Chapter 139: The Tenth Passage
"Excellent!"
Zhang Chi had expected this, but he was still overjoyed.
With his Tier Two Late Stage Body Refining Cultivation, he wouldn’t fear even the prodigies of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
Even a Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivator wouldn’t necessarily be able to do anything to him.
Take the Demon Python from before, for example. He could fight it now.
Although killing it would still be difficult, it would be impossible for it to kill him.
He then continued his Cultivation for a while longer to consolidate his Body Refining Cultivation and adapt to his enhanced physical strength. Only then did he dismantle the Array and leave, continuing deeper into the Secret Realm.
A day later, he discovered that the Secret Realm began to narrow as he advanced. Eventually, a smooth rock wall covered in runes appeared before him, once again blocking his path.
However, set into the middle of the rock wall were ten tall Stone Gates. Eight of them were already closed, while the other two remained open.
Furthermore, a group of forty to fifty Cultivators had gathered here.
They all possessed at least a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivation, yet they were staring at the portals, hesitant to proceed.
’No wonder I haven’t seen anyone else along the way. They’ve all run off to here!’
Realization dawned on Zhang Chi as he took in the scene.
The number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators who came for this Exploration was five hundred in total, with fifty from each of the Ten Great Immortal Sects.
However, most of them were at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and Early Stage. There were just over a hundred at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and only ten with Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivation—exactly one from each Sect.
The number who could get past the Puppet blockade and enter this central region would surely be even smaller.
Adding those who entered before the Puppets appeared and some Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivators with special methods, the total number was likely just over a hundred.
These hundred-odd people would surely have fought amongst themselves, been killed by Demon Beasts, not yet arrived, or already passed through. Therefore, for forty to fifty Cultivators to be gathered here was already a considerable number.
When Zhang Chi arrived, the other Cultivators merely glanced at him before losing interest. No one came over to cause trouble.
For one, Zhang Chi’s attire was perfectly normal for this place.
For another, regardless of how he got here or what his displayed Cultivation level was, the fact that he’d made it this far meant he was no ordinary person.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask what the situation is here?"
Zhang Chi walked right up to a middle-aged looking Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator from the Cangwu Sect and asked via voice transmission.
At the same time, he casually handed the man a Tier One Peak Spirit Medicine as payment for the information.
"You’re too kind, Fellow Daoist. These should be passages leading deeper into the Secret Realm, but they are extremely dangerous. Only one person can enter a passage at a time, and it closes behind them."
"But if the person who enters dies, the passage will open again. If someone goes in and the passage remains closed, it means they’ve passed through, and that passage is effectively used up."
"Many Fellow Daoists have already entered these passages, and many have died as a result, including some at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. As for the eighth passage, someone just went in not long ago, so we don’t know the outcome yet."
"At the same time, no one dares to rashly enter the two remaining passages, which is why everyone has chosen to wait here."
The Cangwu Sect Cultivator had initially been too lazy to bother with Zhang Chi, and even a bit wary. But upon seeing the Spirit Medicine, he immediately broke into a smile and replied in detail, also via voice transmission.
It wasn’t that he was short on Tier One Peak Spirit Medicine, but no one would complain about having more. Besides, it was a matter of attitude.
"I see. Thank you for the explanation, Fellow Daoist."
Zhang Chi understood now and immediately expressed his thanks.
The Cultivator exchanged a few more pleasantries before falling silent.
"It’s over! Senior Brother Liu is dead!" At that moment, a Golden Sun Sect Cultivator suddenly cried out in despair.
Evidently, this Senior Brother Liu was the one attempting the passage. He must have left behind a Life Token, Soul Lamp, or something similar before entering, which was how the Golden Sun Sect Cultivator knew of his fate instantly.
CRACK!
An instant later, the eighth Stone Gate did indeed swing open again.
The view inside was pitch-black, which was normal due to the dim light and obstructing Restrictions.
But in the eyes of the Cultivators present, it looked like the man-eating maw of an Ancient Fierce Beast.
"What do we do now? Can only those at Foundation Establishment Peak pass through?"
The Cultivators were in an uproar, now even more hesitant to try.
Many of them chose to leave directly.
Zhang Chi did the same. However, he didn’t go far. He found a secluded spot and immediately took out several Tier Two Turtle Shells to perform a divination on the spot.
He soon had his result. He then returned to the gates and, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, flew without hesitation into the passage at the very end.
According to the Beast Hide Map, this Secret Realm was shaped like a Gourd, narrow in the middle and wide at both ends. This was undoubtedly the narrow part.
To reach the Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Mansion, one had to pass through here.
Moreover, his divination had shown that these passages were indeed dangerous, but they were also trials. Passing them would yield rewards.
However, the danger varied from passage to passage.
And for him, the tenth passage at the very end was not only free of danger but also held an opportunity. It was the perfect choice.
Upon entering the passage, the scenery before Zhang Chi’s eyes immediately changed. He saw a mountain forest filled with rare flowers and exotic herbs, and even many Core Formation Spiritual Objects.
But the next moment, the Jade Pendant in his mind flashed, and the scene before him vanished instantly.
Only then did he realize he was in a passage over a hundred feet high, carved into the mountain’s belly and surrounded by rock walls on all sides.
But ahead of him, a giant, multicolored spider was lunging at him as fast as lightning.
The spider had sharp claws and fangs and exuded the powerful pressure of a Tier Two Middle Stage Demon Beast. It was also shrouded in an ethereal mist.
Undoubtedly, what he had seen before was an illusion. This was the reality.
The illusion must have been caused by the ethereal mist emanating from the spider.
POW!
So, Zhang Chi threw a punch. Celestial Net Gang Force gathered in his fist, causing the air to crackle as he instantly blew the giant, multicolored spider apart.
’Too weak. It seems this spider’s strongest weapon is trapping people in an Illusion Realm. Even a Golden Core Early Stage Cultivator might not be immune. After all, my Divine Soul is comparable to the Golden Core Early Stage.’
’In that case, this passage must be extremely dangerous for the Cultivators outside. A pity that for me, it’s nothing special. No wonder the divination result was what it was!’
Zhang Chi thought to himself, a sense of understanding dawning on him.
Of course, even without its hallucinogenic effect, the spider wasn’t weak. It was just that to Zhang Chi, it was nothing worth mentioning.
Next, Zhang Chi quickly collected the materials from the spider’s body and continued flying forward.
BANG! BANG! BANG...
Soon, he encountered about a dozen more similar Demon Beast spiders, but he easily killed them all, one by one, with just his Body Refining strength.
"Huh!"
Then, he was startled to see massive, multicolored spiderwebs stretched across the passage high on the walls. Caught in the center of the webs were five Cultivators, all of them quite dead.
Clearly, they were the Explorers who had chosen this tenth passage before him.
Unfortunately, none of them had managed to pass through. They had become food for the spiders, stored here for later.