Heart-Refining Path (Part 2)

On the Heart-Refining Path.

As Zhou Hao stepped onto the last step, the seemingly endless pain in his heart suddenly dissipated, catching him off guard and causing him to stumble and collapse to the ground.

"It's over?" Zhou Hao was somewhat stunned.

Even with his current mental state, he had felt despair countless times, but he managed to get here only through an indomitable spirit.

He forced his eyes open and saw that he was lying on a Qingshi platform, instead of the steps that brought him endless pain. He immediately knew that he had finally completed the Heart-Refining Path.

"We finally made it through." Zhou Hao's tense mind immediately relaxed.

This isn't Heart-Refining Path; it's practically the legendary Avici Hell.

And I have finally escaped from that terrible hell.

Like the joy of being reborn, it spread from the depths of my heart.

"It took two days to walk such a short distance?" He had just relaxed when he started calculating the time in his mind.

While enduring endless pain, the passage of time became somewhat chaotic for him.

"From the moment I entered Mountain of Ten Thousand Longevities until I reached the entrance to the Heart-Refining Path, it only took me less than two hours. I never expected that it would take me two days on the Heart-Refining Path." Zhou Hao let out a deep breath.

"Take a good rest and relax first, then continue on your way."

At that moment, he felt so exhausted that he didn't even have the strength to lift a little finger.

Whew~~~

Sigh~~~

Whew~~~

Sigh~~~

Overwhelmed by sleepiness, Zhou Hao's previously heavy breathing gradually calmed down.

A hazy, colorful light fell from the sky, enveloping Zhou Hao, who had fallen into a deep sleep.

The source of this beam of colorful light, however, was the Nine Luan above the clouds.

"Senior Sister Nine Luan's ' Three Lives Transformation Wheel Secret Art ' is so powerful that even true immortals and gods would fall victim to it. It can trap those who are affected in an illusion in the blink of an eye, causing them to experience the three lives of 'greed, anger, and ignorance.' Let's see just how strong this kid's Dao heart is." The two attendants, Clear Wind and Mingyue, watched Nine Luan casting the spell with anticipation.

The ' Three Lives Transformation Wheel Secret Art ' originates from Buddhism and is most powerful in the realm of illusion.

It should be understood that the illusion created by this secret technique is what Buddhism calls the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, which are the root cause of people's suffering in the cycle of birth and death and their evil deeds.

These three poisons are inherent in the nature of all living beings, hence they are called the 'three evil roots' in Buddhism, which even immortals cannot escape.

However, as she cast the spell, Nine Luan discovered that although the colorful light generated by her divine soul technique enveloped Zhou Hao, it could not penetrate into his body.

It was as if there was a protective barrier around his soul, guarding him completely.

"Could he possess some secret technique for defending his soul? But even so, my secret technique shouldn't be completely ineffective." Nine Luan was immediately astonished.

"Completely ineffective?" Clear Wind exclaimed. "Senior Sister, why don't you try using the full power of your secret technique?"

"No. If we use all those insidious illusionary killing techniques, it won't be a test, it will be a bloodbath." Nine Luan shook her head.

"Moreover, through the probing just now, I can sense the defensive secret technique within this little guy's body. It should be a top-tier mental defense method. With this secret technique protecting him, even if I go all out, I might not be able to do anything to him."

Clear Wind, Mingyue, Shi La looked at each other, all horrified.

"Where did this monster come from? Doesn't he have any weaknesses?" Shi La exclaimed in amazement. "Judging from his cultivation time, he's only been cultivating for a little over a hundred years. He's truly freakish."

"This is getting more and more interesting," Lu Shang said with a smile.

Even Nine Luan, who was the most skilled in soul attacks among them, was helpless against the human boy who had just completed the Heart-Refining Path, which was something he had not expected.

"Senior brother, why are you still laughing?" Clear Wind said anxiously. "Since even Nine Luan's secret techniques can't do anything to him, the illusion array on the Illusion Platform is naturally useless too. What should we do next?"

"Isn't it a good thing that those who are destined to be together become stronger? Why shouldn't I laugh?" Lu Shang said with interest.

"This kid's talent and strength are even stronger than the previous reincarnation of Donghua... I'll guard the final hurdle."

Lu Shang's voice was full of anticipation. "As long as he can defeat me, he will be qualified to inherit the mantle of our ancestor."

"Um."

"That's right."

Shi La and Nine Luan also had expectant looks on their faces.

They've been lonely here for far too long.

"But he..." Clear Wind and Mingyue were still somewhat unwilling.

They were the youngest disciples of the Zhenyuan Patriarch during their lifetimes, serving him like Daoist boys for a long time. They still harbored resentment towards Zhou Hao's previous disrespectful words.

"I'll make him understand that the ultimate power of any secret technique depends on who uses it," Lu Shang said with a smile. "And I'll also let him experience firsthand the power of the most advanced secret techniques passed down by our ancestor."

On the Qingshi platform.

After passing through the Heart-Refining Path, Zhou Hao slept for nearly three days before waking up.

"That feels so good."

Sitting up from the ground and stretching, Zhou Hao felt refreshed and no longer tired at all.

Having undergone this process of tempering the mind, it seems that one's spirit and soul have been elevated once again.

What is even more remarkable is that, after enduring endless pain to temper his soul, his Dao heart is now as clear as crystal, free from fear and doubt.

"Continue."

Having rested and recharged, Zhou Hao flashed forward, leaving a series of afterimages as he sped up the mountain path.

At this moment, the clouds and mist in front of him dissipated, and the mountain peak was now very close.

Little did he know that this platform was originally a trial of illusions that he would have to go through after completing the Heart-Refining Path. However, Clear Wind, Mingyue and the others knew that the illusionary formations were useless against him, so they were too lazy to waste any more time and directly led him to the top of the mountain.

Whoosh!

Zhou Hao's figure appeared on the mountaintop.

This is a square several thousand feet in circumference, and not far away is the main gate of the Daoist temple.

The large plaque above the Daoist temple bears three large characters: Five Village Temple!

Above the left and right doors is a pair of Spring Festival couplets. "The Changsheng Immortal Mansion, the Daoist family that lives as long as heaven."

"We've finally arrived." Just as Zhou Hao was about to walk towards the Daoist temple, he saw a beam of light gather in the distance, revealing a young man dressed in a blue Daoist robe.

"For those destined to be here, I am the guardian of this final barrier. If you can defeat me, you may enter the Daoist temple and pay homage to the portrait of the patriarch."

The man in the green robe smiled, and his gaze was quite friendly, as if he were an old friend reunited with his family.

"Senior isn't a Dao Soldier?" Zhou Hao was somewhat taken aback.

The man before them seemed to possess an aura that did not belong to a living being, yet the liveliness in his eyes was something that no Dao soldier or puppet could match.

Moreover, he could even sense the Daoist aura emanating from this man, a Daoist essence that Pure Yang True Immortal had fully comprehended and mastered.

Judging from that Daoist aura alone, Zhou Hao felt that it was almost on par with his senior brother, Lü Dongbin.

"My name is Lu Shang, and I am the sixth disciple under the Ancestor. My remnant soul, after my fall, was saved by the Lady Nuwa, which allowed me to survive to this day by borrowing the body of a Dao soldier." The man in the green robe smiled and said, "Your master seems to be a great master of my Dao Sect?"

"My name is Zhou Hao, and my master is the Three Pure Ones." Zhou Hao bowed and said, "Greetings, Lu Shang."

"He's actually a disciple of the Three Pure Ones, the leader of our Dao Sect. No wonder he's such a prodigy." Lu Shang nodded with a smile. "However, Zhou Hao, if you want to enter Five Village Temple, you'll have to get past me first."

Wow~~~

Five pure yang immortal swords appeared out of thin air, shimmering with five colors.

"I will use the secret techniques passed down by our ancestor to see if you are truly qualified to inherit his mantle," Lu Shang said solemnly. "First, take this move, the ' Inverted Cosmos Five Elements Sword Art '!"

The store will be quite busy these two days for Valentine's Day.

Here.

I also wish all my old friends Suifeng!

Happy Valentine's Day to those with a partner! And to those without, may you find your other half soon!