Dao Zun and the others had never seen the true form of Zi Wu Zhen Xian, but they had some basic information about him.
So, the moment they saw the middle-aged man bathed in the glow of the sunset, they immediately recognized him as Zi Wu Zhen Xian.
"I am not Zi Wu Zhen Xian, I am merely a spirit refined by my master. You can call me Jin Guang, and this immortal mansion is named Jin Guang Immortal Mansion."
The refined middle-aged man's gaze swept across the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Formation and finally settled on Zhang Fan as he spoke.
A spirit?
Everyone was stunned. This spirit was truly strange, looking exactly like Zi Wu Zhen Xian.
"Greetings, Senior Jin Guang!"
Despite their surprise, Dao Zun and the others still bowed respectfully.
Even though this was just a spirit, with Zi Wu Zhen Xian's capabilities, even if it was casually refined, the rank of Jin Guang Immortal Mansion would be at least Heavenly Treasure level.
Furthermore, Jin Guang Immortal Mansion was a place of opportunity. It was only right to show respect to the spirit guarding it.
Zhang Fan watched this scene calmly. Given his status, even with his current weakened strength, he would not bow to a Heavenly Treasure level spirit.
Jin Guang did not seem to mind. Instead, he said, "Being able to enter the immortal mansion does not mean you all are qualified to contend for the opportunities left by my master."
Jin Guang's gaze fell on Lin Yun as he said, "My master left these opportunities to cultivate a top-tier genius cultivator. All cultivators participating in the contention for these opportunities must at least have condensed a Grade Two Superior Golden Core. Otherwise, it would be a blasphemy to my master."
Lin Yun was somewhat surprised by this, but he didn't hesitate much. He had already condensed a Nascent Soul, and the so-called opportunities would be of little use to him. Moreover, he knew very well that with Zhang Fan present, the chances of others obtaining the opportunities were slim.
Jin Guang waved his hand, and the golden gate that had been closed slowly opened. After exchanging a greeting with Zhang Fan and Xue Jing, Lin Yun slowly walked out of the immortal mansion.
After Lin Yun left, the immortal mansion's gate closed again. This time, Jin Guang fixed his gaze on the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Formation and said, "You can withdraw this formation. Within the immortal mansion, there are its own rules, and the first rule is the prohibition of private combat."
"Those who violate this rule will die!"
As he said this, Jin Guang exuded an incredibly powerful aura, drawing upon the might of the entire immortal mansion. Under this pressure, Dao Zun and the others could not help but tremble.
Hearing Jin Guang's words, Tian Hua Zhen Jun and the others also felt relieved and withdrew the formation, revealing their true forms. However, despite Jin Guang's assurance, their gazes still held a trace of fear and reverence as they looked at Zhang Fan.
After all, without the protection of the formation, they were utterly defenseless against Zhang Fan.
After Lin Yun left, among the twelve people inside the immortal mansion, excluding Zhang Fan, the remaining eleven were all top experts who had condensed Grade Two Superior Golden Cores.
Although Zhang Fan had not condensed a Golden Core, he had already etched nine Golden Core Dao Patterns. Jin Guang, while unable to see this clearly, had vaguely sensed Zhang Fan's realm through the immortal mansion, so he said nothing to him.
"Next, I will explain the rules of this immortal mansion to everyone."
"Jin Guang Immortal Mansion has three levels, and each level has a life-or-death trial. Passing all three levels will allow one to obtain the ultimate opportunity."
"Here, I must inform you all in advance that only one person will obtain the final opportunity, and all other participants will perish in the trials."
"Therefore, I need to ask one last time: are you all certain you wish to participate in the contention for the opportunity? I will give you three breaths of time to consider."
Jin Guang's gaze swept over everyone, carrying an unyielding authority.
Dao Zun and the others exchanged glances, seeing the determination in each other's eyes. Even Tian Hua Zhen Jun did not back down at this moment. After all, outside the immortal mansion, there was a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator waiting for them.
The other nine had clearly decided to fight for this opportunity. If he retreated alone, he would still be intercepted by Lin Yun. It was better to take a gamble within the immortal mansion.
"I withdraw!"
Xue Jing stepped forward without any hesitation.
No one present seemed surprised by Xue Jing's withdrawal. After all, Xue Jing was merely Zhang Fan's subordinate. Although his strength was formidable, even a level higher than Dao Zun, in the end, only one person could obtain the final opportunity, and all other participants would die. There was no need for Xue Jing to stay in the immortal mansion and court death.
After the three breaths of time passed, apart from Xue Jing, no one else spoke. Dao Zun and the others had gone through great trouble to enter the immortal mansion. Even if the odds were slim, they were unwilling to retreat. Moreover, who could say that the strongest would always win in the contention for this opportunity?
Jin Guang nodded and waved his sleeve, and the golden gate opened again. Xue Jing nodded to Zhang Fan and slowly walked out of the immortal mansion.
As Xue Jing departed, the immortal mansion's gate slowly closed, and the atmosphere within the entire mansion became subtle.
"Trial of the First Level! Illusion!"
"Only cultivators with strong mental fortitude can go further on the path of cultivation. A strong mental state is also the foundation for becoming an unparalleled powerhouse. Therefore, in the first trial, what you need to do is break free from the illusion."
"In the first trial, attacking other trial-goers is prohibited. Those who violate this rule will die!"
"Those who fail to break free from the illusion within twenty breaths of time will die!"
As Jin Guang uttered the last word, everyone suddenly felt that the space they were in had undergone a dramatic change.
Zhang Fan felt his body shrinking infinitely, and the surrounding space expanding. Dao Zun and Tian Hua Zhen Jun disappeared from his sight, and a desert scorched by flames appeared before him.
The extremely high temperature made the space seem to distort. Zhang Fan gently wiped the sweat from his brow and suddenly felt his body gradually losing weight, sinking continuously… sinking…
The desert was about to engulf him, and Zhang Fan's eyes gradually became hazy.
Suddenly, a flash of golden light appeared before his eyes. Zhang Fan opened his eyes with a sigh. All sensations vanished, and he regained his clarity.
"It seems it's not easy to immerse oneself in this illusion."
Zhang Fan's mental fortitude was rare even among Immortal Emperors; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the courage to fight against Immortal Emperors of a hundred races.
He wanted to sink into the illusion, to understand the world of this illusion, and the state of mind of Zi Wu Zhen Xian when he left this immortal mansion. However, due to his extremely high mental state and the unyielding strength of his will, the illusion was full of flaws in his eyes, making it quite uninteresting.
Zhang Fan scanned his surroundings. At this moment, Dao Zun, Wen Hou, and the others were still struggling in the illusion. Some had contorted expressions, some appeared extremely pained, some seemed to be enjoying themselves, and some looked utterly lost… Clearly, they were all deeply trapped in the illusion.
Only Tian Hua Zhen Jun appeared much calmer. As a master of formations, his mental fortitude was considerably higher than that of other cultivators of the same level.