Chapter 2278 Standing Before the Gates of Hell
Long Chen looked back and saw a strange python rushing over. It had spider-like legs on the upper half of its black body. Two giant teeth flickered with a cold light as it snarled at them.
It seemed that the python felt that the Dragonblood Legion was too slow. Its body was very large, and to the sides were the patrolling monsters of the bridge. It didn’t dare to touch those monsters, so it chose to glare at the Dragonblood Legion.
The bridge wasn’t wide enough for it to pass even with the Dragonblood warriors sticking to one side. It was urging the Dragonblood warriors to quicken their pace.
However, the Dragonblood warriors ignored it. After all, there were too many monsters present. If they ended up crashing into one by accident, that would be troublesome.
After two more snarls, the python seemed to be enraged that they were ignoring it. It opened its mouth, and a black sphere shot out at the Dragonblood warriors at the rear.
“Courting death!” The Dragonblood warriors were enraged. That python clearly knew how dangerous the bridge monsters were and yet still did such a thing.
That black sphere was a powerful divine ability filled with the aura of destruction. The Dragonblood warriors were forced to dodge. As a result, the black sphere exploded on contact with the ground, sending surging black qi waves that sent the Dragonblood warriors flying.
Others let out infuriated roars. This place was the Netherworld, and there was a law preventing them from flying. If they ended up crashing into the bridge monsters, that would be troublesome.
The python seemed excited by the Dragonblood Legion’s chaos. It opened its mouth, about to unleash a second attack.
Its mouth had barely opened when Gu Yang kicked its jaw, sending it flipping back.
With a furious roar, it dragged its long tail against the ground to stabilize. As a result, its tail struck one of the bridge monsters.
That monstrosity’s chains immediately shot out, piercing the tail. It then pulled, dragging in the huge python’s body.
The python screamed.
“They really aren’t the same guards as the last time…” thought Long Chen. When he had entered the Netherworld with the old man, these figures hadn’t been so powerful. At that time, he thought that he could handle them.
At that time, his cultivation base and power had been much weaker. In theory, at his current level, he should be able to sweep away these monsters. But now he found that they were much more frightening.
The python struggled with all its might. Its claws dragged against the bricks, but it was useless.
Although they were all spiritual bodies, it was unknown what laws the Netherworld had to make them feel like they were in their real forms. Sparks flew as its claws dragged against the ground, and sharp sounds rang out.
The monstrosity was expressionless as it pulled its chains back. The cold chains didn’t give off any fluctuations, but they were able to drag back such a powerful expert.
The python’s tail suddenly broke off, unleashing a rain of blood. With its remaining body, it leaped into the air and charged across the bridge.
The blood splattered across the bricks and then slowly faded. As for the bridge monster, it acted as if nothing had happened and continued to patrol.
The broken bricks and clawed bridge automatically recovered.
The python was truly powerful, but even it was unable to retaliate against the bridge monster. In the end, it had severed its own tail to run. The Dragonblood warriors’ hearts turned cold.
After that disturbance, a few dozen other lifeforms had paused. More and more lifeforms were entering the Netherworld.
Long Chen noticed there were more bridges in the distance, just like the one they were on. The heavy mist blocked most of his sight though.
This was completely different from when he had entered with the old man. Last time, there had only been one bridge. He had always assumed that there was only one.
Was this because the great era had come? The Netherworld had set itself up for greater capacity? Or was this a different path than the one he had come with the old man?
After that disturbance, the Dragonblood Legion and the other lifeforms that had arrived slowly crept over the bridge, afraid of touching the patrolling monsters.
After passing the bridge, there was only a single path. Upon reaching the end of the path, they saw an endless sea that was the color of the darkest ink.
“Boss, this aura… It’s so familiar. Is it…?”
That black water made Guo Ran react. When devils had poured out of the Devil Abyss, Long Chen had given him death water to use against them, and it had the same aura as this black water.
The difference though was that the aura of death coming from this black water was even stronger. Everyone felt a chill.
“This is death spirit water. If you fall in, you’ll definitely die.” As a demonstration, Long Chen stuck a divine sword into the water.
When he took it out, the portion that entered the water had silently vanished. That scene was shocking.
The black water had some floating logs on it that could be used to travel. That was the same as last time. These floating logs were the only way to cross this path leading to the Gates of Hell.
Long Chen had everyone stand to the side, allowing the other lifeforms to cross first.
The other lifeforms stared at Long Chen and the others for a moment before jumping on.
Those floating logs looked very unsteady as they bobbled in the water, but they never sank no matter how heavy the entity jumping on was.
“How curious. Why do they seem so familiar with this place?” wondered Guo Ran.
“Perhaps they already know a bit about the Netherworld before entering. Unfortunately, for the human race, upon managing to advance from the Netherworld, all the memories of it will be lost. There’s no way to transmit useful information,” said Long Chen.
After the old man had come out, Long Chen asked him what he had experienced upon entering the Gates of Hell. However, the old man didn’t remember anything at all.
As for Long Chen, upon returning to the Martial Heaven Continent, he felt like there was some invisible law keeping an eye on him, not allowing him to mention taboo things about the Netherworld. It felt like if he said something, it wouldn’t just be him that would suffer. The person who heard would also suffer unbearable karma.
That was why in the outside world, Long Chen hadn’t exposed too much about what had happened in the Netherworld. But upon returning, that feeling of taboo had clearly vanished.
“Boss, let’s go too.” When those lifeforms had all vanished into the darkness, Guo Ran spoke up.
“Don’t be impatient. Come, let’s distribute the weapons and armor.” Long Chen took out bundles with names written on them. Long Chen had taken everyone’s equipment before entering the Netherworld.
The Netherworld did not allow them to bring in items from the outside world, but Long Chen was an exception. He had the primal chaos space and was not limited by this.
Once all the Dragonblood warriors were equipped, they all felt refreshed. Yue Zifeng in particular was like a completely different person with his sword.
“Alright, let’s go now. There’s no need to fear. If anyone causes trouble again, we’ll directly hack them.” Guo Ran’s confidence inflated upon getting his armor again.
With this equipment, they had a huge advantage over other lifeforms that entered the Netherworld. Those lifeforms couldn’t bring in objects because their astral spaces were not like the primal chaos space.
The human race had quite a disadvantage when entering this world due to not having special physical bodies, unlike other lifeforms that used their teeth or claws as weapons.
“We have too many people, so this path is too dangerous. We’ll take a boat across.” Long Chen took out a giant boat. It was an ordinary flying boat, but Long Chen had covered the outside with the black soil. The black soil could prevent the corrosion of the death spirit water.
Seeing that boat, everyone was delighted. They jumped on. However, here, the boat could not fly.
The oars were also wrapped in black soil. Over two hundred Dragonblood warriors rowed at the same time, bringing them gliding across the water. From the boat, they could see all kinds of lifeforms carefully crossing.
Those lifeforms stared at them in disbelief. Some of them accidentally tripped, resulting in their feet falling into the water. Screams rang out, and when they pulled them out, their feet had vanished.
As the Dragonblood Legion sped across with the boat, Long Chen saw multiple paths of wooden logs with various lifeforms carefully creeping forward.
“Who would have thought that there were so many different lifeforms other than the ones on the Martial Heaven Continent? We really are frogs at the bottom of a well,” sighed Meng Qi.
They had to have encountered tens of thousands of different lifeforms, but not one human, let alone someone from the Martial Heaven Continent.
Eventually, the flying boat reached a nine-colored whirlpool, and they jumped onto the wooden logs. The Dragonblood warriors were all stunned by the sight of the nine-colored whirlpool.
Long Chen smiled. He had had the same expression as them when he had first seen this whirlpool.
Long Chen put away the flying boat. After that, the Dragonblood Legion descended down the whirlpool through a staircase. Upon reaching the bottom where there was flat land, they saw a path of illusions that went through the waterfall of the whirlpool.
Long Chen looked at the surrounding waterfall. This was the core of the nine springs. He and Xie Qianqian had been sucked into Purgatory from here.
Long Chen led the Dragonblood Legion through the passageway, and they quickly arrived at a set of giant gates.
The Gates of Hell.