Chapter 304: The Gates Are Wide Open

Half a roasted chicken vanished, and the plot suddenly lit up.

A woman said the examination had begun.

What does that mean?

Is she the land spirit?

Make me clear the land?

Li Banfeng shouted: "I didn't intend to offer sacrifice! I didn't set up an altar!"

"The offering has been received," the woman replied, gnawing on a chicken leg.

"If you're going to examine me, we must sign a contract first!"

"Signing after the exam is the same—I don't care about formalities!"

Sign after the exam?

What if you deny it after the exam?

Li Banfeng ignored her; this land spirit was mentally unstable.

He walked straight toward the edge of the plot; if he failed to clear it, so be it.

This land was so remote—he'd never come back anyway.

Just as he reached the plot's boundary, a leaf fell onto the glowing border and turned to ash in an instant.

What's going on?

Li Banfeng had only seen this happen at the borders between territories.

"Think you can leave after reaching my domain?" the land spirit snorted. "I've accepted your offering—you must clear this land. Don't you know the rules?"

Li Banfeng couldn't understand this land spirit. He stared for a long while with his Golden Eyes, but couldn't locate her anywhere.

"Let's reason this out. Forget the contract for now. If you want me to clear the land, you must wait until this time tomorrow—I need a full day to prepare.

Whether I hire someone or do it myself, I'll decide then. Surely there's a rule for that?"

"No such rules! Once the offering is received, it begins. Other matters can wait!"

"Then I won't clear it. I give it up—call it a failure!"

"No! As long as you're alive, it's not a failure. Three li of land—the examination begins now!"

"How can I clear three li by myself…" Li Banfeng hadn't finished speaking when roars erupted all around.

Aberrations had arrived!

He'd never cleared three li, nor did he know the rules for such a plot.

Would aberrations come one by one, like in a one-li plot, or all at once?

Key point: even knowing the rules wouldn't help—this land spirit broke them herself.

For Li Banfeng, clearing land had always been simple: if the land spirit gave him one day to prepare, he'd get the key, return, and hide in his Portable Dwelling for three days.

But this land spirit was unreasonable!

Unable to escape the boundary, Li Banfeng had no choice but to pull out all his magic treasures and prepare for battle.

Before he could arrange them, a giant tiger, five to six meters tall, charged into the plot.

Li Banfeng dodged aside; behind him, a massive tree, thick as two men could embrace, was toppled by the tiger.

The fallen tree slowly rose to its feet, yawned, and smashed branches directly at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng pointed at the tiger: "He knocked you down—why are you attacking me?"

The tiger bit a branch and thrust it toward Li Banfeng's chest—fast, precise, perfectly timed—making evasion nearly impossible.

Such skillful use of branches—this tiger is a Wu Xiu?

Li Banfeng dodged the tiger's strike and slashed Tang Dao through the tree's main trunk.

From the broken trunk leapt a toad, shouting loudly: "Gukwa! Gukwa! Endless falling leaves rustle down!"

As the words ended, countless sharp branches plummeted from the tree like a rain of blades.

Words become reality?

This toad is a Wen Xiu too?

Li Banfeng dodged among the falling branches while staying alert for the tiger's ambush.

Amid the chaos, the land spirit's voice reached his ear: "Your movement is so agile—could you be a Lv Xiu? I won't let you off lightly!"

Does this woman hate Lv Xius too?

Is she a Zhai Xiu?

As he pondered, the ground trembled.

A giant earthworm, over a meter in diameter and ten meters long, burst from the soil, coiled around Li Banfeng, and trapped him.

The worm's tactic was simple: immobilize Li Banfeng so the tree, toad, and tiger could attack.

It had strong regeneration—it didn't fear collateral damage.

Trapped by the worm, Li Banfeng's situation grew dire. He shouted to the Projector: "Send someone out to help me!"

The Projector had been adjusting its angle, and finally projected a brief image.

A beautiful girl appeared beside Li Banfeng, assumed a combat stance, then turned her back to him and unfastened the buttons of her qipao.

"Why are you taking off your clothes?" Li Banfeng roared. "Fight first!"

…

Inside the Portable Dwelling, the Phonograph was drenched in sweat.

"That madman hasn't come home in days—I wonder how he'll explain this to the Dwelling!"

"Why bother explaining?" Hong Ying struggled in the corner. "Wicked woman, let me go—I'll fight this Dwelling to the death!"

"Can you even fight it?" the Phonograph sneered. "Look at yourself now—a blind hag. What do you have to fight with?

Hong Lian has been hoarding strength for who knows how long, just to escape this place—and even she dares not act rashly?"

Hong Ying froze: "What strength has Hong Lian hoarded?"

Far away in the Seventh Courtyard, Hong Lian roared: "You two bitches, stop gossiping behind my back!"

As the three were about to tear into each other, the Dwelling shuddered—a withered laugh echoed in their ears: "Hehehe~"

The Dwelling was laughing.

The Phonograph, Hong Lian, and Hong Ying—all held high enough status to recognize this laugh.

They were all women of bone; each time they heard it, every one of them shuddered with dread.

Hong Ying's body trembled; she screamed: "Wicked woman, let me go—I'll fight him! I can't take it anymore!"

"Bitch! Shut up! Want a beating?" the Phonograph snapped. Hong Ying fell silent—for now.

Minutes later, Hong Ying lost control again: "No! I'll fight him! I'll kill this old bastard!"

She erupted with unnatural strength, broke free from the steam's grip while the Phonograph wasn't looking, and drove her spear's tip into the wall of the Portable Dwelling.

"Woooaah~~~"

A train whistle rang through the Portable Dwelling.

The spear whirled wildly, striking as if in fierce combat—no one knew who she was fighting.

Five minutes later, Hong Ying lay motionless on the ground.

Huff~ huff~

The Phonograph asked cautiously: "Bitch, you still alive?"

Hong Ying pushed herself up.

The Phonograph stared, baffled—she didn't understand what was supporting Hong Ying's body, or what had made her stand.

Hong Ying had grown hands—and feet!

"Bitch, what's happened to you?" the Phonograph was tense.

Hong Ying touched her spear shaft, voice low: "I'm fine. This fight… ended in a draw."

With that, she strode to the corner and stood there properly.

In the Phonograph's memory, Hong Ying was a woman who knew no fear.

She didn't know what methods the Dwelling had used to break Hong Ying so completely—even mutilating her hands and feet.

"Bitch, did you piss your pants?"

"Hmph!" Hong Ying sneered. "What kind of question is that? Do I even have pants?

Now you mention it—I should find some. I've got legs now—legs need pants. What if someone sees?"

Hong Ying spoke incoherently—this battle had shaken her deeply.

The Phonograph lowered her voice: "This Dwelling… may be stronger than its builder."

Hong Ying asked: "Who built it?"

"A Master, higher than the Chief."

"The builder was higher than the Chief—and the Dwelling is stronger than the builder? Hehehe…" Hong Ying suddenly laughed, gasping for breath.

The Phonograph asked: "What's so funny? What's the joke? Don't laugh yourself into a fit."

"I'm not laughing at you—I'm laughing at myself. My chest feels heavy… like I've grown a conscience."

"Conscience…" The Phonograph turned her horn toward Hong Ying and noticed a slight bulge, one-quarter of the way up the spear shaft.

"It really grows…" the Phonograph was excited. "If you can grow it, can I too?"

"It's not just conscience…" Hong Ying still spoke haltingly. "There's something else…"

"Something else? Like a Gate?" The Phonograph grew even more excited!

"It really is!" Hong Ying gasped. "I know why this Dwelling is so powerful—it holds Dao methods from many Gates!"

Where did these Daoist methods come from? How is it possible to cultivate so many different Dao sects at once?

The wife wrapped her spear in steam and asked softly, "Sister, forget the Daoist methods for now—tell me about the gate. Has it truly grown?"

"It's grown—both of them. If you grow a gate, both must appear. Don't let that madman mistake the spot again—I'd feel the pain for you."

"Pah! What do you care about pain?" Changji spat.

Hong Ying cried in panic, "Wicked woman, forget the gate—do you even know where the mansion's Daoist methods came from? Will we turn into Daoist methods ourselves? Will we never be able to leave?"

"Wretched woman, I told you not to provoke him—do you understand now?" Changji turned to the calendar and said to Mengde, "You must not mention a single word of this to the Master. Do you understand?"

Mengde nodded frantically.

Hong Ying asked, "I truly don't understand—why do you always hide things from that madman?"

Honglian shouted from the Seventh Courtyard: "You know he's mad! Aren't you afraid he'll fight the mansion? If he's harmed, we're all finished!"

"Shut your filthy mouth—you're the one who's mad," Changji cursed Honglian, then turned to Hong Ying. "The Master isn't mad—he just doesn't act by normal rules. This must be told to him slowly. Don't push him to the brink."

Hong Ying said, "I'm desperate too—give me some pants. I really have a gate!"

……

Li Banfeng was desperate.

He ran for three days and nights across Face Not Large, half his life spent.

Now, with only half his life left, he poured it all into this new land.

The ground was littered with corpses.

Injured strange beasts stood in rows along the land's edge.

Li Banfeng kicked away a leopard, stepped on a wild boar, his eyes bloodshot from slaughter.

Suddenly, the Land God shouted: "The trial is over."

The strange beasts withdrew from the land.

Li Banfeng collapsed onto the ground, exhausted, his vision blurring in waves.

He wanted to sleep.

The Land God appeared before Li Banfeng, sitting beside him: "Brave man, I admire you."

Li Banfeng's gaze lifted to the sky.

Light shimmered in the air—reclamation had succeeded.

Li Banfeng nodded slightly, but before he could make out the Land God's face, his eyelids closed and he fell asleep.

PS: Is the power of the Personal Dwelling greater than its builder? Why?

(End of Chapter)