“Ninety-nine times.
You really went all out.
Aren’t you afraid of damaging your Divine Soul’s foundation?” The little marten counted to the end, his expression somewhat numb.
Watching Mu Chen get crushed over and over again, the pain was enough to drive anyone mad.
Yet Mu Chen had endured it so many times.
Did he have some kind of masochistic tendency?
He had only tried it twenty-something times before needing several days to recover.
Soul pain and physical pain were two completely different things.
The levels of pain were worlds apart.
“Since I was training and it hurt like hell anyway, not reaching the Illusory Stage would have felt like a waste.” Mu Chen rubbed his forehead.
The exhaustion and pain still lingered in his Divine Soul.
He would need some time to recover before using the spirit millstone again.
“You’re greedy.” The little marten rolled his eyes.
“Marten has seen ruthless people before, but someone as ruthless to himself as you is rare.” “At least wait until Marten’s body is restored before you start courting death.
If you die now, Marten will be done for too.” Mu Chen was someone the little marten could somewhat trust.
If he got himself killed and someone else found the Ancestral Stone, his life would likely be in danger as well.
“Don’t worry.
Even if I die, I’ll take you with me.
We’ll go together, like good brothers.” Mu Chen said with a smile.
“Pfft.
Marten hasn’t lived long enough yet!” The little marten rolled his eyes and disappeared from Mu Chen’s sight.
“Brother Chen, what’s wrong?” Su Youwei asked with great concern.
Mu Chen’s face was filled with exhaustion.
It was the first time she had seen him like this, as if his body had been completely drained.
“It’s nothing.
I just overdid it while training my Divine Soul.” Mu Chen waved his hand.
The soft glow emanating from the Ancestral Stone gradually eased the fatigue in his Divine Soul.
Su Youwei nodded, though she still wondered: Could training the Divine Soul really do this to a person?
Outside Great Zhou City, the Black Forest Mountain Range stood as a rarely visited, towering mountain range near the capital.
Few people ventured inside, as it was filled with countless Genesis Beasts and was extremely dangerous.
For Mu Chen, this was the perfect location.
No outsiders would disturb or spy on him.
He had informed Su Youwei beforehand that he would be away for a while and not to worry.
Otherwise, she would have been anxious.
“Devouring Ancestral Symbol, appear!” Mu Chen lightly shouted.
An ancient rune, like a black hole, appeared before him.
It was the most mysterious of the Eight Ancestral Symbols, the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.
The rune was about the size of a human head.
It had no fixed form, as if it were alive, constantly writhing and transforming, like a slowly rotating black hole.
It emitted an overbearing devouring force, capable of swallowing heaven and earth.
The powerful devouring power made space itself ripple.
This was the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, the heavenly rune formed from devouring power.
Mu Chen’s expression was serious.
Just gazing at it made him feel as if his Divine Soul would be swallowed by that domineering devouring force.
He began to wonder if he was refining it too early.
Perhaps he should have waited until all eight meridians were open.
Though it had followed him to the Heavenly Genesis World and resided in his soul space, Mu Chen could still sense danger.
It wasn’t something to be refined casually.
But to truly unleash the power of the Ancestral Symbol, he had to pass its trial and refine it.
Otherwise, he could only use it on the most superficial level.
“As expected of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.
Kid, have you thought this through?
This isn’t like the spirit millstone.
This can really kill you.” The little marten said from within the Ancestral Stone.
He didn’t want to go out.
If the devouring force enveloped him, he would be directly refined by the Ancestral Symbol.
“I once saw an extremely powerful expert try to refine the Flame Ancestral Symbol, but he was burned to nothingness by the heavenly flames it summoned.
And the difficulty of refining the Devouring Ancestral Symbol won’t be any lower than that of the Flame Ancestral Symbol.” That expert, even compared to his peak self, was no inferior.
“I have to refine it sooner or later.
Besides, refining an Ancestral Symbol doesn’t always succeed even with high cultivation.
Since it’s been in my soul space for several years, that means I’m the master it’s been waiting for.
If I’m not the one to refine it, who is?” Mu Chen said with a smile.
Treasures like the Ancestral Symbols surely had spirits and would choose their own masters.
The little marten was speechless.
He sure knew how to act tough.
But it wasn’t without reason.
“I’m going in.
Remember to watch my body.
Don’t let any Genesis Beasts eat it.” Mu Chen’s Illusory Stage Divine Soul was swallowed into the black hole.
With the Devouring Ancestral Symbol’s deterrent effect, ordinary Genesis Beasts wouldn’t dare approach.
But it was better to be safe.
The little marten looked up at the black hole above.
His little eyes showed deep wariness.
It seemed capable of devouring everything, even light itself.
What a tyrannical power.
“Tsk tsk tsk.
Kid, since you’ve treated Marten well enough, if you die, Marten will dig a grave and bury you.” The little marten watched Mu Chen’s body, which was like a statue, and kept watch around the area.
He could barely handle first-grade Genesis Beasts.
If Mu Chen succeeded, it would mean he hadn’t misjudged him, and the Eight Ancestral Symbols hadn’t chosen wrong either.
Now it was just a matter of waiting.
There was nothing he could do to help.
Getting too close and having his spirit swallowed by the black hole wouldn’t be fun.
At this moment, the little marten thought of his tribe.
It had been so long since he last contacted them.
Perhaps his tribe and his father would think he had fallen.
He didn’t know if he would ever have the chance to return to the Tianxuan Continent.
He had originally planned to wait for a fated person to find the Ancestral Stone and help him restore his body.
Now he had ended up in another world, which had completely stunned him.
After learning about it from Mu Chen, it had taken him a long time to process.
The only reassuring thing was that Mu Chen had excellent luck.
Not only did he have the stone talisman, but also the Eight Ancestral Symbols.
Perhaps even in this world, he could help restore his body.
… After his Divine Soul was swallowed by the black hole, what greeted him was endless darkness, pure and absolute.
It blocked his vision and even rendered his sense of touch useless.
Mu Chen couldn’t see a single ray of light.
This realm of darkness felt like a world before creation.
Just being inside it was torture.
Mu Chen was disoriented for a moment as well.
“This is going to be boring.” Mu Chen muttered to himself.
This was the trial of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.
It likely targeted the Divine Soul and willpower.
Ancestral Symbols like Flame and Lightning also tested the physical body.
This was another reason Mu Chen chose the Devouring Ancestral Symbol first.
His current physique couldn’t withstand the trials of those other Ancestral Symbols.
In complete darkness, closing his eyes or keeping them open made no difference.
This was a test of his temperament.
If he sank into the darkness, he would fail the Devouring Ancestral Symbol’s trial.
Mu Chen chose a random direction and began this long, lonely trial.
He was determined to claim the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.
(End of Chapter)