Chapter 141

Amid laughter and chatter, the three-colored aurora that had filled the sky vanished completely.

In its place appeared a glowing portal seam, hovering three feet above the ground, slowly rotating and emitting a soft white light.

Behind the two-meter-tall portal, a blurred, twisted landscape flickered faintly—ruined walls, broken towers, and strange mountain silhouettes, exuding an ancient and desolate aura.

"The ancient ruin's entrance has stabilized!"

Someone shouted out.

Instantly, the crowd, long restrained, surged forward like a dam broken, rushing toward the glowing portal, their figures vanishing into it.

"Let's go in too—stay careful," Qin Liangjing, the initiator, warned.

Chen Mu and the other three nodded and stepped into the portal with the flow of people.

A faint sensation of spatial displacement passed through them, and the scenery before their eyes suddenly cleared.

They were now inside an isolated small space.

The sky was gray and hazy, devoid of sun, moon, or stars, yet light somehow emanated from nowhere.

Beneath their feet lay broken blue stone slabs, stretching into the distance.

As far as the eye could see, collapsed palaces and pavilions lay in ruins, mountains cracked and caved in.

Farther out, mountains rose and fell, and even massive fissures in the ground could be seen—as if this small realm had once endured some terrible catastrophe.

The air was thick with desolation, yet not a trace of life could be sensed.

Hundreds of martial artists who had entered earlier had scattered, flitting like headless flies through the ruins, rummaging and digging, hoping to find overlooked treasures or intact transmission jade slips; occasional small conflicts erupted over insignificant broken artifacts, creating chaos and urgency.

Chen Mu and the other three did not rush to join this aimless search.

Tang Zhenke and the others also remained still.

All the Innate Realm martial artists scanned their surroundings, carefully observing the environment.

Shen Ge, with his keen mind, was the first to notice something odd: "Look—those mountains seem to follow a pattern."

"Where?" Pang Yunrui turned to look where he was pointing.

"Over there!"

Shen Ge extended his hand.

Everyone followed his gaze and saw, among the distant rolling mountains, one intact peak stood out—not the tallest, yet radiating a peculiar sense of "center."

A wide, clearly man-made white jade staircase, like a coiling white serpent, wound upward from its base all the way to the mist-shrouded summit.

At the entrance of the staircase, something appeared to stand.

"Let's go over there," Chen Mu said firmly.

"Agreed," Shen Ge nodded.

"Let's go!"

Immediately, the four each activated their lightness techniques, avoiding the chaotic searchers, and soon reached the staircase entrance.

Beside the entrance stood a half-collapsed ancient stele, covered in the marks of time, yet two enormous ancient characters—rich with rhythm—remained clearly legible:

TRIAL!

"Trial?"

Pang Yunrui scrutinized them, then suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "'Trial'! I remember now—ancient texts mention that some old sects established 'Trial Paths' to test and select disciples."

"This ruin must be the Trial Ground of some great sect. Only those who complete the entire path receive the final reward!"

Hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted.

Compared to aimlessly scavenging the ruins, this clear Trial Path was far more promising.

At this moment, other martial artists had also noticed the place and gathered around.

"Trial Path? Reward for completion?"

"Quick, climb up and see!"

"Let's go!"

Someone eagerly stepped onto the white jade staircase.

"We're going up too," Shen Ge called.

Whoosh—whoosh~

The four tapped their toes and ascended the steps.

Yet after only a few steps, they felt their bodies grow heavy!

"Such crushing pressure! Is there a formation suppressing us?" Pang Yunrui exclaimed.

"It is," Chen Mu nodded.

Qin Liangjing sensed it and confirmed, "Indeed, a formation envelops the entire staircase, drawing power from this space's heavenly energy—it blocks Qi circulation and forbids flight; you must walk every step upward."

"Of course a Trial Path doesn't allow flight," Shen Ge nodded.

This did not deter the crowd's enthusiasm; more and more people began attempting to climb the staircase.

Chen Mu and the other three exchanged glances and continued upward.

The first ten steps showed no anomalies—only a growing density of heavenly energy and gradually increasing pressure from the formation, still within the tolerance of Innate Realm martial artists.

Yet the instant they stepped onto the tenth step—

Hum~

An invisible, formless force instantly enveloped the four!

The scenery before them blurred, twisted, and shifted violently.

Illusion Realm!

Chen Mu felt his spirit waver slightly, as if countless distracting thoughts tried to flood his mind, while strange, seductive sounds echoed in his ears and all manner of tempting or terrifying illusions flashed before his eyes.

But his mental strength was already greater than that of ordinary martial artists at his realm, and his will was unyielding—he merely frowned slightly, his spiritual core instantly clearing, the illusions dissolving like snow before the sun.

His steps were steady, and he easily mounted the eleventh step.

Beside him, Shen Ge's jade pendant at his waist once again emitted a soft glow, shielding his mind and spirit; his face only turned slightly pale before he passed through safely as well.

Pang Yunrui let out a low growl as a brutal, unshakable will erupted from him, using brute force to shatter cleverness, forcibly scattering the Illusion Realm's interference. Though a faint sheen of sweat appeared on his brow, he still successfully took the step.

Qin Liangjing, being slightly older, was experienced and steady of heart. He took a deep breath, held fast to his true self, and likewise made it through without mishap.

The four broke through the Illusion Realm one after another, exchanged a glance, and saw the ease in each other's eyes.

Yet behind them and all around, the scene was an entirely different one.

"Aaah! Don't come any closer~!"

"Treasures! They're all mine! All mine! Hahahaha~"

"Save me! There's a strange beast, a huge strange beast, help me… aaah~!"

"……"

Screams, wild laughter, and wails rose one after another.

Large numbers of martial artists were trapped in the Illusion Realm, unable to extricate themselves—some gesticulated wildly, some wept bitterly, some frenziedly attacked those beside them, and some simply rolled their eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and fainted, tumbling down from the stone steps.

Just this first trial of the Illusion Realm alone instantly eliminated more than half of the martial artists!

Those who, like Chen Mu and his four companions, could swiftly shake off the Illusion Realm and continue forward numbered fewer than a hundred.

The eliminated were pushed back to the starting point of the stone steps by a springy force. Upon waking, their faces were full of shame or lingering fear, and they no longer dared to set even half a foot on the stone steps, able only to watch helplessly as those who had passed continued to climb upward.

Chen Mu glanced back at the chaotic scene below, his gaze calm, then turned his head to look up at the mist-shrouded stone steps that seemed to have no end.

"Let's go. This is only the beginning."

……

Chen Mu and his three companions continued climbing upward along the white jade stone steps.

The stone steps wound on; the higher they went, the more pronounced the pressure from the surrounding formations became, but for those with formidable strength, it was still within bearable limits.

After climbing roughly several hundred stone steps, the view ahead suddenly opened up!