Jin Huang and Shen Wuyou exchanged glances.
"I don't know what you did, newbie, but this compass has never reacted like this before in the regular sacred realm. I guess I owe you one."
Jin Huang nodded, then took a step forward. "Any thoughts on how we approach this?"
"A few," Shen Wuyou said, about to rattle off a few ideas.
"I've got one." Hei Shisan put this compass away and took a few steps in the direction it had been pointing.
Vital energy burst out of him like a geyser, causing a silent explosion that sent the air and the landscape into a chaotic state. As his power swelled and his aura grew, Hei Shisan gathered more and more of that energy at his fingertips.
In a matter of moments, his power had grown to a height that felt impossible to Jin Huang, and that left Shen Wuyou pale.
"Spirit Art: Rend!"
In less time than it took to blink, Hei Shisan's hands moved, his fingers slashing through the air and leaving large gashes in space itself. Through those gaps in space, it was possible to see an entirely different kind of imagery.
The world around them was not what it seemed.
Hei Shisan did not let up, his power still at an absolute peak, and kept slashing away at the false reality around them. More and more, the imagery of a bright and peaceful world gave way to a desolate one, shrouded lingering black, smokey miasma, and filled with the stench of death and destruction.
The hillsides were battered, filled with craters and littered with bodies and scattered debris. The trees were burnt and dying, if not already dead. Amidst them was a large settlement with tall pagodas and mansions, most of which were utterly decimated.
Thick pillars of that same smoke arose from the area and, at first, they thought that it was entirely destroyed.
Then, they noticed one building that was untouched and seemed to be contained behind a faint film of golden light.
Hei Shisan finally let up, taking a breath. By now, there was a massive rift in front of him that was trying to repair itself. He turned around to face them, his eyes containing a glint of excitement and a battle intent. "Well? Come on, then."
The two followed behind him as he stepped through, suddenly finding him a bit more interesting.
Behind them, the rift slowly healed until it vanished completely, but they were on the other side now, seeing this new realm for exactly what it was:
The aftermath of what could only be described as a terrible battle.
They moved with caution, not getting too close to the deceased cultivators that littered the land. They moved through the smoke and rubble, and eventually passed through a massive hole in the wall that led into the settlement.
Bit by bit, they navigated the ruined homes and streets, keenly observing the fruits of a fight so terrifying that hundreds or thousands of cultivators could perish like this.
"No sign of life," Shen Wuyou said, fiddling with the die in his hand.
"Notice anything else?" Hei Shisan asked as he stepped over some rubble.
Jin Huang's gaze was momentarily called to something within a collapsed building: the bodies of a few buried cultivators. "No weapons, no bags of holding on their person. Everyone here was picked clean."
Shen Wuyou only realized then; Hei Shisan nodded, expression grim. "I don't think any of the casualties were from the opposing side. I think this was a total massacre, and they were stripped of everything they had."
"To the victor go the spoils," Shen Wuyou muttered, then realized that they both shot him glances. "Something my father says a lot."
Hei Shisan led them toward the one untouched building, and they could now clearly see the golden light of some kind of formation array around it. Standing side by side, they stopped at the threshold and inspected it without getting too close.
Jin Huang, not knowing too much, took a step forward. Seeing this, Hei Shisan and Shen Wuyou cried out, about to stop him when they saw his foot go through just fine.
Pausing, they gulped and then put their feet through slowly, relieved when nothing happened.
"What?" Jin Huang asked from the other side when he saw how careful they were being. "Isn't it just for decoration?"
Hei Shisan felt something shed a tear inside of him. Shen Wuyou merely shook his head and patted Jin Huang on the shoulder.
"Ignorance is bliss, bud. Ignorance is bliss."
Jin Huang did not know that, were this formation intended to keep them out, he would have likely just forfeited his life.
As they entered the courtyard of the untouched pagoda, they all had similar reactions. Jin Huang was assailed by the scent, and his eyes lit up. Shen Wuyou's die literally leapt out of his hand, rolling off bit by bit in the direction of the pagoda.
As for Hei Shisan, he could feel the reverberations of the compass from within his spatial ring, and so he took it out. It chimed once, and he silenced it using some sort of built-in mechanism. As for whatever it was pointing to, he could still see it plain as day.
They looked up at the pagoda, preparing themselves in their own ways.
Just as they were about to continue their approach, the doors leading to the lowest floor of the pagoda burst open, and a cold rush of air travelled down the stairs to them. At the same time, a ghostly figure rushed out, gliding across the floor and down the stairs along with the wind.
This figure was covered in flowing cloth and bathed in golden light, much like the light surrounding the entire space. Their skin was translucent and their eyes a solid white color. They possessed long hair that was adorned with various headpieces and hair accessories, and stood taller than any human being ever could, despite also hovering a few inches off the ground.
Looking closely, it was clear that this was some sort of ghost woman.
Hei Shisan gulped; Shen Wuyou reattached the die to his necklace; Jin Huang's stomach growled.
"Greetings, trial-takers. Now that you have passed the trial of the first layer, and properly understand the events that led to the destruction of the Lunar District, you may be permitted to access the Ancestral Pagoda, and seek your inheritances."
The woman's voice seemed emotionless and empty, but also carried the faintest tinge of pain and sorrow. Somehow, they felt like she had suffered greatly.
However, they also understood that they had not taken the trial that she spoke of, nor did they understand any of the events she mentioned. They did not even know what the Lunar District was.
Hei Shisan nodded, realizing what he needed to do just as Jin Huang resolved himself to do the same. Shen Wuyou was the last to find the right wavelength, but he too decided within himself to enact the same plan.
"That is right, my lady," Hei Shisan gripped his clothes just above his heart with one hand, his other stretching to the heavens as he balled his fist tight- so tight that it tremored. "It is truly lamentable, and also detestable. Those bastards are truly shameless, and do not even deserve to be condemned to the lowest reaches of Hell!"
His statement ended with a singular tear; the very culmination of all his life's experience in acting.
Jin Huang felt that he should not try to outdo Hei Shisan, so he merely put his arm around the older student and sniffled, "I'm so sorry about what happened to that person. Oh! And don't get me started on that other person who you loved. Ah, it pains me that I could not be there to protect them."
Shen Wuyou came in last, but he threw himself at the woman's feet and cried out, "Oh, Lunar Princess! How could such cruel beings as them be permitted to exist! The Heavens must be blind!"
As they all expressed their deep sorrow, their true selves looked on from under the surface, sly eyes waiting for the ghostly woman's reaction.
She sighed and nodded; they cheered inwardly.
"Indeed. It was most regrettable that we chose to trust them, only to be stabbed in the back in the end. My Lunar Clan was- for lack of a better term- set up. The Celestial District, as well as the Jade District, knew what giving us that mission would entail. Even so, they put us on that path, and did nothing to help us when the time came. I even suspect... that they aided our enemies."
Jin Huang made a big motion of throwing himself onto the ground on all fours, pounding with his fist into the bricks of the courtyard, "Damnit! Damnit! How could they? Those bastards!"
He arose, his companions eying him with concealed pride in his performance as he looked up at the sky with reddened, fierce eyes.
"Celestial District? Jade District? Good! Very good! I swear this day that I shall wipe them clean from existence! I shall cleanse the land of their stench, and restore peace and balance to all things! That is my promise!"
If Hei Shisan and Shen Wuyou could cheer and clap for him at this time, they would. However, they had to remain devastated before the woman.
She nodded, seeming melancholic for a brief moment. "It is good that such truehearted saplings have found their way into this Fallen Heaven realm. Now then, present the Lunar Plaque that you were granted after completing the trials and I shall assess the level of inheritance you will all receive."
If one listened close enough, they would hear three simultaneous cracks coming from the three actors. That was the sound of their characters shattering completely, which led to panic setting in.
In their minds, all they could think was a single word.
"SHIT!"