Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 720 The End of the Valley
The bright red light, like shooting stars falling from the clouds, illuminated the shrines on the valley walls one after another.

No one noticed that the stone walls were still stained with fresh blood.

Only when more and more blood-red light gathered into a ball, completely dispelling the darkness within the abyss, did everyone finally see what lay beneath it.

The abyss, only seven or eight meters wide, resembled a sacred path leading to an emperor's tomb. On both sides stood exquisitely crafted shrines, and in front of the shrines stood many human-shaped statues.

These statues are in different poses, but it is not hard to see that they are all running for their lives. The faces of each sculpture are filled with horror and fear.

Even though some sculptures are broken and incomplete, their vivid postures still evoke a deep sense of despair.

Xiao Ran and Shao Hongzhang also climbed down from the top of the valley.

At this moment, Shao Hongzhang's entire body had turned black, and his demonized left hand was now like a large net, dragging the tiger demon down little by little.

As everyone landed on the ground, Xiao Ran surveyed the valley in front of her, and suddenly her expression changed slightly.

"Does this place feel familiar?" he asked Shao Hongzhang.

Shao Hongzhang turned around and carefully looked around, and a familiar scene suddenly came to mind.

The bustling streets of my memory overlapped with the valley before me, and I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "This is Suzaku Avenue!!"

No doubt about it, he has walked this road for more than 20 years, he knows this street very well.

The shrines on both sides seem to represent the once bustling shops, while the sculptures in front are vivid passersby.

But it was only a momentary daze. When he came to his senses, the eerie valley before him had returned to normal.

This filled Shao Hongzhang with countless emotions, a mixture of feelings.

As the saying goes, "I watched him build a tall building, I watched him entertain guests, and I watched his building collapse."

All the past glories flashed through his mind like smoke, and only Shao Hongzhang, who was born and raised here, knows the true feeling of it all.

"Shao Jianzheng, don't be too sad. The world is like a cycle of unity and division. We will be reborn and reborn after returning this time. As long as we focus on health preservation, we will surely be able to see that prosperous world again in our lifetime."

Seeing this, Chen Cheng, who had also been through it all, sighed, though not as deeply as Shao Hongzhang.

Shao Hongzhang sighed and said nothing more. He climbed onto the tiger demon's back and said, "Mr. Chen, you are broad-minded and have a keen eye that is admirable. If it weren't for the inappropriateness of this place, we would definitely sit down and have a good chat."

"Haha, there is such an opportunity."

The two had just been arguing about the writing staff, but now they were able to put aside their prejudices and talk freely with each other, which was quite surprising.

"Everyone be careful, don't fall behind, and get through the valley as quickly as possible to reach the examination site."

Once everyone had landed in the valley, Chen Cheng raised his voice, signaling everyone not to scatter and to move forward at full speed.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the valley.

The further you go, the wider the path becomes.

Xiao Ran and Shao Hongzhang followed the group at a leisurely pace. Because of Chen Cheng, although they disliked each other, they silently kept a certain distance from Xiao Ran and Shao Hongzhang.

"Old Chen, I've done what I promised you, but I still haven't heard anything about what you promised me."

As Xiao Ran walked, she asked Chen Cheng a question.

Only then did Chen Cheng remember what he had promised Xiao Ran, and he immediately explained somewhat embarrassedly, "Sorry, sorry, I was so confused that I forgot about it."

After Chen Cheng finished speaking, he switched to telepathy and said to Xiao Ran, "Actually, I'm not sure about this matter either. I'm just reminding you."

"How to say?"

Chen Cheng whispered, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid this person has become a legend."

After saying that, Chen Cheng sent a wisp of his spiritual energy into Xiao Ran's sea of ​​consciousness.

A figure resembling Wu Man appeared in Xiao Ran's mind.

Holding a kitchen knife, his entire body was engulfed in a blood-red light. His left side was completely beast-like, exuding a bloodthirsty and ferocious killing intent that even Xiao Ran felt like she couldn't breathe.

Most importantly, Wu Man in the picture seems to have turned into a great evil spirit, with the corpses of these examinees all around her.

Upon seeing this scene, Xiao Ran felt a bad feeling arise in her heart, and four words involuntarily popped into her mind.

"Brothers killing each other."

"Damn it, is this the effect Huang Chao wanted??"

Xiao Ran felt increasingly uneasy. If Wu Man really became an evil spirit, or even stood against her, she was no match for him in her current state.

Moreover, given Huang Chao's personality, he is probably capable of doing such a thing.

Wu Man beat up the Locust God back then, but now the tables have turned. Is he going to beat her up too?

Thinking about this, Xiao Ran panicked a little.

"Fortunately, there are still so many guys holding the line up ahead, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

The group had been walking for an unknown amount of time.

One by one, people began to give up, and the lights overhead gradually dimmed.

After all, this lantern-hanging technique is ultimately a magic spell, not a supernatural power or a curse; it relies entirely on one's own vital energy and spirit for support.

The weakest of these "examinees" was at least of medium aptitude, their energy and spirit far exceeding that of ordinary people by several times. However, faced with such rapid depletion, they eventually felt weak all over and had splitting headaches. One examinee of medium aptitude, whose body was covered with a gray carapace, suddenly let out a painful groan.

The once vibrant crimson flame above his head now flickered and contracted rapidly, like a candle flickering in the wind, its light dimming at a visible speed.

Following the second and third, more and more people began to give up and couldn't keep up with the strain.

"Old Chen, we're almost at our limit. Why don't we take a break?"

One of the higher-level practitioners offered a suggestion.

However, Chen Cheng rejected this suggestion outright.

"No! Everyone, hold on, I feel like we're almost there."

After saying that, Chen Cheng turned around and shouted to the crowd behind him, "Everyone, hang in there, speed up, the way out is not far ahead."

Seeing Chen Cheng's determination, the crowd could only grit their teeth and move forward.

The valley ahead grew deeper and deeper, and water gradually appeared on the ground.

"water!!"

Upon seeing the puddles on the ground, Shao Hongzhang immediately perked up, flipped off the tiger demon, walked to the puddles, dipped his finger in the water, and then put it in his mouth.

"It really is water, just a little salty."

As he spoke, he looked around excitedly and said, "The fact that there is standing water proves that this road is indeed the right one."

Hearing Shao Hongzhang's affirmation, everyone's already exhausted spirits were lifted.

The Tan brothers waved their arms, signaling the people behind them to hurry up and catch up.

Sudden! !
A whooshing sound cut through the air.

A slender arm with sharp teeth at its tip shot out with lightning speed from a crack in a broken shrine on the right! This arm, covered in barbs, aimed precisely and swiftly pierced the throat of a candidate with average aptitude.

"Pfft!"

The dull thud of a sharp weapon piercing flesh was exceptionally clear amidst the limited echoes of the valley. The examinee didn't even have time to scream before his entire head was brutally severed by the terrifying tentacles!
Blood gushed out like a fountain from his severed neck, staining his body, which was not yet completely collapsed, red.

A strong smell of blood immediately filled the valley.

Seeing this, the other examinees all attacked the damaged shrine, sending stones and bone spikes flying into it.

But they did not get the reaction they expected.

Instead, the strong smell of blood caused the creature lurking in the shadows of the shrine to let out a hiss.

More shadows writhed in the darkness around it.

"You bastards!! Are you looking to die?!"

The combined efforts of several individuals with superior spiritual roots ignited their own life force, and the light above their heads suddenly illuminated the darkness.

Illuminated by the hanging lanterns, the restless bodies in the shadows began to behave themselves.

"Hurry up, don't linger here!"

Seeing this, Chen Cheng immediately rushed to the front of the group; "Quick, keep up with me!!"

As he spoke, a lantern floated above Chen Cheng's head, its light as bright as torches, illuminating the surroundings completely. Then, he rushed to the front of the group.

Now everyone dared not hesitate for a moment and quickened their pace to follow Chen Cheng.

However, this also caused some candidates with weaker foundations to fall behind quickly, and their hopes were about to be extinguished.

But they could only watch helplessly as the line ahead grew further and further away from them.

As the surrounding light gradually dimmed.

"Roar!!"

Now the things in the surrounding shrines could no longer contain themselves and rushed out, instantly unleashing another frenzied massacre.

The crowd was like a herd of beasts driven by an invisible whip, running frantically through the deep valley. The water beneath their feet grew deeper and deeper, icy cold, and each step splashed up muddy spray.

From the darkness behind, the sounds of chewing, cracking, and shrill screams were deafening. The unfortunate souls who had fallen behind and whose lights had gone out were being mercilessly devoured by the monsters lurking in the darkness.

The people at the very front quickly came to a sudden stop!
"Stop! Stop!!"

A voice filled with shock and anger rang out.

The students running behind them suddenly became like a flood hitting a dam, abruptly congested, shoved, and knocked down. The commotion spread.

At the end of the narrow valley, there lay something so enormous it was suffocating—

A door.

A dark, black gate.

It seemed to have grown directly from the steep rock walls on both sides, fitting perfectly and completely blocking the already narrow valley floor. The gate was carved from a rock that was neither gold nor iron, rough, cold, and without luster, more like black rock solidified for millions of years…

(End of this chapter)