Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 236: Test of the Battle Soul Begins

Fang Hao slumped at the edge of the cold hall, feeling as if every bone in his body had been dismantled and reassembled, making him wince in pain.

While circulating the Chaos Derivation Art to absorb the power of the Medicinal Pill and heal his injuries, he kept his eyes locked on the changes in the arena.

A massive dark golden light barrier, like an overturned bowl, firmly protected the central high platform and a small portion of the giant statue. Runes flowed across the surface of the barrier, emitting a heart-palpitating wave of destruction.

That terrifying force field from before, which had easily crushed a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, was now contained within this light barrier; judging by its might, a Nascent Soul Cultivator trying to force their way in would likely lose a layer of skin.

Ghost Bone Superior climbed up from the ground, covered in dirt and looking disheveled, his aura fluctuating wildly; he had clearly been hit hard by that dark golden force field impact just moments ago.

He stared intently at the scene inside the light barrier, especially the fully unfurled ancient scroll and the suddenly brightened remnant incense. In his sallow green eye sockets, a mixture of greed, anger, and dread intertwined.

However, he did not rashly attack the light barrier again, clearly still shaken by what had just happened.

"You little bastard! Look what you’ve done!" Ghost Bone Superior turned his head, his gaze shooting toward Fang Hao like a poisonous thorn. His voice was even hoarser and harsher due to his anger and injuries. "How dare you trigger the Restriction here! Do you think that just because you’re hiding inside, this seat cannot deal with you?"

Fang Hao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and chuckled, though it looked worse than crying. "Senior, you jest. This Junior was merely protecting himself. Now that this light barrier is blocking the way, you can’t get in, and I can’t get out. Shall we... call it even?"

"Call it even?" Ghost Bone Superior let out a shrill laugh like a night owl. "If this seat wants to kill you, why would I need to go in? Once the energy of this Restriction is exhausted, or once I find a flaw, that will be your death day! Do you think you can stay in there forever?"

Fang Hao’s heart sank. Ghost Bone Superior was right; while this light barrier was powerful, it was clearly a temporary defense activated by the fragments and could not be maintained indefinitely.

Furthermore, this old ghost was a Nascent Soul Cultivator with numerous methods. If he were to truly find a way to break the formation, or patiently wait for the light barrier’s energy to run out, he would be dead for sure. He had to find a way to survive while protected by this light barrier, or... obtain the Legacy inside and increase his strength!

He cast his gaze toward the high platform once more. The scroll was fully unfurled, floating in mid-air. The ancient dark red characters on it seemed to come alive, emitting a strange luster against the backdrop of the faint blue crystal light and the dark golden light barrier.

The tip of the remnant incense was bright, emitting a strange, faint fragrance that was refreshing yet carried a savage Battle Intent. Inhaling it into his body actually eased his churning Qi and blood, alleviated some of his pain, and invigorated his spirit.

"This incense... is not simple!" Fang Hao’s heart stirred. He looked again at the "star evolution plate" in his hand. The compass needle was pointed firmly at the scroll, and starlight flowed, seemingly forming a subtle resonance between the plate, the scroll, and the remnant incense.

That’s it! The "star evolution plate" pointed to the scroll, the fragments activated the defense, perhaps... to obtain the Legacy, one needs to use the "star evolution plate" to read this scroll?

He took a deep breath, forced himself to stand up, and carefully walked a few steps toward the high platform. He dared not get too close and stopped at the inner edge of the high platform’s dark golden light barrier, still seven or eight zhang away from the scroll and the remnant incense.

At this distance, he should not be attacked by the Restriction (after all, he was still inside the light barrier), and he could barely make out the characters on the scroll.

He attempted to inject spiritual power into the "star evolution plate" and then aimed the compass at the floating ancient scroll.

Hum—!

The "star evolution plate" shone brilliantly, and starlight, like mercury pouring onto the ground, flowed out and shone upon the scroll. Under the illumination of the starlight, the dark red characters on the scroll seemed to be ignited, each one lighting up with a faint red glow!

Immediately after, a scene that left both Fang Hao and Ghost Bone Superior outside dumbfounded occurred!

Those illuminated dark red characters actually detached from the scroll, like living spirits, and under the guidance of the starlight, flew toward the "star evolution plate" in Fang Hao’s hand, and then... merged into the central area of the compass!

At the same time, a massive, chaotic torrent of consciousness, yet containing a certain supreme, strongest, heaven-fighting will, forcibly rushed into his Sea of Consciousness along the connection between the "star evolution plate" and Fang Hao’s mind!

"Ugh, ah—!" Fang Hao let out a painful groan, feeling as if his head were about to explode! Countless images, sounds, and fragments of consciousness, like a dam bursting, rushed in frantically!

He "saw" that in the prehistoric era, even more ancient than antiquity, the world was just beginning to open, and Chaos was yet unclear.

A group of giants, tall in stature, born with infinite strength, capable of wrestling with wild beasts and fighting against heaven and earth for survival, led by their leader "Zhan", worked hard to open up their homeland.

They revered power, believed in the war soul, and lived by hunting and fighting. They called themselves—the people of the "War" clan.

He "saw" that among the people of the "War" clan, a peerless Prodigy was born. He observed the movement of the stars, realized the true meaning of power, and created a supreme Body Refining Cultivation Technique that pointed directly to the Origin of the Physical Body and the limit of strength—the "War Heaven Scripture"!

And based on this, combined with star essence gold, he forged a divine axe capable of splitting heaven and earth—the "battle heaven axe"!

Wielding this axe, this Prodigy named "Xing" led the clan to conquer in all directions, defeating countless powerful enemies, pushing the people of the "War" clan to the Peak of glory, shaking the eight wildernesses, and the clan was officially renamed—the "War Heaven Clan"!

He "saw" that prosperity leads to decline. The power of the "War Heaven Clan" aroused the fear of certain indescribable existences.

A world-destroying war that swept across the entire Cangxuan Continent broke out. The "War Heaven Clan" bore the brunt of it. Clan Chief "Xing", holding the "battle heaven axe", fought a bloody battle in the firmament against terrifying enemies, but was ultimately defeated. The divine axe shattered into nine pieces and scattered in all directions.

Clan Chief "Xing" died fighting, most of the "War Heaven Clan" elites fell, and the remaining clansmen took some of the Legacy and treasures, fled into the Void Realm, and opened up this "War Heaven Secret Realm" as their final refuge and place of Legacy, and then... disappeared completely into the long river of history.

He "saw" the rules of the Legacy. To obtain the true transmission of the "War Heaven Scripture", one must collect at least three fragments of the "battle heaven axe", use the "star evolution plate" as a guide, light the "war soul incense", and accept the "war soul" trial.

If the trial is passed, one can obtain the Legacy of the foundation Chapter of the "War Heaven Scripture", and be qualified to search for the remaining fragments to obtain the subsequent Cultivation Technique and the method to reforge the "battle heaven axe". If the trial fails, the Divine Soul will be devoured by the "war soul incense" and turned into nutrients for the Legacy.

Finally, a specific piece of information regarding the incantation on how to trigger the "war soul incense" for the trial flooded into Fang Hao’s mind.

The torrent of information came quickly and went just as fast. When Fang Hao barely digested this information and regained consciousness, he found himself still standing in the same place. The light of the "star evolution plate" in his hand had faded, but in the central area, there were now some tiny, star-like flickering dark red dots, arranged and combined, vaguely forming the beginning part of a Cultivation Technique—it was exactly the beginning of the foundation Chapter of the "War Heaven Scripture"!

As for the floating ancient scroll, after the characters flew into the "star evolution plate", it had become blank and slowly drifted to the ground. The remnant incense on the high platform—the "war soul incense"—was burning more vigorously, its flame stable, and the strange fragrance it emitted was even richer, carrying a power that stirred one’s hot blood and Battle Intent.

"So that’s it... "War Heaven Scripture"! "battle heaven axe"! Collect the fragments, reforge the divine axe!" A storm surged in Fang Hao’s heart. This Legacy was too astonishing! An ancient Body Refining divine skill that pointed directly to the limit of strength! And the chance to reforge a divine weapon! This was absolutely a massive Opportunity!

But at the same time, he also understood his current situation. He had collected three fragments (barely) and used the "star evolution plate" to receive part of the Legacy information. But to obtain the complete foundation Chapter of the "War Heaven Scripture", or even the subsequent parts, he must light the "war soul incense" and accept the "war soul" trial! If the trial is successful, he gets the Legacy; if the trial fails, his Divine Soul will be destroyed!

Moreover, this trial must be completed while the "war soul incense" is burning! Judging by the speed at which the incense is burning, it probably won’t last long!

"Brat! What did you get?! Hand over the compass and the Legacy!" Outside the light barrier, Ghost Bone Superior had also recovered from the previous phenomenon. Although he didn’t know the specific details, seeing Fang Hao’s appearance and the changes to the scroll, it was clear he had gained something. His greed grew even stronger, and he shouted sternly.

He tried attacking the light barrier once, but the dark golden light barrier did not move at all. The rebounding force made him step back a few more steps, and his expression became even uglier.

Fang Hao didn’t even look at Ghost Bone Superior. He had no mind to pay attention to this old dog right now. Before him lay a difficult choice.

Accept the "war soul" trial? The risk is huge; if he fails, he will immediately die and disappear. Moreover, he is cultivating the Chaos Derivation Art, which may not be perfectly compatible with this Body Refining-focused "War Heaven Scripture". Even if he obtains it, it is unknown to what extent he can Cultivate it.

Not accept? When the "war soul incense" burns out, the Restriction might change, and the light barrier might disappear. At that time, he would have to face an enraged, Middle Nascent Soul Stage Ghost Bone Superior alone! It’s a dead end either way, and perhaps he would die even more miserably.

"Damn it, it’s risky either way, might as well gamble!" A flash of madness crossed Fang Hao’s eyes. He was already on the path of Body Refining (Hundred Refinements Golden Body Art), and this "War Heaven Scripture" was practically tailor-made for him! Moreover, he urgently needed to increase his strength to protect himself. As long as he passes the trial and obtains the Legacy, his strength will greatly increase, and perhaps he will have a way to deal with Ghost Bone Superior, or find another way to survive!

Go for it!

He no longer hesitated. According to the incantation he had just obtained, he circulated his spiritual power and, through the "star evolution plate" in his hand, fired a special seal toward the burning "war soul incense" on the high platform.

The seal merged into the tip of the incense.

Boom—!

The "war soul incense" suddenly erupted with a sky-high dark red light! The fire was not scorching, but instead carried a vast, ancient, and tragic Battle Intent, instantly swallowing Fang Hao, along with the "star evolution plate" in his hand!

Fang Hao only felt his vision blur, and his consciousness seemed to be pulled out of his body and thrown into a boundless, dark red battlefield illusion! All around, the sounds of killing shook the sky, and countless phantoms of tall, faceless "War Heaven Clan" warriors were fighting bloody battles against various terrifying enemies! Waves of violent, unyielding, and purely ultimate fighting will, like a tide, were crashing against his Divine Soul!

The trial, has begun.