Martial Saint!

Because of the strength of his soul, Wang Xian had always balanced his spiritual cultivation. Now, his Heart Sutra had reached the eleventh layer.

The "Great Hiding Technique" was created by the formidable Heavenly Realm loose cultivator, "Hermit Grandmaster" of the Great Wilderness. It incorporates secret methods of mental attack, control, and concealment, making it extraordinarily valuable.

Even a Heavenly King would be interested in it in the outside world; handing it in to the council could be exchanged for a Heavenly Treasure.

This made Qingtian Cang and Lin Xia quite envious. When they crossed that bridge, they hadn't reacted at all.

But they did not know—during the time Lu Chenzhou paused, he had already received the inheritance of the Supreme Ninth-Rank Secret Technique.

After the first trial, there were many treasure rewards, including Earth Grade treasures. Following the principle of "to the finder goes the spoils, with a contest to decide shared discoveries," everyone engaged in fierce competition.

Relying on his Heaven-reaching Immortal Armor, Qingtian Cang sparred with others and obtained an Earth Grade Opening Treasure, making the trip worthwhile.

Lin Xia obtained a small bottle of Earth Immortal Dew, with a full five drops inside. Wang Xian also acquired a War Soldier.

"What a splendid place."

"After the second trial, the benefits should be even greater."

Everyone was immersed in the joy of their gains.

Lu Chenzhou, who was observing from the shadows, felt something was off.

"The difficulty of the trial and the rewards are entirely mismatched. After just one round, out of a hundred, only one is eliminated. In other Heavenly Realm Cave Mansions, at least a third would be cut."

He used the Lighting Order to contact the Northern Guardian King.

[It is indeed strange. These treasures feel like bait. I have already gathered some Daoist friends to convene the Elder Council, and if anything happens, we will forcibly break into the cave to rescue everyone. However, the trial has begun and the entrance is closed; you can't go back the way you came. For now, you must press forward. Only by passing all the trials can you possibly get out.]

For now, they could only go along with the plan.

Regardless of whether it was the enemy's plot or not, since they had come, they would have to play this game. The Heavenly King sent Lu Chenzhou undercover precisely to deal with such special circumstances.

...

No one knew how long they'd walked before reaching the second Trial Land, where a Black Mountain blocked their only path.

Behind the Black Mountain, treasures blazed brilliantly, filling the sky.

At the foot of the mountain stood a gateway.

In front, a pitch-black stone stele rose from the earth.

Blood-red characters, archaic and mottled.

[Where the Dao rises an inch, the Demon rises a foot higher.]

[If you cling to life and fear death, do not enter this gate.]

After some experts examined it, one of them spoke: "This Black Mountain is beyond my knowledge. Judging from the inscription, though, there should be legendary 'Demons' within the mountain..."

Someone asked in confusion:

"Demonic monsters?"

The expert replied, "No. Long before the Evil God of Stars appeared, the Great Wilderness already had the concept of 'Demon,' but it referred to Heart Demons. In essence, they are spiritual entities born from a cultivator's negative emotions. From the Breakthrough Second Realm onward, the 'Po' we encounter during the cultivation of techniques or breaking through realms are reflections of inner darkness—manifestations of Heart Demons. Therefore, Po cannot be destroyed and are omnipresent. This Black Mountain may breed and amplify our Heart Demons, making it far more dangerous than the last trial."

Everyone's faces grew grave.

For a Martial Artist, it was preferable to face real demon monsters than their own Heart Demons. Every year, thousands of martial artists die from Qi deviation induced by Heart Demons.

Even Lu Chenzhou's expression grew serious.

"Heart Demon?"

From what he knew, half of all failed Heavenly King ascensions ended with a death by Heart Demon. This test would not be simple.

He wasn't afraid of ordinary Heart Demons.

But he was being targeted by a Witch, and who knows what methods the other side had to influence him via Heart Demons.

Honestly, he wasn't particularly afraid of Witches.

But he truly did not wish to face this one directly.

In his opinion, ordinary Evil Gods and Witches occupied two different levels. Ordinary Evil Gods were just incredibly powerful beings, given to emotional outbursts, still influenced by emotion.

Witches, on the other hand, were not like that.

Inner Scenery Land.

Lu Chenzhou relayed the situation to the three artifact spirits.

The man in the black robe frowned. "A mountain that breeds Heart Demons? That must be forged from 'Three Filth Stone.'"

"Three Filth Stone?"

Neither Qiang Erniang nor the Fox Woman knew what that was.

"The 'Three Filths' are the excretions left after the 'Three Inner Demons of the Great Wilderness'—most dreaded by spiritual cultivators, especially Heart Cultivators—devour the hearts of all beings. In the Inner Realm's Heart Cultivation circle of the Heavenly Realm, this is not a secret. My former master once found a large lump of Three Filth Stone, forged it into a mirror, and placed it in his cave as a test for those inheriting his legacy."

When the Three Inner Demons of the Great Wilderness were mentioned, everyone's faces changed slightly.

"The Three Demons of Greed, Anger, and Delusion?"

"Yes."

"Such an enormous mountain of Three Filth Stone—could the cave's master actually be one of the three Great Powers of the Heavenly Heart Sect?"

The Great Wilderness Three Demons were notorious. They straddled reality and illusion, the source of the Heart Demons in all cultivators, the Buddhist Three Poisons, the origin of every negative emotion in the world.

The Three Demons are not Divine, but something even more terrifying.

The Divine can die—the Three Demons are undying and unending, unless the entire universe collapses and not a single living being remains.

Otherwise, the Three Demons cannot die.

Their power can be as minuscule as nothing or as vast as infinity; it depends wholly on the negative emotions of living beings in the universe.

In a sense, the Three Demons are the local Evil Gods of the Great Wilderness. Unlike Evil Gods, who possess self-awareness and intellect, the Three Demons are more akin to unconscious manifestations of natural laws. Little is truly known about them, even within the Great Wilderness.

The black-robed man continued, "Still, I'm sure that this Black Mountain is merely a projection of power. If it were made from actual Three Filth Stone, the trialists would have all been lured to their Heart Demons and instantly perished upon entering the cave.

Given the 'Jialan Nine Secrets' you obtained, it is safe to say this cave is linked to the Ancient Emperor Lanshan. My old master heard that the Ancient Emperor Lanshan once collected all the Three Filth Stones beneath the sky to forge a Supreme Treasure."

Lu Chenzhou's form dispersed.

"Thank you. I understand now."

...

Demon Palace.

The Qingtian Demon Emperor's eyes glinted with anticipation.

"Heh, this second trial once killed hundreds of our Demon Kings. These people are doomed!"

Gu Yue Demon Emperor laughed, "I estimate about half will pass. You have to admit, in terms of spiritual will, the cultivators of the Xia Realm are truly adept. Our Demon Race focuses on the physical body—against Heart Demons, we have little defense.

Still, the other half will only live another half a day. The fierce beasts of the third trial took us many trump cards and even Demon God Avatars to barely subdue."

The Demon Emperors sat as if they were angling expertly at the lakeside.

In the void, a projection in white robes appeared.

At once, the Demon Emperors threw themselves prostrate on the ground.

"We greet the Witch Master."

"How goes the situation?"

"Everything is proceeding smoothly. We set the difficulty of the first trial to its lowest so that, if any trialists failed, they would be ejected from the cave instead of teleported outside... The difficulty of the second trial is beyond our interference, but this is the Life and Death Test—we estimate at most half will survive. When the survivors reach the third trial, we'll manipulate the fierce beasts to slaughter them all!"

"Any sign of Lu Chenzhou?"

"None."

"Understood."

The Witch Master's form vanished.

The Qingtian Demon Emperor let out a sigh of relief.

"Not easy. After so many setbacks, we're finally set for a grand victory. Humanity will lose a hundred elite Grandmasters, including the likes of Hong Tianxiang, Zhang Lingmiao, and Wang Xian—seedlings of the Heavenly Realm. The Northern Guardian King will be beside himself, ha ha!"

...

Eye of Truth.

The Witch God Sect Hierarch lowered his gaze.

"He really didn't go?"

He mulled over other possibilities.

...

On Black Mountain, a bold Grandmaster had already set foot onto the path.

"Let me, Hu Yixian, test the waters!"

Hu Yixian marched up the path, blade in hand—at the foot, all was well, but halfway up the mountain, he suddenly stopped.

All at once, his pupils dilated and his body began to tremble. Muttering incoherently, he next spewed a jet of black qi from his lips. The black qi flowed over him like liquid.

Soon, a black demon man with greedily shining green eyes stalked the mountain path, staring hungrily at the others.

"Mine, all mine!"

Old Master Yu sighed:

"This round is deadly. Those without absolute confidence should not step onto Black Mountain yet... Once we pass three trials and finish this round, we should be able to get out."

The first to test the waters was demonized on the spot.

Everyone grew somber.

"Let me try it. My spiritual power is somewhat greater. Since this is a Heart Cultivation legacy, I imagine that should be important."

The second to step forth was Grandmaster Zhang Shentong.

With crane-white hair and the face of a child, his spirit was resolute.

Under everyone's gaze, Zhang Shentong successfully crossed Black Mountain and sat down peacefully at the far side, awaiting the main group, not rushing to seek treasure.

"Could this test be of spiritual power?"

Three Po Suo Heart Cultivators ignored the rest and rushed up the mountain, eyes glittering with hunger for treasure.

"We're Heart Grandmasters."

"Exactly, we are professionals."

"Sorry, everyone—the treasures are ours to take first. Haha, this trip was worth it!"

The three of them barged up the mountain rowdily.

Before long, all had succumbed to demonization!

On the path, there were now five pitch-black demon men wandering, wreathed in ominous black qi, their fate unknown.

Everyone's hearts fell to rock bottom.

Old Master Yu quickly stood in front of the mountain gate.

"Six went, five lost—the risk is too high. I suggest everyone wait; don't be in such a rush."

The scene fell dead silent.

Suddenly, a figure in white robes walked out through the crowd, paused to look up at the mountain, then strode boldly forward.

Following the winding mountain path, he climbed step by step.

"Han Daoist, it's dangerous—come back!"

Wang Xian's voice resounded abruptly.

Lin Xia's brows furrowed slightly.

This Han Daoist was being overconfident.

Even Yu Cheng didn't know Han Feiyu was Lu Chenzhou. "Han Daoist, come back—though you have End Realm Grandmaster cultivation, Black Mountain does not test cultivation. Of the three Po Suo Heart Grandmasters who just succumbed, one was a peak Heart Grandmaster, and he still fell. Da Xia Grandmasters are even more vulnerable!"

This Han Daoist was even a relative of the Northern Guardian King.

If he died here, how would they explain it?

The others murmured amongst themselves.

"Truly daring—his skill must match his boldness."

"Young and reckless."

"But who is this Han Feiyu, really? Never heard of him. Looks young enough to be a Genius Grandmaster."

"Rumor is, he's a distant relative of the Northern Guardian King—used connections to get in. That means his potential probably isn't high; otherwise, he wouldn't need favors. His real age is probably very old—the youthful look is just disguise."

"Ha! Kind words never dissuade a restless soul from courting death."

"Hope he makes it."

...

Time passed.

The white-robed figure ascended over the mountain peak.

He began his descent.

Everyone watched him with anticipation.

"Almost there—he's completed two-thirds."

"Could he really succeed?"

Suddenly, the white-robed figure ahead stopped halfway down—standing utterly motionless.