Destroy the puppets, shatter the illusion.

"Thank you for this trip. If we obtain the Legacy, you may take your pick first," Xu Nuo promised.

Chen Yuan nodded, then his gaze swept across the Puppets on the plaza. Their bodies shone with a cold, hard luster under the hazy light.

At that moment, the eleven Puppets also noticed the two of them. Their scarlet gazes swept over, followed by the Soul Transformation Divine Might rushing toward them like a tide.

"Make a quick decision."

Before Chen Yuan finished speaking, his figure shot out like an arrow released from a bow, rushing straight toward the three strongest Mid-stage Spirit Transformation Puppets.

Xu Nuo moved almost simultaneously, a pale blue Sword Light encircling her as she confronted the Nascent Soul combat strength Puppets on the side.

Buzz—!

Chen Yuan's intrusion instantly activated the plaza's protective Formation.

The red glow in the eyes of all the Puppets flared brightly, and they all turned in unison.

At this moment, three Mid-stage Spirit Transformation Puppets, wielding giant axes and clad in heavy armor, leaped into three positions, rushing toward Chen Yuan in a triangular Formation.

The giant axes sliced through the air with a dull, whistling sound. Although their power was not at its peak, the momentum was still terrifying.

Chen Yuan's expression remained unchanged. The nine-inch Nascent Soul inside his body burned away three inches.

The yixue sword did not leave its sheath; instead, he held his fingers together like a sword and pointed them out into the air.

"Startling Thunder Sword Intent."

The Sword Emperor's Will once again condensed within the Sword Intent.

Sizzle—!

A blazing golden lightning burst forth from his fingertips, splitting into three agile lightning snakes that instantly struck the chests of the three Puppets.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The armor on the chests of the three Puppets instantly charred and melted, revealing a Formation Rune inside that resembled a compass.

At this moment, a crack appeared on the Formation Rune, and the light changed from white to dark. The momentum of the three charging Puppets came to an abrupt halt, and the red glow in their eyes flickered violently a few times before completely extinguishing.

Their massive bodies crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

On the other side, Xu Nuo moved like a startled swan, weaving through the siege of several Puppets.

Her sword fingers shifted nimbly, producing strands of pale blue Sword Qi that were dense as rain and incomparably sharp.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of Sword Qi piercing the air was incessant.

A leopard-shaped Puppet had just leaped up to attack when several strands of Sword Qi pierced its limb joints, causing it to fall to the ground, struggling to rise.

Another humanoid war soldier swung its blade, but was easily parried by a solidified Sword Intent condensed at Xu Nuo's fingertip. Immediately, another strand of Sword Qi drilled into its eye socket like a venomous snake, destroying the internal Perception Formation.

After Chen Yuan finished off the three strongest Puppets, he did not stop. His figure flickered, and he charged into Xu Nuo's battle circle.

Heavenly Thunder Fist.

The Fist Dao Concept unfolded, and a Dao Domain spread out from beneath Chen Yuan's feet, locking onto three Puppets.

A Fist Radiance blasted out from Chen Yuan's hand. In the air, the Fist Intent materialized, resembling a world-destroying Thunder Dragon that struck the three Puppets with terrifying force.

Bang!

The three Puppets were directly blasted away by this punch, colliding with and overturning the two charging Puppets behind them, scattering parts everywhere.

Before long, the last few Puppets were all cut in half by a sweeping golden Sword Intent from Chen Yuan, sending sparks flying.

Silence returned to the plaza, leaving only wreckage strewn across the ground.

Xu Nuo gasped softly. Looking at Chen Yuan, whose breathing was steady and who hadn't even drawn his sword, the brilliance in her amber eyes intensified.

Was that a Dao Domain just now? It was actually the Fourth Realm of the Fist Dao!

Xu Nuo was inwardly shocked. The man before her was not only a powerful Sword Cultivator but also a powerful Fist Cultivator.

It was not easy for any Dao to be Cultivated to the Fourth Realm; some people couldn't achieve it in their entire lives. How much harder was it to Cultivate two Daos simultaneously?

Chen Yuan was completely unaware of Xu Nuo's thoughts. He shook his hand, took out three recovery pills, and swallowed them all at once.

As a fifth-tier Medicinal Pill, the recovery pill was used by Soul Transformation Stage Great Cultivators to restore spiritual power.

If an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator swallowed just one, they might be burst open by the surging spiritual power.

However, Chen Yuan had no worries about this; he even ate three at once.

This sight further shocked Xu Nuo.

If she hadn't been mistaken, Chen Yuan had just consumed recovery pills.

A fifth-tier Medicinal Pill, how dare he? Wasn't he afraid of being burst open?

"Lead the way!" Chen Yuan's calm voice broke Xu Nuo's train of thought.

Xu Nuo composed herself, then pointed toward the ruined great hall: "The entrance is there."

After speaking, she walked over first.

Chen Yuan followed behind her, refining the medicinal power within his body.

The door of the great hall was incredibly heavy, cast from an unknown metal, and covered in carved sword-shaped runes.

As soon as the two approached, the hall door emitted a heavy rumble and slowly opened inward on its own, revealing the passage behind it.

Gusts of sharp Sword Wind blew out, causing their robes to flutter loudly.

Passing through the passage and entering the great hall, the internal space was far more vast than it appeared from the outside.

The dome was high above, but the supporting hall pillars had long since broken.

In the center of the great hall stood a massive stone tablet. The inscription was already blurred, but a majestic Sword Intent lingered around it, inspiring awe.

Suddenly, the blurred inscription on the stone tablet lit up with a soft glow, and a phantom middle-aged figure, dressed in an azure-green Daoist robe, slowly materialized.

His face was solemn, and his eyes were deep. Although he was only a wisp of remnant consciousness, he still carried a suffocating pressure.

That was the mighty pressure belonging to a Void Return Dao Lord, mixed with the Sword Emperor's Will.

Xu Nuo was forcibly pinned in place, finding it incredibly difficult to move.

"Latercomers..." The aged voice sounded directly in both of their Seas of Consciousness. "To be able to reach this place and break my Puppet Protection Formation shows your strength and fate.

However, the Great Dao is walked alone, and Heart-Nature comes first. This second trial is Heart Refinement."

The old man's phantom figure raised a hand and pointed.

In an instant, the scenery surrounding Chen Yuan and Xu Nuo drastically changed!

The great hall vanished, replaced by a bloody battlefield where shouts of killing shook the heavens, Devilish Qi surged, and countless ferocious demonic creatures rushed in like a tide, instantly submerging the two of them.

An aura of despair continuously assaulted their senses and minds.

At the same time, various illusions arose.

This was the Great Heart Refinement Formation set up by Dao Lord Hanjiang using his remaining Sword Emperor's Will, aimed directly at the true heart.

Chen Yuan felt his Sea of Consciousness tremble. His Emperor Realm Sword Soul spontaneously chimed lightly, cutting down all falsehoods.

His eyes were clear as before, and invisible Sword Intent circulated naturally around him. When the illusions and demonic shadows approached him, they melted away like ice and snow, unable to affect him in the slightest.

His Dao Heart was already indestructible.

He looked at Xu Nuo beside him.

He saw her beautiful eyebrows tightly furrowed, fine sweat beading on her forehead, and her body slightly trembling. She was clearly resisting with all her might.

Something she cared deeply about, or perhaps a Heart Demon, seemed to have appeared in the Illusion.

Chen Yuan did not intervene.

This trial had to be overcome by oneself.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Nuo suddenly opened her eyes, a trace of lingering fear flashing within them.

She let out a long breath, looked at Chen Yuan, and nodded slightly to signal that she was fine.

She had just experienced the extermination of her clan again. She had been afraid to take up her sword, but finally, she heard her Revered Master's call, grasped the sword in her hand, and shattered the Illusion.

Long before they arrived, her Revered Master had accurately predicted this Heart-Nature trial and planted a strand of her Divine Thought within Xu Nuo's Sea of Consciousness.

Xu Nuo's Revered Master was a dignified Integration Supreme, so breaking this Illusion and allowing Xu Nuo to regain clarity was effortless.