The abyss was dark, and countless cracks scarred its rock walls. Some still spewed black light, savage beyond measure, sending out terrifying ripples.
She carefully avoided those fissures. There was no doubt that if the black light swept over her, she would perish on the spot, destroyed in body and soul!
Even so, the ripples battering her body sent her blood surging. Wounds opened in several places, blood streaming from them in a horrifying sight.
Only now did she finally understand why only those with peerless talent could enter this place.
An ordinary person who came here would not even be able to reach the true trial grounds!
Finally, after a long descent that lasted an unknown stretch of time, she reached the bottom.
It was still pitch-black here, with neither daylight nor any other light to illuminate it.
As Xi Yue stepped onto this ground, she finally felt a little more at ease. Keeping her nerves taut for so long had left her somewhat exhausted.
She took out a blue-green lamp, instantly lighting up the surrounding space.
Before her, skeletons lay piled into mountains. It was hard to imagine what battles this place had witnessed, or how many living beings had been buried here.
All she could say was that whoever had thought to turn such an ancient battlefield into a trial ground was quite a talent.
She continued forward and found an ancient gate. Its material was unknown, but it was grand and imposing, with an air of antiquity and a majestic aura.
Images of many races were carved into the gate: Taotie, Vermilion Birds, True Hou, and others. Even the legendary True Phoenix and Heavenly Horned Ant could be seen!
These carvings were lifelike and possessed an indescribable spirituality.
Meeting their eyes, she could even sense their terrifying auras. A mere wisp leaking out would have been enough to burst mountains and rivers apart and shatter the heavens!
Beyond the gate lay a void. Standing here felt like standing in boundless emptiness.
With a click, the gate closed and vanished.
A golden imprint appeared before her. Divine radiance spilled down, and a Taotie emerged, letting out a heaven-shaking roar.
It was not flesh and blood, but formed entirely from runes. Yet its ferocity surged to the heavens, no weaker than that of a real Taotie.
The corner of Xi Yue's mouth twitched. Her retreat had been sealed off; she would have to defeat the imprint before her to leave.
But that suited her perfectly!
Whoosh-
Kunpeng Wings appeared behind her. She became a bolt of human-shaped lightning, her palms and fingers glowing as she lunged at the Taotie.
She intended to use this opportunity to attune herself to the Kun Peng Precious Technique and deepen her understanding of the Precious Art through mortal combat.
The Taotie roared, its body swelling instantly until it was the size of a small hill. Brandishing its sharp claws, it struck viciously at Xi Yue.
With a boom, fist met claw in a heaven-shaking collision. Ripples spread outward, and endless flashing runes submerged the surroundings.
It was easy to imagine how many rocks and mountains would have shattered, how much land would have sunk, had this place not existed within the void.
The battle shook the heavens, growing ever more terrifying. Endless divine light rose, symbols interwove into a net, and amid a spray of blood, the Taotie was slain.
Xi Yue's fighting spirit soared into the heavens, rising higher still. Red light even flashed through her beautiful eyes as she fought beings of every race to the death, sweeping all before her, unstoppable.
Taotie, Qiongqi, True Hou-every one of these so-called pure-blooded vicious beasts fell at her hands, utterly unable to stand against her.
This place was indeed just as the Kunpeng King had described: a precious ground for tempering oneself. These beings were extraordinarily powerful, no weaker than the so-called first-generation prodigies, and perhaps stronger still.
They were, after all, imprints of mighty beings who had died here in ages past. Naturally, they were far from ordinary; few living beings could claim certain victory against them at the same cultivation level.
Here, she could unleash every Precious Art she had learned without restraint and grasp their profound mysteries through battle. Though she suffered injuries, they did nothing to dampen her enthusiasm. It was pain and pleasure intertwined.
In this way, her cultivation and understanding surged to an unimaginable degree. Once these battles ended, she would surely undergo an unprecedented transformation!
"Pfft..." Xi Yue spat out a great mouthful of blood. A horrifying wound gaped in her abdomen-her first grave injury.
Her opponent had been a Heavenly Horned Ant, renowned as the pinnacle of strength.
Although she had slain it, she had suffered severe injuries herself. Only by deploying all manner of methods had she managed a hard-won victory.
These invincible beings had left illustrious names during Immortal Ancient times. One Heavenly Horned Ant had even ranked among the Ten Fiends, mastering the Indestructible Scripture and possessing enough might to clash head-on with an Immortal King.
This race was extraordinarily powerful. Even though the one before her was not the member of the Ten Fiends, it was still exceptional. Without her supremely formidable physique, Xi Yue would likely have had no chance of winning.
Ordinary cultivators would not even qualify to fight it. The aura emanating from the Heavenly Horned Ant alone could easily suppress everything.
"Still not enough! I need stronger opponents! Bring on the True Dragon and the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass!" she roared. Her hair spilled over her shoulders, and she looked like a god or demon. Even drenched in blood, her presence shook the heavens as she gazed down upon the mortal world.
She felt that her current trials were still insufficient. What she needed was a true struggle between life and death, and even the Heavenly Horned Ant had failed to push her that far.
She was that crazed, fighting spirit surging around her, possessed by an obsession bordering on madness.
Only this way could she make the ultimate leap from the depths of desperation, become stronger, and break through to a higher level.
She would not see the nine-leaf sword grass. Even in the Immortal Ancient Era, only a single stalk had existed, and it had not fallen here. Naturally, no imprint of it could manifest.
The instant her words fell, the entire space shuddered violently, as though about to collapse.
Then, accompanied by a world-shaking dragon cry, an ink-black dragon silhouette condensed into being.
Its scales seemed cast from divine iron, gleaming brilliantly. As its draconic eyes opened and closed, stars seemed to flicker into existence and perish within them, and heaven and earth seemed to overturn!
Without question, this was a True Dragon in every sense-a being of myth.
Looking at the True Dragon, Xi Yue dearly wanted to let out a shout. She admitted that she had spoken a little too loudly before.
But it was already too late for regret. She had to fight. This would be a world-shaking confrontation; sadly, no one would be there to witness it.
"Come and fight!" she shouted. Undeterred by the True Dragon's aura, she formed a fist seal and struck fiercely toward it.
At once, her blood energy surged into the heavens as she collided thunderously with the True Dragon in midair.
Blood flashed in a shocking blaze. The True Dragon's body was simply too powerful. In a single instant, her delicate, lustrous white fists were drenched in blood, and parts of them had even shattered, exposing stark white bone.
Dragon cries shook the eight wildernesses and echoed through the ages. The two figures tangled relentlessly, runes flying and killing moves emerging one after another. This place blazed with dazzling, eye-searing splendor.
Xi Yue formed a hand seal, and behind her, a gigantic
Kunpeng burst through the void.
Its entire body gleamed with golden light, its wings like clouds hanging from the heavens, overshadowing the sky as it collided fiercely with the True Dragon.
Her talent was extraordinary. Through this period of tempering, she had cultivated the Kunpeng Method to an exceedingly profound level.
The Kunpeng tore the heavens apart, its might enough to shake the immortal. The two mythical beings clashed, and runes filling the sky exploded thunderously, as though the firmament had shattered and the sea of stars had turned upside down. The spectacle was incomparably grand.
At the same time, six black holes emerged in her right hand, terrifying beyond measure. They resembled six ancient great worlds, with chaotic energy surging within them, as though reincarnation were unfolding there.
This was not the Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Art, but her innate divine ability, revealed for the first time.
The six black holes spun rapidly, intertwining as they expanded across the heavens. Black radiance swallowed the sun and moon, suppressed the universe, and pulverized the sky full of runes as they bore down upon the True Dragon.