"What kind of monster is this!" Shen Jingqi gripped his weapon tightly, but there was no sign of retreat in his eyes. The monster roared and lunged at him ferociously. He sidestepped quickly, dodging the monster's attack, and then swung his weapon to slash at the monster.

The weapon struck the monster's body, leaving only a shallow wound. The monster, in pain, attacked him even more frenziedly. Shen Jingqi dodged while searching for the monster's weakness. He noticed that among the monster's three heads, the middle one seemed to be more critical.

As the monster lunged again, he seized the moment and darted forward, thrusting his weapon fiercely into the middle head. The monster let out a pained scream, struggled for a moment on the ground, and then lay still.

"Phew..." Shen Jingqi exhaled deeply and wiped the sweat from his face. This was just the beginning; more dangers lay ahead of him.

He continued walking forward. Suddenly, arrows shot out from the walls on both sides. He quickly rolled to the side, avoiding the arrows' attack. The arrows struck the walls with a "bang bang" sound, sparking a burst of sparks.

"It seems to be a trap mechanism," Shen Jingqi thought to himself. He carefully observed the surroundings and discovered some strange grooves on the walls. He tried touching those grooves with the Jade Pendant. Unexpectedly, one of the grooves matched a symbol on the Jade Pendant, and the mechanism ceased operating.

He sighed in relief and continued forward. Not far ahead, he encountered a massive stone door. The stone door was covered with intricate patterns and symbols, seeming to conceal some secrets.

"How do I open this stone door?" Shen Jingqi frowned, carefully examining the stone door. He noticed a small hole beside the door, shaped like the Jade Pendant. He inserted the Jade Pendant into the hole, and the stone door slowly opened.

However, behind the stone door was not the treasure he imagined, but a gigantic maze. The maze was shrouded in thick mist, making it hard to see the path ahead.

"What now?" Shen Jingqi felt a bit anxious. He took out the Jade Pendant, hoping to find a clue. The Jade Pendant emitted a faint glow in the mist, guiding him in the right direction.

He cautiously walked through the maze, following the Jade Pendant's guidance. Suddenly, he heard footsteps, as if someone was following him.

"Who's there?" he shouted, gripping his weapon tightly. The footsteps abruptly stopped, and silence returned around him. Shen Jingqi was filled with vigilance, quickening his steps to leave the maze as soon as possible.

Just as he thought he had shaken off the pursuer, a dark shadow darted from behind him, lunging at him. He quickly turned around, engaging in a fight with the shadow. The shadow was agile, using strange moves, leaving him a bit overwhelmed.

"Who are you? Why are you following me?" Shen Jingqi asked loudly while fending off the shadow's attacks. The shadow didn't answer, only attacking him more wildly.

In the intense fight, Shen Jingqi gradually gained the upper hand. Seizing the opportunity, he kicked the shadow away. The shadow crashed into the wall with a muffled groan and then vanished into the mist.

"Strange, who was that?" Shen Jingqi was filled with confusion. He continued forward, guided by the Jade Pendant, and finally emerged from the maze.

Beyond the maze was a gigantic room filled with various ancient artifacts and books. Shen Jingqi began searching the room for clues about opening the Eighth Consciousness.

While leafing through an ancient book, he suddenly heard a low buzzing sound. Looking up, he saw strange patterns appear on the walls, glowing as if they were gradually converging.

"Not good, there's danger!" Shen Jingqi thought urgently. He quickly dodged to the side as a massive beam of light formed from the patterns and shot toward him.

He swiftly dodged, and the beam hit the ground, blasting a large crater into it. He was shocked, not expecting such a dangerous mechanism in the room.

He moved cautiously around the room, trying to find a way to deactivate the mechanism. Suddenly, he noticed a stone tablet in the corner of the room, inscribed with strange writing.

He studied the writing on the stone tablet carefully, realizing that it seemed related to the symbols on the Jade Pendant. Following the tablet's instructions, he placed the Jade Pendant in a specific spot on the tablet.

The stone tablet emitted a burst of light, and the patterns on the walls gradually disappeared, restoring calm to the room. Shen Jingqi breathed a sigh of relief and continued searching for clues in the room.

In the center of the room was a massive stone platform, on which lay an ancient box. He approached the platform, attempting to open the box. However, a powerful force sealed the box, and he was unable to open it no matter how hard he tried.

"What should I do?" Shen Jingqi felt a bit anxious. Observing the box carefully, he discovered a groove similar in shape to the Jade Pendant. He placed the Jade Pendant into the groove, and the box emitted a burst of light, breaking the seal.

He opened the box to find an ancient manual inside. The manual detailed the method to open the Eighth Consciousness, but it required undergoing a series of tests and trials.

"So, opening the Eighth Consciousness isn't easy," Shen Jingqi muttered to himself.

As he began cultivating, everything around him seemed to quiet down. Shen Jingqi sat cross-legged on a mat, adjusting his breathing according to the manual's guidance, trying to enter a state of emptiness. Initially, everything went smoothly, and he could feel a faint stream of energy flowing within him. But as time passed, unexpected changes occurred.

His vision began to blur, and the surroundings gradually distorted. The once familiar room turned eerie and terrifying, faces with grimaces appeared on the walls, letting out piercing screams. Shen Jingqi was startled, trying to steady his mind, but the terrifying scenes surged like a tide. He saw himself on a desolate battlefield, surrounded by mountains of corpses, with blood staining the earth red. Above, storm clouds gathered, with thunder and lightning, as if heralding the end of the world.

"No, this isn't real!" Shen Jingqi shouted loudly, his voice echoing on the vast battlefield. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to dispel these Illusions, but the frightening scenes only became clearer. He felt his heart racing, and cold sweat soaking his clothes.

"Shen Jingqi, you must hold on!" he encouraged himself in his heart. He recalled the manual mentioning that Illusions were a common test in opening the Eighth Consciousness, and only with firm belief could one break through. So he gritted his teeth, concentrated all his effort, and tried to bring his thoughts back to reality.

After a difficult struggle, Shen Jingqi finally broke free from the Illusions. He gasped heavily, his face as pale as paper.

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