C131 Lin Suzhen!

The circular portal before them was undoubtedly the Gate of Myriad Realms that Chen Guo had longed for in his dreams.

Yet, upon locating his quest's objective, Chen Guo's joy was subdued as his attention was drawn to the warrior standing guard beside the Gate of Myriad Realms. This warrior was a formidable figure with a square jaw, a thick beard, and hair that flowed in the wind. He should have been the epitome of a valiant hero, but the malevolent aura enveloping him and his crimson eyes lent him an eerie demeanor.

Clad in pitch-black armor and wielding a red two-handed sword, the warrior stood resolute, his stance unwavering against the Gate of Myriad Realms. "Mutated elite, Lin Suzhen, the fallen hero. Level 45, with a battle strength of 1,200,000!" the system announced.

"Lin Suzhen, the spirit bound to the Gate of Myriad Realms, stands as its guardian! A direct confrontation would be unwise. Search the area—there may be a method to subdue him."

This time, the group was not only confronted with Lin Suzhen's daunting statistics but also bombarded with an array of additional hints from the system, suggesting ways to counter Lin Suzhen as if fearing the trial challengers would be unable to best him.

"Is this Lin Suzhen? A truly fearsome being!"

"Man, this mission is ridiculously tough!"

"A battle strength of 1.2 million... Thankfully, Boss Guangcheng should be up to the challenge!" Zhou Tao and his companions were astounded.

Their astonishment wasn't due to a lack of confidence but a reaction to Lin Suzhen's overwhelming stats. Chen Guo, too, felt a twinge of frustration. Lin Suzhen's combat strength surpassed even that of the Demon King Arieti, whom Chen Guo had previously battled.

Chen Guo couldn't help but wonder if the gods had a vendetta against him, deliberately pitting him against such a formidable adversary. But on second thought, he dismissed the idea as ludicrous. Although he was a force to be reckoned with among other trial challengers, he was no more than an ant in the eyes of the gods.

Moreover, if the gods truly intended to target him, they wouldn't have chosen a monster with lesser strength. It seemed that everyone would have to face a monster as terrifying as Lin Suzhen.

The Whole Heaven Battlefield was indeed a perilous domain, where survival was a slim chance at best. To ascend to the pinnacle in such a place required more than just immense fortune—it demanded the exceptional.

"Hero Lin, he..."

"It's truly tragic..."

Zhao Jinrong and Geh Pao each let out a sigh.

Lin Suzhen was the protagonist of the legendary tales they grew up with, the extraordinary hero their ancestors had followed. Lin Suzhen had dedicated his life to fighting through hardships for the sake of humanity's survival. He was the spiritual emblem of the human inhabitants of the Dusk Forest.

Yet, they had never imagined that Lin Suzhen would fall from grace. When they encountered their hero once more, gone was the unparalleled hero; in his place stood a devil, radiating malevolence.

Such a sorrowful turn of events!

Chen Guo spoke up, "Unless I'm mistaken, I believe I've figured out why Lin Suzhen succumbed to corruption!"

Eager for answers, Zhao Jinrong pressed, "Why did Lin Suzhen become corrupt?"

The downfall of Lin Suzhen was an enigma that had baffled them for a century. The people of Cruel Camp knew only of his fall, yet the reason behind it eluded them. Despite numerous speculations, they remained just that—unsubstantiated theories, far from the truth.

Chen Guo's ability to discern the cause of Lin Suzhen's fall at a glance was astonishing to Zhao Jinrong.

"I possess a divine ability known as the Heavenly Eye," Chen Guo explained. "It has revealed to me that Lin Suzhen is now the Weapon Spirit of the Gate of Myriad Realms! Do you grasp the implications of this?"

Zhao Jinrong, taken aback, stammered, "Lin Suzhen is the Weapon Spirit of the Gate of Myriad Realms? This... this is..."

He struggled to articulate the depth of his astonishment.

"If I'm not wrong," Chen Guo continued, "the Gate of Myriad Realms possesses a demonic essence. Lin Suzhen was unable to withstand its corrupting influence and was seduced by it, leading to his downfall as its Weapon Spirit."

Chen Guo had inferred from the system's data that the Gate of Myriad Realms harbored a malevolent force, which likely played a role in Lin Suzhen's tragic transformation into its Weapon Spirit.

"Could it really be?" Zhao Jinrong murmured to himself, "The Gate of Myriad Realms, an embodiment of such wickedness, has brought ruin to Lin Suzhen, a hero without equal, all because of a mere portal? This... this is just... heartbreaking..."

Zhao Jinrong could only respond with a heavy sigh.

"Ai..."

Geh Pao echoed the sentiment with a sigh of his own.

"The Gate of Myriad Realms is certainly no blessing," Chen Guo remarked. "To wield it, one must be a formidable force. Sadly, Lin Suzhen wasn't strong enough to withstand its corrupting influence. It's like someone trying to break a wild horse, only to be thrown off and killed. It's regrettable, but ultimately, it's a matter of insufficient skill."

Chen Guo's fists tightened as he spoke with unwavering resolve, "Only with ample strength can one master everything!"

The intensity of Chen Guo's presence in that moment left everyone awestruck, their hearts pounding with trepidation.

"Boss Guangcheng, I've got a question," Zhou Tao interjected. "If the Gate of Myriad Realms turns experts into Weapon Spirits, then each gate would have a spirit akin to Lin Suzhen. You could easily defeat Lin Suzhen, but how about the rest of us in the Beginner Village? We don't all have a million in combat strength!"

"Have you not paid attention to the system's alert?" Chen Guo countered. "There's bound to be a method within Aerilon to counter Lin Suzhen. The less powerful villages will need to distract him while others search for the means to subdue him. The system may be a cruel mistress, but it wouldn't assign us an impossible task."

"Our numbers are too few to employ such tactics, but fortunately, I boast 1.5 million in combat strength to Lin Suzhen's 1.2 million. In a direct confrontation, he stands no chance against me."

"So, I'll take on Lin Suzhen directly, and you'll scour Aerilon Village for something to counter him. That's the plan... Even if Lin Suzhen is the village bully, I can hold my own for quite some time. Any objections?"

With that, Chen Guo laid out the battle plan.

Zhou Tao and the rest knew their combat strength was no match for Lin Suzhen; a direct fight would be futile. A head-on battle would end just like the infamous scene where the Demon War God Arieti slew Avril with a single blow.

So, it made more sense for Chen Guo to step up and take on Lin Suzhen hmiself. Meanwhile, Zhou Tao and the rest would head to Aerilon Village in search of a method to counter Lin Suzhen. If they succeeded, great; if not, they'd simply have to face Lin Suzhen in a one-on-one duel.

Chen Guo was confident that with his array of Heaven Level and Earth Level talents, along with a fighting capacity of 1.5 million, he could surely defeat Lin Suzhen. After all, if Bai Suzhen could withstand two of his moves, Lin Suzhen should be no challenge at all.

"Yes!"

"At your command!"

Everyone was in agreement, recognizing the soundness of Chen Guo's tactics, and there was no dissent.

"Let's get started then!" Chen Guo drew the Cosmos Sword, "I'll take on Lin Suzhen myself!"