After an indeterminate period of time, Lu Yun once more returned to the entrance of the Tomb of Heaven and Earth.
He’d failed again.
The little fox and Qiu Luoyu also returned to his body at the same time. The little fox’s expression grew ever stranger while Qiu Luoyu was enormously dejected, his confidence badly shaken. He’d lost so badly! There hadn’t been any room to maneuver against the three-headed lizard.
It wasn’t just Qiu Luoyu—the old farts of the nine sacred land felt the same way. Usually smugly unrivaled, these half step sovereigns had been crushed by something on their own level. Lost and helpless expressions appeared on many a face. Some even seemed ready to stray into a cultivation deviation from the setback.
It was the weaker beings who took this problem in stride. Used to such disappointment, they set foot onto the bloody path again and again, continuously challenging the three-headed lizard.
They’d never set foot onto the peak of existence before and never considered themselves infallible. Thus, failure was nothing to them.
……
“Don’t be depressed. You’re not a sovereign yet, so it’s normal that you’re weaker than the three-headed lizard,” Lu Yun said when he noticed how glum Qiu Luoyu was. “Even a true sovereign would be defeated if they were here, to say nothing of you.”
“Oh?” Qiu Luoyu raised dim eyes.
“It’s very likely an existence that’s exceeded the chaos. That’s why it can create so many copies of itself and stand here as a test. No matter the cultivation of the challenger, it can take form with a corresponding level and do battle.” Lu Yun switched to mental transmission. “I’m a peerless immortal of the realms, so when I face the three-headed lizard, it’s also a peerless immortal.
“In its eyes, there’s no difference between a peerless immortal and your realm. We’re all ants.”
Qiu Luoyu shuddered with dread.
The old farts from the sacred lands were slowly recovering from their shock and distress. They clustered together in small groups to exchange experiences and discuss the combat arts they’d encountered.
Some realized that even when they brought out stronger combat arts, the lizard’s level of strength remained constant. Though it didn’t exhibit a commensurate increase in power, its combat arts were too strong to begin with. No matter how the challengers exerted themselves to newer heights, a one-sided beating was their only outcome.
But as time went on, fewer people returned to the tomb doors, an indication that they’d passed the lizard’s test to enter the tomb proper.
……
“What is with this tomb that we have to pass a trial before even going inside?!” Curses rose after the crowd’s latest attempt.
“Did you really think this is an ordinary tomb of a world?” sneered an old fart. “This tomb buries the great masters of that mythological world! Their realm almost swallowed the chaos and they had numerous powerhouses that shook off the shackles of this plane of existence. Even though they were destroyed, they wouldn’t want their legacy to die out!
“Their heritage is buried inside, so of course they’d set up tests and trials to find the most suitable heir!
“To the august masters who’d reached that realm, they didn’t differentiate between creatures of the chaos or the worlds. Everyone was equal in their eyes, so beings such as you and I also have the right to inherit their legacy!”
Though chaos creatures viewed the realms as cesspools and tumors, they also immensely admired that mythological world. No matter the era, the strong were always revered.
“And so what if this is a trial? Sparring with that beast brings immense benefit to us! As I stand now, I can defeat at least three of who I was before!” A creator suddenly stood up and punched the air with excitement. “This is a sacred land of training!”
This cast the situation in a new light for the crowd and no one dared give short shrift to what they were facing anymore.
……
Upon Lu Yun’s fifth return from the bloody path, the little fox didn’t come back with him. It would appear that she’d passed through the test and entered the tomb. This rather surprised him. To think that the wielder of the Tome of Life and Death would be slower than the little fox with a creation seed!
“I lost by only one move just now.” Lu Yun turned to Qiu Luoyu. “I should be able to pass through next time. How about you?”
“Don’t worry, I’m about the same.” Enormous confidence blossomed on Qiu Luoyu’s face. Round after round with the three-headed lizard had illustrated his shortcomings and flaws. He was able to adjust his mentality and root out every weakness in his current form.
“I won’t be able to lend you my strength after you head inside. Be careful that you don’t die now,” Qiu Luoyu chuckled.
“You too, make sure no one discovers who you are,” Lu Yun answered in kind.
“Hahaha, don’t you worry. I have my ways, seeing as I’ve survived from the Age of Myth until now. Those of the sacred lands will be completely taken in by me as long as the sacred clan doesn’t put in an appearance.”
Lu Yun swept a glance to the side, there were still two left from the four sacred clan representatives from earlier. Qiu Luoyu also noticed their presence and immediately stopped talking.
……
Lu Yun once again set foot on the bloody path. This time, he displayed uncommonly domineering strength and completely suppressed the three-headed lizard with his first move.
No emotion rippled over the lizard; it fought back with the initial strength and cultivation level it’d first appeared with.
Wham!
Lu Yun transformed his hand into a dragon claw and drilled a hole through the lizard, whereupon it exploded into nothingness. He heaved a long sigh of relief.
“If Little Yu had also come, she would’ve passed this a lot more quickly than me,” he murmured to himself as he stared at the bloody path. However, he was also well aware that she couldn’t possibly come here. She would expose herself as soon as she did so and be hunted down by the nine sacred lands.
Stepping forward, he continued down the path. Frigid air gradually wafted in from ahead and frost crept over the scarlet road underfoot.
Lu Yun stopped.
“This chill… it’s the cold of realm monsters!” He was ready to explode with alarm.
The horrors of realm monsters were fresh and familiar to him. If the world of that mythical age had transformed into a realm monster… likely even the six sacred palaces working together wouldn’t be able to suppress it.
It’d be nothing short of courting death if he continued forward.
“No, no wait. If the world really had transformed into a realm monster, then this tomb wouldn’t be able to hold it. This is a massive pit of lives that buries all of the souls from that world. It’s not a real tomb of heaven and earth,” he tried comforting himself with these words. Then, he took a deep breath and continued forward.
