The altar glowed, evaporating and dull, and outlined a figure sitting cross-legged, and the appearance of his face gradually became clearer.
It was an old man, wearing a black robe with no discernible material. His body was as skinny as dried bamboo. His face was covered with wrinkles and ridges, and his hair on the temples was as white as silver, floating gently in the wind.
He was really too old. Both his skin and the hair on his temples showed heavy traces of time, giving him an aura of vicissitudes of life.
But his pair of eyes were black and shiny, like the most dazzling stars in the sky. They were bright, serene, and calm, and seemed to be able to peek into all the deepest secrets in a person's heart.
There was no aura around him, just like an ordinary old man in his twilight years, but when everyone looked at him, a feeling of awe arose in his heart for no reason.
It's like facing a monument that has stood for endless years in the wind and rain, which shocks people's soul.
Temple guard!
Almost instantly, everyone recognized each other's identity without any doubt.
Because he was sitting cross-legged on that altar, because he had a secret aura of age and vicissitudes all over his body, which was the best proof.
No one spoke again, all eyes were fixed on the old man. The atmosphere at this moment seemed solemn and quiet.
The old man's eyes were serene and clear, with a wisdom and indifference to the world. He seemed to have experienced too many things like this, so as soon as he appeared, he said: "You must all know the rules. If you want Entering the land of ancestral origin, let’s start the test.”
His voice was hoarse and low, distant and long, as if echoing in the horizon, and ringing clearly in everyone's ears.
Hearing this, everyone's hearts cheered up, and their eyes suddenly showed a hint of blazing anticipation.
Seeing this, the old man couldn't help but feel a trace of nostalgia at the corners of his old and withered lips. In these endless years, he had seen many such eyes, but every time he saw them, he still couldn't help but feel emotional.
"Senior, I will be the first to accept the test." Suddenly, Luo Shaonong, who was at the front, laughed and spoke, with an aura of arrogance and defiance filling his body.
"It turns out it's a little baby from the Luo family, no wonder." The old man's eyes were full of vicissitudes of wisdom, and he nodded, "What kind of test do you want to choose?"
Luo Shaonong's heart froze, as if he didn't expect that the old man would find out his identity all of a sudden. His originally unruly expression became serious, he pointed at the living door and said, "This one."
"Go ahead, just a stick of incense."
The old man waved his hand, and with a buzz, the door in front of the temple with a bloody word "生" on it suddenly opened. The interior was so dark that it was impossible to see clearly.
At that moment, Luo Shaonong and the group of people around him stepped into the door of life and disappeared.
Buzz…
The portal closed again, isolating everything within it.
"The door of life has been opened, who is willing to accept the test of death?" The old man said slowly.
Everyone looked at each other, most of them would rather choose the door of life than the door of death, which was mysterious and murderous at every step.
After all, although there are countless ancient corpses of spiritual gods in the Shengmen, there is no uncertain murderous intention at all. You just need to work hard to kill them.
"Young monk is willing to give it a try." Just as everyone hesitated, a calm voice sounded.
Following the sound, Canaan, the Holy Son of the Buddha, dressed in moon-white monk robes, wearing mango shoes, and holding a dead wood Zen staff, came out.
His expression was as calm and peaceful as usual, with an aura of perseverance and a sense of Zen that was very different from other ascetics.
Everyone was surprised, but when they saw it was Canaan, they all showed a look of surprise. The other party was a being ranked seventh in the Spiritual God Realm on the list of gods. No matter which portal he chose to live or die, it seemed natural.
"Sure enough." Chen Xi thought to himself. He knew intuitively that Canaan, who cultivated the path of his true self, would definitely not be afraid of a "death" test.
"Namo Jialan, precious wood Zen branches, clinging to myself and returning to nature, seeking the truth and asking the Buddha... Oh, I didn't expect that after so many years, a saint in the Buddhist sect finally understood this path. This heart is worthy of being said. Not bad."
The old man looked at Canaan, a flash of surprise flashed in his bright eyes, and then he returned to the ancient well, waving his hand and saying: "Go, just a stick of incense."
Buddha Canaan put his hands together and bowed, then floated into the "death" door and disappeared.
"The rest of you, just wait patiently. It won't hurt to prepare a little more time." The old man glanced at the others and closed his eyes, seeming to have fallen into a deep sleep.
At this point, people have been testing both portals. If everyone wants to enter, they can only wait for Luo Shaonong and his party and Canaan to come out.
"How long do you think the young peasant master can pass the test successfully?"
"It must not be a stick of incense."
"This is not nonsense. According to my guess, a cup of tea will be enough."
"Haha, a cup of tea? You underestimate Young Nong's ability. I'm sure that Young Nong will pass the test smoothly within half a quarter of an hour!"
"What about Canaan, the Holy Son?"
"Canaan? I don't know. People from the Buddhist sect have always been mysterious, but if Canaan can reach the seventh place in the Spiritual God Realm on the list of gods, it will definitely not be far behind."
The crowd was talking a lot, speculating on how long it would take Luo Shaonong, his party, and Canaan to pass. No one thought that these two would be eliminated.
Regarding all this, Chen Xi had no intention of paying much attention to it. During this time, he was pondering the "Secret Sword of the Heart" in his mind.
Now, with the transformation of his mental state and cultivation, after reaching the first realm of forging, he also broke through again with his immersion in the way of the sword, reaching the first level of the Sword Emperor realm.
Although it is still the realm of the Sword King, it is two completely different realms compared to before, and the power of the sword is even more different.
Like when he faced Yu Qiu Jing in the Soul-Slaying Gourd before, the reason why Chen Xi could so easily destroy Yu Qiu Jing's strongest blow, who had also reached the realm of the Sword King, was because of his breakthrough in swordsmanship.
This also made Chen Xi realize the power of the "Secret Sword of the Heart" more and more. In order to improve his combat effectiveness, he seized almost every available moment to understand and ponder the Secret Sword of the Heart.
"Hey, I didn't expect that you, fellow Taoist, would actually arrive here. This does surprise me." Suddenly, a voice rang in his ears, waking up Chen Xi who was deep in thought.
He raised his eyes and saw that at some point, the purple-eyed and silver-haired Gongye Zhefu came to him with Zhen Liuqing.
At this moment, Gongye Zhefu was looking at Chen Xi with slight surprise, while Zhen Liuqing on the side was looking away, her expression still calm, but giving people a feeling of being absent-minded.
Nearby, many cultivators also looked at Chen Xi with slight surprise. Even Le Wuhen and Yu Qiujing were no exception. They did not seem to have expected that Gongye Zhefu would be on the list of gods. A famous person actually recognized Chen Xi.
The atmosphere was a little weird, and there were too many looks from around. This made Chen Xi frown immediately, his expression became indifferent, and said: "Is it unexpected? I am also surprised to see Mr. Zhefu here."
With just one sentence, everyone around him suddenly felt a sense of tension and tit-for-tat, and they couldn't help but be surprised. Could it be that this guy still had a grudge against Gongye Zhefu
Le Wuhen looked thoughtful.
Shentu Yanran raised her eyebrows, looked at Zhen Liuqing next to Gongye Zhefu, and then looked at Chen Xi, vaguely guessing something in her heart.
Yu Qiujing felt a little gloating in her heart, and the corners of her lips curled up with a vague arc.
As for the other people, they all have different expressions.
"hehe."
Gongye Zhefu smiled, suddenly put his arms around Zhen Liuqing's shoulders, and said, "Fellow Taoist, I advise you to stop thinking about Liu Qing. It's best to give up. Otherwise, I won't be like last time. I’ll let you go.”
The voice was calm, but filled with a look of scorn and domineering.
From the beginning to the end, Zhen Liuqing remained silent, and it was impossible to see any emotion from her expression.
When they heard what Gongye Zhefu said, everyone nearby was in an uproar.
"Did I hear that right? That guy actually stole a woman from Gongye Zhefu?"
"Who is that guy? Don't you know who Mr. Gongye Zhefu is? How dare he do this? He is simply a coward."
"If I were Gongye Zhefu, if someone dared to steal a woman from me... Haha, I wouldn't be so easy to talk to."
Even Le Wuhen, Yu Qiujing and others were shocked, a little unbelievable that Chen Xi had ever done such a thing.
At this moment, Chen Xi was disdained, ridiculed, and even slandered by everyone.
However, his expression remained calm, as if he was turning a deaf ear. He just glanced at Zhen Liuqing, who was silent, and sighed in his heart. He turned his gaze to Gongye Zhefu and said, "You came here just to warn me?"
Gongye Zhefu smiled lightly, shook his head in a condescending manner and said, "No, don't get me wrong, I'm not here to find you."
As he said that, he looked at Shentu Yanran next to Chen Xi, and a bright smile appeared on the corner of his lips, which was extremely charming, "Miss Yanran, can I take a moment to talk to you?"
It was as if he completely ignored Chen Xi.
This caused a burst of laughter in the surroundings, and the eyes looking at Chen Xi were like looking at a clown, full of pity and teasing.
Chen Xi pursed his lips and fell into silence, with a boiling murderous intention boiling in his heart. He knew clearly that Gongye Zhefu was deliberately bringing Zhen Liuqing with him to humiliate him in public just like he did in Fengqi Divine City last time!
Although Chen Xi didn't know the reasons, these were completely unimportant.
Suddenly, he felt his palm being held by a warm and soft hand, and immediately, Shen Tu's sweet and clear voice sounded in his ears: "Sorry, I'm not free now."
Chen Xi was shocked, and glanced at Shentu Yanran with some surprise, but saw that the other party had turned his head, and his starry eyes were looking at him, full of tenderness.
She... what is she going to do
"Why? You never did this before."
Before Chen Xi could react, Gongye Zhefu frowned and spoke. A pair of purple eyes glanced at the palms held by Shen Tu Yanran and Chen Xi, and his pupils suddenly shrank.
"Don't you see..."
Shentu Yanran didn't even look at Gongye Zhefu, she just stared at Chen Xi, exhaled like a blue breath, and said softly, "I still want to accompany him."
(End of chapter)