Chapter 3286: The Testing Ground
As Duan Ling Tian and the others drew closer and closer to the t.i.tle Temple, Duan Ling Tian could feel the pressure from the t.i.tle Temple increasing as well. He thought to himself, “Those who aren’t Celestial Lords with only a mediocre comprehension of the law won’t be able to withstand this pressure and enter the t.i.tle Temple.’
The pressure was not only physical, but Duan Ling Tian could feel the pressure on his soul as well. Even Xu Lang could not help him bear this pressure.
Huan’er, Hu Mei, and Wen Wan’er’s expressions were solemn as well due to the pressure from the t.i.tle Temple.
Xu Lang said, “For the t.i.tled Celestial Lord’s test, all of you will be sent to the same testing ground. As long as you manage to eliminate nine partic.i.p.ants, you’ll be considered to have pa.s.sed the test. Apart from that, the testing ground is actually a good cultivation place as well. If you’re on the brink of a breakthrough, it’s a good idea to consider cultivating there to expedite your breakthrough.”
When Xu Lang finished speaking, they had already arrived in front of one of the main entrances of the t.i.tle Temple. The t.i.tle Temple had two main entrances; each of them looked like an abyss with no end in sight. A wide stone platform was erected in front of the two main entrances. One of them was devoid of people while the other one had people gathering around it.
Xu Lang looked at the empty stone platform as he explained, “That’s the entrance for Celestial Emperors who are here to obtain a t.i.tle. I entered through that entrance when I came to take the test to become a t.i.tled Celestial Emperor. After I pa.s.sed the test, my t.i.tle and name were recorded in the record of t.i.tled Celestial Emperors.”
The t.i.tle Temple kept a record of all t.i.tled Celestial Emperors and t.i.tled Celestial Lords. An announcement would also be made for a new t.i.tled Celestial Emperor and a new t.i.tled Celestial Lord. Although not many were capable of obtaining a t.i.tle, the names listed in the records were still numerous. Some people had resorted to copying the names into Celestial Talismans, but due to the countless names, sometimes people would still have to come to the t.i.tle Temple if they wanted to have a look at the records of t.i.tled Celestial Emperors and t.i.tled Celestial Lords.
“As you’ve guessed, this is the entrance for Celestial Lords who are here to obtain a t.i.tle. Needless to say, those who aren’t here to obtain a t.i.tle are forbidden to enter; they’ll definitely die if they enter the temple without due cause. I’m not familiar with the other t.i.tle Temples in the other Devata Realms, but in the history of the Boundless Heaven, there were a few ignorant t.i.tled Celestial Emperors who disregarded the rule and tried to enter. All of them died in the t.i.tle Emperor; there was no exception,” Xu Lang said as his expression turned slightly grim, “Therefore, this is where I’ll part ways with all of you. You’re on your own now…”
At the same time, Nan Liu Feng who had been briefed by Zheng Yu Yi had already entered the t.i.tle Temple.
“Go now,” Xu Lang said to Duan Ling Tian and the others.
“Little Junior Brother, Junior Sister Huan’er, let’s go!” Hu Mei said as she held Wen Wan’er’s slender hand upon seeing Nan Liu Feng entering the t.i.tle Temple. Soon enough, both of them vanished into the darkness behind the entrance of the t.i.tle Temple.
“Huan’er, let’s go.” Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er walked side by side as they entered the t.i.tle Temple. He could clearly feel a gentle energy shrouding him and Huan’er when they ventured deeper into the temple. Soon enough, he felt his vision go black. When his vision was restored to him, he discovered he was standing on a platform.
At this moment, there were many people around Duan Ling Tian who were standing on the platform as well.
Suddenly, Hu Mei’s voice rang in Duan Ling Tian’s ears. “Little Junior Brother, we are here.”
Soon enough, Duan Ling Tian discovered Hu Mei was standing only 10 meters away from him,
“Third Senior Sister.”
Duan Ling Tian was about to walk toward Hu Mei when Huan’er suddenly stopped him. “Brother Ling Tian.”
Duan Ling Tian looked at Huan’er in confusion.
“Brother Ling Tian, this is an illusion,” Huan’er explained. She narrowed her eyes as her Celestial Origin Energy surged out in all directions, causing a tremendous change in the scene before their eyes.
In just a few moments, Duan Ling Tian discovered he was standing in a main hall. When he looked up, he saw people standing around him, looking as though they were in a daze and completely unaware of the people around them.
“They’re still trapped in the illusion,” Huan’er said.
“What a powerful illusion! I couldn’t tell it was an illusion at all,” Duan Ling Tian said with a sigh. Then, he asked, “Huan’er, was the illusion deadly?”
“No.” Huan’er shook her head. “It’s just an illusion that briefly confuses people…”
“Third Senior Sister!” Duan Ling Tian saw Hu Mei at this moment. She was standing next to Wen Wan’er with a frown on her face as though she was faced with a difficult problem.
As Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er drew closer to his senior sisters, he saw Wen Wan’er, who was usually gentle, currently wearing a dark expression on her face. It seemed like she was greatly upset by something.
“Little Junior Brother, you’ve already come out of the illusion?” Hu Mei seemed surprised when she saw Duan Ling Tian and Huan’er. Then, she turned to look at Wen Wan’er with a bitter smile and said, “It… It seems like Fourth Junior Sister is still trapped in the illusion.’
“Third Senior Sister, didn’t both of you enter together? You should be in the same illusion as her,” Duan Ling Tian said curiously.
“Indeed. However, in our illusion, we saw you and Huan’er being separated so we parted to help both of you. I know a thing or two regarding illusory techniques so it didn’t take long for me to break free of the illusion. However… I don’t know what happened that caused Fourth Junior Sister to still be trapped in the illusion.”
Duan Ling Tian nodded before he looked at Huan’er and asked, “Huan’er, is there a way to help Fourth Senior Sister?”
Upon hearing Duan Ling Tian’s words, Huan’er narrowed her eyes before two beams of white light entered Wen Wan’er’s body.
Soon enough, Wen Wan’er’s expression began to ease and she returned to her senses. She said in confusion, “Little Junior Brother? Junior Sister Huan’er? Third Senior Sister? That… That was just an illusion?”
Hu Mei shocked her head as she said, “I’ve never heard anything about illusions in the t.i.tle Temple.”
As soon as Hu Mei finished speaking, an indifferent voice rang in the air.
“You pa.s.sed.”
With this, those who were still trapped in the illusion gradually regained their senses.
A black mist converged in the air before a black-clad woman with a curvaceous figure appeared before everyone’s eyes. The cold beauty swept her eyes across Duan Ling Tian and the others with an icy expression on her face before she said with a scoff, “Hey, all of you are here to partic.i.p.ate in the test to become a t.i.tled Celestial Lord, but it took so many of you almost half a day just to break free of the illusion. Some of you couldn’t even free yourself from the illusion. Are you sure you want to partic.i.p.ate in the test? I really hope you don’t embarra.s.s the t.i.tle Temple in the Boundless Heaven!”
Without further explanations and before the partic.i.p.ants could react, the main hall was suddenly plunged into darkness.
As soon as darkness fell, the black-clad woman’s voice rang in Duan Ling Tian’s ears. “You’re all being sent to the testing ground now. After killing nine people in your group, you’ll be sent back to the main hall. After that, you’ll obtain a t.i.tle.”
When Duan Ling Tian could see again, he discovered he was in a valley surrounded by majestic mountains with a crystal clear stream snaking through it. The valley was tranquil with birds chirping in the air.
“So this is the testing ground?” Duan Ling Tian studied his surroundings. He was alone; Huan’er and the others were nowhere to be seen.
Now that he had arrived at his destination, Duan Ling Tian called out to the World Cleansing Divine Water. “Sister Water, I’m here. What should I do next?”
The World Cleansing Divine Water replied immediately, “I thought all ten partic.i.p.ants would be transported to the same place. I didn’t expect all of you would be transported to different locations; this means you’ll have to look for the other nine people before you can kill them in order to leave this place. This testing ground, a secret realm, has obstacles that were left behind by various supreme powerhouses. You should attempt to overcome the obstacles. They’ll allow you to improve your strength and absorb the energy from the Pine Willow Divine Tree before mastering the G.o.dly Image Phenomenon.”
“Alright.” Duan Ling Tian did not waste time and extended his Divine Consciousness to scan the valley. After confirming there was nothing out of the ordinary, he left the valley.
“I wonder where Huan’er and my senior sisters are transported to…” Duan Ling Tian thought to himself. His heart could not help but skip a beat as a thought appeared in his mind. “The Celestial Lords from 81 Devata Realms are all gathered here. The only way to leave this place is to kill 9 Celestial Lords.”