Martial Saint!

Anger, greed, lust, arrogance... countless negative emotions and desires arising from the chain reaction of the Three Toxins—greed, anger, delusion—spread like wildfire, filling the cave.

Of course, some were unaffected.

The Great Grandmaster Yu, who led the team, was unharmed.

He stepped in personally, weaving his long spear among the crowd, separating trialists to prevent senseless conflicts.

[President, sudden development—Black Mountain has changed. Suspected mysterious power is affecting all trialists, simultaneously triggering everyone's heart demons—the situation is out of control!]

Besides Yu Cheng, Wang Xian, owing to his formidable soul and the unique nature of the Carefree Dao, possessed a heart realm far beyond ordinary Grandmasters and was likewise unaffected.

With absolute strength, he separated Lin Xia and Qingtian Cang, then knocked each of them out with a single palm, leaving them unconscious on the ground.

Cold sweat beaded Wang Xian's forehead.

"What's happening? Just now, it felt as if a nameless fury was about to set my entire heart ablaze, to destroy my will."

Hong Tianxiang, Zhang Lingmiao, Xuan Kong—these peerless geniuses—were also unaffected, thanks to their profound Buddha Dao cultivation.

The three gazed at Black Mountain.

"The fluctuations originate from Fellow Daoist Han."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's lasted alone atop Black Mountain for two hours by now. By rights, he should have been demonized and lost himself long ago."

At the same time—

On the Black Mountain path, five, including demonized Hu Yixian and the three Po Suo Grandmasters, stood dazed, their bodies trembling. Then, they lifted their heads to the heavens, howling in agony.

Their faces were twisted; invisible heart demon qi, half real and half illusory, seeped from their seven orifices, transforming into streams of black smoke that howled their way toward Han Feiyu.

Nor was that all. As the Black Flame Bird shrieked, the entire Black Mountain shuddered violently. Black smoke, like war-banners, soared skyward, forming winding dragons that lunged for Han Feiyu.

Hong Tianxiang faintly understood.

An incredulous look appeared in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Han alone has drawn all the firepower of Black Mountain. The force that breeds heart demons is flooding toward him... If I'm not mistaken, Black Mountain should now be temporarily safe. But what on earth is Fellow Daoist Han going through? Just who is he?"

Zhang Lingmiao was likewise shaken:

"Just a whiff of that black smoke was enough to immediately demonize three Po Suo Grandmasters. What just poured into Han Feiyu's body was a thousand times what ordinary Grandmasters could face—how is he still alive?"

Xuan Kong said:

"Let me try."

With that, he pressed his palms together, Buddha light radiating from him. Behind him, the Po of Arhat solidified. He stepped into Black Mountain.

With just a few steps, he walked straight out of Black Mountain.

Xuan Kong shouted, "Quickly, everyone—cross Black Mountain now! Fellow Daoist Han is singlehandedly enlightening the myriad demons of Black Mountain. Do not let his good intentions go to waste!"

Xuan Kong's feelings were mixed inside.

He understood now.

This Fellow Daoist Han, though his identity was unknown, was clearly a hidden expert sent by the Elder Council to protect them. He must be one of the top ten on the Heavenly Person List whose cultivation was compressed to the End Realm with a secret technique, probably Hui Fa Abbot.

The Buddhist sect excels in studying heart demons.

Zhang Lingmiao and Wang Hongdao hurriedly crossed as well.

Everyone looked at Zhang Shentong.

Once ranked first on the Heavenly List.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, did you encounter a heart demon?"

Zhang Shentong gazed solemnly at the white-robed man.

"Yes, though the strength of the heart demon I faced was not even a percent of what this fellow Daoist endures."

Zhang Shentong was an exceptional man. Though only a Grandmaster, and slow to advance, he had utter faith in his own heart realm, enough to rival quite a few Heavenly Kings. Thus, he crossed Heart Demon Mountain with ease—yet he hadn't expected that among these trialists was a greater expert still. He sensed that the white-robed man could have left Black Mountain at any time.

This person was lingering here on purpose.

This person was using Black Mountain to temper his heart realm.

"Could it be, this fellow Daoist's heart realm is nearing the flawless Third Realm? Is he seeking to prove the Absolute Peak here?"

Zhang Shentong pondered within.

Who could it be?

Probably one of the top ten on the Heavenly Person List?

On the far side of Black Mountain,

The rest sobered up. Wang Xian pulled Lin Xia and Qingtian Cang onto the mountain path. Passing by the white-robed Han Daoist with closed eyes, Wang Xian paused to stare for a while.

"Why does he feel so familiar?"

He shook his head and descended Black Mountain.

Lin Xia patted her chest, still shaken.

She sighed, "Indeed, Master was right. My heart realm cultivation is still lacking. In a normal trial, I wouldn't have gotten past this round. Out of ninety-nine people, perhaps not a tenth could pass."

Qingtian Cang forced a smile:

"This is no ordinary Heavenly Realm inheritance trial. The difficulty is far too high. The master of this cave must be a Great Power."

In the end,

Of the ninety-nine trialists, only Lu Chenzhou remained on the mountain path. The rest passed the trial, albeit with some scares but no harm.

Yet no one proceeded to the third trial.

Everyone tacitly waited.

"Fellow Daoist Han, hang in there."

"I, Hu Yixian, owe Fellow Daoist Han my life."

"Us too."

Only those who had encountered the horror of Black Mountain could truly understand the ordeal Han Feiyu now faced.

...

Demon Palace.

The hearts of the Demon Emperors were also a tumultuous sea.

"Damn it, what is with that white-robed man? We could have eliminated most of the Great Grandmasters with this round! Yet because he interfered, they managed to survive by sheer luck."

"Even when hundreds of us Demon Kings stormed the mountain together, we couldn't endure it. How has he alone withstood the endless heart demon assault in Black Mountain? Could he be an Absolute Peak?"

"If not Absolute Peak, then at least top ten on the Heavenly Person List."

"Quickly, report to the Witch Master!"

...

Eye of Truth.

"A lone man draws and withstands all the heart demons—who is he? Could there still be hidden Absolute Peaks in the Human World with such heart realms?" The Blood Ancient God frowned deeply.

"By the rules of the ancient cultivation cave mansion, the strongest allowed is Fifth Realm. With a secret technique, perhaps a Six Realm could barely enter by suppressing cultivation... But a Seventh Realm, no matter the suppression, cannot enter here."

Wu Mo stroked the gem atop his scepter.

He had a vague inkling of this man's identity.

Ghost Mother said, "Don't panic—this is only the second round. Even if that white-robed man is demonized and perishes, any other Grandmasters stepping into the third round will still be stepping into certain death."

Wu Ruchang said, "Now all hope lies with the guardian of the third round—that is a true Seventh Realm Heavenly Demon, once captured by the Ancient Emperor Lanshan to test his disciples. Though the cave rules let it use only up to Fifth Realm power, I now control it; when I unleash it at full force, it will reach Sixth Realm power. All living things in the cave will become sustenance for the Heavenly Demon. Even if the Elder Council sneaks a Heavenly King into the cave, under the rules' suppression, they can only exert Fifth Realm strength, but the Heavenly Demon alone is not affected."

...

Elder Council.

"What? Han Feiyu is withstanding all the heart demons of a whole mountain on his own?" The Northern Guardian King listened to Yu Cheng's report, and his heart tightened—things were unfolding completely contrary to his expectations. Lu Chenzhou—what on earth is he doing? Has he lost his mind?!

The good news was—thanks to Lu Chenzhou, not only were those demonized rescued, but the rest also succeeded in passing the second round.

But if Lu Chenzhou falls here, that loss would outweigh that of ten thousand Grandmasters. He's a being of true Great Power—a myriad of Martial Artists were counting on him to pioneer the Dao, to smooth the path for those to come.

Li Jin looked worried.

"President, what do we do? Should we intervene?"

The Northern Guardian King recalled what Mr. Turtle had said.

"Wait. Chenzhou is fighting his inner demons; he mustn't be disturbed. If we forcefully break the boundary, we'll do more harm than good. All we can do is trust him."

Lu Chenzhou... Could he be trying to withstand all the demons, forge his heart with ten thousand devils, and achieve the legendary Heart of Perfection?

This is simply madness.

...

Primordial Mountain Cave Heaven.

Mr. Turtle gazed into the distance.

"Well done, little junior brother."

...

Somewhere in the Nameless Space.

Here floated a vast blue mountain, thirty thousand li high, magnificent as a planet.

At its summit stood a nine-story azure tower.

Heavenly Maidens scattered flowers, Heavenly Dragons roared and soared. Hundreds of illusory figures, like Ancient Buddhas, sat cross-legged in all directions.

All the Ancient Buddhas bowed toward the center.

Inside the high tower, a surprised voice spoke.

"Interesting, interesting... Who would have thought that in a mere inheritance land, such a seed would arise? Even more delightful than the direct disciples I have taken in recent years."

...

In a blink, seven days passed.

All around Black Mountain, the people waited patiently.

After the previous dangers, all realized that this trial was not meant for them, these young geniuses.

So without the mysterious "Senior Han" to protect them, none dared go to the third round—they simply waited.

Wang Xian and Lin Xia kept their eyes on the white-robed man.

"Senior Sister, do you feel he's familiar?"

"What?"

"I don't know if I'm imagining things, but this Han Daoist seems so familiar... Could he really be our junior brother?"

"To resist so many heart demons, unless he is an Absolute Peak or a top ten on the Heavenly Person List, it's not possible. It's unlikely. Our junior brother is strong, but ultimately only a Great Grandmaster."

...

Inner Scenery Land.

The sky—a vault of pitch-black clouds.

In front of the Divine Palace, the Artifact Spirits' hearts were tense.

"Ten thousand demons invading..."

"Not Heavenly Realm—facing this, death is certain. We have no idea what's happening in the master's spiritual world."

...

Boundless spiritual starry sky.

Heart demons manifested as world-rending demon dragons, demon elephants, witches, demon trees—beings of every form.

They followed the lead of the black-robed Lu Chenzhou, tearing stars apart, destroying heavens and earth. For any Great Grandmaster, even most Heavenly Kings, this would surely mean demonization.

Yet here, each time a world was destroyed, a golden seed would spin swiftly forth from the ruins, instantly restoring the spiritual world to its prime.

Heart demons are without true awareness.

They repeated their command of destruction with mechanical certainty.

Twenty-three times.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine times.

Outside, day after day passed.

No telling how long it had been. Inside, the spiritual world continued collapsing and being reborn. Behind the black-robed Lu Chenzhou, fewer and fewer heart demons remained; their shapes faded like foam, vanishing.

Until one day, the myriad demon forms had all vanished. Only one demon shadow remained—the black-robed Lu Chenzhou—who used the last of his strength to rend the World Tree before him once again.

The universe was destroyed once more.

From the void, a shimmer of golden light emerged.

It was a flawless, jade-like seed, ringed by the cycles of spring and autumn, the withering and flourishing of grass and wood, the birth and death of the universe.

The seed sprouted.

The World Tree forced open a vast universe from the void once again, the star river radiant and magnificent.

The white-robed figure leaned beneath the tree.

"The ten thousandth time."