"Heh, entering the Chaotic Forest? Can a useless waste from the Washing Ancient Sect handle it?" A disciple of the Nine Saint Demon Gate sneered outside the Chaotic Forest.

Another disciple chimed in, "Senior Brother Xu once entered the fifth layer of the Chaotic Forest during his assessment. Now he's at the True Fate realm, moving towards the Canopy realm. His cultivation and Dao heart are much stronger than before. I bet he can reach the seventh layer without any problem."

The cultivation realms, from lowest to highest, are: Palace Opening, Territory Expansion, Body Tempering, Palace Seizing, Life Enhancement, True Fate, Canopy, Nirvana, Heavenly Origin, God Nourishing...

When one becomes truly invincible and carries the Heaven's Mandate, they become an Immortal Emperor.

There are no records of immortals, let alone an emperor who rules over immortals. But there's a saying: "My fate is mine, not the heavens'."

Heaven's Mandate can only be held by an immortal. Therefore, when a cultivator reaches the peak of invincibility, their goal is to seize the Heaven's Mandate and reach a state where their fate is in their own hands, not the heavens'.

Only immortals can hold the Heaven's Mandate, and an emperor, living forever, can. Hence, an Immortal Emperor is an immortal who carries the Heaven's Mandate. Whether an Immortal Emperor is truly immortal remains a mystery.

In the same era, the Heaven's Mandate is unique. Only one person can become an Immortal Emperor in a given era.

At this moment, countless disciples of the Nine Saint Demon Gate gathered outside the Chaotic Forest, discussing the matter. In everyone's eyes, Li Qiye was not a worthy opponent for this literary assessment.

"A mere martial artist without a Dao heart, how can he even talk about entering the Chaotic Forest?" someone sneered.

The Chaotic Forest is a place where the Nine Saint Demon Gate assesses disciples' talent, wisdom, and Dao heart. The most important factor here is the Dao heart.

The Chaotic Forest has fourteen layers. To the eye, it looks like any ordinary forest, but it was crafted by the founder of the Nine Saint Demon Gate, the Nine Saints Sage.

Once inside, illusions appear as real as reality. Even someone with a discerning eye can't break the illusions unless they are stronger than the Nine Saints Sage. Otherwise, the illusions seem entirely real.

For instance, upon entering the Chaotic Forest, you might find yourself in a sea of fire, feeling the burning pain as if it were real. The deeper you go, the stronger the pain becomes.

During this process, you can use techniques to resist the pain or use supreme techniques to fend off the burning. However, this won't allow you to pass through the entire Chaotic Forest unless you are stronger than the Nine Saints Sage.

"You ignorant child, you go first!" Xu Hun sneered at Li Qiye outside the Chaotic Forest. He was supremely confident, believing he could reach the eighth layer without a problem.

Looking at the Chaotic Forest, Li Qiye couldn't help but smirk. The Chaotic Forest was crafted by the old chicken head and was truly a place to test one's Dao heart.

"Me?" Li Qiye said slowly, "The Chaotic Forest is too easy for me. If I go first, you might not even get a chance to enter. You go first, so you don't say I didn't give you a fair shot."

Li Qiye's arrogant words made Protector Mo and Nan Huairen want to seal his mouth shut. They wished he would stop boasting for once.

"Ignorant fool!" Protector Xu coldly snorted, "A waste who doesn't even know what a Dao heart is dares to boast!"

Xu Hun trembled with anger. A mere commoner dared to look down on him! Laughing in rage, he said, "Fine, let's see how many layers you can reach!"

"Layers? That's too easy. I'll pass through all fourteen layers without breaking a sweat," Li Qiye said nonchalantly. "That's why I'm letting you go first, so you don't feel too humiliated."

"Spit—" Li Qiye's arrogance was unbearable for many disciples of the Nine Saint Demon Gate. One of them sneered, "Are all people from the Washing Ancient Sect this shameless? Boasting without any basis!"

The laughter and mocking of the Nine Saint Demon Gate disciples made Protector Mo and Nan Huairen feel deeply ashamed, unable to lift their heads.

Protector Xu sneered, finding it pathetic. Even Yu He, who had seen countless storms, found Li Qiye amusing. He couldn't believe someone could be so ignorant—what a hopeless fool!

Did Li Qiye not know the strength of the Nine Saint Demon Gate? Did he have no concept of power? This made Yu He laugh inwardly. Today, he had encountered the pinnacle of ignorance.

Finally, Yu He regained his composure, coughed, and said, "Let's start with the literary test. Enter the Chaotic Forest; whoever goes the farthest wins!"

Seeing the assessment begin, everyone moved towards the Chaotic Forest. In no time, the outer perimeter of the Chaotic Forest was filled with countless disciples of the Nine Saint Demon Gate.

A good book needs everyone's support. Please cast your votes.

Protector Mo and Nan Huairen felt deeply embarrassed. They truly wished they could just abandon Li Qiye here and now. His boasts were becoming increasingly outrageous. They knew the Chaotic Forest of the Nine Saint Demon Gate all too well. Reaching the seventh layer was already a remarkable feat, indicating either an extremely strong Dao heart or very high cultivation.

Even Chief Protector Yu He couldn't help but shake his head. He couldn't understand why the Washing Ancient Sect would accept such a fool as their chief disciple. Passing through all fourteen layers of the Chaotic Forest? That was pure fantasy, not even he could do that.

"Fourteen layers?" Xu Hun laughed hysterically, looking at Li Qiye with ridicule. "If you can pass through fourteen layers, I'll call you father!"

"I don't have such an unfilial son!" Li Qiye replied calmly, glancing at Xu Hun with a leisurely air.

Xu Hun, feeling humiliated, was furious. His eyes grew cold as he stared at Li Qiye. "Fine, since you're so arrogant, how about a bet?"

"A bet? What kind?" Li Qiye asked with a smile.

Xu Hun sneered, "If you can pass through fourteen layers, I'll admit defeat. If you can't, you have to crawl under my crotch!"

The terms of Xu Hun's bet made Protector Mo and Nan Huairen's faces change. This was not just an assessment; it was a way to humiliate Li Qiye and, by extension, the Washing Ancient Sect. But they could do nothing but shake their heads, knowing Li Qiye had brought this upon himself.

"If I pass through all fourteen layers, will you crawl under my crotch?" Li Qiye asked, his eyes narrowed with a smile.

"You—" Xu Hun's face turned red with anger at Li Qiye's provocation.

"If you pass through fourteen layers, he will crawl under your crotch. If you fail, you will crawl under his!" Protector Xu coldly interjected. Li Qiye had killed Du Yuanguang, and although he couldn't kill Li Qiye now, humiliating him would be a satisfying alternative.

Li Qiye glanced at Protector Xu, then nodded seriously, "Fine, since you all want to bet, I agree."

"Senior Brother Xu, make him pay! Bet with him!" the disciples of the Nine Saint Demon Gate clamored.

Xu Hun shot a cold look at Li Qiye, then said sinisterly, "I look forward to seeing you crawl under my crotch!" With that, he turned and entered the Chaotic Forest.

"Heh, this time the Washing Ancient Sect will lose all face. Their chief disciple crawling under Senior Brother Xu's crotch!" laughed a disciple of the Nine Saint Demon Gate.

Protector Mo and Nan Huairen turned their faces away, unwilling to watch. For Li Qiye to defeat Xu Hun would be a miracle, but passing through all fourteen layers of the Chaotic Forest was a fantasy! They wished they could leave right now; if Li Qiye really crawled under Xu Hun's crotch, the Washing Ancient Sect would lose all dignity.

At this moment, Protector Mo wished he could punish Li Qiye harshly.

As soon as Xu Hun entered the Chaotic Forest, his surroundings turned pitch black, transforming into a ghostly realm. The vast land was filled with ghostly energy, and the sound of creaking bones was everywhere as corpses crawled out of the ground.

Xu Hun took a deep breath, circulated his cultivation technique, and maintained his Dao heart, ignoring the ghostly realm as he slowly moved forward.

"First layer—" Everyone outside watched Xu Hun intently. Without surprise, he quickly passed through the first layer of the Chaotic Forest.

"Second layer—Third layer—" Xu Hun was indeed impressive. Both his cultivation and Dao heart were excellent, allowing him to swiftly pass through the third layer.

However, his pace slowed significantly upon reaching the fourth layer. The ghostly white bones began to attack him. At first, he could ignore them, but soon he was being torn apart, causing him to scream in pain and instinctively fight back.

"Open—" In the fifth layer, Xu Hun was fully immersed in the ghostly realm. He shouted, summoning his treasure. A divine sword shot to the sky, spitting out true essence, and laws of nature descended, sweeping his surroundings.

Xu Hun's life wheel appeared behind his head, his blood energy surging. He unleashed his unparalleled techniques, forcing his way through.

"Senior Brother Xu has mastered the 'Fierce Slaughter Sword Art' of the great sage!" marveled a disciple of the Nine Saint Demon Gate as they watched Xu Hun's powerful technique conquer the fifth layer of the Chaotic Forest.

Techniques are categorized into life techniques, life arts, and body techniques. Life arts are primarily offensive, especially those left behind by great sages, making them incredibly powerful!

Seeing Xu Hun break through the fifth layer, Li Qiye gently shook his head. The Chaotic Forest was meant to challenge one's Dao heart. Using techniques to force through was a misguided approach! The Nine Saints Sage had created the Chaotic Forest to temper the Dao hearts of his disciples.

"Seventh layer—" Finally, Xu Hun reached the seventh layer, impressing countless disciples.

Even Protector Xu was satisfied. Xu Hun was indeed his pride. Although Xu Hun's talent couldn't compare to Princess Li Shuangyan, nor his cultivation to Senior Disciple Leng Chengfeng, his achievements made his master proud.

"Bang—" Xu Hun had just entered the seventh layer when he could no longer endure. The power of the Chaotic Forest overwhelmed him, and he was ejected.

"Almost!" Xu Hun cried out, dazed and disoriented. He had thought he could reach the eighth layer but had underestimated the Chaotic Forest's power.