The streets of the market were bustling with people. However, there was an invisible distance between them, as if everyone was wary of one another.
Along the way, Zhao Sheng not only saw a large number of "hooded people" dressed similarly to him, but also many other oddballs.
There are giants with bare chests and breasts, wielding large axes on their shoulders; white-faced Taoist priests in blood-red robes, whose shadows cast long shadows from which countless creatures wail in agony; disheveled, barefoot ruffians; and beast tamers who manipulate snakes, tigers, and insects…
These heretics and evil people are still relatively normal. Even if they are strong, they are limited to the Foundation Establishment stage. Zhao Sheng is not afraid of them at all.
Nowadays, there are very few demonic cultivators who can truly surprise him; perhaps only those at the Golden Core stage can move him.
After walking along most of the long street, Zhao Sheng only saw one person who made his heart pound with fear and utterly horrified.
She was an exceptionally beautiful woman with skin as white as snow, peerless elegance, and a pure and holy aura.
With each step she took, a bright red, fragrant cloud immediately rose from beneath her snow-white, exquisite feet. The crimson cloud seemed to carry her forward, making her appear from afar like a fairy descending to earth, otherworldly and ethereal.
However, upon closer inspection, everyone was horrified and quickly moved to the sides.
Because the exposed skin of that stunningly beautiful woman was covered with tiny holes like insect nests, from which countless transparent "nematodes" poked their heads out, and the red clouds beneath her feet were horrifyingly composed of swarms of dust-like flying creatures.
If anyone gets too close and accidentally inhales even a trace of the red cloud, they will instantly kneel down, their eyes bulging, their hands frantically scratching their flesh, even tearing their heart and lungs out of their guts, just to relieve that indescribable itching.
At the same time, the astonishing pressure emanating from the woman constantly told everyone that she was actually a Golden Core cultivator of the Demonic Path.
Fortunately, the stunningly beautiful woman only appeared briefly before disappearing into a corner of the street in the distance.
All the evil spirits, heretics, and alien cultivators on the street breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Sheng was the same.
He relaxed and continued walking forward.
He had only taken a dozen or so steps when he suddenly stopped, his expression shifting slightly.
At this moment, he seemed to have stepped into a "spiritual realm," and waves of spiritual fluctuations at the level of divine consciousness kept "harassing" his mind.
This mental fluctuation seemed extremely subtle; despite the bustling street, almost no one noticed anything amiss.
Seeing this, Zhao Sheng secretly speculated that only Foundation Establishment cultivators at the late stage or above, or those with exceptionally strong mental power, could sense this mental fluctuation.
"Which force came up with this trick? Their method of selecting people is quite unique."
As Zhao Sheng pondered this, he subtly extended his divine sense to connect with the spiritual fluctuations.
In an instant, the mental fluctuations automatically transformed into a piece of information that appeared in his mind.
"I see!" Zhao Sheng suddenly understood, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
He looked up and followed the ripples for a few hundred steps, arriving at the gap between the two buildings.
Zhao Sheng released a wisp of his divine sense, which was converted into a special mental frequency. Then, his vision blurred, and his feet suddenly gave way to an invisible suction force.
The next instant, he flashed and suddenly disappeared from the street.
Bang!
Zhao Sheng fell down the passageway.
When he landed on the ground and stood up, he looked up and found that he had arrived at an underground plaza.
The square, inlaid with sunstone, was as bright as day.
At this moment, only a handful of people, or perhaps demons, stood in the vast square.
Each person was dressed differently, including a mysterious figure in a hooded robe, a burly man with a long braid wearing leather armor, an old man in a Confucian hat and ceremonial robe, and even a strange creature with black fur all over his body, a protruding chin, blood-red eyes, and a mouth full of sharp teeth, resembling a wolf demon.
In the southwest corner of the square, a group of trembling young men and women stood.
As soon as Zhao Shengfang stepped into this place, he heard the alien race suddenly howl, which attracted everyone's attention.
The man grinned menacingly, revealing a mouthful of fangs and a foul stench emanating from him. He gazed greedily at the group of young men and women at the far end of the square.
"Hehe! I didn't expect the owner of this place to be so thoughtful. Look at these little kids, so delicate and tender. I like them, looks like it'll be time for some good food today."
Those who can say such things are clearly man-eating demons.
Upon hearing this, the boys and girls were immediately terrified and trembled in fear. Some even collapsed to the ground, defecating and urinating indiscriminately.
Strangely, they remained silent throughout the entire ordeal and dared not attempt to escape.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Sheng's eyes flashed with anger, and he was about to intervene.
Just then, the old man in the Confucian robes and hat suddenly took a few steps forward, blocking the way for the foreign tribes.
"Old man, if you don't want to die, don't meddle in other people's business." The wolf-headed alien's fur stood on end as he threatened menacingly.
The elderly man in Confucian robes frowned, his face full of struggle, remaining silent as if he had encountered a great problem.
"Though I am morally bankrupt and infamous, as Confucius said, 'Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda!' Come on, old buddy, let's get this done!"
Before he finished speaking, a black shadow leaped out from the old man's body, and the shadow grew larger and larger in the air.
When it landed on the ground, it had transformed into a crouching behemoth.
Zhao Sheng stared intently, his pupils shrinking slightly. The giant beast was a toad as big as an elephant, covered in pustules, emitting a foul stench, with eyes as big as red lanterns and a huge blue bamboo scroll in its mouth.
"Ten Thousand Books and Poisonous Toad! This person is the book-loving old demon from Evil Immortal Island." A memory instantly surfaced in Zhao Sheng's mind.
Shouldn't this old monster have died decades ago? How come he's still alive and well? Did he advance to the Golden Core stage?
Just as he remembered these things, the wolf-headed alien seemed to be greatly frightened. Its fur stood on end, and after letting out a howl, it fled to a corner, not daring to make another sound.
The book-loving old demon coughed, about to order his old companion to teach that wolf-headed alien a lesson.
But at that moment, a dazzling red light suddenly burst forth from the center of the plaza. Within the light, a magnificent, multicolored, and imposing arched gate slowly emerged. Above the gate, three large characters were arranged in the shape of high-grade spirit stones:
Paradise!
These three words were blunt and direct, and even the alien demons who were not proficient in writing understood their meaning instantly.
The next moment, the gate slowly opened, revealing several magnificent palaces with bright lights and intricate carvings.
Then a chorus of sweet voices and decadent music drifted from the palace closest to the crowd.
The palace buildings were stacked one on top of another, with red windows and light gauze curtains, and shadowy figures dancing and flirting under the lamplight, exuding a captivating allure.
Amidst the sounds of string and wind instruments, the building was filled with laughter and joy.
At this moment, the burly man with the long braid walked into the paradise without saying a word, followed by the man in the hooded robe.
Then, the wolf-headed alien suddenly darted out without a word and rushed into the portal.
The Book-Eating Demon coughed again, reached out and retrieved the Poison Heart Toad from his palm, stuffing it into his robes. He glanced at Zhao Sheng, then strode inside.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Sheng flashed and disappeared into the portal of light.
As his figure disappeared, the portal slowly closed, leaving only the young men and women in the square, waiting for the next batch of "guests" to arrive.
As soon as Zhao Shenggang appeared in front of the palace, dozens of slender, graceful, and charming women suddenly appeared at the entrance.
The person behind the scenes was well-versed in human desires, and the women who greeted guests each had their own unique characteristics.
There are those who are aloof and cool, those who are alluring and sexy, those who are broad-minded and petite, those who are long-legged and have big hips and are voluptuous and attractive, or others... all of them are one in a million beauties.
Upon seeing such a beautiful scene, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but feel a slight ripple in his heart.
Just then, a beautiful woman with a perfect figure and a cool, aloof demeanor stepped forward with graceful movements.
Her demeanor was so graceful, yet her voice was exceptionally seductive, and the words she spoke immediately aroused the deepest desires in people's hearts.
"Since this is your first time visiting this paradise, you must need guidance."
"If you don't mind, then I will receive you."
As they spoke, the stunningly beautiful woman took Zhao Sheng's arm. Her body was as soft and smooth as fragrant jade, making one's imagination run wild.
However, Zhao Sheng flicked his hand, sending the other person flying several steps away, while a look of disgust appeared on his face.
By this time, he finally understood that this so-called Paradise was a scheme orchestrated by the Yin Sect, and that there might be other major demonic sects behind it.
Upon seeing this, the woman immediately realized that something was wrong.
As a beautiful woman of the Chayin Sect, her greatest skill was discerning other people's thoughts, but at this moment she could not sense any emotional fluctuations in the person in front of her, as if he were a dead body or a phantom.
However, the surging, vigorous, and vibrant life force within the other person's body was undeniable; this person was clearly not a demon walking the path of the corpse ghost.
"My lord, do you not think much of me?" The woman changed to a pitiful appearance, her voice mournful and desolate, now using a seductive tone.
This little bit of flattery is clearly not enough to sway Zhao Sheng's mind.
As he was about to leave the building, a group of beautiful women suddenly surrounded him, each using seductive charms to try and lust into his life.
Unfortunately, their cultivation was too shallow. If it were a celestial maiden at the Golden Core stage, Zhao Sheng would have been interested in exchanging a few blows with her.
He couldn't be bothered with a group of beautiful women at the Qi Refining stage.
Zhao Sheng activated his profound skill, waving his hand to release a continuously expanding halo of light, directly forcing the maidens back a great distance.
Then, he waved his hand expressionlessly and left.
After he had walked away, the group of stunning beauties burst into a tirade of curses:
"Castrate!"
"I don't know where this dead bastard came from, his attitude is so bad."
"I curse you to be skinned alive, have your soul extracted, and be turned into a soul puppet, suffering a fate worse than death..."
Zhao Sheng, of course, could not hear the curses of the bewitching women.
Having passed through the realm of lust, Zhao Sheng had a general idea of what was inside each of the palaces that followed.
At this moment, he made up his mind not to enter any of the desire realms below.
The so-called "palace-like erotic realm" is actually designed for those who come to this place.
Sure enough, Zhao Sheng then encountered four more challenges out of the five trials of "wine, women, wealth, anger, and gambling": "Gambling Immortal Pavilion," "Spirit Mountain Palace," "Wine Pool," and "Eternal Pavilion."
Having passed the five trials of wine, women, wealth, anger, and gambling, they also encountered the "ideal land" where one could live a life of pleasure and fulfill their desires and ideals.
There is also the "Great Dao Pavilion," which records endless, seemingly plausible but obscure and difficult-to-understand knowledge of the immortal path.
And the most terrifying "Cave of Immortality". The Cave of Immortality records more than a dozen methods of immortality, each of which seems to grant eternal life, but each hides endless troubles.
Even so, it still drives countless people crazy.
That is the terrifying aspect of paradise.
Therefore, although powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators, strong demons and alien races, and even Golden Core cultivators constantly broke into the Blissful Realm from the Myriad Immortals Pavilion, the area remained untouched.
But most of them were lured away by these desires before they even reached the real gathering place.
As we've come this far, there have been very few true practitioners who have been able to maintain their unwavering resolve in their practice.
When Zhao Sheng passed through the Cave of Longevity, there was only one person who appeared beside him, and that was the Book-Loving Old Demon.
At this moment, standing in front of the two of them was an old monk dressed in Buddhist robes. His face was ugly, his skin was rough, loose and aged, covered with age spots and long hair, and his body was hunched over to the extreme, as if he might collapse at any moment.
But his cloudy eyes seemed to possess the power to see into people's hearts.
Zhao Sheng felt as if he had been seen through when he met his gaze, which greatly alarmed him.
Of course, Zhao Sheng immediately composed himself and his expression remained calm.
The next moment, the old monk's wise, hoarse voice was heard:
"A blood cultivator and a parasitic species. This old monk welcomes you both to the Realm of Joy. The Dharma assembly is about to begin."
Zhao Sheng looked up and around, only to find the surroundings shrouded in mist, obscuring the view into the distance.
"Master, is what the message says true? Is the method of liberation I seek truly found here?" the book-loving old demon asked anxiously.
"Bodhisattvas never lie; you can know for yourself," the old monk said with a smile.
"Master, may I ask if you have a formula for forming the Golden Core here?"
"Bodhisattvas possess great supernatural powers, and they certainly have the formula for forming the golden elixir."
"Time is limited, please enter the realm!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a Buddha's light suddenly flashed in the mist, followed by a large amount of incense smoke wafting from the depths of the clouds.
In an instant, Zhao Sheng suddenly heard a series of Buddhist chants.
Approaching from afar, the atmosphere was solemn and dignified.
Even more astonishingly, the mist suddenly cracked open, revealing a group of people walking through the air at the end.
In the procession, many dignified monks and nuns lined both sides, carrying Buddhist altars, incense burners, canopies, banners, sutra pillars, and flower curtains, while the sounds of wooden fish and bronze bells filled the air.
Deep within the mist, eight giant, naked monks carried a colossal lotus throne. Upon it lay languidly a radiant, dignified "female bodhisattva."
As the chanting drew near, an incomparably dazzling Buddhist light directly illuminated Zhao Sheng's heart.
The old monk involuntarily raised his head, knelt down, and looked up at the "Bodhisattva" with a devout expression, as if he had seen the supreme truth of this world.
Upon closer inspection, her skin was as white as jade, her eyebrows were like willow leaves and her eyes were like peach blossoms, with a natural charm at the corners of her eyebrows. She wore a glass crown that symbolized eternal life, her hair was styled in a high bun, she wore a Buddhist shroud draped diagonally, and she wore a long skirt. She was adorned with colorful armlets, her flowing robes and jade belt fluttering in the mist, making people dazzled and mesmerized, wishing they could serve her by her side for eternity.
For a moment, all was quiet, with only the sounds of Buddhist chants echoing in the clouds.