Chapter Thirty-Four: The Trial in the Realm of Mountains and Seas

“Whew—” The space trembled, and in the blink of an eye, Qin Si sharply sensed that the laws of space around him had shifted once again. This meant that the place the spirit ox had brought him to was neither Linmeng’s universe nor the Infinite Continent, but rather an entirely new world.

“This place… how beautiful.” At first sight of this unfamiliar environment, Qin Si was deeply astonished. Shrouded in drifting mists, encircled by majestic mountains and embraced by verdant waters, this land would surely be proclaimed a sacred realm even in the divine world.

“What’s more, the spiritual energy here is so abundant that even a high god would find no obstacle to training here.” The landscape was not only breathtaking, but the aura was even richer than in the divine realm itself.

“Heh, the spiritual energy here is indeed plentiful. In fact, not only high gods, even golden immortals could cultivate here without worry, unafraid of suffering from an overwhelming influx of spiritual power. In this regard, it surpasses the divine realm by far,” the spirit ox beside him said with a chuckle.

“Yes, that’s true,” Qin Si acknowledged. He noticed that the energy he absorbed was even greater and purer than what the ox could draw.

A place capable of supplying energy tailored to each person’s cultivation—such a domain could not have been created by a mere god king. At the very least, it must be the work of a celestial sovereign.

“I recall some decades ago, an Immortal Emperor named Qin Shuang was the first to be chosen by the spirit serpent. It seems he too should be in this place?” Qin Si asked, feigning indifference.

“Haha, of course. All who are recognized by the spirit beasts will ultimately gather in Shanhaitian. However, you won’t be able to meet each other.”

“Shanhaitian? Is this the place? What’s truly going on?” Qin Si’s brow furrowed. He realized things were not as simple as he had imagined.

“Ahem…” The spirit ox coughed before speaking. “Shanhaitian is actually a trial ground left behind by our master. There are three trials in total. Each one you pass awards you a prize. Those who clear all three will be gathered in one place to compete, on equal footing, for a single treasure. We don’t know what that treasure is, only that our master said even god kings would covet it.”

“Once again, using treasure as the bait…” Qin Si was not much moved by a prize that could make even god kings envious. He believed that if it were a celestial sovereign’s treasure, his father, Qin Yu, could obtain one for him.

“Haha, it’s not just about the treasure. Unless someone completes all the trials within the set time and claims the final treasure, you will all perish here!”

“What?” Qin Si was stunned by these words. The guides were lower gods, the prize envied by even god kings—this trial would not be simple. Yet if no one succeeded in time, all twelve participants would die here!

Man dies for wealth as birds die for food—truly, with great reward comes great risk.

“So, how much time did your master give?” Qin Si asked.

“One hundred and twenty years. Within that period, someone must claim the treasure. Otherwise, this place will collapse, the treasure will depart on its own, and a new Shanhaitian will form elsewhere to seek out twelve fresh contenders,” the spirit ox replied frankly.

“In truth, I ought not to be telling you any of this,” the ox continued with a shake of its head. “But our master placed no restrictions on us in this regard. We can share all we know with you, though, in fact, this is all we know.”

The spirit ox seemed rather helpless as it added, “I imagine I’m the only spirit beast who would talk at such length with the one it has chosen.”

“Is that so? Then I must thank you.” Qin Si replied coolly, then in a flash appeared before the spirit ox, seized it by the collar, and raised his fist. “You wretched ox! Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You wait until after you’ve tricked me into coming here to tell me we’ll all die if no one passes? Are you trying to get back at me?”

“Hey, stop—don’t hit me!” Even though the spirit ox had regained its strength in Shanhaitian, Qin Si, being an upper god, could easily overpower it.

With a long exhale, Qin Si’s anger subsided. He drew back his fist. “Enough. I’ll let you off this time. But listen well—if no one completes all the trials, I swear I’ll kill you and every last spirit beast before I die.”

Qin Si’s threat was not idle. If he alone had come out of greed, he would blame only himself and not the spirit beasts. But Qin Shuang was here too, and deep down, he truly cared for his younger brother.

“I doubt little Shuang is aware of this,” Qin Si mused. In this brand new world, even he felt a bit at a loss. Perhaps he cared too much for his brother and momentarily forgot his father’s existence… No matter where they were, Qin Yu could always protect them.

The spirit ox dared not interrupt, fearing to anger Qin Si. As long as all twelve assembled, it would no longer fear his threats.

With all twelve gathered and inside Shanhaitian, the spirit beasts’ task would be complete. Thereafter, everything would depend on the contenders themselves.

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“Does everyone have to face the trials alone?” Qin Shuang frowned, but said nothing further. The creator of this place truly was eccentric.

The spirit serpent, Xiao Qing, offered no further explanation. Qin Shuang knew much less than Qin Si—sometimes, formidable strength truly was useful.

“Xiao Qing, how long until everyone is assembled?” Qin Shuang asked. Though the aura here was ample, lingering in an unknown world always brought some unease.

Xiao Qing cast a cold look at Qin Shuang and swiftly calculated. “At most another hundred and eighty years. By then, the time limit our master set will expire, and all twelve are sure to be gathered.”

“A hundred and eighty years…” Qin Shuang rolled his eyes. To spend so long with this perpetually cold-faced Xiao Qing was enough to drive anyone mad.

“Forget it, best to meditate and train.” After much thought, he found nothing else to do. So he simply sat cross-legged and resumed the cultivation of his three souls and nine refinements. Once he formed his golden soul core, attaining the rank of divine man in this environment would take at most a hundred years.

On the Infinite Continent, since the two had been chosen by the spirit beasts, the pursuit of these creatures had grown even more fervent. But things had changed—after the news from Water Spirit City spread, no one dared use force or threats, nor did anyone try to bar others from participating. Whenever a spirit beast appeared, millions of cultivators and practitioners gathered, waiting in hope to be chosen.

Because of this, the process of selecting candidates went much faster. Eighty years after Qin Si entered Shanhaitian, the remaining ten spirit beasts had finally chosen all their people, who were now gathered in Shanhaitian.

Among these ten, there were three Immortal Emperors, three Golden Immortals, one ordinary Celestial Immortal, and three cultivators who had not even reached their peak stage.

Perhaps fate truly is unpredictable, for among the six cultivators who came with Qin Si, two at only the Nascent Void stage were selected by the spirit beasts to enter the trials of Shanhaitian. Yet, they did not know the name of this place. All they knew was that they were heading to the Road to the Heavens, blissfully unaware of the dangers awaiting them.

With a thunderous crash, Qin Shuang was jolted from meditation and snapped open his eyes, extending his immortal sense.

Not far away, an invisible gate was slowly opening. Even with his soul at the peak of ninth-level Immortal Emperor, Qin Shuang could only just sense the details of the opening gate.

“Is Shanhaitian… finally about to begin?” he murmured, excitement welling up in his heart. He had awaited the opening of Shanhaitian for nearly a century.

“That’s right. All twelve have gathered. Now begins the trial period. Only by passing all three tests and obtaining the final treasure can you leave Shanhaitian. Otherwise, even if you reach god king status here, you’ll never leave,” Xiao Qing said coolly.

“Heh, great risks always come with great rewards,” Qin Shuang replied with a smile. He understood well that the greater the risk, the more precious the treasure. Judging by the sheer density of spiritual energy here, the final prize might indeed be coveted by even god kings.

“Father, mother, Grandpa Lan, big brother, Aunt Zuo Qiu—wait for me. Even if I rely on no one else, I will reach the rank of high god myself.” Qin Shuang vowed silently, then muttered under his breath, “Even if it takes me ten million years, it will be worth it.”

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“So it’s finally about to begin?” Qin Si licked his lips, focusing his divine sense on the opening gate.

“Yes, all twelve have gathered. You may now enter Shanhaitian. Remember what I said—if no one completes all the trials within one hundred and twenty years and claims the final treasure, you will all die here,” the spirit ox reminded him once more.

“Relax, little ox. With my power as an upper god, passing all the trials will be a simple matter. By the way, for all you’ve told me, if I make it back to the divine realm, I might even consider taking you as my spirit companion.” Qin Si had grown rather fond of the spirit ox over the years. If he made it back, he would seriously consider the idea.

“Tch, clear the trials first, then talk. I warn you, each person faces a different test. That’s why you’re all separated. Celestial Immortals have their own trial, and as an upper god, you have your own as well,” the ox said with disdain at Qin Si’s arrogance.

“Is that so?” Qin Si’s lips curled into a smile. He thought to himself, “Luckily, I have two first-rate Hongmeng spiritual treasures—at least I have some insurance this time.”