The Master of the Deer-Insect, three Cosmic Sovereigns from the Divine Eye Clan, the Master of Liujiu, and Luo Feng—they six remained silent, none showing any sign of retreat.
As if joking.
Perhaps at the outset of their decision, they had weighed many considerations. But once resolved, how could they possibly retreat now? Since setting foot on the path of the strong, the specter of death had perpetually loomed near. They might resent mortality, yet none among them feared it. For the formidable legacy of this ancient civilization, they were all prepared to wager everything!
“Good,” Dandonghe nodded. “Then follow me.”
Dandonghe turned and walked toward another side door of the misty hall. With a swish, the door automatically opened. Dandonghe stepped through. Though puzzled about where they were headed, the Master of the Deer-Insect, Luo Feng, the Master of Shadow-Evil, and the other three followed closely.
…
They followed Dandonghe down a long corridor. After walking along a wide passage for a while, they came to a massive gate completely blocking the way ahead. Dandonghe stopped before the gate.
“In a moment, the gate will open, allowing you to continue down this corridor,” Dandonghe scanned the six of them—Luo Feng and the others. “If you six can proceed straight down this corridor and survive to reach the next hall, you will have passed the most basic selection trial. Only then may you begin to access the inheritance.”
The inheritance!
Luo Feng, the Master of the Deer-Insect, the Master of Shadow-Evil, and the other four all felt a surge of excitement, their eyes lighting up.
So all they needed to do was survive the corridor and reach the next hall? That was the preliminary selection?
Though thrilled inside, all six understood that the inheritance left behind by Dandonghe must be extremely powerful, so the selection would certainly not be simple. In other words, this corridor was likely a true path of death. It was very possible that one or more of them might perish here. They had to prepare to give their all.
“You six!”
“You may use weapons, and any means necessary while progressing down this corridor,” Dandonghe said slowly. “Only those who survive and reach the next hall will pass.”
“Begin!” Dandonghe turned his head toward the gate and pointed.
Whoosh~~~
The heavy, wide gate slowly lifted, revealing a broad, deep corridor that stretched into darkness, its end unseen. The Master of the Deer-Insect, Luo Feng, the Master of Liujiu, and the other three exchanged uneasy glances. What dangers lay within this deadly corridor? What trials had Dandonghe, a powerful figure from an ancient civilization, set up to test them? Those who failed the trial might very well face death.
This trial was far more dangerous than the previous one. Back then, all they had to do was stand on the cube device for a moment. Those who failed could simply leave unharmed.
“You! You! You! You! You! The five of you, come in!” Dandonghe pointed at five of the strong ones.
“Us?”
“Me?”
“All five of us together?”
A chorus of murmurs.
The Master of the Deer-Insect, the Master of Liujiu, the Master of Shadow-Evil, the Master of Ghost-Demon, and the Master of Golden-Fang—all five wore expressions of shock. Dandonghe had clearly pointed at them five and ordered them to enter together.
“What about him?” the Master of Shadow-Evil couldn’t help but point at Luo Feng. “What about Luo Feng, the Lord of the Milky Way?” The other four also looked uneasy. They couldn’t question or change Dandonghe’s decision, but back when the cube device was used for testing, Dandonghe had actually smiled slightly at Luo Feng. That had already raised their suspicions.
Moreover, among them…
Luo Feng had the shortest cultivation time—only a dozen eras? How brief was that?
“You five go in together. He will go in alone,” Dandonghe said coldly. “What? Are you unwilling? Then leave now while you still can. If you refuse to leave, then enter quickly. Those who refuse to enter will be considered failed in the selection.”
The Master of the Deer-Insect, the Master of Liujiu, and the three Cosmic Sovereigns of the Divine Eye Clan exchanged glances, then glanced at Luo Feng.
“Go.”
“Go.”
Five figures entered the corridor together.
Whoosh~~~
The heavy, wide gate slammed shut behind them, sealing the corridor once more. On this side of the gate, only Dandonghe and Luo Feng remained.
“Once you enter the corridor, there is no turning back,” Dandonghe glanced at Luo Feng.
Luo Feng nodded, but his mind churned with thoughts.
They five entered together? And I must go alone?
Why the difference?
Was Dandonghe truly giving me special treatment, or was there a unique danger waiting for me? Was it a blessing or a curse?
…
Inside the corridor.
The Master of the Deer-Insect, the Master of Liujiu, and the three Cosmic Sovereigns of the Divine Eye Clan looked at the gate behind them that had just slammed shut, their faces subtly changing.
“This doesn’t look good,” the Master of Shadow-Evil hissed, his eyes flashing with a murderous gleam. “If you’re choosing an inheritor, who would you pick—someone who achieved such a high level after only a dozen eras of cultivation, or someone who took nearly three cycles to reach the same level? Unless you’re an idiot, you’d choose Luo Feng. I suspect that strange device didn’t just test bloodline and life characteristics—it probably also tested how long they had lived!”
The other five were startled.
That made sense.
No one knew exactly what the strange device could detect.
“It definitely detected something special,” the Master of Shadow-Evil sneered. “Otherwise, why would Dandonghe smile back then? He was clearly satisfied with Luo Feng. Why satisfied? I bet it’s because the device detected that Luo Feng has only lived for a dozen eras, meaning his cultivation time was extremely short. A supreme genius with such a short cultivation time is unheard of even in our three cycles. If such a genius existed in the ancient civilization, he would surely be an extraordinary prodigy. Of course Dandonghe would be pleased to have such a genius inherit his legacy. That’s why he’s treating him differently!”
“Right.”
“Exactly.”
One after another voiced agreement. Even the Master of the Deer-Insect nodded. They all held high positions and knew well that when selecting disciples, absolute fairness was impossible. Once you truly favored a certain disciple, you would inevitably treat them differently.
“But what can we do? Now the five of us are going through the corridor together. Even if we wanted to harm Luo Feng along the way, we wouldn’t have the chance,” the Master of Golden-Fang shook his head. “Probably that’s exactly what Dandonghe thought. That’s why he separated us from him. No matter how we feel, we can’t act on it.”
“Let’s go,” the Master of the Deer-Insect shook his head. “Stop thinking about it. This is Dandonghe’s inheritance, and we can only follow his instructions. If we want to deal with Luo Feng, we’ll have to wait for another opportunity. Right now, we don’t have one. We must focus on surviving this corridor first. This deadly corridor may be more than we can handle.”
“You have the Supreme Treasure, Master of the Deer-Insect. Your chances are much higher.”
“Hmph.”
The Master of the Deer-Insect said nothing more and flew forward. The Master of Liujiu followed, transforming into a streak of light flying ahead.
The three Cosmic Sovereigns of the Divine Eye Clan exchanged glances, nodded slightly, and continued forward. Their only advantage as a clan was this—they were united as one! Even the Master of the Deer-Insect would not intimidate them when they acted together.
…
On this side of the gate.
Luo Feng could roughly guess that Dandonghe’s actions had already drawn the attention and hostility of the other five Cosmic Sovereigns. They now saw him as the greatest threat to the inheritance.
“Boom!”
A powerful fluctuation faintly transmitted from the other side of the gate, causing Luo Feng to instinctively turn his head, though he could only see the heavy gate.
Then wave after wave of energy fluctuations came through, clearly indicating that some life-or-death crisis was unfolding deep within the death corridor.
“Lord Dandonghe, may I ask why I was separated from the other five?” Luo Feng suddenly asked.
Dandonghe stood there with his eyes closed, his entire being like a block of ice radiating coldness. Only when Luo Feng spoke did he open his eyes and glance at him: “Just do as you’re told. Don’t ask why I selected you this way. If you’re dissatisfied, you may leave. You can still leave alive if you go now…” He closed his eyes again.
Luo Feng could only suppress his thoughts and wait.
…
The following text is translated into English:
The Skeleton Clan was a supreme race during the First Cycle era. Within the vast Cosmic Sea, they possessed four minor universes.
Inside the first minor universe.
Four towering figures stood at four different positions in the air, facing each other from afar. These were the four Demon Lords of the Skeleton Clan.
This is what I and Liu Hai personally experienced. That was indeed a terrifying inheritance—an inheritance from the supreme powerhouse of the ancient civilization named ‘Dandonghe·Wu’. According to my speculation, Dandonghe·Wu might have been a great existence second only to the so-called General when the Cosmic Vessel was still intact before the endless cycles. His inheritance is absolutely extraordinary. Moreover, from what we heard, this ‘Dandonghe’ inheritance in the ancient civilization only had one inheritor per generation,” Chi Liu respectfully stood in midair, reporting to the four towering figures.
“Liuhai?” one of the towering figures spoke. “Is this true?”
Liuhai, standing beside him, also respectfully replied, “Yes, it’s true. We were both eliminated in the first selection trial because we were not of his kind. We had no qualification to receive the inheritance.”
“Chi Liu, simulate the memories of your experiences for us,” said the four Demon Lords of the Skeleton Clan, who stood at the pinnacle of their race, their expressions equally grave. Even from this brief account, the matter sounded extremely serious and unusual.
“Yes.”
Chi Liu respectfully complied.
Then—
A three-dimensional projection appeared in midair, beginning from the moment they rushed into the Tomb Vessel. It played until Dandonghe appeared in the hall and spoke those words, causing the four Demon Lords to grow excited. Then came the inheritance… but when Dandonghe said, “You are not of my kind. Do you really think you can inherit my Dandonghe lineage? A delusion! Leave!” the four Demon Lords’ hearts turned cold.
“Damn it!”
“What an opportunity, and yet the Divine Eye Clan has three members, while not even one of us can get in.”
“Damn it!”
The four Demon Lords let out furious roars, clearly filled with rage.
“Spread the word,” bellowed one of the Demon Lords in a raspy voice. “Spread it across all three cycles and the two sacred universes. Let the entire Cosmic Sea know. Let the strong from every corner rush there. We must sow chaos. Let that Tomb Vessel descend into turmoil—even destroy the Dandonghe legacy! Only through chaos will our Skeleton Clan stand a chance. Even if we gain nothing, we must deny the Divine Eye Clan this opportunity. The enmity between the Divine Eye Clan and our Skeleton Clan is eternal. We cannot allow them to seize such an overwhelming advantage.”
“Spread it!”
The other three Demon Lords also roared in fury. Their hatred burned without end. Without hesitation, they immediately began spreading the news to all factions across the Cosmic Sea.
…
Deep within the inner domain of the Cosmic Vessel, in the Flame-Ice Region, inside the Tomb Vessel.
Luo Feng stood on this side of the gate, constantly sensing waves of energy fluctuations coming from deep within, yet he had no idea what was happening inside.
“Hmm?” Dandonghe suddenly opened his eyes and murmured softly, “One has died. Four remain.”
Luo Feng was startled and couldn’t help but look at Dandonghe.
One has died?
Still remain four?
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