Chapter 329 The Way to Escape

Lu Ye had no idea what was happening.

Because the system didn’t give him real-time updates.

All he heard was the system constantly shouting, "Nuke her!"

"Nuke her!"

"Go all out on her!"

No "Ding" this time—that’s how fierce the fight was.

"Ding… Phew, finally done blasting. So damn satisfying!" The system finally wrapped up, just as Lu Ye finished setting up his formation.

"What’s the status?" Lu Ye asked.

"Ding! Host, fucking run!"

Lu Ye: ???

"Ding, the Devourbeast has split into 4.7 million mini Devourbeasts, all at Heaven-Earth Realm peak strength, all heading your way."

"Wait, how many?!"

Lu Ye’s voice spiked in disbelief.

"Ding, 4.7 million. There were originally over 5 million, but I blasted some to death."

Lu Ye’s scalp prickled with dread.

Holy fucking shit!

Celestial Lord and Great Sage of the Nine Heavens—what the hell?!

4.7 million Heaven-Earth Realm peak Devourbeasts—how the hell was his formation supposed to stop them? Even if these stars burned out entirely, it still wouldn’t be enough!

How many Heaven-Earth Realm cultivators were there in the entire Fourth Heaven combined?

This was fucking insane!

Great Sage of the Nine Heavens, are you just gonna sit there?!

Even with Lu Ye’s usual composure, he outright exploded in curses at this moment.

What to do?

Lu Ye furrowed his brows and began thinking. Was there any death zone in the Fourth Heaven—one where no matter how many Heaven-Earth Realm beings entered, they would all die, even if there were millions of them?

He wracked his brain but drew a blank. By now, he could already sense a monstrous surge of energy swelling in the void.

In Lu Ye’s perception, the Heaven-Earth energy in the void had formed a nightmarish tsunami, bridging heaven and hell, that could grind everything to dust.

Not just the formation he had set up—even if every cultivator in the Fourth Heaven joined forces, they’d still be devoured in seconds.

Only one option remained.

And that was to escape the Fourth Heaven and flee beyond its borders.

However, this was exactly what the Devourbeast wanted, because once it entered the outer realm, it could reform. By then, Lu Ye would be facing a Quasi-Emperor-level Devourbeast.

But what choice did he have?

Lu Ye ditched his formation.

His body transformed into a blur of light as he bolted away from the Devourbeast horde.

The outer realm was beyond the control of the Nine Heavens Great Sage and teeming with danger.

Who-knows-how-old demons lurked out there, waiting for the Nine Heavens Great Sage to weaken before launching a full-scale assault on the Nine Heavens, devouring its countless living beings—the very thought sent shivers of delight.

This was hands-down the biggest crisis Lu Ye had faced since his rebirth, one so bad he couldn't even think of a solution in the short term. At this point, there was only one way out.

"System, start running survival scenarios!"

The system’s prompt sounded immediately.

"Ding. Running calculations..."

Lu Ye’s form scrambled desperately.

Behind him, the endless sea of monsters had already begun to show signs of pursuit.

What now?

"Ding. Calculation complete!"

"Ding. Host is advised to initiate the Trial of Providence. Upon completion, you will officially become the Gate of Heaven’s Master, with authority over all its members."

"Trial of Providence?"

This was the first time Lu Ye had heard of such a thing—never mentioned before. So what was it about?

In his past life, he had been an enemy of the Gate of Heaven.

"Ding. The Trial of Providence is the Gate of Heaven’s unique method of selecting its Master. Every member gets just one shot. If completed, they may directly face Providence. If recognized by Providence, they will become the Gate of Heaven’s Master, commanding all its members and officially becoming Providence’s apostle."

"How do I undertake the trial?"

"Ding. Channel your divine sense into the celestial mark between your brows and summon it consciously to begin the Trial of Providence."

"What is the content of the Trial of Providence?"

"Ding. Providence, what is the content of the Trial of Providence?"

"Ding. Error: Data not found."

Lu Ye facepalmed.

Shen Xitong sighed.

Talk about shameless.

Not that Providence could be blamed—it could barely string sentences together before. Expecting it to design a Trial of Providence was asking too much.

"Ding. If you don’t know, why not ask? Who set it up?"

"Ding. Error: Data not found."

"Who's the current leader of the Heavenly Gate?" Lu Ye asked.

"Beep, sister."

"Buzz, you're talking nonsense. I'm not the leader of the Heavenly Gate."

"Beep, sister is the leader."

The system hesitated...

Well, she couldn’t deny that—she *was* the leader.

"Buzz, who annoys you the most on a daily basis? Besides me!"

This time, Providence paused before answering, as if thinking.

"B-Beep... D-Dao..."

"Emperor Daohen!"

"Beep, it's Daohen."

But how could Lu Ye possibly know?

Lu Ye didn’t kill him—he fell in battle during the Great Upheaval.

"Buzz, then go ask Daohen what the Trial of Providence entails."

"Beep, okay, sister."

Providence obeyed without protest, scurrying off to ask Emperor Daohen.

Lu Ye kept running like a madman, but behind him, traces of the Devourbeasts had already appeared. These Devourbeasts were speed demons, each one faster—and deadlier—than the last, gradually closing the distance between them and Lu Ye.

Deep in the Eighth Heaven, a terrifying figure wreathed in swirling, primordial light sat cross-legged in the void, where myriad lights flickered like dying stars.

Suddenly, a pulse of energy flared from the sigil on his brow.

A surge of consciousness unfurled from the mark.

Daohen’s eyes widened in shock.

The contents of the Trial of Providence?

No, why would Providence care about this?

But if Providence wanted to know, Daohen relayed the details of the Trial of Providence.

"Beep. Query complete."

"There are three stages. The first stage: Eradicate the Blightmire."

"The second stage: Survive the Eighteen Hells."

"The third stage: Avert a cataclysm."

Lu Ye’s blood ran cold at the trials ahead.

These three trials... the first one challenges one's fortune, the second tests courage and luck, and the third examines luck as well as comprehensive assessment.

So, becoming the Heaven's Gate Master is truly difficult. Even Emperor Daohen, who has already attained the rank of Emperor, still isn't the Master.

But now, there's no other choice, is there?

Lu Ye channeled a torrent of spiritual awareness into the heavenly rune between his brows.

At the same time, he burst forth with crimson energy, driving the Heavenly Demon Bloodmorph Dash to its absolute limit. The crimson light flashed violently as he began to widen the distance between himself and the Devourbeasts.

But the Devourbeasts showed no urgency whatsoever—as long as Lu Ye remained in the Fourth Heaven, his doom was assured.

Even if he ascended to the Fifth Heaven, his fate would remain unchanged.

After all, it wasn’t just Lu Ye who could ascend—they could too.

As for escaping to the outer realms, that would be even more laughable. As a Quasi-Emperor, once it entered the outer domain, it could unleash its full Quasi-Emperor strength, guaranteeing Lu Ye an even more gruesome end.

So, what choice would he make?

Bai Qiulan was slumped on the back of a Devourbeast, her face deathly pale, her aura highly unstable—especially her physical body, which hovered on the brink of collapse.

Yet, a flicker of satisfaction crossed her mind. This time, Lu Ye should truly have no escape left to him.

"An Li, can you help me completely purge the chaotic Lunar Power now?"

An Li's voice dripped with amusement. "What's the rush? Lu Ye isn’t dead yet!"

"Don’t worry, don’t worry—I’ll definitely help you remove it... the very instant Lu Ye perishes!"

Bai Qiulan frowned.

"Then, can I ask how you plan to remove it?"