Chapter 0334 The Path of Trials

Chapter 0334 The Path of Trials

Among the warriors in this martial realm, except for Xie Wufeng, all are of advanced age, yet none of them had ever heard of such a thing.

Shui Yihui frowned and asked, "Great Palace Master, what... what does this signify? Why haven’t we heard of it?"

Lan Chen sighed, "That’s because practitioners of the art of soul refinement are exceedingly rare, so rare that encountering one in decades is unlikely, hence naturally, it has faded from attention."

"Qin Yun has mastered the art of soul refinement, and he is also a Runes Master. If he engraves runes into the martial soul during refinement, he can significantly strengthen the martial soul!"

"Unfortunately, he’s entered that forbidden place!"

Everyone looked towards the dark cave entrance, utterly shocked.

Only now did they realize that extracting and refining souls is a forgotten art, one that can make a person incredibly strong!

"But... but Qin Yun killed the Yang Palace Lord!" continued the Southern Palace Lord, "This is a serious offense!"

"I will thoroughly investigate this matter! There are still several elders in the Western Palace! I will personally interrogate them to uncover what heinous crimes the Yang Palace Lord has committed over the years!" Lan Chen snorted, then took to the air, flying towards the Western Palace.

Xie Wufeng glanced at the cave and said, "Perhaps Brother Yun might come out alive!"

"Don’t be ridiculous! Our Blue Spirit Star Palace now has only one Spirit Martial realm expert, the Great Palace Master. Do you know why? Because two Spirit Martial realm seniors entered and never came out!"

The Northern Palace Lord sneered, "No matter how strong Qin Yun is, can he be stronger than a Spirit Martial realm expert?"

Xie Wufeng’s expression changed; he had just learned that Spirit Martial realm experts had perished inside!

Now he understood why Lan Chen was so certain that Qin Yun would not come out upon seeing him enter quickly.

"Let’s return and check on Miss Yang’s condition!" Lan Huayu sighed, patting Xie Wufeng’s shoulder.

Zhuochuan also felt great regret; he was close to Qin Yun.

And Qin Yun, now a warrior of the martial realm, with high talent in runes, was destined to make a name for himself in Wuhuang.

But now, Qin Yun has entered that cave...

Entering means he must face the Runes Trial Gate’s mysterious and terrifying trials.

...

At the Western Palace square, Lan Chen examined Yang Shiyue’s injuries and frowned with a sigh, "The Dao Core is severely injured, but recovery is not difficult."

"What’s difficult is the recovery of the martial soul. The Purple Gold Moon Martial Soul is heavily damaged, torn into many fragments, with most of the soul fragments having left the body. To restore it to its original state would take decades!"

"Great Palace Master, where is Qin Yun?" asked Murong Daren.

"He has entered the Runes Trial Gate!" Lan Chen sighed lightly and said, "Fengjin, take her back to rest! I have stabilized her Moon Martial Soul; from now on, she will need to recover slowly on her own!"

Upon learning that Qin Yun had entered the Runes Trial Gate, Yang Shiyue was first stunned, then overwhelmed with grief. Having stayed in the Eastern Palace, she knew all too well the horrors of the Runes Trial Gate!

Murong Daren, Huo Zhong, Lan Fengjin, and Xue Ziyeh were also well aware of the terrors of the Runes Trial Gate. Upon hearing that Qin Yun had entered, they felt as if Qin Yun had left them forever!

Qin Yun’s friends were immediately plunged into profound grief!

Lan Chen looked at the several elders of the Western Palace and coldly said, "You, come with me, to Tianxing Tower!"

Upon hearing this, the bodies of the elders trembled, filled with fear, but they had no choice but to follow.

The people in the West Palace square also dispersed, discussing the matter continuously on their way back.

...

In front of the cave entrance of the Strange Pattern Gate, the triplet brothers of Three Yao stood here.

They had followed Qin Yun, always hoping that he could enter the East Palace, but they never expected him to enter their East Palace in this manner!

Xue Ziye, Murong Daren, and Huo Zhong were also here, looking at the dark cave.

"Brother Yun is special; maybe he can make it out?" Huo Zhong said.

"Perhaps!" Murong Daren said. "This situation isn't so bad. It's better than hearing news of his death—at least it gives us some hope."

"Many seniors, including those at the Martial Dao realm, have entered the Strange Pattern Gate. Decades or even centuries have passed, and no one has ever come out!" Da Yao said.

"Your East Palace's Strange Pattern Gate is insane. What's the point of this trial? It's just a death trap!" Murong Daren couldn't help but curse.

Huo Zhong said, "Murong Laoer, let's head back! Brother Yun has already reached the Martial Dao realm; we need to catch up fast!"

...

The moment Qin Yun stepped into the Strange Pattern Gate's cave, he was caught in a deadly array!

This killing array combined the Icebone Penetration Array and the Fire Splitting Soul Array—a deadly fusion of ice and fire!

"Ah..."

Qin Yun lay on the array, letting out faint groans. Fortunately, he had awakened the heavenly lion bloodline and was not afraid of the ice and fire forces.

But the soul-splitting force was tearing at his soul, inflicting excruciating pain.

This killing array was unlike any he'd encountered in previous competitions.

In those competitions, the killing arrays allowed escape at any moment.

But this Strange Pattern Gate's killing array trapped you the moment you entered, forcing you to break it on your own!

"No wonder so many who enter never return—most die the moment they step inside!" Qin Yun thought to himself. Surrounded by complete darkness, he couldn't see or sense a thing.

Now, his only option was to break the array!

"Mo Mo, do you have any idea how to break this array?" Qin Yun asked urgently. If he had to break it alone, it would take forever.

"I'll send out my mental energy to scout it out!" Mo Mo said. She couldn't step out either; her weaker form would be in grave danger if the killing array's power struck her.

Mo Mo's mental energy was unique, akin to a primordial spirit, manifesting as a white thread that extended from the first bead of the Nine Sun Divine Soul.

Qin Yun stared at Mo Mo's thread of mental energy, both amazed and reminded of the second bead of the Nine Sun Divine Soul.

He hadn't been strong enough to unlock the second bead before.

Now that he'd reached the Martial Dao realm, he should have the strength to open the second bead!

"What might the second bead hold?"

Under the killing array's assault, Qin Yun's mind was too strained to attempt opening the second bead right away.

Mo Mo was scanning the killing array with her mental energy. After a moment, she admitted guiltily, "Brother Yun, I can't make sense of it... If I could step out, I might get a better look! Should I give it a try?"

"No, it's too dangerous for you to come out!" Qin Yun, who possessed the heavenly lion bloodline, was not afraid of the ice and fire powers within the killing formation, but his mental energy was severely battered.

"I can endure it!" Mo Mo, though delicate, was not afraid at all, as she was determined to help Qin Yun.

Qin Yun suddenly thought of the Blue Spirit Mystical Robe, took it out, and tried it on, discovering that it could resist the mental attacks of the killing formation.

He quickly dripped blood to bind the Blue Spirit Mystical Robe to him, allowing it to unleash stronger defensive powers.

Soon after donning the Blue Spirit Mystical Robe, Qin Yun smiled slightly as the pain in his head vanished.

He released Mo Mo and tucked her under the robe, making it easier for her to investigate the killing formation.

Meanwhile, Qin Yun concentrated his mental energy to try to open the second bead of the Nine Sun Divine Bead.

Previously, his mental energy was always blocked outside the second bead.

Now, he could finally make progress.

Using his mental energy, he could see a formation inside the second bead!

"Damn, it's blocked! I need to break through this formation!"

Qin Yun cursed softly upon seeing the formation that blocked his mental energy.

He carefully studied the formation and realized it wasn't too hard to break, though it would take some time.

Being inside a killing formation, he couldn't focus on breaking the formation and had to wait until it was safe.

Qin Yun felt a thrill of excitement at the thought of soon opening the second bead, eagerly looking forward to it.

Mo Mo suddenly announced, "Alright, I've temporarily disabled the key spiritual patterns of the killing formation!"

Qin Yun sensed the killing formation's power waning, so he returned Mo Mo to the first bead.

He took out a luminous pearl to light his path and exited the killing formation.

He entered a square cave passage, about four to five meters wide and high, with strange patterns carved into the walls.

"This place is really eerie!"

Qin Yun was inwardly startled to see the passage filled with intricate patterns, all part of complex formations.

What puzzled him was the absence of skeletons on the ground; it was clean, as if someone had tidied up.

At this thought, Qin Yun couldn't help but shudder!

He grew more cautious and soon spotted a formation ahead, though he didn't recognize its type.

He didn't need to identify the formation; releasing Mo Mo would quickly neutralize its patterns, temporarily disabling it.

Once inside, the cave passage curved upward in a spiral!

Along the way, Mo Mo dismantled numerous formations one by one.

Qin Yun still had a few dragon demon beast crystal eggs, and just one sufficed to replenish Mo Mo's energy.

After walking for most of the day, he finally reached a stretch of the path free of formations.

"Mo Mo, you go in first; I'm worried there might be traps ahead!" Qin Yun stored Mo Mo in the storage space and cautiously moved forward.

The walls here are clean, devoid of any mysterious markings. This very fact made Qin Yun wary of hidden mechanisms.

Qin Yun released the puppet lion, sending it ahead. If there were any mechanisms, the lion would take the hit.

This stretch of path, devoid of mysterious markings, was also quite lengthy.

Even though Qin Yun was inside the passage, he was aware he was halfway up the mountain, as the passage spiraled upward.

He moved cautiously, pausing frequently, and a day went by without any sign of danger. The journey proved to be surprisingly safe!

What Qin Yun didn't know was that the previous trial route with mysterious markings was incredibly perilous.

There were many Xuan-level death traps, but Mo Mo had dismantled them all, so he remained oblivious to the true danger of those death traps.