Chapter 156: The Grim Situation

"The next trial, that is, the final contest for the Divine Crowns."

The Old Man of the Ghost Sea spoke thus.

"Aside from you, those who could return alive have already returned, and those who haven't are basically never coming back."

"It's not that they're all dead—death is only one possibility. The other is that they're trapped somewhere, unable to teleport back, or captured, or their internal energy has been violently disrupted, destroying the teleportation mark."

Gunie's eye twitched. "If that's the case, it's not much different from being dead."

"Once you're teleported over, you'll understand the specifics once you see for yourself," the Old Man of the Ghost Sea said.

Letting out a light breath, Gunie composed himself slightly.

"I'll see the situation after I teleport. Regardless, now that I'm back, those evil gods and church members won't have an easy time."

"Remember, this is a contest. Whoever gets a Divine Crown will be teleported away. Only when all three Divine Crowns are seized will this Elemental Forbidden Ground expedition end."

The Old Man of the Ghost Sea spoke softly.

"So there are three Divine Crowns, and you get teleported away as soon as you grab one."

Gunie frowned slightly.

"If there were only one, it would be simple—I could use the Adventure function to pinpoint its location directly, grab it quickly, and end this expedition."

"But with three, if they manage to get one, it'll be troublesome."

"Those evil gods and the Southern Church already have the power of faith. With a Divine Crown, they can become gods quickly."

"But the Northern Empire has no faith to supply us to become gods quickly with the crowns."

After some thought, Gunie looked at the Old Man of the Ghost Sea.

"Senior Ghost Sea, can you change the number of Divine Crowns this time?"

"No."

The Old Man of the Ghost Sea shook his head.

"I am merely a special demigod stationed here. I am not allowed to interfere in your battles, nor can I help you in that regard."

"Then can you strengthen the defenses of the Divine Crowns or hide them deeper?"

After a brief thought, Gunie said.

"That way, I'd have enough time to kill them all."

Gazing at Gunie with narrowed eyes, the Old Man of the Ghost Sea said softly.

"Strengthening the protection of the Divine Crowns is impossible, as they have no inherent protection."

"Moreover, the Divine Crowns themselves radiate powerful energy; even if hidden, they are easily found."

"However, I can make an exception for you. I will completely conceal the aura of the Divine Crowns, making them look like ordinary crowns."

"But once they find the exact location, they can still easily discover them, since the crowns are just sitting there."

"Concealing their aura is already excellent," Gunie thought to himself.

"Thank you very much, Senior."

"Cultivate well. You have the potential to become a powerful god in the future. Then, you might break the many restrictions of this Elemental Forbidden Ground and reconstruct it."

"I hope that then, as a world lord, you can use this Forbidden Ground to nurture more talents and let the continent of Oya shine with extraordinary brilliance again."

The Old Man of the Ghost Sea said.

"I will, Senior Ghost Sea," Gunie nodded solemnly.

"Mm, I'll send you over now."

As the Old Man of the Ghost Sea waved lightly, dense mist gathered, and the power of teleportation enveloped Gunie.

"Hum!"

Space essence bloomed with a slight tremor in space.

Gunie felt his spatial position shift.

When the mist dissipated, Gunie finally saw the scene around him.

He seemed to be under the eaves of a massive corridor.

The corridor pillars in the distance were over ten meters thick and three hundred meters tall, and the railings at the edge were a hundred meters high.

In the distant jungle, trees two to three hundred meters tall were everywhere, and there was a colossal tree that must have been three thousand meters tall, as if the whole world had been magnified a hundred times.

Gunie seemed to be in the corridor of a giant ancient castle.

Then, he withdrew his gaze from the distance and looked around.

As he surveyed his surroundings, Gunie felt many hostile gazes fixed on him.

First, he sensed an energy barrier confining him within a three-meter radius.

Looking outward,

Gunie saw energy barriers, each three meters in diameter and about ten meters high.

Inside each barrier was a person.

One, only ten meters away from him, was a figure he knew well.

"Senior Nigel!" Gunie exclaimed.

Seeing it was Gunie, a smile finally appeared on Nigel's face.

"You finally showed up. I thought you weren't coming back after being gone so long!"

Nigel let out a light breath.

This peculiar barrier must be unbreakable, otherwise so many people wouldn't be staying put.

At the same time, the barrier didn't hinder conversation.

While listening to Nigel, Gunie quickly scanned the surroundings.

He realized that the only familiar face on his side was Nigel.

Gunie didn't know these people well, but Nigel should know who were enemies and who were allies.

"Senior, these people?" Gunie looked at Nigel.

"On our side, it's just the two of us," Nigel said gravely.

"Just the two of us? That's really not good," Gunie's expression darkened.

"Dragon Slayer Siegfried and the others who didn't return are probably in deep trouble," Gunie sighed inwardly.

Gunie had seen Dragon Slayer Siegfried's strength; if he were here, he'd be a powerful ally, but unfortunately, he hadn't returned.

As he thought, Gunie looked outward more carefully.

On his side, only Nigel and Gunie.

The enemy had seven people.

Among them, two were geniuses from the foreign starry sky.

The others were either from the Southern Church or top experts or god-seeds from the evil gods' side.

Those who made it this far were all at least as strong as Nigel.

Some even had special means like the "Evil God's Daughter" of the Giant God Church, whom Gunie had killed, who could unleash divine power, making the situation even worse.

After some thought, Gunie said solemnly.

"Senior, if they unleash divine power at that level, can you hold them off?"

"I can hold for a moment, but not long," Nigel said.

"That's good," Gunie nodded with narrowed eyes.

"Senior Nigel is a veteran who has been at the peak of the sixth rank for a long time; it's not surprising he has some hidden cards."

Since Nigel could block their strongest attacks, it wasn't a big problem—at least Gunie didn't have to worry about Nigel being killed instantly.

That way, Gunie would have time to deal with these enemies.

"Already discussing your funeral arrangements?" At that moment, a sarcastic voice came over.