Looking at the handsome, gentle-eyed middle-aged man before her, Luo Xiaoxiao felt an inexplicable sense of closeness.
But soon, she grew vigilant, casting aside her stray thoughts. For she knew that this man, who appeared as refined as jade, was the creator of the Great Luo Realm, a master of the dark path.
Even though it was merely an unconscious projection, a powerful expert of such caliber, even as a projection, posed a fatal threat to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"Those who can break my Nine Layers of Darkness Realm shall receive my inheritance." As the white-robed middle-aged man spoke, he waved his hand, and layers of darkness enveloped Luo Xiaoxiao. Boundless darkness, like an abyss, dragged her into its depths.
When Luo Xiaoxiao looked up again, the white-robed man's figure had become blurry, as if layers of time were superimposed between them, creating an impassable barrier.
"Darkness Realm?" Luo Xiaoxiao channeled all her mana into her palm, then fiercely pushed it forward.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
Sounds like shattering glass echoed. Two layers of the Darkness Realm were broken, transforming into a large amount of Dark Path rules that flowed into her body. Feeling the increase in Dark Path rules within her, Luo Xiaoxiao was both surprised and delighted. She had never imagined that the rules of a path could grow in such a manner.
Gazing at the layers of Darkness Realm before her, Luo Xiaoxiao quickly calmed the surging emotions within her heart. A surge of fighting spirit welled up, and she attacked again. The third layer of the Darkness Realm shattered under her fierce assault.
The first three layers of the Darkness Realm were broken with a single move, filling Luo Xiaoxiao with confidence in the trial.
From the fourth layer onwards, the difficulty increased significantly, but with some effort, she still managed to break through them layer by layer.
In nearly half an hour, she had broken through six of the nine layers of the Darkness Realm. Although her mana was depleted by more than half, Luo Xiaoxiao's fighting spirit remained high. She was astonished to discover that the Dark Path rules within her had now surpassed the four hundred thousand mark, comparable to an ordinary cultivator of the Nine Tribulations Realm.
As she joyfully attacked the seventh layer of the Darkness Realm with a full-powered palm, she saw only a ripple of space emanate from it. Her heart sank. Fortunately, she was mentally prepared and did not rush.
After all, based on the previous six layers, the difficulty of breaking through the Nine Layers of Darkness Realm was divided into three stages. The first three were the simplest, broken in one move. However, the difficulty from the fourth to the sixth layer increased significantly, consuming nearly half an hour.
The true test, she suspected, lay in the seventh to ninth layers.
A preliminary probe was enough for her to realize that breaking through the seventh layer would likely be more difficult than all the previous six combined.
"Perhaps the earlier stages were just a bonus, and this is the real test?" Luo Xiaoxiao mused. She retrieved some spirit pills from her storage artifact and ingested them, her depleted mana quickly recovering by more than half.
Having come this far, she would not give up easily. Although each strike inflicted only a minuscule amount of damage on the seventh layer of the Darkness Realm, she had gained some experience from the previous layers. The seventh layer's Darkness Realm was powerful, but without a constant supply of energy, it could still be broken with enough patience.
...
On the third level of the Great Luo Hall, a middle-aged man clad in white robes stood in the void. His gaze seemed capable of piercing all illusions and obstacles. Everything that transpired on the second level of the Great Luo Hall was clearly visible to him, including those within the stone statues.
"How peculiar. Why are the cultivators who entered the Great Luo Hall this time so... degenerate?" After remaining dormant for hundreds of thousands of years, he had seen dozens of groups of human cultivators enter this place. For the first time, he felt a sense of wonder.
Compared to the cultivators who had entered the Great Luo Hall in the past, the quality of this batch was exceptionally high.
"To be comparable to these three, perhaps only that young man named Zi Wu from back then could be considered. I wonder how far his cultivation has progressed?" The white-robed man's mind drifted to that towering figure.
"The innate divine body is truly extraordinary. At only twenty years of age, to reach such a level. If the Master were still alive, he would likely take him as a personal disciple."
"The other cultivator who cultivated a top-tier golden Nascent Soul is also remarkable. Even without the inheritance of the Divine Transformation Dao law, he has a high probability of breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage."
"As for the other one..."
The middle-aged man's gaze fell upon Zhang Fan, filling him with even greater confusion. He had adventured with his Master for over a million years and had met many Immortal Kings of the Dao Integration stage. He had never heard of anyone cultivating a white Nascent Soul.
Controlling the entire Great Luo Hall, he could clearly sense the terrifying energy contained within that white Nascent Soul, which was several times more powerful than the most top-tier golden Nascent Souls.
However, his attention was primarily focused on the innate divine body. After hundreds of thousands of years of waiting, perhaps today he could finally be free.
...
Zhang Fan walked before the stone statue but did not choose to enter it. The Dao law inheritance on the second level held no meaning for him. Even the Dao laws left by the creator of the Great Luo Realm held no appeal.
What occupied his thoughts at the moment was how to enter the third level of the Great Luo Realm.
According to the information he had acquired, in hundreds of thousands of years, only Immortal King Zi Wu had entered the third level of the Great Luo Hall.
Other cultivators, even those who had cultivated the Dark Path and entered the stone statue of the Great Luo Realm's creator, had failed to reach the third level.
"What conditions are necessary to enter?"
Immortal King Zi Wu had not divulged any information about the third level of the Great Luo Hall after entering it. Therefore, Zhang Fan was currently at a loss, without direction.
After pondering for a long time, Zhang Fan could not figure it out. He decided to put it aside and began to study the black artifacts he had obtained in the Great Luo Hall.
On the first level of the Great Luo Hall, Zhang Fan had not even bothered to snatch immortal treasures, instead collecting a large number of artifacts. This had puzzled many cultivators, who felt he had suffered a great loss.
But the more black artifacts he collected, the more Zhang Fan understood their preciousness.
With a wave of his hand, over a hundred black artifacts floated before Zhang Fan. Each black artifact represented a type of exotic beast. They attracted each other and circled, emitting a unique Dao charm that made Zhang Fan's heart palpitate.
"This is a path filled with destruction," Zhang Fan found himself immersed in it.
As time passed, many cultivators in the hall began to comprehend the profound mysteries of the Dao laws from the stone statues and entered them successively. Others, realizing they had no hope of glimpsing the Divine Transformation Dao laws, could only reluctantly withdraw.
"It's almost time. It's time to end this."
On the third level, unseen by anyone, the man gently waved his hand. Three beams of light materialized out of thin air, enveloping Zhang Fan, Luo Xiaoxiao, and Liu Mu. With a flash of light, the three figures vanished from their spots simultaneously.
"What was that?"
"Senior Zhang Fan has entered the third level of the Great Luo Hall?"
"He didn't do anything, not even accept the Dao law inheritance. Why could he enter the third level?"
The numerous cultivators were filled with astonishment. However, they could do nothing. In terms of talent and strength, they were far too inferior to Zhang Fan, making any jealousy impossible. They could only admire.
At the same time, within the stone statue of the Sword Dao inheritance, Liu Mu, who had just received the inheritance and was fully immersed in its comprehension, also disappeared from view.
Wuchen Sword Immortal, Canglan Qiuyue, and others witnessed this scene.
"Was I not chosen?" Canglan Qiuyue murmured, her heart filled with immense disappointment. She considered herself to possess exceptional talent and had comprehended the Sword Dao inheritance very quickly. She was highly confident that she could break through to the Divine Transformation stage within ten thousand years, yet she still failed to enter the third level.
...