I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

Wherever that bolt of lightning passed, the space itself was cleaved with fine cracks, and the surrounding buildings and vegetation were instantly shattered by the invisible force, turning into ashes and scattering away.

"stop!"

A loud shout came from above, the voice authoritative and urgent, carrying an unquestionable intent to stop him.

A golden light descended from the sky with lightning speed, instantly blocking Jiang Wang's path. The golden light condensed into a giant palm, slapping towards the golden streak.

"boom!"

Two loud explosions occurred almost simultaneously as the golden ribbon collided with the golden palm. A violent energy shockwave spread outwards, tearing up several feet of soil from the ground, and sending rubble flying like a meteor shower.

Jiang Wang staggered back several steps, his blood and qi surging slightly. When he looked up, he saw a figure in a Taoist robe floating in mid-air with a solemn expression. It was none other than the Grand Elder of the Yixin Sect.

"Fifth Elder, how dare you!"

The First Elder glared at the Fifth Elder below, his tone icy, "This boy is a genius that only appears once every hundred years in the One Heart Realm. How dare you use the Saint's Bone Tablet to kill him? Aren't you afraid of ruining the foundation of the sect?"

The Fifth Elder's face turned pale, but he still forced himself to say, "Elder, this boy is arrogant and has repeatedly humiliated me. If we don't kill him, what will become of the reputation of the elders of the Yixin Sect?"

His tone was defiant, but the hatred in his eyes remained undiminished. "Today, I will risk my life to make him pay the price!"

"face?"

Jiang Wang sneered, rubbed his slightly numb arm, stepped forward, and stared directly at the Fifth Elder. "You are not as skilled as others, yet you have murderous intent. Is this the demeanor of an elder of the One Heart Sect? I think your position as elder was indeed bought with money. You haven't even cultivated the most basic state of mind."

"You bullshit!"

The Fifth Elder was so angry that he trembled all over and was about to rush forward again, but he was restrained in place by the First Elder's spiritual power and could not move.

The First Elder turned to look at Jiang Wang, his expression softening slightly. He clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Fellow Daoist Tu Xiaonai, what happened just now was due to our sect's poor discipline. We hope you will forgive us."

The Fifth Elder acted rashly; I will take him back and punish him severely to give you an explanation.

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly amusement: "No need for explanations. I just want to know, can I go challenge the Secret Realm Tower now?"

He had no interest in the Fifth Elder's punishment; his most important task at the moment was to enter the Secret Realm Tower as soon as possible, seize the opportunities within, and improve his strength.

A hint of approval flashed in the elder's eyes, and he nodded: "Of course."

The Secret Realm Tower is located behind the sect's mountain. I will have someone take you there now.

However, fellow Daoist, please remember that the Secret Realm Tower is extremely dangerous. Each level has powerful guardians, so please proceed with caution.

"Thank you for reminding me."

Jiang Wang waved his hand, "No need to trouble others, just tell me the location, and I can go there myself."

He has always preferred to be alone and dislikes being disturbed by others.

The Grand Elder didn't press the matter. He raised his hand and waved his hand, and a wisp of spiritual energy transformed into a map, which floated in front of Jiang Wang: "The back mountain is this place. The secret realm tower is protected by the sect's formation. This is a pass token, which can help you enter smoothly."

As he spoke, a jade token landed in Jiang Wang's hand. The token was warm and smooth like jade, and it was engraved with the words "One Heart Sect".

Three words.

Jiang Wang took the jade token, put it into his storage space, said no more, and turned to walk towards the back mountain.

As he passed by the Fifth Elder, he paused slightly, glanced at him, and said in an icy tone, "I will remember what happened today."

If you dare to cause me trouble again, it won't be so simple next time.

The Fifth Elder was trapped on the spot and could only watch Jiang Wang leave. The hatred in his eyes was almost overflowing. He gritted his teeth and said, "You little brat, you just wait. I will never let you go!"

The First Elder looked at the Fifth Elder and shook his head helplessly: "You are still so impulsive."

This child is no ordinary person. If you truly harm him today, not only will my Yixin Sect face annihilation, but the entire Yixin Realm may also be implicated.

He knew in his heart that anyone who could survive the battle between the celestial beings and Hongjun must have a powerful backer, and was definitely not someone the Fifth Elder could afford to offend.

The Fifth Elder remained silent, his face full of resentment, but he knew that the First Elder was telling the truth.

If the Grand Elder hadn't intervened in time, even if Jiang Wang had been injured by that attack, he himself might not have survived.

On the other side, following the map's guidance, Jiang Wang quickly arrived at the back mountain of the Yixin Sect.

Unlike the bustling scene at the front of the mountain, the back mountain is filled with ancient trees and a spiritual energy so rich it's almost liquid. Clouds and mist swirl around the mountain, and a towering ancient pagoda can be vaguely seen standing atop the mountain. The pagoda is entirely black, covered with countless mysterious runes, and exudes an ancient and profound aura.

"Is this the Secret Realm Tower?"

Jiang Wang looked up, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

The Secret Realm Tower is a thousand feet tall and has nine floors. Each floor is slightly thinner than the one below it, and the top of the tower is hidden in the clouds, so its exact appearance cannot be seen.

A faint array of light surrounded the tower, and as the runes flowed, they formed an invisible barrier, protecting the secret realm tower within.

He took out the jade token given to him by the Grand Elder and handed it towards the array barrier.

The moment the jade tablet touched the barrier, it emitted a soft light, and the array barrier slowly opened a gap, large enough for one person to pass through.

Jiang Wang put away the jade token, stepped inside, and the gap behind him slowly closed, restoring everything to its original state.

As soon as Jiang Wang entered the area of ​​the Secret Realm Tower, he felt a powerful pressure coming towards him. The pressure was not aimed at his physical body, but directly at his soul, as if it wanted to crush his soul.

He frowned, circulating his spiritual energy to protect his soul, and slowly adapted to the oppressive force.

"I didn't expect to face such a challenge before even entering this secret tower."

Jiang Wang thought to himself, and without stopping, walked towards the entrance of the Secret Realm Tower.

At the entrance is a huge stone gate, on which are carved two lifelike giant beasts with majestic eyes, as if they are guarding this place.

Just as he was about to push open the stone door, a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Fellow Daoist, please wait."

Jiang Wang paused, turned around, and saw three figures emerge from the clouds. The leader was dressed in a blue Daoist robe, with a handsome face, gentle eyes, and a faint aura of wood-elemental law power emanating from him. The two behind him were dressed in red and blue Daoist robes respectively, and their auras were also quite remarkable. They were clearly disciples of the Yixin Sect.

"What's the matter?"

Jiang Wang spoke calmly, but looked at the three of them warily.

He could sense that the strength of these three people was above the Righteous Path Realm, and the leading man in the blue Daoist robe had even reached the peak of the Righteous Path Realm, only one step away from the Harmony Path Realm.

The man in the blue Taoist robe stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am Lin Qing, an inner disciple of the Yixin Sect. I heard that you intend to challenge the Secret Realm Tower, so I have come to remind you that the guardian of the first level of the Secret Realm Tower is extremely powerful. You have only recently entered the True Dao Realm, so you must be extra careful."

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by the other party's kindness: "Thank you for the reminder, but this little thing is no problem for me."

He was confident in his strength. With a body of innate supreme treasure level and many trump cards, he could fight even a Dao Integration Realm expert, not to mention the guardian of the first level of the Secret Realm Tower.

Upon hearing this, the man in the red Taoist robe behind Lin Qing couldn't help but say, "Fellow Daoist is indeed arrogant."

The guardian of the first level of this secret realm tower is a thousand-year-old Xuan Iron Beast, with an incredibly hard body and extremely strong defense. Even a cultivator in the early stage of the Dao Integration Realm would find it difficult to defeat it, let alone a fellow Daoist in the Righteous Dao Realm.

"Oh?"

A hint of interest flashed in Jiang Wang's eyes. "A thousand-year-old Xuan Iron Beast? That sounds interesting."

He has always enjoyed challenging strong opponents, and the more dangerous the situation, the more excited he becomes.

Lin Qing glanced helplessly at the man in the red Taoist robe, then turned to Jiang Wang and said, "Fellow Daoist, please don't be offended. My junior brother here is straightforward and has no ill intentions."

However, this thousand-year-old Xuan Iron Beast is indeed troublesome. If you are truly unable to deal with it, please leave the Secret Realm Tower as soon as possible and do not act recklessly.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Jiang Wang waved his hand, said no more, turned around, pushed open the stone door, and went inside.

The stone door slowly closed behind him, isolating him from everything outside.

Upon entering the first level of the Secret Realm Tower, Jiang Wang discovered that it was a vast space, pitch black all around, with only a few luminous pearls hanging overhead, emitting a faint light that barely illuminated the surrounding environment.

The ground was covered with hard stone slabs, which were engraved with complex array patterns, clearly intended to restrict the guardian's range of movement.

"Roar!" A deafening roar suddenly rang out, causing the entire space to tremble slightly.

A dark shadow rushed out of the darkness and landed in front of Jiang Wang; it was the thousand-year-old Xuan Iron Beast.

It was enormous, standing three zhang tall, and its entire body was made of a substance resembling black iron. Its skin was dark black and covered with hard scales. It had fierce eyes, exposed fangs, and exuded a violent aura.

The Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast stared at Jiang Wang, letting out a low roar. It moved slowly, circling around Jiang Wang, searching for the best opportunity to attack.

It could sense that Jiang Wang's aura was not strong, only at the early stage of the Righteous Path Realm. A hint of contempt flashed in its eyes, as if it were looking at prey that was within easy reach.

"A physical body of the innate supreme treasure level?"

Jiang Wang looked at the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast, a scrutinizing glint in his eyes. "I can test whether your physical body can withstand my attack."

Before he could finish speaking, the Thousand-Year-Old Black Iron Beast launched a fierce attack, its enormous claws slamming down towards Jiang Wang's head with a whooshing sound.

Its claws gleamed with a metallic luster and possessed immense power. If struck, even a body of innate spiritual treasure level would be smashed into mincemeat.

Jiang Wang neither dodged nor evaded, but instead channeled his spiritual energy and unleashed his full physical power, throwing a punch at the claw of the Thousand-Year-Old Black Iron Beast.

His fist, though seemingly ordinary, contained a power capable of tearing apart heaven and earth, colliding with the claws of the thousand-year-old Xuan Iron Beast.

With a loud "bang," a violent energy shockwave spread outwards, instantly cracking countless fissures in the stone slabs on the ground.

Jiang Wang felt a slight numbness in his arm, but his feet remained firmly planted in place; while the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast was shaken and staggered back several steps, a shallow crack appearing on its claw, from which blood seeped.

A hint of astonishment flashed in the eyes of the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast, clearly not expecting that the physical strength of this cultivator in the early stage of the Righteous Path Realm would be so powerful.

It flicked its paws, the disdain in its eyes vanished, replaced by intense wariness.

"Not bad, you do have some strength."

Jiang Wang stretched his arms and a smile appeared on his face. "Again!"

He took the initiative to attack, his figure flashing as he appeared in front of the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast like a ghost, his fists raining down on the beast.

Each punch contained immense power, landing on the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast with a dull thud, causing the beast to stagger backward, its scales shattering and blood gushing from its body.

The Thousand-Year-Old Black Iron Beast roared repeatedly, waving its claws in retaliation, while simultaneously spewing out a stream of black flames towards Jiang Wang.

This black flame is its natal flame, cultivated over many years. It is extremely hot and can burn everything, even innate treasures, which can be melted by its heat.

Jiang Wang's eyes narrowed, and he activated the water elemental law within his body, instantly forming a water curtain around him to block the attack of the black flames.

The black flames landed on the water curtain, making a sizzling sound, and water vapor filled the air, but the water curtain remained as stable as Mount Tai.

"The power of the water element's laws?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast, seemingly not expecting that Jiang Wang would actually control the power of the water element law.

Its innate flame is most afraid of water-based power, and for a moment it was suppressed by the water curtain and could not advance.

Jiang Wang seized the opportunity, his figure flashed again, and he appeared behind the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast, punching it in the spine.

With a crisp "crack," the spine of the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast snapped instantly. It let out a shrill scream, and its massive body crashed to the ground, twitching a few times before losing its breath.

After defeating the Thousand-Year-Old Black Iron Beast, Jiang Wang lowered his fist and took a breath.

Although the battle wasn't particularly difficult for him, it still consumed a significant amount of his spiritual energy.

He walked to the corpse of the Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast, reached out and touched its skin, feeling the remaining hardness on it, and thought to himself, "The flesh of this Thousand-Year Black Iron Beast is indeed excellent. If it were used to forge weapons, it would surely be an excellent material."

Just then, a beam of light shone from the corpse of the thousand-year-old Xuan Iron Beast, condensing into a black token that landed in Jiang Wang's hand.

The token has a single character ("1") engraved on it.

The characters emitted a faint energy fluctuation.

"This should be the token to the second level."

Jiang Wang looked at the token in his hand, a knowing glint in his eyes.

He put the token into his storage space and looked up at the stairs leading to the second floor.

The staircase, located in a corner of the space, is paved with cyan jade and engraved with intricate runes, exuding an ancient aura.

Just as he was about to step onto the stairs to the second floor, a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind: [Ding! Detected that the host has defeated the Millennium Black Iron Beast. Rewards: 10000 Spiritual Power Points, Physical Strength increased by 10%, Skill unlocked: Black Iron Defense Technique.] (End of Chapter)