Three Lives Gate, Guixu's True Entrance

After the Young Clans Court stabilized, Lu Chen immediately pushed forward the construction of the Three Lives Gate.

This matter could not be delayed.

As the Three-Clan War grew increasingly brutal, new living beings arrived outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass every day.

Wounded people, young clans, crippled soldiers, fleeing small clans, and independent cultivators who had lost their homelands—their numbers grew by the day.

The Book of Cause and Effect and the cultivators of the Bureau of Cause and Effect alone were already nearly overwhelmed.

More troublesome still, the Demon Cult had set its sights on Guixu.

If Youdu could use a Demon Shadow Talisman to deceive the Book of Cause and Effect once, then a second or third demonic cultivator might appear.

Guixu needed a true entrance.

A gate that every person entering the realm had to pass through.

The Three Lives Gate was built under these circumstances.

Its site was behind Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Its exterior connected to Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Its interior linked to Guixu Outer City.

Further inward lay the Northern Darkness Sea, Guixu City, and the Northern Darkness Dao Palace.

Lan Shuang presided over the construction.

Ancestor Xuan Jia was responsible for the gate foundation.

Lin Yue guided the earth veins of Mysterious Peak Mountain.

Lady Mingzhu provided the finest Sea-Calming Water Jade from the treasury.

Feng Li broke off a strand of Frostflame Parasol Tree branch to purify the fiery miasma within the gate.

Ao Lie guided the aura of the Ancestral Dragon's Reverse Scale into the outer layer, retaining only its ability to guide young dragon bloodlines and preventing the Dragon Clan from sensing it in reverse.

The Sea Devourer Beast Spirit entrenched itself by the Northern Darkness Sea, responsible for devouring the resentment that overflowed during the Three Lives Gate's inspections.

Han Jue led the Realm Guard outside the gate. Whoever dared cause trouble would be suppressed on the spot.

The construction of the Three Lives Gate lasted a full five hundred years.

Five hundred years later, three ancient gates stood behind Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

The first gate was black and white.

It was carved all over with karmic patterns.

It was named Causality Illumination.

The second gate was gray.

Its core was like a water mirror, capable of reflecting the true heart of those who entered.

It was named Heart-Nature Examination.

The third gate was dark gold.

Guixu Water Aura flowed beneath it, capable of sensing the degree of killing tribulation wrapped around a person.

It was named Killing-Tribulation Severance.

The three gates were connected.

Beyond them lay Guixu Outer City.

From that day onward, anyone wishing to enter Guixu had to pass through the Three Lives Gate.

On the day the Three Lives Gate rose, thousands of living beings gathered outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

There were young dragon bloodlines that had just fled the battlefield.

There were wounded Phoenix Clan members with shattered fire-feathers.

There were independent cultivators of the Qilin Clan.

There were also many weak clans from the Northern Sea.

They looked at the three ancient gates, their eyes filled with both hope and fear.

Because Guixu's rules had already spread throughout the Northern Sea.

The Three Lives Gate did not ask about one's origins.

It examined only karma, heart-nature, and killing tribulation.

If one's evil was too deep, then even a member of the Dragon Clan Main Lineage could not enter Guixu.

If one's heart-nature was acceptable and one was willing to follow the rules, then even those of humble origins could gain a sliver of hope for survival.

Lan Shuang stood before the Three Lives Gate, her voice carrying throughout Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

"Today, the Three Lives Gate opens."

"The first gate, Causality Illumination."

"The second gate, Heart-Nature Examination."

"The third gate, Killing-Tribulation Severance."

"Those who pass the three gates may enter Guixu."

"Those who cannot pass will be refused, punished, or temporarily kept in the rescue area for observation."

"If any demonic cultivators, spies, or those burdened with grievous slaughter try to force their way through, the Realm Guard will suppress them on the spot."

Han Jue gave his long spear a shake.

Three thousand Realm Guard members answered in unison.

"Orders received!"

Lu Chen's dharma body appeared at that moment as well.

The phantom of a colossal Black Tortoise hung above the Three Lives Gate.

He looked at the three gates, deeply satisfied.

At last, he would no longer need to make the Book of Cause and Effect frantically investigate people every time.

With these gates in place, the chances of spies slipping in would greatly decrease.

His sense of security would rise as well.

The system's voice rang out.

"The Three Lives Gate has been established. Please set its fundamental decree."

Lu Chen considered it.

If he said too much, it would be easy to misunderstand.

Guixu's rules had always favored simplicity and practicality.

So he spoke only four sentences.

"Examine karma, not status."

"Examine heart-nature, not bloodline."

"Sever killing tribulation, admit no contenders for supremacy."

"To enter Guixu, first learn how to survive."

As the four sentences fell, the Three Lives Gate lit up at once.

Black-and-white radiance shot into the sky from the first gate.

The gray water mirror of the second gate rippled faintly.

Dark-gold water patterns spread from the third gate, like a road leading into the depths of Guixu.

Outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass, countless living beings dropped to their knees.

"We respectfully obey the Emperor's decree!"

Lan Shuang's eyes brimmed with reverence.

The Emperor's four sentences had completely established the laws governing Guixu's entrance.

From then on, Guixu would not judge those it accepted by the status of their clans.

Dragons, phoenixes, and qilin all had to be examined by the three gates before entering.

As long as their karma could pass, even weak Water Clan clans would have a way to live.

This was the greatest difference between Guixu and the order of the Three Clans.

The first to undergo the Three Lives Gate's examination was a young dragon bloodline.

It arrived carrying the aura of the Ancestral Dragon's Reverse Scale.

It was very young, its dragon horns not yet fully grown.

Yet it bore severe wounds from phoenix fire.

It timidly entered the first gate.

Black-and-white radiance descended.

Its karma was very faint, containing only the fear of fleeing the battlefield and traces of having been protected.

The first gate let it pass.

The gray water mirror of the second gate reflected the fear in its heart.

Within the water mirror, it clutched a shattered dragon scale and cried as it asked where its parents were.

It passed the Heart-Nature Examination.

The third gate sensed its killing tribulation.

It bore very little killing tribulation.

All three gates opened.

The young dragon was sent into the Young Clans Court.

Next came a wounded Phoenix Clan member.

She had killed Dragon Clan members on the battlefield.

She had also saved three young children from small clans.

Her karma was complicated.

The first gate did not reject her outright, instead sending her to the observation area of Calamity-Resolution Hall.

After the three-day life-saving period passed, the Book of Cause and Effect would investigate further.

The third was an independent cultivator who claimed to have been persecuted by the Qilin Clan.

He cried miserably.

But the instant he entered the first gate, the black-and-white radiance revealed scenes of him slaughtering weak clans and forging the identity of a victim.

The Realm Guard immediately stepped forward.

Han Jue pressed his spear before the cultivator.

"Drag him away."

The cultivator tried to resist, but the water mirror of the second gate suddenly reflected the evil thoughts in his heart.

The third gate erupted with dark-gold radiance, directly blasting him out of the gate.

The spectators were shaken to the core.

The Three Lives Gate truly did not fall for sob stories.

But what truly stunned everyone was the exposure of a demonic cultivator.

The demonic cultivator had disguised himself as an injured elder from a small clan.

His aura was weak all over.

Even his karma had been concealed extremely well by a demonic talisman.

When he entered the first gate, he actually passed through for a brief moment.

But upon reaching the second gate, the gray water mirror suddenly shook violently.

Within his true heart, a Black Lotus Demon Shadow appeared.

The demonic cultivator's face changed drastically, and he tried to flee on the spot.

The dark-gold water patterns of the third gate surged.

The light of killing tribulation coiled around him like chains.

Han Jue took one step forward and nailed him to the ground with his spear.

"Another one from the Demon Cult."

Ao Lie said coldly, "It seems they still haven't given up."

Lan Shuang raised her hand, and the Book of Cause and Effect cast down black-and-white radiance.

The demonic talisman on the demonic cultivator's body shattered on the spot.

Before the Three Lives Gate, every refugee watching felt their scalps go numb.

They finally understood just how terrifying these three gates were.

A demonic cultivator had been exposed on the spot.

That meant Guixu was safer than ever.

Lu Chen was very satisfied as well.

The Three Lives Gate was useful.

Extremely useful.

He heard the system prompt.

"The Three Lives Gate is now officially operating."

"Guixu's entrance system has been perfected."

"A demonic cultivator spy has been exposed. Guixu's security has increased."

"Reward: prototype of the sixth layer of the Chaos Shell-Shedding Method."

Lu Chen's mind shook.

The prototype of the sixth layer!

With the Chaos Shell-Shedding Method advancing to this point, Lu Chen's confidence in facing the future Heaven Mending Death Tribulation increased once more.

The prototype of the sixth layer involved "the Old Shell bearing the tribulation, while the true body returns to Guixu."

In other words, if the Old Shell was cut away in the future to support the heavens, his true body could escape through the Guixu Minor World.

This was the key among keys.

Lu Chen was in high spirits.

Just then, a faint golden light suddenly appeared above the Three Lives Gate.

That golden light descended from the heavens.

It was not much.

Yet it was exceptionally pure.

Lan Shuang abruptly looked up.

"Merit?"

Outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass, every living being was stunned.

With the Three Lives Gate established, the world bestowed Merit!

Deep within Guixu.

Lu Chen was also stunned.

Then panic rose in his heart.

"Merit?"

"Won't this draw the Heavenly Dao here to see me?"