Volume 1 Chapter 77: Purgatory's Inquiry of the Heart

  In the refining hell's questioning heart formation, a pale light flickered constantly. From outside the formation, it was clear that a group of young people stood there, stupidly and blankly, their eyes dull and extremely sluggish, as if they had lost their minds and become walking corpses.

  This illusion array is very overbearing. Once trapped inside, it will make the person's soul fall and become immersed in an illusory realm.

  The illusion is very realistic, Wang Gan's current life is a complete replica of his previous life. Every day, he follows the archaeological team, running around in various parts of the country. Whenever there is a discovery, he feels joyful, and when there is nothing to be found, he feels disappointed.

  The people and things around him seemed so real, but every time the night was quiet, a thought would vaguely rise in Wang Qian's heart, or rather, he should be having another dream. In that dream, he was a cultivator with powers and divine abilities that ordinary people couldn't even hope to match.

  In a place that can't be seen with the naked eye, strands of green light continuously seep into Wang Qian's sea of consciousness. He has transformed into a tangible entity, manifesting as the soul of his primordial fetus, dull and without radiance, with tightly closed eyes, completely devoid of awareness, thoroughly falling asleep.

  At this time, it is extremely dangerous for a practitioner, and the greenish light continues to seep in, wrapping around his primordial body, making his primordial body sleep even more severely.

  One year, two years, time flies like water. Wang Qian becomes a small team leader in the archaeological team he is in as time goes by. He usually leads the team to excavate and dig, busy with all sorts of things. Moreover, he gets married and has children, establishing a warm family.

  Ten years, just how long is ten years? For a cultivator, it's likely not even worth mentioning, and they might spend that time in closed-door meditation. But for ordinary people, it's absolutely a long period of time. Wang Qian's youngest son has already grown up, and his wife has transformed from a young girl into a mature woman.

  One night, seeing that his wife and son were both asleep, Wang Qian quietly got out of bed and came to the window, gazing at the pitch-black night sky outside, feeling melancholy in his heart.

  "That's enough, that's enough. Since I've already embarked on this path, why should I still be attached to the mundane world? To have had these ten years is satisfaction enough for me."

  Actually, Wang Qian had understood his situation a few years ago, but he was unwilling to wake up and instead chose to indulge in this illusion, savoring the joy of being an ordinary person. However, on this night, he no longer hesitated and thoroughly understood his heart.

  As his eyes snapped open, a piercing light flickered, like lightning in the dark. In the depths of his mind, his primordial spirit suddenly opened its eyes, and a brilliant blue light radiated outwards. The primordial spirit's hands formed intricate hand seals, releasing a vast divine light that burst forth into the void. The blue light that permeated the air was like snowflakes meeting scorching sunlight, instantly melting away. What was even more wondrous was that this blue light was a kind of mysterious energy that could be absorbed by the soul. In just an instant, Wang Qian felt his soul's power surge greatly, almost breaking through to the mid-stage Soul Realm of the primordial spirit. This was a tremendous leap forward!

  For cultivators, Fa Li is often the easiest to improve, as long as there is enough Ling Shi Yuan Qi, progress can be made. However, soul power, which involves the most mysterious and fundamental existence of life, is also the most difficult to cultivate. A cultivator's ultimate achievement is closely related to his soul cultivation.

  Expelling the refined and omnipresent cyan light from the void, Wang Qian's magical powers also recovered in an instant. He took one last look at his sleeping wife and son, a fierce glint flashing across his eyes. With a wave of his hand, the entire room, followed by the whole world, shattered like crystal.

  The scene shifted, and Wang Qian found himself in a dark and eerie world. The void was filled with an ominous and terrifying aura. It wasn't until then that he realized his current body was a semi-transparent spirit, without any physical sensation.

  Whoosh! A rusty iron chain stretched out from the distant void and directly bound his body.

  Hell, this is truly hell.

  All sorts of cruel punishments were inflicted on Wang Qian, that kind of bone-penetrating pain would have driven ordinary people mad long ago. However, Wang Qian had experienced the ten-year illusion of his previous life, so his current Dao heart was not ordinary in its firmness. The depths of his eyes remained calm and indifferent, as if the countless tortures surrounding him were just a gentle breeze on his body.

  Mountains of knives, seas of fire, oil cauldrons, lingering deaths, tongue extraction, mud plows, thousands and tens of thousands kinds of cruel punishments, enough to make a person's soul collapse, their mind become dull, then sink and be trapped in the endless hell.

  "Break open, the hell of the outside world, no matter how perilous it is, as long as your heart doesn't sink, what's the use of difficulties and hardships?"

  With a faint sigh, all the instruments of torture, flames, cauldrons, and ghostly guards around him suddenly vanished into thin air.

  Then Wang Jian became an invincible emperor, with a wave of his hand, thousands of people would lose their heads, holding the strongest power in the world. Sometimes he became a beggar, suffering from all kinds of insults and humiliation. Sometimes he became a wealthy merchant who could rival a country, everything in the world could be bought with a large amount of money.

  Finally, he appeared in the supreme nine heavens, penetrating the mysteries of the universe. Countless powerful immortals were worshiping him. He was the supreme ruler of heaven and earth, invincible under the sky, roaming freely through the chaotic universe, able to open up the heavens and split the earth with a snap of his fingers.

  Overwhelming power, long life, for a cultivator, is the most intense temptation. Wang Qian's Dao heart was firm and his mind was like steel, but at this moment, he was still shaken.

  "Hmph, everything is an illusion. Such easily obtained power, without experiencing it step by step myself, how can it shake my Dao heart?"

  At the moment of mental confusion, Wang Gan suddenly let out a loud roar, and the intense sound wave shattered all the scenes, whatever the arrival of Wan Xian, the bowing of the sky, all collapsed instantly.

  The next moment, a cyan halo appeared in front of Wang Qian's eyes, and countless mysterious and unpredictable talismans flew up and down in front of him. The dense cyan light was like fog and silk, but his surroundings were a piece of pure land.

  "Huh? What's this? I've returned to the Heart Refining Formation of Purgatory?"

  Wang Gan suddenly reacted and knew that he had passed the Refining Hell's Heart Array, but he didn't know how long he had stayed in the illusion, nor did he know how much time had passed outside.

  Hmph.

  A blue long rope swooped in and bound him up, taking him out of the range of the Refining Heart Array.

  He turned around and saw a cow's face in front of him, its large eyes constantly scanning his body, shining brightly as if it had discovered a new toy.

  "Haha, young one, what's your name? Not bad at all. It seems that your willpower is strong enough and your soul power is also quite solid. Congratulations to you, you are the first young person to come out of the Refining Hell's Heart Array."

  It can be heard that Qing Niu's tone is slightly excited, seemingly a bit satisfied with Wang Qian's performance just now.

  After praising him for a moment, Qing Niu fell silent, his cow eyes staring fixedly at the green illusionary array.

  Wang Gan didn't dare to make any sudden movements at this time. The small emerald green mountain peak was just a short distance away from him, but he didn't even have the interest to touch it. Who knew what this old cow meant? If he provoked it and it kicked him to death with one hoof, then there would be no place to cry injustice.

  Waiting, one person and one cow, looking at the vast expanse of green in front of them, they began to wait.

  One day, two days, this space had no distinction between night and day, it was always surrounded by a faint blue light, without the slightest change.

  After a full five days, the Heart Array in the middle of the Refining Hell flashed with a wave of fluctuations. The green cow's eyes lit up and it let out a mouthful of air, forming a long, green rope that quickly bound someone and threw them out.

  Oh no!

  This Tianyuan Sect disciple is also extremely formidable. The endless layers of illusions did not cause him to sink, and when he came out, apart from his face being slightly pale, there were no other disheveled expressions. Clearly, his Dao heart and soul power are also extraordinary.

  When Wang Qian appeared, a glimmer of sharp light flashed across the bottom of Wang Luo's eyes, and then it was hidden, returning to calmness, as if nothing had happened.

  It's been five days again, and the green cow is no longer calm, with its breath fluctuating constantly all over its body, as if it might erupt at any moment, but for some unknown reason.

  Wang Gan knew at this time that the trial of the Heart Array had only fifteen days. If he couldn't wake up from the illusion within fifteen days, he would fail.

  Fifteen days later, at the last moment, there was still half a time, and the atmosphere in the green space seemed heavy and oppressive, with a feeling of wind and rain coming.