Chapter 423: The Ghost’s Worry

Chapter 423: Ghosts' Despair

Wang Feng kept flipping cards nonstop, sometimes repeating the motion seventeen or eighteen times for a single card, causing all the rune cards to spin continuously. The hall echoed with rustling sounds, but within just over ten minutes, the arrangement of the runes in the hall became more chaotic and random. Yet, with Wang Feng's final flip, all irregularities vanished in an instant, replaced by a perfectly aligned sequence of runes, each pair facing one another.

Then, with a faint *whoosh*, all seventy-two rune cards fused together, light and darkness intertwining before merging into a single beam of light that shot straight toward the sealed gate of the next trial.

*Boom—*

The invisible beam of light triggered the mechanism on the Asura Gate. The blood-red door groaned open, revealing a space of alternating black and white.

"This is way too easy. I really am a genius..." Old Wang flexed his wrist, sighing in amusement.

He couldn’t care less if they threw more of these zero-challenge trials at him—in fact, he’d welcome as many as possible. After all, his philosophy was "why sit when you can lie down?"

But the real question was, if Darkmoon Isle truly wanted to make things difficult for him, why not just send a few people after him? Why go through all this complexity? And knowing full well his expertise in runes, they still used runes to set up the trial... It didn’t seem like they were deliberately trying to obstruct him. Instead, it felt more like some kind of test.

A test? What exactly was Darkmoon Isle trying to achieve?

He gazed into the black-and-white space ahead. Legend had it that Asura represented the path of slaughter, so he had expected a sea of blood. Yet, it turned out like this. What could possibly be inside?

......

Meanwhile, in the Reincarnation Temple.

Maintaining control over the Six Paths of Reincarnation still required considerable energy—it was a form of mental connection. The Beast Elder had steeled himself for a prolonged effort, but to his surprise...

His body swayed slightly as he snapped out of his meditative state, an expression of disbelief crossing his face. Slowly, he said, "He passed..."

"What?"

"So quickly? How is that possible?" The other Elders also grew restless.

Completing the Path of Beasts in just over ten minutes was undeniably absurd.

Though Wang Feng had invented the Fusion Rune, proving his deep understanding of runes, this trial involved a seventh-order difficulty—something no one on the entire continent truly comprehended, not even the Beast Elder himself, who had set it up based on ancient texts! In their estimation, with Wang Feng’s foundation in runes, he might have had a chance to deduce the correct answer after ten or so days of effort. But just over ten minutes?

The same had happened with the previous trial, the Path of Hungry Ghosts. Whether it was the Coiling Dragon Bagua Formation or the Fallen Beast God Rune Array, neither was an impenetrable barrier—but both required extensive time to deduce and experiment. Yet Wang Feng had cleared both in an astonishingly short time, and at a speed far exceeding normal.

"The Island Lord’s speculation might be correct..." The Beast Elder took a deep breath. "He might be the legendary Game Breaker—the one who shatters all impossible situations. How could mere formations and runes stop him?"

"Or perhaps he’s just a natural genius. After all, he invented the Fusion Rune before turning twenty... Maybe he just happened to understand the Coiling Dragon Bagua Formation and the Fallen Beast God Runes," the Demon Elder countered, his voice refined and youthful. "The legendary Game Breaker was a figure of immense grandeur. This kid is slippery and cunning—hardly a match."

"Who said great figures must always be solemn?" The Ghost Elder disagreed. Otherwise, his proud Coiling Dragon Bagua Formation would be reduced to child’s play. "Even the Supreme Sage Teacher had many infamous legends, didn’t he?"

"Romance is men's nature, but deceit and trickery too?" The Demon Elder scoffed, still bitter about Wang Feng killing his beloved hound. "This Wang Feng doesn’t strike me as a good person, let alone someone comparable to that legendary figure."

"Elder Lin, so what if he killed one of your dogs? You’re being petty... Clearly, you just can’t accept it."

"Tch, there are plenty of people I admire, but this brat isn’t one of them."

Just as the Ghost Elder was about to argue further, the Island Lord raised a hand to silence them.

"Enough bickering. Let’s just watch. Causality's judgment..." The Island Lord’s eyes deepened like an abyss. "The Path of Asura does not rely on wisdom—it is fate itself! Life or death, truth or falsehood, we’ll soon see. The Third Elder, lock down the Asura Path. Adjust the difficulty to its highest!"

A shiver ran through them as they turned to the Third Elder, whose forehead had earlier revealed a third eye.

Indeed, the Path of Asura was impassable. No one could cross it! In the past, only the Supreme Sage Teacher had barged his way through, thereby gaining control over the Six Paths of Reincarnation and leaving it in Darkmoon Isle’s care. The only way to pass was if the overseer deliberately opened a path. But if it was locked... That was the causality soul artifact—a true treasure. In this world, no one could overcome its power through brute force alone!

"The Dark Temple once mentioned that only those who have saved countless sacred souls or slaughtered countless lives can escape judgment," the Third Elder said with a knowing smile. "As the Island Lord commands. I have locked the Asura Path. This trial shall reveal all!"

…………

Most people think the Asura Path belongs exclusively to the Eight Tribes, because the Yaksha clan among them looks just like the legendary Asura. But actually, this is not the case...

Unlike the simple hall of the Animal Path earlier, as soon as Wang Feng entered this realm, the door slammed shut behind him, and the entire hall vanished. The world transformed into an endless black-and-white space. At the same time, an immensely grand and towering statue of the Asura appeared at the center of this space.

The left half of its body resembled the Yaksha clan of the Eight Tribes, with pointed ears and a handsome visage, bathed in white light, looking all pure and holy. The right half, however, was shrouded in dark, eerie radiance, taking the form of a half-sea dragon—its ears webbed and triangular, lips slightly parted to reveal long, sharp fangs, with a creepy smile.

This statue was extraordinary. The moment it appeared, an overwhelming pressure surged forth, instantly locking Old Wang in place. The pressure was even worse than that of the Nineheaded Dragon Hykula, beyond imagination.

BAM! Simultaneously, the Asura statue suddenly opened its eyes!

Boom!

The whole statue suddenly came to life in an instant, sprouting three heads and six arms. Each head mirrored the earlier dichotomy—half black, half white, half Yaksha, half sea dragon—embodying both sanctity and evil, majesty and ferocity.

Clang!

It casually waved its hand and a massive sword, two to three times Old Wang’s size, appeared and hung directly above his head.

Time froze right then—the Law of Causality: Judgment!

The Asura was an absolute extremist. Only the purest of saints or mass-murdering demons could leave this place alive!

What the Third Elder and other elders of Darkmoon Island said, that no one could pass this trial, was no exaggeration. In this era of peace, while there were super-strong fighters capable of slaying millions—several Dragon-level experts possessed such strength—none had actually done so. Without war, going against nature like that was certain death. As for saints who had saved millions of lives? Even more impossible.

And Wang Feng before them? A kid under twenty? Hah...

A massive, red "1" popped up on the dark side, while simultaneously, a massive, green "1" appeared in the white light, both materializing on Old Wang’s forehead, like it was dividing him down the middle.

The numbers started shooting up rapidly—units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands... millions!

In mere seconds, the numbers on both sides skyrocketed.

Back in the Six Paths Reincarnation Hall, the Third Elder was stunned. Though she couldn’t see the bizarre phenomena within the causal space, she could sense the crazy-rising numbers—one million, two million, three million...

"This... is impossible..." The Third Elder finally blurted out, unable to believe what she was sensing. How could this be?!

Not only was she speechless, even Old Wang was confused. When the Sword of Damocles of Judgment hovered above his head, the projected causality had already made him aware of what was to come.

The two strings of numbers on his forehead—the red representing lives taken, the green lives saved—honestly, Old Wang thought he was a pretty good guy. Killing? Aside from those few in the Dragon City ruins, none of it was his doing. And saving lives? Well...

Old Wang smacked his forehead—he suddenly understood.

How could one play online games without killing? Leveling up often required billions of experience points—how many monsters had he slaughtered? As for saving lives, that was even simpler. As an Insect God species, back in *Glory of the Nine*, aside from one exception, he had also controlled insect swarms. When they were injured in battle, boom! A single Healing Rain would restore tens of thousands at once! The judgment here only cared about living beings, not whether they were humans.

The numbers continued their frenzied ascent. The once-majestic Asura statue, now seemingly alive, shifted from indifference to shock, then disbelief, and finally, at this moment, total surrender...

Boom— Before the numbers could peak, the colossal sword above Old Wang’s head vanished. The awe-inspiring Asura statue knelt before him like a submissive soldier.

A deep, resonant voice echoed through the black-and-white world:

"You are the chaos beyond rules, the future beyond prediction!"

The colossal being spoke with utmost reverence.

But Old Wang merely shrugged at the devoutly kneeling statue, unimpressed. "Weaklings. I love how easily impressed you are!"

...

Swish!

A blinding flash of light burst forth as a streak of golden light suddenly shot from the Third Elder's forehead, like some mystical artifact, before vanishing in an instant.

"No!" she shrieked in panic.

It wasn’t just her—the other five elders froze in shock. That was the "key" to the Asura Realm. Whoever controlled the "key" could control the Asura Sword—the fabled weapon of causality.

This was something the Supreme Sage Teacher Wang Meng had personally handed to the Dark Demon Island Lord of that era after subduing the Asura Sword centuries ago. For hundreds of years, it had lain dormant, never once defying its wielder's command. Yet just now, it just up and flew away?!

Everyone froze for a moment, but the same thought flashed through their minds simultaneously.

There was only one possible explanation for this—someone had truly tamed the Asura Sword, compelling its obedience! The conditions for this were either a bloodthirsty demon surpassing the Asura King in slaughter, a saint of boundless compassion, eclipsing even the Asura’s mercy, or someone like the Supreme Sage Teacher Wang Meng, who possessed godlike power and simply forced it into submission through sheer strength.

But any one of these conditions… Could Wang Feng have fulfilled them?

The Island Lord’s pulse quickened as she abruptly stood up. But before she could voice her excitement, the air shuddered again—the "key" that had just flown away from the Third Elder’s forehead actually returned.

The elders exchanged baffled looks. What did this mean?

Had the Asura Sword been rejected by Wang Feng, throwing itself at him only to get rejected?

Such a thought flickered briefly before vanishing. How could that be possible? It was probably just an accident earlier… They couldn’t help but glance at the Third Elder.

"I don’t know what happened either…" The Third Elder turned beet red. As the current keeper and wielder of the Asura Sword, she had nearly lost the key without even understanding why.

"Divine or demonic?" The Island Lord’s eyes gleamed beneath her mask. Whether Wang Feng was saint or sinner would greatly influence their next steps. At this stage, with such power at play, they couldn’t make hasty decisions based solely on legends. What had arrived could be a god… or a demon.

But to everyone’s surprise, this black-and-white question left the Third Elder floundering.

She hesitated awkwardly for a long moment before speaking uncertainly, "I did sense the fluctuations of causality earlier. Whether it was slaughter or salvation, his tally likely spanned millions… Or perhaps I was mistaken. The fluctuations were too rapid, too chaotic to grasp clearly…"

The elders’ jaws dropped, exchanging bewildered glances.

This… This was ridiculous! How could there possibly exist someone who had saved millions of lives while also destroying millions? What, does he think he’s the Supreme Sage Teacher, capable of uplifting the world with one hand and annihilating entire races with the other?

"You’re seeing things, Third Sister!" The Demon Elder shook his head firmly. Such a person simply couldn’t exist.

"But he did pass the Asura Realm’s trial," the Ghost Elder interjected. "Third Sister, are you sure you didn’t go easy on him?"

The Third Elder shook her head. "There was no issue on my end. But perhaps he cheated somehow."

"Loophole or not, the fact remains—he passed the Asura Realm’s trial!" The Beast Elder spoke up. "I don’t see the need to proceed with the Human and Heavenly Realms. Those two have been altered beyond the scope of the trial. If we accidentally trigger the legendary Chosen One’s fate—"

"If he dies that easily, he doesn’t deserve to be the Chosen One," another female elder among the six said coldly. "Island Lord, I’ll oversee the Human Realm."

Beneath her ever-shifting mask, the Island Lord’s eyes flickered with uncertainty.

Frankly, if Wang Feng had passed the Asura Realm’s trial normally, it would have almost confirmed him as the Chosen One. And if he had failed, there’d be no need for further deliberation. But this… This outcome defied all logic, leaving them utterly unable to judge.

"A few tweaks won’t tip the scales. The Chosen One cannot die here," the Island Lord said slowly. "Let us wait and see."

...

The Asura idol dissolved into mist within the space, transforming into a colossal gateway bridging sky and land.

Unlike the previous double doors, this structure looked less like a gate and more like a mirror—no doors in sight!

The Human Path, the most complex among the Six Paths, is a realm where human hearts are unfathomable, as fleeting as dreams. The fact that humans have replaced the Eight Tribes, the sea people, and the beast clans to become the dominant force of this world is by no means without reason.

Wang Feng stepped into this realm, only to find himself in a battlefield drenched in blood. However, contrary to Old Wang’s expectations, the enemies on the battlefield were not the sea people or beast clans but endless rows of skeletal undead warriors—some at tiger level, and even ghost level—swarming in the hundreds of thousands. They fought fiercely among themselves, indiscriminately slaughtering one another.

The skeletal undead had green flames blazing in their hollow eyes.

They came from the world of the dead, from that dark kingdom where there was no blood or flesh, only endless cold and loneliness. Having finally arrived in this human world, they hungered most for warm, pulsing blood. For that, they would abandon everything! Earlier, two groups of undead had fought over a single corpse, and the conflict quickly escalated into a full-scale battle among the entire legion.

But just as the battle reached its peak, a human suddenly appeared...

“Graaah!”

The skeletal warriors nearest to Old Wang paused mid-step before their eyes turned crimson. With bloodcurdling shrieks, they charged madly toward Wang Feng. Caught off guard by such a scene upon arrival, Old Wang was startled but reacted swiftly—*buzzzz!*

A giant ice wasp, the size of a calf, snatched Wang Feng and soared into the sky, carrying him away from the bone horde. *No point tangling with bones.* Old Wang glanced at the distant mountains in this Human Path, planning to scout elsewhere. But soon, he slammed into a wall—literally.

This was an illusory space, seemingly boundless but actually quite limited. The towering mountains in the distance were nothing more than illusions of mountains. When Wang Feng crashed into one, he nearly rattled his brains loose.

*Do I have to eliminate all these undead?*

Peering down, Old Wang was at least relieved that they couldn’t fly—for now, they posed no immediate threat. But the skeletal horde below was vast, densely packed, and included ghost-level undead. Even if he used Skyburst Grenades or Skyshaker Bombs, their sheer numbers and scattered positions meant his stockpile of a hundred bombs or so wouldn’t be enough to wipe them all out...

As Old Wang pondered his next move, the higher he flew, the more undead spotted him.

“Graaah!”

The skeletal warriors below erupted into frenzy. Compared to the cold corpse they had been fighting over earlier, the sight of Wang Feng—a "fresh and warm" living being—drove them berserk.

Flying wasn’t an option for them, but that didn’t stop them. Countless undead surged beneath Wang Feng, clambering over each other, stacking their skeletal bodies into towering ladders that rapidly climbed toward him in midair—already over ten meters high in the blink of an eye!

Wang Feng couldn’t help but laugh. *They’re practically lining up for annihilation!* He had been worried about their scattered formation making his explosives inefficient, but now they were conveniently clustering together.

“Let’s give them what they want.” With a hearty laugh, Old Wang waved his hand, and the remaining seventeen ice wasps sprang into action—each carrying two Skyshaker Bombs.

“Bomb them!”

*BOOOOM!*

Over a dozen Skyshaker Bombs rained down, detonating violently on the ground and unleashing terrifying shockwaves. Severed skeletal limbs, torsos, and skulls flew everywhere—an estimated thirty to forty thousand undead obliterated in an instant.

He had expected the survivors to learn from this and scatter, making further bombings difficult. But as the smoke cleared, more skeletal warriors surged forward, fearlessly piling onto the center, rebuilding their bone ladders with relentless determination.

*What else is there to say?* Old Wang was almost amused. “Again!”

The seventeen ice wasps unleashed four consecutive bombing runs, wiping out nearly ninety percent of the undead. A final round of ice-spike carpet bombing ensured the battlefield was left in utter ruin—scattered bones, jagged ice shards, and scorch marks everywhere.

As the ice wasps returned to formation, Old Wang, now leisurely chewing on dried meat midair, was about to inspect the aftermath when the scenery around him suddenly shifted. A radiant golden goddess materialized before him.

Her divine aura was overwhelming—and strangely familiar. Wang Feng froze, staring at her in disbelief.

“Dear Father...” she spoke, her voice reverent as she bowed slightly.

This was... Old Wang’s jaw dropped. In all his time in this world, he had encountered countless wonders, but this—this was the most shocking yet.

The artificial intelligence from *Yu Jiu Tian*—the Celestial Maiden of the Nine Heavens!