I Can Accumulate Proficiency, Starting from Alchemy
Chapter 1665 - Chapter 1665 Chapter 718 Identity Lost Shocking Speculation_2

Chapter 1665: Chapter 718: Identity Lost, Shocking Speculation_2 Chapter 1665: Chapter 718: Identity Lost, Shocking Speculation_2 Seeing this, Han Yi let out a sigh of relief; these tasks were commonplace for other cultivators at the Daoist Fruit Realm, and for him, they were naturally even easier.

What he had been worried about was that the task would have him challenge a Heavenly Sovereign. If that were the case, it would be no different from sending him to his death.

However, having stepped into the relics and seen that up in the high altitudes above the clouds, the majority of the cultivators at the Dao Realm and even the Immortal Monarchs and Immortal Venerates had not been gravely wounded, it indicated that these tasks were indeed achievable. The process might be convoluted, but there likely wasn’t any life-threatening danger.

After fully understanding the situation inside the Heavenly Demon Valley, Han Yi didn’t start slaying demons right away. Instead, he disguised himself as an Ancient Demon to investigate the history of the valley. After thoroughly investigating and gaining clarity, he laid out the Void Sword Realm and enveloped the entire valley, annihilating the Ancient Demons.

To this Demon Valley, it was as if the end of days had arrived; with the press of chaos descending from above, everyone below the level of Immortal Venerate stood almost no chance of resistance before being crushed into dust, vanishing without a trace. Even those at the Dao Realm and Daoist Fruit Realm couldn’t withstand the Dao Sword unleashed by Han Yi using the Milo Xuanzhen Sword Manual.

In merely a dozen or so breaths, the entire valley, aside from Han Yi himself, was reduced to ruins.

Afterward, Han Yi didn’t plan to leave the valley just yet. Instead, he intended to upturn the valley in search of possible “hidden clues.”

But a force, undeniable and compelling, acted upon him; the space around him rapidly changed.

“Eliminate one hundred and eighty thousand demons, battle merit +1.”

As this voice fell, a mysterious fluctuation swept across his body, and then his surroundings transformed–Han Yi found himself back on the clouds.

Around him, figures began to gradually appear, including Heavenly Sovereigns, Dao Realm cultivators, and Immortal Venerates.

But at this moment, his attention was captured by that voice that had just spoken.

The voice had confirmed the elimination of one hundred and eighty thousand demons, which matched the initial requirement of the task, proving that he had completed it; theoretically, he should have passed the assessment.

Moreover, it mentioned “battle merit +1,” further indicating success.

Yet, here he was, back on top of the clouds, looking as if passing the assessment had brought about no change at all.

If the other Heavenly Sovereigns and Dao Realm cultivators were in the same situation, then theoretically, they should have long since navigated through countless Reincarnation Worlds, with the highest battle merits potentially reaching over two hundred thousand.

But since they all returned here each time, it proved the assessment had not been passed.

This was the reason why the Daoist Hearts of the arriving Immortal Venerates shattered and the inner worlds of the Dao Realm cultivators fell into despair.

Suddenly,

Han Yi fiercely remembered something, a flash of Golden Light sparking in his eyes. But this place was amidst the clouds, teeming with Heavenly Sovereigns and Outer Path Daoist Masters; he dared not act on the abrupt inspiration that had struck him.

A few breaths later, in front of him, the Daoist Fruit Realm cultivator who had spoken with him before also suddenly appeared, his sleeve at the cuff torn; his aura seemed stable enough, and though he wasn’t injured, the challenge he faced was likely not simple.

The Daoist Fruit Realm cultivator looked towards him and approached, asking, “Daoist, did you choose to complete the task this time, or lie in wait within it?”

Han Yi replied, “This time I completed the task. Before I left the Reincarnation World, I heard the voice indicating the task was complete.”

The Daoist Fruit Realm cultivator in front of him nodded in understanding, speaking solemnly,

“You completed the task; you should have heard about the additional battle merit. Normally speaking, that should prove that you’ve passed the assessment, but in the end, you’ve returned here, which counts as failure.”

“The reason I call the assessments you’ve experienced Reincarnation Worlds is also because they keep changing. Each time you encounter different assessments, like individual world missions.”

“Furthermore, even after completing a task, although you’re reminded about completion and even of the added battle merit, there is no follow-up; it’s as if something is missing.”

Saying this, the Daoist Fruit Realm cultivator paused, a thoughtful glimmer moving in his eyes, pondering,

“I suspect what is missing is identity because we are all outsiders, not cultivators from Ashen Mountain; thus, even if we pass the assessment, our incorrect identity invalidates the evaluation, sending us back to the beginning.”

“In this way, the mechanism of the Reincarnation World is formed.”

“But since Ashen Mountain has been broken for countless Chaos Eras, it’s impossible for us to travel back in time to become cultivators of Ashen Mountain; thus, we are faced with an insoluble deadlock.”

“It’s also for this reason that I call this Reincarnation World a ‘Death Realm.'”

“The ‘Death Realm’ can’t be opened from inside; only from outside is there a chance to break it. For now, the only plan is to persist, to strive to survive through each Reincarnation World.”

When the Daoist Fruit Realm spoke up to this point, Han Yi suddenly furrowed his brows and asked,

“Daoist, do you know if we fail to complete our task during the assessment, whether we will also leave from it?”

“What consequence would there be if my task has no time limit and I lurk in the task area without completing it?”

The Daoist Fruit Realm explained, “There are no punishments. If you lurk in the task without any other actions, after a period of time, you will be forcefully ejected from the Reincarnation World and brought back here.”

“This period could be ten years, or it could be a hundred, but no matter how many years it is, when you return here, you will find that only a few minutes have passed in the clouds. After half an hour, we will once again be pulled into the Reincarnation World, required to complete a task, over and over.”

The Daoist Fruit Realm did not mention whether one would resurrect here if slain during the task. Obviously, such a risk, for a being in the Tao Realm, would not be attempted unless the Taoist Heart were to collapse.

Han Yi then pointed downward; he had appeared in the clouds, and just as when he had sent his Tao Thought down to investigate earlier, there was no response, just like probing into the mist.

“Daoist, do you know what is below us? If I were to fall down, is it possible to leave the mist?”

The Daoist Fruit Realm shook his head, “I’ve tried as well. There is no path through the clouds below, it’s like an invisible wall that cannot be penetrated by any attack.”

“Our location is surrounded by formless walls on all sides, except above. And in the sky, as you saw last time, if one surges upwards, an attack falls down. In the beginning, even several Heavenly Sovereigns acted, but they were still repelled. These Sovereigns didn’t fight desperately, probably knowing that if they had, they might have truly perished here.”

After listening, Han Yi’s understanding of the mist and the Reincarnation World grew.

And his idea that had just come to mind felt increasingly likely to be the key to breaking the situation.

But he did not show it; instead, he remained silent, contemplative.

This time, no Immortal Venerate collapsed, and even the handful of Immortal Monarchs present did not cause any disorder.

After the Daoist Fruit Realm cultivator returned to his original position, Han Yi glanced around, counting the numbers: there were still five Heavenly Sovereigns, and as for the cultivators in the Tao Realm, there were over seven hundred. The remaining Heavenly Sovereigns and Immortal Monarchs were even fewer, only about one hundred in total.

Most cultivators below the Tao Realm did not dare to set foot here, because it was too dangerous, and outside the mist, the other regions of the ruins were enough for their exploration and gains.

He withdrew his gaze and began to sink his Tao Thought into his body, into the Central Mansion Divine Aperture World.

This Divine Aperture World had already become akin to a small world, a small starry sky world.

Deep within the starry sky world, in the Void, a stele floated, this stele was none other than the Chongxuan Stele he had obtained during his last visit to the Ashen Ruins.

His Tao Thought condensed into a Spirit Transformation, standing before the stele, studying the incomplete and blurry characters on it.

[Chongxuan Stele]

[Taoist * seats]

[Gu Liefeng, Harmonization*, battle record: 187*, 9 losses]

[Fifth Mountain, Harmonization, battle*, 1*3 wins, 10 losses]

…

This time, Han Yi’s focus was on the words ‘battle record’.

Because in the Reincarnation World, after the obliteration of Demon Valley, he had seen ‘battle record +1’, and he suspected that the ‘battle record’ on the stele and the ‘battle record’ acquired after completing a task might be the same thing.

If they were indeed the same, then the Taoists on the stele must have completed similar tasks to acquire one battle record. Perhaps by ranking or entering the top few, or achieving many battle records, one could receive true inheritance and escape from this Death Realm.

And Han Yi wondered, if he also engraved his name on the stele, would he, in some sense, become a cultivator of Ashen Mountain instead of an outsider.

Then, passing through the Reincarnation World as an Ashen Mountain cultivator, could it be possible to truly inherit the ‘battle record’, no longer invalid, and ultimately escape the Reincarnation World, and even receive the inheritance?

The thought was simply too astonishing. If it were not for Han Yi having faced many crises and being sufficiently calm, someone else might not have come up with this idea.

In some sense, this was cheating across countless Chaos Eras.

But he felt it was worth a try.