Chapter 561 – Ghost Palace?

This great hall was far from magnificent. Compared to other grand ruins on the island, it looked more like a pavilion.

Still, everyone was thrilled when they saw this great hall.

The Blood Heavenly Demon Sect had invaded the Hidden Dragon Island, bringing disaster to the entire island.

The once grand palaces, built with a majestic atmosphere like an immortal’s palace, were destroyed in the tragic war, turning into ruins.

In contrast, this small and exquisite great hall survived the great battle and remained intact.

The crowd looked at the great hall but did not make any rash moves.

Although the great hall was preserved, the surrounding area showed signs of the great battle that ravaged the entire island. Traces of the great battle were clearly visible in the vicinity.

The traces were obvious even three thousand years into the future, testifying to its tragic nature.

Another thing that made the crowd apprehensive was the eerie atmosphere around it. Even the bright moonlight couldn’t make it look any less haunting.

One could even see groups of ghost soldiers roaming around, sending shivers down the spines of the crowd.

Moreover, terrifying roars echoed from the great hall, making people tremble in fear, uncertain if terrifying monsters lurked within.

Yet, no one left the area. They kept their fiery gazes trained on the eerie great hall.

Why? Because the hall was in perfect condition. It had experienced a war and the passing of three thousand years, yet it was still in perfect condition. If the hall alone was this bewildering, it was bound to have amazing treasures. If they could obtain them, soaring to the top would be easy.

Everyone on the island was here to get stronger. So, there was no way they could look past the mountain of treasures sitting right in front of them.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan streaked across the sky like a rainbow, rushing to the mountain range with the great hall.

As soon as he came out from the Fire Ape territory, he encountered some participants and, after questioning them, learned the shocking news. Naturally, he would not miss it, either.

Chen Fan stood on top of a mountain, looking at the eerie great hall from afar. It was like a vicious ghost, waiting for the crowd to walk right into a trap.

He furrowed his brow slightly.

Although the great hall was spared from destruction during the war, it seemed too eerie, resembling a ghost palace or Yama’s palace, inhabited by vicious ghosts and creatures.

Chen Fan took a closer look at the great hall. Although it was well-preserved, he could see some signs of destruction.

For example, two-thirds of the great hall’s inscribed plaque had been cut off, leaving only a third of it still hanging crookedly on the door’s lintel.

Dao!

Chen Fan could barely make out the word Dao on the inscribed plaque, because a third of it had been cut off and was not complete.

Perhaps it was the Inquiry Hall, or it could be the Lecture Hall. [1]

Chen Fan shifted his gaze from the great hall to scan the surroundings. He wasn’t the first to arrive; in fact, he was among the later arrivals.

Some were gathered in small groups, and some had come alone, but the majority of people were gathered in their respective alliances, occupying an area and exuding their auras.

Nearly fifty days of the hundred-day trial had passed. Many people had made great gains on the island, with noticeable improvements in their cultivation compared to when they first arrived.

For example, a three or four-revolution Golden Core realm expert was considered top-tier when they first arrived, but now, such experts were relatively common.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Initially, five or six-revolution Golden Core experts were rare, with only a handful, including Li Yao, Gongsun Zhong, and others.

However, Chen Fan could see more than ten of them in his field of view now.

“As expected, while I’ve made significant progress in my cultivation, so have others. Everyone’s making progress and getting stronger.” Chen Fan swept a glance around. Several powerful auras blossomed, making him sigh with emotion.

The crowd murmured among themselves, their eyes flickering with excitement.

“There must be some amazing treasure left behind in this great hall!”

“Treasure? Heh heh! This place might be cursed instead! Have you noticed the terrain? It’s the Nine Dragons Locked Palace terrain, trapping nefarious qi, Yin qi, fierce qi, resentment qi, and other dark energies. The dark energies don’t dissipate even after millennia. What was once a blessed land might have turned into a cursed one.”

“You see those ghost soldiers? Do you think an ordinary cursed land would form such a phenomenon? What a joke! I bet a very evil creature has taken birth inside that great hall. Trying to seize treasure there is like trying to pull the fangs of a tiger; you won’t even know how you died.”

“If you put it that way, will the others set free something earth-shaking once they break into the great hall?”

“God knows what kind of creature has formed inside after thousands of years. It might just look scary, or it could be an overwhelmingly vicious monster. No one can say for sure.”

“What are you afraid of? With so many of us here, are you still scared of some vicious creatures?”

“That’s right. No matter what, fortune favors the bold. If you don’t take the risk, are you waiting for pies to fall from the sky?”

Shortly afterward, the various major forces finally arrived.

The first to come were those from the Heaven’s Equal Alliance.

Dozens of people marched majestically through the sky.

Leading them was a slender, handsome youth with a regal air around him. He was none other than Prince Li Yao, the Heaven’s Equal Alliance leader and the top genius of the Hong Domain’s younger generation.

Li Yao exuded a regal and domineering aura, like a supreme monarch. His fiery gaze dared no one to meet his eyes.

Chen Fan took a few more glances at Li Yao, slightly narrowing his gaze.

As expected of the Hong Domain’s number one genius of the younger generation. He was indeed monstrous. The aura he exuded gave Chen Fan a dangerous feeling. Li Yao had most likely reached the seven-revolution Golden Core realm. His strength was simply unimaginable.

“Look, Heaven's Equal Alliance is here. Is that the Great Li Imperial Court’s Prince Li Yao? So that’s the Hong Domain’s number one genius of the younger generation? He truly is an outstanding talent, a dragon among men. His strength is already unimaginably deep at such a young age.”

“Hehe, since Li Yao is here, even if the hall is filled with malevolent spirits, they would be wiped out.”

“I’m afraid Li Yao has already reached the seven-revolution Golden Core realm. He is likely just a step away from the eight-revolution Golden Core realm. He truly deserves his title as the number one genius of the younger generation!”

Soon after, another commotion rang out.

A group of young women came stepping on the air. Under the bright moonlight, they seemed like fairies.

Leading this group was a young woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old. She was clad in a snow-white long dress, which outlined her curvaceous figure to the fullest. Her pair of big eyes flickered intelligently, her eyebrows curved, her facial features exquisite. She was already an absolute beauty without having to apply any makeup.

However, this young woman was expressionless. She exuded a coldness that kept people away, leaving them to merely admire her from afar.

This woman was none other than the Goddess Alliance’s alliance leader, Qiu Yuexin.

1. Both contain the word ‘Dao’. ☜