Deep within the Crimson Abyss Forbidden Grounds, one of the most restricted areas of the Crimson Flame Sect, lay the Heart Demon Lake.
This dark body of water, born from a branch of the Black Meridian River, was pitch-black and unnaturally still. Even the moonlight that touched it was instantly swallowed, leaving behind no reflection, only an oppressive void that seemed to tug at the minds of those who gazed into its depths.
The lake was perfectly calm, yet it gave off a suffocating pressure that tested one’s will before one even entered the water.
Only the sect’s most outstanding disciples were granted permission to dive into its depths. There, they would temper themselves against heart demons, measuring their potential by how deep they could descend and how long they could endure.
Standing at the edge of the ancient stone platform overlooking the lake were two women with peerless appearances and powerful auras. Neither of them seemed the least bit disturbed by the oppressive atmosphere.
One of them elegantly squatted down. She placed her palm lightly against the water’s surface and closed her purple eyes.
For some time, she remained completely still, her senses spreading through the dark water beneath her.
Finally, she opened her eyes again.
She turned her head to the side, her long, smooth silver hair swaying gently with the movement. A breathtaking smile appeared on her face.
"It’s really the right place."
Ji Yan slowly exhaled, her golden eyes curving with delight.
"That’s good. If it had turned out to be the wrong place after all the trouble we went through to reach here, I don’t know what I would have done."
As she spoke, Ji Yan lightly struck her fist against her palm and laughed.
Ji Yue smiled but did not respond.
She simply turned her gaze back toward the seemingly bottomless lake and stared into its depths for a while before suddenly speaking.
"I just remembered. It’s almost time for our promised meeting with Gu Yuan."
"I wonder, has he entered the inner sect yet?"
Ji Yan did not reply. She merely frowned, seemingly reminded of an unpleasant topic.
Not noticing, or perhaps simply choosing not to acknowledge it, Ji Yue continued.
"You know, I just thought of something. When women marry, they bring a dowry, right?"
Ji Yan blinked. The words sounded ridiculous, yet she already had a faint idea of where this conversation was heading. Ji Yue immediately confirmed her suspicion.
"So try to keep all the storage treasures intact when you fight later. We can sort through them afterward and see if there is anything useful for Gu Yuan."
Ji Yan was neither particularly convinced nor pleased by the idea, but she still nodded.
However, Ji Yue was not finished.
"While we’re at it, how about you investigate the Crimson Fire of the Crimson Flame Sect?"
The Crimson Fire was the sect treasure of the Crimson Flame Sect. Not only was it considered their most precious treasure, it also represented the identity of the sect itself.
And Ji Yue had already decided that it would make a suitable part of her dowry.
Ji Yan looked at her sister’s innocent smile.
She suddenly had a feeling that if she allowed this conversation to continue, it wouldn’t stop at the Crimson Fire but escalate to far more difficult targets.
"Anyway, you’re entering immediately, right?" Ji Yan quickly interrupted. "I’ll go back and fight them to stall for time. We can’t let them discover that our real objective is here, after all. So try to secure the item as quickly as possible."
"Don’t worry." Ji Yue smiled, her tone filled with confidence.
She stood up and walked toward the lake. Her feet did not sink beneath the surface. Each step merely sent small ripples across the pitch-black water.
She continued forward until she reached the middle of the lake, then took another step.
This time, her foot descended.
It was as though an invisible staircase had appeared beneath the water. Ji Yue calmly walked downward, one step after another, her figure gradually disappearing beneath the dark surface.
If anyone from the Crimson Flame Sect had been present to witness this, they would have been utterly shocked.
The Crimson Flame Sect had occupied this place for countless years, yet they had never known that such a staircase existed beneath the Heart Demon Lake.
But even if they had known, would it have made any difference?
The pressure and heart demons assaulting those who descended through the staircase were countless times stronger than those encountered by someone simply diving into the lake.
Whether anyone could actually endure such a trial was another matter entirely.
Watching her sister disappear into the depths, Ji Yan finally turned around and headed in the opposite direction, toward the place where powerful fluctuations of Qi could be felt. A wild, bloodthirsty smile spreading across her face.
Her ruined mood would only improve after venting her frustration on someone.
Fortunately, there were plenty of opponents.
Ji Yan returned to the entrance of the forbidden grounds just in time to see a core disciple of the Black Desolation Sect on the verge of death beneath the hands of a Crimson Flame Sect elder.
Without hesitation, she attacked.
The Crimson Flame Sect elder, Sun Yi, immediately blocked the attack before turning his gaze toward Ji Yan.
He was an old cultivator with a fiery aura, his mastery over fire having reached an impressive level. Seeing Ji Yan, he shook his head with a look of pity.
"Does the Black Desolation Sect have no Spiritual Core Realm cultivators left? To actually send a Golden Core Realm disciple here?"
Ji Yan grinned. "Well, you’re going to die at the hands of a Golden Core Realm cultivator today. How do you feel about that?"
"Hmph." Sun Yi snorted coldly. "It seems the Black Desolation Sect doesn’t even teach its disciples how to show proper respect to their elders. Very well. I’ll teach you myself."
"Then let me see what you can do," Ji Yan said, her golden eyes gleaming with battle intent.
The clash between Ji Yan and Sun Yi erupted, and the shockwaves of their battle spread through the forbidden grounds, yet Ji Yan showed no concern that the commotion would inevitably attract more reinforcements.
She might have taken a different approach of hiding and only striking when a suitable opportunity presented itself before, but that was when Ji Yue was with her. Now that Ji Yue had already entered the Heart Demon Lake, she had no reason to hold back.
She had come here to fight... and fight she would.
...
Far away from the battlefield, beneath the dark surface of the Heart Demon Lake, everything was completely different.
The deeper Ji Yue descended, the more terrifying the pressure became.
Illusions appeared around her one after another, while heart demons whispered into her mind, sometimes taking the form of people she knew, sometimes becoming scenes from the distant past, and sometimes simply turning into grotesque images designed to shake her Dao Heart.
At the same time, an invisible pressure seemed to grind directly against her soul.
Ji Yue endured everything with an unchanged expression, her steps remaining steady as she continued down the invisible staircase. Yet as she approached the bottom, those steps were no longer as effortless as they had been at the beginning. Each one now required an enormous amount of strength, and the sound of her feet landing on the ancient stairs became increasingly heavy.
Still, Ji Yue’s expression never changed. She continued downward.
Then, gradually, the darkness around her began to change.
It slowly receded, and something else emerged in its place. At first, it was only a vague outline, barely distinguishable from the surrounding darkness. But as Ji Yue continued her steps, the scene gradually became clearer.
Ruins.
Ancient ruins stretched before her, half-buried in the darkness. Broken stone pillars stood scattered across the ground, while fragments of an ancient structure formed what appeared to have once been a grand hall.
At the center of the ruins stood an altar, and above that altar floated an ancient-looking talisman.
Ji Yue’s purple eyes brightened.
At last... she had found it.
Still, she did not rush forward. Her footsteps remained steady as she continued down the final steps toward the ancient ruins.
The trials of the Heart Demon Lake had not ended.