Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 488
byChapter 471: Underground Exploration
Zhang Xiaoyi’s insults were truly unbearable.
He carried specialized firearms that could fire elemental bullets.
If you ignored him, he’d just keep swearing, taking potshots from a distance.
If you tried to kill him, he’d run.
After a few rounds, the bald strongman was brimming with rage, wishing he could kill him on the spot.
He chased Zhang Xiaoyi out.
In the hall.
Only Nangong Sirui and the middle-aged man remained.
“Die!”
The middle-aged man’s claws struck out, cutting through the air with streaks of black afterimages.
Nangong Sirui blocked several attacks, but then noticed a scratch on his arm.
The golden Yaksha mask on his face immediately shimmered, transforming into a fiery red Yaksha mask.
“Disperse!”
With a low roar, Nangong Sirui’s body dispersed into a cluster of flames, flickering in mid-air.
The middle-aged man’s attacks all missed, and his expression turned solemn, saying:
“Yaksha’s body?”
All the flames gathered, reforming Nangong Sirui.
His mask had now turned cyan, and his expression was full of jest. He spoke:
“Slash!”
In an instant.
Numerous overlapping spatial cracks transformed into sharp blades, slashing towards the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth, and roared:
“Unleash Dharma Aspect, Netherworld Ghost Realm.”
“Getting anxious after just a few moves? Alright, let’s fight to the death and determine victory.” Nangong Sirui said in a teasing tone.
He formed hand seals and also unleashed his Dharma Aspect behind him.
“Stop fighting, both of you.”
A voice called out from a distance.
The two turned their heads to look.
They saw Shen Ye rushing over from the other end of the underground palace, out of breath, and said:
“I found some dwarves up ahead. They seem to have dug up some treasure—I suggest you stop fighting and let’s go check it out together.”
Treasure?
He couldn’t even bother to come up with a better lie.
The middle-aged man’s mouth twitched slightly, just about to mock him, when he saw Shen Ye raise a scepter and shake it.
The scepter was engraved with dwarven runes, emitting a faint power fluctuation.
At the top of the scepter, a genuine Earth Magic Source Gem was embedded.
These gems were extremely difficult to mine, and only dwarves could sense their location and carefully extract them from cooled lava.
No mistake!
There really was treasure!
The middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed with excitement, and he dashed towards the passage behind the hall.
But the next second.
He retreated rapidly, looking at Shen Ye with suspicion, and said:
“We’re part of the same exploration team, you lead the way.”
Shen Ye readily agreed: “No problem, this is exactly when we need to work together with full sincerity—Xiao San, call A-yi back.”
“Okay.” Nangong Sirui pulled out his ID card and began contacting Zhang Xiaoyi.
Ten minutes later.
Zhang Xiaoyi ran back.
Following him was the bald strongman.
The bald strongman had been led on a wild goose chase and was now furious, but he was stopped by the three of them shouting:
“Stop!”
The bald strongman was startled.
Even the middle-aged man, whose strength was comparable to his own, had sided with the opponents?
In that case, there were four of them against just him. If they truly fought, wouldn’t he die here?
He retreated a few steps, and barked, “What do you want? I’m telling you, killing a teammate is a serious crime!”
“Nobody wants to kill you—remember, we are a team exploring the Dwarven Temple, a collective.” Nangong Sirui said.
“The dwarves inside have found treasure, we need to go see what’s going on together.” Shen Ye added. The bald strongman was stunned, turning to look at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man nodded:
“Worth investigating.”
The bald strongman now believed it somewhat.
—That middle-aged man was extremely arrogant. If there wasn’t truly news of treasure, would he form a team with these young whippersnappers?
Moreover, it was a collective exploration. If something went wrong—
Everyone would die together!
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” the bald strongman said in a low voice.
“Heading out,” Nangong Sirui announced.
The group formed a defensive formation, each responsible for one direction, and advanced rapidly towards the palace.
Before long.
Zhang Xiaoyi, who was in front, slowed his pace.
Ahead.
Noisy sounds could be heard from a distance.
Dimly, at the end of the path, a palace was visible, filled with dilapidated tents.
—A dwarf gathering place.
Even though they were inside a building, they still preferred to set up tents with various fabrics and light campfires in front of them.
This was a typical dwarf gathering place.
A dozen dwarves had gathered, arguing loudly around a treasure chest.
The chest was filled with gold, jewels, and some weapons and armor.
Indeed, it’s treasure!
“What do you all think, should we force our way into the camp, or send someone to distract the enemies and then take the treasure?” Nangong Sirui asked.
“You won’t be needed,” the middle-aged man sneered.
“Whoever grabs it, keeps it!” the bald strongman laughed loudly.
The two men leaped forward, their figures streaking through the camp like afterimages, heading straight for the treasure chest.
Nangong Sirui looked at Shen Ye.
Shen Ye, however, had already charged out, following closely behind the two.
There was nothing else to say then—
Go, snatch the treasure!
Nangong Sirui and Zhang Xiaoyi charged out together, landing in the dwarves’ camp.
But then, Shen Ye suddenly swung his blade, attacking the two men in front.
“I knew it all along!”
“Bold move!”
The two men shouted in unison.
They immediately swung their weapons to block the long blade, their bodies rushing forward even faster.
Nangong Sirui and Zhang Xiaoyi also wanted to snatch the treasure chest, but found Shen Ye’s figure flashing, blocking their path.
A sudden change occurred—
Rumble!
The ground suddenly trembled violently.
The entire grand hall instantly collapsed!
A strange ripple of power suddenly erupted from the surrounding void.
“Earth Force Field!”
The middle-aged man shouted.
Everyone’s expressions changed.
The next moment.
The floor completely gave way.
Everyone fell downwards collectively.
Fortunately, there was a huge slope below, and everyone used various movement techniques to lessen the impact, slowly landing on the ground.
—Here, there was only a hundred-square-meter patch of black rock.
Surrounding it were molten lava.
The dwarves fell into the lava, sinking into the depths, and scattering in all directions.
Only the five members of the exploration team remained.
The bald strongman quickly lunged forward, snatching the treasure chest. With a slight shake, he was about to store it in his spatial ring.
His hand was pressed down by a gleaming, sharp claw.
It was the middle-aged man.
Not only the middle-aged man, but Shen Ye, Nangong Sirui, and Zhang Xiaoyi also surrounded the bald strongman.
The bald strongman chuckled awkwardly, then said with a softer tone:
“Gentlemen, this is the entire exploration team’s gain. I just wanted to be responsible for keeping it.”
“We know what you’re thinking, but I’d like to check if the items are real first—after all, this all feels like a prearranged trap,” the middle-aged man said.
He cast a suspicious glance at Shen Ye.
Shen Ye, however, was observing his surroundings.
Shen Ye even bounced up and down on the spot.
“What is an Earth Force Field? Why can’t I jump?”
Under everyone’s gaze, he quietly asked Nangong Sirui.
“It’s an adaptive gravity field. No matter your strength, you’ll be restricted to the ground and unable to leave!” Nangong Sirui said.
“Why didn’t I know any of this?” Shen Ye asked again.
“It’s only your first day in the wilderness; I haven’t had a chance to tell you all that much!” Nangong Sirui said.
“Damn it! He’s a newbie? Why am I, with my strength, assigned to a team with a newbie?” the bald strongman grumbled.
The middle-aged man’s expression was blank as he withdrew his gaze, reaching into the treasure chest to grasp a broad-backed dagger studded with gems.
He squinted at it for a moment, then set it down and picked up a long, golden necklace.
The necklace emitted faint, visible ripples.
“Good stuff!”
The bald strongman and Zhang Xiaoyi exclaimed in unison, a hint of excitement in their voices.
The middle-aged man’s expression also softened a bit.
He casually rummaged in the treasure chest and pulled out another ring.
The ring’s setting was adorned with three thumb-sized, colorful gemstones. The moment it was taken out, it emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the surroundings.
No problem.
This treasure had no problems at all.
Experienced adventurers could tell at a glance that these items were not only genuine, but also, from their forging and embedding styles, they were creations of the dwarf race.
The middle-aged man pulled out his ID card and whispered:
“Pay three Star Jades to query the team member’s resume—designated as Shen Ye.”
Lines of small text immediately appeared on the card.
The middle-aged man glanced at it, finally threw all the treasures back into the chest, stepped back a few steps, and sneered:
“They say beginners always have beginner’s luck, I didn’t believe it before.”
Nangong Sirui stepped forward, and under the bald strongman’s unwilling gaze, slowly pulled the treasure chest towards him.
“Xiao San, immediately list and report the treasures.”
Shen Ye said.
Nangong Sirui reacted, pulled out his card, and began communicating with the city, reporting the list of treasures.
The bald strongman glanced at the middle-aged man.
—Should they unite?
The middle-aged man, however, looked at Shen Ye and asked in surprise:
“What are you doing?”
Shen Ye held up his phone, the camera pointed at Nangong Sirui and the treasure chest:
“Live streaming—my popularity is quite high. I believe many people online are already interested in the gains from this expedition.”
“The number of simultaneous viewers has exceeded 100,000.”
Middle-aged man: “……”
Bald strongman: “……”
The faint murderous intent froze.
If treasures cannot be exchanged for wealth in the city, they are merely dead objects.
No one can guarantee survival in the wilderness.
Even with invaluable treasures, monsters will still treat you as food.
—Survival is paramount.
Since it’s already reported, and even being live-streamed—
Killing for treasure has lost its meaning.
“A-yi, Xiao San is counting the items, you are responsible for protecting him,” Shen Ye said.
“Yes.”
Zhang Xiaoyi drew his weapon and stood guard beside Nangong Sirui, his eyes vigilantly watching the bald strongman and the middle-aged man.
“Why are you looking at me? The rewards from this mission are enough for me to take a week off.”
The bald strongman grumbled, then walked sullenly to the side, sat down, and pulled out a bottle of wine to drink.
His eyes were narrowed into slits, not looking at Nangong Sirui, but occasionally glancing at Shen Ye.
Shen Ye, however, seemed oblivious, pulling out his phones one by one, turning them on, going online, and entering live streams.
He walked around the entire hundred-square-meter rock, setting up phones one by one, propped on stands, creating a full circle.
There were no blind spots now.
Every person on this rock, every action, was under the surveillance of the network.
Any unusual movement would be recorded.
The bald strongman’s eyelids twitched, and he shook his head, muttering a few curses before taking large gulps from his bottle.
The middle-aged man observed the surrounding lava, found a safe corner, and sat down to close his eyes and rest.
Shen Ye broadcasted for a while, then left the phones there.
He drew his long blade, gazing at the lava beneath the rock, stepping continuously as he patrolled the surroundings.
—In everyone else’s eyes, he was patrolling.
But in his eyes—
Lines of faint light text appeared in the void, with new text emerging:
“You have completed the recognition ritual of the Multilayered Universe.”
“You have currently received the blessing of ‘Lan’, granting you the following effects:”
“1. This recognition ritual is secret, undetected, and unrecorded.”
“2. When you reach the seventeenth tier of the Dharma Realm, the blessing power of the Universal Will ‘Lan’ will grant your ‘Gate’ ability one enhancement.”
“In addition:”
“Your ‘Gate’ capability links the Death Planet with the Real-Time Strategy Base, with the Gatekeeper ‘Failun’ serving as guardian.”
“Please reach the minimum requirement of Dharma Realm Tier 20 as soon as possible.”
“When you reach this requirement, you will be able to summon the Epoch Spirit, which is one of the wills of the Multilayered Universe, ‘Lancie’, to assist you in unleashing the true Heaven-Shaking Art.”
“Please reach the minimum requirement of Dharma Realm Tier 25 as soon as possible.”
“When you reach this requirement, you will be able to summon the Epoch Spirit, which is one of the wills of the Multilayered Universe, ‘Pe’a Suo’, to assist you in unleashing the true Heaven-Covering Art.”
“And so on.”
Shen Ye closed his eyes, recalling Lan’s words.
“The Parasitic Queen sensed a certain crisis.”
“She began to accelerate and fully control the affairs within the civilization.”
“This is to select a suitable ‘master’ from human organizations who would fully obey her commands.”
“—And you need time to grow.”
“Remember, you must quickly become stronger, reaching at least Dharma Realm Tier 20, before you can use the power of the Multilayered Universe to contend with her!”
Lan was right.
He indeed needed time.
Shen Ye looked around.
—Being trapped here was, of course, a trap he had set by coercing the seven Dwarf Kings.
On the one hand, he could continue practicing with his doppelganger here without worrying about time constraints.
On the other hand—
The three “Blood Sovereigns” were trapped here, not fighting, and waiting for rescue.
This slowed down the Parasitic Queen’s efficiency in selecting personnel!
Shen Ye patrolled for a while, then looked back at Nangong Sirui and Zhang Xiaoyi.
The treasure list had been compiled and uploaded.
The two waved at Shen Ye.
“Let’s rest a bit. In this Earth Force Field, we can’t jump, so we just have to wait for rescue.”
Nangong Sirui said.
He took out several round cushions from his ring and placed them at their feet.
The three sat down.
Zhang Xiaoyi first released several patrol robots, activated them, and then pulled out a pile of snacks and drinks from his ring.
“This expedition’s harvest was great, and the city has already confirmed that the rescue team will get us out soon.”
As he spoke, he handed a box of chocolates to Shen Ye.
Shen Ye took the chocolate, sighed, and replied:
“That’s good.”
Get out soon?
Impossible.
He had ordered the dwarves to blow up all entrances and exits of Dusk Star, burying all passages, and had set up numerous traps along the way.
It would take a long time to reach here.
Shen Ye tore open the wrapper, eating chocolate to replenish energy while focusing his attention on the “door.”
His doppelganger was still practicing the “Quick Cultivation Guide.”
—The fluctuations in his aura subtly strengthened, seemingly moving towards the seventeenth tier of the Dharma Realm.
The miners worked tirelessly, accumulating resources.
The Cannon of Truth: Disorder had also produced dozens of rounds, displayed on the open ground in front of the base.
The Tribunal was completing its ceiling installation and putting the finishing touches on the bell tower.
—Who would have thought that the Door ability could develop into a base!
Now trapped underground, no longer needing to rush or worry about combat, Shen Ye had some leisure time and began to meticulously plan the construction of his base.
Lines of faint text quickly appeared:
“You activated ‘Old Man Vampire’ and began merging the Truth Cannonballs.”
“…Fusion progress is smooth.”
“You have prepared ample resources for the cats, dogs, and bronze figures, allowing them to advance.”
“Advancement completed.”
“The cats, dogs, and bronze figures have, according to your command, crossed the Mountain of Truth to explore new truths in the mysterious and unknown darkness.”
“You allocated resources and began rapid construction of the Tribunal.”
The entire base was mobilized, developing and growing in an orderly fashion.
Shen Ye withdrew his gaze, finished the chocolate in his hand, wiped his mouth, and said to Nangong Sirui and Zhang Xiaoyi:
“I’ll cultivate for a while, call me anytime if anything happens.”
The two nodded in agreement.
Shen Ye closed his eyes and began to silently comprehend the essence of the “Quick Cultivation Guide.”
—His doppelganger was cultivating, and he was cultivating along with it!
Having finally secured a safe environment, he had to seize every moment to become stronger!
Time flowed slowly.
Several hours later.
Shen Ye suddenly opened his eyes.
An uncontrollable surge of power emanated from him.
—He had reached the seventeenth tier of the Dharma Realm!
Faint text immediately appeared:
“The blessing of Lan has been activated, granting your ‘Gate’ ability an opportunity for enhancement.”
“Please specify the building or effect you wish to enhance.”
It’s a designation!
No options were given; he had to specify it himself!
Shen Ye already had an answer in his mind for this matter.
“Increase time flow.”
He thought silently.
He needed time to cultivate.
The core essence of real-time strategy was development and construction, which also required time.
Time was the most important thing!
A line of faint text quietly appeared:
“By the blessing power of ‘Lan’ from the Multilayered Universe, your ‘Gate’ ability has been enhanced, and the contrast of its time flow has been increased.”
“The time flow contrast inside and outside the ‘Gate’ has been improved.”
“Current time ratio is:”
“120:1.”
www●tt kan●c○
“Unit: Day.”
120 days, which is 4 months.
What good news.
Shen Ye was joyful in his heart, but then he noticed two more lines of faint text appearing:
“Your bronze figures, cats, and dogs have discovered new Truth relics in the dark depths beyond the mine.”
“Due to this Truth relic being protected by secret laws, it cannot be directly represented in text. The cats, dogs, and bronze figures request to return to the base to report the situation to you.”
Shen Ye’s curiosity was greatly piqued, and he commanded:
“Let them return.”
“Currently returning, please wait.”
The small text vanished.
At this moment.
The cards in everyone’s hands vibrated simultaneously.
Shen Ye took out his card to check.
“New orders issued.”
“Given that you are temporarily in a safe environment, we will now rank the merits earned during this expedition.”
“Please engage in sparring that will not harm your companions.”
“The more victories, the richer the merits and rewards.”
“First match:”
“Shen Ye versus Sun Chengxie.”
Shen Ye looked up, his gaze meeting that of the middle-aged man.
—Even trapped in such an environment, the Parasitic Queen still forcibly issued orders to fight!
She was impatient to find a master!
“This is insane… We’re still trapped, and the dwarves might ambush us. Yet, they order us to fight?”
Nangong Sirui said coldly.
Shen Ye waved his hand at him, signaling him not to say more.
Opposite him.
The middle-aged man, Sun Chengxie, had already re-donned his claws and said:
“After all this circling, we still have to fight—so let’s do it. I’ll be gentle with you, newbie.”
“You forget, newbies always have good luck. Maybe I’ll win against you,” Shen Ye said.
He also drew his Azure Devil Blade and walked to the center of the arena.
Since he couldn’t avoid it—
Then let’s just have a fight!
The two stood still, holding their breath, poised for attack.
—The battle was about to begin!
Just as Shen Ye was about to charge forward, a faint tremor suddenly came from above the cliff.
He involuntary stopped dead in his tracks.
On the opposite side, Sun Chengxie, too, charged forward a couple of steps before retreating.
Everyone looked up.
“Is it the rescue team?”
Zhang Xiaoyi asked suspiciously.
“I wish it were the rescue team—but this is too fast,” the bald strongman interjected.
Everyone’s hearts were filled with unease.
Leaving the city, crossing the wilderness, and reaching the Dwarven Temple would take at least several hours.
Along the way, various unpredictable situations could arise.
Plus the collapsed buildings—
That would make it even slower.
How could they have arrived so quickly?
Shen Ye, however, became even more vigilant.
The Dwarf Kings were originally skilled in building and digging.
They clearly swore to collapse this place, and said they would set up countless traps, even showing him the blueprints and plans several times.
So how—
did the rescue team clear a path so easily?
With that thought, he growled:
“Be careful, I have a bad feeling about this.”
Sun Chengxie had no intention of fighting him now; instead, he quickly asked, “Is your feeling accurate?”
“It once accurately predicted stock market trends,” Shen Ye said.
“Once? It doesn’t work anymore?” the bald strongman couldn’t help but ask.
“I achieved financial freedom, so I stopped playing,” Shen Ye lied.
Hearing him say that, the two men simultaneously drew their weapons, took up fighting stances, and waited in full alert.
Indeed.
A newbie was not to be trusted.
But he could predict the stock market…
Everyone held their breath, looking up at the top of the cliff.
The next second.
A huge head emerged from above the cliff.
It was a dragon.
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