Super Invincible Immortal Doctor
Chapter 992: Heartfelt Torment

Chapter 992: Chapter 992: Heartfelt Torment

"Surprised? Angry? I didn’t expect that you, having reached such a realm by now, would still harbor such deep grudges against me."

Hong Zhen Ting spoke with a hint of mockery.

With the Dragon Slayer Sword in his hands, Su Chengyu brought it forth, instantly stopping in front of Hong Zhen Ting.

"I could kill you with the flick of my wrist right now!"

Facing Su Chengyu, who could run him through with his sword at any moment, Hong Zhen Ting didn’t show the slightest sign of panic, instead, he pushed a cup of tea towards Su Chengyu.

"Don’t rush; have some tea."

"Are you a human, a ghost, or just an illusion?"

Su Chengyu asked indifferently.

"Neither human nor ghost; I am merely a false Hong Zhen Ting, the one that resides in your heart."

"Why would you appear here?"

"Why ask when you already know?"

Su Chengyu narrowed his eyes and said, "You are the trial of the second layer."

"Correct, I am your first enemy and the starting point of your heart knot, the beginning of your grudge. You might have killed me, but the hatred in your heart for me has never dissipated, which is why I appeared here."

Su Chengyu did not agree or disagree, for Li Yuancang died because of him, and even though Hong Zhen Ting was already dead by now, he had never forgotten this matter.

"How am I supposed to pass this trial?"

"Drink this cup of tea."

Hong Zhen Ting said softly, pushing the teacup in front of Su Chengyu.

Although dubious, Su Chengyu still picked up the teacup in front of him, recalling the first trial that he passed inexplicably.

He checked with his Divine Sense and didn’t detect any issues.

"This cup of tea represents the grudge you have against me; after you drink this tea, you must completely let go of your grudge against me."

Just as Su Chengyu was about to drink, he suddenly stopped and said softly, "That’s impossible."

Hong Zhen Ting looked up at Su Chengyu, "Why be so obstinate? I am already dead, and the person in front of you is nothing but the grudge within your heart. It is best for you to let go of this grudge and drink the tea; moving to the next level is the best outcome for you. Why torment yourself for a dead man?"

Su Chengyu set down the teacup and looked at the "Hong Zhen Ting" before him.

"By letting go of the grudge, can Li Cangyuan come back to life? By letting it go, will the harm that Nan Zhi suffered because of you disappear? Although I killed you, the things you’ve done were never erased! Expecting me to drink this tea? Not in this lifetime, nor the next!"

"If you don’t drink it, your journey to Ascending Heaven will end here."

Hong Zhen Ting suddenly stood up and laughed wildly at Su Chengyu, "Don’t you want to know about your father’s affairs? Don’t you want to uncover the secrets of the Great Catastrophe of Heaven and Earth? Without drinking this tea, you will never know these things!"

"I can find the answers myself."

"Hmph? Haven’t you promised that woman to ascend to the tenth level with her? Are you really content to stop here?"

"If I compromise just for that, then An would truly look down on me!"

Bang!

Su Chengyu’s hand slammed onto the tea table. The teacup shattered abruptly and the tea splashed all around.

As the teacup shattered, the space around him once again began to twist, and the Villa No. 1 along with Hong Zhen Ting quickly vanished from Su Chengyu’s sight.

Is it over?

Su Chengyu felt a bit of regret in his heart. He had considered the possibility that he might not reach the top but had never guessed that his ascension would end at the second layer.

However, just when Su Chengyu thought everything was over, that ethereal voice rang out once again.

"Good and evil will be requited, never forgotten, rating ’B’."

Passed?

Su Chengyu was somewhat surprised, only believing he had indeed passed the second layer when he saw the spinning staircase reappear before him.

Walking on the staircase once more, Su Chengyu’s mood was noticeably heavier.

Unlike the inexplicable passing of the first level, the second layer seemed more like a process of soul-searching.

Looking back at the entire process, Su Chengyu felt as though he had endured the Heart Demon Tribulation.

However, based on the idea that there are grades for passing, there must be more than one way to do it.

He even suspected that "Hong Zhen Ting" had not lied—if he had drunk that cup of tea, he could have passed as well, perhaps even with a higher score.

But Su Chengyu had no regrets. No matter how many times he had to do it over, he would decidedly never drink that so-called tea of letting go of everything.

This also unavoidably made Su Chengyu more concerned about the subsequent climbing of the tower. If there were many more tests of conscience, he might fall at any level.

"Why think so much? Are you going to shrink back now that you know the Ascending Heaven Tower is about introspection?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Su Chengyu’s mind, causing him to start and immediately respond.

"Could it be the Kunwu Immortal?"

"What does it matter if I am or if I am not?"

"Was what Hong Zhen Ting just said true?"

Su Chengyu continued to ask, unable to deny that Hong Zhen Ting’s words were indeed very tempting.

The information about his father and the Great Catastrophe of Heaven and Earth related to Yu Yanshu were both matters of great concern to him.

"If you reach the top, indeed I can resolve some of your doubts."

"Then I will surely ascend to the tenth floor."

"Heh, I wish you luck. In light of the Earth Core Lotus within you, I can give you a little hint."

"What hint?"

"Nine Difficulties."

"Nine Difficulties? What Nine Difficulties?"

Su Chengyu pressed on with his questions, but then the voice suddenly fell silent.

No matter how much Su Chengyu asked thereafter, there was no further response.

Meanwhile, on the topmost level of the Ascending Heaven Tower, two elders in white sat opposite each other before a chessboard.

They were not slow in their play; in a brief period, they had made well over a hundred moves, but the territory occupied by the chess pieces on the board was still only a small patch.

If an outsider were present, they would immediately be astounded. The board in front of the two was neither the popular nineteen lines of today nor the twenty-one of ancient times. Without exception, there were eighty-one intersections in each direction.

"Old friend, have you seen this latest batch of climbers?"

One of the players began the conversation slowly.

The white-bearded elder chuckled, stroking his beard and speaking softly, "Indeed. There were quite a few promising youngsters. Perhaps this time, the number of people who will get to see me in person will increase a bit more."

"Kunwu, you fancy so many people, but how many of them actually return to the Kunwu Realm?"

The questioned Kunwu Immortal laughed and shook his head. "Their coming is fate; their not coming is also fate. Just like this chessboard, a thousand years ago, I foretold that the game would unfold just as it has, thus I knew you would undoubtedly lose."

As he spoke, Kunwu placed a piece down. Suddenly, the situation—which had just been looking good for the white pieces—changed abruptly, putting the large white dragon at a disadvantage and shifting the momentum entirely in favor of the black, leaving the white player unsure where to place his next piece.

Kunwu smiled, stroked his beard, and continued, "By the way, among the climbers this time, one fellow has learned that little Dao technique you left behind."

"Oh? He got past the first level?"

"Mhm."

"Then for the subsequent levels, which focus more on introspection, he won’t be passing so easily."

Those with a grateful heart could obtain the Earth Core Lotus; in his view, the tests of conscience waiting in the tower should naturally not pose a great issue.

However, Kunwu shook his head. "On the contrary, among the climbers this time, the one I least fancy is precisely this fellow."

Though his inner being was clear, it was not pure enough.

For such a person, introspection is like being roasted on the fire.

Yet Kunwu understood all too well that if one such person were to reach the apex, they would assuredly possess the stature of a Great Emperor!