You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

The Empress shook her head and said, "There is a connection, but the current Great Yong is much more stable than during the Eternal Night Period. Logically, almost the entire fortune of the Human Clan should be centered in Great Yong, yet the Heavenly Martial Divine Cauldron is only linked to two or three-tenths, which is strange."

She pondered for a moment, then said, "Perhaps the Crown Prince or His Majesty has refined other artifacts related to the clan's fate."

Lin Yue did not ask further.

The fortune of Great Yong and the Human Clan were inherently vague and elusive concepts.

Even if princes, princesses, and high ministers were protected by the nation's fortune, it was merely a shield, a mere reflection of a portion of the fortune.

His inquiries about these matters were purely out of curiosity.

As for the whereabouts of the other two or three-tenths of the Human Clan's fortune, it was not his concern.

...

After the Empress departed, he also left Yao Shen Lake and headed directly to the Imperial Palace's Temple of Thousand Gods.

The Temple of Thousand Gods.

This was a place of opportunity established by the Divine Emperor specifically for the core descendants of the Xiahong lineage, storing a vast number of treasures.

It was said that as long as one was within five generations of the Xiahong lineage and had reached the level of a Great Cultivator, they could come to challenge it, with different rewards based on the results of the trials.

"Greetings, Seventeenth Prince."

As Lin Yue arrived at the entrance to the Temple of Thousand Gods, the guards immediately made way, and the chief guard spoke, "Your Highness, are you here to challenge the Temple of Thousand Gods?"

"Yes," Lin Yue nodded slightly and asked, "Is anyone else in line?"

"Yes, the Commandery Prince of Qian Yuan, Xiahong Qian, and the fifth grandson of the Thirteenth Prince, Master Xiahong Xuhua, are also waiting for the Temple of Thousand Gods to open."

The chief guard said respectfully, "But since Your Highness has arrived, it will naturally open now. Please go to the front hall for a moment, and I will notify them."

Lin Yue nodded slightly.

The Temple of Thousand Gods required the accumulation of five people to open due to the significant cost of each trial.

Only a prince had the privilege to open it early.

Otherwise, even someone like the Commandery Prince of Qian Yuan did not have the qualification for early entry.

It was said that the Commandery Prince of Qian Yuan, Xiahong Qian, was the fourth son of the Fifteenth Prince, Ming King, and was currently on a five-game winning streak in Tianxia Building's Seventh Layer; a truly exceptional feat.

Half an hour later.

"Greetings, Seventeenth Imperial Uncle."

A young man dressed in the regular attire of a Commandery Prince stood before Lin Yue, bowing.

This was the Commandery Prince of Qian Yuan, Xiahong Qian.

His father was the Fifteenth Prince, and it was rumored that the Fifteenth Prince was the son of the Demon Clan Empress, a half-demon who had refined the entire soul of a Divine Beast.

So... Xiahong Qian also carried the bloodline of the Demon Clan.

"Greetings, Seventeenth Prince."

Another, the fifth grandson of the Thirteenth Prince, Xiahong Xuhua, also bowed with clasped fists.

Xiahong Xuhua was also quite exceptional, being in the Seventh Layer of Tianxia Building, though he did not win consecutively.

"Alright, since we're all here, let's open the Temple of Thousand Gods."

Lin Yue said casually, not wasting any time.

The guards immediately opened the door.

Once the three entered the Temple of Thousand Gods, the door closed behind them automatically.

The hall was pitch dark, and nothing was visible.

"Visitors again... oh? A prince?"

A hoarse, aged voice sounded. Lin Yue then saw an old, hunched man in a gray robe emerge from the darkness, his gaze sweeping over the three, then lingering on Lin Yue.

"Are you the Spirit of the Temple of Thousand Gods?" Lin Yue asked.

The Spirit of the Temple of Thousand Gods was said to be extremely special and very powerful, surpassing some heaven-defying Saints.

"You could say that."

The old man in the gray robe studied him and said, "I see you're not even thirty yet, so young to come to the Temple of Thousand Gods? Not going to prepare for a few more years?"

"No need." Lin Yue shook his head slightly.

"Very well."

The old man cast his eyes over the three and said, "The trial is simple, just display the aspect you excel in, whether it be combat, alchemy, arrays, etc."

Lin Yue nodded slightly, already aware of this before coming.

He immediately said, "I'll choose combat."

Xiahong Qian and Xiahong Xuhua both said, "I'll choose combat as well."

The gray-robed elder nodded slightly, saying, "Then let's begin."

With a point to the ground not far away, an immense amount of Essence gathered, forming a slightly illusory avatar, although its aura was merely at the Perfect Level of a common Great Cultivator.

"The trial is quite simple."

The gray-robed elder said, "This is my avatar. You must defeat it, and each time it will become stronger than the last. Should you fail, you'll be transported to the Treasure Hall. Remember, the more times you defeat my avatar, the greater the reward."

All three understood the rule.

Without wasting words, the gray-robed elder immediately said, "Who will go first?"

"Seventeenth Imperial Uncle?" Xiahong Qian and Xiahong Xuhua looked at Lin Yue.

"You go first," Lin Yue said casually.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Xiahong Qian stepped forward, and an invisible power spread out immediately.

Without any noticeable action, the avatar created by the gray-robed elder shattered completely, dispersing into Essence.

The avatar reformed.

Xiahong Qian stood motionless, and once more, the invisible power turned the gray-robed elder's avatar into Essence.

Then a third time... a fourth time...

Lin Yue observed quietly from the side; this nephew was indeed strong.

It was said Xiahong Qian followed the path of Divine Thought Primordial Power, dual-cultivating Confucian and Daoist methods, and had condensed a heaven-defying embryonic form of the Dao of Heaven and Earth.

However, after vanquishing the gray-robed elder five times, the avatar on the sixth formation was evidently much stronger, and Xiahong Qian struggled to defeat it.

As for the seventh avatar, its prowess was astonishingly strong, and Xiahong Qian could barely manage to protect himself, marking the end of the Temple of Thousand Gods for him.

"You may obtain a second-class treasure," the gray-robed elder said to Xiahong Qian, "Do you wish to leave now?"

"I'll stay and watch, then we can teleport out together," Xiahong Qian replied, shaking his head.

"Your Highness, shall I go next?" Xiahong Xuhua looked at Lin Yue.

"Go ahead," Lin Yue nodded slightly.

The gray-robed elder once again formed a new avatar.

Stepping forward, Xiahong Xuhua wielded a heavy saber in one hand, lightly swinging it as Sword Intent surged like a tide, directly pulverizing the avatar of the gray-robed elder.

His strength was clearly inferior to that of Xiahong Qian, who nearly managed to instant kill during the first five encounters, struggling greatly by the sixth.

Meanwhile, Xiahong Xuhua managed instant kills for only the first four times, already finding the fifth encounter incredibly taxing and the sixth beyond hope.

"You can obtain a third-tier reward."

Subsequently, the gray-robed elder turned his gaze to Lin Yue and said, "Seventeenth Prince? It's your turn."

Xiahong Qian and Xiahong Xuhua both looked at Lin Yue, aware that he had only been cultivating for eleven years.

In such a short time, despite being a prince, what level could he have achieved?

It was rumored that this Seventeenth Prince had slain an Ascetic in a grand array, though the specifics were unclear. It was said he wielded a Divine Artifact Battle Saber.

Even Xiahong Qian felt confident he could achieve something similar without a Divine Artifact.

So he was somewhat proud, thinking, so what if he was a prince? I can surpass him.

"Let's start."

Without wasting words, Lin Yue waited as the gray-robed elder formed another avatar, then struck out with an open palm.

The avatar collapsed instantly.

Twice, thrice, four times...

At the sixth renewal, the avatar was incredibly powerful, causing Lin Yue to employ Chaos Reopening.

As for the seventh...

"Can I use a Divine Artifact?" Lin Yue inquired.

Before arriving, he had heard that the Temple of Thousand Gods permitted the use of weapons, although unsure about using Divine Artifacts.

After all, among those challenging the Temple of Thousand Gods, he was probably the only one to possess a Divine Artifact already.

"Divine Artifact?"

The gray-robed elder looked at him with surprise, saying, "If you have acknowledged it as your master, naturally you may use it."

The two others were eager, having heard about Divine Artifacts but never truly witnessed one.

"Good."

Maintaining the state of Chaos Reopening, Lin Yue unsheathed the star-glimmering Divine Artifact Battle Saber.

"Oh? So it's that..." The gray-robed elder's eyes held a semblance of nostalgia.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With three consecutive strikes, the seventh avatar was annihilated and dispersed.

"So strong..."

Xiahong Qian and Xiahong Xuhua were shocked; was this the power of a Divine Artifact?

And… for such innate prowess to exist too?

Could he have already condensed a heaven-defying embryonic Dao?

Lin Yue calmly sheathed his battle saber.

Since the use of Divine Artifacts was allowed, the Temple of Thousand Gods' trial was a trifle for him.

Hence, he was unfazed.

"You may receive the top reward from the Temple of Thousand Gods."

The gray-robed elder looked at Lin Yue and said, "Follow me."