"What's the maximum number of beasts that can appear?" Han Jue asked.
Lord Baizhu shook his head. "I don't know."
He'd tried pushing to find the limit before, but facing sixteen Universe Overlord-level Golden-Scaled Beasts simultaneously had forced him to retreat back to the first-floor hall.
There was something else Lord Baizhu hadn't shared with Han Jue, something crucial.
When eight or more Golden-Scaled Beasts appeared together, they could execute a specialized combined attack technique. Eight Universe Overlord-level beasts attacking in perfect synchronization possessed destructive power comparable to a Universe Master!
Sixteen beasts? Their combined assault rivaled that of a second-tier Universe Master.
Of course, if Lord Baizhu was willing to sacrifice a portion of his divine body and pay the price, he could eliminate those sixteen beasts. But who could say whether more would appear afterward?
If thirty-two Golden-Scaled Beasts materialized, Lord Baizhu would have no choice but to flee for his life.
Now, he wanted to see where the true limits of this genius, the Star Sea Venerable, actually lay.
After defeating the two Golden-Scaled Beasts, they had two days to rest.
The rest period here seemed determined by the number of beasts defeated.
Han Jue was also contemplating whether to launch a surprise attack on Lord Baizhu.
But after considering it further, a different strategy emerged.
These Golden-Scaled Beasts were merely Universe Venerables!
That meant with Han Jue's "Void" secret technique and a supreme Arcana to conceal his aura, the beasts would have virtually no chance of detecting him.
Lord Baizhu, however, didn't possess such specialized concealment abilities, making him the Golden-Scaled Beasts' primary target!
Once Lord Baizhu's divine body sustained significant damage, Han Jue's chances of completely killing him would increase dramatically!
Both harbored ulterior motives, each wanting to use the other as a test subject while uncovering the temple's true rules.
"This maze is absolutely infuriating."
Lord Youhou flew through the first level of the temple, searching for an exit.
Upon entering, he'd been separated from Han Jue. Since then, he'd encountered no one else worth noting, and the few alien Universe Venerables he'd met along the way had been easily dispatched. Now he found himself utterly lost, with no clear direction.
Then, as he rounded a corner, a breathtaking sight suddenly materialized before him!
"What's this?"
Lord Youhou halted, slightly startled, staring at the magnificent golden hall that had appeared.
The hall stood empty, he seemed to be the first to arrive.
A golden staircase rose before Lord Youhou, and he immediately guessed its purpose.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Lord Youhou charged up the golden stairs!
"ROAR!"
A familiar Golden-Scaled Beast materialized, possessing the strength of a Universe Overlord.
Lord Youhou's thorns lashed out instantly. As a third-tier Universe Master, he annihilated the Golden-Scaled Beast with a single strike, completely obliterating its divine body.
"Rules? Golden-Scaled Jade-Clawed Beasts, numbers doubling each wave?"
Lord Youhou frowned. What kind of trial was this?
Could it be that one needed to kill enough Golden-Scaled Beasts here to unlock the path to the next stage?
He pondered the implications.
In contrast, Lord Qilan was considerably luckier.
He'd discovered a hall entirely forged from white jade, where numerous Universe Venerables and Universe Overlords had gathered. Upon seeing Lord Qilan arrive, they instantly ceased their clamoring.
"What's the situation here?"
Lord Qilan seized a Universe Venerable from the Northern Frontier Alliance and questioned him directly.
"Lord Qilan, the complete rules haven't revealed themselves yet, but it appears a vast amount of divine power is needed to open the passage to the second level," the Northern Frontier Alliance Universe Venerable replied respectfully, not daring to disobey.
"Divine power?"
Lord Qilan frowned slightly.
He needed to conserve his divine power for dealing with Lord Youhou later!
He couldn't afford to waste it on something like this.
"How much divine power is required?" Lord Qilan demanded.
"Reporting to Your Lordship, it requires the equivalent of ten High-Level Universe Venerables' complete divine power," the Universe Venerable replied, seemingly hinting at something.
"Oh?"
Lord Qilan chuckled darkly, then surveyed the assembled crowd. "I'll give you two choices. One, you can voluntarily contribute enough divine power to fully open this passage. Two, I can personally extract the divine power myself."
"Lord Qilan, aren't you going too far?"
"Exactly!"
"Lord Qilan, as a Universe Master, you're actually threatening us Universe Venerables?"
"I have Lord Tianlang backing me! Lord Qilan, don't push your luck!"
"Hmph, that trash Lord Tianlang?" Lord Qilan's gaze locked onto the demon race expert who'd spoken. He wasn't from the Tianlang race itself, but from a demon clan affiliated with them. "Being forced to reveal his supreme Arcana by an Immortal is disgrace enough for any Universe Master."
Lord Qilan's smile turned predatory as he focused on the speaker. "Since you're so bold, I'll start with you!"
Lord Qilan's divine body trembled, unleashing the overwhelming pressure of a Universe Master that instantly suffocated every Universe Venerable present. Then, he grabbed the Demon Clan Venerable, crushed him like paper, and hurled him into the passage.
"AHHH!!!"
The Demon Clan Venerable roared in agony, unable to escape the passage's suction. In almost an instant, his divine power was completely drained, leaving him utterly powerless before death claimed him.
As the demon's life ended, his treasures and spatial rings were expelled from the passage. Then, a white jade staircase materialized before them, but only a small section, still far from completion.
"Anyone else who dares object?" Lord Qilan surveyed the surrounding Universe Venerables with cold eyes.
Except for those from the Northern Frontier Alliance, the Universe Venerables from other factions all wore expressions of barely concealed terror.
This hall had been sealed off by Lord Qilan!
Escape was clearly impossible.
"My lord, I'm willing to offer my divine power!"
A Universe Venerable said through gritted teeth, then stepped forward, intending to channel his divine power into the passage. However, he discovered that the powerful suction emanating from the passage entrance made it impossible to control the rate at which his divine power drained away!
"Hmph!"
The Universe Venerable reacted quickly, severing that portion of his divine body in time, narrowly saving his life.
"Hmm?"
Lord Qilan observed the passage entrance with mild surprise. This mechanism was rather unusual.
A suction force that even a Universe Venerable couldn't resist must pose a genuine threat even to a Universe Master.
Lord Qilan's anticipation grew. Could the top-tier Arcana "Heavenly Flowing Sail" actually be located behind this mysterious passage?
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