And there Su Chen was—completely unaware of the chaos unfolding behind his back—as he continued to calmly dig up spiritual herbs and pluck radiant spiritual fruits. At one point, he even took off the Immortal Rebirth Armor from his body and stored it back in his Sea of Consciousness, as if he were simply out for a stroll in a peaceful orchard.
Currently, he was sitting lazily on a thick branch of a spiritual apple tree, legs swinging freely, chewing on a juicy red apple.
"Mmm… so sweet," Su Chen mumbled with a satisfied expression, savoring the soft texture as he slowly chewed.
He had already picked up several rare medicinal treasures along the way—and even looted a few unfortunate Sons of Luck. The only thing left on his list was something truly rare—And there Su Chen was—completely unaware of the chaos unfolding behind his back—as he continued to calmly dig up spiritual herbs and pluck radiant spiritual fruits. At one point, he even took off the Immortal Rebirth Armor from his body and stored it back in his Sea of Consciousness, as if he were simply out for a stroll in a peaceful orchard.
Currently, he was sitting lazily on a thick branch of a spiritual apple tree, legs swinging freely, chewing on a juicy red apple.
"Mmm… so sweet," Su Chen mumbled with a satisfied expression, savoring the soft texture as he slowly chewed.
He had already picked up several rare medicinal treasures along the way—and even looted a few unfortunate Sons of Luck. The only thing left on his list was something truly rare—Immortal Gold, Divine Iron, or any other material suitable for refining high-tier weapons.
Why was he suddenly searching for such materials?
Because once he left the Immortal Palace, Su Chen was certain he'd break through a few cultivation realms in rapid succession. And when he reached the Divine Transformation Realm, he would need to refine his own weapon. Naturally, he didn't want just any weapon—he wanted a powerful one worthy of his future self.
Huh?
Su Chen paused mid-bite. Something felt... off.
There was no sound—not even the chirping of birds. The wind had stopped. It was as if the entire world had been muted.
"...This kind of silence," Su Chen muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes, "only shows up before something nasty happens."
He grew alert, keeping his spiritual sense fully activated as he stayed perched on the branch. The peaceful orchard now felt more like a trap than a sanctuary.
What Su Chen didn't know... was that this unnatural silence had spread across every corner of the Immortal Palace where cultivators were present.
This was the final trial.
The Survival Test.
Those who passed would not only earn the right to leave the palace but also receive an additional reward. Those who failed... would perish—permanently. Their bodies, souls, and all their treasures would be left behind, swallowed by the Immortal Palace.
Whoosh...
A cold, gentle wind brushed against Su Chen's face. It sent a chill down his spine, despite the calmness of its touch.
Suddenly, the sunlight began to fade.
Su Chen looked up.
Dark clouds had rolled in from all directions, blotting out the sun. The sky had turned a deep, ominous gray—it was the kind of weather that announced thunder, lightning, and possibly something far worse.
"...Don't tell me this is the actual test," Su Chen muttered, narrowing his eyes at the sky.
Without hesitation, he jumped down from the tree, flew toward the nearest mountain peak he could see, and in the blink of an eye—BOOM—he landed atop it.
Without wasting a moment, he activated his Earth Escape Technique, burrowing deep into the mountain, heading straight toward its core.
He had passed every test so far, but this one... this one felt different.
It felt like death was lurking.
Su Chen understood the rules of this world well. If you wanted treasures, you had to prove your worth. And while he was confident in his strength now, he had never been delusional.
He wasn't a Son of Luck.
He couldn't turn every disaster into an opportunity like those golden protagonists could.
Yes, he had managed to kill two Sons of Luck earlier—but that was only because their lucky halos were suppressed in this place, just like his own outsider aura.
But if this trial required actual luck to survive?
Then he might not make it out alive.
Better to be cautious... than end up as someone else's loot.
But even while hiding deep within the mountain, Su Chen kept his spiritual plant sense fully activated.
Through the roots and vines connected to the earth, he could see, hear, and feel everything happening above ground—just like a network of sensory nerves stretched across a 100-mile radius.
Then… the entire sky darkened—slowly, unnaturally.
A peach-black hue spread across the sky, draping the world in a twisted dusk. Even in broad daylight, everywhere looked like it had entered late evening.
Swish… thud…
A subtle shift swept through the air.
Everyone inside the palace felt it.
Their cultivation—already suppressed to the Core Formation Realm since the beginning of the trials—started dropping again.
And it didn't stop.
From Core Formation…
To Foundation Establishment…
Then even lower.
Until finally—it stopped at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.
For most cultivators inside the Immortal Palace, it was as if the sky had collapsed.
Panic rippled across the secret realm.
These weren't ordinary people—they were all young geniuses from powerful sects and ancient clans. Some had even reached the Divine Transformation Realm in the outside world.
But here?
Their cultivation had already been forcibly suppressed once. They had grown used to operating at Core Formation, balancing their skills accordingly.
Now, being forced all the way down to Qi Refining peak meant nearly all of their techniques became unusable.
And the real fear?
Even the Qi in their bodies had thinned. They could only perform one or two techniques at most before their spiritual energy would run dry—and even that was uncertain.
Some tried to fly.
They stumbled.
Some tried to summon their artifacts.
The weapons hovered weakly, barely responding.
They were left with two options:
Use pure physical strength, which most relied on far less than spiritual techniques.
Or rely on spirit weapons—but those too were now restricted to the Qi Refining level of power.
But not everyone was at a disadvantage.
Not Su Chen.
He remained hidden, deep in the mountain, his aura masked. But more importantly—unlike the others—he had advantages that people didn't.
First, his Innate Sacred Dao Fetus physique naturally held far more Qi than most cultivators, even under suppression.
Second, even if that Qi depleted, his body was so harmonized with nature that spiritual energy flowed back into him effortlessly. Replenishing his reserves took seconds.
Third—and most critical—he had absorbed a massive amount of Immortal Pond Energy earlier. The essence was still sealed within his meridians and could be released at any moment to fuel him far beyond normal limits.
BOOM... CRACK—
Golden thunder erupted in the sky.
And the sound—deep, echoing through every inch of the Immortal Palace—shook cultivators to their core.
Some people turned pale with fear.
According to ancient texts and historical records, golden thunder only appeared under one condition:
When the heavens themselves wished to erase someone.
When the world judged someone unworthy of survival.
A heavenly execution.
That was the fear settling into every cultivator's heart.