Lava River

*Crack!* Transforming into an enormous blood-red greatsword, the ebony sword shattered the divine general's breastplate with a single blow and impaled him straight through the abdomen. Through the wound, no internal organs were visible, nor did any blood flow out. There was only a golden rune slowly rotating within, profound and mystical. A small portion of this rune had already been smashed by the ebony sword. The divine general roared. The golden light on his body surged frantically into the wound, and replenished by the golden light, the fractured rune rapidly mended itself. Seeing this, Qin Sang did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately drove the ebony sword to reverse its sword qi, piercing through the divine general's abdomen once more and shattering another large chunk of the rune. After several successive strikes, the rune was finally destroyed by the ebony sword. The divine general, who had been thrashing and roaring all along, suddenly froze in place, utterly motionless. Then, the golden armor on his body began to dissolve, finally transforming into a beam of golden light that flew back and reverted into a mural. Qin Sang was currently wielding his black longsword to parry another Golden-Armored Divine General while simultaneously dodging sharp arrows shot his way, fighting under intense strain. Having finally disposed of one divine general, he saw that no new divine general stepped down after the portrait was restored. Qin Sang inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the rune within a divine general's body was indeed their weakness; as long as the rune was shattered and the Golden-Armored Divine General reverted to a mural, they would not reappear. Otherwise, the difficulty of this trial would be far too excessive, and the vast majority of cultivators would never be able to pass. Once their weakness was identified, things became manageable. Qin Sang did not summon the ebony sword back to assist him. With a shift of his mind, the ebony sword transformed into sword light and darted straight toward the two Golden-Armored Divine Generals wielding longbows. The ebony sword was blindingly fast, and the sword array easily penned in the two Golden-Armored Divine Generals. This time, Qin Sang deliberately narrowed the array's radius, avoiding triggering the restrictions on the walls. The sword array erupted, engulfing the divine generals in countless beams of sword qi. This probed out their weakness, which turned out not to be in their abdomens, but rather in their chests. It seemed that across different Golden-Armored Divine Generals, the rune's location could also vary. If one failed to finish off opponents swiftly and ended up besieged by over a dozen divine generals in a bewildering blur, one would never be able to pinpoint their weaknesses and would face certain defeat. Elusive and unpredictable, the ebony sword entangled the two divine generals, denying them any chance to loose an arrow. Dividing his mind, Qin Sang seized this opportunity to swing his black longsword with increasing urgency. Sword light poured like rain, thoroughly suppressing the Golden-Armored Divine General before him. Spotting an opening, he thrust his sword into its abdomen. "Break!" Qin Sang barked coldly, unhesitatingly driving his sea of qi. Instantly, a burst of potent sword qi erupted within the divine general's abdomen, shattering the rune in one go. Without even sparing a backward glance, Qin Sang immediately channeled his movement technique to reinforce the ebony sword. With Qin Sang joining the fray, the battle's outcome grew crystal clear. Armed with longbows, these two Golden-Armored Divine Generals were ill-suited for close combat and attempted to pull away, but how could Qin Sang give them that chance? The Thousand Mechanism Sword Array expanded to its limit without touching the restrictions. Whenever the divine generals vanished, the array caught their positions in the very first instant. Their phantom-like movements proved entirely futile before Qin Sang, and he swiftly slaughtered them both. Qin Sang recalled the ebony sword. As its sword qi receded, the true form of the ebony sword was revealed. The slender blade coiled around his fingertips, crystalline and translucent like precious jade. Looking ahead down the corridor, Qin Sang saw golden light squirming as two sabre-wielding divine generals happened to step down from the wall. Sweeping their cold gaze over him, they locked onto Qin Sang; then their forms blurred, and in the next instant, they materialized directly above his head. Long sabres tore through the air, their blade intent bearing down! Perfect timing! If he maintained this rhythm, he should be able to handle the first trial without relying on the baleful corpses. Qin Sang thought to himself that there was no telling how many stages this trial had in total. Once a baleful corpse was damaged, repairing it would be no easy feat. It would be better to save them for later when true crises arose; for now, he could just exert himself a bit more. Having made up his mind, Qin Sang flicked his fingers, sending the ebony sword straight at one of the divine generals while he twisted his body upward, swinging his sword to meet the other himself. Qin Sang found that these two Golden-Armored Divine Generals possessed strength roughly comparable to the previous ones, but two were far easier to handle than four. Spears, halberds, axes, battleaxes, hammers, mirrors, pagodas... Weapons of every kind—both common and obscure—were showcased before Qin Sang throughout the corridor. Had the divine generals left behind corpses upon their deaths, Qin Sang's advance could truly have been described as leaving a pool of blood with every step. The further he progressed, the closer the murals stood to one another, and the intervals between the divine generals' appearances grew shorter and shorter, making the battles increasingly fierce. By this point, Qin Sang had no leisure to think of anything else. Often, before he could finish off the divine generals in front of him, new ones had already joined the fray, piling tremendous pressure upon him. Even so, up until now, Qin Sang had still not summoned the baleful corpses to aid him, relying solely on his own strength to slaughter his way through the corridor, advancing step by steadfast step! Qin Sang's mind was completely immersed in the killing talisman. With the divine generals pressing hard and the situation teetering on the edge, such intense pressure not only drew out his latent potential, but also drastically accelerated his comprehension of the killing talisman. Even better, the actual danger was manageable, allowing him to fight without reserve, so he was unwilling to let this opportunity slip away. The corridor ran deep with no end in sight. Lost to time, there were only endless slaughter and roars. With sword in hand and the sword array moving with his every stride, Qin Sang was like a god of slaughter. Wherever he passed, he left behind only the indignant roars of fallen divine generals. Yet he remained utterly impassive, his eyes filled with nothing but endless killing intent. Suddenly, a wave of scorching heat startled Qin Sang awake, pulling his consciousness out from the killing talisman. To his pleasant surprise, he discovered that his mastery over his cultivation technique had deepened by another tier. The gains from this single stretch of combat could rival dozens of past battles, and he was now not far from fully comprehending the second killing talisman. *Why is it so hot?* Qin Sang reined in the delight on his face and opened his eyes wide to look. Ahead, he discovered a crimson-red glow piercing through the golden light. Without realizing it, he had reached the end of the corridor. *Is that firelight?* *Could there be a sea of flames ahead?* Qin Sang's nostrils flared. Suddenly, he caught a strong, pungent stench, while a rumbling roar reached his ears. The corridor was even shaking as though struck by an earthquake; something ahead sounded like a mighty river rushing past. *Lava!* Qin Sang's gaze narrowed slightly. At the end of the corridor was very likely a lava river, and judging by the commotion outside, it was probably not small at all. *Will the subsequent trials have to be completed over the lava river?* Foundation Establishment cultivators could protect their bodies with spiritual power and withstand intense heat, but they still could not swim in a lava river. If one fell into the magma and failed to extricate themselves in time, death was just as certain. However, the specific nature of the trial could not be seen from here. If it really took place over a lava river, utmost caution was warranted. After a moment's contemplation, Qin Sang pushed the thought aside and glanced sideways at the murals lining the corridor. Ahead of him, only six murals remained. At that moment, the golden light upon them fluctuated violently; it seemed these six divine generals were about to step down together. *It seems this is the final test of the first trial.* Pondering this, Qin Sang held back no longer. Sweeping his hand across his waist, three baleful corpses flew out from the corpse puppet pouch. The chilling baleful qi radiating from their bodies instantly diffused the sweltering heat washing over him. After a momentary pause, they pounced toward the divine generals.