Devour

Many volcanoes are either spewing flames or preparing to erupt. Scalding volcanic ash covers a large area, the temperature is boiling, and there is no light at all.

Li Tong gave some guidance and told the smoker that there was a safe way out. After running for a long time and passing through the barren land, the view in front of him suddenly opened up.

There is an oasis hidden deep in the secret realm, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with flowers, plants and trees complementing each other. The layout is exquisite and full of poetic and picturesque beauty.

The highest peak was lush and green, only a few hundred meters above sea level. On the top of the mountain, an exquisite white jade boy was holding a jade hoe and planting a small tree. Suddenly, he noticed something and walked to the top of the mountain to look into the distance. A trace of dissatisfaction appeared on his cute little face, and he murmured, "Why did Li Tong, that nosy guy, come to my territory?"

At the same time, Li Tong shouted, "Did you see it? Shengjin Pagoda Qilingshichi is on the top of that hill. Let's go over there quickly."

Shi Chi noticed other people's gazes, retracted his little head, and turned to walk towards the mountain hut behind.

When Cheng Bai arrived at the hut, he couldn't find Shi Chi anywhere.

The surrounding is quiet and elegant, and the location is secluded. There is a gurgling stream not far away. The house is simple and comfortable, with a bedroom, living room, dining room and kitchen. Although small, it has everything, and is full of tranquility and comfort.

Cheng Bai picked up a small sapling on the ground outside the house. The edges of the green branches and leaves had sharp serrations, like a mouth slightly opening and closing, and the shape was strange.

Li Tong said, "The trees growing here are all man-eating trees. They are called marrow-eating trees. Their leaves can be used as medicine. Ordinary plants cannot grow in places like this."

There is a lack of sunlight in Shengjin Pagoda, it is dark and humid, the content of heavy metals is high, the plants have evolved unique predation abilities, and it is full of dangers.

Cheng Bai put down the sapling and walked into the hut to take a closer look.

The smoker was too big to enter the house, but that didn't bother him. He used his transformation technique to transform into a chubby young man. He followed him into the house and asked, "Are we late?"

Li Tong said hurriedly: "Shi Chi has hidden at the top of the tower. There must be a dark passage in the house leading to the upper floor. We must find it."

Cheng Bai understood a little: "So the real test of Shengjin Tower is to unlock the hidden doors on each floor, right?"

Li Tong smiled and said, "There is more than one way to the upper level. Not all portals require defeating monsters to pass through. There will be at least one door in this house."

Cheng Bai opened his eyes wide and searched inside and outside. He saw a strange aura gathering on the dining table and wondered, "Could it be that the door is on the dining table? Is the condition for opening the Netherworld Path to having a meal here?"

Li Tong floated around the table and said happily, "It's very likely."

It was a simple matter. The kitchen equipment was ready and Chef Cheng Bai took charge. Soon, shredded deep-sea monster meat, diced burning worm king meat, megalodon shark slices and shark fin soup were served on the table.

The smoker followed Cheng Bai and sat like a normal person. He leaned over the table and said with a smile, "Every day, what do you want for a beast's life? What else can you ask for?"

Cheng Bai picked up the shredded pork, dipped it in the forget-me-not sauce, and tasted it carefully. He said complacently: "My cooking skills have improved a lot since I first arrived. Come on, come on, don't let your stomach be empty-handed, and enjoy all the delicacies in the world."

The smoker ate and drank with a drooling face.

Li Tong blinked his big eyes with his baby face, watching the man and the beast feasting on the food, and said resentfully: "You are bullying me because I can't eat meat."

While enjoying the delicious food, I didn’t realize that the things outside the window of the cottage had changed and I was no longer in the oasis.

Cheng Bai keenly noticed the changes and smiled, "Successful, we have reached a new level, traveling between different worlds and spaces. This is the Netherworld Path."

After finishing his meal and clearing the table, Cheng Bai walked out of the cabin slowly. Outside the door was another small world.

Before our eyes is the spacious and vibrant ancient arena, a circular structure with an empty space in the middle and surrounded by tiered auditoriums. It can accommodate millions of people and is dozens of times larger than the largest arena known on Earth.

The position for Cheng Bai is a luxurious overlooking stand facing north and south. Looking down at the empty field below, the view is unobstructed, magnificent and spacious, which is breathtaking.

"How spectacular! Is this a fighting arena?" Cheng Bai exclaimed.

Li Tong explained simply: "The second level of Shengjin Tower is the fighting arena. You must fight to advance to the top."

The Smoker walked out of the stand room, his body restored to that of a majestic beast, and said alertly, "Something is coming out."

The arena was octagonal in shape, separated from the stands by a dark trench as wide as a moat. There was a majestic and heavy gate on each of the four sides: southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast.

The huge gate in the northwest slowly lowered like an opening and closing drawbridge, becoming a bridge connecting to the arena. Five giant magma beasts ran out from behind the gate.

At the same time, the huge gate in the southeast also fell, and a divine man in golden armor holding a mountain-splitting spear walked out. He was as tall and strong as the Yellow Turban strongman that Fang Wanzhan had captured.

As they stepped onto the field, the huge door behind them slowly folded up and closed, turning the arena into an isolated island. The two sides faced off with swords drawn and suddenly rushed towards their opponents.

Compared to the even larger magma beast, the golden armored god's physique was not worth mentioning, but the difference in combat power was overwhelming. It fought one against five, and with just a few moves, it beat the beasts to the ground, leaving them in a state of disgrace.

The magma monster continued to unleash terrifying fire storms, but the secret technique had no apparent effect. It successfully rolled up a pillar of fire that shot up into the sky, but it seemed to have done little to hurt the Yellow Turban warrior.

Cheng Bai observed for a moment and said, "The Yellow Turban Warrior is not only physically strong, but also has secret defensive techniques."

Li Tong praised: "Good vision. All Yellow Turban warriors are equipped with Four-Polarity Shields, which are similar to the secret technique of the same name and can effectively resist the four destructive forces of earth, water, fire and wind. Otherwise, how can they adapt to various cruel battlefields? The material of the Shengjin Pagoda is more advanced, and the elemental barrier has stronger defense power, making it difficult for external evil to invade."

The Yellow Turban warrior in the arena was like a tiger among a flock of sheep. He quickly knocked down the lava beast, threw his opponent out of the arena and into a bottomless trench, then swaggered back to the reopened giant gate passage.

Cheng Bai asked curiously, "Where will we end up if we fall into the trench?"

Li Tong said frankly: "I fell to the bottom of a volcano and was smashed into a pulp. Ashes to ashes, earth to earth."

The Smoker watched with great interest: "The next show is about to begin."

The huge gates on the northwest and northeast sides of the arena are slowly opening, and new hostile creatures are coming in to join the battle.

Cheng Bai suddenly realized, "They were demonstrating just now. If you lose this level of duel test, you will fall back to the next level. It's quite simple."

Another giant magma beast ran out from the northwest, but the person coming out of the northeast gate was He Lipang.

Cheng Bai was surprised and said, "Master Shi must have told Brother He about his experience in clearing the level, which allowed Brother He to pass the Netherworld Road so quickly. However, he is far behind the magma beast, so how can he pass the arena?"

When the giant magma beast saw its opponent, it pounced on He Lipang with incredible speed and force like thunder.

He Lipang did not dare to be negligent. He clenched the black gold brass knuckles in his hand and used all his strength to avoid the real and attack the fake, fighting and retreating.

The giant magma beast roared and launched a blazing firestorm which swept towards it. He Lipang rolled over hastily to avoid it. His hair caught fire and he waved his hands hastily to put it out, but his hair turned into curls and he looked in a miserable state.

Cheng Bai saw that he was unable to resist and thought: "Brother He has made some progress compared to before. He is not inferior to the tidal beast by much, but he is definitely unable to match the stronger magma beast."

He condensed a vibration wave bullet in his hand and was about to shoot it out, intending to lend a helping hand to He Lipang.

Li Tong hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Don't interfere. Shengjin Tower has a precise evaluation mechanism. It is inevitable that there will be a large gap in the challenge levels in the fighting arena. Challengers must exert their own limits and use all favorable factors to win. If you rely on the help of others, the difficulty will continue to increase, and you will not be able to pass it."

The challenge level of the fighting arena is definitely not comparable to the superficial level accumulated by the guild points. Although Zhuiming Sanlang seems to be of a high level, he is actually no match for the monsters of the same level and is overwhelmed. He Lipang gave up forming a team and came alone, and he already knew the rules of Shengjin Tower.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Bai stopped his attack and would not intervene until it was absolutely necessary.

There was an obvious gap in strength between the two sides on the field. He Lipang did not dare to face the enemy head-on. Relying on his agility and tight defense, he dodged left and right, and gradually led the magma monster to the edge of the arena.

Cheng Bai pondered and said, "Brother He, are you trying to win by that method? Although it's a bit tricky, it's quite feasible."

When the giant magma beast charged forward, He Lipang used the Falling Leaf Palm's technique to pull his opponent along, leveraging the beast's own strength and weight to make it lose its balance and rush out of the arena into the trench.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the lava monster danced in the air, turned around and grabbed the edge of the venue, and placed one of its giant claws on the ground so that it did not fall. It was also able to use its hands instead of feet to try to get up and was about to return to the arena.

How could He Lipang let it come back? He used the unique skills of Baizhan Yansheng Fist, using the techniques of seal, smash, collapse and break at the same time. The power of his fist in the air was like artillery fire, blocking the opponent's possibility of turning over.

The giant magma beast was in a disadvantageous situation in mid-air, and was beaten on the head, face and hands. In a panic, he used one hand to swing his claws and fight with his fists, but still knocked He Lipang dozens of meters away. He then slipped into the trench helplessly, and disappeared into the darkness.

He Lipang fell on the arena, exhausted from all his efforts, stood up after a while, rubbed his sore fists and wrists, and smiled: "I won."

Cheng Bai waved to He Lipang and said, "Brother He, do you want to come up and sit down?"

Then a beam of light was projected from the sky, pulling He Lipang up into the sky like an immortal.

He Lipang had already seen Cheng Bai and said loudly, "Junior Brother Cheng, I'll wait for you on the third floor."

The voice faded away. Cheng Bai watched him disappear into the light in the sky and said with a wry smile, "The test of the second level of the arena is so simple, shouldn't it be easy for me to pass it?"

Li Tong's blocky body shook its head repeatedly like a head: "The challenge level of the monsters in the fighting arena must be three times the combat power of the challenger, or even higher. It should be impossible to win in a head-on confrontation. If you were to go down, how could a magma monster appear as an opponent?"

Cheng Bai thought that his strength in all aspects was far superior to He Lipang's. Just as he was about to ask for clarification, the huge gates on the southwest and northeast sides slowly fell down, and a new opponent was about to appear.

Ning Xiang came out from the southwest, holding a bone staff. Two magma beasts strode towards her from the northeast.

There are a few elites in the magma beast tribe. Their dark red bodies are larger than those of ordinary members of the same tribe. They are born with flame shields, sharp scales, and are surrounded by faint flames. They are called magma beasts. Each one has outstanding strength, and is not inferior to the tidal beast king.

Compared to He Lipang's challenge level, the difficulty of the fighting arena has been greatly increased.

Cheng Bai knew the depth of Ning Xiang's cultivation, and was concerned about her. He hesitated and said, "In a head-on battle, the gap between the two sides is too big. Such an opponent pairing is not fair, and the challenger is at a huge disadvantage."

Li Tong disagreed and said bluntly, "In the arena of fighting, the strong survive and the weak perish. Only by moving forward despite the difficulties can you surpass yourself. As long as you use the right tactics, you may not be unable to win. Just now is a precedent."

Cheng Bai was considering whether to intervene, but the situation on the field was unexpected. The Smoker watched the battle and said, "Look, it's two against two now."

Ningxiang actually transformed into another illusion of the same appearance, attracting a magma beast and keeping a distance from it. The illusion did not confront the opponent head-on, but just entangled and wandered around, while the real body focused on fighting with the other magma beast.

Cheng Bai was surprised and said, "It's her dragon bone staff. The treasure has the ability to create illusions."

"This is the tactic. It is possible for the weak to defeat the strong." Li Tong is quite optimistic about Ningxiang in this battle.

The magma beast is powerful, but its moves are not as sophisticated as those of a skilled warrior.

Ningxiang has repeatedly received elixirs from Chengbai, and with her own outstanding talent, her cultivation has improved rapidly, so the gap between her and Chengbai in a one-on-one fight is not too far.

In the arena, her real body wielded the dragon bone staff, and performed the Flying Sand Staff Technique and the Soul Refining Staff Technique in turn, making the wind and rain impenetrable, and the domain even unfolded a vision like a bright light curtain, covering both the enemy and us.

Although seemingly non-aggressive, the battle situation is quietly changing.

In the first hundred moves, Ningxiang was obviously inferior in strength, doing more defense than attack, and was at a disadvantage in the battle. But after a hundred moves, she became stronger and stronger, and gradually gained the upper hand.

The magma beast became anxious and unleashed a fire storm that was even more powerful than the magma beast. It raised spectacular pillars of fire one after another, but they quickly faded in the area of ​​Ningxiang, as if it was much weaker.

Cheng Bai watched the battle intently and said, "Her domain seems to be able to dissolve the opponent's attack while gradually increasing her own power. Although it is not swallowing, it has some similar effects, as if she is using the power of the weak to defeat the strong."

Li Tong commented: "If the Immaculate Body phenomenon can grow into a magical power, it can have the power to turn the world upside down, which is unparalleled in the world. At present, it is only a small effect."

Ningxiang's body was erratic, and she dodged the opponent's secret attacks. Each move of her bone staff became stronger and stronger. Gradually, the opponent was unable to cope with her. With the powerful move of "Gathering Sand into a Tower", the magma beast was quickly defeated by the bone staff.

Cheng Bai smiled and said, "I underestimated her. There are no weaklings among the contemporary geniuses."

The Smoker whispered, "The treasure she has is not bad either."

At the beginning, the fifth level of the Qiongqi Treasure Scroll also had an illusion secret technique to choose from, but Cheng Bai chose the spirit shield which he thought was more practical. Now it seems that the effect of illusion should not be underestimated.

Ningxiang defeated one without underestimating the enemy at all. She cooperated closely with the illusion, attacking from both sides, and using the virtual and the real to complement each other. It was not difficult for her to defeat the second one.