After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

Time was passing slowly in the outside world, but in the illusion, Shen Shuchou was still lying peacefully in the rocking chair.

There were no inner demons in his illusion, but he was in no hurry to step out, unwilling to be too sharp and ostentatious, and just quietly waited for time to slowly pass by.

Only when there was only one incense stick's time left for the second trial did Shen Shuchou slowly get up from the rocking chair, dust off non-existent dust, and walk slowly back to the entrance he had come from.

The moment I stepped out of that boundary, the Taoist temple, rocking chair, and sunlight behind me crumbled like shattered glass, turning into specks of light and dissipating into the void.

Stepping out of the illusion, one is greeted by a group of young men and women who have been waiting outside.

The number of people was much smaller than when they came in; at a glance, there were only about thirty people left.

Everyone's face was pale and exhausted, as if they had survived a disaster.

Shen Shuchou's appearance caused a slight commotion in the previously silent crowd.

A flicker of surprise crossed the eyes of the crowd as they looked at him, quickly replaced by a deeper sense of wariness.

In their view, being able to pass the first trial might only prove that the person has an amazing physical will.

However, this inner demon illusion tests one's foundation of Dao heart, and it is already difficult to come out alive.

Even though he was the last to appear, it was enough to show that his character was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

Shen Shuchou paid no attention to these gazes, found a corner on the stone steps, sat down, and slowly closed his eyes to begin regulating his breathing.

The second trial was easy for him, but he knew that the real challenge was yet to come.

The final trial will not be so easy.

Soon, the time allotted for the last incense stick was completely over.

Immediately afterwards, the elder's voice rang in everyone's ears again, announcing the end of the trial: "The second trial is over."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his figure appeared in front of the crowd.

His gaze slowly swept over the faces that were either tired or relieved, finally pausing slightly on Shen Shuchou.

Clearly, he had already taken in the abnormal scene in the illusion of inner demons.

"Elder, may I ask what the third trial is?"

The young man in brocade robes, unable to contain himself any longer, spoke first.

Upon hearing this, the elder remained expressionless and uttered three words calmly: "The third trial is the Holy War."

Everyone was stunned, clearly not expecting this name.

Seeing this, the elder continued, "Long ago, the Qingxuan Holy Land experienced a fierce holy war. The remnants of that battlefield are hidden deep within the Heart Demon Illusion behind you, and have now been transformed into a new training ground."

He paused, his tone becoming more solemn: "There are five Dao Seals hidden in that Holy Battlefield. Only those who obtain the Dao Seals can be considered to have truly passed the trial and are qualified to step into the Holy Land's gate. Within the Holy Battlefield, there are no time limits and no rules to bind you."

Upon hearing this, the elder finally revealed a meaningful smile and slowly said, "Of course not. The rules of the Holy Battlefield are that the trial is only considered over when there are only five people left in the arena, and these five people happen to possess Dao Seals, and only then can they leave together."

The air around them froze instantly upon hearing this.

Shen Shuchou's eyes darkened slightly, instantly realizing the danger of this final trial.

More than thirty people fought, struggled, and survived, but in the end only five could remain.

He not only wanted to seize the Dao Seal, but also to survive to the end in this chaotic battle.

"Alright, the third trial has officially begun. Good luck."

The elder clapped his hands lightly and spoke softly.

Before the words were finished, the illusion behind them suddenly surged, and the pitch-black fog swept wildly, tearing open a giant gate leading to the Holy Battlefield.

Behind the door lies not a peaceful place, but a desolate land soaked in blood for millions of years.

The broken sacred mountain was half-collapsed, and the charred bone mountains stretched as far as the eye could see. The air was thick with an overwhelming stench of blood and death.

The sky was dark as blood, with crimson clouds pressing down heavily on the heavens and earth, as if they would collapse at any moment.

Before anyone could react, a violent, invisible force suddenly swept over them, forcibly pulling all thirty-odd trainees into the battlefield.

"Oh, right, I forgot to remind you, there are countless dead souls wandering within the Holy Battlefield. They will stop at nothing to prevent you from obtaining the Dao Seal."

The elder's voice slowly faded, but those who had already been drawn into the illusion could no longer hear it at all.

Those who stepped into the holy battlefield were all immediately hesitant to make any rash moves.

Although the elders had already stated that there were only five Dao Seals, only five people could ultimately leave alive.

However, no one had ever seen Dao Yin's appearance, nor did they know where he was hiding, so no one dared to make a move rashly.

Among the crowd, some have already begun to secretly form alliances.

In a short while, small groups quickly formed, and the thirty-odd people soon huddled together, creating an atmosphere of extreme tension.

Of all the people in the room, only two stood alone.

One was Shen Shuchou, who had an indifferent expression, and the other was a dark-skinned boy standing in the distance.

Shen Shuchou remained indifferent to the attempts by others to recruit him, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Just then, the dark-skinned youth walked slowly over, stood in front of Shen Shuchou, and spoke in a steady voice.

"Hello, my name is Qi Yuan. Can I... team up with you?"

Shen Shuchou looked up at him.

The boy was not tall, his skin was dark from long-term sun exposure, his palms were rough, and there were thick calluses on his knuckles.

He looked like a farmer's son who had worked hard all year round, without any of the arrogance of a scion of a noble family, and his eyes were quite clear.

The wind from the Holy Battlefield carried the stench of blood. Shen Shuchou remained silent for a moment before saying calmly, "Teaming up is fine, but I'll set the rules."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan nodded without hesitation: "Okay, go ahead."

"First, before finding the Dao Seal, we will not interfere with each other and will rely on our own abilities. Second, if we are provoked by others, we will join forces to defend ourselves. Third, if we really come to the point where there are only five of us left..."

Shen Shuchou's gaze turned colder: "Each relies on their own methods."

Qi Yuan showed no surprise, simply replying calmly, "Okay."

After the simple agreement was reached, the two said nothing more and walked away from the main group without prior arrangement.

Since there are only two of them, the most important thing right now is to avoid those groups with larger numbers and find out the situation of this holy battlefield.

But just as they had taken a few steps, a mournful roar suddenly came from afar. The sound was not like a human voice, but more like the dying howl of some wild beast.

Then, more roars rose and fell, echoing across the empty battlefield, sending chills down one's spine.

As the sound reverberated, figures slowly emerged from behind the charred bone mountain in the distance.

Their movements were stiff and their steps unsteady, yet they carried an inexplicable aura of ferocity as they rapidly approached.

"What is that?"

One of the boys in the group couldn't help but speak up, his tone filled with doubt and wariness.

As the group of figures drew closer, everyone finally saw what they looked like.

That wasn't a living thing at all!

They were bodies that had long since rotted and turned black, with exposed bones, and were shrouded in an aura of death so thick it was impossible to dispel. Their eyes were empty, yet they gleamed with a bloodthirsty red light.

Shen Shuchou's heart sank; he knew something was wrong and immediately shouted, "Go!"

Seeing this, Qi Yuan didn't bother to ask any more questions and immediately followed Shen Shuchou's footsteps. The two of them ran one after the other towards the deeper part of the battlefield.

But the next second, a heart-wrenching scream pierced the sky from the bodies of those boys and girls who had formed teams.

One of the boys who was closest to the scene was instantly overwhelmed by several dead souls.

The rotting claws easily tore through his defenses, ripping his body apart, splattering blood and bits of flesh everywhere.

The crowd instantly descended into chaos, and Shen Shuchou glanced back at the hellish scene.

His eyes remained unwavering, but his pace quickened even further.

He knew very well that stopping now would be tantamount to courting death.

They ran for an unknown distance until the eerie figures behind them completely disappeared from sight, at which point the two stopped, panting heavily.

"What...what exactly is that thing?"

Qi Yuan was still shaken, clutching his chest and panting.

"have no idea."

Shen Shuchou wiped the cold sweat from his face and said in a deep voice, "But it's clearly part of the trial, and its purpose is to kill us."

"So what should we do now? The trial didn't mention what the Dao Seal is at all, and where should we go next?"

Qi Yuan asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing his question, Shen Shuchou frowned slightly, feeling a bit of a headache.

I thought that just being wary of other trial participants would be troublesome enough, but I never expected that there would be such a terrifying and bizarre existence in this holy battlefield.

"Let's find a place to rest first. We've only been here a short time, the Dao Seal shouldn't appear so soon."

Shen Shuchou said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan nodded slightly.

outside world.

Besides the group of people staring at the water mirror in the main hall, Saintess Lu Wanheng was also in her residence, quietly gazing at the water mirror in front of her.

Her gaze remained fixed on Shen Shuchou the entire time.

When those dead souls appeared just now, her heart couldn't help but tighten, and she secretly worried for him.

She only breathed a slight sigh of relief after seeing Shen Shuchou successfully escape.

She had never experienced anything like this trial before.

Even before she truly embarked on the path of cultivation, she was already designated as a saintess due to her extraordinary talent.