Daqin Zhentiansi

The white-robed youth with a sword mark between his brows from the Taixu Sword Pavilion also put aside his previous probing and furrowed brows, and said solemnly: "Steward Li, congratulations to your sect! Fellow Daoist Zhang Qingyang's strength is earth-shattering, and his future is limitless."

"Our Taixu Sword Pavilion intends to form an alliance with your sect regarding the subsequent trials and explorations. May we discuss this in detail?"

The old man from the Myriad Tribulations Talisman Sect, his cloudy eyes gleaming with a sharp light, stroked the jade talisman, his voice hoarse yet full of sincerity: "On behalf of the Myriad Tribulations Talisman Sect, I wish to forge a friendly relationship with your sect, and to watch over and help each other within the Sword Tomb!"

Deacon Li stood in the center of the crowd, his body trembling slightly with excitement.

That weathered old face was now radiating an indescribable glow of ecstasy and pride.

how many years?

When has the Great River Sword Sect ever enjoyed such treatment, being fawned over, and having others actively seek alliances with them?

He suppressed the lump in his throat, maintaining the last shred of composure, and returned the greetings with clasped hands, his voice loud and spirited:
"Fellow practitioners, you are too kind! My Great River Sword Sect is blessed by Heaven, and my disciple has indeed performed admirably. Regarding the subsequent trials and the joint exploration of the Sword Tomb, if Qingyang returns safely, I will certainly inform the sect and discuss it in detail with you all! Let us work together to make this a great undertaking!"

At that moment, he seemed to see the glorious future of the Great River Sword Sect rising due to Zhang Yuan's efforts alone.

In the sea of ​​blood.

The undercurrent is raging.

The dramatic changes on the crystal tablet were naturally reflected simultaneously on the waist tokens of every trial participant in the sea of ​​blood.

Near the entrance to the Burning Heart Palace, the chaotic looting continued, but the shock felt by those top-tier individuals whose names were also among the top 100 was far greater.

Chu He, formerly second on the leaderboard and now third, sits cross-legged on a floating bone platform made up of countless pale white skeletons, surrounded by a chilling aura of death.

When the name "Zhang Qingyang" on the waist tag, accompanied by a dazzling light and a stifling 60,000 points, boldly passed over him, a thick gloom instantly enveloped his pale, handsome face, and his eyes turned as cold as the cold iron of the underworld.

His knuckles clenched until they turned white, and the deathly aura around the bone platform suddenly surged like boiling water, causing the disciples of the Lichen Palace around him to fall silent in fear.

"Zhang, Qing, Yang..." A low, cold snort seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying intense killing intent and resentment. "Blood Sea Burning Heart Palace... very good. You can't hold onto what my Li Chen Palace wants."

Xuan Chengzi of Qingxu Temple, who holds the top spot on the leaderboard, is dressed in a blue Taoist robe and stands on a three-foot jade platform that radiates a clear and hazy Taoist light. His otherworldly demeanor seems completely out of place in this filthy sea of ​​blood.

He showed no sadness or joy at the changes in rankings, only a pure and intense curiosity about the emergence of unknown powerhouses.

He made a quick calculation with his fingers, and an ancient celestial compass phantom flashed in his palm. He raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at the churning crimson-gold mist deep within the twisted, skeletal gate of the Burning Heart Palace. A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

"The Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine... Destruction precedes construction? Interesting, truly interesting. This person should be a mirror for my path."

Lin Su'e of the Tianyan Sect, who was ranked fourth on the leaderboard, was shrouded in a hazy white halo. Her face was beautiful and her temperament was ethereal.

Seeing Zhang Yuan's score change instantly, she merely glanced at him, while countless tiny rune-like points of light rapidly swirled, combined, and analyzed deep within her eyes.

Unlike Chu He's murderous intent, Xuan Chengzi's curiosity revealed a complex emotion, akin to "awe," deep within her eyes for the first time.

It was as if through that fleeting glimpse of data, one could glimpse a deeper level of terror.

"His physical strength can break through all laws, but his soul... So that's how it is. This Heart-Burning Flame is his true tribulation, and also his greatest opportunity. If he succeeds... it may be beyond the reach of even a Saint Realm expert."

She took a deep breath, and the aura around her seemed to resonate faintly with the crimson-gold mist before quickly receding.

Burning Heart Hall.

Beyond the gate of skeletons lies a vast, crimson-gold ocean.

This is no ordinary flame, but an invisible thing that directly burns the very essence of the soul—the Heart-Burning Netherfire!
It is silent and invisible, yet it brings a soul-scorching pain that is ten thousand times more painful than physical torture, and it can also arouse the deepest demons and fears in the hearts of cultivators.

As soon as he stepped inside, Yuwen Zhen let out a muffled groan, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

The protective shield formed by the Crimson Flame was like a candle flickering in the wind, teetering on the verge of collapse, as if one's soul had been thrown into a boiling pot of oil.

Every inch of consciousness was being frantically roasted and torn apart.

He immediately sat down cross-legged and focused all his energy on circulating his inner energy to try and resist.

Zhang Yuan, who was walking at the front, swayed slightly.

The invisible flames instantly engulfed him!

The sea of ​​blood, the skeletons, and Yuwen Zhen before them had all vanished.

In its place is the familiar... Great Qin!
Banners blot out the sun, and swords clash with the wind!
He stood atop a massive chariot, the crimson dragon banner fluttering in the wind.

But no longer were they full of vigor; instead, they were surrounded on all sides!

Countless familiar yet menacing faces surrounded him.

The Demon Qin warriors, wielding massive shields and clad in heavy armor, swept in like a steel torrent.

Cultivators dressed in Taoist robes, exuding an ethereal aura yet with cold, sinister eyes, set up a killing formation in the sky.

Demons with bony wings on their backs and bizarre shapes tore through space and descended upon the battlefield...

The shouts of battle shook the heavens, and a murderous aura filled the wilderness!
He fought valiantly, wielding a massive battle blade seemingly forged from "broken waves," each strike reaping a life, yet the enemy was endless.

Each swing of the sword seemed to exhaust all his strength.

Each time he was injured, his soul felt a burning and tearing pain that penetrated to the very marrow of his bones, as if the burning infernal flames were dragging him into an abyss of mental collapse.

"My Lord——!"

A loyal guard was torn to pieces by the immortal sect's flying sword.

"Die, you traitor!" A brother who had fought alongside him thrust forward with a spear, his face contorted in pain.

"You can't protect this country! You can't protect yourself either!"

A phantom that looked exactly like the Blood River Ancestor grinned maliciously in my ear.

Despair engulfed him like a cold sea of ​​blood, and pain eroded every shred of his will.

The blade in his hand grew heavier and heavier, the wounds on his body multiplied, and the flames of his soul threatened to burn away his "true self."

His consciousness began to fade, his body swayed precariously, as if he was about to be completely erased from this illusion of an ancient battlefield...

Just as his soul was about to be completely lost and assimilated by the burning fire of his heart!
Countless voices seemed to pierce through time and space, through the illusory battlefield, and exploded in the deepest part of his heart!

"How can you say we have no clothes?!"

That was a hoarse roar, fueled by the utmost effort.

"With you as a fellow soldier—"

Those were countless familiar and resolute voices responding.

"The king is raising an army—!"

"Repair my spears and halberds—!"

"We stand united against this foe!"

The Great Qin War Song!

Those comrades who died in Yongtian Prefecture, those who died on the endless battlefield!

The remnants of their will, imprinted deep within Zhang Yuan's soul, ignited his dormant will like countless sparks converging at the critical moment when the Heart-Burning Netherfire was about to devour the last bit of his "self"!
The names of every Qin soldier are engraved on the bricks and stones of the Great Wall in the northern border.

Their souls will die in place of those who come after them. Zhang Yuan also had his name engraved there.

Therefore, at this moment, deep within his soul, there is a Great Wall in the North.

"Boom——!"

It felt as if a star had exploded in my sea of ​​consciousness!
The scorching flames that had nearly torn him apart and burned him to ashes were no longer simply a source of pain at this moment.

Instead, it transformed into the purest, most intense, and supreme nourishment for tempering the very essence of the soul!

Those fragmented memories in the illusion, the last imprints of the will of those fallen comrades, the unwavering faith in "defending the homeland," the dragon and elephant power that broke through the shackles of Yongtian, the deductive wisdom that forged all laws...

Everything was forcibly melted, purified, and forged in the relentless crucible of the burning heart fire!
My consciousness is clearer than ever before!
The illusion receded like the tide, and the sea of ​​blood reappeared before their eyes.

But the world before us is different now.

An indescribable, seemingly condensed from the purest Dao principles, formless and intangible yet as heavy as mountains and abysses, spread out from Zhang Yuan's center!
"Pfft!"

Yuwen Zhen, who had barely managed to withstand the flames, was crushed to his knees by the sudden pressure, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His eyes were filled with awe and despair that surpassed his previous level!

Holy Land!

Above Grandmaster—the first level of the Saint Realm, Reincarnation.

Zhang Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were as deep as the beginning of the universe, as if they contained the birth and death of stars, the flow of ten thousand rivers, the flashing of thunder, and the galloping of dragons and elephants.

His soul was clear and transparent, impervious to all evil. The Burning Heart Netherfire still enveloped him, but it was like a docile elf, unable to harm him in the slightest. Instead, it was absorbed and assimilated by his Sacred Reincarnation Domain.

"town."

He uttered a single word softly.

Deep within the crimson-gold flames and mist ahead, a phantom of a "Blood Saint General," formed from pure Burning Heart Netherfire and possessing an aura far surpassing that of the previous Blood Soul Guardian, has just emerged, its ferocious power overwhelming!

However, with Zhang Yuan's casual utterance of the word "town".

Duan Tao didn't even lift his hand slightly; it was only after he opened his eyes that the power of the Holy Realm Domain naturally spread out like an invisible collapse of the sky!
"Crack! Boom!"

The flames that had condensed were comparable to those of a Blood Saint General who had just entered the Saint Realm. Before he could even let out a wail, he was smashed to pieces as if he had been hit by a divine mountain weighing billions of pounds!
It transformed into the purest source of fire power, which was absorbed into Zhang Yuan's domain like a whale, nourishing his body.

Strength, speed, reaction time, perception of the world, control over one's own energy...

Everything has undergone a qualitative leap!
This is a sublimation of a higher level of life!

With every gesture, one can draw upon the immense power of heaven and earth to empower oneself.

He clenched his fist slightly, feeling the terrifying power surging within him, as if it could shatter stars with a single punch. The dark, heavy Broken Wave Ruler felt as light as a feather in his hand, yet it seemed capable of crushing eternity.

Yuwen Zhen lay prostrate on the filthy sea of ​​blood, his bones creaking under the pressure of the invisible divine soul of the Holy Realm, making even breathing extremely difficult.

He raised his head and looked up at the dark figure that was striding forward again.

Zhang Yuan's back remained as straight as a mountain, but at this moment, his steps as he walked through the most treacherous place in the sea of ​​blood seemed as leisurely as a stroll.

The Burning Heart Netherfire, powerful enough to annihilate even a Great Perfection Void-Controlling cultivator, retreated and prostrated itself as if encountering a king, even actively merging into the invisible "domain" surrounding it.

Standing in the golden ocean of burning heart-burning flames, Zhang Yuan felt the immense power brought by the Holy Realm Reincarnation level surging within his body.

The Netherfire, powerful enough to incinerate the soul of a Grandmaster, now docilely resided on the newly formed golden wheel behind his head, transforming into a leaping, ascending ring of flames containing the dual principles of soul purification and destruction.

Golden flames illuminated his cold, handsome profile, and the oppressive aura of his divine soul, like tangible heavy water, spread silently.

"Cough cough..."

Yuwen Zhen struggled to his feet from the filthy blood, feeling as if his soul had just been pulled from a furnace of purgatory, still burning and trembling.

When he subconsciously looked at Zhang Yuan, he was pierced by the blazing white holy flames surrounding the golden wheel, and blood tears instantly flowed from his eyes as if he had been pricked by needles.

He lowered his head in horror, not daring to look directly at the figure in the flames. He felt that Zhang Yuan was no longer an ordinary person, but rather an ancient being who wielded divine punishment. His aura was as deep as an abyss, making him feel insignificant and in awe.

"Can you still move?" Zhang Yuan's voice came calmly, not loud, but with a soul-piercing majesty, directly imprinting itself into Yuwen Zhen's sea of ​​consciousness.

Yuwen Zhen shuddered, suppressing his discomfort, and with difficulty cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, his voice filled with the awe of someone who had survived a calamity: "Many...many thanks to Brother Zhang...Brother Zhang for your protection! Yuwen is still able to fight!"

He consciously changed his address from "fellow Daoist" to the more intimate "Brother Zhang".

Zhang Yuan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crimson-gold world of flames.

The divine sense of the Holy Realm swept out like invisible ripples, easily piercing through the surging Netherfire.

He quickly identified several faint flashes of light.

He strolled away as if taking a leisurely walk, and wherever he passed, the blazing, burning flames of the underworld retreated, respectfully forming a passage behind him.

The time for harvest has arrived.

The first thing that landed in my hand was a jade ruler covered in cracks.

It still retained the aura of a powerful defensive formation and a trace of sorrowful resentment.

This is a fragment of a natal magic weapon belonging to a grandmaster who was proficient in array formations and who perished here.

Chaotic true essence flowed in Zhang Yuan's palm, and the jade ruler was instantly refined and purified, transforming into an incomparably pure and pristine celestial spiritual essence soul power that he absorbed into his sea of ​​consciousness to nourish his divine soul.

Yuwen Zhen watched in astonishment—such a refining method was unheard of.

Next was a piece of dark metal that had sunk deep into the flames.

It was icy cold to the touch and incredibly heavy.

Zhang Yuan recognized it at a glance as the "Nine Netherworld Gold," a material that had long been extinct. This material was best at absorbing evil and malevolent energy to refine protective treasures or the core of hidden weapons.

He casually forged it into a fist-sized metal ingot covered with mysterious natural patterns, and tossed it to Yuwen Zhen behind him: "It's passable in weapon forging."

Yuwen Zhen caught it in a flurry, feeling the unique power of the laws and the vast Yin energy contained within, and was overjoyed.

Such top-quality materials are priceless!
This was a tremendous gain for him.

Finally, beside a pile of wreckage almost completely burned away by the flames of the underworld, Zhang Yuan obtained a blood-red ring.

A tiny fragment of a star is embedded in the ring face, faintly revealing spatial fluctuations.

Zhang Yuan probed with his divine sense and broke through the original owner's remnant soul imprint. The interior space was not large, but it contained many treasures.

Dozens of rule-based spirit beads containing different attributes, several bottles of beautifully colored healing and condensing elixirs, a broken jade slip recording lost supernatural powers, and even a small piece of jade shrouded in chaotic energy.

“This item is useful.” Zhang Yuan’s gaze fell on the chaotic jade stone, and he directly put the ring away.

He paid no attention to the other things in the ring, as if sweeping away miscellaneous items.

Just then, the flames in front suddenly condensed, transforming into a distorted, malevolent, and evil spirit.

It was formed by fusing the remnant souls of countless fallen powerful beings with the impurities of the Heart-Burning Netherfire, and its aura had already reached the level of the initial stage of the first reincarnation of the Saint Realm! (End of this chapter)