Accepting the Challenge, Training the Two

Looking at the group, Yuan Zhexian said softly, "If you wish to challenge me, I won't refuse. First defeat my attendants, then challenge me. If you can't even defeat my attendants, you aren't qualified to challenge me."

"Five days from now, at the training grounds, defeat my attendants first. Then come and challenge me." With that, the three had no room to argue. They promptly took their leave of Yuan Zhexian.

At this, Yuan Yan'er asked in confusion, "Divine son! Why do you want us to duel them in five days?"

Looking at the innocent expression on Yuan Yan'er's face, Yuan Zhexian smiled faintly and said, "Because you're no match for them yet. Everyone who becomes a Lineage sequence member is an unparalleled monstrous talent. Each of them also possesses a special physique. They're invincible against those of the same rank and can even fight above their rank. Although you're all in the Grotto-Heaven Realm, there's still a gap between you. These five days give me just enough time to put you through some proper tempering, so steel yourselves for five days of nightmarish training."

As Yuan Zhexian spoke, a faint smile curled his lips. Yuan Zifeng and Yuan Yan'er shivered at the sight. To them, his smile was like that of a great scoundrel who had just laid eyes on a young bride. Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Early the next morning, inside the Divine Son Palace, Yuan Zifeng and Yuan Yan'er stood side by side. Looking at Yuan Zhexian, they said, "Divine son, we're ready. We can begin."

"All right."

Yuan Zhexian waved his hand, and two bottles of pills and two stalks of spirit grass appeared. "Take these pills and spirit grass first." The two took a look.

Gasp...!

These were... Heavenly Origin Pills and Extreme Spirit Grass, pills and spirit grass unique to the Yuan Clan. Heavenly Origin Pills could increase the cultivation of those in the Grotto-Heaven Realm without any side effects. The amount of cultivation gained depended on each person's potential.

Extreme Spirit Grass could strengthen spiritual power. The two of them had only ever heard of these things and had never seen them before. Even among the main branch's heavenly geniuses, few possessed them, yet now they had appeared before their eyes.

"Don't gape like country folk visiting the city," Yuan Zhexian said with a smile. "I've never been stingy with my own people. Next, I'll activate my Double Pupils and pull you into the Red Lotus Illusion Realm. You'll experience things you've never experienced before in there. I hope you can hold on."

"Remember, inside the illusion realm, you may only take the Heavenly Origin Pills and Extreme Spirit Grass when you feel you're about to die."

"Understand?"

"Understood, divine son," the two immediately replied.

The Red Lotus Illusion Realm was one of the new abilities Yuan Zhexian had discovered in his Double Pupils over the past two years.

To use the ability, he only needed to unleash the power of his Double Pupils and look at his opponent once to pull them into his own illusion realm. He could instantly kill anyone whose soul power and cultivation were lower than his.

But someone whose soul and cultivation were stronger than his could break free of the space in an instant, though it could still trouble them.

He could control both space and time inside it. Even he had been shocked when he awakened the ability. Wasn't this Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi from the Blue Star anime Naruto?

Then he thought about how he had transmigrated and possessed three supreme physiques and a system, so this was no surprise either. Still, he was delighted. This ability was definitely the perfect choice for showing off and ambushing people.

"Are you ready? Then let's begin." As he spoke, Yuan Zhexian's originally black pupils gradually became two pupils of equal size. The two pupils radiated the vast light of the stars, drawing people in before they knew it and leaving them unable to tear themselves away.

As his Double Pupils opened, Yuan Zhexian's presence grew stronger, and the immense pressure made both of them tremble. Wasn't the divine son only at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer? Why did this pressure feel as though we were facing a Dao God Realm expert?

"Red Lotus!"

Yuan Zhexian then softly uttered the two words. The two felt their vision suddenly blur, and the scene before them was no longer the Divine Son Palace.

Before them lay a red-and-black landscape. A blood-red sun hung in the red-and-black sky, while the endless peaks around them spewed sheets of magma. Magma flowed constantly over the ground from the mountains.

There wasn't a single tree or living creature, nor any sign of life. The whole scene looked like the end of the world. The overwhelming sense of suffocation sent chills down their spines.

"Th-this is??"

"This is the Red Lotus Illusion Realm, one of my Double Pupils' abilities. Here, I control both time and space. I am the ruler. Seven days here are only a few seconds in the outside world."

"Now attack me with your strongest techniques."

"Then, divine son, forgive our offense." The two exchanged a glance, then spiritual power covered their bodies as their imposing presences surged.

"Tyrant Saber!"

Yuan Zifeng struck first. As he called out Tyrant Saber, a silver-white saber appeared in his hand. He slashed horizontally with all his might, and it transformed into a radiant, forty-meter-long saber that hacked toward Yuan Zhexian.

Yuan Yan'er floated in the air, constantly forming divine seals with her hands. Countless droplets appeared in the sky. In Three Thousand Weak Waters, every droplet carried a hundred catties of force, and the countless droplets shot toward Yuan Zhexian at tremendous speed. Yuan Zhexian slowly extended one hand and blocked them with a gentle motion. A faint golden glow flashed, instantly reflecting both Tyrant Saber and Three Thousand Weak Waters back at them.

This was the second ability of the Double Pupils, Star Shift, which could reflect an enemy's attack with one hundred percent of its force. Its drawback, however, was a cooldown period after each reflection.

"What??"

The two could hardly believe their attacks had been reflected back at them. Their presence surged even higher, and the currents of air around them smashed the nearby mountains to pieces.

"Heaven and Earth One Saber!"

"Weak Water Transformation!"

A saber light longer and larger than the previous one appeared between heaven and earth. A fierce saber intent erupted from its blade as it cleaved toward Yuan Zhexian.

Behind it, a true dragon formed from Three Thousand Weak Waters let out resounding roars of rage and flew toward Yuan Zhexian as well. These were the two's strongest attacks at present. If Yuan Zhexian blocked them, all they could do afterward was take a beating.

"Not bad."

Looking at their strongest attacks coming at him, Yuan Zhexian spoke softly. Then a golden light erupted from his Double Pupils and shot toward the two attacks.

The powerful golden light moved with incredible speed, piercing straight through their strongest attacks before shooting swiftly toward them. Boom... After the explosion, Yuan Zifeng and Yuan Yan'er spat out blood and lay sprawled on the ground, their faces somewhat pale. The powerful blast had nearly knocked their internal organs out of place.

"I never thought our strongest attacks wouldn't even be able to withstand a casual move from the divine son. With a gap this big, how are we supposed to fight?"

Yuan Zhexian gave them no chance to catch their breath. In an instant, he appeared beside them, striking Yuan Yan'er in the stomach with his palm and kicking Yuan Zifeng.

The two figures flew backward and slammed into the mountain opposite them. With a tremendous crash, they were buried in the mountainside, no longer having the strength to stand. Yuan Zhexian then conjured countless golden rays and shot them at the two.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. In no time, the rays had pierced them until they looked like hornets' nests.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

The pain pierced their hearts, and the two couldn't help screaming.

"Th-this... this is the nightmarish training the divine son spoke of? This is simply a fate worse than death!"

"Stop talking. Hurry and take the Heavenly Origin Pills and Extreme Spirit Grass, then immediately recuperate," Yuan Zhexian said, looking at the injured pair.

Hearing him, the two immediately sat cross-legged, took out the Heavenly Origin Pills and Extreme Spirit Grass, and swallowed them. Before long, they felt that not only had their cultivation risen from the Grotto-Heaven First Layer to the Grotto-Heaven Third Layer, but their spiritual power had also grown somewhat denser.

With a snap of his fingers, the scene before them changed again, returning from the Red Lotus Illusion Realm to the Divine Son Palace. The two looked down at their bodies. They were uninjured, their clothes were undamaged, and their cultivation and spiritual power had indeed increased.

"This? What's going on?" The two were completely bewildered, with no idea what had happened.

"The Red Lotus Illusion Realm of my Double Pupils doesn't pull a person's body into the illusion realm. It pulls in their mind and soul. Seven days inside are only a few seconds outside, and the body in the outside world can truly feel the injuries suffered inside."

"So the people I pull into the Red Lotus Illusion Realm have only a few possible fates. Either they come out mentally exhausted and unable to fight, left at another's mercy, or I play them to death inside, and they come out as idiots."

"You could move around, pop pills, and eat spirit grass inside because I allowed it. Taking a beating while recovering like that stimulates the body's potential and can greatly increase your cultivation and your mental resistance to pressure. You understand now, right?"

"So that's how it is. Divine son, thank you for all the thought you've put into this. From now on, we swear to follow you unto death, without the slightest divided loyalty."

Looking at the determined gazes of the two before him, Yuan Zhexian smiled faintly.

There it is again! There it is again! The last time the divine son smiled like that, we went into the Red Lotus Illusion Realm and were tormented.

Could it be?? No way.

"Well, then! Have you rested enough?"

"You've rested enough, so let's continue."

Someone was willing to be beaten up, so Yuan Zhexian was naturally happy. He could also take the opportunity to become more familiar with his Double Pupils' abilities.

"Ah... no..."