Chapter 1348
Chapter 1348 - Skyless Dojo
"So this is the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain?"
"No, this is only the Welcoming Pond, like a welcoming dojo."
"Is that the Phantom Cry Butterfly? I thought the rare species had already gone extinct in ancient times?"
"Damn, the Netherking Lightning Centipede? And is that the legendary Ancient Will-formed Ape? This..."
As the trio entered the entrance, they were teleported to an unfamiliar area by a powerful force. Their ears were filled with exclamations before they had a chance to observe the surroundings.
"Mm? So many rare species!"
Qin Nan subconsciously glanced forward and immediately saw an ancient lotus pond covering an area of over ten thousand li. The authorities, Genius Martial Monarchs, and the rogue cultivators had gathered around the pond.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the pond between the flowers stood numerous beasts.
Even though the beasts' cultivations were only at the Martial Progenitor Realm and the Martial Sacred Realm, Qin Nan had never seen their species before.
"It seems like the rumors are real. The master of the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain has a strange hobby. He likes to collect rare beasts. I should have brought some of them here too."
Princess Miao Miao murmured while casting a side glance toward Xiao Yunjue and the people of the God Beast Forbidden Ground.
Should she look for a chance to capture Xiao Yunjue once they ventured deeper into the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain and give him to the master of the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain as a gift?
After all, that Xiao Yunjue's bloodline was fairly rare too.
"That young man, is he Qin Nan?"
Among the crowd, Wan Fenghun, Jiang Kongzhou, Li Qimo, Wu Hong, and the others quickly noticed Qin Nan who had entered with Princess Miao Miao.
They did still have some impression of Qin Nan.
"That guy, is he close with Princess Miao Miao?"
Blood Rune, Qilin Flame, and Vast Skythunder were startled.
"Humph, he's at most just a friend."
The three soon uttered a hollow laugh.
In their opinion, Qin Nan had most likely befriended Princess Miao Miao coincidentally. She would never stop them if they were trying to kill Qin Nan.
"Fellow cultivators, welcome, for some special reasons, master is unable to receive you himself, so I'll be representing him instead."
At that instant, a loud voice appeared in the sky. A middle-aged man in a robe made of beast hide, with two scars on his forehead and a cultivation of the fifth-layer Martial Monarch Realm landed in front of the pond.
"Isn't that the Soul-Devouring Martial Monarch? Did he join the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain?"
Many Martial Monarchs were stunned when they saw the middle-aged man.
A few thousand years ago, this infamous Soul-Devouring Martial Monarch had done lots of wicked acts. In the end, when the authorities of the Three Great Factions decided to hunt him down together, he had somehow disappeared.
"I believe many of you have realized who I am, but it's all in the past now. I'm currently an elder of the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain.
"I'll skip the nonsense. The Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain has remained inactive for almost three thousand years. The situation here is very different from before.
"This time, master has opened the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain to pick his successor. He has sent me here to give everyone the map of the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain and explain the rules."
The Soul-Devouring Martial Monarch said smiling.
"Oh?"
At that instant, even the peak Martial Monarchs raised their brows slightly.
They had initially thought that the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain would be similar to other Forbidden Grounds. They would only need to find their way to the deepest part and overcome the difficulties along the way.
Now that the map was shared to everyone, there must be a reason for it.
"This is the map of the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain. The Ancient Will-formed Ape is where the master is."
The Soul-Devouring Martial Monarch flicked his finger and summoned a giant map.
The map was round and filled with lots of paths. In addition to that, there were more than three hundred places of various sizes marked on it and the Ancient Will-formed Ape was right at the center.
"Skyless Dojo!"
The authorities, Genius Martial Monarchs, and Qin Nan fixed their gazes onto the Ancient Will-formed Ape.
The Skyless Dojo was the sole reason they were there, and the same applied to Qin Nan.
It was the only place out of the control of the rules established by the Monarch Ranking, God Ranking, and South-Heaven Gate. Once Qin Nan made his way there, he could trigger the Tribulation to achieve the Martial Monarch Realm.
"Just a reminder, apart from the area where the Ancient Will-formed Ape is, the rest of the paths and treasure grounds will randomly change every half an hour.
"In simple words, maybe in half an hour's time, you'll find yourself at a dangerous zone and die straight away, or you might stumble into a treasure ground and receive some ancient successions. As for heading deeper into the place...
"It all comes down to your luck."
The Soul-Devouring Martial Monarch wore a sinister grin.
"What?"
The cultivators, including the Martial Monarch Realm authorities, were startled.
As everyone knew, for a place like the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain, even the peak Martial Monarchs would die easily in the dangerous zones.
If the rules were merely based on luck, didn't that mean everyone would have a chance of dying?
"Don't panic, our master would simply not allow such unreasonable rules. Therefore, prior to entering the Dao Origin Heavenly Mountain, we'll be holding a trial here."
"The trial will determine your grades. Three upper grades and six lower grades, the first-grade is the highest.
"Those of the first-grade, you'll only encounter one danger zone as the areas shift. Those of the second-grade, you'll encounter two danger zones, etc.
"Apart from that, those in the first three grades won't die in the danger zones. Those in the six lower grades will be given certain tips when encountering the danger, giving you a fifty percent chance at surviving."
The grin on the Soul-Devouring Martial Monarch's face grew wider, as his eyes began to emit a green glow.
"Three upper grades and six lower grades? That sounds interesting! Even without the three upper grades, those with cultivations of the Martial Progenitor Realm still have a chance to venture deeper into the mountain..."
The crowd quickly organized their thoughts within a short period of time.
"By the way, the way master is choosing the successor is different from the other Forbidden Grounds too..."
The Soul-Devouring Martial Monarch added. However, before he could finish, an unexpected occurrence took place!
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn