259: Chapter 259 The Trial Continues, the Third Stage: The Tower of War Souls

Inside the Illusory Moon Well, the chaos had just settled.

Xu Ruyu froze in place, looking at the real, flesh-and-blood artifact spirit woman beneath him, his mind blank, cold sweat dripping.

"I... seem to have... caused a huge disaster?"

"It's not just as simple as breaking something... I actually... slept with their 'Holy Spirit'?!"

"This is ten thousand times worse than breaking the spirit testing stone!"

"The spirit testing stone is at least a dead object, but this is a living, conscious, emotional, and high-status artifact spirit!"

"Will the Taihu Clan hack me into pieces? Eat me alive? Extract my soul and refine my spirit?"

Just as Xu Ruyu was still in shock, his mind a mess, and even subconsciously reached out to touch the artifact spirit woman to confirm if she was alright—

A gentle yet irresistible force, like an invisible rope, instantly bound his body and forcibly "dragged" him out of the illusory space within the Illusory Moon Well!

The world spun.

The light and shadow before his eyes shifted. When he regained his footing, he found himself back outside the Illusory Moon Well, on the open ground in front of the octagonal well mouth.

Around him, a dense crowd of Taihu Clan members was watching him with various complex expressions—shock, confusion, horror, inquiry, anger, curiosity, disbelief... the list went on.

Many people's gazes darted back and forth between him and the well mouth, which was still rolling with milky white illusory mist, as if they wanted to see some clues on his face, or as if they wanted to see through the well mouth to what had happened inside.

Lady Qingli stepped forward quickly, grabbed Xu Ruyu's arm, pulled him to her side, looked him up and down, and asked anxiously in a low voice: "Xiao Yuer, are you... are you okay? What... what exactly happened inside?"

Although she had guessed some things, the scene just now where the energy at the well mouth went out of control and both the Supreme Mage and the Clan Chief personally intervened to suppress it still made her heart jump.

Xu Ruyu opened his mouth, his throat feeling dry, and for a moment, he didn't know how to explain.

Could he say, "I slept with your artifact spirit lady"?

He didn't dare.

Just then, a cold and majestic voice sounded directly in Xu Ruyu's ear:

"Xu Ruyu, come with me."

Xu Ruyu looked up and saw a figure dressed in plain white robes, with her face completely shrouded in a moon-like radiance, standing not far ahead.

Just by standing there, she seemed to be the center of the entire world, and even the air stagnated because of her.

The surrounding Taihu Clan members, including Elder Mo Feng, Elder Lan Yi, and even Lady Qingli, subconsciously bowed slightly to show their respect.

"This is our Clan Chief!"

Lady Qingli pulled Xu Ruyu and whispered a reminder.

The Taihu Clan Clan Chief!

Xu Ruyu felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly bowed: "Junior Xu Ruyu pays respects to the Clan Chief."

The Clan Chief nodded slightly without saying much, then turned and walked towards the depths of the ancient forest.

Her pace seemed slow, but she covered several meters in one step, clearly using the Divine Ability of shrinking the earth to inches.

Xu Ruyu glanced at Lady Qingli, and seeing her nod, he took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and followed quickly.

The Clan Chief did not take him to the Moon Fox Palace, but led him through the ancient forest to a cliff covered in faint clouds and mist.

On the cliff, there was a naturally formed stone cave, with the three ancient characters "Heart Testing Cliff" engraved at the entrance, which was sealed by a water-like Restriction light curtain.

The Clan Chief stopped and, without turning around, said in a cold voice: "The matter of the Illusory Moon Well will be handled by the Supreme Mage."

"The Nine-Aperture Exquisite Array trial continues."

She turned slightly, and her gaze under the moonlight seemed to fall on Xu Ruyu, as if it could pierce through all disguises and point directly to the essence: "The second stage, the Realm stage, originally tests the purity, abundance, and ingenious use of magic power, usually linked to one's Realm. However..."

She paused, and no emotional fluctuation could be heard in her tone: "Your situation is special, and conventional tests have no meaning for you."

Xu Ruyu's heart stirred; it seemed that the Clan Chief and the Supreme Mage had already detected the peculiarity of his Cultivation system.

"Therefore, this stage of the trial will be changed to actual combat," the Clan Chief continued, pointing to the stone cave. "This is the 'Heart Testing Cliff' Secret Realm, which contains a 'War Soul Tower'."

"The tower Seals the combat Divine Sense imprints left behind during trials by our Taihu Clan's ancestors or various experts who have fought against our clan."

"They will automatically match and manifest opponents of the corresponding level based on the intruder's Cultivation aura, testing their actual combat ability through battle."

"Your opponent will be matched based on your revealed Qi Refinement Stage cultivation," the Clan Chief said in a flat tone, but with an unquestionable decisiveness. "To pass, you must persist for one stick of incense without being defeated in this tower."

"If you can defeat your opponent, the evaluation will be higher."

Xu Ruyu heard this and felt slightly relieved.

Actual combat? This was a relatively "fair" way to test, at least more reliable than using something based on the old system like the spirit testing stone.

Opponents matched based on Qi Refinement Stage? That should... not be difficult, right? As a freak at the "twenty-fifth level of Qi Refinement Stage", he shouldn't have much trouble fighting those at the same level.

"This Junior understands."

Xu Ruyu cupped his hands.

The Clan Chief said no more, waved her hand, and cast a moon-like light spell into the cave entrance's Restriction. The water-like light curtain rippled open, revealing an entrance only wide enough for one person.

"Go in. The tower spirit will guide you," the Clan Chief said faintly.

Xu Ruyu bowed again, then without hesitation, stepped into the "Heart Testing Cliff" Secret Realm.

Stepping into the cave entrance, the scene before his eyes changed again. It was not the interior of a cave as he had imagined, but a vast, boundless, strange space with a dark red sky.

The ground was hard, dark red rock, barren of vegetation, and the air was filled with a faint sense of killing and Battle Intent.

In the distance, a nine-story giant tower, entirely black and forged from countless weapons, stood towering. The tower emitted a heart-palpitating, sharp pressure; this was the "War Soul Tower".