Chapter 2174: Black and White Guards of Impermanence

Shang Liuyu immediately felt conflicted. If that was the case, she really would end up passing up an excellent opportunity. Which member of the Mermaid race wouldn’t wish to see the Mermaid Ancestor, to listen to her instructions and receive her inheritance? It was all because she was too weak that it had been hard for her to help much at all against powerful enemies. Now that there was a chance to change that, why would she refuse it?

But when she looked at Zu An whose eyes were closed, and whose status was unknown, she firmly said, “It’s okay. I need to protect him.”

“I already told you that no creatures can approach this place, and I am his friend. I will help you protect him.” The giant statue was getting a bit upset at her lack of ambition. “Judging from our earlier interactions, I can deduce that he definitely has a lot of lovers, and every one of them is pretty and skilled. How can you win over your rivals in love if you continue to remain with him?”

Shang Liuyu’s face reddened. “What love rivals? I'm just friends with him. He can like whomever he wants.”

“Would normal friends give up a once in a lifetime chance to become stronger for his sake?” The giant statue laughed, immediately seeing through her lie.

Shang Liuyu was speechless.

“Don’t worry. It will not take long at all for you to receive the inheritance, and I am here. Nothing will happen,” the giant statue said again in an earnest and well-meaning tone.

Shang Liuyu’s expression suddenly became sharp. “You’ve been trying to lure me away from this place since the start. Just who are you and why are you trying to do this?”

She had already secretly moved her finger onto the formation disc, ready to activate the Human Emperor’s Seal. Even though they didn’t seem to be on the same level of power, since the other party hadn't forced her to leave, there had to be a reason for it.

When it saw her vigilant expression, the giant statue harrumphed. “I merely did not wish for you to lose out on such an excellent opportunity out of consideration that you are his friend, and yet you actually ended up misunderstanding me here. Forget it then. The Mermaid race’s inheritance has nothing to do with me either, so I will not try to persuade you anymore.”

It straightened its body and returned to its dignified appearance again.

Shang Liuyu was now the one who became a bit unsure.

Don’t tell me that I really just missed out on my ancestor’s inheritance?

She bit her lip, but she didn’t say anything else again. The ancestor’s inheritance was important, but Zu An’s safety was even more important.

I cannot leave him when he is at his weakest.

Her restless heart gradually calmed down when she realized that. She picked up the formation wheel and continued to earnestly defend Zu An’s body.

The giant statue could clearly see how vigilant Shang Liuyu was, sitting within the various formations through the clouds of death energy. It suddenly grinned, revealing a strange smile.

...

Meanwhile, Zu An had leapt into the pitch-black abyss. He could immediately feel that he was surrounded by endless darkness, and it was hard for him to even tell left from right. He didn’t even know how long it had been since he jumped down. It was almost as if time and space had lost meaning. He shivered.

I wasn’t fooled by that mysterious giant statue, right? If I really ended up being trapped in this kind of place, just how terrifying would that be?

Just then, he felt a faint power guiding him through the surrounding murkiness. Even though it was faint, it was extremely clear in this endless void. Zu An didn’t know if what lay ahead was a path or a trap, but he still followed it. After all, he couldn't continue to remain in this place without any sense of time or space. If he did so, he really would go mad.

Thus, he was pulled along just like that, continuing through the formless chaos. He had no idea if he was going forward or backward, and sometimes, he even felt as if he was climbing up.

Suddenly, he felt his entire body lighten. The endless omnidirectional pressure disappeared without a trace, and his feet found solid ground again. He turned around and saw what seemed to be a huge crack opening up not too far away from him. There was a mysterious black vortex inside; just a single glance could make one subconsciously want to jump in.

Zu An focused his mind and flew forward a bit to distance himself from the pitch-black whirlpool. He could tell that the vortex was of the same source as the pitch-black abyss from before. He didn’t want to experience that earlier feeling again.

He now knew why the giant statue had remained silent when Shang Liuyu asked about how he was to return if he failed the trial. He definitely couldn't return this way. The environment that was completely void of the sensation of time and space was something not even someone with his cultivation could navigate through. He had relied on the mysterious guidance to get here; it was a force meant to guide the deceased, so there was no way it would guide him back out.

He looked all around him.

Is this the legendary Hell?

He felt an eerie sensation all around him. His surroundings were covered in a layer of faint fog. The fog was sometimes white, sometimes green, and if one looked closely, sometimes black. Being inside the fog could make one feel a kind of trembling from one's very soul.

Even so, Zu An had already experienced all sorts of things, so he didn’t get scared. He instead felt a sense of familiarity. He remembered his very first secret dungeon, and the tomb that had sealed Mi Li. There had been many departed soldiers inside back then. After that, the secret dungeons either had tombs in their depths, or pathways leading to them. He had already seen countless creatures of the dead. Additionally, because of the Primordial Origin Sutra, he actually hadn't minded running into these kinds of enemies at all, as his skill directly countered them.

He reflexively circulated the ki within him. He discovered that sure enough, he couldn't use the Primordial Origin Sutra like before. Fortunately, apart from the Primordial Origin Sutra, his other skills all seemed fine. His anxious heart finally calmed down. As long as his cultivation remained, he dared to adventure even through Hell.

He looked into the distance. Even though he couldn't see too far because of the fog around him, he could make out the outlines of some mountain ranges that seemed to connect heaven and earth. His expression couldn't help but change. He had gone through many worlds and had his fair share of experience, but this was the first time had seen such imposing and majestic mountains.

As he continued forward, no matter how far he went, the mountain range continued to tower over the horizon endlessly. There was no end in sight at all. Thus, Zu An retracted his gaze. Even though the mountains were incredible, they were too far from him. He wouldn’t be able to investigate their secrets, and it was best for him to focus on his mission first.

That giant statue said he was my old friend, so why isn’t he bothering to communicate at all after sending me here?

Is he in charge of guiding me? What about the mysterious voice?

Just how do I join that trial?

He continued to proceed aimlessly. Fortunately, there seemed to only be a single road in front of him, so he just needed to follow it. He vaguely heard the voices of wailing ghosts were around him, as if all of the world’s vengeful spirits had gathered not far away. Those strange voices were enough to make most people shudder in fear, but Zu An only felt a sense of familiarity.

Sigh, Jing Teng used to be the Ghost King, and there were always ominous winds around her whenever she appeared. It really was quite similar to this place.

Would she feel at home in this kind of place?

While he was trying to find joy in his sorrows, he suddenly shivered. He could sense that there were two creatures quickly closing in from up ahead. He secretly prepared to defend against them. This was Hell, so they were definitely no kind individuals. Unfortunately, his divine senses were currently blocked by the fog and he couldn't really sense anything too far ahead.

Soon after, the two creatures appeared in front of him. When he saw who they were, Zu An was a bit stunned.

One was dressed entirely in a black robe, and the other was dressed entirely in white. They both wore pointed hats on their heads. The black-clad individual had the words ‘chasing after you’ on his hat, and he looked fiendish and vicious. The white-clad individual had the words ‘you have arrived’ on his hat, and he looked extremely friendly.

But no one could laugh when they saw the two, because their tongues were hanging out of their mouths, so long that they dragged across the floor.