Chapter 990: Chapter 602: Guardian
Xue Lan actively proposed to accompany him in entering this death trial, which surprised Liu Hun a bit. Whether it was him or Xue Lan, both of their hearts were clear that their relationship was merely one of mutual exploitation.
However, since Xue Lan took the initiative to request participation in the death trial, Liu Hun didn’t refuse. After all, with Xue Lan’s bloodline curse, perhaps she might play a pivotal role in the death trial.
Although Liu Hun had never been to such a place, he had learned from the old man back in the day about the horrors of the death trial. Regardless of who steps in, they will become like ordinary people, losing all their power. This means that once Liu Hun enters, he would be merely a mortal.
Wen Xiaodao and Miao Yu, seeing Liu Hun’s resolute decision, could only sigh inwardly and then drove with the two to the foot of a mountain peak.
City of Death is surrounded by mountains, with extremely steep terrain, and the roads are not easy to navigate. The cities passed along the way felt completely different from modern metropolises.
In this city, instead, it gives off an ancient vibe, as if returning to the old times.
“Liu Hun, up on this mountain peak is the entrance to the death trial. If you regret it now, it’s still not too late,” Wen Xiaodao looked at the desolate mountain ahead with some inexplicable fear in his eyes.
Even though they are members of the Dragon Sect, safeguarding the nation’s security, they are still extremely cautious about the death trial in the City of Death.
Because, having been here so long, they have heard countless strong individuals have fallen within.
“There is nothing to regret, let’s go.” Liu Hun gazed at the towering mountain peak ahead, took a deep breath, and then headed up the small pathway made of green stone slabs.
After almost a half-hour, they arrived halfway up the mountain, looking at the large gate ahead. Liu Hun and Xue Lan couldn’t help but be strongly shaken.
“This gate is cast from bronze, towering over ten meters high and more than twenty meters wide. Such a massive bronze gate is no easy feat to forge, especially given the rust on its surface, it’s clearly weathered countless storms.
On the bronze gate, one could vaguely make out some patterns, but Liu Hun did not recognize them.
On both sides, there stand two ferocious bronze beasts about two meters high, carved with lifelike detail. At first glance, they might be mistaken for real.
“Hell Three-Headed Dog?!” Liu Hun exclaimed in shock as he looked at these two bronze creatures.
“Indeed, these are the Hell Three-Headed Dogs. It’s rumored that beneath this death trial lies a path to Hell, so these two Hell Three-Headed Dogs are fierce beasts guarding the Gate of Hell.” Seeing Liu Hun blurt out the name, Wen Xiaodao and Miao Yu exchanged surprised glances.
They didn’t expect Liu Hun to name it so accurately, as very few people know about the Hell Three-Headed Dog.
Even if one has heard the name, they might not have seen what it actually looks like.
“We have informed the City Lord, so you can proceed directly, but once inside, life and death are in the hands of fate, so… be careful. Otherwise, we won’t be able to explain to the head,” Wen Xiaodao said with a wry smile, then cautioned Liu Hun.
To this, Liu Hun smiled slightly, shook his head, and said to himself, “I, Liu Hun, am not so easily killed, so you can rest assured. Furthermore, even if I die here, the head won’t trouble you.”
Liu Hun and Wen Xiaodao, along with Miao Yu, were all well aware that Wen Xiaodao’s words were merely out of concern for Liu Hun’s safety. Still, Liu Hun’s words somewhat eased their minds.
After that, Liu Hun and Xue Lan slowly approached the bronze gate. As soon as they reached it, the bronze gate began to open slowly on its own.
As the bronze gate opened, an aura seemingly from the wild ancient times rushed towards them, as if something within was capable of devouring everything.
In front of them was an open space, with the air filled with thick fog, limiting visibility to less than twenty meters.
Witnessing this, Liu Hun and Xue Lan exchanged a glance, and then Liu Hun gently held Xue Lan’s small hand as they stepped forward into the space.
Just as the two stepped into the bronze gate, it closed with a loud boom, the sound shaking their eardrums slightly.
“Is this the death trial?” Xue Lan cautiously scanned the surroundings, softly asking Liu Hun.
“All of this should just be the beginning. The real death trial is yet to come; otherwise, the power within me should have already disappeared,” Liu Hun replied with a few serious undertones.
In such a ghostly place, trying to find Zhang Fan and rescue him is by no means a simple task, but no matter how difficult it is, Liu Hun has to give it a try, otherwise he will be troubled by it for the rest of his life.
Zhang Fan and Cheng Feng came to this place almost entirely because of him; otherwise, the old men of both families would not have planned to let them come here for the test.
The situation in the country is now extremely critical, and Liu Hun can understand the urgency in the hearts of Old Zhang and the others, but they are still overly impatient, haste makes waste.
The two said no more, carefully moving forward step by step. After nearly half an hour, they passed through the mist and arrived at a small clearing.
On this clearing, there was a massive tree, its entire canopy stretching about twenty or thirty meters in diameter. Such an ancient tree could hardly reach this realm without hundreds of years of growth.
“Is this a Miracle Flower Tree?!” Xue Lan exclaimed, somewhat shocked, as she looked at the towering tree.
“Miracle Flower Tree?” Upon hearing this name, Liu Hun first showed a bit of confusion in his eyes, but the next moment, his expression turned to shock, his eyes gleaming as he stared intently at the palm-sized jade green fruits on the tree.
If you don’t look carefully, it’s definitely hard to notice these fruits, but Liu Hun could clearly see that the tree was full of Miracle Flower Fruits.
“The Miracle Flower Tree is said to take five hundred years to bear the Miracle Flower Fruit, and such an ancient tree is at least a thousand years old, and once you eat a Miracle Flower Fruit, your cultivation can directly increase by two levels!” Liu Hun suppressed the shock in his heart and said in a low voice.
Liu Hun originally saw this in a book from the old man, but at the time, he only skimmed it and didn’t pay attention. It wasn’t until Xue Lan mentioned it that he remembered.
In other words, if Liu Hun were to eat a Miracle Flower Fruit right now, his cultivation could directly soar to the Innate Nine Layers realm.
Such a terrifying cultivation boost is even more frightening than many rare treasures.
Nowadays, the spiritual energy needed for cultivation on Earth is becoming less and less, and precisely because of this, no matter who you are, improving cultivation is extremely slow.
“If someone passes this death test, they can get a Miracle Flower Fruit, but it’s a pity you two cannot step inside.” Just as the two of them were talking, a misty voice suddenly came from behind.
Hearing this, Liu Hun and Xue Lan instinctively turned around and looked behind them.
Behind them stood an old man dressed in white robes, with hair and beard as white as snow, making the whole person look somewhat otherworldly.
Liu Hun and Xue Lan hadn’t even noticed the existence of this person, who appeared silently behind them, which shows how terrifying the opponent’s power is.
“Are you the Guardian here?” Liu Hun learned some things about this death test from Cheng Feng at the time, but it was limited to knowing about the Guardian. Cheng Feng knew nothing about what happened in the Land of Death.
Although Liu Hun didn’t know how the other party accomplished this, it is evident that since this old man is the Guardian, his power must be extremely terrifying.
However, now, Liu Hun’s face turned somewhat unsightly due to the old man’s words just now.
“Why can’t we step inside? Isn’t the death test something that everyone can take?” Liu Hun’s pupils slightly contracted, asking the other party with a somewhat questioning tone.
“She has a Bloodline Curse, and once she steps into this place, in your current terms, it would be like having a cheat, which is absolutely not allowed in the death test. As for you, having the spiritual power of two lifetimes, you also cannot go to the death test.” The old man’s voice was very light, but after these words fell, Liu Hun’s heart was like a stone dropping and causing countless ripples, eventually transforming into raging waves.
Regarding his background, it has always been a taboo for Liu Hun. Until now, except for a few people, no one else knows.
Whether it was Yang Yi back then or Nangong Jin previously, they were still somewhat incredulous upon hearing this matter, but the old man in front of him uttered it effortlessly, and this alone was enough to astonish Liu Hun immensely.
At this moment, Xue Lan felt the same way. She did not expect that the old man in front of her could see right through her family situation at a glance and that Liu Hun’s background was even more shocking to her.
A person with two lifetimes of souls means Liu Hun is a Reborn; such a thing has never happened in the entire world, yet it happened to Liu Hun, right in front of her, how could she not be shocked.
“Senior, I am here to save someone, so I must undergo this death test.” Liu Hun said through gritted teeth to the old man, his face somewhat grim.