Chapter 391

Meng Zining and a group of junior sisters had just crossed the treacherous desert, having struggled through countless difficulties and dangers.

Their faces covered in sweat, they arrived exhausted at the door of the palace, only to be surprised to find Lin Bai already waiting there.

When Meng Zining and the others saw Lin Bai for the first time, their eyes widened to the size of saucers, their mouths hung open, and expressions of disbelief hung on their faces.

Shock danced in their eyes, as if they had been struck by lightning.

They were stunned by the life-and-death trials they had endured in the vast desert; that boundless world of danger had left them trembling with fear.

In this place, every corner might hide the threat of demons, which mortals could never hope to match.

In the desert, even a casual demon was a being of the Myriad Phenomena Realm; every demon that appeared was enough to bring them face-to-face with death and the dissolution of their Dao.

Yet, what they never expected was that Lin Bai stood before them unharmed and safe.

This scene left them extremely shocked and incredulous; along the way, they had encountered Myriad Phenomena Realm great demons in droves!

Had it not been for the magic treasure given by the Zong Sect Elder, they would have long since become demon fodder!

However, soon their shock turned into envy and admiration for Lin Bai.

Meng Zining and the others began to notice the mighty sword on Lin Bai, which shone with a captivating light; their gaze was inevitably drawn to the sword, filling their hearts with endless envy.

Memories of the brilliant display in the Blood River began to replay in their minds!

Coupled with Lin Bai's breakthrough to the Myriad Phenomena Realm level, it seemed to make sense that he could remain unscathed, which left them completely awestruck.

The power of the Myriad Phenomena Realm was undoubtedly a peak existence in the desert, enough to look down on all demons; their hearts were filled with worship and awe of Lin Bai's immense strength.

Meng Zining gazed silently at the mysterious palace before her, her heart filled with curiosity and endless imagination.

She turned to look at Lin Bai beside her, hoping to get some clues about the palace.

"Lin Bai, this palace looks so mysterious. Do you know what is inside?" Meng Zining asked with great expectation.

Lin Bai smiled slightly, his eyes permeated with deep memories and a hint of worry.

He glanced at Meng Zining and said softly, "This palace is an extremely dangerous place; inside hides a black-clad figure of extraordinary power."

"If I am not mistaken, this must be the second checkpoint!"

Hearing this, Meng Zining's eyes widened to the size of saucers; for a moment she stared at Lin Bai in disbelief, completely unable to imagine that Lin Bai, whose strength was already formidable, would mention an even stronger existence.

Lin Bai continued to explain, "That black-clad figure possesses a strange ability regarding my sword; he can suppress my sword, preventing it from unleashing its power, as if it were sealed."

Hearing these words, Meng Zining's expression became even more shocked; disbelief flashed in her eyes. She could not imagine that even Lin Bai, possessing such a powerful sword and Myriad Phenomena Realm strength, would encounter such an opponent.

"That black-clad figure, just how strong is he?" Meng Zining asked, almost trembling; she was filled with curiosity and fear toward this mysterious and powerful enemy.

Lin Bai nodded heavily, "His strength far exceeds our imagination; a conservative estimate places him at the Supreme Realm level. When fighting him, I could clearly feel the oppressive force emanating from his hand, as if it pressed me until I could not breathe, let alone use my sword."

Meng Zining took a deep breath; she could imagine that oppressive force and sense of constraint. A strong sense of awe and worry surged in her heart, and she felt an even deeper admiration for Lin Bai.

"Lin Bai, you actually fought a Supreme Realm expert and emerged unscathed; that is truly amazing."

Hearing her words of praise, Lin Bai did not say much.

In fact, that Supreme Realm black-clad figure simply did not want to kill him; otherwise, with the sword unusable, there would have been no escape!

Just then, the last group arrived late; they struggled to the front of the palace, their bodies tattered and covered in blood, looking utterly wretched.

Their original team of seven or eight people had now been reduced to three; with expressions of exhaustion and terror, they were shocked to see Lin Bai and Meng Zining and the others in an unscathed state.

These people's hearts were filled with disbelief and envy.

Watching Lin Bai and Meng Zining and the others remain unharmed, they secretly wondered how they had survived such a dangerous environment.

However, in their hearts, jealousy also took up a place.

When they saw Meng Zining and the others standing unscathed beside Lin Bai, jealousy inevitably arose in their hearts.

They secretly thought that perhaps it was because Meng Zining had clung tightly to Lin Bai's thigh that they had been able to cross the extremely dangerous desert safely.

This thought made them resentful toward Meng Zining, their hearts filled with jealousy.

"Why wasn't it us who clung tightly to Lin Bai's thigh? Why wasn't it us who received his protection and remained unscathed?" This thought quickly surged in their hearts; they envied Lin Bai's strength and Meng Zining's good fortune.

However, this group also understood that their own wretched appearance and life-or-death experiences formed a stark contrast with the Lin Bai and Meng Zining and the others before them.

【Congratulations to all the young geniuses for successfully arriving at the second checkpoint!】

【Original Heart!】

As a voice filled with mystery sounded, the result was exactly as Lin Bai had predicted; indeed, all checkpoints of this trial required everyone to be present!

But what he couldn't understand was that the theme of this checkpoint was actually called 'Original Heart'!

What does this mean?

(This is strange)

A Supreme Realm expert at least is stationed inside the mysterious palace, and the theme is called 'Original Heart'; how do these two not match at all!

The crowd gathered before the palace, waiting tensely yet expectantly for the palace to open.

Right before their eyes, the palace slowly opened its doors, revealing a mysterious aura.

The crowd entered the mysterious palace, and the scene before them changed completely, as if they had arrived in another world.

Their gazes fell upon an unfathomable black-clad figure, who sat there as steady as Mount Tai, looking down upon the crowd.

His figure was tall and majestic, making people involuntarily feel an indescribable sense of oppression.

After the crowd entered the palace together, the doors quickly closed, isolating them from the outside world; except for Lin Bai, everyone else felt the immense oppressive force emanating from the black-clad figure, as if they were placed in a pitch-black, boundless abyss.

…….