CHAPTER 200: CHAPTER 68: ENTERING THE TRIAL LAND

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the space in front of the Scripture Pavilion twisted for a moment, and suddenly a black hole appeared, just large enough for one person to pass through.

"This is the entrance to the Trial Land. You will enter in sequence now. In half a month, we will reopen the Trial Land, and at that time, if you are still alive, you will be brought out!" The Great Elder, a skinny old man, loudly instructed Rong Ye and Rong Yan, then ordered them to enter immediately.

Rong Yan rushed ahead of Rong Ye, leading others into the black hole. After they all entered, Rong Ye then led Gu Qingqing and the others into the black hole.

Once everyone was inside, the elders simultaneously withdrew their hands, revoked their spiritual power, and the black hole instantly disappeared. The five elders then sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Family Head, we will guard here, waiting for the reopening of the Trial Land in half a month. Please take the others away from here, and do not approach during this period!" The Great Elder instructed Rong Yuanqiao, then closed his eyes, just like the other elders, beginning to meditate and recover the spiritual power previously expended.

Rong Yuanqiao held great reverence for the Elder Council. Having received the instructions, he naturally did not dare to linger. After saluting the elders, he left the Scripture Pavilion with his people and announced that no one was allowed to approach the Scripture Pavilion for the next half month.

...

After Gu Qingqing and the others entered the black hole, they felt a momentary disorientation. When they found their footing, they realized they were already in another space.

The sky in the Trial Land was not blue like outside. Instead, it was blood red, with no sun visible, only a thick layer of red clouds.

They were now in a blood-red desert. Although there was no sun, the surrounding temperature was very high, and the air was very dry. Normally, cultivators were immune to heat and cold, but after standing here for just a while, they found themselves sweating, and their clothes were damp.

"What is this hellish place, why is it so hot?" Nan Hua wiped the sweat off his face, shook his hands, and complained displeased.

"Geng Geng, how do you feel?" Jun Wu ignored his own condition and first looked at Gu Qingqing to ensure she was alright.

"I’m fine, just very hot." Gu Qingqing wiped her sweat with a handkerchief and shook her head.

"Try to circulate your spiritual power and see if you can." Yue Zhao glanced at the others, frowning, and asked very seriously.

Si Lin and the others immediately tried to circulate their spiritual power as Yue Zhao suggested, but they were horrified to find that their spiritual power had disappeared, as if they had never cultivated it.

"The Trial Land is indeed just like the records, unable to use spiritual power." Rong Ye had researched information about the Trial Land and it mentioned that after entering, spiritual power could not be used. He had been skeptical, but now, experiencing it himself, he found it was exactly as recorded!

"How can we manage without spiritual power?" Nan Hua waved a fan, speechless.

"It’s not like you’re the only one without spiritual power; everyone is. Besides, didn’t you learn swordsmanship all these years?" Rong Ye bluntly retorted to Nan Hua, giving him a mocking glance after speaking.

"Hey, Rong Ye, are you looking for a fight?" Nan Hua’s temper wasn’t much better than Rong Ye’s. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to start a brawl with Rong Ye right then and there.

Si Lin stepped between them, giving each a look, and they immediately backed down, turning their gazes away and falling silent.

"Let’s figure out the situation here first, then talk about anything else." Acting like a leader, Si Lin’s words stopped everyone’s actions, making them listen intently to him.

"Senior Brother is right. We must quickly understand the situation here to decide our next move. Our first task is to successfully survive here for half a month!" Yue Zhao, as rational as ever, spoke calmly, casting a glance at the others.

"The environment here is really terrible. Besides us, it seems there’s no one else. Thankfully, we have a habit of storing food, otherwise, without spiritual power or food, we’d soon starve to death here." Gu Qingqing looked around, seeing nothing but sand, and couldn’t help but remark.

"That’s right, there’s not even water here. Holding out for half a month won’t be easy!" Mu Chen nodded, agreeing with Gu Qingqing.

"Why do you think we can open our storage ring or bracelet without spiritual power?" Jun Wu looked at Qing Qing and said calmly.

Hearing this, Gu Qingqing and Rong Ye tried it out and found that their storage items indeed would not open.

"What now? No food, no water, no spiritual power, and unknown dangers. Surviving here for half a month is really not easy!" Gu Qingqing felt their situation was dire and couldn’t help but frown.

Everyone else looked equally concerned, even Si Lin and Yue Zhao furrowed their brows.

"While our strength is still relatively adequate, let’s quickly figure out the situation around us, then choose a direction and start moving." Si Lin quickly made a decision, addressing Gu Qingqing and the others.

Gu Qingqing and the others nodded, then they began exploring the environment around them, starting from the spot where they stood.

In reality, everything around them was sand, and the situation was clear at a glance. However, the desert wasn’t always peaceful, containing many hidden dangers they needed to uncover immediately.

"There’s a demon beast!" Mu Chen walked a few steps and, after cresting a sand dune, saw a group of scorpion-like demon beasts not far away. He quickly turned back, reporting what he saw to the others.

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned grim.

"Besides those scorpion-like demon beasts, I also saw a water source." Mu Chen hesitated while mentioning what he glimpsed.

"Let’s go take a look." Si Lin and Yue Zhao exchanged a look, and Si Lin spoke to Gu Qingqing and the others.

Gu Qingqing and the others had no objections. They desperately needed water, and after just a short time there, Gu Qingqing felt her lips crack from dryness, a testament to her thirst. Now, hearing there was a water source was incredibly exciting.

So they carefully followed the route Mu Chen had just taken. After crossing a sand dune, they indeed saw the group of scorpion-like demon beasts and a pool of water.

These demon beasts numbered about ten and were approximately two meters long. Their tails gleamed menacingly, completely purple in color, standing out vividly against the red desert.

They seemed to be social creatures, moving together, meaning they had to be dealt with collectively, otherwise it would be much more troublesome!

"I’ll go test their combat strength first. You all keep hidden nearby. If it’s manageable, come help; if not, you run ahead, and I’ll catch up." As someone with an Innate Sword Body, Si Lin excelled in swordsmanship, and even without spiritual power, his skills were least affected. Thus, he decided to test things out first.

"Take this Glittering Talisman. Use it carefully; I don’t have many on me." Rong Ye took out a talisman and carefully handed it to Si Lin.

As a talisman master, Rong Ye always carried some talismans for convenience, in case of emergencies, and he was now grateful for this habit. However, he indeed didn’t have many with him, so they needed to conserve them for unknown future challenges.

Si Lin carefully accepted the talisman, placing it on his chest for safe keeping. With a light push off the ground, he dashed forward.

The sand scorpions had been drinking water, and seeing a shadow descending suddenly, they immediately became alert, raising their tails high and charging at Si Lin.

Si Lin, holding the Dragon Capturing Sword, avoided the swipe of a sand scorpion’s tail, stepping onto its back and thrusting the sword toward its back, only to find it met something as hard as stone. Fortunately, using eighty percent of his strength, he managed to pierce its shell and drive the sword into its body.

With its body pierced, the sand scorpion’s tail swung towards Si Lin, and since it was venomous, being stung might spell Si Lin’s demise. He quickly withdrew the Dragon Capturing Sword, pushed off with his toes, leaving the scorpion’s back to face another one.

Luckily, although his spiritual power was gone, these sand scorpions weren’t too hard to handle, which reassured him a bit.

Not far away, seeing Si Lin face the sand scorpions without significant difficulty, Gu Qingqing and the others exchanged glances and collectively bounded towards the sand scorpion group.

"These sand scorpions are quite nutritious; if we kill them, we’ll have food. Combined with the water source, today shouldn’t be hard to get through!" Mu Chen talked to Gu Qingqing as he ran towards the scorpions.

Hearing Mu Chen’s words, Gu Qingqing’s eyes lit up. She no longer saw the sand scorpions but a feast, suddenly feeling more motivated.

The sand scorpions numbered ten, and with Gu Qingqing and the others being seven, thankfully, their practiced moves were not restricted; otherwise, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the scorpions!