" Lin Xuechen, you will represent our Eight Great Imperial Clans and be the first to enter this ancient ruin."
Lei Yuxiao gave a loud shout, and Lin Xuechen, the representative of the Wood Clan, stepped out from the camp of the Eight Great Imperial Clans.
"Yes!"
Without uttering a single superfluous word, Lin Xuechen gave a simple and straightforward reply before turning to look at the entrance to Heavenly Estate.
There was nothing luxurious or flashy in sight.
In front of the thatched house, there are only three earthen steps. Stepping up the steps, you can push open the door and enter.
Under everyone's gaze, Lin Xuechen walked to the earthen steps.
'call!'
He took a deep breath and looked down at the steps in front of him.
Recalling what that deep voice had said earlier, that one must endure three Sword Qi to enter the ruins.
He was not attacked as he walked up the steps.
As luck would have it, the staircase had exactly three levels.
Does this mean that every time you step onto a step, you'll be attacked by a Sword Qi?
With doubt and caution, Lin Xuechen slowly stepped onto the first step of the stairs.
'tread!'
When Lin Xuechen's toes landed on the first step, the slight sound of her foot hitting the ground instantly made the atmosphere in front of the thatched hut oppressive.
A flash of light appeared above the thatched hut, followed by the appearance of a gleaming golden plaque.
A plaque bearing the four large characters " Peach Garden Illusory Realm " then came into view.
While everyone was still looking at the plaque, Lin Xuechen, standing in front of the thatched hut, noticed something unusual.
"No! Don't come any closer! No..."
The hysterical roar was filled with boundless panic.
Lin Xuechen kept raising her hand and waving it in front of her, as if trying to block something.
'puff!'
Just as everyone was wondering what he had seen, Lin Xuechen suddenly spat out a mouthful of scarlet blood.
Then, Lin Xuechen's body flew backwards from in front of the thatched hut like a kite with a broken string.
'Bang!'
After flying hundreds of meters, Lin Xuechen landed heavily on the ground, lying there motionless.
However, the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was not dead, but had simply fallen into a coma.
This scene left everyone else present dumbfounded.
Where's the promised Sword Qi?
Why was Lin Xuechen already severely injured and unconscious when no Sword Qi was seen?
And the most puzzling thing is that although Lin Xuechen coughed up blood and flew away, she had no injuries on her body.
What exactly happened to him?
At this moment, Lei Yuxiao spoke up, guessing, "Judging from the plaque, it says Peach Garden Illusory Realm. Perhaps Lin Xuechen fell into an illusion we can't see when she stepped onto the stairs."
Ling Wushuang quickly followed up, "If it was an illusion, then Lin Xuechen must have suffered a soul attack, which would explain why he coughed up blood and flew out without any injuries?"
The two experts' analysis drew nods of agreement from the rest of the group.
Even though the fundamental problem hasn't been solved, we still have to move forward and overcome the obstacles.
Knowing that it's an illusion targeting the soul gives us an extra layer of caution, increasing our chances of success, right?
" Lei Yuxiao, are we waiting for Lin Xuechen now?"
Ling Wushuang did not rush to send her Ascenders members to continue the trial.
If Lei Yuxiao wanted to wait until Lin Xuechen woke up before continuing his attempts, Ling Wushuang wouldn't mind waiting a little longer.
Why not send the other side to probe, allowing us to learn from their experience?
Lei Yuxiao was no fool; he saw through Ling Wushuang's little scheme at a glance.
Lei Yuxiao immediately adopted a conscientious attitude, sighing, "Of course we can't delay everyone's progress just because of Xuechen. You all continue. Let Xuechen rest for a while, and we'll see if he's willing to continue the challenge after he wakes up."
Since Lei Yuxiao had already said so, Ling Wushuang couldn't delay any longer.
Looking back at the powerful figures on his side, Ling Wushuang pondered for a moment before his gaze fell upon a Primordial Chaos Heaven Stage cultivator at the Mortal World Inn.
" Wuxin, you'll be our first choice to fight this battle."
As she spoke, Ling Wushuang wore a confident smile.
Wuxin being only at the Primordial Chaos Heaven Stage, Wuxin holds a significant position at the Mortal World Inn.
Qin Hongmian even intended to groom him as the future seventh leader.
His talent for cultivation goes without saying; just one thing is enough to prove the source of Ling Wushuang's confidence in him.
Back then, Wuxin, who was only at the Primordial Chaos Earth Stage, single-handedly killed a powerful member of the Water Race Clan who had just broken through to the Heavenly Firmament Realm.
Of course, they were exploring a dangerous place to find treasure that time, and the Heavenly Firmament Realm was also injured.
However, even if the opponent is injured and not at his peak, Primordial Chaos Earth Stage cultivator should still be able to achieve a complete victory against Heavenly Firmament.
But the final result was that, in front of the Eight Great Imperial Clans and over a hundred Ascenders experts, Wuxin killed Heavenly Firmament, dug out his heart and swallowed it on the spot, thus breaking through to the Primordial Chaos Heaven Stage in one fell swoop.
It was this battle that made Wuxin's name resound throughout the entire Nine Heavens.
As for his practice of swallowing hearts, it was not cruel, but rather because his Wuxin race and cultivation methods were rather unconventional.
His clan is characterized by rapidly increasing their strength by consuming the hearts of powerful individuals.
Furthermore, consuming hearts during battle allows Wuxin to recover quickly, and even temporarily increase his strength.
Upon hearing Ling Wushuang's words, a boy who looked only eleven or twelve years old, with a childlike face and a somewhat cute appearance, stepped forward from among the Ascenders.
"Sister Hongmian told you to take care of me, but you actually made me fight the first battle."
Wu Xin muttered Wuxin, speaking frankly even when facing Ling Wushuang, a figure from the Heavenly Firmament.
"Haha! Stop complaining, kid."
"If you perform well this time, I'll find you a delicious strongman's heart when we get back, how about that?"
Ling Wushuang also used her trump card against Wuxin.
Upon hearing about the delicious heart of a strongman, Wuxin smiled.
When Wuxin walked out, the expressions of the Eight Great Imperial Clans were somewhat unnatural.
After all, Wuxin to eat hearts, but he naturally can't kill the Ascenders, so his target is naturally the Eight Great Imperial Clans and their subordinate forces.
Although there are rules in the Nine Heavens that prohibit the two sides from starting a battle.
However, in certain special circumstances, that is naturally a different story.
Take, for example, this ancient ruins exploration.
On such occasions, Wuxin would seize the opportunity to wreak havoc, collecting the hearts of the Eight Great Imperial Clans.
Now that these powerful figures from the Eight Great Imperial Clans are going to enter the ancient ruins with Wuxin, it's no wonder they're not happy.
If things go wrong, your own heart might become nourishment for Wuxin.
Wuxin the resentful looks from the Eight Great Imperial Clans and walked to the steps of the thatched hut.
In an instant, all eyes were once again focused on Wuxin.
Without Wuxin, Wuxin walked to the front of the steps and immediately lifted his right foot onto the first earthen step.
Like Lin Xuechen, Wuxin closed her eyes the instant she stepped onto the stairs...