Chapter 685: I Have High Hopes for You

Chen Changyuan was startled, feeling incomparably astonished.

Yet, he did not directly gaze at that pair of eyes appearing within his world of consciousness.

For some reason, Chen Changyuan felt that his entire being had been seen through by the other party.

But his heart was also in turmoil; could the Lord of Will truly locate every single Will Martial Artist?

What kind of method is this?

The other party might still be outside the world, situated in some mysterious place he could not glimpse.

Yet the other party's consciousness had descended just like this, and began to converse with him.

This was simply a miracle.

Chen Changyuan grew vigilant and spoke:

"I do not know what business the Venerable One has with me?"

His heart turned cold; the Lord of Will must have seen the anomaly within his body, and perhaps this existence detested him to the extreme.

This caused him to feel a sense of immense crisis.

But at this moment, he had no way at all to resist the descent of this consciousness.

"You surprise me."

The grand voice was ethereal and boundless, resounding deep within Chen Changyuan's mind.

As expected.

Chen Changyuan's eyes narrowed, though he did not show panic:

"Venerable One, do you wish to destroy me?"

He spoke calmly, his mind already contemplating how to resolve this matter.

Perhaps the only way was to sever his own realm of Will.

But Chen Changyuan did not know if that would work.

"Destroy you? Why would I destroy you?" The indifferent voice resounded.

Chen Changyuan was stunned; the Lord of Will held no hostility toward him?

Because of this, the wariness in Chen Changyuan's heart grew even deeper.

If the other party did not even have the desire to destroy him, it meant the other party did not care about him at all.

What kind of existence was the other party, exactly?

Yet at this moment, that magnificent voice sounded once more.

"In the endless universe, among the thirty-three thousand great worlds, I observe your worlds to be nothing more than a drop in the ocean, a grain of sand in the wilderness."

Chen Changyuan's body stiffened.

Thirty-three thousand great worlds?

The words of the Lord of Will actually made him feel the boundless path of martial arts and the boundless worlds of the universe.

"Is that so?" A trace of confusion appeared in Chen Changyuan's eyes:

"To think there is still such endless brilliance and splendor that I have not seen.

But why is someone as insignificant as me of concern to the Venerable One?"

In the hazy world of consciousness, that pair of eyes remained as calm as an ancient well.

"I have already said, I sensed your uniqueness; even I feel you might be able to enter my list."

The voice of the Lord of Will resounded again, making Chen Changyuan even more suspicious and uncertain.

"What list?"

"The list of registered disciples." That indescribable existence spoke indifferently:

"I widely recruit talent from the worlds; currently, I have thirty-five thousand registered disciples, one thousand two hundred indoor disciples, and ten personal disciples.

I must ensure my legacy continues for endless years, reaching straight into the depths of reincarnation."

Chen Changyuan's pupils constricted; even his heart began to beat violently.

He had actually been noticed by the Lord of Will and was to be added to the observation list for registered disciples.

But heavy doubts simultaneously resounded deep within Chen Changyuan's heart.

"But I harbor malice."

He held his breath, not knowing how that existence would answer.

But the next instant, a voice that shocked him even more sounded.

"Malice is a low-level power of Will; you cultivate both malice and Will, have you not discovered the similarities between the two?"

Chen Changyuan's expression froze.

A massive amount of information threatened to wash away all his cognition in an instant.

Malice is a low-level power of Will!

Shock, realization, horror.

It is true.

Malice can corrode the human heart, and so can Will.

But the power of Will can devour and extinguish malice; it can suppress malice.

In some aspects, the two are indeed similar.

But the power of Will is purer and more noble.

While malice is filthy and pollutes the human heart.

"So that's it..." Chen Changyuan murmured; even he was shaken by this statement.

He remained silent for a very short time, fearing that if he lingered too long, it would cause that existence to become annoyed.

It was at this very moment.

He asked the question he cared about most;

"Exalted One, is Chen Yan from my world also on your observation list?"

A chill welled up in Chen Changyuan's heart.

He felt more and more that even if Li Li went, Chen Yan might not necessarily die.

The speed of Chen Yan's rise was such that it all had to be attributed to the power of the Dao of Will.

"No." A calm voice suddenly rang out.

Chen Changyuan was stunned:

"No?

This..."

He found it hard to believe; Chen Yan was the person in this world who had delved the deepest into the Dao of Will.

If even he could be added to the list by the Lord of Will, how could Chen Yan not be?

"Are you surprised?" that grand voice sounded again.

"Yes." Chen Changyuan spoke, but he worried that he would influence the Lord of Will, causing Chen Yan, whom the Lord of Will had originally ignored, to be noticed by the other party.

Wouldn't that be lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet?

He continued, adding:

"However, as the most majestic existence in the world, it is only natural that the Exalted One would look down on Chen Yan."

"Put away your little schemes." A voice carrying a hint of a smile rang out.

Chen Changyuan's face turned slightly pale; he suddenly regretted it—if the Lord of Will could locate him and speak to him, how could the Lord not know what he was thinking?

Yet he saw that the majestic existence only said calmly:

"I do not care about Chen Yan simply because he is too ordinary."

Chen Changyuan's eyes widened.

Ordinary?

Chen Yan was actually ordinary.

It was the first time he had heard anyone consider Chen Yan ordinary.

One must know that even the Master Chen treated Chen Yan with immense importance.

"Within the thirty-three thousand Great Worlds, seven million five hundred thousand martial artists have entered the first realm of the Dao of Will.

Three hundred thousand have entered the second realm of the Dao of Will.

Nine thousand have entered the third realm of the Dao of Will.

And that Chen Yan you speak of has only entered the peak of the second realm and is just about to enter the third realm."

The Lord of Will's voice fell, like boulders crashing into the bottom of Chen Changyuan's heart.

It explained all of Chen Changyuan's confusion.

So, within the thirty-three thousand Great Worlds, there were actually so many martial artists of the Dao of Will.

And Chen Yan, who was so stunning in this world, was, in the eyes of the Lord of Will, merely one of the three billion martial artists who had entered the second realm of the Dao of Will.

Chen Yan was not even special for cultivating both will and malice.

And he, Chen Changyuan, had actually been suppressed all this time by such a mediocre existence.

The Great Family Alliance had been destroyed by the other party, his own father had been killed by the other party, and he himself had even nearly died at Chen Yan's hands.

This caused a wave of daze to arise in Chen Changyuan's heart.

"Dare I ask, Exalted One, how many realms are there in the Dao of Will in total?"

Chen Changyuan asked again, his breathing rapid.

"Thirteen realms; my direct disciples are all at such realms."

That existence answered calmly.

Chen Changyuan fell silent.

What kind of existence was the Dao of Will, really?

The second realm of the Dao of Will could already contend with the sixth or even seventh Creation Realm of other martial paths.

And Chen Yan had not even entered the third realm.

Such a martial path actually had thirteen realms in total.

Then.

If one were to cultivate the Dao of Will to the thirteenth realm.

Just how powerful would that be?

Chen Changyuan had already entered the eighth-stage Tribulation Light Realm, and he had entered the Tribulation Light Realm by receiving the inheritance of an Ancient Divine Beast.

He had thought he had already become one of the strongest in the world.

But now.

Stunned, shocked, with indescribable awe.

The few words from the Lord of Will had actually caused all the pride in his heart to dissipate completely.

At this moment, Chen Changyuan felt as if he were seeing the world clearly for the first time.

Seeing the martial path clearly for the first time.

So he was in such a tiny world.

So he was actually pitted against such an ordinary existence.

So he was this lowly.

His entire worldview had been shattered.

Now, he felt even more awe and reverence toward that Master of Will.

"If you distinguish yourself, I will seek you out again and bestow upon you a fragmentary scroll of the path of Will.

If you can cultivate that fragment to over ten percent, you will be qualified to become my named disciple."

That majestic voice sounded slowly, yet grew fainter and fainter, until at last, it lingered in the depths of Chen Changyuan's mind like an echo in the rafters.

Left behind was only Chen Changyuan, his body completely rigid.

Chen Changyuan closed his eyes; a wild, ecstatic joy, a craving for the Martial Dao, and that final trace of loss completely enveloped him.

He could not laugh, but his heart was beating violently.

He wanted to pursue everything, yet he had only just discovered that everything he believed in was but a grain of sand in the eyes of others.

Compared to the true Martial Dao, he was now as weak as an infant who had just learned to breathe.

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is..."

Chen Changyuan suddenly burst into wild laughter:

"Am I afraid, am I terrified, I am excited!"

With wide eyes, he lowered his voice and shouted:

"Even the light of a firefly, as small as dust, has a glimmer that reaches toward the vault of heaven!"

This was his Martial Dao, this was the Martial Dao of so many, the long-cherished wish of so many.

And he was diligent, and he was fortunate.

In terms of cognition, he had already walked to the very front of everyone.

This was perhaps the greatest opportunity for him to completely jump out of the chessboard.

Time passed slowly.

Chen Changyuan calmed down, purging all joy and agitation.

He began to ponder.

In his conversation with the Master of Will, he discovered three points he had overlooked.

One: The Master of Will thought he was special, which was why he came to find him, but according to the Master of Will's words, he was actually not that special—just a bit more special than Chen Yan.

Then why did the other party come to find him?

The Master of Will might also have the possibility of deceiving him.

This was something Chen Changyuan was unwilling to believe.

But it was also something he had to consider.

Could the arrival of the Master of Will be a trap?

This point was temporarily shelved by Chen Changyuan.

After all, up until now, the Master of Will had not guided him to do anything, only told him to become stronger.

The other party did not have a very intense objective.

This was the one point that made Chen Changyuan feel slightly at ease.

If the other party had an absolutely clear objective, then Chen Changyuan's suspicion would be infinitely magnified.

Two: If the first point did not hold, then the Master of Will did not care about him cultivating malice.

That was it; the other party simply looked down upon malice.

The other party's indifference was impartial.

Three: Chen Yan was about to enter the third realm of the path of Will.

This was news inadvertently revealed by the Master of Will.

Chen Yan had already reached the verge of promotion to the second realm of the path of Will.

Chen Yan was not yet dead.

Chen Changyuan narrowed his eyes.

He summoned the Principal: "Can you perceive Li Li?"

"Who knows about her." The fat-faced Principal narrowed his eyes, a look of disdain and contempt appearing in them:

"That bastard actually ate so much in one go."

Chen Changyuan narrowed his eyes, then immediately led the Principal toward the hospital.

Inside the hospital, it seemed as if those two nurses were always there, currently chatting on the first floor.

Chen Changyuan took one look, his eyes swirling with a faint aura of life and death.

These two nurses were part of the world rules created by the Shi Meng Mo.

But why...

There was a defect.

Chen Changyuan's eyes narrowed slightly; the rules within these two nurses were incomplete, they had been altered.

Originally, they would have dutifully guarded the entire hospital, but because the rules within them had been quietly changed, they appeared so lazy now.

They had been constantly changed over many years, so even the Shi Meng Mo, which was originally in deep slumber, had not discovered it.

So that was it.

Chen Changyuan suddenly understood; certain humans of this world had been using the aura of life and death to change them.

Perhaps, it was those indigenous Realm-Creators who were helping Chen Yan.

Following Chen Changyuan's promotion to the eighth rank, the attitude of these two nurses toward Chen Changyuan had completely changed.

One nurse even affectionately grabbed Chen Changyuan's arm, batting her eyes as she said:

"You look like you've become even better looking."

Chen Changyuan shook off the other party and walked into the hospital ward with the grinning Principal.

Inside the ward.

Twelve hospital beds were arranged quietly.

The bed closest to the door, which was originally Li Li's bed, was already empty.

At the very back, the two beds near the innermost iron door were also empty, but the bedding on one of the beds was disheveled.

Chen Changyuan narrowed his eyes; when he came last time, he clearly saw that there were eleven patients in the entire ward.

After Li Li left, there should have been ten, but at this moment, only nine remained.

There was one existence that had left within these past few days.

Who was it?

What did the other party go to do?

Chen Changyuan speculated inwardly and came to the side of a patient who was still in a deep sleep.

He placed one hand on the patient's forehead; the patient was still sleeping, breathing steadily.

A smile appeared at the corners of Chen Changyuan's mouth, and he slowly withdrew his hand.

The next instant.

Strands of sword soul and malice overflowed from his body, transforming into ink-colored longswords perpendicular to the patient.

Auras of life and death circulated upon these ink-colored longswords, assembling into some kind of terrifying and unspeakable secret technique of rules.

The next instant.

Chen Changyuan's five fingers hovered three inches in front of the patient's forehead, and the ink-colored sword soul twisted and squirmed like a living creature, slicing fine, pitch-black cracks into the space surrounding the hospital bed.

Hiss!

The first sword pierced into the patient's brow; there was no blood, only viscous, pitch-black fluid overflowing from the wound, which clung to the sword body like asphalt and was greedily devoured by the sword soul.

Chen Changyuan closed his eyes, his body actually producing a sensation of expansion at this moment.