Shen Yuan, still standing as if he was hugging her, sighed lightly and shook his head, “I nearly forgot about you,” he paused reflecting on himself for a moment before his eyes gained clarity, “But now that I remember you, thanks to this Pagoda, I would make sure to give you a visit at least.”
He promised to himself as he closed his eyes waiting for the trial to end. He became engulfed in darkness once again.
When the darkness cleared, Shen Yuan opened his eyes, after clearing the trial he entered the Radiant Lotus Sacred Sect as a core disciple.
Soon, he got intimate with Huo Rong and they consummated their relationship. They happily spend their time together while Shen Yuan cultivated, reaching the Extreme Origin Core Realm.
In the meantime Bing Rong and Shen Yuxin also came out of the seclusion, getting much stronger than before.
Han Qingyu also joined Shen Yuan’s harem after some time. He cultivated inside the sect while making some preparations for the future.
He fought with other sects during competitions and tournaments, getting the top spot each time which aroused the jealousy and envy of other sects.
They banded together to fight against the Radiant Lotus Sacred Sect but Shen Yuan revealed his cultivation base of the Nascent Soul realm and fought with the ancestors in the Law Forging Realm.
He won against them and started his conquest of the Eastern Desolate Region, while his harem supported him fully throughout his conquest. They didn’t care if they would end up being the world’s enemy, all they cared about was Shen Yuan.
Soon, time passed as he got control over the entire Eastern Desolate Region, but the Central Desolate Region got wind of this news as they sent their messengers to inform Shen Yuan to either join their sect as a disciple or face their wrath.
Enraged, Shen Yuan issued a war notice to the entire Central Desolate Region, marking his conquest there as well.
The mighty cultivators of the Central Desolate Region thought that they can handle a mere junior easily, but to their shock, Shen Yuan revealed a cultivation base of the Law Forging Soul realm.
He not only single-handedly drafted all the sect masters but also fought with many elders and Grand Elders of those sects and clans.
Shen Yuxin massacred all the ancestors of the Central Desolate Region alone.
After a long bloody battle, Shen Yuan Finally ascended to the throne of the Desolate Continent, becoming its absolute ruler.
He spent his days leisurely accompanying his family and governing the Desolate Continent. Forgetting all about his initial aspirations.
…
One day, Shen Yuxin asked Shen Yuan all of a sudden, “Are you content with your life Yuan’er?”
Shen Yuan gently replied, “Of course I am content, I have everything that I wanted, wealth, authority, my family, my friends.”
Shen Yuxin silently stared at him for a bit before asking, “Is this truly what you want?”
Shen Yuan looked at her in confusion as he replied, “What do you mean? This is what I always wan-”
Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes regained a bit of clarity, he paused as he processed his thoughts.
Shen Yuxin continued gently staring at him, looking as if she would stay that way even if the world was destroyed.
Shen Yuan sighed lightly as he came out of his thoughts, he looked at Shen Yuxin with a smile, “You are right, this is not what I truly want. And I can’t stay here forever, you are waiting for me after all.”
Shen Yuxin smiled brightly, coming forward to hug him, “But you already have everything you want in this world. Do you want to leave me, Huo Rong, Bing Rong, Han Qingyu, and the others behind?”
Her eyes filled with sadness as she questioned Shen Yuan. For a moment, Shen Yuan’s resolve wavered as he looked into her sad eyes.
‘What if this was enough? What if staying here, with the people he loved, could bring him the peace he had always longed for?’ Questions like these popped up in his mind, but deep down, he knew that this world, no matter how vivid, could never replace the truth waiting for him.
He looked at her for a second, staring straight into her eyes, “I have to leave, you guys are not the only ones waiting for me. I have another family whom I need to meet at all costs, even if I have to rend this whole mortal world for that.”
His words filled with his strong conviction as the world around him started to crumble, Shen Yuxin gently left his embrace saying, “Don’t forget your true self in this trial Yuan’er. You need to go much further on this path if you truly want to succeed.”
Before Shen Yuan could reply, Shen Yuxin turned into dust and the whole world started crumbling faster.
Shen Yuan stayed still, his mind finally at peace, as the illusion dissolved like dust in the wind, leaving him standing alone amidst the crumbling remains of a world that was never truly his.
In that instance, he could feel something changing inside of him as if a crucial part of his soul was going through metamorphosis. But before he could pinpoint the change, the world completely shattered. Making Shen Yuan close his eyes as he didn’t know what next would be.
…
Soon, another life began. This time, he was a scholar, renowned for his wisdom across the Aurora Zone. Living in a grand estate of an empire and serving as its military advisor.
He had hundreds of students seeking guidance under him, and even noble households had to be polite in front of him.
He started this life as a man from humble origins, but he was always interested in the weirdest of things as he studied by himself when he was young. Later some teacher found him and enrolled him in the local academy of their city, where he performed the best and got transferred to the Imperial Academy, where he signed even brighter.
He soon became a king’s advisor as his life reached a peak.
But Shen Yuan didn’t even entertain the idea of this being a reality as each fiber of his being rejected the idea of being mediocre or weak.
“This was never one of my aspirations, but the knowledge of a scholar is indeed helpful, a pity that I can’t learn anything new in this trial.” He shook his head in pity as his eyes coldly swept the place making everything crumble once again.
…
Life after life, reality after reality, Shen Yuan lived countless lives, some filled with love, some with power, some with endless conflict, and others with betrayal.
Yet none of them managed to bring down Shen Yuan’s conviction towards his path, instead, they only accelerated his metamorphosis which was happening inside his soul.
After shattering the 81st illusion, he once again found himself before the eternal darkness. His mind was clear of everything yet burdened by the lives he had to live through.
Each life offered him something valuable, even if it was from betrayal or love, yet each time, he didn’t fall for the temptation of false reality and chose to leave it in pursuit of something far greater.
