Chapter 390: Gods and Demons
There were a myriad of signs that indicated that the assessment program had assigned Shi Xiaobai the identity of Infernal King. Although it was just a form of inference and speculation, it was already able to explain nearly all the doubts. It was like a master key that could simultaneously unlock many locks at once.
As for becoming the Infernal domain’s Infernal King, Shi Xiaobai was overjoyed instead of being afraid.
However, the situation made Shi Xiaobai involuntarily feel apologetic towards the people beside him. He said with a sigh, “Sorry, it seems the method of killing the Infernal King will not work.”
For the trial-takers whose identities were Bravehearts, ‘killing the Infernal King’ was one of the four known methods to clear the seventh level. However, if Shi Xiaobai was really the Infernal King, it was definitely impossible for the people in front of him to choose this method. Therefore, it was equivalent to cleaving away one of the means of clearing.
However, the people in front of him apparently did not mind. Sunless did not care if she could clear the seventh level, while the silver-haired girl also shook her head with a beaming smile, indicating that she did not mind it.
Feng Yuanlin shrugged his shoulders and said, “I came here just to join in the bustle. Only four people have been able to clear the seventh level, so I definitely wouldn’t dare have any hopes of it!”
Pulp Farmer said in a self-deprecating manner, “The three of us couldn’t even defeat Moya, so how could we expect ourselves to defeat the Infernal King?”
Liu Yu shook his head with a chortle as he said, “Benefactor Shi Xiaobai, your apology is somewhat redundant. To speak the truth, This Penniless Priest was already feeling extremely nervous from seeing the Infernal Queen. This Penniless Priest would likely be running if he faced the real Infernal King.”
When Shi Xiaobai heard this, he shook his head helplessly and asked, “Then, what do all of you plan on doing next?”
Since the few of them had arrived to the seventh level, it was impossible for them to quit midway or give up easily. They would definitely try their best in an attempt to clear the level, so as to not leave any regrets even if they failed.
However, the Braveheart Martial Arts Tournament had already finished, and Shi Xiaobai had for some reason become the Infernal King. This meant that there were two fewer methods.
The path ahead appeared to turn a lot narrower.
Liu Yu said softly, “Now, there are three obvious methods. First, survive a hundred days, second, challenge the legend of the Hero King, and third, find a fifth method to clear the level! To be honest, This Penniless Priest is not confident with any of the three methods.”
“No, there is actually only two methods left.”
Pulp Farmer shook his head and said, “Did you forget that the legend of the Hero King is related to the Infernal King?”
Liu Yu faltered slightly and said with a wry smile, “Well, you are right. This Penniless Priest carelessly overlooked that. In that case, other than finding a method to clear it ourselves, there’s only the most screwed up way of surviving a hundred days?”
Surviving a hundred days didn’t sound difficult, but in fact, a hundred days represented a total of thirty-four calamities barraging trial-takers. It was not only a test of strength, but a test and torture of endurance and will.
Typically, only trial-takers who failed to find any other method or failed the other methods would finally choose the last method of surviving for a hundred days. Other than Overlord Ji Feng, no one had been able to last that long.
And the trial-takers that had experienced this would mostly describe such a method with two words—screwed up.
When Shi Xiaobai, who had been always curious about the Hero King’s fourth story but always forgot to inquire, heard Pulp Farmer say that the ‘legend of the Hero King was related to the Infernal King’, he could not help but ask, “What did the Hero King do on the seventh level?”
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Since time immemorial, gods and demons stood on opposite sides in an eternal clash!
This was an irrefutable truth. It clearly illustrated a single thing—gods and demons were mutually exclusive entities. It was like light and darkness, good and evil.
But it also had an implicit truth hidden in it—With gods, there would be demons. With demons, there would be gods!
Why was light considered light? Because of the existence of darkness!
Why was good called good? Because of evil!
This was the simplest and most unassailable fact in the world. There were always two sides of the coin that reinforced or opposed each other.
And the world in the seventh level of the Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower was such an example.
Although this world’s era was termed as the Age of Bravehearts and the Infernal King, in fact, there were existences in this world that were the complete opposite from the devils—gods.
However, gods were just a legendary existences to most people. They were entities of made-up fantasies.
As gods had departed the world, no longer participating in worldly strifes, it was as though they had been wiped from the face of the mortal world.
Only very few mighty figures knew that this world had gods. Other than the Infernal domain and the mortal world, there was a third hidden kingdom, known as the…Celestial domain!
In the ancient books of the sages, a line said that—the Celestial domain is above the mortal world.
Many people believed that the sentence meant that the Celestial domain lorded above the mortal world.
But in fact, the sages vaguely indicating the existence of the Celestial domain and telling everyone where it was located!
The Celestial domain was above the mortal world, which meant that it was in the sky!
On the barren lands, Speechless kept heading north. The speed at which he proceeded wasn’t fast, with him stopping and walking at times. Even though he did not appear too tired, he would occasionally sit or lie down on a cold and dead piece of rock. It looked like he was resting, but it looked more like he was wasting time.
When night fell, he would simply lie down on the desolate lands and have a good night’s sleep.
Speechless was clearly heading in a particular direction, but he did not seem to be in a rush. Furthermore, it looked like he was intent on delaying the time of his arrival.
Even with him deliberately wasting time, Speechless finally arrived at the northern ends of the Silent Desolate Lands at noon of the second day.
The western end of the Silent Desolate Lands was the Door of the Bravehearts, and it was the only entrance to the Infernal domain.
On the eastern end of the Silent Desolate Lands was Transcendence, the city closest to the Infernal domain. It was also called the edge of the mortal world.
And on the northern end of the Silent Desolate Lands, there was an endless sea!
This sea was deserted because it did not have any living creatures in it. There was only constantly churning dark blue seawater as well as the occasional storm or tsunamis.
When Speechless came to the shore, he stared at the silent and churning sea from afar.
After a while, a pair of gigantic crystal wings spread out behind Speechless. With a flap, he flew towards the sea.
As fast as lightning, he flew in the sky. From afar, he was like a bright line that split the sky above the sea.
The sea was boundless, but it was extremely boring. The sights one saw while flying was like a video being constantly repeated. Other than the ripples of the waves or the shapes of the clouds, there was nothing else that seemed to change.
Such a flight was easy but boring.
However, this deserted sea was apparently not that simple.
After Speechless flew for half an hour, an enormous change suddenly took place in front of him.
The clear and bright sky suddenly turned dark. Billowing thunderclouds covered the entire sky, as though night had fallen. There was the occasional deafening thunder rumbling and bright flashes of lightning that illuminated the darkness.
Speechless was still flying, but instead of slowing down, he increased his speed. A few bolts of lightning grazed past him, having nearly struck him. Speechless remained expressionless as he calmly flew forward.
Suddenly, during a brief instance of a flash, a horrifying picture appeared!
Across the vast sea, a spiraling sea current a few hundred meters across flowed from bottom to top, piercing straight into the sky, into the thunderclouds!
The sea current that surged into the sky was like a heavenly pillar. The speed at which the sea current was spiraling was much faster than common tornadoes or vortices. If one was sucked into it, one would instantly be ground into bits!
And such a gigantic sea current that rose up into the sky was just ten kilometers away from Speechless.
Lightning flashed, illuminating this horrifying scene briefly. It was also a warning to visitors that haven’t visited this place in a while that this was a land of death which was not to be crossed.
However, Speechless appeared as though he did not see it. He did not even change his direction.
Within a kilometer from the rising sea current, winds raged. And even closer, space even seem to distort. The spiraling power from the sea current was just the tip of the iceberg, but it already possessed the power to rip apart any ordinary lives.
But in the raging winds and distorted space, Speechless still did not change his direction, nor did he slow down.
He flew straight without stopping, plunging straight into the skyward vortex column!