Not everyone would have the ability to fly up through the 3rd trial red vortex. Normally, it would require a Qi Temple realm Qi master with a flying treasure…or a 3-Star demon like Yaan, who could just jump. He could even hold onto the shocked Zue Yin, dragging her up and into the vortex with him.

They had acted so fast that they arrived at the vortex before Ghu Lin and the others even made it to the centre of the hall. The Ghu Clan young man watched expressionlessly as Yaan and Zue Yin disappeared within. A faint hint of a smile crept onto his lips.

“Alive, dead, regardless…he won’t return.”

1,800 years of records assured Ghu Lin of this outcome.

As for what would occur in the 3rd trial after Yaan and Zue Yin entered the red vortex, they had no clue. However, the second they entered the vortex, a voice echoed out throughout their minds.

“You have now entered the spatial vortex, 5 seconds after the vortex formation. The spatial vortex is the bridge between the 3rd and 4th trial realms. The spatial vortex is a cultivation haven for some, but just a bridge to others. You will exit the spatial vortex and enter the 4th trial realm in, 11 hours, 59 minutes, 47 seconds.”

As this message mystically appeared within Yaan’s mind, he realised that he had completely lost track of Zue Yin. He spent a few seconds looking around, attempting to locate her, until he realised the futility of this search.

‘I’m in a spatial vortex…a whirlpool of chaotic space…locating anything here is impossible. So then, it seems that this ‘bridge’ can also be used to cultivate, but cultivate what exactly?’ Yaan mused to himself. In the next moment though, he grinned.

‘Hahaha, I was right to enter as quickly as possible! I basically have the full maximum of 12 hours to cultivate here, wherever here is…’

This place was throwing Yaan off somewhat. Everything was in perpetual motion, like an endless whirlpool of liquid space. Only, this space wasn’t black like he would have expected…it was blood red…

‘Right, the voice said it’s a spatial vortex, but it didn’t say that’s all it is.’ Yun mused to himself. He sat cross legged, stroking his chin as he floated through the red sea and pondered. Compared to others who had quickly entered and began freaking out, he was much more relaxed.

“Gah! What the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell…!” Zue Yin continually trembled as she couldn’t make sense of her situation. As for those True Yuan Qi realm Qi masters who entered, they were even worse off. One even started crying, wanting nothing more than to return to the usual, stable world…

Yaan had no idea about any of this. He wasn’t paying much attention to the absurdity of it all, he actually accepted the situation fairly quickly and easily.

So, he was being span round and around throughout a blood soaked liquid space vortex, and he was forced to be thrown about like this for the next 12 hours? Fine, it’s not like he had much of a choice, right?

Yaan gradually closed his eyes. He had spent some time trying to perceive this vortex, especially that blood-like essence within the crimson space. Unfortunately, he got nowhere, nowhere at all!

So, he shut his eyes. He realised that with his eyes shut, he could actually see even more…

He could no longer see the vortex, the red and black, the liquid and chaos, but he could feel the movements far more clearly. He could feel himself moving around perpetually, eventually coming to the understanding that he was sitting within the outer rim of the vortex. He must have entered there, and was ever so slowly making his way inwards, towards the centre.

Only, this was no ordinary whirlpool, it was a spatial vortex. It was a tunnel connecting two separate realms, and a tunnel such as this just so happened to form a spiralling structure…

Spiralling through space, round and round, closer and closer in…

How long had it been? He was’t sure, but nor did he care. Yaan had become totally engrossed in this feeling, this feeling of the movement through the tunnel. He felt as if he could understand space somewhat, by feeling the movement of the chaotic space around him.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open.

“But…why is it red?”

As he pondered this question, Yaan’s eyes gradually gleamed brighter and brighter.

“This is a spatial vortex. This is a tunnel of space, from one micro-realm to the next micro-realm. However…it is manmade! This inheritance, these realms, the tunnels and vortexes between, are all man made! Meaning that, this is not the perfect operation of space, it is simply a fragment of space which is able to form such a tunnel…and the red…is blood!”

Yaan’s understanding of dao and the world laws in general wasn’t exactly incredible, but he had researched and read enough during his time in North Ghu City that he was able to draw these conclusions.

As he understood this, a change took place in Yaan’s surroundings. No, rather than that, his perception suddenly underwent a drastic change, allowing him to see things clearly for the first time!

“This spatial vortex, doesn’t contain the full dao of space. So this is dao…this tunnel contains a single being’s interpretation over the dao of space. This is neither right, nor wrong. Rather, it’s a single fragment of the space dao, used to create an entire spatial tunnel. But this individual…this being, was not someone who chased dao!”

Yaan’s eyes shone brilliantly as he came to an understanding without fully knowing how it was that he had realised all of this.

As he spoke these words, it was as if the entire vortex suddenly trembled, but this was clearly only an illusion he had. As he looked around, Yun could now finally make out the silhouettes of all of the people in the vortex. Currently, there were 17, 6 more than intended. He could also tell that they’d been here for 3 hours only…

Slowly, Yaan showered his gaze across the red vortex. Whilst he was able to see through it, that didn’t mean he had overcome or surpassed it. No, far from it! This vortex was unbelievably powerful, it was so complicated and amazing that Yaan felt deep admiration for the creator…

Especially because he could somehow feel that the creator clearly didn’t value dao!

This made Yaan feel dazed. All cultivators, no matter their path, pursued dao. So then, the creator of this tunnel, who should also be the creator of these trials, these realms and this inheritance…what exactly was his path? What was he trying to prove, by rejecting dao? Did he successfully reject dao in the end, and what about the spatial dao in this vortex…?

Yaan stared forwards, dazed, until his gaze drifted down, towards the centre of the vortex. This was also the exit of the vortex, but it seemed that the pressure of the vortex increased exponentially drawing closer to the centre, to the exit.

Yaan allowed himself to be swept by the current, but he stared down into the depths, into the centre. The pressure reflected back into his eyes was monstrous, but it was not dao, it was not space…it was pure, unadulterated vitality!

This vitality was so powerful that Yaan could feel bloodlust and slaughter, blood and death, countless laws and daos emanating from it. He could feel that vitality was a true power, and it could reach such shocking extremes…

As Yaan’s gaze moved back up and around the whirlpool, he shut his eyes, lay back, and felt himself being pulled and thrusted around in the spatial vortex’s red ‘waters’. As time passed by, he relaxed into a deeper and deeper state. Eventually, he was inhaling the vortex fluid, he was drinking and eating it, it was seeping in and out of his skin!

It passed in and out of his body. He hoped that by allowing the vitality to flow freely in and out of him, then perhaps, he might increase his cultivation level!

Yaan’s eyes shot open. He stared up with wide eyes, now realising that he had been wrong. This method, whilst it did bring vitality imbued with spatial fragments into his body…this was not the true path of body cultivation!

There were now just 90 minutes remaining, but finally, Yaan understood. Or at least, he understood how he could use this vortex.

The vortex was called a ‘spatial vortex’, yet it was not created by someone with deep dao comprehension. Instead, an overwhelmingly powerful vitality was used, creating a vortex, a vortex so strong that it drilled through from one micro-realm to the next! In breaking apart the realm walls, the vitality devoured spatial fragments into itself. This vitality was so strong it could pierce through time and space, and after creating a vortex spinning between two spatial realms for so long, the vital vortex began to actually produce its own spatial dao!

“No wonder I felt that it was just a fragment of the space dao…no wonder the vortex is red…this entire vortex has become a spatial vortex, but its foundation is still vitality!”

Yaan stood up within the vortex, then did something shocking that no other challenger dared to attempt. Some had considered it, but shot down the idea as soon as they stood up and leaned forwards.

Stretching forwards his left leg whilst his body was fully submerged beneath the depths of a spatial vortex, was such a slow, arduous task, that it could very well take countless years to succeed given Yaan’s strength. However, he wasn’t trying to resist the spatial dao…he was trying to walk against the current of vitality.

He became stuck. Yaan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focussing first on the spatial fragments and allowing this momentum to pass through his body.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. As his eyes burst open, Yaan took a step forwards.

He moved around half and inch, then his body erupted in blood, almost tearing him apart from the sheer strain.

And yet, he didn’t so much as pause, next taking another step, this time moving another half inch.

With each step, his body erupted in countless gruesome injuries, but Yaan ignored them as best he could. The reason he was able to ignore these injuries, was thanks to the whirlpool’s vitality. This blood-red vitality continued to flood through his body, restoring the devastating injuries almost as quickly as they formed!

He could step an inch, then 2 inches, 3 inches, 4 inches, 5 inch, half a foot…eventually, he could step an entire foot, swinging forth his arms and leaning forwards with his body as he moved.

It took him so long to take each step, that Yaan now realised, he was in the centre of the whirlpool. With just 3 minutes remaining, what did he do?

He crouched down. He thrust back his arms behind him. Then, he sprang up, throwing forwards his arms, straightening his legs, launching himself as far forwards as he could possibly muster in this single jump!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

He felt body parts explode, but Yaan was feeling extremely satisfied. As he collapsed, falling into a deep, deep hole, out from the vortex, a torrential waterfall of vitality poured down over his body, restoring his half-dead body and healing every injury he had accumulated in a single moment.