Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

At this moment, the other gold pieces also jumped into the Water Curtain Cave.

They stood behind Cheng Cheng, watching the point where the tip of the staff touched the void, where ripples were spreading outwards, like raindrops falling on the water's surface.

Li Xianyu looked left and right, seemingly deep in thought, and said, "This should be the barrier erected by the Jingguan Bodhisattva."

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with admiration for Li Xianyu's profound knowledge.

"Then I will break this barrier!"

Navel, without hesitation, clasped her hands together, like an old monk in meditation.

His eyelids drooped, his face expressionless. Then, he pressed his right hand, fingers tightly against his left palm, and gradually clenched it into a fist. He slowly raised it, from his chest over his shoulder, over his head, and fixed it directly above his head—

Five-Finger Fist, Heart Sword!

With three sword strikes, the barrier was finally broken!

Cheng Cheng's stabilizing needle was no longer hindered and continued upwards. Finally, the metal and stone collided, producing a loud roar!

Cheng Cheng gripped the golden cudgel tightly and infused it with magical power.

The weapon caused the entire Water Curtain Cave to tremble. Cracks appeared on the stone walls, spreading outwards like a spider web from the point of impact. Stone fragments fell from the cave ceiling and splashed into the water below the bridge.

At the same time, a deadly fog suddenly spread out!

Fortunately, the ritual formation of 200,000 troops outside the stone wall was constantly providing vital shields for the ten gold-level warriors, which barely managed to hold them off!

"Don't hesitate, let's all go together!!" Navel roared, "Let's build it together and that's it!"

So the gold-plated warriors drew their weapons and charged fiercely into the bottomless depths of the Water Curtain Cave!

The air inside the Water Curtain Cave was shaken into visible ripples, causing the entire cave to tremble violently. The fog grew thicker and thicker, turning the water under the bridge red.

"Boom—!"

A loud, muffled thud was heard, and the Water Curtain Cave blessed land began to collapse!

"What's going on?" Navel's face also showed surprise.

"Are we about to succeed?" Paul exclaimed with delight, his eyes shining. But then he suddenly changed his mind, "No, wait, there's the sound of water!"

Before he could finish speaking, everyone heard the sound of surging water!

The mist gathered into water, the water into rivers, the rivers into a mighty river, and finally transformed into a raging river of blood, with surging waves that seemed to appear out of thin air, sweeping across all directions!

"What, what is this?"

Some of the golden ones couldn't dodge in time and were submerged in blood. Their sacred domain shattered instantly. If it weren't for the life force shield still being there, they would have been instantly killed!

"The death fog alone is enough to instantly kill a gold-level being. This fog is so thick it's practically water. Aren't we doomed?"

"Don't panic! The supply of yang energy from outside hasn't been cut off yet, keep going!"

"...It's the River of Reversal! It's the River of Reversal, a secret realm of heaven and earth recorded in ancient texts! It's actually hidden inside the Jingguan Bodhisattva!"

Upon seeing this, Li Xianyu's pupils contracted sharply. He had a guess in his mind, and then roared, "It's Jingguan Bodhisattva using the Reverse River to counterattack! It proves that its power has been broken! We're about to succeed! As long as we hold on in the Reverse River, we can kill Jingguan Bodhisattva!"

Upon hearing this, everyone increased their magical output!

"Keep moving forward! The River of Reversal is a river where you either move forward or you fall back. To cross it, you must keep moving forward without stopping for a moment and never stop for even a single step!"

Everyone gritted their teeth and used various methods to persevere inside the Water Curtain Cave!

This is a chance to defeat a demon lord and achieve heroic feats—according to the unspoken rules of the legends, whoever can slay a demon lord will become a legend!

Anyone who tries to seize the fire will be besieged by all the legends!

Of course, if the person who slays the demon lord doesn't want it, or if the ascension ceremony fails, then who gets the legendary flame in the end is not up to him.

Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty-five minutes...

"Boom—!"

Half an hour passed, and the river became even more turbulent, five times faster than before, yet it showed no sign of stopping!

"With such a swift-flowing river, the Jingguan Bodhisattva is about to lose. Hang in there!"

Li Xianyu roared.

However, some people soon couldn't hold on any longer.

That was General Navel's adjutant. He had almost exhausted his physical strength and magic, his face was pale, and he muttered "Oh no!" before reluctantly drifting downstream.

Then came the second, the third...

"No! I still have a great grudge to avenge, how can I fall now!"

"Hahaha, interesting, so exciting! To actually fight against the legendary demon lord, even dying would be worth it!"

However, the further upstream you go in this secret realm of nature, the more difficult it becomes to traverse the Reverse River.

The tests of physical strength and magic are secondary; the key is the test of each person's will.

Once you stop moving forward, you will be swept away by the river, leave the Xuanpin, and lose the chance to become a legend!

In the end, some people couldn't hold on any longer, lost their strength, and reluctantly fell into the water.

"I still have... a great grudge... to avenge..."

"...Is my brilliance over?"

Two more golden generals, exhausted, were swept away.

"Young Miss, you must hold on! I believe you will have a chance!"

Paul gave a bitter laugh, his lips twitching upwards, but the effort faltered halfway through. He glanced at Cheng Cheng, his eyes filled with relief, then drifted downstream with the surging river.

Following closely behind his defeat was Bugu.

"Controlling the Jingguan Bodhisattva was too taxing, this body just can't handle it!" Cuckoo complained. "If I transformed into my original form, I could manage, but the boss would definitely hate me for that... Oh well, I won't compete with you guys for this opportunity this time."

She let go of his hand, glanced back at Cheng Cheng, and through the blood, her blue-purple eyes curved slightly before being carried away by the current, like a leaf:

"Go, boss! ☆~"

With the cuckoo swept downstream, only four people remained in the upstream river.

At the very front stood Cheng Cheng, flanked by Navel, who stood firmly by his side, with Freya and Li Xianyu behind him.

"I will persevere!!"

“I am the princess of the kingdom. Even though I have decided to pass the throne to Sylvia, I still have things I want to do!”

"I want to become stronger, to become a legend, even a god! Only then will I have a chance to travel through the world and meet Cheng Cheng!"

Freya clenched her teeth, her small body barely able to stand in the bloody water. The blood rose past her waist, past her chest, and with each wave it washed over her, she was pushed back a step. With each step she slid, she took a step forward.

Slide and step again.

But I am still just a nine-year-old child, which puts me at a huge disadvantage.

Even with her strong will, Freya could not withstand the massive torrent. In the end, due to a small slip, she was lifted up by the water and immediately washed away by the blood!

As luck would have it, she bumped right into Li Xianyu!

Li Xianyu was gritting her teeth and taking a step forward when Freya bumped into her. She stumbled and was dragged along by Freya. The two of them were swept away by the river and tumbled out of the cave!

Now only Cheng Cheng and Navel remained in the Upstream River.

The sound of flowing water gradually became clearer.

Time was ticking away, second by second.

The upstream river not only did not slow down, but instead stirred up thousands of waves, defying any thought of continuing upstream.

Step by step, one step after another.

Finally, Cheng Cheng and Navel reached the deepest part of the Water Curtain Cave.

There was no light here, and the sound of the waterfall could not be heard; only the sound of flowing blood, low and lingering, could be heard.

Even without Li Xianyu, Cheng Cheng could guess that this must be the weakness of the Jingguan Bodhisattva.

However, the once turbulent red waters became calm, like a lake.

However, the pressure and attacks on the mind increased more than tenfold.

Cheng Cheng blinked, then easily walked to the front, but in his mind, Sylvia had already fainted from the immense pressure!

'It must be the system's shielding mechanism. I'd almost forgotten about it after not getting hurt for so long,' Cheng Cheng thought to himself. 'Before, it was a physical flow of water, so it couldn't be shielded. But here, it's a flood of the mind. Therefore, it's 99% shielded by the system, and I don't feel anything at all.'

At the same time, he looked at Navel beside him.

Navel clenched her teeth, her face flushed red, and veins bulged on her forehead, as if every step she took exhausted all her strength.

"Sylvia...you are even braver than I imagined!"

Navel couldn't help but sigh, filled with admiration and respect for Sylvia from the bottom of her heart:

"To have persevered this far without flinching—you are a true warrior, a true hero! Though I am filled with resentment, I must admit... you are stronger than me now!"

"I swear in the name of Navel that once we get out of here, I will fully support you in becoming queen!"

As she spoke, she finally lost her last bit of strength, released the magic needle in her hand, leaned back, and was swept away by the river!

Now, only Cheng Cheng remains in the entire upstream river.

Chapter 89, Providing Shelter to All the Poor Scholars and Bringing Joy

Navel flew out of the Water Curtain Cave and was caught by her adjutant.

"General, have you failed too?"

"Ah."

Navel sighed, frowned, and thought back to Sylvia's figure, murmuring, "Even I, a veteran of countless battles, couldn't withstand her, yet she persevered... What incredible willpower! Why did she persist? What made her so determined?"

No one answered.

All the generals' eyes twitched wildly, their expressions deeply moved.

How difficult is it for a person to persevere?

All the gold present could answer this question.

Those who can cultivate to the Gold level and join the world's ruling class, which one of them is not a prodigy, which one does not have an unforgettable past, and which one does not have an iron will?

But they all failed.