Chapter 140 Qingping Palace!

Wails echoed throughout the entire space, as if they were about to pierce the clouds. Everyone watched in horror as dazzling beams of light, like the scythes in the hands of the Grim Reaper, ruthlessly harvested lives.

In this mysterious and dangerous secret realm, only those who could successfully light up ten stone tablets were qualified to continue forward.

However, those geniuses who failed to reach the goal, despite struggling with all their might, ultimately could not escape the fate of being forcibly teleported out.

The originally imposing and numerous group of fifty people became empty in the blink of an eye, with less than half of the figures remaining in place.

These survivors included Ye Haocheng, Bai Ze, Dugu Jian, the Chu brothers, and Deng Tianlong, totaling no more than twenty-odd individuals. Such a staggering elimination rate—exceeding fifty percent—made everyone gasp in shock!

Deng Tianlong nervously wiped bean-sized beads of sweat from his forehead, his gaze locked tightly onto the ten stone tablets beside him that were now shining. Only at this moment did he breathe a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

If not for the brutal special training Ye Haocheng had given him recently, and his careful guidance in breaking down the fatal weaknesses in his spear intent, he likely would have been among the many failures today.

“Congratulations to everyone for passing the second trial.”

“Next is the final trial of the Qingping Secret Realm—”

“The Trial of the Heart.”

As the voice fell, the scenery of the surrounding forest of tablets began to distort. A thick white mist rose out of thin air, instantly swallowing the remaining twenty-odd people.

...

Qingping Secret Realm, Third Trial: The Trial of the Heart. This place felt like a space isolated from the world, enveloped in deathly silence and darkness.

There was no sky or earth, and one could not even sense the existence of their own physical body; only consciousness drifted lonely within the boundless thick fog.

“Trial of the Heart... exactly what part of the heart is it questioning?” Ye Haocheng hovered quietly amidst the mist, his state of mind as clear and transparent as a bright mirror. Suddenly, the surrounding mist began to churn violently, and the originally blurred scenes instantly became clearly visible.

“Haocheng... why did you kill me?!” A tragic, blood-curdling scream pierced the air, deafening to the ears.

Ye Haocheng's heart tightened, and he hurriedly looked up. Ahead, a familiar cliff emerged—the very location where he had experienced that soul-stirring car accident in his previous life.

However, at this moment, a group of people with hideous and distorted faces stood upon the cliff's edge; without exception, they were all enemies Ye Haocheng had personally slain in this life!

Leading them was Qin Wudao, his face dyed crimson with blood and his skull shattered beyond recognition. His eyes glared fixedly at Ye Haocheng, revealing traces of venomous resentment: “Ye Haocheng, oh Ye Haocheng, you are so ruthless and heartless; you will surely be severely punished by the heavens!”

In an instant, countless vengeful spirits swept toward him like a surging torrent covering the sky. These ghosts emitted a nauseating stench of decay, opening their already rotted and deformed arms in an attempt to drag Ye Haocheng into the bottomless abyss.

“You are a demon! You stop at nothing to become stronger!”

“Your hands are stained with blood; can you even sleep at night?”

“Give us your life! Give us your life!!”

Countless curses and cries intertwined, turning into the sharpest mental spikes that frantically attacked Ye Haocheng’s Dao Heart.

This kind of interrogation that struck directly at the soul would likely cause anyone with a slightly weaker will to collapse instantly, falling into deep self-doubt and guilt, and ultimately succumbing to inner demons.

Outside.

Within the mist, screams and muffled groans continued to ring out.

“No! Imperial Father! Don't kill me! I am the most excellent one!” This was Chu Tiankuang's voice. In the illusion, he saw the scene of himself being deposed from his position as Crown Prince and executed by his father—the thing he feared most deep within his heart.

“Inner demons... inner demons... I no longer seek longevity! Let me out!”

Soon, one figure after another was forcibly ejected by the secret realm's protection mechanism due to the collapse of their Dao Hearts.

In the blink of an eye, out of twenty-odd people, only a handful remained persistent.

However, Ye Haocheng, situated at the center of the illusion, looked at the sky-covering vengeful spirits seeking his life, yet the expression on his face was terrifyingly calm.

In fact, a mocking curve even curled at the corner of his mouth.

“Guilt? Heavenly retribution?”

Ye Haocheng spoke slowly, his voice not loud but carrying a soul-piercing coldness. “I, Ye Haocheng, act only to keep my conscience clear.”

“Qin Wudao, you committed rape and pillage, and slaughtered mortals. By killing you, I acted on behalf of the Heavens. What crime is there?”

“Those who wanted to kill me to steal my treasures but were instead killed by me because their skills were inferior—that is the law of the jungle. What guilt is there?”

“As for the so-called demon...”

Boom!

A stream of dark-gold chaotic energy suddenly erupted from within Ye Haocheng's body.

That was the supreme pressure belonging to the Innate Chaos Dao Body! At the dawn of chaos, before all things were born, where was there good or evil? Where was there sin?”

“I am the Asura!”

“If this world is unjust, I will kill a path to justice! If these Heavens have eyes but cannot see, I will pierce through the sky!”

“A mere illusion thinks it can disturb my Dao Heart?”

Ye Haocheng's eyes suddenly shone with a dazzling golden light, like two stars burning with blazing fire, emitting a heart-palpitating aura.

His gaze was full of majesty and dominance, like a high-and-mighty deity looking down upon the lowly ants of the world.

Immediately following that, his figure moved like a bolt of lightning across the sky, taking a massive step forward.

At the same time, he gave a light wave of his right hand in the air, yet it seemed as though he could control the power of the entire universe. With his movement, an invisible pressure suddenly descended, and the surrounding space seemed to warp and deform due to this power.

“Break... for me!!!” Accompanied by a deafening roar, the void in Ye Haocheng's hand struck forward with the momentum of a rainbow.

In an instant, the sky turned dark and the clouds changed color. The scenes that had originally enveloped the surroundings—the sky full of vengeful spirits, the terrifying cliff, and the endless mist—instantly disintegrated, turning into countless fragments and dissipating into nothingness.

These former existences appeared so fragile before the overbearingly peerless chaotic will displayed by Ye Haocheng, shattering as easily as if they were merely illusory bubbles.

Even more surprising was that the vengeful spirits attempting to launch mental attacks on him, their negative emotions not only failed to harm him in the slightest, but instead seemed to have met their natural enemy, being ruthlessly swallowed by the powerful Innate Chaos Dao Body within him and converted into precious nourishment for the growth of his soul.

...

Meanwhile, in another mysterious and ever-changing illusion, Bai Ze seemed to be placed upon a grim and terrifying ancient battlefield where blood flowed like a river.

Looking around, the surroundings were filled with mountains of corpses and blood flowing everywhere, as if a tragic massacre had just occurred here.

In the center of this deathly scene stood a towering and majestic golden giant that reached between the heavens and the earth.

The giant held a massive axe in his hand, its blade flashing with a cold light, seemingly ready to split the entire world in two at any moment.

At this moment, the giant’s eyes were wide with anger, and a world-shaking roar erupted from his mouth: “Kneel! Submit to power!” This roar was like a thousand peals of thunder, not only shaking the surrounding mountains and rivers but even causing the void to tremble.

However, facing such pressure, Bai Ze showed no fear. Although the snow-white long robe he wore had been dyed red with blood, his back remained as straight as a spear that could not be broken no matter what blow it suffered.

He held his head high and chest out, his sharp gaze staring directly at the overbearing giant before him as he spoke loudly: “I am one who possesses the Ancient Hegemon Body! Such a constitution is innate and can be called invincible in this world!”

With that, Bai Ze's body suddenly shook, and a layer of dazzling golden light surfaced around him. This powerful energy erupted from his body like a volcanic eruption and quickly gathered behind him, condensing into a similarly massive and grand golden phantom.

Although the outline of this golden phantom was slightly blurred, the unparalleled domineering aura it emitted was not the least bit inferior to the giant in the illusion.

“Break!”

Bai Ze threw a punch, and the phantom behind him threw a punch in synchronization.

Two overbearing powers collided, and the illusion instantly collapsed!

As a possessor of golden providence and a chosen one of heaven, Bai Ze's Dao Heart was equally indestructible.

...

Time flowed quietly, as if swallowed by a mysterious force, making it difficult to detect its traces.

Finally, after a long wait, the heavy mist permeating the horizon gradually dissipated, like a layer of thin gauze being gently lifted, revealing the truth hidden within.

Ye Haocheng's eyes, which had been closed for a long time, flickered slightly as if he were about to wake up. As his eyelids slowly lifted and his vision gradually cleared, he was surprised to find himself in an incredibly vast and magnificent place—a giant square carved from a single piece of flawless white jade!

The square was magnificent and breathtaking; it emitted a faint, lustrous glow, as dreamlike as a fairyland.

Looking around, the square was surrounded by dense clouds and ethereal mist, as if one had been brought into the immortal residence above the nine heavens.

Just then, a light breeze brushed past, bringing a hint of coolness and a fresh scent that refreshed the spirit.

Ye Haocheng took a deep breath, composed himself, and began to survey this strange place.

Suddenly, he noticed another figure standing quietly not far from him. That person had also just opened their eyes, and their gaze happened to meet Ye Haocheng's.

In an instant, their eyes met. Both captured a trace of hard-to-detect fatigue in the other's eyes, but even more so, a sense of relief unique to those who have undergone hardships.

“I really didn't expect... that in the end, only the two of us would be able to persist and reach this place.” A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Bai Ze's mouth as he spoke softly, reaching out to straighten his slightly disheveled clothes.

Then, he respectfully performed a salute toward Ye Haocheng.

Ye Haocheng gave a faint nod in acknowledgement.

He looked around; the original crowd of geniuses was now gone, leaving only the two of them.

Chu Tianba, Chu Tiankuang, Dugu Jian... even Deng Tianlong was nowhere to be seen.

Clearly, they had all been defeated in this final trial, the 'Trial of the Heart.'

Although they were powerful and gifted with extraordinary talent, when facing the deepest fears and obsessions in their hearts, they were ultimately found lacking.

“It has been ten thousand years.”

Suddenly, a soft and ancient voice rang out across the empty square.

“In ten thousand years of time, this is the first time someone has been able to pass this third trial simultaneously, and even... break the shackles of the illusion.”

With the voice, the mist at the end of the square slowly dispersed.

A magnificent hall, carved entirely from white jade, was revealed before the two of them.

Above the hall hung a plaque with three grand, flowing characters written on it:

[Green Duckweed Hall]

The noble righteousness contained within those characters was more than a hundred times more concentrated than the plaque at the academy's entrance outside! Just a single glance made one feel their soul tremble, as if they wanted to prostrate themselves in worship.

“Is this... the Book Saint of Qingping's bedchamber?” A trace of excitement flashed in Bai Ze's eyes.

“Two little friends, since you have come, then enter.”

That soft voice echoed from within the hall once more. The two heavy jade doors of the hall slowly opened to both sides, emitting a dull rumble.

Ye Haocheng and Bai Ze exchanged a glance and, no longer hesitating, walked side by side toward the hall.

Since they had passed the three trials, this final opportunity was right before their eyes.

The moment they stepped into the hall.

A thick fragrance of books greeted their noses.

The interior of the hall was not as resplendent as it appeared from the outside; instead, it seemed quite simple.

Surrounding them were rows of giant bookshelves filled with all kinds of ancient books and bamboo slips. In the center of the hall sat a simple desk, upon which a censer of sandalwood incense burned, along with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged scholar dressed in a green robe.

He did not look old; his face was elegant and gentle, and he held a brush in his hand, writing something on the paper.

If one were not told, who could have imagined that this was the peerless expert from ten thousand years ago who suppressed the providence of the Eastern Continent with a single stroke of his brush and made demons tremble with fear—the Book Saint of Qingping?

Although what appeared before the two of them now was merely a remnant soul mark that had lasted ten thousand years, that naturally formed saintly aura still made Ye Haocheng and Bai Ze feel a sense of pressure originating from the depths of their souls.

This pressure was different from the dominance of a Martial Emperor or Martial Venerable; it was a kind of awe, like looking up at a high mountain.

“Junior Ye Haocheng.”

“Junior Bai Ze.”

“Greets the Senior Book Saint!”

The two did not dare to be negligent and bowed deeply together in a grand salute.

The brush in the middle-aged scholar's hand paused slightly, and he looked up.

What kind of eyes were those?

They seemed to contain the rising and setting of the sun and moon, and the changing of the seasons.

He looked gently at the two young men before him, a gratified smile appearing at the corners of his mouth: “An Asura body, yet possessing a pure heart; a Hegemon constitution, yet adhering to the way of a gentleman.”

“Not bad, truly not bad.”

“It seems the Eastern Continent of this generation will not be lonely.”

The Book Saint slowly put down the brush in his hand. On the handle of that brush, the two characters for 'Spring and Autumn' could be faintly seen flowing with a soft divine light.

“Since you two could reach this place, you are the destined ones. The things I left behind naturally belong to you.”

“However...”

The Book Saint’s tone shifted, and his gaze became profound. “Before that, I have one more question I wish to ask you.”

“If you obtained power sufficient to subvert the world, what... would you want to do?”