181: Chapter 181 Endless Sea, Sea-Suppressing Divine Tower

The light gate slowly closed behind them.

Lin Fan stood still, and as far as his eyes could see, there was a boundless ocean.

The seawater was a deep blue, with waves surging and rolling into the distance layer upon layer. The sky was the same shade of blue, merging with the sea's surface at the horizon until they were indistinguishable. Occasionally, massive sea birds with wingspans of over ten zhang swept past, letting out long, drawn-out cries.

The air was thick with dense water Spiritual Qi, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible pressure—the aura of some powerful existence.

“The Endless Sea.” Zi Linger landed beside Lin Fan, gazing at the vast waters. “The Ten Thousand Demon Celestial Domain has seas too, but none this large. This place feels like it's hiding quite a lot.”

Su Zhiqing did not speak, only silently tightening her grip on the Frost Sword.

She could sense countless life signatures lurking beneath the surface; some were very weak, but others were startlingly strong.

“What are the rules of the fourth floor?” Lin Fan asked.

Zi Linger shook her head. “There are no records of this in the ancient texts of the Ten Thousand Demon Celestial Domain. However, since it's called the Endless Sea, it must be related to water.”

Lin Fan pondered for a moment before pointing toward a looming pagoda in the distance. “Let's go there first.”

The three transformed into streaks of light, flying toward the pagoda just above the surface of the sea.

After flying for about a hundred miles, a violent surge of energy suddenly erupted from beneath the waves.

Lin Fan's gaze narrowed. “Careful!” Before his voice could fade, the sea surface exploded, and a massive black shadow soared into the sky.

It was a giant snake, pitch-black all over with scales the size of millstones. A single horn grew from its head, and its eyes were blood-red. It opened its massive maw, lunging straight for Lin Fan, who was flying at the front.

Lin Fan neither dodged nor avoided it, simply raising his hand for a palm strike.

Grey air currents condensed into a palm print, slamming into the giant snake's head.

The giant snake let out a wretched scream and was sent flying backward, crashing into the sea and kicking up a hundred-zhang-high wave. But it did not die.

Beneath the surface, the giant snake twisted its body and let out an angry hiss. Immediately after, the surrounding sea exploded as countless identical giant snakes broke through the water, densely packed and numbering over a hundred.

“A sea snake swarm!” Zi Linger's expression changed slightly. “Every one of them has the strength of a Mid-Stage World Lord!”

Lin Fan's gaze swept over the giant snakes. He noticed that although they were fierce, they did not attack immediately. Instead, they surrounded the trio, seemingly waiting for something.

Beneath the sea, an even more massive figure slowly rose.

It was a Sea Snake King, three hundred zhang long and dark gold in color. It had two horns on its head, and its eyes flickered with the light of intelligence. As it surfaced, its massive head looked down upon Lin Fan's group from above.

“Human.” The Snake King spoke, its voice deep as thunder. “Why have you intruded upon my territory?”

Lin Fan looked at it and said calmly, “Just passing through.”

A flash of anger crossed the Snake King's eyes, but it was quickly suppressed.

It stared at Lin Fan and suddenly said, “You have the aura of annihilation on you.”

Lin Fan's brow twitched slightly.

“And Eternity as well,” the Snake King continued. “Two powers coexisting within your body... interesting.”

It flicked its tail, and the giant snakes surrounding the three retreated, clearing a path.

“Go on,” the Snake King said. “This King will not stop you.”

Zi Linger was stunned. “It's that simple?”

The Snake King looked at her, a hint of mockery in its eyes.

“Little girl, do you think the fourth floor is for you to kill demons? The true trial lies in the pagoda ahead. This King is merely a gatekeeper; there is no need to fight you to the death.”

It paused, then looked at Lin Fan.

“However, a word of advice—the Sea-Suppressing Pagoda has nine floors. Each floor has a different trial. In ten thousand years, no more than ten people have reached the ninth floor alive.”

Lin Fan nodded. “Thank you.”

The three continued flying forward.

Behind them, the Snake King watched Lin Fan's retreating back and muttered, “The one in whom Eternity and annihilation coexist... it seems that prophecy is about to come true.”

It sank back into the sea and vanished.

The Sea-Suppressing Pagoda was even more magnificent than it appeared from afar.

The tower stood a thousand zhang tall with nine floors. Each floor had large windows through which faint light could be seen flickering. The tower was built of some kind of cyan stone, its surface covered in complex Formation patterns that emitted a faint aura capable of suppressing all things.

There was a beach in front of the tower, where dozens of people had already gathered.

They were all Prodigies who had arrived earlier.

When Lin Fan's group landed, many people turned to look.

Some recognized him, their expressions changing slightly; others were seeing him for the first time, their eyes filled with curiosity.

“Lin Fan!” a surprised voice rang out.

Lin Fan looked over to see Jiang Yun walking quickly toward him, followed by several familiar faces—the Prodigies he had saved on the first floor.

“Brother Jiang,” Lin Fan nodded. “You've arrived as well?”

Jiang Yun gave a bitter smile. “We arrived early, but we didn't dare enter the tower. Over a dozen people went in just now, and not a single one has come out.”

Lin Fan looked toward the Sea-Suppressing Pagoda.

The tower doors were wide open, but the interior was pitch black; nothing could be seen.

“Has any news come out from inside?” he asked.

Jiang Yun shook his head. “None. Those who went in seem to have simply vanished.”

Lin Fan pondered.

Right then, a figure suddenly rushed out from the tower doors.

The person was covered in blood, stumbling a few steps before collapsing onto the sand.

The crowd gathered around and found it was a youth of the Human Race, his face deathly pale and his breath faint. There was a wound on his chest deep enough to see bone, and a faint black mist could be seen corroding his flesh.

“Inside... inside...” he gasped with difficulty, “there are ghosts...” Before he could finish, his head slumped, and he died.

Everyone looked at each other, a trace of fear flashing in their eyes.

Zi Linger frowned. “Ghosts? What does that mean?”

Lin Fan crouched down to examine the man's wound.

The black mist was still corroding the flesh, emitting a cold, eerie aura.

He raised his hand, and a grey air current merged into the wound.

Upon contact with the grey current, the black mist vanished instantly, like snow meeting a scorching sun.

“It's not ghosts.” Lin Fan stood up. “It is the Power of Annihilation.”

The crowd broke into an uproar.

“The Power of Annihilation? Isn't that the Cultivation Technique Lin Fan practices?”

“Could there be Nirvana Believers inside as well?”

“No, this power is even purer than those believers'...”

Lin Fan ignored the chatter.

He looked at the Sea-Suppressing Pagoda, a flash of realization in his eyes.

“I know what is inside.”

Zi Linger asked, “What?”

Lin Fan said slowly, “A projection of Xu.”

An hour later, Lin Fan stood before the tower doors.

Su Zhiqing and Zi Linger stood behind him.

Jiang Yun hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. “Brother Lin Fan, are you really going in?”

Lin Fan nodded.

Jiang Yun gritted his teeth. “Then I'm coming with you!”

Lin Fan glanced at him. “It's very dangerous inside. You might die.”

Jiang Yun laughed. “Brother Lin Fan saved my life; this life was borrowed to begin with. Even if I die inside, I won't lose out.”

Lin Fan was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Fine.”

Several other Prodigies who had been saved by Lin Fan also stepped forward, willing to accompany him.

The others chose to wait—they wanted to see if any news would come out after Lin Fan entered.

Lin Fan did not force anyone.

He turned and stepped into the tower doors.

Darkness swallowed him instantly.

Behind him, Su Zhiqing, Zi Linger, Jiang Yun, and the others followed close behind.

On the beach, the remaining people looked at each other, waiting for fate's choice.

The interior of the tower was not dark.

The moment Lin Fan stepped in, an eerie blue light illuminated his vision.

It was a spacious hall with an immeasurably high ceiling. The four walls were made of transparent crystal, through which the endless seawater could be seen flowing outside—it turned out this tower was built on the seabed.

In the center of the hall, a massive blue orb of light was suspended.

The orb rotated slowly, and with every revolution, a ripple spread out, sweeping through the entire hall.

Lin Fan sensed that the ripples contained a powerful mental pressure—an attack aimed at the Soul.

“Guard your minds,” he warned.

The people behind him began to circulate their Cultivation Techniques to resist the mental pressure.

Zi Linger frowned. “This is the trial of the first floor? It doesn't seem that hard.” Before she could finish, a figure suddenly emerged from the light orb.

It was an old man wearing a blue robe, with white hair and a white beard, looking very kind. He looked at Lin Fan and the others, smiling.

“Welcome to the first floor of the Sea-Suppressing Pagoda.”

“I am the guardian of this floor.”

“The trial is very simple.”

He raised his hand, pointing toward a door on the other side of the hall. “Pass through that door, and you may enter the second floor.”

Zi Linger was taken aback. “Just like that?”

The old man laughed. “Simple? That door is not one that just anyone can pass through.”

He paused and continued.

“On the other side of that door lies your deepest inner fear. Only those who conquer their fear can pass.”

“Are you all ready?”

Lin Fan did not answer, walking directly toward the door.

Behind him, the crowd looked at each other and followed.

The door was an ordinary wooden one, without patterns or decorations.

Lin Fan reached out and pushed it open.

Behind the door was pitch blackness.

He stepped inside.

Darkness swallowed him instantly.

A familiar voice reached his ears: “Lin Fan...”

Lin Fan's pupils constricted slightly.

That was the Clan Leader's voice. But it was filled with agony and despair.

The darkness receded like a tide.

Lin Fan found himself standing on familiar ground—the Lin Family Ancestral Land.

But the sight before him made his pupils shrink.

The ancestral land was in ruins.

The main hall that had stood for ten thousand years had collapsed, the Legacy stone tablets were shattered into pieces across the ground, and the martial field was split by countless bottomless fissures. Bodies were everywhere—corpses of Lin Family disciples, some he knew, some he didn't.

The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood.

“Lin Fan...”

The voice rang out again.

Lin Fan followed the sound.

In the center of the ruins, the Clan Leader knelt on the ground, covered in blood. His chest was pierced by a pitch-black longsword, and on the hilt was a twisted rune—the mark of the Nirvana Believers.

“Father...” Lin Fan muttered.

The Clan Leader raised his head and looked at him, his eyes full of pain.

“Why did you have to go to the Ancient Road...”

“If you hadn't left, they wouldn't have come...”

Lin Fan remained silent.

He knew this was an illusion.

The perception of his Eternal Annihilation Body told him all of this was fake—the Clan Leader's aura was fake, and the auras of the corpses were fake.

But he still felt a pang of heartache.

Because it all seemed too real.

“Lin Fan.” The Clan Leader continued, “Do you know how they died?”

He pointed to a corpse not far away—Lin Pojun.

“Pojun was besieged by three believers while trying to protect the ancestral land, and in the end, he was torn to shreds alive.”

He pointed to another spot—the corpses of the Eighteen Guards lay scattered about.

“The Eighteen Guards all died in battle; not a single one surrendered.”

“The Three Hundred Battle Guards were almost entirely wiped out.”

“The Lin Family is finished.”

Lin Fan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, his eyes had regained their calm.

“Are you finished?” he said flatly.

The Clan Leader was stunned.

Lin Fan looked at him, his gaze as calm as water.

“I know you are fake.”

“Even if the Lin Family were destroyed, my father would never speak to me in such a tone. He would tell me to seek revenge, not to blame myself.”

“Therefore...”

He raised his hand, and a grey sword-light slashed out.

The sword-light pierced through the “Clan Leader's” chest.

The “Clan Leader's” figure began to twist and dissipate, finally turning into a wisp of black smoke.

Everything around him also began to collapse—the ancestral land, the corpses, the ruins, all turned into nothingness.

Darkness surged again.

A voice echoed in the darkness.

“Not bad, you were able to see through the first layer of fear.”

“But what about the second layer?”

The darkness cleared.

Lin Fan found himself standing on the edge of a cliff.

Below the cliff was an endless abyss. Within the abyss, countless struggling figures were faintly visible—they were people he had killed in the past.

Huangfu Xiong stood at the very front, the sword wound on his chest still bleeding.

“Lin Fan...” he rasped, “do you still remember me?”

Lin Fan ignored him.

His gaze fell on the other side of the cliff.

Three people were standing there.

Xia Qingyue, Su Zhiqing, and Zi Linger.

They were bound by black chains, kneeling on the ground. Standing before them was a familiar figure—Xu.

“Lin Fan.” Xu spoke, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze. “Pick one.”

He pointed to Xia Qingyue. “Her, your ally in Great Xia, your confidante.”

He pointed to Su Zhiqing. “Her, who walked the Ancient Road with you, your life-and-death companion.”

He pointed to Zi Linger.

“Her, whom you've only just met, but who has already developed feelings for you.”

“Pick one to live. The other two die.”

Lin Fan remained silent.

Xu laughed. “What? You can't bear to?”

“Then I'll choose for you.”

He raised his hand, and a beam of black light shot toward Xia Qingyue.

Xia Qingyue let out a scream and turned into ash.

Lin Fan's brow furrowed slightly, but he still did not speak.

Xu pointed at Su Zhiqing again.

“The second one.”

Su Zhiqing likewise turned into ash.

Finally, only Zi Linger remained.

She knelt there, looking at Lin Fan, her eyes full of fear and pleading. “Lin Fan, save me...”

Xu raised his hand, placing it on her head. “The last one. Will you save her or not?”

Lin Fan looked at him and said calmly, “Are you done playing?”

Xu was taken aback.

Lin Fan stepped forward, walking toward the cliff.

“Do you think I would believe any of this?”

“Xia Qingyue wouldn't be killed so easily, and Su Zhiqing wouldn't resign herself to fate so simply. As for Zi Linger...”

He looked at Zi Linger; the fear and pleading in those eyes were entirely different from the real Zi Linger.

“Even if she were to die, she would curse you a few times rather than beg for mercy.”

Xu's expression changed.

Lin Fan raised his hand and threw a punch.

This punch did not use any spiritual power; it was pure Physical Body strength.

But wherever the wind of the punch passed, the entire illusion collapsed—the cliff, the abyss, Xu, Zi Linger, everything shattered.

At the last moment, Xu's voice came through: “How did you do it?”

Lin Fan withdrew his fist and said flatly, “Because I believe in them.”

“They won't die that easily.”

“Even if they die, they will die for something worthwhile.”

“Rather than being used like this to threaten me.”

The illusion completely collapsed.

Lin Fan opened his eyes and found himself standing before a door.

The door was open, and behind it was a brightly lit corridor.

He stepped out and found he had passed the first floor.

At the end of the corridor, Su Zhiqing was leaning against the wall, her expression calm.

Seeing him come out, she nodded slightly. “Faster than I expected.”

Lin Fan asked, “What did you experience?”

Su Zhiqing was silent for a moment before saying, “My mother.”

Lin Fan did not ask further.

He knew that some things didn't need to be fully explained.

A moment later, Zi Linger also emerged.

Her face was a bit pale, but her eyes were still bright.

Seeing Lin Fan, she grinned. “Hey, what did you see in the illusion?”

Lin Fan said flatly, “The three of you died.”

Zi Linger was taken aback, then laughed. “That was definitely fake. I wouldn't die that easily.”

Lin Fan nodded. “I know.”

Zi Linger looked at him, suddenly feeling a strange warmth well up in her heart.

He said “know,” not “hope.”

She understood the difference between those two words.

After another incense stick's worth of time, Jiang Yun and the others emerged one after another.

Some were deathly pale, some were weeping, and some were silent.

But everyone had made it out.

Lin Fan counted—eighteen people, not one missing.

He turned and looked toward the stairs leading to the second floor.

“Let's go.”

The group followed.

Behind them, the Door of Fear slowly closed.

The first floor was cleared. But the true trials were still ahead.