Inside the Stone Chamber.
At the center of the formation patterns, Zhou Xuan sat cross-legged.
Taiyi divine power was already circulating through his body at its limit.
Within his dantian, the golden torrent refined from the accumulated reserves of dozens of sects was boiling wildly.
He had been ruthlessly suppressing the bottleneck at the peak of the Spirit Transformation Stage.
Now, he threw that floodgate wide open.
Boom.
An invisible shock wave exploded from his body. The threshold of the Longevity Realm shattered in that instant.
No thunderclouds gathered, and no heavenly tribulation descended.
Only a sensation of weightlessness instantly enveloped Zhou Xuan's entire body.
He felt an utterly domineering force wrench his consciousness out of his flesh.
The surroundings rapidly warped and blurred. The Stone Chamber's walls disappeared.
The formation patterns disappeared. He could no longer even sense his own physical body.
When his perception returned, he found himself in a space of absolute nothingness.
There was no concept of up, down, left, or right here. There was no light, nor any matter.
Only boundless blackness.
Zhou Xuan tried moving his limbs and discovered that he was now nothing but a pure consciousness.
This was the Heart Inquest Emperor Jiang Wu and the others had spoken of.
The laws of heaven and earth descended directly into the sea of consciousness to interrogate one's true heart.
Hum.
A majestic voice suddenly rang out in this empty space.
The voice had no timbre, nor any distinction of sex or age. It exploded directly in the depths of Zhou Xuan's consciousness, carrying the lofty air of judgment.
"You seek longevity. To what end?"
The voice shook Zhou Xuan's consciousness. Steadying his mind, he looked up into the nothingness above.
This was the will of heaven and earth.
Zhou Xuan scoffed, remembering what