Chapter 140: All Seven Are Real, Yet Rather Die Than Kneel

“They…”

Yu Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, wariness rising in his gaze.

This massive Ruins City stretched for ten thousand miles. Even if ten thousand people were thrown inside, they’d hardly run into one another.

Yet here he was, seeing seven people appear right before him!

How did they gather together?

How did they arrive at his location?

Illusions?

Yu Xian couldn’t tell if they were illusions or not, but aside from that explanation, nothing else made sense…

“Could it be… the trial has already begun?”

He muttered to himself. The sudden appearance of these seven might be a ploy to confuse him, part of the Heart-Questioning Trial, with the seven being nothing but false constructs.

“Hmm? Xu Haoming!?”

“It’s him?”

“How odd! Not only did we meet each other in recent days, but now we’ve run into him again?”

“Xu Haoming! Fellow Daoist Xu!”

Voices rose behind him—these seven cultivators were clearly stunned to see Yu Xian, though more than anything, they were delighted.

In a place like this, having more people around meant more safety.

Even if they remained cautious and guarded, at least there was no deep enmity among them to spark a deadly fight on sight.

And in case of danger, even without cooperation, they could divide the threat—

after all, sometimes survival wasn’t about beating the threat, just about outrunning someone else…

However, the next moment, they saw Yu Xian suddenly leap into the moat, ignoring them entirely as he began swimming away.

“Eh…”

The seven froze on the spot.

Wang Teng’s eyes gleamed, and he quickly shouted, “Fellow Daoist Xu! Wait for me!”

Then rushed forward in pursuit.

The others exchanged looks and, without hesitation, followed.

They had to cross this Heart-Questioning Spring no matter what.

After such a long, grueling journey, they weren’t going to be stopped by something like this.

Everyone here, even a fool, would consider themselves resolute enough to pass the trial of questioning the heart.

Behind him, the seven jumped into the water one by one.

Yu Xian ignored them all, continuing his steady swim forward.

The water of the moat was cold, but posed no real threat to Yu Xian. He moved calmly, steadily, and without pause.

Before long, the sounds of splashes echoed behind him—the others had entered the water.

“Fellow Daoist Xu! Wait up! It’s me, Wang Teng!”

Wang Teng saw Yu Xian and naturally assumed he was on his side.

Among the six people with him, two were strangers, and four were closer to Li Yuan. He was feeling isolated and vulnerable, so seeing Yu Xian brought him great relief. One more ally meant increased survival chances.

But Yu Xian still didn’t respond—he assumed they were illusions, part of the trial.

At this moment, he had only one thought:

Swim.

Not fast, not slow—just steady.

Before long, he had swum hundreds of meters.

Wang Teng, desperately paddling, finally caught up to him. “Fellow Daoist Xu, wait!”

His presence grew more tangible—the aura real and unmistakable.

Yu Xian’s brow twitched. Could they not be illusions?

As he pondered, Wang Teng drew beside him and asked in confusion, “Why didn’t you wait for me? Is there a silencing effect in this place?”

Yu Xian looked at him closely, then finally nodded. “I thought you were an illusion… so I ignored you.”

“Ah, so that’s why!”

Wang Teng laughed in realization. “We’ve all seen many illusions—remnants of the ancient battle in this city. It’s perfectly normal that you mistook me.”

Hearing this, Yu Xian was now certain: they were all real.

If Wang Teng was real, then the others behind him must be as well.

For eight people to gather in this enormous ruin—this was truly bizarre.

“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist. You’ve finally entered the ruins,” Yu Xian said with a smile.

“Haha, yes! All thanks to your earlier blessings! I finally made it in!” Wang Teng beamed with pride.

He slapped the water and laughed. “So this is the Heart-Questioning Spring, huh?”

Yu Xian nodded. “It should be. This moat seems endless—I’ve no idea how we’ll reach the far side.”

Wang Teng didn’t mind. “Don’t worry. Just treat it like a bath. From my investigations over the years, about 80% of people succeed. Nothing to be too concerned about.”

Yu Xian smiled. “With your attitude, this Heart-Questioning Spring won’t stop you.”

“Thanks! Haha, I’ll take that as a good omen!”

They swam side by side now. The other six soon caught up but kept a few meters’ distance—silent and cautious.

Eight people paddling forward in a vast, seemingly endless river.

Thanks to each other’s presence, there was little fear or anxiety.

They swam for an entire day.

With their cultivation, a day’s swimming should have taken them across hundreds of miles—yet the scenery remained unchanged, endless blue ripples ahead.

Still, they felt calm.

As cultivators, patience and isolation were their norm. They could suppress much deeper anxieties than this.

But a common thought now lingered:

What is the Heart-Questioning Spring… truly questioning?

And if so—why wasn’t it asking anything?

Another day passed.

Now, some began to show signs of restlessness.

Zhou Zong and two unfamiliar early Foundation cultivators were showing irritability in their eyes.

Two days of constant swimming was draining. If they were alone, they could have floated or rested—but in a group, pride forced them to keep pace.

Especially with Xu Haoming—the leader at the front—who hadn’t stopped or rested even once!

Like a beast of burden!

The eight now swam in a wedge-shaped formation. Yu Xian’s powerful physique allowed him to stay far ahead. Even Wang Teng was now ten meters behind.

The others followed behind Wang Teng, struggling to keep up.

“Fellow Daoist Xu,” Wang Teng finally called, panting. “Shall we rest a bit?”

Yu Xian shook his head. “We can’t stop. Perhaps this trial is about perseverance. If we stop… maybe we fail.”

Wang Teng’s eyes lit up. “You’re right. That must be it. That’s why no one can clearly describe this trial—they either succeed or fail without knowing how.”

The others overheard the conversation and silently agreed.

Even if they hated or distrusted Yu Xian, his words made sense.

Perseverance!

A quality every cultivator must possess.

Only those with unwavering resolve could reach the far shore.

Emboldened, the six others swam faster.

Yu Xian ignored them all—only sticking to his own will.

Sometime later, Yu Xian’s eyes narrowed suddenly.

From the distant sky, dozens of figures came rushing toward them!

Their aura was terrifying—unimaginably powerful!

Illusions—again?

Everyone’s expressions shifted. No matter how many times they appeared, the pressure never diminished.

What if they were real this time?

Yu Xian’s heart clenched. Could these be vengeful souls, like the general from before?

Then… they were all doomed!

Without hesitation, Yu Xian activated the Wood God Armor.

A brilliant shield—the Spirit Divine Shield, a peak-tier Rank 5 artifact—appeared above his head.

The others paled and scrambled to bring out their own defenses.

Only Li Yuan had a top-grade Rank 4 defense artifact—nothing close to Yu Xian’s.

But in that moment, no one cared about his treasure. The overwhelming pressure above was far more important.

Dozens of divine silhouettes towered above them, standing atop black clouds, divine light blinding and oppressive.

The river itself sank under the weight of their killing intent!

Even Yu Xian trembled slightly—his bones chilled to the core.

The others were visibly shaking, some nearly drowning in terror.

“Mortals below—kneel before divinity!”

A thunderous voice echoed, causing pain to flare across their faces.

This killing intent couldn’t even be blocked by artifacts!

Those who didn’t kneel would die.

Zhou Zong and the two early Foundation cultivators couldn’t hold on—they screamed and dropped to their knees, trembling violently.

The others still tried to resist…

But kneeling… was humiliating…

“If you don’t kneel, you die!”

The divine pressure increased, making skin crack and blood burn.

The choice was clear: kneel or perish.

Finally, the remaining four followed suit—all knelt in fear and desperation.

Only Yu Xian stood firm.

Though blood trickled down his face, he stared straight at the divine figures.

He did not kneel.

He wouldn’t kneel!

In this life, he would only kneel to his parents, to Yushu (his mother figure), and to his master.

Nothing else—no god, no sky—deserved his kneeling!

Some might call this foolish. Stubborn. Proud to the point of idiocy.

But this was his conviction.

Even in death—he would not yield.

BOOM!

The terrifying pressure descended.

And then… it passed straight through them, plunging downward.

Illusion…?

Yu Xian’s eyes flickered, watching it crash into the riverbed below.

There, he saw another illusion.

A dozen scholars stood tall underwater, heads held high, proud and unyielding.

Though silent, their mouths moved.

Yu Xian read their lips clearly:

“The human race will never bow. Never yield to traitors like you!”

As the wave struck, the scholars were obliterated into ash.

Suddenly, all divine pressure vanished.

The divine figures faded from the sky.

Yu Xian looked up—and there it was: the inner city.

Only a mile away.

Had he passed… the Heart-Questioning Spring?

Without hesitation, he dove back into the water and swam toward the shore.

The other seven, soaked in sweat and shivering, finally looked up—only to see Yu Xian almost at the bank.

“Ah! It was all fake!”

“Damn it—it was an illusion!”

“Fake! That almost scared me to death!”

“Quick! Get to the shore!”

All seven burst into frantic motion, swimming with everything they had toward the other side.