System: Replicating The Heavens

As the dust storm rose in the air before settling down, a sudden flash of light illuminated. Selyara and Elyndra turned sharply toward the source of light as two figures soon appeared.

One of them was, of course, Alex, and the other person standing beside him was a young man clad in simple but elegant robes. He was Aurelius Zephyros.

Selyara and Elyndra raised their brows in surprise.

Earlier, Alex left in a hurry just after advancing to the Origin Martial God Realm. He told them to wait for a while, for he was going to bring someone.

Then, Alex went to bring Aurelius. He knew if he were to go to the temple left behind by the Era of Nine Swords, he would not be able to return to the White Family in a few hours, as promised to Aurelius.

Thus, the best choice was to go to that ancient temple with Aurelius.

After returning, Alex glanced at the two women and spoke casually, "He is Aurelius Zephyros. Let's go to that place now."

He didn't offer any explanation, nor did he bother introducing Aurelius, other than his name, to the two Sky Devouring Beasts.

Selyara blinked but didn't question it further. She gave a short nod and turned without a word. "Let's go."

With that, she soared into the sky like a streak of darkness cutting across the clouds.

Elyndra followed close behind her mother after nodding at Alex, her long silver hair fluttering in the wind, and a deep glimmer of thought hidden behind her clear blue eyes.

Alex moved next.

And Aurelius, though puzzled and unsure of where they were going, didn't hesitate for even a moment to follow Alex.

.....

Deep within the Valley of Death, there was a place filled with an incredibly dense scorching aura. The space here was surrounded by numerous lava caves and flaming ponds, with intensely hot magma churning at the bottom.

The magma flowed through the caves, emitting a heatwave that seemed to melt everything.

From time to time, massive jets of magma burst from the ground, rising into the air as towering columns of molten fire.

Currently, a young man, accompanied by two breathtakingly beautiful women and a handsome man, was soaring above this volatile landscape. Together, they flew through the fiery skies, heading deeper into the heart of the lava caves.

Waves of searing heat surged around them, but a mysterious energy enveloped their bodies, shielding them completely from the scorching temperatures and violent tremors.

"Alex, we're almost at the end of the lava cave. We'll be there soon."

Elyndra called out, clinging to Alex's arm as she pointed toward a glowing exit in the distance. It was obvious she had come to this place with Selyara sometime before.

Alex and Aurelius both looked ahead and discovered that there was indeed an exit.

"The temple is hidden inside a secret space that can only be opened with the help of a special token. I have that token so I can open that space. As far as I know, a very powerful being created this temple at the end of his life to pass down his inheritance to a worthy successor. Unfortunately, his inheritance site, this temple, somehow ended up inside the Valley of Death by the time the Era of Nine Swords came to an end. Due to all this, no one was able to even locate his temple, let alone enter and obtain the inheritance." Selyara explained slowly.

Alex and everyone nodded their heads in understanding. Then, Alex asked, "Do you know the name of that person?"

Selyara nodded, "His true name is unknown. According to the records I found, he was called Holy Flame Emperor."

"Holy Flame Emperor!" Alex frowned but didn't say anything.

As the group approached the cave's exit, they found the area beyond was engulfed in waves of blistering heat. The surrounding valley was blanketed with Sun Flame Flowers.

These fire-attributed flowers were brimming with intense fire-element spiritual energy. However, this energy was unstable and could not be absorbed by cultivators, rendering the flowers essentially worthless.

Still, their presence intensified the already sweltering environment, causing the entire valley to ripple with relentless waves of heat.

"We are here. The entrance is there!"

Selyara spoke she gently tapped her right hand, and a stream of light shot out, exploding in the void not far away. At the same time, she took out a token.

Suddenly, a fiery red vortex appeared in the void ahead. Simultaneously, the token in her hand also bloomed with brilliant light.

Alex and Aurelius curiously looked towards the vortex, which was also the entrance to the secret space where the ancient site from the Era of Nine Swords was left.

"Alright, let's enter and take a look!" Alex spoke after noticing no danger around, and then stepped forward, entering the vortex.

Aurelius, Selyara, and Elyndra nodded and then stepped into the red vortex following Alex as well.

.....

"Rumble!"

Just as the group of four people appeared inside the secret space, a thunderous roar erupted from the molten depths ahead.

This place was also filled with melting flame and fiery energy everywhere.

The surrounding heat waves surged with fierce intensity, and the oppressive temperature grew so unbearable it felt as though it could melt everything in its path.

Among the four, Aurelius was the weakest. His face immediately turned pale, and he instinctively moved closer to Alex for protection.

In contrast, Alex remained calm and composed. Unfazed by the tremors ahead, he watched the unfolding situation with a steady gaze. He was unshaken by the sudden development, for he had already expected this to happen.

"Roar!" "Roar!" "Roar!"

All of a sudden, violent roars resounded in the space, and a group of Flame Beasts with thick scales emerged from the churning magma.

These Flame Beasts were all extremely ferocious, with sharp thorns all over their bodies, making them look incredibly dangerous.

The space where the Flame Beasts were located seemed to be filled with an even more scorching aura, almost melting the entire space.

"This... They are all too powerful. I cannot even see through their strength." Aurelius frowned and spoke warily.

Alex, Selyara, and Elyndra were not worried though. It is because they could tell that although these Flame Beasts were stronger than Divine Emperors, they had yet to cross the Three Tribulations of Life Destruction.

"Don't worry. I'll deal with them quickly!" Alex reassured Aurelius with a confident glance. Then just as he was about to take action, he felt a slight fluctuation in the air.

Following that, a strange voice echoed, "Fated ones, if you wish to enter the core of the secret space, you must pass the trial I have set. Only by passing the trial could you obtain treasures and move deeper."

Everyone frowned and turned around, only to see a white phantom hovering in the air not far from them. The phantom's upper half resembled a human, but it lacked a lower body. Instead, its lower body appeared to be tapered into a wisp-like tail, seemingly made of smoke rather than flesh and bone.

"What are you?" Alex then slowly asked.

Yes, instead of saying "who", Alex spoke the word "What" to ask for the identity of this phantom.

Aurelius also looked at the White Phantom curiously. This was the first time he had seen a creature like this.

"It is a Trial Spirit," Selyara stepped forward and spoke at this moment. She had known about this little spirit since the first time she accidentally entered this space.

It is just that she had never been powerful enough to take the trial. Thus, she left the secret space and never came back.

Just like that, this opportunity fell in Alex's hand.

"Indeed, I am one of the Trial Spirits left behind by the Holy Flame Emperor to select a suitable successor!" The White Trial Spirit said gently.

"A Trial Spirit?" Elyndra murmured while narrowing her eyes slightly. Then her eyes lit up with excitement. "Looks like this Holy Flame Emperor left behind some truly valuable things. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered creating a Trial Spirit unless the inheritance was exceptional."

Typically, common treasures wouldn't have something as rare as a Trial Spirit to oversee things. Only the most powerful cultivators, generally those with profound legacies in hand, would go so far as to create such a spirit to carefully choose a worthy successor.

Moreover, the process of creating a Trial Spirit is not ordinary as well. The minimum requirement for creating a Trial Spirit is to have the cultivation base of Life Creation Realm. Otherwise, even with a spirit-less soul in hand, giving life to a Trial Spirit is impossible.

"Senior, what is the trial?" Aurelius then asked curiously.

Although this Trial Spirit didn't seem to have particularly great power, everyone here knew that it could control the entire secret realm and had a very large guiding influence.

Even Aurelius, whose background is not ordinary, knew a few things about Trial Spirits.

If there was someone who lacked knowledge about them, then it was only Alex.