CHAPTER 143 - GOLDEN DOOR

Han Wu and Qin Shuang, intending to rescue their high school homeroom teacher, approached Lina. They bought a ticket to the Ancient Battleground from her for 1 billion Divine Points, then used it to teleport. Upon their arrival, Han Wu swiftly moved towards the tent he used to share with Tian Wen.

The tent was, thankfully, still there. However, its inside was exactly as they’d left it. Tian Wen hadn’t returned even once since his abduction, so where could he be?

Aside from fragments of Divine Aspects and concealed Demigods from the Divine Civilization, the Ancient Battleground was barren. Given the harsh conditions, it was utterly impossible for anyone to survive in such an environment without adequate provisions.

To locate Tian Wen, Han Wu and Qin Shuang summoned a large number of their units. The locusts dispersed to cover a broad search area, while the Thunder Sparrows, leveraging their aerial capabilities, conducted their search from above. The Thunder Sparrows also launched lightning attacks on any weaker Divine Souls they encountered.

Despite searching for three days straight, the two found no trace of Tian Wen. It was only when Han Wu unexpectedly arrived in a desert area that he finally caught the faint yet unmistakable signal of his three Locustman Lords and Steely nearby. All their threads of Faith were unmistakably emanating from underground!

Upon Han Wu’s command, his locusts commenced digging the immediate area, and after a full day of diligent digging, they finally uncovered what lay beneath all the sand: a magnificent golden door!

Measuring ten meters in height and five in width, the golden door was adorned with intricate engravings that pulsed with powerful Space Energy. The threads of Faith connecting Han Wu to his three Locustman Lords and Steely were undeniably emanating from behind this mysterious door.

“They are inside this gate!” Han Wu exclaimed, reaching out to touch the golden door handle. However, a sudden burst of lightning erupted from it, forcefully repelling him backward. It was immediately clear that this golden door was not something that could be opened through brute force alone.

Since Qin Shuang was well-versed in manipulating lightning, she decided to give it a try. “Here, let me try opening it instead,” she suggested.

With a nod, Han Wu stepped back and gave her ample space. Her eyes began to spark with electricity, and a powerful Lightning Energy enveloped her body. Han Wu, however, had no idea what the lightning was doing to her.

Enveloped in her domain, she advanced towards the door, her fingers delicately touching the golden handle. A powerful current of lightning surged through the handle, but remarkably, it left her entirely unscathed. She then took a firm grip and began to pull the door open.

The heavy golden door slowly creaked open, revealing an unknown gate before them. Han Wu immediately sensed the threads of Faith growing even stronger. Without hesitation, he instructed one of his new Locustman Lords, accompanied by a small group of locusts, to explore the mysterious entrance. Once inside, the Locustman Lord tried to establish communication with Han Wu, but to its dismay, its messages were being intercepted.

Despite losing contact with the Locustman Lord, Han Wu knew they were alive due to their strong Faith threads. Qin Shuang did likewise, ordering a small group of Thunder Sparrows into the gate. She, too, found that while her units survived, they couldn’t send any messages.

After a fifteen-minute wait, during which the threads of Faith remained consistently stable—a clear sign that everyone inside was still alive—they finally decided to enter the gate themselves. Bringing all their units along, they stepped through the entrance to uncover what was going on.

They were instantly transported to a boundless desert of yellow sand. No sooner had they arrived than a multitude of scorpion-shaped Divine Souls emerged from beneath the sand. These creatures all had white halos beneath their feet, identifying them as the weakest among the Divine Souls.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the two immediately ordered their units to launch an all-out assault on the Divine Souls. The overwhelming attack unleashed by the locusts and Thunder Sparrows soon left the surrounding area densely covered in Rank 1 Divine Aspect fragments.

Han Wu retrieved all the fragments, which he then managed to fuse into five complete Rank 1 Divine Aspects. Among these, two were the Scorpion Aspect, with the remaining three being the Sand Aspect. Although these were considered common Divine Aspects, Han Wu nonetheless instructed Qin Shuang to keep them secure as they resumed their travels.

As Han Wu and Qin Shuang delved deeper into the area, numerous scorpion Divine Souls repeatedly ambushed them. However, the combined might of the locusts and Thunder Sparrows ensured that Han Wu and Qin Shuang remained entirely unscathed.

Han Wu and Qin Shuang obtained a significant amount of Divine Aspect fragments from their frequent battles. However, they soon realized something was off. Although the fragment drop rate was notably higher in this area compared to outside, they also observed that the scorpion Divine Souls weren’t actively attempting to kill them. Instead, it was as if these creatures were deliberately trying to get themselves killed.

In essence, the scorpion Divine Souls were nothing more than cannon fodder. They emerged from the sand with an ulterior motive, not to engage in combat. When Han Wu and Qin Shuang attempted to retreat, they discovered the gate had vanished, leaving them undeniably trapped.

The realization hit Han Wu swiftly. “I get it now,” he said. “These scorpion Divine Souls aren’t trying to fight us; they’re draining our stamina and wasting our time! We’re cut off from our divine realm here, and without supplies, we’ll starve to death!”

As Han Wu spoke, Qin Shuang quickly launched herself onto her Gold Crown Thunder Sparrow, soaring a thousand meters skyward. However, even from that height, all she could see was an endless sea of sand. It seemed as though sand was the only thing that existed in this vast expanse.

She returned to the ground, a visible dejection in her demeanor. “Are we stuck here forever, with nothing left but to bide our time until death?” she asked, her voice heavy with resignation.

To a Demigod, a death by starvation was an exceptionally cruel end. Han Wu was deep in thought, trying to devise a plan, when he suddenly sensed the familiar threads of Faith emanating from his three Locustman Lords and Steely. They were unmistakably close by.

“Qin Shuang, I can sense where my units are,” Han Wu stated. “We need to get to them immediately and find out how they’ve been surviving here. They must have discovered a way.”

After Qin Shuang nodded in agreement, she quickly helped Han Wu onto her Gold Crown Thunder Sparrow. The pair immediately ascended into the air, completely disregarding the scorpions that continued to crawl across the sandy ground below.

They soared through the air, heading directly toward the location where Han Wu had last sensed the presence of his units. It took a while, but they finally located the three Locustman Lords and Steely. To their surprise, the group was locked in a fierce battle against a colossal Sand Golem.

The Sand Golem was remarkably slow, yet it proved to be almost impervious to every form of attack. Its massive body, composed entirely of sand, possessed an astonishing ability to mend any injury within mere moments.

Dark Locust, highly proficient in dark attribute skills, had already learned the Dark Domain. While it could employ this domain to disorient the Sand Golem’s vision and exert some degree of control over it, it was utterly incapable of inflicting any lasting wound on the creature. Similarly, Toxic Locust’s potent venom proved entirely useless against the Sand Golem, precisely because the golem lacked any flesh that could be poisoned.

The final Locustman Lord had awakened its innate earth attribute, which significantly enhanced its defensive capabilities. However, it possessed limited offensive methods, meaning it was unable to inflict any damage upon the Sand Golem either. Thus, only Steely, with his Hurricane Domain, was capable of temporarily fending off the relentless attacks of the Sand Golem.

“I’ll help you!” Han Wu roared, immediately activating his Black Dragon King Transformation and drawing forth the Defiant Sword as he charged headlong into the ongoing battle.

With surprising ease, the sword plunged into the Sand Golem. Leveraging its unique property, the sword transformed its damage from physical to the water attribute, which happened to be the Sand Golem’s most significant weakness.

A single, precise stroke left the golem severely wounded.