77: The path of cultivating the mind is as smooth as walking on flat ground.

On the starlit path, Ji Wuming's heart-wrenching screams rang out.

The very first bolt of Star Power blasted this Prodigy with a Natural Saint Body until his flesh was torn open and his body was charred black; even the precious light of his Saint Body dimmed.

But he didn't dare stop.

Because he could feel that cold, death-like gaze behind him, locked onto him the entire time.

If he dared to stop, the next second would be the end of both his body and soul.

"Aaaah!"

Enduring the intense pain and gritting his teeth, Ji Wuming continued to roll forward in an incredibly humiliating manner.

The second bolt of starlight fell!

It was thicker than the first, and its power was even more terrifying!

*Crack!*

Ji Wuming's bones made a sound of shattering under the unbearable weight, and fine cracks appeared all over his Saint Body.

He was in so much pain he nearly fainted, but the instinct for survival kept him from daring to stop.

The third bolt!

The fourth bolt!

...Across the entire stone platform, everyone was silent; only Ji Wuming's inhuman, shrill screams echoed under the vast starry sky.

They watched helplessly as this once high-and-mighty, arrogant Saint of the Central Province Sacred Land rolled along the Heart Refining Road like a dead dog, blasted into a bloody, unrecognizable mess by the successive bolts of Star Power.

Everyone's hearts were filled with endless shock and awe.

They looked at the man in green standing with his hands behind his back, calm and composed, and only pure fear remained in their eyes.

With a single word, he could decide the life or death of a Prodigy!

This was a truly supreme powerhouse!

Feng Ziyan also watched this scene quietly, her heart equally shaken by the massive impact.

She once again realized deeply just how domineering and cold-blooded this man was.

The fate of those who offended him would be more miserable than death.

At the same time, a sliver of relief quietly rose in her heart.

She was glad she had made the right choice.

Otherwise, the one rolling on the Heart Refining Road right now might have been her.

As for the last Late Nascent Soul Stage elder held in Chu He's hand, he had long since gone limp with fear, his bowels and bladder voiding, lacking even the strength to beg for mercy.

Chu He glanced at Ji Wuming, who had already rolled to the seventh stone pillar on the Heart Refining Road, his breath faint and hanging on by a thread; a flash of impatience crossed Chu He's eyes.

"Useless trash, you're rolling too slowly."

He flicked his finger.

An imperceptible gust of wind shot into Ji Wuming's backside.

"Ah!"

Ji Wuming felt a massive force hit him, and he flew up like a ball, tumbling uncontrollably toward the end of the Heart Refining Road at an incredible speed!

The eighth bolt of starlight!

The ninth bolt of starlight!

Two terrifying bolts of Star Power, enough to instantly kill a Late Nascent Soul Stage expert, slammed into his body one after another!

*Bang!*

The moment the ninth bolt of starlight fell, Ji Wuming's body—along with his so-called Natural Saint Body—finally reached its limit and exploded into a mist of blood.

Not even a shred of his Divine Soul remained.

Ji Wuming, the Prodigy Saint of the Central Province Sacred Land,

Had fallen.

In the most humiliating and miserable way possible.

Having finished this, Chu He acted as if he had swatted a fly, casually tossing the Late Nascent Soul Stage elder—who had already fainted from fright—onto the Heart Refining Road as well.

The result was no surprise.

The elder couldn't even withstand the first bolt of starlight before being instantly turned to ash.

Thus, the arrogant trio from the Central Province Sacred Land was completely wiped out.

The entire stone platform was deathly silent.

Everyone kept their heads down, not daring to look at Chu He, fearing they would be the next ones thrown onto the Heart Refining Road.

Chu He's gaze swept across the area.

Every Cultivator his eyes touched trembled, wishing they could find a hole to crawl into.

"A bunch of trash."

Chu He shook his head, withdrew his gaze, and said to Feng Ziyan beside him:

"Let's go."

After speaking, he took the first step onto the Star Refining Heart Road, which in everyone's eyes was a path of certain death.

Feng Ziyan and Uncle Fu hesitated for a moment before quickly following him.

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at Chu He's back.

They wanted to see how this impossibly strong man would cross this terrifying Heart Refining Road.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Chu He strolled into the range of the first stone pillar as if taking a leisurely walk.

"Roar!"

The Stone Dragon on the pillar let out another roar.

In the sky, a star shone brightly, and a thick bolt of starlight came crashing down!

However, the moment that starlight was about to hit Chu He,

An incredible scene occurred.

When that violent Star Power came within three feet of Chu He's head, it actually... split apart automatically!

Like a gentle stream meeting an immovable rock, it flowed around him from both sides without harming him in the slightest!

Chu He's pace didn't falter at all as he continued forward.

The second stone pillar!

The third stone pillar!

...The ninth stone pillar!

Terrifying bolts of Star Power, each enough to make a Late Nascent Soul Stage expert turn pale, fell from the sky one after another.

But without exception, all the attacks automatically veered away when they came within three feet of Chu He's body.

He just kept walking like that, leisurely and composed, as if on level ground.

It was as if he wasn't walking on the life-and-death Star Refining Heart Road, but just a common path in his own backyard.

"Immune to All Laws?!"

"No! This isn't being Immune to All Laws! It's that the Star Power is afraid of him! It doesn't dare to attack him!"

"Heavens! What kind of existence is he? To actually make the Laws of heaven and earth retreat?!"

The Cultivators on the stone platform completely lost their minds.

They felt that their worldview had been thoroughly crushed into powder today.

And Feng Ziyan and Uncle Fu, who were following behind Chu He, were similarly shocked beyond measure by this scene.

Following behind Chu He, they also didn't suffer any attacks.

Because all the Star Power was pushed back by the invisible aura emanating from Chu He's body.

Feng Ziyan looked up at the back ahead of her; it wasn't particularly tall, but at this moment, it seemed incredibly grand. Her Phoenix eyes shimmered with light, and she was entranced.

So, this was a truly powerful person.

Words Manifest as Law, Immune to All Laws.

Even heaven and earth must retreat before him!

Unknowingly, the three had reached the end of the Heart Refining Road and arrived before the light gate leading to the Fifth Layer.

Chu He stopped and glanced back.

The Cultivators on the stone platform were still standing there in a daze; not a single person dared to follow.

Chu He shook his head, not bothered to deal with these wastes.

He took Feng Ziyan's hand and stepped into the light gate.

Uncle Fu quickly followed... The Fifth Layer.

It was a boundless sea of fire.

The sky was dark red, the earth was cracked, and the air was filled with the smell of sulfur and flames.

Countless elemental creatures condensed from fire roared and stampeded through the sea of flames.

The temperature here was high enough to instantly melt a Golden Core Cultivator into nothingness.

Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would have to constantly circulate their magical power here to resist the all-pervasive, terrifying high temperatures.

However, Chu He's group of three was not affected at all.

Chu He himself did not fear flames of this level.

And Feng Ziyan, possessing the Archaic Phoenix Bloodline, was a natural master of fire.

To her, this sea of fire was not harmful but rather like a giant hot spring, making her feel incredibly comfortable. She could even feel the Phoenix Bloodline within her body becoming slightly more active under the stimulation of this sea of fire.

As for Uncle Fu, he was protected by an invisible gas shield on Chu He's body and was similarly unaffected.

"The Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi here is so pure!" Feng Ziyan said in surprise.

"Mm, it's decent," Chu He nodded. "This is the source of the Earth Core Fire Vein; it's somewhat beneficial to your Bloodline."

"You should Cultivate here."

Chu He pointed to a massive volcano formed by gathered magma in the center of the sea of fire and said, "Go there; that is the core of the fire vein, where the effect will be best."

"I will act as your Protector."

Hearing this, Feng Ziyan's heart warmed.

This man, although domineering, didn't seem to be completely cold and heartless toward her.

"Thank you," she said softly.

This was the first time she had willingly said "thank you" to Chu He.

"Go on," Chu He waved his hand.

Feng Ziyan nodded and, without further hesitation, moved her body, turning into a streak of fiery red light as she flew toward the massive volcano.

She wanted to seize this opportunity to Cultivate well and strive to take her Bloodline a step further!

She didn't want to always just follow behind him like a decorative vase that needed protection.

She wanted to become strong!

Strong enough that one day she would truly be qualified to stand side-by-side with him!

Watching Feng Ziyan's departing back, an imperceptible smile appeared on Chu He's face.

The reason he brought Feng Ziyan here was naturally not as simple as wanting her to Cultivate.

His true goal was to use the Earth Core Fire Vein here, along with the Bloodline Power triggered during Feng Ziyan's cultivation, to accomplish a major task.

A major task that would allow his 'phoenix tree divine tree' seedling to be successfully planted!

He glanced at the blueprints and that piece of enlightenment willow in his System inventory; he already had a plan in mind.

However, before that, he still needed to clear away the surrounding flies.

Chu He's gaze looked toward the depths of the sea of fire.

There, he sensed several powerful auras.

One of them had even reached the Great Circle of the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

"You rats hiding in the shadows, you've watched the show for so long, isn't it time to come out?"

Chu He's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire world of the sea of fire.