"Young Master Zhang, are you planning to go in?" Kong Zhi showed a worried expression.

Of course, it wasn't that he had any feelings for Zhang Menglong. Not to mention that his elder saved his life and had great favor with their Rift Sky Beast Clan, he couldn't just watch him head to his death.

Besides, who knows if his elders were still on this Haotian Continent. If something happened to Zhang Menglong here, and someone came knocking, insisting that it was their fault Zhang Menglong died, wouldn't that cause serious trouble?

"Young Master Zhang, this is extremely dangerous," Kong Zhi continued to persuade, "Do you even know what kind of world is on the other end of this altar?"

"I don't know," Zhang Menglong shook his head.

"We once had an ancestor who returned alive," Kong Zhi said, "Although he was severely injured and passed away within minutes, he still brought back some useful information."

"What information?"

"The ancestor said there is great terror in that world. Even at the peak of the Demon Saint, entering would result in certain death. To come back, one must find a formation within that world. However, the time spent finding that formation is enough to die ten thousand times!"

Recalling the tragic state of the ancestor, Kong Zhi felt a shiver in his heart.

"Exaggerating?" Zhang Menglong said, "What's in there, exactly?"

"The ancestor couldn't tell us before he passed," Kong Zhi said, "At the time, our ancestor was already at the peak of the Demon Saint. When he returned, his body was incomplete, barely breathing."

"But there was something strange."

"What was strange?" Zhang Menglong asked.

"The ancestor was shrouded in a heavy aura of death—decay and cold. If he weren't capable of speaking, we'd have thought he was a corpse."

"Gou Dan, what do you think?" Zhang Menglong asked.

[Dean, I'll use fast play to watch.]

"???

[Ahem, what I mean is, after some thought, this altar might be a gateway to another world. As for what that world is like, one would have to go and see.]

[Based on my preliminary judgment, this decaying aura likely originates from a world resembling the abyss or the undead, possibly even a high-grade world!]

"A high-grade world?" Zhang Menglong frowned. If it were a mid-tier world, his current abilities wouldn't make it too problematic, but a high-grade world poses significant danger. After all, the teachers at the Super God Academy are mostly only at the peak of mid-grade life forms. In exceptional circumstances, even he might find it hard to handle.

If he really intends to go, it's best to first break through to the mid-grade life form, that is, the First Realm of Heaven Breaking. This would allow him to significantly upgrade the strength of the teachers at the Super God Academy, nearly restoring all of them to peak combat power.

"Brother Zhang, it's so dangerous there, maybe we should just forget it," Kong Lan advised, "If my issue causes you to enter such peril, I would be guilt-ridden."

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Zhang Menglong said, "This is a promise between men. If your father dies in there, I'll bring his corpse out for you. If he's still alive, I'll fetch him out. It's just a broken world, isn't it? Give me a few days. Once I break through to the God-breaking Realm, I'll take you on a spring tour!"

Zhang Menglong turned to ask Kong Zhi, "Clan Leader, is there any place nearby with abundant energy?"

Zhang Menglong's breakthrough required a large amount of energy. Although he was skilled in alchemy, refining elixirs takes time, and so does assimilating their medicinal power. Only something like the energy spring of the Cang Lan Sword Sect would be the best choice for him.

"There is," Kong Zhi said, "In the central region of our ten revered clans stands a Divine Tree."

"Sounds impressive."

"Our Demon Beast Kingdom's current prosperity is all due to the Divine Tree's protection," Kong Zhi stated, "Although demon beasts live long lives, far exceeding humans, our cultivation gift is inferior to humans. Also, the energy required for every breakthrough is significantly greater than for humans."

"That one Divine Tree can generate energy, releasing it once every ten years. This energy condenses into energy dewdrops on the tree, which are of the purest form and can be directly absorbed by our demon beasts. The closer to the tree crown, the more intense the energy saturation."

"Interesting."

"But this Divine Tree has self-awareness," Kong Zhi said, "It seems to be a sort of consciousness of this world. Whether it's a demon beast or a human, any life form approaching it is met with attack."

"A tree that hits people?" Zhang Menglong expressed surprise.

"It's not just about hitting people," Kong Zhi said, "Even if all the strongest of Haotian Continent joined forces, they likely couldn't kill this tree!"

"That powerful?" Zhang Menglong exclaimed.

"The Divine Tree has its spirit. Demon beasts and humans can pluck those dewdrops, but they cannot be greedy. Over-picking leads to warnings from the tree, which can deploy numerous vines that are as mighty as primordial-grade divine weapons—extremely tough."

Kong Zhi continued, "A long time ago, people from the ten revered clans once tried to harvest all the energy dewdrops from the Divine Tree. Approximately every ten years, the tree can produce around two million dewdrops. It absorbs some to nourish its roots, and only the remainder is available to humans."

"How much can be taken?"

"At most, one-tenth!" Kong Lan stated, "Back then, despite the warnings, their greed for more provoked the Divine Tree, which turned the area within a hundred miles into a mass of vine cages, directly slaughtering members of the ten revered clans.

"What was the outcome?" Zhang Menglong asked.

"Of the 130 Demon Emperors and Demon Saints, 103 died, 27 were seriously injured, and all survivors were Demon Saints."

"A fierce temper, I like it," Zhang Menglong clicked his tongue.

"After that, no one dared to anger the tree. But for us ten races, even two hundred thousand dewdrops are insufficient, so every ten years, we hold a racial competition to select young talents and distribute the dewdrops accordingly.

"How much time has passed now?" Zhang Menglong asked.

"Over two more years to the next time."

"I can't wait that long," Zhang Menglong said; in over two years, how less impressive would he appear?

"Where is the Divine Tree? Just take me there."

"The Divine Tree is jointly guarded by Demon Saint experts from the ten races. I can ensure the Rift Sky Beast Clan won't intervene, but other races won't let you through," Kong Zhi said, "This energy is precious to them. If two hundred thousand dewdrops are focused on one person, they could cultivate a Demon Saint, which is critical for any race."

"I don't care," Zhang Menglong stated, "If they let me in, everyone will be fine. If they don't, then it's a slap to my face, and anyone who slaps me, Zhang Menglong, will get a slap from me."

"These energy dewdrops will be mine. Let's see who dares to object!"