Chapter 437 - 413: Ninth Layer Demon Suppression Pagoda

Chapter 437: Chapter 413: Ninth Layer Demon Suppression Pagoda

In the center of the Immortal City stood a majestic hall, sprawling like a colossal beast. This was the City Lord’s Mansion of Xunyou Immortal City.

The square outside the City Lord’s Mansion was currently bustling with activity. Cultivators signing up for the exploration had already formed long lines.

It turned out that the central region of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield was scheduled to open in ten years, and today was the first day that cultivators from minor and medium-sized powers, as well as Loose Cultivators, could register.

When Zhang Chi and the others arrived, a single glance revealed that most of the cultivators here were surprisingly at the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

The few who weren’t at the Nascent Soul Stage were merely attendants.

The reason for this was simple: the central region of the Ancient Battlefield was extremely dangerous. Anyone below the Nascent Soul Realm didn’t even qualify to register.

’The Immortal Cultivation Realm of the Ancient Wilderness Snowfield is indeed more prosperous and powerful than the Endless Desert Sea.’

Zhang Chi couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

There were many Nascent Soul Cultivators present, but this was just the situation in Xunyou Immortal City. If the applicants from the other Immortal Cities were included, the total number would be beyond the imagination of an ordinary cultivator.

Even so, most of the Nascent Soul Cultivators here were only at the Early Stage. Those at the Middle and Late Stages were far fewer in comparison, and as for the Nascent Soul Peak, they were as rare as a phoenix feather.

Zhang Chi and the others continued to observe and soon discovered another passageway next to the long queue. This one led directly through a side door into the City Lord’s Mansion for registration, bypassing the tiresome wait in line.

However, this side door was guarded by two heavily armored guards, and an Array blocked the way. Only a few cultivators with powerful backgrounds, or those willing to pay extra Spirit Stones, were allowed to enter.

In addition, Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators also had the privilege of entering directly.

"Let’s go. We’ll use that way."

Without hesitation, Zhang Chi flew over with the two women.

"Halt, fellow Daoists. This is a special passage..."

The moment the three of them drew near, the two guards blocked their path with cold expressions.

"Are these Spirit Stones enough for our passage fee?"

Zhang Chi couldn’t be bothered with their nonsense. He simply raised his hand and tossed out a black Storage Bag.

The Storage Bag was filled with Spirit Stones.

Clearly, Zhang Chi intended to use Spirit Stones to pave the way.

Of course, with his Cultivation, Zhang Chi could have entered directly. However, to avoid attracting the attention of the upper echelons of the Six Great Powers, he had deliberately concealed his Cultivation.

Qin Susu and Lan Xuan had done the same. The three of them currently appeared to only have Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivation. This was a respectable level, yet not so high as to draw unnecessary attention.

"It’s enough, more than enough!"

"Fellow Daoists, please, come right inside."

The two guards took the Storage Bag, whose Magical Power seal had long since been erased. When they probed it with their Divine Thought, their eyes lit up.

It turned out that Zhang Chi had secretly observed them earlier with his powerful Divine Thought, so the amount of Spirit Stones he gave was just enough, yet slightly more than what some previous cultivators had offered.

The two guards accepted the Storage Bag and immediately broke into smiles. They enthusiastically cleared the path and even deactivated the Array that sealed the passage for Zhang Chi and his companions.

Zhang Chi and the others strode inside, only to find that there weren’t actually many cultivators at the registration area.

Or rather, the staff here were rather inefficient and didn’t seem to care how long the cultivators outside had to wait in line.

They might even be deliberately making the cultivators outside wait, encouraging them to spend Spirit Stones to use the special passage.

The moment Zhang Chi and his companions appeared, they were given priority service and successfully completed their registration.

This time, the three of them used their real names.

The reason was simple: cultivators in the Immortal Cultivation Realm were as numerous as ox hairs, so it was perfectly normal for people to share the same name.

Furthermore, this place was extremely far from the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty, and more than two hundred years had passed since those events.

Therefore, even if they used their real names, it was impossible for the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty to find out anytime soon.

By the time they did find out, he would have long since become a Divinity Transformation Powerhouse, so he couldn’t be bothered to hide his identity any longer.

As he had predicted, their use of their real names for registration drew no attention from any of the other cultivators.

After they finished registering, a group of cultivators immediately approached, wanting to chat and build connections with Zhang Chi’s group.

These cultivators had all come through the special passage as well. However, Zhang Chi and his companions couldn’t be bothered with them. After a few perfunctory words, they quickly left, wandered around the Immortal City for a while, and then returned to their cave abode.

Time continued to pass, and in the blink of an eye, ten years had gone by.

On this day, Zhang Chi and his two companions arrived early at the City Lord’s Mansion once again. A Floating Airship was already waiting there. Cultivators who had registered were verifying their identities and boarding one after another.

A few days later, once most of the cultivators had arrived, the Floating Airship let out a deafening RUMBLE and flew with incredible speed into the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield.

Along the way, the cultivators would attack and kill the Demon Fiends they encountered, but Zhang Chi and his group couldn’t be bothered to participate.

This was because, over the past forty years, the three of them had already slain an untold number of powerful Demon Fiends.

Their Flying Dragon No.1 and Corpse Puppet hunted frequently in the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield.

Zhang Chi would periodically help them absorb the negative influences, so they had no fear of being tainted.

Three months later, the Floating Airship finally arrived at the outer edge of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield’s central region.

Over a hundred other giant Flying Boats were already docked here. These Flying Boats were packed with cultivators, all of whom, like Zhang Chi, had registered on their own.

In addition, a nine-story pagoda towered over a large, open expanse of ground below.

This pagoda was golden from top to bottom, as if forged from colored glaze. It was exquisitely beautiful and radiated an astonishing pressure.

The cultivators could tell at a glance that this was a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure.

"Alright, since everyone has arrived, I will briefly explain the rules of the assessment. The test you are about to take is very simple: enter this Treasure Pagoda and ascend to the top floor. There, you will find a Teleportation Array. Step into it, and you will enter the central region of the Ancient Wilderness Battlefield."

"However, the number of spots is limited, so only the first ten thousand people will have the opportunity. Furthermore, this pagoda is a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure known as the Demon Suppression Pagoda. It contains countless Demon Souls that can manifest physical forms."

"Because of this, the assessment is extremely dangerous. If you wish to give up now, you still can. Once you enter, it will be impossible to withdraw in the middle of a battle."

"Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t leave partway through. Each of the Ninth Layer Demon Suppression Pagoda’s floors is an independent trial. As long as you pass it, you will have a chance to make a choice."

"At that time, you can choose to either leave or continue. Moreover, you will receive a reward for passing each trial. If you pass more than three floors, the Six Great Powers will welcome you to join us..."

At that moment, six powerhouses appeared in the sky. They were shrouded in Magical Power, their true appearances obscured, and their auras were as vast and oppressive as a sea or a prison. One of them began to speak.

’They’re all Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs! They must be the Supreme Elders of the Six Great Powers!’

But Zhang Chi saw the true appearances of these six people at a glance and also discerned that all six of them had Divinity Transformation Early Stage cultivation.

"Senior, will the trials we face be the same if our Cultivation is different? Also, can we team up inside?" a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator asked, mustering his courage.

"For the sake of fairness, once you enter the Demon Suppression Pagoda, you will only be able to see yourself. You will only see other cultivators after passing a trial. Furthermore, fighting is forbidden between trials."

"However, even though your Cultivation levels differ, the trials you encounter will be similar. This is because having a higher Cultivation inherently grants one the right to an advantage. To do otherwise would be a different kind of unfairness."

"After all, others have cultivated diligently to achieve a higher Realm, so why shouldn’t they have an easier time passing? Besides, Cultivation is also very important to us, the Six Great Powers."

"Fortunately, you can rest assured. Even if some of you have insufficient Cultivation, you’ll still have a chance to pass the first few trials. Besides, this test primarily assesses things like Combat Power and Escape Techniques. A high Cultivation doesn’t guarantee a flawless victory."

The Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch was quite patient and immediately offered an explanation.

"Thank you for the explanation, Senior."

The cultivator who had asked the question quickly expressed his thanks, looking overwhelmed by the favor.

The other cultivators had already been listening with pricked ears, and now they all had expressions of sudden understanding.

"Excuse me, Senior, but what about the chosen ones from the Six Great Powers? Do they also have to participate in this Treasure Pagoda’s assessment?" another cultivator asked.

The other cultivators perked up their ears once more.

"Heh, of course not. They have already entered the central region of the Ancient Battlefield. If you’re envious, then work hard. As long as you pass this assessment and join our Six Great Powers, you’ll have this privilege next time too!" the Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch said with a chuckle.

"I see! We will definitely work hard!"

The cultivators once again understood, and they couldn’t help but feel a mix of envy and anticipation.

It turned out that for many cultivators, this registration wasn’t just a chance to enter the central region; it was also an entrance examination in itself.

And this entrance examination was more straightforward and brutal, but the difficulty and threshold were also correspondingly higher.

After all, not every cultivator could reach Nascent Soul Cultivation, and not every Nascent Soul Cultivator could pass the first three trials of this assessment.

"Alright, this Celestial Monarch has said all that needs to be said. Now, the assessment officially begins! The earlier you pass this test, the better the rewards, so make haste!"

The Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch didn’t wait any longer. With a grand wave of his hand, the great doors at the base of the thousand-zhang-tall Treasure Pagoda rumbled open.

The doors were a hundred zhang high, so even with the large number of cultivators present, entry wouldn’t be crowded and would proceed quickly.

When the crowd of cultivators looked inside the gates, they found only pitch-black darkness. Even with their superior eyesight, and even for those who had mastered Pupil Techniques and other Divine Techniques, they could see nothing at all.

The same was true for Zhang Chi. Even when he discreetly activated his Void Spirit Eyes or extended his powerful Divine Thought, he came up with nothing.

Apparently, the inside of the great doors was another dimension, making it impossible to investigate the situation within from the outside.

SWOOSH!

The cultivators didn’t wait any longer. They immediately transformed into dazzling streaks of Escape Light, scrambling to be the first to fly into the Demon Suppression Pagoda.

"Let’s go. We’re heading in too."

"Okay!"

The three of them immediately followed.

The next moment, the world spun around him. Zhang Chi found himself all alone, standing on a stretch of grassland.

ROAR!

Immediately after, a series of roars from Demon Beasts echoed as the ground shook violently. A large number of Demon Beasts then came stampeding toward him.

There were even Demon Beasts in the sky.

There were several dozen Demon Beasts in total, and surprisingly, every single one of them was at the Tier Four Early Stage Realm.

There were only two ways to pass this trial: the first was to kill all the Demon Beasts here, and the second was to use an Escape Technique to flee to the end of the grassland and find the portal to the second trial.