Chapter 365: Inheritance Trial

Lu Sangjiu didn’t agree immediately, only asking tentatively, "What if we refuse..."

"Then you can stay here and keep me company. I happen to be feeling a bit lonely and bored."

Upon hearing this, Lu Sangjiu immediately flashed a perfect smile. "I was just kidding. Receiving a senior’s inheritance would be an immense honor. Of course we’ll give it a try!"

’My specialty is being adaptable.’

The senior was clearly pleased with Lu Sangjiu’s attitude. He then said, "Let them in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the great hall’s doors suddenly swung open again.

Lu Sangjiu turned, took a few quick steps, and waved to the others outside. "Everyone, come in!"

She wasn’t particularly afraid of a trap. After all, a senior of his stature had no reason to deliberately harm them when there was no grudge between them.

’Of course, if he were some kind of remnant soul, she’d need to be more careful. He might be scheming to use their flesh, blood, and souls for his own resurrection.’

’But he was just a lingering will. Such things aren’t truly alive. They’re usually just a mechanism left with an inheritance, destined to dissipate once their task is complete.’

’Besides, if he really did try to harm them, it wasn’t as if they were powerless to fight back.’

’All those monsters they’d killed on the way here hadn’t been for nothing.’

Soon, Duan Xingyun and the others entered the great hall. Fortunately, the being didn’t suddenly turn hostile, sticking to his original offer. "As long as any one of you can obtain the inheritance, I will send you away."

"But... the prerequisite is that you all survive the inheritance trial."

His words made everyone’s hearts sink.

’Clearly, this inheritance trial would be anything but simple. Perhaps many had entered before, only to die inside without exception?’

Without offering any more details, the being simply said, "You’ll know what to do once you’re inside. I won’t waste any more breath."

As his voice faded, a small Teleportation Array lit up in the center of the great hall.

"You may enter the trial together, but only one of you will ultimately receive the inheritance. Go."

The group exchanged glances, then without further hesitation, stepped into the Teleportation Array together.

A black light flared, and in the next instant, all five of them vanished from the great hall.

The wisp of lingering will within the statue sighed. "Though I doubt it’s likely, I do hope one of you can actually obtain the inheritance."

"I’ve stood guard here for thousands of years, and I am truly weary."

However, the Demon God Hall only manifested once every few hundred years. Before and after each appearance, the seal on the entire Forbidden Land would be reinforced to the level of the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, preventing anyone inside from leaving easily.

Anyone who stumbled in during this period was generally considered to have a fateful connection to this place.

In all these millennia, very few had ever managed to find this place. The fact that this group made it this far was rare enough to warrant a sliver of hope.

Lu Sangjiu and the others were quickly transported to a place shrouded in darkness.

She immediately tried to use her Divine Sense, only to find that the surrounding darkness wasn’t merely an absence of light. It felt more like a physical substance, one that blocked their Divine Sense.

Her Divine Sense couldn’t extend more than ten meters, so she was unable to perceive the full layout of their surroundings.

However, within the small area she could perceive, there seemed to be no other living creatures besides their group.

Just as she was wondering what this so-called inheritance trial entailed, a voice identical to the senior’s echoed through the space.

"The inheritance trial consists of ten levels. This is the first level."

"The rules for each level are different. On this level, each of you must kill one thousand of the phantoms that attack you to proceed to the next."

"The phantoms’ strength is generated according to each individual’s power, so you must defeat the phantoms assailing you specifically. Begin."

The voice faded, giving them barely a moment to react before phantoms charged at them!

They had assumed this level was just a simple test of strength, but the moment the phantoms appeared, they all realized the truth.

’This wasn’t just a test of strength!’

The first phantom Lu Sangjiu faced wore a face identical to Xie Ningyuan’s!

Similarly, the others were all confronted by phantoms with the faces of their own loved ones.

Luo Linlang was even confronted by a phantom of Lu Sangjiu herself, which gave her quite a shock.

The same was true for the others. For instance, the phantom before Duan Xingyun was Li Qiancheng—his current self, no less—which was disorienting.

Seeing this, Duan Xingyun immediately shouted, "Everyone, spread out! Be careful not to hit each other!"

Fortunately, while the phantoms were realistic, they were wreathed in Demonic Qi—likely because this place was originally intended as a trial for Demon Cultivators.

As long as no one went into a blind frenzy, friendly fire should be avoidable.

As for Lu Sangjiu, she did falter for a moment upon seeing Xie Ningyuan, but she quickly recovered. She struck without the slightest hesitation, swiftly cutting down the first phantom.

Her second phantom was Luo Linlang, and her third was Li Qiancheng... It seemed to be cycling through all her friends and family.

However, while such a trick might have been effective the first time, it no longer had the power to shake her resolve.

That is, until she saw Cangming.

Cangming was different. By now, Lu Sangjiu felt nothing but killing intent toward him; he belonged firmly in the enemy camp.

So when his phantom appeared, Lu Sangjiu just frowned slightly, her attack even more decisive.

What she didn’t expect, however, was that this version of Cangming didn’t just look the part—he could also speak.

"You know how I feel about you, yet you still want to kill me?"

"You truly are a cold, heartless woman. In that case, what was wrong with me striking first all those years ago?"

Lu Sangjiu’s movements faltered, but she saw that the others hadn’t reacted. It seemed the voice was only audible to her.

’Honestly, other taunts might not have affected her, but hearing those words from Cangming was truly infuriating.’

Lu Sangjiu’s movements unconsciously grew sharper, the killing intent in her eyes deepening.

After quickly dispatching the Cangming phantom, the next one to appear was, surprisingly, Gu Jue.

He had already appeared once before, but this time, just like Cangming, he began to speak.

"Ms. Lu, I have always treated you with sincerity. Why did you deceive me from the very start?"

"You said you were gravely ill. I pitied you, I protected you... but in the end, was I just a tool for you to use against Ye Zhiyao?"

Gu Jue’s expression was sorrowful, his every word an accusation.

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but blurt out, "I’m not..."

"Not what? Can you dare say you never deceived and used me?"

Gu Jue’s words came faster and faster, now tinged with hatred. "I treated you so well! Why would you do this to me?"

"Someone like you doesn’t deserve to have friends! I’m going to kill you with my own two hands!"