Chapter 276: Pure Dimensional Reduction Strike!

The fifth stage is not a real battlefield of combat, but a bizarre, ever‑changing illusion world.

All Heavenly Pride who step into this stage have their minds instantly tugged by an invisible, immense force, plunging them into the illusion realms that embody their deepest fears, most unwilling confrontations, or greatest yearning for ruin.

These illusions point directly at the Dark Heart's Primordial, excavating the deepest cracks and obsessions within; their realism is indistinguishable from truth, and because they arise from the heart, they become even more unforgettable.

Many Heavenly Pride sink, struggle, roar, and wail within them, some witnessing their sects' destruction and relatives' gruesome deaths;

or experiencing a severed Dao path with all cultivation wasted;

or falling into endless Reincarnation, bearing unspeakable pain…

Those whose Dark Heart is not firm soon collapse under the illusion's onslaught, their minds scarred, judged eliminated, a transmission light flashing on their bodies as they vanish with faces full of terror and bewilderment.

However, for Ye Wuque…

His Dark Heart, having endured life and death and seen through emptiness, is already as solid as Chaos Divine Iron and clear as an ancient ice lake!

When that terrifying illusion, capable of shaking even the ancient Titans' minds, descends—

He sees his three‑year‑old tribulation, restrained by a fellow clan member, a cold dagger thrust into his body, forcibly extracting the ancestral divine blood that held limitless potential!

The heart‑rending pain, the cold despair of betrayal by kin, are crystal clear!

He sees, on some future day, Darkness erupting in turmoil, his beloved wife Yu Jiao Xue being devoured before his eyes by endless darkness, her fragrance extinguished, leaving only a mournful "Wuque, take care…"

He sees his good brother Feng Caichen, who, to uncover the truth of the No Return Path, sets out alone, and ultimately in that ultimate horror land is torn apart by an indescribable ominous presence; the blood‑stained broken sword falls into the abyss, and his carefree laugh, "Lao Ye, I'm going ahead…," still rings in his ears.

He sees his parents and family, who, to buy him a sliver of hope, build a defensive line with flesh and blood, only to turn to ash under a sky of divine powers, their shouts of "Wuque, hurry!" cutting like knives to the heart.

He sees that mysterious red‑haired woman on the No Return Path, confronting the terrifying strike of an ominous great power, resolutely stepping before him, her silhouette resolute and tragic, finally consumed by the light of Destruction…

He even sees that unfathomable void, at the deepest part of the No Return Path, bleeding against some unimaginable great enemy, its figure dimming as if it could vanish at any moment…

Scene after scene, case after case, are all the deepest fears and attachments in his heart, possible futures or the subconscious's most dreaded visions of what may come.

These intertwined illusions can construct the most hopeless hell, causing any sentient being to sink within, the Dark Heart shattering, never to transcend.

Yet Ye Wuque's mind, from start to finish, remains in absolute clarity and calm.

He is like a detached observer, quietly "watching" it all.

Pain? Anger? Fear?

Of course there are.

But these emotions do not shake his foundation.

His core will is like a never‑falling divine sun, illuminating all Darkness.

"Illusions are still just illusions…"

"All the tribulations I have endured are the steps to my ascent to the Absolute Peak!"

"All the people and matters I care for are the power behind my forward punches!"

"If this truly is the future… then I will punch through it with these fists! Reverse Causality! Subdue all turmoil! Cut down every ominous thing!"

"I firmly believe that when I am strong enough, every tragedy can be salvaged, every Darkness can be leveled!"

His Dark Heart, far from collapsing in these terrifying illusions, instead becomes more transparent and steadfast, like a Divine Weapon forged through countless hammerings!

Almost at the instant the illusion reaches its most intense moment, Ye Wuque's mind emits a silent, clear whistling:

"Break!"

Boom!

All the phantasms before his eyes shatter like reflections struck by a stone, instantly fragmenting and vanishing like smoke!

His consciousness returns, still standing at the entrance of that bizarre illusion world, his body untouched by dust, his gaze as deep as before.

Fifth stage, cleared!

Advancing to the sixth stage!

…

The sixth stage tests divine sense and innate talent.

All ascenders are placed in a void space, where before them floats a mysterious divine technique titled "Tai Xu Expansion Dao Chapter."

This technique is abstruse and profound, containing the ultimate principles of Tiandao, and serves as the supreme method for testing insight.

Rule: simultaneously begin comprehension; the first hundred to grasp the technique to the entry realm in the shortest time advance.

For countless Heavenly Pride, this is a grueling mental contest, demanding extremely high insight and accumulated Dao methods.

However, for Ye Wuque…

How terrifying his innate insight is?

That "Tai Xu Expansion Dao Chapter" holds virtually no secrets to him.

It merely appears in the technique—

in less than one‑trillionth of a breath!

Buzz!

Ye Wuque's whole body naturally flows a strand of the unique Tai Xu Dao Rhythm, perfectly matching, seamless and flawless!

Entry! Achieved instantly!

He even directly extrapolates it to the minor achievement realm!

The will of the Great Thousand Divine Universe seems to pause for a moment, then releases the wave confirming his advancement.

Ye Wuque, breaking all records past and present, forcefully advances to the seventh stage!

Other Heavenly Pride on the same stage stare dumbfounded, their Dark Hearts nearly shattering, questioning their very lives.

…

The seventh stage is to save a great world on the brink of destruction.

When Ye Wuque descends, this world is being invaded by terrifying beings from the Other Shore World, mountains and rivers shattered, all beings wailing, the flame of civilization about to be extinguished.

Ye Wuque makes no unnecessary moves and strikes outright.

He is like a descending Creation deity on the mortal world, his fist flies like a Dragon, sweeping the eight wilderness!

Those Other Shore Army and terrifying monsters that would make the native strongmen of this world despair are before him like farmyard chickens and stray dogs, vanishing and evaporating in swathes!

He not only cleared the invading foes, but also tore the Void open and brazenly counter‑attacked into the Other Shore World!

He smashed the source of the invasion—a hidden Other Shore overlord deep within—together with its lair, into cosmic dust with a single punch!

The world‑ending crisis turned to ash and smoke in the snap of a finger.

Seventh level—cleared!

……

Eighth level takes place in a world of strange rules and boundless expanse, where one must find a randomly hidden "Void Core".

This world blocks almost all divine perception, its environment is complex and ever‑changing, and searching for a specific item is like fishing a needle out of the ocean.

But for Ye Wuque's beyond‑ordinary divine soul perception, that so‑called shielding is essentially nonexistent.

After his arrival, his divine consciousness spread like an invisible great net, instantly covering the entire great world.

"Found it."

In less than a breath, he locked onto the Void Core hidden at the very heart of the earth's molten core, wrapped in layers of natural seals.

One step forward, shattering the Void, he extracted it directly.

Eighth level—cleared!

……

From the first to the eighth level, Ye Wuque advanced with a brute, domineering, utterly irrational push, forcefully leveling up!

His reputation, already like a storm, has swept every corner of the Great Thousand Divine Universe Saint King Trial!

The title "Ye Demon God" spread like wildfire, becoming an indelible, awe‑inspiring, terrifying symbol in the hearts of countless Heavenly Pride participants in the trial!

Within these levels, many other extraordinarily talented beings naturally emerged.

There are Ancient Freaks from a bygone glorious era, unparalleled demonic prodigies flowing backward from future ages, and forbidden heirs bearing defiant bloodlines...

They each carved illustrious reputations in their battlefields, displaying invincible flair.

Yet, no matter how dazzling they are, under the brilliance of "Ye Demon God" they appear dim.

No one can be compared to him, not even anyone whose record approaches his.

Ye Wuque's participation in this Saint King Trial is nothing short of… a dimensional‑reduction strike!

……

Finally, the trial reaches its ultimate—Dijiuguan!

This is also the final level of this Great Thousand Divine Universe Saint King Trial!