The Gate

Luo Feng, Deer Worm Master, God-Eye Clan, Skeleton Clan, and Ancestral God Sect—the five parties transformed into five streaks of light, streaking across the void, flying towards the Tomb Mausoleum Boat.

“Rumble~~~” The ancient vessel, suspended above the black marsh, began to slowly vibrate. Immediately after, a gate gradually appeared on one side of its outer wall. The gate slowly rose, and the passage grew wider and wider.

“There!”

“The Tomb Mausoleum Boat’s hatch has opened.”

“Quickly, get inside.”

The five streaks of light simultaneously altered their flight paths slightly, rushing directly towards the distant gate passage.

“Deer Worm Master, your strength is the greatest, and you’re the most familiar with the Tomb Mausoleum Boat. I think you should be the last one to enter!” A wild sneering laugh rang out, and at the same time, numerous hazy golden shadows swept wantonly towards the Deer Worm Master. In mid-air, these countless hazy golden shadows converged, directly forming a massive, ancient cleaver.

“Deer Worm Master, you already possess a supreme true treasure, yet you still contend with us?” A cold voice from the First Ancestral God Sect rang out. In an instant, countless butterflies were born in the void, butterflies of various colors fluttering, surging forward relentlessly, flying madly towards the Deer Worm Master.

“Deer Worm…”

Coincidentally, even the Skeleton Clan and God-Eye Clan, who had always been at odds, now targeted the Deer Worm Master. Not a single one attacked Luo Feng!

Clearly, the Deer Worm Master posed too great a threat to them. His strength was the greatest present, and he likely possessed the most knowledge about the Tomb Mausoleum Boat. If they didn’t work together to stop him… the Tomb Mausoleum Boat would almost certainly fall into the Deer Worm Master’s hands. None of the Universe Masters present were fools; they naturally knew what to do.

The gigantic void cleaver, the endless dream-intoxicating butterflies, the white whirlwind… under these combined attacks, the rapidly flying pyramid instantly vanished.

“Hmph~~” A strange beast directly appeared in mid-air.

It had a massive body covered in black scales, its entire form seemingly made of weapons. Hundreds of pairs of its sharp claws had barbed hooks on their joints, and its tail resembled a scorpion’s, but it was divided into nearly a thousand segments, each adorned with eerie cyan rings.

The moment the strange beast appeared, Luo Feng felt a tremor in his heart.

The only part of the strange beast that could be considered somewhat ordinary was its head, which resembled a deer.

“Deer Worm!” Luo Feng thought to himself.

The Deer Worm Master, with the aid of his supreme true treasure, could transform into a terrifying, heaven-defying strange beast. After obtaining the supreme true treasure, he changed his title to ‘Deer Worm Master,’ and thus, this strange beast was designated ‘Deer Worm.’

“Hmph~~~” The Deer Worm galloped rapidly through the void, and at the same time, its seemingly gentle head let out a roar that made the void tremble.

The void vibrated, and visible ripples spread in all directions. The gigantic void cleaver, the countless dream-intoxicating butterflies, the white whirlwind… all disintegrated, scattered, and annihilated under this roar.

“Yinhe, follow me.” The Deer Worm galloped, and at the same time, a divine power transmission reached Luo Feng.

“Alright.” Luo Feng secretly clicked his tongue, but his speed did not decrease.

“The Deer Worm has gone berserk, using his supreme true treasure right from the start.”

“Stop him.”

“If we can’t stop him, we definitely won’t get this Tomb Mausoleum Boat.”

“Slow him down.”

“Yinhe Lord, aren’t you going to help stop the Deer Worm Master? If he goes in first, we might not get any treasures.”

“Yinhe Lord, let’s stop the Deer Worm first.”

Two consecutive transmissions urged Luo Feng to act.

Luo Feng, however, completely ignored them.

“Yinhe Lord, do you really think you can obtain the Tomb Mausoleum Boat by following the Deer Worm Master?”

“You’ll regret this later.”

“You talk too much nonsense.” Luo Feng’s voice also rang out, “Regret? If you dare, attack me!”

“Hmph.”

“Hmph.”

Several cold snorts sounded. The God-Eye Clan, First Ancestral God Sect, and Skeleton Clan completely ignored Luo Feng. At this moment, they wouldn’t divert any of their strength to deal with Luo Feng; their main enemy was the Deer Worm Master! The three parties… continuously launched layers of attacks through their domains, fiercely besieging the Deer Worm Master. It should be noted that those who dared to venture into such an inner region were generally Fifth-tier Universe Masters, with a few being Fourth-tier Universe Masters possessing exceptionally strong life-saving abilities. Now, with several parties ganging up…

The strange beast Deer Worm galloped through the void, letting out roars, its sonic attacks incredibly powerful.

However, as the God-Eye Clan, First Ancestral God Sect, and Skeleton Clan all unleashed their power, the Deer Worm Master’s speed noticeably slowed.

“Whoosh!” The moment the Deer Worm Master slowed, the crimson streak of light that had been closely following him instantly surpassed him.

It was Luo Feng!

“Don’t worry about Yinhe, he has no idea about the layout inside the Tomb Mausoleum Boat.”

“If we stop the Deer Worm Master, there won’t be any problems.”

“Hmph!”

“Hmph!” The Deer Worm Master, however, did not ask Luo Feng for help. Instead, he repeatedly broke through attacks, charging towards the gate entrance.

…

Although the distance was vast, how fast were Luo Feng and the others?

A crimson streak of light instantly rushed into the gate entrance.

Immediately after, the Deer Worm Master, God-Eye Clan, Skeleton Clan, and First Ancestral God Sect, who had been restraining each other, almost simultaneously rushed into the gate entrance.

“Hmm?”

“This is…”

Inside the Tomb Mausoleum Boat, it was very safe. Every powerful being had emerged from their peak palace true treasures. To even reach the Flame Ice Region, one had to possess at least one peak palace true treasure.

“This…” Luo Feng, the first to rush in, was also looking around.

After rushing through the gate passage, he quickly found himself in an incredibly vast, empty plaza? Or perhaps a grand hall? In any case, this enormous plaza was probably hundreds of millions of kilometers in diameter. There were no objects within the empty plaza, only an incredibly smooth floor as far as the eye could see. Along the edges of the plaza were numerous passages leading in various directions.

This sight left Luo Feng puzzled. He didn’t know which direction to choose. If he chose incorrectly… he would waste a significant amount of time, and with that wasted time, other powerful beings might find the ‘control core’ and bind it.

“Yinhe, follow me.” The Deer Worm Master suddenly transmitted.

Whoosh! The Deer Worm Master flew directly into the distance. Luo Feng’s eyes lit up, and he almost immediately followed.

The God-Eye Clan had only two Universe Masters present: Shadow Dust Master and Wu Liang Master. The First Ancestral God Sect had only one: Liu Jiu Master! The Skeleton Clan also had only one: Li Sea Master! As the Deer Worm Master and Luo Feng moved instantly, these four reflexively gave chase.

“Keep an eye on the Deer Worm, he knows the way.”

“Entangle the Deer Worm!”

“And don’t let Yinhe gain an advantage!”

Immediately, the four Universe Masters chasing from behind unleashed a series of attacks: soul attacks, long-range weapon attacks, or domain attacks. For a moment, the four behind and the two in front exchanged blows like lightning, all while moving forward at high speed.

“This Deer Worm wants me to draw some of the enemy’s attacks,” Luo Feng thought to himself, chasing and watching the Deer Worm ahead.

“However, if I were to side with the God-Eye Clan, Skeleton Clan, and First Ancestral God Sect, I’d be the weakest compared to those three factions. Even if we managed to stall the Deer Worm Master… how could I, alone, contend with three parties for the treasures? But if I follow the Deer Worm, he’ll draw most of the fire, and perhaps I can fish in troubled waters.” Luo Feng continued to chase from behind.

All parties present had their own calculations.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Along the internal passages of the Tomb Mausoleum Boat, six figures advanced at high speed. The Deer Worm Master was indeed the target of all, and his speed had noticeably slowed, now moving alongside Luo Feng.

“Yinhe, if I get stopped, you’ll probably gain a huge advantage,” the Deer Worm said, glancing at Luo Feng.

“I’m also being attacked right now.” Luo Feng, like a beast god, moved swiftly and fiercely, occasionally letting out a roar from his right claw… The four pursuers behind him were indeed powerful, but if they were only hindering him from a distance and not going all out against Luo Feng… why would Luo Feng care?

“That’s it!” The Deer Worm Master suddenly lunged forward. With a crash, one of the horns on his head struck a wall of the rotating corridor. Boom~~~ The patterns on the corridor wall instantly caved in, and then, with a whoosh~~~~ a massive gate suddenly descended from above the corridor. The gate landed with a crash.

The four figures chasing behind rushed forward one after another. Seeing the massive gate, they immediately became enraged.

“Damn it!”

“I said it before, the Deer Worm is the most dangerous one! Li Sea Master, you idiot, why are you still distracted by attacking Yinhe? Yinhe knows nothing about this place. Would the Deer Worm tell him the crucial secrets? So, stop the Deer Worm. Even if we let Yinhe roam inside, he won’t find anything quickly.”

“You trash from the God-Eye Clan, always speaking after the fact! When I attacked Luo Feng earlier, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Alright, alright, let’s quickly find another passage. This is the Tomb Mausoleum Boat… there are many passages inside the vessel. There won’t be just one way to reach a certain place. Let’s hurry, or the Deer Worm might use some method to close off our path.”

The female God-Eye Clan member, Wu Liang Master, still unwilling, kicked the gate.

Boom~~~ The gate didn’t budge, but Wu Liang Master stumbled back three steps.

“Let’s go!” Wu Liang Master turned and quickly led Shadow Dust Master to find another passage.

…

The Deer Worm Master and Luo Feng continued to fly.

“The Deer Worm Master is truly formidable, I’m impressed,” Luo Feng said.

“Is it strange that I know a few things, having studied two Tomb Mausoleum Boats?” The Deer Worm Master glanced at Luo Feng with a smile. At this moment, he had reverted to his original appearance—a bald man. He directly stated, “Yinhe, I brought you along for two reasons: first, to eliminate one enemy, as you were the only one I could win over. Second, to give my opponents another adversary. But now… you’re not much use anymore.”

Luo Feng was startled.

In fact, he had already been very cautious when the gate in the passage had fallen, because without external enemies, the Deer Worm Master was highly likely to target him. And the opponent’s strength… clearly surpassed his own.

“Don’t worry, I’ve traversed the Universe Ocean for so long; I’m not like those madmen from the First Universe Era,” the Deer Worm Master said leisurely. “The Tomb Mausoleum Boat is very precious. Although it’s slightly inferior to a palace supreme true treasure itself, it’s better than any peak palace true treasure! And it allows entry into the mausoleum. Its value is even higher than rare artifacts, extremely close to a supreme true treasure.”

“They might be crazy, but I’m not that crazy.”

“Because with my long lifespan, the most exciting part is the adventure itself, the process of adventuring is what’s important. Obtaining treasures? Just put in the effort. Failure is nothing.” The Deer Worm Master was very relaxed, and at the same time, he transformed into a streak of light, advancing along the winding passage.

Luo Feng, however, ignored him.

Failure is nothing?

Doesn’t care?

If his own race could exist eternally, and he could also exist eternally, then he too could be so carefree!

“My prediction was correct; the core chamber is ahead. The control core should be inside,” the Deer Worm Master said, glancing at Luo Feng and transmitting directly, “Let’s see whose strength, yours or mine, can obtain the control core.”