Beat Yourself

Green Ghost and Fire Drought were so bewildered by Zhong Qing’s actions that they began to doubt their very existence.

They didn’t dare to delay, reporting the situation to the Lord of the Abyss immediately.

At the entrance of the undulating Hell Lava Valley, the two knelt on the ground, their hearts complex.

Green Ghost respectfully addressed the lava mouth, “Master, that person has already passed the second trial.”

Within the molten lava, a scarlet gaze suddenly appeared.

“Oh!”

A sound of surprise echoed throughout the valley.

The Magic Bamboo Formation was personally laid by him, and he naturally understood its power.

Yet, the opponent, at the age of twenty, had passed the second trial in such a short time.

Even he felt a long-lost sense of amazement.

“How long did it take him to pass the second trial?”

The voice of the Lord of the Abyss resonated throughout the entire world.

“Reporting to Master, less than ten breaths!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Hell Lava undulated, erupting in rolling flames.

“Less than ten breaths?!”

If earlier it was surprise, now it was tinged with a hint of excitement.

“Continue to monitor him!”

“Open the subsequent trials!”

“Report any situation at any time!”

“This Lord wants to see how many trials he can pass!”

An ancient and majestic voice filled the entire world, carrying an undeniable dominance.

…

On the other side, after Zhong Qing passed through the Purple Bamboo Forest, he continued to move forward.

He didn’t know where this path led, but he felt as if he had fallen into some kind of setup.

It was similar to a trial ground.

If he passed all the trials, perhaps he could leave this Abyss Land.

The surroundings were still hazy.

Looking back, the ancient path stretched endlessly, and a hint of purple could vaguely be seen.

That was the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Zhong Qing walked while constantly surveying his surroundings.

This path felt extraordinary to him.

It wasn’t spanning distance, but rather space.

And whether it was the Five Directions Divine Hall or the Purple Bamboo Forest earlier, they were all in different spaces.

They were more like coordinates, and the purpose of this path was to connect different coordinates.

Perhaps to confirm Zhong Qing’s guess, not long after, he saw another coordinate connected by the ancient path.

That was a pagoda!

The pagoda was ten stories high!

Each story was about one zhang tall.

The ten-zhang pagoda stood majestically in the sky, emitting dazzling golden light.

It was like a small sun.

At this moment, the pagoda’s door was wide open, as if welcoming Zhong Qing’s arrival.

A normal person seeing such a scene might hesitate whether or not to enter.

However, Zhong Qing didn’t hesitate at all, walking straight inside.

Firstly, he had enough trump cards.

Secondly, in this situation, there seemed to be nowhere else to go.

Upon entering, the surroundings were empty, like a martial arts arena.

The walls were covered with bizarre carvings.

There were flying beasts, walking beasts, auspicious Qilin, gods, demons, Buddhas…

It was as if all races and beings were carved upon them.

These sculptures were lifelike, full of charm, and imbued with ancient essence; looking at them for a long time, it seemed as if they could walk out of the murals at any moment.

Just as Zhong Qing was staring at the paintings on the wall, a divine light flashed in a groove on the wall.

It finally transformed into a human figure.

Zhong Qing looked at the figure, dressed in white, with an ethereal demeanor and deep-set features.

This, wasn’t it himself?

For a moment, he felt as if he was looking into a mirror, and the person in the mirror was walking towards him.

This scene was quite bizarre.

Outside the Illusory Saint Pagoda!

Green Ghost and Fire Drought were hidden in the Void Realm.

Zhong Qing’s every move was completely seen by them.

Seeing the look of astonishment on Zhong Qing’s face, Green Ghost was in a great mood: “This trial is not like the Formation before.”

“The pagoda has ten floors, and each floor can be said to be Hell-level difficulty!”

“On the first floor, the rules within the pagoda will materialize a self based on his own Realm!”

“Although it’s the same Realm, the strength of the self is ten times greater than the main body!”

“To pass the first floor, one must defeat the self.”

“Even if he truly succeeds in defeating the self, the second floor will, based on his final performance, materialize another self that is ten times stronger than him. And so on!”

“This trial restricts all Magic Treasure; it’s purely about raw strength.”

“Only by breaking through limits and surpassing limits can one pass the trial!”

“I’m really looking forward to his performance next!”

A gloating smile flashed across his face.

Fire Drought also laughed uncharitably.

“Since the Trial Grounds appeared, ten thousand years have passed.”

“Over these ten thousand years, countless beings have participated in the Trial Grounds.”

“And those qualified to participate are all true Prodigies.”

“Among them, there are no lack of individuals who stirred up storms, were globally renowned, and possessed astonishing talent.”

“However, no matter how astonishingly talented one was, they had to exhaust their thoughts and energy, enduring a near-death experience, before they could pass this trial.”

“The first two trials still have a several-percent pass rate, but this trial is truly one in ten thousand.”

“The Illusory Saint Pagoda is known as the place where Prodigies fall!”

“Whether he can pass the trial or not is beside the point. But on the first floor, after exhausting all means and defeating a self ten times stronger than his true self, when he reaches the second floor and suddenly finds, ‘Oh, how come another self ten times stronger than my true self has appeared?’”,

“That should be quite an interesting thing.”

As soon as they thought of this situation, the two of them directly sneered.

It wasn’t that they were being gloating.

It was simply that Zhong Qing’s performance along the way had slapped them in the face repeatedly, swelling their faces.

To finally have the chance to see him suffer a setback, they felt incredibly pleased.

Zhong Qing didn’t know that outside, two pairs of eyes were eagerly preparing to watch him make a fool of himself.

He was somewhat surprised by the sudden appearance of another him.

This was no longer a question of resemblance.

It was as if they were carved from the same mold.

Moreover, he could tell that the opponent’s strength was not trivial; his Realm was actually at the same level as his own.

Even in terms of robust Qi and blood, it was ten times his own!

Vaguely!

Zhong Qing somewhat understood.

The purpose of this pagoda.

To materialize a self to contend with the true self.

Only by defeating the self can one pass the trial.

It is said that a person’s greatest enemy is often oneself.

For others, this trial would definitely be Hell difficulty.

What’s more, it was a self ten times stronger.

However, for Zhong Qing, who possessed the aura of invincibility within the same Realm, as long as he was in the same Realm, even an Emperor would have to kneel.

As Zhong Qing was observing his self, the self was also observing him.

“Please!”

He extended a hand, signaling Zhong Qing to make the first move.

This damnable politeness, ingrained in his bones, made Zhong Qing somewhat displeased.

Without any unnecessary words, he casually waved his hand, a Sword Qi flashed, and the self carved on the wall was directly cut into two halves, a single fatal blow!

The aura of invincibility within the same Realm was just that domineering.

…