# Chapter 1245: Trial Ground of Heroes
The owner of the peacock and the owner of the golden hou were so furious their entire bodies trembled, veins bulging on their foreheads as they were enraged to the point of exploding by this bizarre red-scaled horse.
"Beast!"
One person roared in anger, opening his mouth to spit out a purple copper gourd an inch or so long, translucent and sparkling. The gourd's stopper pulled itself out, and the mouth of the gourd swallowed heaven and earth, attempting to take in the Dragon Horse and turn it into pus and blood.
"You want to bully me?" The Dragon Horse glared, one front hoof on the ground as its entire body tilted sideways and spun, just like a human executing a sweeping leg technique.
Everyone stared dumbfounded as the Dragon Horse placed one rear hoof on the purple copper gourd while the other rear hoof stamped onto this person's chest, directly kicking him flying.
Everyone was stunned. A fierce beast knowing martial arts was unstoppable. This red horse's moves were very unorthodox—neither transforming into human form nor using divine abilities, simply kicking a master flying so directly, drawing everyone's attention.
Beside them, the owner of the golden hou saw this and also made his move. One arm transformed into a divine sword, his human body turning into a war weapon—very strange indeed.
"Clang!"
The Dragon Horse was extremely ferocious. It reared up on its hind legs, one hoof smashing down onto the gleaming sword body, while the other hoof stomped toward this person's forehead bone.
Everyone was dizzy. When other fierce beasts displayed their power, lightning, flames, and such would erupt simultaneously with great momentum and prestige. Why did this bizarre horse covered in red light prefer hand-to-hand combat? It was like a hooligan fighting.
The owner of the golden hou retreated, swift as a ghost, but the Dragon Horse was even faster. Its upright body didn't lower, using only its two hind legs to move like red divine lightning, too fast for anyone to react.
Everyone was completely dumbfounded. This horse could not be judged by common sense.
This was the Stride Art that the Dragon Horse had pestered Ye Fan into teaching it. Over ten years of battle, traveling the most difficult ancient path through the stars, it had perfected this art to a miraculous level.
It didn't care to transform into human form. Even in this body, it could reach terrifying levels, naturally catching up to that person in an instant as both front hooves smashed down together.
The golden hou's owner's face turned green. A pair of hoofs the size of washbasins coming down was hard to dodge, forcing him to meet them head-on.
With two crisp cracking sounds, both his arms snapped. At the same time, a horse hoof struck his chest, caving it in deeply as he spat blood and flew sideways.
"Peerless fierce beast!"
"What kind of horse is this? Could it be a divine beast flowing with immortal blood?"
Everyone was dumbfounded. This horse was too ferocious. They came from different ancient star domains, and few knew this was a Dragon Horse born from heaven and earth on the other shore of the starry sky.
The mendicant from the Amitabha Ancient Star Domain's eyes flashed with sharp light. The birthmark like a scar on his face flowed with luster as he stared at the Dragon Horse for a while.
Additionally, that brocade-clad young master, said to come from the Human King Ancient Star Domain, also stared at the Dragon Horse for a moment without saying anything.
Ye Fan noticed that seven or eight people showed strange expressions, all of them strong experts who had occupied tables alone, as if they recognized something.
The peacock's owner attacked from behind, silent and soundless, turning into a wisp of shadow. But at that moment, the Dragon Horse's front hooves landed on the ground as its rear legs suddenly kicked backward. The cracking sounds made everyone's teeth ache. The person groaned in pain, his chest sunken in as he fell to the ground like a dead fish.
"You dare let your horse run wild and injure people in the city?!" The middle-aged Daoist nun shouted coldly, her eyes shooting cold light as she stared at Ye Fan. She shouted toward the distance, summoning soldiers, wanting to use their power to kill Ye Fan.
"Everyone, please calm down. Could you give this old man some face and let this matter rest?" The master of the Heavenly Gate anxiously stepped forward to mediate.
"No way! He violated city regulations and should be severely punished, even executed!" Hongliu raised her voice, wanting to blow things up.
"What a joke. It started as a fight between mounts, but you humans had to intervene. My horse had no choice but to defend itself," Ye Fan said.
Many people caught the flavor. At first, it didn't seem like much, but the more they thought about it, the uglier it sounded.
"What are you saying?" The peacock's owner roared in anger, clutching his fractured chest, half his body covered in blood.
"What are you saying? Want to argue reason? Then go talk to my horse," Ye Fan said.
The faces of that group instantly turned ice-cold, their eyes filled with chilling light. This was clearly an insult, saying that fighting and struggling with a horse, lowering themselves to its level, was equating them with their mounts!
The Dragon Horse raised its massive head and said, "I was acting in self-defense, and I already held back. Otherwise, you'd have been shattered into eight pieces!"
Damn it! A horse acting in self-defense, nearly kicking two people to death—that was too hard to swallow. The group opposite wanted to eat it alive.
This disturbance didn't escalate. Although the middle-aged Daoist nun was vicious, sending people to report in hopes of having Ye Fan executed, it didn't work.
In the end, it was the Dragon Horse that had caused the disturbance. Trying to implicate Ye Fan and eliminate him through this was very unrealistic. Moreover, the master of the Heavenly Gate was acquainted with the two soldiers, and with a little explanation and mediation, the matter was smoothed over.
The middle-aged Daoist nun and her group left. They simply couldn't stay any longer. That horse kept shouting about self-defense, making them extremely embarrassed, their faces burning.
Although this ancient city stood in the starry sky, not on land, it still had day and night cycles, facing the universe in a magnificent display.
At dusk, starlight cascaded like waterfalls, dispersing the sunset glow, very different from the scenery on living planets.
"Tomorrow, the trial ground opens. Everyone, be prepared!"
Finally, the official news was delivered. Every cultivator walking the ancient starry path felt their heart tremble. It was finally about to begin.
Ye Fan frowned. Before the official news was released, some people already knew about it. It seemed that no matter where one went, injustice would exist.
Just before the last faint sunset light dissipated, Rui Wei found him, bringing news unfavorable to him.
"That Daoist nun was very active today, lobbying people, saying you are an assassin saint and that you should be eliminated in the trial ground."
"Then she can only blame herself for being tired of living!" Ye Fan said very calmly.
"She really did convince a group of cultivators, over twenty people. And if that terrifying Junwei Mountain Lord makes a move, I think with his fearsome prestige, even more people will join in."
"How many people walking the starry ancient path are foolish? They know very well whether I'm an assassin. If they really make a move against me, it only means these people want to use this opportunity to eliminate me. That's fine too. Let those hostile to me come early, and I'll cut them all down at once!"
Rui Wei showed a worried expression, concerned for him. These were all people walking the trial path, each a hero of their domain. Even if Ye Fan was strong, could he withstand a pack of wolves devouring a tiger?
That night was very peaceful. All the people from foreign lands sat in meditation, adjusting their state of mind in this unfamiliar ancient city, quietly waiting for the trial gates to open.
At dawn, a long horn sounded, wild and distant, as if coming from ancient times, like the war cry of humanity's ancestors.
Everyone stood up and silently gathered toward the square at the city center. A dense, dark crowd filled the space.
On the high platform, the Guide Envoy appeared again, still with a blurry figure. The space where he stood twisted, seeming unreal, only his eyes bright as golden lamps, capable of stinging others' eyes.
"This is the horn used by humanity's ancestors when they pioneered and expanded the cosmos and fought on the frontier borders. Listen well, all of you!" The Guide Envoy was stern for the first time.
The ancient horn continued to sound, a wild, desolate aura rushing forth, as if arriving in a primitive world filled with ferocious birds and beasts, extremely harsh.
The horn stopped, and the Guide Envoy spoke, "Entering the trial ground today has only one purpose: to comprehend the great Dao principles of that world. If you lack this understanding, stop here!"
His words were still few. He vanished from the stone platform, unwilling to utter another word, not wanting to explain more for everyone.
Even if these people were dissatisfied, they couldn't complain. If they angered the city lord, they probably wouldn't leave this place alive.
"I will lead you on the road. Follow me!" A Heavenly Wolf appeared, carrying a man in iron armor, very divine and martial, with some gray at his temples.
This was the commander guarding the city, an Ancient Saint, only one step away from becoming a Saint King. He was one of the three great experts under the Guide Envoy.
Behind him followed twenty soldiers, their armor ancient, their iron garments cold and sharp. Each held long halberds, iron spears, and such, their killing intent filling the wilderness.
These were all failures. They had walked far on the starry ancient path, passing who knew how many trials, but ultimately fell to the invincible heroes of their generation.
Each of them was very serious. They would accompany the commander to send everyone on their way, entering the trial ground.
A bolt of lightning flashed through. The void split open, and above the square appeared a special altar, extremely massive. Everyone standing on it didn't feel crowded.
None of the trial takers spoke. The commander chanted ancient syllables, using incantations to activate this teleportation formation.
Boom!
A massive beam of light shot out, piercing through the cosmos, tearing open a wide spatial channel leading to an unknown other shore.
"Move out!"
The great commander, divine and martial as a heavenly general, urged his Heavenly Wolf forward. He was the first to enter the spatial channel, followed by over four hundred cultivators, with the twenty soldiers bringing up the rear.
This was a special ancient path, connecting to who knew which star domain. People felt time become chaotic, as if an instant was a hundred years, like ten thousand ages passing in haste.
Occasionally, the channel walls became transparent, allowing them to see star domain after star domain being left behind. They had pierced through the cosmos, arriving at an extremely distant place.
No one knew how much time passed. Everyone shuddered as they rushed out of the channel, arriving in the freezing cosmos, at the end of the road.
Starlight flickered, holy and pure as water. They were countless light-years from the first human city, separated by several star domains.
Someone let out a cry of surprise. Ahead, there was a massive island. Not a star, not a meteorite, but a mysterious giant island.
It was more magnificent than an ancient star, carrying an aura of eternal vicissitude. It had endured who knew how many calamities, standing here horizontally, leaving endless legends for later generations.
"This island was a bloody battlefield for humanity's ancestors. Who knows how many supreme experts fell here, including a few... Never mind. After you enter, as long as you comprehend that unchanging supreme Dao, that's enough. If you lack this understanding, then there's no need to continue on the road!"
Clearly, this was an ancient island with stories. According to legend, it originated from the mythological era. Through eternal vicissitudes, only fragmented legends remained.
Its shape was irregular, very different from the stars in the cosmos. It shouldn't have existed, yet it remained undestroyed, enduring until now.
Some cold, sinister gazes swept over, sending chills down people's spines. Ye Fan turned back and saw the middle-aged Daoist nun, Hongliu, Lanfeng, and others, over twenty people gathered together!
Further away, the Thirteen Heavenly Desolate Riders were also watching coldly, their killing intent exposed.
Entering the giant island, battle would be unavoidable!