Chapter 332: This Kid Is Truly Ruthless

Elder Gu Qing spoke at length, making you realize the seriousness of the matter.

Yet that sense of déjà vu in your heart never left you.

You think the situation inside Lin Fu is not as Elder Gu Qing described, but you cannot refute it.

You ask, "Elder, could you send someone to take a look? I want to know exactly what's going on inside that mansion."

"No."

Elder Gu Qing vetoed, "The risk of doing so is too great."

He said, "Until we are certain what realm the An Ying life lingering in Qingyun Prefecture belongs to, the Elders Council will designate the area as a Forbidden Land."

"We will close all passages leading to the An Ying Shi Jie 'Qingyun Prefecture'."

"Until the hazard level is confirmed."

"When then can the hazard be re‑confirmed and the passages reopened?" you ask curiously.

"Such matters are beyond my authority; even the Elders Council of the Second Jing Tu cannot decide."

Gu Qing says, "At minimum, the few strongest beings from the First Jing Tu must come, but they have too many tasks and may not have time to handle it."

You seem to understand, "Elder, you mean that inside the mansion of Qingyun Prefecture there is likely an An Ying life that has fully reached the Third Realm of Ascension, and only the top few of the Jing Tu Shi Jie can properly deal with it?"

"Exactly." Gu Qing nods.

You ponder and ask, "If I reach the Third Realm of Ascension, could I go there?"

"……"

Gu Qing is silent for a moment, then smiles, "Of course you can; we've all been waiting for you to mature."

He then shifts tone, warning you, "Before you mature, you are absolutely not allowed to act recklessly! Understand?"

"Understood."

You can only endure, yearning to cultivate quickly and return to Qingyun Prefecture to open that mansion's gate.

Because of the Qingyun Prefecture incident, this assessment of yours was nullified.

At the Elders Council's suggestion, you underwent a second assessment; unsurprisingly, you earned the highest rating for the second test.

Next came the third part of the assessment.

A willpower test.

This is a crucial link, more important than the previous two.

Gu Qing says, "For ordinary Jing Tu cultivators, earning the recognition of Jing Shi Zhu, obtaining a powerful pure‑world spiritual artifact, and excelling in missions within the An Ying Shi Jie constitute Jing Tu's pride."

"But for you, as seeds, that is far from enough."

"The term 'seed' is used because Jing Tu believes you have the future potential to change Jing Tu's condition and restore the world of cultivators to a true Jing Tu."

"All of this requires a strong will to support it."

"The An Ying lives you now encounter are merely the tip of the iceberg of the An Ying Shi Jie; the true shadow disaster far exceeds imagination."

"Without a strong will, when facing An Ying Zhu, the only outcome is being devoured and assimilated."

"Even a cultivator with great power would only become the bridal gown of An Ying Zhu, turning around to plague the Jing Tu Shi Jie."

"This will‑power assessment will make you confront the fear of the shadows directly."

After Elder Gu Qing finished speaking, he led you and the remaining examinees into a cramped space completely shrouded in Darkness.

Within this space, you sense no spiritual energy at all.

The fluctuations of Daoism no longer exist.

It seems even time has halted, and space gradually ceases to exist.

You drift like a lifeless object in Chaos, unaware of where the end lies.

At first you are a bit unaccustomed, but you quickly adapt, thinking that a single sleep will fix it.

You fall asleep.

You awaken again.

Upon waking, the surroundings remain dark.

Your thoughts begin to wander, recalling all sorts of things, and also recalling Shifu Zhu Yao of the Ninth Jing Tu Shi Jie, Sister Fu Yan, the late Captain Gu Yan, and Sister Xia Tao.

You start to imagine the strongest elder of the First Jing Tu.

One day, you will go to her side.

That wish is by no means unattainable.

You also think of this world's suffering, of people you have seen or not, who are deeply afflicted.

The flame in your heart burns.

You want to burn it all, freeing every tormented soul from suffering.

After you imagined countless things, the Darkness vanished, replaced by a bizarre, surreal scene.

"Shu! Help! Save me!"

"Shu! Hurry!"

Someone cries your name with a heart‑rending scream.

You stare, and it's Sister Fu Yan, along with your Shifu Zhu Yao.

They have lost their original radiance, their faces turning gray, layers of shadow appearing; they have turned into An Ying lives.

The now‑shadowed Fu Yan and Zhu Yao walk toward you.

You completely forget that this is an assessment.

It seems everything is happening before your eyes in reality.

Zhu Yao and Fu Yan's faces show painful expressions as they slowly approach, shouting, "Kill… kill me! Shu… kill us!!"

At some point, a pure‑world spiritual artifact appears in your hand.

"No! I don't want to die."

Fu Yan and Zhu Yao changed their words again, struggling as they said, "Shu… save… save us."

They struggled in pain.

They want to sacrifice life for righteousness, yet also cling to petty survival.

At this moment, their fate is decided by you.

You say seriously, "Sister Fu Yan, you said that once one is assimilated into a Dark Shadow life, one can never return."

"I can't save you."

"Shifu, you also said that a true man would rather die standing than be polluted by the Dark Shadow."

"Your teachings, I have kept them all in my heart."

Your words made their faces show a stunned expression, then become immensely sad, yet their steps toward you never ceased.

You raise your sword, pointing at them, "Enough, don't move forward any more. If you have any last words, stand there and speak them."

Zhu Yao scolds, "You! Shu… are you so heartless? We taught you, guided you to grow, and you really intend to kill us?"

Fu Yan wept; the tears beneath her stunning beauty moved everyone even more.

"Little Shu, you said you'd save your sister; have you forgotten our promise? Please… save sister."

Swish! Swish!

When they stepped forward again, you raised your sword and, without hesitation, slashed them down.

At the same time, you heard exclamations of awe.

"Damn! This kid! So ruthless!!"