Chapter 266: Passage?

A figure who could shock even Ai Rui Li Ya like this could only be, without a doubt, far from an ordinary person.

Meanwhile, Ai Rui Li Ya, perhaps feeling at a loss, hurried to answer Lin Yifan's question:

"We don't know his name, because he has worn a silver mask on his face for years, so we all call him 'Silver Face.'"

"This person is powerful, but no one knows his origins; thirty years ago he suddenly appeared in the Intermediate Domain. In our Intermediate Domain there is a mysterious tower called the Heroes' Tower; anyone can attempt it. No one knows how many floors it has, but clearing a floor grants a reward, and the Heroes' Ranking in front of the tower will display rankings."

"After appearing in the Intermediate Domain, this person immediately entered the Heroes' Tower, quickly rose into the top ten of the Heroes' Ranking, and then vanished. Many have searched for him, but he never interacts with anyone; he is a famed lone wanderer in our Intermediate Domain."

"From what I know, his strength is unfathomable. I once thought his Life Tier was at least above Transcendence, but it turns out his Life Tier is only Transcendent, at most not exceeding the fifth level of Transcendent—truly unbelievable."

"What's the unbelievable part?" Lin Yifan furrowed his brow, pondering Ai Rui Li Ya's words, and asked curiously.

Ai Rui Li Ya thought for a moment, pointed at herself and said:

"What do you think of my combat power?"

Lin Yifan has witnessed Ai Rui Li Ya's actual combat ability; he doesn't know how it compares to others, but at least it's not on par with his current self.

Of course, if he were to reveal all his cards, he might not necessarily defeat Ai Rui Li Ya, but the quality guarantee would still be fine, so he said cautiously:

"Your strength is great; among the people I've seen so far, your power could rank within the top three."

"But you may not know, the Heroes' Ranking lists ten thousand names; I don't even have the qualification to appear," Ai Rui Li Ya shrugged, saying with a wry smile:

"Perhaps in your eyes my strength seems decent, but in reality, my power truly doesn't make the list."

"So now you understand how strong Yin Mian is, right?"

Lin Yifan's expression instantly grew solemn; he had originally thought that, given Ai Rui Li Ya's strength, she could also make the list in the Intermediate Domain.

But he didn't expect that she hadn't even entered the top ten thousand.

Yet "Yin Mian" ranks in the top ten—that's truly a ruthless individual!

But what intrigues him more is why such a strong figure would come here.

What is his purpose?!

As for that question, Ai Rui Li Ya couldn't answer him, and could only guess cautiously:

"This person is erratic and hasn't aligned with any faction, but according to my investigation, wherever his trace appears, the place is extremely dangerous; correspondingly, the more perilous the place, the more likely precious resources emerge!"

"So, his being here is certainly because there are valuable resources worth his coming, yet this place is also extremely hazardous; therefore, if your goal matches his, I advise you to be very careful—he's a cold‑blooded, ruthless individual who doesn't recognize any kin."

Lin Yifan had no particular concerns about this and said lightly:

"Even if he's even more ruthless, this cursed place has long been a trap with no exit; if we can't lift the current seal, we will all die here. I believe that even this person, no matter how strong, wouldn't be an exception, right?"

Ai Rui Li Ya hesitated slightly upon hearing this, then gave a wry smile and said:

"It does seem to be just like that!"

"Then I trust that he knows what he should do and what he shouldn't," Lin Yifan said, then turned his head toward Yin Mian.

At this moment, Yin Mian had reached the Bronze Gate; he reached out and pushed the door, but the door didn't budge a hair.

He paused briefly, then suddenly drew a black token from his chest and pressed it into the groove on the door.

Boom—

Accompanied by a muffled rumble, the Bronze Gate slowly opened, revealing a deep passage inside.

Yin Mian stepped in without hesitation, his figure quickly vanishing into the darkness.

The onlookers, seeing this, instantly erupted:

"The gate's open! We can go in!"

"What's that token? And who exactly is that person? Why does he have a key?"

"Who he is doesn't matter; this tower's anomalies are so extreme, there must be plenty of good stuff inside. It's a rare chance; I don't want to miss it!"

"But this tower looks dangerous, right? Could we go in alive and come out dead!"

"If you're a coward, don't go in. Since we arrived in this Ghost World, our days are already today with no tomorrow; a gamble might make things a bit better."

"That's right; I'm fed up with these cursed days. If I die, so be it! I'm set on trying, and maybe clearing this tower will be the way home."

"The way home? Will there really be a way home?"

"Who knows! Since life is so exhausting, I'll gamble too…"

……

The Survivors surged forward toward the gate, fearing to fall behind. Lin Yifan, however, remained rooted, his brows tightly knit.

"Captain, aren't we going in? They've already entered," Ruan Qingtan asked anxiously.

Lin Yifan frowned, his expression grave, and said:

"It just feels too strange; the tower showed up out of nowhere, this guy called Yingmian also appeared out of nowhere, and he just happens to have a key in his hand. All these coincidences line up—could it be possible?"

Ruan Qingtan, hearing this, suddenly felt a chill; the excitement on his face slowly faded, and with a fearful tone he said:

"Yeah! How did I not think of that! All of us are now sealed here, with only a 24‑hour deadline left. Suddenly a tower appears here, along with this weird guy; no matter how you look at it, it feels off."

"I think you all shouldn't overthink it," Ai Rui Li Ya, standing nearby, countered, "Although that Yin Mian fellow is odd, from what I know, he's not a good person but he never actively harms anyone."

"And since he entered this tower, there must be an exit inside; so I advise you, even if you have doubts, don't waste time—it's better to go in together quickly."

"So aren't you going in?" Lin Yifan turned his head, asking curiously.

Ai Rui Li Ya spread her hands, giving a helpless wry smile and said:

"We want to go in too! But we can't; only the novice contestants like you can enter this place. We, who came through the back door, have no right to enter such a special area."

"So that means, among all the alien races in this war meeting, except for Yin Mian, everyone else can only rely on you to have a chance to walk out alive."