High Martial Arts Era

Chapter 747 The Soul of a Hundred Emperors! What's Powerful is Willpower
Shouldn't a God-King Realm expert come?

"Be careful not to die here?" Li Yuan was shocked upon hearing this... Just as Xiao Mu said, the Supreme Being's methods could very well kill him.

And almost at the same time.

Li Yuan also had a guess in his heart: the Ancient Universe Realm was indeed the key to opening the Supreme Hall of the Primordial Shadow... but he should not come now, but should wait until he enters the Emperor Realm.

Li Yuan felt helpless. He had not intended to enter the Hongying Supreme Hall; it was purely by chance. Who would have thought that as soon as he arrived outside the Supreme Hall, the Ancient Universe Realm would automatically fly out.

"Jin Yuan, is there still danger to your life?" Xiao Mu's expression also changed: "Since you said that Xin Yuan Quasi-Saint is not yet qualified and has not received guidance... then can you let us leave? In the future, when Xin Yuan enters the Emperor Realm, we can come back to accept the test left by the Supreme, how about that?"

"Actually, Xinyuan Quasi-Saint really didn't intend to enter the Hongying Supreme Hall; it was purely by chance," Xiao Mu quickly explained.

He was unwilling for Li Yuan to take such a big risk.

This was a test set by the Supreme Being for his successor in the Human Emperor Realm, and the level of danger was unimaginable... No matter how amazing Li Yuan's talent was, he had not even stepped into the third step of the Eternal Path, and his strength was only at the level of an ordinary Emperor Realm.

"If you wish to leave, that is fine too," the golden-robed figure said calmly. "Simply remove the life imprint left on the master's keepsake."

"The Ancient Universe?" Li Yuan frowned.

“You call yourself the Ancient Universe Realm? The name is quite fitting.” Jin Yuan said, “If you give up the Ancient Universe Realm, I will send you away… but you will also lose the Ancient Universe Realm forever, and you will never have the chance to come to the Supreme Hall of the Primordial Shadows again.”

“Jin Yuan, this doesn’t make sense,” Xiao Mu said.

“These are the rules set by the master, and I am just following the rules.” Jin Yuan shook his head and said, “The master only said that the test would begin once the candidates entered, and if they were afraid of the danger and gave up the test, they would lose the opportunity forever… He didn’t mention the possibility of candidates at the God King level coming.”

"You're so rigid," Xiao Mu said, annoyed but also feeling somewhat helpless.

A puppet is absolutely obedient to its master's commands.

Like Xiao Mu, no one can truly control him; everything is done according to his own will... His help to Beihe Supreme and Li Yuan comes from his own heart.

"Li Yuan."

"You need to think this through." Xiao Mu transmitted his voice directly: "I know Jin Yuan. He is the strongest puppet under the command of Supreme Hongying. His strength is close to the level of a ruler. He won't exaggerate. He can definitely sense the strength of your aura and the existence of the nine imperial guards. Yet he still said that you might die completely... then you are truly in danger."

"The decision is yours," Xiao Mu said solemnly.

When it came to another supreme being, Xiao Mu was unwilling to make a decision for Li Yuan.

Ultimately, Li Yuan must walk the path of cultivation himself.

"To leave or to stay?" Many thoughts raced through Li Yuan's mind as he considered various possibilities.

The massive Jin Yuan stood there without urging anyone; he could wait that long.

……

In a secluded corner of the Immortal Realm, a warship exuding an ancient aura is moored. This is the 'Chaos Warship,' the current core of the Chaos Palace lineage.

The warship contained numerous spaces, and in one of these spaces, countless lights and shadows converged and quickly condensed to form the phantom image of Li Yuan.

This period of time.

Li Yuan rarely appears on the Chaos Warship and seldom contacts other Quasi-Saints in the Chaos Palace... yet he can easily condense an avatar on the warship through the mark.

And soon.

Another figure in a white robe, exuding endless ethereal beauty, appeared. His gaze was distant, revealing no emotion whatsoever. He looked over and asked, "Li Yuan, do you need something from me?"

“Senior Xinmeng, there is indeed an important matter.” Li Yuan bowed respectfully.

When faced with the unexpected situation at the Supreme Palace of the Red Shadow, the first person Li Yuan thought of was the God Emperor of the Heart Dream.

Although I don't want to alarm the God Emperor Xinmeng, this is clearly a critical moment.

Li Yuan stated directly, "Currently, I have two true bodies in Honghe Supreme Star City. Upon arriving at the Supreme Hall, the Ancient Universe suddenly flew out, causing the Hongying Supreme Hall to open. The Ancient Universe could not be recalled... My two true bodies were forced to enter the Hongying Supreme Hall..."

"I didn't want to bother you, senior, but this matter is of great importance. I would appreciate your guidance on how to choose."

Li Yuan gave a general account of his situation, but omitted the events at the Supreme Hall of the Northern River and the existence of the small tomb.

Perhaps, the God Emperor of Dreams could guess the existence of the small tomb.

But as long as the God Emperor Xinmeng doesn't press the matter, Li Yuan doesn't intend to explain.

"You have two true bodies and have entered the Supreme Hall of the Primordial Shadows?" A rare look of surprise flashed across the face of the God Emperor Xinmeng, before he frowned slightly.

He seemed to be thinking.

He did not ask Li Yuan why he was in Honghe Supreme Star City, and Li Yuan waited patiently.

After a while.

“Your risk of death is very low,” Xinmeng Shenqi said slowly. “The probability is close to zero.”

Li Yuan was shocked, but his face was full of doubt.

“Li Yuan, I know you have many doubts in your heart… Judging from your appearance, you should already know that the Ancient Universe Realm is a top-level imperial weapon. You escaped from the encirclement of the Divine Wheel Sea by relying on the Ancient Universe Realm, right?” The Heart Dream God Emperor suddenly revealed a smile.

Li Yuan was even more astonished: "Senior, you are wise."

laugh?
In Li Yuan's memory, he had met the God Emperor Xinmeng several times, but he had never seen the other party smile... He was always so aloof, as if nothing could affect him.

“Originally, I wanted to wait until you opened the Heart Artifact Path before telling you some secrets.” The Heart Dream God Emperor’s smile faded, and he regained his composure: “But since you have already arrived at the Hongying Supreme Hall ahead of schedule, it won’t hurt to tell you some things.”

"The trial left behind by Supreme Hongying is actually an aid to you. If other God-Kings were to attempt it, they would indeed risk getting lost or even self-annihilation," said God Emperor Xinmeng. "But your soul is already at the Emperor level, and your will is only a hair's breadth away from the Emperor level... At most, your true body will be trapped for a period of time."

"It won't lead to its demise."

Soul? Will? Lost? Li Yuan immediately had a guess in his mind: could the test of the Hongying Supreme Hall be related to the soul and will?
"Once you successfully emerge from the Supreme Hall of the Primordial Shadows... come to see me, and you will be qualified to know many secrets behind the scenes," said the Heart Dream God Emperor.

"I understand," Li Yuan said.

Although the God Emperor of Dreams did not say it directly, he had already told Li Yuan his choice... to go and take the plunge.

call!
Li Yuan's illusory image dissipated, leaving only a white-robed phantom standing in the void.

"Did we go to the Supreme Hall of Beihe first?" Emperor Xinmeng murmured to himself, "Beihe? What a memorable name."

"pity."

"such a pity……"

……

The Supreme Hall of the Primordial Shadows, inside that magnificent and ancient palace.

"Senior Jin Yuan," Li Yuan, who had been deep in thought, suddenly called out.

"Have you thought it through?" Jin Yuan looked at Li Yuan. "Give up? Or continue?"

"Now that I'm here, I can't just leave like this," Li Yuan said calmly. "Then please tell me, senior, what exactly did Supreme Hongying leave behind?"

"Does he really want to go through with it?" Xiao Mu sighed inwardly, but did not try to dissuade him. He had already guessed that Li Yuan would go through with it.

In reality, even without the affirmation of the Heart Dream God Emperor, Li Yuan would most likely still choose to continue... cultivating for thousands of years, overcoming tribulations time and time again.

This had long forged Li Yuan's unwavering belief in moving forward.

Without this belief, Li Yuan would have collapsed long ago back in the Spirit Wood Universe, at the Reincarnation Stone of the North Star... how could he have survived until today?

"Haha, okay."

“This is the kind of successor candidate who can be recognized by the Supreme Token.” Jin Yuan smiled. “Don’t worry, although there is a certain probability of death… I see that you are extremely young. As long as you cultivate fast enough in your other true bodies outside, you should not be in any danger.”

"Now, let me tell you," Jin Yuan said, pointing in all directions. "Do you see these dead Emperor-level experts?"

"They are all Emperor Realm beings born from the Honghe Universe."

Li Yuan nodded; he had already guessed this from what Xiao Mu had said earlier.

The Honghe Universe Alliance has a large number of Emperor-level experts, with as many as tens of thousands as I know... but the vast majority of them are experts from other universes or even other dark domains.

There aren't many Emperor Realm beings who truly belong to the Honghe Universe; there are only a little over a hundred.

However, each of these Emperor Realm beings is a core member of the Honghe Universe Alliance and is highly regarded and trusted by the two supreme beings.

“Back then, the Honghe Universe Reincarnation destined countless beings in the entire Universe to be completely annihilated.” Jin Yuan said in a low voice, “All 136 Emperor Realm experts had their true bodies in Supreme Star City… Before the Universe Reincarnation descended, the master summoned all the Emperor Realm experts in the Universe here.”

"These Emperor Realm experts all chose to annihilate the original spiritual light of this true body, which is tantamount to suicide."

"Then, with great magical power, the master preserved all these true bodies of the Emperor Realm here, and retained most of their soul essence... as a way of leaving a glimmer of hope for the future," Jin Yuan said.

Hope? A thought flashed through Li Yuan's mind.

"The master is hoping for this."

"If his idea comes true, there may be a day when time can be reversed and everything can be restored." Jin Yuan sighed with emotion: "Then, if the true bodies and soul origins of the 136 Emperor Realm beings are all preserved, the hope of resurrection will be much greater."

"pity."

“In the end… even the master himself passed away.” Jin Yuan shook his head and said.

Li Yuan was shocked. Hongying Supreme was indeed a man of great ambition... He actually wanted to eventually revive all the Emperor Realm experts in the Honghe Universe.

"The past is the past, let's not talk about it anymore."

"The test left by the master is the 'Soul Pillar' of these 136 Emperor Realm experts." Jin Yuan looked at Li Yuan: "Each Emperor Realm expert corresponds to a purple divine pillar, that is, a Soul Pillar... They are all derived from the souls of each Emperor Realm expert, encompassing everything."

"These pillars of soul not only preserve the soul essence of every Emperor-level cultivator, but also allow other cultivators to immerse themselves in them and hone their own soul will..."

“If you can successfully overcome the obstacles of the 136 pillars of souls, it means you have passed the test left by the master,” Jin Yuan said slowly. “And you will be able to become the master’s true successor.”

Li Yuan understood.

No wonder I felt that the purple divine pillars were quite mysterious when I entered the hall, and they were engraved with countless mysterious Dao patterns.

It turns out that it involves such a large amount of money.

"Senior Jin Yuan, is there a time limit for this test?" Li Yuan asked.

“No.” Jin Yuan shook his head and said, “But I must remind you… everything your true self’s soul consciousness experiences while immersed in the Soul Pillar is almost completely real to your soul consciousness, and it will constantly affect your original soul consciousness.”

"The more you feel, the deeper the impact... to the point that you completely lose yourself, and that is the calamity of being lost."

"so."

“Each time you regain consciousness, you must fully recover before you can try again.” Jin Yuan looked at Li Yuan.

"Thank you for the reminder, senior," Li Yuan nodded.

He was confident in himself... Although his cultivation period was short, his soul and will were definitely not weak, and these pillars of the soul might be able to trap him.

But the danger of getting lost? Li Yuan didn't quite believe it.

"Let's try the first pillar of the soul." Li Yuan sat down cross-legged. He had already discovered that the order of these 136 Emperor Realm experts was significant.

The deeper one goes, the stronger the aura emanating from these Emperor Realm beings becomes, with the deepest ones even reaching the Dominator level.

"Start weak, then strengthen," Li Yuan thought to himself.

Guided by Jin Yuan, Li Yuan's mind stirred, and a wisp of his consciousness entered the pillar of his soul... Boom! An invisible force completely enveloped his true consciousness.

"Ok?"

"The consciousness of this true body has been completely isolated?" The other true body in the cave treasure, as well as the seven true bodies in the distant Dream Universe, all sensed this at the same time.

Li Yuan was also shocked.

Although he was at the God-King level, after cultivating the "Hundred Paths Sacred Body" body-refining method, he had completely become comparable to a life form at the Emperor level, and it was almost impossible to isolate his many true consciousnesses.

But ironically, this pillar of the soul accomplished it.

"My other true bodies can only sense that this one is still alive, but they can't activate it..." Li Yuan was shocked.

"I'll continue cultivating." Li Yuan's many true bodies in the Dream Universe Realm were full of patience and continued to cultivate, constantly deducing one eternal path after another with the help of many secret treasures.

……

call!
A wisp of Li Yuan's consciousness fell into the Pillar of Souls and embarked on a strange journey... This was a wondrous world constructed of soul power, where the flow of time was vastly different from the outside world, much faster.

Perhaps, after a long time within the Pillar of Souls, only a fleeting moment passes in the outside world.

It was like a dream.

Yet it feels so real.

"My name is Meng Jie?" Li Yuan was confused. He had transformed into a young man named Meng Jie, or rather, he had possessed the other person's body.

Li Yuan could not deny everything Meng Jie went through and the choices he made. He seemed to be an outsider, but his experience was incredibly real.

Uncontrollable, only able to feel.

This is a martial arts world. Meng Jie comes from a large family. He was exceptionally talented from a young age and was the hope of his family. He also had a childhood sweetheart. Everything was perfect. But when he was 20, everything changed. His enemies came to his door, slaughtered his entire family, and tortured and killed his wife. With his father's desperate help, he managed to escape after losing an arm.

After recovering from his injury, he practiced martial arts frantically, eager for revenge, but his strength was greatly reduced after losing his arm, and he was no match for his enemies.

Even after repeated acts of retaliation, he suffered a leg injury and became disabled.

When he turned fifty, even his greatest enemy had died of old age... just when he was filled with despair, the whole world changed completely.

The world underwent a great change, a large number of cultivators descended, and countless mortals died.

Numerous martial arts sects were wiped out.

Meng Jie obtained a Blood Refining Demon Art. Driven by revenge, he cultivated it recklessly, becoming bloodthirsty, cruel, and filled with hatred for the entire world.

In the end, he broke through all the way to become a terrifying demon, and even broke out of this world to become a god, causing havoc in many worlds.

After more than 100,000 years of madness, he was finally killed by another powerful god.

16 years.

Unlike the Reincarnation Stone from the North Star, where the experience seemed real but was actually an illusion... the 16 years that Li Yuan experienced were absolutely real.

It looks so real.

Even though Li Yuan's soul and will were extremely strong, he was still affected in a slight way.

“To be a demon, to bring calamity… it is the time, it is fate.” Li Yuan’s true form gradually regained consciousness and quickly calmed his mind.

“The shackles of obsession, the obsession of every life, how powerful they are. Even if I am an Emperor Realm cultivator, how can I easily change the hearts of others?” Li Yuan also realized something in his heart. He had already realized that these 136 pillars of the soul were not so easy to break.

Just a moment later.

call!
His consciousness became hazy again, and he possessed another being, beginning another journey... This was an incomparably powerful being.

It is the Star Beast King.

Upon its birth, its strength was comparable to that of a Space God King... but it was trapped in a strange space from birth, a space filled with countless flames.

The strange flames burned him, causing him immense pain even with the power of the Space God King.

"Ah!" The Star Beast King couldn't help but let out a low roar.

pain.

These flames not only scorch the flesh, but also target the soul... one year, ten years, a thousand years, a hundred thousand years... year after year.

No matter how much he struggled or tried to escape, he could not break out of this strange space and could only endure the torment day after day.

This is like hell!!
It was endless, like a nightmare, and almost drove the Star Beast King mad... But it was born with a body like a source of fire, and in this strange space, it couldn't even self-destruct.

Three million years, eight million years, twenty million years... Before they knew it, the Star Beast Emperor had already opened up the 'Path of Blazing Fire'.

But it was no use; the strange flames continued to burn.

This star beast king has gone completely mad, truly insane, its self-awareness is constantly being annihilated.

As a star beast, it is not subject to the tribulations of the universe's cycle of reincarnation. As long as its own consciousness can hold on, it can live forever.

But sometimes, near-immortality can also be a form of torture.

Even with Li Yuan's incredibly powerful soul will, a will so strong it could be called an 'eternal heart,' which could not be extinguished even in nearly endless years, a sense of despair began to grow during this period of possession.

despair!

Tired of heart!

This is a kind of despair that has no end, an endless despair. Not to mention Li Yuan, even a true Emperor-level being would feel the same way.

Li Yuan was ultimately too young. Although he was strong, his will was also stronger than that of the Celestial God and other low-level Quasi-Saints.

However, compared to those at the Emperor Realm, he had far too little experience, and his will was still relatively weak.

A full 60 million years.

Just when Li Yuan felt he was about to give up, suddenly, the Star Beast King's consciousness completely collapsed in that instant.

"Om~"

Under the influence of an invisible force, Li Yuan quickly regained his senses.

call!
This part of his consciousness also completely returned to his true form.

A moment!

His nine true consciousnesses merged into one, and the other true consciousnesses also fully understood what they had experienced.

"The second journey of life is terrifying," Li Yuan thought to himself. "In the outside world, less than a hundred years have passed."

"But I have lived for 60 million years."

(End of this chapter)