I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

"Let one person go?"

Ning Chen frowned slightly, then he remembered the original plot.

Tang Sanzang encountered a demon at Shuangcha Ridge, and had not yet subdued Sun Wukong.

He and his few followers were just ordinary mortals, no match for a demon like General Yin.

Strangely, General Yin only ate Tang Sanzang's attendants, without harming a single hair on Tang Sanzang's head.

All of this seems illogical, but in reality, it's because General Yin was placed on the journey to the West by the Heavenly Court and the Western Paradise, solely to eliminate irrelevant personnel around Tang Sanzang.

That's why the second level of the Journey to the West's Divine Realm has this strange situation where one person always survives.

"Yes, let one go!"

Luo Zhantian nodded and continued to explain.

"The one who was released was the one with the highest status in this group, the one who most resembled the leader. The three demons seemed to be playing a selection game."

"If things are beyond our control..."

Luo Zhantian hesitated, unsure of how to continue.

Ning Chen, however, had already understood Luo Zhantian's unspoken meaning, and his heart skipped a beat.

Luo Zhantian stared at him, his voice low.

"So, I'm telling you the only way to pass this level that only you know: if the battle goes badly and the worst-case scenario occurs, you must find a way to become the recognized leader in the team. At that time, you might be able to seize that sliver of hope!"

Ning Chen's heart sank as he understood the meaning behind Teacher Luo's words.

Luo's worst-case scenario was that he would sacrifice everyone else's lives to ensure that he alone would have a chance to be released by the three great demons.

This cold and cruel truth sent a chill down his spine.

"Teacher Luo, this isn't quite right..."

Ning Chen was about to speak.

Luo Zhantian raised his hand to interrupt him, his gaze deep.

"I know what you're thinking—that it's cruel? That you can't bear it? Let me tell you, Ning Chen, this is the helpless choice we've reached after countless simulations and lessons learned through blood and tears!"

"Your potential, your growth rate, and the extraordinary opportunities you encountered in the Journey to the West Divine Realm are unprecedented!"

"You are currently the most likely person on Earth to access the core secrets of the Journey to the West Divine Realm and resolve the crisis of the erosion phenomenon!"

"Your value far surpasses that of Chen Feng or those few seventh-level martial artists! Sometimes, for a greater goal, we must make difficult choices."

He patted Ning Chen on the shoulder, his tone softening.

"I know you are exceptionally strong, and your life force is definitely more than 5000, but you need to be more realistic. You've only been cultivating for a year! General Yin is a demon king who has cultivated for hundreds of years or even longer. He occupies a territory and has a fearsome reputation. A direct confrontation would be unpredictable. You need to leave yourself the safest way out. This is an order, and it's also a bit of my personal concern."

"I've led many generations of Divine Realm Walkers, and they've all died. Only you... I have a feeling that you are the one we've been waiting for."

Ning Chen looked at the deep weariness hidden in Luo Zhantian's eyes and knew that the matter was beyond redemption.

The higher-ups had already made their decision. As the most promising Journey to the West Divine Realm Traveler in recent years, Luo Zhantian was merely an executor and informant; he couldn't change anything.

Seeing Ning Chen remain silent, Luo Zhantian knew he had taken it to heart, so he changed the subject.

"Alright, just keep this in mind. Go back and rest for a bit. I'll take you to the secret vault this afternoon!"

"The secret vault?"

Ning Chen came to his senses. He had only heard of the Divine Realm Treasure Vault, but what was the Secret Vault?

"Yes, a secret vault. Within the Divine Realm Treasure Vault, there is another Divine Realm Secret Vault!"

Luo Zhantian nodded, a look of longing on his face.

"There are some things inside... that are very special. Even I, your teacher, am not authorized to use them. As far as I know, there are a few special items that can be brought into the Divine Realm for use. This might become your trump card."

A treasure that can bring you into the realm of gods?

Isn't it true that no lethal weapons can be brought into the Divine Realm?

Otherwise, Earth would have already used modern firepower to flatten those low-weapon worlds.

This is unexpected good news.

Although Earth has little spiritual energy, it may have left behind some unusual things over the long years.

"I'll pick you up from your dorm at 2 PM!"

After Luo Zhantian finished speaking, he turned and left the classroom.

The empty classroom was now empty except for Ning Chen.

Ning Chen walked to the window, gazing at the modern campus outside, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

Luo Zhantian's ruthless and cold-blooded method of clearing the level: the second level of the Journey to the West Divine Realm, General Yin...

Beneath the calm surface of Ning Chen's eyes, a sharp glint gradually ignited.

"Leave yourself an escape route?"

He muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tracing a deep scratch on the hard alloy frame, reflecting Ning Chen's handsome face in the glass.

"It's time to show you what a core disciple of Fangcun Mountain really is..."

.......

In the afternoon, Luo Zhantian drove a black SUV to Ning Chen's dormitory building.

After picking up Ning Chen, the two drove to the foot of a small hill on the outskirts of the capital.

The hillside slowly opened up before Ning Chen, revealing a heavily guarded secret base with a large number of automatic weapons ready to be deployed.

"This hill has been completely hollowed out. It looks like rock on the outside, but the inside has alloy walls that can withstand a close-range nuclear explosion."

Luo Zhantian led Ning Chen through the gates of the Divine Realm Treasure Vault.

This place houses the spoils of war obtained by countless Divine Realm cultivators from the Divine Realm, as well as mysterious relics unearthed from the long history of the planet. The level of security here far exceeds what outsiders can imagine.

Each checkpoint requires multiple authentication and password responses.

Even a ninth-level grandmaster like Luo Zhantian was being extra cautious here.

Finally, we entered the treasure vault. The interior was spacious, with rows of display shelves displaying various items in different categories.

Cold weapons gleaming with an eerie light, ancient martial arts manuals, ores emitting strange fluctuations, and even some bizarrely shaped biological specimens.

Each item has a brief label and a rarity level indicator below it.

"Most of the items here are secret manuals brought back from various divine realms by divine realm practitioners. They are either cultivable or their effects are fully understood. The red vermilion fruits over there can slightly increase one's constitution, but only the first five are effective, each worth 100 points..."

"I estimate that with your current physical attributes, you probably won't need it."

"There's still the Iron Shirt manual over there, but since you've already practiced the Golden Bell Shield I gave you, it's probably useless now."

As Luo Zhantian walked, he quietly introduced the various areas. The treasures outside were no longer of much use to Ning Chen.

"The real core lies deeper."

The two passed through several hidden doors that required Luo Zhantian's pupils, palm prints, and special keys to open, and finally arrived at a separate secret room in the deepest part of the treasure vault.

This secret room has no windows, the walls are made of a dark material, and there is only a heavy metal door.

"This is the secret vault!"

Luo Zhantian's expression was solemn.

"The things inside are even more mysterious in origin, and their energy reactions are difficult to define with modern science. The very existence of many items may bring unpredictable effects. Some are items that travelers of all ages brought back from various divine realms and forbidden areas, but they have never been able to activate or use them. Others are ancient artifacts unearthed from Earth's archaeological sites, so ancient that their age cannot be verified, yet they possess extraordinary characteristics."

"Even I don't know the specific uses and methods of using these items; you'll have to figure it out yourself."

"You can now choose to use 1000 points to select several equivalent items outside, or try to select one item from the secret vault!"

Ning Chen did not hesitate and directly chose the secret vault.

The secret manuals, divine weapons, and spiritual fruits outside have limited use for him; he might as well take a look at the secret vault and see what's inside.

Luo Zhantian nodded slightly.

"That's what I think too. Instead of choosing some ordinary items, why not try our luck!"

He slowly opened the metal door.

Behind the door, instead of being brightly lit, it was dark, with only a few beams of cold light falling from the ceiling, focusing on a handful of items in individual transparent glass cases.

"I can only take you this far."

Luo Zhantian stood at the door, not stepping into the secret vault.

"The secret vault has special rules: only one person can enter at a time, and no guardian can accompany them, otherwise the traps will be triggered immediately. You have one chance to choose; choose based on your intuition. Time is limited, so go quickly and return quickly!"

Ning Chen nodded and stepped alone into the dark and silent place.