Chapter 223: Chapter 194: Murderous Intent and Phoenix Feather
Everyone looked up, closely examining the colossal mansion from up close.
"Azure Blue Mansion!"
Looking at the name of the Water Mansion from up close, the vast and ancient aura felt even more intense. The inscriptions on the mansion's walls that shone with an inexplicable azure glow were all the more captivating.
Everyone could hardly wait to rush into the Water Mansion to see what was inside!
"Azure Blue Mansion, Azure Blue Mansion."
Jiang Yao furrowed her brows as she looked at the name of the Water Mansion. She felt the calling from inside the mansion was becoming even stronger!
At this moment, the golden Demon Carp that had stopped in front had finally spoken again.
"You have all seen the words 'Azure Blue Mansion'; this 'Azure Blue Mansion' is the real treasure ground of Azure Blue Lake, the place that you will enter next!"
While speaking, the golden Demon Carp gazed at the gigantic mansion in front, its eyes filled with the same wonder and obsession about the "Azure Blue Mansion."
"The Azure Blue Mansion is a mystical object left behind more than three thousand years ago by the great Heavenly Saint Lord, the master of this ancient tomb. It is said to have been a treasure that the Heavenly Saint Lord acquired from the Upper Realm!"
The words of the golden Demon Carp made everyone behind it take a deep breath.
The Upper Realm!
All fifty individuals capable of entering the Azure Blue Lake, each an outstanding figure, certainly understood what the two words "Upper Realm" signified.
That was the "Minor Spirit Realm," a domain even more powerful than the Barbaric Wilderness Continent!
Legend had it that only upon reaching the Heavenly Saint Realm, with the help of spatial rifts, was it possible to go from the Barbaric Wilderness Continent to the Upper Realm's "Minor Spirit Realm."
It was unexpected that the "Azure Blue Mansion" had been acquired by the master of this ancient tomb from the Upper Realm!
Hearing the astonished exclamations of everyone behind it, the golden Demon Carp reigned in its own amazement and obsession as it looked toward the Water Mansion. It turned its head back to face the crowd and continued, "Items from the Upper Realm are of course endlessly wondrous!"
"Inside, the Heavenly Saint Lord placed countless treasures, and even the Water Mansion itself is imbued with many treasures. Back in the day, even the Heavenly Saint Lord didn't manage to collect them all."
"I must congratulate you, for you have been given the opportunity to enter this object from the Upper Realm." At this, the golden Demon Carp chuckled slyly, "But I must also warn you, within this 'Azure Blue Mansion' lies danger at every turn, and for those of your strength to enter, if even half of you make it out alive, that will be an achievement!"
Buzz!
The words of the golden Demon Carp abruptly caused many faces to change.
They had made it into the Water Mansion and were already representing the strongest group among the Tomb Explorers. Yet, the Demon Carp suggested that only half would survive the ordeal inside!
This obviously indicated that the Azure Blue Mansion was rife with lethal dangers, and their strength did not guarantee safety throughout the venture.
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, the golden Demon Carp sneered inwardly: "This is the first of the three most deadly traps in the ancient tomb. Of course, it's extremely dangerous!"
"Within, there are places even the Heavenly Saint Lord himself dared not tread!"
"The more dangerous it is, the more it indicates the preciousness of the treasures within. The Heavenly Saint Lord once said that by exploring only a third of the mansion, he reaped incredible benefits."
"I can't understand why the Heavenly Saint Lord would offer up this treasure for you to enter. Even after so many years, I have never once set foot inside!"
"Hmph, it doesn't matter, you people will end up just like those on the huge lotus leaves on the lake, just like those on the outer islands, all dead. Even if some of you are lucky enough to exit alive, you will meet your end eventually!"
"The treasures of the Azure Blue Mansion will ultimately belong to the Heavenly Saint Lord!"
After the golden Demon Carp sneered inwardly, its gaze swept over the crowd again.
"Alright, as for the matter of this 'Azure Blue Mansion,' I will tell you only this much!"
"Inside, there are countless treasures, but also numerous deadly traps!"
"If you dare not venture inside, then you can roll back to the surface of the lake, to join the forty on the huge lotus leaves."
"If you have the courage to venture forth, then go ahead!"
Upon hearing the words of the golden Demon Carp, everyone turned their eyes to the enormous Azure Blue Mansion ahead, to the dark and hollow doorway that resembled the gaping maw of a great beast.
Not a single person backed down!
Having reached this region of the ancient tomb, they were not inclined to retreat. With the tomb's extraordinary mysteries, they were compelled to seize every chance to enhance their strength; otherwise, waiting idly would be of no help, and they might even run out of time to improve if unforeseen changes occurred later.
They certainly wouldn't miss the mystery and the inexplicable allure of the Azure Blue Mansion!
"Ye Chen, should we also go into the Azure Blue Mansion?" Jiang Yao reached out with her mind to Ye Chen, "I keep feeling like I want to go inside this Water Mansion."
Ye Chen looked at Jiang Yao.
He had never seen Jiang Yao like this before. It appeared that something inside the Azure Blue Mansion was indeed calling out to her!
"Alright, I'll accompany you inside. No matter how dangerous the Azure Blue Mansion may be, we'll face it together!" Ye Chen gripped Jiang Yao's hand firmly as he communed with her.
Danger?
Ye Chen was not afraid of danger. Compared to threatening situations, he was more concerned about letting Jiang Yao wander through the Azure Blue Mansion alone.
Seeing that no one harbored a thought of retreat, the golden Demon Carp had nothing more to say.
It pointed its finger toward the dark and gloomy gates of the Water Mansion ahead and spoke, "Go in. After one month, those of you who are alive will be transmitted out by the Water Mansion!"
"Heh heh, step by step, a killing trap; the Water Mansion. Let's see how many of you will die!"
Boom!
As the golden Demon Carp spoke, it flicked its massive tail, opening the path leading directly to the gates of the Azure Blue Mansion.
"Enter!"
"Venture into the Azure Blue Mansion!"
Seeing the golden Demon Carp's movement, the fifty Tomb Explorers hesitated no longer. They released their True Qi, enshrouding themselves within it, and then one after another, they flew toward the gates of the Azure Blue Mansion.
Ye Chen and Jiang Yao followed at the back of the group. In the front, several solo Half-Step Rotating Pill cultivators were the fastest in flight.
The closer they got to the dark and gloomy gates of the Azure Blue Mansion, the more intense Ye Chen felt the strange ancient Qi, even forming into terrifying currents of air, swirling in front of the gate.
When Ye Chen and Jiang Yao were more than thirty meters away from the gate, the solo Half-Step Rotating Pill cultivators in front had already arrived at the entrance of the dark and gloomy gateway.
Just then, everyone behind heard a dreadful "crack, crack, crack" sound of something being crushed!
Of the five solo Half-Step Rotating Pill cultivators who had flown to the entrance of the dark and gloomy gate, three were instantly brushed by the current of ancient Qi and slowly turned into dust.
Only two managed to break through the current of ancient Qi and darted successfully into the dark and gloomy gate, entering the Azure Blue Mansion!
"This... this!"
When they saw that three out of five had died instantly, many people behind them stopped in shock.
They could feel that the three who had died were eliminated by the currents of ancient Qi that swirled before the gate!
This ancient Qi current grew increasingly intense closer to the gate, terrifyingly so!
Looking at how those three turned into dust, without even a trace of blood flowing out, it seemed as though all their blood had been pressed into their flesh, which was then torn apart by the ancient Qi!
It was incredibly horrifying!
"I've already said that the Azure Blue Mansion is full of deadly traps, and look, three are dead already without even entering," jeered the golden Demon Carp from behind.
Hearing the golden Demon Carp's voice, many people's expressions changed, and then another eight people charged towards the Water Mansion.
Regardless of the danger, they had to venture into the Water Mansion; getting in first might allow them to grab the best treasures, and they naturally didn't want to fall behind.
Since some had already entered successfully, that meant it wasn't impossible to get in. Everyone held the thought that they too could enter the Water Mansion.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
When these eight people charged toward the Water Mansion, they had mobilized all their focus and defensive tactics.
As a result, six of them successfully burst into the Water Mansion, but two late-stage Spirit Sea disciples were once again killed by the ancient Qi current outside the mansion, turned instantly into bits and died!
"Charge!"
"Let's go!"
Seeing more people successfully enter this time, others could no longer care about those who had died. One by one, they stimulated all their techniques and rushed toward the gates of the Azure Blue Mansion.
"We should go too!"
Ye Chen's body shook with the mighty and unparalleled Gang Yuan True Qi, instantly enveloping both him and Jiang Yao with a wondrous silver glow.
The ice-blue Spiritual Patterns on Jiang Yao's forehead also started to flicker, as her icy blue True Qi covered both her and Ye Chen's bodies as well.
Together, the two soared toward the dark and gloomy gate.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The closer they flew, the more turbulent the ancient Qi currents became, and when twelve had already perished, Ye Chen and Jiang Yao finally burst through the gates of the Azure Blue Mansion.
Boom!
The terrifying ancient Qi current that was killing everyone shredded the protective True Qi outside their bodies, but then a surge of True Qi erupted from Ye Chen and Jiang Yao once again.
Their supply of True Qi far exceeded the rate at which it was being destroyed.
Surrounded by a surging protective True Qi, the two finally made it through the deadly threshold into the Azure Blue Mansion!
What they didn't know was that the moment Jiang Yao stepped into the Azure Blue Mansion, in a hidden chamber, on top of a huge white jade platform, an eight-foot-long, wondrous ice-blue Phoenix Feather started to tremble slowly.
The ice-blue Phoenix Feather, with its colors and Law Patterns, was strikingly identical to the ice-blue Spiritual Patterns on Jiang Yao's forehead!
They were also unaware that even the original Heavenly Saint Lord, who had gotten the Azure Blue Mansion, lacked the power to enter this chamber housing the mystical ice-blue Phoenix Feather!
Just the platform holding the Phoenix Feather, made of jade that would make even the Heavenly Saints scream in excitement, was indeed the "Void-Sky Grade Precious Jade" coveted by the Saints!
And that ice-blue, over eight-foot Phoenix Feather emitted a divine light that was even more valuable than the Void-Sky Grade Precious Jade below!