Chapter 529 - 504: The Cycle of Cultivation

The vortex on the statue spun wildly, giving birth to a terrifying devouring force.

This devouring force was unbelievably strong; even with Lu Yan’s abilities, he could not resist it. Dragged by the force, he rushed toward the statue and was swallowed into the vortex, disappearing without a trace.

A sense of dizziness came over him, and Lu Yan felt as if he had passed through a space barrier and entered another space.

The next moment, the sensation of solid ground under his feet returned, and Lu Yan found himself standing on a flat surface.

Ahead, the mist was thick and ethereal, greatly hindering his vision.

The Leopard True Beast lay in wait just ahead, glaring maliciously at Lu Yan with its dark red teeth bared, and said, "Kid, since I’ve brought you into the ’Sunken Ship Abyss,’ you might as well give up any hope of leaving for the rest of your life, hahaha."

"You can talk?"

Lu Yan was taken aback.

"Of course, I can talk. I’m a True Beast, what’s so hard about talking?"

The Leopard True Beast said coldly.

Lu Yan smiled.

Indeed, the opponent was a True Beast and, moreover, of the Immortal Eighth Layer. Transforming into human form was an easy task for it, so speaking should be no challenge.

It’s just that True Beasts always pursue their ’True Self’ and do not wish to transform into human form.

"What place is this?"

Lu Yan asked.

"This is a dead end, there’s no escape. Just wait for your death. With you accompanying me in death, I can rest in peace,"

the Leopard True Beast sneered.

Lu Yan frowned and looked around.

Behind him was also a statue, very similar to the one in the valley.

Lu Yan walked over, slowly approaching the statue, shrouded in Pure Light and ready to defend himself.

But the statue did not react at all.

Lu Yan continued to approach, stopping mere meters away from the statue, but still, there was no reaction.

Lu Yan waved his hand, and an Immortal Treasure flew toward the statue.

When the Immortal Treasure touched the statue, there was no response either.

No vortex formed, and the Immortal Treasure did not disappear.

The statue was just an ordinary statue, without any anomalies.

Lu Yan walked up and touched the statue with his hand, again, without any reaction.

"Stop trying; this statue is indeed a Space Door, but there is no exit. You won’t be able to leave,"

the Leopard True Beast scoffed.

Lu Yan ignored it, channeling the Immortal Power and pounding it into the statue, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, causing not the slightest ripple.

Lu Yan released his soul power, to no avail.

Boom!

Finally, Lu Yan burst forth, delivering a punch to the statue.

His punch could shatter a mountain, yet it had no effect on the statue, which remained completely still.

Lu Yan unleashed all his strength and employed his Thunder Sword, but to no avail.

Lu Yan refused to give up and instead examined the area surrounding the statue.

On both sides of the statue was pitch-black chaos, comprised of powerful spatial barriers.

Lu Yan used all his might to strike at the spatial barriers, but regrettably, with his cultivation level, he was far from strong enough to break through.

"Hahaha, I told you there’s no way out of this place. Don’t even think about leaving,"

the Leopard True Beast took the opportunity to taunt him.

Lu Yan’s eyes flickered with a cold, murderous intent as he stared at the Leopard True Beast and said, "If I cannot leave, then I’ll kill you and feast on your flesh first."

Swish!

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Lu Yan charged at the Leopard True Beast, swinging his sword to kill.

The Leopard True Beast’s fur stood on end, not willing to die without a fight. With patterns swirling around its legs, it fiercely fought back.

Unfortunately, the True Beast’s strength was not even on par with Bian Yi’s; apart from its speed, its overall capability was inferior, naturally no match for Lu Yan.

After just a few moves, the Leopard True Beast was covered in wounds and Lu Yan punched it on the head, leaving it dazed as if drunken, staggering and then collapsing onto the ground.

Lu Yan placed the Thunder Sword on the neck of the Leopard True Beast and said coldly, "I’ll ask, and you’ll answer. Otherwise, I’ll chop off your leg first and roast it right in front of you..."

"You..."

The Leopard True Beast glared at Lu Yan, but upon seeing his icy gaze, it involuntarily swallowed its fierce retort.

It was not afraid to die, and it had braced itself for just that. Yet the thought of Lu Yan eating its flesh in front of it filled it with an indescribable dread.

That would be even more agonizing than death itself.

"You say there is no way out of here. Is that true? If you dare to tell a single lie, prepare to become roast meat,"

Lu Yan said coldly.

"For someone like you, it’s true that there is no exit here,"

the Leopard True Beast said.

"For ’someone like me’? What do you mean? Does it mean that for some people, there is a way out?"

Lu Yan caught the implication in the Leopard True Beast’s words.

"The Innate Magic Realm was once a trial ground for the disciples of the Innate Magic Sect, and this place, known as the ’Sunken Ship Abyss,’ signifies a commitment to trial by ordeal,"

the Leopard True Beast explained.

"What do you mean? Explain clearly,"

Lu Yan demanded coldly.

The Leopard True Beast, filled with resentment and wishing to lash out but fearing retaliation, held back and continued, "This place was originally intended to test those disciples of the Innate Magic Sect who had great resolve and determination."

"Beside the abyss ahead, there is a Formation. Within the Formation lies a mysterious Doctrine. The disciples of the Innate Magic Sect could enter the Formation to comprehend its Doctrine, but they only had one year. If they failed to understand it within that time, the Formation would activate and refine the disciples inside to death."

"Sunken Ship Abyss signifies the resolve of burning one’s boats, where some disciples of the Innate Magic Sect use this extreme method to stimulate their own potential, achieving nobility in success or honor in death."

Lu Yan was speechless; this method was indeed extreme, as if life and death were mere child’s play.

"What if one could comprehend it successfully within a year?"

Lu Yan asked.

Accompanied by the Leopard True Beast, he walked forward.

Ahead, there lay an abyss, bottomless and of indeterminate length.

Gazing into the abyss, enveloped in mist, its true contents were obscured, unknown what lay ahead.

An avatar of Martial Arts sprang from Lu Yan’s body, darting forward, attempting to cross the abyss.

However, the moment it rushed out into the abyss, it was devoured by a terrifying force, and in the blink of an eye, Lu Yan lost all sense of his martial arts avatar.

The Leopard True Beast, seeing that Lu Yan hadn’t sent his true body to probe, felt secretly disappointed. It replied, "If one can comprehend within a year, a bridge shall extend, carrying the comprehender across the abyss to the other side."

"However, let me tell you, this trial consists of seven stages. Only by passing through all seven can one reach the very front and find the exit."

The Leopard True Beast said.

"Seven stages, eh?"

Lu Yan’s gaze followed along the abyss’s stretch and looked forward.

There, a platform jutted out, upon which stood a stele.

That must be the place for comprehension.

Shua shua shua...

Lu Yan reached out and pressed thirty-six points on the Leopard True Beast’s body, sealing its cultivation level.

The reason for not killing it was that, aside from the two of them, there were no other creatures present.

If he were to kill it, and later had questions, there would be ’no one’ to answer them.

After sealing the Leopard True Beast, Lu Yan stepped onto the platform.

All around the platform, mysterious runes were etched, forming a fearsome formation.

But the formation, while it did not activate, was flickering with a faint luster.

"Logically speaking, the Innate Magic Sect was annihilated countless years ago, likely during the last decline of cultivation when the Origin and the starry sky had their decisive battle. After so many years, for the formation to remain intact, the one who set it up must have had an unimaginably high level of cultivation," Lu Yan pondered quietly.

Cultivation was like reincarnation.

In the vast starry sky, every so often, there would come a decline of cultivation, where no creature could cultivate.

The whole world, except for Origin Continent, would be void of cultivation.

During these times, the creatures of Origin Continent and the vast starry space would inevitably wage earth-shattering wars over habitats.

With every war, the world’s structure would undergo major changes.

New powers would rise, and old ones would fall.

Thus, after a long period of time, the vast starry sky would revive once more, becoming capable of cultivation again, and due to the long period of quiescence, countless treasures of heaven and earth would emerge upon revival.

Then, some creatures from Origin Continent would step out and enter the vast starry space to establish sects and spread their doctrines, and various powers would spring up like bamboo shoots after a rain.

Another glorious era would arrive once more.

And then, after eons passed, the starry sky would face another decline of cultivation...

Over and over again, cycle after cycle.

The Innate Magic Sect was one that perished in the previous cycle of cultivation decline.

Lu Yan’s gaze fell on the stele.

The stele bore complex patterns, intertwined.

These were not formation patterns but some kind of Tao Seals, with no discernible pattern. At first glance, they seemed a tangled mess with no clear direction.

Lu Yan activated his Tao Soul Pupil and stared at the stele.

Through the eyes of the Tao Soul Pupil, these chaotic lines seemed to come to life, emerging from the stele, dancing in the air before gradually transforming into a special Immortality Skill.

Lu Yan watched intently, his mind already deducing.

A day later.

Suddenly, Lu Yan struck out, his fingers like swords weaving through the air, leaving trails of sword marks in their wake.

The sword marks became more numerous until there were hundreds of swordfish swimming unpredictably through the air.

The stele suddenly burst into light.

On the platform, a bridge of light sprang forth, extending forward and piercing through the dense mist.

It was done.

Lu Yan smiled.

Next to the abyss, the Leopard True Beast stared agape and dumbfounded.

One day.

To think that he had managed to comprehend the methods of the first platform in just one day—what kind of freak was this?

What a cruel fate that it had met such an abnormal creature.

Was it not even possible to meet death together with him?

"No, this is just the first stage, the least difficult. The challenge will only intensify, becoming harder with each subsequent stage. Perhaps he was just lucky that the methods of the first stage were his forte, allowing him to comprehend it so swiftly."

"Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, to comprehend the first stage in a day, it’s unheard of."

The Leopard True Beast secretly surmised, fostering a glimmer of hope.

"You, come up here, try this bridge."

Lu Yan’s gaze shifted toward the Leopard True Beast.

"This guy is really cautious."

The Leopard True Beast, grinding its teeth in frustration, had no choice but to comply and stepped onto the bridge of light.

With his Immortal Power, Lu Yan bound the Leopard True Beast and, seeing no abnormalities as it walked on, followed it up and stepped forward.