Chapter 174: Mysterious Gate

Inside the Era Treasury.

When the angry mob arrived at the end of the corridor,

The massive black door slowly opened outward from the center like a vortex.

Blazing golden light shone on their faces.

The angry mob fixed their gaze, and before them a bright, golden‑and‑jade radiant circular hall unfolded.

On the massive pillars were carved lifelike totems, and the hall was piled with gold and various crystal ores.

Display racks exhibited artistic treasures from across the universe.

Beast organs, plant supplements, black‑magic tomes, cursed gems, and pure‑iron coffins.

In addition, there were various high‑tech devices and weapon schematics…

The treasury was vast, encompassing almost everything.

"Look over there!"

The bloodthirsty Mosquito Queen shouted loudly, pointing at a corner of the wall.

There,

XXX‑level demonic artifacts were haphazardly piled like trash, already covered in dust!

Disaster‑level demonic artifacts fared slightly better, placed in boxes; though untidy, they avoided being coated in dust.

As for Destruction‑level and above…

Around the outer edges of the first and second floors of the treasury, small doors were installed.

All treasures useful for Destruction‑level and above were hidden behind those small doors.

Of course, the treasures came with risk.

"I heard that the esteemed Pope obtained the finger of the Shattered Star Demon Idol behind these Liu hao Gates."

"And precisely because of that, the Pope took the final step, breaking through from the Fallen tier to the Shattered Star tier!"

Whenever they recalled the incident, the pilgrim felt an indescribable shock surge within.

Shattered Star tier!

What a powerful existence!

Planets can be easily destroyed.

"I must move at the fastest speed to keep up with the Pope's pace."

"Only by becoming stronger can I be entrusted with greater duties!"

The pilgrim's gaze was resolute, charging toward the Liu hao Gate without hesitation!

Meanwhile,

Both Day‑Night Wanderers also arrived at the hall smoothly.

However, what confused them was that no trace of the pilgrim was in the hall!

"Could they not have arrived yet?" the Day‑Night Wanderer wondered.

But the screen outside the arena clearly showed,

the pilgrim had indeed entered the hall.

What is happening?

Could it be…

Two Treasure Halls?

Just as everyone was bewildered,

the Mysterious Judge's figure appeared, and he announced loudly:

"First, congratulations to all contestants; it seems you have successfully reached the hall."

"The hall contains many treasures, but to obtain the rarer ones you must search behind the doors."

"Encountering danger during the process is normal; danger and opportunity coexist."

"You may wonder why the pilgrim and the Day‑Night Wanderers are not in the same hall."

"That requires revealing information you have not yet known."

"The Treasure Hall is actually divided into two parts: a main hall and a side hall."

Main hall?

Side hall?

The three officials wore puzzled expressions.

They have also studied the Era Treasury,

but have never heard that the treasure hall is split into a main hall and a side hall.

"What difference is there between the main hall and the side hall?" the Vice President of the End Times asked.

The Mysterious Judge replied earnestly, "There is no difference between the main hall and the side hall."

"The stored treasures are almost identical."

"Almost?" the Vice President of the End Times seized the keyword.

"Yes, almost, but not exactly the same."

The Mysterious Judge explained, "In the main hall, a door called the Zero Gate will appear."

"Inside the Zero Gate lies an extremely powerful guardian, and the treasures within are the most valuable of the first and second tiers!"

Zero Gate?

The highest‑value treasures???

"How have we never heard of this before?" the Vice President of the End Times said, eyes glazed.

"Because you hadn't met me before."

The Mysterious Judge revealed a somewhat smug smile,

"Nowadays, judges like me who are willing to tell you everything are few and far between."

"Cherish it!"

This sudden remark

left all the spectators present at a loss.

But once they recovered, they immediately scanned every screen.

They wanted to know who exactly was in the main hall!

"Damn, I see it — the one in the main hall is the Day-Night Roaming God!"

From the Dragon Nation seats, a spectator suddenly shouted.

The crowd cast their gazes over,

and indeed saw Gate Zero!

"That's not fair!"

"It's completely unfair!"

The Doomsday Vice President raised his hand and shouted,

"Everyone showed their Key of the Epoch — on what grounds can Dragon Nation enter the main hall?"

"We have the right to compete for the treasures behind Gate Zero too!"

"Besides, this was supposed to be a treasure contest — now you split it into a main hall and side halls, so how is it still a contest?"

A barrage of questions came flooding in.

The Mysterious Judge glanced at the Doomsday Vice President with a look reserved for idiots,

grumbling inwardly,

You didn't naively think that from the very start of the contest, your Doomsday Star had an advantage, did you?

How foolish!

"Don't be impatient."

"Please look, everyone — right in the center between the main hall and the side halls, there is a large black door."

"This door connects the main hall and the side halls; contestants on both sides can travel between the main hall and the side halls through the portal."

"The treasury will be open for two hours."

The Mysterious Judge spoke, his cold gaze shooting toward the Doomsday Vice President,

"Now, do you understand??"

The Doomsday Vice President nodded blankly, "I understand!"

At this point,

all the rules had been explained.

The spectators stared at the screens, tense with anticipation.

The three persons in charge in particular kept their eyes fixed on Gate Zero.

What exactly lay hidden behind this door that concealed the richest treasures of the first and second floors?

A Star-Shattering-grade ghost artifact?

A Star-Shattering-grade spaceship?

Or perhaps a powerful Star-Shattering-grade terrifying creature?

Desire swelled in the hearts of the three persons in charge.

Their gazes burned with greed.

In their hearts, they regretted it endlessly.

Had they known there existed something like Gate Zero,

for this treasure contest,

they should have personally taken the field!

"Can't worry about that much now."

"As long as we can win, sharing some of the spoils doesn't matter."

Upon learning that contestants could freely travel between the main hall and the side halls,

the boulder hanging in the three leaders' hearts finally dropped.

Deep in their hearts,

they had long stopped treating the Day-Night Roaming God as a true competitor.

Their eyes held only the treasures hidden behind Gate Zero,

determined to win them!

"Hurry, hurry, hurry — don't hesitate, I suggest heading straight for the main hall."

"The treasure behind Gate Zero is the most important; everything else is meaningless."

The three leaders roared loudly.

However,

they could shout themselves hoarse, but those furious mobs couldn't hear them.

Looking at their brimming confidence, the Mysterious Judge shot them a disdainful sidelong glance and softly spat out a word:

"Ignorance…"

……

Epoch Treasure Vault,

Inside the main hall.

Earlier, when the Mysterious Judge announced the rules outside,

his voice was transmitted into the main hall and side halls through special means.

The matter of Gate 0 and the free teleportation,

everyone understood without saying a word.

Day Roaming God pinched his chin and thought for a moment,

"Then what should we do now?"

"Charge straight through Gate 0, or stay here?"

After saying that, he looked back at Gate 0, lofty above like a throne, radiating an alluring glow.

Night Roaming God waved his hand, his expression turning unusually serious,

"I think we shouldn't rush!"

"Forgot? It's rare for the two of us to come out for a trip!"

"With our strength, ending this competition effortlessly is no problem at all, but is that necessary?"

"A boring crush is like eating skewers without seasoning — it fills the belly but doesn't satisfy the craving."

Hearing this, Day Roaming God suddenly understood.

That's right!

They'd finally come out for a trip.

Ending it so hastily would be so boring.

"Then what should we do now?" Day Roaming God looked at Night Roaming God.

This guy loved coming up with crafty ideas the most,

always liked to pull little stunts.

"Hmm..."

"From what I just observed, there's a hot-tempered fellow on the other side."

"So, they'll definitely come knocking on their own."

Night Roaming God pinched his chin and pondered for a moment, then his mind spun and a plan formed.

He stepped into Gate 9.

Immediately,

a burst of arrogant clamor came from inside the gate.

"Stupid fool, daring to barge into the place I guard — today is the day you die!"

"Hm? You're even carrying a lantern — are you here to play house?"

"How ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous, haha!"

The voice was coarse and hoarse, like sandpaper grinding against a throat, extremely grating.

Then,

crackling sounds rang out,

along with the clatter of colliding chains.

One minute later,

"Come on, call out one more for me to hear!" That was Night Roaming God's voice.

"Please, Brother Night, Lord Night, Ancestor Night, I'll never dare again, I beg you to spare me."

"Take whatever catches your eye, don't be polite with me."

Night Roaming God said again, "Whatever catches my eye? You can talk?"

"Isn't everything in here mine?"

The rough voice suddenly realized, "Ah... right!"

"Everything here is all yours — I'm merely a loyal guardian."

"Whatever catches your eye, I'll pack it up for you right now."

Sounds from inside Gate 9 were chaotic,

as if someone were rummaging through chests and cabinets.

Two minutes later,

Night Roaming God returned to the scene carrying two large iron hammers,

handing one to Day Roaming God, "Hold this."

"Ever played whack-a-mole?"

Day Roaming God nodded, "I sneaked a few rounds behind young friend Zhang Cheng's back — right, you were the one who brought me along."

"When you see someone come out later, strike directly — don't let them have it easy!"

Murderous intent filled Night Roaming God's eyes as he let out a sinister cackling laugh.

Day Roaming God was a bit worried, "What about the treasure?"

"No rush, I have a way."

Night Roaming God clapped his hands.

The next second,

from inside Gate 9, a massive stone monster charged out violently.

The audience outside and the Mysterious Judge: "????"

No way,

you already took in a lackey this fast?

Taking one in is one thing, but how did you even recruit the guard from Gate 9!

Can you stop being so ridiculous!

The Mysterious Judge rubbed his forehead, unwilling to look any longer.

Absurd!

Truly absurd.

The terrifying existence of Dragon Nation simply has no martial virtue!

A bunch of lunatics!!

"Brother Ye, what are your orders?"

Night Roaming God pointed around, "You, pack up all these treasures for me!"

"Don't leave behind the ones behind the doors either."

"Yes!"

The Stone Monster obediently agreed, then suddenly added,

"Brother Ye, there are some guys behind the doors that I can't beat."

"It doesn't matter if you can't beat them, make a note of them, and I'll help you deal with them when the time comes!" said Night Roaming God.

Holy crap!

Excitement flashed through the Stone Monster's eyes.

Brother Ye is going to help me?

Heh heh!

Kid behind Gate 5, just you wait!

The Stone Monster was preparing to use public duty to settle a private grudge.

……