Chapter 993: Chapter 605: The Old Man
“Rules are always rules. The City of Death will not break them for anyone, so please go back. Whoever steps inside, their life and death are at their own risk.” The old man spoke calmly, indifferent to Liu Hun’s plea.
Upon hearing the old man’s words, Liu Hun furrowed his brows, with a stubborn look rising in his eyes.
His primary purpose in coming to the City of Death this time was to rescue Zhang Fan. Returning empty-handed at this point was something Liu Hun couldn’t accept.
So no matter how dangerous the road ahead was, he would give it a try.
“What if I insist on entering?!” Liu Hun narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression serious.
“It’s impossible. Without my permission, you cannot cross here and enter the death trial ahead.” The old man shook his head, his expression calm, as if Liu Hun’s words hadn’t affected him at all.
“In that case, I must offend you today.” As Liu Hun finished speaking, his figure didn’t pause in the slightest, instantly charging toward the other.
His speed was so fast that even Xue Lan on the side was a bit speechless, and she didn’t expect Liu Hun to be so persistent.
Liu Hun quickly arrived in front of the old man, but the old man gave him a feeling of having no weaknesses to exploit; he stood there calmly, causing a hint of fierceness to appear on Liu Hun’s face.
“Break for me!” Liu Hun’s forehead veins bulged, shouting loudly, closing his eyes slightly, and forcibly extending his palm toward the old man.
Seeing Liu Hun’s palm getting closer, a trace of surprise rose in the old man’s eyes — he hadn’t expected Liu Hun to have the strength to break through his aura.
As Liu Hun’s palm was about to fall near him, Liu Hun suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint rising, flipping his palm to reveal the dagger directly in front of him.
The appearance of the dagger finally brought a change in the old man’s expression, with a few hints of surprise rising in his cloudy eyes.
Yet, Liu Hun didn’t think much about it at this moment, quickly grasping the dagger in his hand and bringing it down toward the opponent’s neck.
Liu Hun was very aware that the old man before him was extraordinarily powerful; if he couldn’t deliver a fatal blow, it would certainly be him who would die next. Naturally, Liu Hun wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.
As the dagger was about to fall on the old man’s neck, Liu Hun’s expression became increasingly serious, his inner strength ready to handle any situation.
However, even at this moment, the old man still kept his hands behind his back, his face returning to calm, then said to Liu Hun in front of him, “I didn’t expect you to possess such a weapon, and this weapon hasn’t appeared for hundreds of years.”
“Splash!” As soon as the old man’s words fell, Liu Hun’s dagger seemed to sink into a quagmire, and a ripple appeared on the surface of the old man’s body.
In the next moment, no matter how hard Liu Hun tried, the dagger could not advance even a fraction.
“Break for me!” Seeing the barrier before him, Liu Hun’s expression showed a hint of shock, but he still uttered a low growl.
If he couldn’t defeat the old man today, he would have no chance of reaching the Land of Death.
So at this moment, Liu Hun could only exert all his strength to fight.
“Sizzle…” As Liu Hun continuously channeled his inner strength into the dagger, the barrier on the old man’s body began emitting strange noises.
If this continued, it wouldn’t be long before the barrier shattered; however, unfortunately, the old man wouldn’t give him that much time.
Seeing this cut still not completely breaking the old man’s barrier, a look of despair appeared in Liu Hun’s eyes.
“Thud!” In the next moment, before Liu Hun could react, his body was like being hit by an invisible train, immediately flung backward, crashing heavily in front of Xue Lan.
A mouthful of crimson blood spewed from Liu Hun’s mouth, his face turning pale.
Seeing this, Xue Lan’s expression changed slightly, quickly crouching down to help Liu Hun up.
“Are you okay?” Xue Lan looked at Liu Hun at this moment, unable to suppress her worry.
“I’m fine.” Liu Hun shook his head at Xue Lan, answering somewhat bitterly.
All along, Liu Hun thought his powers had become strong enough after the last mutation. But at this moment, Liu Hun realized that before meeting a truly skilled adversary, his strength was not nearly as sufficient as he believed.
Moreover, having lost this battle, he would have no chance to enter the death trial, and consequently, would not be able to rescue Zhang Fan.
“Where exactly does the power within you come from?” At this moment, the elder’s eyes flashed with a cold light as he intently stared at Liu Hun and asked.
Although the elder’s voice was not loud, the presence of his gaze caused Liu Hun and Xue Lan to shiver involuntarily.
It was only at this moment that they truly felt how terrifying the power of this elder was. If the elder became angry, it was unlikely they would leave here alive.
“I…” Liu Hun was about to invent a lie to brush it off, but facing the elder’s penetrating gaze, he gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: “I stumbled upon a pendant carved with a Hell Three-Headed Dog a while ago, and then a power merged into my body, eventually becoming one.”
Liu Hun’s explanation didn’t cover all the details, but the elder could sense that Liu Hun was not lying.
“So the pendant has now fused with your body?” The elder squinted, and after a moment of silence, his cold eyes returned to their previous murky state. In a nonchalant tone, he continued to ask Liu Hun.
“How…how did you know?” Liu Hun could understand if the elder sensed the abnormality in his power, but being able to deduce even the pendant’s integration was astonishing.
“So it truly is the case…” Watching Liu Hun’s shocked expression, the elder murmured with his head lowered.
Before Liu Hun could speak, the elder lifted his head and said calmly: “You wanted to enter the death trial, right? Fine, I can allow you to enter. If you truly succeed in passing the trial and rescuing someone, besides the miraculous fruit, I will also give you one more thing.” The elder finished speaking without giving Liu Hun time to react and began walking forward.
Watching the elder head into the mist ahead, Liu Hun and Xue Lan exchanged a glance, and then Liu Hun frowned and said, “Let’s go.”
Although he still couldn’t understand why the elder suddenly changed his mind, promising so much, it clearly had something to do with the Hell Three-Headed Dog pendant.
Soon, they followed the elder to a large bridge within the mist, but in front of the bridge was a small bronze door. The elder approached the bronze door, and with a gentle touch, it slowly opened.
Staring at the bridge connected by iron chains, with the Abyss below, Liu Hun and Xue Lan exchanged a puzzled look.
“This is the entrance to the death trial. Once you cross this iron bridge, you will officially enter the trial. However, I must remind you, even with your unique bodies, stepping inside will be more dangerous than for normal people. Additionally, your strength will be halved,” the elder calmly advised after looking at the bridge.
“Thank you, elder.” Liu Hun bowed in gratitude to the elder.
Even though he didn’t understand why the elder was helping him, it was nonetheless good news for him.
Only by entering the death trial could he find where Zhang Fan was and rescue him.
“This is the map of the death trial, listing names. You can find the person you wish to save, then follow the map to find them,” the elder hesitated before handing Liu Hun an ancient, worn map.
Receiving the map, Liu Hun noted it only marked a few mountains and trees, causing him some frustration.
The map was too simplistic to be of much use, but Liu Hun quickly found Zhang Fan’s location, feeling somewhat grateful to the elder.
“Thank you, elder. We’ll head in now.” After speaking, Liu Hun tightly held Xue Lan’s hand and slowly walked onto the bridge.
“Liu Hun, who exactly is this elder? He initially refused to let us enter, so why did he suddenly change his mind?” Just as they stepped onto the bridge, the bronze door closed, and Xue Lan couldn’t help but question as they carefully proceeded.
“It’s probably due to that mutation of power inside me. It’s also why my control has been slipping. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have used such methods when we first met. As for the reasons, I still can’t say.” Liu Hun explained to Xue Lan with some bitterness and helplessness.
“This pendant hasn’t appeared for millennia, and when it does, it signifies slaughter. I hope you bring me a surprise.” Behind the bronze door, watching their departing figures, the elder murmured quietly, unbeknownst to Liu Hun.