"Later… my parents said they were going to search for the footsteps of our ancestors. But they never came back. After that, I left the secret realm on my own and eventually wandered all the way to Spirit City."
Mu Xi's peach-blossom eyes were red and glistening as she spoke, clearly lost in painful memories.
"Don't worry. From now on, I'm your family. And we'll have a lot more family together."
Li Chang'an gently pulled his shy girlfriend into his arms, comforting her.
"Thank you, Chang'an."
Mu Xi nodded softly, her moist eyes shimmering with happiness.
But even if she inherited the God of Nature's legacy, she wouldn't be able to ascend to the God Realm. After the Dragon God's defeat, the God Realm had completely excluded spirit beasts. Since the God of Nature had been aligned with the spirit beast camp, Mu Xi naturally had no place there.
Fortunately, Li Chang'an never intended to bow to the gods anyway. His plan was to overturn the God Realm and take charge himself. Otherwise, Mu Xi's situation would have been a real problem.
This time, the walk was clearly longer, but because Li Chang'an and Mu Xi whispered to each other the whole way, neither of them minded. Xiao Yuer, however, was another story.
Watching the pair whispering sweet nothings behind her back, she desperately wanted her master to descend and strike these shameless lovebirds down. Especially that scumbag Li Chang'an—his heart was anything but pure!
Thankfully, they finally arrived.
This chamber was easily the grandest of all the tomb rooms.
The lighting came from fist-sized night pearls. The walls glowed a bright green, crafted from some rare and unknown material, and painted murals covered the surface.
Each mural featured the same figure: a woman clad in emerald armor. Her face was hidden, but her tall, commanding figure radiated dominance.
The murals depicted her annihilating heaven, earth, and anything else in her way. The overall impression? Pure badassery.
At the very center of the chamber stood a ten-meter-tall statue of a woman. This time she wasn't armored, but dressed in a light-green gown, long hair flowing freely over her shoulders. Her face was clear—stunningly beautiful.
This was the true tomb of the God of Nature.
Xiao Yuer immediately dropped to her knees before the statue, entering a devout "prayer" mode:
"Great God of Nature above, I am your most faithful servant. Today, someone has passed the three trials you left behind—of wisdom, strength, and heart. Please, master, show yourself…"
As her words fell, the statue began to glow with a white radiance. An aura both strange and sacred filled the room.
This… was the power of a god.
Mu Xi's usually cool expression grew solemn and reverent. Even this mere fragment of divine aura felt terrifying, yet it carried a natural warmth that resonated with her bloodline. It seemed to call out to her.
This… was the power of a god.
For Li Chang'an, this was only the second time being so close to such a power—the first had been at the Rakshasa Tower.
As the glow faded, a towering phantom emerged from the statue. It was the God of Nature herself.
"All right, Xiao Yuer, get up. With so many people here, stop crying."
Her voice was gentle yet commanding. With a casual wave, she lifted the kneeling Xiao Yuer effortlessly.
"M-Master… it's been tens of thousands of years since I last saw you… wuuuu…"
Xiao Yuer sobbed like a child reunited with her mother.
"You've worked hard all these years."
The phantom reached out and stroked Xiao Yuer's head symbolically. Only then did Xiao Yuer manage to stop crying.
"Master, she is the one who passed your trial."
Xiao Yuer gestured toward Mu Xi.
But the God of Nature assumed both Mu Xi and Li Chang'an had passed—after all, she never imagined there could be someone as utterly unpure of heart as Li Chang'an.
"Not bad. To reach this place with only spirit Elder cultivation… you must have worked very hard."
The God of Nature smiled approvingly at both of them. In her eyes, anyone who could clear the three trials was a peerless talent.
Xiao Yuer: 'Master, I meant her, not them!'
Li Chang'an: 'Honestly, you wouldn't believe me if I told you… but it really wasn't that hard.'
Indeed, it wasn't.
The first trial? He cleared it with just a few words.
The second trial? Took a bit more effort, but just a handful of moves.
The third trial? He didn't even take it—Mu Xi did. And while her mental test was odd, it was still fairly easy.
So yes, for the two of them, the supposedly "grueling" trials were laughably simple.
That's the joy of being a protagonist with cheats—ordinary folks just can't relate.
If Li Chang'an were designing the trials, the first stage would be math questions—functions and parabolas—and there'd probably be no need for the other two.
Of course, he wouldn't dare say any of this aloud. Even a mere divine phantom wasn't something he could offend. Instead, he bowed respectfully:
"Great God of Nature, your three trials were truly extraordinary. This junior has never seen anything like them in my life!"
'Cough, cough… never seen anything so easy, that is.'
Xiao Yuer finally couldn't take it anymore and blurted out:
"Master, don't be fooled! His heart isn't clean at all—your third trial had no effect on him!"
God of Nature: …
"I see. After all these years, to encounter such a… unique talent… It seems I was careless. Still, even passing two trials is worthy of reward."
Her phantom voice carried the tone of someone refusing to lose face.
"Then… you must be the one who truly passed all three trials?"
She finally turned her gaze to Mu Xi, nodding with satisfaction.
"Yes."
Mu Xi's heart was full of mixed emotions. Who would have thought she would be the one to discover her ancestor's legacy?
"Would you be willing to accept my inheritance and become the new God of Nature?"
Her voice was warm with approval.
Mu Xi looked at Li Chang'an, recalling his advice and her clan's fate. Then she nodded seriously.
"But I must tell you this first: even if you complete the Nine Trials of Nature, you will not be able to ascend to the God Realm—for now."
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T/N:
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