Chapter 749 400: A Close Call

"Is that so?"

Yang An rose to his feet, feigning a look of confusion, while replying to the Bow Lady in his mind.

'It seems this is indeed the most difficult trial I'll face to enter the Emei Mansion,' he thought, 'but it's one I might just be able to overcome.'

'If they're going to check my life story on Earth, well, as a native of this world, my past life did indeed exist. The only issue is a discrepancy in the timeline. Before I crossed over to the Origin Realm, the time on Earth was several years ago, and the two worlds' timelines seem to be synchronized. Returning after several years, that period of time I was missing will be difficult to explain. That's the real problem I have to face.'

'Of course, I'll do my best to hide the truth and muddle through. If that proves impossible, then just as the Bow Lady said, I'll withdraw immediately. If the proactive approach fails, I'll have to switch to a passive one. With no other options, it's all I can do.'

The two Immortal Mansion Disciples didn't say much more and soon prepared to lead Yang An into the Immortal Mansion.

This so-called Immortal Mansion was a real eye-opener for Yang An.

The true Emei Mansion was not the towering mountain before him.

One of the Immortal Mansion Disciples formed a Seal Decision with his hand and pointed a finger at the center of Yang An's forehead.

Yang An suppressed his subconscious urge to counterattack, allowing the Immortal Mansion Disciple to touch his forehead.

With this disciple's Cultivation Level, he wouldn't be able to find any flaws by examining his soul. If Yang An had resisted instinctively, the two Immortal Mansion Disciples probably wouldn't have come out of it well.

Nothing strange seemed to happen, but as Yang An looked at Emei Mountain, the vast mountain range before him began to form a double image.

Out of the darkness, a shadow of the towering mountain seemed to emerge. It gradually began to glow with a seven-colored light, becoming dazzling and resplendent.

It was like the first light of dawn rising behind the mountain, giving the entire range a sacred aura.

The two Immortal Mansion Disciples then grabbed Yang An and flew toward the Emei Mansion.

But the place they flew into was not Emei Mountain itself, but the massive double image that had appeared behind it, which looked like another, identical Emei Mountain.

Before entering the mountain, one must first pass through the Mystic Gate, where the Mountain Gate was located at the mountain's foot.

The two had merely used a Secret Technique to allow Yang An to see the true location of the Emei Mansion.

The Mountain Gate was split into two entrances, one black and one white.

Yang An was led through the white Mountain Gate. Looking up, he saw an endless flight of stairs, with no way to tell where they led or where they ended.

Yang An also noticed some Wandering Souls of people who had truly died flying over, but they were led into the black Mountain Gate.

'That must be the Land of Reincarnation managed by the Emei Mansion,' he figured.

Speaking of which, this Land of Reincarnation was a wondrous concept. Yang An had never seen such a thing; the concept didn't even exist in the Origin Realm.

If he didn't have urgent business to attend to, he would have loved to take a look at what this so-called Land of Reincarnation was actually like.

After entering the Mountain Gate, flying was no longer possible. One had to walk up the stone steps, one by one.

Even in his soul state, stepping onto the stairs brought a crushing weight, as if with every step, he might collapse under the immense pressure at any moment.

But Yang An was no ordinary person. He silently followed the two Immortal Mansion Disciples and soon arrived at a complex of buildings on the mountain.

"Congratulations on passing the first trial."

Upon their arrival, one of the Immortal Mansion Disciples turned and said to Yang An.

Yang An put on a puzzled expression, pretending not to know what the Immortal Mansion Disciple meant, though he had actually already guessed.

The stone steps leading up from the Mountain Gate must have been the first test.

"The fact that you could walk up the Heart Inquiry Tier to get here proves you truly possess the aptitude for spiritual inspiration. That was the first trial."

Just as he expected, the Immortal Mansion Disciple explained.

Yang An was then led into a hall.

The hall was somewhat dim. On both sides stood a row of wooden figures—literal men made of wood. They resembled mortal-world Government Officials, holding Killing Rods, their wooden faces expressionless but filled with a menacing aura.

Directly ahead stood a Cultivator in black robes, holding a tablet that seemed to be neither gold nor Jade.

Behind this Cultivator, a cavern opened up in the floor, emitting a red glow that looked rather sinister.

"Apologies for the trouble, Senior Brother. Please check this person's life history. He may have the aptitude to cultivate in our Immortal Mansion."

The Immortal Mansion Disciple who had brought Yang An here spoke respectfully to the black-robed Cultivator, who seemed to hold a higher status than the two of them.

"Name?"

The black-robed Cultivator nodded, his eyes wide and glaring as he looked at Yang An. His voice carried a natural authority as he asked the question.

The hall's layout strongly resembled the legendary Underworld. To think an Immortal Mansion would look like this—it was another eye-opener for Yang An.

'If I'm not mistaken,' he thought, 'the cavern behind the black-robed Cultivator, which leads underground, probably connects to the Land of Reincarnation. If anyone fails this stage of the assessment, they'll likely be thrown directly into reincarnation.'

As if intimidated by the black-robed Cultivator's imposing presence, Yang An froze for two seconds before answering nervously.

"Yang An."

He answered truthfully.

"Kid, these guys' Cultivation Levels aren't very high. With your skills, it'd be easy to leave, but there are many powerful Cultivators higher up in the Immortal Mansion. You need to be prepared."

The Bow Lady's voice rang in Yang An's ears. As soon as he began this trial, she started giving him advance warnings.