Chapter 2168: Starting from Zero
At this moment, outside the cylindrical platform, the Prophet still stood in the void. Everything below was transparent before him, and he could clearly see all that transpired within. Not only him, but all those around could also observe the events inside. This was the meeting stage for those at the peak of the Martial Emperor Realm; those at the Emperor Realm would proceed after the Martial Emperor Realm participants.
"Is this... the Art of Heavenly Fate?" an old man murmured, gazing at the scene within. He knew that everything he saw was an illusion, a fabrication, yet for those who had entered, it was all real.
"In the lowest layer, a battle has broken out. Their cultivation levels seem to have been suppressed, and what's more, they aren't using any divine abilities at all."
"Has everything been stripped away? This is meant to make them rise again, starting from zero, to give these participants of the Nine Heavens Gathering a thorough trial. I'm afraid many will be eliminated this time."
The crowd thought to themselves. Not only could they see what was happening here, but the people in Shen Xiao City also seemed to witness the Prophet's fabricated world, presented vividly before their eyes.
Among those sent into the illusory world, many encountered attacks from demonic beasts. Some were still brooding over the loss of their power when a powerful beast tore their bodies apart.
"Ah..." A scream rang out, startling the outside crowd. Then, they saw a figure on one of the stone pillars slowly collapse, devoid of life.
"Death?" The crowd's pupils contracted at this sight, shock evident in their eyes. Wasn't this supposed to be an illusory scene? Why was there death? This was real death, and their physical bodies hadn't even stepped inside.
"A powerful dream realm can synchronize illusion with reality. The Prophet's strength has reached a terrifying level, allowing him to create such a fearsome scene." The crowd looked up at the ethereal figure in the void, their hearts pounding. Those lofty geniuses might very easily fall on the stage of the Nine Heavens Gathering, and this stage wasn't necessarily about direct combat.
"I have already warned those participating in the Nine Heavens Gathering that they might fall on this stage. If they harbor the lucky thought that death inside doesn't matter and merely means elimination, then their will is not resilient enough," the Prophet said calmly, causing the crowd's hearts to tremble slightly. Fortunately, those who could step onto the Nine Heavens Gathering stage all possessed extremely tenacious will. For now, they had only seen one person fall, but witnessing the ordeals of the others, the crowd couldn't help but feel their hearts race.
Inside that fabricated world, Lin Feng found himself in a forest. He realized that the greatest challenge wasn't that his cultivation level had been suppressed, nor that his physical body had been restrained, but that his memories were blurred. His memories of techniques and divine abilities were hazy. To gain power, he would need to start completely from scratch. Right now, he was a blank slate.
Of course, a blank slate was the most malleable.
"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a fierce wind howled, and a powerful demonic aura surged toward him. In the past, this aura would have seemed pitifully weak, but now, with this body, he felt it was extremely formidable. In the void above, a demonic roc appeared, its cold, eerie eyes fixed on him, filled with a violent, murderous aura.
"Damn it. A Heavenly Martial Realm demonic beast, and I don't even have any techniques or divine abilities right now." Lin Feng's gaze hardened, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He shifted his steps slightly, and his body shot forward in a mad dash, with no thought of fighting. He had been wondering how to pass this trial, but now, he had to think about how to survive.
The roc in the void let out a sharp screech, and a terrifying hurricane surged straight at Lin Feng, pressing down on him with a suffocating force.
His pupils suddenly turned pitch black, and every detail around him became crystal clear. This was the ability granted by his martial soul. At this moment, all he could use was the most primal power of his martial soul. Gathering his true essence into his arms, Lin Feng continued to run, but the roc's speed increased rapidly, soon catching up to him. Its fierce claws shot straight for his head.
"Lin Feng-gege." Outside, Yao Yao's heart trembled violently as she saw this scene. It was too dangerous. What had those inside encountered? It seemed Lin Feng was about to be torn apart by the roc's claws.
But at that moment, Lin Feng abruptly stopped, twisting his body slightly to dodge to the side. The claws grazed past him, and his hand shot out, grabbing the roc's leg above the claw. Then, his fist slammed fiercely into the roc's abdomen, channeling all his true essence into the blow. With a sharp cry, the roc's abdomen was pierced, but its massive body crashed heavily into Lin Feng, sending him sprawling to the ground.
However, he immediately scrambled to his feet, turning his head. His cold pupils locked onto the injured roc. The roc spread its wings, soared into the air, and fled into the distance, blood still dripping from the sky.
"Huff..." Lin Feng let out a breath. That was close. It seemed he had underestimated the difficulty of the Nine Heavens Gathering. Of course, Lin Feng still believed he could succeed. Although his memories of techniques and divine abilities were blurred, his experience and memories of martial arts remained. He could definitely rise quickly.
Raising his foot, Lin Feng stepped forward with determination. Although those at the Heavenly Martial Realm could fly through the air, he chose not to. This forest was likely filled with many powerful demonic beasts. If he provoked a swarm, even ten lives wouldn't be enough.
"For those at the Heavenly Martial Realm, cultivation techniques gather true essence. In battle, besides true essence power, one must comprehend the power of will. Even if I have to comprehend a new will from scratch today, it should be easy for me," Lin Feng murmured to himself as he walked. Soon, he encountered a Charm-Eyed Demon Fox. Its eyes were exceptionally powerful, seemingly capable of trapping one in an illusion.
At this moment, the Charm-Eyed Demon Fox's eyes were fixed on Lin Feng. He felt as if he saw a ethereal, fairy-like woman walking toward him. It was Meng Qing. He actually saw Meng Qing's figure.
A terrifying sense of crisis surged over him. Lin Feng bit his lip, almost drawing blood. Meng Qing, the Snow Clan... His pupils grew colder, more eerie. As the fox's flames shot toward him, he stepped back, then suddenly lunged forward, his fist smashing toward the fox's head.
"Rip..." Lin Feng's clothes tore, and a fiery crack appeared on his chest and abdomen, as if he had been nearly split open. The fox fell to the ground, and Lin Feng broke open its demonic core, grasping it in his hand to absorb its power. He didn't stop, continuing to walk forward with unyielding determination. The space created by the Prophet couldn't be a dead end. Even in dangerous situations, there had to be a way out, unless he fell behind others in cultivation, which would be fatal.
Lin Feng wandered through the forest without a clear destination. He didn't need one; he needed power. He faced many crises, and his clothes were tattered, but his eyes never showed any sign of fatigue. They seemed perpetually full of energy, as if he would never tire.
One day, Lin Feng was still in the forest. Before him stood a massive demonic beast, an Earth Dragon. Its body was enormous, somewhat dragon-like, and it could spew terrifying flames. However, its movements were clumsy and slow. Lin Feng's steps were like the wind, each one light and gentle, like a drifting willow leaf. This was the power of will he had comprehended during this time—moving with the leaves, dancing with the wind. Each time, he would suddenly appear before the Earth Dragon and strike fiercely, his blazing true essence slamming into the beast, but it failed to shake its life.
"Tough defense," Lin Feng muttered as he sidestepped away from the beast's roar. The next moment, he appeared in the air, and a tearing wind sword intent slashed into the beast's eye, causing the Earth Dragon to let out a terrible roar.
Lin Feng leaped several times, then plunged another true essence sword into the beast's other eye.
After some time, Lin Feng finally tortured the beast to death. He walked into its cave dwelling, sat cross-legged, and gazed ahead, thinking, "To gather true essence, what kind of technique should I create to raise my cultivation level as quickly as possible?"
In the past, when Lin Feng was at the Heavenly Martial Realm, his main cultivation technique was the Great Sun Incinerating Heaven Scripture. Although he could quickly create a similar technique based on his martial arts experience, he wanted to create an even more powerful one, one that could absorb the power of heaven and earth most efficiently, condense true essence, and raise his level, allowing him to stay ahead of others who had entered this world.
Those geniuses were likely doing the same as him now. Eventually, they would meet. Once he fell behind the other geniuses, he would lose control of his fate and might even face life-threatening danger.