Yuan Ming didn't speak, and once again waved his hand. The All Living Beings Dream Seal flew over the heads of the three, blooming with a gentle glow, pulling them all into the illusion.
In reality, the three of them simultaneously flipped their eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
But in the dream realm, they only felt a sudden darkness before everything around them disappeared.
Before them was absolute silence and darkness, unable to hear any sound, not even the sound of their own breathing and heartbeat, and even when they opened their mouths to shout, there was no sound.
The only thing left was touch.
They could still feel themselves, which was the only evidence that they could confirm their existence.
Zheng Heng tried to activate his Divine Power to sense the other two, hoping to contact them through transmission, but his Divine Sense had long been sealed, yielding no results.
He felt as if he had been thrown into a completely void world, the only thing he could perceive being himself, the only thing he could touch being himself.
"Is this the trial?" After fruitless attempts, Zheng Heng abandoned the idea of searching for the other two.
He forced himself to remain calm, then sat cross-legged and began trying to cultivate to pass the ti.
However, naturally there was no Spiritual Power in this void world, not even the Spiritual Power within his body could be felt; he was like a deaf and mute ordinary person.
The only two things they could do were to wander aimlessly and to think wildly.
Zheng Heng didn't want to wander aimlessly, but couldn't stop his chaotic thoughts. After a bout of random musings, he corrected and refocused his thoughts, starting to recall past cultivation techniques and cultivate through his consciousness.
Yan Jue and He Xiuwen went through a similar ntal journey, eventually returning to reminiscing about the past and reviewing cultivation techniques.
"Isn't it just one day?"
"Reflecting on my past...carefully, even three days and three nights might not be enough..."
This was what they thought.
Yuan Ming looked at the three who had fallen into the illusion, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
From the beginning of this trial, he stood in an undefeated position, leaving no chance for Yan Jue and the other two to win.
This was simply because the dream space Yuan Ming constructed was an unsolvable dead end; the ti flow within the illusion space differed completely from the outside world, and as long as he wished, he could indefinitely extend the ti inside.
Even a montary passage of ti outside could equal several years within the illusion.
Initially, Yan Jue and the others weren't overly alard, as cultivators at the Returning to Void Stage, or even the Dharma manifestation Stage, were accustod to maintaining their composure.
But as ti trickled by, they gradually realized sothing was amiss.
When Yan Jue reflected on his experiences from birth till now, it was then he realized his life wasn't actually that long, and many mories from the past had faded away.
And the ti he had calculated by silently counting had only amounted to a few hours.
Thus, he began to continue contemplating his cultivation techniques and secret techniques, though he couldn't cultivate, it helped to distract his mind, sparing him from constantly noticing the flow of ti.
Zheng Heng and He Xiuwen were both slightly more composed, each similarly calculating ti while silently contemplating their cultivation techniques.
He Xiuwen even imagined himself as a puppet, studying the abandoned "True Understanding of Heavenly Puppet", contemplating how he could deconstruct himself, not only avoiding boredom but finding inspiration, making considerable gains.
Zheng Heng, despite not having as many insights, also found enjoynt in it.
Such tranquility, where their entire focus remained on themselves, wasn't often available, and they'd slowly shifted their ntality, treating this as a grindstone for their own Dao Hearts.
However, as ti continued to pass, their ntal calculations had reached a terrifying number, and when they ca to realization, they noticed that years had gone by.
The trio now understood that the ti within the illusion space differed from the outside world, and their ntal calculations were aningless.
Still, they did not give up.
Among the three, Yan Jue, who had the lowest cultivation, didn't choose to abandon despite recognizing the anomaly.
He believed that no matter how formidable Wan Tianren was, he couldn't stop the flow of ti, and as long as ti continued to pass, they would eventually win.
Thus, the trio refrained from praying to the Nether Moon God Statue in their hearts, persisting onward.
However, the scale of ti within the illusion still surpassed their imagination.
After spending over three hundred years in the illusion, the first to surrender was not Yan Jue, but He Xiuwen.
Not because he couldn't bear the passage of ti, rather, through contemplation over this period, he had a breakthrough in his understanding of the "True Understanding of Heavenly Puppet", and many new ideas began to erupt.
It was precisely these new thoughts that tornted him mightily.
He couldn't wait to verify these ideas and attempt them, but trapped in the illusion, he couldn't do anything but contemplate again and again.
Thus, he was the first to visualize the Nether Moon God Statue in his heart, sincerely praying to it.
In the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, Yuan Ming sensed a sudden surge of imnse Desire Power, his gaze falling on He Xiuwen, a smile appearing on his face.
Raising his hand to wave it, he released He Xiuwen from the illusion, waking him up.
He Xiuwen's eyes fluttered open, and what he saw was still the lush bamboo forest, feeling the gentle breeze.
"I didn't expect you to be the first to wake up," Yuan Ming laughed.
"How long have I been in the illusion?" He Xiuwen frowned slightly, speaking.
Yuan Ming smiled without responding, holding up three fingers.
"Three hours?" He Xiuwen inquired.
"Thirty breaths," Yuan Ming shook his head and smiled.
Upon hearing this, He Xiuwen's pupils shrank suddenly, falling silent.
At this mont, Yuan Ming's smile widened again, and with a wave of his hand, he awakened Yan Jue and Zheng Heng.
"You two held out for nearly two hours longer than Fellow Daoist He." Yuan Ming said with a smile.
"You tricked us." Yan Jue's face turned unpleasant, with a hint of anger in his expression.
"I wouldn't dare. Just look at the hourglass." Yuan Ming gestured to the side.
The three looked over; indeed, only thirty breaths had passed on the hourglass, and the seals they placed within the hourglass showed no anomalies, confirming Yuan Ming hadn't tampered with anything.
Zheng Heng and the others turned pale and fell silent.
"I didn't lie to you; if you can continue to hold out, you won't need to pray to the Nether Moon God. Persist until the end, and I will keep my promise." Yuan Ming said with a serene expression.
"Fellow Daoist Wan is a soul cultivator of the Spoken Witch type; we should have anticipated such ans. I am willing to submit, but could my storage magic tool be returned to ?" Zheng Heng sighed and asked.
"Of course, besides the Spirit Stones, I can return the magic treasure materials inside untouched to you." Yuan Ming nodded.
"Thank you." Zheng Heng bowed with folded fists.
"Fellow Daoist Wan, I can also do without my Spirit Stones, but the puppet materials inside are crucial to my future cultivation; could they be returned to ?" He Xiuwen hesitated slightly before speaking.
His implication naturally indicated submission.
"Sure. If you ever encounter issues with Soul Power, you can seek my help." Yuan Ming said.
He Xiuwen was overjoyed; he had decided to retrain in the "True Understanding of Heavenly Puppet", and as a Puppet Master, the requirents for Divine Soul were quite stringent. The strength of Soul Power directly affects the manipulation of puppets. To receive guidance in this aspect from a Spoken Witch is undoubtedly a trendous opportunity.
With these two making their decisions, Yan Jue's emotions quickly cald down.
"Fellow Daoist Yan Jue, what is your decision?" Yuan Ming asked with a slight smile, looking at Yan Jue.
"I..." Yan Jue still showed so resistance, hesitating without imdiately giving an answer.
"Like the others, your storage magic tool can also be returned to you, and I can even support you with cultivation resources in the future." Yuan Ming said to Yan Jue, once more offering an olive branch.
"Alright." Yan Jue's eyes flickered, and he finally nodded.
"Good, you have all made the right choices. I trust that in the near future, you'll be grateful for your decisions today." Yuan Ming said with a smile.
Then, he returned their storage magic tools as promised.
"You must pray to the Nether Moon God at least once every day. The rest of the ti, you can focus on your cultivation." Yuan Ming instructed.
The three nodded silently without speaking.
Yuan Ming stopped talking to them, as he valued them enough to go through this trouble; he then waved his hand to take them outside.
Wulu and Nan Shangfeng were originally sitting cross-legged, controlling their breath, and they jumped in shock upon seeing the three figures suddenly appear.
"No need to worry; they have already submitted to and will not act against you anymore." Yuan Ming said, looking at Nan Shangfeng.
Upon hearing this, Nan Shangfeng's gaze fell on He Xiuwen, with a complex expression in his eyes.
"No need to look at like that; there is always soone stronger, and beyond the sky is an even higher sky. Without enough strength, inheriting the position of Sect Master is aningless. I no longer have the ambition to compete with you." He Xiuwen said calmly.
Yuan Ming waved his hand to open the Shura Palace, sending Yan Jue and the others inside, settling them in Yin Capital City.
He had long intended to subdue so Dharma manifestation stage believers and had set up a sixth-level array around Yin Capital City to accommodate these people, finally using it today.
"How did you do it?" Nan Shangfeng asked Yuan Ming in disbelief.
"I have my thods." Yuan Ming said casually.
"Thank you for this, Fellow Daoist Wan." Nan Shangfeng didn't press further, instead folding his fists in gratitude.
"Alright, no need for politeness. Continue your breathing control recovery; I have other matters to attend to." Yuan Ming waved his hand and said.
After speaking, he arrived at the center of the Fire Lake, at the site of the Earth Core Purifying Fire.
The Earth Core Purifying Fire remained calmly in place, unaffected by the previous battle.
Yuan Ming raised his arm and stretched forward.
His hand quickly transford into the roots of the Undying Tree, stretching forward like living tendrils, piercing through the void directly into the white flas in the center of the lake.
As soon as the Undying Tree Roots pierced through, an indescribable scorching power accompanied by intense pain surged forth.
Even though the Earth Core Purifying Fire mainly manifests changes, it is nevertheless an earth fire, and the temperature is extrely high.
Yuan Ming's brow furrowed, his eyebrows twitching a few tis as sweat beads stread down his cheeks.
Feeling the Undying Tree Roots quickly shriveling and blackening under the high-temperature scorching, with signs of carbonization appearing at the tips, Yuan Ming imdiately infused them with the Origin Power of the Undying Tree.
Nourished by the Origin Power, the blackened, shriveled Undying Tree Roots quickly revived, beginning to engage in a tug-of-war with the scorching Fla Power, repeatedly switching between carbonization and recovery.
Once Yuan Ming securely controlled the Earth Core Purifying Fire with the Undying Tree Roots, he imdiately opened the Extre Fire Realm of the Shura Palace.
At that place, Dian Xiaosan had been waiting for quite so ti.
Previously, Yuan Ming transmitted a ssage to Dian Xiaosan, requesting him to set up a Gathering Spirit Formation to store Fire Attribute Spiritual Power. Dian Xiaosan did not know why, but upon seeing the large mass of white flas being moved, he finally understood.
"This... This is the Earth Core Purifying Fire, right?" Dian Xiaosan's gaze suddenly changed, exclaiming in surprise.
"How is the formation set up?" Yuan Ming asked.
"It's completed, but given the fire attribute spiritual power within the Extre Fire Realm, it's hard to maintain balance; the Gathering Spirit Formation might not be able to keep the Earth Core Purifying Fire stable." Dian Xiaosan now understood what Yuan Ming intended to do and quickly expressed his concern.
Without much hesitation after hearing this, Yuan Ming sent the Earth Core Purifying Fire into the formation.
Reviews
All reviews (0)