Chapter 2549: The last trial
Armed with a means of solution, they soon arrived at the end of this area. As per usual, they rubbed some blood on the stone tablet, activating it.
This time, the question of who would be staying behind resulted in a serious disagreement.
No one wanted to stay behind; all of them wanted to continue onwards.
It should be known that in that last area, there had been quite a few people who had wanted to stay behind, but in the end, it was Ji Zhihang who spoke up first.
Why had their att.i.tude changed all of a sudden?
!!
Naturally, it was because they could see how well-prepared He Runhai was. Everyone wasn’t an idiot, so they naturally could tell this was suspicious.
…Who would sacrifice so much just to pave the way for others?
Hence, everyone wished to stick close to He Runhai, grasping the initiative.
He Runhai chuckled, and said, “If no one wishes to stay behind, I have my own ways.” With a wave of his hand, a person immediately fell out of the ranks. This was a Celestial King, but only a Second Heaven Celestial King, and he was presently in a state of unconsciousness.
He actually hid another Celestial King on him!
However, it was apparent that this Celestial King was not following him willingly, but had rather been forced into it. In fact, his consciousness had even been suppressed.
Everyone was even more surprised. He Runhai had thought of even this ahead of time?
He Runhai manifested Regulations into the form of chains, tying that Second Heaven Celestial King onto the stone tablet. In that way, even if the other party regained consciousness because of some accidental circ.u.mstance, there would still be no way for him to leave the vicinity of the stone tablet.
“Let’s go,” He Runhai said smilingly, leading the way ahead.
Everyone exchanged looks, but now that things had come so far, it was impossible to retreat, nor would they be willing to. They all followed closely behind He Runhai.
No matter what, He Runhai was only a Ninth Heaven Celestial King, and was not a Heavenly Venerate. As long as the large black dog and the Imperial Void Celestial King were here, there was no way he could have too many tricks at his disposal.
They followed closely, retreating from this place.
The sixth area was a world of ice. Not only was the ground completely covered with ice, snow was also drifting down from the skies.
Needless to say, it was definitely incredibly freezing cold here, capable of freezing even Fourth Heaven and Fifth Heaven Celestial Kings into icicles.
Everyone all looked towards He Runhai. Would this guy be able to take out some great Dao Flames to resist this icy chill?
Yet He Runhai smiled sheepishly. “Everyone, though I have made some preparations, my abilities are limited. I can’t possibly think of every possible scenario.”
“Allow me.” Huo Furong stepped out. Boom, a green flame rocketed skywards. She had released the origin flame, turning the s.p.a.ce above her head into a panorama of flames.
Origin Flame could attain the limits in terms of Regulations. Even if Huo Furong herself had not reached the Ninth Heaven, this Origin Flame still had insurmountable might.
The Imperial Void Celestial King and He Runhai entered directly into the land of ice. They both had a high opinion of themselves, and disdained having a junior take care of them. However, the large black dog was completely shameless in the first place. Without any concern, he walked into the area protected by the flames.
Huo Furong advanced, and everyone followed her through every step. The Origin Flame blazed, dispelling the harsh cold.
Even so, their lips were still s.h.i.+vering from the cold, their faces pale.
It could not be helped. The ground was covered in ice, and even if they floated a few feet above the ground, there would still be a chill seeping in from beneath their feet, freezing even their blood flow.
They resisted with all their power, and at least they still had the power to continue onwards.
But as they walked, they realized that it was getting colder and colder.
Their feet were not on the ground, but the cold in the air was even more frightening. They had no choice but to descend. In comparison, it was still better to have their feet in contact with the icy ground.
They continued walking, and suddenly, a crack was heard. Xiao Yingxiong’s figure shrank as he sank into the ground.
Gu Heyi was closest to him, and hurriedly stretched out a hand to grab Xiao Yingxiong. A ma.s.sive pit had appeared beneath their feet, and Xiao Yingxiong just happened to step into this crevice, causing him to fall inside abruptly.
A great Celestial King actually fell for this kind of trick?
It could not be helped. The cold here was actually intertwined with Regulations, exerting a strong pressure on their bodies. With a sudden misstep, he naturally could not regain his footing in time.
Though everyone was s.h.i.+vering from the cold, they still worked together to pull Xiao Yingxiong back up.
“Pay attention. There are traps every step of the way here.”
Their progress slowed even further. A single misstep here could mean falling into an abyss of no return.
Wally’s eyes shone as he continued sweeping his gaze around. The green light took the form of ripples, and everyone soon discovered that a shadowed area would appear wherever the green light swept over.
“The ice there is very weak and thin,” Wally warned.
Actually, everyone knew the situation here even without him saying, so they naturally would not be stepping there.
With Wally helping, the pressure on them lightened tremendously. Though they were still being invaded by the harsh cold, it was within a tolerable range, at least.
However, good things never last. Peng, a ma.s.sive sound rang out in the distance, causing the ground itself to tremble madly.
“What’s going on?”
Everyone stopped. Peng, peng, peng. The sounds were getting closer and closer. Crack, crack, crack. The icy surface was also breaking, the cracks spreading towards them from afar, and they evaded quickly. That was because a lake lay underneath their feet. If they fell in, that would definitely be very troublesome.
A colossal white creature appeared. It was 21 to 24 meters tall, its whole body covered with snow-white fur. It was actually a large bear.
This large bear was not enshrouded by any celestial light, but the aura it exuded was incredibly frightening, capable of matching a high-tier Celestial King’s.
“Humph!” He Runhai immediately moved. He drew a saber, and shua, the saber qi soared right towards the heavens with a swipe.
Pa, that large bear was instantly slashed into halves.
There was no shower of blood from the skies, nor empathetic grief from the heaven and earth. This clearly was not a real Celestial King.
It was not a Celestial King, yet had the aura of a Celestial King. This was really bizarre.
“This shouldn’t be an actual living creature, but something like a puppet,” Xiao Yingxiong said grimly.
Everyone nodded; this should be the most reasonable explanation.
They were all thankful that there were Ninth Heaven Celestial Kings in their group. Otherwise, if they had to undergo an intense battle with a high-tier Celestial King under such conditions, the pressure would be too great.
More and more white bears appeared along their way, but they were all killed with casual moves from the three great Ninth Heaven Celestial Kings, which allowed them to arrive at the end of the sixth area without any accidents. When they all rubbed some blood on the sixth tablet, they discovered that their hands were so cold to the point of losing all feeling.
Thankfully, the stone tablet was immediately activated, and all the cold air instantly dispersed, and this area was resolved as well.
Huo Furong withdrew the Origin Flame. He Runhai did not even bother to ask at all; he directly tossed out a Celestial King, whom he tied onto the stone tablet with power of Regulation.
They ventured further into the seventh area. This was an ocean of blades. Not only were there swords sticking out all over the ground, there was also incredibly fierce sword light streaking through the skies, causing them to frown at the sight.
This might was very frightening, and definitely could not be underestimated.
The three great Ninth Heaven Celestial Kings cleared the way, and they still managed to pa.s.s through this area, activating the seventh stone tablet.
Then, it was the eighth area. This was an area of black mud, which emanated a putrid stench, and was filled with strong poison. When everyone walked on it, they immediately discovered that the Regulations they were using as a protective s.h.i.+eld around themselves were rapidly fading.
What a powerful corrosive effect.
However, this time, He Runhai was prepared. He stuck a leaf on each of them. It was harvested from the Source Power of Wood of the heaven and earth, which had strong effects of healing poison.
The eighth area was resolved, and next, it was the ninth area. Once the stone tablet here was also activated, they would be able to unseal the final treasure trove of Celestial King He Feng.
And by this time, those with ulterior motives should also be showing their true colors.