Chapter 489: Overbearing Divine Grind

When Zhou Yuan refocused, his surroundings had transformed completely. The misty mountain path had vanished, replaced by an endless desert of yellow sand. He now stood atop a sand dune, with high temperatures permeating the air, making even the Genesis Qi feel exceptionally dry and hot. High above, a scorching golden sun hung, its golden rays pouring down in streams.

“Is this the second stage of the trial?” Zhou Yuan murmured, gazing at the yellow desert. “What does this stage test?”

As Zhou Yuan spoke to himself, the golden sunlight from above descended upon his body. However, his physical form and internal Genesis Qi showed no reaction whatsoever.

“It’s not affecting my body or Genesis Qi…”

“Then…” Before he could finish, Zhou Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He felt a searing, stinging pain emanate from the Spirit at his glabella, as if it were trapped in a blazing furnace.

“This stage is targeting the Spirit…”

Zhou Yuan’s gaze sharpened. He immediately sat cross-legged, forming hand seals, and a surge of Genesis Qi created a protective barrier around him, attempting to repel the golden sunlight. However, this proved futile. The golden sunlight completely ignored the Genesis Qi’s defense, piercing through his physical body to shine directly upon the Spirit at his glabella.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan dispelled his Genesis Qi, abandoning the futile effort. He then composed his mind, fully activating his Spirit. His Spirit subsequently rose from his glabella, hovering above him. Having entered the intermediate Solid Stage, Zhou Yuan’s Spirit appeared indistinguishable from a real person, albeit with a slightly ethereal, wavering quality. His Spirit sat cross-legged in the air, operating at full capacity, its spiritual energy emanating outwards to protect itself.

The golden sunlight poured down incessantly, growing hotter with each passing moment. The searing pain in Zhou Yuan’s Spirit also intensified steadily. Eventually, ripples even began to form on the surface of his Spirit.

Zhou Yuan’s expression was exceedingly grave. This was an extremely dangerous situation; if his Spirit couldn't withstand the pressure, it could truly be incinerated, rendering his physical body a useless husk. And Zhou Yuan himself would simply vanish from existence. Through previous experiences, Zhou Yuan understood that this trial was fraught with peril, and a single misstep could lead to irreparable loss.

“The golden sun in the sky is gradually shrinking with time…”

Even as his Spirit endured the searing pain, Zhou Yuan remained acutely aware of the changes occurring around him. He then noticed that the golden sun was steadily diminishing in size.

“Is this trial meant to be endured continuously, until the golden sun shrinks and vanishes?”

Zhou Yuan pondered briefly, then took a deep breath. If that was the case, he would simply have to endure until the very end. Invisible halos radiated around Zhou Yuan’s Spirit, formed from spiritual energy. They constantly clashed with the golden sunlight, only to be melted away by its intensity…

However, just as Zhou Yuan braced himself for continued endurance, he suddenly felt his Spirit begin to vibrate violently.

“What’s happening?!” Zhou Yuan exclaimed in surprise. Could his Spirit be giving out so quickly? That was impossible; his Spirit had at least reached the intermediate Solid Stage!

Zhou Yuan quickly concentrated. He then sensed a mysterious light flickering at the glabella of his Spirit, emanating faint yet grand sounds. They sounded like a massive grinding mill. A faint, millstone-shaped imprint indistinctly appeared at the glabella of Zhou Yuan’s Spirit.

“It’s the Divine Millstone imprint Master Cang Yuan left for me…”

It was this imprint that allowed Zhou Yuan to cultivate the Chaos Divine Mill Contemplation Method. Yet, he wasn't currently practicing the method, so why was the imprint appearing uncontrollably?

Buzz! Buzz!

The Divine Millstone imprint at his glabella vibrated violently, unleashing a halo of light that swept across the world, causing yellow sand to rage. Immediately after, Zhou Yuan noticed that his surroundings had transformed dramatically. The desert began to vanish, replaced instead by an endless starry sky. However, above the starry expanse, the golden sun remained suspended, casting down its golden rays.

Boom! Boom!

Zhou Yuan’s Spirit stood in the starry expanse. From the darkness behind him, colossal sounds emerged, followed by an endless shadow that spread forward. The boundless Chaos Divine Mill, exuding immense pressure, slowly materialized. This time, however, the Chaos Divine Mill did not surge towards Zhou Yuan. Instead, it pointed directly at the golden sun. It felt as if a colossal, coiled dragon had discovered a beast intruding upon its territory and was preparing to launch an assault to expel and eliminate it.

Zhou Yuan was momentarily speechless, then instinctively scratched his head. It seems this golden sun has agitated the Divine Millstone imprint?

The Chaos Divine Mill slowly rotated in the starry expanse, then pressed directly towards the golden sun. The golden sun, seemingly sensing the provocation, suddenly surged with golden light, even forming golden flames that soared towards the Chaos Divine Mill. Facing the golden flames, Zhou Yuan’s Spirit even sensed an aura of danger. However, the Chaos Divine Mill remained utterly fearless. It slowly pressed forward, allowing the golden flames to burn against its mottled surface, which remained completely still. Finally, as the millstone began to rotate, the golden flames were entirely extinguished.

Zhou Yuan’s mouth fell open. This Divine Millstone imprint was truly formidable; it could even withstand the golden sun within this trial ground. After all, the sun was something left behind by Ancestor Cang Xuan himself…

The Chaos Divine Mill slowly advanced through the void, reaching the golden sun. The millstone rotated, and the two extraordinary entities collided with immense force. Violent fluctuations seemed to erupt throughout the void. The entire endless starry sky appeared to be shattering. However, the golden sun's radiance grew increasingly dim, clearly unable to withstand the grinding force of the divine millstone. After a brief stalemate, as the millstone descended, the golden sun shattered into pieces…

The starry sky and the Divine Millstone began to dissipate. The vast yellow sand desert reappeared around Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan stared blankly at the sky. The golden sun was shattered, no longer emitting its scorching golden rays. He scratched his head, muttering to himself in bewilderment, “Does this… count as passing the trial?”

This stage was originally intended to test the challenger's Spirit endurance. However, Zhou Yuan never anticipated that the Divine Millstone imprint within his Spirit would be so volatile and domineering, getting directly provoked and crushing the golden sun… Now that the golden sun is gone, will the trial even continue? Zhou Yuan gazed at the empty sky, momentarily feeling lost.