Chapter 342: Chapter 341: Layered Trials
Amidst Thundercloud’s agonized screams, Yi Tianyun continued down the road to the Spirit King. Icy winds battered him from all sides, trying to penetrate his body. However, his Physique was astonishing. The biting cold had no effect on him whatsoever. Anyone else would have long since been frozen into an ice sculpture.
’The cold in here really is astonishing. Anyone with a slightly lower cultivation level would be completely unable to endure this terrifying chill.’ Yi Tianyun frowned. Aside from a vast, white emptiness, there was nothing else around him.
As he advanced, the air grew increasingly colder, far more so than before. The deeper he went, the more the path widened. The entrance, which could originally only accommodate two people, had now expanded into a space large enough for a hundred.
Soon after, as he continued deeper, he could see a sea of fire blocking the path ahead. It was a world of fire and a world of ice, a truly bizarre sight. A clear line served as the boundary, separating these two completely different Attributes.
As he drew near, he immediately felt a wave of scorching heat wash over him from the other side, as if he were about to be incinerated. The sensation was far more intense than anything outside. If Thundercloud had been placed here, he would have been burned to death in an instant, without suffering much at all.
There was a good reason they were punishing Thundercloud outside; putting him here would have meant he wouldn’t last long.
’There’s a barrier Divine Rune here as well. The technique is pretty good. This must be the work of a Divine Rune Grandmaster...’ Yi Tianyun arrived at the edge, a world of ice and fire. He could feel scorching heat from the other side and biting cold from where he stood.
Of course, this posed no problem for him. His incredible Physique was enough to instantly crush an opponent of the same level. On top of that, he was wearing the Evil Dragon Set; he wasn’t afraid of any attack!
The armor actually had two modes. One was its external, displayed form—its imposing, awe-inspiring mode. The other made it appear as a set of plain clothes, looking no different from any normal outfit, which allowed for a much more low-key profile.
Others would assume he wasn’t wearing any armor, but once a fight broke out, they would learn the true meaning of impenetrable.
Yi Tianyun only glanced at it for a moment before lifting his foot and stepping into the fiery domain. The seas of fire on both sides of the passage immediately surged toward him as if activated, lunging like two roaring Fire Dragons and clamping their jaws down on his body.
Yi Tianyun’s expression remained indifferent as he completely ignored the Fire Dragons’ assault and continued walking forward. Upon biting down on him, the dragons exploded with a BOOM, engulfing him in a torrent of flames.
A moment later, the flames reluctantly receded, having had no effect on him whatsoever.
The flames were indeed powerful, but they were far too weak compared to an attack from the Void Spirit Stage, so they had little effect. Yi Tianyun continued to walk forward, letting the surrounding flames assail him. There were no new attack patterns—just fire, and more fire.
Each attack was roughly equivalent to that of a fourth- or fifth-level Core Transformation Stage expert. The power wasn’t overwhelming, but the main issue was that the assault was continuous and would never cease. As long as one stopped, they would be subjected to an endless barrage. This was true for both the Ice Road outside and the Fire Road here; the attacks were relentless.
It was as if Yi Tianyun were an intruder. As long as he remained, the trial would endlessly unleash energy to expel him. The assault wouldn’t stop until he either left or pushed through.
As he pressed deeper, the scenery ahead changed once more. Billowing yellow sand now churned before him. In the distance, he could see a vast, endless desert—a bizarre sight, given that this passage was supposed to lead underground.
However, after witnessing the last two environments, the appearance of a vast desert was no longer so strange.
’The Earth Road this time?’
When Yi Tianyun reached the boundary, he could once again see a clear division between the fire and the sand, with neither able to encroach upon the other.
He strode across without hesitation. The moment his foot touched the sand, it felt as if a terrifying force was sucking him down. Yi Tianyun didn’t even frown. He lifted his foot to continue forward, but the sand relentlessly tried to drag him downward, attempting to pull him deep beneath the surface.
Without a doubt, the trials here were lethal; the slightest carelessness would result in death. However, as candidates for the Spirit King position, their cultivation levels couldn’t be low. Thundercloud’s cultivation, for instance, was quite high—more than enough to withstand these challenges.
’This is a bit of a hassle. I’ll just fly.’
Yi Tianyun broke free from the sand clutching at his feet and shot into the air. The moment he took flight, a furious sandstorm immediately whipped up and enveloped him completely!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The grains of sand were like metal pellets, furiously hammering against his body. If he weren’t wearing the Evil Dragon Set, he probably would have been injured. This sandstorm was insane, far more terrifying than simply walking on the ground!
’It seems flying increases the difficulty quite a bit...’
He grasped the rules in an instant. It was obvious now that flying through the previous sections would have also multiplied the difficulty. He just hadn’t been in a hurry and had wanted to test the conditions of each area, which was why he had decided to walk.
So flying really did increase the difficulty significantly.
He couldn’t be bothered to care, though. He continued to accelerate forward, allowing the sandstorm to buffet him as he flew. He withstood it with ease, completely ignoring the assault. The Evil Dragon Set’s defense was simply monstrous; it could block attacks at the Void Spirit Stage level, to say nothing of this sandstorm.
By flying, he quickly reached the next boundary. What came into view was a dense forest. This was, without a doubt, the Wood Road.
’Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth... Looks like I’ll have to pass through the road of the Five Elements.’ Yi Tianyun shook his head. ’This trial is certainly comprehensive, using the most basic Attributes to conduct an all-around test.’
He landed on the boundary and stepped forward. As soon as he crossed over, countless vines immediately shot out to entangle him—a predictable attack. If he didn’t resist, he would be completely trussed up.
Yi Tianyun waved his hand, and a blast of Qi Force swept forward, shredding the ensnaring vines to pieces. For him, these trials offered no real challenge, but he still had to get through them.
’I wonder about the final acknowledgment... what form will it take?’
He was only focused on one thing: the nature of that final acknowledgment.
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