Yan Lan spoke in a voice filled with unease and vigilance.
"Why do these remnants of ancient civilization feel so strange? This place... it fills me with dread. I cannot even compose myself."
Wu Ming replied calmly.
"There is no need to be afraid. This place is the final trial we must face. If we fail to obtain the inheritance hidden within this Third Trial, we may never find a way out. No matter what, we must pass this test."
Yan Lan slowly calmed his mind, regulating his breathing until it became steady and rhythmic.
"I understand. If that is the case, then the two of us should split up and explore this place separately. If we continue together, I fear it may only waste more time."
Wu Ming nodded in agreement. The two immediately parted ways, each heading in a different direction to investigate the surroundings.
Within the Ruined Structure
Lun Fu frowned as he looked around.
"What is going on here? Why does this place look so ancient? The surroundings are filled with strange and mysterious inscriptions... I cannot understand any of them."
He slowly walked along a wall that stretched endlessly into darkness. At the same time, he continuously spread out his spiritual sense, examining the surroundings with extreme caution.
"Hm? What is that?"
Lun Fu narrowed his eyes slightly, adjusting his vision to see more clearly into the distance.
Before him lay a horrifying sight.
Countless skeletons were piled together like a mountain, and surrounding that mountain of bones were numerous treasures scattered everywhere.
Lun Fu could hardly believe what he was seeing. The scene before him was ghastly and terrifying. Even the atmosphere around him seemed to grow colder, and the breath he exhaled turned into visible frost in the icy air.
He cautiously approached the vicinity of the skeletal mountain.
"What kind of place is this? Why are there so many skeletons here? I fear there may be some creature lurking here, luring its prey before slaughtering and devouring them... leaving behind nothing but bones."
"I must examine this place quickly and leave. Otherwise, my greed may take hold of me, and I might end up dying a miserable death like these countless skeletons."
He swiftly surveyed the surroundings.
Every movement he made was silent, as though he were running upon still water-without creating even the slightest ripple, as if the surface had never been disturbed.
His gaze suddenly caught sight of something extremely eye-catching.
Without hesitation, he immediately moved toward it.
"What is this thing? Why does it look so strange?"
Before him was a crimson pearl, radiating a dazzling light like a rare and priceless jewel. Within that red pearl was an incredibly dense and pure form of energy.
"What is going on? How can such a small orb contain such an immense amount of pure energy?! Could this be some kind of precious treasure?!"
He quickly shook his head, forcing away the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
"Whether this is a treasure or not, it must be extremely valuable. I must keep this matter secret."
He swiftly grabbed the crimson pearl and stored it inside his spatial pouch. After checking the surroundings once more and finding nothing else of value, he immediately left the mysterious place.
...
...
Inside the Reception Hall of the Ancient Ruins
"What is going on here? Why is there nothing here at all?"
Zhang Yun frowned deeply.
"I thought there would at least be some precious treasure or inheritance here. But in the end... it's just a single worn-out meditation cushion?"
He spoke with obvious frustration before letting out a heavy sigh to calm himself.
"Forget it. At least I now know that this place holds no real benefit. Since no one else is here, this thing belongs to me anyway. I might as well take it along. Even if I don't know what it does, I'll keep it for now."
He continued forward toward the next area.
Soon, he discovered a small hut that looked both strange and somewhat ominous.
An unfamiliar aura surrounded the hut. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before-an aura that stirred fear deep within his heart and soul.
Zhang Yun slowly pushed open the door of the hut.
Inside the small hut stood a black flag planted firmly at its center.
Around the flag were countless strange inscriptions. The shapes of those symbols were twisted and grotesque-so distorted that they could hardly be called writing at all.
The moment Zhang Yun saw the arrangement of the formation and the runic markings, he immediately felt dizzy, nearly vomiting from the overwhelming sense of nausea.
"These strange inscriptions... they seem to have been written with the blood of living creatures."
"From the aura of blood and the lingering presence, I can tell that the blood belongs to a terrifyingly powerful being. If such a creature were still alive, even a single breath from it would likely be enough to annihilate me instantly."
"But using the blood of such a being to form a sealing formation around this black flag...?"
"What exactly is so special about this black flag?"
He carefully examined the formation and the black flag.
Eventually, he realized that he would need to drip his own blood onto the formation to establish a blood-bound soul contract with the flag.
"I'm certain this thing must be extremely valuable. In any case, it's far better than that old cushion I found earlier."
He cut his palm with a small blade and let his blood drip onto the strange runic formation.
Zhang Yun suddenly discovered that the strange runes, which formed a formation-like pattern, had begun to slowly glow. The bizarre inscriptions gradually lit up, radiating a dazzling crimson light. That scarlet brilliance spread outward, passing through every pore of his body and even seeping deep into his very soul.
"ΑΑΑΑΑΑΗΗΗHH-! This... this is far too painful! If this continues any longer, I will surely die from the agony!"
A pain beyond imagination surged through his entire body. It was a torment so unbearable that Zhang Yun could scarcely endure it. The suffering continued until his consciousness could no longer hold on, and he eventually lost consciousness.
Three hours later
Zhang Yun slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he regained consciousness, he discovered that his entire body was emitting an extremely foul and putrid stench. It was so strong that it seemed as though something rotten had been expelled from within him.
Looking down, he found that his body was covered with layers of filth and impurities that had been forced out from inside him.
However, despite the disgusting smell and appearance, he could clearly feel that his body had become far more comfortable than before. At the same time, the flow of Qi within his body had become much smoother, circulating through his meridians and gathering toward his dantian at a noticeably faster speed.
"Hoho... what is this?"
"So it actually helped cleanse my body?"
"It seems that this time I have gained quite a considerable benefit. Not only did it purge the impurities within my body, it also helped temper and refine my soul."
"Right now I can clearly feel it... if I continue cultivating for a little longer, my Soul Realm will soon be able to advance to the stage of Condensed Soul Core."
This opportunity had brought Zhang Yun tremendous benefits-benefits great enough to greatly accelerate his progress on the path of cultivation. For a cultivator, such a chance could already be considered extraordinarily valuable.
However, even after obtaining such gains, Zhang Yun was still not satisfied.
Zhang Yun muttered to himself,
"Although this was indeed a great opportunity, I have still not discovered the true chance here-the Emperor-level inheritance."
"I must obtain that inheritance."
"Just the treasures and benefits I have obtained from the Third Trial alone are already enough to make me one of the top geniuses among cultivators."
"But if it is truly an Emperor-level inheritance... then becoming the strongest expert within an entire region would not be an exaggeration."
"Hahaha!"
"All the treasures and inheritances here will belong to me-Zhang Yun!"
.....
......
Inside a vast and magnificent hall
Wu Ming looked around as he stood within the enormous chamber.
"Why does this place appear so grand and majestic? It almost resembles the imperial hall of some ancient empire."
He carefully inspected the surroundings in detail. As his gaze swept across the hall, it suddenly stopped upon an enormous mural carved into the wide wall of the chamber.
The mural was extremely massive.
Upon it were inscribed strange markings that seemed to depict the structure of an entire planetary system.
The diagram looked incredibly peculiar.
Wu Ming furrowed his brows tightly as he tried to recall something that felt strangely familiar. He pondered for quite some time before a realization suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"I remember now!"
"So this is actually the diagram of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds!"
"But... why does it look slightly different?"
"And why would a diagram of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds appear in a place like this?"
"Unless..."
"Could it be that this place... is actually the core of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds?!"
However, the moment this thought appeared in his mind, Wu Ming immediately shook his head, rejecting the idea.
"But if this truly were the core of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds, then why would the civilizations here have completely vanished?"
"Moreover... this diagram seems different from the Ten Thousand Great Worlds that I know."
"Whether it is the structure of the stars or the various components of this map, everything is entirely different from what I remember."
"Although it appears somewhat similar at first glance... it is clearly not the same."
"In my previous life, I conquered and traversed the Ten Thousand Great Worlds. I have seen almost every place and every world that exists along the great river of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds."
"There were almost no places that I had not encountered."
"And yet... this place is completely different."
"Under normal circumstances, the Ten Thousand Great Worlds are born from the Source River."
"It is from that primordial river that the Ten Thousand Great Worlds are created-worlds inhabited by lifeforms of extremely high levels, far superior to those found in ordinary realms."
"Not only that, but the Source River itself is filled with endless laws of time and boundless primordial energy."
"But this place... is completely different."
"There is no Source River here."
"There are no Heavenly Laws governing this world."
"Even the Will of Heaven does not exist."
"It feels as though this place is completely separated from everything else, existing independently and in isolation."
"Which means that this place might not actually be one of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds... but merely a structure that resembles them."
Wu Ming quickly focused his mind and extended his spiritual sense, carefully examining the surroundings.
Soon, he discovered something unexpected.
There was actually a hidden formation concealed within this place.
And surprisingly, it was not located somewhere far away.
Instead... it was directly in front of him.
Wu Ming muttered in astonishment,
"There is actually a formation engraved within the diagram of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds?"
"And it is incredibly difficult to detect."
"Even my Supreme Divine Sense almost failed to discover it."
"Wouldn't that mean that whatever is hidden here must be extremely precious to be concealed so perfectly?"
Without any hesitation, Wu Ming immediately activated the formation embedded within the diagram of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds.
The massive mural began to shrink.
Gradually, the enormous diagram condensed and transformed into the form of a scroll.
Within the scroll, the images began to shift and change continuously.
At first, the scenes depicted vast great worlds.
But soon the images began to transform into different landscapes.
Towering mountains...
Flowing rivers...
And valleys filled with surging spiritual energy and boundless life force.
Wu Ming stared at the scene in astonishment.
"What... is this?!"
"Could this be... an Emperor-level treasure or inheritance?!"
However, before he could think or speak any further-
A powerful force suddenly erupted from the scroll.
In the next instant, Wu Ming was abruptly pulled directly into the painting.
And the scroll itself vanished from the hall entirely...
As though it had never existed there at all.
...
.....
......
The Dimension Within the Scroll
Wu Ming was falling from the vast heavens.
As he descended through the endless sky, a shocking scene unfolded before his eyes.
At the outer edge of the boundless Great World, a catastrophic disaster had erupted. Countless worlds collapsed one after another like fragile bubbles bursting in the void. The terrifying scenes continued to unfold endlessly, revealing to him the cycles of birth and destruction of countless great worlds across many ancient eras.
Wu Ming could hardly believe what he was witnessing.
He had never imagined that such immense and powerful worlds could actually be destroyed by natural calamities.
"W-What is this...?"
"I can hardly imagine what kind of force could create such a horrifying catastrophe. I fear these events must have taken place in an unimaginably distant ancient era. Even I cannot calculate how long ago it was..."
Although he was filled with doubt about the visions he had seen, he had no time to dwell on them.
At this moment, within the diagram of the Ten Thousand Great Worlds, he was still falling into an endless void of space.
Eventually, he was transported to a completely unfamiliar place.
The instant he landed, Wu Ming quickly stabilized himself and instinctively raised his guard.
However, no danger appeared.
He sensed nothing strange or hostile. Instead, he discovered that this place was filled with incredibly dense energy-life energy, spiritual energy, and even the pure energies of heaven and earth.
Wu Ming frowned slightly.
"What place is this? Why is it so rich with energy and blessed with such a perfect environment?"
His gaze swept across the surroundings before suddenly stopping on a single tree in the distance.
This was not an ordinary tree that could be ignored.
It was unimaginably enormous-so vast that it seemed impossible for it to exist within the same world. Its roots were deeply embedded into the vast earth below, while its towering crown stretched endlessly toward the heavens, as if separating the sky and the earth themselves.
"This... what exactly does this mean? I have never encountered a place like this before."
Without hesitation, Wu Ming walked toward the colossal tree.
However, after approaching a certain distance, he found that he could no longer move forward.
"What?! Why is this pressure so overwhelming?!"
"It's far too heavy... even my body, forged by the power of chaos, cannot withstand it!"
Step by step, he slowly retreated to lessen the crushing pressure.
Wu Ming let out a long breath of relief before sitting down on the ground and contemplating everything that had happened.
"This place is truly strange. The cultivation environment here is extraordinary in every aspect. And I have never seen a tree so vast and majestic before-one that seems capable of supporting both heaven and earth."
He quickly sat cross-legged and began to comprehend the laws within this great world diagram.
Soon he discovered something astonishing.
This place was filled with powerful energies and incredibly strong laws of time. Although his talent in the laws of time and space was already considered extremely high, when compared to the heavenly laws within this scroll dimension, the difference was like that between a mortal and a god.
He felt as though he were merely a mortal standing beneath the tree, while at the very top of its towering crown stood a divine being looking down upon him from above.
Then he discovered something even more shocking.
Time within this place flowed fifty times faster than time in the outside world.
Wu Ming's eyes widened in disbelief.
"This... this is unbelievable!"
"This is definitely not merely an Emperor-level inheritance. This treasure is something far beyond what I can even comprehend right now! It might even surpass all the laws that exist within the world of Kun Lun!"
"If I cultivate inside this scroll dimension for one day, it would only equal about twenty-eight minutes in the outside world!"
"This is a tremendous opportunity-my path to reaching the peak!"
"Hahahahaha!!!"
He burst into laughter, unable to contain his excitement.
"Even though this scroll hides such an incredible secret, I cannot be certain that I can truly claim it. The laws here are far too strange and powerful. If I recklessly attempt to control it, I might very well die from exceeding my current limits."
"But that doesn't mean I have no chance."
"If I cultivate here for seven days, only a little more than three hours will pass in the outside world."
"That means I still have a chance to obtain this incredible treasure!"
After murmuring these words to himself, Wu Ming quickly calmed his mind.
He focused his spirit and entered deep meditation, determined to comprehend and learn as much as possible about the world within this mysterious scroll dimension.
....
.......
"Please... spare... spare my life..."
"Tch! Just die!"
Slash!
"What a piece of trash... to think you actually believed you were qualified to pass the Genius Competition. With strength like yours, you should never have dared to show your face here in the first place."
Gu Fei Yi spat on the corpse of the man he had just killed.
The action was filled with blatant contempt and humiliation toward a fellow cultivator. The surrounding onlookers all revealed expressions of dissatisfaction and displeasure.
Gu Fei Yi swept his gaze across the surroundings.
He quickly noticed that four people had surrounded him, glaring at him with hostility. The reason was obvious-he had just killed a member of their group moments ago.
"Oh?"
"You actually think you can defeat me just by relying on the four of you to surround me?"
"What childish thinking."
The moment he finished speaking, he activated his Spatial Control Talent.
In an instant, his figure flickered and vanished from sight.
The next moment, he appeared directly behind one of the men.
Without hesitation, he swung his blade at incredible speed and struck viciously into the man's back.
A massive wound instantly split open across the man's back. The injury was fatal. Because of the severe damage, he collapsed to the ground and died immediately.
The remaining three men were horrified when they witnessed this scene.
Fear filled their hearts as they immediately tried to flee.
However-
The moment they attempted to run, they discovered that their bodies had become completely frozen, unable to move even a single step.
"Hahaha!"
"You think you can escape from my domain?"
"This is the Law of Space imprisoning you!"
"No matter how much you struggle, it's completely useless!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Fei Yi manipulated the Law of Space once more.
The invisible spatial force began compressing the three men tighter and tighter.
The pressure continued increasing without mercy.
Until-
Their bodies were crushed apart, exploding into clouds of blood mist that slowly dissipated into the air
At that moment, a cold voice suddenly echoed nearby.
"It seems you are excessively cruel toward your fellow humans."
"Even the way you kill them forces them to die in agony."
"Tell me... is your heart that of a demon while your body merely wears the form of a human?"
The moment Gu Fei Yi heard the voice, he immediately turned toward its source.
The person standing there was Chen Ye.
Earlier, he had been evaluated as someone equal to-or perhaps even stronger than-Gu Fei Yi.
However, upon seeing him, Gu Fei Yi showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, a sinister smile appeared on his face.
Gu Fei Yi said:
"The deaths of others are none of your concern."
"It is the fate they must face and bear."
"It is the path they themselves chose."
"If you believe you can control their fate..."
"Then go ahead and try!"
Chen Ye did not respond verbally.
Instead, he slowly drew his sword from its scabbard.
The movement was calm and natural, as though it were the most ordinary action in the world.
He raised the tip of the sword and pointed it directly at Gu Fei Yi.
His gaze was icy cold, filled with sharp and chilling killing intent.
Chen Ye: "If that is what you desire... then I will grant your request."
Fwoosh!
Chen Ye's body disappeared instantly.
There was no sound, not even the slightest ripple in the air.
Seeing such terrifying speed, Gu Fei Yi did not dare to be careless.
He immediately activated his Spatial Law Domain, covering an area of several dozen meters.
Within this domain, anyone approaching him would have their movements slowed by half.
His eyes swept across the area with sharp precision.
Suddenly-
He sensed something rushing toward his throat with incredible speed.
Without hesitation, he swung his blade toward that direction with full force.
Clang!
A sharp sword collided violently with Gu Fei Yi's blade, producing a deafening sound that echoed throughout the surroundings.
Gu Fei Yi could not help but feel shocked.
That movement had been incredibly fast and deadly.
In merely a fraction of a second, Chen Ye's sword had already appeared at his throat.
If he had reacted even slightly slower-
His head would have already separated from his body long ago.
Gu Fei Yi immediately unleashed Fire Element power to launch a counterattack.
The explosive force forced both of them backward, creating distance between them so they could regain proper footing.
Without hesitation, Gu Fei Yi immediately activated a high-level martial technique, unleashing his sword art.
The two of them once again engaged in close combat.
Every attack launched by Gu Fei Yi was filled with tremendous power and astonishing speed.
Meanwhile, Chen Ye could only block the incoming strikes while continuously retreating.
This was because the surrounding area of several dozen meters was entirely covered by Gu Fei Yi's Spatial Law Domain, which created tremendous pressure and suppressed Chen Ye's movement speed.
"Hahaha!"
Gu Fei Yi said: "Well? Fight back!"
"Or can you only defend?"
"Right now you're nothing more than a cornered dog!"
Gu Fei Yi seized a critical opening and unleashed a rapid sword strike.
When Chen Ye saw this, he immediately sensed the danger and attempted to defend by raising his sword to block the incoming thrust.
The tip of Gu Fei Yi's sword slammed violently into Chen Ye's blade.
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted.
The shockwave spread across a hundred meters, causing cracks to spread across the ground.
Chen Ye's sword also developed a small crack.
Gu Fei Yi burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"If you lose your sword, what will you use to fight me?"
"Once your sword breaks, you'll be nothing more than worthless trash!"
Upon hearing this insult, anger immediately surged within Chen Ye's heart.
But what angered him even more was seeing the sword that had accompanied him for years-the weapon that had fought countless battles alongside him and eliminated numerous assassins-now beginning to crack because of such a crude opponent.
This made him extremely displeased.
Chen Ye: "Since you dare to underestimate your opponent so greatly..."
"Then I will show you that above the heavens there are higher heavens, and above people there are those even stronger!"
In an instant-
A terrifying sword aura erupted from Chen Ye's body.
The aura expanded across several dozen meters.
Everything within the surrounding area was instantly sliced apart by the violent sword aura, as if the environment itself had been shredded into dust.
Gu Fei Yi was greatly shocked and immediately leapt backward, retreating thirty meters away.
Only then did he notice that Chen Ye's aura had completely changed.
It seemed that Chen Ye had already mastered the Sword Intent, and had likely reached the highest stage of basic sword intent mastery.
Gu Fei Yi secretly exhaled a breath.
"That was close..."
"If I had been just a little slower, I would have been chopped into pieces."
"What terrifying sword intent... I cannot afford to underestimate him."
However-
Before he could fully regain his composition-
A sharp sword filled with intense killing intent suddenly appeared right in front of him.
"What?!"
Clang!
The sword struck the defensive treasure Gu Fei Yi was wearing.
It was a jade pendant that instantly formed a protective barrier around his entire body, completely enveloping him like the shell of a turtle.
Chen Ye: "That was close."
"If you didn't have that defensive treasure..."
"Your head would no longer be sitting on a human's body."
Gu Fei Yi felt lingering fear surging within him.
This situation had far exceeded his expectations.
He had never imagined that even his spiritual perception would fail to detect the speed of Chen Ye's sword.
If Chen Ye were to launch another hidden attack from a different direction-
It would be nearly impossible for him to predict it.