Chapter 93: A Way Back

Too many!

This place was a veritable demon's den.

Staring at the scene before him, Lin Yun was shaken to his core. He had expected the Chaos Forbidden Land to be more difficult than the places he had known before, but he had never imagined there would be so many exotic beasts gathered here.

"It seems Ye Chengkong was right. Coming to a place like this was not a wise decision," Lin Yun mused with a wry smile.

The exotic beasts before him were of all sorts of strange and bizarre forms. There was even a mud-like creature soaking itself in the lava, with only a single, massive eyeball protruding from the surface.

However, not all the beasts here were incredibly powerful. The ones he could see now, for instance, were mostly early-stage Origin Sea beasts. Creatures of this level no longer posed a threat to him. To make him take a fight seriously now would likely require an opponent at the Sky-Soaring Realm.

Gripping his sword, Lin Yun tried unleashing his killing intent. After his recent period of intense, practical training, and with the vicious energy he had accumulated at the Chen Family Fort, the range of his killing intent had expanded to twenty zhang around his body. Within this range, his aura was so palpable it could inflict a chilling sensation on others. For anyone who hadn't truly experienced a life-and-death battle, this aura alone would be enough to render them powerless to resist.

Lin Yun, however, appeared perfectly at ease.

The few beasts that had first seen a human wander into their territory were, of course, restless and ready to attack. But the moment Lin Yun's aura flared, they immediately dismissed the thought.

What a joke. This human was clearly not to be trifled with.

Still, there were some with decent strength who remained unconvinced. He's just a human. We are far more ferocious beings.

Lin Yun paid them no mind. A path ran through the middle of the lava field, leading directly to the heart of the Chaos Forbidden Land. This outer ring was likely just the periphery. The beasts here weren't the truly tenacious ones.

Lin Yun walked for nearly a quarter of an hour. Finally, a beast could no longer restrain itself. The first to charge was a fish with wings that swam in the lava, looking something like a giant catfish. As its tail whipped through the air, it created a sharp, whistling sound.

Lin Yun completely ignored the attack.

Then, in the instant before the giant catfish could strike him, a red light flashed.

No one saw how Lin Yun drew his sword. Within a single breath, the giant catfish's body froze in mid-air, as if time itself had stopped. All the other exotic beasts stared in stunned silence.

Lin Yun continued to walk forward as if nothing had happened.

The next moment, the catfish's body erupted with a deafening bang, dissolving into a rain of blood that splattered across the ground.

That single move was enough to make all the other beasts that had been planning to attack think twice. They hadn't even been able to see what he did, and the battle was already over. What was the point in fighting?

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Lin Yun arrived at the entrance to the palace. Here stood a massive stone stele, inscribed with characters in an ancient script.

"CHAOS FORBIDDEN LAND!"

"TRESPASSERS WILL DIE!"

Lin Yun just smiled and shook his head. Even if he didn't go in, he was likely to die out here anyway. Should he just wait for that Ezu to come find him?

He ignored the stele and walked toward the palace doors. Suddenly, a deafening bell toll echoed in his ears, nearly knocking him unconscious. Forcibly shielding his hearing with Yuan Qi, Lin Yun stepped into the palace.

The space inside was just as vast. The main hall before him, however, did not enshrine any Buddhist statues. Instead, eighteen lifelike, golden-armored divine generals stood sentinel along the sides.

"This place looks more like it's meant to seal something," Lin Yun muttered, stroking the stubble on his chin.

Along the way, he had also seen many murals carved into the walls, most of them depicting a great battle from long ago. The images were fragmented, but he could generally surmise that it was a war of immense scale fought between the human race and exotic beasts in a very ancient era. It seemed, however, that neither side had been able to win the war in the end.

Passing through the long corridor of history, Lin Yun finally arrived before a colossal statue. It was over two hundred feet tall, with three heads and six arms. Each head was savage and grotesque. Wings sprouted from its back, and each of its six hands held a different weapon.

Just then, a voice materialized in the air.

"Who dares to trespass in the Chaos Forbidden Land?"

Hearing the voice, Lin Yun froze. What's going on? Is there actually someone alive in here?

"Senior, this junior is a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. I entered the Ancient Forbidden Land by mistake and am unable to return. I hoped to find a way back to my sect from here," Lin Yun said, his tone full of reverence.

The voice paused for a moment.

"This is not a place you should have come to. A way to return… is not entirely impossible. It is, however, extremely dangerous." The voice sounded helpless. "I advise you to hurry back. Perhaps in time, a path will naturally open."

Lin Yun pursed his lips. Tell me something I don't know. If they could get me out, Jiang Zhengqing would have tried by now. Ever since the incident with the Phantom Python, when he had felt Jiang Zhengqing try to pull him out, it seemed the connection between the Ancient Forbidden Land and the sect had been completely severed. Even a fool could tell that things had gotten serious.

"Senior, this junior would like to try. Nothing in life is ever smooth sailing. Perhaps if I endure some setbacks, I might just find my way back," Lin Yun said with a self-deprecating smile.

The voice clearly hadn't expected such a response and was momentarily speechless. After a short pause, a cold laugh echoed through the hall.

"I was only trying to help you. But since you insist, then continue forward!"

Lin Yun nodded. Following the path, he soon arrived at the area behind the main hall. This place looked more like a massive magic formation. In the center stood a circular platform half a man's height, inscribed with strange symbols. Surrounding this platform were twenty golden-armored divine generals, each in a different pose. They were carved so vividly it seemed they might spring to life at any moment.

However, as Lin Yun looked toward the main formation position, he noticed that one of the figures was different from the others. He stepped forward and touched it.

The golden-armored divine general's eyes snapped open.

"Holy shit, it's alive!" Lin Yun blurted out.

The golden-armored general glared at Lin Yun with a fierce gaze. Its voice was somewhat familiar.

"You find it strange that I am still alive?" it asked, standing up.

"If you wish to leave this place," the general said flatly, pointing at the circular platform, "your only option is to open that formation and use its power to break open space."