Devour

If a living thing approaches the snake bottle plant, it will attract attacks. Its fat top is usually closed and motionless, but when hunting, it suddenly sticks its head out and opens its huge mouth, which is big enough to swallow humans, livestock, cattle and sheep.

The feeling of being swallowed whole was not pleasant, like falling into an intestine full of mucus, wet, sticky, with a pungent odor, sliding all the way down, and when a dim light appeared at the end, you landed with a plop and jumped into a pool of water that reached your calves.

In front of me is a wide cave with an underground river in it. In the river stands a huge ancient stone statue of a woman holding a water bottle. The water in the bottle drips into the river. Deep in the water, I can vaguely see fish running away in fright.

The place where Cheng Bai brought the smoker out was the mouth of the bottle. It seemed to be sliding down, but it actually reached the upper level. It was really amazing. Looking around, he couldn't help but say, "It looks like a cave buried deep in the underground city."

Li Tong came out and said, "This is the fourth floor of the Shengjin Tower, also known as the Blue Eye Maze."

"Blue eyes?"

Cheng Bai looked at the more or less gorgeous blue crystals exposed between the surrounding mountain walls, emitting a faint light, illuminating the nearby area, like twinkling eyeballs, bringing a psychedelic sense of amazement. He couldn't help but praise: "Peacock blue crystal, a rare jewel, one of the eight most beautiful in the world, so beautiful."

That rich blue color, more tranquil than the ocean and deeper than the sky, brings infinite romance and harmony. Only those who see it with their own eyes can appreciate its beauty.

Li Tong said: "This is a mine labyrinth rich in peacock blue crystals. Any one of them that circulates in the world would be a huge fortune."

Cheng Bai rode up to the shore on the Cigarette, shook off the water droplets on his body, and said leisurely: "Is the best treasure in the Blue Eye Labyrinth the Peacock Blue Crystal?"

Li Tong said slowly, "The best treasure is still the golden water, but you have to pass through the entire maze and reach the central palace. There is a golden spring in the garden behind the palace. The Golden Pool on the third floor is where the golden spring seeps down for people to pick up."

There were many blue eyes flashing in the depths of the passage, as if spying on Cheng Bai and his group, and they sometimes moved smartly. It was definitely not the light of peacock blue crystal.

Cheng Bailing had sharp eyes and could see clearly that they were groups of giant rats with gray-blue fur, sharp teeth, and several meters long. They must be the residents of the Blue Eye Maze.

Li Tong whispered, "That's Xishu, a water monster. Its common secret skills may include ice bullets, water escape, and freezing gaze. It is stronger than the blood jade man. Don't look into its eyes, or you will be frozen by the freezing gaze."

"Why didn't you say it earlier?" Cheng Bai used his internal energy to shatter the frost that was gradually forming on his body, and drove the Smoker forward.

The Smoker held his head high and strode, blowing out smoke and flames from his mouth. A huge fireball suddenly rushed towards the group of Xi rats. The high temperature inside reached the molten heat peak of flowing gold and rhenium. Ordinary monsters would be turned to bones and disintegrated if they were touched by even a little bit of it.

Cheng Bai was thinking to himself: "The fire explosion secret technique is not inferior to thunder and fire. The sound is smaller when it explodes. Ice and fire counteract each other. I wonder how effective it is against Xi Rat."

However, dozens of ice bombs were shot out from the depths of the passage, colliding with the fireballs with a loud bang. The ice and fire canceled each other out and annihilated each other. With the sound of "sizzling", mist was emitted and gradually dissipated.

There was only one rat fighting against the smoker, while the others just watched from behind without any fear.

Ice bomb is a talisman-level secret technique. The power of a single bomb is not great. The higher the level of cultivation, the more bombs can be fired at the same time. Speed ​​and quantity are the keys to victory. A cultivator who can fire several bombs at the same time is a rare master on the continent.

The Fire Blast is a curse-grade top-grade secret technique with great power and strong explosiveness, and its grade is much higher than the Ice Bomb. There should have been a huge gap between them, but now they are evenly matched.

The smoker was very sensitive and said in surprise, "My tribe can restrain the Xi rats instinctively in all aspects, why is the tribe here so powerful?"

Li Tong laughed and said, "The Shengjin Pagoda opens once every sixty years, and no one has visited the fourth floor for thousands of years. The Xi rats live a comfortable life, and any of them has thousands of years of cultivation. You have only been practicing for a hundred years, how can you be compared?"

The smoker was still too young, just like a teenager among humans. He chuckled twice and remained silent.

The Xi rats in the Shengjin Pagoda had never even seen a Suanni, so they had no fear of their natural enemy. However, their natural instinct of being at a disadvantage made them unwilling to launch an attack rashly.

Li Tong continued, "Compared to the lower levels, the Blue Eye Labyrinth is suitable for clearing all the levels. The monster tribe in the labyrinth is Xi rats, and their crystal cores and furs are all treasures. There are wormwood growing in the caves, which can prevent hunger and cure all diseases. There are many edible fish in the underground river. Killing enemies and searching for treasures, and taking every step carefully, is quite exciting for challengers."

Cheng Bai asked curiously, "This tower has progressive layers, a perfect ecology, and complete facilities. What was it built for?"

"The Shengjin Pagoda appeared in the ancient times. It was carefully built to test the younger generations of the Pangu Clan and improve their strength. Each level has corresponding challenge rewards. In ancient times, it was gradually replaced by the cheaper and more practical Ladder of All Things. In comparison, although the Shengjin Pagoda is exquisite, it is a pity that the cost is too high and the number of levels for promotion is too small."

Li Tong was born even earlier than the Shengjin Pagoda, and we know it clearly.

Cheng Bai thought back to the mechanism of the Ladder of All Things and agreed, "That's true. We're all assessing our abilities and getting promoted anyway, so why bother designing and building such a complicated environment?"

The Smoker blinked and disagreed: "This tower is rich and varied, full of fun. It's not just a test, the experience is also a great benefit."

Cheng Bai smiled. For the upper-class leaders who pursue efficiency, the process is not important, but the result is important, and cost is also a decisive factor.

The Blue Eye Maze is intricate and complex, no less complicated than the four-dimensional maze of the ancient battlefield. With Li Tong leading the way, the path is smooth and unobstructed.

The groups of rats that block the road are often in groups of three or five. They are quick to react and move quickly, but they bully the weak and fear the strong. If they feel they are no match for their opponent, they will flee by diving into the water near the water source. If a real fight breaks out, they are no match for Cheng Bai and his group.

Cheng Bai tried martial arts and mystical attacks. Stealth assassination was the most effective, but now was not the time to hunt, so he simply used the sniper mystical technique in conjunction with the smoker's fire explosion to drive away the rats he encountered without any casualties. He drove the rats all the way to the front of the palace in the central area.

This palace is similar in style to the seven holy temples on the mainland, except that it does not have so many side halls. The main hall is shockingly huge and spacious, with numerous buildings surrounding it on all sides, with terraces and pavilions stacked one on top of the other, as many as thirty-three floors. It's like a large number of toy buildings have been built inside the room, giving a sense of absurdity and a spectacular sight.

If you really think it is a toy, you are wrong. The thirty-three-story building is the size of an ordinary person's residence, with pavilions and towers as numerous as a town. Living in it does not give you the sense of urgency of entering a modern building. Instead, it is spacious and comfortable, and the ancient and romantic atmosphere is fascinating.

The most eye-catching thing in the palace is not the exquisite multi-story buildings, but the huge corpse standing in the center of the spacious hall.

The body of the man-horse was majestic and magnificent, over a thousand meters long, with arms and four legs like pillars of heaven, stripes like tiger stripes, and wings on its back. It was as dry as a mummy, and it had been dead for who knows how many years, but it still retained the majestic posture of guarding the palace.

Cheng Bai took a few glances and the more he looked, the more familiar he felt. He couldn't help but say, "He looks a bit like Ying Zhao."

Li Tong curled his lips and said, "It's not a resemblance, it's Ying Zhao, one of the eight ancient gods of Qiongqi Continent, known as the Sage of Beasts and the God of the Deep Pool."

"What? It's dead?"

Cheng Bai was horrified. Ying Zhao was clearly alive and well in Yuanchi Tianfu on the moon, and he was also the enemy who killed Xiaobai. How could he die here?

Li Tong said bluntly: "Ying Zhao is a divine beast, a regular god appointed by the Great Emperor Yunmen. Fifteen thousand years ago, several ancient gods caused chaos on the mainland. If Ying Zhao had not intervened, how could the so-called masters of the human race be able to match the power of the ancient gods?"

Cheng Bai hurriedly asked, "Are the masters Shi Qi and Xing Chun from the Gentlemen Clan, Ji Huaibing from the Xuanyuan Clan, and Gu Canxing from the Undead Clan unable to resist?"

Li Tong said truthfully: "These people are indeed quite capable. At that time, if they joined hands, they might be able to rival one ancient god, but how could they withstand several of them? In the end, they had to rely on the power of Ying Zhao to suppress the situation at that time. But after the battle, Ying Zhao suddenly died for some reason. With his status and achievements, his majestic body is worthy of being buried here and revered by future generations."

Cheng Bai thought carefully about the murals in the Cloud Sky Palace. They glorified the achievements of the human race and sang praises of them in long passages. One of the ancient gods with a human head and a horse body did stand in a neutral position and only joined the war in the end, but he was rarely mentioned.

He was full of doubts and asked, "Ying Zhao is dead and his body is here. So who is Ying Zhao in Yuanchi Tianfu?"

Li Tong was surprised and asked, "Is there another Ying Zhao? I haven't had any contact with the outside world for more than ten thousand years, but I didn't know... There can't be a second one. If this is true, I'm afraid it is related to the cause of Ying Zhao's death."

"So, the leader of the demon tribe has long been impersonated. No challenger has been able to clear the Blue Eye Labyrinth for more than ten thousand years, and no one knows about it."

Cheng Bai was terrified when he thought about it. Could it be that he was replaced by other forces just like Li Quan was that day? But this was the business of the demon race, and as a human, he could not interfere.

Li Tong suggested: "Let me see the fake Ying Zhao, maybe I can see some clues."

"That guy is too strong. I may not be able to escape if I see him. At least wait until he becomes stronger and I am sure of success." Cheng Bai muttered in his heart and asked, "Where is the Netherworld Road leading to the fifth floor?"

Li Tong pointed the way: "It's just behind. Follow Huijin Spring and you will reach the fifth level of the City of Promotion."

The garden behind the main hall has winding paths and is laid out around a pool of golden spring water. The sound of the spring water dripping from the secluded stream is deeper than that of ordinary water, and the sound is thunderous, yet clear and ethereal. There is so much golden water that it gathers into a gurgling stream, passing through the mountains, winding and twisting, and merging into the unknown place deep in the clouds.

Cheng Bai strolled along Huijin Spring. The scenery was as charming as a fairyland. There were no enemies to disturb him on the way, and he arrived at the majestic mountains smoothly.

Looking from afar between the mountains, there are mysterious and solemn palaces distributed from near to far, from low to high.

Li Tong introduced: "This is the City of Promotion, which contains the twelve earthly branches. The first four levels are of average difficulty. For the ancient geniuses, this is the real test. The challenger must defeat the twelve earthly branch guardians here to ascend to the sixth level."

Looking up, the twelve palaces undulate along the mountain peaks, extending to merge into the vast blue sky. The high places are lightly shrouded in mist, like a shy girl wrapped in a hazy white veil.

Cheng Bai couldn't help but ask a few more questions: "How strong is the guardian?"

Li Tong said frankly: "Those who guarded this place back then were all ten thousand year old demon kings. The weakest one was at the late stage of Wuwei Realm, and the top one reached the peak of Wuxiang Realm. There are only a few geniuses in Qiongqi Continent who can pass the first palace."

Cheng Bai clenched his fist and said, "Do we need to defeat them one by one?"

Li Tong shook his head and said, "It's been so many years, it's impossible to send guards to guard the area now. At most, there are some soldiers and pawn-level Yellow Turban warriors around. They are much stronger than the lower-level monsters, but they are just miscellaneous soldiers."

Cheng Bai urged the smoker and ran towards the twelve zodiac signs.

There were some yellow-turbaned warriors in shining golden armor patrolling back and forth between the palaces. Cheng Bai didn't want to waste time fighting them, so he avoided them as much as possible and soon arrived outside the gate of the first palace.

In front of him stood a stone statue that looked like a rat, with white ears and a white beak, sharp teeth and fangs, and hair like iron spikes.

Li Tong saw it and said, "The First Palace of Rat is guarded by the Ju Ru Demon King."

Cheng Bai jumped off his mount and slowly stepped into the majestic palace. The spacious space inside was simple and elegant, octagonal in shape, reminiscent of the architectural structure of the Ladder of All Things.

There were no guards in the hall. There was only an old skeleton sitting in the center. It was half beast and half human, with a tall physique, and a rusty broken sword was missing in front of it.

Cheng Bai asked, "Is this the guardian of the Rat Palace?"

Li Tong sighed, "It was a long time ago, and it has never been replaced since it was defeated."

Cheng Bai looked at the skeleton carefully. He didn't know how many years had passed, but it was still as crystal clear as jade. It was obvious that he was a rare master when he was alive. The fatal injury was a punch that pierced his chest, shattered his sternum, and destroyed his internal organs.

"The strength is completely overwhelming. Such a domineering punch, why does it look familiar?"

Cheng Bai was secretly shocked when he checked the wound. Only those who practiced this kind of martial arts could distinguish the ins and outs. "It was clearly the multiple punches of the Six Paths of Bliss Fist. The frontal blow was killed quickly with the Collapse Technique. Who is this person?"

Li Tong speculated: "The last challenger is a master of the Six Paths of Bliss Fist. Could it be that Shi Qi has opened up the City of Promotion? He is the strongest man in the history of the Gentlemen Clan on the mainland. He might have had this strength at that time."

Cheng Bai asked, "With his ability, how many floors can he reach?"

Li Tong said: "As far as I know, Shi Qi reached the early stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm when he was at his peak, but that was when he came back from Shanhui City. He was old and had retired from the world. He was still young when he challenged the Shengjin Pagoda. He might have cultivated to the Wuxiang Realm and challenged the sixth level, but it was impossible for him to break through the last level."

The gap between the Wuxiang Realm and the Hualong Realm is huge, like the difference between the ancient god's son and the ancient god. That is to say, Shi Qi finally reached the strength of the ancient god in Shanhui City, but returned to the mainland to live in seclusion. What happened back then?

"What happened next?" Cheng Bai asked about Shi Qi's anecdotes again.

Li Tong didn't know much either, and said helplessly: "After the rebellion of the Ancient God Son ended, the Poison Crystal Cave gradually became quiet. Not many people came here for tens of thousands of years. I don't have much information about the outside world, so I don't know what happened later."

There was nothing to see in the palace. Cheng Bai was not interested in the broken sword, so he left Zishu Palace and continued to explore further.