novelraw Chapter 59 – Fourth Death Gate!
Chapter 59 – Fourth Death Gate!
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[The change in Death Qi has accelerated your progress in breaking through the Death Gate, reaching an astonishing sixty times the usual speed.]
[You decide to continue cultivating.]
[On August 24, Year 2, your progress in breaking through the Death Gate reaches ninety percent.]
[On October 5, Year 2, a dazzling golden light bursts from your body. You successfully open the fourth Death Gate, achieving Supreme Golden Bones. Overjoyed, you decide to stay and continue pushing towards the fifth Heaven Gate.]
[You are currently attempting to break through the fifth Heaven Gate...]
[You notice your cultivation speed has slowed, barely reaching twice the usual speed. You realize that to break through the fifth Heaven Gate faster, you might need to venture deeper into the Cursed Land. However, after much consideration, you abandon the idea of going deeper. You've noticed the bronze book is showing signs of turning black, and the mysterious middle-aged man once said that if the bronze book turns black, it signifies danger. You decide to heed this warning to some extent.]
[Nevertheless, you do not plan to leave immediately but decide to continue cultivating for two more months. According to history, in three years, the Song family's Inner Court will pose a threat to you, and you wish to avoid this sensitive time point, even though it may not necessarily help.]
[On December 30, Year 2, in the early morning, while cultivating, you hear a woman's mournful cry again. The cry is so painful and pitiful that it makes one want to comfort her and hold her in their arms.]
[You sit up with a wooden expression.]
[Unconsciously, you walk towards the depths of the Cursed Land.]
[At this moment, the bronze book in your arms emits a great burst of Buddhist light, jolting you awake instantly. Cold sweat pours down your body as you look towards the depths of the Cursed Land with lingering fear.]
[Just now, upon hearing the cry, an uncontrollable urge to save the owner of the cry arose in your heart. It was truly bizarre. Without the protection of the bronze book, you might have been in grave danger.]
[At the same time, you increasingly feel that something unclean might be hidden deep within the Cursed Land.]
[While you are in a daze.]
[Suddenly, you feel the ground shake violently.]
[Immediately, you see a terrifying black mist erupting from the depths of the Cursed Land, covering the sky and surging towards you.]
[Your face changes drastically, and you start running.]
[Ten minutes later.]
[You are engulfed by the black mist, and the surroundings immediately turn dark.]
[At this moment, the bronze book in your arms trembles and flies out, emitting a great burst of Buddhist light. Sanskrit characters float out, surrounding you and forming a golden shield.]
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[You notice the shield dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye...]
[Your heart fills with dread, understanding that under the erosion of this terrifying black mist, the shield may not hold for long. With this in mind, you take out a Longevity Pill from your ring, consuming it continuously as you run. Instantly, a vast vitality erupts within your body.]
[Two hundred miles...]
[One hundred miles...]
[Fifty miles...]
[Twenty miles...]
["Crack!"]
[Your shield shatters.]
[The eerie black mist begins to erode your body.]
[You take a breath.]
[Decay, stench, oppression... Your expression is pained, your stomach churns. It feels like passionately kissing a rotten tongue, but what frightens you more is that your skin ages and wrinkles at a speed visible to the naked eye, then becomes smooth and tight again under the vast vitality within you. This cycle repeats, and in just one minute, the vitality from the Longevity Pill is completely consumed.]
[At this moment, you are still several miles away from exiting the Cursed Land. With your Supreme Golden Bones, it would normally take less than a minute, but under the erosion of this terrifying black mist, you know you can't last that long. These few miles now seem like an insurmountable chasm.]
[Between life and death.]
[You recall your martial technique, the Heaven and Earth Sword Slash.]
[You remember the Sword Maniac's insight.]
[Focus on one point, reach the pinnacle.]
[You take a deep breath, your body slightly sinking, as steady as a rock, unmoving.]
[After a few breaths.]
[Your body transforms into a shadow as thin as a blade, disappearing in a flash, and instantly appearing in a village several miles away. Your speed is so fast that even the martial artists beside you don't notice your presence.]
[In the face of life and death, your Heaven and Earth Sword Slash breaks through again, reaching the proficient level, comprehending twenty percent of Sword Intent.]
Seeing this, Chen Shi is somewhat surprised.
He didn't expect a breakthrough in the midst of battle to happen to him.
Could it be that Supreme Golden Bones have enhanced his aptitude?
[You are exhausted.]
[You look at the village you are in and breathe a slight sigh of relief.]
[However, to your surprise, over two years, the population of the village has increased tenfold. Just at the open space at the village entrance, you see a sea of people, with constant chatter.]
[You listen for a while.]
[You learn some news.]
[It turns out that during this period, due to the mutation of Death Qi in the Cursed Land, it has attracted the attention of many interested parties. According to convention, after each eruption of Death Qi in the Cursed Land, the concentration of Death Qi will decline and become much thinner for a period, allowing ordinary adventurers to have a chance to explore beyond a hundred miles for opportunities. The last eruption of Death Qi was fifty-two years ago, two years before the Immortal Palace descended, so the village has gathered a large crowd of onlookers.]
[Among them are spies sent by major forces, but they are all martial artists of the lower five realms, as the village is near the edge of the Cursed Land, where Death Qi occasionally leaks out, posing a risk of sudden death for martial artists of the upper four realms.]
[Next, you wander around the village for a while, trying to inquire about the mysterious middle-aged man.]
[As expected, you find nothing.]
[Just as you are about to leave, you encounter an acquaintance.]
[It's Li Pao.]
[He is momentarily stunned upon seeing you, then hesitantly approaches and asks, "Are you Brother Chen?"]
[You nod.]
[Li Pao is overjoyed, excitedly grabbing your hand, "Brother Chen, you've finally come out. Madam sent me here specifically to wait for you. She said there's something important to discuss with you, and if I see you in the village, I must persuade you to return to the Divine General's Manor first."]
[You ask, "What is it?"]
[Li Pao fawns, "Brother Chen, I'm just a lowly servant and don't know what Madam wants to discuss. You'll need to ask her in person."]
[This doesn't surprise you.]
[However, recalling your accidental death in the Inner Court in your previous life, you still ask, "Is the old maid still outside?"]
[Li Pao bows even lower, "Oh, not just the old maid, even the expert from the Spirit Sword Sect, Miss Qingwei's master, is waiting outside. They're all here to welcome you, Brother Chen! Although you haven't returned to the manor for over two years, your status in Madam's heart grows more important by the day..."]
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