Chapter 40 - The Test!

“Are you Leng Yan?” Yanyan’s phoenix-like eyes sparkled with intensity as he looked at Leng Yan, his expression filled with confusion.

“That’s me!” Leng Yan felt an overwhelming spiritual pressure emanating from Yanyan that would have crushed the old Leng Yan. However, now he remained calm and composed as if it were nothing.

It wasn’t that Leng Yan had become incredibly powerful; rather, it was the essence blood of the Dragon Emperor within his sea of consciousness that was shielding him from this oppressive force.

Leng Yan had not anticipated this additional benefit of the Dragon Emperor’s essence blood, realizing he no longer needed to fear others’ spiritual pressure. Moreover, Leng Yan speculated whether those with a lower cultivation level than the Dragon Emperor could not detect his presence through divine sense.

“Long Tian’s seal, huh? Long Tian seems to treat you quite well!” Yanyan’s demeanor was imposing, his tone exuding dominance, which starkly contrasted his attire, as if he considered himself peerless.

“It’s merely fate!” Leng Yan responded modestly.

“Fate? Ha! You’ve got quite the fortune! Long Tian placed a seal for you, and you even have a drop of essence blood sealed within your body! Xuan Yi even played tricks on me for your sake! I’m truly curious, what is it about you that made these two titans treat you so well?” Yanyan said with a smirk, finding the situation intriguing as he gazed at Leng Yan.

“I’m not sure myself, but I will eternally be grateful for the kindness shown by these two seniors,” Leng Yan said sincerely.

“Valuing such kindness, huh? Originally, Xuan Yi’s antics annoyed me and kept me from finding Long Qing, which angered me. I didn’t want to impart the Scarlet Flame Emperor Technique to you, but I know you saved Long Qing, and you’ve shown her kindness. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll give you a chance. If you can pass my test, I will teach you the Scarlet Flame Emperor Technique. How does that sound?” Yanyan stood up, hands behind his back, and walked to the door of the thatch hut, looking out into the distance.

“What sort of test are you setting up for Leng-Ge? Is it dangerous? I won’t allow you to put Leng-Ge at risk!” Long Qing demanded, hands on her hips, her aura fierce.

“Stay out of this, will you, my little ancestor!” Yanyan immediately lost his imposing air in front of Long Qing, speaking gently.

“So, what do you say? Do you dare to take the test?” Yanyan asked.

After pondering for a moment, Leng Yan firmly declared, “Of course, if I can’t face such a minor test, I might as well go home and raise children instead of practicing dao magic!”

“I like that spirit!” Yanyan said with a laugh.

“Leng Yan!” Shui Yunyao’s eyes filled with worry. The challenges set by Yanyan, with his void tribulation cultivation level, were extraordinarily dangerous, causing her great concern.

“It’s okay!” Leng Yan reassured her with a smile, easing her worries slightly.

“Go on then! Once you pass the trials inside, I will personally teach you the Scarlet Flame Emperor Technique! But let me warn you, it’s very dangerous inside, and there’s still time to back out if you regret it now!”

With a wave of his sleeve, Yanyan conjured a giant flame gate outside the thatch hut. He watched Leng Yan with a slight smile as he spoke.

Releasing Shui Yunyao’s jade-like hand, Leng Yan stepped out of the hut, didn’t look back, and resolutely pushed open the giant flame gate, walking inside. Shortly after, the flame gate dissipated into the air.

“Elder Yanyan, what about Leng Yan?” Shui Yunyao, watching Leng Yan disappear, showed a face filled with anxious worry.

“Don’t ask! Everything happening to him inside will be shown here.” Yanyan produced an ancient mirror, casting an azure light from it. Within this light, Leng Yan’s figure and his surroundings gradually appeared.

Snow fluttered wildly, blanketing the ground and covering everything in sight with a vast sea of white.

The howling cold wind whipped up the snowflakes, swirling them through the air like a tornado.

Leng Yan had already spent seven days in this icy, snowy landscape. His body was covered with a thick layer of snow, his hair had turned into icicles, and his eyebrows were frosted white.

His complexion was deathly pale, his lips tinged purple, and his hands were cracked from the cold, with the relentless, bone-chilling wind still howling mercilessly.

After arriving here, Leng Yan realized that all his cultivation was sealed, and his body felt as if it wasn’t his own-fragile beyond compare, even weaker than that of an ordinary person!

Without his magical techniques and robust physique, Leng Yan was powerless to resist the invasion of the cold wind, and his suffering increased manifold.

“Squeak!”

With difficulty, he stepped onto the thick snow, making a squeaking sound. The cold wind blew against Leng Yan, making him shiver uncontrollably!

“It’s so cold! Should I just give up? No… I can’t be stopped by such difficulties, nor can this pain make me bow my head! Compared to regenerating flesh and tendons… this is just minor pain… I can definitely endure it.”

Leng Yan clasped his hands together, constantly rubbing them to generate some warmth, but in this extremely cold place, such actions were futile! Cracks in his hands glowed with a hint of blood, which, before it could even flow, was frozen by the cold wind.

Leng Yan could only encourage himself in his heart, he must not let himself fall, for falling would mean failure.

To protect the one he loves, and to survive in the immortal cultivation world, he must obtain the Scarlet Flame Emperor Technique, infusing the five elements essences into the immortal land to enhance his strength!

The most precious thing about a person is their belief. A person with belief, when facing difficulties, will not run away but will bravely face them.

A person with belief, at the brink of life and death, can unleash unimaginable power!

A person with belief possesses an incredibly firm will and a relentless spirit!

Success always belongs to those with belief!

And at this moment, Leng Yan, with that belief in his heart, was supporting himself. He continued to move forward and would not fall. Even though his gaze was becoming delirious and his body was gradually stiffening.

But a voice in his heart kept telling him, Leng Yan! Don’t close your eyes! Don’t stop! The finish line is just ahead, as long as you keep going, you will be the victor!

Leng Yan didn’t know how much time had passed, he only knew to keep moving forward. His face was covered with cuts, and his eyes were slightly closed, but his feet, step by step, slowly moved forward.

“Leng-Ge is already like this, let him out now! If this continues, Leng-Ge will die!” Long Qing, looking at Leng Yan in the azure light, had tears filled with compassion in her eyes.

Shui Yunyao, with her hands tightly clasped, though she was also worried and heartbroken, she chose to silently support Leng Yan out of trust in her heart.

“Eight days! He managed to hold on for eight days! His willpower is even stronger than mine! But this is just the first stage. Let’s see how long he can last in the fire hell,” Yanyan murmured to himself, ignoring Long Qing’s concerns.

On the ninth day, Leng Yan had entirely forgotten the existence of his own body. He was unaware of anything else; he only knew he was in a void, walking endlessly, his mind in a constant state of drowsiness, repeating the same phrase over and over.

“The finish line is just ahead. Keep going, and you will be the victor!”

Nine is the utmost number. As the ninth day was about to end, the boundless snow began to melt, and endless flames rose from the sky.

The earth beneath started to crack, with countless tongues of fire surging upward!

The snow turned to water, the water to steam, and gradually, the flames burned it all away, leaving nothing but an expanse of fire.

Leng Yan was unaware of all this! He only knew to keep walking, not to stop, not to fall!

Scorching waves of heat surrounded Leng Yan, melting the snow on him, and the icy wounds disappeared, causing blood to start flowing. However, as the temperature rapidly rose, the blood quickly evaporated, leaving everything dry.

The robe on Leng Yan suddenly burst into flames! His hair was scorched by the heat, curling before turning to ash.

Leng Yan’s body, once cracked by the icy winds, now had its wounds slowly closing due to the intense heat, as flesh started to curl back.

Leng Yan had lost all consciousness; there was only a shred of conviction lingering in his sea of consciousness. In the blink of an eye, four days passed, and Leng Yan’s body was reduced to something like a dried corpse.

Devoid of moisture, void of fat, leaving just a shell and a skeleton behind!

On the fifth day, with a crisp sound, Leng Yan’s body shattered, turning to ash and dissipating in the roaring flames. Yet, this didn’t mean Leng Yan had perished, for at the place where his body vanished, Leng Yan’s spectral figure continued to walk. This apparition was the manifestation of Leng Yan’s unwavering belief.

“The body perishes, yet belief endures! How is this possible? This is the realm of legends! Could he be obtaining the chance for soul refinement?” Yanyan was visibly shocked, exclaiming in surprise as he observed the scene.