One Falls

The Master of Deer Bug, the three Universe Masters of the God-Eye Clan, the Master of Liujiu, and Luo Feng—the six of them remained silent, none showing any sign of retreat. Joking aside. Perhaps they had many considerations when first making their choice, but once decided, how could they possibly back down? From the moment they embarked on the path of power, the specter of death had never truly left them. They might be unwilling to die, but not one of them feared death. For this powerful legacy of an ancient civilization, they were all willing to stake everything! "Good," Duan Dong River nodded. "Then follow me." Duan Dong River turned and walked towards another side door of the Mist Hall. Whoosh—the side door opened automatically, and Duan Dong River stepped inside. Though the Master of Deer Bug, Luo Feng, the Master of Ying'ai, and the other six wondered where they were going, they all followed. ... Following behind Duan Dong River, they walked along a wide passage for a moment before their path was completely blocked by a gate. Duan Dong River stopped only when he reached the gate. "In a moment, the gate will open, and only then can you continue along this corridor," Duan Dong River's gaze swept over Luo Feng and the other six. "As long as all six of you can proceed straight along this corridor and reach the next hall alive, you will have passed the most basic screening, and can then begin to access the legacy." The legacy! Luo Feng, the Master of Deer Bug, the Master of Ying'ai, and the other six each felt a jolt, their eyes lighting up. Just reach the next hall alive along this passage? And that counts as passing the screening to access the legacy? Though excited, all six present understood that Duan Dong River's legacy was immensely powerful, which meant this screening would certainly not be simple. In other words, this corridor was likely a true death corridor, and it was highly probable that one of them would fall within it. They had to give it their all. "You six!" "As you advance through this corridor, you may use weapons, you may use any means necessary," Duan Dong River said slowly. "Just reach the next hall alive." "Rise!" Duan Dong River turned to face the gate, pointing a finger. Whoosh~~~~ The heavy, wide gate slowly ascended, revealing a broad, deep passage whose end was out of sight. This caused the Master of Deer Bug, Luo Feng, the Master of Liujiu, and the other six to frown slightly. What dangers lay within this death corridor? What methods had Duan Dong River, from an ancient and powerful civilization, devised to screen them? If they failed the screening, they feared death was a certainty. The previous screening had been the easiest, merely standing on that cube-like instrument for a moment. If they didn't pass, they could simply leave. "You, you, you, you, you! The five of you, enter," Duan Dong River pointed consecutively at five powerful beings. "Us?" "Me?" "All five of us together?" A wave of commotion erupted. The Master of Deer Bug, the Master of Liujiu, the Master of Ying'ai, the Master of Wuliang, and the Master of Jinfang all looked bewildered. Duan Dong River had just pointed at the five of them, instructing them to enter together. "What about him?" the Master of Ying'ai couldn't help but point at Luo Feng. "What about this Silver River Lord Luo Feng?" The Master of Deer Bug and the other four also grew uneasy. They couldn't question or change Duan Dong River's decision, but during the previous 'cube-like instrument' test, Duan Dong River had actually shown a hint of a smile because of Luo Feng. That's when their suspicions began. And among them... Luo Feng had cultivated for the shortest time, merely a dozen or so eras. How incredibly brief! "The five of you enter together. He, he enters alone," Duan Dong River said coldly. "What, unwilling to enter? Then leave. You can still leave alive now. If you don't leave... the five of you, enter quickly. Those who don't enter will be considered eliminated from the screening." The Master of Deer Bug, the Master of Liujiu, and the three Universe Masters of the God-Eye Clan exchanged glances, then looked at Luo Feng. "Let's go." "Go." Five figures simultaneously entered the corridor. Whoosh~~~~ The heavy, wide gate slammed down, sealing the entire corridor once more. On this side of the gate... only Duan Dong River and Luo Feng remained. "Once you enter the corridor, there's no turning back," Duan Dong River glanced at Luo Feng. Luo Feng nodded, but a myriad of thoughts swirled in his mind. The other five enter together? He enters alone? Why the special treatment? Did Duan Dong River truly see him differently, or was there a unique danger awaiting him? Was it a blessing or a curse? ... Inside the corridor. The Master of Deer Bug, the Master of Liujiu, and the three Universe Masters of the God-Eye Clan watched the gate fall behind them, their expressions subtly changing. "This isn't good," the Master of Ying'ai's voice was sharp, his eyes glinting fiercely. "If one were to choose an inheritor, someone who achieved such heights in just a dozen or so eras of cultivation versus someone who took nearly three Reincarnation Eras to reach the same level... any sane person would choose Luo Feng, wouldn't they? I suspect that peculiar instrument didn't just test bloodline and life characteristics; it very likely also detected how long one has lived!" The other five were startled. Indeed. No one knew exactly what that strange instrument could detect. "It definitely detected something special," the Master of Ying'ai sneered. "Otherwise, why would Duan Dong River have smiled so rarely back then? He was clearly very satisfied with Luo Feng. Why satisfied? I believe it's because it detected that Luo Feng has only lived for a dozen or so eras, a very short cultivation period. A peerless genius who cultivated for such a short time is inconceivable even in our three Reincarnation Eras. Even in ancient civilizations, he would likely be a top-tier genius. Of course, Duan Dong River would be satisfied with such a genius inheriting his legacy. That's why he's treating him differently!" "Hmm." "Right." "That's very possible," one after another spoke, even the Master of Deer Bug nodded. They were all high-ranking beings and understood that when choosing disciples, absolute fairness was impossible. Once they truly favored a certain disciple, they would treat them differently during the selection process. "But what can we do? Now that the five of us are going through the corridor together, we can't even harm Luo Feng incidentally," the Master of Jinfang shook his head. "Duan Dong River probably thought the same, which is why he separated us from him. Even if we have ideas, we can't implement them." "Let's go," the Master of Deer Bug shook his head. "Stop thinking about it. This is Duan Dong River's legacy. We can only follow his will. We'll deal with Luo Feng if an opportunity arises, but there's no chance now... We can only brave this first. We might not even make it through this death corridor." "When braving the death passage, anything can be used. Master of Deer Bug, you have an Ultimate Supreme Treasure, so your chances are much greater." "Hmph." The Master of Deer Bug stopped wasting words and flew directly forward. The Master of Liujiu also transformed into a streak of light and flew ahead. The three God-Eye Clan members exchanged glances, nodded slightly, and continued forward. Their only advantage as the God-Eye Clan was... their unity! With the three of them working together, they didn't fear even the Master of Deer Bug in the slightest. ... On this side of the gate. Luo Feng could vaguely guess that Duan Dong River's actions had likely caused the other five Universe Masters to start eyeing him, viewing him as an adversary and the greatest threat to the legacy. "Boom!" A strong fluctuation faintly emanated from the other side of the gate, causing Luo Feng to involuntarily turn his head, but he could only see the heavy gate. Immediately after, wave after wave of energy fluctuations transmitted through, clearly indicating that life-or-death crises were unfolding deep within the death passage. "Lord Duan Dong River, may I ask why I am separated from the other five?" Luo Feng suddenly asked. Duan Dong River stood there with his eyes closed, his entire being like a block of ice radiating cold. Only upon hearing Luo Feng's words did he open his eyes and glance at him: "Just do as you're told. Don't ask me why I screen this way. If you're dissatisfied, you can withdraw. You can still leave alive now..." After speaking, he closed his eyes again. Luo Feng could only endure it. ... The Skeleton Clan, a peak race of the First Reincarnation Era, possessed a total of four small universes within the vast Universe Ocean. Inside the first small universe. Four towering figures were dispersed in four directions, facing each other from afar in mid-air. These were the four Demon Lords of the Skeleton Clan. "This is what Lihai and I personally experienced. It is indeed a terrifying legacy, the legacy of a super-powerful being from an ancient civilization named 'Duan Dong River Wu.' This Duan Dong River Wu... I suspect he was a great existence second only to the so-called generals when the Universe Boat was still intact, before the endless Reincarnation Eras. His legacy is absolutely extraordinary, and from what we heard, the 'Duan Dong River' legacy only has one inheritor per generation even in ancient civilizations," the Master of Chixiao stood respectfully in mid-air, addressing the four towering figures. "Lihai?" one towering figure spoke. "Is this true?" The Master of Lihai, standing nearby, also respectfully replied: "Yes, it is indeed true. Both of us were eliminated during the first screening because we were not of his race, and thus deemed unworthy of receiving the legacy." "Chixiao, project a simulation of some of your memories, everything you two experienced," the four exalted Demon Lords of the Skeleton Clan were extremely solemn. Even a brief account of this matter sounded very serious and extraordinary. "Yes." The Master of Chixiao respectfully complied. Immediately— A 3D projection appeared in mid-air, starting from when they rushed into the Tomb Mausoleum Boat together. It played until Duan Dong River appeared in the hall and spoke those words, which made the four Demon Lords excited. Then came the legacy... but Duan Dong River's words, 'Not of my race, yet you wish to inherit the legacy of my Duan Dong River lineage? Delusional! Begone!' also chilled the hearts of the four Demon Lords. "Damn it." "Such an opportunity, yet, yet the God-Eye Clan has three members, and not one of us can enter." "Damn it all!" The four Demon Lords also let out angry roars, clearly seething with rage. "Spread the word, spread this news to all three Reincarnation Eras and the two Holy Land Universes," a hoarse voice roared. "Let the entire Universe Ocean know, let powerful beings from all sides flock there in droves. There must be chaos, let the Tomb Mausoleum Boat be plunged into chaos, even destroy Duan Dong River's legacy! In short... only through chaos will our Skeleton Clan have a chance. Even if we don't get a chance, we can still ruin the God-Eye Clan's opportunity. The God-Eye Clan and our Skeleton Clan have endless hatred; we cannot let them gain such a huge advantage." "Spread it." The other three Demon Lords also roared directly, each filled with endless fury. Without hesitation, they immediately began to spread this news to all forces throughout the Universe Ocean. ... Deep within the inner region of the Universe Boat, in the Flame Ice Region, inside the Tomb Mausoleum Boat. Luo Feng stood on this side of the gate, constantly sensing waves of energy fluctuations emanating from deep within, yet he had no idea what was happening inside. "Hmm?" Duan Dong River suddenly opened his eyes and said softly, "One has fallen. Four remain." Luo Feng was startled and couldn't help but look at Duan Dong River. One has fallen?