Chương 669: Chapter 668: The Heavens of Observation

The remaining thirty percent of the horde moved cautiously down the floating crimson path. The initial chaotic rush that had defined their entry into the ruins was entirely gone. The sheer absurdity of the agricultural trials had shattered their preconceived notions of what an ancient demonic inheritance entailed. They were no longer a rampaging army of conquerors; they were a group of highly paranoid individuals that were second guessing every step they took.

Li Yu and Demon Lord Malos walked shoulder to shoulder near the middle of the pack. The pathway eventually widened and deposited the remaining cultivators into a fourth plaza. This plaza was completely devoid of soil or pillars. Instead, the ground was crafted from polished, mirror-like silver. It reflected the starless void above them perfectly and created an unsettling illusion that they were standing on absolutely nothing.

"Test Four: The Weight of the Spirit," the ancient voice of the ruins echoed from all directions.

"A body forged of supreme iron is useless if the soul within is made of glass. Endure the pressure per your realm. Prove your foundation." There was no Harbinger spirit to ask questions this time. There was only a sudden and catastrophic shift in the atmosphere. A heavy and invisible pressure descended upon the silver plaza. It didn't feel like gravity pulling them down; it felt like an ocean of spiritual weight pressing directly against their consciousness. Instantly, screams of agony echoed across the plaza.

Cultivators who had focused entirely on body refinement or external martial arts immediately dropped to their knees while clutching their heads. Blood began to drip from the noses and eyes of several cultivators as their souls buckled under the crushing weight. The pressure didn't remain static. With every passing breath, it increased. Crack. The sound of a spiritual foundation fracturing was followed by a flash of red light. A massive and heavily scarred demon vanished.

The demon was teleported up to the viewing gallery. He was quickly followed by dozens more. Red beams of light began to flash like a chaotic thunderstorm as the ancient array rapidly purged those with weak souls. Li Yu stood completely still with his hands resting casually in his pockets. The pressure washing over him was intense but it felt like a gentle breeze against the abyssal depth of his own souls. He had experienced this before.

Tests of the souls were utterly worthless against him so he was just enjoying the show now. The pressure couldn't even cause a ripple to him. Beside him, Malos was simply looking up at the void. The Demon Lord's soul had endured for millennia. He had witnessed the rise and fall of empires and carried the immense burden of foresight. A spiritual pressure test was barely enough to make him blink. Even when it was scaled up to his real realm, the array couldn't exert enough pressure.

"A fascinating array to replicate this level of pressure." Malos murmured softly. His gray robes rustled slightly from the spiritual wind.

"It reminds me of the pressure of someone I've faced before, though far less abrasive. A very solid test of one's fundamental limits." Within ten minutes the red flashes ceased. The invisible pressure lifted entirely. Li Yu looked around. The crowd had been reduced to a mere few hundred. The plaza was startlingly empty.

"You may proceed," the ancient voice declared. They walked off the silver plaza and down the crimson path until they reached the fifth trial. This plaza was shaped like a grand and open air throne room. Dozens of massive, black iron thrones sat in a circle and were facing inward.

"Test Five: The Seat of the Sovereign," the voice announced.

"To hold the Gore Forged legacy is to lead the clan into the future. A sovereign must possess the correct vision. Take a seat. Rule your domain." The remaining cultivators cautiously approached the iron thrones and sat down. Li Yu took a seat near the edge of the circle. The moment his back touched the cold iron, the world around him dissolved into a swirling haze of illusions. Voices whispered in his ears, presenting scenarios, conflicts and choices.

He responded to them naturally, applying the logic, diplomacy and structured thinking he had developed over his life. Things that he had learned from leading his own people and what he learned from watching other leaders. He had been privileged to see some great leaders during his short life. A moment later, the haze violently shattered. Li Yu blinked. He was no longer sitting on the cold iron throne. He was sitting on a comfortable stone bench high up in the Heavens of Observation.

He looked down at his hands and then over the edge of the translucent platform at the crimson path far below. He had failed. There had been no grand explosion, no Harbinger yelling at him and no dramatic rejection. He had simply made his choices within the illusion and the ancient array had cleanly and instantly rejected him.

"Well, that was quick," Li Yu muttered to himself while letting out a quiet chuckle. He didn't think that his answers were that bad but reality proved otherwise. He honestly wasn't bothered in the slightest though. He had already acknowledged to himself that he didn't necessarily want a demonic inheritance. Furthermore, he knew his mindset was fundamentally different from the inhabitants of this realm. He thought like a human cultivator who valued different things, not like an ancient demonic conqueror.

Whatever answers the Gore Forged Clan wanted, Li Yu's human philosophy, or just Li Yu's philosophy clearly didn't match up. He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a piece of dried spiritual fish he had prepared a few days ago. Since he was now out of the running he leaned back on the stone bench to enjoy the show. Others looked at him and he began to share some snacks he had prepared. The others around him accepted since there was nothing else to do but wait. They began chatting amongst themselves.

Down on the path the red beams continued to flash rapidly. Cultivator after cultivator was ejected from the thrones. The Gore Forged Clan wanted a very specific type of pragmatic, brutal leadership and very few possessed it. When the trial concluded, Malos stood up from his iron throne. A brilliant green rune glowed beneath his feet. Li Yu smiled as he took another bite of fish.

He had no idea what horrifying or hyper pragmatic demonic solution Malos had provided to the illusory scenario but given that the man was a genuine Sovereign of the demonic realms, it was entirely unsurprising that he passed with flying colors. Even if he chose not to rule himself, he had years of wisdom. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Test Six: The Unyielding Iron," the voice echoed and signaling the next trial for the survivors. From his vantage point in the viewing gallery, Li Yu had a perfect bird's eye view. The path ahead of the survivors erupted into a literal sea of ethereal and agonizing fire. It wasn't a physical flame that burned the flesh; it was a soul searing crucible designed to test willpower.

"To inherit the Gore Forged legacy, your will must be harder than the steel you wield. Walk through the fire. Do not stop. Do not break." The remaining demons stepped into the flames. Immediately, screams echoed all the way up to the viewing gallery. The pain was designed to break the mind and simulate the agony of having one's bones melted and reforged. Dozens fell to their knees and were instantly swallowed by red light.

They were deposited into the stands near Li Yu while gasping for air and drenched in cold sweat. They were perfectly fine after leaving. Down below only six figures remained moving. Five of them were incredibly fierce, battle hardened demonic prodigies. They were gritting their fangs and their muscles were bulging as they forced themselves forward. Even if it was only one agonizing step at a time. They were driven by sheer ambition to claim the supreme inheritance. The sixth was Malos.

The gray robed scholar walked through the soul searing fire with the exact same casual and measured pace he had used while strolling through the makeshift town's markets. To a being who had endured the crushing weight of knowing the inescapable fates of those he had met, a simple trial of pain was trivial. He didn't just endure the fire; he analyzed it.

"A truly profound array," Malos's voice drifted faintly upward. He was appreciating the sensation as the flames licked at his spirit.

"It targets the soul directly and bypasses the physical vessel entirely. A fascinating sensation of mortality." The six of them successfully crossed the sea of fire and stepped onto the final plaza.

"They made it," a warlord sitting next to Li Yu whispered in awe.

"The final trial." The seventh plaza was a simple and circular platform surrounding a perfectly calm and crystal clear reflection pool.

"Test Seven: The Tether of the Heart," the ancient voice spoke. Its grinding tone seemed significantly softer and carried a hint of ancient sorrow.

"A blade is only as strong as the reason it is swung. Pure power without a tether leads only to self destruction. Look into the pool. Show us what you love. Show us the anchor that keeps your soul from flying into the void." The five demonic prodigies stepped up to the pool one by one. The first four looked down into the water. For each of them, the pool turned a murky, muddy brown. Their hearts were filled only with selfish ambition, greed and a desire for domination.

They possessed no true tether to anything outside themselves.

"A sword that swings only for itself will eventually shatter," the ancient voice decreed. Four red beams of light flashed. The four prodigies vanished and reappeared in the viewing gallery while cursing loudly in frustration. They had nearly gotten it but it was ripped out of their hands at the last second. Only two figures remained on the final plaza: Malos and a young demon with fiery crimson hair and eyes that burned like coals. Malos stepped up to the edge of the reflection pool.

The Demon Lord looked down into the crystal clear water. He waited. The water remained perfectly still. There were no ripples. There were no visions. There was only the reflection of a gray robed scholar looking back at himself. For Malos, there was no profound tether to the world. He had lived for countless years and watched eras rise and fall. He had long detached himself from the world and viewed fate neutrally so as not to be driven mad by it. He had outlived his family, his friends and his mortal desires.

He was enjoying his current mortal experiences but he held no singular, anchoring love in his heart. He was a Sovereign completely untethered. The reflection pool slowly shifted and turned a dull, lifeless red.

"You possess no anchor," the ancient voice decreed, tinged with a deep sadness.

"You are an unmoored ship in a chaotic sea. Without a tether, the Gore Forged power will eventually consume you. Failure." A beam of red light struck Malos. An instant later the Demon Lord materialized on the stone bench directly beside Li Yu.

"Well," Li Yu said as he offered Malos a piece of dried fish.

"That was unexpected. I thought you would clear the whole thing." Malos took the fish and smiled. It was a bright smile.

"Unexpected, indeed! Li Yu, I have failed! The ancient array judged my heart and found it lacking! Oh, the sheer, unfiltered reality of being rejected by a trial of this caliber. It is a wonderfully humbling experience. I feel more alive!" He didn't seem upset in the slightest. Failing a test of the heart seemed to completely validate his current journey to experience the world anew. He sat back and happily ate his fish and was eager to see how it all ended.

Down below, the fiery haired demon stepped up to the pool. He looked in. The water rippled and revealed the towering, terrifying figure of Demon Lord Ignis, surrounded by a sea of absolute flames. The young demon's anchor was his absolute and fanatical devotion to his master. The pool glowed a bright and vibrant green.

"You have walked the Path of the Founder," the ancient voice proclaimed. Pride was swelling in its tone.

"You possess the strength, the knowledge, the will and the tether required to bear our legacy. You are the sole victor." A massive and glowing golden sphere descended from the void above. It hovered gently in front of the young demon and pulsed with the supreme, ancient bloodline power of the Gore Forged Clan.

"The Gore Forged legacy is yours," the ancient voice echoed.

"Reach out and claim the bloodline. But be warned, young one. To accept our blood, you must shatter your current connections. You must renounce your past allegiances and dedicate your existence solely to the rebirth of our clan. Renounce your master and take the power." Total silence fell over the ruins. Tens of thousands of cultivators in the viewing gallery held their breath and watched history unfold. The young demon stared at the glowing golden sphere. He could feel the unimaginable power rolling off it.

It was enough to elevate him to one of the pinnacle beings of the realm in time. Then, the young demon scoffed.

"Renounce Lord Ignis?" He said as his voice dripped with incredulity.

"Are you insane? I am her personal disciple! If I renounce her to take your dead clan's rocks, she wouldn't just kill me. She would burn my soul for a thousand years and then she would come here and melt this entire ruin into glass just to make a point." The golden sphere seemed to tremble in the air.

"You... you would reject supreme power?"

"I would reject suicide," the disciple corrected pragmatically. He turned his back on the supreme inheritance without a second thought.

"Being a living disciple of an active Demon Lord is infinitely better than being the dead master of a forgotten clan. Keep your bloodline. I disagree with your terms." The ancient voice let out a sound that was half groan and half wail. The sheer disbelief in the voice echoed through the void. A supreme inheritance, untouched for who knows how many years had just been openly rejected because the victor thought keeping his current position was simply a better career move.

"Then the bloodline remains sealed!" The voice boomed, trembling with ancient fury and disappointment.

"Leaving no true inheritor! The trial is over. Begone!" The entire spatial realm within the ruins violently contracted. Li Yu barely had time to put his dried fish away before a massive wave of spatial energy hit the viewing gallery. The array didn't just eject the victor; it violently expelled every single living soul within the ruins. The massive doors of the Gore Forged Clan slammed shut with a deafening and final boom, locking away their supreme inheritance once more.