Invisible Security Guard
Chapter 1192 - 1191: Moths to a Flame

Chapter 1192: Chapter 1191: Moths to a Flame

Paisley Kirk’s heart harbored a deep sense of resistance, she feared reclaiming that lost segment of memory.

For after ascending to the Immortal Realm so many years ago, she no longer held even the slightest impression of that person, and under the tutelage of her sect, followed by the teachings of Great Emperor Leilani May, that one named Martin Huppe had always been her enemy!

Although her heart ached inexplicably, she dared not retrieve those lost memories, she was somewhat afraid, so she fled in panic.

In the southeastern direction, where phoenix trees reached to the sky, and a giant nest lay bizarre, flowers bloomed in abundance.

Unplanned, everyone had converged here, led prominently by Nadia Berger and others who had descended from the Heavenly Realm, yet they halted a hundred meters away from that giant phoenix tree, not daring to advance further.

The rest were clueless about the peculiarities of this place, but they were acutely aware.

"Master Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp, why have we stopped? That black hole is the entrance to the second level, right? Why have we stopped?"

"Is there a reason for this?"

"But that phoenix tree is very peculiar, and what about that bird nest, what kind of nest is it?"

"And there’s also a huge flower, is that a man-eating plant? Why is it so large?"

There was a commotion within the crowd since many were ignorant of the underlying reasons, but the expressions of Emperor-Level figures like the Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp and others turned grave and solemn.

"Amitabha, esteemed fellow daoists, may I ask how we are to pass this challenge?" the Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp suddenly asked Nadia Berger with hands joined in prayer, having confirmed in his mind that the thirty-five people she led were indeed descendents from the Heavenly Realm.

"Aren’t you aware? Why ask me?" Nadia Berger cast a glance at the Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp and said.

"Master Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp, what is the situation here? You should at least give us a briefing, shouldn’t you?" someone shouted sharply.

"Very well, then I shall speak of the taboos and origins of this second level entrance," the Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp intoned a Buddhist chant and continued, "Here we have the King of Trees, the phoenix tree; the King of Flowers, the peony; and the King of Birds, the Vermilion Bird."

"What?"

"Uh..."

"The Vermilion Bird? Isn’t that one of the four Divine Beasts? Weren’t the four Divine Beasts long dead?"

"The King of Flowers? The King of Trees? Continue, please!" Many were confused for a moment, what about the Kings of Trees and Flowers?

The Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp went on, "In the ancient era, an age abounding with gods, coexisting with the gods were many spirits, monsters and the like, and among them were three highly famed ancient Saints; the Tree Spirit Saint, the Flower Saint, and the Bird Saint."

"Are you saying there are three ancient Saints here?" Everyone was shocked, for if there truly were ancient Saints here, then who could enter the second level?

"Indeed, it is said that the three Saints were taken away by the Main God, then disappeared, and later, when predecessors explored the Main God Palace, they found, to their surprise, that the ancient Saints were actually guarding within the Main God Palace, and what they guarded was this very first level!"

"So if the three of them are guarding here, how do we get past?"

"Yes, how do we get past?"

"Master Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp, do you know the way through?"

Many looked anxiously towards the Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp; he truly seemed to know a great deal.

However, the Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp shook his head and brought his hands together in a praying gesture, sighed, and said, "The poor monk does not know the way to pass the test."

"We’ll just go ask." A good number of those at the Emperor-Level mustered their courage and took a few steps forward, then raised their voices and shouted, "Excuse us, esteemed Saint ahead, we wish to pass the test. May I ask if there are any rules?"

"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a figure emerged from the great phoenix tree. It was the Tree Spirit. He looked over the thousands of people with a smile and said, "The requirement to pass this time is quite simple. Shortly, I will draw a circle around this place. It’s only three miles from front to back. All of you must enter within these three miles, and afterwards, I will initiate the Formation in the circle. Those who break through the Formation will automatically be transported to the passage to the second layer!"

"What about those who can’t break the Formation?" Someone suddenly asked loudly.

The Tree Spirit chuckled, "Those who fail to break it will naturally die. Our land here lacks nutrients, requiring fresh blood and spirit energy to replenish it. Moreover, I can tell you plainly that in our challenge, at least half of you will have to die!"

"What?"

"Sigh..."

"To die by half, that means over a thousand people."

"This Tree Saint looks so amiable, appearing to be a good person, but he’s truly ruthless."

Many people began to feel uneasy. If half were to die, how could anyone be certain of their own survival?

"Shall we rush them all at once? Burn the tree, pluck the flowers, destroy the bird nest!" Someone suddenly suggested quietly.

"This is one of the Primeval Three Saints, a being who stands shoulder to shoulder with the gods. We stand no chance against them!"

"Right." Suddenly, as everyone was talking animatedly, the Tree Spirit spoke again, "You have no way out. Because there is no exit from the first floor, and if you retreat, the indiscriminate attacks of the first floor will target you. The previous deaths caused by insect and plant poison were nothing. That was merely accidental contact. If you try to flee, then the billions of poisonous insects here will hunt you down!"

"Also, there is no exit to leave the Main God Palace from this first floor. If you want to leave, you can only keep moving downwards, downwards. Perhaps there is a path to live, but to stay here only means death!"

"Alright, the Saint begins now!" The Tree Spirit suddenly let out a light laugh, then waved his hands and drew a circle around the edge, forming a perfectly round light circle within three miles of the phoenix tree. He was setting up the Formation on the spot!

"Form!"

With a "boom," once the light circle was formed and the radiance flickered, everyone felt the intense light pierce their eyes, rendering them unable to open them, even Nadia Berger and others from the Heavenly Realm instinctively closed their eyes!

However, when they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a different world. It was no longer the phoenix tree; the bird nests and peonies were gone. Instead, they were engulfed in a foggy expanse, and couldn’t even see a few meters ahead.

"Sigh..." Just as everyone was uncertain about what to do and adapting to the fog, suddenly, a fragrance emerged from the ground. Every corner and all the people smelled this aroma at the same time. Even if you closed your mouth and didn’t breathe, the fragrance would still find its way through your seven orifices and into your soul!

"Not good, don’t breathe!" Someone sensed something was off with the fragrance, so they quickly sealed themselves off.

But in the next second, the individuals who had sealed themselves off were invaded by the fragrance, and even though they knew something was amiss, they were unable to prevent the fragrance from entering their bodies. After the fragrance entered, everyone froze in place.

It was only three seconds later that everyone, whether it was Tyler Nash, the Ancient Buddha of Blue Lamp, or the children of the Heavenly Realm, all opened their eyes, which had turned blood-red, as if there were flames within them.

No, in their eyes, in their minds, they saw a blaze of firelight, and then they all mechanically ran towards that fire!

However, at this moment, the ones who had fallen into the Illusion Array did not realize that the firelight was actually the mouth of a bird, the fog was the dew of the Tree Spirit, and the fragrance was the hallucinogenic smoke of the peony!

Everyone had become like moths, charging towards that beam of light, that ball of fire.

To plunge into the ball of fire meant death, but to come to one’s senses before plunging into the fire meant life!

This challenge was extremely perilous!