Test or Opportunity?

Chen Zhou keenly picked up on the information hidden in her words.

Hearing his question, the woman chuckled, covering her mouth as her flowing sleeves swayed lightly. She did not give a direct answer, however. "Are you not already considered one?"

"But ordinary people cannot pass my master's tests."

"Tests?" Chen Zhou asked.

Seeing that Chen Zhou remained guarded, she offered a kind explanation.

"The two iron lumps outside the gate, for one."

"Though they are merely dead things my master fashioned on a whim, they serve as the first test. They only bar mediocre people who haven't even reached the sixth-stage."

"The Immortal-Slaying Shrine itself is the second test. Anyone without the aura of the divine path cannot step foot here; they would be instantly obliterated by the restriction at the entrance."

"As for the third test..." The woman reached out, pointing toward the other two silent men before finally pointing back at herself with a knowing smile.

A test, or perhaps... an opportunity?

Chen Zhou understood. He tactfully refrained from prying and cupped his hands again. "Thank you for enlightening me, senior."

He had already realized that the so-called 'opportunities' likely lay within the various ponds scattered around the area. Or, more precisely, they lay with the things inside those ponds.

His gaze swept over the dozens of ponds. The aura emanating from each one was distinct.

Some were deathly still, others overflowed with resentment, and some were clear as a mirror while hiding lethal dangers beneath the surface.

'It seems this "fishing" is the way to obtain these opportunities,' Chen Zhou thought to himself.

He hesitated no longer and stepped toward a pond nearest to the central blood pond.

That pond was only about three yards wide, filled with churning black sludge. Bubbles rose to the surface intermittently, releasing dense death qi as they burst.

Seeing him move, a glimmer of approval flashed in the woman’s eyes. She seemed satisfied with his perception.

She spoke again, offering another kind reminder. "Your intuition is quite good, young man. However, let me say one more thing."

"You are currently at the second transformation of eerification. Your strength is acceptable. According to the rules here, you have two opportunities to fish."

"But each Wanchuan pond can only be fished in once, regardless of success or failure." She paused, glancing casually at the black sludge pond Chen Zhou had chosen.

"That eighth-stage Abyssal Sludge Pond has an aura far too fierce; it is not suitable for you."

"Excessive rigidity leads to breakage; it is better to be steady. Over there, that sixth-stage Pure Soul Pond is more suited for you. The things inside have gentler temperaments."

Eighth-stage... sixth-stage.

Chen Zhou was intrigued. He hadn't expected the ponds to be ranked by grades.

He looked at the terrifying aura of the Abyssal Sludge Pond, then at the Pure Soul Pond the woman had suggested.

After a moment of thought, he decided to follow her advice.

It wasn't that he feared a challenge, but in a completely alien environment facing three unfathomable beings, there was no harm in remaining cautious.

Chen Zhou cupped his hands toward the woman again in gratitude for her guidance. He then turned and walked to the front of the Pure Soul Pond.

The water was clear, and he could easily see white sand and stones covering the bottom. A faint, clean fragrance wafted from the surface, washing over his mind.

If the woman hadn't warned him, Chen Zhou never would have guessed that such a peaceful-looking pond was also one of the so-called Wanchuan ponds.

He took a deep breath and began considering what to use as bait.

Ordinary flesh and blood would likely not catch the eye of whatever lived in this pond.

With a thought, Chen Zhou flipped his palm, revealing three pills.

A Flesh-Reconstitution Pill, a Blood-Inducing Pill, and a soul-shaping pill.

Each one was a sixth-stage pill that required at least five sets of same-stage materials to refine!

After clearing the four vents in the secret realm and breaking down four blind boxes, combined with Bodhisattva Jieyin's massive corpse, he had only managed to acquire ten sets of each type of sixth-stage material.

This meant that at most, he could currently only refine six sixth-stage pills.

Producing three at once was a massive investment for him, one that cut deep into his resources.

But if one did not bait the hook, they would not catch the fish. Flesh and souls could always be gathered again, but such an opportunity might only come once.

He was going to bet big!

Chen Zhou kneaded the three pills into a single mass in his palm.

He believed that in this place of silence, no bait could be more attractive than this concentrated mass of sixth-stage energy.

Death qi surged from within his body, condensing into an illusory fishing rod and line in his hand.

He hooked the mass of pills and gave his wrist a flick, casting the line into the center of the Pure Soul Pond.

The moment the bait hit the water, the mirror-like surface of the Pure Soul Pond suddenly boiled.

Splash—!

The clear water was instantly stained black as if ink had been dropped into it, turning into a pitch-black abyss.

The sand and stones at the bottom dissolved instantly, becoming part of the water.

Following that, countless human-faced ghosts emerged from the surface. They struggled and roared like a pack of water ghosts desperate to break free from their underwater shackles, ready to devour anyone in sight.

Thick death qi soared toward the sky, only to be forcefully suppressed by his Ghost Domain at the water’s surface, preventing it from advancing an inch further.

Chen Zhou’s expression remained unchanged, though he felt a sense of relief.

The greater the commotion, the better the effect of the bait.

Countless ghost shadows fought and scrambled to snatch the bait.

Sure enough, in the next instant, the rod formed from death qi sank. A massive force traveled up the line, nearly dragging him into the pond.

Something had taken the bait!

Chen Zhou’s eyes narrowed as he stabilized his stance and gave the rod a violent upward yank!

After several rounds of tugging, a transparent object wrapped in black mist was forcibly pulled from the water.

Before he could even see the object’s shape clearly, Chen Zhou felt his vision shift and the world spin.

Everything around him vanished—the three fishers, the dozens of Wanchuan ponds, the sky, and the earth were all gone.

In their place appeared an ancient battlefield strewn with corpses.

Broken weapons were thrust into the earth everywhere, and tattered banners fluttered in the gray wind.

Chen Zhou found himself standing atop a small hill made of skeletons.

He still held the fishing line firmly in his hand, the other end connected to the bottomless pile of corpses beneath his feet.

Crash—

With a tug of the line, the pile of corpses shook violently, as if some gargantuan creature was about to crawl out.

Chen Zhou’s gaze turned cold as he increased his strength, leaping off the corpse hill and continuing to pull.

Soon, a massive, severed demon claw burst out from the pile of corpses.

The claw was a murky dark-green, covered in a hard carapace with fingertips as sharp as scythes.

Though it was merely a severed claw, the pressure it emitted surpassed the limit of the sixth-stage, firmly stepping into the level of the third transformation of eerification!

'It really is a big one,' Chen Zhou thought.

The moment the severed claw appeared, it locked onto Chen Zhou’s aura and swiped down at his head with thunderous force!

Facing this overwhelming strike, Chen Zhou’s figure blurred, narrowly avoiding the blow. The giant claw slammed into his original position, shattering the entire mountain of corpses and sending bone shards flying.

Having missed its strike, the five joints of the claw twisted flexibly. They detached one by one, transforming into five giant pythons that struck from different directions to strangle Chen Zhou, sealing off all paths of retreat.