"This... this is a never-ending cycle of reincarnation within the Death Realm," the Dao Fruit Realm cultivator said, pausing as he hovered above the clouds, close to Han Yi.
He then glanced at the fragment of the Ash Tower in Han Yi's hand, pointed at it, and smiled bitterly. "I have a fragment of the Ash Set as well, likely chipped off the Ash Spear. It was the anomalies of this fragment that drew me here."
Having said this, the Dao Fruit Realm cultivator seemed dispirited and fell silent.
Hearing this, Han Yi's heart sank. Nevertheless, he patiently relayed the information he had gathered from several Dao Realm cultivators outside.
After listening, the Dao Fruit Realm cultivator's expression worsened. Han Yi's account lacked the confirmation he had hoped for. Regaining his composure, he stepped back to his original position.
Han Yi, after a moment of shifting emotions, forced himself to calm down.
He hadn't expected that the Ash Tower fragment's tremors, which had drawn him into this Mist, were actually a trap.
No, it wasn't exactly a trap. The Ashen Mountain's Inheritance was real, and it was the true core Inheritance. It was just that for Outlanders, the difficulty of obtaining it was extraordinarily high.
Nearly sixty years have passed since the Ruins emerged, yet not a single cultivator, not even a Heavenly Venerable, has managed to pass through. The sheer difficulty is mind-boggling.
According to the Dao Fruit Realm from earlier, these assessments occur every half-hour, twelve times a day. Over sixty years, that amounts to nearly 260,000 attempts, all of which have failed. This proves beyond a doubt that it's a true Death Realm.
Han Yi glanced upward at the five Heavenly Venerables scattered around. Their expressions remained calm, betraying no emotion. To them, sixty years was a mere blink; even being trapped here for six million years wouldn't shatter their Dao Hearts.
Back in the outside world, Han Yi had heard that only three Heavenly Venerables had entered this place. It seemed the arrivals of the other two had remained secret.
He averted his gaze, uninterested in the Heavenly Venerables' origins. His immediate priority was to understand what exactly these Reincarnation World assessments entailed.
The moment this thought arose, the surrounding spacetime began to shift. The other cultivators hovering high above vanished in an instant, their disappearance so seamless Han Yi couldn't discern the slightest anomaly.
Han Yi wasn't surprised by this. If even Heavenly Venerables couldn't escape or pass through this place, it made sense that all incoming cultivators would be completely isolated.
The next moment, he felt as if he had lost his ability to hover in the air and began to plummet downward. The speed of his descent was abnormal, as if a powerful gravitational force from below were pulling him down.
This abrupt change lasted only a fleeting instant before stopping.
Immediately after, a buzzing sound filled his mind, his vision went dark, and when he regained his senses, he found himself standing before a valley.
Simultaneously, a resounding voice echoed in his mind:
"Outlander of Ashen Mountain, within this Demon Valley dwell 108,000 Venerables of the Demon Race. Enter swiftly and perform the Demon Slaughter."
"Disobey, and you will be executed!"
The chilling severity conveyed by the word "executed" sent a shiver down Han Yi's spine. He had no doubt that if he lingered in place without acting, he would be killed on the spot.
He began walking forward, his pace steady. As he walked, his Dao Thought circulated, scanning his body and confirming that nothing was missing.
His presence here wasn't as a Dao Thought Avatar, and this wasn't an illusionary realm, but a tangible world. Any injury or death here would be real.
"Is this the Reincarnation World?"
"Even if I complete the mission, it won't truly pass the assessment, but simply return me to my original place?"
Han Yi's heart tightened as he focused his full attention, observing his surroundings intently, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
He then entered the valley. Countless palaces, their architecture exuding a malevolent aura, lined both sides of the valley.
The earlier voice had mentioned this was Demon Valley, inhabited by the Demon Race. True to this, what he saw were Ancient Demons, cultivators of the physical body, moving in and out of the eerie palaces.
As he stepped into the valley, Han Yi activated the Dao Art of Invisibility, rendering him invisible to the ordinary Ancient Demons.
He swiftly stole the aura from a nearby Ancient Demon and masked his own aura with it.
From the earlier words of the Dao Fruit Realm cultivator, he knew that breaking this impasse wouldn't be achieved simply through brute force and completing the mission. Instead, it likely required uncovering the secrets of the Reincarnation World.
Of course, this was only his conjecture, and he intended to begin testing it from the very first Reincarnation World.
After entering the valley, he seized an opportunity to capture an Ancient Demon. This particular Ancient Demon was only an Immortal Sovereign, easily subdued by Han Yi. Using his Soul Technique, he examined the demon's memories before casting it into his Divine Aperture World. There, he transformed into an exact replica of the Ancient Demon, matching both appearance and aura.
From the demon's memories, Han Yi learned that the Ancient Demons in Demon Valley belonged to a branch of the Chaos Demon Race. The valley housed 108,000 demons, the majority being Ancient Demons below the Immortal Sovereign level. Additionally, there were 300 Immortal Sovereigns, twelve at the First Step of the Dao Realm, and one in the Dao Fruit Realm.
This was the target he needed to annihilate for his mission.
Seeing this, Han Yi felt relieved. Such missions would be considered ordinary for other Dao Fruit Realm experts, but for him, they were naturally even easier.
What had previously worried him was the possibility of being tasked with challenging a Heavenly Venerable, which would have been tantamount to suicide.
However, recalling that upon entering the Ruins, most beings in the Dao Realm, including Heavenly Venerables and Immortal Sovereigns, hadn't sustained severe injuries while hovering above the clouds, he realized these missions could be accomplished. While the paths might be circuitous, they likely posed no immediate threat to his life.
Having fully understood the situation within Heavenly Demon Valley, Han Yi didn't immediately begin his demonic purge. Instead, he disguised himself as an Ancient Demon and investigated the valley's history. Only after gaining complete clarity did he unleash the Void Sword Realm, enveloping the entire valley and crushing the Ancient Demons.
For the Demon Valley, it was like the apocalypse descending, the chaos pressing down relentlessly. Below the Immortal Sovereign realm, resistance was futile; all were ground into dust and vanished. Even those in the Dao Realm and Dao Fruit Realm couldn't withstand Han Yi's Dao Sword, forged from the Mi Luo Profound Truth Sword Canon.
Within mere breaths, the entire valley lay in ruins, save for Han Yi.
Instead of leaving, Han Yi prepared to overturn the valley itself, searching for any hidden clues.
But an irresistible force suddenly acted upon him, the space around him rapidly shifting.
Demonic purged: 108,000. Campaign achievement +1.
As the voice echoed, a mysterious wave swept over Han Yi's body. His vision shifted, and he found himself back at the cloud's peak.
Around him, figures gradually materialized: Heavenly Venerables, Dao Realm cultivators, and Immortal Sovereigns.
Yet his focus remained fixed on the voice that had just spoken.
The voice confirmed that he had completed 108,000 Demon Slughters, exactly as the mission required. This proved he had fulfilled the task and, theoretically, should have passed the assessment.
Moreover, it mentioned "Battle Merit +1," further confirming this.
Yet the result was that he had returned to this cloud realm, with no apparent change in his assessment status. If other Heavenly Venerable Dao Realm cultivators experienced the same, they should have theoretically passed countless Reincarnation Worlds long ago. Their Battle Merits could have accumulated to over 200,000.
But each time, they returned here, proving they had failed the assessment.
This was precisely what shattered the Dao Hearts of Immortal Sovereigns who entered this place, filling their Dao Realms with despair.
Suddenly.
A realization struck Han Yi, a golden light flashing in his eyes. But being in the cloud realm, surrounded by Heavenly Venerables and External Dao Dao Lords, he dared not act on this abrupt idea.
After a few breaths, the Dao Fruit Realm cultivator he had spoken to earlier reappeared before him. His sleeve was torn, and while his aura remained relatively stable—suggesting he hadn't been injured—the situation he had faced must have been formidable.
The Dao Fruit Realm cultivator looked at him, then stepped closer. "Fellow Daoist," he said, "did you choose to complete the mission this time, or to lie low within it?"
Han Yi replied, "This time, I completed the mission. Before leaving the Reincarnation World, I heard the notification that the mission was completed."
The Dao Fruit Realm cultivator before him nodded in understanding and said gravely:
"You completed the mission and should have heard the message about your achievement being incremented by one. Normally, that would prove you passed the assessment. Yet you've returned here, which counts as a failure."
"I call these assessments the Reincarnation World because they are constantly changing. Each assessment you encounter is different, like a series of world missions."
"Moreover, after completing the mission, although you received confirmation of completion and the achievement increment message, there was no further development, as if something were missing."
At this point, the Dao Fruit Realm cultivator paused, his eyes flickering thoughtfully. He continued:
"I suspect what's missing is identity. Since we are Outlanders, not Ashen Mountain Cultivators, even if we pass the assessment, our status renders the result invalid, forcing us back to the beginning."
"That's how the mechanism of the Reincarnation World operates."
"Ashen Mountain was destroyed countless Chaos Epochs ago. We can't travel back in time to become Ashen Mountain Cultivators, so this situation is unsolvable."
"Exactly because of this, I call this Reincarnation World the Death Realm."
"The Death Realm can't be broken open from the inside. Only from the outside is it possible to break through. For now, all we can do is persevere, striving to survive in each Reincarnation World."
After the Dao Fruit Realm finished speaking, Han Yi suddenly frowned and asked:
"Fellow Daoist, do you know if we fail to complete the mission during the assessment, will we also be able to leave?"
"My current mission has no time limit. If I remain hidden in the mission location without completing it, what consequences will there be?"
The Dao Fruit Realm explained: "There are no direct punishments. If you remain hidden in the mission location without taking any action, after a certain period of time, you will be forcibly expelled from the Reincarnation World and return here."
"This period of time could be ten years, or it could be a hundred years. But no matter how many years pass, when you return here, you'll find that only a few minutes have passed in this Cloud Realm. After half an hour, we'll be pulled back into the Reincarnation World again, required to complete the mission once more, in an endless cycle."
This Dao Fruit Realm didn't mention whether being slain during the mission would respawn one here. Clearly, such a reckless gamble would never be attempted by a Dao Realm being, unless their Dao Heart was on the verge of collapse.
Han Yi pointed downward. He had appeared above the clouds, and when he had earlier used his Dao Thought to probe below, just like when investigating the Mist, there had been no response.
"Fellow Daoist, do you know what lies below? If I were to fall down, would I be able to escape this Mist?"
The Dao Fruit Realm shook its head. "I've tried. Below the clouds, there's no path to follow, as if there's an invisible wall. No matter how you attack, it remains the same."
"Where we are now, above, in front, behind, to the sides, and below, are all formless walls. And above, as you saw last time, any attempt to break through triggers an attack. Even several Heavenly Venerables tried, but they were all repelled. They didn't risk their lives, likely knowing that pushing too hard could truly lead to their demise here."
After hearing this, Han Yi's understanding of this Mist and the Reincarnation World deepened.
Meanwhile, the idea that had formed in his mind earlier grew increasingly plausible as a way to break this cycle.
He remained silent, deep in thought.
This time, no Immortal Sovereign collapsed, and even the dozen or so Immortal Monarchs present maintained their composure.
After the Dao Fruit Realm cultivators returned to their original positions, Han Yi scanned the surroundings and counted the numbers. There were still five Heavenly Venerables, and the Dao Realm cultivators numbered over seven hundred. The remaining Heavenly Venerables and Immortal Monarchs were fewer in number, totaling around a hundred.
Most cultivators below the Dao Realm dared not enter this place due to its extreme danger. The other areas of the ruins outside the Mist offered ample opportunities for exploration and rewards.
Withdrawing his gaze, Han Yi focused his Dao Thought inward, channeling it into his Central Palace Divine Aperture World.
This Divine Aperture World had grown into a small world, a miniature starry sky realm.
Deep within this starry sky world, floating in the Void, was the Profound Xuan Dao Stele—the very stele he had obtained during his previous visit to the Ashen Ruins.
His Dao Thought coalesced into a Transformation God, standing before the stele, studying the incomplete and blurred characters etched upon it.
Profound Xuan Dao Stele
Dao Child * Position
Gu Lie Feng, Harmony *, Battle Record: 187 * Wins, 9 Losses
Fifth Mountain, Harmonization with the Dao, Battle *, 1 * 3 Wins, 10 Losses
Han Yi's gaze focused on the words "Battle Achievements."
In the Reincarnation World, after destroying Demon Valley, he had received a "Battle Achievement +1." He suspected that the "Battle Achievements" on this stele might have the same meaning as the ones he earned from completing missions.
If this was true, then the Dao Children listed on the stele must have earned one Battle Achievement for completing similar missions. Once they reached the top of the rankings, or accumulated a certain number of Battle Achievements, they would receive the true Inheritance and escape this Death Realm.
Han Yi wondered, if he managed to carve his name onto the stele, would he, in some sense, become an Ashen Mountain Cultivator, no longer an Outlander?
And if he became an Ashen Mountain Cultivator, would he then be able to truly inherit these "Battle Achievements" in the Reincarnation World, rather than them being ineffective? Could he finally escape the Reincarnation World and even obtain the Inheritance?
This idea was truly astonishing. If Han Yi hadn't experienced countless crises and cultivated such composure, he might not have thought of it. In a way, it was like cheating across countless Chaos Epochs.