The air was thick with tension, spiritual energy coiling like storm clouds as Mo Tianji’s killing intent locked onto Bai Zihan.
Although Bai Zihan was able to land a solid counterattack on Mo Tianji, no one thought that Mo Tianji would lose if the two fought seriously.
Bai Ming and other Bai Clan members also got prepared to respond, staying on their highest alert, determined not to get caught off guard like earlier.
But just as Mo Tianji’s Qi surged to its peak—
CRACK!
A deep rumbling echoed through the ruins.
Everyone froze.
BOOM!
A massive gate, which no one could even move before, suddenly burst open.
The silence shattered.
“It’s open!”
Someone yelled.
“There is certainly treasure there!”
“Quick! Go inside!”
In an instant, the standoff dissolved. Everyone’s attention snapped toward the gate.
Like a dam breaking, the crowd surged forward in a mad dash—disciples from prestigious sects, rogue cultivators, princes and princesses—all throwing caution to the wind as they raced to be the first ones inside.
Even Dugu Lianxin, who had been fighting with Bai Xueqing, vanished through the door in a streak of light.
“I will take care of you later!”
Dugu Lianxin declared.
Mo Tianji’s body tensed as he watched Dugu Lianxin disappear. His gaze flicked between the gate and Bai Zihan.
He was clearly torn. His fingers twitched, Qi still wrapped around his fists.
He could crush Bai Zihan here and now.
It would be messy. Maybe take a few minutes. Maybe longer. But he could do it.
However—
If he stayed behind, Dugu Lianxin could reach the inheritance first.
And just like how the Royal Family wanted to select the heir through this Inheritance, this was the battlefield to decide the next leader of the Demonic Sects.
Mo Tianji’s only competitor was Dugu Lianxin, who he recognized to have similar power, though he still thought he was stronger.
Anyway, if he wasted time killing Bai Zihan, he might lose the very thing he came for.
“Tch!”
Mo Tianji’s expression twisted in frustration before he scoffed and stepped back, the killing intent around him receding like a tide.
“You’re lucky!”
He spat, glaring at Bai Zihan.
“But this isn’t over!”
Mo Tianji declared.
With a flash, he disappeared into the gate as well.
Bai Zihan didn’t even flinch.
“What an idiot!”
Bai Zihan said.
He didn’t fear Mo Tianji and could have even prevent him from leaving.
But he also wasn’t stupid enough to waste energy fighting when the main event had just begun.
The Li-Zhao alliance also quickly changed pace and rushed to the gate.
Though it wasn’t just the gate opening that changed Zhao Chen’s mind—it was Bai Zihan’s power, which he hadn’t anticipated.
With so many variables, he knew that focusing on the Inheritance would be better.
Additionally, if he could get the Inheritance of this place, even a Heaven-Grade Artifact might be valueless in comparison.
“Let’s go!”
Bai Zihan also commanded.
With that, Bai Zihan and the Bai Clan also joined the others and entered the gate.
***
Inside the gate, the roaring chaos of the outside world vanished in an instant.
There was no sky.
No walls.
Only a vast, endless expanse of white.
White floors stretched out in every direction, pristine and spotless, like glass or polished jade.
The space felt endless, like they were standing atop the clouds of the heavens, isolated from time itself.
Then—
Once everyone was inside.
BOOM!
The gate behind them slammed shut with a deafening finality, sealing everyone in.
“No way back… Are we trapped?”
Someone muttered pessimistically.
But no one there really thought about leaving, not until they get something from this place.
Everyone was confused and a little disappointed since there was nothing in here that they thought there would be.
Not to mention that the gate itself closed, so now they couldn’t even go back.
With nothing in sight, the situation seemed to be heading toward the same development as earlier—where people who hated each other and had grudges would begin fighting.
Mo Tianji already seemed to be thinking about continuing his revenge for his earlier humiliation.
Before anyone could do anything—
Light gathered in the center of the space, swirling like silver mist coiling into shape.
Then, a figure emerged.
A woman!
She floated above the ground, draped in flowing robes that shimmered like moonlight, hair long and white, eyes like twin galaxies—vast and deep.
Her beauty was impossible to describe, ethereal and otherworldly, but it was certain that she wasn’t a living being.
It seemed most likely to be the remnant soul of whoever this Ancient Ruin belonged to.
Everyone fell silent.
Even Mo Tianji clenched his fists and stood still as pressure mounted on them and made them feel like bowing to her.
Anyone could tell that whoever this soul belonged to used to be a peerless expert, since even her remnant soul gave off such powerful pressure.
The woman’s gaze swept across them—not with interest, but indifference, like one might examine a group of mortals standing before a god.
“Welcome!”
She spoke, her voice echoing through the space.
“I see confusion on your faces,” she continued, her expression calm, emotionless.
“You wonder what this place is. Why you were brought here?”
She paused, then extended a slender hand.
“You stand in the trial ground of the Immortal Emperor Feilian!”
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
Immortal Emperor!
That title wasn’t just legend—it was myth, fairy tale, impossibility.
A realm spoken of in reverent whispers, said to transcend even the highest mortal cultivation.
A level of existence beyond life and death, said to live forever.
They said one who reached it could split the skies with a thought.
That such a person could never truly die.
But for tens of thousands of years, no one had ever reached it. No records. No proof. Not even a remnant left behind.
Most dismissed it as delusion—a pretty story told to wide-eyed cultivators, something impossible for anyone to reach, at least in this world.
“This place is a test,” Feilian’s voice echoed.
A cold, invisible pressure swept across the white expanse as her tone turned sharper.
“To find a successor!”
Shock turned to madness.
“To inherit my path. My legacy. My throne. The one who passes my trials will not only gain my power, but step beyond the mortal Dao—to become the next Immortal Emperor.”
Gasps turned to open-mouthed stares.
Mo Tianji’s eyes burned with fanatical greed.
Dugu Lianxin’s smirk deepened, but even she clenched her fists, unable to hide her hunger.
Zhao Chen’s lips parted. He didn’t speak—but the flicker of madness in his gaze said enough.
Even the normally composed Bai Zihan showed a flicker of surprise before the usual calm returned to his face.
(Immortal Emperor’s Inheritance. Certainly seems like it’s going to be a big deal.)
The woman—no, the leftover soul of Feilian—swept her gaze across them all.
“In this realm, your bloodlines mean nothing. Your titles mean nothing. I only care about your fate. If your fate is to be my successor, you shall be one!”
Although they didn’t really grasp the concept of fate, they all knew that as long as one possessed strength and talent, they could obtain the Inheritance.
So, basically, it was a test to find the most suitable person among the group of cultivators and determine the one to inherit the Immortal Emperor’s legacy.
At least, that was their own conclusion as they continued listening intently to what the remnant of the soul had to say.
“You will undergo trials,” she said coldly.
“Each one crafted to crush your soul, strip away your weakness, and expose the core of who you are.”
Her voice echoed like a blade drawn across glass.
“Whoever shall go through all the trials and reach the end will be the one to receive my inheritance,”
She declared.
Only one shall stand at the end.
Only one shall inherit the path.
The air pulsed with raw greed and feverish anticipation.
They knew it would become a race against each other, all getting ready to storm off as soon as possible.
The moment the word Immortal Emperor echoed through the space, everything changed.
Their determination to inherit it became their only goal—and perhaps, even if they were asked to kill their companions, they might do it if it meant gaining the inheritance.
After all, an Immortal Emperor could rule this world—and perhaps live for eternity.
Who wouldn’t want that?
Isn’t a few sacrifices worth it?
It was definitely worth it, especially since every one of them was a cultivator and understood the significance of it.
“Let the trial begin!”
The floor beneath them pulsed—sigils of ancient power flaring to life in blinding gold.
Then a path appears, definitely meant to take them to the next floor.
Having listened to the explanation, everyone knew that the one to reach it first would get the inheritance.
So, no one wasted time.
“I will get the inheritance!”
“Immortal Emperor… Hehe! I will rule this world!”
“Get out of my way!”
…
Everyone bolted toward the newly revealed path without hesitation.
But could the trial really be that simple?