The Fourth Test did not have a guardian. It did not have complex puzzles or mirrors that reflected the soul.
It only had silence.
The group stood on the edge of a precipice that seemed to cut the world in half.
Below them was not a canyon, but a tear in the fabric of the dimension. Inside the chasm, black Void Lightning swirled like a nest of angry vipers. This wasn't natural lightning; it was the raw, destructive energy of the void. A single arc of it wouldn't just kill a cultivator; it would erase their existence, scrubbing their soul from the cycle of reincarnation.
Spanning this terrifying abyss was a bridge made of bleached, white bones.
It looked ancient and fragile, rattling in the updraft from the void.
But the bridge was incomplete.
In the center, a fifty-meter section was missing entirely. There was no way to jump it—the gravity above the void was distorted, pulling anything airborne down into the lightning.
Floating above the gap, blood-red letters burned in the air, spelling out the cruel rules of the Sky Sovereign.
[Test 4: The Bridge of Sacrifice.]
[Rule: The Bridge hungers. To span the gap, a Soul must be offered.]
[One Life = One Crossing.]
The survivors stared at the words. The silence was heavy, broken only by the crackle of the black lightning below.
The group had thinned significantly.
On the left stood the Demon Sect: Three Void Treading Commanders (Xie Molin, Gui, Sha) and a dozen elite Blood Guards.
On the right stood the Righteous Alliance: Three Ancestors (Wuji, Venom, Bujie), the Sect Leaders, and about twenty ragged disciples who had miraculously survived the previous rounds.
In the center stood Jiang Chen, relaxing in his golden sedan chair, flanked by his three disciples.
The Demon's Choice
Demon Commander Sha (The Blood Shark) stepped forward. He looked at the gap, then at the text.
A twisted grin spread across his face, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
"A life for a path? The Sovereign is generous. Usually, ancient formations demand a thousand souls."
He didn't hesitate. He didn't hold a council meeting. He didn't ask for volunteers.
He turned his head slowly to the group of elite Blood Guards standing behind him.
His eyes locked onto a young guard wearing a mask marked with the number '7'.
"You," Sha pointed. "Unit 7."
The guard froze. Under the red mask, his eyes widened in terror. He was a Golden Core cultivator, a genius in his own right, but before a Void Treading Commander, he was an ant.
"Commander?" the guard whispered, his voice trembling.
"Your life for the Emperor," Sha said casually, as if asking for a cup of water. "The path requires paving. You are the brick."
The guard trembled. His survival instinct screamed at him to run, to fight. But the Blood Soul Sect had conditioned him since birth. Disobedience was worse than death.
"For... For the Emperor!" The guard shouted, tears streaming down his face behind the mask. He tried to sound brave, but his legs were shaking violently.
"Good loyalty," Sha grunted.
He didn't wait for the guard to jump.
Sha grabbed the guard by the throat. With a casual flick of his wrist, he hurled the young man into the abyss.
"AAAAHHH!"
The scream was piercing.
The guard flew over the gap. For a second, he hung suspended in the air.
Then, the Void Lightning reacted.
Like a hungry beast sensing meat, a massive tentacle of black energy rose from the darkness. It wrapped around the guard.
CRUNCH.
There was a sickening sound of implosion. The guard didn't even have time to explode into blood mist; he was simply vaporized. His body, his cultivation, his soul—instantly converted into raw energy.
The black lightning turned white for a split second as it digested the offering.
RUMBLE.
From the severed edges of the bone bridge, fresh white bone grew rapidly. Ribs and femurs knitted together with a wet, clicking sound, forming a solid—albeit gruesome—path over the gap.
"Go," Sha ordered.
The Demon Sect moved immediately. They walked across the fresh bone, stepping over the exact spot where their comrade had just been erased. They showed no remorse, only efficiency.
Xie Molin paused halfway across the bridge. He looked back at the Righteous Alliance, his eyes full of mockery.
"Efficiency is power," Xie Molin sneered. "Let's see who you 'Heroes' decide to murder. I bet it won't be one of the old ones."
The Demons vanished into the fog on the other side.
Behind them, the new section of the bridge crumbled into dust. The gap returned.
The trap had reset.
The Righteous Dilemma
The Demons were gone. Now, only the "Good Guys" remained.
The atmosphere on the cliff edge shifted from fear to a dark, suffocating tension.
The bridge demanded another life.
Sword Ancestor Wuji frowned, his hand gripping the hilt of his wooden sword. "We cannot sacrifice a disciple. It goes against the Orthodox Dao. We are not demons."
"But we must cross," Grandma Venom (Violet Mist Ancestor) hissed. Her voice sounded like grinding glass. "If the Demons get the Heart of the World, they will enslave the entire region. Our sects will be wiped out. Is one life not worth saving millions?"
"It is a heavy sin," Monk Bujie (Vajra Ancestor) said, spinning his prayer beads. "But... it is a necessary sin."
The three Ancestors exchanged a look. It was a look that conveyed a silent, dark understanding.
None of them were going to jump. They were Void Treading experts; their lives were too valuable.
They looked at the Sect Leaders.
Sect Leader Jian looked away, sweating.
The Violet Mist Matriarch shrank back.
Then, the Ancestors looked at the surviving disciples.
The twenty disciples—who had fought through zombies, gravity, and mirror clones—realized with horror that their Ancestors were weighing their value like cattle at a market.
"Grandfather..." Jian Wushuang (Sword Son) stepped forward, his voice shaking. "We... we can't do this. Let's turn back."
"Shut up!" Sect Leader Jian snapped. "Turn back? And let the Demons win? Wushuang, you don't understand the big picture!"
"The big picture is murder!" Jian Wushuang shouted.
"Amitabha," Monk Bujie cleared his throat loudly. The fat monk stepped forward, radiating a holy golden aura that felt incredibly oppressive.
"We should not kill our own kin. That creates heart demons. However..."
Bujie's finger extended. It pointed directly at Jiang Chen.
"That boy," Bujie said, his voice echoing. "He is an anomaly. He has no sect backing him here. He is not part of the Alliance. And... he is a variable."
The other Ancestors' eyes lit up. It was the perfect solution.
Grandma Venom nodded eagerly. "Yes. He is unpredictable. He humiliated us at the bridge toll earlier. He humiliated us in the Garden of Truth. Sacrificing him removes a threat and opens the path. Two birds, one stone."
Sword Ancestor Wuji hesitated, then his expression hardened. "He is a Junior. But... for the greater good."
The pressure of three Void Treading experts locked onto Jiang Chen. The air around him became heavy as lead.
"Junior," Sword Ancestor Wuji said coldly. "You have lived a lucky life. You have wealth, talent, and arrogance. Now, you have a chance to be a hero. Jump."
The Standoff
Jiang Chen was standing near the edge, looking down at the Void Lightning with academic interest.
He heard the Ancestors.
He stopped peeling his orange.
He turned around slowly.
His face didn't show fear. It didn't show panic.
It showed deep, profound disappointment.
"Let me get this straight," Jiang Chen smiled, but his eyes were absolute zero. "The Demons sacrificed a soldier because they are evil. That's their brand. I respect the consistency."
He pointed at Monk Bujie.
"But you? You want to sacrifice me because you are... what? Pragmatic? Or just cowards who don't want to dirty your own hands?"
"It is for the world," Monk Bujie stepped forward, his golden staff glowing with threatening energy. "Don't make us force you, Benefactor Jiang. It will be painful. Jump, and we will build a statue in your honor."
"A statue?" Jiang Chen laughed. "I prefer cash."
Ye Kai stepped in front of Jiang Chen. His metallic skin turned black as he activated [Titan Form].
"You want to touch my Master?" Ye Kai growled, his voice like grinding stones. "You have to go through me."
Su Ling stepped up, her twelve drones spinning up to maximum output, aiming lasers at Grandma Venom's head.
"Target locked," she said coldly.
Wei Wu silently drew his rusty sword. He didn't speak, but his Void Intent locked onto Sword Ancestor Wuji's throat.
The Ancestors paused. They realized these three disciples were not normal.
"Insolence!" Grandma Venom screeched. "You dare point weapons at your Ancestors?"
"Relax," Jiang Chen patted Ye Kai on the shoulder. "Stand down, kids. Violence is expensive. And fighting three Void Treading experts is bad for the profit margins."
He walked past his disciples. He stood toe-to-toe with the Ancestors.
He was a head shorter than Monk Bujie, but he looked down on him.
"You old fogies are so stuck in the past," Jiang Chen shook his head. "Always 'Blood Sacrifice', 'Life for a Life'. Have you ever considered... inflation?"
"Inflation?" Monk Bujie blinked, confused by the strange word.
"Su Ling," Jiang Chen called out without looking back. "Run the numbers. What is the market value of a Human Soul in the current spiritual economy?"
Su Ling didn't hesitate. "Based on the Black Market prices for 'Soul Stones' and the energy density of a standard Golden Core soul... one soul contains energy equivalent to approximately 100,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones."
"See?" Jiang Chen spread his hands. "A life is worth 100k. That's cheap. You were about to commit murder for pocket change."
He turned his back on the Ancestors and walked to the edge of the abyss.
"Hey! Bridge!" Jiang Chen shouted at the swirling darkness.
The abyss swirled silently.
"I don't have a soul to give you!" Jiang Chen yelled. "But I have something with higher energy density! I'm going to pay via Direct Deposit!"
He reached into his storage ring.
He didn't pull out a weapon.
He pulled out a massive, reinforced iron chest.
He kicked the lid open.
Inside, a blinding white light erupted. It was filled to the brim with High-Grade Spirit Stones. Pure, glowing, uncut energy.
1 Million Spirit Stones.
"Eat this!"
Jiang Chen kicked the heavy chest into the abyss.
The chest tumbled down. The Ancestors watched in stunned silence.
The Void Lightning sensed the object.
A soul is just energy. Spirit Stones are just energy. To the ancient, mindless formation of the Tomb, there was no difference between blood and currency.
CRACKLE.
The lightning devoured the chest.
It absorbed the 1 Million Stones. That was the energy equivalent of Ten Souls.
RUMBLE.
The bridge didn't just form.
It over-formed.
Massive, reinforced bone pillars shot up from the darkness. A wide, stable highway of ivory paved itself across the gap. It wasn't the fragile, rattling walkway the Demons got. This bridge was thick, stable, and even grew bone-railings for safety.
A golden light illuminated the path.
[Sacrifice Accepted.]
[Energy Density: Excessive.]
[Quality: Premium.]
Jiang Chen turned back to the stunned Ancestors.
"See?" Jiang Chen dusted off his hands. "You were going to murder a child to save 100k. I just threw pocket change and built a highway. This is why you guys are poor."
He stepped onto the premium bridge.
"Come on, disciples. The VIP lane is open."
The Toll
Jiang Chen walked halfway across the safe, sturdy bridge.
Then he stopped.
He turned around.
The Righteous Ancestors and their disciples were about to follow him. Relief washed over their faces.
"He opened it!" Jian Wushuang cheered. "We don't have to kill anyone!"
"Wait," Jiang Chen held up a hand.
"What now?" Sword Ancestor Wuji frowned, eager to cross. "The bridge is open. We must hurry before the Demons get the Heart."
"Ah, ah, ah," Jiang Chen wagged his finger. "Correction. I opened the bridge. I paid for the materials. I paid the labor costs."
Jiang Chen leaned casually against the bone railing, blocking the path.
"This is a private toll bridge now."
He pulled out a wooden sign and hammered it into the bone surface.
[JIANG CHEN'S BRIDGE]
[Toll: 5 Million Stones per person.]
[Ancestors pay double.]
"YOU!" Grandma Venom screeched, her face turning purple. "You dare?! You dare extort us inside the Sovereign's Tomb?! After we graciously allowed you to lead the way?"
"Graciously allowed?" Jiang Chen's smile vanished. His face turned stone cold. The pressure he released wasn't cultivation, but pure, terrifying intent.
"You tried to throw me off the cliff five minutes ago. You tried to murder me to save your own wrinkled skins."
He took a step forward.
"Be grateful I'm only taking your money, not your lives."
"Pay the toll. Or learn to fly."
"You..." Sword Ancestor Wuji trembled with rage. He wanted to draw his sword. He wanted to cut this brat down.
But he looked at the bridge. It was glowing with the energy Jiang Chen had fed it. The formation seemed to recognize Jiang Chen as the "Owner" of this cycle. If they attacked him, the bridge might collapse.
And below... was the Void Lightning.
They looked at the empty doorway where the Demon Sect had vanished. Every second they wasted was a victory for the Demons.
"Fine!" Sword Ancestor Wuji roared. He ripped a storage ring off his finger and threw it. "Take it! You greedy, heartless demon!"
"Pleasure doing business," Jiang Chen caught the ring. He checked the contents. "Ancestors pay double, remember? Wuji, you're short 2 million. Throw that sword in too."
"My sword?!" Wuji nearly spat blood. "This is a bonded artifact!"
"Then stay on that side," Jiang Chen shrugged.
With tears of rage in his eyes, the great Sword Ancestor threw his backup sword to Jiang Chen.
One by one, the mighty Ancestors of the Righteous Alliance were forced to empty their treasuries, stripping themselves of wealth and dignity, just to cross the bridge built by the man they tried to betray.
Jiang Chen stood at the center, collecting the tolls like a corrupt gatekeeper.
"Hypocrisy is profitable," Jiang Chen muttered to Ye Kai as the broken Ancestors shuffled past him. "But revenge? Revenge is lucrative."
He collected the last toll from a weeping Monk Bujie.
Then, Jiang Chen turned and walked toward the final gate.
The Heart of the World was waiting. And the final boss wasn't the Demon Commander. It was something much worse.