This assassin is upright

Chapter 381 New Portal in the Tree
Upon hearing the other party's words, Yu Zhun and the others frowned simultaneously.

Can't find any trace of the ape monster?

“If you stay here a little longer, you will naturally understand.” The leading demon did not explain further, but simply shook his head. “I have been on this level for hundreds of years.”

"There are quite a few people who spend more time on this floor than I do."

"Leaving here will definitely not be an easy task."

"Have you seen anyone leave?" Helmod couldn't help but ask.

“I haven’t seen it with my own eyes.” After a moment of silence, the leading demon slowly spoke, “But I think it has.”

"Because we are a group of demons who exist in the third level of cognition, there are occasional instances where members mysteriously disappear."

"They may have attained a higher level of understanding, or even left this place." A hint of envy flickered in the other person's eyes as they said this, but it quickly vanished. "The five of you, would you like to travel with us?"

“No need.” Yu Zhun shook his head. “We don’t intend to act with you.”

The leading demon nodded slightly, unsurprised.

The fact that Yu Zhun and the others were able to enter the third level of cognition in a short time is enough to prove that they are all smart people. The smarter they are, the more they want to continue trying, and they don't believe that they will stop here.

He had seen far too many demons like them, but they all eventually returned here dejectedly, becoming one of their kind.

He assumed that the five people in front of him were probably the same.

"Let's go." Yu Zhun didn't look at the demons around him who were in the third level of cognition anymore. He turned to look at the four people traveling with him and then left.

Once they were some distance away, Yu Zhu couldn't help but ask, "Yu Zhun, where are we going next?"

“Let’s see if there are any other portals here.” Yu Zhun paused for a moment. “Since the portal we saw before has become an abyss in the third level of cognition, it is very likely that a new portal will appear to replace the original one.”

At this point, Yu Zhun's aura soared into the sky, transforming into a pillar of demonic power that rippled through the surrounding space. The other four understood and each added their own power, causing the void around the pillar of demonic power to tremble continuously.

Soon, silent ripples appeared faintly in the void, no longer in two places as before, but in four.

Two of the locations overlapped with the two previously found locations, while the other two were entirely new locations.

"There really is a new portal!" Udir's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Maybe there's a way out here."

"Don't be too happy yet." Yu Zhun shook his head slightly. "We can sense these two new portals, and so can other demons at the third level of cognition. They must have explored them many times already. If they could get out, they would have already done so."

"Therefore, these two gates are most likely fake as well."

“However…” Yu Zhun paused slightly, a shrewd glint in his eyes, “there must be clues at these two entrances.”

“That’s right.” Helmod nodded in agreement. “Until now, we still don’t know how many layers of cognition exist in the eighth level of the Netherworld. Perhaps only the last layer is the real door.”

"Everything before this was fake, just clues."

"Let's go over there first." Yu Zhun looked towards the gate that was closer. "Hopefully we can find something."

The group moved with lightning speed, heading towards the third gate the moment Yu Zhun finished speaking. However, before they had even gotten very close, their expressions gradually became serious.

Ahead, more and more demons with second-level cognition are appearing!

In the eyes of a demon with the third level of cognition, a demon with the second level of cognition also appears as a demon in its original form, but its aura is different, making it easy to distinguish.

The second level of cognition is a demon that can crush the third level of cognition. For Yu Zhun and others who have now reached the third level of cognition, they are targets that cannot be easily provoked or touched!

"Take a detour?" Helmod asked in a low voice.

"We'll have to take a detour for now." Yu Zhun let out a sigh of relief. "Hopefully, their gathering place and our destination are not the same place."

The five of them quietly turned around and slowly approached the door from another direction, but what they feared most was exactly what happened.

As they approached the portal, more and more demons with second-level cognition appeared before them.

"Damn it." Yu Zhun stopped in his tracks, his expression turning extremely grave. "I'm afraid we can't go any further."

"Why are these guys gathering?" Helmod asked in a deep voice. "The second level of cognition, they clearly cannot sense this portal."

Upon hearing Helmod's words, Yu Zhun was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening.

Indeed, if the reason why the group of demons we encountered before gathered was because there were a large number of black fruit trees near the second portal, and it was near the portal, then theoretically there shouldn't be so many demons gathered at this location now.

Because there are neither orchards here, nor a portal in the perception of the second level of the cognitive demon.

Besides these, what else could attract demons?

"Don't rush to leave." Yu Zhun took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Let's observe the area first."

"Be careful to keep your distance from these demons."

The other four nodded in unison, having already understood Yu Zhun's meaning.

They followed far behind the group of demons, quietly observing their movements.

Time passed slowly, and more and more demons gathered. Demons with second-level cognition kept coming from all directions, and they almost bumped into Yu Zhun and the others.

Once the number of people had gathered to a certain extent, a commotion suddenly arose among the demons. The demons, who had been living in peace, roared and began to fight each other.

Yu Zhun and the others further distanced themselves, trying to avoid being affected by the aftershocks of these demons, while a look of doubt appeared in their eyes.

“They seem to be fighting over something?” Helmod couldn’t help but say. “Judging from this scene, it’s like a blood sacrifice has arrived.”

“It definitely won’t be blood food.” A thoughtful look appeared in Yu Zhun’s eyes as he looked at the demons in the distance who were rapidly being reduced in number as the battle progressed.

In the center of the devastated battlefield, a solitary, pitch-black fruit tree stood, much larger than any fruit tree Yu Zhun and the others had seen before. The aura of the third portal also originated from there.

Meanwhile, what those demons were fighting and scrambling for was none other than the newly grown fruit on that tree.

After all the fruit was looted and the entire fruit tree was stripped bare, the demons who had obtained the fruit dispersed, and the place returned to its deathly silence.

"Let's go take a look." Once the demon from the second level of cognition had left, Yu Zhun spoke in a deep voice.

The group hurried towards the fruit tree and soon arrived in front of the old and tall tree.

“Not a single fruit is left.” Helmod walked around the fruit tree, then shook his head regretfully.

If there are any left, they could study what's so special about the fruit that makes the second-level cognitive demons so eager to obtain it.

Yu Zhun didn't speak, but slowly reached out a hand towards the fruit tree and finally pressed it on the old bark of the fruit tree.

"Strange," Lu Wen couldn't help but say. "Isn't this a portal? Where's the door?"

"The door is inside the tree."

Yu Zhun took a deep breath, and a dagger quietly appeared in his hand. He stabbed it fiercely at the tree trunk, but did not leave a mark on it.

Seeing this, the others all tried to attack, but no matter what kind of attack they used, they couldn't break through the tree trunk's defenses. Even the sacred fire that had burned through the corpses of powerful demonic beings was no match for it.

“There are two possibilities now.” After everyone finished trying, Yu Zhun spoke in a deep voice, “First, this portal itself is a trap targeting the third level of cognition.”

"It constantly attracts demons with second-level cognition, and if demons with third-level cognition gather here, they will eventually die."

"The second possibility is that this portal does have other uses, but we need to obtain the corresponding fruits first."

“If that’s the case, then it’s no different from a trap, is it?” Helmod shook his head helplessly. “You all saw how crazy those second-level cognitive demons were just now.”

“They would gather here before the fruit was ripe, so we had no chance to take advantage of them.”

"The only way is to take the fruits from their hands."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

A head-on clash between the demons of the second level of cognition?

This approach is tantamount to death.

“This fruit tree has just borne fruit once; it should be some time before it bears fruit again.” Yu Zhun looked up slightly, and in a short while, new buds had sprouted on the fruit tree, beginning a new cycle.

"Let's go check out the fourth portal first."

"Okay." The others nodded in unison.

Instead of waiting here and having to be wary of the arrival of the second level of cognitive demons, it's better to leave temporarily and go check out another portal.

It's impossible for both portals to be this bad, right?
They quickly reached an agreement, and the five of them disappeared from the spot.

Soon, they arrived at the location of the fourth portal in their perception, and they only breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the portal with their own eyes.

"This portal is much more reliable," Lu Wen clicked his tongue. "Come on, let me scout things out for you!"

With that, he swaggered straight toward the door.

After taking a few steps, Lu Wen suddenly paused, turned around to look at Yu Zhun and the others behind him, his eyes filled with a questioning look.

The expressions of Yu Zhun and the other three also turned serious.

In their perception, Lu Wen's aura was dissipating at an extremely rapid pace, and even his figure was becoming illusory.

"Come back!" Yu Zhun shouted in a low voice.

Lu Wen nodded and quickly retreated to Yu Zhun and the others' side. Feeling his current strength, his expression became increasingly solemn.

Although there may be anomalies when you approach those portals, you can recover as long as you don't reach the critical point and return in time.

But now, the power that Lu Wen lost after approaching the portal has not recovered, and his strength has dropped by nearly one-twentieth in a short period of time!

“This power is the same as the power that weakened our source power when we first entered the eighth level,” Lu Wen said in a deep voice, “except that it is much stronger.”

"I can sense that as we continue to go deeper, the rate at which our power weakens will increase even more, until we completely lose our power."

"What should we do? Should we still try?"

"Let me think about it first." Yu Zhun stroked his chin, his expression becoming much more serious.

If briefly getting close and then leaving could restore the original state, then trying as many times as needed wouldn't be a problem. But right now, getting close and then leaving doesn't allow for restoration...

Everything must be done with utmost caution.

"Oh, right." Yu Zhun suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Lu Wen, "Besides the weakening of your power, did you sense anything else?"

“No.” Lu Wen shook his head.

Yu Zhun looked at the other person's somewhat transparent body, "Your form has become ethereal, didn't you notice?"

Lu Wen shook his head again.

Upon seeing this, Yu Zhun's eyes flickered slightly.

"You're planning to go in and give it a try?" Helmod looked at Yu Zhun and said in a deep voice, "This change is irreversible."

“I know.” Yu Zhun nodded slightly. “The risks are indeed high, but I think it’s worth a try.”

"The emergence of two new portals in the third level of cognition is likely not a coincidence; there is a connection between these two new portals."

"Weren't we just thinking about how to snatch the fruit from that tree from the demons who have reached the second level of cognition?"

"Right now, we have the perfect solution."

As he spoke, Yu Zhun lifted his foot and walked towards the door. His power weakened at an extremely fast speed, but his figure also became illusory, and even his aura became undetectable, as if he did not exist.

Just as he was about to disappear completely, Yu Zhun turned around and grinned at the other four, then took a step forward without hesitation.

"Om-"

With a slight tremor, Yu Zhun disappeared from the spot.

The remaining four people's expressions changed slightly. Yu Zhu rushed towards the direction where Yu Zhun had just been without hesitation. The other three exchanged glances and followed closely behind towards the gate.

When they, like Yu Zhun, completely disappeared from the spot, they saw each other again from their respective perspectives.

"This is... the fourth level of cognition?" Helmod asked, feeling his current state.

"Not yet." Yu Zhun shook his head slightly. "We are currently in a special state, unable to be detected by other living beings."

"But at the same time, its strength is also weaker than ever before."

They have returned to the stage where they had just entered a period of deification, and their strength has plummeted to its limit, less than one-thousandth of what it was originally.

“Although the current situation is extremely dangerous, it also means that we are on the right path.” Yu Zhun’s eyes flashed with excitement and a hint of madness. “Let’s go back to that tree!”

"Next, we must seize the opportunity to reap the rewards in our current state!"

At this moment, the other four people completely believed Yu Zhun's judgment. Without the slightest hesitation, they followed closely behind Yu Zhun and returned towards the direction of the large fruit tree where the third gate had been located.

As they approached the fruit, a number of demons with second-level cognition had gathered around them again, eagerly anticipating the fruit tree's next harvest. Yu Zhun and his companions moved among them like shadows, then climbed the branches of the fruit tree without attracting any attention.

Yu Zhun gestured for the other four to be in position, then stared intently at a nearly ripe fruit that was right in front of him, before looking down at the countless second-level cognitive demons waiting below.

Everything so far has been a gamble.

Whether you can win the gamble depends on what happens after you swallow the fruit.

While waiting, the fruit ripened rapidly, filling the air with a rich, sweet aroma that stirred countless demons.

(End of this chapter)