The ancient stele forest spanned across a huge area with thousands of stone steles.

Every stone stele was covered with vines and moss, giving the feeling that it had been standing for a long period.

The vast world had nothing but many ancient steles standing upright, creating a solemn and quiet atmosphere.

This was the fifth test, called the Stele Forest Dao Practice.

Every stone stele was engraved with mysterious and cryptic carvings, which were formed and evolved from traces of the grand dao.

To pass this test, a cultivator first had to select a stone stele to practice and comprehend the power of the grand dao imbued within it.

Only those who could comprehend and grasp all the mysteries in it were deemed qualified to pass the test.

In short, this tested a cultivator’s comprehension and understanding of the grand dao!

……

Only fewer than five hundred people were currently standing before the Stele Forest, which was less than five percent of the total number of people who participated in the Dao Lantern Festival.

There weren't even ten percent of the original number of people!

Ninety-five percent of the other cultivators had already been eliminated in the first four tests. The elimination rate was terrifying.

But there was no doubt that those who made it as far as the Stele Forest were top figures among the young geniuses.

One person exclaimed, “Dao Practice Stele Forest…here must lie true grand dao opportunities!”

Another explained, “The engravings on each stone stele are imbued with a different grand dao power. In addition to the nine first-tier dao powers, the five elements, yin and yang, wind and thunder, there are also many other mysterious and rare grand dao powers.”

A third chimed in, “In past Dao Lantern Festivals, someone had derived the unique dao of false appearance and was able to unify all things into one and create confusion.”

“There had also been someone who derived the dao of intense blood. Although it is only a third-tier grand dao, it can make the blood and qi bubble and explode with combat power far exceeding their own cultivation,” remarked someone else.

Another genius stated, “There are also grand dao powers such as primordial chaos dao, cloud mist dao, tidal dao, and illusory domain dao, all of which have their own unique power and effects.”

A group of geniuses were standing in front of the ancient stele forest with blazing eyes like they were staring at a treasure.

If they passed the test, then they wouldn’t only reach the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree but also grasp a type of grand dao power!

This wasn’t an ordinary blessing, but a dao blessing!

Of course, if they failed to derive anything, not only would they have to return empty-handed but they would also be directly eliminated.

Based on previous Dao Lantern Festivals, the last test, Dao Practice Stele Forest, wasn't the most dangerous test, but it had the highest elimination rate among the five tests!

The grand dao was concealed within different stone steles, but not everyone could derive it, practice it, or comprehend it.

On the contrary, dao comprehension was undeniably the most difficult aspect of cultivation and had obstructed countless cultivators in the past.

It was not only related to one’s own comprehension, but also had an element of luck.

……

“Is this the Dao Inscription Land left by the ancient sages? If so, the opportunity that Master spoke of must be hidden in there!” Luo Jia, who had been calm and indifferent all this time, felt her emotions fluctuating intensely.

She was from the Miluo Palace in the Earth Emperor World, so her unexpected participation in the Dao Lantern Festival attracted attention and piqued the curiosity of many people. They believed that she also came here for the great blessings on the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree.

Only she knew that she came for this forest of steles!

“This time, I must find it. Only then can I awaken the power of my bloodline!” A determined glint flashed in her bright eyes.

……

“The sect master has mentioned that this Stele Forest isn’t that simple and hides amazing dao blessings. I don’t know if it is true or not but...” Ji Xingyao uttered ruminatively.

“As expected, Cangwu Mountain is indeed a holy mountain from ancient times. I made the right decision to come.” Yu Lingkong’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

In addition to them, other peerless geniuses were bubbling with emotions.

They all come from different forces, but before they came to participate in the Dao Lantern Festival, they had already learned about the many secrets of the Stele Forest and knew that the dao blessings within them were remarkable.

Even before participating in the Dao Lantern Festival, they were already eyeing certain stone steles in the Stele Forest!

This was the foundation that the successors from ancient sects had. With guidance from their elders and sect master, they could make preparations in advance and not miss out on any opportunities.

“Lin Xun, you have to be careful. After passing this test, you will arrive at the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree and at that time, those guys will definitely do everything they can to deal with you.” Yue Jianming reminded Lin Xun.

Lin Xun nodded, looking distracted.

This was because the moment that he came to the Stele Forest, he felt whispers of summoning that made the Origin Aeth Artery in his heart ripple like it was awakening.

This completely drew Lin Xun’s attention.

His Origin Aeth Artery had the name of Grand Abyss Heaven Devourer and was rated as a grade one innate talent in the Ziyao Empire.

However, besides bringing immeasurable benefits to him on his cultivation path, the Origin Aeth Artery had always remained in a state of silence.

He couldn’t pry into its hidden secrets, mysteries, and power.

But there was no doubt that the Grand Abyss Heaven Devourer was very special. Otherwise, Yun Qingbai, an unrivaled successor from the Omega Sword Sect, wouldn’t have ventured into the lower domain alone and massacred his family to take his Origin Aeth Artery.

From what Lin Xun heard, Yun Qingbai had made rapid progress in his cultivation after seizing his Origin Aeth Artery. Now, he was hailed as the number one swordsman in the Ancient Wasteland Domain and also strongest below the king stage!

Now, a brand new Origin Aeth Artery was inside him. It was complete, spotlessly white, and shining, but it had always been in a still and silent state.

Only when Lin Xun was on the verge of exhaustion and nearing death would it release a mysterious current of warmth to help repair his body.

For example, when Lin Xun struggled to win against the will left by a group of cultivators in the second test Realm of Limits, it was the Origin Aeth Artery that helped him during the most critical juncture. In the end, he won a special reward for first place—the Dao Immeasurable Bottle.

But now, the Origin Aeth Artery was showing signs of movement before arriving at the Stele Forest, like it was being summoned by some power. How would Lin Xun not be surprised?

Could it be that the grand dao power concealed in a certain stone stele in this forest can awaken my Origin Aeth Artery?

His heart thumped.

“Lin Xun, are you okay?” Yue Jianming couldn’t help feeling worried when he saw Lin Xun gazing absently into space.

Lin Xun shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“Fine? You must be worried that you won’t be able to protect yourself when you get to the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree!” Sha Liuchan snorted.

Lin Xun raised his eyes and saw that Sha Liuchan, Zhongli Wuji and Qing Lian’er all wore cold smiles on their faces.

They clearly couldn’t wait to pass this test and arrive at the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree.

This time, Lin Xun couldn’t be bothered dealing with them.

Ever since the Dao Lantern Festival started, those guys had been pestering him like flies buzzing in his ears. He had had enough. Not only they couldn’t wait, but Lin Xun was also eager to get rid of them once and for all.

Clang!

The ancient and leisurely sound resounded again, drifting through the ancient forest of steles.

Buzz—

The vines and moss that coated the thousands of steles suddenly turned into ashes and drifted away.

After that, every stone tablet seemed to be waking up from a slumber of endless years, blooming with obscure grand dao power and swaying like ripples. It was a spectacular scene.

There were too many grand dao auras, and all were different. Some were blazing and showy, while some were ice cold and chilling, and others were powerful and vast.

The waves of various types of cryptic energy that belonged to the grand dao immediately drew the attention of all cultivators like scenes descending upon the world.

Whether it was Ji Xingyao, Yu Lingkong, or other top geniuses, they all found it incredibly hard to conceal their excitement and anticipation.

The dao blessing was almost within reach!

Lin Xun felt the burning sensation in his chest intensifying like a fire was spreading. On the four heart acupuncture points, the spotlessly white Origin Aeth Artery produced pulses of strange energy as sacred white light flowed out like it was cheering and longing for something.

He realized that if he could seize this rare opportunity, he could uncover the mysterious veil of the Origin Aeth Artery and get a glimpse of its true form!

Shua!

A figure madly charged forward. They couldn’t bear it anymore and rushed towards the ancient stele forest.

“Let’s go!”

“Quick, don’t let anyone get ahead of you!”

The other experts also launched into action, racing to be the first. The scene suddenly turned chaotic.

Similar to previous tests, fighting was banned and so if they didn’t take the first step, the stele they had their eyes on could very likely be snatched by someone else!

Therefore, even Ji Xingyao and other peerless geniuses did not dare to be careless and started to act as soon as the bell rang.

Swoosh!

At the same time, Lin Xun activated the Hornless Ice Dragon Step and darted forward like a flash of light. His astonishing speed left the other experts speechless for a moment.

However, very quickly, Lin Xun stopped abruptly with a strange expression.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He felt that the waves of energy that caused the awakening of his Origin Aeth Artery came from a stone stele at the edge of the Stele Forest.

However, the majority of cultivators directly ignored the stone steles in the peripheral area because, based on the secrets and information they received as well as past Dao Lantern Festivals, almost all the steles on the periphery of the forest contained very ordinary grand dao power and weren’t worth their attention.

On the contrary, the deeper the stele was in the Stele Forest, the stronger the grand dao power hidden within it and the more extraordinary its grade!

Therefore, the cultivators all swarmed to the depths of the forest.

Lin Xun had also heard about the Stele Forest from Bai Fengliu, so he was very bemused at the moment.

He never expected a stone stele at the edge of the forest could trigger the awakening of his Origin Aeth Artery!