HLnovel Chapter 1821 The Dragon King's Suspicion
Chapter 1821 The Dragon King's Suspicion
Chen Wanli's heart was stirred. He immediately separated a wisp of his divine sense and carefully probed into the specially made black iron box.
Inside the box, a tiny insect, about the size of a fingernail, dark gold in color, with fine spiral patterns on its back, was slowly stretching its curled-up limbs.
Its mouthparts opened and closed slightly, and that faint desire emanated from it.
It did not go berserk, nor did it try to break out of the box; it was as if it had just woken up from the deepest dream.
It is filled with a kind of instinctive, undefined "hunger" towards the outside world.
Chen Wanli clearly remembered that when he first obtained this Gu, the Gu King and his daughter spoke incoherently, saying that it was a gift from the Gu God!
He once asked the Gu King whether the Gu God could truly unleash his will.
The Gu King's answer was affirmative; she had no reason to deceive herself on this matter.
Chen Wanli once wondered if the Gu God had fallen into the demon cave along with the monsters.
But he also verified it after entering the demon's lair.
There are indeed insect demons in the Demon Cave, but there are no Nascent Soul cultivators at this level; they are just some small clans.
If one has not yet attained the divine level, how can one transcend space and transmit one's will to the Gu King?
After hearing what the gods said, Chen Wanli made a judgment: the being revered as the Gu God was not in the Demon Cave.
Could it be that I misjudged it? However, ever since I obtained the Gold-Eating Gu, it has remained a "dead thing," showing no signs of awakening even in the Demon Cave.
He tried many methods, even following the methods recorded in the Immortal Physician's Scripture, and introduced some rare life-giving substances, but it showed no reaction at all, so he gradually gave up on it.
Unexpectedly, I woke up here at this moment!
Could it be related to the spirit world?
This place belongs to the remnants of the Spirit Realm, so the Gu God is related to the Spirit Realm? Did he not fall into the Demon Cave, but ascend to the Spirit Realm?
To send one's will from the spirit world to the human world? What kind of being would that be?
The more he thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed. He suppressed the urge to immediately investigate the reason for its awakening, and did not attempt to recognize it as its master using his blood essence or consciousness.
The ways of Gu are sinister and unpredictable. Especially with such strange creatures of unknown origin that have suddenly awakened after years of slumber, it would be unwise to rashly establish deep connections in a perilous secret realm.
After a moment's thought, Chen Wanli separated an extremely pure and gentle wisp of life force from his dantian and slowly transferred it into the black iron box.
It enveloped the slightly restless gold-devouring insect.
The little insect trembled slightly upon contact with this spiritual energy, and its mouthparts opened and closed faster, seemingly somewhat "satisfied".
As he slowly absorbed that wisp of spiritual energy, the dark golden hue on his body seemed to light up almost imperceptibly, before returning to his half-asleep, half-awake state, though the thoughts he conveyed became much calmer.
Chen Wanli placed the black iron box back deep inside the storage artifact, leaving a wary divine sense imprint.
Was the sudden awakening of the Gold-Eating Insects an accident, or is it related to some kind of aura in this place?
Unable to make a judgment, he could only suppress his doubts for the time being and wait and see.
After this ordeal, Chen Wanli became somewhat agitated and did not rush into cultivation. Instead, he silently sorted out his thoughts in his mind.
The shocks from the depths of the Moon God Platform were truly one after another.
Whether we'll find the answer if we continue this journey is uncertain.
About half an hour later, the spiritual light in front of Ye Zhenjun subsided, and three talismans, each radiant with a subtle yet powerful aura, drifted down and were carefully stored in his sleeve.
His face looked even more tired than before, but his eyes were bright as he glanced at Kuafu Chong and Fang Fengting.
Seeing that many of the injured on the gods' side had not yet recovered, he sat back down to meditate, showing no signs of haste or impatience.
On the contrary, the Dragon King seemed somewhat uneasy, whispering to his son Long Jihai from time to time, and exchanging messages with his servants in the Dragon Palace.
"Chen Wanli, in my opinion, this old devil's plan is all after we enter the fifth level. Perhaps once we enter the fifth level, that will be the time when his wolfish ambitions will be exposed."
However, there are some things I don't understand, and I'd like to discuss them with you.
Chen Wanli heard the Dragon King's voice transmission. He looked up and saw that the Dragon King was still facing his followers and did not look over, clearly not wanting Ye Zhenjun to discover anything amiss.
Those who can wield great power in a demon's lair and survive for thousands of years are naturally not fools.
The Dragon King's suspicion was not without reason.
"Speak!" Chen Wanli replied telepathically, his expression unchanged.
Why wasn't the sixth floor mentioned by him?
The Dragon King's words were concise, yet Chen Wanli understood them perfectly.
According to Ye Zhenjun, the Moon Extreme Divine Platform has seven levels, and the teleportation array that connects to the Spirit Realm Star Continent is on the seventh level.
However, Ye Zhenjun's goal for this trip was neither the seventh floor nor the sixth floor.
It just so happens to be the fifth floor.
Once we've overcome the "roadblock" on the fifth floor, we'll take everyone back home.
What about the sixth floor?
Logically speaking, there are only two possibilities:
Either Ye Zhenjun will have his own way to get to the seventh level after solving the fifth level, and won't need them anymore, or he might really be discarding them after they've served their purpose!
Either Ye Zhenjun is genuinely planning to share the fruits of his labor with everyone, and after solving the problem of the fifth level, some injuries are inevitable, so going back to recuperate is for everyone's good.
They went back and collected the faith power of the gods he mentioned. They will explore the sixth and seventh floors next time.
Clearly, the Dragon King believed that Ye Zhenjun was the former.
Chen Wanli's judgment was even simpler: Ye Zhenjun must have known about the Heavenly Demon King's infiltration, yet he has neither shown up nor mentioned it, indicating that he must have ulterior motives and that it was not out of goodwill.
But as long as he still wanted to go in and find out what was going on, he couldn't afford to turn against Ye Zhenjun at this time.
Because neither he nor the Dragon King could possibly defeat the Myriad Talisman Demon Corpse, which Ye Zhenjun described as having the combat power of a Void Refining expert.
However, I am not fish on a chopping board.
The biggest trump card is its invincibility.
It is highly likely that Ye Zhenjun discovered the Golden-bodied Yazi long ago, especially the Heavenly Demon King.
But Chen Wanli remained confident.
In their eyes, the golden statue is an outsider who has come to help!
In reality, the golden statue is a part of oneself!
When the golden body returns to its original form, one will become the strongest fighter below the Void Refinement level.
Even at the moment of activating a supernatural secret technique, even someone in the early stage of Void Refinement might not be able to withstand the injury for a short while.
At least not at their peak mid-stage Void Refinement level, they couldn't possibly hold me back.
Neither Ye Zhenjun nor the Heavenly Demon King could possibly possess the full combat power of a mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator.
Therefore, his own trump cards are enough to protect him.
In a surprise attack, it might just catch the opponent off guard.
However, he did not intend to tell the Dragon King this.
"The Dragon King's concerns are absolutely correct. Therefore, we must get Old Ghost to put in more effort on the fifth floor; we can't afford to be used as pawns. As long as we do this, the situation should be under control!"
Chen Wanli calmly shared his judgment with the Dragon King.
The Dragon King sensed that Chen Wanli seemed quite confident, and was momentarily speechless.
How could Chen Wanli be so confident in front of Ye Zhenjun, a Void Refinement expert? Could it be that there's also a Void Refinement expert possessing Chen Wanli?
It hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Are you sure?"
"Hmm, keep an eye on Kuafu Chong and Fang Fengting. I'll keep an eye on Lao Gui. Don't worry, if you're truly cooperating, I'll guarantee you won't die before me!"
At this point, Chen Wanli abruptly cut off the telepathic communication.
The Dragon King's expression was complicated.
It took more than ten hours for Kuafu Chong and Fang Fengting and the other injured to recover.
"Now that everything is ready, let's not delay and head to the teleportation array."
Ye Zhenjun looked at everyone and, seeing that no one objected, then determined the direction and took the lead in walking towards a deeper part of the forest.
The others quickly followed.
As Chen Wanli set off, a thought flickered in his mind, and he immediately arranged for his golden body to rush towards the Blood Lake.
This will allow the Golden Body to explore the Blood Lake.
Led by Ye Zhenjun, the group traversed among the increasingly ancient and secluded giant trees.
The journey was indeed fraught with danger. In addition to the usual wooden golem attacks, they also encountered several strange plant-based threats.
There is a "Sleeping Giant Mushroom" that can spray paralyzing poisonous mist.
There is a type of vine called "Iron Wire Ghost Vine," whose tendrils are like living whips and whose striking force is enough to split mountains and crack rocks.
There is also the "Silent Demon Flower" that can emit silent fluctuations and cause spiritual energy to become disordered... Every time, Ye Zhenjun's accurate predictions and timely guidance helped him turn danger into safety.
His familiarity with the forest almost gave one the illusion that he had once lived there.
The deeper you go, the darker the forest becomes, and the more grotesque and twisted the shapes of the trees appear.
The faint sweet fragrance in the air had long since disappeared, replaced by a dull smell mixed with the earthy odor and a certain rusty quality, which made people feel depressed.
Finally, after passing through a strange forest where the tree trunks were completely dark red, as if they had been soaked in blood, the scenery ahead suddenly changed.
It was a huge clearing in the forest, where the ground was no longer covered with moss and humus, but with hard, dark red rock and soil covered with cracks.
In the center of the open space stood an ancient teleportation altar constructed entirely of some kind of pale, jade-like skeleton and jet-black metal. The runes on the altar were more complex and archaic than those seen before, emanating a desolate spatial fluctuation.
In front of the altar, at the edge of the open space where it meets the dark red forest, there is a "hill" made up of blood-red vines, twisted ancient trees as black as iron, and a dark substance like congealed blood amber.
As people arrived, it slowly began to "wriggle"!
"Rumble..."
A deep, muffled sound, like the earth turning over, came from behind.
The "hill" stretched out, revealing its ferocious full appearance—it was a colossal creature over thirty feet tall!
The main body is woven from countless thick, blood-red vines into a humanoid torso and limbs, with hard, black wooden armor embedded in key areas, and dark red, amber-like resin filling and flowing around the joints.
Its head is a bizarre mask formed from twisted ancient wood, with three irregular holes.
Inside the central hole, a bluish-green light pulsed and leaped like a living thing.
It exudes a fierce fighting spirit and boundless vitality that stirs the heart.
It was enveloped in a nauseating stench of blood and a rich aura of wood spirit.
The lower half of its body has countless thick roots that are deeply embedded in the dark red rock and soil, as if it were connected to the entire earth.
"Blood Vine Dragon Wood Puppet!" Ye Zhenjun roared, warning everyone.