Boom!

The moment Lin Xun entered the Dao Forbidden Tract that covered heaven and earth in red, a magnificent, illusory figure shot murderously toward him.

It was a slim man wearing an imperial crown. His appearance was blurry, but his every movement made gave off the vibe of a sovereign patrolling his territory.

When the man’s palm struck out, Lin Xun didn't even have time to resist as he was knocked flying. The blood in his whole body churned, and it was so terrible that he wanted to vomit several times.

However, the first thing he noticed was that he had sustained no physical injury despite the heavy blow dealt to him. Instead, his mind and spirit felt as though they had been hammered.

The figure wearing an imperial crown once again charged toward him with the momentum of a lofty mountain. It made people feel extraordinarily small like an ant looking up at the sky.

Without hesitation, Lin Xun summoned the Broken Blade to fight back.

Strangely enough, however, his Broken Blade only chopped empty air, not hurting the figure in the slightest.

On the contrary, Lin Xun was once again sent flying by a palm strike. His vision went black, his soul shivered, and his mind showed signs of collapse.

“Looks like that senior was right. The will forces in this Dao Forbidden Tract only target the spirit and mentality.”

Lin Xun realized that this was going to be a new, unique kind of battle.

It was not a competition regarding one’s cultivation level of combat prowess, but rather one’s resolve!

In such a battle, all external objects such as the Broken Blade, the Kunlun’s Emperor weapons, and so on would be useless. One could only rely on the power of their mind and spirit to fight.

Arriving at this conclusion, Lin Xun discarded all distracting thoughts, then completely let himself go as he launched his attack.

Both the state of mind and willpower were very abstract subjects. Their most direct manifestation was the might and fighting spirit one presented in battle!

Boom!

Lin Xun immediately clashed with the man wearing an imperial crown. In the extreme display of power, dao light exploded, and divine radiance vaporized.

Bang bang bang!

Very quickly, Lin Xun was dominated and repeatedly knocked back.

The figure was incomparably strong and terrifying. He was only a remnant of will, but every move he made had the power to overwhelm the heavens.

It wasn't the power of cultivation, but instead a pure suppression of willpower, making this a completely different from a battle in the general sense.

This was also the reason why Lin Xun wasn’t injured at all despite being constantly beaten back. Only his mind and spirit were suffering constant bombardment.

If an ordinary person were to be impacted in such a way, their drive and mindset would have been crushed, which would result in their cultivation going up in smoke.

However, Lin Xun was different. During his cultivation life so far, his mind and determination had undergone numerous refinements, making them as tough as and immovable as a boulder!

His every thought was brilliant and clear like the finest sword.

During his youth in the Ancient Wasteland Domain, while training in Baiyujing’s Spirit Tempering Tower, Lin Xun had already possessed the powerful mindset of ‘my mind is like a blade, it can cut through the sun, moon, demons and gods’!

In recent years, as his cultivation increased, his path was almost always accompanied by bloodshed and fights.

Trials of blood and fire, battles of life and death had long since fortified his will to the point it was indestructible!

“DIE!”

Every time Lin Xun was forced back, he rushed up again, undiscouraged. The more setbacks he encountered, the fiercer he became in his next charge. Whether it was the state of his mind or the strength of his will, they had never been shaken.

As it went on…the frequency of him getting knocked back gradually decreased.

Fifteen minutes later.

He could already go head-to-head with the figure. It was a confrontation of sheer mind and resolve!

One incense stick of time later.

Lin Xun swung his fist, which was imbued with every bit of his willpower while his mind was unprecedentedly calm and focused. As such, this punch produced an indestructible and unbreakable aura.

Kaboom!

The figure wearing an imperial crown exploded.

It was not a defeat in martial skills, but a defeat under the determination imprinted in the punch.

Pure light of willpower rained down following the collapse of the figure, which then got swallowed up into Lin Xun.

Instantly, Lin Xun's state of mind cleared up, bright and smooth as if he had absorbed some heavenly health tonic. It brought about visible, miraculous changes to his spirit and willpower.

“So one is rewarded with this kind of benefit for defeating these primeval will forces…” Lin Xun's eyes lit up.

Extremely far away, the gray-robed man was also stunned when he saw that.

Having been stationed here for eight thousand years, he had long since witnessed the dreadfulness of the Dao Forbidden Tract. He could even see that the strength of the imperial-crowned man's will force was comparable to that of a second realm Emperor’s.

Yet, today it had…lost to a peak supreme quasi-Emperor in a battle of wills!

“No wonder the Lord didn't allow him to be hindered or helped. He is truly a demon,” sighed the gray-robed man emotionally.

Even so, he still did not think highly of Lin Xun’s attempt.

This was only the beginning. There were at least thirty-six will forces in the Dao Forbidden Tract with no lack of some ruthless menaces among them!

The gray-robed man still clearly remembered a fragmented will force who took the form of a large tripod. The faint might it had once displayed had the supreme power to prop up the skies and dominate history!

That tripod also possessed the most terrifying willpower!

……

Meanwhile, Lin Xun finally had the chance to observe the Dao Forbidden Tract he was in.

This was a scarlet world filled with blood mist. Standing in it, one could look around and not be able to distinguish the directions. It felt like being banished to a fog world.

Law Power could vaguely be seen transforming into the power that fueled this mysterious force field, which completely enveloped this piece of sky and earth.

Soon, Lin Xun was able to spot a few figures, all of which looked illusory as they flickered in the distant blood-colored mist.

After giving it some thought, Lin Xun decided against rushing there.

He remained on the spot and waited while he recuperated.

One’s drive and mental state would likewise be affected by their physical state. They would be unstable when the body was weakened, giving rise to all sorts of distracting thoughts.

It was like when a person was sick, they would look tired and dispirited.

For Lin Xun, recovering energy was tantamount to getting well prepared for the next battle. The aim was that his mind and drive would not be affected by his physical strength.

Before long, a shadow swept out from the blood-colored fog. It was a ghostly blue figure with a graceful and delicate frame. She must have been stunning and full of splendor in her lifetime.

At this moment, however, she was only an indistinct will force whose appearance was impossible to be made out.

Swish!

As soon as she appeared, she waved her hand and chopped out a sword qi.

Lin Xun moved to parry it and was instantly sent flying. He was not physically wounded, but his mind and soul had suffered a tearing pain as if they had been slashed at by a flying sword.

“She’s even stronger than the crowned man!” Lin Xun took a deep breath. Then, with a crystal-clear mind and a will as tough as a mountain, he plunged toward the figure.

Thanks to the previous battle, he had already adapted to this kind of unique fight.

Rumble!

Dao light and nonstop explosions flooded the scarlet world.

During the fight, Lin Xun's mind and will became a sharp sword that clashed with the ghostly blue figure with full might.

Such fighting was like the process of honing a sword, except that the sword was the fighters’ willpower and mindset. Once they faltered, the sword would break and they would die.

On the contrary, if they persisted until the end, their edges would be sharpened!

A whole half day later, Lin Xun, whose mind and will had gone through so many bombardments that his face was as white as a sheet, finally defeated the opponent.

Kaboom!

That ghostly blue figure exploded into a rain of pure will light.

Lin Xun, physically and mentally exhausted, was bathed in the rain of light. As he did, his mind and will felt as though they were being bathed in a warm spring rain, receiving an unprecedented nurturing and metamorphosis.

The taste intoxicated him. He became addicted to it as his every pore trembled in utter gratification.

“That’s the second one…” The gray-robed man's eyes gleamed as he watched from very far away. “It can be inferred that the power of his mind and will can compare to that of a second realm Emperor… Where did the Lord find such a freak, I wonder…?”

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Having spent the last eight thousand years guarding this place, he was as good as isolated from the world. He had no idea that the name Lin Xun, whether in the Underworld or on the Ancient Nebula Road, had risen to rival the brightest sun in the sky.

Even so, with his many years of experience and knowledge in cultivation, he still came to the conclusion that such a heaven-defying genius was absolutely rare and difficult to find throughout all history!

The thought of this ignited the gray-robed man’s protectiveness over talented people. He could not help but remind Lin Xun, ''Little friend, you have already proven your strength. If you insist on going down this road, then there is really no turning back, and then, either you pass through the Dao Forbidden Tract, or…you die!”

“There is no turning back when climbing the almighty dao ladder. Please don’t worry about me, Senior, the matter of life and death is already no longer a fear of mine.” Lin Xun's voice came out from the force field.

He was seizing time to recover his strength.

“Alas.” The gray-robed man let out a long sigh, knowing that further persuasion was futile.

……

One incense stick of time later, the third will force appeared.

It was a majestic figure bathed in silver lightning. Like a deity who ruled over the thunder and lightning tribulation, it was brimming with a supreme destructive aura.

Lin Xun fought fiercely for a whole day before he finally conquered the other party.

At the end of it, his mind and will were close to the brink of collapse.

Calling him ‘utterly overworked and drained’ would still be an understatement. His entire person displayed a state of muddle-headedness and fuzzy consciousness.

Although his body was intact, the extreme physical exertion caused every inch of his skin and muscle to feel sore and swollen, as if he had been injected with lead.

He sat down cross-legged in silence. The pure willpower produced from the silver-lighting figure’s collapse was drawn toward him in a greedy frenzy, causing very subtle changes in his mind and will.

However, Lin Xun couldn’t immerse himself in the feeling of satisfaction. He needed to recover his energy as quickly as possible before the next opponent appeared!

If his speculation was correct, then the fourth opponent, just like the previous ones, would appear after the time it took to burn an incense stick.

It meant that he only had this exact period of time to recuperate!

Sure enough, the fourth opponent emerged barely one incense stick of time later.

It was a man clad in a dao robe, with an innate Tai Chi diagram derived from willpower above his head!