Chapter 288: Heroes' Trial Grounds

Yang Zhu, under the personal reception of the Reception Envoy, entered the magnificent city before him riding a Dragon Horse.

The soldiers guarding both sides wore icy iron armor, each holding spears and halberds, their killing intent sharp, yet one could still see astonishment and envy in their eyes.

They had previously been sacrificial refiners on the Ancient Road, but all had failed on that cruel Path of proving the Dao, unwilling to accept defeat, so they stayed on as soldiers.

"Is he really that strong......"

Guan Cheng stared at Yang Zhu without blinking, his heart unable to calm.

The Reception Envoy of the Human Race's First Pass personally came out to greet the trial-takers, something that hadn't happened in tens of thousands of years! "How did you know I arrived?"

As he passed the Reception Envoy, Yang Zhu asked with interest, after all, he had not revealed his identity along the way.

"Inside the city there is a special formation; when an Imperial Son‑level figure appears, it triggers a reaction."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhu merely nodded slightly, then, under the other's guidance, went to reside in the city's Main Building, unlike other trial‑takers who had to fend for themselves.

"Let's go, at least we've saved a few days of waiting."

Outside the city, trial‑takers streamed in, yet their hearts felt inexplicably heavy, a wordless oppression.

"The Human Race's Imperial Son has arrived!"

That day, the news of Yang Zhu's arrival swept like a hurricane, spreading at the fastest speed to every corner of the city.

Besides within the First Pass, this news also spread along the Ancient Road all the way, even the trial‑takers at the very front knew of it.

"Imperial Son......"

Di Tian and the others had already shaken the Ancient Road decades ago; now they have no rivals, nearly invincible.

But upon hearing this news, their hearts still gave a jolt—no need for much explanation—the two words "Imperial Son" alone say everything! Those two characters seem to hold a special power; merely hearing them can make one feel suffocated, as if unable to breathe……

"Haha, simply exhilarating!"

Night fell, and Yang Zhu and his companions stood above the Main City, looking down upon this ancient city.

The bright moon hung high, silver light spilling down, draping the massive sight before them in a gauze of silver, hazy and flickering, as if bathed in starlight.

The heavy city walls, covered in marks of swords, spears, and halberds, are the "glory" left by history, adding a sense of solemnity and menace to this place.

"Beneath the pass lie ancient patterns, at least the work of a Great Sage, which can autonomously absorb the essence of sun and moon as nourishment, achieving an eternal effect."

Yang Zhu unfolded his Divine Eye and could see that the ancient city above and below was shrouded in numerous patterns, which become even more brilliant at night.

The patterns seem to have life, absorbing the heaven‑and‑earth essence like a person, truly miraculous.

"Yes."

The Reception Envoy stood with hands behind his back, his eyes deep, overlooking this ancient pass.

On the first night of opening the pass, although it had been stated that fighting was forbidden inside the city, undercurrents still surged and killing intent lurked everywhere.

Those trial‑takers are all tough nuts; conflict is inevitable, and with their tempers, how could they easily give up?

So when night deepens and all is quiet, someone will inevitably lose restraint; the Reception Envoy and the soldiers have grown accustomed to it, mostly turning a blind eye.

As long as the matter isn't brought into the open, they don't want to interfere too much, since this too counts as a kind of trial.

"Indeed, the handiwork is vast; I ought to study it well."

The Big Black Dog is accomplished in formation arts, equally amazed by the formations here, and immediately began to contemplate them, becoming deeply engrossed.

After a quarter of an hour, Yang Zhu finally withdrew his Divine Eye, gaining considerable insight.

"To retreat into seclusion here is indeed a fine choice."

He casually reached forward and seized the entire river of stars in the sky, a crystal‑clear, dazzling mass, with vast essence flowing within.

His form became illusory, merging with the void; he stepped forward and arrived, sitting cross‑legged above the First Pass.

In an instant, all stellar power within a thousand‑mile radius was drawn toward him, completely absorbed.

The great formation beneath his feet instantly dimmed considerably, unable to rival his brilliance.

"Who......"

The next day, a long horn blast sounded, vast and distant, as if coming from ancient times, like the cry of primordial human ancestors.

Inside the city, everyone rose to their feet and silently gathered toward the central square.

"Today, entering the Trial Grounds has but one purpose: to obtain the supreme Dao truth of that world; without such insight, you shall stop here!"

The Reception Envoy appeared on the square, his expression grave, his words brief, as if unwilling to utter another syllable.

"I will lead you!"

A powerful leader stepped forward, chanting an ancient incantation, reminiscent of the sacrificial sounds of the forefathers.

"Boom!"

Above the square, the void split open, and a special altar appeared, immeasurably huge; once everyone stepped onto it, they felt no crowding.

A colossal beam of light shot out, piercing the universe, tearing open a wide spatial passage leading to the unknown beyond.

Under the leader's guidance, the cultivators orderly mounted the altar and entered the tunnel.

"Let's go."

Yang Zhu withdrew from his meditative state, bringing the Black Emperor and Dragon Horse, and after a moment reached the square, following the crowd toward the Trial Grounds.

No one knows how long passed; when everyone exited the tunnel, a massive island suddenly loomed before them.

It is broader than an ancient star, exuding an aura of endless vicissitudes, having endured who knows how many catastrophes, lying here and leaving endless legends for posterity.

"The Trial Grounds will open; your Path of proving the Dao now begins—whether a stunning emperor of the ages will arise, we shall wait and see!"

After bringing everyone to the Divine Island, the leader began a simple explanation of the rules.

"The island is divided into……"

This island is named Fallen Saint Island, divided into forty‑nine regions, each separated by a barrier; crossing each level binds one with shackles weighing a million catties.

At that time, wanting to kill others across regions will undoubtedly increase the difficulty.

At the island's very center lies a forbidden land, extremely perilous; no one knows how terrifying the entities within are.

Even the leader dare not step lightly into it, feeling great apprehension.

Isn't that Ye Xiaozi?

The Black Emperor spotted Ye Fan among the crowd in an instant, both surprised and delighted; it really was a coincidence.

However, his situation was not optimistic; he had already made enemies with many people while outside.

The Thirteen Riders of the Wasteland, the middle-aged Daoist nun, Lan Feng, and Hong Liu are all rare heroes; their strength should not be underestimated.

"Do you need me to make a move?" Yang Zhu looked over, secretly transmitting a divine sound.

Thanks, but I want to handle it myself. Don't worry, I'm confident.

Ye Fan nodded from afar, thanked Yang Zhu's good intentions, but he wasn't afraid of those people—at worst he'd just kill them all! "Boom!"

Seeing this, Yang Zhu said nothing, took the lead, stepped forward, and a radiant Dao appeared; heaven and earth rumbled, myriad Dao stirred, and various visions manifested.

He didn't choose any of the entrances of the forty-nine regions; instead, he stepped across the boundless space and arrived above the central forbidden zone. Immediately, he vanished from the sight of the observing triallists.

"What a powerful method!"

"So this is the Imperial Son? Indeed formidable—he directly charged into the central forbidden zone."

Everyone's heart jumped; the trial had only just begun, yet Yang Zhu displayed such resolve, truly imposing tremendous pressure on them.

After Yang Zhu, Yu Xian, Ku Touseng, Tuoba Yu, and Ou Ye Mo stepped out in turn, each choosing a foreign realm to enter.

They had already gained considerable fame, their strength hard to gauge, and they tacitly kept more than one realm apart to avoid conflict.

Yang Zhu and his two companions descended; here the vegetation was lush, the ancient vines crisp, the old trees towering—nothing but primordial landscape met the eye.

Yet amidst this lush scenery, a primordial, savage aura seeped out, a killing intent that could make one's heart palpitate, suffusing the air.

"Pfft!"

The Heavenly Blade swept across the sky, flashing brilliant divine light, blood spattering; a Saint-level savage beast that lunged was instantly cleaved in two!

It was a kind of black ant with twin horns, tens of zhang tall, its body covered in fine black scales comparable to the finest armor.

Its cultivation had already broken through the Saint realm, yet under Yang Zhu's Heavenly Blade it couldn't withstand a single strike! "Hiss, just coming up is a Saint-level savage beast—what lies deeper must be…"

The Dragon Horse was terrified; as the leader said, there absolutely exists an incomparably terrifying presence here.

If you can't handle it, hurry up and leave—don't come embarrass yourself; just wait outside.

The Black Emperor gave a dismissive glance, sneering repeatedly.

"What nonsense? I've been around for years—do you think I'd fear these?!"

Hearing that, the Dragon Horse's mane bristled, its nostrils spewing divine flame incessantly.

Yang Zhu gripped the Heavenly Blade and headed deeper; not long after, he saw a hundred-zhang-high mountain split in half by someone.

"This is actually a mountain formed of divine material, its essence chopped out and taken away."

Yang Zhu stared; the mountain's surface was covered in greenery, but the body itself was a kind of black divine material, extremely rare—more than enough for forging holy weapons!

To cleave it with one strike, at the very least the strength of a Saint King is required.

"What a pity—the essence has been taken."

The Black Emperor secretly lamented the loss; the materials for forging peerless holy weapons are extremely rare, and if obtainable, their value would be immeasurable.

They pressed on, and upon entering a valley between two great mountains, a thick reek of blood assailed their nostrils the moment they stepped in.

Before them lay blood and bones everywhere, various corpses strewn on the ground, many trampled into bloody mud, blood flowing like a river—as if they had arrived at an ancient battlefield.

"Eh…… damn, you scared me."

The Dragon Horse accidentally stepped on a skull; who knows how many years have passed, its flesh and skin long gone, yet it still glowed with a crystalline sheen.

It was only because the skull rolled into a pool of blood and was stained with foul-smelling black blood that it drew disgust.

"Most of these corpses aren't human; could it be that earlier triallists came and slaughtered everything here?"

The Black Emperor quickly noticed the anomaly; corpses littered the ground, and it was easy to tell they came from an unknown creature.

As for humans, only a few remained.

"Let's go."

Without lingering, Yang Zhu and his companions quickly left and pressed deeper.

Next, they passed through numerous perilous spots, over thirty in total.

There were domains formed of chaotic gang qi, fire-melt caves spewing divine flame, and killing formations laid down by other beings……

They also frequently encountered powerful beings, many of Saint-level, terrifying cultivation, mostly lying dormant in their habitats.

But Yang Zhu's aura was too strong; that vast qi blood and mighty Dao power, even before approaching, shook numerous Saint-level savage beasts.

How to put it? It's as if, before the battle even began, the enemy's health bar and the Heavenly Blade had already been shoved in their face.

Of course, there were also fearless ones who charged forward, but the result was that a single strike from the savage beast flattened its surroundings for tens of li, sweeping the area clean into ash.

Yang Zhu swept all the way, nothing could stop him.

"Well, there really aren't many good things—wait, actually there are quite a few!"

The Black Emperor hardly exerted any effort along the way, just searching for treasures; in four days he alone gathered eight stalks of minor medicine kings over twenty thousand years old.

Besides, various ancient and supreme treasures were too many to count.

Finally, Yang Zhu and his party halted at the foot of a mountain cliff; beneath them lay a chaotic divine waterfall, stretching over a thousand zhang, cascading down from the blue‑stone mountains.

The chaotic divine waterfall flowed, shedding seven‑colored rosy light, spiritual qi mingling—an ideal place for cultivating and tempering weapons.

"This place is the island's very center; the divine waterfall is the condensed life essence of other regions, gathered and refined—you can temper your bodies here."

Having said that, without waiting for their response, Yang Zhu hurled them down, suspending them a few zhang above the chaotic divine waterfall.

"Ah! No… my… my bones are all broken……"

A wisp of chaotic mist, as heavy as a mountain range, when it fell, snapped more than a dozen of the Dragon Horse's bones, eliciting miserable screams.

The Big Black Dog bared its teeth; under the chaotic air's baptism, it felt as if its body would explode, the intense pain making it tremble all over.

Yet, having been tempered by numerous divine materials, his flesh at the same realm was unmatched—even the Dragon Horse could not compare.

"Woof!"

So he fared somewhat better, occasionally letting out two barks, but not as miserable as the dragon horse, who wailed miserably.

Here, even refining holy weapons is more than enough; one can imagine how painful tempering the flesh is, something ordinary people cannot endure! They know this is a great opportunity to temper themselves, and after shouting for a while they begin to grit their teeth and persevere.

Even if skin and flesh burst open and pale bones protrude, they no longer wail like ghosts and wolves.

"Perhaps you can seize the opportunity to break through."

After the situation stabilized, Yang Zhu sat down on the mountain cliff; instantly, the divine waterfall like a sea was completely absorbed by him and transformed into pure divine power.

Two days later, the big black dog and the dragon horse finally ended; at this moment, the two of them were covered in blood, skin split and flesh torn, almost becoming a puddle of blood.

They quickly found a place to recover; after only two days, not only had they fully recovered, but their cultivation realms suddenly surged greatly!

Moreover, their physical bodies were greatly enhanced again; even holy weapons could not easily harm them! "Woof! This emperor is only one step away from half-saint; catching a holy weapon with bare hands is nothing but easy!"

The big black dog's fur became even more lustrous; laughing wildly, he raised his paw and struck, and several great mountains ahead instantly turned to ash, terrifying beyond compare.

"Dang..."

On the twelfth day of entry, a bell rang across the Fallen Holy Island; time was up, all testers had to leave this place, otherwise they would be sealed here.

"Prince, should we leave?" the big black dog asked.

"Then let's go."

Yang Zhu withdrew from his state, employing the supreme Shen Gong, he seized the divine waterfall together with the entire great mountain, and stored it within the chaotic immortal soil.

Feeling a bit rushed, I'll speed up the plot from now on; I don't want to drag it out (end of chapter).