Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

Twenty streaks of light shot into the sky, hurtling towards the Crimson Forbidden Land. The test and selection process for Patriarch Linghu had officially begun.

The Crimson Forbidden Land is located at the border of two countries, shrouded in crimson mist for thousands of miles. Ancient Nascent Soul cultivators perished here, and the bloodthirsty aura has lingered for millennia. Ordinary cultivators who enter will go mad after three days. The seven major sects set up the "Purifying Mind Array" to maintain their clarity, hence the "Crimson Trial" which is held once every few decades.

When Murong Fan and the others from Huangfeng Valley landed at the edge of the forbidden area, hundreds of cultivators had already gathered there. Disciples from six sects, including the Hidden Moon Sect, the Pure Void Sect, and the Spirit Beast Mountain, each occupied a separate area, warily observing each other. A faint stench of blood permeated the air, mingling with the stench of decaying vegetation, making one feel nauseous.

The node of the Purification Array is a natural stone cave. The elders of the seven sects each occupy a corner and work together to activate the array. As spiritual energy is injected, a blood-red vortex slowly emerges in the center of the cave, bottomless, like the open throat of a giant beast.

"Qi Refining stage disciples will enter in turn. The formation will be effective for thirty days," the Golden Core elder leading the Huangfeng Valley said solemnly. "Those who fail to emerge within the time limit will be considered dead. Disciples from each sect will rely on their own abilities within the ruins, but they must not deliberately harm their fellow disciples—those who violate this rule will be jointly executed by all seven sects."

Lu Yunfeng led three members of the Lu family towards the vortex. As he passed Murong Fan, he suddenly stopped and whispered, "Junior Brother Murong, the ruins are fraught with danger. Be careful... don't die in the mouth of a monster."

"Thank you for your concern," Murong Fan said calmly. "And Senior Brother Lu as well."

Without another word, he leaped into the vortex. A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over him, as if he had been plunged into an abyss. At that moment, the altar in his sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently, and the plant totems shone brightly, forming a pale green halo around him, isolating him from the bloodthirsty aura that was eroding his soul.

When his feet touched solid ground, Murong Fan found himself in a strange world.

"This is the Crimson Forbidden Land..." Murong Fan looked around and found that his fellow disciples had been randomly teleported away, and he was the only one in sight.

He closed his eyes and sensed the guidance of the altar. The blurry map formed by the plant totems gradually became clear in his mind. About three hundred miles to the east, there was a hall covered with vines, which was the core of the ancient ruins that the ancestor had mentioned.

However, before he could move, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes on his left. Murong Fan slightly turned his body, and three Soul-Entangling Vine Seeds were already in his palm.

"Senior Brother Murong?" A familiar voice rang out with surprise. Chen Qiaoqian emerged from behind a tree, her blue robes stained with dust, her hair slightly disheveled, clearly having just experienced teleportation herself. "That's wonderful! I was just worried..."

Before she could finish speaking, Murong Fan had already made his move. The Soul-Entangling Vine shot through the air, but it wasn't aimed at Chen Qiaoqian. Instead, it shot towards the shadow behind her—the vine had entangled a small, blood-red snake, its body as clear as agate, with a single horn on its forehead. The snake was instantly crushed by the Soul-Entangling Vine and turned into a pool of foul-smelling blood.

"The Blood Marrow Serpent!" Chen Qiaoqian's face turned deathly pale. "This demonic beast specializes in devouring the essence and blood of cultivators; ordinary methods are completely ineffective against it..."

"Someone deliberately released it." Murong Fan stared at the spot where the snake corpse had disappeared, where a faint trace of spiritual energy fluctuation remained. "It's a spirit beast tamed by the Lu family. I sensed a similar aura on Lu Yunfeng."

Chen Qiaoqian clenched her sleeves: "He...he really wants to kill me?"

"It's not about killing you," Murong Fan shook his head, "but forcing me to show myself. He knows that you and I are bound by the ancestral contract and dare not travel together openly, so he's using this method to force me to help—once I show myself, he can use the pretext of 'protecting my Daoist partner' to clash with me, and even…"

"Even what?" Chen Qiaoqian pressed.

"He might even stage an accident to make you 'die tragically' and then pin the blame on me." Murong Fan's voice was low and deep. "If you die, the engagement will naturally be null and void. He can save face and use the pretext of revenge to deal with me, thus having a legitimate reason to do so. It's a win-win situation."

Chen Qiaoqian swayed, then steadied herself by holding onto the tree trunk. Remembering Lu Yunfeng's gentle promise, she felt a churning in her stomach.

"Let's get out of here first," Murong Fan interrupted her. "Blood marrow snakes are social creatures. If this one dies, the others will come looking for it soon. I'll take you to a safe place, and then I'll go to the core of the ruins alone."

"No!" Chen Qiaoqian was unusually firm. "You got involved in this because of me, how can I stand idly by? Besides..." She bit her lip, "I know a little about this forbidden area. Our ancestors participated in the last trial and left behind a simple map. I know where there are hidden caves to avoid monsters."

Murong Fan nodded thoughtfully. The two used the vegetation as cover to travel eastward, avoiding the monster tide according to the map, and rested in a cave behind a waterfall.

However, on the morning of the fourth day, an unexpected incident still occurred.

Murong Fan was refining the newly acquired mutated Soul-Entangling Vine deep within the grotto when he suddenly sensed a violent fluctuation in the spiritual energy outside. When he rushed out of the grotto, he saw Chen Qiaoqian being forced to the edge of the waterfall by three figures. The leader was Lu Yunfeng, and the other two Lu family disciples blocked her retreat from the left and right.

"Junior Sister Qiaoqian, you've been hiding from me for so long." Lu Yunfeng's smile was as gentle as ever, but his eyes were icy cold. "How have you been these past three days alone with Junior Brother Murong?"

"Lu Yunfeng, you shameless!" Chen Qiaoqian angrily rebuked, "With the Ancestor's contract in place, how dare you hurt me?"

"Wound you?" Lu Yunfeng chuckled. "I'm here to save you." He suddenly raised his hand and shot out a beam of white light. "Junior sister has been affected by Murong Fan's bewitching spell. I'll undo it for you right now—"

It was a "purification talisman," but it had been infused with excessive spiritual power. If it hit, it would damage one's consciousness at best, and at worst, cause one to faint and be completely at the mercy of the talisman.

At the critical moment, the Soul-Entangling Vine burst forth from the earth, weaving into a net before her. White light struck the vine net, sparking a blinding shower of sparks.

"Junior Brother Murong has finally shown himself." Lu Yunfeng's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze turned sinister. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Murong Fan emerged from behind the waterfall, his body enveloped in a pale green spiritual light. The dozens of vine seeds he had planted over the past three days were all activated, transforming the area within a hundred feet into a vine forest.

"Senior Brother Lu, you're quite the schemer," Murong Fan said calmly. "When you couldn't force me to reveal myself with the Blood Marrow Serpent, you personally followed me. This grotto behind the waterfall, wasn't that a place you deliberately left for us to be 'alone'?"

"Junior brother is clever," Lu Yunfeng readily admitted. "I originally wanted to let the rumor of 'Hongfu disciple having a secret rendezvous with a Chen family woman' spread, but unfortunately the ancestor's contract was about to expire, so I had to close the net ahead of time. Click to begin the wondrous journey of 'Mortal: Starting at the Seven Mysteries Sect, I Prove the Dao Through Sacrifice'."

He suddenly stopped smiling, and a blood-red short sword slid from his sleeve: "I've already sent people to investigate the core of the ruins; the herbal inheritance there is undoubtedly mine. As for you..." The sword pointed at Murong Fan, "Junior Brother, with your Heavenly Spiritual Root talent, it would be a pity to die here. How about this: you publicly swear never to see Qiaoqian again, and I'll spare your life, what do you say?"

"Senior Brother Lu seems to have forgotten," Murong Fan said unmovedly, "The ancestral contract stipulates that we can only settle our differences within the ruins, and we cannot engage in private battles."

"Private fight?" Lu Yunfeng laughed. "Every time we enter the forbidden area, countless people die or are injured. Who would care?"

"Senior brother, there's no need to say anything more to him," Chen Qiaoqian suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse yet firm. "Lu Yunfeng, do you know why I would rather die than marry you?"

Lu Yunfeng frowned slightly.

"Because you've never treated me like a human being." Chen Qiaoqian took a step forward, her blue robes fluttering in the mist. "I am a daughter of the Chen family, a cultivation vessel, a decorative vase... but I am not Chen Qiaoqian. Your tender vows are nothing but means to tame prey. Marrying you would be no different from being a walking corpse."

She turned to look at Murong Fan, her eyes glistening with tears yet filled with relief: "Senior Brother Murong treated me with honesty, taught me herbal arts, helped me break through my limits, and when I was pressured by my family, he bluntly said, 'I only care about my feelings, no explanation needed'... You can't learn that kind of integrity!"

"You're courting death!" Lu Yunfeng's face turned ashen, and his blood-red short sword suddenly thrust out. This sword strike was as fast as lightning, aimed straight for Chen Qiaoqian's heart, intending to kill her on the spot!

Murong Fan was prepared. The Soul-Entangling Vine erupted beneath Chen Qiaoqian's feet, pulling her three feet into the ground, barely avoiding a fatal blow. At the same time, he leaped up, a verdant seed appearing in his palm—the "Soul-Devouring Vine" that the altar had nurtured three days prior, nourished with his own blood essence, specifically designed to break through protective spiritual power.

"A mere trick!" Lu Yunfeng sneered, his crimson light shield repelling the vines. Although he had only just entered the thirteenth level, his family background was profound. Two Lu family disciples also wanted to join the battle, but they were entangled by the rampant vines around them. The vine seeds that Murong Fan had planted over the past three days were now fully activated, transforming the entire waterfall area into a killing array of vegetation.

"Trapped me with weeds?" Lu Yunfeng laughed wildly, his blood sword slashing with bloodthirsty energy that corroded spiritual power. Although the Soul-Devouring Vine could devour spiritual power, it could not withstand this evil technique.

Ten moves later, Murong Fan was struck in the left shoulder by a sword, and Lu Yunfeng's right leg was drained of its life essence by the Soul-Devouring Vine, his face deathly pale. "Your herbal arts are exquisite," Lu Yunfeng gasped, taking out a "Blood Essence Pill," "but the difference in cultivation level is undeniable. This pill can greatly enhance spiritual power and physical strength; even sacrificing ten years of lifespan is worth it!"

A crimson sword light, like a rainbow, descended with the force of destruction. Murong Fan's pupils constricted sharply; he couldn't dodge this sword strike—Lu Yunfeng, empowered by the Blood Essence Pill, had already surpassed the limits of the Qi Refining stage in terms of speed and strength!

At the critical moment, the altar in his sea of ​​consciousness trembled, and the light of the plant totems surged into his limbs and bones. His hands formed a hand seal he had never learned before—

"Plants and trees symbiosis!" 「

Centered on him, all the plants within a hundred feet radius simultaneously awakened. Ancient trees drooped their branches, fallen leaves transformed into blades, and waterfalls and aquatic plants intertwined to form a colossal, sky-covering net.

Lu Yunfeng's sword light struck the giant net, vanishing without a trace, like a mud ox entering the sea.

"What kind of magic is this?!" Lu Yunfeng was horrified. These plants were not controlled, but truly came to life, carrying an ancient and majestic will that regarded him as an intruder.

"You actually know this sorcery..." Before he could finish speaking, an ancient tree branch pierced through his right arm, which was holding a sword, and the Blood Fiend Short Sword clattered to the ground.

Murong Fan was also in bad shape. This move, "Plant Symbiosis," drained all his spiritual power, and the altar in his sea of ​​consciousness dimmed, as if it would go out at any moment. But he forced himself to stand up straight and walked step by step toward Lu Yunfeng, who had collapsed to the ground.

You lost.

Lu Yunfeng's face was ashen, then he suddenly grinned maliciously: "Loss?" He held up the shattered jade talisman. "This is the 'Blood Soul Guide.' If I die, Patriarch Linghu will know who the murderer is!"

Murong Fan frowned and then asked, "Why are you so persistent? Junior Sister Chen has never had any feelings for you. Even without me, she would not have married you."

"What do you know!" Lu Yunfeng's eyes flashed with bloodshot veins. "The Chen family woman's 'Mysterious Yin Body' and my 'Nine Yang True Technique' can be used for dual cultivation to help me break through to the Foundation Establishment stage! We are destined to be together, a match made in heaven!"

"Senior Brother Lu," Chen Qiaoqian stepped out of the vines, "the Chen family's 'Mysterious Yin Body' records end with my great-grandmother; by the time it reached me, the bloodline was already diluted. The Lu family has lied to you."

Lu Yunfeng was struck dumb, his pupils dilating: "Impossible... It was said by the elders of the clan themselves..."

"Powerful families are masters at manipulating people with lies," Murong Fan said calmly. "You're nothing more than a pawn bound to the Chen family. Even if you marry her, what good will it do once the truth is revealed?"

Lu Yunfeng opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The side effects of the Blood Essence Pill began to take effect; his whole body convulsed, and blood seeped from his seven orifices, making him look like a demon.

Murong Fan remained silent for a moment, but ultimately did not kill him. He picked up the blood-red short sword, used the spiritual power of herbs and trees to seal Lu Yunfeng's meridians, and then took out an antidote pill from Lu Yunfeng's pocket and fed it to him.

"Why...why don't you kill me?" Lu Yunfeng asked with difficulty.

"The ancestral contract dictates that we stop when we've reached a point of no return." Murong Fan tossed the short sword in front of him. "Besides, killing you would dirty my hands."

Lu Yunfeng threw the short sword to the ground with a look of resentment, and muttered, "If you don't kill me, you'll regret it someday!"

Murong Fan walked toward Chen Qiaoqian, but stopped three steps away—the contract forbade physical contact.

He looked at Chen Qiaoqian and said, "Junior sister, you should go ahead first."

"...I understand," Chen Qiaoqian replied softly. "Take care, Senior Brother." After saying that, she turned back to look at him with reluctance.

After walking a hundred feet away, she looked back again and saw the young man in the blood-stained green robe sitting cross-legged. The green light surrounding him blended seamlessly with the grass and trees, as if he were a part of this world.

Three days later, Murong Fan's spiritual power had recovered by more than half. Following the guidance of the altar, he arrived at the core of the ruins.