Trial

Looking at the glowing passageways before her, Yun Ying jumped off the Golden Beast, chose one, and stepped onto it.

"Big sister, see you in the Hundred Broken Mountains."

Yun Ying gave Yun Xi a slight nod, then turned and disappeared into the passageway.

"Let's go."

Yun Xi nodded to the Golden Beast.

At her command, the Golden Beast immediately raced down the passageway beneath its feet and soon vanished from sight as well.

After Yun Ying had followed the passageway for a short while, the light suddenly brightened, and she emerged into an unfamiliar world.

As far as she could see, ancient trees towered into the sky. This was a wild forest, where the roars of beasts and cries of birds rang out endlessly in turn.

Clang, clang, clang!

An ancient bell tolled, its sound carrying from far away. A mysterious radiance appeared on the horizon, spreading like ripples with runes swirling within it.

Yun Ying leaped up, flitted across several branches, and reached the treetops. She gazed into the distance, where the mysterious light shimmered, rising and falling with the tolling.

Through the haze, Yun Ying glimpsed a majestic mountain soaring into the clouds. The mysterious radiance was spreading from its summit.

Without a doubt, some hidden mystery lay there. Yun Ying immediately headed toward it, racing across the treetops as lightly as a swallow.

Screech!

A bird's cry rang out. A massive savage bird in the sky spotted Yun Ying and immediately beat its wings, diving toward her with a vicious gleam in its brown eyes.

This savage bird was in the Spirit Transformation Realm. It resembled both a black eagle and a luan bird, its murderous aura billowing around it-a true overlord of the skies.

Although Yun Ying had noticed the savage bird, she paid it no mind and continued running forward.

Soon, the savage bird swooped directly over Yun Ying's head. Its sharp talons flashed coldly as it reached for her; if they struck, they might tear her body in two.

Hiss!

In an instant, a streak of sword energy shot upward, its sharpness oppressive. The savage bird immediately sensed a terrifying aura and tried to retreat, but it was already too late.

The sword energy slashed through space, severing the savage bird's talons and tearing apart its enormous body, staining the sky with blood.

The savage bird let out a mournful cry. The two halves of its body plunged toward the ground as its life force rapidly faded.

Throughout it all, Yun Ying never once glanced at the savage bird.

Before long, Yun Ying reached the vicinity of the mountain. Only up close did she realize how magnificent it was-not the slightest bit smaller than the main peak of Heavenly God Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, Yun Ying looked up. The bell was still tolling, and the mysterious radiance was still rippling.

"Could this be an ancient god's palace?"

Yun Ying murmured to herself. She could faintly sense a divine aura.

Then she began climbing the mountain. When she reached the summit, a grand palace came into view, resplendent in gold and jade. Divine light shone in every direction, and an imposing aura emanated from it.

Clang!

The toll was pleasing to the ear. Only then did Yun Ying discover that the supposed bell tolling actually came from two small bells hanging on either side of the palace gates.

The two bells were pale blue and no larger than a palm, their surfaces gleaming with a metallic sheen. Powerful runes were branded upon them, their light flowing beneath a shroud of sacred radiance, like two tiny, exquisite stars.

The mysterious radiance came from the palace itself. Its entire structure glowed, giving off intense pulses of divine power.

Outside the palace stood two stone beasts, so lifelike they seemed real. Yun Ying could not tell what kind of savage beasts they depicted, but they exuded an inexplicable aura.

Hum!

Just as Yun Ying approached the palace, the eyes of the two stone beasts suddenly lit up, and a brilliant radiance instantly enveloped her.

Before Yun Ying could react, she found herself somewhere else entirely.

Everything here was a vast expanse of white, with nothing in sight. Yun Ying looked around. She felt that she must have been drawn into this place in spirit form; in other words, it was somewhat similar to the Void God Realm.

As she pondered this, a figure gradually took shape. It was an old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in white robes. Divine light enveloped his entire body, and he made no attempt to conceal his godly aura.

"Greetings, senior."

Yun Ying bowed to the figure.

"Mm, not bad. Your foundation is as solid as a rock, and an exceptionally powerful bloodline flows within you. You meet the requirements for the trial."

The old man studied Yun Ying for a while, then nodded in satisfaction.

Then he continued, "Young lady, you have likely guessed already. I was once an ancient god. After I fell, I left a palace here, with a special legacy inside."

"Only someone with a special bloodline has a chance of obtaining this legacy. Though I cannot identify the bloodline within you, I can sense its tremendous potential. You could say that this legacy is exceptionally well suited to you."

At this point, the old man paused.

"What must I do to obtain this special legacy?"

Yun Ying immediately understood what he meant.

"There is only one way to obtain that special legacy: pass my trial. My trial is extremely difficult, and very dangerous as well. Will you attempt it?"

"There is one thing I must tell you. Once you begin, you cannot stop. In other words, either you succeed, or you die and your path ends!"

The old man looked at Yun Ying, his tone solemn. An imposing aura spread from him, bearing down upon her mind.

"Let's begin."

Yun Ying parted her red lips and spoke without the slightest hesitation. There was no such thing as a free lunch.

"Haha! Not even a moment's hesitation. What courage! Perhaps I have finally waited for the right person. Then let the trial begin."

Hearing Yun Ying's answer, the old man burst into hearty laughter. He had not expected her to answer so quickly, without a trace of hesitation or uncertainty.

As his laughter faded, the old man raised his hand. His index finger glowed as he inscribed an ancient, austere rune in the air.

The instant the rune took shape, sacred chanting resounded between heaven and earth. A profound aura spread outward, as though a god were reciting scripture, and all manner of magnificent visions arose in the void.

"This is a god-level rune that points directly to the source. If you can comprehend even a thread of its essence, you will have passed this trial. How does that sound?"

The old man smiled.

Had anyone else been here, they would surely have been stunned speechless. Even a venerable might not be able to comprehend the essence of a god-level rune. Yun Ying was merely in the Spirit Transformation Realm-how could she possibly accomplish such a thing?

Yun Ying nodded, sat down cross-legged without further ado, and began studying the rune.

"What a straightforward young lady."

The old man was very pleased with Yun Ying's response. His earlier words had only been intended to frighten her. The actual trial was nowhere near as dangerous as he had claimed; on the contrary, it was a fortuitous opportunity.

A god-level rune was incomparably precious even to a venerable. Any insight gained from it would surely bring immense rewards.

If Yun Ying had hesitated, shown fear, or backed down just now, the old man would not have given her this opportunity, and the special legacy within the palace would naturally have been beyond her reach.