The Empress's Trial

In an icy, desolate hall, Chen Yu slowly opened his eyes. A lofty dome filled his vision, and the chill seeping up from beneath him instantly cleared his muddled mind.

Chen Yu sprang to his feet and warily swept his gaze around. The entire hall was deathly silent, with only the sound of his own breathing echoing through it.

Chen Yu swallowed unconsciously, forcing himself to calm down as he tried to recall what had happened before.

He only remembered going out with Ye Fan to gather information, then bringing Little Nannan back. After that, he had cultivated as usual and rested at night. Nothing unusual had happened. As for why he had appeared in this hall, he had no memory of it whatsoever.

"Damn! That hurts."

Chen Yu pinched himself hard. The pain told him that he was not dreaming.

Just then, a cool, calm voice devoid of any emotion rang out.

"Only by passing the trial here may you leave. Otherwise, do not appear by Ye Fan's side again."

Chen Yu blankly raised his head and found nothing but the dome overhead, yet the voice had undeniably come from above.

A trial?

Ye Fan?

What was going on?

Staying by Ye Fan's side required passing a trial? Who had that much time to waste?

Just because you set up a trial, did that mean I had to accept it? Wouldn't that make me look pathetic?

Even if you're a Great Emperor, you can't be this overbearing, can you?

Given the situation, Chen Yu could think of only one person: the Ruthless Empress.

Just as Chen Yu prepared to contact the Chat Group and leave, someone tagged him in the Chat Group.

[Zhang Sanfeng: @Chen Yu, @Ye Fan, where are you two, young friends? Why has this old Taoist appeared in a hall? A voice also said, "Only by passing the trial may you leave. Otherwise, do not appear by Ye Fan's side again." What is going on?]

[Chen Yu: My situation is the same as Zhang's.]

[Ye Fan: I'm still in my inn room. Nothing has happened.]

[Xiao Yan: The Empress probably made a move, right?]

[Chen Yu: Most likely. But we haven't delayed Ye Fan's cultivation, so why is she testing Zhang and me?]

[Chen Yu: Has something gone wrong with her head? Zhang and I are just tiny fish in the Wheel and Sea Realm. How could we withstand that old lady's tossing?]

[Xiao Yan: This is a huge opportunity. You two need to seize it.]

[Chen Yu: Then how about I give this huge opportunity to you?]

[Xiao Yan: No thanks. My little arms and legs can't survive the Empress's tossing.]

[Xiao Yan: The Empress probably isn't so petty. Do your best, pass the test, and take the reward. At worst, use the Chat Group to leave afterward and never visit Ye Fan's world again.]

[Lu Xueqi: Such an opportunity is rare. Make good use of it.]

[Huang Rong: That's right. As you said, you and Zhang are both tiny fish. The Empress would not be bored enough to harm you. This should be an opportunity, so do your best.]

Chen Yu looked toward the depths of the hall. Since everyone suggested giving it a try, he could not chicken out. He would try it, then.

He headed deeper into the hall. Other than icy pillars, there was nothing along the way.

When Chen Yu reached the depths of the hall, his gaze was immediately drawn to a mysterious rune floating silently in the air. Beside it stood a jade bottle.

Chen Yu picked up the jade bottle and sent his Divine Sense inside. It was filled with Divine Spring Water. After all, he had drunk plenty of the stuff before and was already very familiar with it.

He looked at the mysterious rune. After hesitating for a moment, he still reached out. The instant his hand touched it, countless pieces of information flooded into his mind.

The information contained cultivation techniques, divine abilities, secret arts, and details about this trial.

Chen Yu was now certain that the Empress had definitely observed them when they had cultivated in the Ancient Forbidden Land.

That was because the cultivation technique newly added to his mind was the Sun and Moon Heavenly Scripture, the complete version of the Sun and Moon Scripture they were currently cultivating.

By cultivating the Sun and Moon Heavenly Scripture, one could develop the Sun and Moon Shining Together phenomenon. If the cultivator possessed a special physique, the phenomenon would change in accordance with that physique's characteristics.

According to the information conveyed by the mysterious rune, this trial had nine stages in total, with guardians at every stage. The first stage had one guardian, the second had two, and so on. The ninth stage had nine. The guardians were at the same realm as the challenger.

Chen Yu uploaded the Sun and Moon Heavenly Scripture to the Chat Group Mall.

[Chen Yu: I obtained a cultivation technique, the Sun and Moon Heavenly Scripture. It's the complete version of the technique we're cultivating. You can check it out in the Mall. It's a very good technique.]

[Xiao Yan: The Empress gave it to you?]

[Chen Yu: Probably. She should have observed us when we cultivated in the Ancient Forbidden Land.]

[Xiao Yan: Good thing she didn't attack us, or we'd have lost our lives.]

[Chen Yu: We had just left the Ancient Forbidden Land, only to get locked up for secluded cultivation again.]

[Ye Fan: I feel like you and Zhang have been put in solitary confinement.]

[Chen Yu: Ye Hei, the Great Emperor really treats you well. She can give you the Source Root of All-Things Mother Qi, but all I get is a cultivation technique and Divine Spring Water. A Great Emperor is actually this stingy.]

[Ye Fan: That wasn't for me. It was for her brother.]

[Xiao Yan: I feel like Ye Fan is taking advantage of the Empress?]

[Chen Yu: Be confident. Remove the "I feel."]

[Ye Fan: Heh heh...]

After closing the Chat Group, Chen Yu did not immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he formed hand seals with both hands. The mysterious rune began to shine, and a vortex appeared before it. By stepping into the vortex, he could reach the first stage.

Chen Yu did not hesitate in the slightest and stepped into the vortex. His vision blurred, and he appeared in a plaza. A figure stood before him.

The instant Chen Yu appeared, the figure said nothing—not even a word to signal the start—and directly attacked him.

A massive seal appeared overhead and slammed down before Chen Yu could react.

"Whew..."

In the empty, silent hall, Chen Yu gasped for breath. What had just happened was far too terrifying. That had been the closest he had ever come to death. Fortunately, there was no danger to one's life in the Trial Space. The rules of the Trial Space had teleported him out just now; otherwise, he would already be dead.

Chen Yu now had two choices. One was to abandon the trial, contact the Chat Group, and leave this place. From then on, he would never return to the world of Shrouding the Heavens, or he could wait until his strength surpassed that of the Ruthless Empress before coming back. The other was to clear the trial.

Chen Yu looked at the jade bottle. If he still failed to clear the trial after the Divine Spring Water inside was used up, then giving up would be his only option.

Naturally, Chen Yu would not give up so easily. If he fled in disgrace now, he would never be able to hold his head up in the Chat Group again.

Moreover, Chen Yu believed that he was no weaker than anyone else. If others could make it through, then so could he.

After calming himself, Chen Yu began studying the divine abilities and secret arts bestowed by the mysterious rune. They might be the key to victory.