Archean Eon Art

Meng Chuan stepped onto the Darkness Altar’s limestone steps and very stably took another step forward.

The black fog continued to seep into Meng Chuan’s body.

You want to bewilder me with these illusions?

After suffering four hours of hell-like torture every day for 120 days, his will had become as resilient as a saber. He would either be sharpened by the grinding or be crushed.

Meng Chuan’s will was clearly stronger and sharper. Furthermore, the promise he made with Qiyue strengthened his soul. His will had become stronger now that he had someone he loved.

Break! He broke through illusions forcefully with his strong will, allowing him to remain conscious.

He advanced step by step.

Thirty steps, fifty steps, seventy steps, ninety steps. Meng Chuan’s pace didn’t slow down as he ascended the altar. He reached the 90th step before he slowed down slightly. However, he continued climbing the altar.

“This…”

“Almost a hundred steps.”

“Didn’t Lord Meng Chuan join Archean Mountain a year ago? His willpower has improved by so much?” The stewards and servants were dumbfounded. They were in charge of managing the Darkness Altar, so they naturally knew that Meng Chuan had reached the 75th step a year ago. With more experience and diligent cultivation, one’s will would slowly grow stronger; however, Meng Chuan’s willpower had increased significantly.

The stewards and servants watched intently. Although Meng Chuan’s pace slowed down, he continued walking upwards.

“The hundredth step! He already reached the hundredth step, but he’s still climbing upwards.”

“He won’t reach the summit directly, right?”

…

It’s an illusion. Illusions, begone!

Meng Chuan roared inwardly, but illusions continued to invade his mind endlessly. He broke through the first layer of illusions, but the second, third, and further layers remained. His sea of consciousness gradually turned chaotic, and he was no longer able to discern reality from the illusions.

Soon, the black fog returned to the Darkness Altar. Meng Chuan quickly escaped the illusions and regained his senses.

I’m Meng Chuan. I’m trying to ascend the Darkness Altar. Meng Chuan immediately realized this and heaved a sigh of relief.

It was very uncomfortable to lose himself in the illusions.

When Meng Chuan saw the top of the Darkness Altar, he looked down and realized that he was just one step short from reaching the summit.

“Congratulations, Lord Meng Chuan. You have reached the 102nd step.” After the steward deactivated the Darkness Altar, he immediately congratulated him. “I believe that even if you do not deliberately temper your will, you will reach the summit in a year or so.”

Meng Chuan nodded gently, but he still took a step forward.

He took the last step and stood at the top. The top was very small, but when he looked around him, it felt quite different.

The steward and servants were slightly taken aback. Why was he doing that? They had shut down the Darkness Altar, providing no testing effects. What was the point of reaching the summit?

I probably wouldn’t ascend the Darkness Altar again in the future. Meng Chuan knew this, so he decided to stand at the summit and take in the scenery.

Following that, he left the Darkness Altar.

Meng Chuan was rather delighted that he reached the Darkness Altar’s 102nd step. His improvement over the past year was much greater than he had expected. However, it wasn’t much of a surprise. This was because the required willpower for refining the Six Desires baneful aura was several times greater than what was needed to reach the Darkness Altar’s summit. The path to complete the Ninth Refinement was long and arduous.

…

Evening of 26th December.

After painting, sparring, and cultivating for a while, Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue arrived at a rather mysterious place on Archean Mountain.

“The Pit of Bewilderment is extremely mysterious. What’s hidden at the bottom of the pit remains one of Archean Mountain’s top ten mysteries,” said Meng Chuan with a smile.

Liu Qiyue nodded excitedly as well. “I’ve read about it as well. The Pit of Bewilderment is like a bottomless abyss. It’s impossible to see its true appearance. If anyone can reach the bottom of the Pit of Bewilderment, their willpower will be so strong that they can be ranked in the top ten of all humans. Just their terrifying willpower alone would allow them to become a Marquis Godfiend in a year.”

Meng Chuan nodded.

If any mortal were able to reach the Pit of Bewilderment’s end, the attention that Archean Mountain gave them would immediately surpass what they gave Meng Chuan and Xue Feng. Anyone who could reach the pit’s end had willpower comparable to a Supremacy at the Creation realm. Godfiend bodies like the Sanguine Divine Body, Mirage Fiend Body, and the Skyfiend Saint and Indestructible Blood Sea Black Metal Sutras were extremely suitable for those with monstrous willpower. They could become Marquis Godfiends in a year and Regis Godfiends in a few decades.

However, willpower was not borne from talent. Regardless of one’s family background—no matter how impressive one’s parents were, or even if they had an inborn Essence Soul—lacking willpower meant weakness!

Willpower needed to be gradually gained through one’s life experiences. Their life experiences, a mortal’s hardships, the grinding of various emotions… There were too many factors that determined one’s willpower.

Young people lacked experience! They had shallow knowledge! How could they compare to powerful Godfiends that had wallowed in seas of blood for centuries? They were far inferior.

Before the age of fifty, no human in history had ever surpassed a Regis Godfiend while having willpower that ranked in the top ten of all humans in the world.

Meng Chuan knew himself well.

How many battles had he experienced? How many times had he experienced despair? The known contributions by famous Marquis Godfiends and Regis Godfiends were shocking. After fighting for the human race for so long, their willpower far exceeded those of the younger generation. For years, their wills were tempered with blood, sweat, and tears.

“We’ve arrived at the Pit of Bewilderment.” said Meng Chuan.

The Pit of Bewilderment was a cave that led deep down.

Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue stood at the edge of the pit and looked down. They couldn’t see the bottom due to the black fog within the pit.

There were stairs beside the Pit of Bewilderment’s walls. They circled the cavern and continued down. One ring consisted of 79 steps. The steps circled down, and there were a total of six rings visible to the naked eye.

“The books say that the Pit of Bewilderment has nine rings of steps,” said Liu Qiyue. “There are still three rings hidden by the black fog.”

“Reaching the Darkness Altar’s altar is equivalent to completing three rings in the Pit of Bewilderment,” said Meng Chuan. “To absorb the Six Desires baneful aura, I need to complete four rings in the Pit of Bewilderment.”

The deeper he went, the harder it was for him to take a step forward. To reach the fourth ring’s end in the Pit of Bewilderment, one required willpower several-fold greater than the willpower required to complete the third ring.

After reaching the end of the fourth ring, one could absorb the Six Desires baneful aura without going insane instantly.

However, there were nine rings in the Pit of Bewilderment…

“Two people are walking in it,” said Liu Qiyue.

“I see them.” Meng Chuan carefully watched the two people walking down the Pit of Bewilderment’s stairs. One was at the third ring and slowly descended towards the fourth ring. The other was slowly walking along the fifth ring.

“One of them is Senior Brother Zhang Feng, a Great Solar Godfiend,” said Liu Qiyue immediately. “The one further below is Marquis Clear Orchid.”

Meng Chuan knew them too. After all, there was information regarding his fellow disciples in Archean Mountain. However, Great Solar Godfiends and Marquis Godfiends spent most of their time fighting outside. They occasionally returned to the sect, so it was rare for them to meet.

Meng Chuan and Liu Qiye watched them for ten minutes and saw their results.

When Senior Brother Zhang Feng arrived at the fourth ring’s 26th step, he began walking towards the Pit of Bewilderment’s center dazedly. He missed his footing and fell into the black fog expressionlessly.

Marquis Clear Orchid arrived at the fifth ring’s 62nd and dazedly walked towards the Pit of Bewilderment’s center. He numbly stepped on air and fell.

Falling didn’t matter. They would only lose consciousness for a short while. When they regained consciousness, they would be outside the Pit of Bewilderment. As for what they would encounter when they fell to the bottom of the pit? Nobody knew. It was why it became one of Archean Mountain’s ten great mysteries.

Even a Marquis Godfiend can’t complete the fifth ring. Meng Chuan sighed inwardly.

“Qiyue, I’m prepared to give it a try,” said Meng Chuan.

“I’ll accompany you,” said Liu Qiyue with a smile. “Let’s try it out together.”

The two walked to the Pit of Bewilderment’s entrance. Two stewards were waiting there.

“Lord Meng Chuan, Lady Liu Qiyue,” greeted a female steward with a smile. “The Pit of Bewilderment has a huge impact on one’s mind. Many disciples often have nightmares, so after entering once, they need to rest for ten days, at least. They can only attempt the Pit of Bewilderment again after ten days. Every attempt requires 500 credits.”

“We know.” Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue nodded.

“Please.” The female steward smiled and moved aside.

“I’ll go ahead,” said Meng Chuan. The stairwell was very narrow—only three feet wide. It wasn’t suitable for them to walk together.

Meng Chuan immediately descended the staircase, but no illusions attacked his mind. Instead, he only felt his consciousness sink. The churning black fog inside the Pit of Bewilderment was tempting him into jumping down.