364: way out

Everyone rushed over to check, and indeed there was a skeleton.

It lay on its back in solitude, with nothing around it, only its jaw slightly agape, as if it had been equally desolate before death.

There were also blood-red characters near the skeleton, fewer in number, but they silenced everyone present.

"Immortal Ascension... difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

Jian Wanzhong and the five native Cultivators all had complex expressions, looking at these five words with a sigh.

The players were also shocked by it, and after a long time, they asked:

"What exactly is this Immortal Ascension?"

"Isn't embarking on cultivation Immortal Ascension?"

"Those who can leave words here should be powerful, right? Aren't they Immortals? Why would they say it's difficult?"

"Look quickly! There are more words next to it!"

A player impatiently pushed the skeleton's arm aside, causing it to immediately turn into dust and disappear.

The words beneath the bone arm instantly appeared before everyone's eyes:

"Yang Qiuzhen of Tianxiang Holy Land"

"Senior Yang Qiuzhen?"

Jian Wanzhong's breathing hitched, and the four Guards showed thoughtful expressions, then froze in place.

"The supreme expert of Tianxiang Holy Land thirty thousand years ago, he dominated an era with few rivals. To think he would ultimately perish here..."

"The Nandou Dao Lineage began to decline thirty thousand years ago and is now extinct. It's likely that most of the powerful figures of that time, like Yang Qiuzhen, died in such desperate places..."

The four Guards discussed, growing increasingly alarmed by the terror of this place.

The players exchanged glances, all sensing that something was wrong.

"No, we've just started, right? Never mind no Newbie Village, where exactly have we been brought?"

"Didn't they say it was a dungeon? Where are the monsters? Where's the boss? Why is it all mysterious stuff?"

"Something's not right, is this a place we should be?"

This Time Bu Ge frowned, instinctively feeling that something was amiss. This didn't seem like a place for Mortals like them; it should be a land of Immortal Ascension that supreme experts would seek their entire lives to find.

The fact that they could enter such a place shouldn't be a coincidence, could it be... "Look quickly, there are more skeletons ahead!"

The players continued forward and saw dozens more skeletons.

A few of them had left their names, and none were nobodies; they were all powerful figures whose names still resonated after tens of thousands of years.

"Is this Immortal Ascension really that difficult?"

"So many powerful individuals who reached the peak on Burial Emperor Star all fell here?"

"Wait, the point isn't whether Immortal Ascension is difficult, is it? The point is that we're here too!"

"How do we get out of this cursed place? We're not all going to die here, are we?"

Just as everyone was panicking, a strange power suddenly struck.

The bronze hall became hazy, as if Chaos was surging, a blur pressing down on everyone.

Jian Wanzhong quickly drew his jian xie sword, which merely flashed once, but it seemed unable to resist.

Everyone panicked, feeling that this was the end, and it was time to restart.

Ye Hei looked at the approaching blur, a bitter smile on his lips.

Was he finally going to die? This world... But just then, he felt his mind tremble, as if something enveloped him, and then enveloped the others.

This power didn't seem to originate from within him; rather, it seemed to be inherent to the bronze hall itself. Ye Hei didn't even notice anything unusual.

He only knew that the bronze hall had changed.

A moment later, everyone reopened their eyes, having arrived in a new space.

This desolate space was devoid of noise and clutter, with only two gateways before them, like a place of choice.

"Look quickly! Skeletons!"

There were over a dozen skeletons here, the most peculiar thing being that they were crystal clear like jade, glowing, and even when touched, they only emitted a metallic clang, showing no signs of damage.

Evidently, the strength of those who left their skeletons here was significantly higher than the previous ones.

Everyone walked forward again and saw a final message at the very front, no longer a few blood-red characters scrawled in their dying moments, but a complete passage:

"I have an Immortal heart, long sealed by worldly dust. When will the dust be gone and light emerge, illuminating myriad mountains and rivers?"

Although the players couldn't fully grasp the grandeur within, they knew that anyone capable of leaving such poetry here must be an extraordinary powerful individual.

"This person..."

Jian Wanzhong looked at the skeleton, seemingly confirming something, and his four Guards were also stunned.

"That's right, it should be him..."

"But, wasn't it said that he had already achieved Immortal Ascension? How could he be here?"

"Even such a figure died here?"

Passing over a dozen skeletons, everyone arrived before the two gateways.

These two gateways had no other decorations, only resembling the Yin and Yang fish of Tai Chi, with the black Yin fish on the left and the white Yang fish on the right.

All the players were completely stumped. The Xuanhuan World culture of Tai Chi Yin and Yang was incomprehensible to them.

They only thought it was "cool"; beyond that, they couldn't analyze anything.

'It seems I'll have to learn more Xuanhuan culture in the future, otherwise these things will only become more mysterious, and I'll have no idea where to start.'

This Time Bu Ge thought to himself, planning to take some time to organize all the Xuanhuan culture currently known to players.

"There are words on it!"

Suddenly, someone shouted.

On the black Yin fish, the ancient character for "Death" was written in vigorous strokes, its Aura astonishing, as if it could blast people away.

At the same time, the other gate had "Life" written on it, exuding an auspicious Aura.

Everyone looked behind them; it was a hazy expanse, with no path.

Clearly, a choice had to be made.

Jian Wanzhong pondered for a long time; he couldn't decide.

At this moment, a player shouted: "We'll go scout ahead! If we don't die, we'll send a message directly. If we die, we'll also send a message back!"

Jian Wanzhong was stunned.

Before they could even discuss it, a player had already rushed towards the Death Gate.

"I'll check the Death Gate first!"

Everyone waited for a long time.

Finally, a player shouted: "Message received! This is the path of life!"

Guard Qing immediately said: "Wait, Young Master, this isn't necessarily..."

Jian Wanzhong, however, had already led his people directly towards the Death Gate.

The path within the Death Gate presented various strange phenomena, such as the alluring sound of the Yellow Bell, the stunning emergence of a Holy Spring, and a giant, bloody character for "Immortal" spanning the distance, enticing everyone.

The further Jian Wanzhong advanced, the more he frowned.

Ye Hei was also surprised, constantly pondering in his mind:

'This path is too strange.

'If I'm not mistaken, Immortal Ascension should be the lifelong pursuit of these Cultivators.

'But why is the character for "Immortal" appearing here a blood-red character? And why does it exude infinite killing intent, as if luring people to their slaughter?

'And these phenomena, they all look holier than the last, as if they are all opportunities for Immortal Ascension, but why are they also full of gloom?

'And most importantly... why am I not affected?'

The other players, even the four Guards, and even Jian Wanzhong, had all been drawn by the phenomena on the path, even wanting to deviate from the path to approach and touch the bloody character for "Immortal."

In the end, it was Ye Hei's timely warnings that saved them.

Ye Hei found it strange, but also felt it was just an illusion.

How could an Immortal hall from who knows how many years ago set up traps specifically for a Mortal like him?

The beautiful scenery along the way intertwined with bottomless abysses, making people's hearts tremble.

Finally, the bloody character for "Immortal" suddenly split into two halves, transforming into a new gateway, with ancient characters displayed above: Gate of All Wonders.

"It's the secret of Immortal Ascension!"

Guard Mo shouted, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism.

"Wait, there might be a problem."

Guard Qing spoke up to warn them.

At this moment, a player excitedly shouted: "Never mind! We'll go in and see first. If we die, we just restart. If we live, we'll be amazing!"

Just as the players were about to rush in, the Gate of All Wonders trembled and then abruptly vanished, as if unwilling to let the players uncover its secret.

At the same time, Chaos surged nearby, and a collapse and subsidence actually appeared, followed by the emergence of a passage.