Boom!
As soon as Li Xuan entered the palace, the two large doors slammed shut. The next moment, with a deafening roar, Li Xuan felt darkness envelop him.
"He who wishes to receive my legacy must pass my trial!"
Just then, a hoary voice echoed. Li Xuan looked towards the source of the sound. In the vast palace, there was only a single, colossal throne. Upon it, spiritual light coalesced into a figure. This figure was now staring directly at Li Xuan.
"Junior Li Xuan pays his respects to senior." Seeing this, Li Xuan immediately bowed.
"Peak Martial Emperor realm strength, and yet you managed to reach this place. You do possess some skill." The middle-aged man said, looking at Li Xuan. He then slowly stood up and walked towards Li Xuan, continuing, "This is where I perished. My legacy shall be yours once you pass the trial."
"What if I don't pass?" Li Xuan asked after some thought.
The middle-aged man smiled slightly. "If you fail, you naturally won't receive my legacy. Upon failure, you will be forcibly expelled from this palace."
"I accept the trial," Li Xuan nodded.
The middle-aged man nodded slightly. "Release your divine sense. I will guide you through the trial."
Li Xuan glanced at the middle-aged man, then with a thought, retracted his divine sense into his body. The middle-aged man then moved, and in the next instant, he was right in front of Li Xuan. A spiritual light emanated from the middle-aged man and directly entered Li Xuan's body.
"I never expected to encounter such a robust physical body. I can finally leave!" The next moment, an excited voice resounded from within Li Xuan. Immediately, Li Xuan felt a surge of energy rushing towards his sea of consciousness, and he could even sense the longing within the fluctuation.
A slight smile played on Li Xuan's lips, his face devoid of any trace of worry.
"Senior, didn't you say you were going to take me for a trial?" Li Xuan said calmly.
"Heh heh, ignorant child. Even now, you feign ignorance? Do you think I can let you go? Before I die, I won't shy away from telling you my name. I am the Fire Cloud Evil King. If I hadn't perished here and been reduced to this mere wisp of spiritual consciousness, do you think I would have posed as some self-important deity?" The middle-aged man cackled.
"It seems, senior, you truly intend to possess me." Li Xuan smiled.
"Since you've guessed it, why ask again? This... what is this?!" The Fire Cloud Evil King sneered, but his voice soon trembled.
At that moment, the Fire Cloud Evil King saw a massive grinding stone slowly rotating within Li Xuan's sea of consciousness.
"Since senior intends to possess me, it is only polite to return the favor. I shall give you a gift." Li Xuan declared, then circulated the sixth turn of the Demonic God Nine Revolutions. A terrifying pulling force instantly surged towards the Fire Cloud Evil King's spiritual consciousness.
"Ah!"
The Fire Cloud Evil King cried out in agony. The Demonic God Nine Revolutions was a technique for tempering the soul, and even Li Xuan could only barely withstand the fifth turn for a few breaths. The Fire Cloud Evil King, with only a wisp of spiritual consciousness remaining, was utterly unable to resist.
In an instant, the Fire Cloud Evil King's spiritual consciousness was ground into dust.
As the Fire Cloud Evil King's presence completely vanished, Li Xuan, to be on the safe side, circulated the Demonic God Nine Revolutions once more before stopping.
When Yi Qin had left, after Li Xuan entered the Zhen Yu Pavilion and then the loft, Yi Qin had given Li Xuan a divine grinding stone. The Demonic God Nine Revolutions technique was created by Yi Qin based on this divine grinding stone. This item was a treasure-grade artifact. Though it lacked a spirit, it was an extremely rare find. After all, it was uniquely capable of tempering the soul and body.
From that moment on, Li Xuan kept this divine grinding stone in his sea of consciousness, constantly refining his soul. He never expected it to be so useful today.
As for the Fire Cloud Evil King, Li Xuan had sensed a malevolent aura from him the moment he saw him. Furthermore, with the Heavenly Dao Brush, Li Xuan knew that the Fire Cloud Evil King was no deity at all. Li Xuan had played along with the Fire Cloud Evil King precisely to see what his true intentions were.
Li Xuan actually felt a sense of relief. Had it not been for the divine grinding stone given by Yi Qin, he might have indeed suffered a catastrophic defeat.
"I wonder if this guy left behind any treasures." Li Xuan withdrew his thoughts and walked towards the throne. After all, this empty palace only had this one throne.
Soon, Li Xuan spotted a palm-sized, crystal clear, jade-green piece of jade placed beneath the throne. Besides it, there was also a spatial ring.
"Purple Sun Warming Jade!"
As soon as Li Xuan picked up the jade, the voice of the Heavenly Dao Brush echoed in his mind.
"You know of this item?" Li Xuan's heart stirred, and he immediately asked.
The Heavenly Dao Brush appeared before Li Xuan. "I am the Heavenly Dao Brush. What in this world is unknown to me? Little master, you are truly lucky to have acquired such a treasure. It's no wonder that fellow's wisp of spiritual consciousness could survive for tens of thousands of years; it was due to this Purple Sun Warming Jade."
"Little Brush, I've discovered a problem," Li Xuan said with a wry smile.
Li Xuan paused, then added lightly, "I haven't discovered any other abilities of yours, but when it comes to showing off, you're number one."
The Heavenly Dao Brush: "..."
A moment later, Li Xuan learned the effects of the Purple Sun Warming Jade from the Heavenly Dao Brush. The Purple Sun Warming Jade was a form of celestial treasure. By its classification, it was already considered at the level of an immortal artifact. This jade's function was to preserve the soul and prevent the divine sense from dissipating.
Furthermore, even if only a wisp of spiritual consciousness remained, with the nourishment of the Purple Sun Warming Jade for over ten thousand years, it could regenerate a physical body and revive. Although its power would be gone, with its previous memories and cultivation techniques, it would naturally have an exceptional advantage in cultivation.
"You should also feel fortunate. Had the Fire Cloud Evil King been nourished by this Purple Sun Warming Jade for a few more years, his spiritual consciousness might have recovered to thirty percent of its peak. Based on my estimation, the Fire Cloud Evil King's strength in his lifetime was at least in the Yin-Yang realm. Even at thirty percent, with your current strength, you would likely be unable to resist." The Heavenly Dao Brush stated.
Li Xuan was stunned and also felt a surge of fear. However, he quickly made a decision. After exploring this ruin, he would immediately focus on strengthening his soul.
Currently, Li Xuan could only circulate the sixth turn of the divine grinding stone. Before his soul strength reached the intensity of the sixth turn's illusion, Li Xuan could not operate the seventh turn.
Before this, Li Xuan had felt that his soul strength reaching a solidified state was almost sufficient. But this incident today had taught him a valuable lesson. At any time, one must not be complacent.
With that thought, Li Xuan absorbed the Purple Sun Warming Jade into his spiritual consciousness. The next instant, he felt his soul becoming even more solidified, as if it had received a long-awaited drink of sweet dew.
"It truly is a good treasure!" Sensing his soul gradually strengthening, Li Xuan's gaze shifted to the spatial ring.
As Li Xuan's divine sense probed inward, he immediately jumped up.
"Holy cow, so many spirit stones!"