An unexpected reward! The final trial, an unsolvable problem?

Lin Mo had just taken the small key into his hand, and hadn't even had time to appreciate its warm, smooth texture.

Boom!

An unforeseen change occurred!

The golden giant, kneeling on one knee, whose aura had already fallen to the Spirit Sea Realm, suddenly reversed its weakened aura and began to surge wildly!

Golden Core Early Stage! Golden Core Peak! Nascent Soul Early Stage!

It advanced unimpeded, without any obstruction!

Finally, that oppressive power steadily halted at the Nascent Soul Peak level, its intensity even more terrifying than before!

...Ah!

Liu Fang shrieked, her heart, which had just settled, instantly leapt to her throat.

She shivered with fright, subconsciously shielding Ji Lingxue behind her again, adopting a wary, battle-ready stance.

Ji Lingxue's pretty face also turned pale, her recently risen admiration and awe instantly shattered by this sudden turn of events.

Even Lin Mo was momentarily stunned.

No way?

Again?

Does this thing have a second transformation?

However, just as the master and servant's nerves were once again stretched to their limit,

the terrifying aura from the golden giant, powerful enough to suppress mountains and rivers, vanished completely in an instant, like a receding tide, leaving no trace.

Immediately after, under their increasingly dazed expressions, the giant's massive, ten-zhang-tall body was enveloped in a brilliant golden light.

Within the golden light, its form rapidly shrank and solidified at a visible speed.

Finally, the golden light dispersed,

and a mini golden figure, only the size of a palm, entirely golden, carved with intricate patterns, with even the details of its armor lifelike, floated quietly before Lin Mo.

Lin Mo: "..."

Good heavens, you went straight from a Gundam to an action figure?

And it even has automatic retrieval?

He understood, realizing this was a hidden bonus after perfectly clearing the first stage.

And Lin Mo never stood on ceremony when it came to spoils of war delivered to his doorstep.

He unhesitatingly forced out a drop of crimson essence blood and flicked it with his fingertip.

The drop of essence blood transformed into a red thread, shooting with pinpoint accuracy into the mini golden giant's glabella.

Buzz!

The mini giant trembled all over, a spark of spiritual light igniting in its eyes.

Then it transformed into a golden light, actively flying into Lin Mo's palm, affectionately rubbing against his finger, before he contentedly stored it in his Storage Ring.

A Nascent Soul Peak Puppet enforcer, easily acquired!

Hmm, not bad, this trip wasn't in vain.

Ji Lingxue and Liu Fang watched Lin Mo's smooth "acquisition" process from the side.

They watched as that terrifying Puppet, capable of easily suppressing Heaven-Supporting King Ji Wuya, so casually became Lin Mo's personal property, and extreme envy flashed in their eyes.

But that was all.

Jealousy? Demanding it?

Don't be ridiculous.

They knew very well that without Lin Mo, let alone passing the first stage, they would probably already be two cold corpses in this stone hall.

This was something Fellow Daoist Lin obtained by his own ability, so it naturally belonged to him, and they had no complaints about it.

Rumble... Just then, the entire empty stone hall began to shake violently without warning.

On the wall directly in front of the three, countless dust motes fell, and those ancient and sturdy stone blocks began to slowly move, piece together, and reassemble.

Soon, a colossal mural, ancient and desolate in style, slowly emerged on the wall, emanating a thick, unyielding aura of time.

The first scene of the mural depicted an Emperor wearing an imperial crown, ascending the throne amidst the support and worship of ten thousand people.

Above his head, a golden Dragon, formed from endless Luck, soared in the Nine Heavens, its Dragon might awe-inspiring, a scene of magnificent prosperity at the founding of a nation.

In the middle section of the mural, the art style shifted.

The once spirited Emperor's face began to look weary and haggard, his eyes filled with struggle and pain.

Below him, the faces of the myriad subjects, their former reverence and joy, were gradually replaced by numbness, resentment, and endless despair.

The Luck Golden Dragon, moreover, became listless, its golden light significantly dimmed.

The end of the mural, however, was a scene of utter apocalypse.

The Luck Golden Dragon let out a silent wail, its massive Dragon body crumbling inch by inch, dissolving into countless light specks.

The once glorious capital city had long become a ruin of broken walls.

And on the collapsed throne, the once invincible Emperor had become a withered skeleton, sitting alone, as if accusing something.

At the very bottom of the mural, a line of ancient characters, imprinted with Divine Soul power, glowed with a bloody light, carrying a deeply ingrained warning.

"Unable to bear the weight of ten thousand people, ultimately abandoned by ten thousand people."

Seeing this line of text, and recalling her own pathetic and broken performance during the "Myriad People's Interrogation" just now,

Ji Lingxue's delicate body trembled violently, and she swayed, the color she had barely regained draining completely once more.

So... that's how it is?

Father's failed closed-door cultivation, his damaged Divine Soul, the turbulent national Luck, could it also be because... he couldn't bear the weight of these ten thousand people?

She instantly understood many things, but what followed was an even deeper sense of powerlessness.

However, before she could ponder this immense impact in detail, a grand, majestic voice, devoid of any emotion, resounded throughout the stone hall.

"Trial participant, you have perfectly deciphered the test of 'Myriad People's Heart knock'. Your Dao Heart is rarely seen throughout the ages."

"You are granted permission to skip subsequent stages and face the final Legacy directly."

As soon as the voice fell.

The ancient key Lin Mo had just acquired suddenly transformed into a brilliant golden light, flew out of his hand, and shot directly towards the end of the stone hall.

The space there began to violently twist and fold.

A teleportation gate, exuding supreme majesty, as if leading to another world, appeared out of thin air.

Lin Mo did not hesitate, taking the first step in.

Ji Lingxue and Liu Fang exchanged glances, then quickly followed.

The moment they passed through the teleportation gate, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

This was a magnificent plaza beyond words, its ground paved with the purest white jade.

Beyond the plaza was a deep, brilliant, vast starry river, with countless stars slowly circulating beneath their feet.

And at the very center of the plaza, an Emperors Phantom, clad in a profound black Dragon robe, with an indistinct face but exuding world-shaking majesty, stood silently with its back to them.

Just a back view, yet it possessed a supreme aura of suppressing all ages and being the sole sovereign!

"Tens of thousands of years have passed, and finally, a successor is able to break this Emperor's Heart Demon interrogation."

The Emperors Phantom slowly spoke, then slowly turned around.

His gaze seemed to pierce through ancient and future times, spanning the long river of time, finally landing on Lin Mo.

"However, to inherit the Method of Dynasty Prosperity, one must first resolve the dilemma of Imperial Destiny/Luck (Yun Chao Zhi Fa)."

"This Emperor asks you."

"What kind of governance can make an Imperial Destiny/Luck (Yun Chao Zhi Fa)... eternally immortal?"