Four Sages Question the Mortal Heart, Three Corpses Enter the Mortal World

The innermost quiet room of the Star Pavilion has been sealed off for three days.

For the past three days, Yun Jingheng neither cultivated nor drew any diagrams, nor allowed Half-Sweet Coffee to receive any external information.

He sat cross-legged on a futon in the center of the quiet room, the lamp was off, and his breathing was very light.

The entire figure had blended into the dampness deep underground.

He thought about many things, some about the God Trial, and some about other things.

Late on the third night, an extremely soft and slow voice came from the depths of his consciousness.

"Yun Jingheng," said the Lunar Primordial Sovereign.

Yun Jingheng didn't open his eyes. He responded with a soft, "I'm here."

"Your current physical body is ready to return."

Lunar Primordial Sovereign said, "Return to the original world, return to that blue planet."

Yun Jingheng's eyelids twitched very slightly, but he did not answer immediately.

Don't you want to?

The Lunar Primordial Sovereign asked, "There is no Abyss there, no Demon Plane, no Shrek God Trial. If you wish, I can send you home, and no one can stop you."

Yun Jingheng still did not open his eyes.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, his voice a little hoarse. "Why did you suddenly ask that?"

"Don't you want to go home?" Lunar Primordial Sovereign asked.

Yun Jingheng fell silent.

go home.

He hadn't thought about those two words in a long time; they meant returning to a different kind of life.

There is no Ye Xinglan, no Gu Yuena.

No companions, no family, and... no responsibilities.

There are no people laughing amidst the ruins, nor do they experience this pain.

But these pains had long since become part of his very being. If he were to truly return, that would not be a home, but an exile.

He lowered his head and gave a very, very faint laugh.

"No, thank you," he said.

He opened his eyes.

In the darkness, his eyes shone brightly as he said, "My home is right here."

Lunar Primordial Sovereign did not respond.

After a few breaths, he said, "In that case, do you hear me clearly for the Sixth Trial?"

Yun Jingheng sat up straight and said, "Speak."

"Sixth Trial: The Four Sages Question the Mortal Heart. Time Limit: Three Years."

The Lunar Primordial Sovereign said, "The Good Corpse has entered the mortal realm. I want him to quell the injustices of the world, to eradicate the evils that deserve to be eradicated, and not to use his divine power to oppress the world. He will be suppressed to the Soul Saint Realm. When faced with a strong opponent, he cannot be suppressed by force; he can only choose whether to intervene and how to intervene. He will hold the reins of hope and holiness."

"The Evil Corpse enters the Abyss."

The Lunar Primordial Sovereign continued, "I want him to delve into the Abyss, to Ruin the impending Ruin. He cannot use Divine Power, but only the level of his title to kill, tear apart, and sustain. He will control the end and Destruction."

"The True Self Corpse enters the Demon's gate."

The Lunar Primordial Sovereign said, "He has no martial prowess. I will suppress him to the point where he can barely protect himself. He must enter the gate and use himself to guard it and refine the realm. If he dies, you will forever lack a god. If he can return, he will control reincarnation and nothingness."

"And you."

"You need to find a place where you can refine your Divine Power, once in the morning and once in the evening. This will be your place of ascension to immortality. During the God Trial, you must not use force or commit any acts of killing. No matter what happens outside, you must not intervene."

Yun Jingheng remained silent for a long time.

He asked, "What will I do if something happens outside?"

"Watch."

The Lunar Primordial Sovereign said, "You must learn to trust them, otherwise you are not worthy of becoming an immortal, much less worthy of creating your own realm."

The room was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat, Yun Jingheng didn't ask any more questions.

He closed his eyes again.

Within her sea of consciousness, the Lunar Primordial Sovereign remained silent; some things simply did not need to be repeated.

At dawn, Yun Jingheng walked out of the meditation room; the Three Corpses had already separated from his body.

Instead of hiding behind them as before, they stood side by side in the courtyard.

The Good Corpse had gentle eyes, the Evil Corpse had completely suppressed its murderous intent, True Self Corpse stood at the back, silent and expressionless.

All three of them were looking at him, Yun Jingheng glanced at them one by one.

The Good Corpse spoke first, "I'm leaving."

The Evil Corpse said, "I will enter the abyss."

The True Self Corpse simply nodded.

Yun Jingheng said, "It's up to you guys."

The three people did not respond; they turned and went in three different directions.

The Good Corpse headed out of the city, the Evil Corpse headed north, Self headed towards the Yuanen Family.

Yun Jingheng changed into clean clothes and headed towards the Sea God Pavilion.

The Sea God Pavilion has now moved into a small building.

The building is not tall, only three stories, with gray walls and black tiles, and a few stone steps at the entrance.

Yun Ming, as usual, didn't stay in the building.

He sat on a small open space in front, watching people draw new baselines on the ground.

When Yun Jingheng approached, he was talking to several experienced craftsmen about floor tiles.

Yun Ming looked up, saw him, and waved for the master craftsmen to go first.

"Are you out?" Yun Ming asked.

"Um."

Yun Jingheng walked over to him, but didn't sit down; he just stood there. "I want a piece of land."

Yun Ming glanced at him, didn't ask what he was doing, and simply asked, "Where?"

"Within the academy, the kind that's unplanned."

Yun Jingheng said, "It should ideally be near water, not too high up, so it can see sunlight in the morning and the moon at night. It doesn't need to be too big, but it should be quiet."

Yun Ming and said, "There's a vacant lot on the east bank of Sea God Lake. We originally planned to keep it as a medicinal herb garden, but the shoreline expanded later, so it wasn't used. It's next to the old embankment."

He asked, "What do you need that for?"

"To become a god," Yun Jingheng said.

Yun Ming didn't ask any more questions.

He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and said, "Come on, I'll take you to see it."

The father and son walked eastward along the newly paved road.

There were already many people in the academy, and everyone recognized them.

When someone tried to bow, Yun Ming simply nodded, preventing anyone from following.

Yun Jingheng walked beside him without saying a word.

The two walked through a grove of trees that had only recently been planted.

The trees were still thin, with only a thin layer of leaves. Beyond that was the eastern shore of Sea God Lake.

The open space was indeed still deserted, with half of an old embankment on the lakeside, and grass had already grown back from the cracks in the stones.

The ground was flat, unlike other places where it was hard. The lake breeze carried a hint of moisture and the smell of wood ash.

Yun Jingheng stood in the center of the open space and spun around in place.

There's a lake in front, a small grove of low trees behind, and no tall buildings to the east.

The morning sun rises over the other side of the lake.

The moon also shines over the lake at night; the place is quiet, which suits him well.

He turned to Yun Ming and said, "This is it."

Yun Ming stood by the old embankment, looked around for a moment, and said, "I'll have someone fence this off. You can build a shed here, but don't leave it in the open. Although this place is quiet, the morning dew is heavy by the lake, and it gets cold at night."

No, it can only be done outdoors.

Yun Ming nodded. "Okay, you handle it."

He looked at the lake and suddenly said, "Dad, I cannot make a move within three years."

Yun Ming's expression didn't change; he simply hummed in agreement.

Yun Jingheng said, "No matter who calls, I cannot take action."

Yun Ming said, "It's alright, just focus on the exam."

Yun Jingheng said, "Then I'll leave it to you."

Yun Ming remained silent.

He walked to Yun Jingheng's side and looked at the lake. Several ripples appeared on the lake, and the wind came from the east.

He said calmly, "Shrek isn't just you left."