298: The flawed jade is the king (37).

The starlight dissipated.

Wang Yun slowly opened his eyes.

What came into view was a square so vast it was unimaginable.

The square was paved with solid slabs of gray-white Star Stone, each stone etched with the marks of time and the scars of swords and blades.

This was the first stop of the Ancient Starry Road.

The First Ancient Star.

All around, countless pillars of starlight descended one after another.

As each beam of light faded, a young Prodigy with imposing features and a powerful aura revealed their form.

In just a short while, tens of thousands of Cultivators had gathered on the vast square.

Some of these people came from the Five Domains, while others came from other realms.

Every one of them was a standout of their respective realm, an overlord in their own right, and an invincible figure among their peers.

"Is this the First Ancient Star?"

Someone exclaimed, their eyes filled with shock.

"What dense power of Law! Cultivating here for one day is equivalent to ten days in the outside world!"

Someone else was ecstatic, greedily breathing in the Spiritual Qi here.

Looking around, special Physiques that were rarely seen on ordinary days were everywhere here.

There were Thunder Spirit Divine Physiques carrying lightning, Star Saint Physiques wreathed in starlight, and Savage Tyrant Physiques with blood energy like a Dragon...

"It truly is a Golden Great Age."

Wang Yun thought to himself.

Here, being a so-called "Prodigy" was merely an admission ticket.

Only a true Prodigy could make it to the end of this blood-stained road.

The ancient rumors were not false.

As long as one could survive and walk out of the Ancient Starry Road, even if they just clung to life on this First Ancient Star until the end, upon returning to the outside world, they would at least possess the combat power of a King, or even an Emperor.

This was the reason why countless people flocked here, even knowing it was a nine-out-of-ten death sentence.

"Look! That is... the Ten Gods Corridor!"

A cry of surprise drew everyone's attention.

At the end of the square stood ten towering stone statues.

They were a thousand zhang tall, each with a different form—some human, some beast—and every single one exuded a terrifying pressure.

That was... the pressure of the Heavenly God Realm.

The ten stone statues were arranged in two rows, forming a passage ten thousand meters long in the middle.

At the end of the passage was a tightly shut bronze gate.

To go deeper into the Ancient Starry Road, one had to pass through this gate.

And these ten stone statues were the gatekeepers of the first trial.

"Those are Divine Rank Puppets!"

Someone recognized the origin of these stone statues, their voice trembling.

"To pass the trial, we must walk to the end while under attack from ten Heavenly God Puppets?"

"How is that possible! Most of us have only just entered the Heavenly God Realm, and some are even still in the True God Realm; how can we contend with a Heavenly God?"

However, not everyone was afraid.

"Hmph, mere dead objects dare to block my path?"

A young man wearing golden battle armor and holding a long halberd stepped out from the crowd.

His aura was violent.

"It's the Saint from the Sun God Mountain of the Canglan Realm!"

Under the gazes of the crowd, the Sun Saint turned into a beam of golden light and charged directly into the corridor.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The stone statues awakened, their massive weapons descending, and the Laws roared.

The Sun Saint brandished his halberd, clashing head-on with the stone statues. Though he was beaten back step by step and spat blood, he still relied on his powerful Physique and secret treasures to force his way through the corridor and push open the bronze gate.

"He passed!"

"He went in!"

The crowd immediately erupted.

Once there was a first, there was a second.

Those supreme Prodigies who were confident in their own strength set off one after another, each displaying their Divine Abilities as they charged toward that corridor of death.

For a time, divine light soared into the sky at the end of the square, and the sound of explosions was incessant.

Wang Yun watched all of this quietly.

He did not move.

To him, this Ten Gods Corridor posed no threat at all.

But he was in no hurry to push open that gate.

Because on this First Ancient Star, there was another place he had to visit.

It was his greatest regret when he was "Jun Yun" in his eighth life.

Wang Yun turned around, leaving the bustling Ten Gods Corridor behind him, and walked toward the other side of the square.

It was a desolate ruin, overgrown with weeds, ignored by everyone.

The Nameless Sword Tomb.

In that life, Jun Yun had once tried to comprehend the supreme Legacy deep within the Sword Tomb.

Unfortunately, although he possessed the Heart Heavy Pupils back then, his intentions were impure and his killing Karma was too heavy, so he was never able to gain the recognition of that supreme Sword Intent.

In the end, the Legacy was interrupted, and he was kicked out.

"I have returned."

Wang Yun looked at the familiar mist and whispered softly.

Wang Yun stepped into the mist.

Chi! Chi! Chi!

Countless invisible Sword Qi instantly struck out, intending to shred the intruder.

Wang Yun's expression remained calm as his internal Sword Intent circulated, forming an invisible barrier.

Unaffected in the slightest, Wang Yun walked toward the depths of the Sword Tomb.

The further in he went, the more broken swords there were on the ground.

Some were just hilts, some were broken into several pieces, and others were covered in rust.

Finally, he arrived at the core area of the Sword Tomb.

There was no forest of ten thousand swords here, only three lonely, massive burial mounds.

Those were the three supreme Legacies of the Sword Tomb.

However.

When Wang Yun's gaze fell upon the first Sword Tomb in the center—the largest one—his pupils constricted.

It was empty.

That first Sword Tomb, which should have been soaring with Sword Intent and sealing the legendary Sword Scripture.

At this moment, it had actually split open with a massive gash.

"This..."

Wang Yun was greatly shocked.

The supreme Sword Scripture, taken by someone?

Wang Yun walked quickly to the split Sword Tomb, crouched down, and examined it carefully.

He activated his Heart Heavy Pupils.

Purple, cyan, and gold divine light swirled in his eyes as he captured a trace of extremely faint, nearly dissipating aura left in the empty pit.

That aura was not Sword Qi.

It was a kind of... eerie fluctuation of life gestating within death, and the true self being reshaped within destruction.

Nirvana Qi!

Wang Yun's heart jolted, and he immediately thought of a name.

You Chen!

Wang Yun's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Nirvana Physique... Second Nirvana..."

He was absolutely certain.

In this world, only You Chen's Nirvana Physique could leave behind such a unique aura.

"So that's how it is."

Wang Yun stood up, looking at the empty Sword Tomb, a flash of complexity in his eyes.

Since the Sword Scripture had already been taken by You Chen, Wang Yun did not linger.

He turned around, preparing to leave this Sword Tomb and go challenge the Ten Gods Corridor.

However.

Just as he turned around.

Hum—the entire space of the Sword Tomb suddenly solidified.

Even the ubiquitous Sword Qi came to a standstill at this moment.

A terrifying will slowly awakened from the two remaining Sword Tombs.

The second supreme will!

Wang Yun felt a fatal threat.

His Heart Heavy Pupils sent a strong warning.

He subconsciously reached into his robes and gripped the spatial divine jade tightly.

If the situation went wrong, he would not hesitate to crush the jade and forcibly break through the boundary to escape.

Although, in front of such a terrifying existence, the chance of escaping was minuscule.

"Junior..."

An ancient voice rang out directly in Wang Yun's Sea of Consciousness.

The voice seemed to span across eons, carrying endless echoes.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave."

Wang Yun's footsteps paused. He did not turn back, but his internal spiritual energy circulated frantically, preparing for a desperate fight.

"What advice does Senior have?"

He asked in a deep voice, neither humble nor arrogant.

The ancient voice was silent for a moment.

"From you..."

"I feel a familiar aura."

Wang Yun's heart tightened.

A familiar aura?

Could it be... the Karma from when he had come here as "Jun Yun"?