SWNOVELXO Chapter 167: Entering The Core Area
At this moment, the remaining disciples from both righteous and demonic paths were gathering in front of the portal, with two Princes among them.
The Fifth Prince was initially focused on dealing with Lucian, but his attention shifted as soon as the portal appeared.
The group made no move, as if waiting for something.
Meanwhile, Lucian had also spotted Marcus in the crowd, but his attention was drawn to where everyone else was looking.
In front of him was a huge portal, and inside he could see a huge cliff with two rugged paths leading to the top of the cliff. At the base of the cliff was a sea of fire, emanating an intense heat that they even could feel without entering.
The top of the cliff was surrounded by Spiritual clouds and mist, obstructing the views.
'It seems that this cliff is the endpoint,' Lucian thought to himself.
At this moment, Iris's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, "Lucian, everytime the Secret Realm opens, the conditions for passing will change, and no one knew what kind of dangers lay ahead. So don't rush to enter."
He smiled and nodded his head. Surveying the surroundings, he began to wait in silence.
At this time, Fifth Prince, with an arrogant voice, said, "That cliff is the endpoint. Who among you dares to lead the way?"
Despite his desire to order Lucian, he thought that if he were to enter, and then he would not have the opportunity to personally kill him.
Hearing his words, people closed their eyes as if they didn't hear him. After all, no one wanted to be the sacrificial lamb.
Noticing, no one responding, Fifth Prince's eyes turned even colder, and he directly pointed at .the thin young man who had previously shared the news about Iris's arrival, "You there, prove your worth, go and test the water. Resist and die!"
The young man's face lost all color as he heard this. He spun around to face Seventh Prince, silently sending a message through his Qi Sense.
However, the only response he received was the same cold command.
He cursed inside, but knew better than to disobey. As a follower of Prince, he had no right to refuse.
The young man turned into a white light and flew towards the portal. It didn't take long for him to enter.
Bang!!
However, as soon as he stepped in, the young man was violently smashed onto the rocky ground, the sound of bones breaking filling the air!
"AAAHHH…!!"
He had no time to defend himself, his cry of pain echoed briefly before falling silent.
"It's like a forbidden zone that restricts flight!" Someone among the crowd spoke out loudly.
The expressions on the faces of the surrounding cultivators also changed.
After a moment, Fifth Prince's voice echoed again, "You two, enter and test the way."
He pointed at two Foundation Establishment cultivators from smaller sects. Their faces paled, but they dared not refuse. With trembling steps, they approached the portal.
The two selected young men entered cautiously. They didn't fly but walked slowly.
Outside, others could see that these two didn't fall to ground like the first man.
Soon they reached the sea of fire at the base of the cliff. Waves of scorching heat rolled off the molten surface, causing sweat to pour down their faces. The disciples hesitated, exchanging nervous glances.
However, what happened next shocked everyone watching!
As the two disciples entered with Spiritual Energy Shields covering them, they had only walked halfway across the sea of fire when four figures abruptly came out of the flames!
They were as fast as lightning as they surrounded the two cultivators, with two for each one.
The figures were humanoid but made entirely of fire.
Before the two disciples could react, they lashed out with whip-like tendrils of flame. The Spiritual Energy Shields of the cultivators shattered instantly under the onslaught.
"Agrhhh...!!!"
Screams of agony filled the air as the flames engulfed them.
In mere seconds, the two disciples were reduced to ash!
After killing them, the four figures immediately entered the sea of fire, disappearing from everyone's sight.
From their appearance to the deaths of these two cultivators, everything happened in an instant.
Everyone was startled!
"They are like puppets!" someone shouted, pointing at the flame figures that had disappeared back into the sea of fire.
However, these two were not the strongest among the gathered cultivators. Their deaths, while shocking, did not deter everyone.
At this time, three demon path cultivators stepped forward. Their auras were quite strong, comparable to peak Foundation Establishment realm.
"Watch how true cultivators handle this," one of them sneered at the others.
As they stepped into the fiery abyss, nine silhouettes emerged, encircling them!
This time, there were three for each cultivator!
"Fuck! The number of puppets seems to link to the number of cultivators!"
Gritting his teeth, he drew his sword and charged at the nearest fire puppet.
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As the sword connected, there was a cling sound as one of the fire puppet's hands was severed.
But before he could celebrate, two other puppets lunged at him from behind, shredding through robes and flesh alike.
His companions watched in terror as his body seemed to melt away under the puppets' assault. Within seconds, he had vanished without a trace, not even ashes remaining.
The other two were horrified by their comrade's fate. In desperation, they directly used a forbidden technique and began to run back.
Yet within moments, they too were overwhelmed. Despite their desperate struggles and forbidden techniques, the two cultivators met the same fate as their companion.
Seeing this, outside many had already given up the idea of entering.
But Lucian turned to Iris and said, "Let's go."
His eyes gleamed with a hint of excitement.
Fifth Prince was about to say something, but Lucian directly grabbed Iris's hand and entered the portal.
Fifth Prince's face twisted with rage. He snorted coldly and followed them in.
The next moment, Seventh Prince, Marcus, the red-haired cultivator, and other core disciples from various sects also stepped through.
As Lucian and Iris approached the sea of fire, fourteen flaming figures emerged from the sea of fire.
"What? These two actually forced out fourteen puppets!" someone exclaimed in shock.
"I understand the Royal Princess' power, but who is that guy?!"
Only Fifth Prince remained calm inside, thinking this must be because of Iris's unique bloodline and physique. But what happened next almost caused his eyes to bulge in disbelief.
Among the fourteen flaming figures, eight targeted Lucian while the other six went for Iris!
"Impossible..." This time, Marcus loudly exclaimed, his body trembling as he realized the person he had once thought he could squeeze like an ant had already surpassed him. He hurriedly turned back and tried to leave!
However, he had already stepped into the range of the restriction. Four dark figures swiftly closed in on him, leaving him with no choice but to prepare for battle.
Meanwhile the fourteen fire puppets attacked encircled Lucian and Iris swiftly, their burning hands lashing out like whips.
"Wait! I want to test something," Lucian said, holding Iris back as she prepared to attack.
Lucian stood still as the fire puppets attacked. Their flaming whips lashed out, striking his body directly. Some even used fists and swords made of pure fire.
As the attacks touched Lucian's robe, the fabric instantly burned away in his chest and back area.
But,
Clang!
A metallic sound rang out as the fire weapons struck Lucian's bare skin. It was as if they had hit metal instead of flesh!
The flames continued to spread, engulfing Lucian's entire body. Yet he didn't even frown. His expression remained calm and curious.
Those watching gasped in shock.
"So this is what it means to be invulnerable to fire," Lucian thought as the flames touched harmlessly at his skin. A wide grin spread across his face.
He felt no pain, only a pleasant warmth!
Then with a flick of his wrist, Lucian's halberd materialized in his hand.
He circulated his Cultivation Technique to the fullest, feeling power surge through his body.
In one swift motion, Lucian swung the halberd in a wide arc. It cleaved through two fire puppets like a hot knife through butter. The puppets let out no sound as they dissolved into wisps of smoke.
Beside him, Iris moved like lightning. Her sword flashed with crackling purple thunder as she struck out at the puppets surrounding her. Each swing of her sword shattered a puppet's body.
Within five heartbeats, they completely destroyed their attackers.
Lucian and Iris stood unscathed amidst the sea of fire.
Lucian's eyes then turned towards the Fifth Prince, and trough Qi Sense, Lucian asked Iris, "Would you mind if I kill your brother?"
Iris could feel the rage burning within Lucian. It warmed her heart to know he cared so deeply.
She replied with disgust in her voice, "Of course not. I also want to kill that asshole. Did he think I can't see his true intentions? But let's wait till we reach the top of the cliff."