Ye Han followed the guard through a series of turns for about fifteen minutes before finally arriving at a grand and majestic building reminiscent of Western architecture on Earth, only with an even more noble air. Despite the Helian family's small size, they maintained an impressive façade.
"Wait here, I'll go announce you," the guard said to Ye Han in a flat tone.
Ye Han didn't respond, his attention still on observing his surroundings.
"Let him in," a cold voice came from the hall. As Ye Han stepped towards the hall, a massive aura suddenly pressed down on him, immobilizing him completely as if even the air around him had solidified.
This aura reminded him of the force exerted during the battle between Infernal Prison and that celestial king on Earth, although it was nowhere near as intense. It was filled with a sense of slaughter, while the pressure he felt now held no killing intent.
Ye Han understood this was a test from the people inside. They either didn't believe he could defeat Zhou Haolin, or they wanted to ascertain the extent of his abilities.
"Huh," a voice of surprise came from within. The testers immediately noticed the absence of energy in Ye Han as soon as their aura enveloped him. Their own pressuring aura was close to that of a fourth-tier, yet Ye Han showed no sign of pain, prompting their confusion.
Ordinarily, without any energy, it would be impossible to withstand such a powerful aura. Even someone of the third tier would struggle to bear it without signs of distress.
Furthermore, upon observing his body, they noted his muscles were relaxed, not suggesting someone who had trained physically.
What they didn't realize was that Ye Han's transformed zombie body appeared normal but would exhibit the effects of the refining process in combat, enhancing his strength and flexibility tenfold. Thus, the person inside could not discern anything special about Ye Han's physique.
The person inside, whose robe fluttered without wind, was simply sitting there, but Ye Han and everyone else in the hall could feel the aura increasing gradually. The person inside was friendly and meant no harm; the aura increased slowly, the rise not too rapid, as they sought to push Ye Han to reveal his true strength.
Ye Han also understood their intentions. Just as he was about to feign pain, his pride and the unyielding nature of his zombie form told him "Do not do this, do not submit." Ye Han was torn between the two choices.
The surrounding pressure grew, nearing a late fourth-tier aura, and Ye Han began to have trouble breathing. Just as he was about to give up, his years of experience as Infernal Prison and a celestial king taught him, "Do not submit, or it will cast a large shadow over future cultivation and hinder the advancement of your strength."
Clenching his fists within his sleeves, his face returned to normal, maintaining a dignified composure. He drew upon the Brahma Corpse Scripture, absorbing the chilling yin energy into his body, which significantly reduced the pressure on him.
As Ye Han circulated his energy, the person inside was even more astonished, feeling a rebound of their own oppressive aura.
Curiosity often leads to unexpected actions, and the person outside was no exception. Seeing that the young teenager could reflect the aura without releasing any energy, they wanted to see just how much pressure he could withstand, forgetting the original purpose of their test.
As the released aura grew stronger, Ye Han felt as if his body was being crushed under tons of weight, unable to move even an eyelid.
Those in the hall could sense the extent of the released aura and were surprised. The young masters of the Helian family, who once looked down on Ye Han, now found their minds unable to comprehend the situation. They exchanged glances, each showing a look of extreme shock and disbelief.
Ye Han's circulation of the Brahma Corpse Scripture rapidly relieved some of the pressure. But most of it was still borne by him. As the aura grew, approaching the fifth tier, Ye Han's body began to tremble slightly, and pain appeared on his face again.
"I will not submit, I can hold on, I will not give up. No one can..." Ye Han mentally shouted, focusing all his attention on circulating the Brahma Corpse Scripture, which sped up once more. The meridians in his body were in pain from the rapid circulation, and some small ones began to rupture, blood seeping from his pores.
As the aura reached the fifth tier, Ye Han's body was bent at a right angle, his legs nearly touching the ground, yet he continued to support himself with his indomitable will. Blood oozed from his clenched hands, pooling shallowly on the ground.
In the midst of this struggle, the Brahma Corpse Scripture suddenly stalled, and Ye Han felt as if something inside him had shattered. Within moments, the scripture began to circulate faster than before, and the oppressive aura, centered
on Ye Han, burst out to the sides, scattering the flowers and plants along the stone path.
A surge of intense, bloodthirsty yin energy assaulted Ye Han's soul. The abundant yin energy in the air was rapidly absorbed into Ye Han's body by the swiftly circulating Brahma Corpse Scripture, merging into his bones, meridians, and muscles, and repairing the ruptured meridians.
The person inside, witnessing this, was once again greatly shocked. Today, the 'waste' had brought too much astonishment, numbing everyone's spirits.
The one releasing the aura had risen from their chair, but the aura wasn't withdrawn. They felt humiliated; a publicly recognized 'waste' had withstood their aura. Humiliated and unable to suppress him, the aura was continuously reflected back.
With a mix of anger and disgrace, the aura increased once again, reaching the sixth tier almost instantly.
The sixth tier is not comparable to the fifth or below. In the journey of cultivating battle qi and magic, advancing from the fifth to the sixth tier is a major hurdle that countless people are stuck on for life. A sixth-tier individual begins to sense the forces of heaven and earth. Although it's just a trace, it's incomparable to the fifth tier. A sixth-tier individual can easily defeat several of the fifth tier.
The aura of the fifth tier and below is purely based on the body's battle qi or magical energy, but the sixth-tier aura incorporates a trace of the forces of heaven and earth. Even the most powerful beings are as insignificant as ants before these forces, gods included.
With his body now completely bent at a right angle under the aura infused with the forces of heaven and earth, Ye Han's legs bent nearly to the ground. Yet he persisted, supporting himself with his strong will. Blood from his pierced palms dripped slowly onto the ground, forming two small pools.