Chen Yan stared at the open bronze door, not even lifting his eyelids.
Having someone scout ahead saves a lot of trouble.
He took a step forward, his figure disappearing into the deep darkness.
Behind the door was not the den of dragons and tigers that one might have imagined.
One step, and the world turns upside down.
An intense, almost overwhelming, vitality emanated from the air, even carrying a hint of wildness.
A giant silver flower, the size of a bowl, with petals and leaves edged in a cold, hard metallic sheen; a strange tree, entirely crimson, with gnarled branches that resemble congealed blood vessels; and clumps of fragrant purple grass swaying gently at your feet.
In the distance, there was even a grove of yellow bamboo, as thick as a person's waist, with shimmering light visible at the bamboo joints.
Any one of these items would be enough to make people fight tooth and nail for them.
A winding gravel path stretches out beneath your feet, passing through these rare plants and trees, and disappears into the distance.
Chen Yan paused, instinctively taking a deep breath.
What enters the lungs is not air.
It is liquefied energy.
With each breath, it felt as if an invisible elixir rolled down my throat into my lungs, then transformed into a warm current that washed over my limbs and bones.
Here, even breathing becomes powerful.
He raised his head, his gaze passing through the dappled branches and leaves, looking towards the dome of this space.
There, a "sun" radiating a soft light hangs suspended, continuously pouring out its immense energy downwards.
This scene reminded him of the Great Sun Divine Object in his own Scroll World, and his spirits were instantly lifted.
No wonder this place can nurture so many rare and precious things.
"Who?!"
A hoarse, raspy voice suddenly came from ahead, filled with utmost vigilance.
Chen Yan ignored him and continued walking forward at his own pace, unhurriedly.
His arrival shattered the tranquility of the place.
More accurately, it broke a tense standoff.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The moment he appeared, eight pairs of eyes turned to him from different directions.
Scrutiny, vigilance, suspicion, and undisguised hostility.
On an open space not far away, two groups of people stood clearly separated.
The group consisted of four people, led by an elderly man wearing a white robe and with hair that reached past his waist— Xu Guangzong.
The other group of three was led by Pei Yin. Two men stood beside her, both looking at Chen Yan with expressions of surprise.
Besides, in a slightly more distant corner, a lone traveler dressed in Blue Star warrior combat gear leaned against a strange tree, arms crossed, observing coldly.
No more, no less, including Chen Yan, there are exactly nine people.
"It's him!" a man beside Pei Yin exclaimed in a low voice.
Many people present were impressed by Chen Yan's excessively handsome face.
After all, rumors about his ability to condense a Dharma body and instantly kill two Heavenly Human of the same level had already spread among these top experts thanks to the efforts of those who wanted to spread them.
Pei Yin's pupils suddenly contracted, and her mind raced.
How did he get in alone? Where is that bitch Meng Ran?
Could it be... infighting? Fighting each other over a treasure?
The moment the thought crossed Pei Yin's mind, an overwhelming surge of joy welled up within her.
Regardless of what happened, the fact that Meng Ran didn't show up here is fantastic news for her!
The other people reacted in different ways.
Someone quietly took a half step back and gripped their weapon even tighter.
Someone squinted, sizing up the uninvited guest and assessing his threat level.
There was another person, who forced a smile and shifted his feet slightly, clearly intending to win them over.
Xu Guangzong, however, remained completely still.
His old eyes, which had seen countless people, were fixed on Chen Yan, his brows furrowed into a knot.
Something's not right.
This person is very strange.
He had witnessed this person's actions during the struggle for the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus on the periphery.
But at this moment, when he truly activated his spiritual eyes and focused his gaze, he found that he could not see through it at all.
It's neither disguise nor concealment.
It was an... extremely eerie feeling.
This person was clearly standing there, in the same world, but in his perception with his spiritual eyes open, Chen Yan's existence seemed to be separated by an invisible and intangible abyss.
Unreachable, unfathomable.
This extreme sense of contradiction left Xu Guangzong, a veteran martial arts expert with a century of experience, feeling bewildered for the first time.
I can't see through it, I can't see through it at all.
Just who is this young man?
A certain condition has been met.
Just as everyone was on guard and lost in their own thoughts, a grand and ancient voice suddenly resounded in the depths of everyone's minds without warning.
"The trial begins."
The voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it was like a red-hot branding iron, directly searing a mark onto the soul, leaving no room for resistance.
"This is the place where the Painting Saint passed down his teachings. Those who pass the trial will receive the Painting Saint's true teachings, gain numerous opportunities, and glimpse the path to further advancement."
The legacy of the Painting Saint!
The true teachings!
These eight short words struck everyone like a heavy hammer, stirring up a huge wave of emotions.
Everyone present held their breath, their eyes instantly filled with burning greed.
The weight of these four words is enough to drive even the Heavenly Human being mad!
Then, the voice rang out again, adding another rule.
"In this land of inheritance, fratricide is forbidden."
As soon as he finished speaking, the men behind Xu Guangzong visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and their hands gripping their weapons were no longer so stiff.
Pei Yin's tense back relaxed slightly. She subconsciously glanced at Chen Yan not far away, but when her gaze fell on his Fang Ping profile, she felt a prick as if she had been pricked by a needle and quickly looked away.
With this rule in place, at least we don't have to worry about that killer suddenly launching an attack.
Pei Yin's tense body relaxed slightly, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes. She subconsciously glanced at Chen Yan, then quickly looked away—the rule was like an invisible barrier, separating her from that incomprehensible monster. Even if it was only temporary protection, it was enough to put her at ease.
The others had different thoughts.
Some people were secretly relieved, some were thoughtful, and others were observing Chen Yan silently, trying to read something from his calm face.
But their steps were surprisingly synchronized.
No one hesitated, no one backed down.
Now that the legacy of the Painting Saint of Painting lies ahead, and the rules have been set, there is nothing left to worry about.
The group set off towards the winding gravel path.
But they've only taken a few steps...
The next moment, an irresistible force descended from nowhere.
That power is formless and intangible, yet it is omnipresent.
It is gentle and calm, without a trace of murderous intent, yet it is so domineering that it brooks no questioning...
It was as if the will of heaven and earth, the very laws of nature, were at work, and mortals only needed to obey, without needing to understand.
Pei Yin had just taken her fifth step when she felt a lightness in her body.
Her pupils contracted sharply, and the relief on her face hadn't even completely faded before it was replaced by astonishment.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that even her voice was frozen in her throat by that force.
Xu Guangzong's old eyes suddenly widened.
With the highest cultivation level and the most acute senses, he detected an indescribable anomaly the moment that power descended!
The power didn't evenly cover everyone; rather... it selectively avoided certain individuals.
He turned around abruptly.
At the end of the line of sight, Chen Yan still stood in the same spot, motionless.
Those calm eyes were looking at them all with a detached gaze.
Why... why did they have to keep him?!
The thought flashed through Xu Guangzong's mind like a bolt of lightning.
Before he could even think it through or have any more questions, his vision was engulfed by a blinding light.
The light was intense, yet not scorching.
Like an invisible hand, it gently rolled up and pulled all eight of them into the unknown depths.
Pei Yin, Xu Guangzong, and the others—their figures distorted rapidly in the light.
Like a drop of ink falling into clear water, it vanishes without a trace in an instant.
The light faded.
The place was completely empty.
Only Chen Yan remained.
Suddenly, the space in front of me began to distort.
The distortion was extremely subtle, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples visible to the naked eye.
Ripples spread outwards, causing light and shadow to flicker and objects to blur, as if the entire world had become soft and unreal at that moment.
At the center of the ripples, a phantom slowly emerged.
At first it was just a blurry outline, but as the ripples spread, the outline became clearer and clearer, more and more solid.
Finally, it transformed into a human being.
A thin old man with a goatee, dressed in a gray robe, with a gaunt face and deep, peaceful eyes, like an ancient well.
Chen Yan's gaze remained completely unwavering.
He recognized the face.
The storytelling stall in Monan City...
That storyteller who tells those mystical tales...?
"Young man, we meet again." The old man smiled slightly, his voice calm yet carrying a sense of world-weariness.
Chen Yan showed no surprise, simply nodding slightly and uttering two words.
" The Painting Saint?"
Chen Yan uttered two words, his voice not loud, but exceptionally clear in the silent space.
The old man, or rather, the Painting Saint Xie Xuan, simply smiled upon hearing this. There was no trace of smugness in his smile; instead, it conveyed a sense of relief after being relieved of a heavy burden.
"That was just an avatar, an identity I used to wander around when I was bored."
He paused, his eyes settling on Chen Yan.
That gaze was no longer the muddled look of a storyteller, but had become profound, as if it could penetrate the skin and look directly at the essence of the soul.
"But you..." Xie Xuan's tone became playful, "Possessing the Myriad Phenomena Painting Brush, the Chaos Dao Body, and also cultivating the Indestructible Scripture. Kid, your background is far more interesting than my remnant soul."
Chen Yan listened quietly, his face expressionless, but his heart was in turmoil.
That uneasy feeling of being seen through and controlled was like a cold needle piercing his back.
Before the words were even finished, Chen Yan's body had already reacted instinctively!
"Buzz--!"
Deep within his dantian, the Chaos Myriad Laws Golden Core suddenly erupted!
The hazy, chaotic energy surged through his body like a burst dam, flowing wildly through his meridians in an instant!
He retreated rapidly!
At the same time, a pale golden phantom suddenly materialized behind him.
The Indestructible Golden Body Dharma Image!
The towering, illusory figure was no longer blurry, but almost solidified to the extreme. Every inch of its muscles gleamed with a metallic cold light. Its lowered eyes suddenly opened, and two golden beams shot out as if they were real, locking onto the thin old man in front of it!
That's not all!
[ Time Stroll ] -- Activated!
In an instant, everything within a radius of several hundred meters centered on Chen Yan was plunged into another time flow!
The dust floating in the air stopped, the swaying grass and trees in the distance froze, and even the light from the "sun" hanging in the dome seemed to be frozen into solidified pillars of light!
This is his strongest state after breaking through to the Grandmaster level!
He activated the Chaos Myriad Laws Golden Core to its fullest extent, condensed the Indestructible Golden Body Dharma Image to its limit, and enveloped the entire arena with the Time Authority Domain—with these three measures combined, he dared to fight even if Heavenly Human several times stronger, or even Martial Saint himself, were to appear!
However, Xie Xuan only glanced at him.
That glance contained no movement, no fluctuation of True Essence, and not even a hint of killing intent.
Just a glance.
Chen Yan felt as if his heart had been suddenly gripped!
It's like an ant looking up and seeing a pair of eyes looking down at it from the sky.
Those eyes held no malice, no murderous intent, and not even any emotion.
Simply by "watching," the ants no longer have the slightest thought of resistance.
"Buzz..."
The realm built by Time Stroll is like a fragile mirror.
Under that gaze, it crumbled silently.
The frozen light and shadow began to flow again, as if that frozen moment had never existed.
The Indestructible Golden Body Dharma Image behind him, that towering, seemingly all-encompassing giant phantom, also began to tremble violently.
Its lowered eyes attempted to meet that gaze, but dimmed in the next instant, turning into specks of golden light and dissipating into nothingness.
The Chaos Myriad Laws Golden Core was still spinning wildly, trying to draw out more chaotic energy.
But as soon as the hazy currents of energy surged out of his dantian, they seemed like lost souls who had lost their way, standing motionless in place, no longer knowing where to go.
Chen Yan stood frozen in place.
He found himself unable to do anything.
Just like an infant facing an adult, no matter how much the infant swings its fists, the mere existence of the adult is enough to make all resistance seem ridiculous.
His breathing became rapid, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and instinctive horror surfaced in his eyes.
What level of existence is this?!
He once thought that after breaking through to the Grandmaster level, he would be able to roam freely in the Blood Moon Realm.
He once moved through the core of the Tribulation Array as if it were empty, once slapped the Ink Monster that struck fear into the hearts of countless Heavenly Human, and once made a powerful figure like Meng Ran crumble like mud with a single glance.
But at this moment, facing this thin old man, he couldn't even muster the thought of "resistance."
That's not a difference in strength, but a chasm in the level of life.
It is like fireflies facing the bright moon, like ants gazing up at the vast sky.
Xie Xuan remained standing in the same spot, still looking at him with those peaceful yet profound eyes.
There was no mockery, no contempt, and not even a slight fluctuation due to Chen Yan's reactive response.
He simply watched quietly, as if observing a frightened little animal instinctively bristling its fur and then waiting for it to calm down on its own.
After a moment, Chen Yan took a deep breath.
He slowly withdrew the full power of the Chaos Myriad Laws Golden Core, dissipated the power gathered around his body, and even completely abandoned that instinctive confrontational stance.
He stood still, looking directly into Xie Xuan's eyes.
There was no fear or hostility in his eyes, only a calm as if he had survived a catastrophe, and a self-deprecating bitter smile.
"You flatter me, senior."
His voice was hoarse, but he had regained his composure.
Your own cards were laid bare at a glance, leaving you with absolutely no room for concealment.
This feeling is akin to standing naked in front of a stranger.
Xie Xuan didn't seem to need any reaction from him, and simply waved his sleeve.
In an instant, the world spun around.
The gravel path before us and the distant mountains all transformed into flowing, colorful ink lines, swirling back into the void!
Chen Yan found himself suspended in a state of chaos.
Before him, a scroll so vast it defied description slowly unfolded.
The painting depicts magnificent mountains and rivers, the revolving sun and moon, and lifelike birds and beasts.
You can even feel the wind blowing in your face and smell the fragrance of the soil.
This is a real world.
A world sealed within a painting.
" The Secret Realm of the Painting Saint Mountain before you is not a naturally blessed land," Xie Xuan's voice came from the side, tinged with a hint of desolation. "It is a Painting Realm that I created with my own hands..."
Its principle is the same as that of Chen Yan's [ Myriad Image Painting Heart ] supernatural power.
However, this Painting Saint's skill had already transcended the realm of supernatural powers.
He can directly refine a real world into a painting, turning the illusory into the real, creating a world of its own.
However, this magnificent painting is covered with spiderweb-like, hideous cracks.
The cracks were so deep that the bone was visible, like a piece of exquisite porcelain that had been smashed and then poorly pieced back together by a clumsy craftsman.
Wisps of primordial mist are constantly dissipating from the Rift and disappearing into chaos.
This painting depicts a world heading towards death.
"Unfortunately, this is a tattered map of the world."
Xie Xuan withdrew his gaze from the painting and looked back at Chen Yan, a strange emotion flickering in his eyes.
"I am not from this world. My homeland is in Yinghuo..."
Chen Yan was deeply shocked.
Yinghuo?
That desolate, lifeless red planet in the eyes of the Blue Star people?
" Yinghuo once had a glorious civilization that you can hardly imagine."
On that land, technology and cultivation go hand in hand; the martial arts path you are currently following originates from there."
Xie Xuan's voice carried a sense of reminiscence, and even more so, a deep-seated sorrow.
"Until, the Black Tide Invasion."
"It was a catastrophe from the depths of the galaxy. The Yinghuo Civilization gave its all, and in the end... it was utterly defeated."
"I am one of the very few survivors. I carried the last embers of civilization to this blue planet and merged into your civilization. The Blood Moon Realm that you know is a small world that was created by the descendants of those embers over the long years."
One mystery after another is solved, only to lead to even bigger mysteries.
There was so much information... Chen Yan tried his best to digest these secrets that he would never have had access to before.
"If we were to classify my realm according to the martial arts standards of your Blue Star, I could be considered above Martial Saint; you might even call me a ' Martial God.'" Xie Xuan looked at him, his gaze becoming incredibly profound.
Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat. Above the Martial Saint?
In the Indestructible Scripture, they are referred to as beings of the Starry Sky Life.
"But in that battle, I suffered irreversible injuries to my Dao, and my lifespan is coming to an end."
After arriving on Blue Star, my power has been steadily declining, leaving me only to hide in this Scroll World, barely clinging to life, waiting for someone to inherit my mantle."
He paused for a moment, then stared intently at Chen Yan.
The atmosphere became solemn at that moment.
"Now, you have two choices."
"First, take my complete legacy. You will receive all the true teachings, including martial arts and painting."
But in return, you must also inherit my karma—fight against the Black Tide and protect the flame left behind by Yinghuo.
At the same time... you must completely integrate the Blood Moon Realm into Blue Star.
"Secondly, seize opportunities without getting entangled in karma. The rare and precious materials in this Scroll World are at your disposal."
I can also help you understand some of the techniques, which will greatly improve your cultivation.
Then you may leave, and from then on, you will have nothing to do with me anymore."
Xie Xuan's voice echoed in the chaos, each word striking heavily on Chen Yan's heart.
Which one will you choose?
After Xie Xuan finished speaking, he fell silent, simply looking at Chen Yan quietly, waiting for his answer.
That look in their eyes was one of expectation, of entrustment, and more like the final gaze of a civilization on the verge of extinction.
Chen Yan acted almost without hesitation.
Hesitation and timidity are not his way of martial arts.
Opportunity and risk are always two sides of the same coin.
To gain power that others cannot reach, one must shoulder responsibilities that ordinary people cannot imagine.
Moreover, the second option, while seemingly safe, is actually foolish.
The Black Tide could destroy Yinghuo; who knows, maybe Blue Star won't be next?
When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?
"I choose the first one."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resolute.
Upon hearing this, Xie Xuan was taken aback at first, and then a smile slowly bloomed on his weathered face.
He tilted his head back and let out a desolate yet triumphant laugh.
Laughter echoed through this desolate world, making the painting in the void vibrate.
After centuries of waiting, dawn has finally broken!