Chapter 14: Chaotic Heart Forest (Part 2)
"Heh, entering the Chaotic Heart Forest? Can a good-for-nothing piece of trash from the Xiyan Ancient Sect actually do it?" Outside the Chaotic Heart Forest, a disciple of the Nine Saints Demon Gate sneered.
Another disciple chimed in, "When Senior Brother Xu took the assessment back in the day, he reached the fifth floor of the Chaotic Heart Forest. Now he's already at the True Fate Realm and advancing toward the Canopy Realm. Both his Dao Practice and Dao Heart are far stronger than before. In my opinion, reaching the 7th Floor will be no problem for him."
The Cultivator realms, from lowest to highest, are: Kou Palace, Territorial Expansion, Yunting Body, Pigong, Vigorous Longevity, True Destiny, Canopy, Nirvana Bathing, Celestial Essence, and Nurturing God...
When one achieves true invincibility and shoulders the Celestial Mandate, they become an Immortal Emperor.
No one in this world has ever heard of a true Immortal, let alone an Emperor who rules over them. But there is a saying in this world: My fate is my own, not for the heavens to decide!
There is but one Celestial Mandate, and only Immortals can seize it. Therefore, when a Cultivator reaches the pinnacle of invincibility, their ultimate pursuit is to seize the Celestial Mandate for themselves, shouldering it to truly reach a state where their fate is their own, not for the heavens to decide!
Only an Immortal can seize the Celestial Mandate, and an Emperor possesses immense longevity. Thus, an Immortal Emperor is an immortal being with eternal life who can shoulder the Celestial Mandate! Whether Immortal Emperors are truly undying, however, has remained a mystery to this day.
Furthermore, in any given era, the Celestial Mandate is unique. This means that in any given era, only one being can become the Immortal Emperor.
At this moment, countless disciples of the Nine Saints Demon Gate were gathered outside the Chaotic Heart Forest, all discussing the matter. In everyone's eyes, Li Qiye was no match at all for this aptitude test!
"Someone who only cultivates Martial Techniques doesn't even possess a Dao Heart. How could he possibly talk about entering the Chaotic Heart Forest?" someone said with a sneer.
The Chaotic Heart Forest was a place where the Nine Saints Demon Gate tested their disciples' talent, innate comprehension, and Dao Heart. And of these, the most important was the Dao Heart!
The Chaotic Heart Forest had fourteen floors in total. The vast forest didn't look much different from an ordinary one, but it was personally created by the Primordial Ancestor of the Nine Saints Demon Gate, the Nine Saints Great Sage.
Once one stepped into the Chaotic Heart Forest, illusions would manifest. These illusions were as real as reality itself; even a discerning eye couldn't see through them. Unless you were more powerful than the Nine Saints Great Sage was back in his time, the illusions generated here were indistinguishable from reality!
For example, upon entering the Chaotic Heart Forest, you might experience the illusion of being in a sea of fire. You would feel as if you were truly there, your entire body burning, and you would clearly and intensely feel the pain. The deeper you went, the more intense the pain would become.
Of course, during this process, you could use a Cultivation Technique to resist the pain, or even execute an Unparalleled Skill to block the powerful immolation. However, none of this would guarantee passage through the entire Chaotic Heart Forest. Unless you were stronger than the Nine Saints Great Sage, you could not use a Cultivation Technique to completely block the illusion and pass straight through.
"You go first, you ignorant brat!" Outside the Chaotic Heart Forest, Xu Hui sneered and spoke to Li Qiye with disdain. When it came to this aptitude test, he was filled with incomparable confidence. He was certain that reaching the eighth floor of the Chaotic Heart Forest would be absolutely no problem for him!
Looking at the Chaotic Heart Forest, Li Qiye couldn't help but smirk. 'The Chaotic Heart Forest... Old Man Chicken Head personally created this back in the day. It's definitely a place that tests one's Dao Heart.'
"Me?" Li Qiye said slowly. "A place like the Chaotic Heart Forest is no challenge for me at all. If I go first, I'm afraid you won't even get a chance to perform. You go ahead. It'll save you from saying I didn't give you a chance."
Li Qiye was spouting arrogant nonsense again, making Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun wish they could seal his mouth shut. 'Could you die from bragging a little less? All you do all day is boast!'
"Ignorant fool!" Guardian Xu snorted coldly. "A piece of trash who doesn't even know what a Dao Heart is dares to make such shameless boasts!"
Xu Hui trembled with anger. A good-for-nothing with a Mortal Body dared to look down on him like this! He laughed in his fury and said, "Fine, fine! Such big talk! I'd like to see just how many floors you can clear!"
"How many floors? That's not challenging at all. Passing through all fourteen floors is no big deal," Li Qiye said unhurriedly. "That's why I'm letting you go first. I wouldn't want to crush your confidence too badly!"
"Pah—" Countless disciples of the Nine Saints Demon Gate couldn't stand Li Qiye's outrageous words. One of them said coldly, "Are all people from the Xiyan Ancient Sect this shameless? Your boasts don't even have a draft!"
Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun were so embarrassed they didn't know where to look. They truly wanted to just abandon Li Qiye right there. His boasting was getting more and more absurd. They knew the Nine Saints Demon Gate's Chaotic Heart Forest all too well. Reaching the 7th Floor was already an incredible feat. For a disciple of the younger generation, reaching the 7th Floor meant you either had an extremely firm Dao Heart or a very high Dao Practice!
Even Yu He, the Chief Guardian, couldn't help but shake his head. 'How could the Xiyan Ancient Sect possibly take such a character as their Chief Disciple? Passing through all fourteen floors of the Chaotic Heart Forest? That's boasting big enough to break the heavens. Even I don't have the power to pass through all fourteen floors.'
"Fourteen floors?" Xu Hui burst out laughing. He looked at Li Qiye and said mockingly, "If you can pass through fourteen floors, I'll call you my dad!"
"I don't have an unfilial son like you!" Li Qiye replied serenely, glancing at Xu Hui with leisurely composure.
Having lost his composure and been verbally bested by Li Qiye, Xu Hui flew into a rage. His gaze turned chillingly cold as he stared at Li Qiye and said, "Fine! Since you're so full of yourself, do you dare make a bet with me?"
"A bet? What are we betting?" Li Qiye asked with a smile.
Xu Hui sneered and said sinisterly, "If you can pass through all fourteen floors, I will admit defeat! If you can't, you will kneel and crawl between my legs!"
A bet like this from Xu Hui made Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun's expressions change. This was no longer just an assessment; it was a veiled attempt to humiliate not only Li Qiye but the entire Xiyan Ancient Sect. But they could only shake their heads helplessly. This was a humiliation Li Qiye had brought upon himself!
"And if I do pass through all fourteen floors? Will you be crawling between my legs then?" Li Qiye asked with a faint smile, shooting him a sideways glance.
"You—" Goaded by Li Qiye, Xu Hui's face flushed with anger.
"If you pass through fourteen floors, he will kneel and crawl between your legs! If you can't, you will crawl between his!" Guardian Xu interjected coldly. Li Qiye had killed Du Yuanguang, and he wished he could kill Li Qiye with his own hands. Since he couldn't kill him now, thoroughly humiliating him would be the next best thing!
Li Qiye glanced at Guardian Xu, then nodded seriously and said, "Fine. Since you're so eager to bet, I agree!"
"Senior Brother Xu, teach him a lesson! Take the bet!" the Nine Saints Demon Gate disciples clamored.
Xu Hui shot Li Qiye a sinister glare and said grimly, "I'll be waiting for you to crawl between my legs!" With that, he turned and strode into the Chaotic Heart Forest.
"Heh, the Xiyan Ancient Sect is going to lose all face this time. Their Chief Disciple is going to crawl between Senior Brother Xu's legs!" a disciple from the Nine Saints Demon Gate said with a strange laugh.
Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun both turned their faces away, unable to watch. It would be a miracle if Li Qiye could even defeat Xu Hui, let alone pass through all fourteen floors of the Chaotic Heart Forest. That was simply a fairy tale! They wished they could leave right now. If Li Qiye really did end up kneeling and crawling between Xu Hui's legs, the Xiyan Ancient Sect's face would truly be lost completely.
At this point, Guardian Mo couldn't help but resent Li Qiye, wishing he could teach him a harsh lesson!
The moment Xu Hui stepped into the Chaotic Heart Forest, his vision went black. He found himself in a vast Ghost Realm. Across the sprawling land, Ghost Qi surged to the heavens, and the squeaking of white bones filled the air as corpses clawed their way out of the dirt.
Xu Hui took a deep breath, activated his Cultivation Technique, and fortified his Dao Heart. Ignoring the Ghost Realm, he slowly walked deeper inside.
"The first floor—" Outside, everyone stared intently at Xu Hui in the Chaotic Heart Forest. As expected, he passed through the first floor with ease.
"The second floor— the third floor—" Xu Hui was indeed impressive. Both his Dao Practice and Dao Heart were outstanding, and he passed through the third floor with great speed.
His speed began to slow on the fourth floor, as vicious, skeletal ghosts from the Ghost Realm began to attack him. At first, he could ignore them, but after having his arm torn off several times, the pain made him scream, and he instinctively fought back!
"OPEN—" By the fifth floor, Xu Hui was completely trapped in the Ghost Realm. With a furious roar, he summoned his treasures. A Divine Sword shot toward the sky as he spat out a True Artifact. The True Artifact unleashed streams of Law that swept through the surroundings.
A Life Wheel appeared behind Xu Hui's head, and his Blood Qi billowed to the heavens. He unleashed an Unrivaled Law and charged through in a single, powerful push.
"Senior Brother Xu actually cultivated the Great Sage Destiny Technique, the 'Slaughter Sword Technique'!" Seeing Xu Hui use such a tyrannical Cultivation Technique to fight his way through the fifth floor of the Chaotic Heart Forest, the disciples of the Nine Saints Demon Gate were both envious and amazed.
Among Cultivation Techniques, there is a distinction between Longevity Techniques and Life Techniques, and there are also Body Techniques! Life Techniques are primarily for offense and slaughter, and this is especially true for a Great Sage Level Cultivation Technique left behind by the Nine Saints Great Sage—it is even more powerful!
Watching Xu Hui fight his way past the fifth floor, Li Qiye gently shook his head. 'Chaotic Heart Forest, Chaotic Heart Forest... the name itself says it all. It's about a chaotic heart. To use a Cultivation Technique to fight your way through is to completely miss the point! When the Nine Saints Great Sage established the Chaotic Heart Forest back then, his purpose was to temper the Dao Hearts of his disciples!'
"The 7th Floor—" At last, Xu Hui fought his way into the 7th Floor. His performance amazed the countless watching disciples.
Even Guardian Xu was very pleased. As his disciple, Xu Hui was indeed his pride. Although Xu Hui's talent was far from comparable to that of Princess Li Shuangyan, and his Dao Practice was far inferior to the chief disciple Leng Chengfeng's, for him to have achieved so much today... as his master, Guardian Xu was already very satisfied.
BANG— Just as Xu Hui fought his way a short distance into the 7th Floor, he could no longer hold on. Unable to withstand the power of the Chaotic Heart Forest, he was suddenly ejected from it.
"So close!" Disoriented from his experience, it took a long while for Xu Hui to come to his senses. He couldn't help but let out a howl. He had thought he could reach the eighth floor, but he never expected to only make it into the seventh. He had still underestimated the power of the Chaotic Heart Forest.