Chapter 105 Golden Nails Lock the God, First Encounter with Hanming

["Buzz—"]

[As you step into the entrance of the Sky Ladder, the familiar sense of dizziness strikes again.]

[Light and shadow flicker; space shifts.]

[When the scene before your eyes refocused, you hadn't even had time to clearly see your surroundings.]

[A terrifying heavy pressure was applied to your body without any warning!]

["Boom!"]

[It was as if an invisible mountain had been violently swung and then slammed heavily onto your back.]

["Thud!"]

[Without even 0.1 seconds of reaction time, your entire body was pressed flat against the ground by this unreasonable, brute force.]

[Your cheek was pressed tightly against the cold, hard ground, even becoming slightly deformed from the pressure.]

[The bones throughout your body let out a tooth-aching "creak."]

[The air in your lungs was squeezed out in an instant, and a sense of suffocation rushed in like a tide.]

["Holy sh*t..."]

[You cursed inwardly, trying to move even a finger, only to find that even that had become a luxury.]

["What's the situation? No martial ethics? Starting off with an ultimate move?"]

[Previous trials were either gradual pressure or battles that gave you time to prepare.]

[Even the Ruoshui of the fifth stage gave you time to adapt first.]

[But this first trial of the sixth stage is directly this kind of absolute suppression, sufficient to crush a Origin Opening Realm Martial Artist?]

["Rise!"]

[You grit your teeth, veins bulging on your neck.]

[You mobilized all the power in your body, and your Profound Water Spirit Body erupted completely.]

[Using every ounce of strength, you barely managed to lift your head a few inches from the ground.]

[As you struggled to cast your gaze forward, your pupils instantly contracted to the size of needlepoints.]

[This place... was different from every previous trial.]

[It was neither the deep sea nor any special elemental environment.]

[Instead, it was a dead, void, and grey space.]

[There was no central stone tablet that you were accustomed to, nor any instructional text.]

[At the end of this space, about a kilometer away, stood a massive, breathtaking water-blue divine statue.]

[The divine statue was a hundred zhang tall, its entire body crystal clear, as if condensed from the purest Deep Sea Essence.]

[It radiated an ancient, majestic, and sacred aura.]

[But...]

[This divine statue did not look like it was being worshipped in a temple, enjoying incense offerings.]

[Instead, it looked more like a... prisoner.]

[Upon its vast, azure body, countless thick golden chains were densely wound.]

[These chains were not inanimate objects; complex runes that caused your Soul to sting with pain flowed across them.]

[They seemed to possess life, biting deeply into the body of the divine statue.]

[Some even pierced through the divine statue's shoulder blades and limbs, pinning it firmly in place.]

[Following the chains, you discovered that their source was thirty-six giant long nails emitting a dark golden glow!]

[They were nailed into thirty-six positions in the Void Realm, each nail radiating a heart-palpitating aura.]

[These thirty-six nails and the countless chains together formed a cage.]

[Locking the divine statue tightly within, unable to move.]

[The divine statue's head hung low, long hair obscuring its face, eyes tightly closed.]

[Though its expression was unclear, from its posture...]

[You read a deep sense of entrapment, exhaustion, and... the helplessness of being unable to break free.]

["This..."]

[Watching this eerie and oppressive scene, a monstrous wave surged in your heart, and countless thoughts flashed wildly.]

["No Legacy stone tablet, only an imprisoned divine statue..."]

[In your mind, you suddenly recalled when you first entered this "Wanhua cangming Guixu Xuan Shui Grotto-Heaven" five years ago.]

[A line from the message delivered by a voice that was not Han Ming's:]

["Specially promoting the Minor God 'Han Ming' to Sermon Master Officer, establishing this Grotto-Heaven projection."]

[At the time, you only thought the sentence sounded very impressive, a kind of official rhetoric from a Great Powerful Being.]

[But now, combined with the sight of this divine statue tied up and riddled with nails...]

[Your lips twitched slightly, and an extremely absurd guess welled up in your heart.]

["This divine statue... it couldn't be Han Ming himself, could it?"]

["The way this Great Powerful Being promotes people... doesn't seem very friendly."]

[What "promotion," what "Sermon Master Officer."]

[This was clearly a kidnapping!]

[Moreover, based on your previous guess that the "Myriad Ages Pure Eye Burning Body God" and "Han Ming" should be acquainted.]

["Could this fellow have been forcibly 'press-ganged' by the true master behind this Grotto-Heaven?"]

["Han Ming was probably a local god, but he was spotted by that Great Powerful Being traveling the sea of stars, who felt his attributes were suitable."]

["So, without a word, he was directly caught, locked here, and forced to be this damn Sermon Master Officer for newcomers?"]

["If he doesn't behave, these thirty-six nails are used to make him fall in line?"]

[The more you thought about it, the more you felt that although this guess was outrageous, it was exceptionally logical.]

[In the eyes of those Great Powerful Beings who view all living things as ants, so-called "gods"...]

[Might just be slightly stronger ants, or perhaps just useful tools.]

[Of course, these were all just simple guesses based on the current situation.]

[It was highly likely they were completely inconsistent with the facts.]

[However, such constant reflection was very necessary.]

[In this high-martial world full of unknowns and dangers, intelligence is life.]

[You had to use these clues to piece together the truth behind it all.]

[Only then could you go further and live longer in one simulation after another.]

["Whew..."]

[You set aside your tangled thoughts for the moment and forced yourself to calm down.]

[Regardless of the truth, the priority now was to find a way to break the situation.]

[You tried to stand up, but as soon as your knees left the ground even an inch...]

[The heavy pressure would instantly increase tenfold, slamming you back down.]

["Fine, you won't let me stand, right?"]

[A flash of ruthlessness crossed your eyes.]

["Then I'll crawl!"]

[Using all your strength and resisting the heavy pressure, you struggled forward... wriggling.]

[That's right, you couldn't straighten your body at all and could only move like a worm.]

[Using your elbows and knees, you crawled forward inch by inch.]

[The posture was extremely unsightly, even pathetic to the extreme.]

[But you didn't care.]

[Based on your previous experience clearing stages, since there was no stone tablet...]

[The clues to solve the current problem most likely could only be found on this "divine statue" ahead.]

[So the first thing was to get close to this divine statue.]

["One, two, one..."]

[You chanted the rhythm in your mind.]

[With every exertion, you had to mobilize every muscle in your body and endure the agonizing pain of your bones being squeezed.]

[Sweat had long since soaked your clothes, dripping down your cheeks onto the ground.]

[Time seemed to stretch infinitely at this moment.]

[Every second was an ordeal.]

[One meter... ten meters... a hundred meters...]

[This short distance of a thousand meters would normally take you no effort to cross quickly.]

[But now, it felt as if you had walked for a century.]

[Finally.]

[After struggling and wriggling for nearly an hour...]

[Your fingers finally touched a cold, hard object with a unique texture.]

[You finally crawled to the feet of this giant divine statue.]

["I made it..."]

[You gasped for air, feeling as if your lungs were about to burst, your throat filled with the taste of blood.]

[At this point, you didn't even have the strength to lift your hand.]

[Even just lifting an arm to touch the divine statue felt like lifting a mountain.]

[You looked at the divine statue's boot, which was right in front of you.]

["What a hassle..."]

[You felt that lifting your hand was too much effort.]

[So.]

[Using your last bit of strength, you jerked your neck forward and lunged your head.]

[You directly bumped the edge of the divine statue's boot sole with the top of your head!]

["Thud."]

[A dull sound of impact rang out.]

[The moment you made contact.]

["Buzz—!!!"]

[The divine statue seemed to sense your arrival, and its previously deathly still body trembled slightly.]

[Immediately, a complex and obscure stream of information flowed through the point of contact, rushing into your mind like a tide.]

[You felt a burning heat at the center of your brow, as if a branding iron had been pressed against it.]

[In the center of your brow, a water-blue mark slowly emerged, emitting a faint blue light.]

[At this moment, you felt that you had truly established a connection with the divine statue in front of you.]

[That connection was mysterious and profound, as if an invisible mental channel had been established between you.]

[Just as you held your breath, preparing to analyze the new information in your head to see if you could obtain a Legacy to break this heavy pressure...]

[Suddenly.]

[That familiar, somewhat lazy, and even slightly impatient voice appeared in your mind again.]

[It was exactly Han Ming's voice.]

["Hey."]

[The voice paused, its tone carrying a hint of disdain, as if scolding an underachieving junior.]

["Kid, you're crawling way too slowly, aren't you?"]