CHAPTER 78 — Trial of the Titan Heart
The spiraling descent ended not with a crash, but with an eerie, sudden stillness.
The vine-tunnel expelled Lin's group into a vast underground chamber—
so enormous it felt like standing inside the hollowed trunk of a mountain-sized tree.
The air was thick, humid, and pulsing with rhythmic life.
Organic…
Alive.
A low vibration rippled through the ground, as though a giant heartbeat echoed from the depths.
BOOM… boom…
BOOM… boom…
Mu gripped Lin's sleeve, voice trembling.
"Is… is that its heartbeat?"
Aurora floated forward, eyes glinting with rare seriousness.
"No.
That is its mind moving."
---
The Heart Chamber
The chamber opened into a cathedral of living roots—
branching, curling, spiraling upward into a canopy of interwoven vines that glowed faintly with greenish-gold light.
At the center stood the heart.
A massive sphere of knotted roots pulsing with radiant life-force, every beat sending ripples of energy through the chamber.
Lin lifted a hand protectively as Sheng stumbled under the pressure.
"Don't inhale too deeply," Lin warned.
"The qi is too concentrated."
"But it's… so pure," Wen gasped.
Aurora nodded.
"The Titan Vine has lived longer than the Cloudsky Sect.
It has absorbed thousands of years' worth of essence."
Mu stared wide-eyed at the shimmering layers surrounding the heart.
"That's… enough medicinal power to make a heaven-grade body cleansing pill ten times over."
Aurora flicked her hair smugly.
"Correct.
And it is extremely protective of that power."
---
The Titan Vine Speaks
The living roots on the ground twisted.
Symbols formed—
glowing green-white, shifting like living ink.
They rearranged…
then pulsed with deep spiritual resonance.
> "YOU… SHOULD NOT BE HERE."
The message vibrated through the chamber, not spoken but felt.
Wen's knees buckled.
Sheng dropped to one.
Mu shivered uncontrollably, clutching her cauldron.
Lin stood firm, dual-star eyes brightening.
Aurora murmured:
"It recognizes you.
It rarely communicates with trespassers."
The symbols shifted again.
> "CHILD OF TRIBULATION.
THIEF OF SUNS."
Lightning flickered around Lin involuntarily.
"It knows you absorbed tribulation lightning," Bai muttered.
Lin stepped forward calmly.
"We need only a fragment of your heart.
To save someone important."
The roots writhed.
> "NO.
MY HEART IS MY SOUL.
TO TAKE IT… IS TO KILL ME."
Lin exhaled slowly.
"But your regeneration—"
> "MY REGENERATION IS LIMITED.
LEAVE."
Aurora folded her arms.
"Looks like negotiation is over."
---
The First Trial — The Guardians
The ground convulsed.
Thick roots burst upward, twisting into humanoid shapes—
faceless, hollow, ancient.
ROOT GUARDIANS.
Each one radiated enough qi to challenge a peak Golden Core expert.
Bai twirled his spear with a grin.
"Perfect. I needed to warm up."
"Focus!" Mu shouted. "These things are alive!"
Wen spread his flags, weaving a barrier formation.
"Buy me three breaths!"
The guardians lunged.
Chaos erupted.
Bai slammed into one, spear spinning in a storm of lightning.
Sheng sliced another with his upgraded blade, barely dodging counter-roots.
Mu ignited her cauldron flame—but the vines smothered it instantly.
"Dammit—!"
Lin grabbed her arm.
"Use this."
He flicked a spark of tribulation lightning into her flame.
FWOOOM—!!!
Her cauldron blazed to life, now burning violet-gold.
Mu gasped.
"This is—!"
"Tribulation fire," Lin said simply.
"Burn them."
Mu's confidence surged.
She thrust forward—
BOOOOM!!!
Three guardians ignited at once, shrieking without mouths.
Wen trapped two others inside a binding formation long enough for Sheng to decapitate them.
Aurora smirked.
"Good.
This is the Titan Vine's version of a handshake."
Bai yelled mid-strike, "WHAT KIND OF HANDSHAKE IS THIS!? YOUR KIND IS CRAZY!"
Aurora nodded proudly.
"We used to be."
---
Lin's True Challenge — The Avatar
The chamber shook.
A massive vine erupted directly before Lin—
shape-shifting into a towering humanoid form, dense with qi, radiating primordial power.
A Titan Root Avatar.
Aurora hovered closer, voice tense.
"That's a mid-Nascent Soul manifestation.
Even my former master never ignored these."
Lin's grip tightened on his spear.
Good.
He wanted something strong.
The Avatar struck first.
A vine fist the size of a house swung toward Lin.
Lin sidestepped, spear flashing—
stabbing through the arm.
But the hole instantly sealed.
"It regenerates," Sheng warned.
Lin smirked.
"Then I'll hit harder."
Tribulation lightning wrapped around his spear.
He thrust upward—
CRACK-BOOOOOOM!!!
Lightning engulfed the Avatar's chest.
But the Titan Vine's nature-force suppressed the lightning, healing itself rapidly.
The Avatar retaliated—
Vines shot forward like spears, aiming for Lin's throat, chest, and heart.
Lin parried, spun, dodged—
fluid movements born from countless battles.
But the Avatar was adapting.
Its vines moved faster.
Sharper.
More intelligent.
Lin grit his teeth.
"So brute force isn't enough…"
He inhaled.
Dual-star qi surged.
The chamber brightened with golden-white radiance.
The Avatar froze in confusion.
Lin twisted his spear behind him, gathering both suns' power.
Aurora's eyes widened.
"Oh?
Oh.
You're using that."
Lin's aura intensified.
Lightning poured into the spear.
Space distorted.
Lin whispered:
> "Solar Lance."
He thrust forward—
SKY-SHATTERING BOOM!!!
The spear pierced the Avatar's core.
Tribulation lightning erupted from within, vaporizing the entire structure.
Roots collapsed into ash.
---
Mu's Breakthrough
Mu's flame, enhanced with tribulation spark, continued burning guardian after guardian.
She suddenly felt her cauldron vibrate.
Her eyes widened.
"My flame—
It's… advancing!"
Aurora nodded.
"You just birthed a three-colored alchemy flame, child.
Not bad."
Mu gasped.
"I… I can refine heaven-grade pills now…"
Lin smiled proudly.
"Good. We'll need that."
---
The Second Trial — Soul Pressure
The heart pulsed violently.
The chamber trembled like a living earthquake.
Roots lit up, forming new symbols:
> "STRENGTH… ACKNOWLEDGED.
BUT RIGHTS… NOT EARNED."
Then—
a wave of crushing soul force blasted outward.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
Bai collapsed.
Sheng screamed.
Wen curled on the ground.
Mu clutched her head, tears forming.
Lin alone remained standing.
Lightning ignited in his soul-sea.
His dual suns spun faster, stabilizing him.
The Titan Vine's memories crashed into him—
ancient wars
death of forest spirits
betrayal by cultivators
the loneliness of thousands of years
its fear of annihilation
It whispered venomously:
> "YOU STAND AGAINST AGES OF LIFE…
AND YOU THINK YOU DESERVE MY HEART?"
Lin ground his teeth.
He answered with a calm, resonant voice:
> "I don't deserve anything.
But I will earn it."
Lightning exploded from his soul.
The memory assault shattered.
The Final Trial Begins
The chamber went still.
The vines curled back.
The heart pulsed once—
Twice—
Then symbols appeared again:
> "THEN FACE MY TRUE FORM."
The entire labyrinth trembled.
The walls peeled back.
Roots descended from above like titanic serpents.
And the true consciousness of the Primordial Titan Vine awakened.
Lin raised his spear.
Dual-star light flared behind him.
Aurora grinned with savage delight.
"Try not to die, Master.
I'd hate to pick another one so soon."
Lin smirked.
"No promises."
And the Titan Vine surged.
---