The Lord of the Beetle-Worms, the three Universe Masters of the God-Eye Clan, the Lord of the Glazed-Nine, and Luo Feng—those six fell silent, not one retreating.

A joke.

Perhaps they considered myriad possibilities when making their initial choice, but once a decision was made, how could they possibly shrink back? The path of the strong had been fraught with the crisis of death since the moment they stepped onto it. They might be unwilling to die, but not one of them feared it. For the sake of this powerful inheritance of an ancient civilization, they were all willing to stake everything!

“Good,” Duan Donghe nodded. “Then follow me.”

Duan Donghe turned and headed toward another side door of the Misty Hall. Whoosh—the side door opened automatically. Duan Donghe stepped through, and although the Lord of the Beetle-Worms, Luo Feng, the Lord of the Shadowy-Dust, and the other five were curious where they were going, they followed closely behind.

They trailed Duan Donghe, walking along the wide passage for a moment before being completely blocked by a heavy gate. Duan Donghe halted only when he reached the barrier.

“Wait a moment. The gate will open, and only then can you proceed along this corridor,” Duan Donghe swept his gaze over Luo Feng and the other five. “As long as the six of you can move straight along this corridor until you reach the next hall alive, you will have passed the most fundamental screening trial, and you may begin to access the inheritance.”

Inheritance!

Luo Feng, the Lord of the Beetle-Worms, the Lord of the Shadowy-Dust, and the other five all jolted, their eyes blazing.

Just reach the next hall alive along this passage? And then start accessing the inheritance?

Though excitement churned in their hearts, the six present understood perfectly: since the inheritance of Duan Donghe was so immensely powerful, this screening process would absolutely not be simple. That meant this corridor was likely a genuine death trap, and it was highly probable that one of them might perish within it. They had to give it their all.

“You six!”

“While advancing through this corridor, you may use your weapons and any means at your disposal,” Duan Donghe stated slowly. “Just reach the next hall alive.”

“Rise!” Duan Donghe turned toward the gate and gestured with his hand.

Whoosh m~

The heavy, massive gate slowly ascended, revealing a wide, deep passage with no discernible end. This caused the brows of the Lord of the Beetle-Worms, Luo Feng, the Lord of the Glazed-Nine, and the other five to furrow. What dangers lurked within this death corridor? What methods had Duan Donghe, from that ancient, powerful civilization, set up to test them? Failure to pass the screening meant the danger of death.

If only the first screening had been this easy,” Luo Feng thought. “Just standing on that cubic instrument for a moment, and if you failed, you could leave immediately.”

“You, you, you, you, you! The five of you, go in.” Duan Donghe pointed successively at five of the strong individuals.

“Us?”

“Me?”

“The five of us go in together?”

A commotion erupted.

The Lord of the Beetle-Worms, the Lord of the Glazed-Nine, the Lord of the Shadowy-Dust, the Lord of the Bewitching-Phantom, and the Lord of the Golden-Square—those five wore expressions of shock. Duan Donghe had just gestured for those five to enter together.

“Then what about him?” The Lord of the Shadowy-Dust couldn't help but point at Luo Feng. “What about this Galaxy Lord Luo Feng?” The Lord of the Beetle-Worms and the other four also felt a growing unease. They could not question or change Duan Donghe’s decision, but earlier, during the inspection by the ‘cubic instrument,’ Duan Donghe had revealed a faint smile because of Luo Feng. At that moment, suspicion had sown itself in their minds.

Coupled with the fact that among them…

Luo Feng had cultivated for the shortest time—only a dozen epochs, an incredibly brief span?

“The five of you go in together; he goes in alone,” Duan Donghe said coldly. “What, you’re unwilling to enter? Then leave now; you can still depart alive. If the five of you are not leaving, then hurry inside. If you refuse, consider yourselves eliminated by the screening.”

The Lord of the Beetle-Worms, the Lord of the Glazed-Nine, and the three Universe Masters of the God-Eye Clan exchanged glances, then looked toward Luo Feng.

“Go.”

“Go.”

Five figures simultaneously entered the corridor.

Whoosh m~

The heavy, massive gate slammed shut with a resounding crash, sealing the corridor once more. On this side of the gate remained only Duan Donghe and Luo Feng.

“Once inside the corridor, there is no chance of retreat,” Duan Donghe glanced at Luo Feng.

Luo Feng nodded, but his mind was swirling with thoughts.

The other five went in together? And he was going in alone?

Why the special treatment?

Did Duan Donghe truly hold him in such high regard, or was some unique peril waiting for him? Was it a blessing or a curse?

Inside the corridor.

The Lord of the Beetle-Worms, the Lord of the Glazed-Nine, and the three Universe Masters of the God-Eye Clan watched the descending gate behind them, their complexions shifting slightly.

“This is bad,” the Lord of the Shadowy-Dust’s voice was sharp, malice flickering in his eyes. “If selecting an heir… achieving this level after cultivating for only a dozen epochs versus achieving it after cultivating for nearly three great reincarnation eras—unless someone is an idiot, they would choose Luo Feng. I suspect that strange instrument’s test was not just detecting bloodline or life signs; it likely measured how long one has lived!”

The other five were startled.

Yes.

None of them knew exactly what that strange instrument was capable of detecting.

“It definitely detected something special,” the Lord of the Shadowy-Dust sneered. “Otherwise, why would Duan Donghe rarely smile then? He was clearly satisfied with Luo Feng. Why satisfied? I think it’s because the test revealed Luo Feng has only lived for a dozen epochs, with a very short cultivation time. Such a peerless genius cultivating for such a short period is unheard of even in our three great reincarnation eras, perhaps even in the ancient civilization. Naturally, he would be pleased to find such a supreme talent to inherit his legacy, hence the differential treatment!”

“Hmm.”

“True.”

“This is highly probable.” Each one spoke, even the Lord of the Beetle-Worms nodded. They were all high-ranking figures and knew well that when selecting disciples, absolute fairness was impossible; once a disciple caught their eye, they would inevitably treat them differently during the selection.

“But what can we do? Now that the five of us are passing through the corridor together, we can’t even manage to cause trouble for Luo Feng along the way,” the Lord of the Golden-Square sighed. “I suspect that’s precisely what Duan Donghe intended, which is why he separated us from him. No matter what schemes we have, we cannot execute them.”

“Let’s go,” the Lord of the Beetle-Worms shook his head. “Stop thinking about it. This is Duan Donghe’s inheritance; we can only proceed according to his wishes. If an opportunity arises later to deal with Luo Feng, we will. There is no opportunity now; we can only press forward ourselves. And we may not even survive this death corridor.”

“For this trial in the death corridor, everything is permitted. Lord of the Beetle-Worms, you possess an ultimate supreme treasure—your chances are much greater.”

Hmph.

The Lord of the Beetle-Worms stopped wasting breath and shot forward. The Lord of the Glazed-Nine also transformed into a streak of light and flew ahead.

The three members of the God-Eye Clan exchanged looks, nodded slightly, and continued their advance. The only advantage their clan held was that the three of them were united in purpose! If the three of them joined forces, they cared not even for the Lord of the Beetle-Worms.

On this side of the gate.

Luo Feng could vaguely guess that Duan Donghe’s maneuvers had likely made the other five Universe Masters start targeting him, treating him as the greatest threat to the inheritance.

“Boom!”

A violent fluctuation faintly radiated from the far end of the gate, causing Luo Feng to turn his head, but he could only see the heavy barrier.

Immediately following were successive energy fluctuations, clearly indicating that life-and-death crises were unfolding deep within the death passage.

“Lord Duan Donghe,” Luo Feng suddenly asked, “Why am I separated from the other five?”

Duan Donghe stood there, eyes closed, his entire being resembling a block of ice radiating coldness. Only when Luo Feng spoke did he open his eyes and glance over. “You only need to act; do not ask me why the screening is conducted this way. If you are unsatisfied, you may leave. You can still leave alive now… If not, then close your eyes.” He closed his eyes again.

Luo Feng could only suppress his questions.

The Skeleton Race (Hai Clan) was a peak race from the First Reincarnation Era—in the vast sea of the universe, they possessed four small universes.

Within the first medium-sized universe.

Four imposing figures were spread out across four locations, facing each other across the vast expanse of the sky—the four Demon Lords of the Skeleton Race.

“This is what Lord of the Crying Sea and I experienced firsthand; that inheritance truly is terrifying,” said one individual, the Lord of the Crimson Parrot, standing respectfully in mid-air before the four imposing figures. “It is the inheritance of an ancient civilization’s super expert named Duan Donghe, whose name was Wu. Based on our speculation, Duan Donghe Wu was likely second only to the so-called General in greatness before the Endless Reincarnations when the Cosmic Boat was still intact. His inheritance is absolutely extraordinary, and judging by the accounts, in the ancient civilization, there was only one inheritor of Duan Donghe per generation.”

“Crying Sea?” one imposing figure spoke. “Is that so?”

The Lord of the Crying Sea beside him respectfully affirmed, “Yes, the facts are exactly as described. However, we were eliminated in the very first screening, the reason being that we are not of his race and are thus unqualified to receive the inheritance.”

“Crimson Parrot, simulate the memory playback of what you two experienced, just a portion of it,” the supreme Demon Lords of the Skeleton Race listened very gravely—the brief summary of the events sounded extremely serious and unusual.

“Yes.”

The Lord of the Crimson Parrot responded respectfully.

Immediately, a three-dimensional projection appeared in the sky, starting from when they all rushed into the Tomb-Liner Boat and playing until Duan Donghe appeared in the hall and spoke those words, which caused the four Demon Lords to become agitated.

Following this was the description of the inheritance, but Duan Donghe’s harsh declaration, “You, who are not of my race, dare to wish to inherit the legacy of my Duan Donghe lineage? Preposterous! Begone!” chilled the hearts of the four Demon Lords.

“Damnable.”

“Such an opportunity, and yet… the God-Eye Clan has three members who got in, and we can’t even get one.”

“Damn it all!”

The four Demon Lords let out furious roars of anger; they were clearly incandescent with rage.

“Spread the word, spread this news everywhere,” a hoarse voice roared. “Spread it to the three great reincarnation eras and the two Holy Land Universes! Let the entire sea of the universe know, let all the strong individuals surge towards it! We must create chaos, disrupt the Duan Donghe inheritance inside that Cosmic Boat! In short, only in chaos will our Skeleton Race have a chance. Even if we don't gain anything, we can ruin the God-Eye Clan’s opportunity. The enmity between the God-Eye Clan and our Skeleton Race is endless; we cannot allow them to gain such an advantage.”

“Spread it.”

The other three Demon Lords roared their assent. Filled with endless fury, they immediately began broadcasting this news to all factions across the sea of the universe.

Deep within the inner domain of the Cosmic Boat, in the Flame-Ice Domain, inside the Tomb-Liner Boat.

Luo Feng stood on this side of the gate, constantly sensing the surges of energy emanating from within, yet he had no idea what was happening inside.

“Hmm?” Duan Donghe suddenly opened his eyes and murmured lightly, “One has died. Four remain.”

Luo Feng was startled and looked toward Duan Donghe.

One dead?

To be continued.