Chapter Seventy-Two: Slaughter Among Themselves

Some who had entered this land of trials now began to regret their decision. Here, one either survived the trial or perished within—there was no option to withdraw. Watching so many of their fellow disciples, friends, and kin fall, a heavy gloom settled over all. They felt the cheapness of life; these deaths were not caused by war or plague, but by the meaningless slaughter demanded by a trial, all for the sake of rare treasures or secret techniques.

What weighed most heavily was not the mutual slaughter or struggle for resources, but the fact that the trial itself, with no way to opt out, drove them to their deaths. The sense of being puppets of fate was suffocating. Did they have a choice? Only by participating in the trial could they leave.

Some tried to protest, begging to abandon the trial and escape this cursed place, but Blood Heaven only replied coldly: “Only by completing the trial may you leave. Otherwise, remain here and wait for death.” Chen Mu noticed that the spirit of the formation, Blood Heaven, was growing increasingly impatient; gone was the helpless air of one imprisoned, replaced by a barely concealed eagerness for the cultivators' demise. Blood Heaven clearly wished for as many deaths as possible.

Yet, in order to escape, they had no choice but to obey Blood Heaven and participate in the trial. Only passing the trial would let them leave, and with the promise of rich rewards, those cultivators of considerable power were already consumed by greed, blind to the dangers lurking within.

Soon after, Blood Heaven opened the third trial. As he announced its conditions, silence fell over all.

Blood Heaven intoned chillingly: “The third trial begins now. There are no difficulty options for this round. The conditions are simple: you are gathered together and must kill each other. There are over seven hundred of you left; when only two hundred remain alive, you shall pass. The more you kill, the greater your rewards.”

Blood Heaven’s mask of benevolence had fallen away completely, revealing his true face. It was clear that all had been planned from the start: he sought only to see the cultivators perish in the trial, his purpose unknown.

Hearing Blood Heaven’s cruel declaration, the crowd erupted in curses.

“You fiend! You were scheming against us from the beginning!”

“Damn you! Let us out! You monster!”

“Release us, you treacherous, despicable spirit!”

Blood Heaven sighed and said, “Without completing the trial, you cannot leave. Unless you all die here. I can assure you: after you finish the trial, you shall receive generous rewards. The trials of the Demon Race are cruel, but the benefits are equally lavish. I swear, once you finish this third round, you may go. And the first place shall receive the power of the Dark Demon Soul Crystal; I will become the most loyal servant of the victor and nurture them into the strongest in this small world. Cultivation is a struggle against the heavens; what’s a little slaughter? Don’t you wish to transcend, to ascend to that dreamlike higher realm? For example... the Immortal Domain.”

Blood Heaven’s words were full of temptation. Indeed, if one could achieve the supreme realm, break the shackles of heaven and earth, and enter the Immortal Domain, what did the deaths of these people matter?

Though those from Yuan Yao Continent did not know what the Immortal Domain was, they understood it to be a world vaster than their own. Even if they attained the peak of cultivation on Yuan Yao Continent, they would only reach perfection in the Nascent Soul stage; to break through to the Primordial Spirit stage was nearly impossible, let alone the ninth tier—the dreamlike realm of Immortal Ascension.

Blood Heaven’s words gave them beautiful fantasies, calming their restlessness. No one doubted him; after all, this trial was a relic from the mythic era, when the Immortal Ascension stage was at its most active. Tales of resisting the Demon Race and demon cultivators were commonplace, and evidence could be found throughout the ancient ruins.

Moreover, this was not a method of the righteous path, but a product of the Demon Race guiding their cultivation. It was widely known that the righteous path’s methods originated from the demonic, as part of an exploration of the roots of cultivation.

In the eyes of demon cultivators, the ways of the Demon Race and demonic doctrines were the true orthodoxy. The demonic path was cruel, using any means necessary to achieve its goals. Such a ruthless trial seemed entirely normal to them. All the powers of the Bright Moon Empire, including Nine Nether Sacred Land, fell silent.

Though Blood Heaven’s words soothed and enticed the crowd, stirring their greed and desire, Chen Mu remained suspicious of Blood Heaven’s intentions.

Yet, for now, they could only participate in this final trial; there was no other choice.

Chen Mu gathered with Xu Changye and Yan Chong, leading the surviving members of Nine Nether Sacred Land to act together.

As everyone would be teleported to the same location, there was no need for allies to fight each other. Naturally, they would band together and face outward.

Besides Chen Mu, Xu Changye, and Yan Chong, the greatest strength now belonged to the Nightshade Organization’s Nightshade Children. Of the four, Xiao Sha had fallen in the second trial, leaving only Gui Ci, You Hun, and Die Xue. Though grief-stricken, they showed no emotion, remaining silent and cold as always—their professional bearing.

Everyone was teleported to the new trial ground, with no choice but to await its start.

All participants, whether from the Great Xia Empire or the Bright Moon Empire, set their sights on Nine Nether Sacred Land. Regardless of past grudges, Nine Nether Sacred Land still boasted considerable numbers and power.

Originally, the Battle Demon Hall and Nightshade Organization combined had over two hundred members; after two rounds of trials, over one hundred and ten survived, their sharpness undiminished. Thus, Nine Nether Sacred Land had become the thorn in everyone’s side, the first target.

After careful discussion with Chen Mu, Xu Changye and his group decided to focus on the righteous factions of Great Xia, such as the Celestial Jade Sect. Though the righteous path had more members, their overall strength lagged behind the Bright Moon Empire’s powers, making them easier targets.

With everyone tense, Blood Heaven announced the trial’s start. This was the final round—a trial in name, but in truth mutual slaughter. Once the numbers dwindled to two hundred, they would be released.

The instant the trial began, the sounds of battle erupted. Nine Nether Sacred Land became the prime target for all but sects like Qingyun Mountain; it was understood that if Nine Nether Sacred Land was not eliminated first, they would dominate the trial.

But Nine Nether Sacred Land was not so easily destroyed. They stood ready, deploying their combined formation to defend their circle.

Chen Mu, thanks to his tank-like attributes, drew fire away from Nine Nether Sacred Land, rampaging outside their circle and focusing his attacks on Celestial Jade Sect, Bright Moon Saber Sect, Seven Star Pavilion, and the Great Xia royal family, wreaking havoc among their ranks.

As time passed, Nine Nether Sacred Land finally began to falter under the onslaught. No matter how strong their formation, sheer numbers prevailed, and casualties mounted.

Chen Mu suffered wounds as well, but he avoided the most powerful opponents, targeting the weaker ones and frustrating their factions.

The Nine Nether Shadowstep technique proved invaluable, allowing him to disrupt weaker enemies and break their formations, while evading and harassing the strong, causing their attacks to miss.

This mutual slaughter was fierce and tragic; Blood Heaven watched with cold detachment, as if observing a circus.

The clash of blades and spells never ceased; at every moment, someone died violently, bodies strewn across the field.

Chen Mu, eyes bloodshot, suppressed his wounds and unleashed successive Sha Yuan Spheres, their fierce, baleful energy exploding among the enemy, breaking their coordination and giving Xu Changye precious moments to breathe.

The numbers dwindled rapidly: from over seven hundred, only four hundred remained. Just a bit more, and they would pass the trial.

Watching the thinning ranks, Blood Heaven let out a strange, delighted laugh from the shadows, unheard by the participants, as he did not amplify his voice throughout the relic.

Among all, Chen Mu was the most frenzied; he already had old grudges with Great Xia and Celestial Jade Sect, and now, upon meeting his enemies, his fury was unbridled.

Those who fought him were terrified, never having seen such madness—he traded wounds for wounds, fighting as if he cared nothing for his life.

Within the trial, Chen Mu claimed the most kills, and with his monstrous defenses, no one could deal with him.

When the numbers finally dropped to two hundred, Blood Heaven calmly announced those remaining had passed, and the trial was over.

But Chen Mu, caught in his bloodlust, ignored the announcement, continuing his vengeful assault on Great Xia and the three Celestial Jade Sects. One of their Core Formation cultivators shouted hoarsely, “Chen Mu! You demon, enough! The trial is over!”

Yet Chen Mu paid no heed, still attacking furiously.

As everyone else ceased hostilities, the Core Formation cultivators of Great Xia and Celestial Jade Sect turned to stop Chen Mu’s reckless assault.

Blood Heaven was taken aback; he had not expected this outcome. He thought enough had died already, but Chen Mu continued, clearly harboring deep enmity.

Still, this scene delighted Blood Heaven even more. What a fine demon child! Though not a practitioner of demonic arts, his temperament was thoroughly demonic, just to Blood Heaven’s liking.

Seeing Chen Mu’s reckless attacks on Great Xia, Xu Changye and the others of Nine Nether Sacred Land grew anxious for his safety, engaging Great Xia again—not to fight to the death, but to pull Chen Mu back.

The factions of Great Xia were livid; Chen Mu’s actions were intolerable. Fortunately, Xu Changye and the others managed to restrain him, or else their cultivation hearts would have been shaken, leading them into demonic obsession.