Chapter 617 - 615: Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Gates

The Void Ancient Cave was unfathomably deep, its true depth unknown.

Enveloped by the sphere of light, Jiang Chen and the others could clearly see streaks of Annihilation Gang Wind and terrifying Void Storms raging outside.

The Dragon Emperor said, "We’ve tried to come down and investigate before, but we could only reach a depth of a hundred *li* at most before we couldn’t withstand the Annihilation Gang Wind and Void Storms and had to retreat."

The Sword Emperor nodded and continued, "Even Emperor Realm masters would find only death amidst these Annihilation Gang Winds and Void Storms. The Fire Emperor entered the Void Ancient Cave directly without the protection of the Mystic Sect Sword Order. He had no chance of survival!"

"I see!"

Jiang Chen and the others all nodded.

They were all well aware of how terrifying the Annihilation Gang Wind and Void Storms were.

It was no exaggeration to say that...

A single, finger-thick strand of Annihilation Gang Wind could destroy a Human King!

Here, the smallest strands of Annihilation Gang Wind were several meters long, not to mention the Void Storms formed from their convergence—something even Emperor Realm masters couldn’t withstand!

If not for the protection of the Origin Sword Qi from the Mystic Sect Sword Order, it would have been impossible for Jiang Chen and his group to enter the Void Ancient Cave.

As they continued their descent, the Void Storms and Annihilation Gang Winds grew increasingly terrifying.

The sphere of light formed by the Origin Sword Qi was growing ever fainter, looking as if it could shatter at any moment.

Everyone felt a surge of anxiety.

The Void Storms and Annihilation Gang Winds here stretched for tens of thousands of *li*, filling the entire space. If they lost the protection of the Origin Sword Qi, even the several Emperor Realm masters would die a miserable death here!

"What are we going to do?"

"When is this ever going to end?"

Everyone looked at Jiang Chen anxiously.

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes. "Damn it, why is everyone looking at me? It’s my first time in here too. How the hell would I know when we’ll reach the bottom?"

The others gave an awkward laugh.

The Celestial Secret Elder, who had been calm and composed the whole time, suddenly smiled. "We’re here!"

"Huh?"

Just as everyone was staring blankly, a bright light suddenly appeared ahead.

SWOOSH—

As soon as the sphere of light touched the brightness, it vanished.

Jiang Chen and the others instantly shot out of the terrifying Void Ancient Cave, all of them gasping for breath as if they had just survived a disaster. "We’re finally out!"

"Hahaha, I’ve finally reached the Mystic Sect!"

"Huh? Is this the Mystic Sect?"

"No, this isn’t the Mystic Sect..."

Only then did everyone look around.

The Mystic Sect was nowhere to be found.

There were only three simple, ancient, cyan stone gates. Carved upon them were marvelous totems of auspicious beasts and clouds, exuding an ancient, weathered, and incredibly heavy aura, as if they were the sediment of countless ages.

"Heaven, Earth, Human?"

Above each of the three ancient stone gates was a plaque. The plaques were inscribed with the words "Heaven," "Earth," and "Human," respectively!

"There’s a stone tablet up ahead, let’s go take a look!" Long Chan shouted.

Everyone hurried over.

There were a few lines of small text on the tablet, introducing these Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Gates!

"I see... Those at the Emperor Realm and above can only enter through the Heaven Gate. Those in the Human Emperor Realm enter through the Earth Gate, and those below the Human Emperor Realm must enter through the Human Gate." Jiang Chen glanced at it and thought to himself, ’What strange rules. Are they trying to separate masters of different levels?’

The Dragon Emperor looked at the Celestial Secret Elder. "Celestial Secret, what do you think?"

"Since these are the rules, we should just follow them," the Celestial Secret Elder said with a smile.

The Asura Blood Emperor looked at the Dragon Emperor. "What? Are you scared?"

"Hmph!"

The Dragon Emperor snorted coldly and looked at Long Chan. "Long Chan, take the disciples at the Human Emperor Realm and enter through the Earth Gate!"

"Yes, Ancestor!"

Long Chan said respectfully.

One by one, the experts entered one of the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Gates according to their cultivation.

The eight Emperor Realm masters waited until the end.

This was because they were worried that if they went in first, other Emperor Realm masters might attack their disciples.

Zhao Hongluan looked at Jiang Chen. "Jiang Chen, I’m heading in!"

She had to move with the experts from the Flying Snow Dynasty, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to be alone with Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen smiled and nodded.

Gai Shi waved at him. "Jiang Chen, when I come out, I’ll definitely surpass you!"

"I’ll be waiting!" Jiang Chen said with a smile.

Then, Gai Shi and the others also stepped into the Human Gate.

Only Jiang Chen and the eight Emperor Realm masters remained in front of the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Gates.

Jiang Chen gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose. "Damn, so I’m the only one going through the Human Gate?"

The Asura Blood Emperor chuckled. "Whose fault is it that you haven’t broken through to the Human Emperor Realm, kid?"

The Dragon Emperor sneered, "Isn’t it good for you to go in alone? Maybe it’s full of treasures, and they’ll all be yours!"

"Idiot!"

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes. "Treasures all for me? But if there’s danger, doesn’t that mean I have to face it all alone too! Have you been living like a dog for the past hundred thousand years?"

"You..."

The Dragon Emperor’s face darkened, his expression filled with rage.

Jiang Chen paid no mind to the Dragon Emperor’s glare. With the Asura Blood Emperor and the others present, the Dragon Emperor and his allies wouldn’t dare to make a move on him anyway.

He immediately cupped his fists towards the Celestial Secret Elder, the Asura Blood Emperor, and Emperor Feixue. "Seniors, Jiang Chen will take his leave first!"

"Be careful!"

The Asura Blood Emperor nodded.

A brilliant gleam flashed in the Celestial Secret Elder’s eyes. His lips moved slightly as he sent a voice transmission to Jiang Chen: "Little friend, this old one has just performed a second divination for you. You must remember this well—do not enter the Human Emperor Realm until you reach the Mystic Sect!"

"Hm?"

Jiang Chen’s heart stirred.

He had immense faith in the Celestial Secret Elder’s abilities. Back in the Celestial Demon Canyon, if not for a single sentence from the elder, he would have already perished in the Holy Blood Spirit Pool.

Now that the Celestial Secret Elder had performed a second divination for him, Jiang Chen naturally committed it to memory.

He nodded to the Celestial Secret Elder, then turned and entered the Human Gate.

"Everyone, it’s time we went as well!"

"Let’s go!"

The eight Emperor Realm masters entered the Heaven Gate one after another.

...

「Inside the Human Gate」

Jiang Chen saw a figure clad in a black robe, appearing as vast and boundless as a starry sky. The figure slowly turned to look at him.

Within that pair of eyes, there seemed to be a sea of stars.

A single glance nearly caused Jiang Chen to become lost within them.

He hurriedly bit the tip of his tongue, which allowed him to regain a sliver of clarity. He cupped his fists toward the magnificent figure and said, "Junior Jiang Chen pays his respects to Senior!"

"Mm."

The faint voice was devoid of joy or sorrow, carrying no emotion whatsoever. The figure frowned almost imperceptibly. "I didn’t expect a little fellow at the Human King Realm to enter. It seems... since the Mystic Sect fell silent, the Eastern Continent has indeed declined!"

Jiang Chen didn’t reply, waiting for the magnificent figure to continue.

The magnificent figure muttered to himself for a moment before speaking, "Little fellow, from the moment you stepped into the Human Gate, your life and death are no longer under your control. Unless you can reach the Mystic Sect, you will ultimately die in here. You must remember every word I am about to say, as it concerns your very survival!"

"Please speak, Senior!"

Jiang Chen said respectfully.

The magnificent figure said faintly, "Behind the Human Gate lies the territory of the Kun-eating Race. The Kun-eating Race has a total of one hundred and eight tribes, and each tribe has an altar. What you must do is destroy all one hundred and eight tribes of the Kun-eating Race within one year and seize their altars. Only after you have collected all one hundred and eight altars can you open the passage to the Mystic Sect. Remember, you only have one year. If you cannot complete this task within the time limit, I will personally obliterate you!"

"Senior, what kind of race is this Kun-eating Race? And what is the strength of the Kun-eating Race in the one hundred and eight tribes?" Jiang Chen asked in quick succession.

"No comment!" the magnificent figure said with a cold and indifferent expression. "Go!"

With a wave of his hand, Jiang Chen felt the world spin around him, and his body vanished from within the Human Gate...