With Domain Lord Liuli leading the way, she and Yi Tianyun flew swiftly forward. Yi Tianyun kept pace perfectly at her side, showing no sign of lagging behind.
Domain Lord Liuli glanced sideways, confirming that it wasn't her imagination, Yi Tianyun truly could match her high speed. His incredible velocity was far beyond what a normal Heaven Monarch could manage.
This brought an extra advantage: deception. Opponents would let their guard down against a Heaven Monarch, only to be caught off guard by his sudden burst of power and speed.
"Right up ahead is the entrance to the sixth level," she reminded him.
After passing through a dense forest, what appeared before them was a massive gate, quite peculiar in appearance. It had ten grooves on its surface, instantly making Yi Tianyun think of the "Ten Lives Heavenly Bead."
It looked like these ten beads would fit perfectly into the gate, presumably opening it once they were all placed.
A large group of cultivators had already gathered in front of the gate, about nine factions in total, none looking like pushovers. Their cultivation levels were extremely high; in fact, there were several half-step Heavenly Venerables among them!
Though they wore masks to obscure their faces, Yi Tianyun instantly guessed they were likely Domain Lords of various God Domains. Just like Domain Lord Liuli, they had come in search of treasure or cultivation opportunities.
Since they were stuck at half-step Heavenly Venerable, they had a desperate need to absorb and comprehend Heavenly Venerable Power. Unfortunately, no one had been able to reach higher levels yet, so they lingered on the fifth level. Now, with these unusual beads surfacing, they finally saw a glimmer of hope.
"Are you two among the bead-holders?"
A burly man stepped forward, he possessed half-step Heavenly Venerable power. He stomped heavily on the ground, unleashing an intimidating aura that pressed down on them like a tidal wave.
That was his way of warning newcomers to feel the pressure. If they indeed held a bead, they should obediently stay put; if not, they'd better get lost.
"Indeed, we have one of the beads." Domain Lord Liuli waved her hand lightly, dispersing the oppressive force as though it were nothing.
"Your cultivation is decent." The man, God Monarch Lu Yuan, narrowed his eyes at Yi Tianyun. Then he frowned. "So you've even brought a Heaven Monarch kid here?"
Everyone else present was at the God Monarch level. Not a single Heaven Monarch in sight. By the sixth level, any Heaven Monarch would typically be told to scram, coming here was basically courting death.
Even though this sixth level might look less perilous than the fourth, it was full of concealed dangers! While it didn't feature the same kind of relentless assault as the bamboo forest, before Yi Tianyun arrived, chaotic Illusory Metal Power constantly surged, sometimes calm, sometimes violently raging. Any slight miscalculation, and one could be shredded.
"That's not really any of your business, is it?" Domain Lord Liuli said coolly, eyeing the gate. "We hold one of the beads, that fact alone should be enough."
"Fair enough." God Monarch Lu Yuan then stepped aside. "All of us here are bead-holders as well, and I'm sure you've noticed this gate. It has slots for ten beads, fitting exactly the number we have. Once all ten are in place, the gate should open."
"So, here's the plan: each bead's holder will slot their bead into its corresponding place, while everyone else keeps their distance. Agreed?"
Because there was no way to open the gate without the beads, if anyone refused to slot theirs in, it would remain shut indefinitely.
"No objections from us."
"We agree as well."
They were split into nine factions, each with only a small group of around three or four. That was enough, though, as forming coordinated teams was more important than sheer numbers.
No one objected. Among them were two other half-step Heavenly Venerables, and even they raised no complaint. If Domain Lord Liuli and Yi Tianyun opposed it now, they'd be outnumbered.
"We have no problem with that," Domain Lord Liuli said, choosing not to overthink it. If everyone else was on board, she saw no reason to decline.
Once that was settled, God Monarch Lu Yuan spoke in a low voice:
"I started this, so I'll go first."
He strode over to the gate, took out his bead, marked with a "3", and placed it into the matching groove. It fit perfectly.
Then he returned to his group, maintaining a distance of around ten miles from the gate. Ten miles was very short for people at their cultivation levels, it wouldn't even take a blink to bridge that distance. But since all factions stood at a similar range, it would be "fair" if anyone tried to retrieve their bead or pull any stunts.
With him setting the example, others followed suit. While the Ten Lives Heavenly Beads were indeed precious, if these cultivators wanted to flee with one, they'd be giving up the chance to see what awaited on higher levels. Throwing away a watermelon in favor of picking up a sesame seed would be a huge loss.
Moreover, under so many watchful gazes, was anyone confident they could run off unscathed?
Before long, all beads were in place. Finally, it was Domain Lord Liuli's turn. She nodded toward Yi Tianyun, then walked up to the gate, carefully inserted her bead, and immediately returned to him. As per the agreement, she kept the ten miles distance.
Moments later, the gate began to emit a faint radiance, which grew steadily brighter. Everyone squinted as the glare intensified. Then, just as the door was about to fully open, Domain Lord Liuli withdrew to Yi Tianyun's side, as agreed.
When the glow subsided, they saw that behind the gate was not a typical corridor but rather a space and time great array, leading who knew where.
In that very instant, God Monarch Lu Yuan charged forward and snatched his own bead from the gate, then reached for another!
He wasn't alone. As soon as the gate cracked open, everybody rushed in at top speed, launching the grand bead snatch!
"If we're talking about speed, you're all rookies compared to me!" God Monarch Lu Yuan sneered. He'd been so agreeable precisely because he trusted in his own speed.
After all, he possessed the Kunpeng bloodline, giving him an absolute edge in velocity. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so "generous."
"I'd say you are the one who's too green."
He spotted a Heaven Monarch off to the side rapidly pulling beads free. By the time he had grabbed two, the other had already seized three!