Urban Extraordinary Immortal Doctor
Chapter 1357: Inside the Stone Statue

Chapter 1357: Chapter 1357: Inside the Stone Statue

The two massive stone halls emanated an overwhelming pressure. Standing before them, Li Chenzhou felt as though he were facing a ten-thousand-foot mountain.

And he himself, seemingly nothing more than an ant at the foot of the mountain.

The might of a Foundation Establishment Expert was evident from the black longsword held by the stone statue in the square, and these two stone halls before them.

Before meeting Fang Bai, Li Chenzhou had believed that he had already reached the pinnacle of Martial Dao in this world, standing as one of its strongest beings.

It was only after befriending Fang Bai that Li Chenzhou learned from his words that the vast True Martial Realm was merely one among the Three Thousand Minor Worlds.

And beyond the Three Thousand Minor Worlds lay the higher planes known as the Three Thousand Major Worlds.

Supposedly, in the Three Thousand Major Worlds, Innate Experts were considered the lowest tier of martial artists, while Foundation Establishment Experts were merely beginning their journey.

Li Chenzhou was filled with yearning for the Three Thousand Major Worlds described by Fang Bai, convinced that it was the true destination for martial artists.

Although Foundation Establishment Experts ranked low in the Three Thousand Major Worlds, in the True Martial Realm, they were supreme, unmatched existences.

Thus, when Li Chenzhou learned of the ruins of a Foundation Establishment Expert at the bottom of Linghu Lake, he was deeply tempted.

It was predictable that every item within these ruins would be treasures coveted by Innate Experts, capable of elevating anyone’s strength to a higher level.

Li Chenzhou’s gaze fell upon the array of vials and jars inside the right-side stone hall, his heart ablaze.

These were elixirs crafted by a Foundation Establishment Expert, and Li Chenzhou thought to himself: If I could obtain them, perhaps the Foundation Establishment Realm might not be beyond my aspirations.

Excitement spread across Li Chenzhou’s face as he took step after step toward the right-side stone hall. Once he crossed the threshold, the elixirs and spiritual medicine inside those vials and jars would belong to him.

"Watch out!"

Fang Bai’s voice suddenly rang out from behind Li Chenzhou.

Li Chenzhou froze in place and turned his head back, seeing Fang Bai dashing through the stone gate toward him.

Li Chenzhou had not expected Fang Bai to arrive so quickly, and seeing that he was unharmed, he felt a rush of joy in his heart. He asked, "Did you take care of those leeches?"

"Yes. They’re taken care of," Fang Bai replied.

Landing beside Li Chenzhou, Fang Bai glanced at the stone hall before them, letting out a soft sigh. "Lucky I came early; otherwise..."

Li Chenzhou’s gaze tightened as he looked toward the stone hall thoughtfully, asking, "You mean... there’s danger inside the stone hall?"

Fang Bai replied, "No, the danger lies outside the stone hall..."

As he spoke, Fang Bai wielded his Blood-Drinking Mad Blade, slashing out a blade ray toward the two stone pillars flanking the stone hall’s entrance.

The two pillars, forged from high-grade Essence Stone, were as thick as an adult’s waist, with Essence Energy swirling around their edges.

"Buzz!"

When Fang Bai’s blade ray reached about a zhang away from the stone pillars, a soft hum emanated from them. A dazzling light burst forth, and an intense lethal energy shot from the pillar’s surface to meet his blade ray.

The collision of the two rays of condensed Essence Energy revealed the stark difference in strength: Fang Bai’s blade ray, capable of effortlessly slaying an Innate Expert at the peak of perfection, crumbled completely under the fierce energy released by the pillars.

The remnant of that lethal energy surged forward unabated, slashing toward both Fang Bai and Li Chenzhou.

Before the energy even fully arrived, Li Chenzhou’s face contorted in shock and his expression drastically changed, as an aura of impending death engulfed him.

For the first time in his life, Li Chenzhou was so close to death. As the intense energy amplified explosively in his vision, the pain on his skin made it feel as though it would rupture, his body seemed on the brink of being torn apart. Despair consumed his heart, leaving him utterly bereft of resistance.

"Retreat!"

Fang Bai let out a thunderous shout akin to a bolt from the blue. Immediately, Li Chenzhou felt his body being pulled back several zhangs before being shifted several more zhangs to the left.

These movements happened in a flash, faster than Li Chenzhou could fathom.

The three blade rays were Fang Bai’s execution of the Mad Blade’s three forms in rapid succession, although they still could not entirely halt the advancing lethal energy. Nevertheless, they greatly slowed its speed and force, allowing them to narrowly dodge its strike.

"Brother Fang’s strength... just how powerful is it!"

Narrowly escaping death, Li Chenzhou looked at Fang Bai with a complex expression in his eyes.

Li Chenzhou had previously thought that Fang Bai’s cultivation level, though stronger than his own, would not surpass him by much.

But in observing how Fang Bai single-handedly fought off five Purple-Striped Leeches earlier and then rescued him from the lethal energy just now, Li Chenzhou surmised that even if four or five versions of himself combined forces, they still might not be a match for Fang Bai wielding the Blood-Drinking Mad Blade.

Soon after, Li Chenzhou’s thoughts turned to Zu Hanjiao, that woman whose strength was formidable enough to even make Fang Bai dread her presence. Thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

Fang Bai sheathed the Blood-Drinking Mad Blade into his Spatial Ring and said, "Many experts, in anticipation of their eventual fall, choose remote and hidden locations as their burial sites. They also set up strict defensive arrays around such places. Since this ruin at the bottom of the lake belongs to a Foundation Establishment Expert, how could it possibly be unprotected by formations?"

He patted Li Chenzhou’s shoulder and added, "Brother Li, before entering the Martial Artist Remnants, I warned you not to touch anything inside... You acted impulsively back there!"

Li Chenzhou smiled bitterly and said, "Seeing the treasures inside the stone hall earlier, I became too excited and forgot your words... Brother Fang, if not for your timely intervention, I might have already lost my life and head."

Recalling the sheer power of the lethal energy released from the stone pillar, Li Chenzhou still felt lingering fear.

Having been saved by Fang Bai this time, Li Chenzhou considered himself to owe Fang Bai an immense favor; nevertheless, given the bond between the two, there was no need for formal thanks. He simply kept this debt in his heart, waiting for the opportunity to repay it in the future.

"We shouldn’t rush to enter the stone hall for treasures just yet..."

Fang Bai walked slowly around the square, before finally stopping in front of the stone statue, focusing his gaze on it.

"This statue... there’s something unusual about it?"

Li Chenzhou approached Fang Bai’s side and, seeing a faint smile appearing on his face, couldn’t help but ask.

"Indeed..."

Fang Bai pointed to the stone statue and said, "Within this statue lies the remains of the fallen Foundation Establishment Expert..."

"What?!"

Li Chenzhou was astounded; he had never imagined that the statue itself concealed the body of a martial artist.

"The clothing and appearance of this statue likely depict the fallen martial artist as they were in life. However, given the cultivation environment of the True Martial Realm, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm would be exceedingly unlikely. This person must have originated from the Three Thousand Major Worlds..."

Fang Bai mused inwardly.

In his previous life, Fang Bai had embarked on his Martial Dao cultivation journey from the Three Thousand Major Worlds, step by step ascending to the peak of the Immortal Emperor. He was intimately familiar with the sects and clans of the Three Thousand Major Worlds. Yet as he furrowed his brow in deep contemplation, he could not recall which sect within the Three Thousand Major Worlds had attire matching that of the fallen martial artist.

"Perhaps this martial artist belonged to some unranked minor sect or faction from the Three Thousand Major Worlds!"

Fang Bai thought to himself.