Chapter 616 - 553: A Power Beyond This World

Chapter 616: Chapter 553: A Power Beyond This World

Chu Mu was speechless.

He remembered clearly.

’Back then, I crossed a full one hundred and eight paces!’

’The limit was ninety-nine paces, and I exceeded it by a full nine!’

’And if the limit was ninety paces, an excess of nine meant courting death—a survival rate of less than one percent!’

After a moment of silence, Chu Mu abruptly changed the subject. "Since your Clan knows this place inside and out, Miss Qin, why would they let you risk coming here?"

"There’s no such thing as a smooth journey in Immortal Dao Cultivation."

Qin Zhaoxue was perfectly calm. "If one always expects their Clan’s protection, relying on its power for everything, then a Clan like that won’t last for very long."

Chu Mu was taken aback for a moment before breaking into a knowing smile.

In his many years on the Immortal Path, he had traveled from south to north and back again, through Great Chu and the Vast Sea, and had seen countless things.

He had seen disciples from all walks of life—from the major powers at the pinnacle of the Cultivation Immortal Realm to the countless smaller factions scattered about. It didn’t matter if their aptitude was poor or outstanding.

Plenty were ruthless and scheming, and a great many treated human life as worthless. The two-faced were too numerous to count. But those who were truly arrogant and self-important? They were the rarest of exceptions.

Any Clan or power with a bit of history inevitably puts its scions through a complete and systematic education from a young age.

And this education wasn’t just about Immortal Dao Cultivation. It was more about understanding the Cultivation Immortal Realm—about how to survive in a world where the strong reign supreme...

This was more or less the norm in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

After all, for any Clan, with the long lifespans of Cultivators, the greatest threat to a stable and continuous legacy wasn’t a lack of talent or the dawn of a chaotic era. It was... an unforeseeable calamity!

It was just like the disaster he’d encountered back in Jade Emperor Valley. At the time, to Outer Elder Zhao Hong of the Longevity Sect, it must have seemed like a trivial incident.

Bullying a mere Loose Cultivator in the Qi Cultivation Realm was nothing to him.

But Zhao Hong could never have imagined that his precious son, Zhao Tang, born to him in his old age, would be so suddenly slaughtered by the very person he’d bullied.

Even though Zhao Hong later issued a widespread warrant for his arrest, what good did it do?

In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, the strong have always ruled.

In Jingmen City, he had gathered over a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators, annihilated the Longevity Sect’s camp in a single stroke, and buried Zhao Hong, ensuring a swift reunion for father and son.

Clearly, neither Zhao Hong nor his son could have ever imagined that their doom would originate from that insignificant ant from all those years ago.

And in the Cultivation Immortal Realm, such events were not at all unbelievable.

Take the old Profound Nether Clan in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World. After the Chen Family annihilated them, they surely never imagined that one small fish who slipped through the net would reach the Nascent Soul Realm, return to the Vast Sea to stir up trouble, and become a dagger aimed at the Chen Family’s heart.

In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, with its eons of history, any miracle was possible.

Even the most insignificant being could bring about a world-ending catastrophe.

The thoughts vanished as quickly as they came. Chu Mu’s smile faded as he asked, "This Ruins Cave Mansion’s so-called trial... how many stages does it have, exactly?"

"I’m not sure."

Qin Zhaoxue shook her head. "According to the intelligence my Clan has gathered, the Ruins Cave Mansion has manifested several times, but to date, there has never been a repeat of the same Trial Land."

"Every Trial Land is completely different, making the specific trials impossible to predict."

"Take this Sand-tailed Scorpion Tide we’re facing now. It’s possible that if we destroy its source, we’ll pass this stage of the trial."

"It’s also possible that destroying the source is only the beginning of something new..."

"Or perhaps after passing this stage, there’s yet another one..."

"However, if you pass all the trials, a clearance reward will be bestowed. Once the reward appears, it generally means the Relic Trial is over."

Chu Mu frowned. This information wasn’t much different from what was recorded on Xie Yu’s Jade Scroll.

The only real difference was their assessment of the Ruins Cave Mansion’s scale and the timing of its manifestations.

The Xie Family believed the Cave Mansion appeared once every sixty-year cycle and had been doing so since ancient times, manifesting countless times.

Furthermore, the Xie Family clearly didn’t have a firm grasp on the true scale of this Ruins Cave Mansion.

’After all, no matter how I look at it, this Ruins Cave Mansion doesn’t seem like some ordinary ancient ruin. It’s highly probable that it’s not even a product of this Cultivation Immortal Realm.’

’I’ve been in here for over ten days and have already crossed thousands of miles. Yet from the looks of it, that’s only a small fraction of this Desert Sea.’

’And this Desert Sea Heaven and Earth is just a single Trial Land within the Ruins Cave Mansion.’

’The Ruins Cave Mansion has opened multiple times, so the number of Cultivators who have entered must be enormous.’

’Such a huge number of people, and yet almost no one has experienced the same Trial Land...’

’Just how vast is this Ruins Cave Mansion?’

’What kind of incredible power would be required to forge such a vast existence?’

’The power of the Nascent Soul Realm would be but a drop in the ocean compared to this level of Divine Power.’

’Such Divine Power clearly couldn’t belong to this Cultivation Immortal Realm.’

’And yet, Qin Zhaoxue—or rather, the faction behind her—seems to have a much more detailed, deeper understanding of this Ruins Cave Mansion.’

’Only with such understanding could they conclude that this ruin hasn’t been manifesting for very long...’

’Great Heng...’

Chu Mu’s gaze shifted as he once again thought of Great Heng, a Cultivation Immortal Realm he had only ever heard of.

’This Cultivation Immortal Realm... it seems... unfathomable?’

The word "unfathomable" came to Chu’s mind instinctively.

The East Lake Secret Realm, which had once caused such a storm in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, had fallen under the control of Great Heng almost without a trace.

This Ruins Cave Mansion had been manifesting for years, yet the factions of the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World remained oblivious. Only the East Lake Xie Family had been furtively exploring it, but judging by their disastrous end, they clearly didn’t understand it well either.

And from Qin Zhaoxue’s few words, it was clear that when it came to this Ruins Cave Mansion, the Great Heng Cultivation Immortal World was once again at the forefront...

Chu Mu’s gaze shifted, and a new, complex light entered his eyes as he looked at Qin Zhaoxue.

Qin Zhaoxue’s brow furrowed. "Fellow Daoist?"

Startled from his thoughts, Chu Mu gave a light chuckle and casually changed the subject. "About the trial rewards, what form do they usually take?"

"That depends... on what you need, Fellow Daoist."

Qin Zhaoxue offered a charming smile, not pressing the matter of his distraction. "Based on my Clan’s analysis," she said slowly, "the rewards for completing a trial are often tied to the Trial Taker’s performance. The final reward usually turns out to be a treasure the Trial Taker needs."

"The type of treasure isn’t fixed. It could be Elixirs, Magical Treasures, even Secret Techniques or Spiritual Materials and Objects..."

"This Ruins Cave Mansion is thought to contain a massive Treasure Vault. The rewards for passing the trials probably come from there..."

Chu Mu asked, puzzled, "If that’s the case, couldn’t someone who passes just enter again the next time the Ruins Cave Mansion manifests and get another reward?"

"The Ruins Cave Mansion doesn’t seem to limit the number of times one can take a trial. However, according to my Clan’s data, the ruin seems to keep a detailed record of every Trial Taker."

"If you enter again, the trial’s difficulty will be significantly higher than before..."

"Furthermore, the higher your Cultivation, the more difficult the trial becomes."

Chu Mu nodded slightly, as if lost in thought.

Just then, Qin Zhaoxue’s topic shifted. She looked with great interest at the Silver-White Sand-tailed Scorpion behind Chu Mu. "Fellow Daoist, this grand deception of yours... it’s centered around a Heavenly Deceit Pill, isn’t it?"

Without waiting for Chu Mu to respond, Qin Zhaoxue slowly explained her reasoning:

"This Pill Recipe is recorded in my Clan’s Scripture Pavilion. I dabbled in the Alchemy Skill myself when I was younger..."

Chu Mu’s expression remained calm. With a wave of his hand, the silver object embedded in the Sand-tailed Scorpion’s forehead floated out and hovered above his palm.

Only then did he look at the woman before him and explain, "I used a Heavenly Deceit Pill as the core, while also simulating the sensory link between the Sand-tailed Scorpion and the entity controlling it..."

"I have long heard of your renowned Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency, Fellow Daoist," Zhao Xue said. "It seems your reputation is truly well-deserved!"

"It’s nothing worth mentioning."

Chu Mu shook his head. He gazed out at the endless tide of Sand-tailed Scorpions still surging forward, his brow furrowed. "From what I’ve observed, the one controlling these Sand-tailed Scorpions probably isn’t the legendary Sand-tailed Scorpion Mother."

Qin Zhaoxue was taken aback, clearly puzzled. "Not the Sand-tailed Scorpion Mother?"

"That’s right."

Chu Mu nodded with certainty. "Logically speaking, a Sand-tailed Scorpion Mother should possess considerable Spiritual Wisdom, but..."

Chu Mu held nothing back, laying out his observations and speculations in detail.

When Chu Mu finished, Qin Zhaoxue seemed troubled by the layers of mystery as well, and she remained silent for a long time.

After a long moment, she finally spoke, her voice hesitant. "Sand-tailed Scorpions are born from a Sand-tailed Scorpion Mother. If there is no Mother, then where did all these Sand-tailed Scorpions come from?"

Chu Mu was once again at a loss for words.

The facts he was certain of were clear, but the reality before him was equally clear.

The two were a stark contradiction.

It seemed there was no perfect explanation.

Chu Mu was silent for a while. Then, as if a thought struck him, he suddenly asked, "Miss Qin, do you know the details of any previous trials?"

"Did any of them have similarly strange phenomena?"

Qin Zhaoxue shook her head. "The trial stages are endlessly varied. There are almost no identical Trial Lands."

"As far as I know, apart from the phenomenon you mentioned about Pill Pattern Elixirs failing, none of these other oddities have been reported..."

"As for the Pill Pattern Elixirs failing, my Clan’s observations suggest that the Ruins Cave Mansion itself places some kind of restriction on Elixirs..."

"Several of my Clan’s Nascent Soul Ancestors have entered this Relic Trial. One of them, who excelled at the Alchemy Skill, experimented personally. He confirmed that it is impossible to create a Pill with Pill Patterns within this Ruins Cave Mansion..."

Chu Mu’s brow furrowed. "So, you’re saying it’s highly likely that the strangeness is unique to this Desert Sea Trial Land?"

"That’s a possibility."

"Forget it. There’s no point dwelling on this."

"Please cooperate with me, Miss Qin. For now, let’s work together on this deception and get through the current disaster."

"Alright."

"Then I’ll be in your care, Fellow Daoist."

...