Chapter 123 - 123 122 The Trial Path

123: Chapter 122: The Trial Path 123: Chapter 122: The Trial Path Lin Xuan was deeply intrigued by the mysterious entrance in the west. “Let’s check it out. We can’t just wait here for ten days!” he thought, unwilling to stay idle, and decided to give it a try. “Hey, where are you going? You’re not seriously heading to the western entrance, are you?” a disciple shouted. Lin Xuan didn’t look back but waved his hand, bidding farewell to the group. “Damn! He’s really going there, he’s crazy!” “Seeking death, no one has ever come back alive!” “Hmph, maybe he’s just putting on a show. I bet when he really gets there, he’ll be so scared that his legs will tremble!” Many disciples snickered, ready to laugh at Lin Xuan’s misfortune. Lin Xuan ignored the thoughts of others; he arrived at the western entrance and observed it with the Lord of Wine. Ahead, there was a square entrance with no sealing power around it. Lin Xuan activated his Purple Spirit Eyes and saw that it was pitch-black inside, impossible to see through. “This place is not as simple as it appears on the surface; it is maintained by an array,” Lord of Wine said gravely. “It should be a path of testing.” “A path of testing?” Lin Xuan frowned. “If that’s true, why have so many vanished?” “It indeed is a path of testing, and the fate of those who fail is death,” replied Lord of Wine with a solemn voice. “Whether to enter or not is entirely up to you.” Lin Xuan didn’t hesitate at all, his eyes firm. “Let me see how tough this path of testing is!” Taking a deep breath, Lin Xuan walked into the western entrance… Whoosh! Whoosh! Blood-colored Forest, bat cave. Inside the vast cave, the body of the Bat King was split in two, lying on the ground. Blood and entrails were scattered everywhere, filling the air with a pungent smell. Disciples from the Purple Mist Sect searched the cave thoroughly, sparing no corner. However, they found nothing useful. The Zixia Fairy and others looked forward reverently at the figure ahead, patiently waiting. “Could it be that there’s nothing here? Could the prediction be wrong?” the figure murmured, sweeping her Qiushui-like eyes again before sighing softly. “How many more forbidden lands are there like this?” the mysterious woman asked. “There’s another Mysterious Valley, and no one has ever entered it,” Zixia Fairy said respectfully. “It is said that inside the Blood-colored Heavenly Palace, there is also a mysterious secret realm.” “I can perform the Prediction Technique one more time,” the mysterious woman took out a turtle shell and continuously emitted Spiritual Power. Moments later, the turtle shell displayed a blood-red shadow hovering midair. “This must be the Blood-colored Heavenly Palace,” the mysterious woman put away the turtle shell and said calmly, “Let’s go to the Blood-colored Heavenly Palace.” The disciples of the Purple Mist Sect showed a hint of excitement and eagerly turned to leave. Just then, a chilling laugh echoed through the passage, causing their scalps to tingle. “Hehehe, thinking of leaving? It might not be that easy!” Several black figures blocked their way, with black mist swirling around them. “Who are you? Make way quickly!” Zixia Fairy exclaimed sharply. The five black figures remained motionless, one of them dispersing the black mist into countless black snakes that burrowed into the ground. Soon, that person opened his eyes, his voice cold: “We didn’t find what we were looking for.” The foremost Black Robed Man focused his gaze on the disciples of the Purple Mist Sect: “Hand over what you have obtained, otherwise we’ll leave you with no corpse!” “You’re also looking for something,” the mysterious woman frowned slightly, “Could it be that the information leaked?” “It seems you know,” the leader in the Black Robe rasped, “Hand over the items, and we’ll leave your full corpse!” Saying this, he started to swirl with black mist, condensing a ferocious Demon Beast above his head. “Netherworld Death Qi?” The mysterious woman was slightly stunned, then scoffed, “I didn’t expect you to have resurged from the ashes! But I wonder how many of the people from back then are still left?” The mysterious woman’s words startled the five black-robed men, while the disciples of the Purple Mist Sect looked completely puzzled. “Kill them all and bring them back!” the leader of the black-robed men commanded with cruelty. Instantly, black mist filled the air, enveloping the entire cave. “Floating Light Shadow!” The mysterious woman’s figure danced, as graceful as a startled swan, a translucent shadow burst forth, dispersing the black fog. “She is not from Xia Country, form the array to deal with her!” the leader of the black-robed men exclaimed in alarm, hastily shouting orders. Five streams of black Qi flew from the bodies of the black-robed men, merging in the air to form the Five-pointed Star Formation, encircling everyone. “The Fifth Netherworld Formation, activate!” Black Qi surged, morphing into a gigantic beast’s claw, endless Evil Qi permeated, filling the entire space. The mysterious woman frowned and said hatefully, “Were it not for this damned space suppressing my cultivation, it would never be your turn to act recklessly!” Then, rays of dawn light burst forth from her body, meeting the black scaled claw… Da! Da! Da! Footsteps echoed around, creating overlapping sounds. Lin Xuan’s body radiated light, barely illuminating the path beneath his feet. Wherever he passed, the darkness receded like a tide, violently engulfing him from behind. Lin Xuan did not know how long he had walked, feeling as if there was no end. There was no sound, no other presence, just his heartbeat and the continual echo of his footsteps. It continued endlessly, on and on. “An Illusion Array?” He stopped walking, orange light flickering in his eyes, like two Divine Lights slicing through the darkness. Not far away, a light emerged, vague and unclear. Lin Xuan stepped forward, heading toward that light gate, but after a while, he realized that the gate had shifted direction, appearing again to his left. He adjusted his direction, but the gate always appeared beside him, as if he had never been on the correct path. Lin Xuan laughed to himself, aware that he had fallen into an illusion array, but what of it. “The path I walk, even if darkness lies ahead, I will use the sword in my hands to carve out a swath of light!” The Sword Intent Seed within him trembled, a golden giant sword phantom appeared behind him, towering into the skies. The vague light gate disappeared, and Lin Xuan released a sword light from within his body, cleaving the void apart. It was as if a mirror had shattered, the endless darkness turned into countless fragments, disappearing into the air. The scenery around him changed dramatically, pink curtains fell, the air filled with a rich floral fragrance and a faint body scent. A graceful figure was faintly visible, a face of unparalleled Qingcheng beauty, devilish Linglong figure—this was a cave of beauties. Had it been anyone else, they would probably be overwhelmed with excitement, but Lin Xuan remained expressionless, the orange light in his pupils flickering with a hint of red. His gaze was resolute, his demeanor calm, and he walked straight past. Behind him, the pink turned to skulls, fading into oblivion. “You have come, you finally arrived!” The scenery changed again, and a figure appeared ahead. The figure ahead was blurred as if obscured by a mist. Lin Xuan walked forward, finally able to see the other’s face clearly. Young, handsome, with fluttering black hair, his eyes filled with confidence, looking like another himself standing there. A person identical to him, standing in front of him.