You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"He went into that main hall!"

"Quick! Block the doorway! Don't let him escape through another exit!"

"There might be a secret passage or teleportation array inside!"

The pursuers shouted and surged toward the main hall. The fastest ones followed without hesitation into the dark hall.

Then, something strange happened.

After those people rushed in, there was no sound of fighting, shouting, or cries of discovery of Chen Yang. Instead, there was only deathly silence! It was as if they had entered a black hole that swallowed up sound and light.

Some people hesitated, but most were blinded by the thought of "capturing Chen Yang" and "seizing the core opportunity." With the people behind them pushing forward, they didn't have time to think and gritted their teeth as they rushed into the main hall one after another.

Similarly, those who went in disappeared without a trace, like clay oxen sinking into the sea.

Those behind finally sensed something was wrong and tried to stop, but the surging tide of the crowd was already difficult to control. Panic began to spread among the crowd, but it was too late.

"What happened? What's going on inside?"

"Don't push! There's a problem up ahead!"

"Ah! Who pushed me!"

Amid exclamations, curses, and screams, more and more people were involuntarily squeezed into the threshold of the main hall, and then vanished without a trace.

That seemingly ordinary palace door now appeared as if it had transformed into the maw of a greedy beast, silently devouring all living beings that approached.

At this moment, Chen Yang had already quietly left the main hall through the "back door" he had left in advance and hid behind a nearby artificial hill.

He immersed his mind in his own blessed land, and through the perception of the realm lord, he could clearly "see" that at the "entrance" of the hall he had disguised, one after another dizzy and terrified trial participants were being "spit out" and landed in a designated, empty valley within the blessed land, which was temporarily isolated by an array.

These people had blank, terrified and bewildered expressions on their faces. They had no idea what had happened. They only remembered rushing into the main hall, then everything went black, and the world spun around them. They found themselves in this completely unfamiliar place, a place overflowing with spiritual energy.

"One, two, three..."

Chen Yang counted silently.

"Very good, not slow. At this rate, none of those two or three hundred people outside who dare to chase after us will escape."

As the last few cultivators, blinded by greed and anger, stumbled into the main hall and disappeared into the disguised entrance glow, Chen Yang clearly sensed that the designated "receiving valley" within his blessed land had become quite "lively."

A rough estimate suggests that at least 150 or 160 cultivators were "invited" inside.

"Li Rou, that's about enough."

Chen Yang silently recited this in his heart.

"The number of people involved is already quite large. Continuing further may arouse greater vigilance from the outside world, or some clever people may discover the clues."

Let's close the entrance.

“A wise choice, master.”

Li Rou's voice carried a hint of the busyness of dealing with a "newcomer," but she still responded clearly.

"The number and qualifications of this group are sufficient for our initial digestion and observation. The entrance has been severed from its disguised connection with the outer ruins hall and has been subjected to the highest level of concealment and misleading restrictions. From the outside, the hall will appear as a normal, dilapidated place, without leaving any trace of spatial fluctuations."

Chen Yang felt relieved.

He took one last look at the grand hall, which had returned to calm as if nothing had happened, and a barely perceptible smile curved his lips.

More than a hundred "fresh blood" are enough to keep Li Rou busy in the early stages, and can also add a lot of vitality and variables to his new world.

As for how these people are shocked after waking up, how they explore the new world, and how they are "guided" and "planned" by Li Rou, that is not a problem he needs to worry about for the time being. He believes that Li Rou can handle it well.

He quickly composed himself, straightened his clothes and expression, and put on a slightly disappointed look, as if he had just experienced a "thrilling escape". With a few leaps, he left the back mountain area and stealthily headed back towards the front mountain of the Immortal Mansion Ruins, which was the mountain peak where the watchtower was located.

When he quietly climbed to the vicinity of the mountain peak, he found that a considerable number of people had already gathered there.

Most of these people arrived later, or had been observing from the outside without blindly attacking the barricades or pursuing Chen Yang.

They were craning their necks, nervously gazing towards the back of the mountain, discussing amongst themselves, their faces filled with surprise and uncertainty.

"What happened on the back mountain? There was such a commotion just now, but now it's completely silent."

"Where's that kid? And what about the others who chased after him?"

"Could it be... that there's some terrifying trap or deadly place in the back mountain?"

"I knew that kid was weird!"
"There's something fishy about someone being able to get in alone!"

In the crowd, Chen Yang spotted Liu Piaopiao at a glance, who was frowning and looking around nervously.

He quietly pushed through the crowd, approached Liu Piaopiao, and gently patted her shoulder.

Liu Piaopiao was startled and turned around abruptly. When she saw Chen Yang, she was initially delighted, but then she said in a low voice, both anxious and angry.

"Brother Chen! Are you...are you alright? You scared me to death!"

Those people chased you into the back mountain, and then there was no more sound. I thought you…

Chen Yang gave her a reassuring look and lowered his voice.

"I'm fine, I just narrowly escaped."

There's nothing left to linger here. Let's go; this is no place to stay.

Although Liu Piaopiao was full of questions, she knew that there were too many people around and it wasn't the right place to talk, so she immediately nodded.

"Okay, let's go quickly."

The two quickly squeezed out of the crowd and followed the mountain path they had come from, leaving the valley of the immortal abode ruins that had become somewhat eerie and oppressive.

Only after leaving that area and entering a relatively secluded woodland did Liu Piaopiao slow down and couldn't help but ask.

"Brother Chen, what exactly happened? What happened after you went in? Those people... so many people chased you in, how come there wasn't a sound? Also, is there really no treasure inside?"

Chen Yang had already prepared his explanation. He sighed, his face showing a mixture of lingering fear and helplessness.

Don't even mention it.

The back mountain looked secluded, but it was actually full of traps and mazes. I was soon entangled in several powerful traps after entering, and it took me a lot of effort to break free.

Those who chased me were even more unlucky; many of them directly triggered the attack restrictions, resulting in heavy casualties.

The rest of them rushed in haphazardly, seemingly... seemingly stumbling into an ancient spatial turbulence area or some kind of teleportation array. Anyway, they vanished without a trace in an instant, without even having time to scream. Seeing that something was wrong, I quickly found a side path and got out.

As for the treasures…

He shrugged.

"Aside from a few empty, dilapidated halls and some ruins where the spiritual energy had long since dissipated, we found nothing."

All that effort for nothing, and I almost lost my life in the process.

This half-true, half-false explanation, combined with the chaos seen outside and the deathly silence of the back mountain, sounds quite reasonable.

Liu Piaopiao listened with lingering fear, patting her chest as she spoke.

"So that's how it is... That was so dangerous! I'm so glad you're alright."

Those people also brought this upon themselves; greed has killed people.

"This immortal abode ruin looks like a trap, designed to ensnare the greedy." "Who can argue with that?"

Chen Yang echoed this, then changed the subject.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore."

It seems this core area isn't all gold. Let's keep going and see if there are any other opportunities.

The two continued traveling in a roughly eastward direction. Along the way, Liu Piaopiao still felt a pang of regret.

"This trip was a complete waste of our time. We didn't get anything and were just filled with anxiety."

Chen Yang, on the other hand, took it all in stride.

"Exploring opportunities is like this; you're lucky if you get something out of ten times. You'll always encounter places where you don't gain anything, so just keep a calm mind."

Liu Piaopiao nodded and then said.

“However, Brother Chen, we can’t keep searching aimlessly like this. Besides finding these scattered immortal mansion ruins and resources, the ultimate goal of the Trial Grounds should be to reach and complete the test of the ‘Final Trial Grounds’.”

"The final trial grounds?"

Chen Yang's heart stirred, and curiosity appeared on his face.

"You mean, this core area we're in right now isn't the real 'trial grounds'?"

"That's one way to put it."

Liu Piaopiao explained.

"What we are experiencing now is more like the various 'resource points' and 'minor tests' we encounter along the way on our way to the final destination. What truly determines whether we can be recognized and accepted by the blessed land is the final, concentrated trial ground."

Only those who successfully reach that place and complete the corresponding tests are considered to have truly passed the selection process and are qualified to be chosen and guided.

The crossing of the chasm, and the exploration, battles, and survival along the way, were all about eliminating those who lacked strength, luck, or the right mindset.

Chen Yang suddenly realized.

"I see.

Let's go straight to the final trial grounds and see what's going on, so we don't waste time on the way.

Liu Piaopiao shook her head.

"That's such a pity."

There is still a considerable distance between here and the final trial grounds.

Along the way, you should encounter many more immortal abodes or special areas. Finding resources to enhance your strength and resources would be beneficial.

This way, when we finally arrive at the trial grounds and face the unknown challenges, we'll be better prepared and stronger. Sharpening your axe won't delay your work.

Chen Yang thought about it and felt that Liu Piaopiao made sense.

Although he now possesses a blessed land and has no shortage of basic resources, collecting more materials and books unique to the outside world, or learning about different formations and restrictions, would also benefit him and Li Rou in perfecting their own world.

Moreover, they can continue to observe along the way to see if there is an opportunity to "recruit" some more suitable candidates.

"You're right, I misunderstood."

Chen Yang readily accepted good advice.

"But it seems there's no chance today. It's getting late, so let's find a safe place to rest and recharge before we talk about it again."

"Ok!"

Liu Piaopiao responded, looking around at the gradually darkening sky and the quiet, peaceful environment, and said casually.

"We've arrived here, and there are no monsters threatening us anymore, so we should be much safer now."

You can rest anywhere, just avoid crowded places.

However, Chen Yang felt a vague unease in his heart.

He recalled the violent and greedy eyes of the red monsters looking over from across the chasm, and the intelligence and destructive power that the white monster displayed, surpassing that of ordinary monsters.

"Piaopiao, I don't think it's that simple."

Chen Yang said in a deep voice.

"Do you remember those red monsters you saw across the chasm before? I felt that their aura was more ferocious and profound than that of the white monsters, and their strength was probably even more terrifying."

Liu Piaopiao disagreed.

"So what? Aren't they completely separated on the other side by that strange chasm? We've been perfectly safe ever since we came over last night, haven't we?"

"If we can get here, they might not necessarily be unable to."

Chen Yang gazed intently toward the chasm.

"The pressure and gale of that chasm are terrifying, but they may not be able to stop all demons, especially those that have greatly increased in strength after mutation. I have a feeling... that things are not over. The peace last night may only be temporary, or... there are some rules that we don't know about that are restricting them."

Liu Piaopiao felt a little uneasy after what Chen Yang said.

"Well...we'll just have to see what happens tonight. Hopefully, we're just overthinking it."

Chen Yang suddenly said.

"Actually, I have a completely safe place where I can ensure that we are not threatened in any way."

Liu Piaopiao looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Where? In this desolate wilderness, where can you find absolute safety?"

"My Sumeru Space".

Chen Yang said frankly.

"It's a small world all its own, completely isolated from the outside world."

As long as we hide inside, no matter how chaotic things are outside, they won't be able to harm us in the slightest.

Upon hearing this, Liu Piaopiao shook her head repeatedly, her face full of disapproval.

"Brother Chen, your idea is too risky! Although the Sumeru Space can be used to hide, it is not absolutely safe."

If there are powerful cultivators or demons outside who are skilled in spatial perception, they may be able to detect abnormal spatial fluctuations and even locate the entrance to your Sumeru space if they investigate carefully!

Wouldn't we be trapped like fish in a barrel then? No, no, that's too unsafe.

Seeing Liu Piaopiao's insistence, Chen Yang knew he couldn't persuade her in a short time. After all, ordinary people simply couldn't understand that what he now possessed was not an ordinary storage space, but a nascent, well-formed paradise with independent rules and powerful concealment.

"You just don't believe that my Sumeru Space can protect us."

Chen Yang deliberately sighed, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and resentment at being "distrusted".

Seeing this, Liu Piaopiao felt a little embarrassed, but still insisted on her opinion.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Brother Chen."

But... this concerns our lives, so it's always better to be cautious. Look at that hillside ahead, aren't there quite a few people camping and resting there?
In crowded places, if danger arises, people can look out for each other or take advantage of the chaos to escape. We might as well find a similar place, which is relatively safe and allows us to observe the situation. (End of Chapter)