301: Chapter 301 The Strong Respect Each Other, the Inheritance Changes Hands!

Gradually, a miracle occurred.

The originally charred and brittle bark began to peel away, revealing a faint hint of pale yellow inside.

Immediately after, a weak yet resilient surge of life force revived from the core of the withered wood.

"Grow for me!"

Li Changsheng gave a soft shout, and from his fingertip, he flicked a drop of "Longevity Dew" containing his life essence.

The moment the drop of dew fell onto the withered wood, it was like dry wood meeting a raging fire, instantly igniting a majestic life force.

The withered wood sprouted branches and buds at a speed visible to the naked eye. The tender green leaves unfurled within a few breaths, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a lush, ten-foot-tall Lightning-Struck Spiritual Tree, with pale gold life patterns flowing across every leaf.

"First trial passed."

The aged voice rang out once more, seemingly carrying a hint of approval.

Li Changsheng withdrew his power and stood up, brushing his sleeves, his face full of high spirits.

However, before he could finish catching his breath, the voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a heart-palpitating murderous intent.

"The extreme of life is death; the end of death is life."

"Second trial: Extinction and Rebirth."

Before the voice could fade, the jade dome at the top of the hall vanished instantly, replaced by a tribulation cloud as black as ink.

"What?!"

Li Changsheng's pupils constricted sharply as an intense sense of mortal danger instantly enveloped his entire body.

*Crack!!*

Without giving him any time to react, a bolt of "Taiyi Great Extermination Golden Lightning," as thick as a bucket and shimmering with purple-gold light, struck down from the tribulation cloud without warning.

This lightning was too fast—faster than thought, so fast that he didn't even have time to raise his protective barrier.

*Boom!*

"Ahhh!!"

Accompanied by a piercing scream, Li Changsheng was struck head-on by this golden lightning, which was powerful enough to kill a Peak Mahayana cultivator instantly.

In an instant, his Physical Body shattered, and flesh and blood flew everywhere.

The terrifying power of the lightning instantly destroyed his Meridians, bones, and internal organs, reducing his entire being to a pile of smoldering charcoal.

His life force was completely severed at this moment.

This trial was actually meant to find life within death!

A deathly silence filled the hall, with only the pile of charcoal still emitting a pungent burnt smell.

However, ten breaths later.

Deep within that lifeless charcoal, a faint green light suddenly flickered.

That was a drop of "Nirvana True Blood" hidden within Li Changsheng's body! This was a life-saving trump card he had obtained at the risk of his life in some ancient ruin, and it was the very thing he relied on to venture into Secret Realms.

"I cannot die... I want to achieve Immortal Ascension..."

Weak ripples of Divine Thought echoed within the charcoal.

Several priceless Death-Substitution Talismans burned to ashes in the Void Realm, shielding him from the Law of destruction remaining in the lightning.

Immediately after, that speck of green light expanded rapidly, like a prairie fire.

The flesh that had turned to charcoal began to squirm and reconstruct itself.

The "crackling" sound of bone growth sounded particularly eerie in the hall.

In just half the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a brand-new body stood up from the ashes.

Li Changsheng reshaped his Physical Body; his skin was like jade, and his long hair draped over his shoulders.

Although his face was as pale as paper, his aura had not weakened; instead, having undergone the baptism of life and death, it became even more condensed and profound.

"Huff... huff... That was close... I almost really died."

Li Changsheng panted heavily, his eyes filled with the relief and lingering fear of surviving a disaster.

If not for that drop of true blood, he would have surely perished here today.

Just then, the grand voice spoke for the third time:

"Only by seeking life through death can one obtain the Great Dao."

"Second trial passed. Bestowing the Legacy of the Law of Life."

*Buzz—*

Above the hall, the Void Realm split open, and an ancient Jade Slip, emerald green and radiating a dense life force and the charm of the Law, slowly descended.

Looking at that Jade Slip, Li Changsheng's eyes instantly erupted with a light of wild joy.

"The Law of Life! A Void Immortal Legacy! With this, I can complete the Longevity Manual and step into that legendary Realm!"

Ignoring his weakness, he reached out a trembling hand and grabbed for the Jade Slip with all his might.

Closer!

Even closer!

His fingertips were less than an inch away from the Jade Slip; he could even feel the warm coolness emanating from it.

However.

At the very moment his fingertips were about to touch the Jade Slip.

*Whoosh—*

The Void Realm suddenly rippled with a strange ripple.

A crystal-clear, flawless, fair jade hand emerged out of thin air from the Void Realm.

That hand seemed soft and boneless, yet it contained a suffocating Void Immortal Law; it was as fast as lightning, arriving first despite starting later.

*Snap.*

With a gentle squeeze, that jade hand firmly caught the Legacy Jade Slip—the symbol of supreme Opportunity—in its palm.

Li Changsheng grabbed at thin air.

"Who?!"

The massive sense of loss left his mind blank, followed by a surge of overwhelming shock and fury.

He jerked his head up and looked at the owner of that hand.

In the Void Realm above the hall, a figure of peerless elegance floated silently.

She wore a pale gold Palace-style Flowing Cloud Dress and a Nine-Bends Phoenix Hairpin. Her beauty was world-transcending, and her aura was so noble that one dared not look directly at her.

Those beautiful eyes looked down at him coldly, like a goddess from the Nine Heavens looking at an ant.

Yaochi Holy Mother!

"This item belongs to me now."

Yaochi Holy Mother spoke indifferently, her voice cold and detached from worldly affairs.

With that, she flicked her wrist, and the Jade Slip that Li Changsheng had risked his life for disappeared into her sleeve.

"You... You are the Yaochi Holy Mother?!"

Li Changsheng recognized the newcomer. His eyes were bloodshot, and his heart was filled with indignation, grievance, and rage.

"This Junior went through life and death, nearly having my Divine Soul extinguished to pass the trial! As a dignified Void Immortal expert and the master of a Holy Land, how can Senior commit such an act of robbery?! This is against the rules!"

He questioned her at the top of his lungs, his body trembling violently with rage.

Hearing this, Yaochi Holy Mother didn't even give him a direct look.

She merely spared him a cold glance. That disregard was more painful than being killed.

"Rules?"

Yaochi Holy Mother turned around, her figure transforming into a streak of light as she swept out of the hall.

Only her cold and overbearing voice remained in the air:

"In the Cultivation World, strength is respected, and the weak are prey to the strong."

"Since I have seen this Opportunity, it is mine. If you are dissatisfied, feel free to try and snatch it back."

"You—!!"

Li Changsheng stood there, watching the departing light. He was so angry that his whole body shook; a mouthful of blood welled up in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it back down.

Snatch it back? What did he have to challenge a Void Immortal?

...

On the other side, the Legacy Hall of Death.

Unlike the vibrant life of the Hall of Life, this place was a land of true silence.

In the center of the hall was a pitch-black pool, ten zhang in diameter.

The pool water was as thick as ink, without a single ripple, radiating the aura of death.

At this time, the Son of Destiny, Jiang Hao, was sitting cross-legged, bare-chested, in that pitch-black pool.

This was no ordinary water, but "Yellow Springs Death Water" condensed from the "Law of Death" at its most concentrated.