first two swords, splitting Heaven and Earth, surging forward invincibly!

After that, a fourth sword appeared.

"Fourth Sword, Shattering the Ancient!"

Each sword was faster than the previous sword, and more powerful. The four swords caused colors to flash, and the air to vibrate. Everything began to shake, and all the other cultivators on the Dao Tree looked on in astonishment.

The heavenly bodies seemed to grow dark, as if all the splendor of the world was being replaced by these swords.

However… Kazan wasn't finished.

"Fifth Sword, Trampling the Heavens!"

Shockingly, a fifth sword appeared. This fifth sword was far more incisive than all the previous four swords. Everyone who could see it with their own eyes felt as if they were being suffocated. The spectators out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea made a collective gasp, and the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace looked on with shining eyes.

Five swords, shocking to the extreme!

Naruto remained standing in his original position. Although his expression was calm, a nearly undetectable desire to fight flickered in his eyes. As the five swords descended toward him, the black sealing marks all over his body began to move, swirling across his skin. His Devilish will exploded out, distorting the air and even affecting time. To him, it seemed as if everything he was seeing was now moving in slow motion.

He didn't move, but instead lifted his hand, performed an incantation gesture, and then tapped the first sword.

A boom could be heard as black light spread out from Naruto's finger. The first sword, with its astonishing energy, came to a stop in front of the fingertip. A howl of rage could be heard echoing out from the sword as it suddenly transformed into millions upon millions of swords. Just when they were about to try to sidestep the power of Naruto's finger attack, they began to tremble, and then simply exploded. Sword Chakra spread out in all directions, causing the golden arena to shake violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse. Naruto took a step forward, then pointed out a second time with his index finger to tap the second beam of Sword Chakra.

A massive boom rattled out in all directions. Everything shook as the second sword collapsed in response to Naruto's finger attack, transforming into even more swords than had appeared just moments before, all of which then exploded.

When the spectators on the outside saw this, they were astonished. Everything was happening too quickly, giving them virtually no time to react. Naruto took a third step forward, right into the middle of endless sword shadows. Boundless Sword Chakra swirled around him, and the number of swords was innumerable. It was almost as if he had entered a world of swords.

The third sword attack formed a globe of swords that began to shrink down as soon as Naruto stepped into it, transforming into one sword that slashed down toward him. Naruto's right hand lifted up, and a third finger attack was unleashed.

When it touched the third sword, a boom rattled out that shook the whole Dao Tree. A massive wind kicked up, and everything went dark for a moment. Even the mists outside of the Dao Tree began to churn.

In the midst of all the noise, the third sword attack… shattered into pieces. Everyone in the outside world watched as the sword world collapsed, and Naruto stepped out, his fourth step.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually, Naruto's four steps took place in the space of only a few breaths. By this time, the fourth and fifth sword attacks were bearing down on him simultaneously. They were like two lightning bolts that slashed through the air, bearing monstrous sword will.

Naruto's eyes flickered as he raised his right hand. He waved his finger two times, once for each of the two beams of Sword Chakra. Shocking rumbling could be heard, booms that caused everything to quake. The air surrounding the arena twisted and distorted, and even the barrier separating the Dao Tree from the outside world seemed to be affected.

The Sword Chakra collapsed, dispersing as Naruto took his fifth step. By that time, he was directly in front of Kazan, whereupon his right hand stretched out in a claw.

Kazan immediately fell back, waving his arm and causing a sixth sword to appear. After that came a seventh sword, which descended toward Naruto amidst massive rumbling. Two beams of Sword Chakra swept toward him, although they did nothing to prevent him from advancing.

"Seven Swords Slaughter Mount Heaven!" roared Kazan in an earth shattering voice. His Dharma Idol took a step forward, raising its right hand to lift the 300-meter Cloud Sealing Sword. In this moment, it looked incredibly realistic, as if it truly existed.

Colors flashed, and a will of invincibility exploded out as the sword descended toward Naruto.

Naruto stopped in place and looked up. A vicious smile then appeared on his face, and he stamped his foot down onto the surface of the arena. Rumbling could be heard as… his own enormous Dharma Idol materialized!

When the Dharma Idol appeared, it was 3,000 meters tall, filled with shocking energy. It stepped forward and performed a double-handed incantation, then punched toward the huge sword descending from above.

From a distance, it was possible to see the two enormous Dharma Idols engaged in fierce fighting. Down on the surface of the arena, Naruto's body was wreathed in black flames, making him look like some sort of terrifying Devil. He advanced toward Kazan, waving his hand to cause millions of streams to appear, which then transformed into an enormous river.

Kazan's face flickered; he bit his tongue and then spit out some blood, each droplet of which transformed into an enormous sea, all of which then formed together into an even larger shocking composite sea. This was a sea that was not composed of water, but countless swords!

It was… a sea of swords!

The sea of swords immediately slammed into the massive river that was Naruto's Mountain Consuming Incantation. A shockwave spread out in all directions, causing everything to tremble. The dazzling light of magical techniques and divine abilities radiated out in all directions.

Naruto didn't stop for a moment. His body flickered as he transformed into an enormous black, flaming vulture. He whistled through the air, piercing the sea of swords to appear in front of Kazan and viciously slash razor-sharp claws at him. Kazan's face darkened as he fell back in shock. At this moment, he finally understood why all of Naruto's previous opponents had suffered setback after setback in combat. Now that he was experiencing the same thing himself, he truly felt terror of Naruto.

Naruto had an aura of invincibility, and he only attacked, sparing nothing for defense.

Facing this energy, one had no choice but to retreat, and by doing so, involuntarily fall into Naruto's rhythm of battle. Eventually, the continuous retreat would lead to one end… defeat.

Booms echoed out as over a hundred exchanges occurred between Kazan and Naruto. The golden arena was wracked with massive booms. As for the crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they watched the scene unfold with pounding hearts. The only thing they were paying attention to was the groundbreaking championship battle between Naruto and Kazan.

"I can't keep retreating!" thought Kazan, blood oozing out of his mouth. Suddenly, a fierce gleam appeared in his eyes as his Dharma Idol, which was currently locked in combat with Naruto's Dharma Idol, grew to a height of 6,000 meters, causing something like a violent windstorm to spread out across the arena.

Taking advantage of that blast of power, Kazan took a deep breath, and looked at Naruto with an unprecedented look of solemnity.

"Five Cleaving Swords, First Cleaving… Rising Sword Form!" As he spoke, he lifted his right hand. Sword Chakra began to swirl around each of his five fingers, and his speed suddenly increased to shocking effect. He waved his hand, causing numerous beams of Sword Chakra to shoot out.

In the blink of an eye, 100 swords appeared in the form of Sword Chakra. Shockingly, they flew up into the air, then spun and began to fall down toward Naruto like a rain of swords. Naruto's eyes glittered as he stretched out his right hand and made a grasping motion, which caused the long spear with the World Tree shaft and the bone spearhead to appear. He immediately swept it out in front of him, causing rumbling sounds to be heard as the 100 swords were deflected and sent stabbing into the surface of the arena.

However, Kazan's divine ability was still unfolding. 1,000 swords appeared up above, which then whistled down toward Naruto. The long spear danced, and more booms could be heard as the thousand swords were scattered and sent plunging into the ground. However, it was at this point that 10,000 swords appeared up above.

Rumbling filled the air as they began to fall. The arena had now become a world of swords. Naruto was surrounded by a whirlwind, which was the long spear. Banging sounds could be heard as the 10,000 swords were vanquished and sent stabbing into the ground.

However, it was at this point that Kazan spoke again.

"First Cleaving, Swords Cleave the Heavens!" Instantly, the 11,100 swords that had been stabbed into the ground rose up into the sky, where they merged together to form one huge sword.

One shocking sword appeared, a sword that caused the entire world to go still. For the first time, Naruto's facial expression changed as he looked up to stare at the huge weapon. He took a deep breath, raised his right foot up, and then stamped it down hard.

A boom echoed out, and his Dharma Idol suddenly began to expand until it too was 6,000 meters tall. It took a step forward and then punched out toward the huge sword.

The resulting boom was deafening, and the entire world trembled. The sword slashed through the fist of Naruto's Dharma Idol, then continued to cut down until it was only seven inches away from the top of Naruto's head, where it came to a stop. A defiant droning sound could be heard from the sword, and then it collapsed.

When the sword fell to pieces, Kazan coughed up blood and staggered backward.

Naruto looked up at the collapsing sword, and then turned to look at Kazan.

"You're pretty strong…." he said. "But now, it's my turn." With that, he vanished. When he reappeared, he was directly in front of Kazan, whereupon he clenched his hand into a fist and punched.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Naruto punched nine times; this was none other than the Nine Heavens Destruction.

The final blow unleashed violent upheavals. Kazan was sent tumbling backward, blood spraying from his mouth. He toppled head over heels along the ground, but before he could get very far, Naruto transformed into the vulture and swooped down toward him.

The vulture's claws could shred metal and crush stone!

Blood sprayed from Kazan's mouth, and his chest was a mass of mangled flesh. However, his mouth was twisted in a cold grin and he suddenly opened his mouth, causing a sword to fly out. In the blink of an eye, it pierced through the air and was about to stab into Naruto. Naruto's eyes shone with a gleam of surprise, and he let out a mighty roar.

The sound of the roar caused ripples to spread out, and the sword stopped in place for a moment. In that short pause, Naruto's right hand moved like the wind, unleashing the Star Plucking Magic to grab the sword and crush it violently. Cracking sounds rang out as the sword shattered. Kazan coughed up blood yet again.

However, he also took advantage of that moment to leap up into the air.

"Dharma Idol True Body!" An expression of madness flickered on his face as he held his ground and refused to concede. As his words echoed out, his Dharma Idol suddenly vanished as it merged into his body. A moment later, a 6,000-meter giant appeared in midair.

It was Kazan.

"Kazama, our battle isn't over yet!" With a roar, he lifted his right hand, within which appeared the Cloud Sealing Sword, which he slashed down toward Naruto.

Almost in the same moment in which the sword began to fall, Naruto closed his eyes. When he opened them, his Dharma Idol vanished and merged with his body, whereupon another 6,000-meter giant appeared. His foot sped through the air in a roundhouse kick, smashing into the sword. Then, the two of them began to fight back and forth up in the air.

Booms echoed out, and the audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were breathing heavily.

"They're too powerful!"

"Neither Kazan nor Kazama are Immortals, but even false Immortals would be like ants to them! They could kill them without expending any effort at all! They could probably even fight true Immortals!"

"They're both only at the peak of the Spirit Realm, but they're shocking even to me, and I've opened 30 meridians!"

"Too powerful!"

"If the two of them actually become Immortals, then of the ten stages in the Immortal Realm, they would definitely have at least 90 meridians!"

In the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were staring fixedly at the proceedings. Although any one of them could easily defeat Kazan or Naruto, the battle that was playing out in front of them was stunning and spectacular. After all… even though it was only a Spirit Realm battle, the Patriarchs were able to sense that both Kazan and Naruto both had the potential to be future Paragons.

"They both have 6,000 meter Dharma Idols. That's comparable to a stage two Immortal. In the ten stages of the Immortal Realm, each stage adds 3,000 meters to one's Dharma Idol!"

"Both of them have built a strong foundation for success. Kazan has been suppressing himself in the Spirit Realm for a long time, just waiting for true Immortal destiny to appear. Then, he can use his Immortality Illumination Vine to achieve true Immortal Ascension. One thing is for certain, once he enters the Immortal Realm, his cultivation speed will be explosive. He'll most likely reach the peak of the Immortal Realm in less than a hundred years!"

"It looks like Kazama is in the same position. In fact, the Chosen of the all the important sects in the Ninth Mountain and Sea are all like that!"

Back in the arena, Naruto and Kazan were fighting fiercely. However, Naruto had not yet unleashed his full power. Even though his Devilish will had been rekindled, making him stronger than ever, he could sense that Kazan was still hiding some sort of terrifying aura, so because of that, Naruto was also holding back.

Rumbling filled the air, and Kazan's eyes were completely bloodshot. By this point in the battle, he was already using everything that he could exercise control over, and yet was still not a match for his opponent. In fact, he was consistently forced into retreat.

"I refuse to accept this!" he thought. Killing intent flickered in his eyes, and even as he fell back, he suddenly took a deep breath. It was at this point that a vine suddenly appeared, wrapping around his body and emanating gentle light, as well as Dao music. It was none other than an Immortality Illumination Vine.

Kazan threw his head back and roared. At the same time, the Immortality Illumination Vine began to glow radiantly. He began to tremble, and then grew even larger. He was now 9,000 meters tall!

His 9,000-meter tall body radiated shocking power, a power that Kazan actually found difficult to control, a power that came from sacrificing the Immortality Illumination Vine.

When the crowds out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea saw what was happening, they were sent into an uproar.

"He was actually suppressing his cultivation base before!"

"Heavens! He's actually… comparable to a stage three Immortal!"

"Kazama is finished!"

Kazan's vision had grown blurry. The only thing that he could see now was Naruto, and the only thought that existed in his head was that he had to defeat Kazama!

BOOM!

Kazan's body flashed, and his energy surged to the heavens. He closed in on Naruto, Sword Chakra raging in all directions, shattering the air. Rumbling sounds rang out as they once again began to fight.

Naruto's eyes glittered. Black flames surged around him as his Dharma Idol body suddenly grew with explosive speed. Now he was 9,000 meters tall too!

In that instant, a collective gasp of disbelief could be heard out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and even from the cultivators on the Dao Tree.

"Heavens! Kazama was also concealing his true cultivation base. I can't believe that he… is also comparable to a stage three Immortal!"

"Just who is going to win this battle!? Who… is going to take first place!?"

Booms rang out as Naruto and Kazan fought back and forth. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of exchanges had taken place. The ground quaked, the entire golden arena was shaking, and rifts could be seen in the air in all directions.

Finally, Kazan staggered backward, blood spraying from his mouth, a look of despair on his face. He had unleashed all the power he could muster, had done almost everything he could do, and yet still could not gain victory over his opponent.

"No," he thought. "I still haven't used everything. I still haven't used the Second Cleaving of the Five Cleaving Swords. But…."

Kazan's eyes radiated madness, and as he fell back, he suddenly stared straight at Naruto.

"Kazama, unleash the battle prowess of your most powerful cultivation base! We're going to determine victory and defeat with one move!" With that, Kazan tilted his head back and laughed uproariously. His lips were twisted with madness, and the obsession to win. Suddenly, he began to shake, and a burning aura exploded out.

In that instant, his Dharma Idol body began to emit blinding light. The light spread out and then all of a sudden… shrank back down!

This was… Dharma Idol self-detonation!

"Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, Five Cleaving Swords, also known as Five Immortal Swords. With my current power, I can unleash the First Cleaving. Now, I will utilize the power of self-detonation to unleash the Second Cleaving!

"Kazama, if you can't stand up to this attack, then you will be defeated!" As Kazan spoke, his Dharma Idol rapidly grew smaller. However, his terrifying aura grew more and more powerful.

The audiences in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were in an uproar. In the starry sky palace, the Patriarchs had all risen to their feet. The old man from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto stamped his foot onto the ground.

"So impulsive!" he thought, frowning. As he watched the scene playing out on the vortex screen, his expression darkened.

"Kazama," cried Kazan, "after this attack, I will be powerless to do anything. If I don't die, then at the very least, I'll have to go into secluded meditation to recover, and it will be difficult for me to create another Dharma Idol. But I, Kazan, have no regrets!

"This battle, this attack, contains all of my hope! Show me… exactly how strong you actually are!" By now, Kazan had shrunk from 9,000 meters tall to only 900. His energy continued to surge, and the air around him shattered. Even the arena itself was trembling.

Naruto looked in Kazan's eyes, and what he saw was a madness inspired by the heat of battle. He nodded his head silently, and suddenly, the Devilish will inside of him exploded out. Black flames surged into the Heavens, and his Dharma Idol once again began to grow!

9,500 meters. 10,500 meters. 11,500 meters…. All the way to….

12,000 meters!

He stood there, surrounded by intense rumbling. All of the cultivators on the Dao Tree were flabbergasted. None of them had ever heard of someone in the Spirit Realm who was comparable to a fourth stage Immortal!

They could understand Kazan's extraordinary display of power, especially because he had an Immortality Illumination Vine to rely on. But Naruto's Dharma Idol had no Immortality Illumination Vine!

Such a thing was… completely terrifying!

Out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the crowds were going wild. The buzz of conversation echoed about everywhere, and anticipatory shouts drifted about.

"Kazan is detonating his Dharma Idol and drawing on his life force to unleash his most powerful sword attack! And Kazama… is actually comparable to a fourth stage Immortal!"

"Victory and defeat will be determined right now! I wonder which of these two… will take first place!"

The most anticipated moment of the entire trial by fire, and of all the arena matches, had now arrived!

The audiences' eyes were glued to the vortex screens as Kazan's body shrank down to the size of a normal person. His 9,000-meter Dharma Idol had collapsed, and all of the power of that collapse had been coalesced into the sword that he held in his hand.

This was no ordinary sword!

"Five Cleaving Swords, Second Cleaving…. Immortal: Why Sever the Mundane World?!" As Kazan's voice rang out, he lifted his right hand, and his eyes shone with unprecedented brightness. This sword attack contained his life force, his Dharma Idol, his willpower, his everything!

He raised his sword up, and then swung it downwards. It transformed into a Heavenly sword, something that could sever mortality. It was as if the sword were asking an Immortal, 'will you sever the mundane…? Or not?!'

Rumbling filled the air as the sword slashed down. Naruto took a deep breath. He had eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, and the power of an Immortal meridian. All of that power exploded out as his Dharma Idol performed a double-handed incantation, then prepared to punch out. Shockingly… an Immortal meridian appeared in the air around his Dharma Idol!

The Immortal meridian looked like a strand of silk, swirling around him, bursting with shocking Immortal Chakra that coalesced onto his hand, creating the most powerful punch he was capable of. The punch slammed out into the air above the arena.

When the sword and the punch collided, a massive boom rattled out, shaking the entire Dao Tree. The air churned, and even the people outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea could sense it. In the starry sky palace, the various Patriarchs were all panting.

BOOOMMMM!

The sound seemed capable of ripping open the Heavens. A gigantic vortex appeared, instantly spreading out to cover the entire golden arena. The aura inside the vortex grew more and more intense, as all of the power unleashed by Naruto and Kazan gathered together. At the same time, the entire arena began to collapse!

It was at this point that a massive backlash of power rose up in the vortex, which then swept down directly onto Kazan. It was far too much power for him to bear, and a wan smile suddenly appeared on his face as he realized that he had been defeated.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and cracking sounds could be heard all over his body. More than half of the bones in his body were shattered as he was violently thrown out of the Dao Tree itself.

"I lost…." he murmured. In the moments before he lost consciousness, he saw Naruto standing there, fighting back against the power. Then Kazan passed out.

After Kazan lost consciousness, Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. Instantly, the flames from the Devilish will were extinguished, and a peaceful glow appeared in his eyes. However, the force of the attack against him sent him tumbling back, out of control. Rumbling could be heard as he was sent flying off of the arena and outside of the Dao Tree!

In that exact moment….

The half-headed man who had been lurking outside of the arena the entire time looked over with an expression of excited greed. Utilizing incredible speed, he shot from his position by the arena toward Naruto, who was tumbling through the void above the Ruins of Immortality.

"Dammit!" Naruto's face fell. Everything that had happened moments ago seemed almost like a dream. When Hoki drew out his Devilish will, it influenced Naruto on an emotional level, and had also changed his personality. Although he had seemed calm and cool-headed, it was merely an external thing. He had actually lost any sense of what was going on around him.

Situational awareness was something incongruous with the Devilish will.

And now, here he was being ejected from the arena into the outside.

Because of the intense power he had just unleashed, the Devilish will had been completely set aboil, and because of the force that caused him to shoot out of the arena, it had dissipated by more than half. Because of that, Naruto's consciousness was not being interfered with any more; it was almost as if he had awoken from a dream.

There was no time to worry about expelling the rest of the Devilish will. Naruto was now in the middle of a maelstrom of danger. As soon as he left the arena, the half-headed man closed in and grabbed ahold of him.

His hand was ice-cold, and as soon as it latched onto Naruto, Naruto's entire body turned icy. He was just about to try to struggle when, all of a sudden, his face flickered. This was a result of something the half-headed man did, a magical art that he unleashed that Naruto was very familiar with!

It was… the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

In an instant, Naruto was completely confined, incapable of even the slightest movement. At the same time, his life force, his cultivation base, everything was instantly sent toward the half-headed man, as if he wanted to voraciously consume it.

Naruto's mind was reeling as the half-headed man instantly shot off into the distance with Naruto in tow, to disappear into the mists.

It all happened too quickly. Naruto was gone before anyone on the Dao Tree could react.

Dengaku's face fell, and he flew up into the air. However, when he looked out into the boundless void, despite his anxiety, he knew… it was impossible for him to go out into the mists.

The other two old men also had dark looks on their faces as they stared out at the spot where Naruto had disappeared into the mists.

Everyone on the Dao Tree gaped in shock.

Everything had happened too quickly, and it was something nobody could have predicted. As for Kazan, he now lay crumpled on the ground beneath the Dao Tree, unconscious and hovering on the brink of death.

Outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the cultivators who had been watching the battle now felt their minds trembling. Expressions of disbelief appeared on their faces as they watched the half-headed man take Naruto away.

"He… he got first place, but…."

"What's going on? How could something like this happen? This is impossible!"

"Dammit! He got first place! He defeated Kazan! He got first place in the trial by fire, and then first place in the arena matches. He's supposed to become famous in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. How come… how come it had to end up like this!?"

"I can't believe the Ruins of Immortality are this dangerous! Why did they have to hold the arena matches in a place like this!?"

Many people in the crowds outside in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were furious. They had all just witnessed Kazama's rise to prominence. Many had even come to view him as a future Paragon, and yet all of it disappeared in an instant.

There were some people who actually breathed sighs of relief. Kazama was far too powerful, to the point where cultivators of his generation felt stifling pressure. For him to simply disappear was the best outcome, as far as they were concerned.

"Kazama is definitely dead. That half-headed man took him away to experience an untimely death."

"What an unlucky Chosen. Well, now there's one less person for me to challenge in the future."

While the crowds in the Ninth Mountain and Sea were abuzz, the Patriarchs in the starry sky palace looked on in shock. The Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies also wore grim expressions as they slowly rose to their feet. First, they looked toward the spot where Naruto had disappeared, and then they turned their attention to the white-robed woman who hovered above the Dao Tree.

The woman glanced down at the unconscious Kazan, then turned her head to look out into the void. She appeared to be muttering to herself for a moment, and then suddenly she turned and disappeared in the same direction Naruto had gone.

After seeing this, the Patriarchs from the Three Great Daoist Societies were extremely excited.

"Perhaps… Kazama isn't dead!"

"Perhaps… we really will succeed this time!"

"Ah the Echelon. In the great Nine Mountains and Seas, only the Ninth Mountain and Sea have yet to send someone into the Echelon…."

Meanwhile, outside of Planet East Victory, Patriarch Reliance floated among the stars, his eyes wide with astonishment, breathing heavily as he looked at the vortex screen.

"Is the little bastard going to die just like that? Impossible! If the little bastard was that easy to get rid of, well wouldn't that be poetic justice? Although, how come… how come that half-headed man… looked so familiar…?"

Madara sat cross-legged on an asteroid shooting through the starry sky, watching silently as the events played out on the vortex screen up ahead.

In the Baldy Society, Pill Demon was trembling, and a brilliant light shone from his eyes. Although he didn't believe Naruto could be killed so easily, it was the Ruins of Immortality….

Sakura was also shaking. Her breath came in ragged pants, and her face was pale white. She didn't dare to believe that Naruto was really dead. All of the energy seemed to drain out of her, and she staggered back a few steps. Tears began to stream down her face.

"He won't die…."

On Planet Lands of Ninshu, in the vast Eastern Lands, Naruto's parents sat in the Namikaze Clan, their faces pale, holding hands tightly. Minato's expression was calm, but in his heart, a monstrous desire to kill had risen up.

After a few deep breaths, he growled, "Naruto is not the type of person to die young. He won't be killed. But if he does perish… then I, Minato, vow that I will continue to guard this planet. However, after the 100,000 years have passed, then I will personally open the door to release the evil Devils, and ensure that the Three Great Daoist Societies are buried together with my son!

"Furthermore, those Ruins of Immortality… will serve as burial objects!"

When Guy, Fatty, and Chino saw what had happened, they trembled in disbelief.

All of the Ninth Mountain and Sea was in an uproar. Naruto had just earned first place, and then… had disappeared to who knew where!

Naturally, Naruto was not dead.

The half-headed man grasped him tightly as they shot through the mists. Naruto trembled as his life force, cultivation base, and aura were absorbed by the man.

Slowly, the flesh and blood of the man's head began to heal. His aura gradually moved away from death, and a bit of life force could be detected. However, he still seemed to be lacking in terms of consciousness, as if he had no mental faculties, and was only acting on instinct.

Naruto couldn't move, and his thoughts were sluggish. Icy coldness filled him. However, as his life force was sucked away, the remaining Devilish will inside of him was also absorbed.

As the half-headed man absorbed more and more of the Devilish will, he suddenly stopped in place, and black flames flickered on his body.

The man had feared the flames of the Devilish will before, and now that he was absorbing Naruto's cultivation base and life force, he himself began to burn, and an expression of anguish appeared on his face.

In that instant, Naruto was suddenly able to move again. He also recovered his mental faculties, and was instantly shocked.

"He… he can use the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!" he thought. "Who is he? Don't tell me… he's also from the League of Demon Sealers!?

"That sword contains the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex, and it's stuck into his side. If he's from the League of Demon Sealers, then either there was infighting within the League of Demon Sealers, or… he stabbed the sword into himself, as a sealing!" Numerous speculations ran through Naruto's head, but in this critical moment of danger, he had no time to think too much about it.

Eyes glittering, Naruto took advantage of the moment to unleash his cultivation base. His Immortal meridian began to emanate Immortal Chakra, which he attempted to use to struggle against the half-headed man. Unfortunately, the man was far too powerful, and Naruto's efforts were in vain.

However… Naruto was not interested in battling the man. Instead, he used the brief moment in which he could move to suddenly reach out and grab the sword that was stabbed into the man's side.

As soon as he touched the sword, the ancient Demon Sealing Jade in his bag of holding began to vibrate madly. At the same time, the half-headed man began to let out a miserable shriek. As this happened, Naruto used every scrap of power he could muster to yank the sword out from the man's side.

As he pulled the sword out of the man… a stream of black blood sprayed out with it. The man trembled, releasing Naruto, who then backed up at top speed, face pale and blood spurting out of his mouth.

He had lost a lot of life force, and his cultivation base was in chaos. He was in very sore straits, and yet, he didn't pause for even the least bit, but instead, unleashed every bit of speed that he could to escape.

The half-headed man trembled, and pushed his hand down onto his wound. However, no matter what he did, blood continued to stream out of the wound.

"Who am I…? Who… who am I?" the man murmured, a confused expression on his face. His mind seemed to be in chaos as his words echoed out.

"My sword… my sword…." As his words rang out, the blood flowing from his body suddenly congealed together to form into blood snakes. Their bodies were covered with long feelers, and they looked extremely vicious. More and more of them continued to pour out of the man's wound, until they filled the area, nearly a thousand of them.

Naruto's scalp was going numb.

It was at this point that a shrill whistling sound could be heard from off in the distance. A black wind was approaching, along with the decomposing roc, the same things Naruto had seen outside of the Dao Tree. The roc closed in greedily, heading straight toward the half-headed man.

As it neared, the man murmured something, and then his eyes glittered, and he performed an incantation with his right hand, then pointed at the roc.

Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

That one wave of a finger caused the huge roc to stop in place and then fall downward.

Naruto's mind was trembling.

Next, the mists began to churn as more and more figures appeared. One of them was the naga cultivator, and all of them were staring greedily at the vicious blood snakes that were boring out from within the man's wound. From the look in their eyes, it was as if they were staring at treasures. In the blink of an eye, they charged forward madly.

"I am… the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer…." the half-headed man said. He looked around blankly at the incoming figures. His hand was pressed onto the wound at this side as he attempted to prevent the blood snakes from emerging. Within his eyes, a gleam of clarity suddenly appeared.

"Sixth Demon Sealing Hex… Life-Death Hexing!"

With that, he waved his finger.

Sixth Demon Sealing Hex, Life-Death Hexing!

The Sixth Generation Demon Sealer pointed out with his right index finger, and instantly two streams Chakra poured out, one black and one white. They swirled around each other to form a vortex.

That vortex… was gray!

The gray vortex expanded rapidly; in the blink of an eye it was over 3,000 meters wide, and exerted a gravitational force in all directions. The figures that surrounded the area began to let out miserable shrieks; they trembled as their bodies decomposed, and magical symbols appeared all over them.

Those magical symbols were also gray, and they glittered as the figures screamed, then looked blankly toward the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer, dropped to their knees and bowed in worship.

Even the powerful naga did so.

As Naruto watched all this, his scalp tingled, and he continued to back up rapidly. However, it was at this point that the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer slowly turned his head to look directly at Naruto.

In that instant, the man's jaw dropped.

Naruto felt as if his blood were freezing. An intense sensation of deadly crisis appeared, and he suddenly stopped in place and stared back at the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer. He had the sudden feeling that if he continued to back up, the man would attack him.

Currently, the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer seemed to be hesitating, thinking.

Time seemed to slow down. More and more black snakes poured out of the man's wound, and they swirled around him, seemingly on the verge of escaping. However, for some reason they also seemed to be locked in one area, unable to leave.

After a long moment, the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer began to speak.

"End the League of Demon Sealers in exchange for keeping the spirit of Pāramitā asleep," he murmured, "or… allow fate to run its course, and give hope to the League." He gazed deeply at Naruto for a long moment, and then looked down at the sword Naruto held.

"Take this chance to contemplate the matter thoroughly," he said softly, his expression kindly. Then he turned, keeping his hand pressed down onto his wound, and began to walk off into the distance, surrounded by shrieking black blood snakes. The snakes apparently wished to flee from the area surrounding the Sixth Demon Sealer, but were incapable of doing so, and were dragged along with him as he walked off.

As for all of the other figures in the area who had been caught up in the Life-Death Hexing, they seemed to have lost all sense of themselves, and slowly began to follow the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer.

"Senior!" Naruto suddenly cried out. "What happened to you? Where are you going!?"

"I was defeated in the third Mountain and Sea Tribulation…." The Sixth Generation Demon Sealer's voice was archaic and ancient. "I am going to search for my final resting place…. As for you… in the future, you will also face the Mountain and Sea Tribulation. If you are defeated, then we will be waiting for you on the road to that final resting place.

"Demon Sealers. The League. We are the most powerful in the Nine Mountains and Seas. We are also the ones… who bear the most grief.

"It is a rough and bumpy road, so take care of yourself…."

Naruto looked at the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer's back as he floated off into the distance.

"Defeated?" he said, staring in shock. Then he suddenly thought back to the words uttered by the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer, which were recorded in the jade slip. He had also spoken of transcending the Mountain and Sea Tribulation!

"What is the Mountain and Sea Tribulation!?" Naruto asked urgently. As he looked at the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer, Naruto suddenly had an intense premonition that one day… he could end up just like this.

"Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens, Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Dao Tribulation Must Come to the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Fate is the Aeon!

"Ancient Dao; Study Demons of Myriad Variations; Tread not the Path of Immortals; Face the Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas; My Dao is Eternal; the Masses Have Erred, but My Dao Is True; My Fate is the Aeon!"

Those same two verses!

Naruto's mind trembled. They were the same words that had been uttered by the Eighth Generation Demon Sealer.

"What happens in the case of success!?" Naruto asked. The Sixth Generation Demon Sealer was already far off in the distance, but after a long moment, his ancient voice echoed weakly into Naruto's ears.

"With a thought, the Nine Mountains came into existence. With a thought, the Nine Seas appeared. The Nine Mountains and Seas, return to the Essence."

Naruto's face was pale. Everything he had seen since leaving the arena was like a dream. It turned out that the half-headed man was actually… the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer.

"If all that happened was that he failed to transcend some tribulation… then what horrifying thing happened to his body? And what were those blood snakes?!

"With a thought, the Nine Mountains exist. With a thought, the Nine Seas appear. Nine Mountains and Seas, return to the Essence. Just what does that mean?

"Nine Mountains and Seas. The Essence…. The League of Demon Sealers…." Naruto was now panting.

"Also, how could the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer use the Eighth Hex?"

After a long moment, he grew silent and then looked around. Then, doing his best to remember the path the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer had taken to get to this place, he began carefully making his way back.

There were far too many dangers lurking in this place, many of which would be fatal to him. All he could do was remain as cautious as possible. The slightest misstep could lead to him perishing.

Time passed.

The arena matches were over. A pained expression could be seen on Dengaku's face. He really had attached a lot of importance to Naruto. He couldn't forget the steadfast expression on his face when he'd retrieved the Esoteric compass.

He left, along with the other two men from the other Great Daoist Societies. They took the cultivators away from the arenas, the Dao Tree, the God corpse, and the Ruins of Immortality. They returned to the starry sky.

Some people went home, others were taken in by the sects as disciples. The Three Great Daoist Societies' trial by fire and accompanying arena matches were officially concluded.

Kazan was taken back to the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. When he regained consciousness and heard about what had happened, he balled his hand into a fist and slammed it into the ground. Blood spattered out of his fist, and intense regret could be seen in his eyes, along with determination.

In the end, Guy was taken in as a disciple of the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto.

Fatty went to the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum. When his master accompanied him back to Planet Lands of Ninshu and found out that he had over a hundred beloved concubines, he stared in shock, and was speechless for a very long moment.

Chino joined the Church of the Blood Orchid. Considering her experience fusing with the Blood Orchid, she was immediately put into the running to become Holy Daughter.

Shikamaru's unsurpassed brutal experience, a madness in which he had destroyed his own eyes, leaving him in a world of darkness, was actually in perfect concordance with the Dao of the Moonset Lake.

After moonset, there is no light whatsoever in Heaven and Earth. Before light arrives, when there is no moon, everything is covered by…darkness.

In addition to these four, there were quite a few others from Planet Lands of Ninshu who participated in the trial by fire and were accepted as disciples into other minor sects. Others returned home in disappointment.

Time passed, an entire month. During that month, the name Kazama became well-known throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Even cultivators who hadn't been watching the vortex screens heard of the stories.

He was not Immortal, and yet was as powerful as a stage four Immortal!

He took first place in the trial by fire and first place in the arena matches. Because of everything that had happened, Kazama became a legend. That was especially true when it all ended with him disappearing into the Ruins of Immortality. Because of that, the legend spread even more widely.

Meanwhile, Naruto plodded along through the Ruins of Immortality, his face pale. He sent his divine sense out, but didn't dare to send it too far. During the past month, he had already faced several dangerous situations. On three of those occasions, he had almost ended up dead.

On more than one occasion, he saw a group of huge floating heads. Each of the heads seemed to be as big as a planet, causing Naruto to pant, and his mind to spin.

He saw an ancient battlefield, filled with countless corpses. Roving amongst the corpses were people who… feasted on the rotting flesh around them. He had no idea when the battle had actually taken place, but the corpses still had flesh on them, as if they would never rot away.

He saw a huge medicinal plant garden, choked with weeds. However, within the weeds, Naruto caught sight of some legendary medicinal plants, the sight of which left him panting.

They were plants that Pill Demon had spoken of back when he cultivated the Dao of alchemy in the Violet Fate Sect, plants that were supposed to be extinct. However, within that medicinal plant garden, he saw at least a hundred different varieties of such legendary plants.

There was something else he saw there that was especially noteworthy… an Immortality Illumination Vine!

The only problem was that there were innumerable black beetles in the area, seemingly without end. If he got too close, they would fly up in great clouds, forcing him to flee off into the distance. If he had been even the slightest bit slower, it would surely lead to his death.

He saw something the size of a planet, but covered with tentacles. Even the mere sight of it in the distance caused Naruto's scalp to grow numb, and he immediately fled.

At one point, he saw a right hand that was so huge it looked as big as a galaxy….

In addition to these things, he saw innumerable corpses floating about in the Ruins of Immortality. There were shattered remnants of buildings, vast stretches of land, and even wild beasts whistling through the air.

Compared to these vast and mysterious Ruins of Immortality, Naruto himself was tiny and weak. Compared to all of the amazing things he saw, he was nothing.

During the month, some of his life force actually vanished. However, his cultivation base was slowly recovering, which gave him some more confidence. Most importantly, the Sixth Generation Demon Sealer's sword contained some strange power. Any time he faced some danger, the sword would emanate a bright light, which was one of the main reasons Naruto was still alive.

When he touched the surface of the sword, he was able to feel the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex. However, this hex was a difficult one, and during the month, Naruto was unable to gain enlightenment.

After walking around for a month, he was unable to find the corpse of the Pāramitā God. Nor did he ever see the Dao Tree. The only way for him to find his path back home was if he found that corpse and that tree.

One day, he saw an Immortal's cave, floating there in the air. It appeared to be in the midst of a phasing teleportation cycle, occasionally there, occasionally not there.

It was covered with cracks, as if countless battles had been fought outside of it. When Naruto looked at the cracks, his mind spun, as if there were shocking divine abilities and magical techniques inside of them.

In the instant that he caught sight of the Immortal's cave, its door opened soundlessly, and a white-robed woman could be seen sitting there. In that moment, it seemed as if everything else disappeared except for the woman, sitting there all alone.

Her gaze was tranquil as she looked off into the distance, and also seemed to be filled with an unending loneliness….

She seemed to be the type of person who could elicit the worship of all living things, who could cause the Ruins of Immortality to tremble. She seemed to have lost something that she could never get back, something that only the sad song that had echoed out by the Dao Tree could possibly clearly explain.

She slowly looked up, and her gaze fell onto Naruto.

Naruto trembled as he realized that this woman… was none other than the one who had appeared by the ancient Dao Tree, the one who had caused all the other figures to bow in worship.

"Henceforth you are 13th in the Echelon," she said slowly. Her echoing voice sounded as if it was resonating out from ancient times.

"13th in the Echelon?" said Naruto, gaping at the woman. He had no idea what she was talking about.

The woman didn't respond at first. She simply looked at Naruto, her expression one of seeming reminiscence, as if she were thinking of something she had once experienced. After a long moment, her cold voice echoed out once again.

"In the great Nine Mountains and Seas, there are only room for nine. There are a thousand years until the plan can be carried out. The nine people who break into the Ancient Realm first, can set off on the journey.

"There are already seven people ahead of you who have succeeded.

"The Ninth Mountain and Sea has already fallen behind by quite a bit." With that, she extended her right hand and pointed at Naruto. He was incapable of resisting as a sealing mark flew out and settled onto his forehead.

The sealing mark glittered with dim light, flashing thirteen times before it faded away.

The sealing mark caused Naruto to tremble, and suddenly, he felt as if an additional stream of Chakra had appeared inside of him. The Chakra circulated throughout his entire body, then concealed itself, fading away.

"This sealing mark can protect your soul from being destroyed, but only twice," the woman said, her ice-cold voice echoing about.

"After that, if your soul is exterminated, then naturally your qualifications will vanish. However, if you eventually enter into the top nine rankings… then your future potential is limitless.

"Seize this opportunity." Having finished speaking, the door of the Immortal's cave began to close, and the Immortal cave itself began to fade, as if it were about to vanish.

"Senior," he replied, "the opportunity you speak of, and this setting off on a journey. What's the destination?"

The woman's voice echoed out from within the Immortal's cave: "Outside the great Nine Mountains and Seas, to the outside world. To find out the true reason that ancient war was fought.

"There are some who wish to awaken a certain person," the woman murmured. "There are some who wish to bring a certain person back to life…. The fault does not lie with us!" She seemed to be on the verge of fading away.

"Senior, wait a moment," said Naruto. He still had the feeling that the sealing mark wasn't a good thing, and that the so-called good fortune was good fortune in word only. Currently, he was left with a sense of extreme danger. "I still don't understand," he continued. "If my soul is exterminated, and my qualifications vanish, then what about the person who kills me?"

"Whoever kills you will acquire the sealing mark. If they can come to me here, then they will be the successor of your qualifications." The Immortal's cave was now approximately seventy percent vanished, and the woman's voice was faint.

Naruto's eyes widened, and he anxiously said, "Senior, um… my father and mother are getting old, and I also have an older sister. I'm waiting for my beloved to return to me. Uh… can I decline to go? I don't really want this sealing mark."

"You were enlightened regarding Paragon magic, took first place in the arena matches of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and have the qualifications of a Daoist Society. Therefore… you cannot decline to receive my sealing mark. If you do not wish to make the journey, then go out and find someone to exterminate your soul twice." The Immortal's cave was fading away rapidly, and now only ten percent remained.

"You…." Naruto was getting really anxious now. "Senior, I'm stuck here, and can't get out. If I'm 13th in the Echelon, is there any way you can get me out of here?

"If I can't get out, then I might perish, then you putting me in the Echelon would have been completely in vain. Furthermore, this place is simply too dangerous for someone like me."

Naruto was pretty sure that most of the sects would have no idea what this woman was talking about when she mentioned the Echelon. However, the Three Great Daoist Societies definitely knew. And while they might not bear him any ill intentions, he didn't like his own life or death to be determined by a mere thought on the part of someone other party.

The vanishing of the Immortal's cave paused momentarily, and after a moment of silence that lasted for the space of a few breaths, a crystalline beam of light shot out from inside to land in Naruto's hand in the form of a jade slip.

"That jade slip will teleport you out of here. You can only use it once, and it will take you anywhere that you can mentally recall." After she finished speaking, the Immortal's cave vanished completely.

Naruto held the jade slip in his hand, and his eyes widened. Then he frowned and touched his forehead. After a moment passed, his eyes began to glitter.

"Forget about this Echelon business for now. Just finally being able to get out of here is good thing!" Naruto knew that if he only relied on the power of his cultivation base to get out, it would be far too difficult.

After taking a deep breath, he hefted the jade slip and was about to use it to teleport out, when suddenly he gave a start.

"Now that I can leave any time I want… well, if I left now, it would be a bit of a waste." After thinking about it for a moment, his eyes filled with determination, and he gritted his teeth.

"I'm gonna give it a shot!" he thought. That was Naruto's personality. To go out and return empty-handed was a waste. Therefore, he turned and retraced his tracks back to the medicinal plant garden.

Rewards come only with risk!

After Naruto left, the Immortal's cave that had just vanished suddenly reappeared. The white-robed woman also returned, and she watched Naruto walking off into the distance, a look of reminiscence on her face.

"The League of Demon Sealers…." she murmured. In that moment, a rare tenderness appeared on her face.

Naruto proceeded cautiously through the Ruins of Immortality. In almost any location in this place, it was possible that there were terrifying things lurking about that could destroy him in body and spirit. There were many places that he couldn't avoid no matter how cautious he was. It was fortunate, therefore, that Naruto had already traveled this path before and thus didn't attempt to explore any of those locations. Instead, he proceeded slowly and carefully for about half a month until he once again found himself outside the medicinal plant garden, where he stood there and salivated at what he saw.

From a distance, the medicinal plant garden seemed like a vast stretch of land overrun with countless weeds. However, amidst the weeds were random medicinal plants, many of which were virtually extinct in the outside world, and which would be called Celestial medicinal plants. There were even some locations that had legendary holy medicinal plants.

The problem lay in the innumerable, frightening black beetles with razor-sharp mandibles that had occupied the entire garden and posed a threat to everything nearby.

"That's… Reincarnation Leaf!

"And there's a Sun Blossom!

"That's Arhat Grass!" Naruto was trembling with anticipation. Even from a distance, he was able to recognize these three Holy medicinal plants. Any one of them was enough to cause people in the outside world to go crazy.

Further in, there were a greater quantities of even better Holy medicinal plants, but Naruto knew how to restrain himself. It would clearly be impossible to get that far in. Not to mention, even though everything in the area of the much-closer Reincarnation Leaf seemed harmless at the moment, Naruto remembered that when he had come here earlier, a step too close had given rise to clouds of black beetles.

The Reincarnation Leaves were growing on a small violet-colored tree. There were nine of them in total, and they were shaped like crescent moons; a unique magical symbol glittered brightly on each of them. Just looking at the tree gave a person the sensation that they were looking at the cycle of reincarnation itself.

As for the Sun Blossoms, they creeped along the ground, tiny orange flowers that looked exactly like suns, glowing with brilliant light.

Then there was the Arhat Grass, which was an ordinary-looking plant that resembled a dandelion.

Naruto took a deep breath and then narrowed his eyes. Holding the jade slip in his left hand, he gritted his teeth and then slowly caused his aura to weaken.

"When I came here before," he thought, "tens of thousands of beetles appeared when I got within three thousand meters of the medicinal plant garden…. It seems the beetles are sensitive to auras…." His aura continued to grow weaker and weaker, until he had suppressed himself to the point that he bore the appearance of a Core Formation cultivator.

"A bit more!" he thought, still not quite convinced that it was enough. After pushing his aura down even further, it was at the Foundation Establishment stage. This was the limit of what he could accomplish at the moment.

Next, his body flickered as the shapeshifting meat jelly was tossed out. It was just about to begin jabbering when it suddenly looked around and started shaking.

"Dammit! Dammit! I was only asleep for a bit and y-y-you… you brought me to a place like this? Heavens! Heavens! This… this place is way too dangerous!"

"Quiet!" snapped Naruto. He quickly retrieved the black feather, gave it to the meat jelly, and then provided a few instructions. After hearing his plan, the meat jelly was shocked, and shook its head vigorously. However, after Naruto uttered enough threats, the meat jelly put on a long face and agreed to the plan.

Naruto crept slowly toward the medicinal plant garden. He'd already made the decision that if he couldn't acquire the Holy medicinal plants, then he would swallow his regret and teleport out. However, by this point, he had reached the 3,000-meter position that had caught the attention of the countless beetles before.

His heart pounded madly as his foot stepped past that point. He stared up ahead, vigilantly preparing for the beetles to appear, yet none did.

"This method works!" Licking his lips, he continued forward until he was at the 1,500 meter mark. Suddenly, dozens of black beetles flew up from within the weeds. Naruto's face fell, and he gripped the jade slip tightly. However, he held his ground, gritting his teeth and remaining stock still.

The dozens of black beetles all emanated ferocious auras as they flew about. However, after finding nothing, they slowly flew back down to the ground.

Beads of sweat rolled down Naruto's face. He knew that at this distance, if the black beetles suddenly attacked, he would be in great danger.

After a long moment passed, he gritted his teeth and crept forward again. He was now at the 1,000-meter mark, and a thousand beetles flew up buzzing into the air. Naruto was even more nervous than before.

"The only way I can get close is be suppressing my aura to the point where they think I'm too weak to be a threat." A moment later, the black beetles all flew back down to the ground, and Naruto crept forward once again.

600 meters. 300 meters. 150 meters!

As soon as he passed the 150-meter mark, his eyes widened, and his throat tightened as everything turned black.

Tens of thousands of beetles instantly shot up into the air.

In that moment, Naruto urgently sent out divine will. Further out, the meat jelly was trembling and cursing inwardly. Gritting its teeth, it used the black feather to suddenly cast out a shocking aura.

Immediately, the beetles up ahead of Naruto were sent astir. A black sheet of light rose up that was composed of tens of thousands of black beetles, all of whom shot directly up into the sky.

The auras cast out by the beetles brushed against Naruto, and blood sprayed from his mouth. However, his expression was one of complete determination and utter excitement. His body flickered as he shot down toward the Reincarnation Leaf. Without the slightest hesitation, he didn't collect the leaves, but actually tried to wrench the entire tree out of the ground, along with the Immortality Illumination Vine that was at its root!

The little violet tree was actually very tough; unexpectedly, it resisted Naruto's efforts to pull it out of the ground. A brutal gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes, and he used all the force he could muster; the power of a stage four Immortal exploded out as he tugged violently on the tree until a boom could be heard, and the tree was pulled up out of the ground.

"Rich! I've struck it rich!" Naruto's eyes gleamed with excitement, and his heart pounded with happiness. He turned and sped toward the Sun Blossoms. Eyes burning with madness, he waved his sleeve to pull them up by the root as well.

All of this happened in the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. In the meantime, the meat jelly was hollering and blubbering as it speedily retreated through the sky above, its entire body numb as it looked at the endless black beetles flying toward it. As it shot backward, the illusion created by the black feather fell away.

With its aura suddenly weakened, Naruto's actions down below were instantly noticed by the black beetles. Such provocation was something they hadn't experienced in years; no one had ever had the gall to try place themselves within the mouth of the tiger.

Rumbling could be heard as the beetles performed an about face and shot toward Naruto. They moved with incredible speed, blanketing the area as they closed in. The meat jelly gritted its teeth. It didn't want to follow the plan that Naruto had laid out, but it thought about how dangerous the place was and changed its mind. Wailing piteously, it used the black feather to make itself look like a black beetle, which then joined the army of other black beetles in their charge.

Such a transformation would be very difficult to pull off without the black beetles noticing, and sure enough, some of the beetles detected the anomalous presence of the meat jelly. Some of them charged toward it madly and began to voraciously bite it. The meat jelly howled, but continued to shoot toward Naruto as fast as possible.

Naruto's face flickered as he looked at the cloud of black beetles closing in on him. Scalp tingling, he used his left hand to press down on the jade slip. Rumbling could be heard, and a bright light began to shine as the power of teleportation exploded out.

In that instant, Naruto used the Star Plucking Magic to grab another Holy medicinal plant off in the distance. In the blink of an eye, the plant flew through the air to land in his hand.

At the same time, the black beetles roared down toward him. The quickest of them all was the meat jelly; when it saw the light of teleportation growing stronger around Naruto, it nearly went crazy. It had no desire to be left behind in this place, so it burst forward with all the speed it could muster, latching onto Naruto's robe with its mouth and holding on for dear life.

The countless black beetles pounced onto Naruto, but in that instant, the power of teleportation peaked, and he vanished.

Suddenly, the land began to tremble in response to the provocation of the teleportation. In all directions, everything turned black as millions of black beetles flew up into the air, covering the sky. At the same time, the land continued to change violently. Even though the beetles had flown up into the air, the land didn't change color; it was as black as ever.

A muffled roar could be heard from the ground, and everything was shaking. Suddenly, it became clear that… the land was not land at all, but actually, an enormous black beetle!

In a scene reminiscent of Patriarch Reliance that year, the land in the area turned out to be resting on the back of an enormous black beetle!

Snatching food from the tiger's mouth!

If Naruto did not possess the teleportation jade slip, then even if he had a cultivation base in the Ancient Realm, it wouldn't have mattered. He would have been killed in body and spirit.

In the vast Eastern Lands on Planet Lands of Ninshu, snowflakes drifted through the air, and the land was the color of silver. It was winter.

In the mountains where the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple had once stood, a bright light rose up into the air as an enormous teleportation portal appeared.

Rumbling could be heard, and the bright light faded to reveal Naruto. As soon as he appeared, he shot forward at top speed. The meat jelly was still latched onto his robe, and there were seven black beetles following him that had been caught up in the teleportation.

The black beetles were streaks of black light that shot murderously toward Naruto.

He took a deep breath, and, sensing that he was back on Planet Lands of Ninshu, lifted his head up and laughed. The feeling of narrowly escaping a catastrophe was exhilarating. He turned and faced the seven black beetles, his eyes flickering coldly.

"Seven? That's nothing!" He extended his right hand and unleashed the full power of his cultivation base, the power of a stage four Immortal. His Dharma Idol appeared, throwing a punch that gave rise to a tempest, which then bore down onto the seven black beetles.

Of the seven black beetles, five were similar to false Immortals, and two were even more powerful, emanating the aura of stage two Immortals. Back in the Ruins of Immortality, when the beetles were all grouped together, their collective power was like that of the peak of the Immortal Realm. It was something completely hair-raising. But now, there were only these seven, and under the power of Naruto's punch they were all flung backwards. Their carapaces were crushed, and they were flung violently against the side of a nearby mountain.

Despite being injured, they were as vicious as ever. Radiating ferocity, they once again shot toward Naruto in a deadly attack.

Naruto's eyes glittered brightly.

"My attack just now could have killed a stage two Immortal with twenty opened meridians. But these seven beetles are as ferocious as ever. No wonder, considering they're from the Ruins of Immortality. It would be a real waste to kill them!" He flickered forward, and as the seven black beetles closed in, he reached out, grabbed them, and threw them into his bag of holding, where he forcibly sealed them.

The seven black beetles struggled in vain as the sealing marks were laid onto their bodies. Even afterward, they still viewed Naruto as an enemy, and although they couldn't escape, they would be difficult for him to control.

"When I have the time, I'll refine them a bit. Or maybe when I fully understand the Sixth Demon Sealing Hex, I can use that to control them." Naruto took a deep breath and then headed off into the mountains.

"The trial by fire ended with an unforeseen occurrence. I really need to get home to see dad and mom. They're going to be worried." Naruto turned into a beam of light that shot out of the mountains and headed toward the Namikaze Clan.

On the way home, Naruto saw snowflakes filling the sky, and colorful lanterns and streamers decorating the homes he passed. Children played happily, and a feeling of warmth and joy filled the air. Lights burned brightly in all the windows.

"Is it New Year already?" Naruto suddenly stopped in midair. He suddenly realized that he missed his family. During the New Year festival, such feelings tend to grow stronger. He was just about to continue onward when he suddenly thought of something. 1

"Hey, I got first place in the final arena match! But I never got my prizes! My Immortal jades! My Immortality Illumination Vine! My Paragon's blood!" When he remembered these things, his jaw dropped.

When he thought of the value of the Immortal jades, how precious the Immortality Illumination Vine was, and how many Immortal jades the Paragon's blood was worth, his eyes were instantly shot with blood. After a long moment, he clenched his jaw.

"This won't do. Those things belong to me! I'm definitely going to be heading to the Nine Seas God World! The Three Great Daoist Societies had better pay me what they owe!" There was nothing he could do about it now, though, so he had no choice but to sigh in frustration and fly back to the Namikaze Clan.

It didn't take long before the Namikaze Clan fortress appeared up ahead, decked out with lanterns and colorful banners. The feeling of New Year was heavy in the air. All of a sudden, Naruto sensed an aura, not of a true Immortal, but perhaps twenty to thirty percent of that of a true Immortal.

At the same time, a young woman appeared. She flew out from the Namikaze Clan and hovered in midair, looking at Naruto.

It was none other than Karin.

She had emerged from secluded meditation while Naruto was in the trial by fire. Her cultivation base had risen all the way to the peak of Dao Seeking. With some guidance from Minato, she was now more powerful than a false Immortal. She also would travel the path of true Immortality, although she would use an Immortality Illumination Vine to do so.

When Karin saw Naruto, her face lit with happiness. Moments later, Naruto's father and mother appeared from behind her, smiles on their faces.

Actually, Minato had sensed Naruto as soon as he had appeared on Planet Lands of Ninshu. He gazed at Naruto with a loving, although somewhat reserved, smile. As for Naruto's mother, tears were streaming down her face. The past few months in which they hadn't been certain whether Naruto was even alive, had left her haggard from grief.

"Dad, mom, I'm back," Naruto said, smiling. Then he looked at Karin, and couldn't help but recall memories from Planet East Victory. This was his big sister, who had protected him when he was small. She had a violent personality, which as a youngster had left him awestruck, but there was a warmth between them that came from being family, and Naruto could never forget that.

"Sis…." he said cautiously. He actually felt a bit guilty. Before, when they had met for the first time, he had been unaware of who she was, and they had actually battled each other. 2

"When you say it like that, it sounds a bit forced," she said with an enigmatic smile. After emerging from secluded meditation and learning that Naruto had transcended his tribulation, she was very happy. When the two of them were young, and she was forced to watch as he never grew older, it had filled her heart with pain. It was a feeling she would always remember.

Seeing her own little brother in misery was a misery for her as well. His frustration left her feeling unhappy. She would never forget how she had watched him lying in their mother's arms, reverting from seven years of age back to infancy. Karin had stood there, hands clenched into fists, tears streaming down her face as she watched.

She was willing to do anything for her little brother, as long as it would let him be happy, and actually grow up. Back when they were both young, she had stood in front of him on countless occasions, unleashing her violent personality onto any clan members who bullied him.

Back on that occasion when they first met, outside the Rebirth Cave in the Southern Domain, she had immediately sensed something familiar about him. Then she saw the mark on his hand, and despite her violent personality, had been shaken inwardly, and had barely been able to hold back from crying.

In that instant, she recalled all the hardships her parents had endured, and then suddenly feared that Naruto might notice something about her, so she had deliberately spoken some confusing and meaningless words to throw him off the trail. From that day forward, she had been looking forward to the day when their whole family would finally be reunited.

Of course, there was also the time she ran into him in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. At that time, she had an even stronger sense of family. After all, he was her little brother….

She couldn't refrain from forcing him to call her 'big sis.' Later, some of the other Namikaze Clan members had scorned Naruto, which had caused her rage to flare. She had even been worried that Naruto wouldn't be able to find a host body, and had given one of the Namikaze Clan's host bodies to him.

There had been one moment in the Demon Immortal Sect when she had been fighting Guren and the other Hebi Clan Chosen. Naruto had turned to leave, and in that moment, she was assured that he didn't know who she really was. And yet, seeing him leave like that broke her heart.

Then he had stopped and turned back to look at her fighting the Hebi Clan, and she had smiled.

"It's not forced!" Naruto replied quickly. He smiled. "Sis, you look prettier than ever!"

"Oh, really?" Karin smiled and began to walk toward him. She lifted her hands up and cracked her knuckles. At the same time, explosive energy surged up, and a brutal aura began to emanate out from her.

Naruto's face fell, and he began to fall back. Even as he took his first step back, Karin pounced on him like an explosive dragon.

"Back then you dared to say I was violent!? Well, today I'll show you what violence really is!"

Minato and Kushina looked at each other and smiled. Then they turned to watch Naruto getting chased and beaten up by Karin. He didn't even dare to fight back against her. Minato and Kushina sighed emotionally.

"It's been so long since our whole family… has been together like this."

Off in the distance, magical fireworks exploded in the sky. A beautiful New Year had arrived.

Naruto spent an entire wonderful year with his family. The laughter and happiness they shared would exist forever in his heart.

Some days after that year ended, Karin left. She did not return to the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory. Minato made different arrangements. An Elder from the Church of the Emperor Immortal came to Planet Lands of Ninshu to personally take Karin away.

Minato had decided long ago that Karin should join the Church of the Emperor Immortal. Her latent talent conformed with the their cultivation requirements. Furthermore, in the past, Minato and the current Pontifex of the Church of the Emperor Immortal had experienced harrowing adventures together.

With the Pontifex watching out for Karin, and the threat of Minato himself, it was assured that no one would cause problems for her, despite the fact that Minato couldn't leave Lands of Ninshu.

Minato was very protective of his daughter, but when it came to his son, his line of thinking was different.

Before leaving, Karin hugged Naruto tightly, and then gave him a long look. The affection in her eyes caused Naruto's heart to fill with a deep reluctance to part ways with her.

"Little brother, we'll meet again out in the stars," said Karin, tousling his hair. In this moment, there was nothing violent about her at all. She was just a gentle older sister.

Karin bade farewell to her parents, then took a deep breath and followed the respectful Elder from the Church of the Emperor Immortal as he stepped into the teleportation portal. Bright light flashed, and they vanished.

Minato and Kushina were also reluctant to part with their daughter, especially Kushina, whose eyes were filled with tears. Being unable to leave Planet Lands of Ninshu, she was very worried about Karin, and currently clutched Minato's hand tightly.

Minato patted his wife gently on the shoulder and watched as his daughter left. His eyes were filled with both sadness and hope. Then he turned to look at Naruto.

He knew that it wouldn't be long before Naruto also left Planet Lands of Ninshu.

"Naruto, your path doesn't lie in becoming a true part of the Namikaze Clan," he said. "I've already arranged for you to join the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite, although, if you're not happy with that, you don't have to go there.

"Whatever choice you make, there is one thing that you absolutely must do before anything else.

"You must first go back to the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory. I left an Immortality Illumination Vine there for you, so that you can achieve true Immortal Ascension!

"Even more importantly… your two Nirvana Fruits are also waiting for you there!

"Those two Nirvana Fruits belong to you. Now that you've transcended your tribulation, you can assimilate them, and they will help you reach the peak of the Immortal Realm in a very short period of time. In the future, you must not fall behind the other Chosen, but instead, must surpass them! Leave them behind you for all eternity!"

Next to speak was Kushina.

"If you have the chance," she said softly, "you can go to the Eighth Mountain and Sea. That… is mother's home."

Naruto nodded his head solemnly. He understood the deeper meaning in his father's words, the meaning that was left unspoken. His father wanted him to return to the Namikaze Clan and rise to prominence there. He wanted to makes sure everyone knew that Minato's son was no cripple, but rather, a blazing sun!

Therefore, Naruto vowed to himself that not only would he rise to prominence in the Namikaze Clan of Planet East Victory, in the future… he would definitely go to search for his Grandpa Namikaze and Grandpa Meng.

"You can leave the lands of Lands of Ninshu any time you want," Minato continued. "When you're ready, just let me know. I'll arrange for someone from Planet East Victory to come and escort you there. Remember, your path is that of true Immortality. On Planet East Victory… you can become a true Immortal. Force all the people in the Namikaze Clan to tilt their heads back to look up at you; make them acknowledge that you are my son." Minato looked deeply at Naruto, his son, and his pride in life.

Naruto took a deep breath and then nodded deeply.

A few days later, Naruto left the Eastern Lands. There were a few more matters he needed to attend to, after which he planned to leave Planet Lands of Ninshu.

"My path to true Immortality is different from that of others," he murmured to himself as he flew through the air. "When the Immortal meridian inside of me is completely solidified, then I will become a true Immortal.

"I actually gained a lot from the trial by fire in the Ruins of Immortality, both in terms of the creation of divine abilities and in progress with my Immortal meridian…."

Naruto was able to sense when he cultivated via breathing techniques that his Immortal meridian was continuing to naturally solidify. However, the process was very slow, and unfortunately, things like the stone steles from the Ruins of Immortality were things that could only be encountered serendipitously.

"Back when master opened the Door of Immortality, the power that emerged from within the door was probably similar to the power in those stone steles. Both of them can be used to become a true Immortal.

"The fastest way to achieve true Immortal Ascension is via the Door of Immortality….

"Could it really be true that it's now impossible to achieve true Immortal Ascension here in the lands of Lands of Ninshu?" Naruto sped through the air, lost in thought. He passed over the Milky Way Sea and then reached the Southern Domain.

He flew down into the Violet Fate Sect, although nobody noticed him. He stood on a tall mountain, looking out over the sect. The statue of Reverend Violet East was no longer there, but this particular mountain that he stood on was one that Pill Demon had frequented.

As he stood there, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He rotated his cultivation base, and the Immortal meridian inside of him, at full power. The Immortal meridian was eighty percent solid, and shone with glittering light. Dense Immortal Chakra emanated out from Naruto, and eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal merged into the surrounding lands.

In the blink of an eye, winds began to sweep about, and the lands rumbled and quaked. All of the cultivators in the Southern Domain trembled inwardly. Soon, it wasn't just the Southern Domain that was affected. The Western Desert, the Northern Reaches, and even the Eastern Lands were all experiencing bizarre transformations.

Gradually, a vortex formed above the mountain peak where Naruto sat. However, almost as soon as the vortex appeared, some sort of incredible restraining power exploded out from Heaven and Earth, destroying the vortex.

It faded away, and everything returned to normal. The lands were quiet, and the cultivators of Planet Lands of Ninshu were left wondering what astonishing event had just occurred.

Naruto opened his eyes and sat there quietly for a long moment before shaking his head.

"Sure enough, it didn't work…. I can sense the path of true Immortality, but am not able to summon the Door of Immortality. In each of the Mountains and Seas, Immortal destiny will appear on one of the planets, every 10,000 years. The rule cannot be broken.

"What if I used the Immortality Illumination Vine…?" Eyes glittering, he produced an Immortality Illumination Vine from within his bag of holding, the one he had acquired in the medicinal plant garden in the Ruins of Immortality.

After a bit of muttering, he shook his head.

"The Immortality Illumination Vine can definitely lead to true Immortal Ascension. However, it also cuts off the Spirit Realm, and all the advancement made therein. It's a forced breakthrough.

"The Chosen of the other sects build themselves up for years, restrict their cultivation bases until the critical moment, and then use Immortality Illumination Vines to instantly break through.

"As for me, I'm currently at eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. If I used the Immortality Illumination Vine to break through, I would become a true Immortal, but I would be stuck at eighty percent. That eighty percent would then become my one hundred percent.

"Apparently, my path of true Immortality really can't be tread here on Planet Lands of Ninshu. Perhaps going to Planet East Victory like my father said is really the best choice." Naruto's eyes flickered as he gave up on the thought of using a vine to make his breakthrough, and then he took a deep breath and turned to leave.

No one detected his arrival or his departure from the Violet Fate Sect. He next went to the Blood Demon Sect, where he stood outside of Patriarch Blood Demon's Immortal's cave. The only thing he could sense was an aura of death; there didn't seem to be even the slightest bit of life force inside.

Patriarch Blood Demon did not emerge.

After standing there quietly for a long time, Naruto went to Blood Prince Gorge. It was maintained by Blood Demon Sect disciples on a daily basis, who kept the entire valley neat and clean. Naruto looked at the log cabin, and all the other familiar sights in the valley, and suddenly he seemed to go into a bit of a trance. He saw the outline of a woman, smiling sweetly at him.

"Hinata…." he murmured. He would never forget the agreement that he and Hinata had made.

"Wait for me…. I WILL find you!" A warm look could be seen on his face as he recalled the times he had spent with Hinata in Blood Prince Gorge. After a while, he left the valley and walked over to the place where he and Hinata had held their wedding.

A few days later, Naruto left. This would be the final time he visited these places, where memories of Hinata abounded, before leaving Planet Lands of Ninshu.

After visiting the Blood Demon Sect, he traveled about in the Southern Domain. He stopped outside the Nadeshiko Clan and swept it with divine sense. He could see Sagiri, who was incapable of detecting Naruto's presence.

Naruto also saw a familiar woman, Shizuka. She sat there cross-legged, meditating. Although she was beautiful, it was possible to see the signs of aging on her.

"She didn't go to the trial by fire to join a sect among the stars. Does she really want to stay behind on Planet Lands of Ninshu…?"

Images from the past flitted through Naruto's mind. After a long moment, he turned and left, leaving Shizuka undisturbed.

He went to the Rebirth Cave, walking through the pressure that had been so difficult to deal with all those years ago. Back then, it had been difficult to take each step, but now, it was as easy as walking down a paved road. The surrounding cultivators in the region of the Rebirth Cave looked at Naruto casually walking toward the Rebirth Cave itself, and their faces flickered with astonishment.

"Who is that?"

"He… he's actually walking right into the depths of the Rebirth Cave region! The pressure here is difficult even for Spirit Severing experts."

"Why does he look so familiar…?" As he neared the Rebirth Cave itself, more people saw him, and all of them were astonished.

He calmly proceeded deeper into the region, and was soon near the cave mouth itself.

About 1,500 meters from the cave, he saw two old men with Spirit Severing cultivation bases. They sat there cross-legged, resisting the pressure and staring at each other as if they had some enmity between the two of them. Their life forces burned low, and, they clearly hoped to find some good fortune within the Rebirth Cave.

As soon as Naruto approached, the two stared at him in shock.

"Who are you?" one of them growled. Then Naruto simply walked past them.

This left them in complete shock, and they watched wide-eyed as Naruto casually walked past the 1,500-meter mark and then entered the cave itself.

Panting, they exchanged glances, and could see the disbelief in each others' eyes.

"He looks familiar…."

"Is… hey! That was Naruto! Heavens! He's the Blood Prince of the Blood Demon Sect! He sealed the Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches, and turned a hundred thousand Northern Reaches cultivators into felon citizens! That was Naruto!"

When the two old men realized it was Naruto, their minds filled with a roaring like that of thunder.

Naruto calmly walked into the rugged interior of the Rebirth Cave. He saw bones lying about, which grew fewer the further he went into the cave. He stood in the spot where he had died, and as he looked down, his heart twinged in pain.

He thought of Hinata.

She had used her own life force to keep him going, and then, in order to resurrect him, had ended up being imprisoned in a restricted area in her own sect. Everything that had happened after that flitted through Naruto's mind. After a long moment, he sighed.

He then walked further into the depths of the Rebirth Cave, but saw nothing there.

There was no Immortal's corpse like the one that had fallen from the sky all those years ago, nor were there any other bizarre beings. There was a strange power that he could sense, but other than that, there was nothing.

"Rebirth Cave…. Rebirth Cave…. Yes, it was here that I actually… experienced a rebirth." Naruto shook his head and was about to leave, when all off a sudden he stopped in place and turned his head to look toward the very end of the Rebirth Cave. The cave wall there appeared to be normal, but moments ago, he had sensed a strange aura emanating out from that very spot.

He walked over and examined the area carefully, after which his eyes suddenly went wide, and an expression of astonishment and disbelief filled his face. He had just seen a door in the cave wall.

A closed door!

He took a deep breath and looked closer, but saw nothing. However, he was very certain that moments ago he had not been mistaken in what he saw.

"Now this is the kind of mystery that makes the Rebirth Cave worthy of its name," he thought. He stood there looking at the cave wall for a long time, before finally turning and leaving. He was very curious, but after his experiences in the Ruins of Immortality, he well knew that there were many great secrets in the world, secrets that the level of his cultivation base did not allow him to understand.

When he walked out of the Rebirth Cave, the two old men were still sitting there cross-legged. When they saw Naruto, they began to pant, and immediately got to their knees to kowtow.

"Greetings, Blood Prince Uzumaki."

"Greetings, your excellency Naruto!"

Naruto stopped, nodded to the two men, and then prepared to leave.

One of the old men, whose life force was very dim, hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Your excellency Naruto… uh… what exactly is inside the Rebirth Cave?"

Naruto didn't respond at first. After a moment passed, he said, "Hope."

Then he left.

The two old men's spirits lifted. Sighing, they settled back down cross-legged, hope surging in their hearts.

"According to the legends, the exalted Naruto actually experienced rebirth inside of the Rebirth Cave!"

"He said hope exists in there, so maybe we do have hope!" The glanced at each other, and their eyes shone brightly.

After leaving the region of the Rebirth Cave, Naruto flew up into the air and looked around emotionally. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the Ancient Temple of Doom.

After a moment of silence, he shot in that direction. It only took a moment for him to appear in midair above the Ancient Temple of Doom. He looked at the grand temple, and thought about Sakura, and the gorge they had spent time in, and the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament.

"Now that I think about it, this temple… protected me from the Heavenly Tribulation that year." He floated down from midair to stand directly in front of the archaic and dilapidated Ancient Temple of Doom.

Stone steps led up to the temple itself, and numerous deity statues could be seen within, statues that bore the appearance of Immortal Divinities, solemn and grand.

There were quite a few cultivators congregated outside of the temple. This was one of the three most mysterious locations in all of the Southern Domain, and was the least dangerous of all, which attracted cultivators who wanted to try to acquire some of the good fortune inside.

Naruto's arrival was noticed by a few of the cultivators, but no one paid very close attention to him.

Naruto looked at the temple for a moment, then walked forward. Not too far behind him was a cultivator who was observing the temple, but didn't dare to get very close. When he saw Naruto walking closer the temple, he called out in a sincere voice.

"Fellow Daoist, you can't get too close to the Ancient Temple of Doom! It's very dangerous!"

It wasn't just this man who noticed Naruto now. Many of the surrounding Southern Domain cultivators saw him approaching the temple. Quite a few looked on with cold sneers, or even open ridicule as they waited for something exciting to unfold.

"This temple is something that the average person can't get close to. Our location here outside of the perimeter is the closest one can get. With the exception of some of the Patriarchs, anyone who gets any closer is dead for sure!"

"That guy doesn't look very familiar, what sect is he from?"

As the crowd discussed what was happening, Naruto reached the staircase and then began to climb up one step at a time. The other cultivators looked on with wide eyes, panting. Expressions of disbelief and astonishment could be seen.

"He's… he's actually going up the stairs!"

"What cultivation base does he have? This is impossible!"

"How come… he looks somewhat familiar…?"

As the cultivators looked on in shock, Naruto finished climbing the stairs and now stood directly in front of the towering temple. The doors had long since been broken completely open, and as Naruto stood there, he could clearly see all of the deity statues inside.

Each and every one depicted a powerful expert from the Ancient Doom Clan.

"They fought with Orochimaru…" murmured Naruto, "and were defeated. Before their clan was exterminated, they built this temple, the Will of which shall eternally resist the Heavens of Hebi…." As he stood there, he felt as if he were looking at a former mighty clan, displaying all the brilliance of their long history.

After a long moment passed, he clasped hands and bowed deeply to the temple.

The entire Ancient Temple of Doom trembled in response to his show of respect. Rumbling sounds echoed out, and all of the cultivators further out felt their minds trembling, and backed up in astonishment.

That astonishment came from the fact that they were witnessing Naruto bowing to the temple, and in response, more than half of the statues inside the temple bowed in return, as if they had come to life.

Furthermore, a brilliant light rose up from the temple, which spread out in all directions to cover everything.

"Heavens! What's going on? How can this be happening!"

"The statues in the Ancient Temple of Doom, they're… they're actually alive!"

"Who is that cultivator?! Can it really be that the temple cannot bear to accept his show of respect without returning the salute?" Even as the crowds were in an uproar, Naruto looked up and saw that roughly sixty percent of the statues were bowing to him. The other forty percent were looking at him with faint smiles.

At the very back of the temple stood three majestic statues who remained completely unmoving. However, they looked at Naruto without any ill will whatsoever.

"That's… that's his excellency Naruto!"

"It's Naruto! That's Blood Prince Naruto!" As more and more people recognized him, a buzz of conversation instantly rose up.

As Naruto looked into the temple, he gradually became aware of numerous ancient voices murmuring in his ears. The voices were obscure, but they seemed to contain anticipation, hope that one day they would be able to leave the temple and carry out a slaughter in the Heavens.

After a long moment, Naruto bowed again, then turned to leave. As he flew into the air, the light shining up from the Ancient Temple of Doom slowly faded, and the temple returned to its original condition.

After leaving the Ancient Temple of Doom, Naruto did not depart from the lands of the Southern Domain, but instead, headed toward the Ancient Dao Lakes.

"I wonder if Zabuza and those others are still trapped under there," he thought. He proceeded onward, passing the various locations where he had experienced such dangerous situations that year, and eventually came to a stop above the enormous Dao Lake in the middle of the region.

As he hovered there in midair, looking at the lake, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. Were he to pick one place in the Southern Domain that was the most dangerous place of all, the Ancient Dao Lakes would definitely be his choice.

That was especially true due to the third level of the trial by fire therein. When Naruto thought back to that incident, he was still unsure as to whether or not he could succeed if he went back. But then his eyes glittered, and he patted his bag of holding to produce a white crystal that emanated pulsing coldness.

The coldness seemed faint, but according to Naruto's speculations, there was something about this object that was completely extraordinary. This item… was the crystal he had acquired from the Esoteric compass in the Warrior Pavilion in the Ruins of Immortality.

"The Essence of Divine Flame…." A gleam of curiosity appeared in Naruto's eyes. He still remembered the enormous flame seed inside the third level. The incredible intensity of that fire had been beyond his imagination.

Because of the level of his cultivation base that year, Naruto didn't understand what the term 'essence' meant. Even now, he still didn't fully understand; he only had a vague idea.

"Even with this white crystal, it will be difficult to pass the test in that level. I only want a little bit of that flame… but what can I take it away in?"

After a moment of silent thought, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a bronze oil lamp whose flame had long since been extinguished. As he gazed at the lamp, his eyes glittered.

"Once I leave Planet Lands of Ninshu, it's impossible to say when I'll return. I'll definitely be facing all sorts of peril. If I can take some of that flame essence with me, it can serve as a trump card for me in dangerous situations. I'm not sure if I can succeed, but I have to try." Naruto took a deep breath and then flew down to the surface of the Dao Lake, which he then sank down into.

In the blink of an eye, he was at the bottom of the lake. There was no entrance visible; everything looked completely ordinary. However, considering that he had eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, when Naruto looked at the lake bottom, he saw a huge teleportation portal.

His body flickered as he moved to stand within the portal, and yet nothing happened.

As he stood there, he transmitted a message with divine will. "Oh senior member of the people who guard the world beneath the lake, I have returned to once again challenge the third level!"

In response to his divine will, the lake began to churn. After a moment, the teleportation portal rotated into operation, and brilliant light swallowed Naruto up.

A moment later, Naruto could see again, and he was underground. He was surrounded by numerous mountains formed from magical items, and countless beasts of different colors. There was an enormous door, before which lay a golden beast. All of a sudden, the beast turned to look at Naruto.

"You… wish to challenge the third level?" The echoing voice had been very intimidating the first time Naruto had come here, but now he simply looked out calmly over the first level. At the moment, he couldn't see any of the other people he had come here with that year.

"There's no need to look for those people," the voice continued. "With the exception of Zabuza, all of them… have long since perished.

"Are you certain that you wish to challenge the third level?" asked the golden beast, its voice rumbling out like thunder. All of the other beasts in the area looked at Naruto, their eyes radiating ferocity.

Naruto took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, I wish to make the challenge!"

The golden beast looked deeply at Naruto, then threw its head back and roared. Instantly, all of the other beasts in the first level parted, creating a path for Naruto to follow to the huge door.

Naruto proceeded forward, passing through the animals, his gaze fixed on the door. Suddenly, an enormous beast off to the right who possessed a Spirit Severing aura, roared and pounced toward Naruto.

Naruto's expression was normal, and he didn't even look at the beast. He simply raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward its forehead.

When compared in size to the enormous beast, Naruto's hand was miniscule. However, he viciously grabbed onto the beast's head, instantly causing it to begin to howl miserably. In response, the surrounding beasts leapt angrily to their feet.

Naruto's expression was calm as he continued to walk forward. He did not loosen his right hand, but instead, dragged the enormous beast along with him as he walked.

The golden beast lying beneath the huge door looked on with wide eyes. However, it did nothing to interfere. It allowed Naruto to approach the door, where he finally released the beast from his hand, then looked at the golden-colored beast and nodded. Then he stepped through the door.

When he reappeared, he was on the second level, where he saw the same ancient, white-colored overseer beast that he had seen the last time. He also saw Zabuza, sitting cross-legged in meditation, just a single pace away from the final level.

The stubble of a beard could be seen on Zabuza's face, and his clothing was in tatters. However, his face shone with a brilliant light, and as soon as Naruto appeared, he glanced over. A look of shock appeared on his face.

Naruto stood down below and looked up at the ancient beast. "Senior, I would like to attempt the third level."

The beast looked down at Naruto and, after a long moment passed, nodded its head. Naruto immediately flew up to the peak of the level.

The beast's pupils constricted, and a look of concentration appeared on its face.

"You've changed," said the beast. "You're far more powerful than the last time we met…. However, I would like to give you a bit of advice. Considering the level of your cultivation base, you will not be able to pass this third level.

"Considering how you passed the second level last time, you were given a chance to experience the third level for a moment, which is how you escaped death. This time… if you fail, you will likely have no chance to leave the level, and will perish inside.

"The test of the third level is to completely absorb the Essence of Divine Flame into your body."

Naruto looked back silently at the overseer, but his eyes gleamed with determination. He nodded.

The beast thought for a moment, but did nothing more to block Naruto's way. It waved its hand, and an enormous vortex appeared, within which could be seen the flicker of flames. This sea of flames was none other than the entrance to the third level.

Naruto was just about to step in when….

Zabuza couldn't hold back from calling out.

"Naruto…. Um… how are things outside?" He had been privy to the Northern Reaches' invasion plans, and as such, he knew that the Southern Domain should have been occupied. However, now he saw Naruto, with a cultivation base even more terrifying than before. He himself had performed his third Severing, and had successfully stepped into Dao Seeking. However, with his early Dao Seeking cultivation base, he was unable to clearly see Naruto's cultivation base.

He had a very bad feeling, a feeling that caused his face to go pale.

Naruto stopped in place and looked back at Zabuza silently for a moment before replying.

"The Northern Reaches' invasion failed. Most of your Dao Seeking experts were killed."

"Impossible!" replied Zabuza, his voice hoarse. "The Grand Elder, the High Priest, and all the others aren't just at peak Dao Seeking. Some of them are comparable to false Immortals! Plus, they have powerful magical items! Even a false Immortal who went up against the Northern Reaches would perish! How could they all be dead?!

"The Northern Reaches has vast resources! How could an army of a million cultivators suffer a defeat like that!?"

Naruto's voice was calm as he responded, "The Grand Elder you speak of, as well as the High Priest, and a few of the other strongest Dao Seeking experts are all suppressed under a mountain called Sin of the North. Their cultivation bases are being used to replenish the spiritual energy in the lands of the Southern Domain.

"As for the army you speak of, most of those million cultivators died. The surviving hundred thousand or so had their cultivation bases severed and were turned into felon citizens. For generations to come, the bloodlines of the Northern Reaches' cultivators will never produce Nascent Soul cultivators.

"And then there's you. If you get out of this place, you can go to Sin of the North to bear witness yourself. If, from this day forward, you agree to practice cultivation peacefully, then I won't kill you where you stand. However, if you cause any problems… there are people in the outside world who will slaughter you." With that, he ignored Zabuza and stepped into the vortex.

Zabuza's face was pale white, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. From the way Naruto spoke, he could tell that his words were not false. Everything he had said was true.

He was silent for a moment, and then began to chuckle bitterly. He thought of his friends from home, his master, his Patriarch. He had never imagined that while he was stuck in this place… the entire world outside would be turned upside down.

In the moment that Naruto stepped into the vortex, he felt as if he were passing through a boundless sea of flames. At the same time, a terrifying roaring could be heard.

The roaring became very clear as soon as Naruto stepped fully into the world of the third level. In front of him was no sea of flames, but rather, a blood-colored field.

The lands were also filled with white grass.

A total of 990,000 pagodas could be seen circling out in all directions, in the middle of which was a black city. The city was overgrown with the white grass, and a flame spark hovered in midair above it. The flame seemed as if it would burn for all eternity, and cast brilliant, flickering light throughout the entire world.

Then, the same voice Naruto had heard the previous time he had been here echoed out.

"Sun Wukong, you must die!

"You killed me, Sun Wukong, and if I'm reincarnated, I'll definitely kill you!

"The Immortal World is doomed to experience tribulation! The Immortal lands will grow old, and the Immortals will perish! But I refuse to give in!

"I know the truth! No matter how long you suppress me, I won't admit defeat!

"Damned monkey! If I can get free, I'll have your hide!

"If I'm transmigrated, I will slaughter myself out of this place! If my transmigration fails, I will fall into oblivion like all other living things, with virtually no hope of reawakening even after countless cycles of reincarnation. Therefore, I will leave a Dharmic decree for this place!

"My decree contains the essence of my Dao flame, the last vestige of me, Huoyan Zi. I hope that countless years later, that vestige will still exist!"

The voice was like a sharp sword, stabbing into his mind. His head spun, and he felt as if his body were about to collapse into pieces.

However, this time, not only had Naruto come prepared, but also, his cultivation base was far different than before. It was like the difference between Heaven and Earth. Now, the only thing that happened was that he bled from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. His body did not begin to fall apart like last time. As the sound echoed out, Naruto looked at the enormous Essence of Divine Flame up ahead.

The Essence suddenly burst with power that rumbled out through the entire world. Originally, there had been no flames here, but now, everything burst out with fire. The land, the sky, everything turned into flames. In the blink of an eye, the whole world was aflame.

The flames were shocking, and Naruto felt a sense of deadly crisis as soon as they spread out. These flames were definitely powerful enough to kill him.

In the moment of crisis, Naruto unhesitatingly produced the white crystal from his bag of holding. As soon as he grabbed ahold of it, icy coldness spread out to cover his body, blocking the flames.

When that happened, Naruto sighed in relief. The whole reason he had dared to come to this place was because of the crystal. However, he had only been eighty percent sure that it would be successful, and had thus hesitated. However, now that he saw that the crystal was indeed effective, Naruto's eyes glittered brightly.

He looked up at the Essence of Divine Flame, and smiled in anticipation.

The huge flame spark hovered in midair, spewing out a sea of flames, as if it were the source of all flames.

Naruto took a deep breath. Then, hefting the crystal, he began to slowly move forward. The flames around him raged ferociously, battering against him in waves. The power of the fire was shockingly intense, and he knew that if even the tiniest ember from those flames touched him, even his Eternal stratum would only keep him alive for a short time before he was completely destroyed.

Time passed, and Naruto continued to get closer and closer to the enormous Essence of Divine Flame. After a while, he came to a stop a few thousand meters away from the flame. He found it very difficult to progress further, not because the crystal was incapable of absorbing any more of the flame's power, but because he was physically unable to approach any further even by employing his cultivation base at its maximum power. The pressure in the area was just too intense.

If he didn't have the crystal, at most, he could reach a point around ten thousand meters away from the flame.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked around at the sea of flames. By this point, he could see images within the flames, including beasts, magical items and types of vegetation.

Each image was intensely powerful, something that would shock even someone at the peak of the Immortal Realm. The closer he got to the Essence of Divine Flame, the more terrifying the flame spirits became.

"I don't want to take away the entire Essence of Divine Flame," he thought. "I just want a bit of fire to use as a trump card in the future." He cautiously sent his divine sense out, opened a gap in the protective shield created by the crystal, and pulled in a flame spirit that looked like a butterfly. Once it was inside, he backed up at top speed, and used all the power of his cultivation base to use the power of the crystal to envelop the flame butterfly.

After backing up some distance, the power of the flame sea decreased a bit, and Naruto stopped. Panting, he looked at the butterfly fluttering around within the power of the crystal. Then, he carefully sent a stream of divine sense toward the flame butterfly. As soon as it made contact, his divine sense ignited into flame, and he instantly severed the connection.

Determination appeared in his eyes as he produced the ancient bronze lamp from his bag of holding. Exercising the utmost caution, he extended it toward the flame butterfly.

"If this works, then I'll have an excellent trump card to use in the future. If I fail, well… I won't have lost out on anything." Gritting his teeth, he touched the bronze lamp to the flame butterfly.

In that instant, the bronze lamp suddenly flickered. The flame butterfly landed on the lamp's wick, and a puffing sound could be heard as the flame blazed to life!

It only burned for a moment, and then went dark. However, there was now a glimmering spark inside the lamp.

Naruto excitedly attempted to put the lamp back into his bag of holding, and was successful. Then he pulled it back out and blew on it. Instantly, a sea of flames erupted out, and Naruto held his breath. A moment later, the flames died out, and only a spark remained in the lamp.

"Success!" he said, laughing loudly. Licking his lips, he thought about trying to collect some more flame, but then he looked at the Essence of Divine Flame floating there in midair and considered the bizarre nature of the place. In the end, he decided that it wasn't wise to act rashly. Reigning in his greed, he backed up a bit and then put the the crystal away. He allowed the flames to burn him a bit, then, eyes glittering, stepped into the exit and vanished.

In the moment that he vanished, a vertical eye suddenly appeared within the Essence of Divine Flame. It stared coldly at Naruto as he faded away, and then, after a moment, a long sigh could be heard.

"After all these years, he is the first person to succeed…. He… will definitely be back!"

As soon as the old white-colored beast saw Naruto appear back in the second level, he looked a bit surprised.

"Considering your cultivation base, you were doomed to fail," he said, his voice echoing about. "And yet, you didn't perish in there…." He looked deeply at Naruto, and when he noticed his tattered, charred clothing, his suspicions mostly vanished.

Naruto smiled wryly and shook his head, then took a deep breath.

"Senior, I was crude and rash. I thought that my cultivation base was different, and that I could give it a try. I never thought that, as you mentioned, I would fail…. Thankfully, I didn't get too close, otherwise I would have ended up dead and buried in there."

The old beast nodded, and Naruto clasped hands and bowed. The old beast did nothing to prevent Naruto from vanishing into the exit portal.

As for Zabuza, he silently watched Naruto leave.

In a certain region outside the Ancient Dao Lakes, glittering light rose up as Naruto was teleported out of the underground world. His expression was one of excitement as he patted his bag of holding and took a deep breath.

"That fire spirit from the 3,000-meter region is a trump card I can use if I ever run into a dangerous situation involving someone at the peak of the Immortal Realm. Unfortunately, the fire isn't eternal. I wonder how many times I'll be able to use it? Not many, I'm sure." With that, Naruto vanished.

Naruto appeared in many places throughout the Southern Domain over the following days. He went to many familiar places, including the Black Lands, where he visited many old friends.

The Western Desert was still, for the most part, covered by the Violet Sea, and was lifeless.

After bidding farewell to his friends in the Black Lands, he went to the place where he'd once encountered the being who had fought with the Heavens of Hebi. When he got there, there was no trace of anyone present at all. 1

After that, he went to the Milky Way Sea, where everything was still and silent, a sharp contrast to how it had once been. It was in the Inner Ring was where he had seen the ancient ship to which he felt so much gratitude, the same ancient ship he had also seen in the Ruins of Immortality.

After circling about the Milky Way Sea, he went back to the Eastern Lands. Finally, he let out a long sigh as he realized that it really was time to depart.

"Fatty is now in the Paleo-Immortal Mausoleum, Elder Brother Guy went to the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, and Shikamaru joined Moonset Lake…. Even all those Chosen I know from the Hebi Clan have left to go to the Ninth Mountain." These were all things Naruto had recently been told by his father.

All of the Chosen that he had known from the Southern Domain were either dead, gone, or far beneath him in terms of power. Most did not even qualify to meet his gaze.

"It's really time to leave," Naruto thought with a sigh. He was now walking through the Eastern Lands, past mountains and through plains, making sure that his memories of the lands of Lands of Ninshu were firmly implanted in his mind. One day, he found himself on the shore of a mighty river in the Eastern Lands, where he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He had sensed a familiar aura, although it was incredibly faint. If he hadn't been walking through this area, he would never have noticed it.

"This aura…." He looked at the river in front of him, which was considered the main river in the Eastern Lands. It divided the sub-continent in half, and actually flowed out from the Milky Way Sea.

The strangest thing was that this aura was not just familiar, it was incredibly familiar. It was… his own aura!

Muttering to himself, Naruto followed the traces of the aura until he found himself on a remote shore of the river. There were no people anywhere nearby, and evidence of wild animals could be seen.

At a certain point, he suddenly caught sight of an object on a shallow bank nearby that instantly caused him to stop in place and stare with wide eyes.

Time seemed to suddenly come to a standstill, and the world seemed to cease its rotation. Everything else in front of Naruto vanished, except for that one item, floating there in the water. It seemed as if it were something eternal, and quickly became the only thing he could see.

It was a bottle gourd.

It was stuck between two rocks, battered by the elements, having soaked in the river water for countless years. It was thoroughly dilapidated and apparently on the verge of rotting to pieces completely. It floated there quietly, as if it were waiting for someone to come along and pick it up.

Perhaps, were it not for the two rocks that kept it stuck in place, the bottle gourd would have floated away long ago. Perhaps… it would have made it to the Sky Country.

Naruto began to tremble. The bottle gourd looked ordinary, but it was something he would never be able to forget.

Back when he was a young scholar, he had yet again failed in the Imperial examinations, then stood atop Mount Myoboku, where he wrote something on a slip of paper, stuck it in a bottle gourd, and threw it into the river at the bottom of the mountain. 2

That river had been said to flow all the way to the Eastern Lands, but Naruto had long since learned that it connected not to the Eastern Lands, but to the Milky Way Sea.

It was as if, over the years, there were some power that had guided the bottle gourd across the Milky Way Sea and all the way to the Eastern Lands, where it got stuck in this river.

Naruto stared at the bottle gourd with its familiar aura. He had never imagined that one day he would once again see this bottle gourd. He had assumed that it had long since sunk to the bottom of the river or the sea, or had been picked up by someone.

"I threw this bottle into the river before I began to practice cultivation. Now, just when I'm about to leave, I've run into it again…." He walked quietly over to the bottle-gourd, then bent down to pick it up.

It was rotting, and as he held it in his hand, he felt as if he didn't even need to expend any effort to break it open.

"But how… could it possibly still be around after hundreds of years…? It's just an ordinary bottle gourd. It should have vanished long ago." After looking at it for a long moment, he uncorked the gourd. Inside, it was slightly damp, but there was no water. Naruto turned it upside down, and a rolled up strip of paper fell out.

When he saw the paper, an emotional expression of reminiscence appeared on his face. He thought back to the youthful version of himself, standing there on Mount Myoboku, and the bellowing rage he had flown into after each time he failed the Imperial examinations.

He also thought about his life in Konoha County, and all the things that had happened there.

He gingerly uncurled the strip of paper. Although the words were somewhat blurry, he was able to vaguely make out the grand aspiration that he had written down that year….

He looked at the piece of paper, and as he smiled, it seemed as if the bottle gourd no longer bore the weight of his desire, and it transformed into ash. The strip of paper also gradually disintegrated into tiny pieces that drifted through his fingers and vanished with the wind.

Naruto then felt that familiar aura fade away.

He stood there quietly for a moment, saying nothing. Finally, he closed his eyes. Time passed. One day after another went by, until an entire week passed. The river water flowed, the sun and moon rose and set. Birds and beasts scampered to and fro along the river bank.

Seven days later, Naruto opened his eyes, and they shone with enlightenment.

"There is a mysterious power in the world…." he murmured.

"And that power is desire.

"That ordinary bottle gourd was able to survive down to this day because it was sustained from within by my desire. As a cultivator, the desire that I had back then has grown stronger even as I have grown stronger, however far away the realization of it was.

"It was my own familiar aura which helped that bottle gourd… to survive all these years.

"After picking it up, the desire that had coalesced in the bottle gourd and the piece of paper vanished and returned into my hand. That is why it disappeared into Heaven and Earth.

"It's similar to what Hishaku from the Burning Incense Stick Society said during our arena match. Burning Incense… coalesces the desires of all living things, and the cultivation of that desire is burning incense. 3

"I never imagined that I would be enlightened here regarding the power of burning incense." After a moment he looked down at his hand, which he then waved.

Time seemed to move in reverse, as the drifting pieces of ash from seven days before suddenly reappeared. They transformed into a piece of paper, as well as the bottle gourd which had vanished.

Naruto's expression was calm as he once again placed the strip of paper into the bottle gourd and tossed it into the river. As the water flowed, the bottle gourd bobbed up and down, drifting off into the distance.

"I still haven't achieved what I desire, so how could I let that bottle gourd disappear…? Perhaps years from now, someone will find my bottle gourd and open it up to reveal my desire… and my aura…." As he watched the bottle gourd disappear into the distance, a faint smile broke out on his face.

"It's time to leave," he said. Taking a deep breath, he turned and, his expression one of determination, strode off into the distance. Eventually, he appeared up in the sky, where he became a beam of light that disappeared off into the distance.

One day later.

In the Namikaze Clan of the Eastern Lands, a huge teleportation portal had been set up in a rear courtyard. Glittering light rose up from the portal, next to which stood Naruto, his parents, and another middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man acted extremely respectfully toward Minato and Kushina, and when he looked at Naruto, an emotional and loving expression could be seen.

"Naruto," said Minato, "this is your 19th Uncle. He's my younger cousin and a member of our bloodline."

Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply.

19th Uncle laughed heartily and quickly straightened Naruto up from his bow. His expression of fondness only continued to grow deeper.

"You're a good kid," he said. "Wonderful, truly wonderful. When we get back to the clan, I hope that you can help me take care of my own son. He loafs around all day and is always a big headache."

"The Namikaze Clan is on Planet East Victory, which is far away from Planet Lands of Ninshu," said Minato, looking at Naruto with a serious expression. "With your cultivation base, you can't travel directly through the stars. You will need two teleportation portals to get there. Your 19th Uncle has come here personally to escort you along the way."

Kushina stood next to Minato, clearly reluctant to part from Naruto. However, she knew that Naruto's path lay among the stars, not on Planet Lands of Ninshu.

All she could do was start straightening up his luggage. Although he had a bag of holding, she had personally sewn some luggage for him. She straightened up his clothing, then looked over her son, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mom," he said softly, "don't worry, I'll be fine."

"I can't leave Planet Lands of Ninshu," said Minato. "If you face any dangers out there, I can't protect you. This crocodile can temporarily act as your Dao Protector, but in the end, you must watch out for yourself." He waved his hand, causing the crocodile to emerge and obediently shrink down and descend onto Naruto's palm, then scurry up into his sleeve. Minato continued quietly, "If you perish….

"Father will get revenge for you!"

Naruto and 19th Uncle stood in the teleportation portal. Soft light glittered out as Naruto looked at his parents standing outside of the portal. Suddenly, his eyes felt moist, and he dropped to his knees to kowtow three times to his parents.

"Dad, mom. I'm leaving now…. You don't need to miss me or worry about me, I'll come back to visit often."

Rumble!

The light from the teleportation portal rose up into the air. In the moment before he vanished completely, Naruto waved at his parents.

Kushina couldn't hold the tears back any longer as she watched Naruto disappear. Her heart filled with worry, and in that brief moment, she grew older.

Minato seemed strong on the outside, but even his eyes grew blurry.

"The kids have grown up. We have to let them fly on their own."

The scintillating lights on Planet Lands of Ninshu lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before fading completely away.

Out in the starry sky was an asteroid field that seemed to be eternally drifting among the stars.

The largest of the asteroids were tens of thousands of meters wide, the smallest were dozens. From a distance, the asteroid field almost looked like a river of stars floating through space.

This portion of space was actually not completely black; occasional dots of sparkling light glittered to and fro. At first glance, the starry sky seemed without end, but in fact, it was not so. It also seemed to pulse with life.

The asteroid field was filled with many large asteroids that were apparently surrounded by shocking power, almost like shields.

One of those asteroids was tens of thousands of meters wide, and emanated glittering light. It was possible to see numerous teleportation portals carved into its surface, over a thousand of them packed tightly together.

One of those teleportation portals was currently emanating dazzling light, and the figures of Naruto and 19th Uncle slowly became visible.

"Naruto," 19th Uncle said with a smile, "there is a vast distance between Planet Lands of Ninshu and Planet East Victory. It would be difficult to teleport there directly. That's why we need to transfer teleportation portals here." When he looked at Naruto, the emotion and love in his gaze was apparent.

He was very pleased that his older cousin's son had successfully transcended his tribulation, and was finally able to return to the clan.

When he thought of the steep price Minato had paid over the years, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"You can take a look around," 19th Uncle continued. "This asteroid belongs to the Namikaze Clan, so we're in no danger. I need some time to make some adjustments to the teleportation portal. The way it is now, your body probably couldn't handle it. I need about… enough time for an incense stick to burn." With that, he began to make adjustments to the teleportation portal.

Naruto nodded in response, then stepped out of the teleportation portal to look around.

There was no sun and no sky. The only things he could see were sparkling stars amidst pitch black darkness. Although this was not Naruto's first time stepping out into the starry sky, it was different than those other times.

"I've really left Planet Lands of Ninshu…." He looked off into the distance, but actually had no sense of direction, and no way to determine where Planet Lands of Ninshu might be. His heart felt a bit empty, and he was also nervous about arriving as a stranger on Planet East Victory.

Of course, that was where he had been born, and was also a planet that belonged to his own Namikaze Clan.

He patted his bag of holding, within which was a jade slip given to him by his father. It contained a map of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, along with various paths among the stars.

"Once I've finished making these adjustments, we can be on our way," 19th Uncle called out, smiling as he continued to adjust the teleportation portal to suit Naruto. "The Patriarchs are all in secluded meditation, and have left the Grand Elder in charge. He was very happy to hear that you're returning, and has arranged for large numbers of clan members to gather together and receive you.

"It's going to be very lively! Hahaha! Once we're back, you really have to help me get my son in line!"

Naruto nodded, and for some reason, he wasn't able to keep a bit of warmth from rising up in his heart. That was the warmth of family, a warmth that had begun to grow cold almost as soon as he left Planet Lands of Ninshu and stepped out into space.

"19th Uncle, does all of Planet East Victory belong to the Namikaze Clan?" he asked.

"Your father didn't tell you? Well, that makes sense. Cousin is a bit resentful of the clan. Ai….

"Naruto, you probably already know that all the lands and stars are actually part of nine mountains and seas. Another way of putting it is that nine mountains exist in the starry sky, and each mountain has a sea, thus, nine seas.

"The Nine Mountains and Seas are divided into groups of mountains and seas, and thus nine worlds.

"In each of those, there are four planets which rotate eternally around their respective mountains. Outside of the Nine Mountains are two enormous heavenly bodies; the sun and a moon.

"Because of the reflections cast by the sea of stars, the sun and moon look different on each of the planets, but in fact, there is only a single sun and a single moon for all the Nine Mountains and Seas.

"In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, one of those four planets is Planet East Victory, which belongs completely to the Namikaze Clan. Although there are other sects and power structures on the planet, if the Namikaze Clan wanted to, we could unify the other powers. Instead, we permit them to exist.

"Actually, the largest planet in the Ninth Mountain and Sea is not Planet East Victory, but rather Planet North Reed. It is several times larger than Planet East Victory, and is where the Uchiha Clan, Nadeshiko Clan, and Shimura Clan, the Three Great Clans, all call home.

"Then there is Planet West Felicity, where you can find the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, one of the Three Great Daoist Societies, as well as other illustrious sects.

"To further analyze matters, you have to look at the Ninth Mountain and the Ninth Sea as a whole.

"Compared to everything else, Planet Lands of Ninshu is special. Since your father didn't tell you the details about that, then I won't presume to talk about them." After providing his explanation, 19th Uncle smiled and continued with his adjustments to the spell formation.

Naruto's eyes glittered with an intense light. 19th Uncle's description overlapped with his own understanding of matters to provide a much larger picture in Naruto's mind.

"19th Uncle, what other sects are on Planet East Victory?" he suddenly asked.

"The most famous are the Church of the Blood Orchid and the Church of the Puppet God, which are listed among the Three Churches and Six Sects. In addition to them is the Medicine Immortal Sect. They might not be listed among the Three Churches and Six Sects, but when it comes to the Dao of alchemy, in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they are second only to the Baldy Society.

"Most accurately speaking… the Medicine Immortal Sect has a deep connection with the Namikaze Clan. Ai… it was actually founded by a Patriarch of the Namikaze Clan who got angry and left to start his own sect.

"After we get back to the clan, my son, your cousin, can tell you more about all that." 19th Uncle extended his right hand and pushed down onto the surface of the teleportation portal, causing bright light to glitter up.

"Alright, that's it! Let's get going, Naruto. After enough time passes for an incense stick to burn, you'll be able to lay eyes on Planet East Victory!" Laughing loudly, 19th Uncle stepped into the teleportation portal, followed closely by Naruto. As the light of teleportation surrounded them, a glow of anticipation could be seen in Naruto's eyes.

Naruto and 19th Uncle soon vanished with the light. However, in the moment that they faded away, a black-robed cultivator appeared above the teleportation portal.

He wore no expression at all on his face, which was as cold as ice. He almost seemed completely devoid of emotion. He appeared without making a single noise, and when he saw that Naruto and 19th Uncle had disappeared into the portal, he stamped down viciously with his right foot, instantly shattering the teleportation portal.

The teleportation portal was fundamentally very difficult to shatter. Otherwise, Naruto and 19th Uncle would not have been so confident in using it; after all, this asteroid belonged to the Namikaze Clan, and was protected by a shield, making it very difficult for outsiders to get into the place.

The black-robed man pulled out a jade slip and sent some divine will into it.

"Target acquired. Teleportation portal's foundation destroyed." With that, he vanished.

Almost in the same moment that he vanished, brilliant lights could suddenly be seen at a point somewhere between the asteroid and Planet East Victory, accompanied by massive rumbling. In the middle of the light was a hole that had been ripped in the void, from which a multicolored glow surged out, as well as deadly ripples. A roar could be heard, which was 19th Uncle, who shot out from within the hole, his hair in disarray, his expression that of rage, and his cultivation base rotating at full power. Next, Naruto stepped out from within the hole, surrounded by thunderous roaring.

19th Uncle's face was grim, while Naruto's eyes gleamed with an intense light. Moments ago, they had been in the midst of teleportation, when suddenly, the teleportation tunnel collapsed. If 19th Uncle hadn't protected Naruto with his powerful cultivation base, then Naruto would definitely have been killed.

Almost as soon as 19th Uncle and Naruto appeared, ripples began to spread out all around them. In the blink of an eye, nine completely emotionless black-robed figures appeared. From the look of things, they had already calculated any avenues of escape that would be open to 19th Uncle and Naruto, and had sealed them off; this was a deadly ambush!

Rumbling echoed out as the nine people attacked in unison… all with peak Immortal Realm power!

"Dammit!" roared 19th Uncle. "You people really have gall! Didn't you know that was a teleportation portal of the Namikaze Clan!?" He immediately performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing an explosively destructive aura to surge out in all directions.

However, it was at this point that a faint aura suddenly materialized in the void, and then roared out explosively. This aura was not that of the Immortal Realm, but a step beyond that, the early Ancient Realm!

The appearance of this new aura caused 19th Uncle's face to flicker. He gritted his teeth, and a look of determination appeared on his face. He quickly grabbed Naruto and threw him off into the distance, as well as some other object, which turned into a beam of light that followed Naruto.

"Naruto, they're probably after me. You get out of here, and I'll come after you later!" 19th Uncle then began to perform a double-handed incantation.

"Great Heavenly Void!" cried out 19th Uncle. His entire body suddenly transformed into an enormous vortex that instantly sucked in the hidden Ancient Realm aura, as well as the nine peak Immortal Realm cultivators. Then, they all vanished.

Everything happened extremely quickly. From the collapse of the teleportation to 19th Uncle unleashing his divine ability and swallowing up his opponents, barely enough time passed to blink an eye.

Naruto was panting as he tumbled through the void. The beam of light that had been following him materialized into a flying shuttle, which surrounded Naruto and sped off into the distance. The shuttle would provide Naruto protection from the starry sky for quite some time.

Naruto's face flickered, and he turned to look back at the spot where 19th Uncle had fought the mysterious assailants. There was nothing to be seen; apparently, Naruto was now the only person out here among the stars.

"Were those people after 19th Uncle, or were they… coming after me!?" Naruto's eyes flickered. He was not a novice in the Cultivation world. Contrariwise, he was extremely discerning. After all, he had traveled the road of cultivation all the way to the peak of Dao Seeking completely on his own power and ability, all without even knowing his father and mother. The tempering he had gone through had left him with shocking willpower and intuition.

Without pausing for a moment, he sent some divine sense into the flying shuttle. After a moment of thought, he realized that while he didn't distrust 19th Uncle, he also knew that if those people weren't targeting him, then he could do whatever he wished right now. However, if they were targeting him, then that meant they had the ability to determine not just 19th Uncle's location, but his own. Therefore… he was not safe in this shuttle.

He decided not to use the shuttle after all. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and then flew out of the shuttle into the starry sky.

As soon as he left the shuttle, a suffocating pressure bore down on him. His body was immediately sent out of balance, and he began to sweat profusely. Fundamentally speaking, anyone who was not Immortal could not tread among the stars.

"I have eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal. I can kill false Immortals as easily as turning over my hand, and I'm actually comparable to a 40-meridian Immortal. Plus, my fleshly body is incredibly powerful. Therefore… I can rely on myself to fly through the stars!

"Although my speed might not be that great, I can still do it safely!" He lightly tapped the shuttle, sending it flying off in another direction, and splattered some blood onto it at the same time, which instantly transformed into a crude Blood Clone that could not wield divine abilities.

The flying shuttle speedily drifted off into the distance carrying his Blood Clone.

With that, Naruto turned into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Traveling through this endless void was different than traveling through the Ruins of Immortality. Here, Naruto had experienced an intense sensation of weightlessness. Here, things were different.

However, with his cultivation base, Naruto was able to quickly adjust and find his center of gravity, then was able to right himself and proceed along stably.

"So, I really can travel among the stars with this cultivation base," he thought, his eyes glittering. He could not breathe, but to cultivators, merely rotating their cultivation base was enough. He did not need anything from outside his own body to sustain himself.

He tapped his bag of holding to produce the jade slip his father had given him. After scanning it with divine sense, he quickly pulled up the map, and found Planet East Victory. When he found his own location and compared the distance between the two, he realized… that although it didn't look too far away, his current location was actually incredibly remote.

He muttered to himself for a moment, then put the jade slip away and continued speeding along. As he traveled, he would frequently unleash magical techniques and divine abilities, all to get more used to magical combat among the stars.

Several days later, as he proceeded along, his face suddenly flickered. He had just sensed that the Blood Clone he had left in the flying shuttle had disappeared.

"So, they were targeting me after all!" he thought. His eyes flickered with the desire to kill.

At the same time, in another location in the starry sky, two black-robed men hovered there, frowning. They wore the same type of clothing as that which had been worn by the black-robed men from earlier, although they were clearly not among the ten who had already shown their faces.

In front of them was the wreckage of the flying shuttle. Moments ago, a body could be seen inside the shuttle, but it had vanished, leaving behind only a spatter of blood, which then turned into a mist and faded away.

"What a cunning little son of a bitch," said one of the men. "I never thought someone so young could be such a profound schemer. He's really playing it careful."

"He's just a Spirit Realm cultivator," replied the other. "Even if he's comparable to a false Immortal, with forty or fifty percent of the power of a true Immortal, he won't be able to get very far. It will be very difficult for him to travel through the starry sky. Let's split up and look for him. There's still time to track him down!"

After exchanging a glance, the two men split up and began to search in two different directions with their divine sense.

Each of these men was at the peak of the Immortal Realm. However, they were incapable of opening 80 meridians, and in fact only had 70 or so. That made them stage 7 Immortals, which was their apex .

Naruto's face was grim as he sped along. As he grew more familiar with the starry sky, his speed increased. Soon, there was little difference between this type of travel and moving about on a planet.

Anyone else would be incapable of achieving something like that. However, based on all the things Naruto had experienced, he was naturally able to quickly adapt.

"I'm not sure how they managed to interrupt the teleportation process in the first place," thought Naruto, "but it shows that they're clearly very powerful.

"If 19th Uncle hadn't unleashed his divine ability, they might have just tried to pin him down, then go after their true target, me!

"Who is it exactly that wants to kill me?" Naruto frowned, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

"Could it be those Chosen that I crushed back then on Lands of Ninshu? Or was my identity as Kazama revealed?

"There's also another possibility, that the enemy tracked down and destroyed the flying shuttle to simply get rid of witnesses. Maybe they weren't targeting me." There was really no way for Naruto to be sure, but there was also one other guess as to the enemy's motives that he had contemplated in silence…but it was an answer that he didn't dare to lightly consider, and instead, focused on continuing forward at top speed.

Seven days passed, during which time the black-robed men continued to thoroughly search the area. Another black-robed cultivator arrived, making a total of three. Despite their combined efforts, there were no results.

Finally, they met back together to confer.

"Dammit! Did the kid grow wings and fly away? There's no sign of him anywhere!"

"Maybe he has a magical item that allows him to survive for long periods out in the stars. Let's widen the area of our search. We absolutely must track him down and kill him!"

"Once we find the son of a bitch, he's dead for sure!"

The three headed off in different directions to carry out a wider search.

One of them ended up searching the area where Naruto actually was.

A few days later, Naruto was speeding along when suddenly, his face fell. An intense killing intent exploded out from behind him, and he turned to find a black-robed cultivator closing in on him through the void.

The black-robed man was expressionless, and a flicker of ridicule could be seen within his cold eyes. Before he even got close, his voice echoed out.

"We underestimated you," he said. "Never thought you could get this far." As he closed in, the power of a stage seven Immortal exploded out, and a huge statue appeared behind him.

The statue was 21,000 meters tall, and pitch black. It was fearsome in appearance, and looked absolutely nothing like the black-robed man.

He wasn't a true Immortal, but a false Immortal. However, even a false Immortal who had reached the seventh stage, and opened 70 meridians, possessed shocking energy that would pose quite a bit of difficulty for Naruto.

Naruto's eyes flickered, and his expression was one of alarm and terror as he edged backward.

"W-what do you want?!" he cried out loudly, his voice quavering. "I'm from the Namikaze Clan! My father is Minato! How dare you try to kill me!" It was almost impossible to see in his eyes that he was actually gauging the distance between him and his opponent.

The black-robed man grinned viciously. He didn't respond, but instead got closer, raising his right hand into the air. The eyes of the statue behind him glittered, and it sent its massive hand out toward Naruto, clearly intending to crush him to death in a single blow.

Naruto stood in place as if he were scared stiff, allowing the huge palm to fall down toward him. At the same time, the black-robed man continued to get closer. He was now less than three hundred meters away.

In that instant, Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent. Three hundred meters was close enough for him to unleash some of his divine abilities. He stretched out his right hand and pointed toward his opponent. Instantly, the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex was unleashed. The starry sky distorted, and the black-robed man was suddenly locked in place.

Blood began to ooze out of Naruto's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, a result of the backlash caused by using this Hex on someone whose cultivation base vastly exceeded his own. However, no look of pain could be seen in his expression, only the desire to kill. His expression grew more and more fierce.

In the same moment that his opponent was locked in place, Naruto waved his sleeve. A black beam flew out, along with a astonishing energy, as the crocodile appeared. Shockingly, the crocodile was also comparable to a stage seven Immortal, and as soon as it appeared, it swished its tail. A boom could be heard as the black-robed man's eyes went wide and blood sprayed from his mouth. Because he was so close to Naruto, there was no way for him to dodge. He had no choice but to take the blow straight on and then shoot backward in retreat. The enraged crocodile pounced on him, and they began to fight back and forth.

"Dammit!" said the black-robed man, his face pale. He now realized that he had underestimated his opponent, and had been fooled. The battle hadn't even started, and he was injured, causing his killing intent to boil. He was just about to make an attack, when Naruto waved his hand out in a claw-like gesture. Immediately a long spear appeared that had a haft made from the World Tree, and a bone spearhead. Even as he hefted it, his Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and his cultivation base exploded out. Now was not the time to hold back, so in the blink of an eye, his Dharma Idol grew to 12,000 meters.

As soon as the Dharma Idol appeared, the black-robed man's face flickered with disbelief. According to the report he had received, his opponent only had power equivalent to thirty or perhaps fifty percent of that of a true Immortal. However, he was now obviously facing a stage four Immortal, which was especially shocking considering his target… was clearly not in the Immortal Realm.

"No wonder his majesty ordered this kid dead. He's incredibly discerning and cunning, and has a Heaven-defying cultivation base! He can't be left alive!" Astonishment filled the black-robed man's heart as Naruto closed in, killing intent glittering in his eyes. Behind him, his Dharma Idol barreled forward, and at the same time, the Mountain Consuming Incantation was unleashed, causing countless mountains to appear, which then linked together to form a mountain range that crushed down onto the black-robed man.

The black-robed man's face fell, and even as he prepared to fight back, the crocodile roared and lunged forward again. The already injured black-robed man was once again forced into retreat.

Rumbling could be heard, and blood poured out of his mouth. However, it was at this moment that a second black-robed man suddenly appeared, moving toward them at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was upon them. A boom rang out from the shocked Naruto's chest as it instantly caved in. He was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut, blood spewing from his mouth.

It didn't matter that Naruto's cultivation base was so much lower than the second black-robed man; he attacked him with full power anyway. However, when the man caught sight of Naruto again, a look of surprise could be seen on his face.

"Not dead?" His body flickered into motion as he attacked Naruto once again.

Naruto's chest was wracked with intense pain, and blood flowed from his mouth continuously. His chest was a mangled mess, but his eyes overflowed with killing intent. His Eternal stratum was currently healing him, but even as it did, Naruto realized that a third black-robed man had appeared off in the distance.

"There are actually three of them!" he thought, an imperceptible flicker running through his eyes. Temporarily suppressing the restorative power of the Eternal stratum, he transformed into a golden roc to evade the second black-robed man. A boom rang out, and Naruto transformed back into human form, blood spraying from his mouth. The second black-robed man frowned and then shot toward Naruto once more, utilizing bizarre speed.

However, just when the man was almost upon him, he suddenly extended his right hand, within which appeared the Lightning Cauldron. Electricity danced, and rumbling echoed out as he vanished to switch places with the third black-robed man.

The sudden switch in position aggravated Naruto's wound, and blood sprayed from his mouth. As he back up anxiously, the third black-robed man's eyes lit with a bright light.

"Precious treasure!"

A gleam of greed could be seen in the second black-robed man's eyes as well. He and the third black-robed man employed the full explosive power of a stage seven Immortal at almost the same time. To them, Naruto was something that could easily be killed, and yet, even still, they employed all the power they could possibly muster, transforming into beams of light that shot toward Naruto in quick succession.

They looked like strings of light flashing through the air, like arrows that, in the blink of an eye, were only thirty meters away from Naruto.

"Die!" the second cultivator said coldly. The killing intent in Naruto's eyes flickered, and suddenly, his body split in two as his second true self appeared. His second true self stepped forward and spread his hands wide to block, while Naruto's true self backed up. Then, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a bronze lamp.

As soon as the bronze lamp appeared, a weak flame flickered inside, and a terrifying aura exploded out. The two black-robed men's faces fell completely.

The faces of the two men instantly fell, and they immediately wanted to flee. They were in a dangerous situation, but considering the level of their cultivation base, it wasn't impossible to dodge aside. However, it was at this moment that Naruto's eyes flickered with a vicious gleam.

He immediately sent out a message with divine will: "Second true self, detonate!"

His second true self's eyes flickered, and his arms locked in place. In the blink of an eye, he self-detonated. This was the self-detonation of a true Immortal's soul and Naruto's fleshly body, as well as the Devilish will inside. A massive explosion shook the stars, and brilliant light spread out in all directions, almost like a sun.

BOOOMMMM!

The sudden detonation of Naruto's true self was a decisive move that few other people could pull off. However, Naruto had practiced cultivation for many years and had experienced many deadly situations. Because of his decisive personality, he didn't hesitate for a moment to detonate his second true self.

The two black-robed cultivators had been on the verge of fleeing, but the self-detonation was something that shook even them. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they lost their chance to retreat.

At the same time, raging killing intent could be seen in Naruto's eyes. He held out the ancient bronze lamp and then blew. A tiny bit of his breath brushed against the lamp, causing the flame inside to suddenly expand. Instantly, a flame sea sprang into being in front of Naruto.

The stars trembled as the flame sea raged.

It didn't spread out very far, only a few dozen meters. However, within that space, the shocking flames caused everything to ripple and distort. From a distance, the sea of flames resembled an enormous fiery butterfly, spreading destruction as it fluttered its wings.

The two black-robed men let out miserable screams. They tried to use magical items to defend themselves, but even the third black-robed man's treasures were instantly destroyed. Flames engulfed their bodies, and their skin cracked and burned.

The potency of the flame went beyond even Naruto's expectations. In the end, it only took a few breaths of time for the fire to completely incinerate the two black-robed men, who had actually excelled in terms of speed. One of them, in the moment before his death, glared at Naruto viciously, then used some unique divine ability to rapidly wither his own body and send a burst of energy out.

"We die together!" he howled. The energy surged toward Naruto, enveloping him.

Naruto's entire body began to tremble; massive power began to shred his skin. In the exact same moment that his body exploded, his Eternal stratum surged into action. The only thing left behind was the bronze lamp. By that time, the second black-robed man finally transformed into ash, and his soul dispersed. In the last instant before he died, no regret could be seen in his eyes; he had accomplished his mission.

The two men were incinerated, even their bags of holding and very bones transformed into nothing but ash.

Any presence of their existence was completely blotted out.

Off in the distance, the first black-robed man was still tangling with the crocodile. When he saw what had just happened, his jaw dropped in disbelief and terror.

"What fire is that!?"

He could never have imagined that the person he was going up against would be so terrifying. In order to kill him, two of his compatriots, both stage seven Immortals, had been killed, and had even been forced to attempt to end their own lives to accomplish the mission.

Those flames left the black-robed man's face completely ashen, and his heart pounding. He was now even more frightened than before, and was actually rejoicing that he hadn't been so hasty in his attack earlier. If he had been, he would most likely be dead now.

"This Naruto was vicious! He actually detonated his own clone to kill his opponents! Were it not for his decisiveness, the two of them would have been able to flee. With their cultivation bases, they shouldn't have been destroyed in body and spirit.

"If this kid hadn't met such an early end, then he would definitely have become famous throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

"Well, it's too bad that he did die!" A look of greed appeared in the man's eyes. Even as he fought with the crocodile, he looked over at the bronze lamp, which had a slice of bloody flesh laying across it. Next to it was Naruto's bag of holding.

"That precious treasure belongs to me now! Also that Lightning Cauldron with the transposition powers!

"Plus, now I will get all the credit for killing Naruto!" However, it was in this moment of excitement that his face suddenly filled with disbelief. Voice hoarse, he said, "Impossible!"

In that moment, the shredded, bloody pieces of Naruto's body formed back together. An ancient aura spread out that carried the feeling of Eternity. In only a moment, Naruto was completely formed anew!

His face was pale, but his eyes flickered with the desire to kill. He looked up at the black-robed man, his expression icy, as if he were looking at a dead man. The black-robed man's face fell and, despite the level of his cultivation, he was filled with terror and wanted to flee. Unfortunately for him, the crocodile went crazy to block his way.

Naruto coldly patted his bag of holding to produce a set of clothing, which he quickly donned. Then he put the bronze lamp back into his bag of holding. The spark inside was clearly much dimmer; it would probably only be usable once or twice more.

After putting everything in order, Naruto looked at the spot where his second true self had detonated. He waved his hand, causing all of the bits of blood and flesh to fly toward him. The soul of the true Immortal had not completely dissipated, although it had been reduced to only ten percent of its former power. All that was left of his body was a lump of gore, within which was the fully coalesced Devilish will. The whole thing resembled a black heart.

After sealing it and putting it away, Naruto headed toward the crocodile and the black-robed man.

He had sustained heavy losses in this fight, but had survived thanks to his Eternal stratum. If he hadn't made the sacrifices he had, he would definitely be dead now.

The black-robed man looked at him, his heart filled with fear. Naruto looked like some ancient fiend as he slowly approached.

The black-robed man was filled with shock, and had already sustained injuries. His heart was in chaos as the crocodile suddenly bit down on his right leg, causing cracking sounds to emanate out as the leg was shattered. It was in that moment that Naruto arrived, a red vortex beneath his feet. The vortex grew larger and larger until it resembled a sea of blood.

"Come no closer!" howled the black-robed man. He tried to retreat, but the crocodile had him pinned down, and he was injured again. By this point, he couldn't even unleash the full power of his cultivation base; he was now at the level of a stage five Immortal.

Naruto moved forward with incredible speed, the blood sea beneath his feet growing larger and larger. In the end, the sea of blood churned in a massive vortex that surrounded Naruto, until he wasn't even visible anymore.

BOOM!

The black-robed man performed an incantation, unleashing a divine ability that slammed into the sea of blood. It began to fall apart, but then reformed. The black-robed man's face was pale white, as he performed constant incantation gestures and constant attacks. He continued to try to retreat, and was continually harassed and injured by the crocodile.

His will to fight had long since vanished. Seeing his two companions die had struck quite a blow, and then Naruto had returned to life, which was an even more intense shock.

Furthermore, no matter how he attacked, Naruto's blood sea vortex couldn't be destroyed. Every time the vortex began to fall apart, it would quickly recover. In the space of a few breaths of time, the blood sea vortex reached the black-robed man and then began to envelop him.

Booms rang out, accompanied by the black-robed man's muffled, bloodcurdling shrieks. The vortex collapsed, but then exploded back out. Every time it collapsed, it reformed, until gradually, the screams grew weaker. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the cries faded away.

After a moment, the blood sea began to shrink back down, transforming into Naruto once again. In front of him was the desiccated corpse of the black-robed man, who stared up with wide, vacant eyes. His flesh and blood, cultivation base, and even soul had been sucked dry.

Naruto's face was a bit flushed as he hovered there among the stars, eyes closed. After a long moment, he opened his eyes, and he looked exhausted. Yet, within that exhaustion could be seen the desire to kill.

"So, they're actually from… the Namikaze Clan!" In the end, Naruto had used one of the abilities of the ultimate form of the Blood Demon Grand Magic, a terrifying divine ability with potentially fatal side-effects, that required only a bit of time to perform.

It was an ability that left him completely vulnerable to outside attack, which was why he had never used it before, a divine ability that allowed him to completely absorb the victim's memories.

"How cute," he thought, "and what a lovely clan. I haven't even arrived yet, and they've already sent people to kill me….

"Clearly, someone doesn't want me to get back to the Namikaze Clan alive….

"It's too bad that someone used a memory-wiping technique on this black-robed cultivator, making it impossible to determine who gave the orders to kill me. Clearly that person truly fears me." Naruto smiled, although it was a somewhat sinister smile.

As of now, he was no longer the Naruto who, after reuniting with his father and mother, could rely on their help. He was back to his old self, running wild, with only himself to depend on.

"The more somebody wants to prevent me from getting back alive, the more I want to get to the Namikaze Clan," he thought, his eyes flickering with murderous intent. Gradually, the killing intent faded into the recesses of his mind. He opened the black-robed man's bag of holding, but there was nothing inside other than a flying shuttle.

The flying shuttle operated on spirit stones, and would enable to him to make his way through the stars. As long as he had spirit stones, it would work. Unfortunately, because of the quality with which it was constructed, and the spell formations that it operated, its effectiveness was limited. However, higher quality spirit stones would enable it to move much faster

After he saw the flying shuttle, Naruto examined it closely. After determining that there were no booby traps or similar dangers, he quickly branded it with divine sense, then waved his hand, causing the shuttle to grow larger. When it reached thirty meters in length, he sat down inside of it, then, suppressing the pain he felt, placed a high-grade spirit stone down onto its surface. Rumbling could be heard as the shuttle then began to move forward.

Meanwhile, in another location in the starry sky, another black-robed man whose cultivation base exceeded the Immortal Realm suddenly stopped in his tracks. He lifted his right hand, and three shattered jade slips appeared within it.

"Dead? I sent those three to kill a Spirit Realm cultivator, and they ended up getting killed…? Did someone else interfere?" After a moment of silence, the black-robed man continued onward at top speed, intending to search for Naruto personally.

"In order to have Naruto killed, his excellency even sent people to keep Prince 19 from interfering. All just for this chance. Failure is not an option. Naruto… must die! He must not get to Planet East Victory alive!"

The flying shuttle was a beam of bright light that shot through the starry sky at a speed far, far greater than that Naruto was capable of achieving. At the same time, the rate with which it consumed spirit stones was terrifying.

Naruto's heart hurt, but he had no other options at his disposal. He could only continue to feed the high-grade Spirit Stones into the slot.

This type of flight method was something most people only used over short distances. To use it over a long period of time in the way Naruto was using it right now was quite rare.

"Just to be safe…." Naruto patted his bag of holding and the meat jelly appeared. It immediately began to jabber on and on but, this time, no matter what Naruto said in response, it wouldn't agree to help him.

Having no other choice, he finally produced the copper mirror and brought out the parrot.

As soon as it emerged, it began to wail and shout.

"Dammit, Haowie! Dammit!" it cried, seemingly on the verge of tears. "Dammit, Lord Fifth is finally out!" It had been sealed in the mirror for a long time; from its perspective, it seemed almost like 10,000 years. Now that it was free, it flew out squawking.

Naruto looked at the meat jelly and the parrot, and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

"Have the meat jelly change my appearance again," he said. "Otherwise I'll seal you back inside."

The parrot was enraged and refused to cooperate, but then it thought of the pain of being sealed away, and recalled being unable to have furred and feathered lovers, and was suddenly extremely frightened.

Finally, they reached an agreement. As long as the parrot agreed not to do anything out of line, it wouldn't be sealed away again. It immediately flew up to the meat jelly and began to arrogantly use some unknown method to get the meat jelly to suddenly look very anxious. Finally, with a dour expression on its face, it helped Naruto change his appearance, as well as the appearance of the flying shuttle.

The flying shuttle then whooshed away, taking a circuitous route toward Planet East Victory, instead of heading directly toward it.

Several days later, the black-robed man with a cultivation base exceeding the Immortal Realm appeared in the location where Naruto had fought the other black-robed men. After looking around for a moment, he was visibly moved.

"What flame was it that burned them up…?

"Don't tell me he has a Dao Protector who cultivates a flame power of the Ancient Realm!" An unsightly expression appeared on the man's face. After a moment, he sent his divine sense out, but couldn't find any traces of Naruto. Most importantly, he couldn't detect Naruto's aura, and thus couldn't lock down a specific area in which to search for him.

Finding someone in the middle of space is like looking for a needle in the middle of an ocean.

"If I say you can't escape, then escape you shall not!" said the man with a cold harrumph. He lifted his right hand, within which could be seen an archaic turtle shell which was obviously very, very old.

"His excellency even gave me this precious treasure to use, all for the purpose of seeing you dead! With this item, I can definitely track you down." Eyes glittering, he slowly raised up the turtle shell and began to chant a complicated, awkward-sounding incantation. Finally, he spit out some blood onto it.

"Naruto!" he growled. The turtle shell sucked in the blood and then began to quiver. Slowly, bubbles began to rise up from it, and images floated within each of them.

The black-robed man stared intently at the bubbles, chuckling coldly. He was very confident that this strange treasure would be able to find Naruto because of the clan blood that ran in his veins.

A moment later, the treasure began to shine with flickering light, and Naruto's image appeared. However, in the exact moment that he appeared…

The strange treasure began to shake, as if during the process of searching for Naruto, it had encountered some indescribable force of interference. Then a boom could be heard as the treasure exploded into countless fragments.

As it exploded, a shocking aura surged out from the treasure that caused the black-robed man to tremble, and a roaring sound to fill his mind.

It happened so quickly that he didn't have time to react. The force of the explosion sent him flying thirty thousand meters away, where he coughed up three mouthfuls of blood. A look of shock filled his face.

"His fate is untraceable?!" he said, his face ashen. Then he thought of the aura just now, and his scalp went numb.

Time passed. Three months. The atmosphere in the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory was a strange one during that time. Three months before, a clan member had been set to return, and yet no one showed up.

The welcoming ceremony was cancelled. Eventually, they realized they had lost contact with Prince 19, who had been sent to escort the direct bloodline grandson back. His disappearance made the atmosphere even stranger than before.

All of the members of the direct bloodline were furious. Many of them even left Planet East Victory to conduct searches of their own, but it was all in vain.

It wasn't just the direct bloodline clan members who went out searching. Ordinary clan members also went out to search for Naruto. Of course, the black-robed men were out searching as well, to find either Naruto or his corpse.

No one dared to deliver the news to Minato on Planet Lands of Ninshu. When Prince 19 finally returned and made his report to the Grand Elder, his face was extremely dark.

The Grand Elder appeared to be enraged, and even personally went out to where the teleportation tunnel had collapsed. Eventually, he determined that it had been an ambush set up by a sect who had harbored enmity with Prince 19.

The fact that Naruto had been dragged into this situation caused quite an uproar, and the Namikaze Clan eventually sent some experts to destroy the offending sect completely, which was quite a shock.

After three months with no news from Naruto, his 19th Uncle wallowed in guilt on a daily basis. He would constantly go out to search for Naruto, but never found anything. 19th Uncle felt especially guilty towards Minato, but didn't dare tell him about the matter.

Of course, he had been scared of his older cousin from the time he was small, and knew exactly what type of personality he had. If Minato found out what had happened, who knew what could happen as a result. One thing was for sure… a catastrophic storm would definitely occur.

Slowly, things calmed down in the Namikaze Clan. Fewer people went out to search for Naruto, until eventually, only the direct bloodline members were interested in the matter.

The Namikaze Clan was huge, and the direct bloodline had once been at the peak of glory. Naruto's grandfather had a monstrous cultivation base, there were other direct bloodline Patriarchs, and of course Naruto's father was a Chosen who struck awe into the hearts of everyone in his generation.

Now, however, Naruto's grandfather was missing, the other direct bloodline Patriarchs were reaching the point of Nirvanic Rebirth, and were in secluded meditation, and Minato had gone to Planet Lands of Ninshu.

In addition to all that, Naruto, the eldest grandson, had been born crippled. Gradually, the direct bloodline was now losing its power and influence. Before, it had been at the height of power, but now, only about ten percent of the other clan members were still loyal to the direct bloodline.

As the direct bloodline declined, auxiliary bloodlines rose. There was one bloodline in particular from which the Chosen Menma descended. His father, and other Patriarchs of the bloodline, were shining radiantly, and in the past few hundred years, had worked hard in service of the clan. Their reputations had even spread outside the clan, and therefore, their power only continued to grow. Soon, they commanded the loyalty of roughly thirty percent of the clan.

The remaining sixty percent remained in a position of neutrality, maintaining their own power structures and assisting each other as needed.

An entire half year passed. It was now almost a year since Naruto had gone missing. By now, even the direct bloodline had little hope that he would return, and ceased virtually all searching.

Even the cultivators in the black robes gave up, having assumed that Naruto died out in space. Not even the black-robed expert whose cultivation base exceeded the Immortal Realm was able to find traces of Naruto. Space is an enormous place, and it was impossible to completely lock down the starry sky which surrounded Planet East Victory; there was simply too much activity there.

Planet East Victory gradually returned to normal, and people stopped thinking about Naruto.

On one particular day, two thirty-meter flying shuttles limped and tottered into the starry sky outside Planet East Victory. As they gradually approached the planet, Naruto could be seen sitting cross-legged in one of the shuttles. His clothes were in tatters, and his face was withered and yellow. However, his eyes shone brightly. At first glance, he seemed to cut a sorry figure, but deep in his eyes, he seemed even more powerful than when he had left Planet Lands of Ninshu.

He had been traveling for nearly a year to get to the planet up ahead; at long last, he was almost there.

The number of spirit stones he had wasted had reached a shocking level. Whenever he thought about it, he gnashed his teeth, and his heart hurt painfully.

Throughout the year of travel, he had been forced to be extremely cautious in order to avoid being tracked down and killed. Even so, he had faced many dangers and run into many evil cultivators. Magical battles had ensued on multiple occasions.

It could even be said that he had experienced tough training throughout that year. He quickly forgot about the protection he had enjoyed from his father and mother. Once again, he experienced what it was like to be on his own.

"Finally… I can see Planet East Victory with my own eyes!" he thought, looking at the planet up ahead. It was huge, composed of about thirty percent blue ocean water, and seventy percent land. One of the continents spread out over nearly half the planet, was red in color, and emanated a bizarre aura.

The planet also had a glowing ring surrounding it, composed of countless drifting asteroids. The sight was spectacular.

As he looked over the scene, Naruto was shocked to find that there were cultivators sitting cross-legged in meditation on many of the asteroids. There were even some asteroids that had Immortal's caves cut into them.

The planet seemed to teem with powerful experts, and their shocking auras combined together to emanate dazzlingly out into the starry sky.

Without even setting foot onto the planet, Naruto was able to tell that it was a flourishing place. Countless cultivators entered and exited the planet. Colorful beams of light flashed to and fro, and the whole scene looked very different than Planet Lands of Ninshu, causing a cold light to shine in Naruto's eyes.

A young man sat cross-legged in the flying shuttle next to Naruto's. Smiling, he used divine will to transmit a message to Naruto.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, this is Planet East Victory. Once you take care of your affairs, don't forget to come visit me in the Medicine Immortal Sect. I can introduce you to some nice friends."

The young man's name was Gitai. Naruto had rescued him from the clutches of a gang of rogue cultivators, for which Gitai had been eternally grateful. After they had begun chatting, Naruto found out that he was a disciple of the Medicine Immortal Sect. Upon hearing that Naruto was traveling to Planet East Victory, he had immediately volunteered to personally escort Naruto there.

"Many thanks, Elder Brother Gitai," Naruto replied with a smile. "I definitely will." As he looked at Planet East Victory, the bright light in his eyes suddenly turned cold.

"According to my analysis," he thought, "the people in the Namikaze Clan who tried to kill me are definitely also afraid of my father. There seem to be some other reasons as well. Perhaps because of certain clan affairs, they feared anyone finding that they were the ones who killed me if they succeeded.

"That's why they lured 19th Uncle away, and then sent those black-robed men to kill me. Plus… those men had their memories erased, which lends proof to my speculation.

"Well then, although the Namikaze Clan might seem to be a dangerous place for me, I should actually be pretty safe there. They won't dare to kill me right in the middle of the clan!

"I have a high position in the Namikaze Clan, so they definitely wouldn't be so bold as to do something in the open." Chuckling coldly, Naruto sent the flying shuttle closer to Planet East Victory. As soon as he neared, a powerful divine sense shot out from the planet. It swept over him, then vanished and transformed into a vortex.

Simultaneously, a cold voice transmitted into his ear.

"Foreign cultivator: enter the vortex up ahead of you, and it will take you to the planet. Prepare your travel permits and jade identification plaque."

An imperceptible gleam flickered in Naruto's eyes. A vortex had appeared in front of Gitai as well. Looking around, Naruto saw similar scenes playing out with other arriving cultivators. Apparently, this was how things worked on Planet East Victory.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, there are a lot of rules on Planet East Victory. Everyone who arrives here is treated like this. If you have no travel permits and no identification plaque, then you'll have to pay dozens of times as many spirit stones, but will still be able to enter. Of course, the amount of spirit stones you pay will depend on how long you plan to stay on the planet.

"If you try to force your way in, you'll be killed.

"There's really nothing you can do about it. The entire planet is under the power of the Namikaze Clan. Years ago, Lord Hebi actually gave the entire place to them…." Smiling wryly, Gitai collected his flying shuttle, clasped hands to Naruto, and stepped into the vortex.

After a moment of thought, Naruto also put his flying shuttle away and stepped into the vortex.

Glittering light filled his eyes, and when everything became clear, he was no longer out in space. A sparkling shield of light stretched out beneath his feet, allowing him to see the lands below.

Directly in front of him was an enormous gate!

The gate was thirty thousand meters tall, forged from bronze, and was completely ancient in appearance. Carved with designs that appeared to have come from ancient times, it was completely shocking. However, if you looked at it closely, the images on the gate would be too blurry to make out.

There were three characters inscribed on top of the gate that were visible to all.

East Heaven Gate!

It was just a gate, but when Naruto looked at it, his pupils constricted. This gate… actually resembled the Door of Immortality.

Arranged in formation in front of the gate were over a hundred cultivators, looking around coldly at the over 1,000 other people who were lined up, waiting to enter.

On either side of East Heaven Gate were three other gates, much smaller. One of those gates was inscribed with the characters Puppet God, and on the other was a carving of a Blood Orchid.

The last gate was special. It looked archaic and bizarre, but it pulsed with a power that stimulated the bloodline power within Naruto.

Gitai appeared next to Naruto and began to explain.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, this is East Heaven Gate. Those other two gates are for the Church of the Puppet God and the Church of the Blood Orchid. The last one… is only for children of the Namikaze Clan."

East Heaven Gate was the only gate that had large numbers of cultivators lined up outside of it. The gates for the Church of the Puppet God and the Church of the Blood Orchid had no lines whatsoever, nor did the Namikaze Clan's gate.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, the only way to get onto Planet East Victory is by going through this gate. I'm actually from Planet East Victory, and even though the Medicine Immortal Sect has no gate, I have special privileges. However, since this is your first time here, I'll wait in line with you." Gitai ended his words by clasping hands and bowing.

Naruto clasped hands in thanks and the two of them took their place at the end of the line. He looked around at everything that was happening and mused about how completely different this was from Planet Lands of Ninshu.

Planet East Victory was huge, and in terms of how it was guarded, as well as how orderly everything was, there was a sense of sternness to everything. There also seemed to be an excess of rules.

Any cultivator who entered the Planet was carefully inspected. Only members of the sects from Planet East Victory enjoyed any sort of special treatment, and the most special treatment of all went to the Namikaze Clan.

As Naruto stood at the end of the line, he noticed that virtually all of the cultivators around him were in the Immortal Realm, although the majority were only stage two or three. There were few who were stage five or higher. Furthermore, although there seemed to be large numbers of them, they were all False Immortals.

After all, only cultivators in the Immortal Realm could step out into the starry sky. Cultivators in the Spirit Realm could only go there temporarily.

As time passed, the cultivators in line slowly passed through East Heaven Gate. Naruto remained in place, his expression calm, as he watched the cultivators handing over spirit stones in exchange for jade medallions.

Occasionally, miscellaneous cultivators from the Church of the Puppet God or the Church of the Blood Orchid would return from the stars, and would disappear into the gates specially set up for their sects. Every so often, people would leave from those gates as well.

Four hours passed rather quickly. Soon, Naruto was toward the front of the line, with only about seven people ahead of him. It didn't take long until their turn arrived. It was in this moment that ripples suddenly spread out up above in the starry sky. In the blink of an eye, eight streaks of light shot down.

They were eight cultivators, dressed in luxurious clothing, laughing and chatting as they proceeded along, as comfortable as if they were walking through the garden of their own house. The two cultivators in the lead position seemed to be in high spirits, full of energy and with extraordinary cultivation bases. They emanated an air of elitism.

"Look, people from the Namikaze Clan!" Gitai whispered to Naruto. "I recognize the two in the front. They're from a collateral bloodline of the Namikaze Clan that is second only to the direct branch of the clan."

The cultivators in the area immediately began to whisper to each other. Naruto's expression didn't change, though a barely detectable flicker could be seen in his eyes.

When the hundred or so cultivators gathered in front of the East Heaven Gate saw the eight newcomers, their expressions turned solemn. They immediately stepped forward, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Princes."

The two cultivators in the lead position among the eight smiled and turned back to a young woman among their number.

"Junior Sister Jimei," one of them said, smiling, "9th Uncle has been waiting for some time for you to return from your outside training!"

The pretty young woman smiled in response. Then she and the rest of the group walked past the bowing cultivators, nodding to them as they headed toward the Namikaze Clan gate. One by one, they passed through the gate, and as they did, glowing beams of light rose up into the air. The height of each beam was different, and when the young woman who had been addressed as Junior Sister Jimei stepped through the gate, the light shot up roughly 300 meters into the air.

Expressions of envy could be seen on the faces of the cultivators around Naruto as they discussed what was happening in low tones.

"A 300-meter Bloodline Gatebeam! That young woman… she definitely has a high position in the Namikaze Clan! Could she really be THE Jimei!?" 1

"It probably is. The Namikaze Clan gate only opens for members of the Namikaze Clan, and the thicker their bloodline is, the higher that beam of light!"

"Last year I was fortunate enough to catch sight of Prince Menma. When he walked through the Namikaze Clan gate, the Gatebeam was 24,000 meters high! It was spectacular!"

Of course, despite their envy, there was nothing they could do to alter their own bloodline backgrounds. Even if they became Outer Clan disciples, having Namikaze Clan blood was still an honor they wouldn't have.

Gitai was a disciple from the Medicine Immortal Sect, but even he was sighing in envy. Then he proceeded to explain all the advantages of being a member of the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory to Naruto. Of course, despite everything he said, it was still possible to hear how proud he was of his own identity.

"The Namikaze Clan might be powerful, but I'll never leave the Medicine Immortal Sect," he concluded.

Naruto listened silently during Gitai's explanation.

Eventually, the bowing cultivators straightened up. Their ingratiating expressions became once again solemn, and they resumed collecting spirit stones from the line of cultivators in exchange for allowing them to enter one by one.

Finally, Naruto was standing directly in front of the gate. The cultivator responsible for collecting spirit stones had a black birthmark on his forehead, making him look quite ferocious as he stared coldly at Naruto.

"How long do you plan to stay?" he asked. "If you have no identity medallion, then you'll have to pay 100 spirit stones per day. If you exceed a month, the price increases to 1,000 per day. After two months, the price is 10,000 per day."

Naruto frowned. He had heard the prices mentioned earlier, when he was further back in line, and they seemed extremely expensive. In contrast, if you did possess an identity medallion, then the price was only 10 spirit stones per day.

"I have no identity plaque," Naruto muttered, holding out a hundred spirit stones.

"One day?" The cultivator with the black birthmark grinned slightly. Over the years, he had encountered many cultivators who had claimed to only plan to stay one day, but who actually intended to stay longer, and just wanted to avoid paying the spirit stones.

People like that were eventually arrested by the Namikaze Clan, and then ended up paying even more spirit stones.

The man looked Naruto up and down, then tossed him a white command medallion and looked at Gitai, who stood further back.

Gitai's demeanor was different now than the one he used with Naruto. He looked a bit proud and arrogant as he threw his medallion over to the man. As soon as the cultivator saw the command medallion, his face broke into a smile, and, although he didn't clasp hands the way he had for the members of the Namikaze Clan, obviously treated him differently than Naruto.

Naruto held the white command medallion in his hand and walked toward East Heaven Gate. Just as he stepped into the gate, a powerful repelling force surged out, enveloping him and ejecting him from within the gate.

This scene immediately caused expressions of sympathy to appear on the faces of the cultivators in line. Gitai gaped in shock, then suddenly seemed to realize something, and involuntarily frowned. As for the cultivators standing guard outside the gate, their cultivation bases exploded with power and they immediately surrounded Naruto.

"Ejected by East Heaven Gate, huh? Seems you must have some evil intentions! Come with us. If the investigation proves that you're innocent, then you'll obviously be set free!"

"East Heaven Gate only rejects people who harbor malicious thoughts. Your cultivation base isn't very high, so if you resist us, we'll just kill you!"

The guard cultivators all stared at him with cold eyes.

Naruto frowned and looked down at the identity plaque he held. A moment ago, he had clearly sensed that the reason he had been obstructed by East Heaven Gate was because of the jade medallion, not he himself.

Gitai immediately approached, not hesitating to mention his status as he smoothed the matter over. After he finished speaking, the cultivator with the black birth mark, the one who had given Naruto the jade plaque, spoke up.

"Since Fellow Daoist Gitai here is willing to vouch for you, we can forgo the investigation. Just hand over 10,000 spirit stones as bail, and we'll forget the matter." His eyes overflowed with scorn as he looked at Naruto. He was convinced that a person like Naruto, with no identity medallion and a low cultivation base, had obviously run into trouble outside, and was now attempting to seek refuge on Planet East Victory.

Had Naruto been generous to begin with, and just handed over 10,000 spirit stones to purchase the right to stay there, then he wouldn't have caused any problems for him. However, he was obviously seeking a favor from Planet East Victory, and yet at the same time was being stingy. Whenever the cultivators who guarded the gate ran into people like this, they would make sure to teach them a lesson.

Of course, if Naruto had an incredible cultivation base, then they wouldn't dare to do something like that. But with his current cultivation base, he was definitely the type they would give a hard time to.

If it weren't for the fact that they wouldn't do anything to offend Gitai personally, they would definitely do everything they could to take advantage of Naruto.

Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. He had never imagined that just being a little stingy and handing over too few spirit stones for the toll would cause such a fuss.

Especially since… this was his home, the Namikaze Clan of Planet East Victory.

Especially since… he had experienced numerous twists and turns on his journey here, and had even had people trying to track him down and kill him. All of those things which had been brewing in Naruto's heart were now on the verge of causing him to explode.

Originally, his plan had been to get onto Planet East Victory, look around a bit, and then go to the Namikaze Clan. But as of this moment, he changed his mind. Now that he had finally arrived at Planet East Victory, he actually needn't keep a low profile any more. It was time for him to see who it was that actually dared to try to kill him!

He chuckled coldly, slapped his bag of holding, and caused 10,000 spirit stones to trickle out and form a small mountain.

The surrounding cultivators who guarded East Heaven Gate looked on with snide smiles. The man with the black birthmark made a grasping motion to collect the spirit stones. Then he looked scornfully at Naruto and threw him a jade plaque.

"If you'd done this to begin with you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble. Now, you may enter Planet East Victory."

Gitai quickly walked over to Naruto and murmured, "I forgot to mention this earlier, Elder Brother Uzumaki. These aren't ordinary guards, they're Outer Clan members of the Namikaze Clan…. If you had just spent a bit more money, then they wouldn't have given you a hard time.

"But, you only bought one day on the planet, and you didn't even have an identity medallion…." Inwardly, Gitai was shaking his head; were it not for the fact that Naruto had saved his life before, he would never have intervened and vouched for him.

Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he looked at Gitai and coolly said, "Many thanks for your assistance in this matter, Elder Brother Gitai. However, on Planet East Victory, if somebody takes my spirit stones, they will pay me back a hundredfold."

His words caused Gitai to gape.

Naruto turned and headed, not toward East Heaven Gate, but rather, in the direction of the Namikaze Clan's gate.

This immediately caused all of the cultivators in the area to stare him shock.

The more than one hundred gate guards were also looking on in astonishment.

"Is this guy crazy? He's actually heading toward the Namikaze Clan's gate?"

The man with the black birthmark sneered and said, "How reckless! Well, if he tries to force his way through the Namikaze Clan gate, then he'll be crushed to death. We don't have to do anything."

Gitai's face fell and he immediately hurried forward.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, it's… it's impossible for you to enter this gate! If you don't have the blood of the Namikaze Clan in you, then you'll be killed!"

Naruto paid him no heed, and in the blink of an eye, was in front of the gate. While all the other cultivators looked on in astonishment, he lifted his foot and stepped into the gate.

Discussions immediately broke out among the onlookers outside of East Heaven Gate.

"This guy is nuts…."

"If he doesn't have Namikaze Clan blood, then he's dead for sure! But, if he does possess a Namikaze Clan bloodline, then why would he wait in line and even pay a spirit stone tax?"

"Maybe he has some other way to get through the Namikaze Clan's gate. But wait, that's not possible! No matter what you do, even if you're from the Namikaze Clan itself, you can't hide your bloodline. Anyone who isn't from the Namikaze Clan will definitely be killed by that gate."

The over one hundred Namikaze Outer Clan members standing guard outside the gate looked on with cold smiles, especially the cultivator with the black birthmark, whose eyes especially shone with scorn.

"You went looking to die, so you can't blame anyone else," he sneered. "Fellow Daoist Gitai, it's not that I didn't give you face, sir. I already gave him permission to enter East Heaven Gate, and yet, he's choosing to kill himself."

Gitai stamped his foot, and then an anxious expression appeared on his face. However, there was nothing he could do.

It was in this moment that Naruto began to step into the Namikaze Clan's gate. Only half of his foot had actually entered the gate when it began to rumble.

"It's going to crush him to death!" said the cultivator with the black birthmark, a coldly sinister smile plastered across his face. A moment later, that smile suddenly froze, then turned into an expression of disbelief. Everyone else who was discussing the matter also stopped, and their eyes went wide.

The more than one hundred Outer Clan disciples who were guarding East Heaven Gate stared with open mouths.

Gitai's eyes flickered with shock, and his brain filled with roaring as he gasped in astonishment.

Everyone could clearly see that as Naruto stood there, the gate trembled and… began to shine with light.

It took only a moment for a 300-meter beam of light to rise up, completely filling the pupils of all onlookers with glittering reflected light.

"Impossible!" said the cultivator with the black birthmark, his voice hoarse. He suddenly began to quiver.

The more than one hundred cultivators guarding East Heaven Gate gasped, and their minds reeled.

The crowds immediately went into an uproar.

"A 300-meter Gatebeam! Heavens! He's a member of the Namikaze Clan, and not an ordinary one at that! The fact that he has a 300-meter Gatebeam shows that his bloodline exceeds that of an ordinary clan member!"

"If he's a member of the Namikaze Clan, then why did he try to go through East Heaven Gate?"

It was then that the crowds fell silent.

As soon as Naruto's foot touched onto the ground, and half of his body entered the gate, the beam of light shot up… from 300 meters to 3,000 meters, accompanied by deafening rumbling sounds.

The 3,000-meter Gatebeam was spectacular to behold, and all of the cultivators outside of East Heaven Gate felt as if they couldn't breathe. They stared in shock and disbelief, their minds reeling.

"A 3,000-meter Gatebeam…. Heavens! He's a Chosen of the Namikaze Clan!"

"Who is he? A cultivator with 3,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam can't be a nobody! He must have a high status in the Namikaze Clan!"

The cultivator with the black birthmark staggered backward a few steps, his face deathly pale, and a feeling of intense regret rose up in his heart. He even felt resentful.

"Y-y-you… you're actually a member of the Namikaze Clan!" he thought, panting continuously. "With a bloodline like that, why would you go through East Heaven Gate!? Why did you have to make trouble for me…? Well, even if you do have a 3,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, I was just enforcing the law as I should have, so my actions were justifiable!" Even still, his heart was filled with intense apprehension.

Gitai stood there gaping at Naruto, unable to even speak.

If that were all there were to the matter, it wouldn't be a big deal. But then, Naruto finished stepping into the gate, which caused the rumbling sounds to increase, and the beam of light to shoot higher into the air.

3,000 meters. 4,500 meters. 6,000 meters. 7,500 meters….

In the space of only a few breaths of time, the beam of light reached a height of 9,000 meters!

A plopping sound could be heard as the cultivator with the black birthmark suddenly seemed to lose all of his cultivation base and strength. He sat down onto the ground, his face as pale as a corpse's, without the slightest sign of color.

"9… 9,000 meters!" he thought. "Finished. I'm finished! If… if it were only 3,000 meters, I could still say I was just enforcing the law, but he… he has a 9,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam. A clan member like that, I… I…."

He wasn't the only one who was acting like that. The Namikaze Outer Clan members who had surrounded him earlier and mocked him coldly were now looking on with fallen faces. Their scalps were numb, and they were terrified.

The rest of the people standing outside of the gate were watching with wide eyes and slack jaws, their minds trembling.

"9… 9,000 meters…. What bloodline is that? That's second only to the number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, Prince Menma. When Prince Menma entered the door, his Gatebeam reached 24,000 meters!"

"Who is this guy…?"

It wasn't just the people outside the gate who were shocked. In the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion in Planet East Victory, there was a huge bell. Moments ago, that bell had begun to toll. The sound of it rang out through all of the clan's various branches. No outsider could hear it; it rang out only in the minds of the members of the Namikaze Clan.

In the main hall of the ancestral mansion, an old man with a full head of white hair sat cross-legged in meditation. His expression was solemn, and when he opened his eyes, his gaze was profound, and his eyes flickered like lightning. Sitting in front of him were eight other people, all of whom were engaged in a discussion.

When the bell tolled, the faces of all of the men in the main hall flickered, and they looked up.

"Someone with a strong bloodline just entered the Namikaze Gate and has invoked the toll of the bell!"

"The Dao Bell only tolls when a clan member enters the gate for the first time, and a Bloodline Gatebeam of 3,000 meters or higher appears!"

"What member of the junior generation has gone to test out their bloodline?"

Everyone was shocked, and the old man sitting up front looked up, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

When members of the Namikaze Clan came of age, they would enter the Namikaze Gate to test their bloodline. The Dao Bell would only ring the first time they did so.

As of this moment, there were many locations within the Namikaze Clan in which expressions of surprise could be heard. Naruto's 19th Uncle was currently sitting cross-legged next to a lake, clutching a flagon of alcohol, his face glum and anguished. When the bell tolled, he almost didn't seem to hear it, and just kept drinking. Off to the side, a young man with a bitter expression on his face hung upside down in midair.

In another location was a stretch of pitch black land from which a volcano rose up. Sitting cross-legged deep inside the volcano was a middle-aged man, whose eyes suddenly snapped open and began to shine with brilliant light.

In another area, there was a blood-red desert, where a young man could be seen sitting. He suddenly raised his head and looked up into the sky.

In a variety of locations, clan members began to take notice of the tolling of the bell. When it tolled a second time, even more people were visibly moved. When it tolled a third time, even more people were shocked.

However, after the third tolling of the bell… it didn't stop!

Naruto stood there in the Namikaze Clan's gate, unmoving, surrounded by a gentle aura that swirled around his body, stimulating his bloodline. His face was calm; since he had chosen this route, then he would continue to shock Heaven and Earth.

He took a deep breath and fully released the power of his bloodline, allowing the gentle power of the gate to thoroughly assess its strength.

In the blink of an eye, the Gatebeam exploded up. It broke through from 9,000 meters to 12,000, causing the bell to toll a fourth time!

That fourth bell toll could be heard by all the Namikaze Clan members over the entirety of Planet East Victory, and caused even more people to feel astonishment. Next, however, the Namikaze Gate's Gatebeam shot higher, reaching 15,000 meters. A fifth bell toll echoed out, shaking the entire Namikaze Clan.

"Five bell tolls! Who is testing out their bloodline? It's… so strong!"

"In the younger generation of the Namikaze Clan, there are less than fifty people who can achieve a 15,000-meter Gatebeam! When it comes to a 18,000-meter beam, there are less than ten, and as for a 21,000-meter beam… there are only three! And then there's… Prince Menma, with his 24,000-meter beam!"

The Namikaze Clan was in an uproar. Naruto stood bathed in light in the Namikaze Clan's gate, the Gatebeam so bright that no one could see him inside of it. Naruto took another breath, and his eyes glittered as the Gatebeam… shot up once again!

It went from 15,000 meters up to 18,000 meters, the scintillating light seemingly limitless. All of the people outside of East Heaven Gate were struck speechless.

When the sixth bell tolled, the entire Namikaze Clan was sent into a stir.

Multiple figures shot up from various locations in the clan and headed toward East Heaven Gate. Even the Elders in the main hall of the Ancestral Mansion flew outside and then began to teleport toward the gate.

Tens of thousands of people all flew out at the same time, including countless powerful experts. In the blink of an eye, numerous people emerged from East Heaven Gate and looked over toward the Namikaze Clan's gate.

The other cultivators outside of East Heaven Gate began to edge backward, their bodies trembling, their expressions that of excitement. They looked at the people walking out of East Heaven Gate and realized that all of them were cultivators from the Namikaze Clan, powerful experts.

These people peered at the Namikaze Clan's gate, but were unable to clearly see who was inside.

"I wonder which branch's child has achieved such a level!"

"Hahaha! The Immortals are blessing the Namikaze Clan. Another Chosen has appeared!"

"Who is it? Is it Jugo? Or Jigumo? Perhaps Jimei?"

The Namikaze Clan members who had just arrived were all waiting in anticipation. It was at this point that a group of eight figures appeared, led by the white-haired old man who had been sitting in the lead position in the main hall of the ancestral mansion.

As soon as he appeared, the other Namikaze Clan members looked over in shock, and then clasped hands.

"Greetings, Grand Elder!"

This old man was none other than the person who had been left to preside over the Namikaze Clan's affairs after the Patriarchs had gone into secluded meditation. He was… the Grand Elder, Kageki! 1

Just as his name suggested, Kageki had an exceedingly high cultivation base that was virtually beyond comprehension. As he walked out of East Heaven Gate, he looked over at the Namikaze Clan's gate, but even he could not see who was inside. All he could see was a vague shadow.

Kageki laughed loudly and said, "An 18,000-meter Gatebeam is an incredibly important matter for the Namikaze Clan. Very well, very well… a clan member with a bloodline like this means that the Namikaze Clan will definitely have a new Chosen!"

At the same time, more and more Namikaze Clan members were emerging from East Heaven Gate.

Meanwhile, the Outer Clan cultivators who had been guarding the gate were so scared that their limbs had become like jelly. They seemed on the verge of dropping dead from fright. As for the cultivator with the black birthmark, he was laying on the ground shivering uncontrollably.

Gitai was also shaking. He looked around at the powerful figures around him, and then back at the Namikaze Clan's gate, his face covered with a look of disbelief.

It was at this point that more rumbling sounds could be heard as the light exploded up once again. It went from 18,000 meters to 21,000 meters, completely shocking the Namikaze Clan and everyone else outside the gate.

Grand Elder Kageki's eyes were shining with unprecedented brightness.

"21,000 meters! In the current generation of the Namikaze Clan, there aren't even ten people who can cause a 21,000-meter Gatebeam to appear! Today… there's one more! Who is this person?"

"It's definitely someone from an auxiliary bloodline. I'm eighty percent certain that it's Jimei."

The Namikaze Clan members outside East Heaven Gate were completely astonished. Meanwhile, back on Planet East Victory, seven bell tolls had rung out into the ears of all Namikaze Clan members. It was at this point that Naruto's 19th Uncle, who sat by the lake drinking alcohol, suddenly quivered. He slowly put the flagon of alcohol down and looked up into the sky.

"Seven bell tolls…" he thought. "Who exactly is stepping into the Namikaze Clan's gate for the first time. Could it be… that it's Naruto?!" 19th Uncle suddenly stood up and waved his hand. The young man who had been hanging there upside down let out a shriek as 19th Uncle grabbed him and flew up into the air.

"Dad! Dad, it was my fault! I really made a mistake…." 19th Uncle completely ignored the young man's shrieks, simply carrying him along as he shot toward East Heaven Gate. He had to see if this newcomer… really was Naruto!

Meanwhile, in the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, there was another temple hall in which two people sat. One was an old man, the other slightly younger. They sat there cross-legged, listening to the tolling of the bell.

The old man's eyes opened, and he coolly said, "Go see which bloodline this person comes from. If it's ours, then it doesn't matter. If not… ask that person to come here; I can always adopt another grandchild."

The middle-aged man's expression was dignified, and he actually somewhat resembled Minato. He nodded, then strode away and vanished. When he reappeared, he was up in the sky.

His eyes glittered brightly.

"Latent talent with a 21,000-meter Gatebeam. That's only a little bit less than my boy, and makes this person worthy of becoming his little brother."

At the same time, deep down in the earth beneath the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, there was an Immortal's cave. It was filled with dense Immortal Chakra, the reason being that the entire Immortal's cave… was made of Immortal jade!

A young, bare-chested man sat cross-legged in that Immortal's cave, surrounded by nine wizened old men. The old men were bound with iron chains that were in turn connected to spell formations. The men howled shrilly as Immortal Chakra flowed out from them into the spell formations, and was then absorbed by the young man.

There were an additional three old men who stood in the cave, observing the process with slight smiles.

"Prince, your cultivation base is continuing to progress."

"Considering your latent talent, Prince, you can definitely be reckoned one of the very best in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Soon, even the Chosen from the Three Great Daoist Societies will have no choice but to bow their heads in your presence."

"Prince, you have incredible ambitions. It won't be long before you reach true Immortal Ascension. Then, you will be able to sweep across all the Chosen in the Ninth Mountain and Sea."

It was at this point that the tolling of the bells reached their ears, and the faces of the three men flickered. The young man, however, continued to meditate.

None of the non-Namikaze Clan members on Planet East Victory could hear the bells. However, more and more Namikaze Clan members were flying out and heading toward East Heaven Gate, gathering there to look at the boundless Gatebeam.

"Just who exactly is it…?"

"There's no need to get excited. We'll be able to see who it is soon enough. Pretty soon, this person's rank in the clan is going to be very different from everyone else!"

Within the crowd, Naruto's 19th Uncle peered toward the shadow in the Namikaze Clan's gate, trembling. Nobody else had ever seen Naruto before, and thus, wouldn't recognize him. However, 19th Uncle could sense something familiar about the shadow.

"Who is it?" asked the young man next to 19th Uncle, staring with wide eyes. "Who has a 21,000-meter Gatebeam?" In response, his father smacked him hard.

"Dad…." grumbled the young man, scowling. He was just about to say something else when, all of a sudden, more rumbling could be heard, and the beam of light coming from the Namikaze Clan's gate… shot higher once again.

RUMMMBLLLE!

It went from 21,000 meters all the way to 24,000 meters. The grand sight caused all the Namikaze Clan Members outside East Heaven Gate to stare blankly.

"Heavens! What's… what's going on!?"

"24,000 meters. I can't believe… that it actually reached 24,000 meters! Prince Menma's Gatebeam is also 24,000 meters! This person's bloodline is actually as strong as Prince Menma's!"

"Who is there in the clan that could pull this off? It's impossible! If I remember correctly, there is no clan member at all who has a bloodline like this!"

Amidst all the uproar, there were a few old men in the crowd from the Namikaze Clan whose expressions were grim and bitter, and who said nothing. There weren't many people like that in the crowd, but they were all direct bloodline descendants of the Namikaze Clan!

Their glory was now a thing of the past. First Naruto's grandfather had gone missing, then his father went to Planet Lands of Ninshu. After that, the direct bloodline Patriarchs all went into secluded meditation and wouldn't emerge. The direct bloodline was in decline, and the situation was only continuing to grow worse.

When they saw the boundless light in front of them, they could only sigh.

"Our bloodline used to have someone who could considered a true Chosen! It's too bad… he was supposed to return last year, but… now we don't even know if he's alive or dead."

There was another person in the crowd, a person who had just arrived. He was the middle-aged man who intended to try to acquire Naruto for his own bloodline. Originally, he stood there in the middle of all the other clan members, smiling broadly.

However, now that the Gatebeam had reached 24,000 meters, his eyes widened, and deep therein could be seen a flicker of killing intent. It didn't matter who this person in the gate was, the fact that they had caused a 24,000-meter Gatebeam to appear meant that they were a threat to his son.

Grand Elder Kageki's pupils constricted imperceptibly. However, his expression was one of kindness, and even more so, excitement.

"Wonderful! It appears that the Namikaze Clan will soon have another almighty Chosen like Menma!"

The Namikaze Clan was in an uproar. On Planet East Victory, the bell had tolled eight times, and the clan members who had not already flown up into the air were astonished. Whether it was the young man in the blood-colored desert, or the middle-aged man practicing cultivation in the volcano, or anyone else, they all flew up.

Back in the ancestral mansion, the old man who had sent his son to East Heaven Gate suddenly opened his eyes, and they shone with terrifying light.

"24,000 meters. Other than my grandson, there is no one in the current generation of the Namikaze Clan who has such a strong bloodline. This person must not be from Planet East Victory!

"It's him… it must be that damned son of a bitch! He's not dead after all!" At first, killing intent flickered in his eyes, but then he frowned, and felt fear welling up in his heart. This was Planet East Victory, and because of the Namikaze Clan Dao Reserves… it didn't matter how high up he was in the clan, he didn't dare to publicly break clan rules.

"Dammit, he's making such a big scene! You can tell he's a profound schemer!"

By now, everyone in the Namikaze Clan was shaken. Naruto's Gatebeam put him on par with the number one Chosen in the clan, Menma. The strength of such a bloodline was completely terrifying.

The ordinary clan members were all excited, but those clan members with deep cultivation bases or otherwise held significant influence watched with various expressions. They were happy to see a Chosen appear. However, if that Chosen's power reached a terrifying level… then it wouldn't actually be a joyous occasion.

If this person threatened Menma's status, a fight would surely break out like that between a dragon and a tiger, the result would be a clan member dying, and would affect the struggle for supremacy by the various sub-branches in the family. In-clan fighting was a very complicated thing.

Naruto stood there in the Namikaze Clan's gate, his eyes closed but his blood surging. As it flowed through his body, he could sense that… there was still more power locked in his blood.

He took a deep breath and then suddenly opened his eyes.

"If I'm going to make a big scene, then I might as well go all out!" His cultivation base exploded with power, his blood flowed, and the entire gate began to shake. The Gatebeam outside once again shot up higher into the sky.

25,000 meters. 26,000 meters… 27,000 meters!

A buzz of conversation rose up, but was quickly silenced as… the beam continued to climb higher!

28,000 meters. 28,500 meters… 29,000… All the way to…

29,900 meters!

30,000 meters! 1

All of the Namikaze Clan members were completely shaken to the maximum. Although Grand Elder Kageki's pupils dilated with shock, his face was plastered with a huge smile. The older members of the clan were frowning, but the ordinary clan members were shouting out in happiness.

"30,000 meters! That's even more than Prince Menma! This person's bloodline purity is unprecedented!"

"A 30,000-meter Gatebeam! In the tens of thousands of years of recorded clan history, there has never been something like this before!"

"According to the legends, only the early ancestors of the clan had a 30,000-meter Gatebeam. That means this person's bloodline… evoked an Ancestral Awakening!"

Naruto's 19th Uncle was incredibly excited, and his eyes shone brightly.

"It's definitely Naruto. Only a grandson of the direct bloodline could have blood like that!"

On Planet East Victory, the ninth bell tolled, and then a tenth. As they echoed out, the old man in the ancestral mansion suddenly shot to his feet, an expression of disbelief on his face. Deep beneath the surface of the ground, the young man in the Immortal's cave who was absorbing the Immortal Chakra from the nine old men suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils were violet, and shone with a strange glow.

"So, has he returned…?" the young man murmured.

On this day, the Namikaze Clan members were sent into unprecedented astonishment.

On this day, the crowds were packed tight outside East Heaven Gate.

On this day, all of the powerful experts of the Namikaze Clan flew out to East Heaven Gate.

On this day, the cultivators who had lined up outside East Heaven Gate experienced something they would never forget.

On this day, Gitai saw something that he would remember for his whole life, something like a dream. A cultivator he knew as Naruto… stepped into the Namikaze Clan's gate, and a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam shot up. It was the stuff of legends, and perhaps, the foundation of a myth.

Rumbling echoed out from the Namikaze Clan's gate as the brilliant light slowly faded away. The eyes of all onlookers, of all the Namikaze Clan members, were cast toward the gate. Gradually, what became clear was an unfamiliar young man who walked out to stand in front of everyone.

He was tall and slender, and wore a long blue robe. His black hair drifted about in the air around him, and his face was somewhat sallow and thin. However, as he stood there, he looked like he was standing on top of the sun.

His eyes shone brightly, like stars, and as he stood there, he looked around at everyone a bit bashfully.

"My father is Minato. My mother is Kushina. My big sister is Karin. I took my mother's surname, and my name is Naruto. Grandfathers and Grandmothers, Uncles, Brothers and Sisters… greetings!"

Naruto clasped hands and bowed deeply.

Naruto looked at all the members of the Namikaze Clan and introduced himself in an unprecedented fashion. The response to his words was complete and utter silence.

All the clan members looked at Naruto, at his unfamiliar face, and the Namikaze Clan gate behind him. The 30,000-meter beam of light from moments ago had faded away.

Naruto was a name they weren't familiar with, but when it came to Minato, that was a name that had once been the most glorious name in all the Namikaze Clan, and a name that would never be forgotten. Minato was the eldest son of the direct bloodline, and the number one Chosen of his generation. He had swept easily across all the other clan members of the other bloodlines, and had also suppressed the Chosen of various other sects in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

During that time, Minato was so mighty that he was like a blazing sun in the sky and all others in his generation were like ordinary stars that served only to illuminate him in his splendor.

Furthermore, he ended up marrying an exceptional daughter of the Meng Clan. People came from the Eighth Mountain to attend their cultivator bonding ceremony, turning it into a grand occasion that people from both of those great Mountains and Seas still discussed.

Then Naruto was born, which pushed Minato and Kushina to the peak of fame.

But then, in much the same way that luxury often fades to poverty, everything had changed in the blink of an eye. To the surprise and disbelief of many, Minato's father disappeared, and then Minato… went to Planet Lands of Ninshu to guard it for 100,000 years….

And all of this was for his son, Naruto!

He was a boy with a strong bloodline, who had experienced Nirvanic Rebirth at the age of seven. He had a Heaven-defying bloodline, but had been born crippled. During those years, there were many people who believed that Naruto was holding his mother and father back.

But now, Naruto had returned!

Or perhaps you could say, Naruto had returned!

The return of this one individual had prompted the entire clan to emerge to receive him. When he left with his parents, it shook all of Planet East Victory. Then he returned, and similarly shook the entire planet once again.

That was because his return was marked with a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, which immediately vanquished the number one Chosen of the Namikaze Clan, Menma. His actions swept across all clan members, and made him the focus of all eyes.

After a moment of silence, the clan members erupted into conversation.

"Naruto…. He's Naruto! The eldest grandson of the direct bloodline!"

"Heavens! It's actually him! He's returned! He's the kid from years ago who had the strong bloodline and underwent Nirvanic Rebirth at the age of seven! He's… back!"

When Naruto spoke the names of his parents, the direct bloodline clan members in the crowd began to tremble with excitement. 19th Uncle strode forward, staring at Naruto. During the past year, he had been wallowing in guilt and self-blame for letting his older cousin down, to the point where he had almost drowned in the negativity. Now that he saw Naruto safely returned, and also surging with incredible power, the joy he felt was virtually impossible to even describe.

Laughter rang out as Grand Elder Kageki walked forward. He looked at Naruto and then smiled kindly.

"As long as you're back, that's what's important. It doesn't matter if your name is Naruto or Naruto, you are still a member of the Namikaze Clan, and the eldest grandson of the clan's direct bloodline!

"I held you in my arms when you were a little kid, you know." Kageki laughed heartily, and the kindness on his face was readily apparent. The more he looked at Naruto, the happier he seemed.

Behind him were other elder members of the clan, all of whom wore happy smiles on their faces as they approached Naruto.

"What a good kid! You must have suffered many hardships through the years."

"As long as you're back, that's what's important. Now that you've returned to the clan, your future prospects are limitless."

"Today is a day for great rejoicing! Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"

All the members of the Namikaze Clan were crying out in joy. In the cultivation world, when it comes to clans and sects, bloodlines and family, while they may be complicated, they are sometimes very simple.

Naruto's return was the subject of great happiness for countless individuals. The previously taciturn middle-aged man was laughing out loud. He stepped forward, looked Naruto over, and then sighed deeply.

"Naruto, I'm your 2nd Uncle. Years ago, your father and I fought in battles together, grew up together, and practiced cultivation together. In fact, you and Menma were born only an hour apart. You were virtually born together.

"The most important thing is that you're back. You're a member of the Namikaze Clan, and within our clan, you are definitely Chosen!"

More people crowded around Naruto, especially the direct bloodline clan members. They were more excited than anyone else. Naruto's return was a source of incredible inspiration and encouragement. Furthermore, the appearance of the 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam finally gave them hope for their own bloodline.

"Naruto," said the Grand Elder, "come. Come here to me, and we can return home together." The praise and geniality in his eyes were clear.

19th uncle approached and began to introduce everyone to Naruto. "Naruto, this is the Grand Elder. The Patriarchs are all in secluded meditation. Fortunately, the Grand Elder is here to handle clan affairs."

Naruto quickly clasped hands and bowed.

"Junior offers greetings, Grand Elder."

The Grand Elder laughed; he seemed to be growing fonder of Naruto by the minute.

"However, I can't return to the clan at the moment," said Naruto, sounding a bit embarrassed. In response to his words, everyone stared in shock.

"A few moments ago, somebody stole some of my spirit stones," Naruto continued, sighing. His gaze swept across the group of Outer Sect cultivators who had been guarding East Heaven Gate, lingering for a moment on the cultivator with the black birthmark. In response, a tremor ran through the man, and then he passed out from fear.

"How much was stolen?" asked the young man standing next to 19th Uncle, looking excitedly at Naruto.

"A million," Naruto replied indignantly.

"Alright, well I'll take care of it." The young man licked his lips. "Oh, my name is Hotarubi." This young man was also a direct bloodline descendant, and was Naruto's younger cousin. 1

The rest of the Namikaze Clan members started to laugh out loud. The scene that was playing out in front of them was almost like a comedy. Clearly, someone had offended Naruto earlier, before they had known who he was. The Namikaze Clan members viewed the honor of the clan as an important thing, and wouldn't tolerate that honor being trampled, not even by Outer Clan cultivators who weren't aware of Naruto's identity. Those cultivators had unwittingly committed a grave mistake, and would have to be punished.

Immediately, clan members sprang into action, lining up the ashen-faced guard cultivators and taking them away.

As the cultivator with the black birthmark was taken away, he howled miserably. In his regret, tears streamed down his face.

The Grand Elder shook his head and laughed, then clasped Naruto's hand and led him into the Namikaze Clan's gate. The other Namikaze Clan members followed behind. Light from the gate shot high into the air, and rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions.

Gitai stared in shock. As Naruto walked off, he turned back and nodded benevolently. Although Naruto said nothing, Gitai was very moved.

Gradually, all of the Namikaze Clan members returned to Planet East Victory. A new set of cultivators was brought to stand guard outside the gate. These new cultivators trembled nervously; they knew what fate was in store for the previous guards, and held deep respect and fear for Naruto.

Now, they treated the crowds lined up outside the gate with incredible courtesy as they let them through.

Back in the Namikaze Clan, clan members from various bloodlines returned from afar and gathered together in the ancestral mansion for a grand welcoming ceremony.

Compared to the gathering that had been prepared one year before, it was exponentially grander. After all, the previous gathering had been more for show. This time… many people came back of their own volition. They wanted to see for themselves exactly what Naruto looked like, this clan member who had a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam.

Roughly half of Planet East Victory was under the Namikaze Clan's jurisdiction and was occupied by various auxiliary bloodlines. On this planet, there was no Imperial dynasty, only the Namikaze Clan.

Regardless of whether it was their mortal cities, or their cultivators, the Namikaze Clan… was so large and powerful that they eclipsed everyone else. Furthermore, the Church of the Blood Orchid and the Church of the Puppet God both had deep connections to the Namikaze Clan.

Of course, the Medicine Immortal Sect was independent, since it had been founded by a Patriarch of the Namikaze Clan who was still alive, creating a unique relationship.

The Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion was essentially a huge city, and served as the capital city of the Namikaze Clan. It was situated next to an ocean, and was the location where the innumerable bloodlines of the Namikaze Clan would come to gather. It was filled with extravagantly decorated palatial buildings and numerous pagodas that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

In the past, only the direct bloodline had occupied the ancestral mansion, but in recent years… as the direct bloodline declined, some areas had been occupied by an auxiliary bloodline. Now, the direct bloodline only controlled about half of the entire ancestral mansion. In fact, signs pointed to that auxiliary bloodline eventually coming to be considered the main branch.

The welcoming ceremony for Naruto's return was an affair attended by tens of thousands of clan members, who were now gathered in the central square in the middle of the ancestral mansion. To Naruto, it looked vaguely similar to what he had seen in the illusory Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple.

The ground was paved with green stone slabs, and numerous spell formations could be seen, which emanated incredible pressure. To Naruto, it almost felt as if an enormous ocean were covering everything and weighing it down.

The buildings he saw in all directions were luxurious, and it was as if an enormous sect that could shake all of the Ninth Mountain and Sea had suddenly revealed a tiny portion of itself to Naruto.

Yet, all of it was really just the tip of the iceberg. There were further layers of power that Naruto couldn't even sense with his cultivation base. All he knew was that it was impossible for him to even imagine how many Namikaze Clan members there were on Planet East Victory, and that wasn't even mentioning the Outer Clans or other cultivators who had been specially bestowed with the surname Namikaze.

Altogether… it was a staggering number of cultivators.

Furthermore, the people who had appeared earlier outside of East Heaven Gate were only the most illustrious members of their various bloodlines.

The Grand Elder presided over the welcoming ceremony, and introduced Naruto to many clan members. After sacrifices were made to the ancestors, he gave Naruto a command medallion and numerous other trifles. After that, he led Naruto to the Namikaze Temple in the ancestral mansion.

The temple was enormous, and from the outside, resembled some enormous beast sitting there cross-legged. Inside was a coliseum-like structure, with ten thousand seats arranged in concentric rings. At the moment, more than half of those seats were occupied by various elder members of the clan. All of them looked on with sparkling eyes, and had cultivation bases so profound that Naruto couldn't assess them.

Grand Elder Kageki sat up in the front, his gaze as bright as fire as he looked at Naruto standing in the middle of the temple. There were many other clan members seated nearby, including his 2nd Uncle, as well as an old man covered with wrinkles, who gazed piercingly at Naruto as he measured him up. That old man… was Menma's paternal grandfather, the same old man within whom killing intent toward Naruto had flickered earlier.

There were other clan members seated in the area. Most of them were young, and among their number, Naruto caught sight of Dei, who looked at him and smiled. 2

Naruto also saw Fugai. When she saw him looking at her, she trembled and lowered her head. She obviously still remembered everything that had happened on Planet Lands of Ninshu 3

Many Chosen from the Namikaze Clan were there, including a young man in a white robe, with skin as smooth as jade. He was the young man who had been practicing cultivation earlier in the Immortal's cave deep under the ancestral mansion. Currently, he sat in a seat, surrounded by a group of over a hundred cultivators roughly his age.

One of the young cultivators near him was Futsu! 4

Futsu gave Naruto a venomous stare, then leaned over and whispered something into the ear of the young man in the white robe.

Actually, that young man had no need for the entourage. Comparing their energy to his was like comparing the darkness of night to a raging fire. He seemed like a wolf in the middle of a flock of sheep, and was someone anyone would recognize at a single glance.

This was the previous number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, Prince Menma… Menma!

Menma was always surrounded by groups of fellow young cultivators. No matter where he went, he was the center of attention. After all, he was Menma, the long time number one Chosen of this generation in the Namikaze Clan.

He was famous in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

Furthermore, although he wasn't the legitimate eldest grandson of the Namikaze Clan, he essentially held that position.

In this generation of the Namikaze Clan, the only person who ranked above him in seniority was Naruto!

As he sat there calmly, he glanced at Naruto for a moment, then closed his eyes. A year before, when the clan had convened the welcoming ceremony, he did not make an appearance; he couldn't care less that Naruto had been scheduled to return.

The only reason he came today was because the strength of Naruto's bloodline had piqued his interest.

The air in the temple was very solemn. All of the people seated inside were Namikaze Clan Elders, and although not every single clan Elder had come, this group comprised the majority of those who were on Planet East Victory.

Each person in the temple looked like an Immortal Deity. All of them, be it in terms of their Chakra and Blood, or in terms of their aura, were terrifying to the extreme. As Naruto looked around, he realized that he couldn't gauge any of their cultivation bases.

As of this moment, Naruto gained a clearer understanding of how powerful the Namikaze Clan was.

If you didn't count the Hebi Clan, this clan could actually be considered the number one clan in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea. The year that Lord Asura disappeared, if the Namikaze Clan had been stronger by just a hair… the Ninth Mountain and Sea might now be following a Lord Namikaze.

Naruto was also well aware that he was really only looking at the tip of the iceberg. The Namikaze Clan had even deeper and more powerful resources, making them a force that few would ever trifle with lightly.

Furthermore, Naruto… was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline of the Namikaze Clan. It was easy to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't experienced the Seventh Year Tribulation. Had he grown up in the Namikaze Clan, his status and fame would definitely have made him well-known throughout the Ninth Mountain and Sea, as well as the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

All of the Elders were now looking at Naruto. It was impossible to tell whether they were happy or angry; their expressions were abstruse and impossible to read, and filled the hall with incredible pressure. As for Menma, and his father and grandfather, undetectable gleams flickered in their eyes.

Naruto was the only person standing, right there in the middle of the temple. As for the pressure that emanated from those surrounding him, Naruto didn't even flinch.

After a long moment, Grand Elder Kageki finally spoke.

"Naruto!" he said, his expression solemn. His voice echoed out in the temple, making it sound almost as if a throng of people were speaking. Everything trembled.

"Having offered sacrifices to the ancestors, you are now officially a member of the Namikaze Clan. Henceforth, you shall enjoy access to the Namikaze Clan's cultivation resources, and many things will now tilt in your favor.

"However, there is something you must never forget!" The Grand Elder's expression was suddenly threatening, although it lacked any anger.

"Now that you are a member of the Namikaze Clan, you must follow all of the clan rules. Violate those rules, and it doesn't matter how strong your bloodline is, or that you have a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam. Despite that… you will still be punished!

"Speaking of the clan rules, I will give you a detailed copy that you can study in a moment."

Naruto stood there silently, looking at the Grand Elder.

After the Grand Elder finished speaking, a white-haired, ruddy-faced old man seated off to the side smiled and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the clan, let us discuss how the cultivation resources will be allocated to Naruto."

"Naruto is the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline," someone said. "In fact, he is the highest-ranking grandson of his generation in the entire Namikaze Clan. He's had a hard time in the outside world during these years. Now that he's back in the clan, he should naturally be given the very best of everything!"

"The Immortal's cave next to Brightmoon Lake has good fortune of Heaven and Earth inside," another person said. "Furthermore, the remains of a Heavenly Dragon can be found therein. It is absolutely the best Immortal's cave in all of Planet East Victory. From my perspective, that Immortal's cave should definitely be given to Naruto."

Another of the Elders looked at Naruto with praise in his eyes and said, "That's right. For years, no one has possessed the qualifications to have that Immortal's cave. We of the direct bloodline have him as our eldest grandson, and in fact, the highest-ranking grandson of his entire generation! He is the only one who could possibly be qualified to have that Immortal's cave."

This was not a situation where people were trying to bring Naruto down by over-praising him. These people truly wanted Naruto to have the best resources to help him advance himself in the quickest manner possible.

Almost as soon as the Elder from the direct bloodline finished speaking, other Elders began to speak.

"That's not entirely proper. Naruto has just returned, and hasn't yet made the least contribution whatsoever to the good of the can't reward him with that Immortal's cave on the basis of his position alone. That wouldn't be fair."

"Precisely. In the Namikaze Clan, one's standing is based on how much one has contributed to the clan. To avoid causing other clan members to have feelings of resentment, Naruto should not be given that Immortal's cave."

It only took a moment for a clamor to arise as numerous Elders began to give their opinions. In the end, Naruto could tell that about thirty percent of the Elders disagreed, with only about ten percent standing on Naruto's side. The rest maintained their silence.

The Grand Elder had predicted that something like this would happen, so he sat there silently, his expression the same as usual.

It was at this point that suddenly, Menma, who sat in a chair surrounded by over a hundred young companions, suddenly opened his eyes to speak.

"Respected Elders, I regret to inform you that Junior has already taken the Immortal's cave by Brightmoon Lake and gifted it to someone." His voice was placid and seemingly devoid of any emotion whatsoever. As soon as he spoke, the direct bloodline Elders' faces grew dark. However, none of them offered any sort of response.

An imperceptible flicker appeared in Naruto's eyes. The words spoken by Menma carried much meaning. This was a meeting of Namikaze Clan elders, and none of the other members of the younger generation had seats except for Menma.

Furthermore, his words actually carried a domineering weight that seemed to be intolerant of any opposition. It was so domineering… that even the direct bloodline Elders didn't dare to retort.

Naruto looked over at Menma, and Menma looked back at him for a moment before closing his eyes.

Then, the direct bloodline Elder spoke up again.

"Other than the Immortal's cave, there are also the ten batches of Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills concocted by Pill Elder from the Dao of Alchemy Division. That type of pill is a rare medicine that provides mysterious assistance when rising from the Spirit Realm into the Immortal Realm. Seven batches of those pills should be given to Naruto!"

"That's not appropriate either," said another Elder. "Only ten batches of pills are concocted per year, and the medicinal plant ingredients are all extinct in the outside world. The Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pill is the Namikaze Clan's strongest type of pill that exists in the gap between the Spirit and Immortal Realms. They are concocted for the benefit of the entire junior generation. Therefore, giving seven batches to Naruto is impossible. I say, one batch should be enough."

As before, the Grand Elder said nothing. It was at this point that the white-robed Menma opened his eyes and spoke again.

"Respected Elders, I regret to inform you that Junior has already made arrangements for all ten batches of Rainbow Immortality Evanescence Pills."

Immediately, silence once again filled the entire temple. Fury burned in the direct bloodline Elders' eyes, but all they could do was clench their jaws and maintain silence.

Naruto had not spoken yet either, but his brow had gradually become furrowed as he looked over at Menma. Menma had only spoken twice, yet each time his words had silenced the Elders. This fact revealed a lot.

In addition, Naruto was gradually coming to detect something familiar about Menma, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. After a moment, he began to wonder if he was just imagining it.

Silence reigned in the temple, and while the direct bloodline clan members sat there gloomily, there were Elders from other bloodlines who were smiling slightly. Finally, Grand Elder Kageki cleared his throat and then began to speak, his eyes shining.

"Well, since we have a disagreement regarding the Immortal's cave and the medicinal pills, let's put those matters aside for now. Naruto, you are the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, so I will take responsibility for you now. There will be no more discussion. You will be given the highest quality compensation from the clan." With that, he waved his right hand, causing a jade slip to fly out and come to float in front of Naruto.

"Take this jade slip to the clan's Hall of the People. That is where you can withdraw your monthly set cultivation resources.

"As for the Immortal's cave…." The Grand Elder muttered to himself for a moment, then waved his hand, causing a gentle light to spread out, which rapidly solidified into a map.

There were various dots of glowing light on the map, each of which represented an Immortal's cave. The closer the Immortal's caves were to the center of the map, the stronger the auras they emitted. In the very center of them all was a lake, which was none other than Brightmoon Lake.

"Naruto, go ahead and select an Immortal's cave from among the ones you see here. The dim lights represent Immortal's caves that have already been spoken for." As the Grand Elder spoke, about eighty percent of the lights on the map went dark. Not many were left behind. There were still a few next to Brightmoon Lake, but most were located in other areas, and especially along the edges.

All eyes were on Naruto, and most of the onlookers seemed concerned, although it was impossible to tell whether such feelings were true or false.

Naruto was silent for a moment, then clasped hands and bowed to the Grand Elder.

"Grand Elder, Junior has come to Planet East Victory upon my father's request to take my two Nirvana Fruits. I don't really care about Immortal's caves or medicinal pills. I don't need them. I just want my Nirvana Fruits." Having directly spoken these words, Naruto gazed at the Grand Elder.

Complete silence filled the temple.

Finally, the Grand Elder waved his hand as if he couldn't accept Naruto's refusal of the Immortal's cave and other things.

"Naruto, you just got back to the clan," he said, his voice kind. "You need some time to get familiar with everything. An Immortal's cave, cultivation resources, and those medicinal pills are things that, as a member of the Namikaze Clan, belong to you by right.

"Regarding the Nirvana Fruits, fear not, they're yours. Naturally, they will be returned to you. I personally promised your father exactly that when he left.

"Don't worry about that matter. Although, it is a significant affair. Two days from now, I will make an announcement throughout the entire clan, inviting clan members here to bear witness to the returning of the Nirvana Fruits into your hands."

Naruto didn't respond. Originally, he didn't have any desire to come to the Namikaze Clan. Now that he was here, and he understood the situation, he was even less willing to stay.

In fact, he was even of a mind to simply leave right then and there. However, when he thought of his parents' hopes, he took a deep breath, and a fierce glow appeared in his eyes for a brief moment. He nodded, and then decided to say one more thing.

"Grand Elder, there is also an Immortality Illumination Vine that my father had prepared for me. Could you please return that to me as well?"

Before the Grand Elder could even respond, the white-robed Menma's voice could be heard.

"I regret to inform you that I've already made arrangements for that Immortality Illumination Vine as well," he said coolly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto's eyes sparkled with icy coldness. He looked over at Menma, smiled slightly, and then began to speak.

"Junior Cousin Menma," he said, his voice ice cold despite his smile, "apparently, I beat the crap out of you too hard when we were young. That's the only explanation for why you've become such a nutcase. Otherwise, what would possibly make you think it was acceptable to steal from me?" 1

When Menma heard this, his eyes glowed with icy coldness as he stared dead at Naruto.

"Could it be that as long as something belongs to me, you'll try to steal it?

"Your twisted view of life is really my fault. In the future, I'll do my best to help you correct the error of your ways." Naruto said these things while staring directly at Menma.

"Do you want to die?" replied Menma coolly.

"How pretentious of you!" said Naruto, walking toward Menma. Each step he took caused the ground to tremble, and his eyes were cold as he stared at Menma.

"In terms of status," he continued coldly, "I am the eldest grandson. In terms of bloodline, my Bloodline Gatebeam was 30,000 meters. In terms of clan seniority, I'm your Elder Cousin. It's my duty to admonish you, and you have no grounds upon which you would be justified in resisting! Since you insist on spewing hogwash, I have to ask you, Menma… do YOU want to die?" Naruto's words were incredibly aggressive.

After he finished speaking, he turned to the Grand Elder and clasped his hands.

"Grand Elder, Menma has shown disrespect to his elders, which undermines the norms of etiquette, a sin that neither Heaven nor Earth can forgive. For a clan to prosper, it must have a standard of conduct. Given the Namikaze Clan's status as a great clan of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the rules must be stricter than others. Respect for seniority is the standard which must be met for the future growth of the clan!

"Do the clan rules permit someone to act in this way? If not, then he has violated clan rules. What might the punishment be for such actions?" As he spoke, the surrounding Elders' eyes went wide, especially the direct bloodline Elders, who were greatly shocked.

When Naruto spoke, his words were as sharp as a sword, completely astonishing everyone in the audience. None of them could possibly have imagined that he would speak in such a vicious tone.

Of course, they didn't know that Naruto had been raised as a scholar, and loved to spar with words. Back in his days as an alchemist, he had engaged in a debate that had resulted in his opponent's Dao Heart becoming unstable. From that, it could be seen how sharp his words could be.

Furthermore, he had verbally dueled with the meat jelly on many occasions, which could be considered further training in debate.

It was at this point that Menma's father, who sat off to the side of the Elders, suddenly spoke, his voice cold.

"Naruto, clan rules prohibit internal conflicts. How could you speak such malicious words? You need to spend some time in self-examination! Men, take him away!"

Naruto showed no fear in response, but instead, began to laugh uproariously. Now that he was here in the Namikaze Clan, and could now take advantage of the Clan's regulations and ordinances, he would not allow anyone to dare try to openly put him at a disadvantage.

"2nd Uncle, correct? Were my words really malicious? I said that I beat him too severely when we were young. That is a simple fact. I said that he has become abnormal, an expression of regret. Then I said that I wish to help him correct the error of his ways. As his Elder Cousin, all of this is a condemnation of myself!

"As his senior, it is my responsibility, in fact, my DUTY to help my Junior Cousin. Therefore, I am unsure as to why 2nd Uncle would call such words malicious."

Menma's father frowned. "How nasty and derogatory! Your histrionics will do you no good! Facts are facts!"

"I'll tell you the facts," retorted Naruto. "This headstrong Junior Cousin wants to steal my Immortal's cave. He also wants to steal my medicinal pills. Despite that, I said nothing. He is the Junior and I am the Senior. If I ALLOW him to have those things, then very well, he can have them.

"However, the reason that I chided him was because he also expressed his desire to steal the Immortality Illumination Vine left for me by my father. Since that item belongs to my father, how could a Junior member of the clan possibly steal it? Can a Junior member of the clan actually be permitted to steal things that belong to someone of the Senior generation? 2nd Uncle, is it possible that you actually approve of such a thing?

"Isn't such behavior a violation of clan rules? It certainly does not respect the rules of seniority, does it? Aren't such actions tantamount to open rebellion?

"In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, what clan exists that permits members of the Junior generation to steal things from the Senior generation? What clan exists that believes such a thing to be proper? Furthermore, what clan exists that intentionally misrepresents the facts, inverting right and wrong?

"2nd Uncle, please, enlighten me. Junior's experience is limited, and I'm really unsure of the answers to these questions." Naruto flicked his sleeve and looked over at Menma's father, his eyes glittering.

"You…." Menma's father looked enraged, but he apparently couldn't think of anything to say in response.

The temple hall was completely silent. The Elders who had originally maintained a position of neutrality were now looking over curiously at Naruto.

19th Uncle's son, Hotarubi, was also there in the crowd, staring blankly at Naruto. He had never imagined that Naruto could speak so incisively.

Naruto had just taken a small matter and turned it into something important, had transformed a relatively minor event into a huge one. He had struck people speechless. Such skill in speaking was something that Hotarubi had never encountered before in his life, and it caused his eyes to shine brightly.

"Enough!" said Grand Elder Kageki. He frowned and swished his sleeve.

"We're all members of the same clan; there's no need for bickering. The matter has passed and will not be brought up again. Naruto, the Immortality Illumination Vine left behind by your father will be given to you." With that, he made a grasping motion, causing a bag of holding to suddenly appear in his hand. He tossed it out toward Naruto, who grabbed it and scanned it with spiritual sense. Inside, he could see the Immortality Illumination Vine, roughly three inches long and as thick as a finger.

Killing intent flickered in Menma's eyes. He gave a cold harrumph, then stood up and walked out of the temple, completely ignoring Naruto in the process. Rustling sounds could be heard as his more than one hundred followers left with him. Each and every one glared menacingly at Naruto as they left, especially Futsu, whose eyes were filled with intense venom.

Naruto ignored Menma, as if he wasn't worth looking at. He clasped hands and bowed to the Grand Elder, then looked back at the map of Immortal's caves. As of now, he was determined to rise to prominence in the Namikaze Clan, all for the sake of his father and mother. As such, he would need to make some preparations.

"Dad and mom want me to fight hard and excel for their sakes, and they want me to make sure all the people in the Namikaze Clan see it…. As their son, that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

After looking over the Immortal's caves, he found one that didn't seem very extraordinary at all, although it did have a nicely-sized medicinal plant garden.

"Grand Elder, I'll take this Immortal's cave."

The Grand Elder nodded and performed an incantation gesture. Immediately, a command medallion appeared and flew out toward Naruto.

"Very well. This clan meeting will now adjourn." Next, he looked kindly at Naruto and said, "Naruto, in two days, come back here, and I will personally give you your Nirvana Fruits. There's no need to feel anxious about that." It seemed the Grand Elder approved of how Naruto had behaved during the meeting.

As the crowds dispersed, 19th Uncle called Naruto over and introduced him to the Elders of the direct bloodline. When they looked at him, emotional expressions of reminiscence could be seen on their faces.

Some of these men had watched Naruto's father grow up, and had even held Naruto when he was a baby. They began to talk, and when Naruto's father was mentioned, they sighed. Then the subject of his grandfather came up, and their expressions darkened.

It was evening before they finally dispersed. Hotarubi volunteered to escort Naruto through the ancestral mansion to his Immortal's cave.

En route, Hotarubi took him to get his cultivation resources, and the two of them began to chat amiably.

"Ai, Coz, it's a good thing you're finally back. If you hadn't returned, the direct bloodline would only continue to waste away….

"You have no idea how angry I've been recently. Every time I see Menma, I have to hold back from giving him a taste of my fist! What's so special about that bastard, huh? His latent talent? His strong bloodline?

"Hmph. If it weren't for his father and grandfather, and their Patriarch who occasionally shows his face, their branch would never have started eyeing the ancestral mansion!"

Hotarubi continued to complain to Naruto the entire way.

"In terms of latent talent, Coz, yours is definitely the best. Your Bloodline Gatebeam was 30,000 meters high! Menma can't even compare! Let's see how he continues to claim to be the number one Chosen in the future!

"And then there's that good-for-nothing Futsu. He's vicious! Coz, in the future, you really need to be careful about him.

"Come to think of it, Coz, your cultivation base needs some improvement. It's too bad about those Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills. They're powerful, very powerful. With pills like that, coupled with the power of an Immortality Illumination Vine, it's easily possible to achieve true Immortal Ascension, and then have a big improvement in your cultivation base.

"It's one of the Namikaze Clan's miraculous pills. In fact, when you consider medicinal pills for the Spirit Realm, Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills are one of the top types of pills in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

"Damn that Menma! If it wasn't for him, all of those pills would have been yours." Hotarubi jabbered on and on, almost like the meat jelly. Eventually, he started to tell Naruto stories from when he was young, starting from the time he was one year old and going all the way until he was hundreds of years old….

Naruto just smiled and listened to Hotarubi's grumblings and other explanations about the Namikaze Clan. From all of this, he now had a much better understanding of the Namikaze Clan. Gradually, though, Hotarubi's energetic blabbering turned into nothing more than a buzzing in Naruto's ears.

Overall, though, Naruto could sense the sincerity in Hotarubi.

As they walked along, they ran into many Namikaze Clan members, all of whom looked curiously at Naruto. Some wore smiles, other scowls. Just about any expression imaginable could be seen.

"Coz, there's another important thing. You were really badass back at the temple! I've never seen anybody from the Junior generation dare to stand in the middle of the temple and talk like that. Every single thing you said was true and sensible. They were all struck speechless!"

Night had fallen by the time Hotarubi led Naruto to his Immortal's cave, which was located in the far northern section of the ancestral mansion. It was a quiet, idyllic location that almost looked like a painting. It was night, but the two moons in the sky lit up everything, making it a beautiful scene.

Naruto's Immortal's cave was actually a sprawling two-story residence, beautifully decorated and quite luxurious. There was a small lake nearby, and a stone path which led to it. The canopy of stars overhead was reflected by the lake water, making everything sparkle.

A garden surrounded the little lake, within which grew a variety of medicinal plants. There wasn't a huge amount, but they still caused a sweet fragrance to fill the air. Lotuses could be seen floating on the surface of the lake, and overall, the entire scene looked like something celestial.

Naruto looked around and was quite content. Although this place might not count as very special when compared to all of the other Immortal's caves in the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion, in the outside world, it would be considered one of the best.

There was abundant spiritual energy here, as well as Immortal Chakra. Naruto walked into the courtyard and then took a deep breath; he really liked this place.

"Coz," said Hotarubi, "about your gift of the tongue… do you think you could teach me about that? My dad says that I jabber all the time, but that nothing I say makes sense. He's even beaten me on more than one occasion because of it. Coz, could you help me out? Please?" Hotarubi's tone was one of piteous entreaty.

Naruto turned to look at Hotarubi and smiled.

"Are you sure?"

Hotarubi's expression brightened, and he nodded.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but seeing Hotarubi's hopeful expression, he couldn't help but sigh. Tapping his bag of holding, he caused the meat jelly to appear in his hand.

The meat jelly immediately pouted and then began to jabber discontentedly.

"Naruto, you bastard, you deserve to die a horrible death! You dumped me and then exploited me! Wait. No. You exploited me then dumped me! Y-y-you, you're immoral! You're shameless! You're a big bully! I'm going to convert you!"

"Hotarubi," said Naruto, clearing his throat, "keep coming to visit me. Every time you do, you can chat with this thingamajig. When you can hold a conversation with it for three days, you'll be a badass."

"That thing?" said Hotarubi, staring with wide eyes at the meat jelly. The meat jelly suddenly stopped talking and looked at Hotarubi. Both of them seemed to be somewhat at a loss at first, but soon, bright glows appeared in both of their eyes.

"Killing intent!" gasped Naruto, backing up as he sensed the aura building between the meat jelly and Hotarubi.

"So, finally a worthy opponent!" said the meat jelly, leaping up into the air and landing next to Hotarubi, an expression of unprecedented solemnity on its face.

"It seems I've met my match!" replied Hotarubi, having sensed the energy within the meat jelly. It was an explosive energy that only he could sense, and from it, he knew that the meat jelly could continue a conversation for days on end.

"It seems I need to warm up a bit first," said the meat jelly, clearing its throat. "Ahem. Look kid, Lord Third is going to tell you a story that took place three three three three three… well anyway, countless three years ago. This was back in the early days of Heaven and Earth…."

"Cut the crap! All you know is three? Three three three three three. What a disgrace!" Hotarubi hadn't even begun speaking when all of a sudden, the parrot flew out from Naruto's bag of holding. It landed on a nearby tree branch and looked at Hotarubi with a look of disdain.

"Kid, don't listen to his jabbering," said the parrot. "You study with Lord Fifth. Look at my mouth, is it sharp or not? From that, you should be able to imagine how sharp-tongued I am!"

Naruto quickly left the courtyard and fled into the Immortal's cave itself. In his opinion, the battlefield occupied by the meat jelly, the parrot and Hotarubi, was a place he shouldn't remain in. He had already experienced some of Hotarubi's gift of the tongue on the way here. He had talked the entire way, telling stories from the day he was one year old all the way to the present, and tales from the founding of the Namikaze Clan all the way to modern times. When he had run out of conversation topics, he had then begun to introduce the different members of the Namikaze Clan to Naruto.

Of course, it wasn't an introduction made in person, just his own opinions….

Inside his residence, Naruto looked around and saw extreme luxury. Even the furniture was made of spirit stones, which caused his eyes to grow wide.

"The Namikaze Clan… is really rich! And I'm the eldest grandson! Yet… I'm so poor…." Sighing at the injustice of it all, he waved his hands, causing all of the spirit stone furniture to be sucked into his bag of holding.

The once luxurious residence was now simple and stark, and as he looked around, he felt much better. Finally, he sat down cross-legged on the ground, his eyes glittering.

"Father wanted me to get my Nirvana Fruits. It goes without saying that reason is because he wants me to rise to prominence in the Namikaze Clan….

"It won't be incredibly difficult to do that, but as for the Nirvana Fruits… the Namikaze Clan… will they actually be able to give them to me?" Frowning, Naruto considered the ambush he had experienced on the way here, and how they had tried to kill him, and his eyes glowed with coldness.

"I wonder if Menma's branch of the clan sent the assassins…." Naruto had learned of how the clan's direct bloodline was currently in a very poor situation. On the other hand, Menma's branch of the clan was on the rise. Not only did they have the support of many of the clan Elders, but they had even occupied some of the ancestral mansion. Some branches of the clan remained neutral, but for the most part, Menma's branch had completely eclipsed the direct bloodline.

"The Grand Elder was acting strange," Naruto thought. "He seemed kind, but in my opinion, it was just an act." He smiled coldly. Other people all assumed that he had been taken care of by his father and mother from the time he was young. They believed that, although his life had not been what it might have been had he stayed in the Namikaze Clan, surely he had not experienced the twists and turns of a dangerous life.

The truth of the matter was that from the age of seven onward, Naruto had been completely alone. In the mortal world, he had struggled hard during his youth, and had developed a spirit of independence. Then he had entered the cultivation world, and had experienced many things, and had survived numerous deadly crises. Step by step, he had advanced through life to reach his current situation. The help he had received from his parents had been scant, to say the least.

Although he might not be a perfect judge of character, he rarely made mistakes when sizing people up. He had quite a bit of experience in contending with others, and naturally, had become quite good at it.

"In two days, they will most likely not give me the Nirvana Fruits. They'll come up with some excuse that I won't be able to dispute, and then delay the matter….

"Of course, me returning to the clan has probably caused a huge headache for whoever it was that was trying to have me killed. However… the higher my position within the Namikaze Clan, the more afraid they will be to do anything to me."

After some more thought, his eyes flickered, and he opened the bag of holding that contained his cultivation resources from the Namikaze Clan. After looking it over, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

There were a hundred bottles of medicinal pills, 1,000,000 spirit stones, and one hundred magic manuals. Although there were no Daoist magics, there were many powerful divine abilities. As for the Namikaze Clan's most powerful Daoist magics, of course there were none.

That was something else Naruto had learned from Hotarubi. Not even Menma could have access to those core Daoist magics, not without performing deeds of merit. Such deeds were considered contributions to the Namikaze Clan.

The more deeds of merit one performed, the more rewards could be acquired.

It was a rule that applied to all of the Namikaze Clan; not even the Grand Elder could violate it.

"I get one thousand merit points every month based on my status in the clan alone. Unfortunately, that's simply not enough to enable me to get some of those core Daoist magics." Naruto's eyes gleamed as he pulled out a jade slip which listed the names and properties of countless medicinal pills, Daoist magics, and other magical items.

All of these things were items that could be purchased with merit points.

There were many that caused Naruto's heart to thump after seeing them.

"There are many ways to earn merit points. The most common way is to complete some of the various trials by fire that are publicly announced throughout the clan. Different trials by fire can earn you different amounts of merit points."

At the same time that Naruto was studying the jade slip, Menma's father and grandfather were seated cross-legged in a temple in the eastern section of the ancestral mansion.

Menma's father was named Kajura. Frowning, he looked at his own father and said, "Dad, I can't believe that brat has returned…." 1

"It doesn't matter," the old man replied coolly. "I've already taken care of the matter." A sinister gleam appeared in his eyes. "If he had returned and kept a low profile, it wouldn't have mattered. But since he has decided to act so high and mighty, he's already placed himself half a step into the Yellow Springs.

"Make sure Menma focuses on his cultivation. He's a Chosen of the Namikaze Clan, and the Patriarch of our bloodline has high hopes for him. Don't let him get distracted."

"Dad, there's no need for you to worry about that. Menma has true willpower. He won't be rattled by that son of a bitch." Kajura smiled.

"The direct bloodline is rapidly declining," said the old man confidently, his eyes flickering as if with fire. "Shin has been missing for years, and although his life force flame has not been extinguished, if he were capable of returning, he would have long since done so. 2

"His son Minato agreed to guard Planet Lands of Ninshu for 100,000 years for his crippled son. All of that has doomed the direct bloodline to fall!

"It has also ensured that our bloodline will once again become the next lords of the Namikaze Clan, and the new direct bloodline!

"Years ago, Shin suppressed me, and his son Minato suppressed you. In this generation, our Menma will definitely rise to prominence. That insignificant Naruto will be nothing more than a mere stepping stone to him." The old man flicked his sleeve.

Time passed. For two days, Naruto did not leave his residence. He sat there meditating, doing breathing exercises to absorb Immortal Chakra. Those two days were like an entire month spent on Planet Lands of Ninshu. Being able to practice cultivation like this was of great benefit to Naruto.

He pulled out the heart of his second true self and began to nourish it with the Immortal Chakra near his villa.

It was about noontime when Naruto opened his eyes from his trance to slap his bag of holding and produce a jade slip that was glowing brightly. He quickly scanned it with divine sense.

"Naruto, come to the main temple." It was the voice of the Grand Elder, and in response, Naruto smiled coldly. He put the jade slip away and walked out of the residence. The first thing he saw in the courtyard was Hotarubi. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his aura was incredibly weak.

The meat jelly and the parrot were currently taking turns bombing him indiscriminately with various arguments.

As soon as Hotarubi saw Naruto, he hurried to his feet and looked over at Naruto with an expression of both madness and veneration.

"Coz, you're incredible," he called out. "Having these two following you day in and day out, and living to tell the tale, it must be so hard. Coz, don't worry. I'll definitely learn the ways of a sharp tongue!" Hotarubi gritted his teeth with resolve.

A strange expression could be seen on Naruto's face, and he cleared his throat, unsure of exactly what to say. Then he saw the determination in Hotarubi's eyes, and he patted his shoulder and left the courtyard.

"Speech is endowed by Heaven, but requires tempering," he thought. "If he can endure the training provided by the meat jelly and the parrot, then he will eventually gain the long-windedness of the meat jelly, and the acidic speech of the parrot." Clearing his throat again, he hurried toward the main temple.

The ancestral mansion was huge, and flight was prohibited there. It took Naruto two full hours to stroll all the way to the temple. When he got there, he could see tens of thousands of clan members, as well as the Grand Elder, filling the area, seated cross-legged.

As soon as he saw Naruto, the Grand Elder's face broke out in a kind smile, and he nodded his head.

"Naruto, your Immortal's cave is some distance away. How about this, I'll give you a command medallion that gives you special privileges in the ancestral mansion. Other than some specially restricted areas, you will now be able to fly wherever you wish." With a smile, he handed Naruto a violet jade slip. When the onlookers saw this happening, they gaped in shock and jealousy.

Normally speaking, only Elders were permitted to fly inside the ancestral mansion. Of the members of the Junior generation, only Menma had the honor of being able to do so. Now, Naruto did too.

Naruto accepted the jade slip. If he didn't trust his own judgement, then it would seem for all intents and purposes that the Grand Elder really did like him a lot. Considering his position as Grand Elder, it appeared as if what he was doing was not only a true kindness, but at the same time, just and even-handed. He was doing his best to follow the clan's rules.

"Today, many clan members have gathered to bear witness to an important event!" the Grand Elder proclaimed.

"Years ago, Naruto became weak with illness. His Seventh Year Tribulation caused many clan members to worry greatly about him. As for me, when I saw a young lad like him enduring such incredible suffering, it also pained my heart.

"Thankfully, the Immortals are blessing the Namikaze Clan, and an Outsider came, providing us with a way to deal with the problem. Minato and his wife took the child away, leaving the Nirvana Fruits behind with the clan."

Naruto stood in front of the Grand Elder, staring in shock. From the way the old man was speaking, and the expression on his face, it didn't seem at all like he was going to delay the matter; rather, it looked like he was really going to hand the Nirvana Fruits over.

"Don't tell me I was overthinking things…?" thought Naruto.

"Years ago, the Patriarchs who are now in secluded meditation personally said that these Nirvana Fruits were to be returned to Naruto when he came back to the sect. What once belonged to him, will always belong to him!

"It doesn't matter that he only just arrived and is not yet familiar with the clan, or that his cultivation base is not at the proper stage to assimilate the Nirvana Fruits, or that he has not performed any meritorious service to the clan!

"No…. He is the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, and was once a blazing son of the Namikaze Clan. He has endured many hardships over the years, and as such, now that he has returned to the clan, none of those other things matter. It is as if they don't exist!

"These two Nirvana Fruits are his!

"Today, I will take the responsibility to give him these Nirvana Fruits! If the Patriarchs come out of meditation in the future and ask about the matter, I will assume all responsibility!" The Grand Elder's words were spoken decisively, and his face was very solemn. When it came to the part about the past, he sighed emotionally.

Many of the surrounding Elders had looks of surprise written on their faces, and those from the direct bloodline seemed, at first shocked, but then excited.

Naruto was panting as he looked at the Grand Elder speaking so warmly. Naruto had never imagined that the Grand Elder would say such things in front of so many people.

"Don't tell me… I really misjudged the situation?" thought Naruto. "Impossible! He'll definitely say something more." Naruto took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"Naruto!" the Grand Elder said suddenly. His eyes shone as he looked at Naruto. "Remember, you will always be a member of the Namikaze Clan. The blood of the Namikaze Clan runs through your veins. You can always determine what will happen to you in the future, but you can never make any decisions regarding your birth!

"Your surname is Namikaze!

"We Elders are old, and the Patriarchs are even more ancient. Even if they are still alive now, they will eventually perish. But you… you are a future blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan! You are the hope for the future.

"You must work hard in your cultivation. The day will surely come in which you will grow into a mighty tree that stretches up into the Heavens!" Grand Elder Kageki seemed quite excited. As he spoke, he raised his hands up, clasped them together, and then bowed toward the rear of the temple.

"Respected Patriarchs. On this day, I, Kageki, ask all of these clan members to bear witness to the return of the Nirvana Fruits to Naruto!" With that, he lifted his right hand up into the air and made a grasping motion.

Immediately, shocking rumbling filled the sky, echoing out in all directions. A huge vortex appeared in midair, and as it spun, it slowly revealed some sort of celestial abode.

A tall pagoda could be seen, glowing with boundless light that attracted all eyes. The nearby Namikaze Clan members saw the pagoda and began to cry out in shock.

"It's the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda!"

"In the Namikaze Clan, only precious treasures can be placed within the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda!"

"The pagoda itself is a precious treasure left behind by the first generation Patriarch!"

"Even if Heaven and Earth were destroyed, the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda would survive. Even the Grand Elder can only exercise limited control over it to retrieve items. He says the name, and the pagoda will send the item out."

Naruto couldn't believe it. What was happening went completely contrary to his sense of judgement. Everything that was happening was the opposite of how he had expected it to be. His heart was now starting to pound with shock.

He had great faith in his sense of judgement, but what was happening right now was impossible to disbelieve.

The Grand Elder took a deep breath, then performed a double handed incantation gesture. Finally, he shouted, "Ancestral Treasure Pagoda, please produce the Nirvana Fruits!"

Immediately, rumbling could be heard, and more beams of brilliant light shot out. At the same time, a jade box flew out from the pagoda. In the blink of an eye, it had already sped out of the vortex and landed in the Grand Elder's hands.

After that, the vortex up above gradually faded away, obscuring the treasure pagoda, which disappeared from sight.

Naruto was panting as he stared at the jade box. Even now, he still couldn't believe that the Grand Elder was simply going to hand the Nirvana Fruits over to him.

He had assumed it would be difficult to get them, but it had turned out to be quite the opposite. It all seemed too simple.

The Grand Elder unhesitatingly opened the box and lifted it up for all the surrounding clan members to see.

Naruto immediately caught sight of two withered fruits. They were so dried up that it seemed as if the slightest breeze might cause them to vanish. As soon as he laid eyes on them, Naruto's blood surged in his veins, and he felt a sensation like that of a summoning. He was immediately able to tell that these were, in fact, Nirvana Fruits.

"Nirvana Fruits!"

"Years ago, I saw Naruto's two Nirvana Fruits, and those are definitely them!"

Many of the surrounding direct bloodline clan members were shocked, especially Naruto's 19th Uncle.

"Those are Nirvana Fruits!"

Naruto panted as the Grand Elder looked over at him with glittering eyes. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Naruto.

"Maybe he's giving them to me because he intends to send someone to steal them from me?" Naruto still had faith in his own judgement, and he just couldn't believe that the grand Elder would hand over the Nirvana Fruits so lightly.

The Grand Elder suddenly tossed the jade box out into the air toward Naruto, who caught it. As soon as he touched the box, the blood in his veins seemed to boil.

"There is one more thing that I must say in the presence of all you clan members," said the Grand Elder, looking around with coldly glowing eyes. "Let me make one thing very clear.

"These Nirvana Fruits belong to Naruto, and now, he has them in hand. Perhaps there will be people who harbor malicious intentions. However, in all of Planet East Victory, neither the Church of the Blood Orchid nor the Puppet God Sect would dare to try to steal a precious treasure of the Namikaze Clan. Even now that they are in Naruto's possession instead of the clan's, they still wouldn't dare.

"Regarding the other sects around here, they would be even less willing. When it comes to people not from Planet East Victory, we have the East Heaven Gate, which restricts most people from entering. Therefore, if Naruto's Nirvana Fruits turn up missing, then the only culprits would be other members of the Namikaze Clan!

"Therefore, do not blame me for reminding all of you that if any person steals the Nirvana Fruits from Naruto, I will have no choice but to carry out the will of the Patriarchs and exterminate that person's entire bloodline! Io, your bloodline would do well to keep this in mind!" As he spoke the final words, the Grand Elder's eyes shone with cold light as he stared at Menma's grandfather. The old man's face was unsightly, and he bowed his head in acknowledgement. 1

"The rules of the clan must be complied with. Today, I swear an oath that if anyone dares to steal Naruto's Nirvana Fruits, I will without fail take action. Furthermore, if I myself have any selfish thoughts regarding the matter, the Heavens shall eradicate my soul!" As soon as the words left his mouth, rumbling sounds could be heard up above; Oath Thunder, which indicated that he was swearing upon the Dao.

The other clan members were shaken. Moments ago, some of them had actually harbored some malicious intentions. As of this moment, however, those malicious intentions were completely wiped away.

Naruto's mind trembled even harder. He really couldn't believe everything that was happening. However, the facts were right in front of him, and the Grand Elder had even gone so far as to swear an oath.

"Perhaps I was actually wrong…." Naruto thought. "But, how come I still feel like the Grand Elder is putting on an act…. Of all the things he's said, what is true and what is false?" Naruto didn't say anything. He took a deep breath, put the Nirvana Fruits away, and then bowed deeply toward the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder looked at Naruto, his kind smile wider than ever.

"Naruto," he said loudly, "I've already made arrangements for the Rainbow Immortal Evanescence Pills. Seven batches are really too much, so you'll be given five batches!

"As for the Immortal's cave, you can switch at any time. It doesn't matter what arrangements have been made, I have the authority to make these decisions!" The surrounding clan members' hearts trembled.

Now, they looked at Naruto in a completely different light than before.

"All of you are dismissed," said the Grand Elder, waving his arm. "Naruto, you come with me." As he led Naruto inside the temple, the surrounding clan members burst into conversation. The events that had just occurred would surely spread through the entire clan in a very short period of time.

Naruto took a deep breath and suppressed his suspicions as he followed the Grand Elder into the temple.

The temple was quiet, and nobody was inside other than Naruto and the Grand Elder.

As soon as they were inside, the Grand Elder turned and looked at Naruto. His expression was one of approval and reminiscence, as if looking at Naruto caused him to remember things which had happened in the past.

"Grand Elder…." Naruto said softly.

"When no one else is around, you can call me Third Grandpa," said the Grand Elder. "Your grandfather is my older brother, and he used to occupy the position of Grand Elder. However, he went missing, and your Second Grandpa and his bloodline are up to no good…." He sighed.

"Therefore, the Patriarchs asked me to assume the title of Grand Elder. The Namikaze Clan has no Clan Lord, and since the Patriarchs are normally in secluded meditation, the Grand Elder is responsible for just about everything in the clan.

"I… am also a member of the direct bloodline," he said quietly. "Your grandfather and I are blood brothers.

"However, from the moment I took on the position and responsibilities of Grand Elder, I officially belonged to no bloodline. I maintain the entire clan's operations, and have to keep a balanced relationship with all the different bloodlines.

"There are many things in which… I have no power. My heart lies with our bloodline, but my position forces me to be unbiased in everything. All my decisions… must be in accord with the clan rules!

"This is the only occasion in which I asserted my authority and made a decision unilaterally, and gave you your Nirvana Fruits!" The Grand Elder looked kindly at Naruto, almost as if he were looking at his own grandson.

"I have no son, and since your grandfather is my Senior in the bloodline, it means that his grandson is also my grandson.

"Grand Eld—" almost as soon as Naruto began to speak the words, the Grand Elder scowled. Naruto quickly said, "Third Grandpa!"

His heart was filled with complex emotions. He still felt that something fishy was going on, but he couldn't figure out what it was that made him feel so uneasy.

"Naruto, these two Nirvana Fruits are now several hundred years old, and have long since dried up. However, they are precious treasures formed from the Namikaze Clan's bloodline. Therefore, they won't wither away. As long as you have some Spirit Extract, you can return them to their previous state.

"The next step you need to take is to cultivate these Nirvana Fruits on a daily basis. Fuse as much Spirit Extract as you can into them. Because they belong to you, you can actually absorb them very easily. Once you absorb them… your cultivation base will advance by leaps and bounds. You can easily advance to be the Number One Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, and become the blazing sun that you once were!

"Remember, you must absorb them as quickly as possible. This might be shocking to the clan, but the longer you wait, the more likely it will be that someone will recklessly try to make a move against you. However, once you absorb them, they won't be able to do anything.

"Naruto, remember, absorb them as quickly as possible. Third Grandpa has bought you some time, but I'm afraid it won't be much."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement, but inside, his heart was thumping.

"Spirit Extract…." he thought. "Is it possible that my feelings of suspicion have something to do with the Spirit Extract?"

"Another thing," said the Grand Elder. "The Spirit Extract you need to absorb the Nirvana Fruits requires your own blood to be part of the mixture. That's something nobody else would have access to. Therefore, you don't need to worry about that aspect. How about this: I noticed that the Immortal's cave you selected has a medicinal plant garden. Assumably, you know something of the Dao of alchemy.

"Why don't you go to the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. You can use your merit points to get some medicinal plants and Spirit Extract formulas. Spirit Extract is easy to concoct, so making it yourself will be the safest thing." The Grand Elder seemed very sincere in his words. Perhaps what he had said was coincidental, but the result was that all of Naruto's conjectures were shattered.

Naruto silently clasped hands and bowed deeply to the Grand Elder, who looked on with a kind smile as Naruto left.

Finally, the Grand Elder was the only one who remained in the temple. Gradually, the kind look faded away, to be replaced by a tranquil calm. However, deep within his eyes, a sinister coldness flickered, something no one would be able to detect.

He turned, and headed deeper into the temple.

A cold voice suddenly echoed out within the temple, causing the Grand Elder to stop in his tracks for a moment.

"Thank you."

"I'm not helping you," the Grand Elder replied, "I'm just following the clan rules. Everything… is for the clan!"

Naruto sped through the ancestral mansion in a bright beam of light until he reached his Immortal's cave. As soon as he set foot into the courtyard, he saw Hotarubi sitting there quietly in front of the meat jelly and parrot.

Considering how mentally preoccupied he was, Naruto walked past them and sat down cross-legged in his residence. Eyes glittering, he pulled out the box containing the Nirvana Fruits and looked down at it.

"Contrary to expectation… the Grand Elder really did hand it over to me….

"Nothing he said in the temple seemed fake, but I still can't shake the feeling… that there was more to what he was saying than what was on the surface."

Naruto wasn't acting paranoid. After stepping into the cultivation world, things had not always gone as he had expected. He knew that if he wasn't constantly on the alert, he could easily have ended up perishing on multiple occasions.

He was also aware that he was in danger here in the Namikaze Clan. If he wasn't cautious in everything, he could easily find himself in a deadly situation.

"There must be something wrong with the Nirvana Fruits themselves!" he thought, his eyes glittering. He was still sticking to his original judgement of the Grand Elder; none of the things the old man had said could change that. Finally, he looked down at the box and slowly opened it up.

A faint pressure began to emanate from within the box as Naruto looked in thoughtful silence at the two withered fruits inside. Each of them was about the size of an infant's fist.

The blood in his veins surged, a bloodline connection to the fruits that caused Naruto to suddenly feel a twinge of doubt regarding his judgement.

"These truly are Nirvana Fruits, and they're definitely stimulating my blood. It seems like… they really are the Nirvana Fruits I produced all those years ago.

"Don't tell me that I really was thinking too much into things?" He sighed and then slowly picked one of the Nirvana Fruits up. As soon as he touched it, the reaction from his blood was even stronger, as if it longed to assimilate the fruit. He placed it directly in front of his face and looked at it closely.

"I need a lot of Spirit Extract to return these Nirvana Fruits to their original state. At that point, I can absorb them…." He sighed again and then began to place the Nirvana Fruit back into its box. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, his hand stopped in place, and a bright gleam appeared in his eyes.

"Wait, something's off. The aura of Time on these Nirvana Fruits… is not that of only a few hundred years!" Panting, he slowly lifted the Nirvana Fruit back up and stared at it closely. After a long moment, a grim expression filled his face.

Naruto had cultivated the magic of Time in the past, and had used Time-based divine abilities. Therefore, there were few people who could accurately judge matters of Time the way he could. Although the auras of the Nirvana Fruits were incredibly weak, they had been perfectly preserved inside the jade box. Because of that, the aura of Time was still there, and even though it was almost impossible to detect, Naruto… could sense it!

This was something that nobody, not even the Grand Elder, could possibly have predicted.

"It's time to find out exactly how old these particular Nirvana Fruits are!" He performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, unleashing Time magic. He made a sealing mark, and then the light of augury could be seen in his eyes as he slowly stripped away the layers of mystery that surrounded the fruit.

100 years. 200 years. 300 years….

Two hours passed, after which Naruto began to breathe heavily.

"10,000 years already!" By this point, he could determine with absolute certainty that this Nirvana Fruit was not his. A cold light flickered in his eyes, and after taking a deep breath, he continued to utilize Time magic to determine exactly how old the Nirvana Fruit was.

15,000 years. 20,000 years. 25,000 years….

If Naruto didn't possess eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, and have an Immortal meridian inside of him that was eighty percent complete, then he definitely would not have been able to use Time magic for such an extended length of time. The sun soon set, and the moon rose high into the sky. A tremor ran through Naruto; his cultivation base was almost thoroughly exhausted… However, he was finally able to roughly determine the true age of the Nirvana Fruit.

"More than… 100,000 years!"

Naruto panted, and a look of disbelief could be seen on his face. He then glanced over at the second Nirvana Fruit. To his senses, both seemed to be exactly the same.

"They both exceed 100,000 years!

"These aren't MY Nirvana Fruits! Whose are they?" Naruto's eyes flickered, and as of this moment his faith in his own judgement was stronger than ever. The Grand Elder definitely had some sinister motive in giving him these Nirvana Fruits.

"The problem doesn't lie with the Spirit Elixir, nor in the words he spoke. Instead… the problem lies in that which I would least suspect… the Nirvana Fruits themselves!" His face darkened.

"Now that I think about it, one of the things he emphasized the most, the part that seemed to be spoken out of care for me, was the part about absorbing the Nirvana Fruits as quickly as possible. That part… is definitely suspicious!" Killing intent flickered in Naruto's eyes. As of now, he was certain that if he tried to absorb the Nirvana Fruits, he would find himself in some sort of deadly crisis.

Snorting coldly, Naruto put the Nirvana Fruits back in the box, then strode out into the courtyard and interrupted the duel between Hotarubi and the parrot and meat jelly.

"Hotarubi," he said, "have you heard of anyone else in the clan producing Nirvana Fruits?"

Hotarubi looked completely exhausted, although a gleam of stubborness and even excitement could be seen in his eyes. When he heard Naruto's question, he gaped in shock.

"No, I haven't," he replied. "Only Nirvana Flowers, but those are kind of useless. The only person to ever produce Nirvana Fruits is you…. Eee? Wait, now that I think about it, there's a rumor that the first generation Patriarch produced Nirvana Fruits. Why, what's wrong?"

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he promptly avoided answering the question. However, more feelings of suspicion rose up in his heart.

"The Nirvana Fruits of the first generation Patriarch," he thought. "They would definitely be considered a precious treasure. Why would the Grand Elder give them to me? Apparently, these Nirvana Fruits are incredibly ancient, over 100,000 years old…."

Starting the next day, Naruto made his way around the ancestral mansion filled with doubts, although no trace of his feelings could be seen on his face. He met quite a few clan members, and went to quite a few different buildings. He did his best to act exactly as a clan member would who had been missing for years, and finally returned to the clan. For example… he thirstily devoured information about the clan's history.

Everything he did seemed completely normal, and not suspicious in any way. Days passed. About a week later, Naruto's interest in the Clan History Pavilion seemed to grow deeper.

Much of the information about the clan's history was recorded there, and Naruto often showed up to pore through the records, which no one found strange. There were a vast quantity of jade slips filled with information about past events. Unfortunately, there wasn't much information about clan Patriarchs, usually just a sentence or two, or a brief description.

Half a month passed. Occasionally, the Grand Elder would kindly summon him and remind him to concoct the Spirit Elixir as soon as possible, and then absorb the Nirvana Fruits. In the end, Naruto finally managed to piece together a relatively intact story from all of the scattered bits of information he had found.

Currently, he sat cross-legged in his residence, eyes closed as he reviewed all of the information he had gathered in the past days.

"A sixth generation Patriarch, with an exceedingly high cultivation base, went into secluded meditation for a single day… and suddenly died!

"A tenth generation Patriarch was also in secluded meditation… and suddenly died!

"The same thing happened to a thirteenth generation Patriarch and a sixteenth generation Patriarch. Both of them went into secluded meditation and then… suddenly died!

"It wasn't just them. In the past 100,000 years, there were other Chosen and various clan members who went into secluded meditation and then mysteriously died."

All of this was information he had discovered in the jade history slips, tiny clues and scraps of knowledge that at first seemed unremarkable.

Although they didn't seem out of the ordinary when taken alone, Naruto, being in the crisis that he was, had discovered all the information and organized all the clues. In the end, an intense desire to kill rose up in his heart.

"Roughly 30,000 years ago, the frequency of the sudden deaths decreased. Nowadays, they rarely occur." When he opened his eyes, they shone with a bright light.

"After tracking down more information about those ancestors who had died… there was one common factor connecting all of them together. Some of them went directly into the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda, and others traded merit points to acquire rewards from the same pagoda.

"That's definitely suspicious. Throughout the past 100,000 years, many clan members have earned rewards from the Ancestral Treasure Pagoda. These people were the only ones who died suddenly. It does seem suspicious, but somewhat circumstantial.

"Until…." Naruto patted his bag of holding to produce a jade slip. His eyes began to glow coldly.

"Until I found out this bit of information about the last clan member to suddenly die, 30,000 years ago, information recorded in the diary of his son!

"Just before dying, he managed to pass word to his son that he was going to assimilate an object belonging to an ancestor. It was something no one in the past had ever succeeded in doing. Furthermore, anyone else who had attempted to accomplish the same feat had died. However, word had been passed down by one of the ancestors that if someone could successfully absorb it, it would solve the riddle of the Namikaze Clan bloodline!"

Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a moment, they opened again, and were extremely calm. There were no waves of shock or astonishment as he looked down at the jade box.

"If my speculations are correct, most, if not all, of those people suddenly died for exactly the same reason. And that reason was none other than these two Nirvana Fruits!

"These Nirvana Fruits… originally belonged to that ancient ancestor!" A cold smile broke out on Naruto's face.

"The Grand Elder is pushing me to absorb them because he wants me to experience that same sudden death!

"The Grand Elder gave me the Nirvana Fruits in front of everyone, so that it would be no secret. All the things he said, even that biased oath, all seemed extremely aboveboard and honest.

"Therefore, if I died while absorbing the Nirvana Fruits, just like everyone else who has attempted to do so, he would have done nothing except lead me in that direction with his words. Any blame for my death would have been placed solely on the Nirvana Fruits.

"Quite a flawless plan. I would die a meaningless death, and the Grand Elder might even hold an incredible funeral service for me…." Naruto's smile became even colder than before.

The Grand Elder didn't think he had underestimated Naruto, but in the end… that is exactly what he had done.

To the Grand Elder, Naruto was simply a member of the Junior generation. However intelligent he might be, he was still just a Junior.

He could never have imagined that Naruto had cultivated Time magic, and that because of his unbridled persistence, would need only half a month to sift through the vast clan histories and piece together random clues into the truth!

The two Nirvana Fruits were exactly what Naruto had speculated; items belonging to the first generation Patriarch that had been left behind as precious treasures. However, one clan member after another had suddenly died while trying to absorb them. Eventually, they became something like taboo objects.

30,000 years ago, the clan had clamped down on all information regarding the two Nirvana Fruits, and they had been put into long-term storage in the Ancestral Treasure Pavilion. Despite being objects from that first generation Patriarch, they were completely useless.

Nowadays, it was possible that there were a few people in the clan who knew that one of the Patriarchs had left Nirvana Fruits behind, but it would be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone who remembered about those clan members suddenly dying.

Not even Naruto's father would be aware of such a thing.

Were it not for Naruto's suspicious nature, and his ability to use his Time magic to determine the true age of the Nirvana Fruits, then even if he did search through the clan histories, he would never have been able to detect all of the random, inconspicuous clues that he had.

"Well then, what about MY Nirvana Fruits," he thought. "Are they still around… or not?" He looked down at the jade box, a complicated expression on his face. As of now, Naruto realized that all of the spectators who had looked on as the Grand Elder handed him the jade box must have thought that the Nirvana Fruits really did belong to him.

Sometimes, if everyone believes something to be true, then the matter basically becomes true, and cannot be changed.

After a long moment of thought, Naruto looked down at the two Nirvana Fruits, and his eyes began to glitter.

"In terms of value, these two Patriarch's Nirvana Fruits are surely priceless…. Based on all the clues I pieced together, those clan members who suddenly died all ended up as desiccated corpses, as if their life force had been sucked away.

"From the look of it, the Nirvana Fruits can't be restored simply by feeding them some Spirit Elixir as the Grand Elder suggested. Doing that will probably only revive them temporarily. Absorbing them during that period of brief restoration will most certainly lead to death.

"That's because fundamentally, they are still dry and withered. Unless…. I can truly and completely restore them. Perhaps… then I actually could absorb them.

"Of course, there must have been clan members who came to that same conclusion, and yet they also failed. Perhaps my line of thinking is just as flawed as theirs…. In that case, perhaps it's simply impossible to gather enough Spirit Elixir to restore them completely!

"If that's the case, then there are two possibilities. One is that not even the Namikaze Clan… can afford the terrifying wastage of resources that would be required to get enough medicinal plants. After all, the supply of medicinal plants is not infinite. Perhaps it's really impossible to restore the Nirvana Fruits completely, even if you use substitute ingredients in the Spirit Elixir.

"Even more likely than that possibility is the second possibility. Perhaps these Nirvana Fruits were withered from the very moment they were created." Naruto's eyes flickered for a moment, after which he patted his bag of holding to produce the copper mirror.

"There's always the chance that I really could restore the Nirvana Fruits to a state of completeness!" Naruto was panting, and a strange gleam could be seen in his eyes. Then he thought about his beloved spirit stones, and he gritted his teeth in hesitation.

"There are plenty of Chosen in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, and in the future, I should have plenty of chances to bleed them dry of spirit stones. But if I could restore these two Patriarchs' Nirvana Fruits, then absorb them… then it would be the greatest good fortune I could get here in the Namikaze Clan!

"Time to go to where they concoct pills around here!" As of this moment, a gleam of determination could be seen in Naruto's eyes.

The next day at dawn, he walked out of his residence to find that Hotarubi was nowhere to be seen.

In the end, Hotarubi felt that he had made great strides in his gift of the tongue, and was ready to graduate to the next level. Therefore, he had decided to test his debating abilities out on the masses.

The meat jelly and the parrot, claiming that it was time to test him out, had gone along to supervise.

The courtyard was silent as Naruto transformed into a beam of light and flew toward the direction of the clan's Pill Concocting Quarter.

The Namikaze Clan was an enormous clan, so they naturally had their own Dao of alchemy, and had set up their own Dao of Alchemy Division. Every cultivator there was drawn from the Namikaze Clan itself, and no matter what bloodline they came from, once they were inducted they belonged solely to the Dao of Alchemy Division.

The clan's Dao of Alchemy Division was set up outside the ancestral mansion, in its own area. It was almost like a sect, with mountains winding about in all directions, dotted with various pavilions and buildings. Radiant light shone up into the air, and the place pulsed with energy.

The Dao of Alchemy Division was made up of more than 100,000 alchemists, ensuring that the aroma of medicinal pills would always waft about and never disperse. It was always possible to see the colorful aura of medicinal pills, which was beautiful beyond compare.

The Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division had a strict division of ranking among alchemists. It was not like the Violet Fate Sect, which simply divided the higher levels into Furnace Lords and Violet Furnace Lords. In the Namikaze Clan, the alchemists were organized into nine tiers.

Tier 9 was the absolute peak, whereas tier 1 was the level for novices. Underneath the alchemists were vast numbers of apprentice alchemists, roughly 1,000,000 in total.

When practicing cultivation, medicinal pills were an absolute necessity. That was even more true in the Immortal Realm, in which cultivators cultivated boundless Immortal Chakra. There simply wasn't enough Immortal Chakra in the Ninth Mountain and Sea to support all of the cultivators, which meant that they needed to rely on the assistance of the power of plants and vegetation within medicinal pills to condense the vast amount of Immortal Chakra that they needed.

Because of that, alchemists occupied a very lofty position. Of course, not every clan member was gifted in the Dao of alchemy; people with such talent were not common. This was especially true of tier 6 alchemists, who were quite rare. When it came to tier 9 alchemists, there was only one in the entire Namikaze Clan, and he was referred to as Pill Elder.

For the most part, he only concocted pills for the clan Patriarchs who were in secluded meditation for long periods of time.

From the moment Naruto flew out of the ancestral mansion, he could see the mountains that made up the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. As he neared, he could sense a terrifying spell formation that had been set up to block the entrance to the mountains, so he produced his jade identity plaque, whereupon the spell formation flickered. After confirming Naruto's identity, bright light spread out over him, stimulating his blood flow. Finally, he was allowed to enter.

The aroma of medicinal pills washed over Naruto, and he felt enlivened. It was a very familiar scent, and it instantly made him recall the Violet Fate Sect. He took a deep breath, and immediately began to analyze what different medicinal plants he could detect in the air, and how they had been blended together.

When it came to the Dao of alchemy, even Pill Demon had to admit that Naruto exceeded him. His pill concocting skill had reached a terrifying level.

Mountains could be seen in all directions, and Naruto could sense the aura of numerous alchemists. There was also the heat of Earthly fire, making the entire place quite hot. He could see alchemists moving about to and fro among the mountains, although it was more common to see apprentice alchemists in their unique jackets, flying back and forth in beams of colorful light between the various regions that comprised the Dao of Alchemy Division.

"I wonder what the alchemists here are like…?" thought Naruto, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Clearly, the Grand Elder had made arrangements in advance, because as soon as Naruto entered the Dao of Alchemy Division, a middle-aged man flew toward him from a nearby mountain. He landed in front of Naruto and then looked him over, sizing him up.

"You're Naruto? The one with the 30,000 meter Bloodline Gatebeam?" The man wore a long green robe, and his expression was one of arrogance. The collar of his robe was embroidered with five golden dragons, indicating that he was a tier 5 alchemist.

Naruto nodded.

"I really don't know what the Grand Elder was thinking," said the man, looking at Naruto a bit impatiently. "It doesn't matter you have a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, this is the Dao of Alchemy Division. If you want to study pill concocting, having a strong bloodline won't help you one bit.

"You need to be gifted in the Dao of alchemy to study pill concocting. Can you concoct pills?"

This question caused Naruto to hesitate. The Dao of alchemy was vast and limitless, so he wouldn't dare to say that he thoroughly understood pill concocting.

"I understand something about it," he responded.

"Something?" The man didn't seem too pleased. He himself had been immersed in the Dao of alchemy for many years, and the more he understood about it, the more he realized how boundless it was. Even an entire lifetime of hard work was not enough to grasp a tiny a corner of it. If someone asked him how much he knew, he would never dare to say that he knew 'something.' At most he would say that he understood 'a bit.'

And yet this young man standing in front of him, a Chosen with a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, actually dared to say that he understood 'something' about the Dao of alchemy. Obviously, he knew nothing!

"How many years did you spend formally studying pill concocting?" the man asked coldly, his expression even more displeased than before.

Naruto hesitated for a moment and then said, "In terms of formal studying, I guess a little more than a year…."

The man's face darkened, and he impatiently threw a bag of holding toward Naruto.

"Inside, you'll find the formula for the Spirit Extract that the Grand Elder wanted you to have, plus ten sets of medicinal plants." The man then waved his hand and sent a wooden placard in his direction.

"Concocting Spirit Extract is much simpler than concocting pills. Just follow the description in the formula and you'll be able to concoct it with no problem. If it's too difficult for you, find an apprentice alchemist to make it for you. If you want to study the Dao of alchemy, you need to start by learning to identify medicinal plants. Take that placard to Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191. Study there for about a hundred years, then come back and find me." With that, the man turned, took about seven or eight steps, then stopped and looked back.

"Don't forget," he said, "the Dao of alchemy is vasty and mighty. In the future, if someone asks you about it, don't give such a wildly arrogant answer. You think that after studying for a year you can know 'something' about the Dao of alchemy?!

"Furthermore, your 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam doesn't mean anything here. Here, you're not a Chosen, you're just a regular clan member. If you don't have the natural talent, then there's no need to stick around here wasting the clan's resources! Just go back to wherever you came from!"

Having finished reprimanding Naruto, the man turned and transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

Naruto smiled wryly. He felt that his answer had been quite appropriate, but it had ended up irritating the man. Naruto scanned the bag of holding with divine sense, then pulled out the formula. He looked it over, and found that the Spirit Extract really was incredibly simple to concoct. One didn't need to be an alchemist to concoct it; even an apprentice alchemist could do so.

However, the medicinal plant ingredients were quite expensive, including some medicinal plants that were considered quite rare on Planet Lands of Ninshu.. There were enough sets of ingredients to produce ten batches of Spirit Extract.

There was one plant that only had three leaves, and emitted Immortal Chakra.

"Three Immortals Leaf!" he thought, his eyes glittering. Seeing that particular plant helped him understand exactly what resources were at the disposal of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy division.

"If I can have access to plants like Three Immortals Leaf, that means this Dao of Alchemy Division is like a Holy Land!" Naruto's eyes glittered, and his breathing sped up a bit. He actually wasn't sure exactly what level his Dao of alchemy had reached. After all, when it came to many of the medicinal pills that were frequently used to gauge the strength of someone's Dao of alchemy, he had always lacked some of the key ingredients, and had never had the chance to concoct them.

"Well, I might as well go see how strong my Dao of alchemy is in comparison to the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy!" Clutching the wooden placard in his hand, he followed the map toward Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191.

The mountains that made up the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division stretched out boundlessly in all directions. There were 10,000 mountains in the inner region that were occupied by alchemists, which were surrounded by 100,000 additional mountains.

The higher a given alchemist's ranking, the closer that alchemist could get to the center of all the mountains.

The 100,000 outer mountains were divided into ten districts, which were areas in which apprentice alchemists studied. They were known as Alchemy Lodges, and were comprised of 10,000 peaks each.

Naruto's destination was Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191.

Thankfully, there was no prohibition on flight here, otherwise it would have taken Naruto a very long time to reach his destination. He shot forward at top speed and, with the help of the map, soon reached an ancient and primitive-looking mountain peak.

The peak was not sharp and tall, and in fact, it appeared as if the top had been directly cut off to create what looked like a huge public square. Currently, several hundred people sat cross-legged surrounding a raised central platform, listening to an old man give a lecture about medicinal plants. He wore a long robe, the collar of which was embroidered with a single golden dragon.

The old man rambled on and on, occasionally holding out a medicinal plant. Every so often, one of those plants would bloom, and would be surrounded by multicolored light. The audience members were apparently experiencing significant enlightenment as they watched.

In the audience of hundreds of cultivators could be seen men and women, old people and young, all of whom were members of the Namikaze Clan, come here to study pill concocting. Of course, everyone had to start out as an apprentice alchemist.

No one paid much attention to Naruto's arrival. He sat down off to the side to listen to the old man's lecture.

"This is Godshine Flower," the old man said coolly, "which is also known as Sunbirth Leaf. On any given day, its medicinal strength is at its peak at high noon. Make sure to pay close attention to this flower's vein pattern, because it looks very similar to Godrain Flower." With that, he pulled out another medicinal plant and began to introduce it.

Occasionally, the old man would look out at the crowd, and when he saw the earnest expressions of the faces of the apprentice alchemists, he felt quite a sense of accomplishment.

He was a mere tier 1 alchemist, and had virtually no hope of ever being promoted for the rest of this life. Therefore, he had been assigned to deliver lectures on plants and vegetation to the apprentice alchemists. It was only during times like these that he could enjoy the sensation of a crowd looking at him enviously.

Even as he continued his lecture, a glimmer of displeasure suddenly flickered within him. He had just seen a young man in the audience frowning at what he was saying. At first, he didn't pay the matter much attention, but over the course of the next two hours, he realized that the young man had frowned seven or eight times.

That made the old man more and more irritated. He had been giving lectures here for many years, and every single apprentice alchemist looked at him with deep respect and courtesy. Even Chosen from other clans' Dao of Alchemy Divisions would recognize his authority in this place.

The old man had never encountered someone like Naruto, who frowned at what he said. The more he saw this happening, the more offensive he found it.

Naruto continued to listen to the lecture. Eventually the old man began to talk about Brightmoon Vine, and Naruto frowned again. He could clearly tell that this old man had an incorrect understanding of plants and vegetation. He was making mistakes that, if the audience of apprentice alchemists paid attention to, could cause problems for them in the future. They might even pay heavy prices before they understood the truth.

"This type of tree grows in the frigid weather of regions that were once extremely hot. It is called Midwinter Tree. When it is burned, it can produce a type of sap that is considered a precious treasure, the name of which is Midwinter Sap!" As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Naruto frown yet again. That made it more than ten times in which Naruto had frowned. At long last, the old man couldn't take it any more. Face cold, he pointed directly at Naruto.

"You! What's your name!?" he asked, his voice rumbling like thunder. The surrounding apprentice alchemists had just been listening to his lecture in a virtual trance, and were instantly shocked. They quickly followed the line of the man's finger to see Naruto.

"Naruto," replied Naruto coolly. "Or, you can also call me Naruto."

"You have no regard for your elders and betters! In my role as an alchemist, I will ask you, an apprentice alchemist, a question. Let's see if you dare to stand up and answer!" The old man chuckled coldly.

Naruto had no desire to get into an argument with the old man, so he casually stood up.

"Do you acknowledge your error?" the old man demanded. "Well, too late! Let me ask you: why was your attention wandering during my lecture? Why did you keep frowning? If you don't enjoy listening to my lectures here, then you can just get lost! You're not permitted to stick around here and annoy people!

"You're name's Naruto, huh? From now on, you are not welcome here!" He snorted coldly. This old man was not a tolerant person, so Naruto's continued frowning had really been a provocation, or even a challenge.

Naruto frowned, and an icy coldness could be seen within his eyes. He looked at the old man for a moment, but didn't say anything. As he turned to leave, the old man snorted again.

"Did I say you could leave? If you can't explain why you were frowning just now, then I'll throw you out! You can't just walk away!"

Naruto stopped in place and slowly looked back at the old man. Then, he began to speak, his voice calm.

"The first time I frowned was when you mentioned Sunbirth Leaf. Although that leaf's medicinal strength is indeed greatest at high noon, that is not a suitable time to harvest it, let alone to use it to concoct medicine. At that time, the Yang energy in the leaf is too intense. If you concoct medicine with it then, and it is not the primary ingredient, then it doesn't matter. However, if you use it as the primary ingredient, the concoction will fail! The correct time to harvest said leaf is at a specific time AFTER high noon!"

Naruto's voice boomed out in all directions as he took a step forward toward the man.

The old man's face darkened, and he was just about to say something when Naruto continued to speak.

"The second time I frowned was when you talked about Groundfall Root. What you said was completely incorrect. You said that Groundfall Root contains an aura of rot. However, true Groundfall Root is the part that connects the plant to the ground. Half an inch is underground, the other half is above ground! If you harvest the incorrect part of the plant, then any pill you concoct will be black and full of toxins. It would be detrimental to anyone who consumed it."

As he spoke, he took another step forward, and his energy surged.

The old man's face flickered. When it came to Sunbirth Leaf, he had an argument that he could make in his defense. But when it came to Groundfall Root, as soon as the words left Naruto's mouth, his heart began to thump. He suddenly remembered that when he had attempted to concoct a pill with Groundfall Root in the past, the result was exactly as Naruto had described.

"The third time I frowned was when you brought up Tenderwillow Branch. The first half of what you said about it was absolutely correct. If you take nine of its leaves and refine them together, it will form a true Tenderwillow Leaf. However, you missed something very important; it is vital to collect some of the soil from beneath the tree itself and combine that into the mixture. The reason is that the soil in areas where Tenderwillow Branches grow, when compounded with wood and metallic elements, can purify the metal portion, leaving behind a newborn plant!"

As Naruto took another step forward, the old man's face flickered again. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and he subconsciously took a step backward. As Naruto neared, the man sensed an amorphous energy that filled him with fear.

Most importantly of all, what Naruto had said about the Tenderwillow Leaf left him completely shocked. It was actually the first time he had heard of such a thing. However, it suddenly caused him to think back to a time when he had been invited to visit another alchemist, who at the time happened to be concocting a pill with Tenderwillow Leaf. He had actually put some soil into the mixture. At the time, the old man had been confused as to why he would do that, but too embarrassed to ask about it.

"The fourth time I frowned was when you spoke of Cloudsipping Grass. How could that grass possibly grow inside of clouds, which is exactly what you said? That's nothing but sheer and utter nonsense! It's a grass that grows in mountain streams, surrounded by wisps of cloud and mist. THAT'S why it's called Cloudsipping Grass!" The next step Naruto took left the old man completely ashen-faced. Yet again, he subconsciously stepped back. He suddenly remembered that Cloudsipping Grass was exactly as Naruto had just described it. When he had talked about it earlier, he had intentionally spouted some hogwash; his explanation actually had nothing to do with reality. That was because he had no idea what the plant really was.

"The fifth time I frowned was when you talked about the Tree of Nine Eyes….

"The sixth time I frowned was because of what you said about Gauzewood Moss….

"The seventh time I frowned…."

Every time he spoke, Naruto took another step forward, and the old man's face grew paler as he fell back in retreat. His expression soon became one of panic, which caused the surrounding apprentice alchemists to stare in shock.

"The twelfth time I frowned was because you said that Brightmoon Vines have flowers that bloom with two different colors. One color is toxic, the other isn't. You spoke of the plant's medicinal properties, but then never explained how to tell the difference between the two. That is why I frowned!" Naruto advanced with each of his explanations, and the old man fell back. By this point, Naruto was now standing on the platform.

"The last time I frowned was when you talked about Midwinter Sap. I have no idea from whom you learned about plants and vegetation, but even though Midwinter Sap can be produced by burning it with a cultivation flame, that will produce an inferior product. The highest quality Midwinter Sap requires magically induced lightning to create!" With that, Naruto flicked his sleeve.

Voice echoing, he continued, "The Dao of alchemy is vast and limitless. The number of medicinal plants is like the water in the sea. No one can remember all of them, and the mistakes you made are not unforgivable. However… we are in our clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. The apprentice alchemists here to listen to your lecture are all fellow clan members. If you know something, then talk about it. If there's something you're not clear about, no one will make fun of you for that. That being the case, there is absolutely no reason to make up random garbage! If you do that, these apprentice alchemists might end up paying with their lives because of the mistakes they will make in the future!"

Naruto's words were spoken with little courtesy. Originally, he had intended to simply leave. However, the old man had aggressively provoked him, and as such, he laid bare all of the reasons why he had frowned earlier.

The old man opened his mouth to respond, but there was nothing he could say. His mind spun as he realized that there were indeed aspects of his speech in which he didn't know what he was talking about. However, he had fallen into a habit of lecturing on those things merely based on his own personal experience and judgement.

Currently, his face was as pale as death, and he was trembling. There was nothing he could do to refute Naruto's stern criticism. In fact, for some reason, the feeling he got when he looked at Naruto was the same feeling of awe he'd had years ago when he was an apprentice alchemist looking at the full alchemists.

Everything Naruto had said left him shaken, and actually answered many questions that he himself had wondered about.

In the silence that followed, the surrounding hundreds of Namikaze Clan apprentice alchemists began to talk.

"Naruto…. I just remembered! He's the one with the 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam! His bloodline is inconceivably strong! It's that Naruto!"

"It's really him! He came from Planet Lands of Ninshu. Supposedly, he experienced some kind of Seventh Year Tribulation. Now he's back, and not only does he have a strong bloodline, he also managed to silence an alchemist on the subject of plants and vegetation!"

"He's the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline! His bloodline is even stronger than Prince Menma's. I can't believe he's here in the Dao of Alchemy Division!"

"After hearing him talk about all those different medicinal plants, I suddenly feel like I understand them far better than I did before! Could it be that Naruto is also an alchemist?"

Naruto was just about to leave when the trembling old man stepped forward. Clasping hands, he bowed deeply to Naruto.

"Alchemist Namikaze. Sir, you were right to chide me. My name is Ibuse, and everything was my fault. Would you mind staying for a moment and clearing up some of my confusion, Alchemist Namikaze? I… I actually have some questions about plants and vegetation that I hope you can help me with." Although Ibuse seemed a bit embarrassed to say these things, he didn't hesitate to speak them. 1

His words caused instant excitement among the surrounding apprentice alchemists. They could clearly see that Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation far exceeded that of Ibuse.

The idea of being able to hear a lecture by an alchemist like that was a rare opportunity, and true good fortune.

"Please, Alchemist Namikaze, stay for a bit. Give us some pointers!"

"Alchemist Namikaze, we have a lot of questions about plants and vegetation! For the sake of us fellow clan members, could you stay and dispel some of our confusion…?"

Everyone began talking at once, clasping hands and bowing. Naruto stopped in his tracks and looked around for a moment before nodding.

A cheer of excitement rose up from the enthusiastic crowd.

"Heavenrain Leaf veins will only appear when they are soaked by heay rainfall. As far as what types of medicinal pills can be concocted with those veins, I know of 87,645 different types….

"Golden Mean Tree cannot be used as a primary ingredient. However, you can add it to the mix during the concocting process to increase metal-type energy. Furthermore, it will add a golden color to the medicinal pill."

Naruto was currently standing on the platform. He had just introduced a variety of unique medicinal plants that were easily misidentified, and was now fielding questions from the apprentice alchemists.

Ibuse sat down below, constantly asking questions about various plants and vegetation that he wasn't clear about. He seemed very excited.

"Milky Way Stone isn't really a type of rock. It's actually a type of sea moss that grows in the narrow crevices rocks. Furthermore, the more cracks a stone has, the higher the quality will be.

"Nine Dragons Spice is not naturally occurring. No, it is actually the result of a graft of nine different medicinal plants. The grafting formula is actually a secret, so all I know about it is from my own conclusions based on what I've heard about the pill itself; I can't actually be 100% certain of the exact method of grafting."

Naruto spoke patiently to the apprentice alchemists and the excited Ibuse. The sky was growing dark, but the audience didn't seem tired at all. Quite the opposite. Many of them were excitedly recording the information Naruto was giving them onto jade slips.

Soon, the moon hung high in the sky, and yet, nobody had left. Eventually, passing apprentice alchemists from nearby mountains noticed that something was going on, and came over. When they saw that an alchemist was listening to this lecture about plants and vegetation, they were shocked. That was especially true after many of them recognized Ibuse. In the end, these curious newcomers… didn't leave either.

It didn't take long before the mountain platform was packed tight with, not several hundred people, but several thousand. All types of questions were asked, and there wasn't a single one that Naruto couldn't answer.

Some people even started to intentionally ask trick questions, but Naruto didn't even need to think before providing an answer. Everything he said was correct and complete, which caused even the questioners trying to trip him up to feel completely astonished.

Eventually, the mountain was packed. The new arrivals, who of course didn't want to leave, had to float in the air nearby to listen.

Naruto tried to conclude the lecture on numerous occasions, but there were too many people in the audience, and too many questions. He wanted to leave, but considering that he was trying to rise to prominence in the clan, the Dao of alchemy was probably his best chance to do so. Therefore, he stayed.

Gradually, an entire night passed, and to these alchemy cultivators, Naruto's lecture was almost like a sermon about the Dao. More and more apprentice alchemists crowded around. By the time the sun rose, there were over 10,000 people present.

That in and of itself sent the surrounding areas into a commotion. More people approached to hear Naruto's lecture, and to ask questions. However, from start to finish, there seemed to be nothing Naruto didn't know, and no question that he couldn't answer, or even give him the slightest pause.

Shock spread through all hearts, and soon, some of the other alchemists in the area who had been preparing to give their own lectures noticed. At first they chuckled coldly, but soon their eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"His skill with plants and vegetation… it's actually… it's actually incredibly high!"

"Heavens! The questions are never-ending, and they touch upon virtually all aspects of plants and vegetation. But this guy can actually answer all of them! What an incredible knowledge base!"

Gradually, the size of the audience grew. Naruto spoke for three days straight, and eventually, there were 30,000 people in attendance. The entire world of the apprentice alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy Division was shaken. There were even many tier 1 alchemists who came. As for the tier 2 alchemists, however, most stayed in the inner mountains. They rarely interfered with the affairs of the outer mountains, nor did they pay too much attention to what happened there. After all, most alchemists spent their time in seclusion, concocting pills.

"Three Immortals Leaf is a rare medicinal plant. I would never have expected the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division to be able to grow them. If you use this medicinal plant as the main ingredient, a vast amount of medicinal pills can be concocted. Although I haven't personally concocted anything using Three Immortals Leaf, I'm aware of around one thousand pill formulas that use it.

"Sun Blossom? That's a legendary medicinal plant that has long since gone extinct. Naturally, I've never laid eyes on one, but I've heard that if you add Sun Blossom to a medicinal pill, you are certain to produce a one hundred percent consummate pill." 1

Naruto was now seated cross-legged on the platform, smiling as he spoke. Everyone in the audience was still excited. Even after three days, they didn't seem tired at all. All of them were deeply aware that this was a very rare opportunity for them.

Meanwhile, word spread to the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion. Futsu sat in his Immortal's cave, listening as an apprentice alchemist gave a lively description of Naruto's lecture on plants and vegetation.

Futsu's face darkened, and then after a moment, broke out into a cold smile.

"What does that prove?" Futsu said coldly. "Any tier 2 alchemist from the inner mountains of the Dao of Alchemy Division could go out and give a lecture on plants and vegetation. Any one of them would draw a crowd of tens of thousands, or even more.

"Piddling Naruto. You come here from a backwater place like Planet Lands of Ninshu, so even if you have a bit of skill, it's still bound to be quite limited. You just joined the Dao of Alchemy Division and are already acting so arrogantly? You're nothing but a loser who thinks he's hot stuff." He still constantly brooded over the events that had taken place on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and hated Naruto to his bones.

He really wanted Prince Menma to go punish Naruto. Unfortunately, Prince Menma never did anything, no matter how Futsu pushed the subject. Now, just as he was managing to quell his frustration, this apprentice alchemist came to tell him about the waves Naruto was making in the Dao of Alchemy Division. Finally, he snorted and sent the apprentice alchemist away, then sat there frowning.

"This damned Naruto, I can't just let him trot around so happily!" Grinding his teeth, Futsu produced a transmission jade slip, imprinted it with divine sense as well as some various promises, and then threw it out.

The jade slip immediately shot into the air.

Shortly thereafter, somewhere within the 10,000 inner mountains of the Dao of Alchemy Division, on one particular mountain that was fairly close to the outer mountains, a middle-aged man was concocting some medicinal pills. He wore an alchemist's robe that had two golden dragons embroidered on the collar.

The pill furnace in front of him glowed bright red, and flickered with light. A medicinal aroma wafted out from the furnace, which surrounded the entire mountain and seemed to nourish all of the vegetation in the area.

In the middle of his concocting, a jade slip suddenly appeared. It floated there off to the side, but the middle-aged man ignored it completely, instead continuing with his pill concocting. Two hours passed before the bright red color of the pill furnace began to fade away. When the furnace cooled completely, the man began to murmur to himself.

"I've been working on this batch of Mortality Convergence Pills for three months. It's too bad I wasted so many ingredients…. I wonder if I succeeded this time. If not, I'm going to have to go get some more medicinal plant ingredients." The man frowned and then waved his hand, causing the jade slip to fly over. After scanning it with divine sense, his eyes began to glitter.

"Naruto? Even I've heard of that name recently. He had a 30,000 meter Bloodline Gatebeam. However, in the Namikaze Clan, you can't only rely on your bloodline.

"Naruto might be a Chosen….

"But this is the Dao of Alchemy Division, and things are different here. Nobody cares if you're a Chosen or not. Furthermore, I have no conflicts with Futsu, and considering what he's offering me, it won't hurt to help him out this once." He hesitated for a moment and looked at the pill furnace. If this batch of pills went bad, then he would have to go get more medicinal plant ingredients, which he really didn't want to do. He thought for a moment, then decided not to refuse Futsu's request. He quickly headed toward the outer mountains.

"What kind of ability could some trifling clan member from Planet Lands of Ninshu have? Besides, skill with plants and vegetation is a low-level fundamental skill, that's all. Any tier 2 alchemist could get a whole bunch of apprentice alchemists to gather around them.

"As for the tier 1 alchemists, well…." He snorted coldly. In the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy division, the only tier 1 alchemists who were stationed in the outer mountains were the ones who had no hope of advancing to the next tier.

"7191…. Right, I remember. That place is overseen by Ibuse." The man chuckled. Ibuse was the lowest ranking of all the tier 1 alchemists. The fact that he had passed the test was a completely lucky break.

The man flew out of the inner mountains at top speed. Whenever any apprentice alchemists saw him, they respectfully clasped hands and bowed. He hurried to the outer mountains as quickly as possible, and after enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, he caught sight of Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191. The first thing he saw was the crowd of tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists packed together. It almost looked like a static cyclone.

The sight of it caused the middle-aged man to give a cold harrumph. He was actually a bit offended. Whenever he went to the outer mountains to give lectures, he would usually draw a crowd of about 10,000. However, there were clearly about 30,000 apprentice alchemists in attendance here.

The man neared, but because all of the apprentice alchemists were paying close attention to Naruto, no one noticed the newcomer.

The man frowned and then snorted coldly, the sound of which echoed out and caused numerous nearby apprentice alchemists to turn around in shock. When they saw him standing there, their faces fell and they quickly clasped hands in greeting.

"Greetings, Alchemist Katazu!"

"It's Alchemist Katazu!"

It didn't take long before everyone was turning to Katazu and bowing in greeting. He nodded back proudly, and proceeded forward. People backed up, creating a path that he followed all the way to the mountain peak, where he stood on the platform next to Naruto.

He looked Naruto over a few times.

All of the apprentice alchemists, and even Ibuse, rose to their feet, bowing to Katazu with clasped hands.

Naruto was the only one who remained seated. It was obvious that this man came with ill intentions, and the measuring look in his eye also contained a bit of scorn.

"So you're Naruto?" he asked coldly.

Naruto nodded, after which Katazu smiled, and the disdain therein was clear. He waved his sleeve and coldly announced, "You're only an apprentice alchemist, and yet you dare to give a lecture about plants and vegetation? How scandalous!

"However, I won't make things hard for you. I'll ask you about three types of medicinal plants, and if you can't answer, you will put end to this commotion immediately, and focus on being a good apprentice alchemist instead of arrogantly assuming the mantle of a full alchemist!" After saying these things, Katazu suddenly recalled an additional requirement that Futsu had laid out.

"Also," he added coldly, "for however long you sowed chaos in the Dao of Alchemy Division with your lecture, you will kneel here for the same length of time!" 3

Naruto looked at the arrogant man standing in front of him, and frowned.

"I'm just an apprentice alchemist and you're a full alchemist. Doesn't this count as bullying? Also, what happens if I answer your questions correctly?"

"Then you can continue your lecture!" replied Katazu with a cold laugh.

Naruto hesitated, as if he was debating whether to accept the challenge. Then he looked around, as if he was considering the face he would lose in front of all these people if he didn't accept. Gritting his teeth, he produced a bag of holding and put it down off to the side. Eyes bloodshot, he looked over at Katazu.

"I came here with good intentions to explain matters of plants and vegetation to fellow clan members. You've come to stop me. If I lose the challenge, you want me to kneel here in humiliation. However, if you lose, there is no loss on your part. That's not really fair. Why don't we REALLY throw down? If you match the number of spirit stones in that bag of holding, then I'll accept your challenge!

"If not, then I might as well just leave."

Katazu frowned. Coming as he had in his role as a full alchemist really was a case of the big bullying the small. There were a lot of people watching, and he had to consider how the matter would affect their view of him. However, if he didn't get Naruto to kneel, then he wouldn't be meeting the requirements laid out by Futsu. Finally, he looked at Naruto and laughed coldly, imagining what it would look like when he was humiliated and kneeling on the ground. He would definitely have to make Futsu give him an extra bonus as a reward. Without further hesitation, he pulled out a bag of holding and threw it down next to Naruto's.

He said nothing, but his eyes glittered coldly.

Naruto took a deep breath and licked his lips. A bashful smile appeared on his face, and he even looked a bit embarrassed.

"Many thanks, Alchemist Namikaze. Now, let's throw down."

Alchemist Lodge Peak #7191 was now surrounded by tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists, all of whom were staring fixedly at Naruto and Katazu on the platform.

It was especially interesting that there was a wager between the two of them, and the apprentice alchemists couldn't wait to see what happened. Many could read between the lines, and knew that Katazu had intentionally come here to stir up trouble with Naruto. However, considering that it didn't affect them personally, those people were even more excited than the others. They wanted to see who exactly was better when it came to knowledge of plants and vegetation.

If Naruto hadn't just given a three-day lecture on the subject, the apprentice alchemists would not have hesitated even a moment to say that Katazu would prevail. Now, however… it was hard to say.

Naruto looked extremely bashful as he embarrassedly scanned Namikaze Katazu's bag of holding with divine sense. Then he licked his lips and looked back over at Katazu. He felt luckier with every minute that passed. He had never imagined that, having only been in the Dao of Alchemy Division for a few days, there would already be someone who came looking to deliver up spirit stones.

When he realized what he was thinking, he suddenly felt a bit more embarrassed.

Seeing all the eyes focused on him, Katazu snorted coldly. He had been immersed in the Dao of alchemy for many years, and was highly proficient when it came to skill with plants and vegetation. As the saying went, his proverbial pill furnace glowed with the bright green of perfection. Actually, he was already qualified to be promoted to a tier 3 alchemist, and as such, was absolutely confident in being able to win the bet.

Were it not for the fact that he was badly in need of alchemy resources, he would never have come here. After all, participating in something like this was really beneath his status.

His expression proud and lofty, Katazu raised his hand high and then smacked his bag of holding. Instantly, a medicinal plant appeared in his hand. It was green, and looked no different from an ordinary blade of grass. He waved his hand, sending it flying through the air to hover in front of Naruto.

"I won't make things hard for you," he said coolly. "I'll show you three medicinal plants. You simply have to tell me their names and properties. This is the first one." From his perspective, this plant in and of itself was enough to stump his opponent. He planned to show this Naruto the height of the Heavens and the depths of the Earth. He would help Naruto to know exactly how vastly separated the two of them were in terms of qualifications.

As a tier 2 alchemist, he wanted to ensure a quick victory. Considering his status in the Dao of Alchemy Division, knocking his opponent out of the competition with a single blow would be the most suitable result.

Katazu smiled coldly, swished his sleeve, then clasped his hands behind his back and looked arrogantly at Naruto. "Forget about this guy," he thought. "Not even a tier 1 alchemist would recognize this medicinal plant."

Naruto was smiling just as before as he looked at the medicinal plant.

All of the apprentice alchemists were also staring at it, trying to guess what it was. The tier 1 alchemists in the area were also digging through their memories, and yet, none of them could recall even the slightest scrap of information about a plant like this.

Immediately, a buzz of conversation rose up.

"This can't be right. That medicinal plant doesn't look special at all. It doesn't even look like a medicinal plant! Is it just an ordinary plant from the mortal world?"

"I might not have incredible skill when it comes to plants and vegetation, but I know a bit. However, this plant… is something I've never seen before."

"He definitely deserves to be a tier 2 alchemist. He pulled out a medicinal plant that nobody even recognizes!"

Katazu looked haughtily over at Naruto.

"If you don't recognize it, then kneel upon this mountain peak for three days, and then screw off." Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, however, Naruto suddenly looked up at him and chuckled.

"Alchemist Namikaze, I never imagined that you would actually possess this type of Wind Spirit Grass. Such a plant is useless for medicinal purposes. However, when struck by a strong wind, it will blossom with a Spirit Flower. That flower can bloom with up to seven colors, with seven being the optimal number. That medicinal flower is one of the most important ingredients used when concocting wind-type medicinal pills.

"Unfortunately, Alchemist Namikaze, this particular plant of yours has a lot of imperfections. It will only produce a three-colored flower."

Naruto's words left the surrounding apprentice alchemists in shock. Even the tier 1 alchemists were astonished. They had never even heard of Wind Spirit Grass, although many knew of Wind Spirit Flower. At this point, they suddenly had an epiphany, and realized the origin of Wind Spirit Flowers.

It was at this point that Naruto blew onto the blade of grass. Because of the level of his cultivation base, that breath was like a gale force wind. A rumbling sound filled the area, and then the blade of grass began to wriggle and sway back and forth. Everyone watched as a three-colored flower bloomed at the tip of the blade, and a medicinal aroma filled the area.

"It really has three colors!"

"Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation is astonishing after all! He didn't just recognize that plant, he was able to judge its nature entirely!"

The surrounding crowds were in an uproar. The tier 1 alchemists were now looking at Naruto with complete and utter respect. In the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division, powerful alchemists were treated with fervor and veneration.

Katazu's eyes widened, then he stared dead at Naruto, and a serious look spread out across his face. The Wind Spirit Grass might seem like an ordinary medicinal plant, but it was actually a line of demarcation when it came to determining skill with plants and vegetation. Even many tier 2 alchemists wouldn't know much about it. Even more shocking to him was how his opponent had identified how many colors the flower would bloom in. That was something that only tier 3 alchemists should be able to do.

"So, this guy has some skill after all," he thought. "It seems I need to take things a bit more seriously." Katazu waved his hand to pull the Wind Spirit Grass back into his bag of holding, from which he then produced another medicinal plant.

This plant had more than one hundred leaves, which formed the shape of a triangle. The stamen of the plant's flowers were long and almost looked like tentacles as they drifted back and forth.

A single look at this medicinal plant, and it was clear that it was beyond ordinary. Everyone looking at it also felt a faint sense of danger.

"In order to avoid any accusations of bullying," said Katazu, "I will not require you to explain the properties of this plant. Merely telling me its name will suffice." He stared icily at Naruto. Although he didn't say anything further, inside, he was laughing coldly. In his opinion, he had underestimated his opponent a bit when it came to the first medicinal plant. However, with this second one, he was completely confident that he could secure victory.

"When I first got this medicinal plant," he thought, "I didn't have any idea what it was. It was personally grown by one of the tier 5 alchemists, and I had to spend a small fortune to acquire it.

"It's completely one-of-a-kind. Not a single manual of plants and vegetation will contain a description of it. It was grafted together from a variety of other medicinal plants, using the top-secret technique of a tier 5 alchemist.

"I simply can't believe that an inconsequential apprentice alchemist will be able to identify it!" Smiling coldly, Katazu lifted his chin and stood there, hands clasped behind his back as he looked at Naruto.

He could visualize his opponent with tears streaming down his cheeks, racking his brains as he tried to identify the plant. He would probably spout a bunch of nonsense, for which Katazu had already prepared appropriate words of response.

Everything was completely quiet. All eyes were focused on the medicinal plant. Because of the vague sense of danger it emanated, everyone was now paying close attention to it. Gradually, the medicinal aroma wafting out from the plant vitalized the minds of all present.

"What medicinal plant is that!?"

"I'm pretty sure I've never seen it before, although something about it seems familiar. How strange!"

Even the tier 1 alchemists were all frowning and trying desperately to recall what this plant was. Some people even pulled out jade slips containing information about plants and vegetation, which they began to search through for clues.

"That plant is even more mysterious than the Wind Spirit Grass from before!" As the members of the audience began to speculate further about the plant, Naruto looked at it, and his eyes began to shine.

"I never imagined that the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division would be so skilled with plants and vegetation," he said. Immediately, the audience went silent, and everyone looked at Naruto.

Katazu laughed coldly.

"Can you identify it, or not? There's no need to be deliberately cryptic."

Naruto chuckled in response.

"This medicinal plant is something I doubt you could grow," he said. When the onlookers heard this, they didn't think too much of it. However, Katazu's heart began to thump.

"It has no name," Naruto continued slowly. "Or, perhaps you could say… the only person qualified to name it, is the alchemist who created it."

When Katazu heard this, his face flickered. Naruto's two sentences were like lightning bolts striking his brain. How could he ever have imagined that his opponent would be able to pick up on the clues with just a glance? He quickly prepared to retrieve the plant and put it away, since Naruto's first two sentences had already revealed the truth regarding the name of the plant.

He recalled how the first time he had ever laid eyes on this plant years ago, he had stared in shock. To him, it had seemed like some strange and miraculous item. It wasn't until the tier 5 alchemist explained the plant to him that he understood the truth, and prostrated himself in admiration.

"Just how skilled is this Naruto?" he thought. "He actually recognized the plant! Dammit! No, I really have to pull a fast one!" Feeling more on guard than ever, he immediately had the urge to slander his opponent. However, in the Dao of Alchemy Division, reputation was extremely important, and with so many people looking on, word would spread quickly.

Katazu gritted his teeth, and was just about to retrieve the medicinal plant and put it away when suddenly, Naruto started talking again.

"This is a medicinal plant produced by a grafting technique. Let me see…. It seems to be grafted from nineteen different medicinal plants. Those nineteen plants consist of Watershed Root, Spiritdream Grass, Mount Heaven Leaf, Mortality Bloom…." Naruto calmly listed all nineteen varieties of plants.

Katazu's eyes widened, and he began to pant. He subconsciously staggered backward several steps, his expression one of disbelief. As for the next plant he had planned to pull out, Naruto had just mentioned it in the list he had rattled off, so Katazu had no choice but to abandon any idea of using it. How could he have ever imagined that this person could possibly…

Could possibly name all of the plants that made up the graft! Katazu's mind was spinning. Of course, he couldn't be absolutely certain as to whether what Naruto had said was completely correct or not, because only the tier 5 alchemist who created it would be able to verify it.

After all, this was… a top secret technique!

Eventually Naruto reached his conclusiion and said, "…afterwards, use the magic of the four seasons, invert Yin and Yang, graft three plants simultaneously. Combine all nineteen medicinal plants, do not allow them to be touched by the sun, allow the Yin Chakra to coalesce, which completes the process.

"Because this medical plant was created by grafting nineteen other plants together, if it is used in pill concocting, there are many possible transformations. An ordinary alchemist would probably be incapable of using it to concoct anything at all. Presumably, the alchemist who gave you this medicinal plant also gave you a pill formula specifically designed to be used with it.

"Tell me, Alchemist Namikaze, am I correct?" Naruto smiled and looked at Katazu.

Naruto's words were followed by deathly silence. Everyone was looking at Katazu, whose face flickered back and forth between various emotions. He felt like lightning was crashing around in his head, and without realizing it, he stepped backward. He was now looking at Naruto with wide eyes, as if he were some type of evil spirit.

"Impossible! This is Impossible!" Katazu's heart trembled violently. He had no idea how the medicinal plant had been grafted together and no way of knowing whether Naruto was correct or not. However… based on his skill in the Dao of alchemy, he was fairly certain that what Naruto had said was true.

Most importantly, the tier 5 alchemist from whom he had acquired this medicinal plant had indeed given him a pill formula to use with it. Furthermore, the words that alchemist had used to describe the plant were exactly the same as the words Naruto had uttered just now!

"You…."

The surrounding apprentice alchemists noticed Katazu's pale face, the fact that he had backed up, and his facial expression. Virtually all of them understood exactly what it meant; Naruto had been completely correct in what he had said.

There was no other reason for Katazu's expression to change the way it had.

"Naruto was right again!"

"Not even Alchemist Katazu is capable of outdoing Naruto when it comes to plants and vegetation!"

"It's a good thing I kept good notes from when Naruto was lecturing about plants and vegetation earlier. I'm going to go back and review them thoroughly!"

The surrounding apprentice alchemists were abuzz. After all, as mere apprentice alchemists, they didn't really understand much about alchemy. Even the tier 1 alchemists were panting and looking on with wide eyes. Then they exchanged glances, and saw similar looks of disbelief on each other's faces.

They were alchemists, and though they might only be tier 1, their knowledge base far exceeded that of apprentice alchemists. Since they couldn't identify the medicinal plant Katazu held in his hand, they initially hadn't felt that there was anything special about it. However, after Naruto spoke, and especially after he revealed the grafting technique, their minds trembled.

"Uh… that grafting technique is a top secret method of a tier 5 alchemist!"

"Nineteen medicinal plants! I'm afraid only a tier 5 alchemist could create something like that. But… but Naruto is so inhuman that he actually… easily identified the grafting method by simply looking at the plant!"

"Just what is the full extent of his skill in plants and vegetation, and his Dao of alchemy? How frightening! It's almost like no secrets that relate to plants and vegetation can be kept from him!"

Because of their advanced understanding, the tier 1 alchemists were thoroughly astonished.

Katazu's face was pale white as he looked at Naruto, who in his view had become completely inscrutable and terrifying. He could never have predicted that anyone would be able, with a single look, to see through an alchemist's top secret technique and reveal the grafting method.

To him, such a thing was vastly terrifying.

As of this moment, he knew that he was absolutely no match for Naruto when it came to skill in plants and vegetation. He simply didn't stand a chance of winning when up against an inhuman like this in a competition.

"Damn you, Futsu!" he thought. "You just wait until I get back. I'll teach you a thing or two!" Katazu was filled with bitterness, as well as a sudden, bone-deep hatred of Futsu. As for Naruto, he didn't dare to hate him.

Because the Dao of Alchemy Division had its own way of doing things, he could ignore the fact that Naruto was Chosen. However… after getting a sense of Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation, he was frightened to death.

"With skill like that," he thought, "even if he's not very good at pill concocting, he'll still rise to complete prominence…. Furthermore, what if he's just as gifted in pill concocting? That would be petrifying. He'll certainly exceed me in the Dao of Alchemy Division. Now, thanks to Futsu, I've offended him. It definitely wasn't worth it…."

Katazu took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and was just about to admit defeat when suddenly his heart quivered. He suddenly realized that this defeat could actually be turned into an opportunity. He hesitated for a moment, then clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.

"Alchemist Namikaze, your skill in plants and vegetation is profound. I'm no match for you. I was crude and rash earlier, and I hope you can look past that. Please take the spirit stones in that bag of holding as my gift to you upon our first meeting. I admit defeat…." His words sent the apprentice alchemists into an uproar. However, the tier 1 alchemists had already surmised that he would take such action.

There would obviously be something wrong with any of them who would still feel confident enough to continue even when faced with someone so inhuman as to be able to identify a top secret grafting technique.

"However, I would also like to ask for some pointers, if that's okay. I… I saw a medicinal plant a while back. I've asked many people about it, but no one can tell me exactly what it was." Katazu once again clasped hands and bowed. "Alchemist Namikaze, if you can help me out a bit, I'd be more than happy to give this grafted medicinal plant to you as an expression of my thanks."

Naruto's expression was as calm as ever. However, inwardly, he sighed, thinking that he should have acted a bit weaker earlier. Showing off so much had only deprived him of a chance to fleece this fat sheep.

"It's too bad," he thought. "I have a lot more spirit stones in my bag of holding, and I was planning to con this guy even harder. Now I've lost the chance." Feeling a bit depressed, he waved his hand to collect Katazu's bag of holding. After scanning it with divine sense and seeing how many spirit stones were inside, he felt a bit better.

Then he looked up at the grafted medicinal plant. He knew that the value of such a plant would be significant. Besides, the grafting techniques that had been used were intriguing. As a result, he nodded to Katazu.

Katazu's expression brightened, and he immediately produced a jade slip from his bag of holding, which he respectfully handed over to Naruto, who accepted it and scanned it with divine sense.

Immediately, an image of a violet flower appeared in his mind, growing on top of a tiny, hand-sized horse, which was galloping at top speed.

That was all he saw before the image vanished.

Naruto's expression became more serious, and he scanned the jade slip again. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Where did you see this?"

"On an island in a sea district here on Planet East Victory. I just randomly happened to see it, and chased after it for a while to no avail. I asked some of the local fisherman about it, and all of them reported seeing it before on occasion.

"However, even after returning to the location on a few times, I was never able to find it again." Katazu had shown this jade to slip to numerous alchemists, but none of them had ever been able to identify it. The best he had gotten were speculations that it was some type of rare medicinal plant.

"I think that horse is actually the root of the medicinal plant," said Katazu.

"You would be wrong," said Naruto, shaking his head. "That's not a medicinal plant. It's… a medicinal pill! A sentient medicinal pill!"

"What!?" exclaimed Katazu, feeling both shock and disbelief. None of the numerous alchemists he had asked about this image had ever come to the conclusion that it was a medicinal pill. No matter how you looked at it, the only answer that made sense was that it was some kind of medicinal plant.

"How is that even possible?" said Katazu, mostly to himself. "Medicinal pills are medicinal pills! They're concocted by people! How could a medicinal pill come to life?"

"Such things do exist," said Naruto. "I've seen them." Without providing any further explanation, he handed the jade slip back to Katazu, then clasped hands and bowed to the crowd. Finally, he turned and left.

Even after Naruto left, Katazu was still in a state of disbelief. The surrounding apprentice alchemists all began disperse excitedly.

Soon after, Katazu returned to his residence, whereupon he took out Futsu's jade slip and then grimly transmitted a stream of divine will into it.

Meanwhile, Futsu was in the ancestral mansion, meditating in his residence as he waited for news from the Dao of Alchemy Division.

"Alchemist Katazu is a tier 2 alchemist. His skill in the Dao of alchemy is incredible. Once he shows up, that Naruto will definitely get put in his place. Forcing him to kneel there for three days will definitely lighten my heart a bit." He chuckled coldly, and he felt incredible anticipation for the moment when he could visit the Dao of Alchemy Division and personally look at Naruto kneeling there.

"Your dad was there on Planet Lands of Ninshu, and that's why you could be so arrogant and despotic. But here, you're an outsider. Let's see you try to be pompous here!" A wide smile appeared on his face. It was at this point that his expression flickered as he produced a jade slip from his bag of holding. Then he laughed out loud.

"Alchemist Namikaze sent me a message!" His expression one of anticipation, he sent his divine sense into the jade slip. After a moment, the jade slip began to glow, and an illusory version of Katazu's face appeared. His expression was grim.

As soon as he saw Katazu's expression, Futsu gaped in shock. Before he could even say anything, Katazu had already begun to speak.

"Futsu, what enmity is there between us?! You set me up, you bastard! You wanted me to humiliate Naruto? His skill in plants and vegetation is inhuman! Futsu, I'm not going to forget the trouble you've caused me!"

Futsu's face fell.

"Alchemist Namikaze, this…."

"Don't call me Alchemist Namikaze! From this day forth, when you want pills concocted, don't come looking for me! Furthermore, none of my alchemist friends will concoct for you either!

"Futsu, what you've done is far too excessive!" Katazu glared at Futsu for a moment, then gave a cold snort and severed the divine will connection.

Futsu's face flickered with various emotions, and then suddenly, he shot to his feet and pulled out another jade slip, which he used to connect with the apprentice alchemist he had sent away earlier. After finding out what had happened between Naruto and Katazu in the Dao of Alchemy Division, his face darkened. He wrathfully smashed the jade slip, and his face twisted with rage.

"Naruto!" he howled, and his hatred for Naruto grew even more intense.

In the Dao of Alchemy Division, everyone watched Naruto leave, and then dispersed. It didn't take long before Naruto's name began to be spread by all of the apprentice alchemists who had been present. The story of the bet between Naruto and Katazu was especially popular.

When the apprentice alchemists from the outer mountains learned that Naruto had actually defeated Katazu in terms of plants and vegetation, it only made Naruto all the more mysterious, and the subject of even more debate.

He had a 30,000 meter Bloodline Gatebeam, he had experienced the Seventh Year Tribulation, was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, and was a Chosen of the Namikaze Clan.

Word of all of these things spread, and soon, Naruto's name began to rise to prominence among the apprentice alchemists. There were even some low-level alchemists who took note.

In the ancestral mansion, Menma's father and grandfather sat in a temple, their faces grim as they listened to a tier 1 alchemist retell the story of what had happened that day at the Dao of Alchemy Division.

After a long moment, the tier 1 alchemist left. Menma's father, Kajura, looked incredibly gloomy.

"Dad, if that son of a bitch keeps doing things like this, it's going to cause waves of disturbance…."

"It doesn't matter," the old man said somberly. "He won't live much longer. Besides, even if he becomes famous in the Dao of Alchemy Division, the rules of the Namikaze Clan are clear; anyone who practices cultivation must contribute merit points.

"He just arrived, and will be provided with a set monthly allowance of merit points. It doesn't matter if it's in terms of cultivation or pill concocting, he won't be making any waves.

"Besides, if he wants to earn more merit points, he'll have to accomplish tasks set forth by the clan…. When that happens, it doesn't matter if he's avoided death so far, he'll be on the outside, where accidents can happen at any time."

Naruto had returned to his Immortal's cave residence. He already had some idea as to what would be happening right now back in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and some of those things were exactly what he wanted.

"My cultivation base isn't good enough to help me rise to prominence in the Namikaze Clan, but since they have their own Dao of alchemy, why not rise to prominence there? That can make me just as popular and famous.

"The higher my status in their Dao of Alchemy Division, then the higher my status will be in the clan in general.

"The Dao of alchemy…. If I could become the most powerful alchemist in the Namikaze Clan, then I would definitely be super famous. When I control the entire Dao of Alchemy Division, then finding out what happened to my two Nirvana Fruits won't be very difficult!" His eyes gleamed, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

After a moment, Naruto closed his eyes and rotated his cultivation base, as well as his Immortal meridian. The portion of it which remained illusory was slowly becoming solid.

"I still need more time before my Immortal meridian is full and complete. When that happens, I'll be a true Immortal!" He took a deep breath. Outside, it was gradually growing dark, and the moon had risen. Naruto's eyes finally opened, and he waved his hand, causing the ten sets of ingredients for Spirit Elixir to emerge.

Naruto looked them over carefully, then examined the formula for a while.

"This formula is pretty simple," he thought. "Also, the Spirit Elixir it produces won't be very high quality." Eyes glittering, he produced the jade box and took out the Nirvana Fruits. After examining them for a bit, he tried his hand at concocting the Spirit Elixir.

First, he made one batch using the method described in the formula. To Naruto, that method was simply too basic. After concocting the first batch, he decided to use his own method. He altered the formula a bit, then produced a total of nine batches of Spirit Elixir, each one slightly different than the others.

Then, he carefully dripped them onto one of the Nirvana Fruits one batch at a time, and observed the various reactions.

He was immediately able to see signs of restoration on the fruit. By the time the ninth batch of Spirit Elixir had been absorbed, the Nirvana fruit was no longer cracked and wrinkled, and in fact looked wholly recovered. It even emanated a splendorous light that strongly stimulated the blood in Naruto's veins.

He even had the mistaken feeling that he should immediately absorb the Nirvana Fruit into his body. He quickly closed his eyes and suppressed the impulse to try it out. After four hours, the Nirvana Fruit slowly began to wither back up. By the time six hours had passed, it had returned to its original dried-up shape.

"If I had actually tried to absorb it," he murmured, looking at the withered fruits, "then I would have been turned into a desiccated corpse just now. A sudden and unexpected death.

"If I want to absorb these Nirvana Fruits, then I need to truly restore them so that they aren't dangerous. Of these nine batches of Spirit Extract, the seventh was the strongest. It was around twice as strong as any of the others." He looked down at the final remaining set of ingredients. After a moment of hesitation, a gleam of determination appeared in his eyes.

"This formula still isn't good enough. The medicinal plants used to concoct the Spirit Elixir can actually be substituted with other medicinal plants." Naruto sank into contemplation regarding the combination of medicinal plants. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a Sun Blossom and a Reincarnation Leaf, legendary medicinal plants that were extinct in the outside world. After adding them to the formula, he began to concoct more Spirit Elixir.

This time, it took him two full days to complete the concoction. When the medicinal plants were finally refined into a liquid, he ended up with a glob of emerald-green fluid about the the size of a fist, which he then placed into a small bottle.

It was filled with dense Immortal Chakra, and because it contained Sun Blossom and Reincarnation Leaf, it meant that this bottle was shocking in terms of both quality and value.

Enduring the pain in his heart, Naruto produced the copper mirror and duplicated it, then very carefully poured a single drop from the bottle onto one of the Nirvana Fruits. It instantly returned to life, and began to glow with scintillating light.

However, Naruto knew that the fruit had not truly recovered. He continued to pour one drop after another onto the fruit, a total of one hundred. When the liquid was completely absorbed by the Nirvana Fruit, it gradually began to transform. Although it was difficult to describe the exact nature of the transformation, Naruto was just barely able to detect some sort of life force from within.

"It's working!" he thought, his eyes flickering. However, his heart then began to twinge with pain. Duplicating that single bottle of Spirit Elixir had removed a distressing amount of spirit stones from his bag of holding.

He clenched his jaw.

"It's just a bit of money, right…?" he said through gritted teeth, and then duplicated another bottle. Time passed. Five days.

"Dammit! Do you absorb Spirit Elixir or spirit stones!?

"Y-y-you're… you're still absorbing the Spirit Elixir!?

"It-it… it's like I've fallen into a bottomless pit!

"Argh, my spirit stones!"

Naruto's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the Nirvana Fruit. During these five days, he had depleted the number of spirit stones in his bag of holding by half. He had duplicated an ocean of Spirit Elixir, all of which had been absorbed by the Nirvana Fruit. The life force inside of it was growing stronger, but there seemed to be no end in sight. Naruto could clearly sense that it was thirsty to absorb more Spirit Elixir.

If you calculated exactly how much Spirit Elixir the Nirvana Fruit had absorbed, anyone in the Namikaze Clan would have been shocked. Furthermore, that Spirit Elixir was of the finest quality. A few bottles might not have been a big deal, but for most people, it wouldn't just be a problem of spirit stones; they simply would never be able to gather that many medicinal plants. Especially not the Sun Blossoms and Reincarnation Leaves.

"Only when it reaches the point that it can't absorb any more Spirit Elixir, will I know that it's fully restored!" Naruto's heart dripped with blood, and he ceased duplicating the Spirit Elixir. He quickly packed the Nirvana Fruit up and then closed his eyes.

After a moment, he opened his eyes again and then frowned.

"This isn't the right method. I need to increase the Spirit Elixir's power. To do that, I need to replace all of the current medicinal plant ingredients. If I can create an even more powerful Spirit Elixir, that would be the best thing. Although it might cost more spirit stones to duplicate on an individual basis, overall, I'll be able to save a lot of resources."

Naruto took a deep breath and then rose to his feet, ending the current madness of duplication and concoction. He was now preparing to make another trip to the Dao of Alchemy Division, and figure out a way to get the medicinal plants he needed.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the clan merit points I need…. However, that problem is solved easily enough." Eyes shining brightly, he turned into a beam of light that shot toward the Dao of Alchemy Division.

People recognized him almost as soon as he arrived. That was especially true when he reached Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191. The apprentice alchemists there, including the old alchemist Ibuse, immediately rose to their feet excitedly, clasped hands, and invited him onto the platform.

Naruto didn't decline, but instead took his place and began to lecture about the Dao of alchemy, and even asked the apprentice alchemists to go invite others to come listen.

"All of this is for the clan," Naruto announced in a profound voice. "I hope that, even with my meager skills, I can help to advance our clan's Dao of alchemy." His voice seemed to be full of loyalty and righteousness toward the clan.

The apprentice alchemists were getting excited, and immediately took out jade slips to inform their friends, who quickly hurried over, and also spread the word.

Over the course of the following four hours, the mountain peak came to be surrounded by tens of thousands of onlookers, who packed together to listen to Naruto lecture about plants and vegetation. Many among the audience were people who had heard of the events that had previously occurred, and were skeptically listening to Naruto for the first time. However, after listening for only a short time, their eyes went wide, and they were quickly absorbed in the information, seemingly entranced.

Naruto lectured for an entire day, after which he started to look a bit tired.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the clan, it's not that I don't wish to continue, but I really don't have enough time. I have to go do some tasks for the clan. Next time I'm free, I'll be sure to come back."

No matter what the crowd said to try to get him to stay, Naruto refused, and immediately left the Dao of Alchemy Division.

Later, for no apparent reason, Hotarubi suddenly became interested in the Dao of alchemy. He pulled some strings to get a chance to become an apprentice alchemist, and went directly to Peak #7191, quickly becoming familiar with some of the apprentice alchemists there.

In the following days, whenever Naruto returned, Hotarubi was in the crowd. Every time Naruto showed up, it was evening, and he would only talk for four hours before leaving.

Of course, each and every time, he would stop right at a critical moment in the lecture, which made the apprentice alchemists even more excited to hear what was next. He would always appear to really wish to keep lecturing, but be unable to because of Clan assignments, and would leave.

On one particular occasion, he lectured for about six hours before preparing to leave. It was at this point that one of the apprentice alchemists called out in a loud voice.

"Naruto, isn't the point of performing clan assignments to get merit points? How about I give one of my merit points to you, and you keep talking for two hours! What do you think?!" This apprentice alchemist was none other than Hotarubi. From the look on his face, he was prepared to go all out, to pay any price necessary to gain more knowledge of plants and vegetation.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the surrounding apprentice alchemists hesitated for a moment. However, there were a few others who immediately voiced their approval, calling out to Naruto, who stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea…." he said hesitantly.

"What's not good about it!?" hollered Hotarubi at the top of his lungs. "Naruto, your skill in plants and vegetation is so high that even a tier 2 alchemist is no match for you! If you're willing to sacrifice your own merit points for the clan, and for us, then we're willing to do the same thing for you! If we weren't, it would be a huge shame for us!"

Other apprentice alchemists began to chime in.

"That's right! Naruto, during these days, we've personally witnessed the sacrifices you have been making for the sect, and for us. We're all very grateful…."

"Naruto, you're a Chosen, and yet, you're not arrogant at all! No matter what questions we come up with about plants and vegetation, you patiently answer them all! You deserve to get merit points from us!"

"That's right! Anyone who refuses to part with their merit points should just get the hell out of here! The most valuable thing in the world isn't bullying other people! It's knowledge!"

As the atmosphere in the area grew more passionate, Naruto's face filled with emotion. Finally, he took a deep breath and stood tall on the platform, nodding his head.

"Very well," he said, sounding determined. "Thank you for your support, everyone. Since all of you demand this, then I will forgo any service to the clan, and will instead personally impart all of my knowledge of plants and vegetation to all of you!

"For two hours, I'll charge only one merit point per person! Don't offer any more! If you do, I won't accept!"

The surrounding apprentice alchemists all had strange looks on their faces. Some were actually looks of disdain; how could people not have at least some idea of what had just happened?

Immediately, conversations rippled through the crowd.

"He's actually charging a fee!"

"Doggone-it! How shameless! How fake!"

"Let's go to some other peak. None of the other alchemists charge merit points!"

Almost immediately, tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists flicked their sleeves and left. Naruto watched them leave and sighed.

"These Namikaze Clan people are so stingy," he thought. "There were so many people before, but as soon as I mentioned charging merit points, so many of them just got up and left…."

In the end, only about a thousand people remained behind. To them, one merit point wasn't very much; considering it was Naruto who was lecturing, they felt it was worth it.

This time, Naruto lectured for six hours, after which, he collected several thousand merit points, then left the Dao of Alchemy Division and returned to his Immortal's cave. A few hours later, Hotarubi returned, looking both excited and cautious at the same time. The parrot perched on one of his shoulders, the meat jelly on the other. He looked very proud of himself.

"Coz! We really made a profit this time!"

Naruto laughed, and his eyes glowed with bright light. In the Namikaze Clan, merit points were essentially the same thing as spirit stones, or even Immortal jades. Anything you wanted required an exchange of merit points.

Naruto waved his sleeve, producing a jade medallion. After scanning it with divine sense, he partitioned a hundred merit points and transferred them to Hotarubi.

"We need to make sure the apprentice alchemists you hired don't get discouraged. Tell them that the better they do in promoting me, the more merit points they can earn."

Hotarubi was actually quite excited. He had never before thought of using such a method to earn merit points. Normally speaking, the most he could ever get in a one-month period was about five hundred. But just now, it only took about six hours to make several thousand. To him, it made Naruto even more enigmatic than before.

It was at this point that Hotarubi said, "Coz, I promised them ten points apiece…."

"Don't be stingy, Hotarubi," Naruto replied, sounding very solemn. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but you're simply too stingy. You need to think big! It's just a bit of money, right?! If cultivators like us are constantly thinking about material things, then how can we ever increase our cultivation base?"

Hotarubi gaped for a moment in hesitation, but couldn't hold back from carefully saying, "Coz, what I mean is… you didn't give enough. I promised them ten per person, and I hired 173 people…."

Naruto's face immediately flickered, and he said nothing for a moment.

His silence caused Hotarubi to immediately get nervous, and he quickly continued, "Coz, I know I messed up. Next time I hire them, I'll tell them it'll be fifty per person."

Naruto's cheek suddenly twitched. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Hotarubi and sincerely said, "Hotarubi, listen. You haven't lived the hard life, so you don't know how difficult things can be. Do you know what cultivators like us use up the most? Resources! Spirit Stones! Immortal jades!

"If you want to be stronger than everyone else, then you need more spirit stones! More resources! That's the path to power!

"Now, don't take this the wrong way, but you need to learn how to work hard and live a simple life! Be diligent, thrifty! Learn how to take only one merit point, and split it ten ways! That's how cultivators like us can reach the top and stay there!" Naruto patted Hotarubi's shoulder. Suppressing the inward pain he felt, he took out his command medallion and once again sent his divine sense out, causing a thousand merit points to transfer over.

"Remember what I just told you," Naruto urged. "One merit point, split ten ways…. You can't just throw your money away!"

Hotarubi gaped at Naruto in utter shock. The words he had spoken just now were the complete opposite of what he had said before. And yet, both made sense.

In the end, Naruto couldn't hold back from adding, "Next time you hire people, it's one merit point per person. That should be enough."

Sighing, he turned and headed into his residence.

Of the more than three thousand merit points he had started out with, he now had less than half left. It was quite a blow.

Add to that the fact that later that night, Naruto had to duplicate more Spirit Elixir to use on the Nirvana Fruit, and the result was that by the following day, his bag of holding once again seemed sadly shrunken. By that time, Naruto truly felt as if he were about to go crazy.

He loved spirit stones, and loved being wealthy. Furthermore, what he loved least was spending his spirit stones….

To him, it felt like draining out his own blood.

At dawn, Naruto emerged. When Hotarubi saw him, he stared in shock.

"Coz, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

Naruto's eyes were completely red, and his expression had become somewhat vicious. He took a deep breath and cleared his head. Deep within his eyes, a brilliant light flickered.

"I HAVE to get rich! I HAVE to get merit points!"

Naruto returned to the Dao of Alchemy Division, and to Peak #7191. Yet again, he lectured about plants and vegetation. However, this time, there were actually fewer people than last time, only about nine hundred.

There wasn't much he could do. In order to get as many merit points as possible, he lectured for an entire day before leaving in exhaustion.

Each time he came after that, there were fewer people. After about a month, there were just over four hundred people who came, causing Naruto to sigh. The ones that stayed behind were the original group of apprentice alchemists, the ones whose fervor toward Naruto was the most intense.

Among their number was also tier 1 alchemist Ibuse, who fairly worshipped Naruto.

After finishing his lecture, Naruto didn't leave. Instead, he went to Ibuse's Immortal's cave and directly asked some questions.

"Ibuse, in the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy division, how do apprentice alchemists get promoted to full alchemist?"

Ibuse always treated Naruto very respectfully. Despite his surprise about the question, he quickly answered.

"To become a full alchemist, you have to concoct at least a thousand tier 1 medicinal pills, and must also pass through the first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

"The first thing to do is pass through the Medicine Pavilion. That indicates that your skill with plants and vegetation has reached the level of a tier 1 alchemist.

"Unfortunately, it's very difficult. Anyone in the Dao of Alchemy Division who hasn't studied plants and vegetation for at least ten years would have a very hard time passing the first level. Take me, for example. I can concoct tier 2 medicinal pills, although my success rate isn't very high. However, despite my best efforts, I barely passed the examination of the Medicine Pavilion. Due to my lack of skill in plants and vegetation, I wasn't able to get past the second level, and in the end, I became a tier 1 alchemist." Ibuse chuckled bitterly.

"Medicine Pavilion?" asked Naruto, his eyes sparkling. "How do you get into it?"

"It doesn't matter if you're a full alchemist or an apprentice alchemist, anyone can enter the pavilion at any time. The Medicine Pavilion was set up in the past by a Patriarch of the Dao of Alchemy Division. It tests everything that you can think of, and has nine levels, which corresponds to the nine tiers for alchemists.

"Anyone who feels confident enough, can pay one hundred merit points to go to the inner mountains and take the Medicine Pavilion trial by fire.

"It's extremely hard," said Ibuse, lowering his voice. "Of all the apprentice alchemists from Peak #7191, only about seven or eight might be able to attempt it, and that would only be after another ten or more years of study. As for the rest, most would need dozens of years of study before they could even think about trying. If you were to try to brute-force imprint your memory with knowledge, your mental world would burst from being overwhelmed by the infinite possible varieties of plants and vegetation. Unless your cultivation base is at an unfathomable level, of course."

Naruto knew that when it came to plants and vegetation, there were endless variations, which were hard to imprint with spiritual sense. After hearing Ibuse's explanation, Naruto began to mutter to himself. Then, a plan started to form in his mind.

"Is there any other way to become a full alchemist?" Naruto asked.

"Other ways…?" Ibuse thought for a moment, and then his eyes brightened. However, they grew dull again just as quickly. "There is, but it's too difficult. In fact, it's impossible to succeed that way.

"For tens of thousands of years, there have been three specific medicinal pills in the Dao of Alchemy Division which, if any full alchemist or apprentice alchemist can concoct, will allow them to immediately be promoted to tier 8 alchemist. That person would instantly become famous in the entire clan.

"Those three pills are famous pills concocted by past Patriarchs. Unfortunately, even though they left pill formulas behind after they perished, no one has been able to successfully concoct them.

"In all of Planet East Victory, even the Medicine Immortal Sect is only capable of concocting two of those pills. Of course, even though the Medicine Immortal Sect has its roots in the Namikaze Clan, and might even be considered a branch of the sect and a part of our Dao of alchemy, they are still almost considered outsiders. The fact that they can concoct pills that we cannot is somewhat disgraceful.

"That's why those three pill formulas were placed in the Pill Pavilion. The clan has posted incredible rewards for concocting them. Supposedly, the reward for even the most simple of the three includes Immortal jade, tons of spirit stones, and 5,000,000 merit points, not to mention vast quantities of medicinal plants, magical items, and technique manuals.

"Unfortunately, after all these tens of thousands of years, nobody has ever succeeded. Even our only tier 9 alchemist, Pill Elder Isago, had to admit that he can't concoct them." 1

Ibuse shook his head.

Naruto's eyes glittered and then almost seemed to glaze over.

"Another thing: because the cost of the medicinal plant ingredients is so high, anyone who attempts to concoct the simplest of those pills is must put up 1,000,000 merit points as a collateral. Regardless of whether they succeed or fail, the merit points will be erased."

When Naruto heard that, he felt like someone had grabbed him by the neck and started squeezing down tightly. It took him a long moment before he could breathe again.

"Merit points! Merit points again!" He suddenly frowned, and pushed down the impulsive feelings rising up in his heart. After spending a bit of time planning, his eyes began to glitter.

"Take me to the Medicine Pavilion!" he suddenly said.

"You… you want to try to challenge the Medicine Pavilion!?" asked Ibuse, looking shocked. Then, he suddenly looked excited. He was well aware that he had no idea as to the limits of Naruto's skill in plants and vegetation.

"Try to challenge the Medicine Pavilion?" Naruto replied, sounding surprised. "What, are you going to pay for it? Nah, I'm not going to try to challenge it, I'm just going to take a look at the first level." With that, Naruto flew out of the Immortal's cave.

"Uh… no, I'm not going to pay for it…." Ibuse hurried to follow as Naruto shot through the mountains.

Soon, two mountain peaks appeared ahead of Naruto, between which was an enormous treasure pavilion, floating there in mid air, emanating brilliant and colorful light. Clouds and mist floated around it, and it truly looked like an abode of Immortals.

Two old men sat cross-legged outside of the treasure pavilion, next to an enormous stone slab.

"This is the Medicine Pavilion," Ibuse said softly, a pious look in his eyes. "According to the stories, this pavilion is actually a magical item, a precious treasure that the first generation Patriarch brought from off planet. It was originally owned by someone else, and had always attempted to fly away to rejoin him. However, after the Patriarch passed away in meditation, it has remained locked in place here, floating in midair and unable to go anywhere."

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he flew up into the air directly toward the Medicine Pavilion. As soon as he got close, an incredibly powerful medicinal aroma hit him in the face. In the blink of an eye, he sensed millions upon millions of different types of medicinal aromas all mixed together.

"So many types of plants and vegetation!" thought Naruto with a gasp. He was still outside, and yet could already tell how terrifying it must be inside.

As he neared, the two old men who acted as guards outside the Medicine Pavilion opened their eyes. They appeared to be incredibly ancient, as if they were Immortal Divinities with unfathomable cultivation bases. From what he could tell, they were even more powerful than the Grand Elder.

His face solemn, he clasped hands and bowed.

The two old men looked over Naruto, and it almost seemed as if they could see through him. Finally, they retracted their gazes and closed their eyes. Naruto took a deep breath and then looked at the huge stone stele that rested off to the side.

The stone stele was divided into nine levels, upon each of which were written names. The first level had the most names, hundreds of thousands of them. After the first level, the higher you went, the fewer names there were, and some of the names were gray-colored. On the ninth level, there were ten names, with nine being gray, and one shining brightly.

Isago!

In the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division, there was currently only one tier 9 alchemist, the man known as Pill Elder… Isago.

Naruto looked at the ten names on the ninth level of the stone stele, and suddenly thought of his master Pill Demon.

"From my current perspective, it's now obvious that Pill Demon's skill in the Dao of alchemy vastly exceeded any standards for Planet Lands of Ninshu. Were it not for the fact that he lacked certain medicinal plant ingredients, he would surely have been able to concoct some medicinal pills that were famous in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Now, he's a member of the Baldy Society, with even more resources at his disposal and able to focus completely on the Dao of alchemy." When Naruto thought of his master, he couldn't help… but also think of a certain woman. It was Sakura, who had left with Pill Demon to go to the Baldy Society.

"Waiting to meet out in the big wide world… is a beautiful type of regret." Naruto shook his head. To him, emotions were not everything. In this life, it was enough for him to have only Hinata.

Even more important was to accomplish something incredible, all on his own.

"I'm going to become the richest person in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea!" he thought, his eyes filling with determination as he strode into the Medicine Pavilion.

As soon as he entered, a gentle light swept over him, and his identity jade medallion flew out. Glittering light could be seen as one hundred clan merit points were deducted from within.

Naruto's heart twinged in pain. Those one hundred merit points represented lecturing to a hundred apprentice alchemists for two hours.

"No pain, no gain!" he thought. "I'm going to go for it!" Gritting his teeth, he continued onward into the Medicine Pavilion. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by thick mists that made it difficult to see.

After a moment, a glowing light appeared in front of him, within which were 1,000 types of medicinal plants. It was hard to see them clearly, as they were obscured by mist. Simultaneously, an archaic voice echoed throughout the first level.

"One hundred breaths of time. Identify at least 900 medicine plants and imprint them with divine sense. You will be given ten sets; completing nine of them will count as passing the level."

As soon as the voice finished speaking, the mists covering the 1,000 medicinal plants vanished, leaving them clearly visible. Naruto's gaze passed over them, and he immediately recognized all of them. However, he did not imprint any of them with divine sense, but instead committed all 1,000 plants to memory.

One hundred breaths of time quickly passed, and the light flickered. The 1,000 medicinal plants vanished, to be replaced by another set of 1,000.

Naruto quickly looked them over, and his eyes sparkled as if with electricity. After committing the medicinal plants to memory, he waited for the hundred breaths of time to end, and the third set of 1,000 medicinal plants to appear.

In this manner, he consumed all ten opportunities that he was given. After being shown 10,000 medicinal plants, he was wrapped up by a gentle force, and, in the blink of an eye, sent flying out of the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, to appear outside.

Ibuse was waiting outside, filled with anticipation. As soon as he saw Naruto appear, his jaw dropped. Whenever anybody passed the first level, glowing lights would appear. And yet, the first level looked exactly the same as when Naruto had entered it.

Ibuse gaped in shock, and was about to step forward when Naruto suddenly strode directly back toward the entrance, paid his one hundred merit points, and entered the Medicine Pavilion again.

Inside, he once again memorized the 10,000 medicinal plants that were shown to him, and was expelled. Gritting his teeth, he went in again.

Twice, three times, four times…. In a relatively short period of time, Naruto entered ten times. His merit points were vanishing rapidly. However, he stuck with it. Ibuse was struck dumb, and could scarcely believe that Naruto couldn't pass the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. And yet, here he was watching the bizarre scene play out right in front of him.

"What exactly is he doing?" thought Ibuse. In his estimation, it should be a relatively simple matter for Naruto to pass the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. He just couldn't figure out why he would want to go in at the same level over and over again.

Time passed. Naruto, seemingly bewitched, tried out the first level ten times, twenty times, thirty times. In the end… he entered the first level a hundred times.

That was 10,000 merit points, and considering he hadn't even earned 20,000 merit points over the last month or so, that meant he had now depleted his supply by more than sixty percent.

"100 times!" he said after appearing outside. He looked over at the Medicine Pavilion and took a deep breath.

After taking the examination over 100 times, he had been shown 1,000,000 medicinal plants. However, many of those were actually duplicates. After some thought, he looked at the more than 4,000 merit points he had left, gritted his teeth, and entered the Medicine Pavilion yet again.

After passing through 40 more times, Naruto had less than a hundred merit points left. The two old men sitting outside the Medicine Pavilion watched his odd behavior with fascination. They could clearly sense the determination that filled him.

"140 times! You would think that 1,400,000 medicinal plants would appear. But in reality, when you eliminate the repetitions, there were only about 1,000,000.

"From all those 1,000,000 medicinal plants, each section of the test only selects 1,000. All you need to do is recognize 900, and then, do that nine times…. In other words, in any given test, you actually only have to identify about 8,100 medicinal plants correctly!

"When you think about it that way, it's not really that hard." Naruto mused thoughtfully. In particular, there were about 5,000 medicinal plants that recurred most often in the test, which had special significance. These were plants that were easily confused with others.

Eyes glittering, he turned and left, followed by Ibuse. Ibuse wanted to ask some questions, but after seeing Naruto's thoughtful look, he hesitated, and then decided not to interrupt.

Evening was falling, but Naruto did not return to his Immortal's cave. Instead, he accepted Ibuse's invitation to stay at his Immortal's cave for the night. During that time, he did not practice cultivation, but instead took out a jade slip and began to analyze and record information from his 140 examinations in the Medicine Pavilion, and to gather together information about the most common medicinal plants to appear.

Day and night, he classified and categorized the different plants. Three days later, he emerged, his expression one of exhaustion, and yet with brightly gleaming eyes.

"Measly Medicine Pavilion," he thought. "I'm going to help all of the apprentice alchemists who listen to my lectures pass the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. When that happens, there will definitely be a huge increase in my audience." He laughed heartily, and his eyes shone with anticipation and determination. To do something like he was doing was something no other alchemist would ever think was possible.

The reason Naruto could do it was because his skill in plants and vegetation had reached a completely terrifying level. Because of that, he was capable of memorizing and then organizing all of those 1,000,000 medicinal plants.

Of course, other high level alchemists might be able to do the same thing. However, they would never think to use the same method, to waste such energy and such a large amount of merit points, to organize all that information for the purpose of cheating.

After spending a few more days organizing all of the information and data, Naruto was completely confident. The next time he went to lecture the more than 400 fanatical apprentice alchemists, all the content was regarding information about those specific medicinal plants.

He especially focused on the most common plants, as well as the ones that were most easily misidentified.

This was a method that focused specifically on memorizing correct answers. Naruto completely forgot any exhaustion he felt, and committed himself to lecturing. A month later, the number of apprentice alchemists didn't increase, but neither did it decrease.

By the time that month ended, Naruto had finished introducing all of the plants that most commonly appeared in the Medicine Pavilion test. After finishing a lecture, he would wave his hand, and use the magic of a divine ability to cause 1,000 medicinal plants to appear.

"Next, I'll give you a little test," he said. "I'll give you two hours to try to identify as many of these 1,000 medicinal plants as possible. Mark down any that you don't know. When the time limit is up, I'll give you the correct answers."

This was a completely fresh and new experience for these apprentice alchemists, but as for Ibuse, he looked on with wide eyes. After listening to Naruto's lectures for a month, he was starting to feel a bit apprehensive. After all, he had passed through the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, and was starting to pick up on what Naruto was doing. This was especially the case when Naruto started using the same testing method as the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. It was at this point that he started panting, and a look of astonishment could be seen on his face.

"Don't tell me… he actually went through the first level of the Medicine pavilion more than a hundred times just to be able to see all the test's contents!

"That's… that's basically the same as just seeing all the answers! Now that he's giving specific lectures about the answers, these apprentice alchemists will have a much, much higher chance of passing the examination. That's… that's cheating!

"It's even more so the case considering he's using the same testing method as the Medicine Pavilion, just to get them used to it…." Ibuse couldn't help but gape in shock.

Two hours later, the images vanished, and the apprentice alchemists began to ask questions about the medicinal plants they couldn't identify. Naruto emphasized various key points, and then waved his hand again, causing another set of images to appear.

It was in this fashion that time slowly passed. Naruto rarely returned to his Immortal's cave. Most of his time was spent in the Dao of Alchemy Division. Eventually, he reduced the amount of time he gave the apprentice alchemists from two hours to one hour. Then to the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Then half that amount of time.

By the time another month had passed, Naruto had reduced the time limit to one hundred breaths.

His audience gradually got used to it, and eventually started to get excited about the continually increasing number of medicinal plants they could identify, and the continuously increasing speed at which they could identify them. Actually, it was virtually impossible for them NOT to identify the medicinal plants, because during that time, Naruto lectured exclusively on the contents of the Medicine Pavilion examination.

During that three month period, the apprentice alchemists gave most of their merit points to Naruto. In exchange, there were more than a hundred among the group who had reached the point of being able to identify more than 900 medicinal plants in one hundred breaths of time.

On that day, Naruto ceased lecturing. Instead, he looked seriously at all of the four hundred members of his audience.

"Your merit points have not been spent in vain," he announced. "Right now, all of us are going to the Medicine Pavilion to participate in the first level examination. Trust me, at least twenty percent of you will definitely pass!" In response, the apprentice alchemists looked at him with shock and hesitation.

"Ibuse, lead the way!" said Naruto, waving his hand. Ibuse gritted his teeth, nodded, and walked forward. The four hundred unconfident apprentice alchemists then followed his lead to the Medicine Pavilion.

Naruto flew along with them.

Along the way, more than few people noticed what was going on, and when they heard that the group was going to the Medicine Pavilion to take the examination, they began to laugh out loud.

"How long have they been studying? And they think they can take on the first level of the Medicine Pavilion?"

"Without studying about plants and vegetation for dozens of years, how could you possibly succeed in the Medicine Pavilion? Do you people want to just throw away their merit points or something?"

"That's funny. A lot of them have barely studied plants and vegetation for three years, right?"

More and more apprentice alchemists took note. All of them wondered what the reason was for all of this, and they began to laugh and ridicule them.

The ridicule caused many of the four hundred apprentice alchemists to feel very embarrassed, and even hesitant. They weren't confident in their chances of success at all, but Naruto was very enthusiastic about the whole matter. Were it anyone else, they would think they were intentionally being set up to look bad.

"Ignore all of them! Trust me!" cried Naruto, his expression solemn. The four hundred apprentice alchemists gritted their teeth.

They still weren't confident, and yet, were still interested in knowing how far away they were from being able to succeed in the first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

The sound of the onlookers' mockery rang out, and there were quite a few people who decided to follow along to see what happened when the group tried to pass the examination in the Medicine Pavilion. There were some tier 1 alchemists who recognized Ibuse and, when they saw what was going on, shook their heads.

"Ibuse is really too shortsighted. Those are apprentice alchemists from Peak #7191, right?"

"Although it's true that an alchemist lecturer will receive a reward if any apprentice alchemist from their peak passes the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, these people only have a few years of experience with the Dao of alchemy; they definitely have no chance of succeeding."

"I heard that Naruto took over for Ibuse over the past few months to give lectures at Peak #7191. He even started charging merit point fees. What a joke."

Surrounded by laughter and ridicule, Ibuse and the four hundred apprentice alchemists slowly passed into the inner mountains and then appeared in front of the Medicine Pavilion. Although some of the alchemists in the inner mountains noticed them passing by, none took an interest.

Granted, there were four hundred people all going to take the test together, but that wasn't something unheard of. After all, there were many, many people who were members of the Dao of Alchemy Division. Furthermore, the Medicine Pavilion was a mysterious place; entrance was not limited to a single person. Even 10,000 could enter at one time if they wished.

The interior of the pavilion would appear empty to each participant, as if they were taking the test alone.

The four hundred apprentice alchemists gritted their teeth, paid their merit points, and were about to step into the Medicine Pavilion when Naruto took a deep breath and called out.

"All of you, remember, just do things the way you normally do, and you won't have any problems!"

The four hundred apprentice alchemists gave nervous, forced smiles to Naruto as they clasped hands and bowed to him. Then, clenching their jaws, they entered the Medicine Pavilion one after another. In the blink of an eye, four hundred people vanished.

By this point, a few thousand people had gathered to watch, and were all laughing and joking.

Ibuse was extremely nervous. Many of the people who had gathered were familiar with him, and he could clearly hear their jokes, but there was nothing he could say in response.

Naruto's expression was calm as he floated there in midair looking at the Medicine Pavilion.

Meanwhile, inside, the four hundred apprentice alchemists inside all faced empty mists. Then, 1,000 medicinal plants appeared in front of them, and the vast majority were shocked.

"Huh? How come it's exactly like the tests Alchemist Namikaze gave us?"

"This seems… actually, kind of simple! I know almost all of these…."

"One hundred breaths of time? I've practiced so many times, I'm used to it!" Virtually all of the apprentice alchemists were shocked and excited. Earlier, they never believed that they could succeed, but now they suddenly felt hope.

Time passed by…. One thousand breaths.

Of course, the onlookers were all still laughing about the matter.

"I really don't get what Ibuse is thinking. And as for all those apprentice alchemists, they don't know the height of the Heavens and the depths of the Earth. There's no way they can succeed."

"Time's almost up. They'll be coming out soon. If even one of them succeeds, I'll beat myself to death."

It was at this point that a beam of light appeared on the first level. Instantly, the laughing was silenced.

"Wow, somebody actually succeeded? Well, I guess out of four hundred people, it was inevitable that someone would get lucky…."

"It's possible that person is a Chosen in the Dao of alchemy. It's a given that someone like that would perform shockingly."

Even as the discussions broke out, silence once again reigned as a second beam of light appeared on the first level.

After that, a third, fourth, and a fifth…. 113 beams of light appeared in the blink of an eye. They formed a dazzling spectacle that could be seen from quite a distance away.

The onlookers were deathly quiet and stared with gaping mouths. Their eyes were wide and filled with disbelief, and their minds roared.

This vastly exceeded anything they could have ever imagined, and they could hardly believe it.

It was at this point that, from within the dazzling lights, four hundred apprentice alchemists appeared. The ones who had succeeded in passing the first level were wild with joy. As for the ones who had met with failure, they weren't dejected at all. Instead, their eyes shone brightly with hope; they knew that they had come very close to succeeding.

All of them rushed over to Naruto and began crying out excitedly.

"That was so simple! I actually identified all of them!"

"I did it! Hahaha! I passed! I've only studied the Dao of alchemy for three years, but I passed the first level of the Medicine Pavilion and I succeeded!"

"Thank you, Alchemist Namikaze! Thank you!"

Ibuse was equally excited.

Naruto smiled widely, then cleared his throat. After glancing over at the shocked onlookers, he looked back at the apprentices and then put a solemn expression onto his face.

"What's there to be excited about? What's the surprise?

"During these three months, you paid a few hundred merit points to listen to my lectures about plants and vegetation, so the big surprise would be if you didn't pass the measly first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

"Now, all of you, tell me. Was it worth it to spend those merit points on listening to my lectures?"

The instant the question left his mouth, the more than four hundred apprentice alchemists joined their voices into a mighty roar of approval. All of the onlookers began to tremble inwardly.

Naruto laughed heartily, then turned to leave, sure that this matter would quickly turn into a massive wave that swept through all of the Dao of Alchemy Division.

"I need to stop giving lectures for a few days," he thought. "I'll wait a bit… and then there will surely be more people willing to fork over their merit points." His eyes glittered with anticipation.

However, Naruto had actually underestimated the matter. Over the course of the following days, the Dao of Alchemy Division was struck by a massive tempest. After all, four hundred people had simultaneously taken the Medicine Pavilion examination, and then more than one hundred had successfully passed.

That in and of itself was not shocking. However, when you took into account the amount of time those test takers had been studying the Dao of alchemy, it was completely astonishing.

Those who had studied the longest had five years under their belt. The shortest amount of time any of them had studied was three years. An event such as this was enough to cause shock even among the alchemists of the inner mountains.

It eventually reached the point that the Alchemist Council, which was responsible for the operational affairs of the Dao of Alchemy Division, called a session to discuss the matter. Nineteen alchemists converged in the meeting location; these were the Pavilion Elders of the Dao of Alchemy Division.

All of these nineteen Pavilion Elders were tier 8 alchemists!

Deep in the inner mountains, on the cloud-cloaked peak of a tall mountain, was an ancient temple. Ten enormous statues stood guard outside the temple, each one of which represented a glorious past alchemist of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division.

This was the location where the Alchemist Council held their session. In the main hall of the temple, nineteen enormous seats floated in the air, in the middle of which was an enormous illusory pill cauldron that emanated flickering light.

The seats were occupied by ancient old men with extraordinary cultivation bases, and whose Dao of alchemy could shake Heaven and Earth. Any one of these old men could be the founding Grandmaster of an alchemic sect.

"Naruto arrived four months ago from Planet Lands of Ninshu," said one of the old men, whose face was covered with wrinkles. He barely seemed to have the energy to open his eyes, but a strong medicinal aroma was eternally attached to him. "With a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, he is a Chosen of the clan. Later, the Grand Elder from the main clan arranged for him to come to the Dao of Alchemy Division. Therefore, tier 5 alchemist Shinoto took responsibility to send him to Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191!

"I made some of my own inquiries, and also got some answers from Shinoto. Shinoto believed that while Naruto might have some understanding regarding pill concocting, he was also wildly arrogant. Let's ignore his subjective presumptions for now. Within two hours of Naruto's arrival at Peak #7191, he discovered twelve areas in which tier 1 alchemist Ibuse made errors in explaining plants and vegetation. Naruto then personally gave a lecture about the subject that attracted tens of thousands of spectators.

"Tier 2 alchemist Katazu was incited by the main clan's Futsu to challenge Naruto, making a wager regarding plants and vegetation. Naruto easily defeating him, instantly identifying the top secret grafting technique of a tier 5 alchemist, and also revealing the collocation technique. I personally went to verify that the collocation technique was indeed correct!

"Later, he used his plant and vegetation lectures to collect merit points from the audience…." At this point, the old man paused. Some of the other elders began to chuckle.

"His audience dwindled to only a few hundred people, and his profit ranged only in the tens of thousands of merit points. Unsatisfied, he went to the Medicine Pavilion, where he took the examination 140 times in a row.

"He didn't pass, not even once. However, that was because he intentionally failed. After finishing, he organized all the information about plants and vegetation from the exam and began to lecture the apprentice alchemists of Peak #7191 regarding… all of the test material from the first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

"In this way, by developing a cheating technique and preparing the apprentice alchemists for the test by training them in the test method. He then took four hundred people to the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, and over one hundred of them succeeded.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, these are the results of my investigation into Naruto. What do all of you think?" The old man's voice was cool the entire time. Even he found Naruto to be somewhat amusing.

People immediately began to voice varying opinions.

"Is the kid crazy or something? I can't believe he charged merit points for lectures on plants and vegetation! Why didn't I think of that when I was his age!?"

"Amusing, but in the end it was cheating. He should be punished somehow. Perhaps have him clear out the pill rubbish receptacles?"

"No way! A punishment like that is too severe. Let me handle it. I'll have him try to concoct some of my pills for me; I'll show him a thing or two."

"That's not really cheating. To be able to memorize all of the medicinal plants from the first level of the Medicine Pavilion shows that he has a terrifying level of skill with plants and vegetation. I'm curious to see what level he could get to in the pavilion if he really tried."

There were differing views on the matter. Some of them thought it was nothing more than a small matter, and were actually interested in Naruto. Others thought he was a problem waiting to happen, which should be punished and dealt with immediately.

Eventually, everyone finished speaking without reaching a consensus. Located in the middle of the nineteen chairs was an old man who wore a long robe and had flowing white hair. He hadn't spoken the entire time and was instead sitting there with his eyes closed. Finally, his eyes opened, and they seemed to be filled with starlight. It was as if all the heavenly bodies had been shockingly fused together, and existed inside of him.

He cleared his throat.

In that moment, all of the other elder alchemists quieted down and looked at the old man with expressions of ardor and veneration.

"He's nothing more than a member of the Junior generation," the old man said slowly. "Let him do as he pleases. Although, the rules of the first level of the Medicine Pavilion will need to be changed."

In response to his word, all of the Pavilion Elders bowed their heads in acquiescence.

As they did, a strange light appeared in the old man's eyes.

"Baldy Society alchemy methods… and some vestiges of the Demon Immortal Sect. Interesting. Very interesting."

When four hundred apprentice alchemists all challenged the Medicine Pavilion together, and over a hundred succeeded, the news didn't cause a huge stir in the inner mountains, but in the outer mountains, a tempest erupted.

To any apprentice alchemist, passing the first level of the Medicine Pavilion was a major step in life, and something incredibly important. That was even more so for those who had been studying for dozens or even more than a hundred years, and yet still could not pass. They were on the verge of going crazy.

Then there were the apprentice alchemists who hadn't been studying for very long. When they saw others who had been studying for a similar period of time suddenly succeed, and not because they were naturally gifted, but rather, because they had studied with Naruto, and listened to his lectures, it is easy to imagine how violent of an uproar it caused.

Even more so, the apprentice alchemists who had chosen not to pay merit points to listen to Naruto felt intense regret, and couldn't help but think about how a few hundred merit points over the course of three months could have gotten them past the first level of the Medicine Pavilion. Then they would have been pre-qualified to become tier 1 alchemists, which could not be bought with merit points, no matter how many they offered to pay.

Naruto didn't make an appearance for three days. In the meantime, the storm among the outer mountain apprentice alchemists continued. Tens of thousands had gathered outside of Peak #7191 to wait for Naruto. Some people even got into magical combat in order to get a good seat.

On dawn of the fourth day, Naruto appeared in the Dao of Alchemy Division. A soon as people spotted him, word spread like wildfire.

Naruto was quite pleased about all this. Murmuring to himself about how his methods really were effective, he eventually reached Peak #7191. When he saw how many people were waiting, he immediately got excited.

"There have to be about 40-50,000 people here," he thought, panting. "At one merit point a piece for a two hour lecture, I would get around 50,000 merit points! If I lecture for four hours, it would be 100,000. If I lectured for eight hours, 200,000!" Eventually, he took a deep breath. Smiling the whole way, looking like a preeminent Daoist master who viewed material wealth as filth, he slowly strode forward.

When all of the apprentice alchemists gathered around the mountain saw him, they clasped hands and bowed. Then, they joined voices in greeting.

"Greetings, Professor Namikaze!"

The combined voices of all the apprentice alchemists echoed out like thunder. Naruto stepped foot onto the platform, looked out at the audience with shining eyes, and then cleared his throat.

"Today, I will lecture for eight hours," he said.

Immediately, Hotarubi flew out of the crowd with a jade slip in hand, and called out, "Professor Namikaze is kind and generous. To him, material wealth means nothing. In previous months, we had to force him to accept our payment. Now, because he cannot bear to watch the clan's apprentice alchemists fail the examination of the Medicine Pavilion, he has come here to lecture about plants and vegetation. We can't let him down!

"Come come. Everyone put some merit points into this jade slip. Even if Professor Namikaze doesn't want it, we'll force him to take it!" At the same time that Hotarubi yelled out these words, a group of several hundred apprentice alchemists flew out from the crowd in various areas, jade slips in the hand. They immediately began to accept merit points from the other apprentice alchemists in their area.

This time, not a single one of the 40-50,000 people departed. All of them paid their merit points, and then the several hundred jade slips were placed in front of Naruto.

Naruto's face darkened.

"What do you people think you're doing!?" he snapped, flicking his sleeve and looked very displeased.

Yet again, Hotarubi took the lead in crying out.

"Professor Namikaze, this is only what should be yours by right. Sir, please accept!" When Hotarubi finished speaking, his hundreds of companions began to shout.

"Accept it, Professor Namikaze. If you don't, we'll be very upset!"

After listening for a moment, Naruto hesitated, then let out a long sigh and collected up the jade slips.

"Very well," he said emotionally. "Since you demand it, all I can do is work as hard as possible to help you pass the examination of the Medicine Pavilion.

"Material wealth is nothing," he said, shaking his head. "What I care least about in life is just that, money." Inwardly, of course, he was extremely excited and was shouting about how he was rich now.

The eight hour lecture ended quickly. Naruto again talked about the key medicinal plants from the medicine pavilion. After a while, he would wave his hand, causing a thousand medicinal plants to appear, just like the examination in the Medicine Pavilion. Many of the apprentice alchemists who were experiencing this for the first time were instantly enlivened.

In the following days, Naruto was engrossed in lecturing about plants and vegetation. He lectured for eight hours a day, and as time progressed, more and more people came to listen, until the audience exceeded 100,000!

The area was packed full of people, and no end could be seen to the massive crowds. This only spurred Naruto on to put even more energy into his lectures. He even employed his cultivation base and some divine abilities to broadcast his voice out into the distance so that every person could hear him

He was now making hundreds of thousands of merit points every day. To Naruto, that income was a powerful motivating force. Eventually, his lectures became the center of attention of all the outer mountains.

As Naruto got more and more merit points, he was able to get more and more valuable medicinal plants. As such, the ingredients he needed for the Spirit Elixir were all replaced by what could be considered treasured items. Soon, the efficacy of the Spirit Elixir reached a terrifying level.

As for the leftover merit points, he would acquire other medicinal plants, which he would take to his Immortal's cave to concoct medicinal pills. This enabled his Dao of alchemy to steadily improve with each passing day.

He would also exchange merit points for spirit stones, which he would use to duplicate the Spirit Elixir. The life force in the Nirvana Fruits continued to grow stronger.

Of course, not a few people saw what was happening, and their eyes went bloodshot. The other alchemists gazed over at Naruto like ravenous wolves. Although they had never thought to use a method like his, when they saw how much he was profiting, many of them began to imitate him. There were even tier 5 alchemists who left the inner mountains and began to lecture about plants and vegetation, all in order to earn merit points.

Because the Alchemist Council didn't oppose what was happening, it meant they tacitly approved. In fact, they were happy that more alchemists were opting not to spend all their time concocting pills, but instead, were going to the outer mountains to speak to the apprentice alchemists about plants and vegetation, as well as the Dao of alchemy.

It was as if the entire Dao of Alchemy Division was invigorated, and now bustled with activity. Things were very different than before. Now that more alchemists were coming out of the inner mountains and charging to give lectures, some of Naruto's audience was being drawn away. However, there were a million apprentice alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy Division, so even if a few left, others would take their place. The Dao of Alchemy became a place where numerous viewpoints and expressions were now being heard, and everyone was struggling to promote their own perspective.

Alchemists began using all sorts of methods to attract more apprentice alchemists to their lectures. Some would even lecture about their top secret methods. Gradually, because they were able to attract more and more attention, everyone was able to make a handsome profit.

Soon, tier 6 alchemists and even some tier 7 alchemists were moved to the point of emerging from the inner mountains. The atmosphere in the Dao of Alchemy Division had reached a peak, and even the main clan was was affected, and the Grand Elder, shocked, made a personal visit.

That event caused quite a stir, and word soon spread throughout the clan.

As the apprentice alchemists began to run low on merit points, they chose to perform service for the sect, all to get more merit points. People even began to compete over the tasks assigned by the Dao of Alchemy Division. Everything was flourishing.

"What a change in the Dao of Alchemy Division!" Even the nineteen tier 8 alchemists were very excited. They watched the developments in the atmosphere in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and could tell that if things kept going on this way, the Dao of Alchemy Division would definitely experience a great rise, and a new generation of alchemists would soon come forth.

All of it started with Naruto, and because of it, everyone was once again speaking his name!

Back in the ancestral mansion, the Grand Elder sat silently in the temple, his face dark. It had already been several months since he gave Naruto the Nirvana Fruits, and there had been plenty of time for him to concoct whatever type of Spirit Elixir he wanted. And yet, Naruto had not suddenly died. By this point, the Grand Elder was starting to put the pieces together.

"I underestimated him," he thought with a sigh. "He must have detected something somehow. What a pity…. In any clan, clan rules are everything. All clan members must respect the clan rules. As for him…." The Grand Elder shook his head, and within his eyes could be seen a glint of killing intent.

In another temple in the ancestral mansion, Kajura and his father sat there, extremely grim faced because of the huge name Naruto was making for himself.

"That damned son of a bitch!" grumbled Kajura, frowned. "He actually thought up a scheme like this to earn large amounts of merit points! The amount he's earning on a daily basis is enough to cause even my eyes to turn red…. With things like this, it's going to be impossible to constrain his development." He looked over at his father.

The old man opened his eyes, and a cold glimmer could be seen within.

"What are you losing your head over?" he said coolly. "He's just a child. The only reason he came up with this method was because someone from the direct bloodline is coaching him. Even still, it doesn't matter.

"I have my methods to cut off his source of merit points!" With that, he produced a jade slip, imprinted it with some divine sense, and then flung it out the door.

"Just wait and see," he said, closing his eyes once again.

As Naruto rose to prominence, Dei, who was a member of one of the neutral bloodlines in the clan, was watching. From the very beginning, he had been paying attention to Naruto and Menma, and now that he saw Naruto becoming famous in the Dao of Alchemy Division, his sense of anticipation was growing. 1

"It won't be long now before he and Menma fight each other!" he thought. He took a deep breath and then smiled.

In the ancestral mansion, in the subterranean Immortal's cave, Menma sat cross-legged in meditation. Yet again, there were nine old men surrounding him, who trembled as their Immortal Chakra was absorbed by Menma.

Futsu kneeled in front of him respectfully, eyes shining with zeal as he looked at Menma.

A moment later, Menma opened his eyes and finished his session of cultivation. Of the surrounding nine old men, three of them coughed up blood, and then their bodies rapidly withered away until they were desiccated corpses.

"What's the matter, Futsu?" Menma asked coolly.

"Cousin," replied Futsu, "your Cultivation base is incredible. You're just a step away from the Immortal Realm. When you finally become Immortal, you'll be able to sweep across all of the Chosen of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!"

Menma's expression was the same as ever, and he didn't respond. He just looked at Futsu.

"Cousin," continued Futsu, "do you remember Naruto? He's that bastard who was disrespectful to you in the temple a while back. You are generous and open-minded, and would never sink yourself to his level, but he's not like that. He is narrow and petty-minded, and already views you as a thorn in his side.

"Recently, he's been using despicable methods to make a name for himself in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and he's even started spreading harmful gossip about you. Cousin, he's tarnishing your name, which really makes me mad. Unfortunately, I can't beat him. I can only watch as he rises to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division." Futsu chuckled bitterly.

Menma's expression was the same as usual. He seemed neither joyful nor angry. He looked calmly at Futsu, as if he could see all the way through him, as if he could tell exactly how much of what he had just said was true or false.

Seeing that Menma was studying him, Futsu suddenly began to tremble in fear. He had no idea what Menma was thinking, so he didn't dare to say anything further. He was just considering leaving, when Menma finally spoke.

"Tell me about it."

Futsu was immediately enlivened, and began to explain in detail everything Naruto had done in the Dao of Alchemy Division.

After listening to everything, Menma closed his eyes for a few moments. Then he opened them and coolly said, "There are a lot of people in the world who like to get things for free. When you have the option of getting something for free, or paying, most people will opt for the first. Futsu, do you get my meaning?"

Futsu gaped. After a moment of thought, his eyes grew bright, and he rose excitedly to his feet, laughing.

The Dao of Alchemy Division was undergoing a renaissance in the form of competition. One high level alchemist after another came out from the inner mountains to give lectures, all to get merit points from the apprentice alchemists. The Dao of Alchemy Division was booming, and the bustle was incredible.

Furthermore, competitive fire is something that exists in all people's hearts, and although the alchemists didn't pay too much attention to it, everyone knew that the number of apprentices that could be attracted to any given alchemist's lecture would show how much influence that alchemist had, as well as the level of their Dao of alchemy.

Soon, competition between various parties formed. However, the resulting conflicts proceeded according to the Dao of Alchemy Division's rules governing competition. The result was that in the outer mountains, the apprentice alchemists had to make a daily choice: which alchemist would they go listen to?

Of course, Naruto wasn't very happy about this. More and more of his audience was being stolen away. In the end, he was only able to keep about 50,000. That was about half of his original audience, which meant that he was losing out on over 100,000 merit points per day.

It was as if someone was slicing off his skin.

He could endure it though. After all, his lecture was something unique, and in the end, the apprentice alchemists who listened to his lectures had exponential increases in their confidence in being able to pass the first level of the Medicine Pavilion.

However, it wasn't long before Naruto became furious. The reason was because, on the mountain just across from him, Peak #7192, a tier 7 alchemist had suddenly appeared to give lectures.

It was an old woman who rode an enormous five-colored peacock, and whose expression was haughty and arrogant. She was a tier 7 alchemist, someone the apprentice alchemists could only hope to meet in person on accident, and could never go to seek out. She was like a supreme entity to them.

Up to now, there had only been one tier 7 alchemist who had come out to give lectures. Furthermore, that alchemist did not come out on a daily basis. The 100,000 seats available for those lectures were always the subject of fierce contention. In fact, were there even more seats available, it was certain that more people would attend.

Now, another tier 7 alchemist appeared. She was very famous in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and when she came to give a lecture right across from Naruto, a lot of the alchemists in his audience immediately went over to listen to her.

In a single day, Naruto lost more than half of his current audience, leaving him with only about 20,000 apprentice alchemists. He stood there on the platform, looking at the 100,000 people crowded around that old woman, and ground his teeth angrily.

"That old granny is doing this on purpose!" he thought with a cold harrumph. The outer mountains were vast, and the lecturing alchemists would always distance themselves from each other, and would certainly never get very close. Considering the old woman intentionally selected this particular location, if someone tried to convince Naruto she wasn't doing it to target him, he would refuse to believe them.

Any apprentice alchemists who came to listen to Naruto would look the scene over and then be forced to make a decision. Would they listen to Naruto, or would they choose the tier 7 alchemist? Naruto was furious, especially because the old woman only charged one merit point for four hours of lecturing.

That was half as much as Naruto.

Naruto's audience continued to shrink. Three days later, only about 10,000 remained to listen to him.

Were that all there were to the matter, it wouldn't be a big deal. Although his audience had been significantly reduced, he was still making tens of thousands of merit points per day. But over the following days, Naruto gradually came to the realization that someone had been imprinting his lecture information onto jade slips, which they were distributing for free! Information people had to pay three merit points to hear personally, could be acquired without charge in this fashion.

This was a near-fatal blow to Naruto's lectures. Soon, his audience dwindled from 10,000 down to only about 1,000.

Naruto could only watch helplessly as the enterprise he had created was ruined. His audience had started at a peak of 100,000 members, in which he was making hundreds of thousands of merit points per day, and was slowly reduced to only 1,000. Now, he was only making a few thousand merit points per day.

One day, Naruto took a deep breath and ended his lecture. Then he flew over to the old woman, paid some merit points, and began to listen to her speak.

The old woman sat cross-legged on the platform, her five-colored peacock circling through the air above her. The peacock would occasionally spread its beautiful tail feathers, making it even more magnificent than normal. The old woman spoke indifferently about plants and vegetation, and occasionally mentioned some things about certain techniques of the Dao of alchemy, which would provoke a buzz of comments from the audience. Every single thing the old woman said was original and distinctive.

Naturally, she noticed Naruto arrive, and an expression of scorn appeared on her face. There weren't even a hundred tier 7 alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy Division, and although she was not the most powerful among that group, but more toward the middle of the pack, she still possessed the skill of a tier 7 alchemist. She had passed the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion, so it was a simple thing for her to speak on the subject of plants and vegetation.

Her command of knowledge regarding plants and vegetation was terrifying, and normally speaking, she would never show her face to target Naruto in the manner she had. However, a member of her auxiliary branch, someone who she could not easily refuse, had made a request. Of course, she was a member of the Dao of Alchemy Division, which operated under their own system. But when all was said and done, she was still a member of her clan division, and thus had emerged from the inner mountains.

In her opinion, the gap between herself and Naruto was as vast as that between Heaven and Earth. She didn't even actually have to try; all she had to do was give random lectures, and that would be enough to completely destroy Naruto.

Naruto hovered there quietly, listening to the woman speak about plants and vegetation. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, his eyes flashed, and he turned to leave. The woman glanced over at him making his way off, and then completely ignored him.

In her opinion, Naruto's lecture audience would be whittled down until only a few hundred people remained. Eventually, he would be incapable of making any big waves whatsoever.

The main reason for her confidence was that she had heard a rumor that the rules of the examination in the first level of the Medicine Pavilion were going to be changed.

Sure enough, three days later, an announcement was made in the Dao of Alchemy Division that the Medicine Pavilion's first level rules had been changed. All of the 1,000,000 medicinal plants had been replaced. Now, the examination content could be taken from 10,000,000 plants of various varieties. It was really a terrifyingly high number.

In addition, another rule change had been made. Now, the test was to determine how many medicinal plants could be identified in a given period of time. That change instantly caused Naruto's lectures to be thrown into chaos. To top it all off, and prevent any unforeseen problems, each apprentice alchemist would only have one chance per month to enter the Medicine Pavilion.

These changes completely foiled any of Naruto's cheating techniques.

All of this was a critical blow to Naruto. Within two days, his audience dropped from 1,000 to only a few hundred.

Most of those were the people who had been his audience all along.

However, after some time, many of those also chose to leave. After all, the situation was different than it had been in the beginning, when Naruto was outshining anyone and everyone. After all, they now had the chance to hear tier 7 alchemists speak, and who would turn down an opportunity like that?

In the end, Naruto was left with a bit more than 70 audience members….

All of these blows had struck like lightning, leaving Naruto panting. He looked out at his sparse audience of several dozen apprentice alchemists, and suddenly a bright light appeared in his eyes. Then, he turned his head to look over at the nearby mountain with 100,000 people circled around it.

"Coz, what do we do?" Hotarubi asked quietly from off to the side. "Even Lord Third and Lord Fifth headed over there…." Unexpectedly, the parrot and the meat jelly had rushed over to the other mountain to listen to the tier 7 alchemist's lecture. It was impossible to say whether they understood what she was talking about, but from the look of it, they were entranced.

Naruto, of course, knew that the parrot was actually hung up on the five-colored peacock. As for the meat jelly, it was completely oblivious, and had merely been dragged along by the parrot.

"Hardships prompt changes, changes bring solutions!"

Hotarubi gaped.

"Somebody is trying to restrict my path to wealth, to cut off my path to riches! It's like they're trying to chop me into pieces with a knife!" Naruto clenched his jaw and then flicked his sleeve as he flew into the air.

Hotarubi followed as he made his way off into the distance. He didn't really understand what Naruto had just said, so he quickly asked, "Coz, what's the plan now?"

"There's no plan," Naruto replied, "My name is going to rock the Dao of Alchemy Division, and END this predicament!" As his voice echoed out, he pushed his speed to the maximum. Rumbling sounds could be heard as he shot into the inner mountains. Avoiding any restricted areas, he headed directly toward the Medicine pavilion.

It didn't take long to reach it.

There were a few apprentice alchemists gathered outside, hesitating as to whether or not to enter. There were even some full alchemists off to the side. They all noticed Naruto arrive, and suddenly seemed energized, and began to talk amongst themselves.

"I heard word spreading outside that the rules of the first level have been changed. It was all because Naruto memorized the entire first level, and figured out some way to cheat. That's how all those apprentice alchemists were able to pass so easily!"

"Could it be that he's shown up to try to figure out a way to cheat on the first level again?"

"Interesting. Although, considering the way the rules have been changed, it would be difficult to do that. He can only go in once per month."

Naruto didn't pause for even a moment as he headed toward the Medicine Pavilion. The two ancient old men sitting outside the pavilion opened their eyes and looked at Naruto. Although they didn't normally pay attention to what went on in the outside world, the occasion in which Naruto had charged through the first level 140 times had left a deep impression on them. Combined with the rumors they had heard, they now knew that Naruto's efforts back then had been a deliberate effort to study the level for the purposes of cheating.

The two old men looked at Naruto solemnly.

"This is the Dao of Alchemy Division," one of them said. "How can one always think of getting in via alternative paths? Your latent talent is excellent, as is your skill in plants and vegetation. You should tread the straight and narrow path."

Naruto, apparently directly accepting the advice, clasped hands and bowed to the two old men.

"Elders," he said immediately, "I am aware of my mistake. Now is the time for repentance and reformation. I am not here to research cheating methods. I am here to truly test myself!"

The two old men nodded and closed their eyes.

Naruto took a deep breath. As everyone in the area looked on, he stepped into the Medicine Pavilion. As soon as he entered, a few among the Dao of Alchemy Division's nineteen tier 8 alchemists immediately noticed. They ceased their pill concocting and sent out divine sense, which coalesced outside of the Medicine Pavilion.

It was three white-haired old men who materialized.

"Don't tell me this Naruto has showed up looking for ways to break the system again? Is he addicted?"

"How can the little bastard be such a slow learner? We spent a lot of effort to make the first level completely flawless, and yet he shows up again?!"

"If this kid gets up to troublesome things again, I have half a mind to pull him out and smack him around. I wouldn't be scared even if his father showed up. I concocted pills for his father once, you know."

Although they seemed angry, they were actually very excited. In all their years, no one had ever appeared who could cause so many problems for them. To them, the whole situation was very amusing.

No one was able to detect their presence except for the two old men keeping guard outside the Medicine Pavilion, who merely glanced at them.

"Hardships prompt changes, changes bring solutions!" Naruto's eyes shone with the light of obsession. This saying was something he had come across in a book he had read when he was a scholar living at the foot of Mount Myoboku.

Nowadays, he had not forgotten the true meaning of the phrase. However, because of his personality, he had come to a new understanding. To him, the first character of the expression… referred to being poor! 1

"If I can't make a profit when it comes to merit points, then it means I'm poor… therefore I need to think of some ways to change the situation. That's the only way to make it through the impasse. After I make it through, then I can start earning merit points again."

After stepping into the first level of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto was surrounded by mists. He took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine brightly.

"In the past, I didn't have a lot of spirit stones, but with over 100,000,000, it couldn't count as being in short supply…. But, dammit! The Nirvana Fruits basically consume spirit stones! I barely have thirty percent of my original stockpile….

"It's like a bottomless pit! Considering I've spent so many spirit stones on them, I definitely can't stop now. I have to keep going! I wonder if the Grand Elder knew all along that I had a lot of spirit stones, and wanted to use this method to force me to go broke!

"A tier 7 alchemist sitting next to me, lecturing about plants and vegetation, cutting off my path to wealth! That's outright bullying! Unbelievable!" Naruto was actually very angry.

Fueled by obsession and anger, he stalked into the first level of the Medicine Pavilion and was surrounding by swirling mists. In the blink of an eye, three incense sticks materialized in front of him.

Black smoke rose up from the first incense stick, swirling through the air to surround Naruto. Shockingly, a brilliant light appeared, as well as the images of countless medicinal plants.

At first glance, there appeared to be at least 10,000,000, packed together endlessly. It was only by looking closely that it was possible to clearly make any of them out.

In the space of a single breath, before Naruto could imprint any of them with divine sense, the 10,000,000 medicinal plants suddenly flickered with light, and then began to superimpose over each other. In the blink of an eye, they all merged together in the form of an ancient tome.

The book seemed archaic and old, and five words were written on its cover.

Classic of Plants and Vegetation.

Next, an ancient voice echoed out through the first level.

"In the time it takes three incense sticks to burn, identify the first 10,000 medicinal plants in the Classic of Plants and Vegetation. If you make a hundred mistakes or more, the result will be failure."

"Now that the rules have changed," thought Naruto, "this test is certainly a bit more impressive." He sent out his divine sense to open the Classic of Plants and Vegetation to the first page. Visible there was a single medicinal plant.

"Quickspirit Flower!" he thought, identifying it immediately, branding it with divine sense, and also providing a quick description of its properties and use in medicines.

The tome flickered, and the second page appeared. Naruto made another divine sense imprint with incredible speed. Gradually, it began to appear as if a strong wind were blowing across the tome in front of Naruto. The pages flipped rapidly in quick succession.

Naruto stood there, not speaking, his divine sense covering the tome. To him, identifying these medicinal plants was a simple matter.

Before the incense stick had even finished burning, it seemed as if the tome's pages were flipping by so fast they couldn't go any faster. Dozens of pages would flip by in the blink of an eye. By the time the incense stick had burned to about 90%, Naruto had already identified 10,000 medicinal plants without making a single mistake.

However, he didn't stop there. If his goal was simply to pass the level, then it wouldn't matter. But if he was going to take this exam, he would do so in shocking fashion. He would make sure his name spread far and wide. That was the only way he could ensure that his lectures on plants and vegetation were profitable.

Therefore, he continued to identify medicinal plants. Soon, hundreds of pages flipped by in every blink of an eye. As soon as Naruto scanned them with divine sense, the profiles and information regarding these plants and vegetation appeared in his mind.

10,000. 30,000. 50,000. 100,000.

Faster and faster.

In the time it took an incense stick to burn, Naruto had identified 1,000,000 medicinal plants without a single mistake. The mist around him churned, and brilliant rays of light flickered. It was just barely possible to see countless magical symbols swirling around in response to Naruto's miraculous performance.

Outside the Medicine Pavilion, it was impossible to tell what was happening on the inside. Many of the full alchemists and the apprentice alchemists were discussing and speculating about the matter. None of them believed that Naruto would fail to pass the level, but then they considered how the rules had been changed, and figured that even he might have to expend some effort.

The three old tier 8 alchemists looked at each other and then began to talk.

"How come the kid is taking so long?"

"If he's really interested in taking the examination, then he should be able to pass the first level in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Since he hasn't come out, does it mean… that the kid is actually going to try to crack the test?"

Back in the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto was frowning.

"Time's running out. It seems I was going a bit slow before." His eyes flickered, and his right hand suddenly reached out to grab the tome's right cover. At the same time, his divine sense exploded out, entering the tome. Naruto closed his eyes.

In that moment when his eyes closed, his divine sense filled the tome completely. It was as if countless medicinal plants had appeared in front of him, which he immediately began to identify and imprint at top speed.

1,000,000. 1,500,000. 2,000,000!

In the blink of an eye, rumbling sounds could be heard, and the mists surrounding him were churning in a violent and shocking manner. Brilliant light shone out, and more magical symbols appeared, with Naruto seemingly at the center of them all.

3,000,000. 4,000,000. 5,000,000!

The second incense stick was almost completely burnt out. Naruto's skill in plants and vegetation was extremely deep and profound, so much so that it had even left Pill Demon shaken back in his days in the Violet Fate Sect. When you added in his later experiences, his mastery had only increased. By the time he went to the ancient Demon Immortal Sect's illusory world, he had been able to master much of that sect's Dao of alchemy as well. Due to that, his skill in plants and vegetation had risen even higher, reaching an indescribably terrifying level.

Right now, all of that accumulated knowledge was exploding out, causing the tome's pages to flip by at incredible speed. It was now impossible to even see the pages moving. Several thousand pages would flip by in the time it takes to blink an eye.

The second incense stick finished burning, and the third incense stick ignited. Naruto grabbed the other side of the tome with his left hand. It was at that point that eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal exploded out.

Glittering light shone out in all directions, and the mists were seething. A sound like thunder rumbled, and the magical symbols swirled around him endlessly. As of now, this place didn't resemble the Medicine Pavilion, but rather, some bizarre world in which Naruto was the nucleus of everything.

By now, 10,000 pages flipped by with each blink of an eye. Not a single medicinal plant caused the slightest problem for Naruto. Each and every one of them was already encompassed by Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation.

Outside the Medicine Pavilion, expressions of bewilderment could constantly be heard. Although they couldn't see the shocking scene on the interior of the Medicine Pavilion, they felt that something was amiss. Even though some of the people present had ill feelings toward Naruto, everyone felt that it would be a simple matter for him to pass the first level.

And yet, enough time had passed for two incense sticks to burn, and yet Naruto still hadn't emerged from the first level. Everyone was astonished.

However, the three tier-8 alchemists had serious expressions on their faces. As they looked at the Medicine Pavilion's first level, expressions of shock became visible on their faces. Although they couldn't see what was happening inside, these three men were gradually coming to realize that the first floor was building up with incredible pressure.

"What's this kid doing?!"

"That pressure appears when someone identifies more than 1,000,000 medicinal plants. Is it possible that this kid has identified more than 1,000,000 medicinal plants in the time it takes two incense sticks to burn?"

As the old men looked on in shock, Naruto had his hands planted firmly on the tome. His eyes shone with brilliant light as he thoroughly identified all of its contents.

6,000,000. 7,000,000. 8,000,000….

The third incense stick was still burning, but still had about halfway to go. Finally, a tremor ran through Naruto's body, and he looked up. His hands slowly released the tome. He had finally reached the very last page!

10,000,000!

The entire first level of the Medicine Pavilion was rumbling, and brilliant light shone out in all directions. Magical symbols swirled about, and something that sounded like Immortal music could be heard drifting about.

Usually, when someone passed the first level, a beam of light would appear on the outside. However, when Naruto reached the last page of the tome, what people on the outside saw was the entire first level shining with unprecedentedly bright light!

It was as if the first level was completely bathed in boundless, unfathomable light that spread out in all directions, and even up into the Heavens. The Heavenly bodies trembled, and strange colors flashed through the sky.

Each and every person in the Dao of Alchemy Division, in all 10,000 inner mountains and all 100,000 outer mountains, could now see what was happening.

"What's going on!?"

"Why are there such transformations in Heaven and Earth!? What is that pillar of light!?"

All of the apprentice alchemists listening to lectures were thoroughly shocked as they looked up into the sky at the boundless light. As for the alchemists, their faces flickered with shock.

"Could it be that some member of the Senior generation is concocting pills?"

"No, that's not it! Look at that light! It's rising up from the location of the Medicine Pavilion!"

Even the clan members in the ancestral mansion could see the bright light coming from the Dao of Alchemy Division. Many clan members left their residences and looked in that direction, expressions of shock on their faces.

Everything was shaking, and the countless apprentice alchemists of the Dao of Alchemy Division, as well as numerous full alchemists, were all staring in shock. When they realized that the light was coming from the Medicine Pavilion, they began to fly toward it.

In a brief moment, innumerable beams of colorful light filled the Dao of Alchemy Division.

The crowd outside the Medicine Pavilion was panting, and their minds trembled. They were shocked, and completely ignorant of what exactly was happening. They didn't understand how Naruto passing the first level would cause such a boundless light to appear.

The three tier 8 Elders exchanged glances and could see the shock in each others' eyes.

"He identified 10,000,000 medicinal plants! Because the rules have been changed, it's something that nobody has ever done before! The result of his passing the first level in this way is this incredible pillar of Dao Light!"

"I can't believe this Naruto… has such an incredible foundation in plants and vegetation!"

"That's comparable to a tier 4 alchemist! Perhaps even beyond that! However, it's still not quite at the level of a tier 5 alchemist."

The Dao of Alchemy Division was in a tumult. More and more people were showing up outside the Medicine Pavilion to stare with astonishment at the brilliant light that shone up into the sky. Eyes wide, they immediately began to ask others in the area what was going on, and when they heard that Naruto had entered the Medicine Pavilion, giving rise to these transformations, their expressions were that of incredible shock.

"I can't believe it's Naruto!"

"So, he's the one going through the Medicine Pavilion. His… his skill in plants and vegetation actually made the Medicine Pavilion shine with that much light!?"

"I listened to one of his lectures on plants and vegetation once…. But, is the person who caused such shocking transformations really Naruto?" By now, more than 10,000 people were present. Even as everyone was staring in shock at the bright light, some people turned their attention to the stone stele outside of the Medicine Pavilion.

Hundreds of thousands of names could be seen on the lowest level of the stone stele. As of this moment… all of the names went dim, and then seemed to move backward one space. At the very top of the list… was a new name!

Naruto!

When the onlookers saw the name there at the top of the list, another buzz of conversation rose up.

"It's really Naruto! His name is first on the list!"

"Most people who pass this trial have their names show up in the bottom, and only a few ever make it even to the middle of the pack! And yet Naruto is actually in first place!"

"For him to take the first spot means that his skill with plants and vegetation is greater than all of the other hundreds of thousands of people on the list!"

"Of course, all the strong alchemists' names are higher up on the stele. Who knows whether Naruto will actually continue higher in the Medicine Pavilion this time, or whether he'll try to find a flaw in the system to benefit the apprentice alchemists, just like the rumors said he did last time."

The conversations continued. Eventually, they realized that Naruto had not emerged from within the Medicine Pavilion. That led them to the conclusion that… he was continuing with the examination!

Everyone immediately got even more excited than before. Also, they wanted to know… the exact level of skill Naruto had with plants and vegetation, this newcomer who had just recently risen to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division.

It wasn't just them who wanted to know. The surrounding alchemists were also very curious.

Inside the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto took a deep breath and waited for the mists around him to slowly fade away. A staircase appeared in front of him, which led to the second level. Naruto immediately headed up the stairs.

"If I'm going to shock people, then I might as well do a thorough job of it," he thought. "I'm also curious how far my level of skill with plants and vegetation will take me in the Namikaze Clan's Medicine Pavilion.

"In the Namikaze Clan, plants and vegetation are the most important aspect of their Dao of alchemy. In order to rise among the ranks of the alchemists, one must first earn qualifications in the Medicine Pavilion. Actually, this system makes a distinction between apothecaries and alchemists!" After reaching the top of the stairs, he found himself on the second level.

Bright light filled the second level, and yet again, 10,000,000 medicinal plants appeared, some of them repeats from the first level. They quickly merged together into the form of a tome.

This time, it wasn't three incense sticks that appeared in front of him, but six.

Yet again, an archaic voice echoed out through the second level.

"You have the time it takes six incense sticks to burn to identify the first 100,000 medicinal plants, in which case you can pass this level. If you make ten or more mistakes, you fail."

Naruto frowned, then looked around at the second level for a moment.

"So this is the second level," he thought. He stepped forward and opened the book, then poured his divine sense into it and began to imprint the medicinal plants.

Three incense sticks of time seemed to pass relatively quickly. Boundless light shone off of the tome; Naruto had already imprinted all 10,000,000 medicinal plants. Rumbling sounds filled the air, and another staircase appeared in front of him.

He climbed the stairs to the third level without hesitation. After looking around, an expression of disappointment could be seen on his face. The third level again featured 10,000,000 medicinal plants floating around, which then superimposed to create the same Classic of Plants and Vegetation.

However, the requirement to pass this level was not just to identify 100,000, but to identify 1,000,000, and also to list them in order according to a special method required by the ancient tome. Furthermore, just three mistakes would be considered a failure.

To Naruto, that wasn't very difficult at all. Shaking his head, he stepped forward and opened the ancient classic.

This time, he only needed two incense sticks' worth of time before the tome began to rumble, and the third level sent bright light outside. Yet again, Naruto had passed. When he reached the fourth level, his expression finally brightened.

What he saw on the fourth level was fully ten times as many medicinal plants as he had seen on the third level. There were over 100,000,000 plants, which caused his eyes to glow with a bright light.

"Now things are getting interesting," he murmured. "Although there are still too few plants." The 100,000,000 medicinal plants formed together into an ancient tome, which was labelled, yet again, the Classic of Plants and Vegetation.

The requirement for the fourth level was to identify 10,000,000 medicinal plants, without making any mistakes. A single mistake meant failure.

"100,000,000 medicinal plants, huh?" Naruto took a deep breath, eager to try. Back in the Violet Fate Sect, he had really enjoyed examinations like this. They reminded him of his scholar's days back in Mount Myoboku, and his experiences with the Imperial examinations.

Without hesitation, he placed his hands onto the book, poured in his divine sense, and immediately began to brand medicinal plants.

By now, over 100,000 people were standing around outside the Medicine Pavilion, having been drawn there by the bright lights. Before the light from the first level had even dissipated, a brilliant light already shone up from the second level, and then the third level.

Although the new light wasn't as scintillating and blinding as the light from the first level, it was still shocking. Most importantly, as Naruto's name moved up to the second and then the third level, it maintained its position as first in the lists!

Many of the surrounding alchemists were watching with very serious expressions.

"He's gotten to the fourth level!"

"This Naruto passed all the way through the third level in a very short time. I wonder if the fourth level will cause any problems for him!?"

"In the Dao of Alchemy Division's Medicine Pavilion, the first three levels are simply foundational. From what I've heard, no more than 10,000,000 medicinal plants will appear. The fourth level is different. The difficulty level is ten times higher!"

Back inside the fourth level, Naruto's eyes shone with a bizarre light. His divine sense rumbled as he imprinted medicinal plants at an incredible speed. He immediately recognized every medicinal plant that he saw, causing the tome's pages to flip by rapidly. It turned into a blur that, if any outsider was able to see, would leave them shocked.

Actually, Naruto wanted people on the outside to see. If they could watch, it would definitely be a big help in his efforts to earn merit points. After a moment, he retracted his divine sense and then decided to ask the Medicine Pavilion if such a thing was possible.

Everything was quiet for a moment, before an archaic voice slowly spoke out.

"The Medicine Pavilion has no such power now. However, if you can identify all 100,000,000 of these medicinal plants, then I can attempt to do so on the next level."

Hearing this, Naruto immediately nodded his head, took a deep breath, and continued imprinting.

"In order to give the people on the outside more of a reason to listen to my lectures, in order to earn more merit points… I'm going to go all out!

"Just wait until I get out of here! I'll definitely raise my prices! Two hours, two merit points!" His eyes shone with determination, which seemed to affect his divine sense, making it even faster than before.

1,000,000. 10,000,000. 30,000,000….

Naruto continuously imprinted the medicinal plants that appeared in his divine sense. The feeling he was experiencing made him sigh emotionally. If he'd had a skill like this when he'd taken the Imperial examinations that year, then he would surely have become a high official in the Five Elements Nation.

"Although, not for very long," he thought. "Several hundred years have passed since then. If I hadn't started practicing cultivation, I would be long dead." He shook his head, sighed, and continued to imprint.

The tome couldn't even be seen clearly. The pages flipped by so quickly that the whole book seemed frozen in eternity, almost unmoving.

40,000,000. 50,000,000. 60,000,000…

Time passed. To Naruto, it felt like he wasn't expending any energy at all. Furthermore, his mastery of plants and vegetation seemed to be growing even more firm.

70,000,000. 80,000,000. 90,000,000….

In the end, Naruto let out a sharp breath and slammed the book shut.

100,000,000!

The Medicine Pavilion trembled, and boundless light shone out in all directions. A staircase appeared, which Naruto climbed, filled with anticipation.

Everyone outside the Medicine Pavilion looked on as brilliant light from the fourth level spread out in all directions.

"He passed the fourth level!"

"If he passed the fourth level, that basically means he's a tier 4 apothecary! If his pill concocting skill is just as strong, he'll be a tier 4 alchemist!"

The crowd was in quite a commotion. Of course, there were some people with looks of disdain on their faces. In their view, any tier 4 alchemist could pass the fourth level, which meant that Naruto hadn't accomplished anything unusual. At the most, he had done something special on the first level only.

However, before the discussions could finish, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the fifth level. It flew into the air and then began to ripple out.

Shockingly, within those ripples, appeared… a screen!

Naruto was visible within the screen, walking up a staircase into the fifth level.

This scene caused the surrounding 100,000 spectators to stare in shock. Even the three tier 8 Elders were astonished.

The screen was so huge it seemed to fill the sky. There were many people in the Dao of Alchemy Division who hadn't come to the Medicine Pavilion but, after catching sight of the huge screen, were suddenly curious, and began to head over at top speed.

One of them was the old woman, the tier 7 alchemist who had disrupted Naruto's lectures. Shocked, she flew in from the outer mountains.

Everyone around the Medicine Pavilion began to discuss the unprecedented appearance of the screen. They were all very excited.

"What's going on? I've never heard of a screen appearing when people entered the Medicine Pavilion."

"Could it be that that this is a new divine ability manifested by the Medicine Pavilion now that the rules have been changed?"

"Hahaha! This is great! We'll be able to clearly see how Naruto passes through the fifth level. This is much better than before!"

The three tier 8 Elders stared in shock and then exchanged suspicious glances.

It was strictly prohibited to reveal what happened inside the Medicine Pavilion. Even though some people might secretly find out some details, they would keep things low key and not spread the information around. That was especially true of the fifth level and higher.

"Pill Elder is in control of the Medicine Pavilion, could it be that he has some secret plan?" Even as the three old men transmitted a discussion, everything around them went quiet. On the screen, it was possible to see Naruto, who had just stepped foot off of the stairs and onto… the fifth level.

At the same time, on the stone stele located outside of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto's name appeared on the fourth level, yet again first on the list!

In the instant that he entered the fifth level, Naruto stopped in his tracks and looked around. Then he took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine with a brilliant light.

He began to tremble, a trembling that originated from the excitement in his heart, and seemed very difficult to control. Naruto would never act like this in a life-or-death battle, but this was an examination, a test of his skill with plants and vegetation.

He truly wished to know the extent of his skill. Therefore, he wanted the examination to get harder, and for there to be more medicinal plants involved.

As of this moment what he saw was… an enormous fifth level, filled with glittering lights and seemingly infinite medicinal ingredients. There were plants of all kinds and types, and even some things that bore the semblance of wild animals.

From the look of it, this level had ten times as many items as the previous level!

"1,000,000,000…." Naruto thought, his eyes shining as he looked around. As of this moment, he now had a much deeper understanding of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy. These 1,000,000,000 medicinal ingredients were essentially anything that could be counted as medicinal that had appeared in the Ninth Mountain and Sea throughout tens of thousands of years of history.

These items weren't just limited to plants and vegetation!

They were not grafted plants either. Everything was whole. Naruto glanced over them and saw tens of thousands of items that he didn't recognize.

He began to breathe heavily. These 1,000,000,000 medicinal resources suddenly superimposed over each other in front of Naruto to transform into an enormous ancient tome that was as tall as a person.

Yet again, it was the Classic of Plants and Vegetation.

However, underneath the title of the book were the words 'volume one.'

"This must be the full first volume of the Classic of Plants and Vegetation!" thought Naruto, his heart pounding. "1,000,000,000 medicinal plants. The Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy truly is boundless and profound!"

The crowds in the outside world were equally shocked.

More and more cultivators were showing up, and when they saw the image on the screen, their jaws dropped.

"Is that… the fifth level?!"

"1,000,000,000 medicinal plants…. The only way to ever be promoted to a tier 5 alchemist is to pass this level! Any tier 5 alchemist in the Dao of Alchemy Division is incredibly famous and powerful in the outside world!"

As the buzz of conversation filled the air outside, an archaic voice could be heard filling the fifth level.

"1,000,000,000 medicinal plants. Identify the first 100,000,000 in the Classic of Plants and Vegetation to pass this level. One mistake means failure."

Naruto's eyes glittered with a bright light. Expression solemn, he slowly walked forward. As far as he was concerned, this was the first time the test had actually seemed difficult. Even his first cursory scan confirmed that there were tens of thousands of items that he wasn't familiar with.

One mistake in those first 100,000,000, and he would fail.

"It seems I've underestimated the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy," he thought. Expression serious, he reached out, placed his hand on the ancient book, and sent his divine sense into it.

Immediately, countless medicinal plants appeared within his divine sense, which he immediately began to imprint. The pages of the ancient book began to flip at high speed. In the blink of an eyes, several thousand pages had already been turned over.

None of the observers had ever seen anything like this before. Now, though, the scene was playing out right in front of them, clearly visible on the screen. Tens of thousands of observers on the outside looked on in shock. Deathly silence filled the air, and all minds reeled as they watched Naruto and the ancient book.

The apprentice alchemists' eyes went wide, and as for the full alchemists, they began to pant. Even the tier 5, 6, and 7 alchemists were stunned.

The three tier 8 Elders gasped. The scene playing out left even them truly amazed.

They even began to wonder whether they could make the tome's pages flip so quickly. From the look of things, Naruto was simply a natural born genius when it came to plants and vegetation.

"Just how familiar is he with plants and vegetation? He doesn't even need to think! He recognizes them the instant he looks at them!"

"His foundation in plants and vegetation really is terrifying. With whom did he study the Dao of alchemy to lay such a foundation!?"

"This is unbelievable!"

As the audience's reaction swelled into an uproar, Naruto was inside, concentrating solely on the contents of the Classic of Plants and Vegetation. Time passed, and he identified more and more of the tome's contents, faster and faster.

10,000,000. 30,000,000. 50,000,000….

It didn't take long before he had identified 90,000,000. The spectators observed with rapt attention. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, Naruto stopped turning the pages of the ancient book. There on the page in front of him, a heart had appeared.

It was a wooden heart, parched and cracked. A few tiny flowers could be seen growing out of it, and when Naruto saw it, he stood there quietly.

The alchemists in the world outside were watching the screen closely. Some of the tier 5 alchemists looked at the wooden heart, then frowned and began to wrack their brains to try and identify it. Some of the tier 6 alchemists hesitated, and were unable to determine with certainty exactly what it was.

Even the old woman who had stolen Naruto's business looked on with flickering thoughtfulness.

Only the three tier 8 alchemists didn't seem fazed. They exchanged glances and began to transmit a conversation.

"Naruto really got unlucky. In the fifth level, there are ten types of medicinal plants that have long since become extinct. They are plants no outsider would ever know about. Even we didn't find out about them until we reached tier 8."

"He definitely won't be able to identify the Woodbear Heart."

"The test is over. What a pity. However, he can try again in a month. Considering the momentum he built up before, as long as he doesn't run into a medicine plant he's never seen before, he shouldn't have much of a problem passing the fifth level."

"Although, I find it strange that this particular medicinal plant would appear in the first 100,000,000. Yet, there it is."

The three old men were then lost in thought, and didn't converse any further.

Back on the fifth level, Naruto looked at the image in front of him, muttering. He didn't recognize the item, and in fact had never seen it before. At first glance, if you didn't know it was wood, you would probably think it was an actual heart.

Naruto extended his right hand and pointed at the page. Immediately, glittering light rose up, and an illusory version of the wooden heart appeared in front of him, then rapidly grew very clear.

He could even sense a faint medicinal aroma emanating out. After inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and began to make some mental deductions. Although he didn't recognize this wooden heart, he was still able to use his skill with plants and vegetation to analyze its medicinal properties.

After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he began to make an imprint with divine sense.

"Effective against chills that enter the body. Is filled with rich spiritual energy, and the power of fire and wood. Contains 9,137 variations. Can be grown using Spirit Extract, and when it reaches maturity, it contains the potential to materialize Immortal Chakra. When using it to concoct medicinal pills for the Immortal Realm, depending on which variations are used, and which of those is the main ingredient, then, regardless of which medicinal pill is created, as long as you add Apefever Flower, its medicinal strength can be increased by ten percent!" Naruto quickly finished imprinting the information. Although he didn't know the exact name of this medicinal item, the name… wasn't actually important.

After finishing the imprint of information, the wooden heart vanished from the page, to be replaced by a block of text that thoroughly described the plant's properties and growth characteristics. The description was incredibly detailed, including information about medicinal effects, details vital to using the ingredient to concoct medicinal pills, descriptions about how to harvest it, and other information.

When Naruto saw all the information, he took a deep breath. Although he had determined many correct bits of information about the wooden heart, his information had not been as detailed as the final description. He quickly committed the information to memory.

Then he waved his hand and continued to flip through the pages.

When the spectators saw what had happened, they were shocked. Even the three tier 8 Elders gasped, and stared with wide, astonished eyes.

"He most likely has never seen that Woodbear Heart before. And yet, he just smelled it a few times and then was able to explain its medicinal properties!"

"What an incredible Dao of alchemy! What profound skill with plants and vegetation!"

Deep within the Dao of Alchemy Division was a mountain that was considered to be a sacred location. This was where Isago resided, the Dao of Alchemy Division's only tier 9 alchemist!

He had a full head of white hair, and as he sat there cross-legged on the mountain peak, his eyes slowly opened. He then gazed in the direction of the Medicine Pavilion, his eyes shining with a gleam of curiosity.

"I wonder which Grandmaster of the Dao of Alchemy trained a disciple like this…. His skill with plants and vegetation has already reached incredible heights. He came from Planet Lands of Ninshu…. I haven't ever heard of any Grandmaster on Planet Lands of Ninshu who could develop such a talented pupil." The old man sighed.

"Although, Planet Lands of Ninshu is shrouded in mystery. It's possible this kid… has had some unique opportunities." He continued to look at the Medicine Pavilion in silence.

Back on the fifth level, Naruto continued to rapidly flip through the tome's pages. They moved so fast that the entire book seemed like one connected piece. Soon, he had completely imprinted ten percent of the 1,000,000,000 items inside. However, Naruto didn't stop there.

His mind was completely absorbed in the book, to the extent that he forgot his original reason for drawing everyone's attention to him here. Gradually, the ten percent became twenty, then thirty….

After completing fifty percent, his speed gradually slowed. He would occasionally encounter medicinal plants that he didn't recognize, but in those cases, he actually got excited.

He wanted to see more medicinal plants that he had never seen before. That was the only way for him to experience the sensation of groping for the correct answer. That was when he could truly unleash his skill with plants and vegetation, analyzing the item from various angles and using his best judgement to determine, not necessarily the name, but rather, enough information to imprint it with divine sense. When the full description appeared, he would commit it to memory. He was now getting the feeling that attempting to pass through the Medicine Pavilion was really helping him to learn a lot more about plants and vegetation.

Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation had reached an incredible level. By now, there were few types of plants or vegetation within the Ninth Mountain and Sea that he was unaware of. Every single new one that he encountered pushed his skill to an even more refined extent.

Sixty percent. Seventy percent. Eighty percent….

Naruto wasn't aware of how much time had passed. However, the closer he got to the end of the book, the more medicinal plants he encountered that he was unfamiliar with, which required even more time. And yet, his excitement only grew.

Outside of the Medicine Pavilion, there were now nearly 200,000 cultivators clustered around, watching the screen with blank expressions. The excitement on Naruto's face was clear, and the more medicinal plants he identified, the more everyone's minds reeled.

"Inhuman…. When it comes to plants and vegetation, this Naruto is a beast!"

"Don't tell me he was actually a medicinal plant in a past life? Otherwise, how else could he be so inhuman!"

"The fifth level has 1,000,000,000 medicinal plants, and from the way he's going, it looks like he's going to identify them all…."

"I just realized something! The merit points I paid to hear him lecture about plants and vegetation were worth it! Definitely worth it!"

As time passed, a few people noticed that under normal circumstances, the fifth level would have already concluded. However, Naruto was still plugging away.

Apparently, the time limit had been cancelled, leaving Naruto free to spend as much time as he wanted there.

Slowly, the number of plants and vegetation he identified increased. Eventually, three days went by.

Naruto could never have imagined that he would need to spend so much time and energy on the fifth level. His eyes were bloodshot, and he felt that he was on the verge of mental exhaustion. However, he was still excited and his spirits were high.

Among the final twenty percent were many types of of the plants and vegetation that Naruto didn't recognize. Each one required a great deal of time and energy to analyze and judge before he could identify some clues that would lead him into further levels of investigation. Eventually, he would get enough information to be able to create a divine sense imprint.

Detailed introduction on the plant would appear every time he made his imprint. That was what he truly looked forward to; he was like a dried-up sponge, just waiting to absorb boundless knowledge about plants and vegetation.

Three more days passed…. None of the audience members left, but instead settled themselves cross-legged in the area. Were these ordinary cultivators, they would probably find the affair boring. However, they were alchemists and apprentice alchemists, people who had devoted their lives to the Dao of alchemy. Watching Naruto's examination on the screen enabled them to see medicinal plants that they might otherwise never be able to see, which was an incredible opportunity.

Everyone was imprinting the information into their minds, studying and learning.

More and more people joined the crowd. On the tenth day, there were nearly 300,000 people present, densely packed together as far as the eye could see.

On the fifth level, a tremor ran through Naruto's body as he woke up from his reverie of plants and vegetation. There in front of him was the final page of the ancient book.

At that moment, all of his exhaustion from the past days enveloped him, and his head felt swollen and began to pulse with pain. To him, these past ten days left him feeling more worn out than when he had fought the three black-robed Immortal Realm cultivators.

And yet, he did not close his eyes. He examined the tome, upon which his results for this level were revealed.

He hadn't paid any attention to the results for the first four levels, because he was absolutely confident that he hadn't made any mistakes. However, on this fifth level, he wasn't so confident.

"I missed more than 200…." he murmured, "all of them in the final 300,000,000 plants." Finally he closed his eyes and rotated his cultivation base to restore his composure

He wasn't happy with his results at all. However, he had been introduced to many, many unfamiliar medicinal plants on this level, and his skill with plants and vegetation had increased by a whole level.

To the outside audience, the results were completely shocking, and that included the three tier 8 Elders. Everyone gasped, and then a huge uproar occurred.

"1,000,000,000 plants and he only missed a bit over 200…. He's definitely inhuman!"

"Any tier 5 alchemist would pass by identifying the first 100,000,000. But Naruto required more of himself! He went through all 1,000,000,000. From the look on his face, he seems a bit disappointed."

The sound of the conversations among the 300,000 audience members was like thunder that spread out in all directions, and was heard by quite a few of the Dao of Alchemy Division's apprentice alchemists and full alchemists. The ground trembled and the clouds in the sky shattered.

The three tier 8 alchemists wore forced smiles on their faces as they exchanged glances.

"When I attempted the fifth level that year, I couldn't have done that."

"Forget about back then. Even right now, we're probably the only people who could. Even the tier 7 alchemists probably couldn't pull something like that off."

Bright beams of light appeared off in the distance as more tier 8 alchemists appeared. Of course, no one present could see them. As they arrived, they looked at the Medicine Pavilion… and their eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Finally, our Dao of Alchemy Division has… a truly Chosen member of the clan!"

Back on the fifth level of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto opened his eyes. Much of his tiredness and exhaustion had vanished. He took a deep breath, rose to his feet, and stepped forward toward the ancient tome. Then, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

"Many thanks for bestowing me with such kindness!" he said softly. Each and every word rose up from the depths of his heart. To cultivators of the Dao of alchemy, Naruto's experience just now was truly like being gifted with an amazing Dao.

The tome vanished after Naruto bowed, and a flight of stairs appeared up ahead of him. At the same time, his name moved from its previous position up to the fifth level, where, as before, it was now in first place on the list!

His expression was somber as he strode forward toward the steps and began to climb up to the sixth level. When he arrived, what he saw absolutely nothing.

There were no medicinal plants, there was no tome, there was no mist. There wasn't even any light. There was only complete darkness. Everything seemed empty, as if nothing at all existed there.

Naruto gaped in shock, and he wasn't the only one. The people outside were also staring at the screen, astonished.

The only ones who didn't were the alchemists who had previously been on the sixth level. Their faces were grave as they stared closely at the screen. The tier 7 old woman looked on, her face grim. Now that she had seen how inhuman he was, she regretted what she had done earlier. She had offended him, but she also knew that there was little she could do about it now, and so she might as well stick to her guns.

After all, from her perspective, he might be inhuman, but he couldn't compare to the people who had sought out her help in the clan. The compensation they had provided was incredible.

"I might not be able to do what he did in the fifth level," she thought to herself, "but that doesn't matter. As an alchemist, you don't need to have such breadth and depth of knowledge regarding plants and vegetation. It's enough to be intimately familiar with the ones that you do know.

"I failed dozens of times at this level before finally passing. There's no way this Naruto will succeed on his first try. After all, the sixth level is completely different from the first five." She smiled coldly.

The nearby tier 5, 6, and 7 alchemists were shaking their heads. All of them had challenged the sixth level of the Medicine Pavilion, so they knew how difficult it was.

"This level is a watershed," commented one of the tier 8 Elders, his voice light.

"The first five levels require sufficient knowledge of plants and vegetation. The last four levels are completely different, and it only gets harder and harder."

On the stone stele outside of the Medicine Pavilion, hundreds of thousands of names could be seen on the first level. There were only 100,000 on the second level, 50,000 on the third level, 20,000 on the fourth level, and less than 10,000 on the fifth level.

As for the sixth level, only 5,000 people had ever passed it.

The seventh level had 1,000 names and the eighth level only had a bit more than 200. The last level, the ninth… only had 10.

It mustn't be forgotten that those numbers represented the accumulation of all the generations that had existed since the founding of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. From this, it was easy to imagine how difficult the Medicine Pavilion was.

Furthermore, whenever anyone passed the sixth level, the first thing that would happen would be that a Dao Bell would appear in the sky above the ancestral mansion. No outsider could see that bell, and when it tolled, only the members of the Namikaze Clan on Planet East Victory could hear it in their minds.

That bell represented true honor and glory!

Naruto stood on the Medicine Pavilion's sixth level, looking around at the pitch black around him. Even after sending his divine sense out, he could sense nothing but darkness. After hesitating for a moment, he took a step forward.

As soon as his foot landed, he stopped in place and cocked his head. His expression flickered.

Just now, he hadn't seen anything within the darkness, but had been able to smell the fragrance of medicinal plants. Some of the aromas were faint, some were dense. They all melded together to fill the entire area, and seemed to grow even thicker further on.

It was at this point that the archaic voice echoed out through the sixth level.

"Aroma Scrying is one of the realms of skill with plants and vegetation. You may take up to 100 steps. With every step, you will smell the fragrance of different medicinal plants.

"Determine what each plant is based on its smell, and imprint the information into the darkness. One mistake means failure."

Naruto wasn't the only one who could hear the voice. The audience of more than 300,000 in the outside world could also hear it, and it caused their faces to flicker with expressions of disbelief.

"How… how could you possibly provide all the answers! No wonder this sixth level is considered so difficult. Aroma Scrying is virtually a legendary realm!"

"I never thought that the test would involve Aroma Scrying! I heard about this realm when I first became an apprentice alchemist. To think that over all the past tens of thousands of years in the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division, 5,000 or so people have actually passed this level!"

The outside world was in a huge commotion. Virtually everyone took this test to be excessively difficult. It was in a completely different league than the previous five levels.

The tier 7 old woman chuckled coldly. As she thought back to the difficulty of this level, she actually felt frightened.

"The seventh level is even harder, for any alchemist," she whispered to herself. "And then there's the hell-like eighth level!"

Back on the sixth level, Naruto began to breathe deeply, allowing the fragrances of countless medicinal plants to enter his nose. Immediately, his mind exploded as images of numerous medicinal plants appeared, each one of which was associated with one of the fragrances he had detected.

There were no less than 10,000, but in the blink of an eye, his divine sense swept out, and the images of medicinal plants began to appear in the dark void around him.

Furthermore, the outline of an illusory lotus appeared beneath his feet.

He took a second step, and once again breathed in deeply. A tremor ran through his body, and another 10,000 images appeared around him. A second lotus appeared beneath him.

One step after another, and another….

Naruto proceeded forward, and with each step he took, he breathed in deeply. Afterward, numerous medicinal plants would appear around him, causing the pitch-black world to be lit up by what looked like a procession of blazing lanterns.

Furthermore, lotuses continued to appear beneath his feet.

After taking 69 steps, 69 lotuses had appeared, and he was surrounded by millions of shining medicinal plants.

To everyone who was watching, Naruto almost looked like a holy being, surrounded by swirling plants, lotuses blooming with each step he took.

"Lotuses with each step!" thought the old woman. Her eyes were wide, and she was panting. She well knew how difficult the sixth level was, and also knew that the only way a lotus would appear would be if he correctly identified the fragrance of every single medicinal plant, and imprinted it correctly.

When she had passed the sixth level, she had only caused three lotuses to appear. But Naruto… shockingly… created lotuses with each step!

She wasn't the only shocked one. All of the alchemists who were familiar with the sixth level were shaken. They watched Naruto on the screen, and the image they saw would eternally be imprinted into their minds. It was an unforgettable scene that they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

The handful of tier 8 alchemists in the area were visibly moved. They looked at Naruto on the screen, and their eyes shone with both praise and hope.

The Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division was not a sect, but rather, a division of the clan. All of the alchemists and apprentice alchemists were clan members, and their sense of clan pride and honor was at the core of what had kept the clan from falling into ruin over the ages.

Actually, merit points were one of several methods that kept clan members from becoming estranged from the clan.

Of course, the Dao of Alchemy Division hoped for a truly Chosen alchemy cultivator to appear, to arouse interest in the Dao of alchemy and to bring glory to the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division once again. However, despite the passage of many years, although other divisions of the clan had produced Chosen, the Dao of Alchemy Division had remained a quiet and desolate place. Chosen alchemy cultivators were something that could only be happened upon, and never sought out.

There were some who had the talent for it, but were not the type who were inclined to study the Dao of alchemy, and instead preferred to focus on cultivation. People like that believed that the road to power would only be obstructed by focusing on other practices.

Today, though, these tier 8 Elders finally had a bit of hope.

On the sixth level of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto was taking his 70th step. In that instant, he deeply inhaled the dense odor of plants and vegetation. His nose and brain exploded with soundless rumbling, and a tremor ran through him. All of the blood in his body suddenly began to circulate in reverse.

Images of medicinal plants began to float up in his mind, endless varieties of them. This type of Aroma Scrying did not just test someone's skill with plants and vegetation, it also tested instincts!

To be able to know how many types of medicinal plants there were by simply sniffing, without thinking about it too much…. This was something… that could really only be done by instinct, and by being incredibly familiar with all sorts of plants and vegetation.

This higher level of skill with plants and vegetation was like the Instantaneous Formula Scrying of the Dao of alchemy. They were actually two branches of the same skill and the same realm. 1

The level of difficulty of this sixth level examination was such that the requirement to pass was that the test-taker successfully take twenty steps. With each of those steps, ten or more misjudgements were tolerated before that step would be counted as a failure.

The reason for the rules being set in such a fashion was because this level was simply too difficult.

Therefore, it was easy to imagine how Naruto, who had already taken 70 steps, with lotuses blooming for each step, would be so incredibly shocking to all the alchemists outside who understood how difficult the test was. They could hardly believe their eyes.

71 steps. 72 steps. 73 steps…. Naruto didn't pause. He kept moving forward, heading further and further in. The aromas of plants and vegetation grew stronger, and were filled with even more types.

And yet, Naruto continued to produce… lotuses with each step.

It wasn't until he reached the 80th step that he finally started to slow down, although to the alchemist watching outside, it still looked fast.

81, 82, 83…. With each step he took, the surrounding void of darkness glittered more and more brightly. Botanical lanterns shone with scintillating light, until the entire sixth level now appeared to be brightly lit.

Having taken his 90th step, he only had 10 more steps to go. He was now moving even slower, as if these ten steps were difficult even for him. Each step took a lot more thought, which was clear to the audience.

His instincts now felt clouded, and now he needed to spend more time analyzing and deducing each aroma. It was only after painstaking examination that he was finally able to identify all of the medicinal plants.

The outside world was filled with silence. 300,000 spectators were all staring at Naruto on the screen. Behind him was a path of lotuses, and he was surrounded by endless numbers of botanical lamps.

As of this moment, Naruto was like an Immortal of plants and vegetation. He was the focus of all attention; even that old woman looked on silently.

91, 92, 93… each step now took approximately two hours. Each time, lotuses would bloom, and bright lanterns flickered everywhere.

The 95th step took him six hours; he stood there motionless within the boundless aroma before he finally imprinted all of the plants and vegetation within it.

The 96th step took twenty hours.

The 97th took two days.

By the 98th step, Naruto had long since lost track of time. Everyone in the outside world was staring closely at the screen. Five days later, he stepped forward again, and another lotus bloomed.

The 99th step took ten days, but yet again, a lotus bloomed, and the crowds went wild.

By now, approximately 400,000 people had gathered in the area. All of them were breathing heavily as they waited for Naruto… to take the final step.

The 100th step!

There on the sixth level, Naruto's eyes were closed. He had no idea how many steps he had taken. Without even thinking about it, he took another step forward. Rumbling sounds filled his mind, and his body trembled.

Naruto was panting. Every imprint he made forced him to sift through a blur of obfuscating information, and required much analysis.

More time passed. Everyone in the outside world waited. Three days. Seven days. Ten days….

Finally, twenty days passed!

The outside world was abuzz; no one had ever been able to spend so much time testing inside of the Medicine pavilion. Naruto had already taken nearly two months to pass from the first level all the way to the sixth.

Five more days passed, when suddenly, all of the innumerable botanical lamps in the sixth level exploded with scintillating light. Beneath Naruto's foot… appeared the 100th lotus!

His eyes opened, and his body shook. Blood sprayed from his mouth. This level was so difficult that Naruto only passed it by shedding blood, sweat, and tears. The last step had pushed him to the limits of his skill with plants and vegetation, which, in the end, had enabled him to pass with perfect marks!

Up ahead, the innumerable botanical lamps merged together to form a staircase of vines, something that seemed suitable only for a sovereign of plants and vegetation.

The seventh level was now open!

At the same time, from the view of the outside world, the sixth level began to shine with boundless light. The sky went dim, and all darkness was dispelled. The Dao of Alchemy Division was now the focus of all eyes.

Naruto's name appeared on the stone stele, in the first position on the list of names for the sixth level!

The audience was abuzz.

"He… passed the sixth level! Lotuses blossomed with each step! One hundred steps, one hundred lotuses!"

"Could it be that this Naruto is going to bring about a renaissance in the Dao of Alchemy Division!?"

"Just wait until he's finished here in the medicine pavilion! I'm definitely going to go listen to his lectures on plants and vegetation!"

Meanwhile, an enormous, ancient bell appeared in the air above the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion. From the look of it, the bell appeared to have seen the passage of ages. It was engraved with mountains and rivers, and as soon as it appeared, it rang loud and sharp.

The sound echoed out through Planet East Victory, to the ears of anyone with Namikaze blood in their veins. Outsiders could not hear, but the Namikaze Clan members could!

The Namikaze Clan was shaken. Everyone in the Dao of Alchemy Division who was not already at the Medicine Pavilion was aroused. Sensing the light shining up from the Medicine Pavilion, many of them immediately flew in that direction.

Everyone in the ancestral mansion was equally shaken. First, there was the light shining up from the Dao of Alchemy Division, and then there was the bell. All Namikaze Clan members were shocked, and many flew toward the Dao of Alchemy Division to see what exactly was going on.

The Grand Elder stood silently in the main temple, his expression complex, and even somewhat confused.

"Did I… make a mistake?" he murmured. "No, I didn't. Everything is for the clan. Everything I have done is according to the rules of the clan!" The Grand Elder took a deep breath, but he still seemed to be at a loss. He looked over at the Dao of Alchemy Division, and a fierce glint could be seen in his eyes.

Naruto sat cross-legged on the sixth level of the Medicine Pavilion. After meditating for a period of time, he opened his eyes, which were still slightly bloodshot.

"From the difficulty of the fifth and sixth levels, I can see the boundlessness of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy," he murmured. "I made a lot of mistakes on the fifth level, and the sixth level was actually even harder. It's only because I absorbed the Resurrection Lily that I can have such instincts with plants and vegetation!

"Therefore… my ability with Aroma Scrying is actually a bit of a cheap trick.

"This seventh level will definitely be even harder than all the others!" With that, he stood up, and his eyes flashed with a glimmer of obsession. When he had started in the Medicine Pavilion, his goal had been to amaze the world and become an overnight celebrity. It had all been for the merit points. Now, however, he was doing it to improve his skill with plants and vegetation.

He wasn't just concerned with passing the level; he wanted to pass every level at the pinnacle. That was the only way for him to increase his skill with plants and vegetation.

He took a deep breath and began to walk up the stairs.

At the same time that he set foot on the seventh level, all of the hundreds of thousands of spectators outside were looking on. Compared to the sixth level, the seventh level didn't seem very extraordinary. The only things that were visible were two enormous books.

One of them was, of course, the first volume of the Classic of Plants and Vegetation, with its 1,000,000,000 medicinal plants.

The second was empty. It apparently had no content whatsoever.

Even as Naruto laid eyes on the two books, the archaic voice rang out through the seventh level.

"Using grafting techniques and your knowledge of the mutual augmentation and suppression between different types of plants and vegetation, you must create… 10,000 unique medicinal plants. That is the threshold to pass this level. If you wish to pass the level with perfect marks, you must create 100,000."

Naruto's heart trembled. He took a deep breath, and his eyes began to shine with bright light.

"Finally… a level like this!" He knew that having accumulated so much knowledge regarding plants and vegetation, the time had eventually come to step into a new realm. It was a realm which used the principles of mutual augmentation and suppression, along with grafting techniques, to create medicinal plants that belonged to him and him alone.

Using medicinal plants like that to concoct pills would make it very difficult for others to identify the pill formula. Even if they could, it would still be very difficult to create the necessary medicinal plant ingredients. This was also a higher realm of pill concocting.

Back when Naruto was in the Violet Fate Sect, he had encountered such things, but not very often. The ancient Demon Immortal Sect's Dao of alchemy also touched on such matters, but he had never had a chance to systematically study it.

Now, he settled his Chakra and calmed his mind, then stepped forward toward the tome and closed his eyes to think.

All of the people in the outside world who had never heard of what the seventh level was like, now gasped. Actually, according to the requirements of the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy, alchemists began to explore grafting techniques beginning in tier 5. In order to become a tier 7 alchemist, it was necessary to create 10,000 personally grafted medicinal plants.

Among the hundreds of thousands of spectators, the tier 6 and 7 alchemists all began to whisper among themselves.

"I wonder if Naruto will be able to pass the seventh level…. How many kinds of grafted medicinal plants will he create!?"

"It's going to be difficult for him to pass. No one has ever done so on the first try. Not even his excellency Pill Elder was able to; it took him four tries."

"Only with a profound knowledge base, and significant experience with grafting plants and vegetation, can someone even attempt the seventh level, let alone pass it."

On the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion, Naruto stood in front of the tomes for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, thinking. Then, his eyes opened, and he waved his hand, causing the Classic of Plants and Vegetation to rapidly flip open to a certain page. Instantly, a medicinal plant appeared and floated up into the air.

More pages flipped in quick succession, nine of them, and nine more medicinal plants appeared. Naruto made a grasping motion, causing all nine plants to appear on the blank tome's first empty page.

Next, the plants followed his line of thought. Some were stripped of their bark, others had flowers removed. In the end, they formed together within Naruto's divine sense, where he used the techniques of mutual augmentation and suppression to graft them together.

The medicinal plant on the first page glittered brightly, whereupon the book seemed to analyze and judge it. After the blink of an eye, the page slowly turned, indicating that Naruto had successfully created his first medicinal plant.

He once again waved his left hand over the Classic of Plants and Vegetation, pulling out more medicinal plants and using his divine sense to transform and graft them together, continuing to create different medicinal plants according to his desires.

Time passed. To cultivators who didn't understand the Dao of alchemy, this examination seemed somewhat boring. However, to the cultivators of the Dao of Alchemy Division, it was an unprecedented opportunity for good fortune.

Even the tier 7 alchemists looked on with strange lights glowing in their eyes. As Naruto created his medicinal plants, they gained more enlightenment, and were continuously shocked. In fact, their own skill with plants and vegetation was slowly creeping upward.

"I can't believe that you can make cold-type plants that way…. After adding nine hot elements, the original formula was to add one cold element. But instead, he added nine cold elements. According to the law of mutual augmentation and supression, you would think that the result would be neutral. And yet, the result is like that!"

"That Moonspirit Flower can actually turn into Sunsplendor Leaf through grafting! What an outrageous line of thinking, and yet, it works!"

Even the old woman stared with wide eyes. Subconsciously, she began to imitate Naruto, and her own skill with plants and vegetation gradually began to increase.

The tier 5 and 6 alchemists were incredibly excited. When it came to plant and vegetation grafting, they were just in the initial stages of learning. As they watched Naruto at work, they committed everything they saw to memory.

To them, this was an extremely rare opportunity.

As for the lower level alchemists, this was a realm far removed from them. However, they all understood that if they wanted to travel far along the path of the Dao of alchemy, then they would eventually have to learn how to graft plants and vegetation. Therefore, they also did as much as they could to take advantage of the situation.

The apprentice alchemists were even less clear about what was happening. However, seeing the intent expressions on the faces of the higher level alchemists, they also realized that what Naruto was currently doing with grafting techniques was astonishing. Therefore, they kept their eyes glued on Naruto and did their best to try to remember what sort of grafting techniques he used.

The world outside the Medicine Pavilion was completely quiet. Even the two old men who stood guard outside had opened their eyes and were looking at the screen up in midair.

The tier 8 alchemists stood there silently, watching Naruto and observing his grafting techniques. All of them were filled with anticipation.

Naruto once again lost track of time as he absorbed himself in the grafting of plants and vegetation. His left hand sped over the first volume of the Classic of Plants and Vegetation, seemingly flipping pages nonstop.

Time passed. Naruto created more and more medicinal plants. 10. 100. 1,000….

Seven days later, Naruto finally created 10,000 medicinal plants. He took a deep breath, but he wasn't finished. Instead, he focused inwardly for a moment, experiencing a similar feeling regarding plants and vegetation to that which he felt when practicing cultivation. He could clearly tell that as he created more medicinal plants, his understanding of plants and vegetation grew more refined.

Although it had been a long time since he had concocted medicinal pills, he could also sense that his pill concocting skill… was becoming stronger.

"My hand is the pill furnace, and I will blend all Heaven and Earth together in my palm to create an almighty medicinal pill!" His eyes shone with a light that originated from his Dao, with his Dao of alchemy. With this Dao, he could corroborate his heart, and then use that heart to concoct pills.

Seven more days passed. By now, Naruto had created more than 15,000 medicinal plants. Everyone outside was shaken, and their admiration for Naruto had reached the pinnacle.

Even the old woman had to ask herself whether her own skill with plants and vegetation was equal to Naruto's. In the end, she had to sigh and admit that people like Naruto were exactly what the Dao of Alchemy Division lacked, and in fact, desperately needed.

As for her… if she continued to comply with the wishes of those in the main clan who wanted her to target Naruto, perhaps she would fall out of harmony with the Dao of Alchemy itself.

"Forget it," she thought, her eyes shining with determination. "After all… I am a member of the Dao of Alchemy Division!" She took a deep breath, and dispelled all thoughts of targeting Naruto. All of a sudden, it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of her. She focused on the screen, and on contemplating plants and vegetation.

15,000. 20,000. 30,000….

A month passed by, during which time Naruto created 30,000 medicinal plants. More people gathered outside. By now, there were over 500,000, spread out in all directions.

Everyone was watching Naruto create medicinal plants. Occasionally, people seemed to go wild with joy at what they were seeing, and at other times they looked confused. However, in the end, everyone watching was able to gain something.

Unfortunately, Naruto was completely absorbed in what he was doing, and had no idea what was going on outside. If he did know, he might well have gone nuts. After all, this was a prime opportunity… to charge merit points.

If at this moment he stepped out of the Medicine Pavilion and bellowed out that he demanded payment, virtually everyone in the audience would instantly pay what he asked.

From the moment he had entered the first level until now, a full four months had passed. Although cultivators had a long lifespan, and often a single meditation session might last years, to them, four months would still seem to pass by slowly if they weren't meditating.

Despite that, no one grew impatient. Instead, they continued to make gains by watching.

Naruto immersed himself in grafting, and he was happy. There was no other place like this Medicine Pavilion, with 1,000,000,000 medicinal plants inside that he could choose from.

Although they were all illusory, that didn't really didn't matter to Naruto. They could still help him advance to a higher level in his skill with plants and vegetation.

Another month passed, and Naruto's eyes were bloodshot. He had now created 50,000 medicinal plants.

In the beginning, it had been relatively simple. However, the further along he progressed, the more difficult it became. Were he content to do a perfunctory job, this level would have been simple. However, he placed high requirements on himself. The medicinal plants he was creating now all were composed of at least one hundred other medicinal plants.

In fact, the past 10,000 he had created were grafted from at least five hundred other medicinal plants!

Exhaustion swelled up within him. The fifth, sixth, and seventh levels had all been quite a mental strain on him. In fact, as a result, he had even unwittingly grown a great deal in terms of divine sense.

Even more amazing to Naruto was that over the past months, his cultivation base was nearing ninety percent of the power of a true Immortal.

As the sixth month arrived, Naruto trembled. His mental energy was almost completely depleted, and his head felt as if it were swollen. Piercing pain occasionally stabbed through his temples, and even his thinking had slowed.

However, he had now created nearly 70,000 medicinal plants.

Not a single one was a repeat, and any of them that appeared in the outside world would certainly cause a huge stir. That was especially true of the last 5,000…. Each one of those contained more than a thousand different grafting elements.

Medicinal plants like that could be refined into a pill just by adding a few minor ingredients.

The spectators outside were entranced and deeply moved by Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation. Another half a month passed. Finally, Naruto's energy was spent. His face was ashen, and he seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. Even his Eternal stratum couldn't keep up with the mental strain.

He let out a long sigh and finally ceased working.

He had created over 75,000 plants.

"My mind isn't up to the task," he thought. "If I keep going, I might injure my foundation. Most important of all… my mastery of plants and vegetation isn't good enough, at least not in terms of grafting.

"I think perhaps 10,000 more would be my absolute limit.

"Furthermore, considering my current skill with plants and vegetation, creating an almighty medicinal plant composed of 10,000 grafts, would be too difficult." He took a deep breath and then slowly rose to his feet, his eyes shining with a gleam of obsession.

"I must deeply study the Namikaze Clan's way with plants and vegetation!" With that, he turned and vanished. When he reappeared, he was outside the Medicine Pavilion. When he saw the packed crowd of 500,000 cultivators, he gaped in shock.

Although he had assumed some people would come to observe, he had never imagined that so many people would show up. He even saw that all sorts of full alchemists were present, many of them still not fully awakened from the reveries of enlightenment they had fallen into while watching Naruto.

He was too tired to say anything. The only thing he wanted to do was return to his Immortal's cave and rest for a few days. He immediately flew into the air, transforming into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.

As soon as he flew into the air, the crowds began to come to their senses. They looked at Naruto making his way off into the distance, and then went completely crazy.

"That was Naruto!" someone shouted. "He came out!" More people came to their senses, and when they realized that the screen was gone, they understood that Naruto had already emerged from the Medicine Pavilion.

"75,000 medicinal plants, huh. He's a Grandmaster of plants and vegetation! He fully deserves to be called an apothecary!"

"With Grandmaster Naruto's skill in plants and vegetation, if he wanted to simply pass through the Medicine Pavilion, I wouldn't dare to say he could pass the ninth level, but the eighth level would definitely be no problem!"

Everyone was in a tumult as they watched Naruto leave. Their eyes shone with fanaticism and reverence. In the world of cultivation, the strong are respected, and it was no different in the Dao of Alchemy Division.

"He stopped on purpose this time, but in a few months, he'll definitely keep going!"

The surrounding alchemists watched Naruto leave, and they all sighed emotionally. This was especially true of the tier 8 Elders, whose faces were filled with hope and excitement.

Deep in the inner mountains, Pill Elder Isago had been watching Naruto the entire time. Finally he sighed, and a smile appeared on his face. "There is finally a successor for the Dao of Alchemy Division…."

He waved his right hand, within which appeared an ancient book, upon which were written the words "Classic of Plants and Vegetation."

"Give this to Naruto," he said softly, waving his hand again. A mysterious light appeared, covering over the book and taking it away.

Naruto flew out of the Dao of Alchemy Division, not even fully aware of his surroundings. However, a moment later, he suddenly stopped in place, and his eyes went wide. His mind felt as if it had just been struck by lightning.

"Dammit! How could I have forgotten to charge merit points!? There were more than 500,000 people there just now! How many months was I in the Medicine Pavilion!? This… This…."

Naruto trembled, his face pale white. At first, he tried not to calculate how much he had lost, but in the end, he couldn't stop himself. His mind filled with a terrifyingly huge number of merit points, and he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Screwed! Royally screwed!" He felt like weeping, but no tears would come. All he could do was curse his horrible luck at having completely wasted such a good opportunity to earn merit points.

At this thought, he threw his head back and roared, which caused quite a few nearby birds to scatter in flight.

Trembling, heart bleeding, face ashen, Naruto felt completely drained of energy. Listless and depressed, it was at this point that he suddenly noticed that someone was flying through the air behind him.

He turned feebly and saw a young woman; his lifeless countenance caused her to stare in shock.

She was graceful and beautiful, with an entrancing face. She wore a long pink garment, and her fragrance was delicate and pleasing.

She looked at Naruto in shock for a moment, before tentatively asking, "Um, are you… Elder Cousin Naruto?"

Naruto listlessly nodded his head. He was still inwardly tied up in knots over the huge sum of merit points he had lost. In his mind, even the sky had turned completely black.

The young woman's face grew serious as she looked at Naruto. She thought to herself that this person was willing to drive himself crazy before giving up, all for the sake of skill with plants and vegetation. She could see a level of unswerving determination in Naruto that she did not possess.

"Elder Cousin Naruto, I saw you in the Medicine Pavilion just now, and I, Shizune, couldn't help but admire you." She clasped hands and bowed, then held out a tome toward Naruto. "This… is a tome that his excellency Pill Elder wanted me to give you."

Naruto was still in a daze. Face blank, he muttered, "I just had an unimaginable amount of merit points placed in front of me, but I didn't cherish them as I should have… what a waste!"

The young woman gaped for a moment, unsure about the meaning of what she had just heard. "Elder Cousin, what did you just say?"

Naruto shook his head and dejectedly accepted the tome. Then he turned and, looking incredibly depressed, headed off into the distance. The young woman watched him make his way off, and couldn't help but feel even more admiration for him.

"He is definitely worthy of being the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. Elder Cousin Naruto is crazy about the Dao of alchemy. He created more than 70,000 medicinal plants on the seventh level of the Medicine pavilion, but he still feels disappointed. It's almost like he's lost his faith and ideals. A person like that is really rare. No wonder his excellency Pill Elder wanted me to give him that tome.

"Shizune," she said to herself encouragingly, "you have to work hard and study more, like Elder Cousin!" She looked at Naruto leaving, and was filled with reverence.

Naruto had no idea how much encouragement his expression had given to that fragile young woman. He continued along his way toward the ancestral mansion, drowsy and out of sorts.

As soon as he entered the ancestral mansion, his mood worsened. Even as he transformed into a beam of light and shot forward, a group of seven or eight people strolled out ahead of him, chatting and laughing.

Among that group of people was a young woman who Naruto recognized from when he had first arrived at East Heaven Gate. She was a female cultivator named Jimei. She was clearly a natural born beauty, and she currently wore a long, pale garment. She held her hand in front of her mouth and laughed as she walked along. Among those walking with her, three had cultivation bases at the peak of Dao Seeking, similar to false Immortals. There were a few others who were in the Spirit Severing realm.

All of them were people Naruto had seen following Menma back in the temple.

Behind them trailed an old man with salt-and-pepper hair and an apathetic expression. He held his hands in front of him, tucked into the opposite sleeves, and followed the group with a slight bow, almost as if he were a servant.

He was not a member of the Namikaze Clan, but had a different surname, and had taken shelter with the Namikaze Clan in exchange for acting as a Dao Protector to members of the younger generation.

The young cultivators around Jimei chatted and laughed.

"Jimei, I heard that when you went out for training this time you ended up taking Reverend Shui Yun as your master. Senior Shui Yun might be just a rogue cultivator, but his cultivation base is incredible. Congratulations! Oh, and now that you're back, don't be in a hurry to leave again. It won't be long now before the centennial rising of the East Ascension Sun. Prince Menma will be in charge of the East Ascension Pavilion, and he's already invited Chosen from quite a few other sects to come enjoy the spectacle. When the time comes, you can meet all of them."

"Yeah, that's right! Princess Hong, of all the Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, there are few whose cultivation bases exceed yours. You'll definitely be a blazing sun in the East Ascension Pavilion.

In response to what everyone was saying, the young woman smiled slightly and shook her head, although her expression revealed traces of pride.

"Prince Menma and Prince Han both have cultivation bases higher than me," she said. "And as for you, Prince Tao and Prince Hai, with your cultivation bases, as long as you make the proper preparations, you should be able to use an Immortality Illumination Vine at almost any time."

"Not necessarily," said one of her companions. "The clan has Immortality Illumination Vines, but they're rare. There are only a few available in this generation. Unless you're one of the top three in the current generation, then the only way to get one is to pay a ton of merit points. It's really difficult."

"That's not the case with you, though, Jimei. With the help of Reverend Shui Yun, you have a much better chance than all of us." Sighs could be heard. It was at this exact moment that Naruto flew overhead in a beam of light. The people down below looked up, and the three youths with cultivation bases similar to false Immortals all frowned.

Even the young woman Jimei was frowning.

In the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, there were only two people who were qualified to fly. One was Menma, and the other… was none other than Naruto.

"Sir Guy, I don't like people flying over my head," said Jimei, her voice calm. In response, the old man who had been following the group looked up, and his previously calm eyes began to glow brightly. He looked up at Naruto flying through the air.

"Get down here!" he bellowed. He didn't attack, he just spoke. His words didn't echo out very far; they were directed solely at Naruto, and appeared to contained natural law that required his orders to be followed. They transformed into something like explosive, muffled thunder that only Naruto could hear.

Boom!

Naruto suddenly screeched to a halt in midair as an enormous force built up around him. It was as if the air around him had been restricted, and he was suddenly forced downward. Something like a huge hand pushed down, forcing him out of the sky.

His body trembled, and he felt incredible pressure like that of the peak of the Immortal stage, that of a stage 7 Immortal.

"Huh?" thought the old man, frowning. Seeing that he hadn't instantly suppressed Naruto, he gave a cold snort and caused his cultivation base to explode out with power. Massive pressure swelled out, and Naruto lost control of his body completely and fell out of the sky.

It wasn't until he landed on the ground that the pressure faded away. The old man's face was calm as he lowered his head, almost as if nothing had happened.

Jimei and her followers all looked over at Naruto.

Immediately, Jimei's followers spoke up.

"So, you're Naruto, the one who caused all the ruckus in the Dao of Alchemy Division?"

"Don't forget, it doesn't matter if the Grand Elder gave you the qualifications to fly in the ancestral mansion. If you don't have enough power, don't randomly fly over people's heads."

"You may go now."

These people didn't know much about Naruto. After all, the first thing he had done after returning to the clan was spend most of his time in the Dao of Alchemy Division.

All they knew was that his Bloodline Gatebeam was 30,000 meters. This made them feel a bit self-conscious. When it came to the Dao of alchemy however, they viewed it as a lesser type of Dao that wasn't worthy to share the stage with cultivation.

Having spoken their words, they resumed chatting and laughing, completely ignoring Naruto as they brushed past him.

Naruto had already been in an abominable mood. He had just been flying along, minding his own business, when suddenly he was forced down to the ground. Considering his personality, how could he possibly accept such a thing? His eyes grew cold, and a smile slowly spread out across his face.

It was a smile, but it was a very cold smile.

"So," he said indifferently, "you people see me but don't offer formal greetings! It seems you've forgotten all about the clan rules!"

The eight people frowned and stopped in place, slowly turning back to look at Naruto.

"Sir Guy," said Jimei, "get him out of here, why don't you."

Sir Guy's expression was as calm as ever as he nodded, then stepped toward Naruto. He pushed out with his right hand, causing an incredible force explode out toward Naruto. His goal was to physically push Naruto completely away.

As he advanced, the force rumbled out ahead of him. Naruto flicked his sleeve, causing a black beam of light to fly out, which transformed into the crocodile. It swished its tail, causing an incredible energy to surge out.

The old man's face flickered as the tail slammed into him, causing a huge boom to fill the air.

"You, a foreign servant, dare to raise your hand against me?!" Naruto said coolly. Then he stepped toward the group of eight.

The eight young cultivators' faces fell as they first saw the old man fighting the crocodile, and then saw Naruto walking toward them.

"And then, you people! I can't believe you see me but refuse to offer greetings!" He advanced toward them, his energy surging and a cold gleam flickering in his eyes.

The three young men with cultivation bases equivalent to false Immortals immediately stepped forward.

"Why the hell do you think we would offer greetings to you?" said one of them.

"Why the hell do I think you would offer greetings to me? Because I'm the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline! It doesn't matter which bloodline you people are from, or which branch. All members of this generation call me Cousin!" Even as Naruto's voice echoed out, he slapped out with his right hand.

The three young men snorted, and were just about to attempt to fight back, when all of a sudden, their faces fell. They were completely incapable of doing anything; Naruto's shocking wave of power completely destroyed all of their divine abilities and magical techniques.

Booms rang out as Naruto's hand slapped into all three of their faces in succession. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they were sent tumbling backward.

In that same moment, Naruto stepped forward, and his leg blurred into a whirlwind as he kicked the three young men over and over again. Booms mixed with bloodcurdling screams as they were sent hurtling backward, where they slammed into the ground.

Cracking sounds could be heard as more than half of their bones were broken.

"What do you think you're doing!?" said one of them, his face falling. "We're inside the clan, you—"

"Oh, so it turns out you do know that we're in the Namikaze Clan," said Naruto coldly. "Don't tell me you've forgotten that I'm also surnamed Namikaze!?" He stepped forward again, then waved his right hand, causing Jimei's Spirit Severing acquaintances to cough up blood as many of the bones in their bodies were crushed. Miserable shrieks rang out.

"You see me and actually don't extend greetings!? I'm the eldest grandson, so I guess all I can do is teach you a lesson about the clan rules. And then there's you…." He turned to face Jimei. As soon as he stepped forward, a voice called out from the distance.

"Stay your hand!"

Jimei's face flickered, and she quickly lifted her right hand into the air, causing a huge, illusory cauldron to appear, upon which the character 'Namikaze' could be seen. It immediately crushed down toward Naruto.

"Ten percent of the power of a true Immortal!? Puny!" Completely ignoring whoever it was behind him, Naruto smiled coldly and clenched his hand into a fist. He punched out, causing a boom to echo out as the cauldron shattered. His fist continued on toward Jimei.

Another boom could be heard. Blood sprayed from Jimei's lips as she doubled over in pain. Naruto's punch was too fierce, and her Chakra passageways were shattered as she hurtled backward. It didn't matter that she was a woman, Naruto was as cold as ever.

After punching her, he turned icily to to face the group that was speeding toward him in the distance.

"Naruto, you twerp! How dare you!" Six people were flying through the air. Three of them were white-haired old men with cultivation bases in the Immortal realm. The one in the middle was clearly more powerful than the others, and was at the peak of the Immortal Realm.

That was the one who had spoken just now.

Behind the three old men were two masked cultivators, one whose cultivation base was hidden, making it impossible to see how deep it was. However, he emanated a desolate, murderous aura that was especially strong, as if his only job in the Namikaze Clan was to kill people.

The last of the group was none other than Futsu!

He was the one who had yelled out to Naruto to stay his hand.

As for the old man who had just spoken, he appeared next to Jimei even as his words echoed out. He immediately picked her up in his arms and gave her some medicinal pills.

Jimei's face was pale, and she was quivering. Blood oozed out of her mouth, and it was with difficulty that she swallowed the medicinal pills.

"Grandpa," she said with a bitter smile, "my… my Chakra passageways…."

The old man had already noticed that Jimei's Chakra passageways had been shattered, and he responded, "Don't worry. Grandpa will fix this for you!" With that, he turned to glare at Naruto, his eyes flickering with killing intent.

"What gall you have! How dare you slaughter people within the clan! There's no need to send you to the clan dungeon, I'll execute you here and now!" With that, the other two old men who had accompanied him began to close in on Naruto.

"That crocodile too! Kill it!" The two masked cultivators immediately headed toward the crocodile. Sir Guy instantly fell back to Jimei's side, his face anxious.

A cold smile appeared on Futsu's face, and inwardly, he was going wild with joy at finally being able to catch Naruto off guard. This time, he knew that Naruto was going to be killed without a doubt.

"Sixth Grandpa, correct?" Naruto stood his ground, completely ignoring the two old men who were closing in on him. "Let me ask you, did you see me slaughter anyone?" He slapped his bag of holding to produce his identity medallion.

"I'm the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. My dad is Minato, and the Grand Elder is my Third Grandpa. If you people dare to kill me, you'll be violating clan rules. Anyone who violates clan rules will be put to death!" As his voice echoed out, the two old men who were moving toward him suddenly stopped in place, their faces flickering as they hesitated.

"I was flying happily through the air," Naruto continued calmly, "when these clan members asked this foreign servant to suppress me. And after seeing who I was, they refused to greet me respectfully. Apparently, they aren't familiar with the clan rules, so I set about to teach them a lesson. Sixth Grandpa, have you suddenly developed a vision problem?" He stood there, his expression stony.

"Kill him!" cried Jimei's grandfather a second time, with a cold snort. Hearing his words, the two old men clenched their jaws and continued on toward Naruto.

Naruto's face flickered, and he fell back. Even before the two old men could get close to him, he slapped his own chest with his palm, coughing up a huge mouthful of blood, and then letting out a miserable shriek. At the same time, he ripped open his bag of holding, causing the jade box that contained the Nirvana Fruits to fly out.

Next, he yelled out at the top of his lungs, "You want to steal my Nirvana Fruits! Grand Elder! Third Grandpa! Someone's trying to steal my Nirvana Fruits!"

Using all the power his cultivation base could muster, he sent his voice echoing out in all directions.

When the Grand Elder gave Naruto the Nirvana Fruits, he had sworn an oath that anyone in the clan who dared to steal them from Naruto would be exterminated. As Naruto's voice spread throughout the clan, many people heard it. The two old men who had been closing in on Naruto to kill him, suddenly stopped in place, and their faces fell.

Even Jimei's grandfather's face fell, and he gritted his teeth.

"I get it!" continued Naruto, backing up, and at the same time, crying out loudly. "You clan members of my generation pulled me out of the sky because you're… you're in collusion with that foreign servant to steal my Nirvana Fruits!

"You Heaven-damned clan delinquents! How could you be so ruthless! How could you try to steal my Nirvana Fruits!

"Grand Elder, save me! Third Grandpa, if you don't show up quickly, my Nirvana Fruits are going to be taken away! Third Grandpa, Grand Elder, SAVE ME!"

His bellowing caused the enraged three youths with the near-false Immortal cultivation bases to one again cough up blood.

"Stop talking nonsense!" cried Jimei, blood oozing from her mouth. She was also getting nervous. "We saw you flying toward us and just wanted you to go around us! We never brought up anything about your Nirvana Fruits!"

"You sharp-tongued troublemaker!" howled Jimei's grandfather. "You're not from the Namikaze Clan! DIE!" As he closed in on Naruto, it became apparent that the Grand Elder was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto's eyes flickered coldly, and he suddenly lifted his right hand. The Lightning Cauldron appeared. In that critical moment, he looked over at Futsu, whose face instantly fell.

Rumble!

They instantly switched places, and Naruto watched from off in the distance as the old man's palm descended onto Futsu, who let out a piercing scream.

The old man pulled his palm back at the very last moment, then turned to look at Naruto. He was just about to charge toward him once again, when suddenly, several dozen beams of light shot through the air toward them from various directions.

"6th Older Uncle, my Older Cousin entrusted Naruto to me for safekeeping. If you dare to touch him, I'll wipe out your entire bloodline. Worst case scenario, afterward I'll take my entire family to stay with my Older Cousin on Planet Lands of Ninshu!" The speaker was none other than Naruto's 19th Uncle, who came to a stop directly in front of Naruto. He looked over coldly at Jimei's grandfather.

More beams of light descended. Two were middle-aged men, who intercepted the attacks of the masked cultivators against the crocodile, saving it from certain annihilation.

In the blink of an eye, the entire situation had changed. Naruto was surrounded by more than a dozen cultivators. However, the man who 19th Uncle had called 6th Older Uncle was also joined by quite a few newcomers.

As they faced off with proverbial daggers drawn, the archaic voice of Grand Elder Kageki suddenly echoed out from deep within the ancestral mansion.

"That's enough. Jugo, Jimei Jimugo, and the rest of your companions, you disrespected the rules of seniority. You will be punished in the Fire Smelting Pit for ten days!

"Naruto, although clan members treated you disrespectfully, there was no need to attack so viciously. You will also be punished in the Fire Smelting Pit for ten days!

"The sentence will be carried out immediately!"

As soon as the Grand Elder's voice rang out, Jimei and the others' faces went pale. The Fire Smelting Pit was also called Hell, and to spend ten days there would be like being skinned alive.

The clan members in the area, both those of Naruto's bloodline and 6th Older Uncle's, didn't dare to say another word. 6th Patriarch's eyes flickered and he held his tongue.

However, Naruto opened his mouth immediately.

"Third Grandpa, Grand Elder, um… my Spirit Elixir is almost finished! I'm almost ready to absorb the Nirvana Fruits, so I really don't have time to go to the Fire Smelting Pit. Look, if you make an exception, I'll make up the punishment later. What do you think?"

Naruto's words were met with utter silence. No one would ever dare to contradict the Grand Elder's orders. Jimei and the others looked on with wide eyes. In their opinion, Naruto was really far too brazen. Even the other Elders in the area were gaping at him.

Futsu was elated, and inwardly, started laughing uproariously. In his hatred for Naruto, he rejoiced at Naruto's words to the Grand Elder, and couldn't wait for Naruto to experience even more misery.

"Be quiet!" hissed 19th Uncle. All of the other clan members surrounding Naruto also felt that his words were far too crude and rash.

"What?" said the Grand Elder. He had never imagined that Naruto would dare to speak up, and when his voice echoed out, it seemed to send a chill through the entire area. However, after the space of a few breaths went by, he spoke further, and the words he uttered caused everyone to gasp.

"Very well. Absorbing the Nirvana Fruits is a very important matter. As soon as you finish, go to the Fire Smelting Pit!"

"Many thanks, Third Grandpa," said Naruto, looking very grateful. Everyone else looked on with shock and other strange expressions. In their memory, the Grand Elder had always been unswervingly just, which was how he had earned the clan's respect over the years.

But now, he was clearly being partial toward Naruto.

"This… the Grand Elder actually just…."

"He called the Grand Elder by the address Third Grandpa…. Now that I think about it, the Grand Elder used to be part of the direct bloodline!" All of a sudden, thoughtful expressions could be seen on the onlookers' faces. The 6th Patriarch's face flickered, and he gritted his teeth. Finally, he let out a cold snort. His face extremely grim, he flicked his sleeve and carried Jimei away.

As Jimei was taken away, she looked back at Naruto, and she couldn't help but muse about how terrifying he was.

"The Grand Elder actually showed partiality toward him…."

The youths with the near-false Immortal cultivation bases were trembling as they clasped hands and bowed toward Naruto.

"Cousin…."

Naruto grunted in response, then looked over at Futsu, who was gingerly attempting to sneak away, and gave an obviously fake smile.

Futsu's scalp went numb, and the images of what had happened on Planet Lands of Ninshu flitted through his mind. Gritting his teeth, he bowed his head.

"Cousin…."

Naruto smiled, then turned to clasp hands and express his gratitude to 19th Uncle and the other members of his bloodline. All of them looked at him encouragingly as he transformed into a beam of light and shot away.

"When the Grand Elder looks at Naruto, he must be thinking of Naruto's own grandfather. The two of them were brothers, and were very close!"

"Yeah, that's right. The Grand Elder is always unswervingly just. In the past several hundred years, he's never shown partiality toward anyone. He hasn't made a single exception!"

"Naruto is really a blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan. The fact that the Grand Elder is willing to make an exception for him illustrates that point!"

Even as they discussed the matter, Naruto disappeared off into the distance.

Eventually, he reached his Immortal's cave.

As soon as he set foot inside, his eyes turned cold, and a grim expression covered his face.

"Grand Elder. Third Grandpa. Why do you want so badly for me to die…?"

Naruto took a deep breath as he sat there cross-legged in his residence. Although he was physically in the Namikaze Clan right now, he didn't have much of a sense of belonging.

"This isn't my home," he murmured softly. "My dad and mom aren't here. Since they're on Planet Lands of Ninshu, Planet Lands of Ninshu is my home."

At the moment, he was completely exhausted. After spending half a year in the Medicine Pavilion, and then experiencing the encounter moments ago, he was worn out mentally and in pain physically.

Then he thought again about all of the merit points he had basically lost while he was in the Medicine Pavilion. It was like a knife stabbing through his heart.

"Oh, the pain…." he thought, clenching his jaw. "Thankfully, I didn't go all the way through. Next time I'm definitely going to arrange things ahead of time. No merit points, no watching me!" Having made this decision, he let out a long sigh and then closed his eyes and rotated his cultivation base to begin his recuperation.

Ten days later, he opened his eyes, and they shone with an energetic gleam. He took a deep breath. During the past half year, he had expended a lot of mental energy. Now that he was fully recovered, his eyes glittered. He produced the tome that had been given to him from his bag of holding.

"So, Pill Elder gave this to me…." After a moment of thought, he began to flip through the pages. The more he saw, the more brightly his eyes glowed. This was the true Classic of Plants and Vegetation, and it was incredibly detailed. There were even medicinal plants recorded therein that he hadn't seen in the Medicine Pavilion.

As he skimmed its contents, Naruto suddenly realized that his divine sense had experienced growth after his experience in the Medicine Pavilion. He sent it out into the courtyard, where he saw Hotarubi sitting there abjectly. The parrot and meat jelly were not sitting on his shoulder as usual. They were nowhere to be seen.

Naruto gaped for a moment. He remembered seeing Hotarubi in the group of 500,000 spectators outside of the Medicine Pavilion, but he couldn't remember if the parrot and meat jelly had been there. He pushed open the door of his residence, and the sound caused Hotarubi to look up. His eyes were a bit blank, and when he saw Naruto, he sighed and rose to his feet.

Hanging his head, he bitterly said, "Coz, you need to punish me. It was all my fault. Lord Fifth and Lord Third, they… I… I…."

Apparently, he couldn't finish his thought.

"What's wrong?" asked Naruto in amazement.

"I don't know what happened with Lord Fifth. After you came out of the Medicine Pavilion, I was going to take him and Lord Third back here. However, something happened to Lord Fifth. All of a sudden… he headed toward tier 7 alchemist Kotohime, that old woman. Lord Fifth and her peacock started fighting….

"There was nothing I could do to stop it. Lord Fifth went crazy…. Lord Third couldn't say anything to stop what was happening either, so he eventually just joined Lord Fifth." Hotarubi seemed to be completely out of sorts, and wasn't even speaking coherently.

As soon as Naruto heard Hotarubi's story, he knew exactly what was going on. He remembered that peacock, and its luxuriant coat of feathers….

"Don't worry about it, the parrot was just having some fun with the peacock," Naruto said euphemistically.

"Having fun? Coz!" exclaimed Hotarubi in agitation. He seemed upset. "There was definitely nothing fun going on!

"You didn't see what happened. It… it was terrifying. The peacock's rear end virtually exploded! It was horrific!" Hotarubi shuddered. When he thought about what he had seen, he felt a sense of terror. Then he thought about how much time he'd spent with Lord Fifth, and how the parrot was constantly glancing behind him, and all the hair on his body stood on end.

"Coz, that bird… you need to find a place to set it free. It's simply appalling!" Hotarubi's breath came in ragged pants.

"You're still young so you don't understand," Naruto said, sounding very sure of himself. "As far as the birds are concerned, it was just having fun."

"Coz, there's something else I didn't mention," Hotarubi continued, unable to hold back. "Once when I went out with Lord Fifth and Lord Third, we encountered a fierce bear, and Lord Fifth… Lord Fifth had… had some fun."

Naruto patted Hotarubi on the shoulder and explained once again that it was all in good fun.

"In the end," added Hotarubi, "Lord Fifth and Lord Third were taken away by Alchemist Kotohime…."

"Don't worry," said Naruto, waving his hand nonchalantly, "That meat jelly can't be killed, and if the parrot dies, then the world will simply have one less scourge to worry about. Don't pay them any more attention." He was well aware that the two morons were incredibly tenacious, and couldn't be hurt easily. They were virtually indestructible.

"But—"

"Really, don't say anything more. Come on. Let's head over to the Dao of Alchemy Division. I wasted an entire half year in the Medicine Pavilion. It's time to go make some merit points!" Naruto shot out of the Immortal's Cave and Hotarubi reluctantly followed him. The two of them sped toward the Dao of Alchemy Division as fast as possible.

Along the way, Naruto's heart began to surge with excitement. He very much wanted to find out if his tactic of going to the Medicine Pavilion would solve his problem with the merit points.

"Hardships prompt changes, changes bring solutions, solutions resolve hardships!" Before long, the two of them reached the Dao of Alchemy Division and entered the outer mountains. Naruto was instantly recognized.

"It's Naruto! He's here!"

"Could it be that he'll go to the Medicine Pavilion again!? It's too early, isn't it? Wait, don't tell me… he's going to give a lecture on plants and alchemy!?" As soon as the nearby apprentice alchemists saw Naruto, they got very excited, and began to spread word to their friends in the clan.

By the time Naruto got to Peak #7191, he was being followed by tens of thousands of people. He stepped onto the platform, cleared his throat, and was just about to begin speaking when suddenly, numerous beams of bright light shot toward the area. In the blink of an eye, the crowd exceeded 100,000 people.

There were even alchemists who emerged from within the inner mountains to come hear Naruto lecture about plants and vegetation.

Naruto had proven to everyone how terrifyingly skilled he was with plants and vegetation. By now, most people were convinced that his skill was at least tier 8 level!

In the entire Dao of Alchemy Division, not counting Naruto, there were only nineteen people who were presently at tier 8 level when it came to skill with plants and vegetation. Those were the tier 8 alchemists, also referred to as Pavilion Elders of the Pill Pavilion.

People like that would never go out and give lectures. From this, it can be imagined how enthusiastic the audience was. Before much time passed, the audience swelled to 200,000.

Naruto didn't need to say a word about the merit points. Everybody knew the rules, and immediately paid their due.

Naruto was also excited to note that the old woman Kotohime was no longer present on the opposite mountain peak. Without any competition to worry about, he shelved his idea of increasing prices and proceeded to give his lecture.

Six hours later, having collected hundreds of thousands of merit points, Naruto gritted his teeth and decided to talk for four more hours. That pushed his profit into the 1,000,000 range, and Naruto went wild with joy.

With so many merit points, Naruto now felt much more at ease. All he had to do was give a lecture for a few hours a day, and vast amounts of merit points would come flowing in. All of a sudden, he felt a sense that the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division was showing him quite a bit of hospitality.

Naruto now lived a life of extravagance. He bought vast quantities of medicinal pills and medicinal plants. He even procured plenty of Immortal jade, which, after absorbing the spiritual energy, causing his Immortal meridian to become even more solid. On one occasion, after acquiring what was essentially the clan's entire yearly supply of Immortal jade, he was able to instantly solidify his Immortal meridian to a degree of ninety percent!

His cultivation base experienced rapid growth. He no longer had eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, but rather, ninety percent. His battle prowess even broke past that of a stage 4 Immortal. Back in his Immortal's cave, he produced the crocodile, and after a bit of sparring, determined that he was now comparable to a stage 5 Immortal!

He was also just barely able to detect the power of Tribulation forming. He knew that once he became one hundred percent true Immortal, the Door of Immortality would descend.

"I've been waiting for a long time for that day to arrive," he thought, eyes glittering with excitement. "I've prepared well, so once I step into true Immortality, I'm going to absorb huge amounts of Immortal Chakra from the Door of Immortality. I'm going to open dozens of Immortal meridians in one shot!"

This was the same reason why the Chosen of so many sects consolidated their power and waited for true Immortal destiny before making their breakthrough. They wanted to burst into true Immortality by opening multiple Immortal meridians. There were even some Chosen who opened sixty or seventy Immortal meridians in one shot.

Such opportunities were available only when the Door of Immortality appeared. At other times, it would be impossible to experience such a wild leap in one's cultivation base.

At the same time, Naruto continued to concoct Spirit Elixir with increasingly rare plants. The quality of the Spirit Elixir he was producing had reached a terrifying level.

The life force in the Nirvana Fruits was growing stronger. Of course, his spirit stones were rapidly depleted, and when he finally reached the end of his supply, he started exchanging merit points to get more spirit stones.

Unfortunately, after making a few exchanges, he was unable to acquire any more spirit stones; the number of spirit stones that could be doled out to any given person was limited.

Actually, few people were aware that such a rule existed. After all, not many people would ever spend as many merit points as Naruto had on spirit stones. Naruto was shocked by this development, and nearly went mad.

Right now, he did not lack merit points, he lacked spirit stones. He even thought about selling his merit points for spirit stones, but that was actually a violation of clan rules. Of course, violating the rules didn't bother him, since he didn't care much about the rules to begin with.

However, the Namikaze Clan was in a delicate state at the moment. Naruto knew that there were quite a few people who were secretly watching him, and even the slightest mistake could be turned into a major issue.

There were some areas of the ancestral mansion that Naruto had never visited. He had stuck to and risen to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division. Thanks to his fame and position there, the people who considered him a problem couldn't make a move against him easily.

For the most part, he wasn't very familiar with the Namikaze Clan. He wasn't well acquainted with the various relatives from other branches, and didn't even know very many people from the direct bloodline.

The people he had dealings with the most were Hotarubi and 19th Uncle. He didn't really feel like getting very close with anyone else.

He caught sight of Dei a few times, who always seemed to be trying to avoid him. Naruto knew quite well that he was a Chosen, just like Menma. However, he had been suppressed by Menma, and was looking forward to when Naruto and Menma finally squared off. Naruto understood how he felt.

As far as Fugai went, she also avoided him. On the few occasions when they ran into each other, Naruto could see the fear in her eyes.

He couldn't help but sigh at this. Was he really that scary?

Regarding the other Chosen, he didn't know them, nor did he have any desire to get to know them.

He had no plans to stay in the Namikaze Clan for a long time. After all, he had only three objectives in coming here.

The first was to get his Nirvana Fruits. The Second was to excel for his dad and mom's sake, and make all the Chosen of the Namikaze Clan look at him with respect.

The third was to reach true Immortal Ascension!

Once he achieved those objectives, Naruto would leave the Namikaze Clan. Then, he would use his Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion to join the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. There… was where he would continue practicing cultivation and truly rise to prominence.

"It's important to have someone to rely on. I learned that when I was in the Reliance Sect. Here in the Namikaze Clan of Planet East Victory, the Dao of Alchemy Division is what I have to rely on." Naruto took a deep breath, and his eyes glittered. Moments later, though, he grimaced.

"However, I'm out of spirit stones. What do I do about that…?"

"Spirit stones… spirit stones!" Naruto's face glowed and he took a deep breath.

"Ibuse told me that the Dao of Alchemy Division has three types of medicinal pills that no one has ever been able to concoct. The clan will give a huge reward to anybody who does. Since I don't have any spirit stones, I might as well go see if I can concoct one of them and get that reward!" This was the simplest method he could think of, and he was just about to go try it out when Hotarubi's excited voice could be heard outside his residence.

"Coz, are you there?!"

Before Naruto could even respond, Hotarubi pushed the front door open and rushed in, looking very excited, even entranced. As he ran over, Naruto noticed that sky outside looked somewhat different than usual.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in concentration.

It was currently midday, but the sky outside almost appeared to be aflame. The entire sky was crimson red, yet no sun was visible.

It was just barely possible to see that the natural law of a great Dao hung up in the sky.

"Coz, I just saw Goddess Fū from the Nine Seas God World!

"And Mei from the Shimura Clan! And also some new disciple from the Church of the Blood Orchid!" Hotarubi seemed very excited. When he mentioned Fū's name, his eyes seemed to gleam with adoration, and he seemed especially enthusiastic when he talked about Mei.

"Lots of Chosen have come. Bisuke, Chiriku from the Church of the Emperor Immortal, Shisui from the Uchiha Clan, and Sora from the Nadeshiko Clan. There's even a guy from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, someone named Ikanago!" As Hotarubi spoke, Naruto rose to his feet. Eyes shining, he reached out and grabbed Hotarubi's shoulders.

"Bisuke is here? And Sora? Mei? And Chiriku…?" Naruto started laughing out loud. Just when he started worrying about his lack of spirit stones, a whole throng of people showed up who all happened to owe him money.

"Over the next few days, even more Chosen are going to arrive from the various sects and clans. They're here to watch the East Ascension Sun from the East Ascension Pavilion," Hotarubi exclaimed excitedly. Although he felt that Naruto was acting a bit strange, he didn't put too much thought into it.

"East Ascension Sun?" This was the second time Naruto had heard someone mention East Ascension. The first time had been when Jimei's group had mentioned it.

"Every hundred years, the sun outside of the Nine Mountains and Seas reaches the point in its orbit in which it is closest to Planet East Victory. At that time, Planet East Victory will experience a brand new rising sun!

"Daoist magic and natural laws of Heaven and Earth will appear. Because the sun is so close, if you have the intuition and understanding, then in the moment that the East Ascension Sun rises, you can bathe in the resulting boundless sunlight. That sunlight contains a great Dao that can strengthen your fleshly body!

"Coz, you definitely have to go watch. When the East Ascension Sun appears, all of the clan members under the age of 1,000 will fly up to bathe in the sunlight. The higher you fly, and the closer you get to the sun, the more you'll benefit!

"A hundred years ago," Hotarubi continued excitedly, "Wu Daozi from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite made a breakthrough, and his fleshly body reached a height almost comparable to true Immortality!"

Naruto's eyes glittered. His fleshly body was already incredibly powerful, but now that his Immortal meridian had appeared, his fleshly body was actually a bit weaker than his cultivation base. Furthermore, he knew of no way to improve it. If he could use this chance to do so, it would be great good fortune.

"When does it start?" Naruto asked.

"In seven days," Hotarubi replied.

Naruto rubbed his bag of holding and then licked his lips. "Where are Bisuke and all the others?" he asked. "Take me to them."

"Huh?" Hotarubi hesitated for a moment. Just now, he had seen the aforementioned group at the ancestral mansion's main gate. "Oh, Menma invited them all to the East Ascension Pavilion in the East District. That… belongs to their branch of the clan. It would be appropriate to go there on the actual day of the East Ascension Sun, but right now…."

"Oh, I see…." Naruto's eyes glittered, and he smiled. "Well, never mind, then. I'll just see them in seven days. First, I need to make a trip to the Dao of Alchemy Division. Why don't you come along?"

Hotarubi shook his head.

"Dad wanted me to go find him. I only came here to tell you about the East Ascension Sun. You go ahead without me, Coz."

Naruto nodded, and he and Hotarubi walked out of the residence, after which they went their separate ways.

Naruto transformed into a beam of light that shot out of the ancestral mansion and headed toward the Dao of Alchemy Division. Before long, he arrived. Many of the apprentice alchemists were discussing the East Ascension Sun, and numerous full alchemists were making special preparations to concoct pills during that time. Condensing the power of the sun into fire-type medicinal pills would significantly increase their medicinal strength.

Furthermore, the power of the sun could be used to condense sunlight itself to concoct East Ascension Pills. Such pills could only be concocted once every hundred years, during the rising of the East Ascension Sun!

Furthermore, only tier 7 alchemists or higher could actually concoct such pills.

Naruto did not go to Peak #7191, but instead, went to find Ibuse. After he explained what he wanted to do, Ibuse stared back at him in a daze. He had never seen Naruto concoct pills. In fact, he wasn't the only one. No one in the entire Dao of Alchemy Division had ever seen Naruto concoct pills.

Because of that, many people speculated that Naruto only understood plants and vegetation, not pill concocting.

Others believed that Naruto would definitely have an understanding of the Dao of alchemy, and only wondered what realm his pill concocting was in.

When Ibuse heard that he was going to try to concoct one of the three legendary pills that nobody had ever concocted, he stared in shock. A moment later, though, he started to get excited. Nodding his head, he began to show Naruto the way.

The two of them sped through the Dao of Alchemy Division, straight into the inner mountains. Many apprentice alchemists saw them, and their eyes began to shine.

"Naruto's going into the inner mountains? Could it be that he's heading to the Medicine Pavilion again?!"

"I need to go early this time or I won't get a good seat."

"Come on, let's follow him!" Numerous apprentice alchemists hurried to follow Naruto, and soon, he had a crowd of thousands following him. Bright beams of light shot through the air into the inner mountains. Many of the alchemists there sensed what was happening, and immediately joined the crowd.

After they realized he wasn't heading to the Medicine Pavilion, many of them were disappointed. However, it was at this point that people started to realize that he was actually headed…

To the Pill Pavilion!

The Dao of Alchemy Division had a Medicine Pavilion and also a Pill Pavilion!

Enshrined within the Pill Pavilion were vast quantities of medicinal pills. Whenever alchemists concocted pills, they could actually sell them here in exchange for other items that they needed.

It was also the location where a huge reward was offered for those three sacred pills!

"He's going to the Pill Pavilion? Maybe he's going to buy some medicinal pills?"

"No, that isn't right…the Pill Pavilion doesn't sell pills, it only buys them…. Don't tell me he knows how to concoct pills?"

All of the people following Naruto were very curious. Few of them left; most continued to follow him as he neared the Pill Pavilion.

This pavilion didn't look very different from the Medicine Pavilion. There were also two old men standing guard outside, as well as a huge stone stele that was packed tight with the names of various medicinal pills.

Another difference between the two was that the Medicine Pavilion floated in the air, seemingly held in place by fetters, as if it wished to fly out of the Dao of Alchemy Division into the sky.

The Pill Pavilion did not float in the air. It was held down on the ground by an enormous stone hand, the fingers of which pierced into the pavilion itself. It, too, seemed to wish to fly away, but was forever obstructed by the gigantic hand.

"The Medicine Pavilion was obviously snatched from somewhere else and then brought to the Dao of Alchemy Division by the Namikaze Clan's first generation Patriarch," thought Naruto. "That's why it's held in place with fetters; to prevent it from returning to its original master. As for the Pill Pavilion, at a single glance you can tell that it was also snatched from somewhere else, and is being held in place to prevent it from going back to its true master." A strange expression could be seen on Naruto's face as he looked at the Pill Pavilion. From the situation of these two pavilions, it was possible to see how domineering the first generation Namikaze Patriarch had been.

In front of the Pill Pavilion were three enormous drums, each of which looked ancient, as if they had existed for countless years. On each of the drum heads could be seen ancient characters, glittering with radiant light.

Heavenly One Thought Pill!

Sea-Cleaving Heaven-Defying Pill!

Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

Three drums, three sets of ancient characters. These three medicinal pills had been the life's work of three Patriarchs of the Namikaze Clan of ages past. And yet, in all the years since, no one else from the Namikaze Clan had been able to concoct them!

It was even publicly acknowledged that not even this generation's most powerful alchemist, Isago, could concoct it. However, some people speculated that, although Pill Elder could not concoct the Heavenly One Thought Pill and the Sea Cleaving Heaven Defying Pill, he actually could concoct the easiest of the three pills, the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill.

Naruto took a deep breath and sent out his divine sense. As soon as it touched the three drums, an archaic voice echoed inside of his head.

"Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. Whoever concocts this pill will receive a reward of 100,000,000 spirit stones, 100,000 Immortal jades, 5,000,000 merit points, 10,000 medicinal plants of your choice from the Dao of Alchemy Division, three clan Daoist magics, and one Immortal treasure. Furthermore, the Dao Bell will toll nine times! Those who wish to attempt this pill, strike the drum and produce the fee of 1,000,000 merit points to acquire a set of ingredients.

"Sea-Cleaving Heaven-Defying Pill! Whoever concocts this pill will receive a reward of 1,000,000,000 spirit stones, 1,000,000 Immortal jades, 20,000,000 merit points, 100,000 medicinal plants of your choice from the Dao of Alchemy Division, six clan Daoist magics, and one Ancient treasure. The Dao Bell will toll 18 times! The ingredient fee is 10,000,000 merit points."

Naruto's eyes glittered, and he began to pant. He looked at the drums with wide eyes.

"Heavenly One Thought Pill. Whoever concocts this pill will be the Lord of the Dao of Alchemy Division! The prerequisite to attempt this pill is to concoct the previous two pills. The ingredient fee is 100,000,000 merit points."

Naruto's mind reeled. He knew that, considering the rewards that were available, and the fact that tens of thousands of years had passed without anyone concocting the pills… the Heavenly One Thought Pill was incredibly difficult to concoct.

"I don't really need to concoct the Heavenly One Thought Pill," he mused. "If I can simply concoct the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill and get that 100,000,000 spirit stone reward, that will be enough." Licking his lips, he kept the thought of the reward in his mind as if he had just imprinted it onto his soul. His eyes were completely bloodshot.

"For the spirit stones! And for that Immortal treasure!" He flew forward.

"I'm going to go all out!" Transforming into a beam of light, he shot toward the Pill Pavilion as the surrounding audience of several thousand looked on. He didn't enter the pavilion, but instead, headed toward the three drums. The eyes of the audience went wide.

In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of the drums. He then extended his right hand toward the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill drum and struck it with his palm.

DONG!

The drum reverberated with a deep thrum that echoed out through the entire Dao of Alchemy Division. Ripples spread out in all directions, and all alchemists and apprentice alchemists heard the sound.

"That's… the sound of someone striking a drum at the Pill Pavilion!"

"Someone's trying to concoct one of the three impossible medicinal pills! Even the simplest one requires a fee 1,000,000 merit points. Who could possibly be so rich? Those pills can't be concocted! It's a complete waste of 1,000,000 points!"

"That's… an entire 1,000,000 points!"

The Dao of Alchemy Division was instantly thrown into an uproar.

Many of the apprentice alchemists in the outer mountains were listening to various alchemists giving lectures about plants and vegetation. When the drum echoed out, all of the apprentice alchemists lifted their heads up in shock. When they realized that the sound of the drum came from the Pill Pavilion, their faces flickered.

"That's the sound of the drum from the Pill Pavilion! Someone's trying to concoct one of the three legendary medical pills from the Dao of Alchemy Division!"

"The simplest of them all requires a fee of 1,000,000 merit points! Unless you successfully concoct the pill, those merit points are wasted!"

"Who is it, I wonder?"

The apprentice alchemists in the outer mountains weren't the only ones to have such a reaction. The alchemists in the inner mountains also heard the sound of the drum, and their faces filled with shock. There were some who even subconsciously sneered.

"Nobody has tried to concoct one of those pills for years. I wonder which alchemist is going to try."

"1,000,000 merit points is such a waste. It's a real pity. Although, things like this only happen every so often, so I definitely need to go watch."

Many alchemists flew up from the inner mountains. There were even many alchemists who rarely made public appearances, but still flew toward the Pill Pavilion. After all… this was a spectacle that could only be had at the cost of 1,000,000 merit points.

The tier 7 alchemists in the inner mountains flew into the air with glittering eyes. Even the nineteen tier 8 alchemists heard the sound of the drum, and several of them immediately flew toward the Pill Pavilion.

In the very center of the inner mountains, Pill Elder Isago sat cross-legged on his mountain peak, looking off toward the Pill Pavilion, his eyes shining with a light of curiosity.

"So, Naruto is finally going to try his hand at pill concocting."

It took only moments for tens of thousands of people to gather around the Pill Pavilion. Beams of light shot toward it continuously as more and more people arrived. When people saw that it was Naruto standing outside the Pill Pavilion, they were shocked.

"It's Naruto!"

"Now it makes sense that someone could afford so many merit points. It turns out to be him! But… can he concoct pills? Even if he can, does he really dare to take on those legendary pills, a challenge that countless people have failed over the past tens of thousands of years?"

"He has too many merit points. You know, I think he's just flaunting the 1,000,000 merit points to attract the attention of the whole Dao of Alchemy Division, and thus, gain more fame. That's all."

Naruto ignored the crowds that were gathering. As the sound of the drum reverberated out, he held out his identity jade medallion, and 1,000,000 merit points vanished.

Simultaneously, the sound of the drum seemed to enter Naruto's body, and suddenly, a pill formula appeared in his mind. The pill formula was extremely mysterious: he could see it clearly, and yet was unable to commit it to memory.

It was also impossible to imprint it onto a jade slip. Apparently, it was protected by some unique restrictive spell. Actually, Naruto was not unfamiliar with such a situation; he had experienced similar things in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect.

"They want to protect the pill formula, in order to make sure it doesn't get leaked outside the clan." His eyes flickered as the head of the drum in front of him suddenly rippled like water, and a set of medicinal plants floated out.

In total, there were thirteen of them.

Each medicinal plant could be considered extremely precious. There were five of them that caused a shocking botanical aroma to spread out in all directions as soon as they appeared. Even Naruto's pupils went wide because of that. There were two plants in particular that he found shocking.

One was completely black, with a single delicate flower. It was beautiful, and at a single glance it was obvious that it had an aura of extreme heat circling around it.

Surprisingly, the other plant… was a Sun Blossom!

Naruto took a deep breath. He had thought Sun Blossoms to be virtually extinct in the outside world. He had never imagined that he would run into one here. Unfortunately, when compared to the Sun Blossom he had harvested in the Ruins of Immortality, this Sun Blossom was damaged and incomplete. However, it was still a Sun Blossom.

"Considering all of this, those 1,000,000 merit points were actually worth it…." he thought, taking a deep breath. However, he knew that he couldn't simply take these medicinal plants away; he had to use them here and now to concoct a medicinal pill.

Naruto sat cross-legged in front of the Pill Pavilion and closed his eyes to analyze the pill formula. Time passed. More and more people arrived, and soon, 500,000 people were crowded around.

All of them stared at Naruto. The sight of someone spending 1,000,000 merit points to concoct a pill was a sight that could only be come across serendipitously. And yet, such a scene was playing out right in front of them. Whether or not Naruto succeeded, all of the onlookers were happy to be able to watch this rare scene.

Four hours later, Naruto opened his eyes, and they shone brightly.

"This medicinal pill… will not be easy to concoct," he murmured. "I've never come across anything like it before…. It might not be as difficult as concocting something from nothing, but it's still very challenging. Most importantly, if I fail, the cost will be immense!" He frowned.

"The concocting method actually changes depending on the weather and the time of day. Furthermore, it must absorb Yang Chakra from each of the twelve two-hour periods in the day without interruption. Divine Will then comes into being, and it can become a sun spirit!

"However, that's not all. The first word in the name of the pill, Skypalace, is important. It's actually referring to that mythical celestial palace which exists beyond the clouds in the sky…."

Naruto frowned deeply. After a while, he patted his bag of holding to produce a pill furnace. It was pitch black, and a face was just barely visible on its surface, which stared fiercely at Naruto.

This was the pill furnace Naruto had acquired years ago when he became a Violet Furnace Lord in the Violet Fate Sect. 1

He tapped the pill furnace, and a clear, crisp sound echoed out. The pill furnace shuddered, and the face's vicious expression suddenly turned into one of fear and respect.

When the sound of the pill furnace spread out, the apprentice alchemists didn't think much of it. However, the expressions on the faces of the tier 5 and higher alchemists all changed. No longer did they look at Naruto with scorn, but rather, with intense concentration.

Whenever masters go to work, the evidence of their foundation can be seen.

All of the tier 5 and higher alchemists could tell that the method with which Naruto tapped the pill furnace contained the Dao of alchemy!

"All pill furnaces need to be warmed up! Even a pill furnace that has been used millions of times needs to be warmed up before its full power can be unleashed. But Naruto simply tapped the furnace… and produced the same result! Ingenious!"

"It's a different technique for warming up the furnace! How domineering! He dispersed the medicinal Chakra within the furnace, making it easier for the pill to take shape!"

"To accomplish something like that requires incredible skill in the Dao of alchemy!"

Naruto ignored all of the comments from the audience, and focused all of his attention on the medicinal pill he was going to concoct. No matter how he went about it, he had to attempt to the concoct the pill in order to solve his spirit stone quandary.

"I'm actually not sure I can do it," he thought. After reflecting for a moment, he reached out to grab one of the medicinal plants. As he held it there in his hand, it seemed to come to life. All of its impurities dissipated, and it turned transparent, like crystal. Then Naruto crushed it and placed it into the pill furnace.

This action also caused the other alchemists to be visibly moved.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked up into the sky. Then, he placed his left hand onto the pill furnace, causing it to burn, although there was no flame. The medicinal plant instantly began to melt into a liquid.

Two hours later, Naruto's eyes flickered, and he selected another medicinal plant. Soon, 24 hours had passed. Last, he put the Sun Blossom into the mix, and then, he placed both hands onto the pill furnace.

Everyone was panting as they watched. During the last day in which they had watched Naruto work, they had been able to catch glimpses of his pill concocting techniques. People began to grow more and more shocked at Naruto's proficiency in the Dao of alchemy.

"Time to look at this pill!" Naruto growled above the rumbling sound that echoed out from within the pill furnace. Suddenly, the pill furnace's lid popped off, and a medicinal pill flew out.

As soon as it appeared, it radiated incredible light for 300 meters in all directions, causing everyone's minds to reel, and a collective gasp to ring out.

"He succeeded?"

"He… actually succeeded?"

Naruto closed his eyes. Cracking sounds could suddenly be heard from the medicinal pill, and it shattered, transforming into black sediment that appeared to be somewhat toxic. The sediment slowly transformed into wisps of black smoke.

Failure.

After a moment of silence, everyone burst out into conversation. Naruto sat there with his eyes closed, thinking. In truth, he had already known that he had failed about halfway through the concocting process.

However, a failure was exactly what he needed. Based on his skill in the Dao of Alchemy, his analysis of the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill formula told him that there were thousands of different possible concoction methods. Each one seemed as if it would lead to success, and yet simultaneously seemed doomed to lead to failure.

After an hour, Naruto's eyes suddenly opened. "Based on what I learned from this failure, further analysis now reveals 791 possible concocting methods remaining."

With that, he extended his hand and struck the drum again. The sound of it echoed out, and 1,000,000 merit points vanished. Once again, thirteen medicinal plants flew out.

The audience saw Naruto making another attempt and thought he was crazy. Despite the outrageous amount of merit points he was spending, he had decided to try again.

24 hours later, the pill furnace rumbled, and another medicinal pill flew out. This time, it radiated light for 3,000 meters. The pill itself was violet-gold in color, and looked like an inimitable treasure. However, a moment later, cracking sounds could be heard, and it collapsed into wisps of black smoke.

"As expected," Naruto thought, "Based on what I learned this time, I've narrowed it down to 216 concocting methods!" Without stopping to rest, he hit the drum, paid another 1,000,000 merit points for thirteen more medicinal plants, and started a third concocting effort.

The audience gaped in shock. When they saw him squandering such a vast amount of wealth, even they felt pain in their hearts.

"Just how many merit points does he have to squander them so freely? After all these years, nobody has ever successfully concocted that medicinal pill, what makes him think he can?"

"If he thinks he has too many merit points, he should just give some of them to me…."

Another 24 hours passed, and rumbling could once again be heard. Naruto's third concoction was a failure.

However, his expression lacked the slightest bit of dejection, and in fact, his eyes were glowing.

"From this third defeat, I've now narrowed it down to 17 possible methods that could lead to success!" He struck the drum a fourth time, shocking everyone. Even the tier 6 alchemists thought he was crazy.

After another 24 hours, four straight days of concocting, he failed again.

"From this fourth failure, I have now narrowed down the total possible methods to only 3!" Taking a deep breath, eyes completely bloodshot, he struck the drum again.

The sound reverberated through the air as he began a fifth concoction.

24 hours later, a medicinal pill flew out of the furnace, shone with brilliant light, and then collapsed. Naruto suddenly shot to his feet.

"I understand now!" Eyes shining, he struck the drum a sixth time!

All of the successive failures left the onlookers astonished. However, the tier 7 alchemists were starting to catch on to what Naruto was doing.

"Every failure actually represents an exponential increase in the chances for success!"

"He… might really be able to succeed in concocting it!" The tier 7 alchemists were all panting as they exchanged shocked looks.

As for the tier 8 alchemists present, their eyes shone with curious gleams.

Naruto now only had a bit more than 1,000,000 merit points left. If he failed for a sixth time, he would be unable to continue with further attempts. He spent the merit points, and then his eyes flashed as the thirteen medicinal plants flew out.

"The first difficult aspect of concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill is that the medicinal plants must be adjusted every two hours according to the weather, time, and strength of the spiritual energy in the area!

"Success requires profound skill with plants and vegetation, as well as significant preparation in terms of grafting techniques.

"The second difficult aspect has to do with the pill itself. Although the role of the thirteen medicinal plants in the pill formula seems fixed, in actuality, there is no true set pill formula. The thirteen medicinal plants cannot be used in a fixed sequence, but rather, must be added according to the time of day in which the pill is being concocted.

"The original pill formula can definitely be used to successfully concoct a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, but only in a unique place, at a unique time, and under unique conditions of spiritual energy. Under any other circumstances, concocting the pill with the original formula would lead to failure." Naruto eyed the thirteen medicinal plants and took a deep breath.

"A third area of difficulty… is that this pill actually does not require a pill furnace. It requires twelve two-hour periods to concoct, and yet thirteen medicinal plants are provided. One of those medicinal plants… acts as the pill furnace!

"A fourth difficulty is that the concocting must be completed in exactly twelve two-hour periods. Even one breath beyond that amount of time will lead to a high chance of failure." Naruto's eyes shone with a bright light. He had concocted many pills, and had even concocted something from nothing.

His skill in the Dao of alchemy was unfathomable. And yet, this was his first time encountering a medicinal pill that had so many intrinsic internal variables. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Currently, it was midday.

He waited silently. Time passed one breath at a time. Most of the audience looked on, astonished, but the tier 8 alchemists' eyes were suddenly shining brightly.

Simultaneously, at the center of the inner mountains, Pill Elder rose to his feet and gazed at the Pill Pavilion. A glimmer of excitement could be seen deep in his eyes.

"He's onto something!" murmured Isago. "Actually, I can also concoct Skypalace Sunspirit Pills, but only on this mountain, during the middle of the centennial rising of the East Ascension Sun. That is the only day… when I can perfectly concoct it.

"On any other occasion, my success rate of concoction would be only one in ten, and the result wouldn't be of very high quality."

Back above the Pill Pavilion, the sky was now shifting into afternoon. Naruto's eyes glittered, and he quickly reached out to grab the Sun Blossom. All of its branches and leaves were stripped off in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only the flower petals themselves, which spread open into the shape of a bowl.

"Refine the Sun Blossom into a pill furnace!"

In the moment that the Sun Blossom was successfully transformed into a pill furnace, Naruto's eyes flickered with the glow of augury as he mentally analyzed all of the twelve medicinal plants. Then, he reached out to grab one of the medicinal plants, at the same time sending the power of his cultivation base out to transform the shape of the plant. Its medicinal properties were neutralized, and he began to mold it according to the current Yang Chakra and spiritual energy in the area.

A moment later, the entire medicinal plant transformed into a drop of shining, golden liquid, which he dropped into the Sun Blossom.

Beads of sweat dotted his forehead by the time he finished with that first drop. He continued to channel heat into the Sun Blossom, and also meditated to clear his mind. Soon, the second of the two-hour time periods arrived, and his eyes snapped open. He looked up at the sky, felt the sunlight and the spiritual energy, and then selected another medicinal plant. Following the same method as before, he transformed it into a liquid, which he dropped into the Sun Blossom.

The third two-hour period arrived, then the fourth, and the fifth…

Time passed. The sun set, and dusk fell. Two moons rose as Naruto refined a black flower. His expression was extremely intent, especially during the final four two-hour periods. He was clearly expending an incredible amount of mental energy, as much as he had when challenging the Medicine Pavilion.

Every two hours, he had to select the appropriate medicinal plant, and then transform it in accordance with the transformations of Heaven and Earth. This required significant consideration and judgement, and was something that even tier 8 alchemists would have difficulty with.

If it wasn't for the fact that Naruto's skill with plants and vegetation was at an incredible level, and that he also had shocking talent in the Dao of alchemy, he would never have been able to accomplish this.

The ninth two-hour period came, then the tenth and the eleventh….

Noon of the second day arrived as Naruto selected the final medicinal plant. He transformed it into a liquid, and then dropped it into the Sun Blossom pill furnace. Eyes bloodshot, face a mask of exhaustion, he extended both hands and pushed down onto the Sun Blossom.

His action caused the Sun Blossom to wrap around itself, transforming into a fist-sized flower bud that slowly floated up into the air.

As of this moment, the eyes of hundreds of thousands of panting spectators were all fixed on the flower bud.

The events of the past six days had left everyone shaken, apprentice alchemists and full alchemists alike. Naruto's pill concocting was something that exceeded the imaginations of everyone present. Despite having witnessed the matter with their own eyes, it was still something that words could not describe. They weren't even sure exactly what he was doing.

The moment had arrived which would reveal whether this concoction was a success or a failure.

Naruto looked up at the floating Sun Blossom bud.

Suddenly, beam after beam of light began to shoot out from inside. They pierced through the petals, shining out for 100,000 meters in all directions, penetrating Heaven and Earth.

More beams of light continued to shoot out, the pinnacle of resplendence. The flower bud slowly began to open, the petals spreading apart one by one to reveal a blinding light.

The light caused the sky to fade and all the land to go quiet. In the blink of an eye, all color everywhere dimmed, despite it being high noon. It was as if these flower petals… contained a sun.

That sun rose up, and just barely visible within was a figure seated cross-legged. It was almost as if this figure had been born inside the sun, and was a sun spirit!

Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

DONG…. DONG…. DONG….

The ancient Dao bell slowly appeared above the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion and began to send out its ancient toll. Nine tolls could be heard, which echoed out in all directions. At the same time, writing became visible on the surface of the bell itself.

Naruto – Skypalace Sunspirit Pill Concoction – Success!

The words, along with the sound of the bell, were transmitted into the minds of every clan member on Planet East Victory. As of that moment, everyone knew exactly what had just occurred.

The entire Dao of Alchemy Division was thrown into an uproar. Even people who had not come to watch events unfold at the Pill Pavilion could see the blinding light emanating from that very area, and their faces flickered.

Then the toll of the bell could be heard in their minds, and they flew into the air toward the Pill Pavilion.

At the same time, every Namikaze Clan member on Planet East Victory felt roaring in their minds, regardless of where they were or what they were doing at the moment.

"Naruto again! He… he actually concocted a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!"

"Nobody has been able to concoct that medicinal pill for tens of thousands of years. I can't believe he succeeded! From today on, his position within the Namikaze Clan is going to be completely different!"

All bloodlines were astonished, and countless clan members felt their minds reeling. By now, the name Naruto was committed to all of their memories. It could be said that during the past year, Naruto… had repeatedly astonished the Namikaze Clan.

In all of the Namikaze Clan, he was the one who had caused the Dao Bell to ring the most. Not even Menma could do something like that. Even more important… he caused his name to appear on the Dao Bell itself. To the Namikaze Clan, that was an inestimable honor!

His name, and the words next to it on the Dao Bell, would last for an eternity. As long as the Namikaze Clan existed, along with its Dao Bell, those words would remain!

The direct bloodline was thrown into a state of complete excitement. The more Naruto rose to prominence, the greater their hope in the revival of the direct bloodline.

"Cousin, it's clear that Naruto is a true Chosen of the Namikaze Clan!" thought 19th Uncle, laughing loudly as he looked in the direction of Planet Lands of Ninshu.

Meanwhile, Menma's father and grandfather sat gloomily in the ancestral mansion. Menma's father, Kajura, grabbed a magical jade bottle that rested next to him, and crushed it.

"That damned son of a bitch! I can't believe his Dao of alchemy is at such a high level!

"He concocted a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. By rising to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division, he has risen to prominence in the clan in general. Nobody will dare to make a move against him now!" Kajura gritted his teeth, and a vicious expression could be seen on his face.

"Dad, that son of a bitch MUST die, for Menma's sake! We need to open the Namikaze Clan Immortal World!"

His father took a long, deep breath, and his eyes flickered with killing intent.

"That's not something I can do on my own," he said. After a moment of thought, even stronger killing intent flickered in his eyes.

In the main temple of the ancestral mansion, Grand Elder Kageki stood at the door, gazing off toward the Dao of Alchemy Division. On his face could be seen rare look of surprise.

"Did I… do the wrong thing?" The Grand Elder suddenly seemed to grow a bit older. "No, I didn't. It's all for the clan!"

In another location within the East District of the ancestral mansion was a lake known as Brightmoon Lake. Long ago, an ancient Heavenly Dragon passed away in this location, making the Immortal Chakra abundant there. In fact, the location was essentially a one-of-a-kind Blessed Land on Planet East Victory.

In the middle of the lake was a beautifully ornamented building. It was very large, and was currently occupied by a few dozen people who were talking and laughing. In the middle of them all was Menma, next to whom as Futsu and other Namikaze Clan Chosen such as Jimei.

Dei and Fugai were there, as well as Bisuke, Chiriku, Sora, Shisui and Mei, and Chosen from other clans.

Fū was also in the group, with the female corpse floating there behind her. Her expression was calm, and she did not seem out of sorts like she had back in the Ruins of Immortality. Quite the opposite; she now wore a sweet, beautiful smile.

Menma was also smiling softly. He was versed in the ways of etiquette, and was very cultured and refined, causing quite a few of the female cultivators to be in very high spirits.

Currently, the group was discussing the Three Great Daoist Societies' recent trial by fire. Of course, the name Kazama came up; many people believed that Kazama… was either not a member of the Namikaze Clan, or was actually Menma himself.

Menma did nothing to refute the idea that he was Kazama; all he did was shake his head and change the topic. Of course, that only confirmed the suspicions of many.

"I've heard that the Namikaze Clan has an Astral Projection magic," said Bisuke, his eyes glittering. "So in the end, is Kazama… really you, Elder Brother Namikaze?"

Menma smiled, and was about to say something in response when his face suddenly flickered. It wasn't just him; the faces of all the members of the Namikaze Clan flickered, and they subconsciously turned to look toward the Dao of Alchemy Division.

Futsu's face suddenly looked extremely unsightly. The faces of the other Chosen who surrounded Menma also darkened, as did the faces of all the other Namikaze Clan members who were there to accompany Menma.

In their opinion, even though Naruto was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline, in the Namikaze Clan, it was Menma who had been declared Dao Child by the Patriarch. Menma was sure to reach the Ancient Realm within a thousand years, and therefore, he was someone that no one could afford to depose or offend.

In addition to that, there were Futsu's provocations; he constantly told everyone about how vicious Naruto was. In the end, many of the Chosen of the clan were already fed up with Naruto.

Deep within Dei's eyes was a virtually imperceptible flicker. Everything that was happening was exactly what he wanted to see. The more Naruto rose to prominence, the more at odds he would be with Menma, and the two would surely become irreconcilable adversaries.

"The two of them are going to fight each other sooner or later," he thought. "And my own opportunity to rise up will come… when that battle ends!" He lowered his head so that others would not be able to see the wild ambition in his eyes.

Fugai stood off to the side, panting, her eyes wide. She had seen Naruto a few times within the clan, and had always scurried away at the sight of him. Now the sound of the bell echoed in her mind. How could she ever have imagined that Naruto… would actually concoct a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill?

The entire Namikaze Clan was shaken!

"What happened?" asked Sora with a smile, his eyes flickering. The Chosen of the other clans all looked curiously at Menma, even Mei and Fū.

A touch of scorn could be seen within Mei's expression. When the subject of Kazama came up earlier, she could only laugh grimly at how Menma had acted. She well knew that Kazama was not Menma, but rather, the detestable Naruto.

Menma's expression returned to normal, and he smiled slightly as he turned back to the other Chosen.

"Oh, nothing really," he said. "Just a clan member concocting a pill, which caused the Dao Bell to toll, that's all. Fellow Daoists, once this day passes, the day of the East Ascension Sun will be upon us.

"I, Menma, would like to congratulate all of you ahead of time on what you will gain. This is a day of jubilee for the Namikaze Clan that happens once every hundred years, and as one of the Four Great Clans of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, it is always our pleasure to invite disciples from all the various sects and clans. Let us once again enjoy this East Ascension Sun together!"

Menma's words made it difficult for anyone to ask further questions. They resumed chatting and laughing, although nobody forgot about what had just happened.

Chiriku's expression was that of extreme haughtiness as he chatted politely with the Namikaze Clan cultivator next to him. The Namikaze Clan members didn't show the slightest bit of disrespect. After all, they had recently heard that Chiriku had clinched the nomination to become the Imperial Child of the Church of the Emperor Immortal.

"Now that you mention it," said Chiriku, laughing heartily and rubbing his bald head, "I actually have a deep connection with the Namikaze Clan.

"I have a Junior Sister in the Church of the Emperor Immortal who happens to be a member of the Namikaze Clan." When Chiriku mentioned this Junior Sister, his eyes glowed with adoration. He still remembered the first time he had seen the young woman, how he had stared blankly, and how it felt as if his mind were being struck relentlessly by lightning. In that moment, it had seemed as if that young woman from the Namikaze Clan was the only thing that existed in the whole universe.

Although her true identity was kept a secret in the Church of the Emperor Immortal, Chiriku knew that she was a member of the Namikaze Clan.

He had sworn an oath that, one day, the two of them would be united as beloved. In the course of pursuing that dream, he had already been violently beaten up on several occasions, all just to be near her….

Each time he was beaten up, he got extremely excited, as he took it as an expression of her desire to be on intimate terms with him.

Within the East Ascension Pavilion, everyone was talking about the imminent sunset, and then the following rise of the East Ascension Sun. Outside of the pavilion, the shores of Brightmoon Lake were encircled by more than a hundred thousand people. Most of them were Namikaze Clan members younger than 1000 years of age, and although they were all extremely excited in their anticipation of the following day's sunrise, they were now all shaken inwardly by the tolling of the Dao Bell.

Hotarubi was in the crowd, a bit closer to the lakeshore than most of the others. Currently, he was clenching his fists in excitement, but also feeling a bit disappointed that he hadn't gone to watch Naruto's performance earlier.

In his excitement, he didn't notice that within the East Ascension Pavilion, Futsu's grim gaze had come to rest on him.

"I don't dare to provoke Naruto again," Futsu thought, "but Hotarubi… is always following him around! He's just looking for trouble!" With a cold snort, he turned his head to a nearby clan member and whispered a few sentences. The young man hesitated in response, after which Futsu spoke a few more words. The young man immediately left the pavilion to go make the appropriate arrangements.

Meanwhile, back in the Dao of Alchemy Division, Naruto was looking at the medicinal pill floating in midair. He exhaled deeply as the blinding but gentle light surged out from the medicinal pill. Finally, he made a grasping motion, causing the pill to fly down into his palm, whereupon he examined it closely.

The minds of the surrounding cultivators trembled as they stared blankly at Naruto and the medicinal pill in his hand. Gasps filled the air.

It was clearly… a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

The medicinal pill contained unsurpassable Yang characteristics, as well as a divine air. To cultivators who cultivated fire magic, it was like a Heavenly material or Earthly treasure. In fact, it was a medicinal pill that Spirit Realm cultivators couldn't consume, and even Immortal Realm cultivators who used it would do so with extreme caution.

After absorbing it successfully, one's fire magic would without doubt achieve an incredible breakthrough, as would one's cultivation base. Any fire poisoning that resulted would actually be an incredible divine ability to any cultivator who practiced fire magic.

Furthermore, because of the East Ascension Sun on the following day, if this pill was consumed at that time, the internal fire and the external fire would combine, catalyzing the pill's medicinal properties and making it endlessly powerful in terms of body refinement!

To any alchemist, this pill… was even more precious. By studying it, one could potentially refine and improve one's Dao of alchemy. When it came to the other two rare medicinal pills of the Namikaze Clan, there were none left in the Pill Pavilion. There were still some Skypalace Sunspirit Pills remaining though, less than ten.

Rumor had it that those pills had been there for a long time, and could only be acquired by exchanging a significant amount of merit points.

Of course, the Medicine Immortal Sect could concoct the pill, but to purchase it there required a vast and dreadful expenditure of spirit stones. Even tier 7 alchemists wouldn't necessarily be able to buy one.

Immediately, the surrounding alchemists began calling out, desirous of purchasing the pill.

"Alchemist Namikaze, are you going to sell that pill?"

"How many spirit stones are you selling it for?! I want to buy it!"

As soon as Naruto heard spirit stones mentioned, his eyes began to glow. As he hesitated, the previously invisible tier 8 alchemists in the area suddenly materialized.

Immediately, the faces of the full alchemists in the crowd flickered, and they simultaneously clasped hands and bowed.

"Greetings, Pavilion Elders!"

Their reaction caused the other members of the audience to gasp and look at the unprepossessing old men who had just appeared. Their minds spun as they realized that, other than Pill Elder, these were the most supreme figures in the Dao of Alchemy Division, the Pavilion Elders!

"Greetings, Pavilion Elders!"

"Greetings, Pavilion Elders!"

All of the surrounding hundreds of thousands of cultivators clasped hands and bowed. The rumbling sounds of their voices echoed out like thunder. In response, the five Pavilion Elders' faces remained expressionless. One of them, a rather short, hunchbacked old man, smiled and waved his hand, causing him to flicker and then appear in front of Naruto.

"Naruto offers greetings, Pavilion Elder!" said Naruto, clasped hands and bowing.

"Naruto, there's no need to act like this. The Dao of Alchemy Division has a rule that any person who concocts one of the three sacred pills will be granted the status of Pavilion Elder. Come. I shall take you to pay a visit to Pill Elder." The old man's face glowed with admiration and approval. The other four elders around them, despite their expressionless faces, emanated similar feelings.

Naruto took a deep breath as he obediently followed them. The entire group transformed into beams of prismatic light that shot further into the inner mountains.

They left behind hundreds of thousands of cultivators, all of whose faces shone with envy. As for all of the apprentice alchemists who had listened to Naruto's lectures, they looked extremely excited. Since they considered themselves to be followers of Naruto, that meant… they were the followers of a Pavilion Elder!

Off in the distance in midair, the Pavilion Elders looked at Naruto's obedient and charming demeanor, and their approval of him deepened.

"Neither arrogant nor rash," said one of the elders, smiling. "Furthermore, you have no flaws of character, and also understand etiquette. You might be a bit greedy, but there's no harm in that. Naruto, you're really remarkable! Far more exceptional than your father."

"My dad?" Naruto gaped.

"Back before your father met your mother, he came to me to concoct some pills. He was extremely arrogant and domineering, and even threatened me! He said that if I didn't concoct the pills for him, he would set up my granddaughter with some Junior Brother of his." The old man suddenly looked a bit irritated, and he harrumphed.

"Really?" exclaimed Naruto, staring with wide eyes. He could hardly believe that his father, who seemed so mighty and solemn, eternally strict, would act like the person this Pavilion Elder had just described.

"It's absolutely true in every way!" said another of the Pavilion Elders, nodding earnestly. "After he met your mother, your father became much more restrained. To think that, back in the day, he was the number one bully on East Victory. He oppressed all the men and subjugated all the women!" The old man sighed.

Naruto cleared his throat and shook his head, unsure of what to say, and still not quite able to believe what he was hearing.

"That's why I say that you're remarkable, Naruto," said the hunch-backed old man. "Wonderful and with boundless prospects." He laughed heartily and looked at Naruto with an expression of praise.

"Pavilion Elder," Naruto asked, "in the end… did you refine the pills for him?"

"Hmph! I am upright and proud," the old man said haughtily. "I won't bow my head to anyone! I have my principles, and because of that, if I don't feel like concocting pills, it doesn't matter who comes to me, even your father, do you think I would make an exception? Therefore, I only concocted five hundred batches of medicinal pills for him. Not one more!"

Off to the side, another old man who hadn't spoken so far looked at Naruto and winked.

Naruto blinked, cleared his throat, and didn't dare to ask another question.

Before long, the Pavilion Elders had led Naruto to the very center of the inner mountains. Off in the distance was a peak that towered up into the swirling clouds. Upon close inspection, it was possible to see countless caves riddling the heights of the peak.

Gradually, a droning sound became audible from within the caves, a sound that caused Naruto's scalp to go numb.

Before they could get very close, countless black beams shot out from the caves. In the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with millions of black beetles, which were usually known as Split-horned Scarab Beetles! 1

Buzzing sounds filled the air as millions of them swarmed around Naruto's group, emanating astonishing energy.

"Fear not," said the hunchbacked Pavilion Elder, smiling. "We call these bugs Unicorn Immortals, and they are personally raised by Pill Elder himself. Actually, there's something about him you probably don't know. Pill Elder… excels, not in the Dao of alchemy, but in the Dao of insects!"

Naruto was shaken. Pill Elder didn't excel in the Dao of alchemy, and yet was a tier 9 alchemist. One could only imagine how terrifying he would be if he did excel in it. Seeing these Unicorn Immortals, caused him to recall the countless black beetles he had seen in the medicinal plant garden in the Ruins of Immortality.

It was at this point that an archaic voice suddenly echoed.

"Naruto, come…."

The Unicorn Immortals circled around the mountain peak and then shot back into one of the caves.

Naruto took a deep breath and headed toward the mountain peak. When he arrived, he saw an old man in white robes, surrounding by swirling mists. He stood on top of the mountain, his back to Naruto. As Naruto approached, the man turned to face him, and smiled.

Naruto's eyes widened as soon as he caught sight of him.

The feeling he got when he looked at this old man was very similar to the feeling he got from Pill Demon!

It was actually extremely similar. In fact, although their physical appearance was different, in terms of the energy within him, it seemed almost exactly the same.

As he stood there with the mists swirling around him, Naruto almost thought he was looking at his master.

Both wore white robes, and both had long white hair. Both were aged, and both were surrounded by a swirling medicinal aroma. They seemed equally kind, and seemed to both be filled with the same feeling of anticipation.

The old man looked over at Naruto and said, "Naruto, to be able to concoct a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, especially considering that it was done at a time of year and time of day not specific to the pill formula, means that your Dao of alchemy has already reached the pinnacle."

From the man's words, Naruto was already able to tell that the rumor about Pill Elder being incapable of concocting the three sacred medicinal pills was likely not true.

The key to understanding the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill was understanding that there was 'no specific' time or hour. For Pill Elder to say this indicated that he already had a deep understanding of the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill.

Naruto thought for a moment. As he looked at Pill Elder, the drone of the Unicorn Immortals filled his ears. Sometimes, all of them would make noise at the same time, giving rise to an incredibly intense sound. Other times, only a few would make noise. Either way, the sound was continuous.

"Naruto, look over there, and tell me what you see." Pill Elder glanced off into the distance, toward the numerous cloud-wreathed mountain peaks.

Naruto suddenly realized that his heart had become very calm after laying eyes on Pill Elder. He felt free and at ease, as if listening to the old man speak had caused him to enter some strange state.

Although he couldn't explain it clearly, for some reason his heart felt more and more calm as he looked off into the distance at the mountains and clouds.

Instead of answering the question, he asked one of his own. "Senior Pill Elder, may I ask, what do you see, sir? Or perhaps you can tell me what it is you wish me to see?"

Pill Elder laughed at Naruto's slippery words. He didn't seem to mind, and in fact, seemed to approve. Apparently he hadn't been looking for an answer to begin with.

"I see mountains, and I see clouds," said Pill Elder. "I see the cultivators of the Dao of Alchemy Division, and I see the world that belongs to our Dao of Alchemy Division." He sighed.

Naruto remained silent, unsure of what hidden meanings might be contained within Pill Elder's words.

"These things are tools. They are both tangible and intangible, visible and invisible. They are tools of the Dao of Alchemy Division, or perhaps you could even say, its physical form.

"30,000 years ago was the golden age of the Dao of Alchemy Division. Our Dao and our tools were united, and seemed as if they would exist for all eternity…. However, many of the Patriarchs of the Dao of Alchemy Division passed away into meditation. Then, the last of the Patriarchs from that age turned against our Dao of alchemy, and founded the Medicine Immortal Sect.

"At that time, we were battered by theories from other Daos of alchemy from the outside world. From that time on, the tools of the Dao of Alchemy Division… were shattered.

"For tens of thousand of years after that, one generation of alchemists after another has contemplated alchemy, and attempted to restore us to our previous pinnacle. However… their Dao of alchemy had long since forgotten the existence of our own tools, and was influenced by the Daos of alchemy from the outside world.

"It was as if their Dao of alchemy was soulless.

"As if their souls had fled, leaving behind an empty husk.

"It was as if the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy had been walking in a dream. Its soul had been struck too viciously by the outside world, and had been influenced by too many random alchemical philosophies. The body of the Namikaze Clan had no soul, and therefore rested all its hope in aimless searching… among the philosophies of the outside world.

"If things continue in this fashion, then the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy will gradually become a lost part of history, and will fade into nothing.

"Daos and tools must be combined. Pick up the Namikaze Clan's Dao of alchemy, and restore it to its pinnacle. That is the true way to cause the Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division to rise to prominence once again.

"And thus, the three sacred medicinal pills!

"Do you understand?" His gaze returned from the distance to settle on Naruto. His eyes seemed to be piercing deep into Naruto, to be viewing his very soul.

Naruto was silent for a long moment and then nodded at Pill Elder.

"I think I understand some of what you mean, Senior," he said. "Tools can be tangible or intangible. The Namikaze Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division used them for many years, after which they formed a soul. That soul must return to the body, lest the Dao of Alchemy Division be submerged in ignorance."

Pill Elder stood there quietly, unspeaking.

"However, there is one thing I don't understand, Senior," Naruto continued calmly. "People who comprehend the Dao, and who also absorb various schools of thought, will eventually form their own Dao. Isn't such a thing unavoidable when coming to comprehending the Dao?"

"Absorbing various schools of thinking regarding the Dao of alchemy in order to achieve your own Dao, is absolutely a path to comprehending the Dao. However… the premise is that you possess your own Dao to begin with. If you do, then of course you can absorb the ideas of others. However, if you don't, and simply attempt to tangle with the tools of the other schools of thought, then you won't be absorbing them, you will be assimilated by them.

"Tools are like a home. The Dao is the heart. When you merge tools with the Dao, then your heart is home! Naruto… do you really understand?" He once again looked deeply at Naruto.

After a moment, he casually continued, "I heard that the Grand Elder gave you two Nirvana Fruits."

It was hard to say whether or not it was a coincidence, but as soon as he began to speak those final words, the Unicorn Immortals on the mountain suddenly began to buzz loudly. If Naruto hadn't been standing very close to Pill Elder, he wouldn't have been able to hear clearly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Pill Elder waved his hand, causing a bag of holding to fly over and hover in front of Naruto.

"In there are the rewards for concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, with the exception of the Immortal treasure. Think about your exact requirements for the treasure, and tell me later. I'll make the arrangements to have it forged for you."

Naruto trembled. As he thought about the two exhortations just given to him by Pill Elder, he had to ask himself if he truly understand what it all meant….

"Perhaps the deeper meaning in his questions about the Dao of alchemy are a reminder that the Nirvana Fruits are not mine," he thought. "Or could it be that he's indicating that there are still secrets I don't understand about the Nirvana Fruits?" Naruto didn't pursue the conversation topic. Instead, after hearing about the Immortal treasure, his eyes flickered.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Senior Pill Elder, um… I really don't need any Immortal treasures. Can I exchange that reward for something else?"

Pill Elder looked at Naruto for a moment, and then began to chuckle. This was the first time he had actually smiled. "What exact reward would you like to exchange it for?"

"Um…." Naruto cleared his throat and decided that he might as well give his idea a shot. "Senior Pill Elder, I think those Unicorn Immortals are pretty incredible. Would you mind teaching me a bit about the Dao of insects, sir?"

"Oh?" Pill Elder replied with a smile. "Well, these Unicorn Immortals have the power of Ancestral Awakening in their bloodline. I raised them for years before they reached the point where they could be trained. The Dao of insects is a top-secret magic. Even though you're a clan member, you would still need to undergo an assessment before you could start to work with it."

Naruto's eyes glittered. Considering that Pill Elder hadn't refused him outright, that meant that there was a bit of hope. As soon as he had neared this mountain, those Unicorn Immortals had drawn his attention. Ever since he'd returned from the Ruins of Immortality, there had been an idea percolating deep within him.

He had long since become quite envious of that cloud of beetles he had seen in the Ruins of Immortality. Ever since, he had thought that if he could wave his hand and cause tens of millions of black beetles to fill the sky, then any opponent he faced would instantly become as petrified as he had been that year. With a mere thought, he could instantly turn his enemies into nothing but ash.

The mere thought of being able to do something like that one day, left Naruto very excited.

This was especially true considering that there were several black beetles currently inside his bag of holding. Their life force was incredibly powerful, and they had not died, but rather remained dormant inside his bag of holding after being sealed.

"Senior, look, you know… I'm the kind of old-fashioned cultivator who doesn't like to rely on external weapons." As he spoke, his tone continued to grow more somber. "If you start using magical items, then eventually you'll start to rely on them. The Dao of insects is different! It's like a divine ability, an academic art, even more so, a Dao!

"Senior, I don't want any magical weapons. I just seek the Dao." As he spoke his final sentence, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

In his mind, he felt quite satisfied with his eloquence, especially in the delivery of that last line.

Pill Elder looked at Naruto for a long moment, then waved his right hand. A jade slip flew out to hover in front of Naruto. It was emerald green, and one side was carved with the image of a Unicorn Immortal. The creature seemed matchlessly vicious, with a monstrous killing aura.

The other side was carved with another Unicorn Immortal. However, this one was extremely placid, and looked like it wouldn't even hurt a fly.

"Take a look at the first of the three volumes on the Dao of insects. If you have the talent, I'll teach you.

"You'll also find a command medallion in that bag of holding. According to the rules of the Dao of Alchemy Division, anyone who concocts the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill will automatically become a tier 8 alchemist. Your status in the clan is now equal to a Clan Elder. You may also select any mountain in the Inner Mountains to serve as your Immortal's cave."

With that, he waved his sleeve, causing a gentle wind to materialize. It swirled around Naruto, causing his vision to swim. When it became clear again, he was far away from the mountain.

He looked back toward the mountain peak in the center of all the other mountains. For just a moment, he could make out all of the caves on the peak. Eyes glittering, he took a deep breath, clasped hands and bowed.

Then, he left.

He flew out of the inner mountains, during which time he encountered several alchemists. As soon as they saw Naruto, their expressions filled with awe, and they immediately clasped hands in greeting. The story of Naruto concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill had already spread throughout the Namikaze Clan, and everyone knew about it.

There were some people who hadn't been convinced by Naruto charging all the way to the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion. Now, though… Naruto had concocted a legendary medicinal pill. In Dao of Alchemy Division, he was as stable as Mount Tai, and not a single voice of doubt could be heard regarding him.

In the world of cultivation, respect is given to the powerful. It was no different in the Dao of Alchemy Division!

Just as Naruto was about to leave the inner mountains, he suddenly stopped in place and turned his head to look at one particularly beautiful mountain peak. The entire mountain was jade green, and its snow-capped peak was surrounded by swirling clouds.

Almost in the exact moment that he turned to look at the mountain, he heard a miserable, bloodcurdling shriek echo out from within the misty mountain.

That scream was not the scream of a cultivator, but rather… it came from the beak of a beautiful peacock.

At the same time, a bellow of rage could be heard that obviously came from the mouth of an old woman.

"You damned mutt of a bird! It's time we fight! I'm going to refine you into a pill!"

Next, the arrogant and despotic voice of a parrot could be heard squawking out. "Do you know how many years Lord Fifth has swept across Jianghu? Huh? Look, you old crone, Lord Fifth screwed a hole through the Heavens before you were even born!

"Do you know who Lord Fifth's master is? Well I'll tell you, and you're gonna be scared to death! Lord Fifth's master is Naruto!"

Naruto's face was unsightly. Feeling somewhat helpless, he watched a multicolored parrot flapping its wings as it flew through the air. A small bell could be seen attached to its claw, and the parrot looked very pleased with itself. It somehow seemed licentious, and even had a black strip of cloth wrapped around its head, covering one of its eyes. The remaining visible eye gleamed brightly as it flew out from the mountain peak.

"You just wait for Lord Fifth, you old hag. And as for you, my beloved concubine, don't worry, Lord Fifth will be coming back for you. I'll risk everything to rescue you from this place!"

Behind the parrot was the tier 7 alchemist, the old woman. Her face was a mass of fury as she shot after the parrot at top speed. Behind her was a beautiful young woman, clad in a white robe, the picture of purity and innocence. This was the same young woman who Naruto had encountered after challenging the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion, the clan Junior Sister named Shizune.

Miserable shrieking could be heard in the distance, and Naruto could just barely make out a beautiful peacock, gasping and struggling in vain to rise to its feet. From the look of the situation, it had just experienced some unimaginable catastrophe.

Naruto sighed, feeling quite sorry for the peacock. Anything with feathers that showed up in front of the parrot would find it difficult to escape the bird and its fiendish hobbies.

As soon as the parrot flew out, it caught sight of Naruto, and its uncovered eye lit up. It hurried over and began to cry out plaintively.

"Master, save me! Master, this old hag is out of control! She's trying to kill me! Save me, master!" As the parrot cried out, the bell attached to its claw suddenly made a popping sound and transformed into the meat jelly, which also began to cry out to Naruto.

"Master, here you are, finally! There's a bully following us! Master, she's a real bully!"

Not too far behind, the furious old woman caught sight of Naruto, as did the young woman in the white robe. The young woman's jaw dropped in surprise, as if the Naruto in her mind couldn't possibly have anything to do with this shameless parrot.

Clearing his throat, Naruto hurriedly backed away, and then made to continue on his way as if he hadn't seen anything that was happening.

"Master, save me…." the parrot screeched immediately, flying toward Naruto at top speed.

Naruto waved his hand, and his body disappeared in a minor teleportation. When he reappeared off in the distance, the parrot immediately changed directions and continued to speed toward him. As for Naruto, he suddenly seemed to radiate an air of righteousness. Expression solemn, he began to speak.

"I do not know you, evildoer! Exactly who the hell are you?" he said. Then a slightly confused expression appeared on his face as he looked at the pursuing old woman.

"Naruto!" squawked the parrot, glancing back the old woman, who was about to catch up. "I have spirit stones!"

"Hold your tongue, evildoer!" said Naruto, stopping in place. His face was somber, as if he was the sole representative of justice. "There is no enmity between us, and yet you try to frame me? Well, never mind. I might as well just put you in your place right now!" With that, he waved his right hand.

Naruto didn't even have a chance to unleash a divine ability. Before anything could actually happen, the parrot let out a miserable shriek, and then its body went stiff, as if it had just been seriously injured. Then, it shot directly into Naruto's sleeve.

Naruto cleared his throat and inwardly cursed the parrot's unconvincing performance.

"Senior," he said to the old woman, cautiously backing up. "This bird is vile and detestable. I'm just on my way back from visiting Pill Elder, after having been fortunate enough to become a tier 8 alchemist. Junior will help you take care of this bird, don't worry."

The old woman's cultivation base was so profound that Naruto couldn't assess it. In the Dao of Alchemy Division, alchemy was the true Dao, and one's cultivation base played a mere supporting role. However, because of all the life-or-death scenarios that Naruto had faced, he still edged backward carefully as if guarding against any contingencies, simultaneously flashing his tier 8 alchemist's command medallion.

The old woman looked at Naruto backing away, and said nothing. Eventually, he transformed into a beam of light that fled into the distance. At that point, the old woman's eyes flashed.

The young woman hesitated for a moment, then quietly said, "Grand-aunt, that bird…."

"Just forget about it," said the old woman, turning to head back toward the mountain. The young woman followed.

Along the way, the young woman couldn't refrain from asking, "Grand-aunt, Naruto…?"

The old woman did nothing other than shake her head. A flash of insight could be seen deep within her eyes. From the moment Naruto had challenged the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion, she knew that he would be a new force coming to the fore of the Dao of Alchemy Division. Then he concocted the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, which left her shaken inwardly, and also thoroughly convinced that Naruto would be a blazing sun of the Dao of Alchemy Division!

She wasn't sure if he was the type of person to nurse grudges. Because of the level of her cultivation base, she had been aware all along that the parrot and the meat jelly belonged to him. Furthermore, she had intentionally driven them out at the exact moment in which Naruto had been passing by.

Her entire goal had been to resolve any feelings of resentment Naruto might have toward her.

She was much higher than him in terms of clan seniority, had a profound cultivation base, and had been famous for many years. Therefore, she was well versed in finding clever ways to resolve problems, and the scene that had played out just now was just the method she had come up with to resolve her issues with Naruto.

Naruto continued flying through the Dao of Alchemy Division. When he realized that the old woman wasn't pursuing him, his eyes flickered. He, of course, understood her intention.

As they emerged from the Dao of Alchemy Division, the parrot's spirits seemed to lift. It flew out of his sleeve and arrogantly cried, "You just wait for Lord Fifth, you old hag! Lord Fifth will be back!"

Off to the side, the meat jelly nodded its head vigorously. For the meat jelly to act in such a way was clear evidence of the sufferings these two dunces had endured in recent days.

However, as soon as the parrot finished speaking, Naruto's right hand shot out, grabbed the parrot, and dragged it in front of him. The parrot's eyes bulged.

"What are you doing!? What are you grabbing your Lord Fifth for!?"

"What did you say just now about spirit stones?" Naruto asked coldly. Whenever he and the parrot interacted, it was never with courtesy.

"Spirit stones?" the parrot pretended to be confused. "What spirit stones?"

Naruto glared at the parrot, and then suddenly, a bashful expression appeared on his face. The parrot's eyes immediately went wide, and it began to shiver.

The meat jelly gasped and let out a muffled shriek.

"It's that expression again! Finished! We're finished! Whenever that expression appears, it means the end is near! The bird is really done for this time…."

The parrot's eyes filled with fear, and before Naruto could even say anything, it fawningly said, "Hahaha! I'm just playing around with you! Spirit stones… ah, spirit stones. That old hag has a whole vein of spirit stones underneath that mountain of hers. Whenever you feel like going to steal them, Naruto, I'll help you dig them up.

When Naruto heard the words 'vein of spirit stones,' his eyes began to shine. He then began to ask about the specifics.

One man, one bird, and one meat jelly flew back toward the ancestral mansion, conversing with each other in hushed tones.

By now, evening was falling. Off in the distance, the setting sun filled the sky with golden light. When Naruto got back to the ancestral mansion, he saw numerous clan members heading toward the East District. Naruto looked in that direction and suddenly remembered what was going to be happening in the morning.

"East Ascension Sun!" Muttering to himself, he changed directions and flew toward the East District. The parrot perched on his shoulder, and the meat jelly transformed into a bell and attached itself to the parrot's claw.

Meanwhile, in the East District's East Ascension Pagoda, Menma smiled as he chatted with the various Chosen. Not once did he mentioned the event which had just sent the entire Namikaze Clan astir.

Although nothing seemed unusual about the way the other Chosen were carrying themselves, all of them had long since caught on to the fact that something unusual had happened. The mere fact that Menma had brushed the matter aside was what had led them to this conclusion in the first place.

At one point, somebody brought up Kazama again. Just like before, Menma didn't openly admit that he was Kazama, and yet, he looked over and gave Mei an apologetic smile. Quite a few Chosen noticed this, and began to consider what it meant.

Mei snorted coldly, and even more derision could be seen in her expression. She was even more convinced than Chiriku that Naruto was Kazama. She hated Kazama deeply, but when she looked at Menma, her expression was one of ridicule. She seemed to be sickened by him.

When Menma saw the look on her face, his eyes flickered imperceptibly. He suddenly changed the topic and began to chat about the East Ascension Sun.

Chiriku's eyes flashed, but when he thought about how the girl he adored was a member of the Namikaze Clan, he didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled another of the Namikaze Clan Chosen off to the side and asked whether or not he knew a member of the Namikaze Clan clan named Karin.

The sky was growing dark, and more and more members of the Namikaze Clan clustered together around Brightmoon Lake. Originally, they had been waiting quietly, but now they were all discussing the matter of Naruto concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. Although the Dao Bell had long since ceased to toll, the sound of it still rang within their hearts.

"I can't believe Naruto actually concocted a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!"

"That's one of the three sacred pills! I never could have imagined that he would be able to concoct one of them!"

"When Naruto returned, I didn't really think much of him. He was kind of quiet. But now he's causing all sorts of waves!"

Words such as these echoed out constantly. Menma's expression was the same as ever, making it impossible to determine what he was thinking. In contrast, Futsu's face only continued to grow darker. Then he looked over at Hotarubi near the lakeshore, chatting excitedly with the clan members around him, and he snorted coldly.

A cold gleam flickered in his eyes, and his lips twitched into an icy smile; the people he had arranged to take care of Hotarubi were now closing in.

"The direct bloodline… is crap! They had their glory in the past, but now they're in decline. The Namikaze Clan… is no longer a place where they hold the upper hand!" Futsu snorted again. "Today is the day when I humiliate Hotarubi of the direct bloodline!" His eyes narrowed.

Meanwhile, Hotarubi stood in the crowd, excitedly flaunting his recent experiences to the clan members standing next to him.

"Of all the people over all the years in the Dao of Alchemy Division, nobody has ever been able to concoct that medicinal pill. But my Coz concocted it!

"He had a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam, and he even challenged the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion. And then he concocted the legendary Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. That's my Coz! Naruto!" The other clan members panted as they heard the stories of Naruto. More and more people were elevating their personal estimation of Naruto's status to the same level as Menma.

About this time, two young men appeared nearby, pushing their way through the crowd. Their expressions were icily arrogant as they neared Hotarubi, then rudely waved their hands, causing a burst of wind to materialize. It descended onto Hotarubi, causing his face to flicker. He tried to fight back, but was no match. He made a slight grunt as he was involuntarily shoved backward ten paces.

"The clan has ordered that it is prohibited to be loud and disorderly during the rise of the East Ascension Sun!" said one of the two young men, his eyes cold. "Anyone who violates the rule will be stripped of the qualifications to observe!"

"You…." said Hotarubi, looking up with rage in his eyes. However, when he saw who the two young men were, his face fell. The other clan members in the area also looked shocked, and immediately backed up.

The young men who had pushed Hotarubi back wore long black robes decorated with images of a moon. There seemed to be an especially stern and forbidding air about them, an icy coldness that caused anyone they looked at to feel as if they were being stared at by a viper.

Furthermore, they had stage 3 Immortal cultivation bases, and emanated amorphous ripples that gave them the appearance of mighty Immortals.

As soon as the surrounding clan members saw who the two young men were, their faces flickered and their hearts filled with awe. They slowly backed up.

"They're Blackmoon Guards!"

"Lots of Chosen from other sects are here for the East Ascension Sun, and the Blackmoon Guards have been tasked with keeping things orderly!"

"There are nine guard corps in the Namikaze Clan, four of which are stationed off-planet, and five of which have jurisdiction here on Planet East Victory. Of those five, the Blackmoon Guards and the Violetsun Guards are responsible for the ancestral mansion!"

The nine guard corps of the Namikaze Clan had each earned glorious achievements in battle, and had shaken the Ninth Mountain and Sea. As for the Blackmoon Guards, they were known for being sinister and vicious, just like vipers.

That was their reputation among outsiders and within the Namikaze Clan itself. Everyone feared the Blackmoon Guards.

Hotarubi looked at the two young men, and his face flickered. Whatever words he had been about to say stuck in his throat. He might be from the direct bloodline, but everyone in the clan knew that the direct bloodline was on the decline. He… could not afford to offend the Blackmoon Guards.

"Hotarubi," said one of the young men, his voice cold, "for loud and disorderly conduct on the shore of Brightmoon Lake, for disturbing public order, and for losing face for the clan in front of guests from other sects, you will move your ass 300 meters back from this location!" The young man spoke without the slightest bit of courtesy.

"If you dare to step within 300 meters of any Blackmoon Guard," said the other young man, his eyes brimming with scorn, "then it will be taken as an act of insurrection! Hotarubi, get the hell out of here!" With that, he waved his hand, causing another shocking wind to appear, which swept Hotarubi up and forced him back.

Hotarubi was powerless to resist, and in the blink of an eye had fallen back nearly three hundred meters. There was complete silence as all of the surrounding clan members looked over at Hotarubi.

He finally came to a stop at 299 meters. His face was pale, and he was trembling. Rage flickered on his face as he glared murderously at the two young men.

He was no fool, and knew that these two had intentionally come to humiliate him in front of the other clan members. Word would quickly spread that he had been unceremoniously dismissed by them.

What was especially obvious… was the sinister way in which they went about humiliating him. With their cultivation bases, they could have easily pushed him 300 meters away. Instead, they only pushed him 299 meters, making sure that Hotarubi would have to voluntarily step back the final meter.

Hotarubi's eyes were bright red, and he panted as he glared at the two young men nearly 300 meters away. He did not wish to step back, but he also knew that clan rules took precedence over anything and everything. The Blackmoon Guards were responsible for keeping order in the area, and if he defied them openly, they would have a vast array of options regarding how to deal with him. Most important of all was that the Blackmoon Guards… were under the direct control of Menma's branch of the family.

Hotarubi clenched his fists tightly and, as everyone watched, bowed his head and stepped back one last meter until he was at the 300-meter mark.

That final step was a movement that crushed Hotarubi's dignity, and humiliated his bloodline. However, Hotarubi had to accept it; there was no way he could fight back.

He stood there trembling as everyone looked at him. Not a word was spoken by anyone, although many of the onlookers sighed inwardly.

As for the two young Blackmoon Guards, they laughed coldly and then, ignoring Hotarubi, turned and left.

Everyone who was watching assumed that the chiding of Hotarubi was now over. Even Hotarubi assumed that by bowing his head, he would face no further difficulties….

However, it was at this point that two Blackmoon Guards suddenly appeared next to Hotarubi. Instantly, they waved their hands, causing their cultivation bases to surge with power. A fierce wind kicked up, wrapping around Hotarubi and driving him backward yet again.

This time, he was yet again sent back 299 meters.

"The Blackmoon Guard has already warned you once," said one of the two, his voice cool. "You must remain 300 meters away from any location we occupy! We're standing here now, so scram!"

"YOU!" Hotarubi was trembling, and his eyes were bright red.

The two Blackmoon Guards laughed at Hotarubi's reaction, and their eyes radiated cold glows. It was as if they were just waiting for Hotarubi to fight back. Although they might fear his father, they had received orders under the auspices of Prince Menma. Besides, they were responsible for maintaining order here, so if Hotarubi did anything rash, their backers would shield them from any consequences.

Hotarubi was in a rage, and he wanted to cast everything aside and fight back. But then he thought about how often his father sighed about the decline of the direct bloodline. Hotarubi didn't have a strong personality, and in fact, was often gentle. Not wanting to cause any further troubles for his father, he bitterly took another step back.

As he stepped back, a hint of dejection could be seen in his eyes.

It was at this point that more than ten Blackmoon Guards suddenly appeared. The crowds stepped back, making a wide path for them. The Blackmoon Guards stared at Hotarubi with cold eyes.

Hotarubi lowered his head and continued to retreat. 300 meters. 1,500 meters. Soon he was almost out of the crowd entirely, a full 3,000 meters away from Brightmoon Lake. The Blackmoon guards stared contemptuously at Hotarubi, who was by now figuratively scarred and battered.

"One more step!" said the Blackmoon Guard closest to Hotarubi, his voice cold. Currently, they were separated by 299 meters.

Nothing could be heard but silence. Many of the Namikaze Clan members sighed inwardly, but said nothing. The Namikaze Clan's direct bloodline was on the decline, and Menma's was on the rise. That was current state of affairs.

Hotarubi laughed bitterly as he realized that he couldn't stay here any longer. He was just about to turn and leave when suddenly, a hand appeared behind him and patted him lightly on the back, preventing him from taking that final step.

At the same time, a calm voice could be heard from behind him.

"What's wrong, Hotarubi?"

When Hotarubi heard that voice, a tremor ran through him. He turned back to see that Naruto was behind him, having appeared there at some undetermined point in time. Perched on Naruto's shoulder was the parrot, who winked at Hotarubi.

Naruto had appeared without the slightest sound, and not a single one of the nearby clan members had even noticed. All they saw was Naruto suddenly standing there, right behind Hotarubi.

The more than ten Blackmoon Guards looked over with fiercely glinting eyes. They were shocked, because even they had no idea how Naruto had appeared there. He had literally shown up in the blink of an eye.

His appearance on the scene immediately caused a stir among the Namikaze Clan members.

"It's Naruto!"

"What a strange way to make an entrance! He didn't make any ripples of displacement at all!" Many people felt their hearts beginning to pound. Naruto had just concocted the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, and had caused the Namikaze Clan's Dao Bell to ring. By now, Naruto was a person many of the clan members were pondering deeply.

"Coz…." said Hotarubi, looking over at Naruto. His expression was one of grievance, the kind of look that appears when a dear relative shows up right when you are being picked on.

Naruto smiled lightly, then patted Hotarubi's shoulder. However, within Naruto's heart, icy coldness surged up to monstrous heights. A moment ago, he had been off in the distance, watching Hotarubi being pushed back by the sinister Blackmoon Guards.

"Hotarubi, you stick with me. Let's see who tries to stand in my way." With that, Naruto stepped in front of Hotarubi and then began to walk forward. Hotarubi took a deep breath. Eyes filling with determination, he began to follow Naruto.

The dozen or so Blackmoon Guards watched with various expressions as Naruto walked forward. When he had walked about thirty meters toward them, two of the Blackmoon Guards snorted and then closed in on him.

"You may approach," said one of them, "but Hotarubi disturbed the public peace here, and if he dares to step within 300 meters of us, he'll be punished!" In the blink of an eye, the two Blackmoon Guards were right in front of Naruto.

Their words still hung in the air as Naruto suddenly lifted his right hand and pushed it out in front of him. Rumbling could be heard as a gale force wind sprang up. An incorporeal Flying Rain-Dragon suddenly appeared, roaring soundlessly as it shot toward the two Blackmoon Guards. In the blink of an eye, it was upon them. Their faces flickered, and they fought back with all the power they could muster. However, blood sprayed from their mouths as they were tossed to the side.

This development immediately sent the crowds into an uproar. It must be noted that even though the Blackmoon Guards had targeted Hotarubi, the only thing they did was drive him away. They did not attack or injure him. In sharp contrast, Naruto attacked with domineering force, immediately injuring the two Blackmoon Guards.

Hotarubi instantly started to get nervous, but Naruto's expression was as cold as ever. As he proceeded forward, the rest of the dozen or so Blackmoon Guards up ahead began to head toward him.

"You've disturbed the peace and even dared to hurt people! Naruto, it doesn't matter if you're backed by the Dao of Alchemy Division, you will still face the clan's punishment this day!"

The dozen or so Blackmoon Guards bore down on Naruto. When they were only a few dozen meters away, brilliant beams of light suddenly exploded from Naruto's eyes, and he said one thing.

"SCREW OFF!"

The words rang out like claps of thunder. Rumbling filled the area, and even the Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion heard it and looked over.

The Blackmoon Guards in front of Naruto felt as if some enormous, invisible mountain was crushing down onto them. Blood sprayed from their mouths, and deafening roars filled their ears. They suddenly felt as if their cultivation bases had become unstable. It didn't matter that they were in the Immortal Realm; they began to tremble as a terrifying wind swept over them, sending them tumbling backwards. Naruto's one sentence caused their minds to reel, and sent them flying away.

The surrounding Namikaze Clan members were completely shocked.

Hotarubi looked on, stupefied, as Naruto calmly proceeded to walk forward. The crowds immediately parted, making a path for him that led all the way to Brightmoon Lake!

On the island in the middle of the lake, within the East Ascension Pagoda, Menma and the others around him all saw the crowd part as if some sort of Immortal Divinity had appeared.

Naruto strode out, back straight, long hair draped over his shoulders like a cloak. His expression was grave and stern, as if his rise to prominence gave him a blinding aura that no one could ignore.

When the Chosen in the pavilion saw that it was Naruto who was walking toward them, a variety of different expressions could be seen.

Mei's face flickered with hatred as she stared at him.

Chiriku's eyes went wide, he took a deep breath, and subconsciously edged backward.

Sora and Bisuke saw Naruto at the same time, and their eyes shone with piercing light.

Then there was Fū, whose gaze turned as sharp as a dagger. In that moment, she had no stronger desire than the wish to chop Naruto into tiny pieces. She began to pant, and it suddenly became impossible for her to maintain her previously stoic expression.

"Naruto…."

Menma's gaze immediately fell onto Naruto. His expression was the same as ever, although his pupils constricted. He wasn't surprised to see that Naruto had shown up. Back in their initial meeting in the main temple, the moment they looked at each other, Menma could tell that Naruto was not a pushover. However, he hadn't paid much attention to him, and had in fact disregarded him. It wasn't until Naruto rose to prominence in the Dao of Alchemy Division that he had been forced to take him seriously.

That was especially true now, when he was suddenly acting so aggressively. Menma snorted coldly.

A moment later, his expression was seemingly as placid as ever, without any hint of disturbance.

Shisui was also there in the East Ascension Pavilion. When he saw Naruto, his eyes shone with a sharp light, and his desire to do battle increased.

Futsu stood there as well, looking venomously in Naruto's direction, a cold smile twisting the corners of his lips.

The crowds surrounding Brightmoon Lake were in an uproar. They made way for Naruto as he strode slowly forward, Hotarubi in tow, who was both excited and nervous. The Blackmoon Guards were one of the nine guard corps of the Namikaze Clan, and were responsible for maintaining peace. They would most certainly not respond kindly to Naruto provoking them.

"Coz…." he whispered. Suddenly, whistling sounds could be heard as more than thirty figures closed in on Naruto from all directions.

These were more Blackmoon Guards, the keepers of the peace! As they flew toward Naruto, their cultivation bases roared with power; shockingly, all of these cultivators were in the Immortal Realm!

Two of them were even stage 5 Immortals, and as they all closed in at high speed, they unleashed divine abilities and magical techniques. Brilliant light shot out in all directions, exerting intense pressure.

"How brazen!"

"You dare to attack the Blackmoon Guard? You dare to sow public chaos!? It doesn't matter who you are, kneel now and prepare to be sent to the dungeon to be tortured!"

As the shouts echoed out, Hotarubi started to look anxious.

However, Naruto's expression didn't change at all. Instead, he smiled coldly.

"It seems that even random nobodies dare to squawk in front of me," he said. "Could it be because I haven't used force often enough in the clan?" With that, he stepped forward. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he transformed into a bright beam of light.

The beam of light was gold-colored, and inside, Naruto took the form of a golden roc. A droning could be heard as he shot toward the incoming Blackmoon Guards at high speed.

In the blink of an eye, he slammed into three of them. The roc's talons slashed, ripping the air and causing cracking sounds to ring out. The three Blackmoon Guards' faces fell and blood sprayed from their mouths and their bodies twisted before they could even fight back. They were instantly sent flying backward by Naruto's talons, powerless to resist.

Even as they flew backward, coughing up blood, they looked back at Naruto with expressions of shock.

"How… how could he be so strong!?"

Naruto didn't pause for even a moment; he instantly swept towards the other guards. The roc flapped its wings, and in the blink of an eye, five more Blackmoon Guards let out muffled grunts. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they were thrown into the air, and looks of shock covered their faces as they looked at roc-form Naruto.

"What cultivation base does he have? Even the combined power of all five of us can't stop him!"

To describe all of these actions takes quite a few sentences, but these eight people were injured and sent tumbling hundreds of meters away in a brief flash. Eight people had been injured and flung over 300 meters away. Now, there were seven Blackmoon Guards left in front of Naruto.

Among those seven were the two stage 5 Immortals, who were now panting. Their expressions that of astonishment, they gritted their teeth and joined voices to call out, "Blackmoon Formation!"

Immediately, the other five of their number joined with the first two, combining together to form the shape of a moon!

Because their clothing was black, that moon… was also black!

A black moon!

As soon as the moon appeared, a monstrous energy surged out that weighed down on everyone in the area. The Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion all looked on with strange gleams in their eyes.

"The Blackmoon Guards' first fusion art!" said Bisuke, his eyes flickering.

"Rumor has it," said Chiriku, eyeing the black moon, "that with this art, seven people make the formation, seven formations make a magic spell, seven spells make a divine ability, seven divine abilities make a Dao!"

Others had similar reactions, although Mei simply watched with coldly flickering eyes.

The crowds surrounding Brightmoon Lake were also in a commotion.

Hotarubi's face fell, and Futsu smiled an overtly sinister smile.

In that moment….

Naruto, in golden roc form, didn't hesitate for a moment. He charged toward the black moon, and as he did, the roc turned blurry and transformed into numerous mountains. The mountains linked together to form a chain of mountains that then crushed down onto the black moon!

This was none other than the Mountain Consuming Incantation!

From a distance, it looked like massive mountain peaks suppressing the very moon in the Heavens. Boundless, enormous mountains filled the sky, and as for that black moon, it was visibly shrinking.

Everyone watching was astonished, especially the Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion who had previously crossed swords with Naruto. When they saw the mountains, they were reminded of that year in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, when Naruto had single-handedly swept over all of the Chosen. Despite being chased by over a thousand opponents, he had been as valiant as ever.

Booms echoed out in all directions.

The black moon only lasted for the space of a few breaths under the crushing pressure of the mountains. Subsequently, it shattered into pieces, and the seven people inside coughed up blood and tumbled backward, their faces filled with terror.

The mountains faded away, and Naruto stepped out from within them. He once again transformed into a beam of light that shot forward.

"Hotarubi, keep up!" he said loftily. "I'm taking you to the pavilion on the lake!" To everyone who heard his booming voice, it was as if Naruto was the only person in existence.

There were many clan members who suddenly felt as if they were meeting Naruto for the first time. Their hearts trembled with shock, and even Hotarubi was panting. Gritting his teeth, he flew to follow Naruto.

The two of them proceeded onward toward Brightmoon Lake, Naruto in the lead, Hotarubi following.

In the East Ascension Pavilion in the middle of Brightmoon Lake, the various Chosen were all looking at Naruto. Regardless of whatever conflicts they had with him, as of this moment all of them had no choice but to admit that Naruto… was a blazing sun!

Menma stood there quietly, his eyes icy. Futsu, on the other hand, had an expression filled with incredible venom.

Jimei was already in awe of Naruto, and subconsciously stepped backward, as did Fugai. Dei was secretly excited; this outcome was exactly what he wanted, a fight between Naruto and Menma.

As everyone watched Naruto nearing the edge of Brightmoon Lake, all of a sudden, a person appeared on the shore.

It was a middle-aged man wearing a black robe embroidered with two moons. He had the flourishing cultivation base of a stage 6 Immortal.

"You ignominious fool!" the man said coldly. "Back down!" This stage 6 Immortal was the leader of the Blackmoon Guards in this area. He stood there, brow furrowed, doing nothing to conceal his loathing of Naruto. Even as he spoke, he pushed his hand out in front of him, causing shocking pressure to roil out. At the same time, an enormous, illusory hand appeared that shot toward Naruto.

"I'm from the direct bloodline of the Namikaze Clan," Naruto replied, "I'm the eldest grandson of this generation, with a supreme status in the clan. You're the one who'll be backing down!" Instead of slowing down, he sped up. At the same time, he clenched his right hand into a fist and punched out into the air nine times.

Nine Heavens Destruction!

RUMMMBLLLLE!

Massive roaring filled the air as his Dharma Idol suddenly materialized behind him. 15,000 meters tall, shocking to the extreme, it also punched out. Nine blows descended toward the middle-aged man, seemingly capable of shattering Heaven and Earth.

When Naruto's attacks slammed into the palm strike, the hand shattered. The man's face fell as Naruto's fist continued onward the man himself.

Dozens of blows were exchanged in the blink of an eye. Each exchange caused the man's face to flicker; his expression was now being taken over by fear as he realized that his cultivation base was being weakened, as was his life force. It was being absorbed by Naruto!

In the end, blood sprayed from his mouth, and he was forced to retreat.

In that moment, Naruto grabbed Hotarubi. As everyone watched, he flew up into the air… directly out over Brightmoon Lake!

As soon as Naruto was airborne, all of the dozens of Blackmoon Guards in the crowd urgently took flight and sped toward Naruto. It didn't matter if he was a fellow clan member, his flagrant challenge of the Blackmoon Guards was something that could not go unanswered.

However, Naruto completely ignored them. He dragged the astonished Hotarubi through the air, transforming into a long beam of light that shot over Brightmoon Lake toward the East Ascension Pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, the Chosen were all shocked. Mei clenched her jaw, and a cold light could be seen in Fū's eyes. Shisui was itching to fight, and Sora's face was icy. As for Chiriku, he was getting nervous. Bisuke and the others felt their energy surging as Naruto sped toward them.

Menma frowned. Futsu was panting; seeing Naruto's powerful momentum caused him to subconsciously step backward.

Everyone watched as Naruto carried Hotarubi across the water. In the blink of an eye, he was almost at East Ascension Pavilion. Just when he was about to set foot inside….

"You don't qualify to be here," Menma said calmly.

He took a step forward and then struck out with his palm!

The palm strike unexpectedly… caused everyone to feel as if the land were quaking and the mountains were trembling. The surface of Brightmoon Lake churned, as if some ancient being were awakening underneath and was now emitting a terrifying aura.

The palm strike looked ordinary, and yet as soon as it was delivered, a golden magical symbol appeared outside of the East Ascension Pavilion. The symbol was like the sun, instantly causing everything outside to turn golden.

In response to the palm strike, all of the Chosen in the pavilion, even Fū and Ikanago from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto, narrowed their eyes in concentration. Various expressions could be seen; the explosive energy of Menma's attack left everyone shocked.

This was even more the case when people realized that Menma's attack contained an aura of reincarnation. It was almost like a natural law, as if… anyone who opposed Menma was actually an enemy of the Heavens!

A sense of crisis rose up in Naruto, and his eyes widened. He released Hotarubi, simultaneously causing the Black White Pearls to swirl out. Furthermore, a Blood Chakra rose up, transforming into the head of a Blood Demon. All of it coalesced onto Naruto's hand, after which he also… struck out with his palm.

Rumbling filled the air in the space between Naruto and Menma in the East Ascension Pavilion.

This was the first time that Naruto and Menma exchanged blows!

It was a collision of gold and blood!

It was a struggle between the power of reincarnation and the Black White Pearls!

This was Menma… versus Naruto! Their first battle!

Rumbling filled the air as the colors of gold and blood smashed into each other. The night sky suddenly grew bright as the power of reincarnation and the Black White Pearls collided, causing Heaven and Earth to tremble. Massive roaring echoed out in all directions.

The Blood Demon head collapsed, and the world of gold shattered. The sensation of reincarnation faded away… and Naruto's Black White Pearls also collapsed.

A tremor ran through Naruto, and his Eternal stratum immediately surged into action, giving him the power to completely shrug off the blow. What all onlookers saw was that Menma's palm strike did nothing to stop him! He didn't even pause… he just stepped right into the East Ascension Pavilion!

Menma's eyes brimmed with icy coldness, and his face had turned a bit pale. Although he had been separated from Naruto's counterstrike to his palm attack, he was still struck by the backlash.

Most shocking of all was that this was Brightmoon Lake, a place where Menma practiced cultivation. He had formed a resonance with the lake water, and therefore held the upper hand. Furthermore, Naruto had been protecting Hotarubi.

In the end, however, it was really difficult to determine which of them was actually more powerful!

Almost in the same moment that Naruto set foot into the pavilion, dozens of Blackmoon Guards flew out across the lake toward him.

Naruto completely ignored them. Instead, his cold gaze flitted across the crowd and came to fall on Menma.

"Junior Cousin Menma, why is it that I'm not qualified to enter this pavilion?"

"Anyone who is being pursued by the Blackmoon Guards is naturally not qualified to set foot inside," Menma replied coolly. The Blackmoon Guards were closing in on the pavilion, and even more were now converging further out beyond the lakeshore. Furthermore, it would only be a short time before their true experts arrived.

In his heart, Menma laughed coldly. He truly wanted to see how Naruto could possibly resolve the current situation.

Hotarubi's face was ashen as he stood there next to Naruto, panting. He had never been inside the East Ascension Pavilion before, and would normally have been very excited. Right now though, the Blackmoon Guards were moments away from catching up, and when he thought about what would happen then, he couldn't help but take a deep breath and brace himself to go for broke.

He had already decided that because all of this was happening because of him, he would take full responsibility, and make sure that the clan didn't cause any problems for Naruto.

"Is that so?" replied Naruto, smiling. Sharp whistling sounds could be heard as seven or eight Blackmoon Guards shot through the air behind him. Their expressions brimmed with killing intent, and they were just about to attack when…

Naruto casually raised his hand and showed something to the Blackmoon Guards behind him.

Then, without even turning his head, he coldly barked, "Screw off!"

As his voice echoed out, the Blackmoon Guards outside of the pavilion saw the item in his hand. Their faces fell, and they suddenly stopped in place, staring in disbelief at Naruto's hand, and the object therein.

Then they began to pant. Meanwhile, more Blackmoon Guards converged in the area. All of them had the same reaction, as if lightning were crashing around inside their minds.

The dozens of nearby Blackmoon Guards, and the hundreds that were gathered further off, all stared wordlessly in shock.

When the Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion saw what was happening, their eyes gleamed with a strange light. Menma suddenly seemed to remember something, and his face turned extremely unsightly. Futsu gaped, unsure of how to react to this sudden development.

He couldn't understand what the Blackmoon Guards had seen that would suddenly cause them to stop in place and not dare to get any closer.

Jimei stared in shock. Fugai hesitated. Dei's eyes shone with curiosity.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" said Naruto icily, still not deigning to look behind him.

The instant the words left his mouth, the Blackmoon Guards behind him gasped. They suddenly clasped hands and bowed to Naruto, then bitterly turned and made their way off.

Many among the audience around Brightmoon Lake saw this, and gaped in shock. They had just personally witnessed the Blackmoon Guards, brimming with killing intent, suddenly stop in place and then retreat en masse, clearly not daring to get even an inch closer.

There were a few people in the crowd who had exceptional eyesight, and managed to catch a glimpse of the object Naruto held in his hand. They gasped, and expressions of blank disbelief appeared on their faces.

"The command medallion of a tier 8 alchemist!"

"That's the same as a clan Elder's command medallion…. A tier 8 alchemist's command medallion! That gives him the same status as a clan Elder! And clan Elders… are qualified to order the Blackmoon Guards to stand down!"

"Naruto concocted a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, which means that he instantly became a tier 8 alchemist!"

The sounds of the tumult outside drifted into the pavilion, causing the cultivators gathered there to inhale sharply.

Hotarubi gaped, and then suddenly went wild with joy.

Naruto slowly lowered his hand, looking at Menma with a slight smile.

"Would you say I'm qualified now?"

Menma's expression was extremely unsightly as he stared at Naruto. Before he could even respond, Naruto stepped forward and raised his right hand. Futsu's face fell, and he tried to escape, but his body involuntarily flew through the air toward Naruto, who grabbed him by the neck.

"You see me, and don't greet me properly," Naruto said, smiling, gently patting Futsu's cheek. "Ah, Futsu, it seems that the last time I taught you a lesson, you just didn't get it."

Naruto's smile caused Futsu to begin to tremble. He was about to say something, when suddenly Naruto's face darkened and he slammed Futsu onto the floor of the pavilion.

The pavilion was magically reinforced, and couldn't be damaged by such an action. It was incredibly tough, which resulted in Futsu letting out a bloodcurdling scream. Next, Naruto slammed him into the ground seven or eight more times.

Blood sprayed from Futsu's mouth, and he screamed over and over again. He even begged for mercy. Menma frowned.

"That's enough!" he said.

Naruto smiled and looked over at Menma.

"Under my authority as an Elder, I'm reprimanding a clan member. Junior Cousin Menma, on what authority did you speak those two words to me just now?"

With that, Naruto grabbed Futsu by the hair, swung him around and then chucked him off to the side. Blood spattered everywhere. The Chosen in the room watched and said nothing. However, as they observed at Naruto's actions, each of them were thinking different things.

That was especially true of Chiriku, who was shivering slightly.

Menma's expression was extremely grim as he looked at Naruto. He was about to say something, when Naruto laughed.

"On the other hand," he said, "the moon is out tonight, and the stars are bright. Tomorrow is the rise of the East Ascension Sun, an auspicious day. Besides, I see a lot of old friends here, which makes me happy. I won't make things any harder for you." He looked out at all the Chosen, each of whom had different expressions on their faces.

Chiriku subconsciously bowed his head. Mei stared in rage. Fū's face flickered with killing intent, and Shisui looked like he wanted to fight then and there. Sora and Bisuke were both staring at him with clenched jaws.

Their past experiences with Naruto were things that they would never be able to forget.

Naruto looked slightly embarrassed, then chuckled bashfully as he looked down at the terrified Futsu, who lay there bedraggled and broken-boned.

"Write me a promissory note," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes and smiling. He immediately produced pen and paper from his bag of holding, which he held out in front of Futsu. "You know me, and you know what to write."

With that, he patted Futsu on the head.

Futsu's face was pale white. To him, Naruto was the most evil fiend imaginable in Heaven and Earth. Trembling, he used his own blood to write out a promissory note.

Naruto accepted the promissory note, blew on it a bit to dry it, and gingerly placed it in his bag of holding as if it were a treasure. Then, he smiled at Futsu and said something that caused Futsu's blood to run cold.

"Futsu, you'll get no third chance. If you act like this again the next time you see me… I'll make sure you live a life worse than death." Naruto's smile stretched from ear to ear, but his words were as cold as ice. It was a stark contrast that caused all of the Chosen in the pavilion to look on in reticent silence.

Futsu started to pant and tremble, and his expression turned into one of extreme terror. He could sense the murderous intent in Naruto's words, and was also certain that when Naruto said he would do something… he would never fail to follow through on his promise.

Futsu knew that if he did not respectfully greet Naruto the next time he saw him, Naruto would definitely… leave him wishing he were dead.

He was frightened, well and truly frightened. Even Menma was incapable of helping him in this situation, causing his fear to reach heights that it could not be described even with the word 'terror.'

"Now, screw off to whatever hole you crawled out of," said Naruto. He grabbed Futsu by the hair and violently tossed him out of the pavilion. Intense pain wracked Futsu's body as he flew out over Brightmoon Lake and landed in the middle of the crowd outside.

After being helped to his feet, he left immediately, trying to put as much distance between himself and Naruto as possible. The entire time, his heart was gripped with icy terror.

Back in the East Ascension Pavilion, Naruto looked around at the various Chosen, and a bashful smile appeared on his face, as if he were slightly embarrassed to have suddenly run into so many old friends.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists!" he said. "We meet again! I've missed all of you!"

Looking quite at ease, he walked up to Chiriku and, before he could back away, slid his arm around his neck, as if they were good friends.

"Hey, if it isn't L'il Hai! How are you?! Have things been well? Why did you shave your head? Not bad, I think it's quite a unique hairstyle."

Chiriku started to tremble, and he looked as if he might start crying at any moment. Naruto's shadow lurked perpetually in his heart, a point that could be seen clearly from his cleanly-shaven head.

Naruto rubbed Chiriku's shiny head and patted it a few times. Chiriku choked with silent fury, feeling frustrated to the extreme. At this point, Naruto's gaze came to rest on Mei. Subconsciously, he couldn't refrain from… looking at Mei's curvaceous rear end.

"Aiya! Little sis Mei, I haven't seen you for so long! You're even prettier than before. Your rear end… looks really nice…." He cleared his throat. "Hey, don't look at me that way! You know, now that I think about it, we were actually engaged as children!"

Mei's expression was extremely dark as she stared at Naruto. Her chest rose and fell as she panted, and she looked like she was on the verge of exploding. Were it not for the fact that she knew she wasn't a match for Naruto, and that they were also in the Namikaze Clan, then she would definitely go all out to fight him.

Seeing that Mei was on the verge of bursting, Naruto quickly looked away, turning his attention to Fū. Instantly, his eyes brightened.

"Eee? Inky! You're here too! Little sis Fū, I've already loaned you Inky for quite a while now, when will you be giving her back to me?"

Fū's eyes blazed with rage, and she raised her right hand. Cracking sounds could be heard as two violet flying daggers suddenly appeared. Mysterious flames hissed up from the daggers, and they emanated terrifying auras.

"I dare you to say one more word!" she said through gritted teeth.

Her words overflowed with killing intent, as if a single inappropriate word would lead to a fight.

Naruto blinked and then coughed lightly. Keeping his arm wrapped around Chiriku, he looked around at some of the others.

"Well, if it isn't Sora! And Bisuke! Shisui, you're here too! Wonderful! You're all here. Well then… when are you going to be paying back the money you owe?"

Naruto's handful of sentences instantly provoked a reaction from the various Chosen in the East Ascension Pavilion. Some burst out angrily, others glared at him furiously, and some had bloodshot eyes.

"Shut the hell up!"

"Shut your trap!"

"Naruto, you're pushing people too far!"

"Naruto, if you dare to insult me one more time, we're going to have a blood feud the likes of which has never been seen before!"

When Hotarubi saw all of this happening, he stared at Naruto in blank shock. Then he looked at the enraged Chosen, and took a deep breath. He had no idea what Naruto had done to provoke such widespread indignation, to cause these Chosen to be so wrathful.

Hotarubi was even more thunderstruck by the words exchanged between Naruto and Mei, as well as Fū. Actually, Fū was the celestial goddess of Hotarubi's dreams….

And yet, in the blink of an eye, that celestial goddess had summoned deadly weapons. Any rapturous illusions Hotarubi had about her were instantly dispelled by her vicious wrath.

Hotarubi wasn't the only shocked one. Jimei also stared with wide eyes. She couldn't imagine what disputes Naruto had with these people to make them act in this way. Apparently, Naruto's brief words had stabbed deep into their hearts.

Even Menma was at a loss as to how Naruto could be so familiar with these people….

Only Fugai and Dei truly knew of the inspiring and tragic connection between all of them, and how world-shaking those events had been.

The surrounding Namikaze Clan members stared in shock at Naruto and the Chosen, their minds reeling.

Naruto's appearance in the pavilion made him the complete center of attention. Even Menma was somehow surpassed.

The Chosen's response to his words caused Naruto's face to suddenly darken.

Before he could even say anything though, the parrot, which had maintained silence up to this point, rolled its eyes and then glared at all the people.

"He who owes shall repay!" it squawked. "This is a principle of Heaven and Earth! You shameless bunch had better repay what you owe immediately!

"If you have no money, then find some furred or feathered beasts for Lord Fifth! If Lord Fifth is satisfied, then he'll help you pay back the debt! What do you say?"

Naruto snorted coldly and glared at the crowd. Then he slapped his bag of holding and produced a stack of promissory notes. He began tapping his finger on the notes, and then looked up.

"White paper and words written in blood. The handwriting is very clear, yes? Do you people really dare to renege on your debts?" Naruto was clearly incensed. He was well aware that concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill had temporarily resolved his spirit stone quandary. However, according to his calculations, what he had earned still wouldn't be enough. Now, his joy at finding so many people who owed him money was turning into fury.

In the instant that Naruto pulled out the stack of promissory notes, Hotarubi gasped. Jimei's eyes went wide, and even Menma stared in shock.

All of the surrounding members of the Namikaze Clan stared blankly in disbelief at Naruto standing there, tapping his finger on the promissory notes. This image of Naruto was now deeply ingrained in their hearts.

"How… how many promissory notes does he actually have?"

"Didn't Naruto come from Planet Lands of Ninshu? How could there be so many people who borrowed money from him?"

"What exactly does this guy do? Is he a cultivator? How come he just doesn't seem like a cultivator to me?"

The Namikaze Clan's Chosen gaped as their minds filled with buzzing thoughts.

"Chiriku," said Naruto, sounding very displeased. "Why don't you start first." He patted Chiriku's head. "Don't think that because you're bald now that I can't grab ahold of you. There's always going to be some place on your body that has hair, right?"

Upon hearing these words, the parrot's eyes suddenly shone brightly, and it stared at Chiriku with interest.

Chiriku began to quiver. He gritted his teeth and was about to protest, when Naruto's words suddenly reminded him of his nightmarish experience on Planet Lands of Ninshu. Finally, he scowled.

"Uh…can I pay back a little less than I owe?"

Naruto was instantly pleased.

"Alright!" he said, eyes shining. "Let's start with the interest, how about that?" Chiriku grimaced, clenched his teeth, and then slapped his bag of holding, producing some spirit stones that he handed over to Naruto.

Naruto quickly collected them up, licked his lips, and then eyed Chiriku's bag of holding.

"Considering how rarely we run into each other, why don't you repay a bit more than that?"

"I really can't," said Chiriku. "I… I actually came to the Namikaze Clan to buy something particular…. It's… well, I know this girl from the Namikaze Clan, and I really want to buy her a gift. Hey, you never know, we might end up being family!"

"Oh, so that's how it is," said Naruto. "Why don't you repay a bit more of your debt, and I'll put in a good word for you." He smiled and patted Chiriku's head.

He suddenly realized that patting Chiriku's head actually felt very good, so he patted it a few more times for good measure.

"Li'l Hai, don't worry. Pay back those spirit stones, and I'll help you out. In the Namikaze Clan, the highest Elders and the lowliest branch members all have to give me face."

Chiriku hesitated for a moment. He knew that Naruto was the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. Even though the direct bloodline was in decline, Naruto's father was still alive, and Naruto had certainly been throwing his weight around the clan recently.

Based on his earlier inquiries, none of the other Chosen in the clan were familiar with the girl he liked, which was making Chiriku anxious. Now that he saw how domineering Naruto was, he figured… he might as well give Naruto's suggestion a shot.

"I wonder if he'll really put in a good word for me…." Chiriku thought, gritting his teeth. He was thoroughly entranced with this Namikaze Clan girl, to the point where he wasn't even acting rationally. Finally, he slapped his bag of holding and passed an even larger sum of spirit stones over to Naruto.

When Naruto saw them, his eyes shone with brilliant light.

"Li'l Hai, don't you worry. You leave everything to your Big Bro." Naruto put the spirit stones away, and before Chiriku could say anything more, began to walk over to Mei.

She stared at him, furious, her expression icy.

He hesitated for a moment, then glanced down at her rear end. Sighing, he thought about his actions as Kazama, and realized that there was an eighty percent certainty that Mei had recognized him. Therefore, he couldn't push her too far.

He turned to look at Fū, but when he saw the deadly-looking violet flying daggers swirling around above her hand, his expression turned somber, and he turned to walk toward Bisuke and the others.

"Bisuke, Sora, Shisui!" he barked. "All of you owe me money. It's time to PAY UP!"

Bisuke and the other two glared back at Naruto, flames of rage flickering in their eyes.

They all stared at each other for a few breaths of time, after which Naruto took a step forward toward them. At this exact moment, Bisuke and the others attacked simultaneously. Booms echoed out as all four of them flew out of the pavilion and began to fight.

Rumbling filled the air as Naruto transformed into a golden roc that slashed its talons toward Bisuke. At the same time, a chain of mountains rumbled out next to him, crushing down toward Sora. A moment later, he flapped a wing, causing the air to shred as power shot toward Shisui.

Booms echoed out in all directions. Even though it was late at night, and very dark, the light of magic filled the air, and all of the Namikaze Clan members down below stared up to watch. When they saw Naruto single-handedly battling three amazing Chosen, their minds trembled.

"That's Sora from the Nadeshiko Clan. And Bisuke from the Five Great Holy Lands! The last one is the Uchiha Clan Chosen, Shisui!"

"All three of them are in the process of rising to be true Immortals! Once they do, they'll definitely be even more famous than they are now!"

"I can't believe Naruto is fighting all three of them at the same time!"

Booms echoed out as the four of them fought back and forth constantly. Naruto clenched his fist and then punched out, unleashing the Nine Heavens Destruction. Blood sprayed from Sora's mouth. As for Shisui and Bisuke, one of them called wind and summoned rain, while the other transformed into blinding sunlight. Even as they closed in on Naruto, he snorted coldly. A Blood Demon head appeared, which head butted Shisui. Simultaneously, the Ninth Mountain materialized, slamming toward Bisuke.

"You guys are a lot stronger than the first time we fought," said Naruto. "Unfortunately for you… I could put you in your place last time, and I can do the same thing today!" His cultivation base surged with power, and he extended his hand. Rumbling filled the sky as numerous mountains descended, cutting off all avenues of escape for Bisuke and the others.

Roaring, the three of them materialized their Dharma Idols. Naruto responded in kind. The Dharma Idols belonging to Bisuke and the others all bore visible traces of Immortality Illumination Vines.

As they fought, Bisuke and the others were continuously forced to retreat. Finally, a boom could be heard, and blood sprayed from their mouths as they tumbled backward. Naruto's eyes glittered, and he prepared to rush forward in pursuit.

However, it was at this point that an archaic voice rumbled out from the ancestral mansion.

"Magical battle is prohibited during the rise of the East Ascension Sun. If anyone makes another attack… their right to bathe in the sunlight will be revoked!"

As the voice echoed out, two ancient figures noiselessly appeared in midair around the East Ascension Pavilion. Massive pressure radiated out, separating Naruto from Bisuke and the others.

These two old men were Elders of the Namikaze Clan. They looked over at Naruto, frowned, then looked at Bisuke and the others.

"All of you get back into the pavilion. Sunrise is almost upon us."

Bisuke and the others took deep breaths. Then they clasped hands and bowed to the two old men. Glaring angrily at Naruto, they flew back into the pavilion.

Naruto glared back at them, then headed back to the pavilion himself.

"Still won't pay me back?" he said with a cold smile. "From now on, any time I run into you, I'll definitely put you in your place!" After setting foot back into the pavilion, he looked around until he saw Hotarubi and Chiriku, after which he walked over to Chiriku.

As time passed, most everyone in the pavilion sat there cross-legged. Menma remained quite subdued; after Naruto returned to the pavilion, he remained mostly silent. His expression did not reveal anything either, as if the previous clash between the two of them didn't matter to him at all. In fact, when Naruto had fought with Bisuke and the others, he had taken one glance and then looked away as if he didn't care.

Soon, everything quieted down. Daybreak was nearing. Eventually, it reached that darkest of pre-dawn moments in which everyone knew that the East Ascension Sun… was about to rise!

Naruto's eyes shone with a strange light, and he took a deep breath. It was at this point that Chiriku hesitated for a moment, then quietly began to speak.

"Naruto… um… about that thing you promised earlier…."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," said Naruto, yawning. "Oh, right, how far along are you in your relationship with this girl?"

Chiriku's face reddened, and he lowered his voice even more.

"I'm not really sure," he said. "She always beats me up…."

When Naruto heard this, he suddenly perked up.

"Well, that won't do!" he said. "What's her name? Is she here in the pavilion? Of all the nerve! How could she dare to beat people up?!"

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Chiriku hurried to respond. "Every time she hurts me, I actually feel very happy…. She's not here now, though. She's a disciple of the Church of the Emperor Immortal. Her name is Karin."

It was now the moment before daybreak. Everything was pitch black, and all eyes were fixed on the east!

It wasn't just the group inside the East Ascension Pavilion who were staring eastward. All of the Namikaze Clan members on the shores of Brightmoon Lake, throughout the rest of the ancestral mansion, and even on all of Planet East Victory, were now waiting.

However, back in the East Ascension Pavilion, Naruto heard the name 'Karin,' and his expression instantly changed. His eyes went wide, and he turned to look at Chiriku.

Chiriku looked a bit embarrassed. Whenever he said Karin's name, he felt happy, and an expression of longing would appear on his face.

"Did you just say that the girl you like is named Karin?" asked Naruto. He was starting to pant, and he suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Yeah, that's right," Chiriku replied, nodding his head. "Her name is Karin. She's a member of the Namikaze Clan, but also a disciple of the Church of the Emperor Immortal." The happiness he felt grew stronger, and as of yet, he hadn't noticed the change in Naruto's facial expression.

"Elder Brother Uzumaki, it's all up to you now," he continued. "However many more spirit stones you need, as long as I can get my hands on them, I'll give them to you. Elder Brother Uzumaki, please, please put in a good word or two for me…."

Naruto's expression changed again. Now he was staring blankly.

Unwilling to accept the truth, he asked another question.

"That Namikaze in her name, is it the same Namikaze as from my Namikaze Clan? And the Yu, is it the same character that means 'beautiful jade?'"

"Yeah, that's right!" said Chiriku, looking somewhat intoxicated. "She's none other than Karin, as beautiful as a piece of fine jade."

Naruto's heart started to pound. "Did she join the Church of the Emperor Immortal less than two years ago?" he asked, still hardly capable of believing what he was hearing.

"Eee? How did you know? That's right! She just joined the Church of the Emperor Immortal a little less than two years ago! However, Junior Sister Namikaze's latent talent is shocking. It's impossible to say clearly what her future prospects are." Chiriku sighed.

"You…." Blue veins had popped out on Naruto's forehead, and he was staring wrathfully at Chiriku.

Chiriku gaped as he finally noticed Naruto's strange expression.

Surprised, he quickly said, "Elder Brother Uzumaki, don't worry. Chiriku will never forget this kindness. If Karin and I ever get married, I'll definitely invite you to the wedding banquet…."

Naruto's mind filled with roaring as he thought about the explosive temper of his older sister Karin. If she knew about what he had promised to do for Chiriku, it would be impossible to say how many times she would beat him up the next time she saw him…. All of a sudden, he felt like the biggest idiot in the entire world. He had actually… sold his older sister off….

Chiriku then continued, getting more and more excited as he spoke.

"If we have a son, you can even be his godfather!

"As a husband and wife, we will never forget your kindness for the rest of our lives…. It's all riding on you, Elder Brother Uzumaki….

"Oh, Elder Brother Uzumaki, could you help me ask around and find out which bloodline Karin is from? I'm planning to go make a formal visit soon…."

"Shut your mouth this instant!" roared Naruto. He truly felt stupid for not having thought of this possibility. His sudden outburst caused numerous faces in the pavilion to turn and look his way. Chiriku gaped, uncertain of why Naruto would suddenly be so angry.

Naruto reached out, grabbed Chiriku, and pulled him close. Jaw clenched, he stared Chiriku in the eye, certain that Chiriku had done all of this on purpose, had dug a pit for him, and then pushed him in headfirst.

Yes! It was definitely on purpose!

"Do you have a younger sister?" Naruto asked through clenched teeth.

Chiriku was momentarily struck dumb. From the feeling he got at this moment, Naruto seemed to be on the verge of flying into a rage.

"Uh… yeah, yeah I have a younger sister, she—"

"Who's more of a bitch, you or your sister!" Naruto interrupted loudly. "You joker! I can't believe you have the gall to con ME!" His eyes were bloodshot, and his heart pulsed with rage. All his life, he had been the one to con others, and had never imagined that somehow, Chiriku would manage to pull a con on him.

That was especially true when he remembered that he had promised to act as a go-between. Naruto couldn't help but sigh inwardly. There was no way that he would dare to have anything to do with his sister's love life. Any time he thought of her violent temper, he would feel his head starting to ache.

"I didn't con you!" said Chiriku, looking confused. "I really do have a younger sister. Her name is Chirika." Naruto's flare of temper was really strange to him. Moments ago, everything had been going smoothly, then he flew into a rage in the blink of an eye. All of a sudden, Chiriku had the feeling that Naruto and Karin were very similar in some ways.

Naruto burned with anger and was just about to say something else when light appeared in the darkness outside.

The light swept out instantly, shredding the darkness into pieces. Sunlight expanded in all directions, a mighty power that instantly suppressed all the dark of night.

In that instant in which darkness and light intersected, where white and black clashed, all eyes in the world seemed to be locked… on the east, which was the source of all the beams of light.

"It's here! The East Ascension Sun!"

"The East Ascension Sun rises every 100 years. The one hundred year cycle reaches its culmination now! This is when the Sun is at its closest point to Planet East Victory!"

"If you bathe in the light of the East Ascension Sun, your fleshly body can reach a point of incredible power!"

Even as the buzz of conversation spread out, the entire world of Planet East Victory suddenly became filled with indescribable, broiling heat. It was almost as if the whole planet had been wrapped in fire!

Black smoke rose from the ground, and steam ascended from bodies of water. The land seemed to ripple, as if the heat was affecting the entire planet.

The East Ascension Sun… was rising!

Even Naruto forgot about his plans to cause trouble for Chiriku, and looked up.

The sight immediately sent his mind spinning, because… the sun was clearly rising up from the east, and, according to how things would normally go, it should rise up slowly. However, in the instant that Naruto glanced over, what he saw… was the noon sun!

It was as if the process of the sun rising up from the horizon into the middle of the sky took only the space of a few breaths.

Actually, this was not the movement of the East Ascension Sun, but rather, the movement of Planet East Victory. In that instant, some unfathomable method caused the entire planet to rotate, adjusting its angle so that the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion was fixed at the point closest to the sun!

It was now moving along with the sun, which meant… that with the East Ascension Sun in the sky, instead of a normal 24-hour day, the daylight would last for 36 days!

36 days later the Sun would continue to move off into the distance, and would no longer be closest to Planet East Victory, whereupon the planet would return to its normal state of affairs.

That would mark the end of the rise of the East Ascension Sun. As for the people on the other three great planets in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, they might receive some benefit, but because they were further away, they would not gain nearly as much as those on Planet East Victory!

Sunrise lasted for only a moment and then, for 36 days, it would be high noon!

The entire scene was even clearer when viewed from out in space. Planet East Victory hung there, shimmering, smoke rising up from it, almost as if it were on the verge of melting!

The power that put Planet East Victory on the verge of melting… came from a bright, shining field of light that lit up the entire starry sky!

The light shone from the east, sweeping through the starry sky, its power dissolving anything that it touched.

Countless meteors and debris vanished without a trace, almost as if they had evaporated.

If there were some almighty figure who stood inside of that light, they would be able to see that, to the east of Planet East Victory, within the previously pitch-black void of space, there was now… suddenly… a matchlessly enormous heavenly body!

This heavenly body was crimson, as if it were formed from lava, and it emanated intense heat and light. This was… the sun!

This was one of the two heavenly bodies that existed outside of the Nine Mountains and Seas. The sun!

Outside of the Nine Mountains and Seas was an enormous sun and a gigantic moon, which maintained fixed orbits around all of the mountains and seas. Around and around, they had spun for countless years without crossing paths, and apparently, would continue to do so for an eternity.

Because of the position of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, it and the First Mountain and Sea were the places in which one could now bathe in the light of the sun and the moon. As for Planet East Victory, it was the closest one could get to the sun in all the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

As of this moment, there were few cultivators who could survive out in the space between the sun and Planet East Victory. The only people who could… were Dao Realm experts of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

There were other almighty figures who had long been waiting for this moment to be able to bathe in the light of the sun, and thus acquire good fortune.

Almost in the exact moment that the sun rose, numerous cultivators on Planet East Victory flew up into the sky, to feel the light of the sun, to be bathed and baptized in its light.

Such people were not qualified to go to the Namikaze Clan to bathe in the light of the sun, and could only experience a scaled-down version of it in various other regions.

Of course, in the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion, the East Ascension Pavilion atop Brightmoon Lake was the absolute closest location to the East Ascension Sun. Currently, that was the most desirable place to be on the entire planet.

Other than stepping out into the starry sky itself, there was no better place to bathe in the light of the sun than the East Ascension Pavilion. Of course, no one under the Dao Realm could possibly step out into the starry sky to face the sun without dying.

As such, it is easy to imagine how precious of an opportunity it was to be present in the East Ascension Pavilion.

At the same time, the Namikaze Clan Elders mobilized 30,000 powerful experts, who sat down cross-legged, outlining the shape of a massive spell formation. When the spell formation was activated, a huge pillar of light shot up!

The pillar of light surrounded Brightmoon Lake, stretching out to a width of 9,000 meters and then shooting from the ground all the way up into the Heavens, seemingly linking them to Planet East Victory. This beam of light made it impossible for any outsider to enter that area, and made the power of the East Ascension Sun, which had already been much stronger here than in any other area, exponentially stronger than it had been before!

Within the 9,000-meter beam of light, ninety percent or more of the people were members of the Namikaze Clan. Any others were Chosen who had recently come to Planet East Victory.

You could say that even if someone merely sat down cross-legged within the light, and didn't even rise up into the sky, they would still experience incredible progress with their fleshly body. The main question was how long someone could remain in the light. If someone pushed beyond their limit, their entire body would be burned to ash.

Of course, the truly powerful experts would not be content to just sit cross-legged on the ground. They would choose to fly up into the air. The higher one flew, the closer one got to the East Ascension Sun. If one were able to reach the boundary between the planet and outer space, that person would experience unimaginable gains.

Unfortunately, throughout all the years, no one under the Dao Realm had reached such a point.

Furthermore, it was impossible to tell exactly where that point lay!

Some people said it was at 150,000 meters. Their line of reasoning was that 150,000 meters was where the sky was no longer blue, but rather, a deep violet color. Other people said that the point lay at 300,000 meters, because in that location, the sky was black, and there was little difference between that area and the starry sky itself. From there, one could look down and see the entire planet beneath one's feet.

There were some people who said the point lay at 600,000 meters, and others even said 900,000 meters. There were many opinions. However, no one could make any definite judgements. After all, the size of the planet itself actually had a lot to do with the matter.

Therefore, the exact height of the Heavens of Planet East Victory was difficult to judge.

According to the Namikaze Clan, the point of demarcation between the planet and the starry sky was set at 300,000 meters!

Right now, nobody under the Dao Realm could possibly fly to that end point of 300,000 meters!

Of course, people in the Dao Realm didn't need to passively bathe in the the light of heavenly bodies. They could fly off the planet itself and directly face the light of the sun!

Right now, within the the 9,000-meter area around Brightmoon Lake, everyone sat cross-legged, bathing in the light of East Ascension Sun. Suddenly, Menma flew out from the East Ascension Pavilion, and proceeded to shoot up into the sky without the slightest pause.

The boundless sunlight was shockingly hot. The entire world seemed visibly distorted, as if all of the moisture in the air had been completely sucked away. All of Brightmoon Lake seemed to have evaporated into a mist, and was now completely dried up.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the ground as the Namikaze Clan members around Brightmoon Lake soaked in the power of the sunlight and used it to strengthen their fleshly bodies to shocking levels.

When Menma flew out, it attracted a lot of attention. He was a Chosen, a blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan. He instantly shot up to a height of 3,000 meters with incredible speed. It was there that he took a deep breath and then settled down cross-legged, seemingly transforming into a black hole that rapidly sucked in sunlight.

A commotion immediately broke out.

"Prince Menma is really deserving of his reputation!"

"He's not just absorbing the sunlight, he's gobbling it up! What profound understanding of the East Ascension Sun!"

Even the experts and Elders in the ancestral mansion were silently nodding their heads.

The second person to fly up into the sky was Shisui, Chosen of the Uchiha Clan. His eyes flickered with a strange gleam as he flew up into the air, his expression quickly turning into one of excitement.

"The Patriarch had a magic called Sundered Night, which was created after he gained enlightenment of the rising sun…. Today, I, Shisui, will contemplate the East Ascension Sun, which will improve my own enlightenment of Sundered Night!" 1

After Shisui, it was Bisuke, who rose up into the air laughing. He was from one of the Five Holy Lands, Mount Sun, and he cultivated a magical technique that had a lot to do with the sun. Therefore, the good fortune of this day meant more to him than anyone else.

Bisuke immediately flew to a position roughly 2,400 meters high. He took a deep breath, and then… completely transformed into something that looked like a sun! Everyone who could see him was instantly shocked.

Next were Fū and Mei. The two young women flew up, one to a height of 3,000 meters, the other to a height of 2,700 meters, where they both settled cross-legged. Both of them were beautiful to begin with, but underneath the light of the sun, they were scintillating, and emanated a feeling of holiness. Anyone who saw them would feel their hearts pounding, as if they were looking at celestial beings.

Sora followed closely behind. After him were the other Namikaze Clan Chosen, among whom Dei was the swiftest. He came to a stop at a position roughly 1,800 meters high, astonishing many clan members.

Naruto released Chiriku, whose expression was somber as he stepped forward and then flew up to a height of 2,100 meters. He emanated the energy of an Emperor, causing vast quantities of sunlight to build up around him.

Of all the Chosen who flew out from East Ascension Pavilion, none stopped at a position lower than 1,200 meters. Even Hotarubi managed to make it to 1,200 meters, where he began to meditate. There were quite a few other clan members in that same position, most of whom flew up from positions surrounding Brightmoon Lake.

Naruto didn't fly up. He remained sitting cross-legged in the pavilion. The heat from the outside penetrated into his body, making him feel as if he had caught fire.

It caused beads of sweat to begin to roll down his face, all of which were pitch black. It was as if there were impurities within his body that were now being forced out. At the same time, he began to absorb some of the heat, strengthening his Chakra passageways, toughening his bones, and increasing the power of his blood and flesh.

"East Ascension Sun!" he thought, taking in a deep breath. The heat battered his face, pouring into his body, which began to tremble. After some time past, he finally flew out of the pavilion.

The instant he appeared outside, he could hear the clamor of voices. People weren't talking about him, though, they were focused on… Menma!

"21,000 meters! I can't believe Prince Menma reached 21,000 meters!"

"It's only been an hour, and he's already at 21,000 meters! the heat there could vaporize an ordinary Spirit Realm cultivator in the space of a single breath!"

"Prince Menma really deserves his reputation!"

Naruto heard the cries of surprise ringing out. Earlier, he had spent one hour inside of the pavilion to get used to the sunlight of the East Ascension Sun. Now, as he looked up into the sky, he could see the various Chosen up in their various positions high in the sky.

The highest, of course… was Menma!

He wore white garments, and floated alone at a height of 21,000 meters, grand and magnificent. Golden light surrounded him as sunlight poured into his body.

Menma's hair floated around him, making his normally handsome appearance even more shockingly elegant and graceful. Anyone who caught sight of him would be unable to withhold a cry of praise.

The three people just below Menma were Bisuke, Fū and… someone Naruto wasn't familiar with. When he had been with the other Chosen earlier, laughing and chatting, Naruto had learned that this was the Chosen from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto… Ikanago!

Seeing Ikanago reminded Naruto of someone else from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto….

"I wonder how Kazan is doing…." he thought.

When Naruto had first gotten to know all of these Chosen, Bisuke's cultivation base did not allow him to stand on a level similar to Fū. However, the magic he cultivated gave him an advantage due to being connected to the sun, and therefore, he was at the same level as the other two, 19,500 meters. Below them at the 18,000-meter mark were Mei and Shisui!

Sora, Chiriku and the others were all at the 15,000-meter level. Dei was among their number, and many were paying attention to him. The main reason for that was that he normally kept a very low profile in the Namikaze Clan, and yet on this occasion, unexpectedly made it 15,000 meters high.

Meanwhile, back in the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, many of the Elders and other powerful experts were watching events play out. The Grand Elder was one of them, and as he looked at Menma's lofty position, his face was devoid of any expression. No one who looked at him would possibly be able to guess what he was thinking.

Menma's father and grandfather sat some distance away from the Grand Elder. Both of them were smiling.

"Menma has been preparing for years, building up resources, all with the goal of reaching a height of 300,000 meters…."

"If anyone can do it, it's Menma!"

Outside of the East Ascension Pavilion, Naruto watched as everyone, including Menma and the other Chosen, slowly climbed higher and higher. As they did, the good fortune they acquired increased.

Naruto's eyes glittered.

"I haven't kept a low profile at all in the Namikaze Clan, and today will be no different!

"Moreover, this sunlight will greatly benefit my fleshly body. In fact, it's possible that… I can take my fleshly body… to the level of true Immortality!"

Naruto took a deep breath and then began to rise into the air. In one simple movement, he reached 3,000 meters. He stopped there for a moment to take a breath. The sunlight distorted as it engulfed him, and was then sucked into his mouth.

Because of the massive amounts of sunlight that Naruto was absorbing, a rumbling sound suddenly echoed out!

It was a sound created from light containing natural law being accelerated to a high speed in the process of being absorbed. It was a strange sound that first sounded like rumbling, but then, if one listened closer, sounded like an enraged roar.

As the sound spread out, it immediately attracted quite a bit of attention.

"That's Naruto!"

"What was that sound just now?"

"It's coming from around Naruto! The rays of light are distorted. He's gulping them up just like Prince Menma did!"

Naruto ignored the buzz of conversation. His body felt like it was about to burst into flames. He trembled for a moment, then closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of becoming like an incarnation of flame. His fleshly body was on fire, and because of it, was in the midst of transforming!

"Wonderful," he thought, opening his eyes. Flames danced within his pupils. He threw his head back and laughed, then proceeded on higher. He was now at the 6,000-meter position!

As soon as he arrived, the other clan members at the 6,000-meter position looked over at him. Hotarubi was there, and when he saw Naruto, he started to get excited.

Naruto took a second deep breath, sucking in more sunlight. The intense temperatures around him turned into a whirlpool, and he was completely inundated by sunlight.

Yet again, that strange noise emanated out!

Next, Naruto laughed and then proceeded on a third time, then a fourth, then a fifth!

9,000 meters. 12,000 meters. 15,000 meters!

The shocking sound echoed out yet again, three times! RUUUMMMMBLLLE!

Everything in the area shook, and the clan members sitting cross-legged on the ground, bathing in the sunlight, began to look up, startled by the sound. When they saw what was happening, their expressions flickered with shock and astonishment.

They weren't the only surprised ones. All of the people at the 15,000-meter position were shaken as they personally watched Naruto approaching at top speed. Every time he moved, he rose 3,000 meters, and creating massive rumbling sounds!

"Five steps to get 15,000 meters! Naruto… isn't just astonishingly skilled in the Dao of alchemy, his fleshly body is incredibly powerful!"

"It takes a strong cultivation base to bathe in the sunlight, but even more important is a strong fleshly body to support you! Without that, if you climb too high, you'll be instantly killed!"

In the ancestral mansion, a strange gleam could be seen in the Grand Elder's eyes as he watched Naruto. Menma's father and grandfather were frowning. As for all the direct bloodline clan members, they were starting to get excited. Hotarubi's father, 19th Uncle, was laughing happily.

Naruto took a deep breath as he hovered there at the 15,000-meter position. He took a moment to experience the shocking temperature, and the sunlight that was apparently capable of refining his body. He felt as if his entire person were being refined inside of some sort of furnace of Heaven and Earth.

"With Heaven and Earth as the furnace, pills can be refined, and so can people!" Naruto moved onward. To the shock of the other clan members at the 15,000-meter location, it only took one movement for him to shoot another 3,000 meters to the 18,000-meter position!

By this time, Menma had reached 27,000 meters. Bisuke, Ikanago, and Fū were at the 24,000-meter position, and Mei was only 3,000 meters away from Naruto's current location!

By now, all of them had noticed Naruto. Of course, none of them were surprised to see him climbing so high. Deep in all of their hearts, they had long since begun to consider Naruto to be Chosen just like them.

This was especially true of Li Linge'r, who knew that Naruto and Kazama were one and the same. Seeing him below her, she clenched her teeth and pushed on higher.

Menma, at the 27,000-meter position, wore the same facial expression as usual. When he looked down at Naruto below him, a flicker of scorn could be seen in his eyes. He didn't care that Naruto was rising higher; he chose to disregard him the way he always had.

"My goal is 300,000 meters," Menma murmured. "I don't need to compare myself to others.

"As I continue to advance on my path, I will surpass everyone and leave them in my dust….

"I will be the person that everyone tries to catch up to. Naruto… your goal is most likely to outdo me. Well, you'll have to work a bit harder. Don't get left too far behind." With that, Menma pushed higher, stepping into the 30,000-meter position.

The instant Menma stepped into the 30,000-meter position, the Namikaze Clan members started getting excited.

"30,000 meters! Prince Menma is the first person to reach 30,000 meters this time!"

"It was inevitable. A hundred years ago, Prince Menma was already close to the Immortal Realm, and in the end, he reached over 69,000 meters!"

"After a hundred years of cultivation, Prince Menma is definitely going to exceed 150,000 meters!"

Discussions raged. When he was born, Menma had not been the center of attention in the Namikaze Clan. That spot had originally been occupied by Naruto.

However, in the hundreds of years after Naruto's parents took him away from Planet East Victory, Menma slowly became the focus, and eventually, the leader of his generation of the clan.

With a status and position like that, as well as the fact that his father and grandfather were leading his bloodline into prominence, Menma had become the most famous person of his generation.

After reaching the 30,000-meter mark, Menma took a deep breath. Cracking sounds could be heard from his body as the boundless sunlight washed over him. When he looked down, he saw everyone beneath him, and although his expression was the same as ever, in his heart, he felt as if he were trampling on the world, proudly placing everyone beneath his feet.

"From up here, they look like ants.

"It is destiny. I am the first person to reach 30,000 meters, therefore, I am also destined to lead the pack the entire way. I will forever… leave everyone behind in my shadow.

"That is because I have only used thirty percent of my cultivation base to reach this 30,000-meter mark." Menma smiled and closed his eyes. After a few breaths of time, his eyes opened, and his cultivation base surged. A windstorm kicked up around him, inwardly shaking anyone who looked at it.

The windstorm grew more and more powerful. After three breaths of time, Menma advanced, causing rumbling sounds to echo out. He picked up speed as he flew up into the sky. In the blink of an eye, he was three thousand meters higher. Then six thousand. In the time it takes to breathe in and out, shockingly, he was 45,000 meters high.

He didn't stop there. He continued, his cultivation base surging. Golden light surrounded him, and he turned into a golden streak that shot to a height of 54,000 meters.

From that position, he overlooked all the lands, and his heart filled with even more intense pride.

All of the Namikaze Clan members below stared up with wide eyes. Bisuke was the second to reach 30,000 meters. After him were Fū and Ikanago, who reached 30,000 meters at almost exactly the same time.

Bisuke let out a long cry as sunlight surrounded him. He looked like he was a sun of his own, battling to outshine the sun in the sky. Amorphous flames surrounded him, and surprisingly… he did much the same as Menma had, shooting up to 45,000 meters, garnering mass attention.

However, moments later, Fū and Ikanago also unleashed their cultivation bases. To Chosen like this, reaching 30,000 meters was simply a warmup. After getting accustomed to their surroundings… they would be able to acquire the true good fortune!

The higher they got, the greater that good fortune would be!

Fū was surrounded by a magical sea that seemed to sweep her up along with it as it rose higher, to a height of 48,000 meters. At the same time, Bisuke, despite his special method, was beginning to fall behind.

Ikanago from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto was surrounded by sword light as he shot upward, reaching a spot somewhere between Fū and Bisuke.

Then there were Mei, Shisui, Sora and Chiriku, all of whom reached 30,000 meters, then unleashed their cultivation bases and began to shoot higher.

The explosive rise of the Chosen caused the Namikaze Clan members down below to be completely shocked. They knew that in the future, these Chosen would be the most powerful experts in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Were it not for the fact that they had been waiting for Immortal destiny, any one of them could have long since entered the Immortal Realm. They had built up resources and prepared for years, and once they fused with an Immortality Illumination Vine, they would instantly be able to explode to the peak of the Immortal Realm.

"30,000 meters is only the first step for them. After that, they unleash their cultivation bases, utilizing indescribable energy!"

"Luckily, our Namikaze Clan's Prince Menma is in first place!"

"With Prince Menma here, all of the other Chosen from the Ninth Mountain and Sea will have to hold the Namikaze Clan in awe!"

At the same time that the Chosen started rocketing skyward, Naruto advanced for the eighth time, then the ninth, and the tenth.

24,000 meters. 27,000 meters. 30,000 meters!

He moved with incredible speed, 3,000 meters per movement, quickly joining the group of people who had made it to the 30,000-meter point. There, he took a deep breath and looked down at the shrinking land beneath his feet. He saw the ancestral mansion, and all the vast lands surrounding it, including the mountain range that was the Dao of Alchemy Division.

The sunlight here was incredibly intense and hot, enough to melt a Spirit Realm cultivator. Of course, to Naruto… that was not enough to prevent him from advancing.

As he breathed, the heat fused into his body. Sweat poured out of him, each drop of which removed impurities from his body.

He was slowly becoming transparent, and his fleshly body was becoming increasingly powerful.

He clenched his hands into fists, cracking his knuckles as he felt himself growing stronger and stronger.

"The warmup is finished. Now… it's time to burst out!" Eyes glittering, he took a deep breath, and then, his cultivation base began to seethe, and suddenly exploded with power. A vortex formed around him in the blink of an eye.

The vortex spread out in all directions, becoming like a massive black hole that sucked in all of the light and heat and merged it into Naruto's body. In that instant, he suddenly shot up at high speed.

The sight was shocking, causing all of the countless Namikaze Clan members down below to gasp.

They watched as Naruto sped upward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Nothing could stand in his way. No obstacle could obstruct him. Rumbling filled the air as he reached 39,000 meters. 45,000 meters. 54,000 meters….

He passed Mei and the others. He passed Bisuke. He passed Fū and Ikanago. As he did, their eyes widened. Then he shot even higher.

In the blink of an eye, he reached 60,000 meters!

This development sent huge waves of shock through the Namikaze Clan members down below. Their eyes went wide with disbelief, and hoarse exclamations rang out.

"That's… that's impossible!"

"He exploded with speed after 30,000 meters, advancing another 30,000 meters in the blink of an eye! I can't believe Naruto… is so shocking!"

"He's the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. Naruto! Back when he was here in the clan, Menma was nothing. Naruto is the true Chosen of the Namikaze Clan!"

Amidst the uproar from the crowd, almost exactly at the same time as Naruto flew past the 60,000-meter mark, he was joined by Menma!

Menma was completely shocked, but his expression soon filled with determination. Without the slightest hesitation, he caused his cultivation base to surge, holding nothing back as he flew higher, neck and neck with Naruto.

At the same time, Fū and the others near her looked on in shock. Then they pushed hard with their cultivation bases, flying higher. Mei and all the other Chosen were the same. Thanks to the provocation from Naruto, all of them pushed higher.

RUMMBLLE!

From the ground, it looked like numerous beams of light were slicing through the air. Highest of all were the two beams of light that were Naruto and Menma, and it was impossible to tell who was in front and who was behind.

Further back were Fū and Ikanago, speeding along. Mei was close behind, as was Bisuke, thanks to his special technique.

As for everyone else, none were very far behind, and were working hard to catch up.

"Barely two hours have passed. And yet, each rising of the East Ascension Sun lasts for 36 days!"

"Are these people crazy, or what?! And look! Naruto is going neck and neck with Menma!"

"They're not crazy. That's called being competitive!"

The crowds below felt their hearts trembling. Hotarubi remained at a position several thousand meters up, and even there, it was difficult for him to absorb the heat and light. Despite that, he was very excited.

He looked up at Naruto shooting higher and higher, and his expression was one of extreme enthusiasm.

"Coz, you definitely have to exceed Menma!"

In the ancestral mansion, the Namikaze Clan Elders were all looking up into the sky, watching as the Chosen used this unique method to engage in battle. The Grand Elder's face was expressionless; on the other hand, Menma's father and grandfather, who were not too far away from the Grand Elder, looked extremely grim.

All of the members of the direct bloodline were very excited.

The members of the Dao of Alchemy Division were more excited than anyone else, and were all watching the developments with rapt attention.

"That's Alchemist Naruto!" people cried out. There were now more than ten tier 8 alchemists in the inner mountains who were paying close attention to the proceedings. They were smiling as they watched, but at the same time, their hands never ceased moving as they continuously concocted medicinal pills.

To the Dao of Alchemy Division, the rise of the East Ascension Sun was the perfect time to concoct fire-type medicinal pills!

Pill Elder Isago sat cross-legged on the mountain peak with the Unicorn Immortals. Shockingly, a seven-colored flame could be seen in the palm of his hand, within which a medicinal pill was beginning to form.

If Naruto were there, he would instantly recognize the pill that was being concocted. It was none other than… a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

High up in the sky, the sunlight was extremely intense. The higher one got, the more capable it was of burning away anything and everything. Menma's expression was grim as he unleashed all of his power. However, he was still incapable of passing up Naruto. At the moment, neither of them had seized the highest position.

66,000 meters. 72,000 meters. 78,000 meters. 84,000 meters….

It was at that point that Menma snorted coldly. His body trembled for a moment, and then he suddenly exploded with golden light. Within that golden light, he seemed to turn completely golden. Simultaneously, his Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and he suddenly shot up with incredible speed.

"I will always be the person you hope to exceed!" he said. Even as Naruto heard his words, Menma shot past him. In the space of a few breaths of time, Menma reached the 90,000-meter mark!

But then, Naruto's Dharma Idol appeared behind him as well, and his speed also increased dramatically. He also shot up to 90,000 meters in exactly the same way Menma had moments before!

"You think a bit too highly of yourself," he said coolly.

As soon as Menma reached the 90,000-meter mark, he paused. His looked deeply at Naruto for a moment, then ignored him and settled himself cross-legged to meditate.

Naruto's expression flickered as he realized that the sky at 90,000 meters was not blue, but almost violet. Furthermore… the sunlight here was also violet!

Apparently, 90,000 meters was a line of demarcation. Naruto hesitated for a moment, then crossed his legs and began to breathe deeply. A vortex formed around him as he began to absorb the indescribably hot, violet sunlight.

His fleshly body was now becoming even more powerful!

Soon, he would reach a critical point, the threshold of a true Immortal fleshly body!

The violet sunlight contained shocking heat. It was like a violet sea of flames that submerged Naruto inside of it, burning him inside and out. He was engulfed in flames.

The impurities within him were being thoroughly scorched away, causing his fleshly body to draw ever closer to that of a true Immortal.

Menma was also absorbing the light and heat. One by one, Fū and some of the others arrived at the 90,000-meter level. All of them crossed their legs and began to meditate, absorbing the violet sunlight to strengthen their fleshly bodies.

Most of the other cultivators were down below, beneath the 30,000-meter mark. There were only a handful who were hovering at around 60,000 meters. The division between the various groups was very clear.

In the Namikaze Clan's ancestral mansion, the Elders were watching the unfolding events closely. As they did, the conversed among themselves.

"The Heavens at 90,000 meters are violet. At 180,000 meters, they become deep violet that borders on black. At 270,000 meters, they're pitch black!"

"Each of these 3 strata of height will provide shocking results in terms of fleshly body tempering. I wonder if anyone will be able to reach 180,000 meters this time!?"

"For countless years, less than thirty people have ever been able to reach 180,000 meters."

Time passed. Eight or nine people were now at the 90,000-meter level, including Naruto. All of them had their eyes closed in meditation as they absorbed the violet sunlight. It was also possible to see vortexes spinning around all of them like black holes as they voraciously swallowed up the heat and sunlight.

The most astonishing of all of these were the black holes around Naruto and Menma, which were hundreds of meters wide, and absorbed all of the violet sunlight in their respective areas.

The entire time, it was high noon. The more than 60 hours that passed by were equivalent to the normal passing of three days.

When the 100th hour arrived, Bisuke was the first person to open his eyes. He took a deep breath as rumbling sounds echoed out. His eyes shone with a brilliant light, and incredible heat radiated off of him as he rose to his feet.

"My body has reached its limit here at 90,000 meters. An obstacle has appeared that prevents me from absorbing any more…. The only thing I can do… is to go higher and absorb more intense sunlight and heat. Only then can I destroy that barrier and push my fleshly body to another breakthrough!" He looked around at the others near him, and his gaze eventually came to rest on Naruto and Menma.

"To be born in the same era as them… is both a blessing and a curse." He sighed lightly, then gritted his teeth. Eyes shining with determination, he took a deep breath and raised his right hand. A stone suddenly appeared in his palm which, despite the violet light surrounding it, still emanated bright golden rays.

"Sun Immortal Veins!" he roared, clasping the stone tightly. Behind him, an enormous Dharma Idol appeared, several thousand meters tall. Shockingly, the Dharma Idol depicted Bisuke himself, and the Immortality Illumination Vine wrapping around it appeared to be burning.

At the same time, a pattern of veins suddenly spread out across Bisuke's entire body, causing him to surge with shocking power.

"When this is over, it doesn't matter what the level of my fleshly body is! I'm going into secluded meditation, and I'm going to break through to the Immortal Realm!" Bisuke's body burned like a shooting star as he shot past the 90,000-meter level, rapidly rising several thousand meters. He reached the 120,000-meter level in the space of a few breaths, which was when he finally started to slow down. Despite that, he gritted his teeth and continued onward.

He next broke through to 150,000 meters. At 159,000 meters, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the stone in his hand began to crumble. His body looked as if it was about to melt, but he forcibly held it together, crossed his legs, and began to meditate.

"I still have three of these precious Divine Sunstones. However… this is the absolute limit for my fleshly body. If I go forward even one more meter, then I'll die!" His expression was one of defiance, and yet, he closed his eyes and absorbed the sunlight madly.

Soon after, Chiriku opened his eyes. His energy surged like that of an Emperor as he produced a crown and placed it on his head. Then, he began to rise, struggling to a height of 156,000 meters before finally coming to a stop.

Shisui followed close behind Chiriku. His cultivation base roared as a strange aura appeared around him that seemed to contain elements of the rising sun. In his hand was a jade slip that seemed able to dispel any darkness of night that he might perceive around him. Shockingly, he rose to a height of 162,000 meters!

When the 126th hour arrived, Mei opened her eyes. At the same time, so did Sora. Neither of them looked at the other, and yet they simultaneously produced objects from within their robes.

Mei pulled out a magical bottle that rose to float above her head. Occasionally, drops of liquid would seep out. When they splashed onto Mei, they transformed into steam that she then absorbed.

Sora pulled out a Esoteric Compass composed entirely of translucent crystal, which emanated a pulsating Chakra that he breathed in through his nose and mouth.

Similar to Bisuke, these two were using items prepared especially for them by their respective organizations, treasures useful in resisting sunlight. Their energy surged, and they shot higher up at almost the exact same time.

"They're Chosen, but so am I!" thought Sora. "Only by trampling them beneath my feet can I succeed in treading my path!"

"Immortal destiny has appeared, and I have an Immortality Illumination Vine," thought Mei. "I can see my path to Immortality, and I will succeed!"

120,000 meters. 150,000 meters…. At 165,000 meters, Sora coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body was wreathed in flames, and he finally had no choice but to stop. Mei held on until 174,000 meters before stopping, her face pale. Blood oozed out of her mouth, which instantly transformed into a bloody steam.

Sora chuckled bitterly, closed his eyes, and began to absorb sunlight. Mei said nothing. She looked at the 180,000-meter position, only a few thousand meters away, and sighed inwardly.

Her current position was the absolute limit for her fleshly body.

Time passed. When the 200th hour arrived, Ikanago from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto and Fū both opened their eyes. They, too, produced sun-resisting treasures and flew up at high speed. They passed everyone, reaching 177,000 meters before their faces went pale and they started to slow down. However, they still managed to force their way to a height of 180,000 meters before they each coughed up three successive mouthfuls of blood, then trembled and settled down cross-legged, their bodies wreathed in flames.

This scene caused all the observing Namikaze Clan members to tremble inwardly with shock.

"They… really deserve to be called Chosen!"

"All of them are fighting with all of their might! For their own Dao, for the path they wish to tread!"

"As Chosen, the pressure they feel and the responsibility they have are equally weighty! They aren't willing to let others supersede them, and they're all striving to leave behind their own mark of glory…."

When the 240th hour arrived, only Naruto and Menma remained at the 90,000-meter mark. At this point, Menma's eyes opened, and he looked over at Naruto, his expression grim.

"Still haven't reached your limit yet…? Well, that doesn't matter. Goals are everything, and I… have only one goal. To reach 300,000 meters!" Eyes shining brightly, he rose to his feet. Unlike the other Chosen, he used no precious treasure. Instead, his energy burst out, sending golden light emanating out in all directions.

Finally, his Dharma Idol appeared!

In addition to the golden light, his body emanated the aura of reincarnation. It grew stronger and stronger until, in the end, it created a vortex around him. Menma then began to rise up higher into the sky.

In one move, he rose 30,000 meters!

When he reached 120,000 meters, he began to slow down. However, Fū and everyone else up ahead him looked on with wide eyes.

"He's not using any magical items! He's relying only on his cultivation base and his fleshly body!"

"He's using a unique divine ability. That's the aura of reincarnation…. That must be one of the Namikaze Clan's special magics, One Thought Reincarnation Incantation!"

Everyone in the Namikaze Clan was watching as Menma reached the 120,000-meter mark, including the Elders in the ancestral mansion.

"Reincarnation Second Life!" roared Menma. Immediately, the aura of reincarnation that surrounded him exploded out. Rumbling could be heard as, shockingly… a second Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

This Dharma Idol didn't look like his first Dharma Idol. It was blurry and unclear.

As soon as the second Dharma Idol appeared, Menma's body flickered, and he continued to advance, quickly reaching a height of 150,000 meters.

A hubbub of conversation rose up from down below, and shock filled the hearts of Sora and the other Chosen.

"Reincarnation Third Life!" Menma cried out. As his shocking call echoed about… a third Dharma Idol appeared behind him. His cultivation base roared to monstrous heights as he advanced a third time. Rumbling could be heard as he instantly reached a height of 180,000 meters!

He planned to put everyone beneath his feet!

All the crowds were in an uproar. Actually, not everyone in the Namikaze Clan could actually see 180,000 meters into the sky. Only the most powerful experts could do so. However, those who could see were incredibly excited, especially the members of Menma's bloodline, who were elated.

"The Reincarnation Incantation can reincarnate four lives. Prince Menma's latent talent is so shocking that he's already refined three lives!"

"He… he isn't even in the Immortal Realm yet! Once he breaks through, he'll definitely be a 90-meridian peak Immortal!"

"With a Chosen like that, our Namikaze Clan is destined to last throughout the ages!"

Menma hovered at a height of 180,000 meters. From this vantage point, he could see the arcing curvature of the planet, and almost seemed to be floating in the starry sky. He did not cough up any blood as he looked down at the other Chosen with their varied expressions, and at Naruto.

When he looked at Naruto, he realized that Naruto's eyes were not closed. Instead, he was staring back at Menma with an abstruse look in his eyes.

Naruto had actually opened his eyes earlier, when Menma had begun to fly up. The instant their eyes met, Menma could see a piercing glow in Naruto's eyes, and a smile on his face.

Next, Naruto's lips moved slightly, and although he didn't speak, Menma instantly knew what he was saying.

"Are my Nirvana Fruits working well for you?"

Immediately, Menma's eyes widened, and his expression turned grim.

When Menma started flying higher into the sky earlier, Naruto awoke from meditation, not naturally, but because he had felt the intense sensation of something calling to him, something very familiar.

That sense of familiarity came from Menma.

It was a sensation like nothing else, and it came specifically from Menma's second and third Dharma Idols. It was now obvious that they were calling out to Naruto's blood.

He had felt that there was something familiar about Menma's aura from the very beginning. He'd had his speculations, but it wasn't until now that those speculations were validated. 1

From Menma's second and third Dharma Idols, Naruto got the feeling that… they actually belonged to him.

They were… manifestations of his Nirvana Fruits!

Now that the truth had presented itself in front of Naruto, he was unexpectedly calm. The entire clan had witnessed the Grand Elder giving him "his" Nirvana Fruits, so bringing up the subject would be useless.

Naruto smiled, a cold smile that contained no anger, but rather, calmness.

He slowly stood up, then began to fly upward, relying on no magical items to resist the sunlight and heat. He put the matter of the Nirvana Fruits aside for now, and instead focused on a Daoist incantation.

Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

Flame Character Incantation!

A blistering heat rose up inside of him that rapidly spread throughout his entire body. The heat turned into a sea of flames that spread out from Naruto, raging up to merge with the violet sunlight and absorb its heat.

His Dharma Idol appeared behind him, and it was also surrounded by a sea of flames, making it look incredibly shocking.

In that moment, his fleshly body seemed to be on the verge of making a breakthrough as he madly absorbed all of the intense heat around him.

Within his mind was not just the Flame Character Incantation; he also had the Withering Character Incantation and the Self Character Incantation. These three Daoist incantations all seemed to merge together inside of him. Under the intense heat, Naruto's body began to wither, and yet, within that withering was an intense life force. 2

In fact, as he withered, more violet sunlight and even more intense heat were incited by the Flame Character Incantation, causing his body to recover. The withering was then focused inside of him, transforming into a true black hole.

Naruto's Flame Character Incantation rapidly solidified as it absorbed the vast amounts of violet sunlight, causing the incantation to become thoroughly completed.

"The Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao contains seven incantations," Naruto murmured. As of this moment, he gained more understanding of this Daoist magic that he had picked up in that primordial Demon Immortal Sect.

"Even so, it doesn't quite measure up to the Namikaze Clan's Reincarnation Incantation." Naruto sighed. The One Thought Reincarnation Incantation was one of the four great Daoist magics of the Namikaze Clan, and was famous throughout the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Those four great Daoist magics were Daos of the clan, and even Naruto couldn't study them unless he exchanged enough merit points for it. Even then, he wouldn't personally be able to master them without the help of a Patriarch-level expert.

"Fire…. Light…." Naruto was suddenly lost in thought, and began to see images in his mind. Within the vision, he saw a spherical mass of fire and light that was like a sun, or an eye.

It was none other than… the Essence of Divine Flame beneath the lands of Lands of Ninshu!

That was the most intense mass of fire and light that Naruto had ever seen in his entire life!

He closed his eyes and began to recall his experience with the Essence of Divine Flame. Things began to grow clearer as he remembered returning to the third level of the underground land. In the moment that he had acquired some of that Essence, what he had seen was not the light of a sun, but rather… the flaming eye formed by the Essence of Divine Flame!

In the same moment that Naruto was experiencing this vision, back in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, in the third level of that underground land, a place guarded by all the bizarre beasts, within a world of flames, the eye of the Essence of Divine Flame suddenly… opened!

The moment that the eye opened, it seemed to form a resonance with the image of the Essence of Divine Flame that existed in Naruto's mind. Rumbling sounds could be heard, and Naruto's energy level suddenly began to rise.

At the same time, the sea of flames around Naruto suddenly turned black. They swirled around him, transforming into an enormous spherical globe.

Naruto existed in the very center of that globe, held up by his Dharma Idol. From a distance, it almost looked like he had… become a sun!

This sun was far bigger and more realistic than the sun created by Bisuke's divine ability, and the heat it radiated was boundless.

Down in the ancestral mansion, the faces of the Elders who were watching the scene instantly flickered with shock. Even the Grand Elder, who had remained completely calm this entire time, felt his eyes going wide.

"That's… a projection! A projection of the sun!"

"What divine ability is Naruto using!? I can't believe he's created a projection of the actual sun!"

"In all the past years, only two people have ever created a projection of the sun during the rise of the East Ascension Sun, and they were Patriarchs, tens of thousands of years ago! And yet Naruto… is actually doing just that!"

Deep down in the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion, in a stony cavern, seven archaic old men sat cross-legged.

These seven were all incredibly famous figures. If they emerged into the outside world, they would cause a huge stir in the starry sky, and could suppress all living things.

They sat cross-legged in meditation, and looked as if no aura of life existed in them whatsoever. The color of their clothing was varied, and currently, the old man who wore a crimson robe suddenly opened his eyes.

He slowly raised his head, and his gaze penetrated through the rock and stone into the outside world.

"The aura of Essence…."

Back outside, in the 90,000-meter position up in the sky, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. To those looking on, it appeared as if he was surrounded by a projection of the sun. However, Naruto knew that this was not the case. Instead… he had used his memories of the Essence of Divine Flame, as well as the Flame Character Incantation, to borrow the power of the sun and copy its image.

He looked up at Menma in his position at the 180,000-meter mark, and his expression became even more placid than before. Then, he lifted his right leg and then pushed it down, propelling himself high into the air!

It was one movement, but it caused massive rumbling to fill the air. The void rippled, and even the sun high in the sky seemed to distort. At the same time, the sun surrounding Naruto began to expand.

The path that stretched out in front of Naruto's eyes seemed to shrink, as if the intervening 90,000 meters were nothing more than a single meter!

One movement spanned a single meter… but caused him to leap 90,000 meters! 3

He passed Mei, superseded Chiriku and Bisuke, and appeared directly above Fū!

He… moved directly to a height of 180,000 meters. When he appeared next to Menma, Menma's eyes widened, and he shook visibly.

Naruto was now radiating boundless violet light in the shape of a sun. It was a sight that shook Heaven and Earth, leaving everyone astonished. People watching from down below even had the mistaken impression that the sun had descended!

"You!" said Menma. This was the first time he had become flustered. His face flickered, and he was so shaken by Naruto that he involuntarily retreated backward.

Fū was panting as she stared up at Naruto. She had to admit that as of this moment, Naruto was shocking even to her. He had formed a projection of the sun, and crossed 90,000 meters in a single movement! It was terrifying!

Ikanago of the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto looked on with a sharp gaze, virtually unable to believe the feeling of defeat that existed in his heart.

Mei took a deep breath as she gaped in shock. She knew that Naruto was Kazama, and she knew that with his latent talent, he was the number one figure in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Even still, she was once again completely shaken by him.

Gradually, Naruto's position in her mind was reaching the pinnacle, like a huge mountain that was impossible to supersede.

Sora trembled and bitterly lowered his head. Bisuke stared blankly for a long moment before sighing.

"It is a blessing to be able to live in the same age as him, and thus, bear witness to his actions. It is a curse… because his brilliance casts everyone else in shadow."

Shisui's fists were clenched tightly, and deep inside, he wanted to fight. His gaze was defiant as he repeatedly told himself that his surname was Uchiha, and that the surname Uchiha… had a very special meaning!

To be a Chosen of the Uchiha Clan meant that you didn't lose to anyone!

Chiriku was shaken, and chuckled bitterly. He actually had no desire to compete with Naruto, and yet, he still sighed.

Naruto hovered at the 180,000-meter position. Here, the sky was deep violet, almost black. It was so dark that only by looking closely could you pick up the violet hues. In addition, the sunlight was vastly more powerful than at the 90,000-meter position, so much so that it seemed capable of melting the body.

Even magical items would be instantly transformed into a liquid that would quickly become nothing more than steam.

However, Naruto's expression was calm. He was like a black hole, furiously absorbing the sunlight and heat. The sun that surrounded him looked just as magnificent as the sun that hung up above in the Heavens.

Naruto turned to look at the grim-faced Menma.

"Menma," he said calmly. "Do you want to have a little competition? Let's see… who can go the highest!"

Menma's eyes widened as he stared at Naruto.

"We don't even need to bet anything specific," Naruto said with a slight smile. "However, the winner will get to punch the loser. Once. It's just that… I really feel like punching you."

Menma snorted coldly, declining to say anything in response. Instead, he responded with action. The three Dharma Idols behind him suddenly exploded with power, and he himself shot high up into the sky.

Naruto's expression was the same as usual. As soon as Menma flew up, he followed, and the two of them turned into bright streaks of light that shot upward.

In the blink of an eye, they had reached 210,000 meters!

Naruto's entire body was covered in flames. The sun which surrounded him was still in place, despite the fact that the light and heat here was ten times as powerful as it had been at the 180,000-meter position. Menma was trembling, and the Dharma Statues behind him fell to pieces. Gritting his teeth, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a medicinal pill, which he immediately swallowed.

It was a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, and as soon as he consumed it, he threw his head back and roared, then shot even higher than before.

225,000 meters. 240,000 meters!

The sky was now completely black. Menma's body was in flames, and fissures were spreading out across his skin. Even with the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, he was incapable of staying at such a height for very long.

Naruto's sun was beginning to collapse, and his body withered. His flesh and blood appeared to be evaporating and dispersing. The intensity at the 240,000-meter position was ten times as powerful as before, and the heat and light had reached a terrifying level. However, even as his body withered, he looked over at Menma with a cold gaze.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Can't keep up?"

To Menma, this incredible heat and light was terrifying. It was the same for Naruto. However, there was something unique about Naruto; however ruthlessly he treated others… he treated himself even more ruthlessly.

Naruto also had a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, and yet, he didn't consume it. He wanted to use Menma's arrogance to bring him down, to openly, and without any tricks, mess with him until he was destroyed and brought to ruin!

He also wanted to damage Menma's Dao heart, by defeating him without even needing to consume a single medicinal pill. It would be like a mortal blow to Menma.

Considering Menma's level of intelligence, how could he not understand that Naruto was leading him on? This was obviously… a battle for the position of number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan!

As of this moment, all of the Namikaze Clan's experts, all of the Elders, and even the Grand Elder, were paying rapt attention!

Menma's eyes were bright red as he glared at Naruto. The pride in his heart had been trampled upon; he had already consumed the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, and yet… he was still not able to shake Naruto.

Even more impossible for him to accept was that from the very beginning until now, Naruto still had not used any external aid. He was relying only on his fleshly body and cultivation base, and yet was still capable of reaching this incredible height.

That fact was a massive blow to Menma.

"I'm the number one Chosen of the Namikaze Clan!" he thought, gritting his teeth. "From the moment I was born, I was destined… to shake the Ninth Mountain and Sea!" He lifted his right hand, within which appeared a bone fragment.

It was covered with intricately carved magical symbols, and emanated a barbaric aura, as well as a feeling of incredible ancientness. Menma violently clenched his hand around the bone fragment, which did not fracture, but rather sank down into the flesh of his palm.

Drops of blood appeared, along with a faint, bizarre power. As the pieces of the bone fragment merged into his body, Menma began to tremble, and blue veins popped out on his face.

"I, Menma… will never lose!" As he spoke the words, rumbling echoed out, and he once again rose higher into the sky.

Naruto's eyes flickered. He could have allowed his Eternal Stratum to heal him, but had not done so yet. He wanted to completely and utterly destroy Menma's self-confidence, to thoroughly crush him and drag him down into destruction.

Enduring the intense light and heat, Naruto also shot upward.

The two of them became beams of colorful light as they ascended. Anyone who could see them, be they the Chosen from the various clans or the Namikaze Clan experts, watched as Naruto and Menma shot up into the sky with determination and roiling energy.

249,000 meters!

Rumbling echoed out at this incredibly high position. Blood sprayed from Menma's mouth; even with the power of the bone fragment, he had barely managed to force his way those extra 9,000 meters higher. This position was truly his final limit.

He had possessed only one Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. Such pills were rare, even for Menma. His father and grandfather had paid a steep price to get their hands on a single Skypalace Sunspirit Pill from the Dao of Alchemy Division.

After all, the Dao of Alchemy Division could act autonomously in the clan, and not even the Grand Elder could give them orders, unless the clan was in a state of war.

In the same moment that Menma couldn't hold out any longer, the black sun surrounding Naruto suddenly crumbled away in layers, transforming into countless fragments that rapidly evaporated due to the intense heat.

Naruto was now completely exposed, and his skin began to wither up. Soon, he looked like nothing more than a desiccated corpse that might melt away into death at any moment.

And yet, his eyes sparkled as he looked at Menma.

"Admit defeat?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Menma's heart trembled as he gazed upon Naruto's intense strength. He saw Naruto's withered body, and to Menma, it appeared as if he could proceed higher only a few hundred meters, Naruto would be unable to keep up, and would be killed by the power of the sun.

As he hovered there silently, a gleam of madness suddenly appeared in his eyes. He said nothing, but instead threw his head back and let out a mighty roar. His body shook as his three Dharma Idols suddenly appeared.

"Three Lives of Reincarnation! Glory of a Lifetime!" he howled, flashing an incantation gesture that caused all three Dharma Idols to superimpose. Next, an aura that appeared to be Menma's rose up, growing stronger and stronger until it reached a boundless level.

"I am Menma, and I… will NEVER lose!" He clenched his teeth and once again rose up higher, surrounded by rumbling sounds. As he soared higher, his body began to wither, and the flame of his life force began to grow dim. And yet, looking every bit like a shooting star, he continued to rise higher.

252,000 meters. 258,000 meters. 267,000 meters!

Menma's blood was being transformed into mist as he pushed himself higher. Naruto followed silently, and his body became even more withered. His cultivation base was in full rotation, and his Dharma Idol was supporting him from behind. His energy was operating at the full peak.

Especially noteworthy was his Immortal meridian, which glowed with intense light that filled his body. A Blood Demon head materialized around him, and the Ninth Mountain appeared, as well as the Black White Pearls.

He also used A Writ of Karma, as well as various other divine abilities and magical techniques. His aura surged to its limit as he combined everything at his disposal to keep pace with Menma. Soon, he too arrived at the 267,000-meter position.

It was at that point that Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body was now withered virtually to its limit, to the point where it seemed that if Menma took only one more step, Naruto would be left behind and would be unable to keep up.

Menma looked at Naruto, and his eyes blazed with the desire to fight. From the very beginning until this very moment, Naruto had constantly seemed to be on the verge of death. And yet, as he advanced, he was not melted by the sun.

Menma had already gone all out, and had almost reached 270,000 meters, and yet, it seemed that he would be incapable of surpassing Naruto.

Both Naruto and Menma hovered at 267,000 meters, and neither one of them was in the lead position.

"Naruto…." said Menma. He gazed at Naruto with a look of madness. Panting, he slowly lifted up his right foot. It was a simple motion, but it caused his body to tremble violently, clearly on the verge of complete collapse.

At that point, back down in the ancestral mansion, Menma's father's face fell, and he suddenly called out.

"Menma, just remain in that position and meditate! Get used to your surroundings before proceeding higher!" It wasn't just Menma's father who had such a reaction. There were other Elders of his bloodline who all started calling out to Menma to stop trying to get higher.

"Menma, don't fall into his vicious plot! Don't be rash!"

"Menma, you need to rest and adjust your breathing! Your goal has nothing to do with other people, it is Heaven itself!"

Menma said nothing. Neither did Naruto, who simply hovered off to the side, looking coldly at Menma.

Time passed. After the space of several breaths had passed, Menma's eyes suddenly filled with determination and he stared at Naruto.

"I know the meaning behind your actions earlier," he said. "I also know what you're trying to do. You want to coax me into competing with you in the hopes of delivering a blow to my Dao heart. Such things… I understand." His eyes gleamed with the light of obsession.

"However!" he continued. "I am Menma, and I won't lose to anyone. You want to fight? Then let's fight! You want to compete? I'll compete with you! I'm going to move one step further, and if you're good enough, see if you can keep up!" Eyes bloodshot, Menma lowered his right foot and moved higher again.

In that instant, his grandfather let out a bellow of rage.

"Menma, get back here!"

Rumbling echoed out. As Menma finished moving up, blood spurted out all over his body, and his hair was burned completely away. His skin began to burst, and he appeared to be engulfed in a sea of flames.

He even began to stagger, as if he couldn't support his own weight. However, at the same time that this was happening, Naruto also moved higher. Similar rumbling echoed out, and he was also inundated in a sea of flames. He also began to tremble, and yet… he remained solidly in place. Then he looked back at at Menma.

Blood sprayed from Menma's mouth, and he tumbled backward.

Naruto expression was a complicated one. There were actually some things about Menma that he felt to be worthy of praise. He had stubborness, which was something incredibly valuable to cultivators. However, everything was a matter of perspective, and because of the way things were, Naruto could never sympathize with him.

"You're simply not good enough," he said calmly. "You even have my Nirvana Fruits, and yet you still don't measure up." Those words were like a sharp sword that stabbed directly into Menma's heart. His face went ashen, and he coughed up more blood.

"All you did was get one step past me!" he said, gritting his teeth as the flames surged around his body. He had only fallen back one pace, but then held his place, forcing his body to stay together as he glared at Naruto.

"One step?" said Naruto softly. It was at this point that he unleashed his Eternal stratum. It exploded out, and in the blink of an eye, Naruto's withered frame began to heal. His hair grew out long, and his skin shone with a gleaming luster. All of his injuries were now completely restored!

This development caused Menma's face to fall again. His mind reeled, and the blood drained from his face as he tumbled further backward.

"Impossible! This… this…."

"Why do you think it's impossible?" Naruto said coolly. With that, his body flickered, except, instead of moving up higher, he appeared directly in front of Menma.

"You lose," he said, and with that, he punched out toward Menma.

Menma's three Dharma Idols reappeared as Naruto's the punch descended, and the aura of reincarnation exploded out. He went all out to resist Naruto, and yet, at that moment, Naruto said four words.

"A Writ of Karma!"

BOOOMMM!

One devastating punch slammed into Menma, sending him hurtling from a height of 270,000 meters in the sky all the way down toward the ground.

One devastating punch shattered two of Menma's three Dharma Idols. Those Dharma Idols had been formed from Naruto's Nirvana Fruits, and by forming ties of destiny with them using A Writ of Karma, they were instantly shattered and sealed.

The deeper the Karma, the more intense the power!

In the instant that Naruto's blow landed, seven or eight figures shot up from the ground below to appear around Menma. They grabbed him, and immediately poured cultivation base power into him to heal him. Then they looked up angrily at Naruto, killing intent surging.

At the same time, more than a hundred powerful streams of divine sense immediately formed near Naruto. From the look of it, if he made any further threatening actions toward Menma, they would exterminate him immediately.

Even more shocking, the Grand Elder's gaze shot up to the 270,000-meter position, where it hung over Naruto like an infinitely sharp blade, ready to cleave his life force away.

When Naruto sensed all of the divine sense focused on him, as well as the murderous looks being given him by the seven or eight elders down below, he simply smiled arrogantly.

He had never had any plans to wrest back his Nirvana Fruits and kill Menma. If he did do something like that, it would be in a way that nobody in the entire clan could voice a word of dissent.

He had punched Menma just now for the purpose of teaching him a lesson, nothing else.

Of course, it was a very tough lesson.

Ignoring all of the divine sense, the murderous looks from the seven or eight Elders down below, and the gaze of the Grand Elder, Naruto looked up into the pitch black sky, and his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"I wonder… how far up I can get?!" With that, he turned and transformed into a beam of light that shot upward. Everyone down below watched in shock as he rocketed upward. Apparently… Menma was nothing more than a passing distraction who, after being surpassed, wasn't worth looking back at.

To the cultivators down below, Naruto turning and heading further up into the sky made their impression of him grow even greater. As for the Chosen up in the sky with him, the increasing distance between him and them seemed to represent the vast difference in their levels, a difference that only continued to increase.

Profound sensations of utter defeat and powerlessness appeared in their hearts.

Fū watched silently, even defiantly. After a long moment, her eyes glittered.

"He has his road, and I have my path. His road and my path might have different ends, but… the journey is the most important part!"

Ikanago's eyes widened as he looked at Naruto. He felt incredible pressure that, for some reason, made catching up to Naruto become his new primary goal.

Chiriku, Bisuke, and Sora all watched silently. Deep in their hearts, all of them had a similar feeling; being born in the same age as Naruto was both a blessing and a curse. Gradually, they began to form a sympathetic resonance with him, and yet, that resonance quickly shattered and was replaced with looks of determined obsession. This was the case even with Chiriku.

"This is just a little contest about the sun," he thought. "The path into the future is long; there will be plenty of other chances to outdo him."

Mei was the only one among the group who understood Naruto better than everyone else. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her teeth grated together as she rotated her cultivation base and began to rise up into the sky.

Shisui was panting. He stared at Naruto getting further and further away, and the desire to fight him burned within his eyes.

Down on the ground, the Grand Elder sat there silently, as did the clan members from the neutral bloodlines. No one viewed Naruto with indifference, the way they had previously. Things had changed.

Looking at Naruto now made them feel as if they were looking at a future Paragon!

This was even true of the Grand Elder. Now, there was something different flickering in his eyes as he watched Naruto.

Of course, there was no need to even mention the members of the direct bloodline, who were boiling with excitement.

The only people who were grim-faced were the members of Menma's bloodline. Their killing intent was strong as they looked at Menma up in midair, coughing up blood. Although there were clan members next to him, healing him, the injuries to his fleshly body were so great that he was incapable of preventing his Dharma Idols from collapsing.

That collapse seemed to contain the power of some sort of natural law, as if something had been indelibly branded onto Menma's soul. He could only watch as two of his three Dharma Idols shattered into countless pieces that were unable to reform.

Menma's father and grandfather even teleported up to him. His grandfather scanned his wounds, and his face grew extremely unsightly.

"What a vicious little son of a bitch," he said, killing intent flickering in his eyes. "This is the power of Karma. That bastard must be connected to the Hebi Clan somehow. He's sealed Menma's Dharma Idols!"

Menma's face was ashen, but he remained calm. He even prevented his father from treating his injuries, and hovered there in midair, teetering unsteadily as he looked at Naruto far, far up above.

Naruto was a beam of light high up in the air, shooting higher and higher. He looked almost like a bird, wreathed in flames. He was not living within those flames, but being consumed by them, an undying phoenix with burning wings that soared high into the sky!

As he soared through the air, the essence of the Flying Rain-Dragon that had existed inside of him for so long suddenly surged into action, causing a gentle power to spread throughout his body.

270,000 meters!

276,000 meters!

282,000 meters!

Even when he reached that position, he continued to go higher. The determination in his eyes increased, and the flames that burned his body raged into a peak of intensity. Even with the healing of his Eternal stratum, he would soon be completely destroyed.

However, the impending failure of his Eternal stratum didn't cause Naruto to hesitate. He immediately pulled out… the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill that he had personally concocted!

This would be his first time consuming the pill, and the first time he would rely on its power. As soon as the pill entered his mouth, his body filled with rumbling, and a boundless life force exploded out from within him. It was fiery, and contained a light and heat which stemmed from Heaven and Earth, from plants and vegetation, from the twelve 2-hour time periods in a day. That light and heat then transformed into a flame of life force.

As that flame surged inside of him, it caused his Eternal stratum to suddenly roar to life.

285,000 meters. 291,000 meters. 297,000 meters!

He flew like a phoenix reborn from within the flames, as if he had been born with the will to soar, as if he was a sovereign of the sky, a Flying Rain-Dragon!

As the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill dissolved and spread through his body, not only did it fill him with a boundless life force, it also caused his fleshly body to grow even tougher than before.

It was as if a sun now existed inside of him, a sun that radiated an everburning light and heat. It even made it so that Naruto seemed to form a resonance with Heaven and Earth, and with the sun that existed outside of the starry sky.

That resonance caused Naruto to suddenly be partially enlightened regarding certain natural laws, although they were vague and he couldn't quite grasp them. He could sense that these natural laws contained the Dao of the sun, a Dao that became clearer the closer one got to the sun itself.

"If I had one more Skypalace Sunspirit Pill…." he thought. His eyes glittered as he used the power of the pill to begin to push himself through the final stretch to reach 300,000 meters!

RUMBLE!

He rose up like a blazing sun, the focus of all attention as he… passed the 300,000 meter mark!

Throughout countless years, and all the generations of Chosen, no one in the Immortal Realm or under had ever reached this height. From his position, Naruto could see the vast majority of Planet East Victory.

All of the other Chosen in midair stared with wide eyes. All of the other powerful experts of the Namikaze Clan were completely silent for a moment before bursting into conversation.

"He… he flew up to 300,000 meters!"

"From ancient times until now in the Namikaze Clan, nobody in the Immortal Realm or under has ever reached 300,000 meters! Naruto is the first!"

"Unheard-of! This Naruto has suppressed all of the other Chosen, even Prince Menma! He's now the complete center of attention!"

As the conversations buzzed in the ancestral mansion, the Elders' eyes filled with strange gleams.

Of course, the Elders were able to keep themselves under control much better than everyone else. Naruto really was the first person in the Immortal Realm or under to ever reach 300,000 meters. However, there were in fact a few Ancient Realm cultivators who could accomplish this same thing.

And yet, this trial by fire of fleshly body tempering was good fortune set aside for members of the younger generation. The clan experts of the Ancient Realm held their training sessions in other places.

Menma stared fixedly at Naruto's receding figure. Watching him reach a height of 300,000 meters felt like having a massive fist slam ruthlessly into his chest. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and his expression darkened. Inside, he was nearly going mad with defiance.

"I should be up there… not him!"

As everyone was shaken mentally, Naruto hovered at 300,000 meters. It was impossible to breathe this high up, but with Naruto's cultivation base, he didn't need to breathe. He hovered there like a peerless Paragon.

Because of his Eternal stratum, his fleshly body was very close to that of a true Immortal. Furthermore, he tread a path that was different than everyone else, a path that even exceeded Pill Demon and his true Immortal destiny. His path… was to become a true Immortal among true Immortals!

His was a path in which he relied only on himself. He needed no Immortal destiny. He would move directly into true Immortality. In fact… among the few people who tread such a path, his was unique. He already had an Immortal meridian inside of him, an Immortal meridian… from a primordial Daoist Rite Temple!

All of these things were reasons why he now hovered above 300,000 meters!

Here, the light and heat surrounded Naruto in a strange way. He couldn't see the light, or feel the heat… he existed inside of the light, and was being smelted in the heat itself.

He slowly looked up, and began to tremble as his fleshly body was tempered to an even greater degree.

Up ahead of him was the boundless starry sky, and then beyond that, he could see… the actual, true sun!

It was an enormous, crimson sphere, seemingly in the depths of the starry sky, illuminating everything.

When Naruto looked at it, he could sense the Dao of the sun, much more clearly than before. However, it still wasn't clear enough. Even flying up 300,000 meters left the sun too far away!

"My fleshly body is just a hair away from a breakthrough!"

His eyes filled with determination. Everyone believed that he had reached the ends of the sky and could go no further. However, he charged onward, using the power of his cultivation base, his fleshly body, and the sun of the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill to support him as he flew.

303,000 meters. 309,000 meters. 315,000 meters…. His flight speed was not incredible. Time went by, and he continued higher!

Everyone down below was in a complete uproar.

"I can't believe he's still going!"

"300,000 is an end mark! Going any further vastly increases the danger. At a certain point, he's going to step into the starry sky. That's a place where only Dao Realm experts can enter!"

"What is he doing…?"

Chosen. Clan members. Everyone was astonished.

When he reached 315,000 meters, everyone thought that he was finished. But then…

The constant cyclical interchange between his Eternal stratum and the light and heat caused his fleshly body to begin to emit rumbling sounds. A white light then exploded out from inside of him!

As soon as the light appeared, anyone who could see it gasped. Even the Chosen who felt so separated from him were instantly shocked.

"That white light… it's…."

"That's Immortal light!"

"That's a type of true Immortal light of Heaven and Earth that only appears right before the fleshly body reaches the true Immortal level!"

Fū and all the other Chosen felt their minds reeling. The Elders of the Namikaze Clan, and other members of the clan who could see the light, were all trembling inwardly.

Menma saw the light, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. Even his father and grandfather felt as if they were being struck by lightning, and gaped in shock.

Many people immediately flew out from within the ancestral mansion to look up into the sky. Their expressions were first that of astonishment, then disbelief, and finally, amazement!

"Immortal light…" The Grand Elder was struck speechless, something that rarely happened.

"I can't believe he's forming Immortal light!" In the stony cavern deep beneath the ancestral mansion, the withered old man in the crimson robe was watching with a gaze that blazed like fire.

"Could it be that someone from the Namikaze Clan… will finally be able to look down on the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea? After all these years, will there be another rarely seen… fleshly body true Saint!?"

Cultivators in the Immortal Realm who had true Immortal fleshly bodies were called Saints!

Saints are victorious, so the term itself implied that they were unrivaled in the Immortal Realm! If a true Immortal cultivation base was then added on top of that, then… that person would be a true Immortal and a true Saint at the same time. That was… a Paragon! 1

That was… an invincible Paragon of the Immortal Realm!

All of that would be preceded by light.

Immortal light!

Before the true Immortal fleshly body appeared, white light would shine out. Immortal Chakra would naturally exude from within that light, creating a unique color, which was none other than that unique Immortal light!

Only… when a true Saint fleshly body appeared, would it be possible… to see that light!

Within the light, Naruto trembled slightly. He could feel the dense Immortal Chakra in the light around him, a Chakra that did not come from the outside world, but rather, had grown inside his body.

It was as if it had been hidden in his blood vessels, concealed in his soul, obscured within his life force!

When the Immortal light appeared, it came with dense Immortal Chakra. Naruto's fleshly body began to emanate rumbling sounds as it rose madly toward the state of being a true Immortal fleshly body.

A flame burned deep inside of Naruto's eyes as an incredible power surged up within him. In that moment, he began to fly. He had long since stopped paying attention to the flow of time. From the moment he had flown out of the pavilion until now, more than half of the East Ascension Sun's 36 days had passed. By now, only 15 days remained. And yet, Naruto had not stopped moving.

318,000 meters. 324,000 meters….

330,000 meters!

The light surrounding him grew stronger and more intense!

There was more Immortal Chakra, and the light and heat that existed in the blackness of space had turned into something like a cocoon, wrapping around Naruto, waiting… to be broken open to reveal new life!

The cocoon also nourished him, making Naruto's new life force grow even stronger!

His eyes glowed with an obsession to become more powerful. Therefore, he didn't stop, but instead, pushed onward. A soaring phoenix circled around him, which was the manifestation of the will of his soul. He roared like a Flying Rain-Dragon, which was caused by the will of the sovereign of the skies that nestled inside of him.

RUMBLE!

333,000 meters!

"Still not enough!" thought Naruto, squinting his eyes against the blinding light around him. By now, the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill inside of him had been thoroughly absorbed. At this height, even surrounded by Immortal light, his body was still burning up. It was something that was impossible for him to deal with; even his Eternal stratum couldn't keep him going. Unless he stopped, then when the cocoon around him broke, he would die.

"There's another way…." he thought, his eyes glittering. He suddenly extended his hand, causing a black flame to appear in his palm.

"I can concoct a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill right here and now! I don't have the medicinal plants, so I'll have to use the grand alchemic Dao of creating something from nothing!"

His eyes gleamed with determination as he suddenly stopped in place. Enduring the incredible scorching heat, he held out his hand, causing the flame to grow. At the same time, the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill formula suddenly appeared in his mind.

Creating something from nothing was using one's imagination to materialize a real medicinal pill. That pill could not be consumed by anyone else, nor could it be sensed by others. Only the person who concocted it would be able to see it and consume it.

"At this height of 333,000 meters, there is incredible light and heat. These are the optimal conditions for concocting a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!" He closed his eyes and performed an incantation with his left hand, simultaneously imagining the medicinal ingredients he needed. Then he waved his hand, causing the light and heat to swirl around into the image of several medicinal plants, which he then grabbed with his right hand.

His right hand was like a grand furnace of Heaven and Earth, blazing hot and bright.

All of his energy was focused on the medicinal pill. He relied on the Immortal Chakra that swirled around him, on his mind, on his soul, on his will. He almost seemed to be having an out of body experience as he focused himself fully on creating something from nothing.

He could not fail, and he would only have one chance. He could stay here for a maximum of twelve 2-hour periods. If his pill concocting failed, he would have no other choice than to break out of the cocoon into his true Immortal fleshly body.

But that was an outcome he couldn't accept! He knew that if he could get even higher, his fleshly body breakthrough would be even more incredible.

This was a chance, a good fortune that he was willing to fight for!

At this height, his actions weren't visible to most of the people down below. However, everyone who could see clearly was now staring in shock, unclear as to what exactly he was doing.

Only the most powerful experts gradually began to put the pieces together and to speculate as to what was going on. Their speculations led to disbelief; it was a prospect that none of them dared to believe.

"He's actually…."

"Concocting pills!?"

"I don't see any medicinal plants, and yet he really is concocting pills!"

"I once heard Pill Elder talk about a legendary realm of the Dao of alchemy… they call it… creating something from nothing!"

The Namikaze Clan Elders' faces all flickered with shock.

The Grand Elder was panting as he looked high up into the sky. His expression was that of terror; Naruto had repeatedly and continuously shocked him with his actions and achievements.

Meanwhile, in the Dao of Alchemy Division, the dozen or so tier 8 alchemists suddenly stopped concocting pills and slowly looked up, as if they were reacting to the sensation of Naruto's alchemy. In the space of a few short breaths, their expressions completely and utterly changed.

"That aura…."

"That's…."

"Creating something from nothing!"

Within the Dao of Alchemy Division's inner mountains, on the mountain filled with Unicorn Immortals, Pill Elder stood there, looking up into the sky. Slowly, a smile spread across his face, a smile that grew wider until he started laughing.

The Chosen from the various sects were flabbergasted. How could they have ever imagined that Naruto… was able to concoct pills himself. He was already at a terrifying height, surrounded by shocking heat and light, and yet he actually… was still able to concoct pills!

These Chosen had been groomed by their sects and clans for years, and had seen many things. Some of them suddenly thought of that legendary realm of pill concocting.

"How is this possible!?" thought Mei, gaping at Naruto with wide eyes. The only thing she could hear was her own heart pounding in her chest.

Fū, Ikanago, Chiriku, Bisuke, all of them were gaping with wide eyes.

"Is there anything he can't do?" thought Shisui, his heart filling with a sense of profound defeat.

Then there was Menma, within whose expression could be seen a touch of blank confusion.

Time passed. Soon, the twelve 2-hour periods had passed. Naruto was trembling, and his body was withering. His energy was rapidly fading away.

He was now thoroughly immersed in pill concocting. Despite being in the middle of the rise of the East Ascension Sun, in which there were 36 straight days of noon, alchemists were naturally able to measure the passage of time through their body's senses.

Most importantly, he was already incredibly familiar with the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill. He was able to adjust the pill formula based on his environment, so when the thirteenth 2-hour period arrived, scintillating light exploded out from the palm of his hand into the darkness that surrounded him.

The only thing that any observer could see was that resplendent light. However, what Naruto saw was a medicinal pill resting in the palm of his hand.

It was a Skypalace Sunspirit Pill created from nothing!

In these extreme conditions, he had used the technique of creating something from nothing to concoct a medicinal pill. The result was that he appeared to be on the verge of collapse. Although this was not his first time creating something from nothing, it was the most exhausting .

In fact, he had the feeling that if he attempted to duplicate this attempt, he would fail.

The creation of the medicinal pill marked his absolute limit. He looked at the pill laying there on the palm of his hand, radiating light like some magnificent treasure of Heaven and Earth. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he took the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill that no one else could see, and placed it into his mouth.

As soon as the medicinal pill entered his mouth, it exploded, transforming into a brilliant sun inside of him that generated boundless light and heat. It transformed into life force that in turn caused the Immortal light around him to become even more shocking.

"He… he succeeded!" One by one, the tier 8 alchemists in the Dao of Alchemy Division rose to their feet. Pill Elder's laughter once again echoed out from the inner mountains.

In the ancestral mansion, the Grand Elder's face was a mass of disbelief. The other Elders in the area were silent for a moment before their eyes also began to radiate a strange light.

There was little need to mention the other Chosen, who had long since been indescribably shaken by Naruto.

This time, Naruto… was rising to prominence under his own name! He was truly stepping into the cultivation world of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Bolstered by the power of the medicinal pill, Naruto looked up, and his eyes burned with decisiveness.

"True Immortal fleshly body!" he said. His body rumbled, and blinding light shot out of him as he climbed higher into the sky. Days passed as he went higher and higher and higher. 348,000 meters. 354,000 meters….

360,000 meters!

369,000 meters. 378,000 meters…. 387,000 meters!

When he reached that shocking height, the Immortal light around him exploded out in all directions, enveloping the entire area.

It was also in that moment that Naruto's fleshly body broke through the bottleneck. A distinct shattering sound could be heard that rapidly transformed into a boom like rolling thunder.

At the same time, he completely absorbed all of the Immortal Chakra and Immortal light, and his body suddenly surged with earth-shattering power.

The swirling Immortal Chakra transformed his body into something like a precious treasure. Every bit of his flesh and blood was like a true Immortal magical item. His bones became strong to an astonishing degree, and his Chakra passageways opened wide, allowing terrifying power to flow through them.

His hair grew long, and his body became slightly taller and more slender. His face was strikingly elegant, and his aura was enough to strike fear into the hearts of all Immortals. His entire body was like a precious gem that hovered there high in the sky, causing everyone who could see him to be completely shaken.

True Immortal fleshly body!

True Saint!

A true Immortal fleshly body meant that he was a true Saint!

This in turn meant that Naruto's body was now powerful to a terrifying level. He had been baptized in Immortal light, which had then coalesced inside of him, creating…. an Immortal body!

Naruto clenched his fists. He could tell that if he ran into a so-called peak Immortal Realm cultivator, one punch would easily be able to rock such a person.

He could sense his might; it felt as if he had completely changed on a fundamental level. The terrifyingly powerful light and heat from before now seemed vastly weaker.

"This is the power of a true Immortal fleshly body…." He looked up higher into the sky, and his pupils glimmered with fire.

"Now it's time to find out… how high the Heavens really are!"

Rumbling could be heard as he climbed relentlessly up into the sky.

Even at this height of 387,000 meters, the light and heat were no longer something that Naruto felt incapable of enduring. He rose up from Planet East Victory in a piercing beam of light.

Naruto was now so far up that few down below could see him. The only thing most people could see was a long streak of prismatic light that seemed to be on the verge of rattling the Heavens and the starry sky, rising higher and higher.

Naruto was surrounded by flames as he soared higher at top speed. If you were close up, you wouldn't be able to see them, but from down on the ground, the clan members could see them clearly.

Naruto seemed to exist inside a scorching sea of flames, within which he could live eternally!

The Chosen up in midair were shaken; to them, Naruto seemed as if he were a mighty mountain. Subconsciously, they all simultaneously reached a similar conclusion: perhaps they would always be behind Naruto in this lifetime.

Perhaps they would never have a chance to outdo him, never have a chance to catch up to him. Perhaps… they would only continue to fall further and further behind!

Of course, it was impossible for them to know that one of the past Sovereigns had already classified him as… 13th in the Echelon of the entire Nine Mountains and Seas!

Fū watched in silence. Ikanago said nothing. Mei, Bisuke, Sora, Shisui, Chiriku, and all the other Chosen from the sects and clans had complex expressions on their faces. They looked at Naruto getting even further away from them, a blazing sun wreathed in flames.

Menma trembled, and slowly, he closed his eyes, making it impossible for anyone to see the gloominess and resignation therein.

Menma's father and grandfather were on the verge of going mad. They looked at the blazing sun up in the sky, and unprecedented murderous rage welled up from the bottoms of their hearts.

The Grand Elder sat silently in the ancestral mansion, looking up into the sky. No one could tell what he was thinking, nor even guess what he might possibly be feeling.

"Naruto…. Menma," he murmured.

Naruto continued on at top speed, like a Flame Phoenix, like a Flying Rain-Dragon. The Flying Rain-Dragon core inside of him was now rapidly dissolving, and bits of the legacy's knowledge appeared in his mind.

However, Naruto didn't pay any attention to that. The only thing he was thinking about was… finding out how high the Heavens were!

His expression was that of resolute will. Rumbling surrounded him as he flew another three thousand meters until he was 390,000 meters high. And yet, he did not stop.

The pressure was shocking, the transforming light and heat was petrifying. But Naruto did not decrease his speed at all, nor did he pause for even a moment. He was as unimpeded as his Dao heart, seemingly untouched by any impurity.

One day. Two days. Three days…. Time passed quickly, until only a few days of the East Ascension Sun remained.

Naruto proceeded onward, piercing through space, heading toward the only goal upon which he kept his eye; the sun which hung outside of the starry sky!

By now, he had far surpassed all of the other Chosen, all of the other members of his generation who had sought good fortune in this trial by fire. Now, the only person left for him to supersede… was himself.

He would surpass himself! He would pursue his dreams! It was like his Dao, a Dao that sought to cross numerous mountains, to pass over rivers and seas. It was a Dao of freedom and independence, unrestrained and unfettered, always moving toward glory.

Even the Heavens could not cover him up or cause his Dao heart to fall!

One day. Two days. Three days!

393,000 meters. 399,000 meters… 405,000 meters….

And he kept going!

The other Chosen up in the sky looked on, taciturn. They saw Naruto, and his obsessive progress, and the same thought floated up in all of their minds.

"In the end… how high will he get!?"

Mei was thinking this, as were Fū, Bisuke, and Sora.

The various Elders were also watching closely.

"The boundary between the planet and the starry sky is vague, and can fluctuate due to various factors. In the moment when the sun is nearest, that boundary will become clearer."

Days later, Naruto was still speeding along.

417,000 meters. 420,000 meters!

He felt like he was reaching the end. The light and heat around him had reached an indescribably high level. Despite the fact that his fleshly body was in the true Immortal Realm, he still felt as if he were about to be melted into a pool of blood, and then evaporate into a bloody mist.

He shook, and his Eternal stratum worked madly to restore him and support him, to allow him to go even higher.

"I can hold on a bit longer," he thought, his eyes narrowing as they focused ahead with firm determination.

RUMBLE!

426,000 meters!

432,000 meters!

438,000 meters!

The sun appeared to be getting closer and closer. His eyes were crimson, and his entire body was shaking. He was now withering away, and yet… he kept flying!

The flames around him grew more boundless, and from a distance, it almost seemed as if the sky would catch fire. The flames spread out like wings that seemed to be flapping, preparing to attack the Heavens.

The lands quaked, and the hearts of all onlookers trembled.

At some point, the Grand Elder had emerged from within the ancestral mansion. He stood in the wide public square, looking up into the vast sky.

"Time is almost up…." he murmured softly.

Right now, all eyes were on Naruto. It wasn't just the Namikaze Clan. Shocked powerful experts from all corners of Planet East Victory had all long since turned their attention to the scene that was playing out.

"Who is that?!"

"That person flew out from the Namikaze Clan. Could it be… Menma?!"

"Even Menma couldn't fly that high! This person is getting close to the boundary with the starry sky! Once he steps out there, he'll die unless he's in the Dao Realm!"

As the experts of Planet East Victory were shaken, there happened to be a huge island in a sea somewhere on the planet. As it floated there, an old man with the bearing of a transcendent being was gaping up at the sky in shock.

"Fudge! That little bastard… Dammit! Dammit! The Patriarch comes all the way here to hide and he… he actually found me!?"

The old man was in such a bad mood that he let out a series of howls that shook the entire island.

Standing next to the old man was a shockingly beautiful young woman. She smiled happily as she looked up into the sky.

Rumbling emanated out from Naruto as he gritted his teeth and sped higher. 444,000. 447,000!

Naruto's expression twisted with madness. From the outside, it looked as if his body were literally burning up. His internal organs were scorched, and he was on the verge of being transformed into nothing more than ash.

And yet… he didn't stop!

447,300 meters. 447,900 meters. 448,500 meters….

Naruto let out a bellow as the flames engulfing him grew even stronger, inundating him completely. He flew another 900 meters, reaching a height of 449,400 meters.

By now, the 36th day was almost over. Naruto only had about an hour left!

"I have to get past the 450,000 mark!" Naruto was filled with madness and determination. By now, the only thing about him that was visible was a vague, shadowy outline.

449,700 meters. 449,850 meters. 449,970 meters…

Time flowed by. The world was silent, and the lands were still. Everyone's attention was fixed on Naruto… as he arrived at a height of 449,990 meters!

He was now only 10 meters away from the 450,000 meter mark!

Furthermore, there were only fifteen breaths of time until the rise of the East Ascension Sun ended!

Those final 10 meters seemed so close, and yet, they were the boundary between the planet and the starry sky!

How high were the Heavens of Planet East Victory? As of this moment… Naruto knew the answer. The Heavens… were 450,000 meters high!

He was now only 10 meters away from that height when he came to a stop, his body wreathed in flames, but his eyes shining with sharp light.

In addition to the enormous sun, he also saw a strange scene out in the starry sky. When he focused his eyes… he saw an enormous crimson Tribulation cloud. Shockingly, a gigantic yellow tree was just barely visible within that cloud.

The tree emanated an archaic aura, as if it had come into being along with Heaven and Earth, as if it had always existed within the Nine Mountains and Seas. It would not appear easily, and could only be seen under very special circumstances.

That was… something that would appear after acquiring a true Immortal fleshly body, and becoming a true Saint. It was… Saint Tribulation!

It was similar to the true Immortal Tribulation that came along with true Immortality!

Immortal Tribulation had a door, Saint Tribulation had a tree!

One movement would take Naruto out of the planet and into the starry sky.

One movement would cause the Saint Tribulation to descend!

Naruto stopped at that 10-meter mark and silently examined the distance.

In that moment, the Elders down below with profound cultivation bases looked on with incredible shock.

"Saint Tribulation!" thought the Grand Elder. His eyes closed, and his right hand clenched into a fist.

Naruto's eyes shone with a threatening decisiveness, a decisiveness as sharp as a honed blade. Finally, he sighed.

"If I don't go out into the starry sky and face the sun directly, then this whole trip will have been a waste.

"Time is almost up…. If my calculations are correct, I can endure… for ten breaths of time!" With that, he looked up, waiting for five breaths of time, and then moved forward one more time.

One movement, ten meters!

In the instant that Naruto moved forward, all of the observing cultivators on Planet East Victory were shocked, and cried out in surprise.

That final movement took him ten meters… and now, there were only ten breaths of time until the rise of the East Ascension Sun was over.

That final movement put Naruto at a height of over 450,000 meters. He had now stepped… out of Planet East Victory and into… the starry sky!

In that instant, he felt an indescribable wave of light and heat bearing down on him. It seemed capable of melting him to nothing in an instant. At the same time, he also saw the yellow tree in the Tribulation Cloud suddenly begin to shoot toward him.

All of these things literally happened in the blink of an eye.

In the moment that he made that final move out into the starry sky, his Dharma Idol materialized behind him, and it wasn't 15,000 meters tall anymore, but rather 21,000 meters!

21,000 meters was comparable to a stage 7 Immortal, or an Immortal with 70 opened meridians. To most ordinary cultivators, a stage 7 Immortal would be considered the peak of the Immortal Realm.

The reason Naruto had a Dharma Idol 21,000 meters tall was not because he had seventy Immortal meridians. No, he still only had one. However, he was hovering on the verge of a breakthrough.

Now that he had a true Immortal fleshly body, his aura had been stimulated significantly, which caused the Immortal meridian to be further solidified.

However… even though it wasn't complete, it was enough that Naruto was now able to use the most powerful divine ability he had been enlightened regarding… the Paragon Bridge!

He had begun to contemplate enlightenment of this divine ability in the Ruins of Immortality! The Paragon Bridge!

Many people had seen the manifestation of the divine ability, so if he used it now, his identity as Kazama would be revealed. However, he had prepared beforehand, so when he unleashed the Paragon Bridge, it did not look like a bridge, but rather, a huge tree.

The huge, ancient tree that appeared around Naruto was in fact the Paragon Bridge. As it materialized, it exploded with a supreme level of energy.

That burst of energy dispelled the light and the heat, and then rumbled toward the Tribulation Cloud.

When it struck the cloud, Naruto's entire cultivation base surged, pouring all of its power into the tree-form Paragon Bridge as it went all-out in attack!

BOOOOMMM!

A huge explosion resulted when the two massive trees collided. The Tribulation Cloud's tree trembled and then… unexpectedly collapsed, layer after layer, eventually shattering into fragments.

Simultaneously, the Paragon Bridge shook, and then faded away. The Paragon Bridge was powerful, but Naruto's cultivation base currently wasn't powerful enough to be able to use it to full effect. However, by going all-out with every bit of power he could, even to the point of adding in the power of his life force and soul, he destroyed the Tribulation Cloud completely.

Naruto trembled and coughed up a mouthful of blood. It was a completely and utterly shocking event to witness.

Never before had anyone fought back against Immortal Tribulation by destroying it completely. Furthermore, the boundless power of the Paragon Bridge was incredibly domineering.

As the Tribulation Tree shattered, and the Tribulation Cloud dispersed, bursts of Immortal Chakra shot toward Naruto. They entered his body through his pores, filling him, transforming his body so that as of this moment, he truly and utterly possessed an Immortal body. He was now a true Saint!

Immortal Chakra poured into him with unbridled frenzy, giving him the qualification to be in the starry sky and look at the sun. Even though it was the barest of possible qualifications, snatching himself out of the mouth of death for a few brief moments, to Naruto… it was still enough!

Using the nourishment of the Immortal Chakra, he hovered there calmly in space, ignoring the Tribulation Cloud and its tree, resisting the heat and the light. All of what he had done… was for these ten breaths' worth of time.

He stared at the huge sun, bolstered by the Immortal Chakra and sustained by his true Immortal fleshly body. Even still, only someone in the Dao Realm could possibly stand up to the terrifying power of the sun. Therefore, he began to melt. After only three breaths of time, his legs were completely melted. After six breaths of time, his arms and body were gone. However, his eyes remained, staring fixedly at the sun.

Enlightenment flickered in his mind. Natural law, a Daoist magic, poured into his thoughts. He quickly absorbed it, and at the same time, completely maintained his composure. This was not a disregard toward death. No, Naruto knew… that he wouldn't die!

After seven breaths of time, his body was a blur. By eight breaths of time, only one eye remained unmelted. By nine breaths of time, his head had collapsed.

In the moment of death, he only had one eye left, which continued to stare fixedly at the sun. He was not the least bit alarmed. Everything that had occurred since he stepped out into the starry sky was exactly as he had anticipated ahead of time. Nothing unexpected had occurred.

At last, the final breath of time… arrived!

In the moment in which Naruto's consciousness was about to fade away, the huge sun began to fade. At the same time, Naruto could see a profound natural law. A huge shadow suddenly appeared in front of the sun, completely eclipsing it.

The shadow obscured the sun, causing everything in the starry sky to go pitch black. The light and heat faded away without a trace.

The deadly, scorching heat that surrounded Naruto was gone. His Eternal stratum immediately began to restore him, and in the space of a few breaths, his body once again appeared in the starry sky.

He looked up, his expression the same as it had been the entire time, calm and unruffled. He looked out into the darkness of the starry sky, and, although he saw nothing, he could sense the sun's presence.

"The Ninth Mountain just eclipsed the sun…." he murmured. In his mind, he recalled the scene of the sun being covered up, and the natural law of the sun that he had been contemplating during those ten breaths of time.

Finally, he closed his eyes, gathered together the fragmented images of what had just occurred, and then settled himself cross-legged. In that same moment, numerous figures suddenly flew up from Planet East Victory. Hotarubi's father was among a group of over a hundred individuals, each and every one of whom was… a powerful expert from the direct bloodline.

Their expressions were that of excitement, and as they neared Naruto, they realized what he was doing, and they were shocked.

"He's contemplating enlightenment!"

"Only Dao Realm experts can face the sun in the starry sky, but this kid was able to do it, even with his cultivation base. It was only ten breaths worth of time, but to him, such good fortune is astonishing!"

"We can't let anyone disturb him." The direct bloodline Elders immediately took positions around Naruto to act as Dharma Protectors. Soon, other direct bloodline members approached in excitement and also took positions as Dharma Protectors.

Amidst rumbling, Planet East Victory resumed its previously-halted rotation. The light of the sun faded away, and night fell.

The rising of the East Ascension Sun was over, and the opportunity for good fortune had ended.

Fū and the other Chosen left Planet East Victory with varied emotions. However, as they flew out toward the starry sky, each and every one took a long and hard look at Naruto.

Ikanago, Sora, Shisui, Bisuke, Chiriku, Mei… all of them were the same.

As they passed by, they saw the direct bloodline members surrounding Naruto, and all of them murmured a sentence or two to themselves.

Ikanago looked at Naruto and quietly said, "I'm going to go back, head into secluded meditation, and not come out until I've reached true Immortality!"

"Unless something unexpected happens," Mei said, glaring angrily at Naruto, "I'll reach true Immortality within a hundred days!" With that, she turned and sped off in her flying shuttle.

"Naruto," Fū said through grated teeth, "based on all of the preparations we've made, each and every one of us will directly rise to the peak of the Immortal Realm, and open 90 or more Immortal meridians…."

"I hope you keep working hard," Shisui said, clenching his fists at his side. "Otherwise… when you step into true Immortality, you'll leave me plenty of opportunity to exceed you!"

They left, and the focus of the Namikaze Clan became Naruto. To most people, he had now superseded Menma… to become the number one Chosen of his generation.

Menma remained silent as he returned to a location deep in the ancestral mansion with his father and grandfather. He refused to admit defeat, and went down to his subterranean chamber, where his eyes glinted with determination as he looked back at his father and grandfather.

"I'm going to cultivate… the One Breath Yellow Springs Incantation!" he declared.

When his father heard this, his expression flickered.

"Absolutely not!" his father replied angrily. "It's one of the four great signature magics of the Namikaze Clan, but it's not complete. It's far, far more dangerous than the One Thought Reincarnation Incantation. You have the mark of the Sixth Patriarch on you, and will be in charge of the Namikaze Clan in the future. You can't lose control of your Dao heart because of one measly defeat!"

"But it's the Namikaze Clan's most powerful Dao," Menma replied calmly. "With it, 98 Immortal meridians can be opened, which is four more than the One Thought Reincarnation Incantation. I think that will be very pleasing to the Sixth Patriarch!"

Menma's father was about to say something further when Menma's grandfather stopped him. He looked deeply and Menma, and then said, "Have you thought this through clearly?"

"Very clearly," Menma replied softly, closing his eyes. "I shall cultivate the One Breath Yellow Springs Incantation. If I use this Dao to achieve Immortal Ascension, then within one hundred days, I'll either fail and sink into the Yellow Springs, or succeed and open 98 Immortal meridians!

"Father, grandfather, if I fail, then return Naruto's items to him.

"However, if I succeed, then it means he was doomed from birth to help me achieve my goals!" His eyes sparkled with a piercing light.

Menma's father did not respond. However, his eyes glittered as he nodded his head, then turned and left the hidden chamber.

Menma's grandfather held his tongue. Seeing Menma's determination, he sighed. At the same time, his heart surged with the desire to slay Naruto.

"It doesn't matter whether Menma succeeds or not," he thought. "Naruto… you won't live past a hundred days!" Face dark, he turned and left.

Time passed. After the end of the Rise of the East Ascension Sun, all of the Chosen in all of the various clans and sects of the Ninth Mountain and Sea began to go into secluded meditation.

It was time for them… to break through to the true Immortal Realm!

Seven days later, Planet East Victory had returned to its usual state. The rising of the East Ascension Sun was now a thing of the past. However, because of the amazing display of the acquisition of good fortune, the name Naruto rose to new heights.

All of the Namikaze Clan was talking about Naruto, and the name also began to spread to the rest of Planet East Victory.

He had a 30,000-meter Bloodline Gatebeam!

He dominated the Medicine Pavilion all the way to the seventh level!

He concocted… one of the three sacred pills, the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill!

He had a true Immortal fleshly body!

He stepped out into the starry sky to face the sun!

Word spread of Naruto's various deeds, and the Namikaze Clan was completely shaken. Other cultivators on Planet East Victory now viewed Naruto as a blazing sun of the Namikaze Clan.

During that entire time, Naruto remained cross-legged in meditation up in the starry sky. Facing the sun had been a shocking type of good fortune for him, especially when he saw the Ninth Mountain eclipse it. That image thoroughly shook him inwardly.

He contemplated enlightenment for seven days, during which time his body shone with bright light. When the light spread out, shockingly, his Dharma Idol appeared behind him.

The Dharma Idol was 21,000 meters tall, and when the direct bloodline clan members saw it, they stared.

That was because almost as soon as it appeared, the Dharma Idol started to grow!

At the same time, Naruto's Immortal meridian grew even more solid. Apparently, this period of enlightenment was pushing Naruto even closer to true Immortality.

Time passed, three more days. Naruto's entire body radiated brilliant light, and his Dharma Idol was no longer 21,000 meters tall, but rather 22,500 meters.

Such height was equivalent to an Immortal Realm cultivator with 75 opened meridians, and immediately lifted the spirits of the direct bloodline clan members.

Five more days passed. Naruto had now been contemplating enlightenment for half a month. At that point, more light exploded out from him, and his Dharma Idol grew from 22,500 meters to 24,000 meters!

A Dharma Idol like that could shake Heaven and Earth, and caused the direct bloodline clan members to stare in excitement.

Naruto was now equivalent to an Immortal Realm cultivator with eighty opened meridians. That was a level of the Immortal Realm achievable only by Inner Sect disciples of certain sects.

"He still hasn't even become a true Immortal, and he's already comparable to those Inner Sect disciples!"

"All of you, look closely…. Naruto's Dharma Idol… has no Immortality Illumination Vine on it!"

The direct bloodline clan members' hearts trembled as they peered at Naruto, and then voiced expressions of disbelief.

"He's not using an Immortality Illumination Vine. Could it be… could it be that he's walking his own path to true Immortality!?"

"Walking one's own path to Immortality is incredibly difficult! But look, his Dharma Idol is already 24,000 meters tall!"

"The direct bloodline is destined to rise again!"

It was at this point that Naruto slowly regained his senses and opened his eyes. Within his mind flashed images of everything he had learned from the sun regarding natural law. In that moment, they suddenly fused together into a divine ability.

His enlightenment of the sun, and the sight of the Ninth Mountain eclipsing it, allowed him to create yet another divine ability, his third!

He slowly lifted his hand, within which appeared a spark of light. The light became a sphere, which then sucked in all the heat in the area, causing Naruto's appearance to ripple and distort.

Seeing that Naruto was awakening initially caused the direct bloodline members to get very excited. However, their faces quickly fell and they backed away.

They had just noticed that their entire bodies had become icy cold in a very short period of time, as if all the heat was being sucked out of them.

Even more shocking was that the entirety of Planet East Victory was apparently affected. Countless streams of heat rose up from the ground, from all living beings on the planet.

The amorphous heat caused everything to distort as it shot toward Naruto. His expression was calm as he observed the scene; from the look in his eyes, it seemed that he was still sunk in contemplation.

The sphere of light in his hand continued to suck in the heat, faster and faster. In the end, he raised his hand, and the sphere reached a size of thirty meters. Within the sphere circulated brilliant light that emitted a shocking aura.

The aura seemed to increase in strength as it absorbed heat until it even began to absorb light.

The sphere grew larger and its aura grew more intense. All of the light and heat around Naruto was being absorbed, leaving everything ice cold….

Down below on Planet East Victory, the effects were even more noticeable. Gradually, the temperature on the entire planet began to drop.

Not only that, everything started to get darker. Powerful experts all over Planet East Victory noticed, and instantly sent divine sense out to investigate the cause. Soon, they saw Naruto, and the enormous sphere of light above him, now several hundred meters wide.

It looked like a small sun, and anyone who saw it was left feeling shocked. The aura it contained was mad and brutal, and… truly made any onlookers feel as if they were looking at the sun!

After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Planet East Victory's temperature dropped further, and it got even darker. The globe of light was now over 3,000 meters wide, and caused anyone who looked at it to feel a sense of impending crisis.

If the energy inside the globe were to explode out, it would leave even experts of the Ancient Realm astonished and pale-faced.

Most shocking of all, it appeared that if Naruto were given enough time, the sphere would continue to grow without limit. This caused many powerful experts on Planet East Victory to be filled with a sensation of vigilance. There were even streams of divine sense that converged on the Namikaze Clan ancestral mansion.

The direct bloodline clan members in Naruto's vicinity immediately began to urgently transmit messages with divine will.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto, wake up!"

Naruto trembled as the surrounding clan members called out. His eyes gradually began to grow clear and bright as he regained his senses. At first he looked confused, but then he raised his head up to look at the 3,000-meter sphere of light up above.

"Naruto, cease that magical technique!" barked Hotarubi's father.

A sense of crisis gradually rose up in Naruto from the streams of divine sense, and also from the fact that he realized that he was about to lose full control the globe of light.

Eyes flickering with concentration, he let out a growl and lifted both hands up above his head. Using all the power he could muster, he exercised control of the last strand that connected him to the sphere to reverse its suction.

The sphere gradually stopped absorbing light and heat, and then started to shrink. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the sphere began to fade away. Sweat poured down Naruto's forehead.

He utilized all of the energy in his body, and knew that even the slightest lapse in concentration would result in the sphere exploding.

After it finally disappeared, the direct bloodline descendants approached him. Smiles could be seen on their excited faces.

Naruto looked back at his 24,000-meter Dharma Idol, and sensed the Immortal meridian within him, and knew that it would be complete with only a tiny bit of effort.

"Soon, the day will arrive in which my cultivation base will move into the Immortal Realm!" Naruto's eyes shone with determination.

"Naruto," said one of the direct bloodline Elders, smiling, "what magical technique was that?"

"It's a divine ability I created after being enlightened regarding the sun…." said Naruto, turning to clasp hands to the Elder. He had now created three divine abilities. One was A Writ of Karma, the other was the Paragon Bridge, and the third… was this sphere of light.

"I'll call it… Supernova Magic!" he said, his eyes shining brightly.

"Supernova Magic…. Naruto, this divine ability of yours… is powerful! It's able to absorb a virtually limitless amount of heat and light and create a copy of the sun, and depending on how much it absorbed, the force of its explosion would be inestimable." The Elder gazed deeply at Naruto. "However, it has a fatal flaw. It would be easy to interrupt you while you use it. Furthermore, it takes too long to prepare. It only reached 3,000 meters in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. To reach 30,000… would take several hours.

"In addition, I could tell that you were not in complete control of it. If it had grown any larger, you would likely have lost control completely.

"You need to analyze this magic thoroughly before you use it again." It only took a few sentences for the old man to analyze the magic's strengths and weaknesses.

Naruto nodded, then clasped hands and bowed deeply to all of the direct bloodline clan members who had stood as Dharma Protectors for him. He felt very grateful toward them, and the sensation of being their blood relative grew even stronger.

Soon, the group of them turned into prismatic beams of light that shot back toward the surface of Planet East Victory. As they neared, Naruto saw numerous clan members flying out of the ancestral mansion, their faces filled with respect.

"Greetings, Prince Naruto!"

This term of address caused Naruto to stare in shock. After blinking a few times, a warm smile appeared on his face, and he offered formal greetings to all the direct bloodline clan members. Then he made to return to his Immortal's cave.

It was in that moment of departure that the Elder who had pointed out the flaws in his divine ability moments ago transmitted a message with divine will.

"Be careful of Kajura!"

Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He knew that Kajura was Menma's father, so he nodded in response and then left.

After returning to his residence, he sat down cross-legged to meditate. After some probing, he came to the conclusion that his Immortal meridian was now more than 99% complete.

"Just a bit more," he thought. "In less than a hundred days, it will be perfectly complete, and then…." His eyes glittered with cold light. "I will become a true Immortal!"

"As far as my Supernova Magic is concerned, it has some flaws. However, once my cultivation base gets high enough, I can fix them, and then I'll have another trump card to use in battle!" He lifted his hand, and a sphere of light appeared in his palm. As it grew larger, the Namikaze Clan suddenly got colder. Naruto did nothing at first, allowing it to grow larger for a certain period of time. Then he cut off the absorbing power.

"I gained a lot during this rising of the East Ascension Sun. My Dharma Idol grew to 24,000 meters, and I gained enlightenment of the sun. Plus, my fleshly body… finally had a breakthrough and reached true Immortality!

"I wonder how strong I'll be when my cultivation base has the same breakthrough!?" Naruto's expression flickered with anticipation.

Several days later, Naruto emerged within the clan. All the clan members who he ran into looked at him with extreme respect, and the fervor with which people had previously treated Menma was now shown toward Naruto.

As for Menma, he had apparently disappeared, and was nowhere to be found.

Hotarubi made some inquiries, and finally got a smattering of information that he immediately passed on to Naruto. When Naruto heard that Menma was in secluded meditation in an attempt to break through to true Immortality, his eyes flickered coldly.

"A Writ of Karma will lock down the Nirvana Fruits inside of him that belong to me. My good fortune with the sun was a huge blow to his self-confidence, and surely cracked his Dao heart. And yet, he stood up tall after all of that." He thought about their interchange high up in the sky for a moment, and sighed.

Naruto was displeased with Menma, but all told, he was not guilty of any terrible crimes. In fact, Naruto knew that if he looked at things from Menma's perspective, Menma hadn't done anything wrong.

"The ones who are wrong…are certain other people in this clan," he mused. As he thought back to everything that had happened since he had returned to the clan, he was struck with the increasing sensation that there was some vast conspiracy afoot.

It was a mystery involving Menma, and also had something to do with the Grand Elder. Perhaps… even a Patriarch.

That was why the Grand Elder had been acting so strange. That was why everyone maintained silence regarding Menma. Apparently, a Patriarch had appointed Menma to a position of authority years ago, although Naruto wasn't completely sure of the truth behind it all.

It was as if the entire matter was taboo. No one dared to speak of it.

"Do you understand…?" That was what Pill Elder had said to him on the mountain peak. 1

"Was he warning me that there was something wrong with the Nirvana Fruits the Grand Elder gave me? Or was he hinting at something else…?" Naruto frowned. After considering that matter for a bit longer, he began to duplicate some Spirit Extract, which he placed onto the Nirvana Fruit.

Naruto had already decided that once he fully restored the Nirvana Fruit, he would definitely absorb it. He had the feeling that the benefits it would provide him would be immense, and would help him begin to unravel the enigma of the Namikaze Clan.

That feeling stemmed from his confidence in his ability to analyze and judge matters, as well as his keen intuition.

"Nobody has ever been able to absorb the first generation Patriarch's Nirvana Fruits. I wonder what miracles will result if I succeed?" After a while, he stopped considering the matter, and calmed his mind.

Seven days later, Naruto looked worriedly at the copper mirror, which had rapidly consumed all of his hard-earned spirit stones in exchange for batch after batch of Spirit Extract. That Spirit Extract had then been greedily absorbed by the Nirvana Fruit.

As he nourished the Nirvana Fruit with the Spirit Extract, it seemed to be gradually awakening, as if… it were almost completely restored.

As the copper mirror consumed all of the spirit stones he had acquired from concocting the Skypalace Sunspirit Pill, as well as what he had gotten from Chiriku, stabs of pain filled Naruto's heart. It was as if he had just thrown away a vast sum of spirit stones directly into the Nirvana Fruit.

Each one of those spirit stones was enough to break Naruto's heart.

"Making money is so hard, so how come spending it… is so easy?" he thought with a sigh.

Even the entire Namikaze Clan would be incapable of producing so much Spirit Extract. After all, the medicinal plants he had used to make it were the ones he had acquired in the Ruins of Immortality, plants which were rare and, in fact, virtually extinct in the outside world.

As such, this Spirit Extract was essentially priceless. Not even the Namikaze Clan as a whole would be able to afford to restore this Nirvana Fruit; only Naruto, with his copper mirror, could manage it.

"Dammit!" he thought, gritting his teeth and then letting out a long sigh. "I need to think of yet another plan to make some more spirit stones…." He sat there with furrowed brow for a long time before finally clenching his jaw.

"Those sacred pills are not easy to concoct. They will be my last resort. I still haven't finished the seventh level of the Medicine Pavilion. I should take advantage of the fact that I'm so famous in the Namikaze Clan right now. Maybe I can strike it rich in one fell swoop!" Having made up his mind, he called Hotarubi over and the two of them spent some time discussing the matter. Finally, Hotarubi left in excitement to enact the plan.

It only took a few days for word to spread through the clan like stormwinds.

"Did you hear? Tomorrow, Prince Naruto is going to the Dao of Alchemy Division to challenge the Medicine Pavilion!"

"Last time he went to the Medicine pavilion, he completed every level perfectly! It caused a huge sensation in the Dao of Alchemy Division."

"From ancient times until now, it's been easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone who can make it through the ninth level of the Dao of Alchemy's Medicine Pavilion. Each and every one is a Grandmaster of the Dao of Alchemy. I heard that Prince Naruto's goal is just that: to make it through the ninth level!"

News about Naruto challenging the Medicine Pavilion quickly spread through the clan, and especially through the Dao of Alchemy Division. In the end, it was like great waves rolling across the entire clan.

Naruto was very pleased with this sort of clan environment, and had things all worked out with Hotarubi. Hotarubi would wait outside the Medicine Pavilion area to collect spirit stones. Anyone who didn't pay spirit stones would not be allowed to observe.

Before, it would have been difficult for Naruto to pull something like that off. However, after the rising of the East Ascension Sun, he was the number one Chosen in the Namikaze Clan, and his every word and deed was the subject of widespread attention.

"This time, I'm definitely going to make a killing!" he thought. The next morning at dawn, he woke early and pushed open the door of his residence. Just when he was about to fly into the air toward the Dao of Alchemy Division, he saw six beams of light flying toward him at high speed. They quickly arrived and surrounded him.

These six people surged with energy. Five of them were stage 7 Immortals, and Naruto could sense that the remaining one had a cultivation base as profound as a deep sea. He was a middle-aged man with a grim face who looked Naruto over and then said, "The Grand Elder has summoned you, Naruto. Come with us."

Naruto frowned at the six men and then coolly replied, "Understood. I'll go over a bit later."

With that he strode forward and prepared to fly past the men.

When the middle-aged man heard Naruto's response, his face tightened with displeasure.

"The Grand Elder has summoned you, and you dare to cause a delay? You're coming with us now, or else—"

"Or else what?" said Naruto, stopping in place and looking at the man with an enigmatic smile. A vast coldness swirled deep within his pupils.

"Arrest him!" said the man, staring back at Naruto.