Chapter 32: The Misfortune of the Fish in the Moat

The divine palace towered, vast and boundless.

On the immense square, the two teams of seven World-level cultivators were like ants. The leaders of the two teams—the blood-robed youth and the splendid golden-robed youth—both looked up at the colossal gate of the endless, majestic divine palace before them.

The main gate of the divine palace was equally towering and majestic.

Even with the vision of a World God, one could only vaguely make out the general outline of the main gate; its edges were blurry, hard to see with the naked eye. Such was its enormity.

The blood-robed youth's eyes burned with fervor. "The Vanspirit Daoist, truly a being worthy of rivaling an Eternal Emperor. One day, I too will be as powerful as the Vanspirit Daoist, my name renowned across the endless territories. At the mere mention of my name, countless cultivators will tremble in fear, hahaha..."

"Still dreaming? Time to wake up." The splendid golden-robed youth from the other team sneered.

"Hmph, you're nothing but a stepping stone for me." The blood-robed youth glanced at the golden-robed youth.

"From my insights into fate... you will die here, while I will leave alive." The golden-robed youth's voice carried a strange melody.

"Fool." The blood-robed youth sneered.

As they spoke, droplets of liquid began to appear on the vast square, each droplet bearing flames. Gradually, these droplets coalesced, forming a fiery figure. The flames receded, revealing a form—a burly, bald man with three eyes, his vertical eye on his forehead emitting a golden light.

"Golden-eyed puppet." Both the blood-robed youth and the golden-robed youth changed expression, reining in their auras and becoming much more deferential.

The golden-eyed puppet was the Vanspirit Daoist's highest achievement in the 'art of puppetry.'

The Vanspirit Daoist excelled in artifact forging and was equally skilled in crafting puppets. The 'golden-eyed puppet' was the most powerful puppet he had ever created. The Vanspirit Daoist had left certain restrictions, making it impossible for any other cultivator to control this golden-eyed puppet. In other words, this golden-eyed puppet was free!

It possessed formidable strength, enough to rival a Daolord on the verge of the Dao. Within the 'Vanspirit Palace,' its domain, with the aid of numerous formations and restrictions, even a Daolord on the verge of the Dao who intruded would surely die. The golden-eyed puppet was merely one of the Vanspirit Daoist's many measures.

It could not be refined and would remain forever within the Vanspirit Palace, eternally guarding it. It was the first guardian warrior of the palace's core region, the 'Divine Palace.'

"It has been a very, very long time since any cultivator came to the Divine Palace." The bald, three-eyed man's cold gaze swept over the two teams before him. "To have braved countless dangers and reached the Divine Palace, you are quite impressive."

The Vanspirit Palace had three regions.

The outer region, the Ten Thousand Mountains; the inner region, the Mist Sea; and the core, the Divine Palace.

Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals generally operated in the Ten Thousand Mountains. If they dared enter the Mist Sea, nine out of ten would die.

World-level cultivators usually entered the Mist Sea. Though there were casualties, they had a higher chance of survival. If they dared venture to the Divine Palace, again, nine out of ten would die.

As for Daolords?

Daolords dared not enter.

"Twenty-two World-level cultivators, and seven of you made it in alive. Your strength is quite high among World-level cultivators." The three-eyed bald man commented.

Normally, out of ten who attempted, only one would survive to reach the Divine Palace gate. Thus, Ji Ning, Fulong World God, and the like never even considered venturing to the core region—that would be suicide.

"Tell me, what do you desire?" The three-eyed bald man spoke.

The leaders of the two teams, the blood-robed youth and the golden-robed youth, both brightened. They had risked their lives to come here for that treasure.

"Eternal divine blood!"

"Eternal divine blood!"

The blood-robed youth and the golden-robed youth shouted simultaneously.

"Eternal divine blood?" The three-eyed bald man frowned. Though he was a puppet, he seemed like a living being. His tone, which had been somewhat amiable, turned icy. "You came here for eternal divine blood, so you should know the origin of the 'eternal divine blood' in my Vanspirit Palace! In the past, my master spent a long, long time pursuing the 'Eternal Emperor' Melobo the Great, severely wounding him and seizing some of his divine blood. After refining it, my master managed to produce only a single drop!"

"One drop of eternal divine blood, priceless beyond measure... it ranks among the top ten treasures of my Vanspirit Palace!" The three-eyed bald man swept his gaze over the seven cultivators before him. "Since you have braved countless dangers to reach here, according to the rules set by my master in the past, you are entitled to a share of fortune."

"The higher the fortune you seek, the harder the trial." The three-eyed bald man continued, "I advise you to give up. If you choose eternal divine weapons, rare immortal pills, or even dozens or hundreds of beast hordes, the trials will be relatively easier."

"I want the eternal divine blood." The blood-robed youth spoke.

"I only want the eternal divine blood." The golden-robed youth also said.

"Hmm?"

The three-eyed bald man was somewhat displeased, but he could not defy the rules set by his master.

"Very well." The three-eyed bald man's voice carried endless chill, echoing in the ears of the seven cultivators. "All seven of you want the eternal divine blood?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Besides the two leaders, the other five World-level cultivators also responded.

"Your request is for Melobo's eternal divine blood!" The three-eyed bald man nodded. "Then your trial will be the hardest—'Life and Death, Two Extremes.'"

"Hmm." The blood-robed youth, the golden-robed youth, and the others all burned with fervent gazes.

Upon reaching the main gate of the Divine Palace, one could make a request.

The Vanspirit Daoist was quite merciful to the weak. He killed all Daolords without exception! But for World-level cultivators who could reach the main gate, they would generally receive some benefit before leaving.

"You have come here through life-and-death trials. If you sought other treasures, though there would be trials, even if you failed, you would generally not be in mortal danger." The three-eyed bald man said, "'Life and Death, Two Extremes' is the hardest trial. Among you, cultivators will die one after another. Moreover, it is possible that all seven of you will fail and none obtain the eternal divine blood. It is not too late for you to regret now."

"We do not regret."

"No regrets."

The blood-robed youth and the golden-robed youth both spoke, while inwardly cursing.

Why all the talk?

Just start quickly.

"Good." The three-eyed bald man nodded. "The 'Life and Death, Two Extremes' trial requires ten World-level cultivators. You are only seven... so I will teleport three more World-level cultivators from within the Vanspirit Palace to join you in the 'Life and Death, Two Extremes' trial. They too will have a chance to obtain the eternal divine blood."

The blood-robed youth and the golden-robed youth changed expression, then sneered.

"Those ants can't compare to me."

"They're just coming to die."

Both were extremely confident.

"Hmm..." The three-eyed bald man nodded slightly. "There are four other World-level cultivators in the Vanspirit Palace. I will teleport the three closest."

...

"Hmph, competing with me?" Fetter Dragon World God sat on a rock, somewhat excitedly examining a handful of flying needle treasures he had just obtained.

"Hum~~~"

Suddenly, the space around him twisted.

"How can this—" Fetter Dragon World God's expression changed drastically. He had never heard of someone triggering a restriction while sitting still. The space around him twisted like a vortex, instantly engulfing him.

Whoosh.

Fetter Dragon World God had vanished.

...

"Perhaps only when I reach World-level perfection will I have the confidence to break through." A green-haired man in a pink robe, with narrow, fox-like eyes, looked at a hall before him. Behind him stood two women, both at the Ancestral Immortal level.

"I must reach World-level perfection."

"If not, I'd rather die here in the Mist Sea."

The pink-robed man's eyes held determination.

"Hum~~~" The space around him also twisted, ripples appearing.

"What's happening?" The pink-robed man was shocked. He had been in the Mist Sea for a thousand years and had never encountered such a situation.

"Master." The two maids were also alarmed.

The twisted space formed a vortex, enveloping him and the two maids.

Whoosh.

They, one master and two servants, vanished.

...

"Youji, think carefully now about how to integrate your insights into fire into combat." Ji Ning watched from the side as Fire Fairy Su Youji surrounded herself with countless circular crescent blades, the treasures left behind by the deceased Foxjie Chaos Immortal, quite suitable for her use.

Of course, after leaving the Vanspirit Palace, Ji Ning would help Su Youji find better ones.

"Mm." Su Youji nodded.

"Hum~~~"

Suddenly, spatial fluctuations appeared around them.

"What's happening?" Ji Ning and Fire Fairy Su Youji were both startled.

The spatial vortex that formed completely engulfed them, leaving no place to dodge.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning and Fire Fairy Su Youji both vanished.

...

On the vast, endless square, the blood-robed youth, the golden-robed youth, and the other seven cultivators stood, with the three-eyed bald man at the front.

Spatial fluctuations appeared beside them.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Three disturbances produced figures: the pink-robed man and his two maids, the solitary Fetter Dragon World God, and Ji Ning with Fire Fairy Su Youji.

"Some Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals?" The blood-robed youth sneered. "Bringing Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals? My servants are all World-level."

"They're just coming to die." The golden-robed youth said indifferently.

Though the two wished each other dead, they regarded each other as major threats. As for the other World-level cultivators, few caught their eye.

"What's going on?"

"How did we get here?"

The forcibly teleported pink-robed man, Fetter Dragon World God, Ji Ning, and Fire Fairy Su Youji were all puzzled.

"Senior apprentice-brother Fetter Dragon." Ji Ning saw Fetter Dragon World God and sent a telepathic message.

"Brother Ji Ning, Fire Fairy." Fetter Dragon World God was also pleased to see them and replied telepathically. Sensing something amiss, they all communicated via telepathy.

"Hmph... You few are very lucky. We went through life-and-death trials to reach the Divine Palace gate, but you, by sheer luck, were directly teleported here." The blood-robed youth sneered.

"You're wrong. They are unlucky, because they will soon die." The golden-robed youth said calmly.