Chapter 289: The Third Challenge —— Defying Oneself

A vast plain with green mountains and clear waters lay ahead, with an entrance in the distance, emitting a faint dim light.
“Welcome to the third stage of the Netherworld —— Defying Oneself!! Get ready to begin!” Just then, before Rod and Sognar could react, a gentle voice sounded!
“The third stage: Defying Oneself!” The two exchanged glances, their faces showing excitement and smiles. They immediately looked around, hoping to spot Lucy. She had been inside for quite some time—had she already entered the third stage of the test?
“Brother Rod, Brother Sognar!” Thankfully, a familiar voice came soon, and a figure ran over from afar. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Lucy!
“You guys are finally here! I’ve been waiting so long!” With a pout, Lucy spoke coquettishly, showing an expression rarely seen these days. This made Rod breathe a sigh of relief—it seemed Lucy had returned.
“I never thought you, little girl, hid such talents! Amazing—reaching the third stage so quickly!” Before Rod could say anything, Sognar exclaimed in amazement. It seemed Lucy, who was least favored at first, was now the most promising.
“Brother Sognar, stop teasing her! It’s just luck. The third stage is in that cave ahead. Two people have already gone in—Ziyang too. I saw them. Let’s hurry! There are only four spots left for the final core area—we can’t let others get them first!” Thinking this, Lucy grew anxious and spoke to Rod.
“Then why didn’t you go in earlier?” Rod asked with a frown.
“I was waiting for you!” Lucy said in a sultry tone, pulling at Rod’s arm.
“Aren’t you afraid we won’t make it and get eliminated in the second stage?”
“That’s impossible. Brother Rod and Brother Sognar aren’t that kind of people. You can definitely do it!” Lucy said confidently, as if it were obvious. This made Rod and Sognar feel deeply moved—how many people still trusted them so much these days?
“Let’s go! Enough talking—let’s head to the third stage!” Sognar said loudly, patting Rod’s shoulder.

Breaking the existing atmosphere, he pulled Rod and Lucy toward that cave. The third stage—challenging oneself—was, as the name suggested, a battle against oneself. Once inside the cave, each person would be transported to a brand new environment, alone, with their own doppelgänger as the enemy. As long as they defeated this counterpart, they could proceed to the core of the final realm.

The three arrived at the cave entrance, looked at the dark interior, exchanged glances, and took a deep breath. “See you at the core!” they said, smiling at each other as if sharing some sinister plan, before stepping forward together.

In the next moment, they all disappeared from their original location, vanishing between heaven and earth.

The moment they stepped into the cave, the world around them seemed to twist and change rapidly. In an instant, a brand new world appeared before their eyes.

Rod opened his eyes and found himself on a grassland identical to the outside world. It was empty around him—Lucy and Sognar were no longer by his side. He wasn’t worried, knowing this was a natural state after entering the third stage of the test. He was merely in a virtual space; his real body was still in the real world, along with Lucy and Sognar. This version of him was just a spiritual form.

Thinking of this, Rod calmed down slightly. A gentle breeze blew across the lush green grass, rustling the stream and creating ripples—absolutely beautiful.

Under the sunlight, with birds singing and flowers blooming, it was like a paradise. Everything was eerily quiet. Rod slowly drew Xuanyuan from his hand, gripping it tightly. He focused his mental energy, narrowed his eyes, and kept watch, alert to any possible changes.

Yet, there was still deathly silence—a silence that felt overwhelming. Sometimes, too much quietness left one at a loss, especially in such a tranquil environment.

“Break the sky!” Just as Rod was puzzled, a loud voice rang out, making him break into a cold sweat. He immediately leaned back, pushing off the ground with force, while an ancient long sword whizzed past him above his head.

“Xuanyuan!” Rod exclaimed upon seeing the appearance of the long sword clearly—it was indeed Xuanyuan, identical to the one in his own hands! He glanced back in a flash; time seemed to freeze at that moment, as if returning to ancient times or passing through a tunnel of space and time. One figure maintained an aggressive stance with a cold smirk, while the other retreated swiftly along the ground with an expression of disbelief! The two looked exactly alike, their gazes locked in that instant.

“Damn it, this is what they mean by self-challenge!” Rod realized then that what was said was true—it was truly identical to himself. The opponent used the “Break Heaven” move as soon as he appeared. Thankfully it wasn’t the “Dragon Roar” move, otherwise he would have been in trouble.

Rod barely managed to dodge the opponent’s “Break Heaven” sword strike after moving about fifty to sixty meters along the ground. Without time to catch his breath, as the opponent had already followed up, Rod quickly raised his hand to block.

“Autumn Wind!” With a roar, Rod couldn’t help but unleash his own move as well.

“Autumn Wind!” The opponent on the other side roared in response.

Their moves were identical, their appearances alike, their weapons the same, and their auras unchanged. Even if there were others present at that moment, even those who knew Rod best, they probably couldn’t offer any help—it was impossible to tell who was who!

With the same moves, the two continued to fight, with Rod always at a disadvantage. The opponent seemed determined to perish together with him, using the same moves. If Rod attacked the opponent, the opponent could surely attack back, suffering identical injuries. This was definitely an unfair battle. Thinking of this, Rod grew impatient, and under such circumstances, he became increasingly hindered, gradually falling behind, completely suppressed by that illusion.

“Damn it, this won’t work…” Rod realized. It seemed this was the first time in his life he had encountered such a serious problem! For the first time, he felt somewhat overwhelmed. Fighting against himself was indeed difficult—he had hit a wall.

Not only Rod, but on the other side, Sognar was also in huge trouble. Looking at his own identical shadow, Sognar was panting heavily, covered in wounds, with a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. The entire plain was in chaos, clearly the result of a fierce battle. The fight between the two was like a storm! Now, standing face to face, both were gasping for breath, suffering identical injuries with blood flowing continuously. Sognar frowned deeply, wondering how many years it had been since he’d been in such a dire situation, how many years since he’d been injured like this. To end up like this today… Damn it. Was this really a challenge to oneself? Or was it just sending oneself to death?

But thinking of the chance and temptation to enter the core of the Netherworld, a glint of determination flashed in Sognar’s eyes. Whatever it took, he had to get that spot, and the prerequisite for that was obviously defeating this annoying guy before him.

With a sudden surge of strength in his hind legs and a fierce shout, Sognar launched another attack, and the guy across from him did the same. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, with no difference at all. Sognar found himself in a dangerous and tough fight.

Similarly, both Sognar and Rod were in huge trouble, as was Lucy. In her world, dazzling magic filled the air as a magical battle ensued.

Two Lucys fought against each other, about two to three hundred meters apart. They quickly formed seals with their hands, complex sigils emerging continuously as they chanted intricate spells rapidly. The entire world trembled, with elements surging everywhere. The fire element was particularly active at that moment.

The impact of the magic clashes was even more spectacular than the results of physical battles. Though the two mages weren’t seriously injured, they showed signs of exhaustion.

“Brother Rod, don’t worry. Lucy will definitely reach the core of the Netherworld to help you accomplish what you want. No one can stop Lucy’s progress, and no one can hinder yours. I believe we’ll meet at the final stage!” A rare fierce look flashed in her eyes as Lucy murmured to herself, staring at her own identical shadow across from her before suddenly revealing a strange, cold smile.

Immediately, the fire elements in the entire world began to fluctuate violently. The hand seals formed this time seemed extremely simple, yet they were hard to discern. Each seal was formed in an incredibly short time—so fast it was hard to believe. Was this the speed at which mages cast spells?
In the three spaces, Rod, Lucy, and Sognar were all fighting desperately. The hardest battle is the one against oneself; one’s greatest enemy and most difficult opponent is oneself. As long as one can overcome themselves, their future is boundless. Becoming strong is only a matter of time. In fact, it seems no one has realized yet that the third trial is where the true essence of the Netherworld lies.