1282

**Chapter 1282: More Like a Small World Instance**

On both sides of the gravel path, gray flames were burning.

Cheers and applause emanated from the gray flames. As Lin Moyu walked on the gravel path, he felt like a victorious general, welcomed by countless people.

The once distant mountain was no longer far away.

Lin Moyu stepped onto the gravel path and advanced towards the mountain. The gravel path quickly came to an end, and he arrived at the foot of the mountain.

In front of him was a staircase leading up the mountain.

The steps were also paved with black gravel, and gray flames continued to burn on both sides, guiding his way.

Looking up at the mountain peak, a gray fireball was burning brightly, illuminating the surroundings like a star.

He guessed that many secrets might be revealed at the top of the mountain.

As he stepped onto the first step, an invisible force fell upon him.

The force wasn't strong, and with his peak True God-level physical body, he easily withstood it.

However, this force also struck his soul world, transforming into a war knife that struck the crystal barrier of his soul world.

The crystal barrier was equally strong, withstanding the blow without a scratch.

"As expected, it's not that simple."

"To climb the mountain, one must pass some tests."

With each step Lin Moyu took, the gray flames on the mountain would flicker, and a force would fall, striking both his body and soul.

As Lin Moyu climbed higher, the force grew stronger, trying to hinder his progress.

However, Lin Moyu's physical strength and soul were too powerful. He ignored the attacks and continued to climb the mountain resolutely.

Lin Moyu's mind was filled with questions.

He had felt something similar in the mysterious manor.

The mysterious manor felt like an instance dungeon in a small world.

There were checkpoints and tests.

At the time, he didn't think much of it, but now the ancient tomb gave him the same feeling. Thinking about it carefully, Lin Moyu sensed something was off.

Since entering the Great World, he had experienced several instance dungeons and visited many places.

Whether in the Human Emperor Network's virtual world or in reality, the instance dungeons had their own characteristics, distinct from those in the small world.

But the mysterious manor and the ancient tomb felt like they belonged to a small world, completely different from the instance dungeons in the Great World.

This was very strange.

Normally, a small world exists dependent on the Great World. Although independent, most of its rules are similar to those of the Great World.

The information he had about small worlds also indicated this.

But his small world seemed very special.

Especially with Antares guarding the small world, and when leaving the small world, there were several god sovereigns surrounding it.

Antares said that a supreme treasure had fallen into the small world, causing this situation.

But thinking about it now, it didn't seem to be just because of that.

Some of the god sovereigns were mortal enemies of the human race, yet they didn't attack him immediately.

Looking back, there must have been some kind of constraint preventing them from killing him directly.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Moyu thought of the old man in green riding a green ox.

He had appeared in the [Origin Secret Realm] and handed over the [Origin Rune] to him. Lin Moyu couldn't fathom the old man's level.

Even Antares didn't dare mention the old man's name and warned Lin Moyu not to think about him.

Lin Moyu was no longer ignorant. He had seen god sovereigns and even beings stronger than gods.

He believed Antares was at least a god sovereign, and a very powerful one. Perhaps Antares had even surpassed the god sovereign level. Yet, even so, Antares didn't dare mention the old man's name.

"Could it be that existence..."

Lin Moyu shook his head, and the image of the old man in his mind shattered instantly. He remembered Antares' warning not to think about the old man's appearance. That existence was too powerful, beyond even the right to think about.

"What is the connection between the ancient beings and my small world?"

"Why is my magic completely different from others, so out of place?"

"But the fundamental laws still follow the rules of the Great World..."

The more he learned, the more mysteries filled his heart.

Lin Moyu was eager for answers, just as he had constantly questioned Antares in the small world.

Unfortunately, Antares wasn't here, and he had no one to ask.

As for Zhu Qiwu and Zhu Tian, although they were good seniors to him, they weren't close enough to share everything.

Unconsciously, Lin Moyu endured another intense attack.

This attack was unprecedentedly strong, and his physical strength, already close to the peak of the True God level, felt pain.

The attack carried mysterious laws, not just physical force, making it impossible to be immune.

The soul attack was equally powerful, causing his soul world to tremble.

The crystal barrier still held firm, blocking the illusory war knife's attack.

Finally, he reached the mountain peak, and the pressure on his body lightened.

Colors returned, and the world was no longer gray and white.

His vision and soul perception returned to normal.

It was like the fog had lifted, revealing a clear sky.

At the mountain peak, a gray flame was burning brightly.

The flame wasn't as large as it appeared from a distance; its diameter was less than ten meters.

Below the flame was a large square pool.

In the pool stood a giant torch, a hundred meters tall, with the flame burning at its top.

In front of the pool was a throne.

The throne was as wide as the pool, about thirty meters.

Its height was about ten meters.

One could imagine the size of the person who usually sat on it.

The black throne was carved with numerous skeleton patterns, each lifelike, appearing eerie and sinister under the gray flame's illumination.

Lin Moyu looked at the setup from a distance, imagining how the person on the throne had issued commands.

He didn't approach the throne but was attracted by a large coffin to the left of the throne. The coffin was about five meters high and over forty meters long.

The coffin wasn't closed, and the lid lay casually to the side.

The coffin was equally exquisite, covered with skeleton carvings, as lifelike as those on the throne.

However, the coffin was white, while the throne was pitch black, creating a stark contrast and a strong visual impact.

Lin Moyu guessed that the coffin's owner was likely the throne's owner.

The coffin might have been his resting place.

After the recent battle, Lin Moyu thought the throne's owner was probably also a skeleton.

A powerful skeleton.

Lin Moyu slowly ascended and saw that the coffin was empty.

"Is the throne's owner not here? Did he fall or leave?"

Lin Moyu wondered, seeing several bones on the throne.

Not only on the throne but also scattered on the mountain peak's ground were many bone fragments.

Boom!

The gray flame exploded in the air, and a powerful force swept over, pressing Lin Moyu to the ground instantly.