It's Fang Fan's showtime, and he's taking it all

While Chen Yi was inspecting talents and intimidating the six ancient clans into huddling defensively, too afraid to continue their ascent, Fang Fan—who had entered a few days earlier—arrived before the fourth entrance stele.

Having endured the devastation of the first three trials, he had now lifted the seal of the Spirit-Severing Curse, restoring his cultivation and magic power. Yet his robes, once a dignified silver-patterned azure official garb of the celestial court, were reduced to mere rags, barely covering his body. His explosive musculature was crisscrossed with scars.

He had screamed until his voice grew hoarse, wept until his tears ran dry. He had known sorrow, but his heart now held it all; he had tasted joy, only to let it fade into indifference... Now, all that remained was an expressionless face, eyes as unyielding as stone, and a mind singularly focused on perseverance.

The fourth trial’s entrance stele bore the same divine inscriptions of the Great Dao, its profound intent easily discernible.

Treasure Labyrinth

Fang Fan studied it briefly before carving another encrypted missive onto the termination stele of the third trial. Only after leaving behind the declaration exclusive to the Treasury Department of the Purple Tenuity Celestial Court did he stride forward, unwavering, into the fourth trial.

Pop—

Passing through the thin curtain of light, he was swallowed by a dizzying vortex.

After a disorienting tumble through space, his feet finally found solid ground again—but the surroundings had transformed entirely.

No mountains of blades or seas of fire awaited him, nor any labyrinth of illusions. Instead, his eyes were met with sheer, overwhelming opulence—a spectacle of wealth so staggering it could shatter any cultivator’s Dao heart!

As far as the eye could see, there were divine jades and sacred metals, rare gemstones radiating blinding brilliance. Towering walls were built from colossal slabs of primordial spirit-jade, seams flowing with molten Solar Essence, warm but not scalding. The ground itself was paved with perfectly fitted stellar cores, casting a soft astral glow—each step felt like treading upon a frozen river of stars.

The very air was saturated with primordial spiritual energy, so dense it verged on materialization. Every breath was akin to swallowing the finest immortal elixir, cleansing meridians and elevating cultivation in one go!

Countless treasures lay scattered about: a qilin auspicious beast, formed from eons of nurturing by the Primordial Chaos Jade, exhaled clouds of fortune; a peerless sword embryo, self-forged from innate Geng Metal, hovered midair, humming sharply; and there, rooted firmly, stood a World Tree, its crystalline branches heavy with plump, mist-shrouded World Fruits...

This was a vast maze constructed entirely of pure, unfathomable wealth!

"Tsk—"

"If I could haul all this back... the Treasury Department would approve any project, no matter how absurd!"

"Oh, you all love proposing outrageous schemes, do you? Claiming the Treasury’s coffers are empty? Just wait—I’ll drown you in money! Fail to deliver results, and you’ll regret it!"

Fang Fan’s eyes burned with fervor, yet he remained composed.

The riches here were beyond his capacity to collect entirely, so wasting time was pointless. Moreover, his instincts warned him—he wasn’t alone in this realm. Other experts were navigating the trials!

He had only a head start. If overtaken, his advantage would vanish.

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Yi was covering his rear. All Fang Fan knew was that his cultivation was lacking, his insight limited. The only way to outpace the others—perhaps even achieve a first clearance and claim the richest rewards—was to sprint like his life depended on it!

With that resolve, he plunged into the labyrinth’s entrance, brushing past one treasure after another, each whispering temptations. Keeping a cool head, he meticulously deduced the correct path at every fork, navigating with razor-sharp logic.

For a cultivator, a maze itself wasn’t the challenge—it was the treasures strewn along the way, each a siren call to distraction. A single lapse in focus, a moment of succumbing to greed, and one would be lost forever.

Fortunately, Fang Fan was a Treasury official, accustomed to handling vast riches daily. Such luxuries held little sway over him.

Well, that was only part of it. The bigger reason? His cultivation was pitifully low—barely a quasi-immortal. These treasures, irresistible to a Great Luo, barely registered for him.

Like trying to stir an ocean with a toothpick, or winking seductively at a toddler...

What reaction could he possibly have?

Thus, the trial of greed collapsed on its own—pure, dumb luck.

Unfortunately, the fourth trial, the Treasure Labyrinth, was far from simple.

Fang Fan could rely on luck, but not for everything.

Just as he smoothly reached the labyrinth’s heart, a sudden anomaly erupted!

Space convulsed, violently compressing and twisting. The surroundings warped at blinding speed.

When the chaos settled, Fang Fan found himself forced into a narrow junction.

Before him stretched three paths, each radiating a distinct aura.

The left path blazed with radiant splendor. At its end stood a mountain of Crimson Sun Immortal Gold, atop which nine orbs—each burning with Solar Truefire—hovered slowly, unleashing waves of heat capable of boiling seas and scorching skies!

A single glance sent Fang Fan’s soul trembling. A spark kindled in his sea of consciousness, whispering the truths of the Fire Dao.

"Nine Solarflame Orbs—condensed from the essence of nine fallen Great Luo Golden Crows, tempered over 120 million years. The bearer may summon nine Great Luo Golden Crows in battle. Under the sun’s dominion, even Great Luo immortals must bow!"

"Ascend the Crimson Sun Mountain, endure the trial of Solar Scourging, and claim the orbs’ allegiance at its peak."

The voice echoed inexplicably in his mind.

"Great Luo... According to the 'Transcendent Sovereign’s Grand Outline for the Long-Term Development of the Purple Tenuity Immortal Realm,' the ranks beyond True Immortal are Heavenly Immortal, Mystic Immortal, Golden Immortal, Taiyi, Great Luo, and Dao Ancestor!"

"Great Luo stands among the apex of all existence across the myriad realms. And this treasure can force them to submit? A fine artifact indeed—it belongs in the Purple Tenuity Treasury!"

Muttering to himself, Fang Fan committed this to memory before turning to the other paths.

The right path shimmered with azure ripples. At its heart lay an endless expanse of cerulean ocean.

Upon the waters, a solitary twelve-petaled Azure Lotus took root in the void. Each petal brimmed with life essence so thick it seemed tangible, while at its core hovered emerald beads, pulsing with a gentle radiance. An overwhelming vitality—the very essence of burgeoning life—washed over him.

Again, a mere glance conjured a lotus phantom in his mind, expounding the truths of the Life Dao.

"Creation’s Azure Lotus—a Primordial Chaos spiritual root. Plant it in the void, sow its seeds in your sea of consciousness, and your true spirit shall never perish. Even should your Dao extinguish and soul scatter, you may revive from its roots in the void."

"Cross the Three Thousand Weak Waters, endure the trial of the Boundless Sea, and the lotus shall acknowledge you."

Fang Fan’s brows shot up. He was thoroughly awed.

"Is this the meaning of an undying body, an armor of resurrection?"

"A single lotus seed here represents one life, and on the Creation Green Lotus... one, two, three... nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine!"

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine lives?!"

"Wait, this doesn’t seem to be limited to the wielder alone. The wielder can use it, but does that mean others can too?"

"Hiss~ If that’s the case, I want to assemble a treasure-hunting suicide squad!"

"This treasure is destined to belong to my Ziwei Immortal Court!"

Fang Fan’s heart raced, but he calmly averted his gaze and turned toward the central path.

If both the left and right paths held such heaven-defying treasures, how could the one in the middle be any lesser?

If his guess was correct, the middle path must be the trial leading to the next challenge!

Since one cannot have both the fish and the bear’s paw, he decided to gamble—he would take them all!