As my last word fell, everyone rushed out at their quickest pace.
Intense combat sounds erupted from the surroundings.
The short sword in my hand flashed with four-colored light, and my body shot out simultaneously.
I hadn't had time to see exactly how many monsters there were before, but now, I could only fight with all my might.
If I could kill just one monster, I could reduce some of the pressure on everyone else.
The short sword fell unceasingly, felling a monster with each strike.
Luo Yaqin stayed by my side, her water-elemental power constantly swirling around.
Terrifying energy swept out in layers, various bright lights flashing.
I could clearly see monsters being eliminated one after another, but I also saw that many people had already been injured.
Even though they had improved their strength, it was impossible not to get injured when facing so many monsters.
Lin Chun erupted directly, his terrifying power surging out. Streaks of dreadful lightning struck the ground, eliminating monster after monster.
Watching the number of monsters slowly decrease, I felt a slight sense of relief.
From the current situation, the monsters showed no sign of increasing, meaning there would be a point where they would all be wiped out.
As the energy shifted, a bloody scent permeated the air.
The battle ended when the last monster was impaled through the chest by me.
"Quickly check who is injured!" I said in a deep voice.
Those who were injured sat down on the spot, then took out the Water of Life and drank it, beginning to recover their state.
With the end of a battle, everyone was excited.
In this battle, they had fully utilized their strength. Most importantly, they were only injured, and not a single person had died.
Everyone was in a good mood about this.
However, my mood was exceptionally heavy.
Because up to this point, we hadn't even seen the true form of Heavenly Dao, yet many of us were already injured.
These guys had existed here for who knows how many years, and their strength had likely significantly weakened.
Yet, we still found it troublesome to deal with them.
At this moment, I felt a sense of uncertainty.
I slowly exhaled, closed my eyes, and entered a state of cultivation.
In the time that had passed, I had already cultivated back the branches of the Tree of Life that I had cut off to save my masters.
Now, I could clearly feel the Shepherd's Power within my body surging abnormally.
The others also entered a state of cultivation. Now, we had to ensure our state was always complete.
Two hours passed, and everyone's strength had basically recovered, returning to their peak.
"Let's go!"
I said.
Ahead was still a dark passage, but at this point, we had no other choice but to move forward.
At the end of the passage was a huge iron gate. I didn't know what metal it was made of; it felt chilling to the touch.
Various totems were painted on it in a lively style: birds of prey, beasts, flowers, birds, fish, and insects...
It exuded an aura of ancientness.
"What's behind this door?" Lin Chun walked over and asked.
"I don't know..." I said with a smile, but I had a feeling that, if nothing unexpected happened, we had now reached the slumbering place of Heavenly Dao.
"Then let's open it!" Lin Chun said, stepping forward and placing his hands on the gate, "Once it's open, the mystery will be revealed!"
As he said that, he suddenly exerted force.
But the gate didn't budge at all.
It was important to note that Lin Chun's strength was now extraordinary, and his power was naturally immense.
Yet, with his strength, the gate remained completely still.
Seeing this, the others came forward one after another, pushing with all their might against the gate.
"It's no use, we can't open it..." After a few minutes, everyone stopped.
"Use the Shepherd's Power!" I said.
The Shepherd's Power began to surge, and everyone's strength was concentrated on the gate.
That power slowly spread across the entire gate. This power lasted for about a minute, and finally, I heard a faint sound.
"Creak!"
A crack appeared in the gate, and light shone through from within.
"Push harder!" Lin Chun roared.
The gate was completely opened, and sunlight fell upon all our faces, momentarily making us unaccustomed to it.
Inside the gate, we couldn't see anything, only a vast expanse of white.
The feeling here was like another world.
The aura emanating from within made us feel incredibly uneasy.
"Is this the place we were meant to reach?" Lin Chun asked.
"To be honest, I'm not sure..." I shook my head. "Let's go in and see!"
As I said that, I took a step forward and walked directly into the light.
The moment I stepped into the light, the blinding radiance gradually dissipated, and the surrounding scenery gradually came into view.
This seemed to be another world. Traces of past battles remained here, with pits and hollows everywhere.
There was no vegetation growing on this land.
On the distant mountaintops, one could still see broken armor, rusted weapons, and piles of white bones...
"This is..." Although everyone had prepared themselves mentally, when they saw such a scene, their hearts trembled slightly.
"This should be the site of the great battle back then..." I slowly exhaled. I had seen this place before, when I was tied to that giant pillar.
On that pillar, countless seniors had used their bodies to block that giant sword, leaving a path for my survival.
However, in this place, the giant pillar and those seniors were nowhere to be seen.
"The location should be correct..." I said seriously.
"But... where is Heavenly Dao?" Chen Zhi asked, glancing around.
I looked up and cast my gaze towards the sky.
That sun seemed different from the one in the outside world.
The sun I could see emitted a faint light, pouring onto the land.
"Could it be up there?" Lin Chun asked.
I closed my eyes, and the Shepherd's Power surged forth, condensing in mid-air to form a giant barrier, blocking the dazzling light.
In the shadow of the sunlight, I clearly saw a massive ancient tomb appear!
"This is..." Lin Chun's eyes lit up. "The slumbering place of Heavenly Dao!"
"This should be it..." I said slowly. The Shepherd's Power retracted, and as the sunlight reappeared, that ancient tomb also disappeared...