BZZZZ!
The entire space began to tremble.
Hong Yu suddenly felt everything around him beco ethereal and illusory.
On the Heart Path of the seventh Celestial Nether Tower, every step he had taken thus far was an assault on his mind and Soul.
It was as if devils who best understood the human heart were constantly striking those walking the Heart Path with illusions that targeted the deepest weaknesses of their souls.
For example, if a person's weakness was fear, then the Heart Path would conjure countless Illusion Realms to create feelings of terror.
Or, if a person's weakness was being soft-hearted, then weak and pitiful people or things would continuously appear on the path, evoking the challenger's pity and compassion. The mont soone's heart softened and they offered help, they would lose their qualification to continue on the Heart Path.
Hong Renjie's elimination was due to his ambition.
On the Heart Path, he saw that he only needed to kill a sufficient number of people to attain the position of Sect Leader.
And so, he killed relentlessly.
In the first hundred ters, he killed a hundred people. At two hundred ters, he killed two hundred. By the ti he reached the five hundred-ter mark, he was required to kill over ten thousand people.
Driven by ambition, he kept killing, until he himself was killed.
Eliminated, he was ejected from the Heart Path.
Feng Xue Xin's weakness was a nearly perverse pursuit of "eating."
On the Heart Path, after reaching the six hundred-ter mark, he found a Tier Nine Desolate Beast, a Sky Dominating Demon Dragon, appearing before him. Feng Xue Xin wanted to eat it, but was instead whipped to death by its tail and eliminated from the Celestial Nether Tower.
As for Hong Yu...
His mind was clear. He held no great ambition, nor did he possess a near-perverse obsession with anything.
His only weakness was Yun ngyao.
From the very beginning, through visions of Yun ngyao's injuries and pain, Hong Yu maintained his true self and passed through with ease.
But as he stepped past the six hundred-ter mark, everything in his mind turned upside down. Yun ngyao was lying on a bed, her face pale and her breathing shallow as she looked weakly at Hong Yu. Her small, delicate face held a gentle, heart-wrenching curve as she whispered, "Brother, you must live on!"
"No, you can't die! I won't let you die!"
Hong Yu said in a low, heavy voice.
Yun ngyao gently reached out to caress Hong Yu's cheek, smiling faintly. "Brother, thank you for always taking care of . I want so, so badly to stay by your side forever. But Yaoyao really can't hold on any longer. Brother, you must live on... Yaoyao can't be with you anymore, I'm sorry..."
A single, crystalline tear trickled from the corner of her eye.
The little girl's slender arm fell heavily, hanging limply at her side.
Watching Yun ngyao breathe her last, Hong Yu felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body convulsed, and it seed as though all his strength had been drained away.
Countless mories from the past several years flooded his mind.
Whenever he dragged his weary body ho, Yaoyao would always have a al ready, waiting for him with her chin propped in her hands.
Whenever he went out on a mission, she would pray day and night for his safe return.
Whenever he felt discouraged, she was always the one to flash him a serene smile, pump her little fist, and cheer in her clear voice, "Go for it, Brother!"
Every single mory was etched into his Soul, as vivid as if it had all happened yesterday.
But now... Yun ngyao lay motionless on the bed. A wave of anguish so intense washed over Hong Yu that he nearly passed out from the pain.
He collapsed heavily to his knees, clutching his head with trembling hands, his heart utterly shattered. "Why? Why... Why am I so useless? Why could I only watch as you left ? Why? WHY?" he roared hysterically, the heart-wrenching agony like invisible blades carving into his body and soul.
Powerlessness, self-bla, unwillingness, and despair.
All sorts of negative emotions bombarded Hong Yu. Waves of weakness and emptiness spread through his body like maggots burrowing into his bones.
This pain was heart-rending.
This wound pierced his very soul.
This powerlessness and self-bla were enough to drive a man mad!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Hong Yu pounded on his own chest, using the sharp, physical pain to alleviate the soul-tearing reluctance and bitterness he felt.
"Little one, if you kill a million people and offer their souls as a sacrifice, you can bring your little sister back to life. Why not give it a try?" A voice suddenly erged from the void.
The voice was sowhat hoarse, sowhat sinister.
It was like a Demonic Sound that reaped souls, compelling those who heard it to believe its words subconsciously.
'Ten million people? A sacrifice? To save Yaoyao?'
Hong Yu's eyes gradually glazed over as he mumbled, repeating the words.
"That's right, you just need to kill ten million people. With your strength, you only need to seize the position of Chief Disciple, then incite the Fengyue Kingdom to launch a war of annihilation. In less than a year, you'll surely have collected over ten million lives. Then, your Yaoyao will be resurrected. What's not to like?"
The Demonic Sound continued its seduction.
Hong Yu's consciousness was gradually being consud by the Demonic Sound. 'Seize the position of Chief Disciple, launch a war...'
He repeated it once, then twice.
His gaze gradually clouded over with confusion.
"Co, take the position of Chief Disciple and use the Sword Sect's power to start a war!"
"Start... start a war?"
Hong Yu slowly stood up, as if the Chief Disciple was right in front of him, and all he had to do was shatter that person to start his war.
However...
Just as he was about to touch the illusory figure before him, a sharp glint of light suddenly flashed through Hong Yu's bewildered eyes.
His murky gaze beca clear and transparent. The cyan pupil in his left eye contracted, shining with an unshakeable brilliance. "No! I will not be seduced by you! Even if Yaoyao truly dies, I will not use innocent lives to save her! The path I have chosen for myself will absolutely not be influenced by anyone!"
Hong Yu's slumped body gradually straightened, becoming tall and erect.
His clear eyes stared straight ahead.
He no longer saw the beguiling and confusing scene. Everything in his sight had beco a clear and open road!
'The Heart Path... the path that points directly to one's true self. So this is the real test. If you can't see your own true will, then no matter how outstanding your cultivation talent, you can only sink deeper and deeper, with no hope of passing. But once you pass the Heart Path, you can truly see the essence of your own heart. In the future, your cultivation will always be guided by your innermost self, and you will no longer be troubled by Heart Demons!'
Hong Yu let out a long sigh of relief.
The Enlightennt of the True Self didn't raise his cultivation, but it elevated his state of mind to a level where he truly understood his own heart.
This would be of imnse benefit to his future Martial Dao cultivation and comprehension.
'It seems that in the several hundred years since the Celestial Nether Tower was established, no one has ever passed the seventh one, right? Looks like I'll be the first in history to claim that title!'
Hong Yu once again strode forward with firm steps, heading toward the end of the Heart Path.
Watching the young man slowly advance on the Mirror Image Crystal Stone, the hundreds of thousands of people in the Cyan Nether Sword Sect were shrouded in a strange silence.
No one spoke. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
In the several hundred years since the Cyan Nether Sword Sect's founding, no one had ever passed the seventh Celestial Nether Tower.
In this promotion tournant, both Hong Renjie and Feng Xue Xin had reached a new, record-breaking height, which had already shocked countless experts of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect.
And now, Hong Yu was still advancing.
With this next step, he surpassed 630 ters—a height reached by the Sword Demon of old, a height no one had touched for hundreds of years.
Hong Yu, this young man who had been overlooked, had actually surpassed the Sword Demon's record.
He had opened a new chapter!
"First place in the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm, first place in the Celestial Nether Tower, Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm at sixteen, passed the Seventh Layer of the Celestial Nether Tower that no one could conquer for hundreds of years, and even comprehended True Martial Arts Intent. Th-this... just what kind of person is Hong Yu?"
"A Demon Fiend! This kid is a true Demon Fiend!"
"More than just a Demon Fiend! I think his talent is comparable to those legendary True Dragon Geniuses of the Southern Ten Nations!"
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? True Dragon Genius... there are only four such positions in the entire Southern Ten Nations Alliance. How could Hong Yu possibly be worthy?"
"Whether he's worthy of the True Dragon Genius title or not, just by comprehending True Martial Arts Intent and passing the seventh Celestial Nether Tower, he is already qualified to be the number one genius disciple in the history of our Cyan Nether Sword Sect!"
"That's right, the first in history!"
Inside the Mirror Image Array control center, more than twenty Elders had now gathered.
Every one of them stared with solemn expressions at the single remaining Mirror Image Crystal Stone, which showed the young man walking with his head held high and resolute steps toward the end of the Heart Path.
There was a ti... when, pressured by factors related to Hong Renjie, they had no choice but to selectively abandon Hong Yu.
Even after Hong Yu had taken first place in the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm, which did indeed pique the interest of many Inner Sect Elders, that interest—or rather, the strength and talent he had displayed back then—was still not enough to make the Elders determined to offend Hong Renjie for his sake.
But now, after Hong Yu revealed his True Martial Arts Intent, many of the wavering Elders had already decided to protect him.
What's more, Hong Yu had now beco the first monstrous genius in history to pass the seventh Celestial Nether Tower.
Such a performance was more than enough for the Elders to disregard Hong Renjie's threats for him.
A genius even more of a Demon Fiend than the founding ancestor, the Sword Demon—if they could support and nurture him, it would surely be the opportunity for the Cyan Nether Sword Sect to rise. If they could produce another Primordial Core Realm expert, the Cyan Nether Sword Sect's ranking among the Southern Ten Nations would leap into the top three.
Once they beca a top-three Sect, the resources they received would increase dozens, or even hundreds of tis over.
A genius like this was absolutely crucial to a Sect!
Even if it ant offending another genius disciple, it was a price they were willing to pay.
BZZZZ!
The seven Celestial Nether Towers radiated a vast and brilliant light.
Finally, Hong Yu was teleported away, returning to the Cyan Nether Main Peak.
At this very mont...
Hundreds of thousands of gazes on the main peak were fixed upon him, each one filled with fervor, excitent, and admiration.
"Hong Yu!"
Soone started the chant, and instantly, it was like a tidal wave rising from the sea, one crest after another...
"First in history, Hong Yu!"
"True Dragon Genius, Hong Yu! You are the True Dragon Genius of our Fengyue Kingdom!"
"Hong Yu, Hong Yu, I love you...!"
The roaring cheers rose and fell, deafening, like a clap of thunder on a clear day, like the evening drum and the morning bell.
Standing at the epicenter of the frenzied sound waves, Hong Yu's Heart Spirit was shaken. A cyan light flickered faintly in his eyes, and the corners of his lips curved into an enigmatic, roguish arc...
'First in history, is it? I like that!'
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