Urban Wolf King

Chapter 1266 1177: What Can You Do to Me

After the old man finished speaking, his body floated up lightly, flew over the surging surface of the Magma River, and landed on the opposite bank.

Venerable Ghost Valley did not hesitate. Groping his way, he walked to the edge of the Iron Lock Bridge and slowly stepped onto it.

At this moment Venerable Ghost Valley was already blind in both eyes. Fortunately the Iron Lock Bridge was straight, so once he stepped onto it, he could move forward step by step.

However, the moment he set foot on the bridge, Venerable Ghost Valley felt the roaring sound of the Magma River surging by his ears. That rushing sound was like peals of thunder exploding beside him, shaking his Heart Spirit and leaving him ill at ease.

Luckily Venerable Ghost Valley's eyes could not see, so he could devote his full attention to resisting that roaring sound, but even so, his courage and soul were shaken, his body shuddering with cold.

At this time, Venerable Fuqing also stepped onto the Iron Lock Bridge. Her ears could not hear, but what her eyes saw was the raging Magma River beneath her feet; the waves surged so violently that they seemed about to lash right up to her feet.

Venerable Fuqing was so frightened that her whole body trembled; several times, in trying to dodge the magma underfoot, she almost slipped off the iron bridge.

Seeing that Venerable Ghost Valley and Venerable Fuqing had both stepped onto the bridge, Venerable Zidan could only grit his teeth and walk toward it.

After he got onto the bridge, he immediately came under a double trial: the thunderous roar of the rushing Magma River in his ears, and the towering waves of magma that seemed about to crash against his feet at any moment, forcing Venerable Zidan to endure twice the strain every moment.

After only three steps, Venerable Zidan felt he had already reached the verge of collapse.

But then Venerable Zidan suddenly thought of Wang Yan, and a trace of comfort arose in his heart. He hurriedly looked back.

At that glance, Venerable Zidan did indeed feel a little more balanced.

For he saw Wang Yan on an Iron Lock Bridge beside his own, still one step behind him.

At this moment, Wang Yan's forehead was already beaded with sweat, his teeth clenched, his whole body taut as a bowstring, as if he had long since reached the brink of collapse.

Seeing this, Venerable Zidan's heart relaxed slightly. He thought to himself: His suffering is several times mine. With him to cushion the fall, he's bound to be the one who loses this round. I will definitely be able to hold out to the end.

With his heart a little steadier, Venerable Zidan once more moved forward.

Yet the further he went, the louder the magma's roar became, and Venerable Zidan felt as if his eardrums were about to burst.

Venerable Zidan did not want to listen, but the sound kept drilling into his ears without pause.

Venerable Zidan tried to shift his focus and looked elsewhere, but everywhere his gaze fell, magma that could reduce him to ashes was rolling beneath his feet, as if it might surge up beneath him in the very next instant.

Venerable Zidan was a powerhouse among the Demon Venerable and had long since grown unaccustomed to the frailty of a mortal body. Now, subjected to such torment, he drew ever closer to the edge of agony.

Only when he thought of falling into the Magma River and instantly turning to dust did he manage to grit his teeth and persist.

At this moment, the Three Great Demon Venerable and Wang Yan were all struggling forward with difficulty.

It was only that, with his blind eyes spared the sight of hardship, Venerable Ghost Valley was the fastest and ranked first; Venerable Fuqing, who could not hear the harrowing roar within, ranked second; Venerable Zidan was third, and Wang Yan was fourth.

Soon the four of them successively reached the middle of the Iron Lock Bridge, but all of them were somewhat exhausted, on the very brink of collapse.

Just then, they saw the old man fly over from the far end of the Iron Lock Bridge. He first flew to stand before Ghost Valley Demon Venerable and said a few words.

After hearing those words, Ghost Valley Demon Venerable's body suddenly swayed, and he almost fell from the bridge, but he forced himself to steady.

The old man then flew in front of Venerable Fuqing and likewise spoke a few words; Venerable Fuqing also almost fell from the bridge.

But the roar of the Magma River was so deafening that Venerable Zidan and Wang Yan did not hear what the old man said.

At this moment, the old man flew in front of Venerable Zidan, smiled faintly, and said, "Esteemed Venerable, there is actually one thing I lied to you about just now."

The distance between Wang Yan and Venerable Zidan was extremely short, and when the old man spoke he seemed to deliberately raise his voice, so Wang Yan could also hear him clearly.

Venerable Zidan had already reached the limit of collapse. Hearing the old man's words, he raised his head in tension, his voice nearly hoarse as he asked, "What is it?"

The old man smiled slightly and said, "Actually, the magma below is fake. Even if you fall, you will only return to the palace gate and will not die."

Venerable Zidan had already been barely holding on, relying solely on his last shred of strength to preserve his life. Upon hearing the old man's words, even that last bit of strength vanished. He let out a loud cry, his legs buckled, and he fell from the Iron Lock Bridge, plunging into the rolling Magma River below.

Seeing Venerable Zidan fall, the old man smiled faintly and turned his head to look at Wang Yan.

But when he saw Wang Yan, the old man revealed a look of surprise, because Wang Yan was still standing on the Iron Lock Bridge, moving forward step by step.

The old man flew to stand before Wang Yan and spoke in the same gentle tone: "In fact, you're the one who should be falling."

Wang Yan's whole body was likewise taut, seemingly at the limit, yet he still said calmly, "Why?"

"Because you're the dumbest and the slowest to react. You were the last one to grab a skin sack just now, and you ended up with the worst one. Now that you've heard my words, the others have all fallen, yet you show no reaction. Since you're this stupid, you have no hope for the next two trials anyway. Why suffer like this? Better to quit."

This speech from the old man struck again and again at Wang Yan's confidence and conviction; if it were anyone else, they would likely have abandoned their persistence at once and fallen off the Iron Lock Bridge.

However, Wang Yan said coldly, "I already saw through the illusion beneath the Iron Lock Bridge. As for this skin sack, I chose it on purpose. Do you still think I'm stupid?"

Seeing that Wang Yan still had not fallen, the old man once more showed a trace of surprise, but then shook his head and said, "Even if you knew that falling wouldn't kill you, I'll grant that. But to claim you chose this skin sack on purpose is utterly laughable. If you were truly that clever, why didn't you choose one that couldn't see or couldn't hear? Wouldn't it be far easier to cross the Iron Lock Bridge that way?"

Wang Yan said evenly, "A mere trial like this—how could it bar my way? If I chose not to see or not to hear, wouldn't that be fleeing in the face of hardship? Even if I passed this trial easily, it would leave a shadow of weakness in my heart. Tribulations like this are exactly what I seek. Now that one has finally come, why would I run from it?"

Hearing Wang Yan's words, the old man was clearly stunned and asked in disbelief, "You did this on purpose?"

The corner of Wang Yan's mouth lifted as he said, "In facing hardship, what is shattered is cowardice; what remains is a blade of sharpened steel."

As soon as he finished speaking, the aura around Wang Yan suddenly surged. Then he laughed wildly and said, "Wherever I tread, who dares bar my path! Watch how I break through this trial of yours!"