Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 667: Chapter 667: The Door in the Cave

"You! You did that on purpose, didn’t you!"

Wu Chang had never imagined that this guy would kill his man-eating flower just like that!

How is this possible! Weren’t these guys just bluffing? But if he was really just bluffing, why can’t I feel the man-eating flower’s energy anymore?

"Hm? Why would the Saint Heir say something like that? If I hadn’t killed it, it probably would have eaten me by now," Ye Qingchen said, feigning complete ignorance.

Wu Chang snorted coldly. "Stop pretending!"

He had raised that man-eating flower from a seedling! Wu Chang had invested an immense amount of effort into it. To him, the flower was as important as a dear friend. But now, this Ye Qingchen had killed it so effortlessly! It would be a lie to say Wu Chang wasn’t furious.

"Saint Heir, what are you talking about? What on earth did our young master do? We came here to find Elder Chen. If you don’t want us to enter, just say so. There’s no need for these sarcastic, cryptic remarks."

Xiao Xiao finally couldn’t take it anymore. This Saint Heir had been targeting their young master from the very beginning. She had long wanted to give Wu Chang a good thrashing.

Wu Chang started to retort, but seeing how angry Xiao Xiao was, he could only swallow his resentment. He was a Saint Heir, after all. If word got out that he had used such underhanded tactics against a foreigner, he couldn’t imagine how others would view him. He knew that if his reputation suffered even the slightest damage, it would take a great deal of time and effort to repair it. Wu Chang knew the cost far outweighed the gain.

He could only manage another cold snort. "Little Girl Xiaoxiao, don’t be angry. We still have one last challenge!" Wu Chang practically spat out the last sentence through clenched teeth.

Elder Yang leaned on his staff, chuckling as he stroked his beard. He was the type who loved watching a good show.

"Alright, alright, let’s keep moving. I bet Elder Chen is getting anxious!"

The group continued forward to the final challenge, arriving at a signpost. Before them loomed a towering mountain peak that pierced the clouds, and at its base was a massive cave.

Wu Chang, leading the way, slowly explained, "There’s more to this cave than meets the eye. Once we enter, a door will appear before each of you. Simply open your door and walk straight ahead. After about five minutes, you’ll see the exit."

This time, Wu Chang’s introduction was deceptively simple. In truth, behind each door lay a small, self-contained world. These pocket dimensions were randomly generated based on the person entering. For an enemy, the world would be exceptionally dangerous. But for guests like Elder Yang and his companions, they would merely present scenic landscapes filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

Of course, Ye Qingchen was an exception.

"Alright, everyone, please go in," Wu Chang said with a wave. "I’ll wait for you at the exit." He then opened a door for himself and stepped through first.

Ye Qingchen glanced at the dense array of small doors before him and casually picked one. "Xiao Xiao, Elder Yang, I’ll see you in a bit." He waved, opened his door, and walked inside.

Xiao Xiao opened a nearby door as well and was immediately greeted by a rush of floral fragrance. Before her lay a sea of flowers, a scene of breathtaking, dreamlike beauty. At the far end of the floral sea was the exit. This challenge seemed completely harmless.

However, compared to the tranquility of Xiao Xiao’s world, Ye Qingchen’s situation was far from ideal.

The moment Ye Qingchen opened the door, he was assaulted by waves of searing heat. Immediately after, a scene from Hell unfolded before his eyes. In the distance, rivers of magma cascaded from the sky, while the ground was an endless expanse of lava pools. The surroundings were otherwise pitch-black.

Ye Qingchen took a couple of steps forward, his path lined with scattered human bones. It was an extremely unnerving sight.

Heh, it seems the Saint Heir hasn’t given up. To think he’d come up with a method like this. Ye Qingchen could tell the Saint Heir was racking his brain trying to deal with him.

The temperature around him was gradually rising. Ye Qingchen knew this Lava Pool was not as simple as it appeared.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Sure enough, he had barely taken another two steps when the ground began to shake violently. The lava before him sloshed back and forth like water in a shaken bottle, splashing relentlessly.

Before Ye Qingchen could steady himself, a gigantic red creature burst from the Lava Pool. The creature emanated an intense Fire Element, seeming poised to scorch everything in its path. Without a sound, it charged directly at Ye Qingchen with raw aggression.

BOOM!

Ye Qingchen’s figure flickered away in an instant. The gigantic red creature slammed into the spot where he had just stood, leaving a massive crater.

ROAR—

By the time Ye Qingchen steadied himself, he realized the massive creature before him was a huge, red bird, somewhat resembling a phoenix. But it definitely wasn’t a phoenix.

Hah, if Xiao Xiao were here, she’d handle this thing with ease, wouldn’t she? Ye Qingchen wasn’t the least bit panicked. A single glance with his Double Pupils revealed that this bird was merely at the fifth layer of the Martial Emperor Realm. It couldn’t possibly cause him any harm.

Alas, that Saint Heir... wanting to deal with me, yet he can’t even be bothered to bring out something formidable. Ye Qingchen felt a flicker of contempt.

What he didn’t know was that at this very moment, Wu Chang was pinning all his hopes on the Fire Bird. He had even split off a strand of his consciousness and attached it to the creature. In a way, the one Ye Qingchen was facing was Wu Chang himself.

SCREECH—

"You bastard! Die!" Wu Chang bellowed through the bird, causing the lava beneath him to stir. A ten-meter-thick pillar of molten rock slowly rose from the pool.

"I refuse to believe you can take this attack!"

ROAR—

As soon as Wu Chang’s voice fell, the colossal pillar of lava shot mercilessly toward Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen remained completely unfazed, even picking at his ear with a look of disdain. "Is that all?"

The next second, the lava pillar struck. The ground where it hit fractured, forming a deep abyss, and Ye Qingchen was nowhere to be seen.

"Hahaha! Ye Qingchen, is that all you’ve got? You couldn’t handle it!" A crazed expression spread across Wu Chang’s face. He believed that with this strike, even if Ye Qingchen wasn’t dead, he would be gravely injured!

SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!

Suddenly, Wu Chang felt the Fire Bird under his control grow agitated. He pacified it, "Alright, alright, I won’t occupy your body anymore. I’ve already dealt with the guy. When we get back, I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely!"

With that, Wu Chang, who was standing outside, withdrew his consciousness.

At this moment, Xiao Xiao and Elder Yang stepped out of their respective doors.

"Why hasn’t the young master come out yet?" As soon as Xiao Xiao emerged, she rushed to Ye Qingchen’s door.

Wu Chang couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

In the next second, a brilliant light burst from the crack under Ye Qingchen’s door.

"Huh? Why is it so bright inside the young master’s door? What’s going on?" Xiao Xiao tilted her head in curiosity.

Taking advantage of Xiao Xiao’s distraction, Wu Chang allowed himself a self-satisfied sneer before quickly plastering a look of shock on his face.

"Oh no! This is terrible! If light shines from inside a door... that’s a sign that the person inside has died!"

...