At the intersection, many beings had gathered, but some no longer showed the arrogance and confidence they had before death.
Without exception, everyone's eyes were grave; some even stood there, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
It was clear that they had also endured many terrifying trials, witnessing countless powerful beings slaughtered with their own eyes. To make it this far alive, many believed it was just luck.
Before the laws of the Path of the Netherworld, they seemed powerless, as if they were gambling with their lives. If they lost, they would die and lose their Dao, and they had no choice but to gamble.
"That's strange. Why are there so many more intersections here all at once?" Mengqi said somewhat curiously.
According to her understanding, the five end should be six, and the six should have ended at seven intersections. But now, nine appeared all at once, which meant the ultimate and should be the final level.
But Long Chen knew what was going on. Because in the sixth trial, he went through the strongest trial, so he went straight into the ninth trial.
Because after triggering a certain law, although there were nine paths ahead for Long Chen to choose from, in reality, Long Chen and his group could only select three. Six of them had strange fluctuations in the laws that repelled them.
And that path is one, five, and nine—one is the weakest, one is moderate, and the other is the strongest.
"The strangest thing is, not a single strong fighter from our Tianwu Continent has been seen..." Guo Ran looked at the endless beings around him and said curiously.
But halfway through speaking, Xia Chen nudged him. Xia Chen pursed his lips, and Guo Ran saw Long Chen closing his eyes in deep thought and quickly shut his mouth to avoid disturbing him.
Inside the Nether God Hall, Ming Cangyue looked at Long Chen in the screen and asked, "What is he thinking?" "
Leng Yueyan shook her head: "No one knows what he's thinking. Right now, there are only three paths before him. No matter which one he takes, in the end, he will have to cross the half-life, half-death bridge."
The Half-Life Half-Death Bridge will annihilate half of the living beings who cross it. Whether they live or die depends on one's fate.
But no matter how tough their fate is, half of them will die here, so..."
"I understand. The Nether God Token is with you. You can help him pass it. I have no objections." Ming Cangyue smiled faintly.
"However, once the laws are changed, the throne of the Underworld God will be lost. Our revenge plan will not only be put on hold for a while, but may even be cursed by the laws. What I mean is..." Leng Yueyan said.
"Don't think about it. You are me, I am you. If you bear the curse alone, I will be affected and cannot remain unaffected.
Since we're all betting on Long Chen, let's go for it without hesitation. It's either a win or a win—let's take a gamble. "Ming Cangyue's eyes showed a trace of determination.
Leng Yueyan smiled and said nothing more. Her jade-like hand gripped the Nether God Token tightly, ready to help Long Chen clear the stage together at the last moment.
...
Long Chen closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. Meng Qi and the others didn't dare disturb him; they all knew Long Chen well and knew he must be calculating something.
The surrounding experts, with heavy hearts, gritted their teeth and chose a path forward, their bodies disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Pfft!"
Suddenly, with a very abrupt sound, Long Chen spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, startling Mengqi and the others.
"Long Chen..."
Long Chen waved his hand to show he was fine, then closed his eyes again. Meng Qi and the others exchanged glances, unsure how Long Chen could cough up blood and not be injured before.
But since Long Chen didn't say anything, they couldn't ask directly, so they could only wait quietly. While waiting, they began to close their eyes and rest, keeping their spirits at their peak.
Closing their eyes to rest, they were pleasantly surprised to find that their primordial spirits were several times stronger than before entering the Gates of Hell, even to the point of disbelief.
Sure enough, the stronger the attacks within the Path of Penetration, the greater the help to their primordial spirits. Even if their bodies die, their primordial spirits won't need physical nourishment and will still survive in the world.
They hadn't yet advanced to Tongming, but they had already become stronger. A powerful primordial spirit would make their control and attacks in spells even more terrifying, and their combat power would grow invisibly.
At the massive intersection, countless beings faced a difficult choice, knowing that if they made the wrong choice, it would mean eternal ruin.
At the same time, they finally understood why a powerful figure who left the Tongming path, after successfully ascending to Tongming, would forget everything.
The laws of the Underworld forbid anyone from recording the situation here to prevent future generations from cheating. So, no matter who enters, they must rely on luck and strength to force their way in.
On the platform, like flowing water, some beings left, others arrived. However, it wasn't just the Dragonblood warriors sitting quietly here; many others had not yet made up their minds or were ready, all watching closely.
After an unknown amount of time, Long Chen finally opened his eyes and slowly stood up. Long Chen stood up, and all the Dragonblood warriors rose up as well.
"Boss, can we set out now?"
Long Chen swept his gaze over everyone and said, "Brothers, we are now facing a huge problem. No matter how we walk the roads ahead, we will eventually cross a bridge."
Passing that bridge, one out of every two people would surely die. This had nothing to do with cultivation, but was entirely a matter of luck. Just
now, Long Chen used his primordial spirit power to scout the path ahead, but was affected by the curse of the laws here, which caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood and damage to his soul.
However, Long Chen did not give up. He activated the Chaos Pearl, which trembled and helped him absorb the curse of the laws here. Only then was his soul power able to pass through the path and see the Half-Life Half-Death Bridge.
Long Chen observed for a long time, watching countless beings die mysteriously, and finally realized the problem.
"So, only half of us Dragonblood warriors can make it through?" This absolutely won't do... Gu Yang and the others immediately reddened their eyes.
Dragonblood warriors are closer than brothers—they'd rather die themselves than accept others. After crossing the bridge, they are separated forever—no one can accept that.
"Boss, isn't there any other way?" Guo Ran clenched his fists and said. Although his tone was questioning, he knew that these were the laws of the underworld—no one could change them.
The path to the underworld has no turning back; you can only move forward. Once you choose, you can never go back on your word. In the face of such laws, no one can resist them. People seem so weak and helpless, forced to bow their heads. But they are unwilling to accept it. But what can they do if they are unwilling to accept it?
"Yes,"
Long Chen said with just one word, instantly making everyone overjoyed. However, his next words poured cold water on the fire in everyone's hearts.
"There are methods, but the chances of success are extremely low." Long Chen said.
"How low?"
"We only have a twenty percent chance of making it out alive." Long Chen said in a deep voice.
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat—a 20% chance was way too low.
"Our Dragonblood Legion will either live together or die together. What do you all think?" Long Chen looked at everyone and said.
"Damn it, let's go all out! Our Dragonblood Legion absolutely cannot be separated. Half our brothers are gone, and we won't be able to drink anymore. What's the point of living? Boss, let's go all in. Even if there's a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we have to give it a try."
"That's right, boss, we've fought to the bitter end. We've walked through mountains of blades and seas of blood. This one time doesn't matter."
"Boss, don't hesitate. Whatever you want us to do, live together; if you die, we die together."
For a moment, all the Dragonblood warriors shouted excitedly.
"Alright, since that's the case, let's turn it upside down." Looking into those burning eyes, Long Chen felt a surge of heroic passion in his heart.
"Let's go."
Long Chen waved his hand and led everyone straight toward the fourth entrance. This was the least difficult of the three entrances he could choose.
As the Dragonblood Legion moved, many beings also rose and entered the passage ahead. The mist was thick and thick, like a monster's huge mouth, ready to devour all life.
Long Chen led everyone inside without hesitation. After walking for half an incense stick's time, the void rumbled and exploded, and swords slashed down from the air.
"Boom boom boom... Long
Chen held the Dragon Bone Evil Moon in his hand, slashing out with a single blade. The black blade shadow tore through the void, shaking the heavens and echoing through the ages.
"Divine Ring—Manifest!"
At this moment, Long Chen began to unleash his full power. His divine ring was torn open, and the laws of heaven and earth began to twist, tear, and snap.
This was the final stretch of the Tongming Secret Realm. The laws were terrifying, and within the blades were various powers—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, darkness, and so on—all mixed together.
It can withstand the first type of force, but not the others. Runes flickered in the void, falling like rain of light, clinging to people and making them feel as if they were being tempered in a furnace, making them suffer unbearably.
Long Chen walked alone at the front, braving the most terrifying torrent of attacks, tearing the void apart with unstoppable courage.
"Xia Chen, hold on."
At that moment, Guo Ran let out a startled cry. He noticed Xia Chen was starting to lose her grip. He supported her and shouted loudly.
"I... It's okay, I can still hold on. Xia Chen's face was pale, but he still struggled to hold on.
He was a formation master, skilled in calculation all his life, but his soul power and primordial spirit were not strong. Because he didn't have much time to cultivate, he found it hard to hold out here.
Seeing Xia Chen on the verge of collapse, Guo Ran grabbed him on his back and carried him all the way.
Guo Ran was the oddball here, the only one whose spiritual will the laws couldn't detect. Perhaps because his willpower was too weak and the laws couldn't sense it, those attacks simply ignored him.
But even for others, enduring such a powerful attack was quite difficult, as if their souls were being pricked by needles, evoking a sense of despair.
But if you despair at this moment, it's truly over—this is the ultimate test of willpower.
"Everyone, get ready, charge with me."
Long Chen suddenly shouted loudly. Stars swirled in his eyes, his entire body covered in white dragon scales, and a terrifying aura erupted.
"Eighth Form of Heaven Creation!"
With a loud explosion,
the void was pierced, revealing a huge spatial hole, from which another path could be seen.
"Let's go, quickly." Long Chen shouted loudly, leading the charge into the cave.