I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

The Blood Bone Demon's aura, like a persistent thorn in his side, drew ever closer. His violent, bloodthirsty resentment, even through the mountains and forests, pressed down with an almost tangible force. The rescued crowd was terrified out of their wits, collapsing to the ground. Even Chen Bai, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, was pale and trembling all over.

"Enter the crevice!" Lu Zhao shouted sharply, leaving no room for doubt. He rushed towards the crevice in the mountain wall that was covered by vines, and the annihilating dragon energy in his hand burst forth, instantly turning the entangled vines into ashes, revealing a dark opening that could only accommodate two people walking side by side.

The cave wasn't naturally formed; it showed signs of human excavation, and an old, earthy scent mixed with a faint sandalwood aroma wafted out. Lu Zhao scanned the area with his divine sense, confirming there were no dangerous enchantments remaining near the entrance. He immediately turned and shouted, "Quick! Everyone in! Chen Bai, you cover our retreat!"

Driven by the instinct for survival, the group scrambled and tumbled, helping each other into the crevice. Chen Bai, forcing himself to stay alert, urged the last few onward.

As the last person staggered into the crevice, Lu Zhao immediately slipped in, simultaneously flicking his wrist to send a gentle surge of spiritual energy sweeping up the scattered pebbles and withered vines at the entrance, barely managing to conceal it again. This, of course, couldn't escape the Blood Bone Demon's divine sense, but at least it bought him some time.

"Go in! Don't stop!" Lu Zhao shouted, urging the still-shaken crowd to move deeper into the crevice.

The crack was initially narrow and damp, but after walking for about ten feet, it suddenly opened up into a wide, orderly, downward-sloping stone staircase. Every few feet along the rock walls on either side of the passage, there was a long-lost luminous pearl, its glow now only faintly glowing. On the walls, one could still see some blurred talismans and patterns carved in ancient seal script, most of them incomplete and dim, devoid of spiritual power, but some could still be vaguely discerned as protective, concealing, and purifying restrictions. At the entrance to the passage, on the rock wall, Lu Zhao clearly saw an emblem with a mountain peak and earth vein lines—the very symbol of the Earth Origin Sect!

"It really is a secret passage left by the senior of the Earthly Origin Sect!" Lu Zhao felt a sense of relief, but then became anxious again. Where does this passage lead? Is it safe?

The passage sloped downwards gently, but it was extremely long, seemingly without end. The air was filled with the scent of ancient dust, as well as a faint, chilling aura seeping up from the depths of the earth. However, it was countless times thinner than the aura of the "Nine Netherworld Aura-Drawing Array" that soared into the sky outside. Moreover, there seemed to be a remnant purification array faintly operating within the passage, isolating and purifying most of the aura.

The rescued people followed Lu Zhao, trudging through the dark passage. The prolonged tension, exhaustion, and fear had left many on the verge of collapse, but the will to survive kept them from stopping.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a light appeared ahead. It wasn't sunlight from the exit, but a soft, pale blue fluorescent glow emanating from the end of the passage.

The group quickened their pace, walked out to the end of the passage, and suddenly a bright and open space opened up before them.

This is a vast, domed underground space, more than ten times larger than the cave where the Earthly Prince had perished! At the ceiling, countless naturally formed stalactites and stalagmites emit a faint, bluish-green glow, casting a hazy light over the entire space. Scattered on the ground are enormous, weathered jade bases and broken stone pillars, ancient array patterns faintly visible, suggesting that a large-scale formation was once in place.

Most striking was the center of the space, not an open area, but a massive, circular pit, over a hundred feet in diameter, sunken downwards! The pit was bottomless, its walls smooth as a mirror, with intricate runes faintly visible, emanating an ancient, desolate, and heavy aura of sealing. At the edge of the pit stood nine thick, cracked bronze pillars, bound by massive, rusted, and broken chains that dangled into the depths. At this moment, these nine bronze pillars and the entire pit were trembling slightly, their surfaces flashing with a dim, flickering light, seemingly enduring the impact of some terrifying force from the depths of the earth! The thin, malevolent aura in the air seemed to originate precisely from beneath this pit.

At the edge of this giant sealed pit, near the passage from which Lu Zhao and his group emerged, the ground was relatively flat, with some simple stone house ruins and array foundations remaining. Most importantly, this area was shrouded in a faint but real purifying light curtain, which kept most of the malevolent energy coming from the direction of the giant pit out, forming a relatively safe "buffer zone."

"This... is an edge node of the outer seal of the 'Ten Thousand Dragons Devouring the Heavens Formation'?" Lu Zhao looked at the huge sealing pit and the nine bronze pillars, and realized. The Earth Origin Sect has guarded this place for generations, probably not only to observe the earth veins, but also to monitor and maintain this outer sealing node! This secret passage is one of their routes to and from the surface and this place.

"Everyone stay inside the light barrier and don't go near the giant pit!" Lu Zhao ordered in a deep voice. Everyone was already exhausted, and upon hearing this, they all collapsed onto the relatively clean ground, panting heavily. Their faces showed both relief at surviving the ordeal and fear of the strange sights in the place.

Chen Bai stepped forward and bowed deeply to Lu Zhao: "Senior, if it weren't for your guidance, we would have already perished in the demon's jaws. Although this place is eerie, it seems safe for now. What should we do next?"

Lu Zhao's gaze swept over the crowd, then turned to the giant pit that was constantly shaking and flashing with light, and to the deeper part of the passage in the distance—there seemed to be another way.

"You all rest here. Don't wander around or touch anything. I'll go ahead and scout out the way to see if there are any other exits, or... to find out more," Lu Zhao said to Chen Bai. "The purification barrier here is still intact, so as long as you don't get close to the giant pit, you should be safe for now. If I don't return for a long time, or if something changes outside, you should return the way you came and act accordingly."

"Senior..." Chen Bai wanted to say something, but Lu Zhao waved his hand and turned to walk towards the other side of the giant pit, deeper into the passage.

He needed to know where this secret passage of the Earthly Origin Sect ultimately led. Perhaps there was a way out, or perhaps more information about the seal on this place, or about the Demonic Sect's plans.

Bypassing the edge of the massive sealed pit, Lu Zhao walked along the remaining stone path towards the other end of the space. There, stood a huge, cracked rock wall, and in the center of the wall, there was a door!

A colossal gate, approximately three zhang high and one zhang wide, cast entirely from an unknown bronze! The ancient bronze gate possessed a simple and heavy style, its surface covered with intricate, now blurred, bas-reliefs, seemingly depicting scenes of ancient sacrifices, soaring dragons, and some grand battle. The gate was tightly shut, its surface riddled with crisscrossing cracks, some so deep they revealed their inner surfaces, from which a faint, chilling, dark red light emanated. An aura, even more ancient, heavier, and more ominous than that emanating from the direction of the giant pit, faintly emanated from behind the gate, mingled with low, muffled dragon roars and chilling, malevolent fluctuations.

On either side of the massive bronze gate stood a broken stone sculpture, resembling both a qilin and a dragon-turtle, each holding an extinguished lamp in its mouth. Scattered on the ground in front of the gate were weathered bones and broken weapons, suggesting that a fierce battle had once taken place here.

Standing before the bronze gate, Lu Zhao could clearly feel that the "Reverse Scale Pact" and the "Earth Element Token" he kept close to his body were reacting with unprecedented intensity almost simultaneously!

The "Pact of Reverse Scales" was scorching hot and throbbing wildly, as if it wanted to break free and fly behind the door, filled with longing, excitement, and a sense of awe and fear in the face of a higher-level being of the same origin.

The "Earthly Element Token" emitted a warm yet rapid earthy yellow light, its brightness flickering, seemingly resisting, warning, or perhaps... attempting to communicate with the giant bronze gate, or with some being behind it, in a very faint way.

"Behind this door... is the core area of ​​the 'Ten Thousand Dragons Devouring the Heavens Formation' sealed on the outer perimeter here? Or... is it directly connected to some sealed ancient battlefield?" Lu Zhao was shocked. The guardians of the Earthly Origin Sect probably do more than just monitor the outer nodes; their deeper responsibility might be to protect this door, or what lies behind it!

Could the weak point in the seal that the Demonic Sect is trying so hard to breach be related to this door, or the existence behind the door?

What will happen if we push open this door? Will we confront the horrors and secrets of antiquity, find the opportunity to completely resolve the crisis here, or even obtain a tremendous opportunity? Or... will we unleash unimaginable calamity, burying ourselves and the hundred or so people we just rescued behind us?

Turning back and leading everyone back the way they came might offer a glimmer of hope for escape amidst the chaos of the prematurely activated "Nine Netherworld Summoning Array" and the war between good and evil. However, doing so would mean forfeiting the opportunity to explore the secrets behind that door and potentially missing the key to understanding or even stopping the Demonic Sect's ultimate scheme.

Forward, push open this massive, cracked, and terrifying bronze door, and face alone the unknown beyond. Both opportunity and danger will be extreme.

Lu Zhao reached out and gently stroked the cold, cracked surface of the bronze gate. A chill ran through his fingertips, accompanied by a profound sense of historical vicissitude.

He turned around and glanced at the people being rescued in the distance, who were looking at him expectantly through the purification light screen, placing all their hopes on him.

He then looked at the slightly vibrating, shimmering "Earthly Element Token" in his hand, and the "Reverse Scale Pact" between his brows, which was burning hot and pulsating, emanating a strong sensation.

After a moment of silence, a resolute glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes.

He took a deep breath, and the annihilating dragon energy within his body slowly circulated. He placed his right hand against the incredibly heavy bronze gate.

To advance or to retreat?