Chapter 416 - 392: Five Elements Gates, Magical Treasures Show Their Might

Chapter 416: Chapter 392: Five Elements Gates, Magical Treasures Show Their Might

"Hold steady!"

"Right!"

The cultivators’ expressions were grave, but they weren’t panicked. The Magical Treasure Flying Boat was not only incredibly fast, but it also had extremely strong defenses—it was a Celestial Grade Magical Treasure.

The group was pouring all their Magical Power into the Flying Boat. Although the craft continued to spin and tumble violently in the current, the barrier of light on its surface was incredibly tough and never shattered. As a result, while the cultivators inside were uncomfortable, they were all unharmed.

However, none of them dared to linger in the current. If they stayed too long, even though most of them were Nascent Soul Peak Cultivators, their Magical Power would eventually run out. The Flying Boat wouldn’t be able to hold on either and would be torn to shreds by the water.

If it really came to that, even Zhang Chi would have to reveal some of his trump cards to pass through this water gate.

Therefore, not only were they resisting the current, but they were also pushing the Flying Boat forward.

The Flying Boat struggled onward through the torrent. After what seemed like both a long time and a brief moment, the pressure around them finally dissipated. They had passed through the water layer and successfully entered another space.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here was clearly purer and more abundant than outside.

But before they could relax, they felt an incomparably scorching aura.

BOOM!

In the next moment, massive flames erupted from the empty space around them, instantly forming a sea of fire.

Fortunately, the group had anticipated this and was prepared. While continuing to jointly power the Flying Boat, Cheng Ran waved a hand and summoned a palm-sized, blue-skinned Gourd.

The Gourd absorbed Spiritual Power and rapidly grew in size, then began emitting waves of cold air. This air formed a baring-fanged Cold Dragon that coiled around the Flying Boat. The cultivators immediately felt the temperature drop significantly, making them much more comfortable.

At the same time, the Flying Boat’s light barrier, which had been showing signs of melting, stabilized once more.

"What a Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch’s Cave Mansion! Just the Array at the entrance is impossible for ordinary cultivators to pass. I really don’t know how your Wang Family ancestor and his companions managed to get in back then!"

"Indeed, our ancestors were truly remarkable. Their Cultivation and Combat Power might not have matched ours, but their courage and wisdom were in no way inferior. After all, we’re facing a weakened version of the Array. If it hadn’t been weakened, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to break through even if we worked together. We might have even suffered casualties."

As the cultivators breathed a sigh of relief, they couldn’t help but marvel at the situation.

In truth, there were cultivators among them who practiced Fire Element Cultivation Techniques, such as Zhang Chi.

But even for Zhang Chi, this environment was extremely dangerous, let alone for the other cultivators.

Fortunately, the blue-skinned Gourd, named the Ice Gourd, was also a Celestial Grade Magical Treasure that Cheng Ran had specifically prepared for this Exploration. Passing this trial, therefore, was clearly not a major problem.

After this trial, there were still three more gates: Gold, Wood, and Earth. Together with the previous water gate and the current fire sea gate, they formed a total of five gates corresponding to the Five Elements: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Passing these five gates would grant them true entry into the outer area of the Cave Mansion.

However, the gates grew progressively harder, so even though the cultivators were well-prepared, they didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless.

AWOOO!

Just then, roars echoed from within the sea of fire. A pack of Flaming Giant Wolves charged out, viciously pouncing on the Cold Dragon.

These giant wolves were no ordinary Demon Beasts. They were formed from flames and emanated the powerful pressure of the Tier Four Peak, yet they were even stronger than typical Tier Four Peak Demon Beasts.

After all, this was their home turf, which gave their Combat Power a significant boost.

Moreover, they were immortal here. As long as the sea of fire existed, they would quickly regenerate even if they were shattered.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Facing the Flaming Giant Wolves, the Cold Dragon bared its fangs and attacked ferociously, sometimes lashing out with its tail. But it was soon at a disadvantage, torn to shreds by their bites. Although a few of the Flaming Giant Wolves were killed, the rest just kept coming, wave after wave, as if they were endless.

Fortunately, Qin Yushan and the others didn’t stand idle. They immediately activated their Magical Treasures or used their Divine Techniques to attack the Flaming Giant Wolves. Although they couldn’t kill them permanently, they could greatly extend the time the Cold Dragon could hold on.

Meanwhile, Cheng Ran continuously channeled power into the Ice Gourd, causing it to spew out more cold air to form new dragons or to repair and strengthen the ones that hadn’t been destroyed.

SWISH!

However, Zhang Chi didn’t join the attack on the wolves. Instead, acting on a sudden Spiritual Mechanism, he summoned a fiery red Gourd, an Artifact Cauldron, and a Pill Furnace.

All three were surprisingly Top Grade Magical Treasures. The difference was that he had obtained the latter two from the ruins of the Pill and Artifact Sect, while the fiery red Gourd, named the Flame Gourd, was one he had refined himself.

His inspiration had come from the Fire Crow Gourd he had purchased back in the Qi Cultivation Realm.

However, his Magical Treasure Gourd was of extremely high quality and could absorb and release much stronger and more abundant flames.

As soon as the three Top Grade Magical Treasures appeared, they began to violently absorb the surrounding flames. While they couldn’t absorb all of it, they significantly suppressed the blaze and lowered the ambient temperature.

At the same time, the arrogant might of the Flaming Giant Wolves was greatly weakened, and the pressure on the cultivators was substantially reduced.

As a result, although the battle remained fierce and the cultivators were consuming a great deal of Magical Power, they managed to maintain the situation at a relative equilibrium.

The cultivators even had a chance to catch their breath. They immediately followed their prior agreement and began taking turns to rest and fight.

"Excellent!"

"Well done, Junior Brother Chen!"

Meanwhile, the other cultivators were pleasantly surprised by Zhang Chi’s actions. Even Fang Ying and her two companions looked at him in a new light, while Qin Yushan and his group couldn’t help but feel a sense of shared honor.

Clearly, they hadn’t known beforehand that Zhang Chi had such methods up his sleeve.

In fact, even Zhang Chi himself had only thought of this solution on the spur of the moment.

Three days passed quickly. The Flaming Giant Wolves grew more numerous and the flames fiercer, leaving the cultivators increasingly exhausted in both mind and body. Even Zhang Chi’s three Magical Treasures had long since been filled with fire.

Fortunately, at that moment, the Flying Boat finally broke through the sea of fire and reached the next gate.

The Spiritual Qi here was even more abundant. The space was initially empty, but soon, strong gales of Gold Fiend wind appeared. Contained within them were blades, spears, swords, and halberds formed from Gold Fiend Qi, which glinted with an indestructible cold light as they flew toward the cultivators.

While continuing to power the Flying Boat, the cultivators hastily employed various defensive measures, such as Shields and walls of ice.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

But these defenses couldn’t last long against the Array’s assault. Accompanied by the ringing of clashing Golden Iron, they were shattered one after another.

The cultivators had no choice but to deploy new defenses.

Zhang Chi summoned his Top Grade Treasure Cauldron, only to find its defensive capabilities were mediocre at best.

Soon, the surface of the Treasure Cauldron was covered in dents. If it held on for much longer, it would be shattered completely.

So, he immediately tried to have the Top Grade Treasure Cauldron release the flames within, wanting to see if it could suppress the Gold Fiend here.

After all, in the theory of the Five Elements, Fire overcomes Gold.

Seeing this, Qin Yushan and the others all looked over with anticipation.

Unfortunately, it turned out they had overthought it. The flames were completely useless here.

’If it could be countered so easily, the Wang Family’s ancestors would have surely left instructions about it,’ Zhang Chi thought.

Next, he recalled the Top Grade Treasure Cauldron and summoned a small, golden, triangular flag.

He tossed the small flag into the air, where it rapidly expanded, soon reaching about ten feet in length.

He then formed a Spirit Technique with his hands. The flag began to wave violently, and a massive amount of Gold Fiend Qi surged from it, forming fierce golden storms that swirled around the Magical Treasure Flying Boat.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Instantly, the numerous golden blades and swords were shattered by the golden storms in a direct, head-on collision.

"A Celestial Grade Magical Treasure?"

"Third Brother, you actually have such a treasure?"

The cultivators were overjoyed at the sight.

"That’s right. This treasure is called the Golden Wind Banner, and it’s perfect for use here. Everyone, please help me power it!"

Zhang Chi nodded with a smile.

This banner was one of the Celestial Grade Magical Treasures he had obtained twenty years ago after killing those cultivators from the Heaven-defying Alliance. He had just altered its appearance slightly.

After all, his Artifact Refining skill was already extremely high. Although he couldn’t refine a Celestial Grade Magical Treasure from scratch, changing the appearance of one was as easy as flipping his hand.

This way, he wouldn’t have to worry that a Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Heaven-defying Alliance had once used this Magical Treasure, leading the cultivators present to recognize it and suspect his connection to "Zhang Chi."

"Alright!"

The other cultivators couldn’t have been happier to oblige.

They immediately began pouring their Spiritual Power into the banner together. Its Mighty Power surged, and the group’s situation improved dramatically.

"This is great! With this treasure of yours, Junior Brother Chen, not only will we pass this trial, but we’ll do it with ease."

"Exactly. We were originally planning to just endure it and force our way through by attrition. We would have succeeded, but we would have lost a lot in the process. But now, with your Celestial Grade Magical Treasure, Junior Brother, it’s a completely different story!"

"I propose that when we divide the spoils later, we give Third Brother a larger share."

"That’s only right!"

The cultivators praised him endlessly as they advanced.

Qin Yushan even suggested that Zhang Chi’s contribution be specially noted, and the others readily agreed.

"Third Brother, you hide your strength too well! To think you had a treasure like this and didn’t say anything earlier. You had us so worried!" Qin Yuyan said at this moment.

She sounded like she was complaining, but she was actually quite proud.

"Indeed, Junior Brother is truly a master of hiding his abilities. He’s worthy of being called a peerless genius in both Elixirs and Artifacts, and the number one expert of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage."

"No, that’s not right. Even among Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivators, I’m afraid Junior Brother is now one of the very best."

The other cultivators chimed in with their agreement.

"Haha, you all flatter me. Besides, it’s not that I was hiding my strength; you all just never asked, so I never said anything."

Zhang Chi replied with a modest laugh.

A few more days passed in this way, and they finally cleared this gate as well. It was even a bit easier than the last one.

The reason was that Zhang Chi’s Celestial Grade Magical Treasure banner was not only high-quality and possessed great Mighty Power, but its effectiveness was also massively amplified in this environment, with a near-endless supply of Gold Fiend Qi to draw upon.

After that, the cultivators faced the next trial: a sky full of giant logs bombarding them from all directions, along with countless ubiquitous vines that resembled a spider’s web.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The cultivators directed their Magical Treasure Flying Swords and other weapons to strike the giant logs, but they only produced the sound of clashing Golden Iron, with minimal effect. Even the vines were incredibly tough and difficult to sever, while the Magical Treasure Flying Boat became ensnared by them as if trapped in a mire.

However, the cultivators weren’t the least bit panicked, because they already had a countermeasure prepared.