Chapter 520: Death Trap and Chance of Survival

If not for the Qingyou Light Silk and Black Soul Silk repairing his Divine Soul, his Divine Soul origin would likely still be in a state of disintegration right now.

Without external objects to repair it, who knows how many years it would take for these Divine Soul fragments to naturally fuse back together. Once too much time passes, a person in such a state is called a living dead, which is to say, their Divine Soul has dissipated.

No one can be certain that these Divine Soul fragments can still fuse, or that this person can still wake up?

Although Duan Rong was in a state of unconsciousness, he clearly perceived that just as the Qingyou Light Silk and Black Soul Silk were repairing his Divine Soul, he had actually been struck three more times!

Not only did Xiao Qiwu deal him a lethal blow during the execution in the daytime, but right now, inside the Wanxiang Cave, he had actually struck him three more times while he was already unconscious and his Divine Soul was damaged!

This person has ulterior motives; clearly, he will not stop until he has struck him until his Divine Soul dissipates!

"I have always been on good terms with Xiao Qiwu, why does he want to kill me?" Duan Rong's eyes flashed with cold light in the darkness.

However, he quickly cast this question aside.

Xiao Qiwu's motive for killing him is a matter to consider later; what is urgent now is to resolve the predicament before him.

Lv Yinlin had him locked in this Wanxiang Cave originally to temper him; Zhu He had explained this very clearly to him in the Dungeon of the Ruling Sect Justice Division.

But the problem now is that this Elder who manages the Wanxiang Cave, Xiao Qiwu, wants to kill him.

Inside this Wanxiang Cave, it has immediately turned into a death trap!

Lv Yinlin tempering him in this Wanxiang Cave inherently carried dangers, and Xiao Qiwu clearly grasped this point, wanting to use it to deceive others and kill him without anyone noticing.

"Truly, his heart is punishable!" Duan Rong's heart felt a surge of ruthlessness.

He was thrown into this Wanxiang Cave alone, and after he had been unconscious for several hours, Xiao Qiwu was still able to enter this place and strike him three more times.

This means that Xiao Qiwu's intention to kill him has not been detected. Lv Yinlin clearly does not know.

When he was being punished during the day, with that kind of situation, Zhu He should have noticed something; how could he still let him stay alone in this Wanxiang Cave, and how could Xiao Qiwu still be able to come in and strike him three more times?

Duan Rong felt that Zhu He must have noticed something, but for some reason, something must have changed, allowing Xiao Qiwu to deceive everyone under Zhu He's nose.

After some analysis, Duan Rong suddenly discovered that his situation was extremely dire.

Not only is he trapped in a death trap, but he must face a Dongming Realm powerhouse alone.

He subconsciously touched his own neck; the Yinlu Cicada he usually wore close to his body had also been taken away during the execution.

"It seems this Xiao Qiwu had a premeditated plan!"

Now, Duan Rong finally understands why Xiao Qiwu insisted on taking away his Yinlu Cicada; it turns out it was to make it convenient to kill him here in the Wanxiang Cave!

This Xiao Qiwu is so calculating at every step, all to use the dangers of the Wanxiang Cave to kill him without a sound.

This person not only wants to kill him, but after killing him, he also wants to escape unscathed!

Such an outcome is something Duan Rong finds hard to endure!

He must find a turning point to reverse the situation within this death trap!

Although he is facing a dangerous situation, and his opponent is a cunning and crafty Dongming Realm powerhouse.

But to be plotted against like this, even if he were to truly die here, he would still find a way to break a mouthful of Xiao Qiwu's teeth.

Duan Rong recalled the soul-shattering pain he felt when he received those three strikes on the execution platform; it could be said that ten thousand arrows piercing the heart would not compare. And while he was unconscious in this Wanxiang Cave, Xiao Qiwu actually struck him three more times; it is almost like whipping a corpse!?

If this can be tolerated, what cannot?!

No matter the cost, he must never let such a guy's treacherous scheme succeed!

Duan Rong suddenly stared into the darkness, looking all around.

To find a chance to reverse the situation in this death trap, he must first understand the wonders of the Wanxiang Cave he is currently in as quickly as possible.

Zhu He had explained the origin of this Wanxiang Cave and some basic information to him in the prison of the Ruling Sect Justice Division.

Therefore, Duan Rong knows that this Wanxiang Cave is formed by a Symbol Array.

As the Elder managing the Wanxiang Cave, Xiao Qiwu only has an Array Tablet for entry and exit.

As for the situation inside the Wanxiang Cave, it operates according to established rules and is not under his control.

For Duan Rong, this is clearly good news.

That is to say, although Xiao Qiwu is the Elder managing the Wanxiang Cave, the Wanxiang Cave was set up by the Sect's ancestors through the generations; he can only enter and exit, but cannot control it.

This means Xiao Qiwu cannot manipulate the Wanxiang Cave to attack him.

If he can understand the operating rules of this Wanxiang Cave as soon as possible, perhaps a turning point for him to reverse the situation is hidden within this Wanxiang Cave!

He clearly lacks the strength to directly deal with a Dongming Realm powerhouse like Xiao Qiwu, so he must borrow power to act. Now that he is trapped in the Wanxiang Cave, the only power he can borrow is the operating laws of this Wanxiang Cave. He must find a way to thoroughly understand the operating laws of this Wanxiang Cave.

If he fails to find a turning point to reverse the situation in here, he will likely be finished. Because he truly cannot see any other path to survival.

Although after receiving six strikes of the God-Striking Whip, the Divine Soul origin in his Spirit Sea transformed into a Clear Glass Body. The strength of his Divine Soul clearly gave his power a qualitative leap.

But no matter how strong his Divine Soul is, he is still a Qi Cyclone Realm cultivator; how can he compete with a Dongming Realm Elder?

All around is thick, impenetrable darkness, that darkness is endless, as if it has no boundaries. In the darkness, dense Ghost Eyes are flickering on and off...

Duan Rong knows that the Symbol Array inside the Wanxiang Cave isolates Divine Sense probing; his Divine Sense cannot reach out, and outside Divine Sense cannot probe in.

He stood up and slowly took half a step forward.

Just with this half step, suddenly three Ghost Eyes locked onto him instantly.

Duan Rong felt a chill all over his body; it was the feeling of being instantly enveloped by thousands of murderous intentions.

Three Ghost Eyes were right above his head, their light spots flickering.

In that instant, his mind was enveloped by those three light spots.

Within the light spots, thousands of light and shadows, the murderous intent was biting.

Those light and shadows were actually all traces of Swords and Swords flashing in the dark night.

Countless light and shadows came sweeping and slashing toward him!

In Duan Rong's Spirit Sea, dense light and shadows of Swords and Swords descended from the sky, slashing onto the Gray Shadow that had transformed into the Clear Glass Body.

Duan Rong's body tensed, his brows knitted together, and his Divine Soul felt another wave of pain.

The Ghost Eye Light Spots inside the Wanxiang Cave are all Divine Soul attacks!

In the Spirit Sea, the sky full of Sword and Sword light and shadows were like reality; after a dense round of attacks, many tiny cracks actually appeared on the surface of the Gray Shadow of the Clear Glass Body.

That pair of glazed eyes on the Gray Shadow looked with indignation as the light and shadows filling the sky faded away.

After the attack, the three Ghost Eyes above Duan Rong's head inside the Wanxiang Cave vanished and hid back into the darkness.

Duan Rong slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air; the pain in his Divine Soul just now was not easy to endure.

He stood there, recovering for a moment, a deep and strange look flashing in his eyes.

"Inside this Wanxiang Cave, it is indeed as Zhu He said: as long as one does not move, one will not be attacked; once one walks, it will trigger the Ghost Eye Light Spots in the relevant area, and an attack will immediately follow."

As for that wave of attacks just now, if someone with a slightly weaker Divine Soul had been there, they would likely have already suffered Divine Soul damage.

Even with his Divine Soul being so formidable, that wave of attacks still left quite a few tiny cracks on the surface of the Gray Shadow of the Clear Glass Body.

Duan Rong was initially thrown in; at that time, he was in a comatose state, so naturally, he did not trigger the Ghost Eyes.

After he woke up, he sat cross-legged and circulated the Womb Treasury Sutra technique, and he did not walk around, so he had not triggered any attacks. Just now, he had only taken half a step, and he was immediately attacked by the three Ghost Eyes.

One does not know how large this Wanxiang Cave is, but in the darkness, those flickering Ghost Eyes are dense and numerous, as if they were layers upon layers without end.

To walk out of this Wanxiang Cave is indeed a trial of life and death!

In fact, to walk out of this Wanxiang Cave, one must figure out a path that suits oneself.

Because everyone's Divine Soul is different and the Artistic Conception they comprehend is different, the damage caused to the Divine Soul in the Spirit Sea by the light and shadows filling the sky when facing different Ghost Eye Light Spot attacks varies.

The so-called trial of life and death is to select the areas one wants to trigger through the comprehension and discernment of those Ghost Eye Light Spot attacks, and through the connection of these areas, form a "path" to walk out of the Wanxiang Cave.

And this process usually takes several months, or even several years!

Regarding this point, Zhu He had already explained it very clearly to Duan Rong in the Dungeon of the Ruling Sect Justice Division.

However, it is impossible for Duan Rong to stay here for several months, or even several years.

Because Xiao Qiwu comes to whip him three times every night; how many times can he endure it? Even if he could endure it, once Xiao Qiwu discovers he can recover, he would not just whip him three times—perhaps six times, perhaps ten times!

Could he endure that too?

Xiao Qiwu will not kill him directly, as that would expose his murderous intent.

He will use the God-Striking Whip to beat his Divine Soul to the verge of dissipation, and then let him dissipate on his own inside this Wanxiang Cave.

Only in this way can he kill him without anyone noticing and also clear himself of his crimes.

Several months, or several years—he absolutely cannot afford to wait!

Wanxiang Cave!?

The murderous Wanxiang Cave!?

Others might have several months or several years of time to slowly explore. But he does not; he only has several hours, at most several days!

And even if it were several days, for him, it is also extremely dangerous!

"This Wanxiang Cave!? How can it be broken!?"

Duan Rong looked at the dense, flickering Ghost Eyes in the darkness, and suddenly he took a deep breath, his gaze deep and flickering.

If he cannot figure out the Wanxiang Cave in the fastest time possible, he will not have any chance!

Not doing it means death!

In fact, he has no choice at all!

Duan Rong suddenly ran wildly inside the Wanxiang Cave as if he had gone mad!

Once one walks, it will trigger the Ghost Eye Light Spots in the relevant area, and one will be attacked by the Ghost Eye Light Spots; this is one of the operating rules of the Wanxiang Cave.

If one looks at it according to this rule, Duan Rong running wildly like this is simply courting death!

Just now, taking only half a step triggered the attack of three Ghost Eye Light Spots, and the Spirit Sea was already filled with the light and shadows of blades and swords, which had already slashed several tiny cracks into the surface of the Clear Glass Body of the Gray Shadow.

Running wildly like this, he does not know how many Ghost Eye Light Spot attacks he will trigger; can he really endure it?

As Duan Rong ran wildly, the layers upon layers of endless Ghost Eye Light Spots began to stare at him fixedly like pupils.

Originally, in the darkness, those Ghost Eye Light Spots were all flickering on their own, but now that Duan Rong was running wildly all the way, he triggered a large area of Ghost Eye Light Spots, which hovered there and stared at him in unison...

At this moment, those large-area Ghost Eyes were as if they were substantial.

And at the same time, in Duan Rong's Spirit Sea, the mottled light and shadows of various weapons—blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, and more—filling the sky, layered and endless, like a dense swarm of bees, whistled toward the Clear Glass Body sitting cross-legged in the void...

The murderous intent filling the sky submerged the Spirit Sea...

Duan Rong and the Gray Shadow shared a telepathic connection; looking at the scene inside the Spirit Sea, his scalp also went numb, but he did not stop his footsteps and was still running wildly...

He knew clearly that this was his only chance.

He did not have several months, or even several years, to slowly explore the Wanxiang Cave.

If he could not hold on under the dense attacks of the Ghost Eye Light Spots in the Wanxiang Cave while running wildly, then he would undoubtedly lose this round! Losing means death!

Although this is very risky and very crazy!

But he has no choice!

Duan Rong was running when he suddenly crashed into that dark place.

The darkness there was as black as ink, and he could not see anything, but the real tactile sensation of crashing into it let Duan Rong know that he had reached some edge of the Wanxiang Cave.

Duan Rong's figure stalled; the pain of his Divine Soul tearing almost made him faint.

But once he stopped at this place, those Ghost Eye Light Spots that were originally staring fixedly actually began to flicker on their own in the darkness again.

A glimmer of realization dawned in Duan Rong's heart. The edge of the Wanxiang Cave can isolate the attacks of the Ghost Eye Light Spots.

And at this time, in Duan Rong's Spirit Sea, above that Cangqiong, the mottled light and shadows of various weapons—blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, and more—filling the sky like a swarm of bees, also dissipated in an instant.

The dense light and shadows faded away, and the murderous intent filling the sky dissipated.

The Gray Shadow of the Clear Glass Body that was originally sitting cross-legged in the center of the Cangqiong was already in tatters; half of the head of the Clear Glass Body layer on the surface had been smashed, and the body was covered in dense, spiderweb-like cracks, and there were countless large and small pits!

Where the half-head was smashed, the Gray Shadow churned incessantly, and one could see faint, scattered star spots flickering inside.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged at the edge of the Wanxiang Cave, and the Womb Treasury Sutra technique circulated once again; the thirteen Star Bodies began to rotate slowly, shining brilliantly.

And over at the Tree Spirit Light Sea, a patch of Qingyou Light Silk rose again and swam toward the tattered Clear Glass Body in the sky.

The Qingyou Light Silk intertwined within the Gray Shadow, and as it intertwined and floated, the Qingyou Light Silk was gradually absorbed by the Gray Shadow.

Duan Rong could feel that his injured Divine Soul origin was recovering bit by bit, and the fine cracks on the Clear Glass Body sitting cross-legged in the void within his Spirit Sea were also mending little by little...

About an incense stick of time later, the Clear Glass Body sitting cross-legged in the void within the Spirit Sea had recovered as before; not only was its entire body clear and translucent, but its luster seemed even greater than before...

Duan Rong suddenly had a realization.

He had run wildly through Wanxiang Cave, triggering a large area of Ghost Eye Light Spots; the endless, layered attacks of those Ghost Eye Light Spots and the biting killing intent filling his Spirit Sea had clearly further tempered his Divine Soul.

The fact that the luster of his Divine Soul origin's Clear Glass Body was even greater was proof of this!

In the darkness, Duan Rong suddenly opened his eyes; he had no time to rejoice over the changes to his Clear Glass Body, because the predicament before him remained unresolved.

Having repaired the damage to his Divine Soul, Duan Rong stood up and looked at those Ghost Eye Light Spots flickering incessantly in the darkness. Standing at the edge of this Wanxiang Cave and looking out, those Ghost Eye Light Spots seemed as if they were in another space-time.

Duan Rong then cautiously reached out his hand and groped toward the void where he had collided before.

The moment his palm touched that area, a real tactile sensation came from the void there; he had definitely touched something, but he did not know what it was.

"Perhaps it is the Space Wall of a Symbol Array?"

Duan Rong thought to himself; after the contact he had experienced over this period, he was not entirely ignorant of Symbol Arrays.

He then walked along the edge of Wanxiang Cave while groping, his palm brushing across the dark void, the real tactile sensation in his palm continuous and unending.

Duan Rong's gaze occasionally watched the Ghost Eye Light Spots flickering incessantly within Wanxiang Cave beside him; as long as he took a wrong step and entered the area of Wanxiang Cave, he would definitely trigger the Ghost Eye Light Spots to attack his Divine Soul.

Actually, strictly speaking, he had already walked out of Wanxiang Cave.

Because he was already standing at the edge of that Wanxiang Cave; if he had an Array Tablet, he would be able to get out.

However, this was not enough!

He had to understand this Wanxiang Cave better, explore it, and figure out the rules by which Wanxiang Cave operated.

Within the operating rules of Wanxiang Cave, he had to find the hidden chance of survival that would allow him to turn the tables.

This was the only direction in this dead end where he could find a remaining chance of survival.

(End of this chapter)