# Chapter 173: The Tower Reaching Heaven
Jiang Wang took a single step forward, and light and shadow shifted around him.
As for Lian Que, left behind in the Heavenly Treasury Dragon Palace—once all was said and done, he would naturally be expelled from the secret realm as well.
What appeared before him was an enormously wide platform, seemingly built atop a towering mountain. Its base was hewn from stone, rising high into the clouds.
Looking in every direction, mist wreathed the air, and the faint outlines of mountains could be glimpsed through the haze.
At the center of the platform stood a nine-angled tower, so tall that its peak vanished into the sky. No end could be seen.
A plaque hung above its entrance, inscribed with three characters: Tower Reaching Heaven.
Before the tower stood a stone stele, carved with text, and before the stele stood three figures.
Xu Xiangqian. Li Longchuan. Chongxuan Sheng.
Xu Xiangqian was running his hands over the stele, touching this way and that, absorbed in studying something no one else could fathom.
Li Longchuan, his brow bound by a jade headband, stood straight as a pine with his eyes closed, conserving his energy.
And Chongxuan Sheng, rotund in stature, had claimed a corner for himself. His small eyes darted warily between Xu Xiangqian and Li Longchuan by turns.
He looked like a man deeply concerned about being pushed off the mountain's edge by an alliance of convenience.
Three people of completely opposite appearance and temperament, yet gathered together they managed an unexpected harmony.
The instant Jiang Wang appeared, Li Longchuan's eyes snapped open. His entire body surged with readiness, a sharp aura locking onto Jiang Wang with an almost physical edge.
Like a bow drawn to full tension, like a string about to release.
When he saw it was Jiang Wang, he offered a slight smile of acknowledgment, and the aura withdrew at once.
The moment Jiang Wang appeared, Chongxuan Sheng's small eyes lit up immediately. He waved and called out: "Brother Jiang! Over here!"
His spine straightened, his voice boomed—all the confidence of a man reunited with his ally.
Xu Xiangqian had been too absorbed to notice. Only at the sound did he look up and turn around. "They all said they hadn't run into you. I knew you'd make your way here eventually."
His faith in Jiang Wang was absolute.
Jiang Wang simply smiled, greeting both Xu Xiangqian and Li Longchuan, then walked straight to Chongxuan Sheng and produced the Horn of the Azure Dragon. "I didn't fail you."
Chongxuan Sheng's expression grew complicated as he looked at the horn.
"Brother Jiang," he said. "You should know—the Mind Demon Oath is powerless here."
Before entering the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm, no one had known what to expect inside.
Many of the preparations people had made proved useless, including the oath Jiang Wang had sworn on the Mind Demon Curse. It could not bind him here.
This Horn of the Azure Dragon—he had no obligation to hand it over. The Mind Demon Oath could not compel him.
And in practical terms, once they left the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm, no one would remember anything. The divine power Inner Prefecture was the only tangible reward.
"I know," Jiang Wang said with a smile. "But this is what I promised you."
He pressed the horn into Chongxuan Sheng's pudgy hand. "Take it."
Chongxuan Sheng examined the Horn of the Azure Dragon closely. "Truly a fine treasure! However... I already have one."
He returned it to Jiang Wang. "Now we move to the second part of our agreement—I help you claim the divine power opportunity. Keep it."
Jiang Wang couldn't help but laugh. "Then why not compare them? See which one is better."
"Who can say which is more precious before actually discovering what the divine powers are?" Chongxuan Sheng shook his head, his eyes crinkling into slits as he smiled. "I'd rather leave it to fate. Respect the choices of destiny."
Since the conversation had reached this point, Jiang Wang would not be coy. He pocketed the horn, sat down at the edge of the stone platform, and the two exchanged accounts of how they had each obtained their horns.
Compared to Jiang Wang's harrowing ordeal, Chongxuan Sheng had enjoyed considerably better fortune. He and Shisi had been assigned to the same Dragon Palace. Working together, they had simply bulldozed through their opponents with raw power. This was, admittedly, Chongxuan Sheng's version of events, but Jiang Wang had a feeling that given this fat man's cunning, the process had probably been even simpler than he made it sound.
Afterward, Shisi had stayed behind in the Dragon Palace to recover from her injuries, and Chongxuan Sheng had arrived at the tower early with his horn.
In truth, he had been the first to reach the Tower Reaching Heaven.
As for the others who had been in that Dragon Palace—they were all dead. The same was true of Xu Xiangqian and Li Longchuan's opponents.
This had nothing to do with personal virtue.
Because beneath all the outer layers, the rules of the Heavenly Treasury Dragon Palaces were designed to encourage slaughter.
Selecting the strongest through something very close to the practice of gu—pitting creatures against one another until only the most ruthless survived.
While they talked, Xu Xiangqian and Li Longchuan politely kept their distance—one studying, the other resting.
Chongxuan Sheng gazed at the sea of clouds below the platform and suddenly said: "Brother Jiang, do you know why I insisted on inviting you in, but sent Chongxuan Xin away? He's technically a distant cousin of mine."
"There's no need to explain. I don't care about that."
"But I do." Chongxuan Sheng's voice carried a stubborn edge. "Because he defected to Chongxuan Zun's side."
"I've heard of Chongxuan Zun. He's the one who sent Wang Yiwu to target you?"
"Not exactly sent. They're very good friends." Chongxuan Sheng placed deliberate weight on the word "friends." "Chongxuan Zun is my cousin—blood cousin, not a branch-line member like Chongxuan Xin. He's the heir apparent to the Chongxuan clan, and I'm his only rival for succession."
He smiled. "My chances aren't good, which is why I took the risk to compete for the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm's opportunity. A future divine power Inner Prefecture holder would give me the standing to test his strength. But he brooks no rivals and strangles every potential challenger."
"In the Chongxuan clan, I'm the only one competing against him now. Not because I'm the only one with the qualifications—but because among all the qualified descendants still alive, I'm the only one who isn't afraid to die. The only one who dares seek this chance."
His smile carried a trace of bitterness.
Jiang Wang nodded. "Then I understand."
"Chongxuan Zun's advantage is too great. For the past decade, everyone has seen him as the Chongxuan clan's next patriarch. The position seemed unshakeable. If not for... I wouldn't have had this opportunity either."
Chongxuan Sheng didn't elaborate on what had happened to Chongxuan Zun that created this opening.
Instead, he continued: "The reason I traveled so far to recruit your help is that there's almost no one around me I can trust. Until I've secured enough standing, I dare not trust them either. I replaced Chongxuan Xin at the last moment, just before we entered the Heavenly Treasury Secret Realm—to deny Chongxuan Zun time to react. I didn't expect Wang Yiwu to claim one of the final spots in that short window and follow us in."
Chongxuan Sheng spoke each word with deliberate precision: "He wants to kill me."
They sat on the precipice of the mountain platform, the sea of clouds stretching below them like an ocean.
Jiang Wang made no grand promises, delivered no passionate speeches. He simply said: "Rest easy."
Just that.
But now Chongxuan Sheng knew.
When Jiang Wang gave his word, one sentence was enough.
...
The Tower Reaching Heaven pierced the cloud vault, as though it truly reached the heavens.
But its gates were sealed shut.
According to the stone stele's instructions, the tower would open only when at least five people had gathered at the platform, or when twelve hours had elapsed.
At that point, anyone who held a Horn of the Azure Dragon could enter the tower and pursue their Inner Prefecture divine power.
Since there were five Dragon Palaces, there should be a fifth person who had obtained a divine power opportunity.
Everyone present felt certain that person would arrive before time ran out—and that it could only be Wang Yiwu.
Rumors were just rumors. How strong someone truly was could only be proven through battle.
And both Chongxuan Sheng and Jiang Wang had already prepared themselves for that fight.
...
Time trickled past. The fifth person was conspicuously late. While the others seemed composed, Xu Xiangqian was growing restless.
He had finished examining the stele and had moved on to studying the clouds beyond the platform. Poetry began to surge within him.
"This scene belongs only in heaven—clouds and mist, yet nothing can be seen!"
Having recited his verse, he shamelessly turned to Li Longchuan. "What do you think of my poem?"
Li Longchuan appeared to have fallen asleep during his meditation, sitting motionless and silent.
Xu Xiangqian was entirely undaunted. He shifted his attention to Jiang Wang. "Brother Jiang, you're a man of experience. What's your critique?"
Chongxuan Sheng had no patience for this. He glared at Xu Xiangqian repeatedly, silently willing the man to distance himself and stop disrupting their preparations. But Xu Xiangqian was completely oblivious, his broad forehead gleaming under the light.
Since there was nothing else to do, Jiang Wang put on an air of contemplation, then praised: "The first half is quite good—simple and direct, yet concise and grand. Though it does seem a bit familiar..."
Xu Xiangqian cleared his throat. "Well, the second half—"
He was interrupted mid-sentence as every pair of eyes turned in unison toward the fifth figure who had appeared on the stone platform.
The young man looked almost boyish in his youth, his expression reserved—nervous, even shy.
It was Zhang Yong, from the fallen Fengxian Zhang clan.