Looking at the violet-gold crystal, Chen Heng hesitated.
Chen Heng was not willing to go and touch that violet-gold crystal unless he had to or he was completely sure that it was safe.
However, right now, he did not seem to have much choice.
This secret realm looked quite big and was very mysterious, but most parts of it were filled with the golden flames.
The golden flames were very intense, and Chen Heng wondered how they were maintained. However, they were filled with a strange and unique power.
Chen Heng did not want to use his own body to test if these flames could burn him to death.
The violet-gold crystal was the only thing on top of the altar.
After hesitating for a while, in the end, Chen Heng slowly walked over to the altar.
He walked incredibly cautiously; even though it was just a short distance, it still took him a long time to walk over.
Even though he was incredibly cautious when he walked, after reaching the altar, he did not hesitate much and put his hand on the violet-gold crystal.
A warm feeling could be felt in his hand before becoming hotter and hotter.
Holding this violet-gold crystal, Chen Heng frowned.
Right now, he had a strange feeling that what he was holding was not a crystal but a fireball.
As the heat spread, the crystal became an orb of flames, which burned intensely.
The violet-gold flames madly spread from Chen Heng"s palm, covering his entire body.
Finally, his entire body was covered by the violet-gold flames as if he was a person made of fire.
Immense heat and pain a.s.saulted Chen Heng"s body and mind, making him feel very uncomfortable.
However, he did not panic and calmly stood there.
He felt that since the owner of this secret realm had set this all up, he would not bring someone here just to kill them.
Otherwise, if that person wanted to kill someone, did they really have to go to such efforts?
He endured the pain as he thought to himself.
The flames wound up and down Chen Heng"s body as if it wanted to burn him thoroughly.
The intense pain lasted for a long time, and enduring this pain, Chen Heng"s consciousness became somewhat hazy.
Is it over? he thought to himself.
If the flames continued to burn him like this, even if his body could take it, his mind would collapse and he would still die.
He did not know what had gone wrong—perhaps the owner of this secret realm was waiting for Song Qi, which was why this was happening to him?
No matter what it was, now that things had come to this, if he could not hold on, he would most likely die here.
Death?
Chen Heng was not afraid of death.
It was not like he had never died before; in fact, he had died a few times already.
For him, dying again was not a big deal.
It was just a pity for the 500 Points, which was the only thing he was sad about.
However, right now, there was nothing else he could do.
He thought to himself as he calmly waited for the end.
However, what Chen Heng did not expect was that a voice sounded out from the air.
"Appraisal pa.s.sed…" a cold voice sounded out, sounding quite robotic and emotionless.
After this voice sounded out, the violet-gold flames around Chen Heng"s body disappeared.
His body returned to its original state, and even his clothes were fine.
However, that feeling from before was still deeply imprinted on his body.
It was just an appraisal? Chen Heng half-knelt as he breathed heavily.
His back was covered with cold-sweat and he looked quite wretched.
However, Chen Heng did not care as he just gulped down air.
He looked ahead and waited for what would come next.
Since it was an appraisal, after this, there might be another appraisal.
Just as expected, there were changes up ahead.
A faint fog spread out before gathering and forming a hazy figure.
It was a man in white robes. His long, white hair was soft and straight, and he wore a mask that covered his entire face, making him look mysterious and extraordinary.
"So it was not the King who came but the General…"
The man sat on the altar as he looked at the half-kneeling, raggedly-breathing Chen Heng, and he seemed a bit surprised.
King and General? Chen Heng looked up, and thinking back to the murals, he understood what that person was saying.
The so-called King was Song Qi, and the so-called General was him.
After all, Song Qi was a Prince of the Great Qi—the Liunan Prince, while Chen Heng was Song Qi"s guard.
As such, King and General aptly described them.
"So what if it"s the General?" Chen Heng did his best to stay conscious as he looked at the man and asked.
The man did not do anything as he spoke, "Not much. I set up this altar here to leave my legacy behind… Do you know what is required to inherit my legacy?"
Chen Heng shook his head and asked, "Talent? Willpower?"
"Willpower is indeed one of the things but not the most important," the man said as he nodded.
"Talent, const.i.tution… to other people, they may seem important, but to me, they are not important at all. Those who want to inherit my legacy do not need the best talent, nor do they need the best ident.i.ty; they just need to satisfy one thing… to escape their original fate and become someone who stands above the bondage of life…" he said with an ethereal tone as he looked at Chen Heng.
Chen Heng"s body froze.
Only those who escaped their original fate and stood above the bondage of life…
That sentence reverberated in Chen Heng"s mind.
"All creatures have a fate…"
Looking at Chen Heng, the man calmly spoke, "Mortals are unable to break free from their fate and can only follow it.
However, the world is very big, and there are all kinds of amazing things. Under fortuitous opportunities, one can break free from one"s fate and become a variable in the world.
"Only variables can inherit my legacy and become my legatee," he said as he looked at Chen Heng.
Standing there and hearing this, Chen Heng frowned.
"All creatures have a fate…" he muttered.
In the past, Chen Heng had never believed in fate and never considered this issue.
He had never thought that a person"s life could be explained with fate.
As such, he looked at the man and asked, "If a person"s fate is already determined, what is the point of them working hard?"
"It naturally still has a purpose."
Ahead, the man nodded and said, "A person"s fate is like a path leading forwards, and many things are predetermined, such as that mortals will die…
"However, apart from such things, there are some things that can still be changed.
"However, no matter how they change it, they will still be within fate."
"So you had your eyes on the Liunan Prince?" Chen Heng frowned as he asked, "Because he fulfilled the conditions?"
After all, Song Qi had gone back in time.
Since he had gone back in time, he naturally would not follow the same path. According to what the man had said, he had escaped from fate and fulfilled his conditions.
Was this why that person had set this all up?