Chapter 13

At this moment, Zhou Qing was shivering all over, his face flushed, and the veins on his neck were bulging hideously.

Listening to the rustling sound approaching rapidly from behind, he roared inwardly, then leaped with all his might, jumping directly out of the final gravity zone.

Suddenly, his whole body felt a sense of relief, and he collapsed limply onto the ground.

But he couldn't afford to rest. He hurriedly crawled and hid behind a pillar not far away. As soon as he flashed inside, those wandering souls whistled back from the passage.

Until they completely disappeared, Zhou Qing let out a long sigh of relief and smiled wryly with lingering fear.

"Sure enough, human potential is forced out. Such a long road, and I actually passed it in such a short time!"

Just as he finished speaking, countless wandering souls roared and rushed out again. This time, the number was even greater than before.

It made Zhou Qing's scalp tingle.

"Could it be that the Supreme Elders sent someone to save me?" Zhou Qing's eyes lit up.

After recovering a little strength, Zhou Qing looked at the quiet passage in front and immediately looked around to search.

"It's still too dangerous here. I can't just sit and wait for death. I must find that key as soon as possible. Once the gravity is lifted, the Supreme Elders can come in, and only then will it be truly safe!"

After thinking it through, Zhou Qing began to search on tiptoe, not daring to make a sound. If there were Golden Core wandering souls here, he would really be done for.

But after walking around, he found nothing.

"This shouldn't be. Didn't the Supreme Elder say that the key is on the edge of the gravity zone?"

Zhou Qing was puzzled. After searching another circle, he couldn't help but curse and then looked deeper inside.

"Zhou Qing, oh Zhou Qing, you are too naive. Those old women even said the gravity zone was safe, but look at what happened—it was like chasing dogs. Can their words be trusted?"

Zhou Qing looked toward the depths, feeling a bit hesitant. The Supreme Elder had specifically instructed that after entering, he was absolutely forbidden from wandering deep inside, and only needed to open the key and wait for them on the spot.

After brief consideration, Zhou Qing made a decision in his heart: "I have to do the opposite of what they say. If they say there isn't, there is; if they say don't enter, it actually means enter."

After thinking it through, he took a Moonlight Pearl from his storage bag and began to move forward.

But after walking only a few steps, he seemed to have discovered something and immediately quickened his pace.

At this moment, on the wall to the side, a thief hole about half a meter wide had actually appeared, and a large number of blue bricks were discarded on the ground.

Zhou Qing was somewhat incredulous, because the blue bricks that made up this wall were not ordinary bricks, but were cast from a peculiar cold jade, and even pulled on each other, containing a mysterious array.

Even the Supreme Elders couldn't get in and could only send them in to open the portal from the inside.

But now it had been destroyed by someone else without a sound.

As the Moonlight Pearl shone over, two triumphant words were arrogantly carved on the side—"Just this?"

"Just this?"

Zhou Qing muttered, as if he saw the other person's triumphant look, and couldn't help but feel a sense of grievance.

The most mysterious cave-heaven of the dignified Taiqingmen had actually been provoked by such a petty person.

If the Supreme Elder and the Sect Master Shishu saw this scene, wouldn't they be angered to death?

Zhou Qing stuck his head in. It was pitch black inside, and he didn't know where it led.

He didn't dare to use this to get out; after all, when they came to this cave-heaven, the Supreme Elder didn't even let them know the route.

As Zhou Qing got up and continued to move forward, he soon saw the millstone-like object.

He was pleasantly surprised and hurriedly ran over.

"Was this left here by someone?"

Zhou Qing didn't rush to turn it first, but observed left and right. There were deep scratches on the ground; it looked like it had been dragged to this place.

"Could it be that thief?" Zhou Qing looked back at the big hole in the stone wall and whispered to himself.

Fortunately, now that I've found the key, I should hurry up and let the Supreme Elder come in. If I encounter any more danger, I won't be able to handle it.

The surroundings were quiet and ghostly, and even the air emitted a musty smell.

He hurriedly jumped onto the millstone, circulated the spiritual power in his body, and was about to turn it counterclockwise.

But suddenly, a cold wind blew from the deeper passage, making Zhou Qing shiver.

The next moment, his entire body seemed to be directly detained by an irresistible force.

In a trance, the surrounding scenery retreated rapidly. Heaven knows how deep he had gone; he was dizzy and disoriented.

Until he suddenly stopped, and then he directly collapsed on the ground and started dry-heaving.

After finally feeling a bit more comfortable, he immediately got up and looked around with full guard.

After seeing the surrounding scene clearly, his face turned pale instantly.

Appearing before him was a red river that didn't know where it led. Eerily, in this river, countless black crows were floating.

They emitted a cold and putrid smell, making one's heart tremble.

And on the other side of the river, a huge ancient tree grew. This tree was so vast that it seemed to support heaven and earth, yet at this moment it showed signs of decay and dryness.

Its branches were like black steel pillars, twisted and coiled, covered with cracks eroded by time.

Even more eerie was that at the top of the unreachable tree, a dozen thick iron chains emitted a cold, ghostly light, tightly binding a beating black heart like giant pythons.

Every time that heart beat, it made a dull and eerie sound, making Zhou Qing feel as if the blood in his whole body was about to freeze.

Not only that, under the giant tree, six coffins were arranged quietly. They emitted a powerful and mysterious pressure, as if they were peerless powerhouses in slumber, making one not dare to look directly at them.

Red river, dead crows, giant tree, heart, coffins...

That pressure spread to the surroundings like a surging tide, pressing Zhou Qing so hard he couldn't breathe, nearly fainting.

Where is this place?

Why would such a terrifying existence exist in the cave-heaven of Taiqingmen?

Is this the reason why the Supreme Elder didn't let them go deep?

Or rather, did that Supreme Elder have a breakthrough in cultivation this time just to come here to take something?

And how did I get in?

Before Zhou Qing could clear his thoughts, a voice that couldn't distinguish between male and female suddenly rang in his mind.

"Young man with amazing bones, your opportunity has arrived. If you can pass the assessment, this bowl with supreme power will belong to you!"

The next moment, a porcelain bowl with a cracked rim floated over from the giant tree, swaying.

Zhou Qing was stunned and immediately took a step back.

But before he could refuse, that voice in his mind rang again.

"There is only one assessment question, super simple. If you answer correctly, not only will it belong to you, but you can also use it to leave smoothly. Otherwise, once the tide here begins, you will die without a burial place!"

Zhou Qing hurriedly said: "Is this assessment coming too abruptly? It didn't give me any psychological preparation, and besides, how does such a broken bowl look like a treasure?"

"I told you this assessment question is very simple. Let me reveal a little more: it's a choice of two. Don't dawdle, let's start!"

After that voice fell, lines of text suddenly appeared in the air.

【Suppose you have cultivated hard for a hundred years and finally avenged your great hatred, exterminating the entire family of your enemy. At this moment, you suddenly discover there is still a child in the corner. What would you do?】

Looking at the assessment question, Zhou Qing blinked. It was indeed, as he said, a choice of two.

"What would you do?" That voice that couldn't distinguish between male and female rang again.

(End of chapter)