The artifact spirit of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng gazed at him deeply. “Jian Chen, you better think it through. Once you set foot on the Bridge of Life and Death, you’ll have to face a trial of life and death. Under the testing of both the Laws of Fire and the Laws of Destruction, you will face unimaginable pain and torture, and you will have no room for regret. If you fail, it is complete annihilation.”
“I’ve already thought it through. Since the Bridge of Life and Death is the only way to seek an audience with the Grand Exalt, then even if I only have the tiniest chance of getting out alive, even if I have to face all the hards.h.i.+ps in the world, I must attempt the Bridge of Life and Death.” Jian Chen clasped his fist. He was determined, and his resolve had not wavered at all. He bowed towards the artifact spirit deeply and said, “Please activate the Bridge of Life and Death for me!”
Perhaps because he could tell Jian Chen was determined to attempt the Bridge of Life and Death, the artifact spirit said nothing more. He raised his hand slowly and extended a finger towards the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng gently.
With that gesture, the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng immediately began to surge with energy. The supreme power of laws descended. The Laws of Fire and the Laws of Destruction produced a bridge out of thin air, radiating with blinding light.
Within the light, half of it was fiery-red that symbolised the Laws of Fire, while the other half was an inky-black that symbolised the Laws of Destruction.
The bridge was the Bridge of Life and Death the artifact spirit had been talking about, a bridge completely condensed from extremely pure energy and the power of two great laws.
From afar, the Bridge of Life and Death was like a staircase. One end of the staircase sat on the ground, while the other end was directly connected to the highest point of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng.
That was where the Anatta Grand Exalt cultivated. If Jian Chen pa.s.sed the test of the Bridge of Life and Death, he could directly make it to the highest floor of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng, giving him the right to see the Anatta Grand Exalt.
“The Bridge of Life and Death requires a hundred steps. The further you go, the greater the difficulty becomes, such that each step comes with life and death, and each step is a tribulation. Once you have completed the hundred steps, you will have pa.s.sed through the Bridge of Life and Death and reached the highest floor of the heavenly palace.”
“Once you enter the bridge, you will find death to be a blessing. Jian Chen, if you change your mind now, it’s still not too late.” The artifact spirit gave his final word of advice.
However, Jian Chen set foot on the Bridge of Life and Death without any hesitation.
Energy surged through the Bridge of Life and Death. The brilliant glow from the Laws of Fire and the Laws of Destruction illuminated the entire sky.
As soon as Jian Chen entered the Bridge of Life and Death, his figure vanished completely, having been swallowed by the light from the two laws.
However, the artifact spirit was completely unaffected. His gaze could pierce all obstacles, allowing him to make out exactly what was happening on the Bridge of Life and Death.
On the Bridge of Life and Death, Jian Chen immediately felt like he had been thrown into a living h.e.l.l the moment he set foot on it. From the outside, the Bridge of Life and Death was only a staircase constructed from energy and laws, but once he set foot inside, he found an extremely brutal and terrifying world before his eyes.
In Jian Chen’s eyes, this world, this s.p.a.ce, was completely filled by the Laws of Fire and Destruction. These two laws that were worlds apart each occupied a region of their own, extending off to the very depths.
The Laws of Fire turned into flames, incinerating the s.p.a.ce with terrifying heat as if it could burn everything in the world
The Laws of Destruction turned into visible blades, giving off a destructive presence as it swept off into the surroundings with absolutely terrifying destructive power.
The moment Jian Chen stepped onto the Bridge of Life and Death, his body endured the combined attacks from the Laws of Fire and the Laws of Destruction. Under the Laws of Fire, half of his body immediately turned bright red like a glowing bar of metal. Before long, his robust body seemed to run out of moisture, withering away rapidly at a visible rate.
The other half of his body suffered even more severe injuries from the Laws of Destruction
In terms of the damage, the Laws of Destruction were even more terrifying than the Laws of Fire. In a split second, the half of Jian Chen’s body that endured the Laws of Destruction was heavily injured. The invisible blades condensed from the Laws of Destruction directly cut through the defences of his Chaotic Body, peppering him with wounds.
In that instant, his chaotic blood dyed that half of his body red!
If he wanted to make it through the Bridge of Destruction, he had to take a hundred steps forward. The further he went, the more dangerous it would be. Jian Chen had only entered the bridge, and he already suffered from such wounds. The level of danger that the bridge posed had far surpa.s.sed his expectations.
His body endured the destruction and torture of the two powers simultaneously, but Jian Chen’s expression did not change at all. He was calm and composed as if he could not sense the intense pain at all.
Inside his body, the chaotic neidan began to revolve rapidly as the Chaotic Force within surged out furiously at an unprecedented rate, not only boosting the defences of his Chaotic Body to the limit as it flowed through his body, but also healing his wounds as quickly as possible.
Afterwards, Jian Chen began approaching the depths of the Bridge of Life and Death with heavy footsteps as he withstood the test of the Laws of Fire and Destruction.
He did not move at a fast pace, but his footsteps were extraordinarily heavy as if every single step took all the strength he had. Every single step was a tremendous burden on him.
One step, two steps, three steps, five steps, ten steps…
As he advanced, the Laws of Fire and the Laws of Destruction from the bridge intensified and grew even more terrifying. Even with the Chaotic Body, Jian Chen faced painful torture that made him feel like death was a blessing.
The difficulty of the Bridge of Life and Death was adjusted according to his strength, cultivation, and battle prowess. Even though Jian Chen was at the Ninth Heavenly Layer of Infinite Prime, he was extremely talented, such that he could challenge those stronger than him. As a result, the test he faced from the Bridge of Life and Death obviously surpa.s.sed Infinite Prime and reached the level of Chaotic Prime.
With the increase in difficulty, Jian Chen’s advantage in being able to challenge those stronger than him obviously ceased to exist.
Even the advantage from the Chaotic Body gradually vanished with his constant advance.
Jian Chen’s gaze was determined. His footsteps were heavy but powerful. He endured the agony and completed fifty steps in a single breath, finis.h.i.+ng half of the journey.
However, this half of the journey had come at an unimaginable cost to him. The half of his body charred by the Laws of Fire had already turned pitch-black. All of its moisture and blood had evaporated away, so it seemed parched like firewood. Large cracks riddled his skin.
The other half of his body had become a b.l.o.o.d.y mess a long time ago from the damage from the Laws of Destruction. Large chunks of flesh had even fallen off, revealing his pale-white bones.
Yet, he had only completed half of the journey so far!