Martial Saint!

Mental cultivation has to do with the spiritual mind, but it is not absolute. Among the Four Emperors, the one with the highest mental cultivation is not the Heart Emperor, but the Emperor Zhan. He is the closest to the True Saint Realm; otherwise, Emperor Zhan would not have proposed the Fifth Realm of the Heart theory.

"What a pity, just one step short."

If only Emperor Zhan had another five hundred years.

What kind of world would that have been?

The past is beyond reach.

Mr. Turtle now only looks forward to the future.

He saw a glimmer of hope.

...

Demon Palace.

"What's going on? Why has Black Mountain vanished, and why have the demonized ones come back to life?"

"Damn it, just who the hell is that white-robed man? Could it be the Northern Guardian King disguising himself and sneaking in?"

"What's everyone panicking for? Our trump card is the Third Barrier! There's still hope. We've schemed for so long, invested so many treasures; we won't lose!"

"We'll win!"

...

Eye of Truth.

The Witch's gaze was as calm as ever, but inwardly, he was anything but. He had already guessed the identity of the white-robed man. Only that fellow could, on his own, subdue all the countless Heart Demons of Black Mountain.

"Lu Chenzhou!"

The Blood God's eyes widened in shock.

"Lu Chenzhou is inside too?"

Mother Wangyou spoke in a calm tone.

"If it truly is him, since he's taken the initiative to enter this trap, let's seize this opportunity and erase him! Witch, do you think Lu Chenzhou can defeat the Third Barrier's Heavenly Demon?"

The Witch shook his head.

"I don't know either. For some reason, as this child's strength increases, astrology becomes less effective against him. I've erred several times now. There's a particularly complex force lingering about him, shrouding him and blocking causality deduction."

The Blood God looked at the Witch, falling silent.

Mother Wangyou asked in confusion: "How can this be? Even gods can be calculated and made your chess pieces; otherwise, we wouldn't have wrested victory from so many unfavorable situations in the past. He's only Fifth Realm..."

The Witch replied calmly:

"First, after the Divine War, we suffered severe losses—though with the help of the Great Wilderness and the Three Thousand Worlds, we've recovered some, we're far from our peak. Second, the rules of this universe differ from those of the stars; ordinary battles are one thing, but in astrology, the smallest error leads astray by a thousand miles.

And also, I suspect he is carrying some contingencies left by those most troublesome beings from the old Divine Court. Back at the Water Mansion trial, I calculated that once sent into the Candle Dragon Dojo, his death rate was one hundred percent—yet he survived.

He even appears to have obtained the Candle Dragon inheritance. There is a distinct and powerful Time Dao Rule within him—even he may not realize it himself. He cannot be underestimated.

So, against this person, even my astrology may not be entirely reliable. I can only adapt on the fly. I also guessed he might sneak in, so I've made other preparations."

The Witch's gaze became grave.

At these words, the Blood God and Mother broke into smiles.

"It has to be you, as always."

If there are still hidden cards, then hope remains.

...

Blue Mountain.

Inside the nine-storied Pagoda.

A drifting voice said, "Di Jialou, your Xia Realm truly surprises me again and again. Who would have thought, as your teacher I would discover such a supreme prodigy of Heart Cultivation."

Hearing these words, a thin black-robed youth's eyes widened. He exuded a Great Grandmaster's End Realm bearing—exactly the long-missing Po Suo Heavenly Pride, Di Jialou!

He had not died.

He had obtained an inheritance in the Heart Realm, acknowledged a powerful master, and spent decades cultivating at their side, advancing at breathtaking speed.

Regrettably, sect rules forbade disciples below the Six Realms to leave the mountain, or he would've battled Du Meng long ago.

When he disappeared, Lu Chenzhou was rising, but he was not worth a glance. His peer rival was only Du Meng. The goal of the senior generation, only the Dragon King.

Di Jialou smiled with confidence.

"Teacher, I know who this man is. Indeed, he is a rare genius, creator of his own path and system."

The ethereal voice laughed and said:

"When he broke through the Heart Demon Barrier, he actually imitated the Spiritual Relics and temporarily created a spiritual defense cultivation method, comprehending the hint I left in Forget Love River."

Of course, what most astonished the speaker was that Lu Chenzhou, at merely the Fifth Realm, could reach the legendary Immaculate Heart Realm—since then, not a single Heart Demon can violate him.

Supreme prodigies he'd seen in the Great Wilderness were as common as fish crossing the river, but this was the first time he'd met such a one.

Di Jialou hesitated slightly.

He pondered inwardly.

"Du Meng is strong, but with his heart realm and wisdom, he wouldn't find the answer at the First Barrier, would he?"

After all, Di Jialou prided himself as Xia Realm's Heart Cultivation number one genius, and even among the Three Thousand Worlds, as a Four Emperor Level Heart Cultivation seed, he'd never found the First Barrier's hint either.

"I'll come back after breaking into the Six Realms and see for myself. All men mature; maybe Du Meng will give me a surprise."

...

After the Second Barrier, everyone reaped quite a few Earth Grade treasures, and some even broke through on the spot, advancing a step further.

"Haha, I've reached the End Realm!"

Lin Xia was in fine spirits.

She had stepped into Grandmaster decades ago, already an old woman in mortal years, now with a prospect of reaching Great Grandmaster within a hundred years.

Though she couldn't compare to the peerless geniuses, there was hope to dash for Heavenly King before her lifespan ran out.

Martial Arts is about surpassing oneself.

Wang Xian offered his blessings: "Congratulations, Senior Sister."

Lu Chenzhou walked ahead with hands behind his back, and after passing Black Mountain, a blurry scene appeared again in his mind:

It was an unknown world.

In the vastness of the stars, a purple planet floated—about thirty thousand kilometers across, even larger than the Human World planet before the fission, inhabited by purple humanoids, who had built a civilization with astonishing technology.

One day,

a pitch-black rift tore open in the star sea, and a massive black fish, a thousand miles long, swam out. Its presence carried dread demon might, and with a mere thought, the planet's atmosphere was filled with golden gravitational lightning.

Lightning struck, bringing slaughter to the world.

From that giant fish, Lu Chenzhou sensed a Qi Mechanism similar to the Inspiration King's, but with more Divinity.

"A Demigod-level existence!"

Of the Evil Gods nearest to the forbidden zone, one is the Devouring Star Demon Fish—rumored to feed on stars. The Inspiration Fish Demon clan is a branch of demons carrying its blood.

Rumble!

Countless missile-like technological weapons shot up from the atmosphere, but before even reaching the giant fish, turned to fireworks in the sky. Even orbital cannons that could tear apart satellites only barely pierced the giant fish's invisible forcefield, and the remaining shockwaves crashed upon its scales to no effect.

At Demigod level, one is no longer an ordinary carbon-based being. For a civilization to do this much already shocked Lu Chenzhou, far beyond what mankind has today.

Interstellar battleships, war fortresses... all manner of weapons sufficient to destroy ordinary Heavenly Realm beings, none had any effect.

Demigods are simply too terrifying!

A quarter of an hour later, the civilization was in ruins. The giant fish landed upon the star, burrowing into the earth core, devouring its energy.

Until one day—

a blue-robed, phantom-like figure descended from the starry sky, wrapped in unfathomable spiritual radiance. It was as if boundless tribulations could not touch him, like the ancient Saint Buddha himself.

The two sides erupted in a world-shattering battle.

In the end, the blue-robed figure prevailed by a narrow margin.

"Great Wilderness Prison Demon Curse!"

The starry sky shattered. A titanic, mind-shaking palm, conjured from endless starlight, swept up the giant fish along with the purple planet, then crushed them down and compressed them into a single point.

The Demigod fell.

The illusion ended. The blue-robed phantom's gaze turned to Lu Chenzhou, as if meeting him across time and space, then faded away.

In his mind, the Martial Arts Tree flickered.

[Jialan Nine Secrets (fragment)]

[Great Void Unlimited Spell: Beginner (1%)]

[Great Wilderness Prison Demon Curse: Beginner (1%)]

"Another Ninth Rank spell. In the illusion just now, it was this spell's creator unleashing its power, able to imprison a Demigod-level existence by compressing it into nothingness."

Lu Chenzhou's feelings were calm.

His Immaculate Heart made him neither pleased for possessions nor sad for self.

Just as the legendary Supreme Forgetfulness.

"The Great Void Unlimited Spell requires Six Realms to cultivate, but this secret technique—at my cultivation, I can barely use it."

In the Spiritual World.

The white-robed Lu Chenzhou extended his palm beneath a tree, intoning a complex and mysterious spell. Spiritual power surged, and a giant spiritual hand, over a mile in diameter, clutched forward.

Buzzz!

Where the hand grasped, all matter collapsed inward.

Lu Chenzhou's heart stirred. He drew upon a trace of [Power of Rotation]. In an instant, a black hole appeared.

"With my Dao of Rotation combined with this Great Wilderness Imprisonment Spell, just at beginner's level I can wield such power. If trained to perfection, this palm could imprison stars themselves."

...

A while later,

a Beast Fighting Arena appeared before the crowd.

"This must be the Third Barrier."

"Why is there no clue?"

The crowd's eyes held confusion.

"Look, the sky above the arena!"

They followed the voice and saw myriad wonders at the arena's sky: each was a Heavenly Treasure!

"Nine Apertures Exquisite Grass?!"

"Heavenly Bright Fruit!"

"Holy Heart Grass!"

Lu Chenzhou also saw what he needed.

"Spiritual Light Jade Dew... Heavenly Treasures, more than a dozen. Earth Grade treasures—counting those from the previous two rounds—there are hundreds in total. Isn't the owner of this cave a bit too generous?"

An accompanying expert from the Archaeological Department said, "In my experience, the usual rule for this kind of Beast Fighting Arena relic is you must defeat the fierce beasts inside. Which fellow Daoist will try?"

All eyes turned to Lu Chenzhou.

"Senior, what should we do?"

"Senior, why don't I give it a try?"

Lu Chenzhou: "..." Alright, by now everyone's already made him out to be some Absolute Peak Expert in their heads. He's become the backbone, everyone defers to him.

He looked toward the arena.

There was a hidden murderous intent inside.

This was a life-and-death trial; considering the danger of the Second Barrier, he decided—better to test the waters himself.

The requirements set by the cave's owner were too high. Aside from himself, all others might well be eliminated—and elimination meant death.

"Everyone, please wait here. I'll take a look."

Lu Chenzhou drew his sword and stepped into the arena.

In an instant, a terrifying aura awakened, surging with ferocious blood evil, making everyone's hearts pound.

Crash!

A three-headed, six-winged peacock wreathed in black flames, dragging nine chains, descended from the void. Its wild aura made the audience of outside Grandmasters' faces all contort in shock.

"Six Realms?!"

"How can that be? Isn't the cave's rule only for Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters? Yet this Third Barrier requires Six Realms strength? This isn't a trial at all—it's a slaughter! Who could clear this?"

"Will Fellow Daoist Han be alright?"

"Relax, he's an Absolute Peak Expert!"