Chapter 256: Zhong Ningxue: Master…
Zhong Ningxue cried out in despair, trembling as she looked at the dazzling divine figure.
She had an illusion that the figure closely resembled Zhou Tong—could the deity be Zhou Tong?
Impossible, this is absolutely impossible.
How could Zhou Tong, a sixth layer of the Cycle Realm, transform into a deity and appear in the texts?
“This is an illusion created by a mental power attack; I must hold on to master the Sealing Divine Technique.”
Zhong Ningxue gathered her courage and charged directly at the figure.
“I am not afraid of you!”
“Boom!!”
The figure stood still, exuding an overwhelming pressure that easily crushed Zhong Ningxue!
“Ahhh!!”
In reality, Zhong Ningxue felt as if she had fallen from a great height, her eyes wide with horror.
The first thing she saw was Sheng Xin’s disappointed face.
“I told you not to force yourself to cultivate; otherwise, you would provoke the Three Calamities and Four Trials. Why didn’t you listen!”
“I’m sorry… I…”
“No need to say more, this is the last time!”
Sheng Xin stretched indifferently, her expression cold.
“I’m going to meditate; you should go serve your senior brother. Don’t anger him, or you won’t be able to bear the consequences!”
After saying this, Sheng Xin walked into the inner hall, leaving Zhong Ningxue alone on the spot.
“I understand.”
She mumbled, still feeling defiant towards Zhou Tong in her heart.
“It’s just a Cycle Realm. Even if I upset him, what can he do to me?”
Saying this, she nonetheless walked step by step towards the Grand Elder Hall.
“Although it was risky earlier, the gains were significant!”
Zhong Ningxue examined her mental power and couldn’t help but smile.
Her mental power had visibly strengthened, reaching the level of a mid-tier Semi-Sage.
What surprised her even more was that the Gu worm within her had also changed.
Originally black, like a stone, the Gu worm now had a touch of gold due to the cleansing of her mental power, emanating an incredibly powerful aura.
This was the God King Gu, a worm granted directly by the Gu God, and the strongest Gu worm of the Heavenly Gu Clan.
Its function was simple yet brutal; once activated, it could exponentially increase its owner’s combat power.
According to legend, if the God King Gu could be developed to its peak, it could evolve into the ultimate God King Gu. At that time, no matter what enemies she faced, she could slay them!
Lost in thought, she arrived in front of the Grand Elder Hall. For some reason, looking at this not-so-magnificent palace, she felt a breathless sensation, her body trembling slightly.
A mountain does not need to be high; it is known if a celestial is present!
The palace itself held no power; it was the people within who bestowed divine might upon it.
“Ha… I am afraid… this isn’t real, how could I fear a weakling? It must be an illusion!”
She murmured as she stepped onto the first tier of stairs.
“Others may fear you, but I do not.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, an incredibly thick pressure descended from the sky, like Mount Tai pressing down upon her, causing her expression to shift dramatically.
“It’s a formation… no, it’s a remnant of mental power!”
Zhong Ningxue was bent over by the pressure, nearly kneeling.
However, a storm surged within her heart.
Even just a trace of mental power residue could crush her to the ground—no Sage could accomplish that!
In a daze, it felt like she saw Zhou Tong sitting calmly ahead in the storm of mental power, making her abandon the thought of kneeling.
“Hmph… you’ll not succeed. Even if I am crushed, even if I jump into the abyss, I will never kneel to you!”
Zhong Ningxue thought stubbornly, exerting every ounce of strength to crawl up one step.
Looking up, there were still ninety-eight steps!
Each ascent intensified the mental power pressure.
Even with her resolve, she felt a twinge of despair.
“Just kneel; if you crawl while kneeling, it would be much easier.”
A voice echoed in her mind, continuously trying to persuade her, seeking to dismantle her resistance. Countless times, she wished to give up but ultimately persevered through sheer will!
“I will never yield! If I can’t endure this blow, how can I talk about avenging my clan?”
Ninety-seven… ninety-eight… ninety-nine!!
After an unknown amount of time, she finally crawled to the top, her body exhausted and collapsed on the ground, sweat soaking her clothes.
“I won! I did not yield!”
Despite being completely drained, Zhong Ningxue still revealed a happy smile, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
“Hmph… it’s nothing significant, just a small trick, it can’t intimidate me at all!”
She struggled to her feet, looking at the entrance of the hall just a few steps away, bouncing in with her head held high.
However, just as one of her feet entered the hall, a new wave of obstacles descended.
She trembled all over, seeing weapons sticking out on either side, seemingly newly forged. Yet, each one met the standards of a Semi-Sage item and emanated an overwhelming killing intent, pressing down toward her.
“Ughhh…”
Zhong Ningxue once again found it hard to move, but fear had left her heart. Her steps grew steady; she was determined to cross this corridor of killing intent.
But then, illusions appeared before her, scenes formed from overlapping killing intent, and within them, she saw the past of the Heavenly Gu Clan.
The history of the Heavenly Gu Clan was a history of sin!
Betrayal, indiscriminate killing of mortals, genocide… every crime was laid bare before her, forcing her to see clearly.
In a daze, it felt like countless vengeful spirits were flying in the air, cursing and pointing at her, demanding her life in retribution.
“No, don’t blame me! I haven’t killed any of you; it has nothing to do with me.”
She desperately tried to justify herself, but as the Virgin Saint of the Heavenly Gu Clan, the offerings and resources she enjoyed were taken from others. How could she distance herself from that?
“Thud!”
Zhong Ningxue ultimately could not deceive her own conscience; her knees buckled, and she knelt down.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! This is the sin of the Heavenly Gu Clan, and it is also my sin. I will bear it, I will atone until death!”
Tears streaming down her face, she rose and took a step forward, then knelt again before the spirits, bowing and confessing.
This path wasn’t long, but she bowed once for each of the one hundred steps before reaching the end.
Suddenly, the hateful accusations faded, yet her heart felt heavy.
This did not mean her sins had disappeared, nor did it mean those spirits had forgiven her. It simply signified she had come to terms with it, accepting her sins with composure.
The path of revenge and the path of atonement still had a long way to go!
Finally, she arrived at Zhou Tong’s resting place.
There, on a simple bed, the young man lay with his back to her, sleeping on his side.
His breath was steady, like that of a mortal, but Zhong Ningxue no longer dared to be reckless.
Through the trials of the previous two stages, she had vanquished her fear, faced her sins, and significantly enhanced her mental power, thus unlocking her insight.
Now, looking at Zhou Tong, she could only see strands of auspicious light, unable to clearly discern his figure; this person before her seemed like a slumbering Great Emperor!
“Master!”
She softly called out, hands clasped together, kneeling on both knees at Zhou Tong’s bedside.
