Inside the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s Tower of Inquiry.

The brutal bloodshed continued unabated. In the endless desert of sand, rolling black clouds obscured the sun, and the relentless descendants of the Magic Clan charged fearlessly, undeterred by the death of their kin.

In different areas, the number of cultivators still holding on, when combined, was less than a tenth of those who had entered, and most were on the brink of exhaustion.

At this point, their spatial artifacts had run out of medicinal pills for replenishing mana and healing wounds. The one-time use talismans and magical instruments were depleted, and various magical weapons, puppets, and spirit pets were either dead or injured. It seemed inevitable that if this continued, they would all perish here.

Give up and retreat? Would that not render all their previous suffering in vain?

Besides, the exit had disappeared. Even if they wanted to flee, there was nowhere to run. The fate of those cultivators who had died and been expelled by the tower’s spirit was unknown. What if they were truly dead…

The remaining cultivators continued to grit their teeth and persevere in such a dilemma, hoping for a miracle with each breath.

However, at the deepest part of the desert, Qing Muling and his two companions, protected by a formation, still had strength to spare. Despite the fierce fighting, they harbored not a hint of despair.

“…Don’t use medicinal pills recklessly. We don’t know what challenges lie ahead! It’s not too late to use them when needed.”

Qing Muling spoke and with a wave of his hand, a beam as thick as a bucket, clear as water, descended and enveloped Cheng Yulan.

The beam was filled with an unimaginable vitality. In just a few breaths, it not only replenished Cheng Yulan’s greatly depleted mana but also restored her to her peak condition, erasing the fatigue from prolonged intense combat.

Yu Binghua received the same treatment.

“This is great, we must be the team that will last until the end!”

Joy was evident in Yu Binghua’s beautiful eyes. With Junior Brother around, she and her Senior Sister could always be at their peak without using any medicinal resources, allowing them to endure against these foreign beings almost indefinitely.

“Mm, Junior Brother’s role is irreplaceable.”

Cheng Yulan’s face was radiant with a smile as she expertly manipulated the formation. The continuous rumble of thunder and a relentless barrage of meteoric fire rained down, never ceasing, annihilating the Magic Clan’s descendants that breached the formation.

Since they didn’t have to worry about mana consumption, Cheng Yulan could freely use powerful moves. With the support of Yu Binghua and Qing Muling, any foreign being that entered the killing range of the formation would not survive beyond three breaths before being reduced to ashes.

With the terrifying power of the formation, even descendants of the Magic Clan with Heart Demon Realm or Fate Realm strength couldn’t breach the core area of the formation. Thus, the trio remained unscathed, without a scratch.

“I feel like it should be about time now?”

Qing Muling pondered. He dared to say this partly because of an intuition and partly because he believed that the spirit of the Tower of Inquiry wouldn’t truly push everyone to their deaths, as that would defeat the purpose of the test.

The Hidden Cave Mystical Realm left by the mysterious Daoist of yore was likely still intent on selecting an heir. As long as a fated person encountered it and passed the necessary tests, they would be granted an opportunity. Indiscriminately killing all entrants would serve no benefit to it.

Cheng Yulan smiled faintly, “I trust your judgment, Junior Brother. Even if it’s wrong, it doesn’t matter. We can always try again. Think about all those disciples from hostile forces outside. If they all perish, it would be great news for Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace!”

Qing Muling shared this sentiment. Not everyone had life-saving talismans, and killing more enemies through the tower’s means was far better than doing it themselves.

At this moment, the cultivators in the field had indeed reached their last stand.

Especially the disciples of the Shadow Assassination Hall, who had suffered heavy casualties. Around the core elder Su Zheng, only a hundred or so could still stand, the rest had perished and been expelled by the Tower of Inquiry’s spirit.

Although he hadn’t witnessed it, Su Zheng’s ominous premonition grew stronger, and he had a realization: those unlucky ones expelled were likely never returning alive to their sect.

The Shadow Assassination Hall was large and could bear the loss of three thousand elite assassins. However, as a core elder, he would inevitably have to take responsibility, shedding much blood and sacrificing many favors to suppress this matter.

With a helpless sigh, Su Zheng thought about the few remaining medicinal supplies in his bracelet and felt a surge of anger. If this damned test didn’t end soon, he would have to consider withdrawing.

Perhaps his cursing had an effect, or maybe the number of dead and injured cultivators was sufficient. Suddenly, a profound Dao melody arose on the level of divine consciousness, as if hearing a command. The descendants of the Magic Clan, who had been attacking fiercely a moment ago, paused in unison and retreated like a tide, quickly vanishing from sight.

After a few breaths, the endless desert in their vision disappeared along with them. Su Zheng looked around and found himself still inside the Tower of Inquiry.

Above was a dome of thick, egg-white clarity. Of the tens of thousands of cultivators who had entered, less than ten thousand were alive, almost all injured, and even the uninjured were exhausted.

“So that’s how it is…”

Qing Muling mused. Was it that as long as the number of cultivators who entered was kept below ten thousand, this rigorous test mechanism wouldn’t be triggered? Or at least not as harshly?

Of course, this was just speculation. To understand the truth, they would have to pass all the test phases.

“Junior Brother, should we kill them all?”

Cheng Yulan looked at the cultivators collapsed on the ground, nearly crippled. Now would be the perfect opportunity to strike ruthlessly. If they were all dead, the opportunities within the tower would never fall into the hands of outsiders.

Qing Muling shook his head, “It’s probably too late now, we’ll have to wait for the next phase.”

Since the tower’s spirit had already acknowledged their success, if they tried to do anything else, they might violate its taboo and trigger unpredictable consequences.

Cheng Yulan looked slightly regretful, but she understood that Junior Brother was right. Now was not the time for complications.

Sure enough, after a few breaths, the thick clarity above subtly changed, and strands of green rain silently fell, covering all the cultivators present. The rich and profound Dao Rhyme spread out.

Yu Binghua gently caught a droplet, discovering it contained astonishing vitality. It merged into her body through her skin, slightly enhancing her cultivation and mana limit.

Looking at the severely wounded cultivators around, as a certain amount of rain fell on them, their injuries began to heal visibly fast, their depleted mana rapidly restored, and they were revived.

“Indeed, it’s a good thing,”

Qing Muling spoke with a solemn expression, “This is a rare opportunity, absorb as much as you can now. We may not have such luck next time!”

This was likely the reward given by the tower’s spirit after this round of tests. Absorbing enough raindrops could significantly improve cultivation, enrich one’s innate potential, and allow for further progress in the future.

Cheng Yulan nodded and activated the formation again.

This time, however, it wasn’t for attack but to alter the state of the formation. A huge vortex of starlight quietly formed above the trio, its terrifying suction drawing all the green rain strands within thirty miles into it, then dividing them into three parts, merging into the three of them.

As vast amounts of vital essence entered his body, Qing Muling felt his physical and Divine Soul strength improve. His Heart Demon Realm second layer cultivation advanced further, and even the innate Harmony Spirit Seed in his sea of consciousness underwent new changes.

Under the continuous influx of the green rain’s vital essence, the Harmony Spirit Seed swelled, its surface becoming more vibrant and dynamic. At its base, the differentiated chaotic light-fiber roots grew thicker and more numerous, with tiny primordial Dao runes swirling around them.

These roots of the Harmony Spirit Seed slowly extended into the depths of different dimensions of space-time, bringing back more spiritual essence and traces of profound Dao Rhyme, merging with Qing Muling’s Divine Soul and body. Due to the denser and thicker roots, Qing Muling received more spiritual essence and Dao Rhyme.

How long would this green rain last?

Qing Muling pondered with slight anxiety, but his actions were swift, absorbing all the raindrops drawn by the formation, prioritizing the Harmony Spirit Seed.

Such a domineering act naturally caused dissatisfaction among the surrounding cultivators. Su Zheng, not far away, looked over with a dark and deep gaze, coldly questioning, “You three from Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, aren’t you afraid of inciting public anger with your boundless greed?”

Cheng Yulan retorted without courtesy, “Are you teaching us what to do? You old dog, if it weren’t for the fact that this place isn’t suitable for fighting, you’d already be a corpse!”

Enraged, Su Zheng, a person of authority in the Shadow Assassination Hall, accustomed to being treated with respect, could not tolerate being scorned by juniors.

“Good! Very good!”

Su Zheng laughed angrily, “I’ll kill you three ignorant juniors now and see what kind of confidence Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has to be so presumptuous towards our Shadow Assassination Hall!”

As he spoke, a swath of blade light transformed into a sinister grey mist, sweeping towards Qing Muling and his companions in the blink of an eye.