Chapter 315: 314: Cunningly Snatching the Gloomy Sun Grass!
Chapter 315: 314: Cunningly Snatching the Gloomy Sun Grass!
The stagnant situation finally changed, drawing many eyes to it.
Before Du Gang moved, a few others had gathered their courage to attempt the challenge. However, without exception, they all failed, plunging into the abyss and perishing.
“Can he succeed?!”
“I hope he doesn’t die…”
At this point, someone with sharp eyes started to frown.
“This guy, he doesn’t seem to have a high level of cultivation!”
This statement left everyone stunned.
They also noticed this fact.
“Exactly, with his level of cultivation, what is he trying to do?”
“Hey, stop, don’t go down, this is not a place for you to fool around!”
Some individuals couldn’t bear to see him throw his life away and started shouting.
After all, even the most powerful gods from the previous nine tribulations had died in abundant numbers, would Du Gang not be heading for certain death with his mere three tribulations?
Meanwhile, a handsome man standing nearby also wore a puzzled expression.
Previously, he just noticed the vague threat Du Gang posed but hadn’t paid attention to his cultivation level. Upon hearing what people were saying and taking a closer look, he realized that Du Gang’s level of cultivation really was low.
Was he pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger?
There was no need. Everyone wasn’t competing here. The real competition was eight hundred meters below.
The issue now was whether he could successfully reach that depth. If he couldn’t descend, no amount of concealment of his cultivation level would matter.
Hearing the voices around him, Du Gang cracks a smile and throws up a seven (a gesture of one hand with six fingers up and one thumb up) before diving down headfirst.
“Ah, he really went down!”
People gasped, some even prematurely sighing, “How fearless of death!”
However, the very next second, everyone’s mouths dropped open.
They watched Du Gang, who had just jumped into the abyss, move through the inky depths like a swift eight-legged spider.
Two hundred meters, three hundred meters, four hundred meters…..
In less than fifteen seconds, he had already covered half the distance.
“How is that possible?!”
At this moment, everyone was stunned, watching in disbelief at what was transpiring below.
“Am I dreaming?”
“Or am I hallucinating?”
It fiercely contradicted their belief.
“How long did Brother Zou take to dive down before?” Someone, still in shock, asked this question.
“Brother Zou? I remember it took him about a minute or two?”
Hearing this caused everyone to gasp.
“So, this guy is nearly three to four times faster than Brother Zou?”
“Doesn’t this mean, his power…”
No one dared to think further, they hadn’t even considered the possibility of Du Gang not reaching eight hundred meters.
Because, while everyone was expressing their astonishment, Du Gang had already reached the seven hundred meter mark, only a step away from eight hundred meters!
“Will he be able to enter?”
In their eyes, the platform at eight hundred meters was only for the strongest of the strong, and anyone who could reach it would be a renowned hero, ranking among the top in their respective regions.
“Whoosh!”
Without a hitch, Du Gang effortlessly reached the eight hundred-meter platform and disappears.
“He really went down!”
At this moment, everyone was in awe!
“He really went down!”
“He must be hiding his true strength, even Zou Brother wasn’t this fast…”
“No, not only Brother Zou, I have seen Brother Zou’s strength, and he’s still slightly short of the peak…”
“Before, I saw the peak powerhouse dive down, but he wasn’t as fast as this guy just now!”
“Could it be…”
The crowd had an incredible, dream-like feeling, “Could it be, that that guy is a Human Ranking powerhouse? Deliberately concealing his identity and cultivation level?”
“Gurgle!”
Immediately, gulping noises resounded throughout the crowd.
Although none of them confirmed it, most of them already believed it to be true.
“This guy, actually…”
The handsome man who stood beside Du Gang also looked shocked.
He had guessed that Du Gang was hiding his identity and true power, but never thought his strength would be this immense.
Even though Du Gang hadn’t executed any attacks or displayed any power, his speed diving into the abyss surpassed everyone present.
At the very least, among the dozens of people he had seen dive since he arrived, Du Gang was the fastest!
One must know, this was not a race.
This was a dangerous place full of fierce winds, a terrifying place where one false move could mean death.
“Too terrifying, he doesn’t seem to be afraid of the fierce winds at all…” a middle-aged man mumbled to himself.
After hearing this, the handsome man suddenly felt a jolt.
Fierce winds?
It was as if he realized something, his eyes closed as he started contemplating and reminiscing.
After a while, his eyes suddenly shot open, radiating an intelligent light.
“So that’s how it is!”
At this moment, he acted as though he had solved some riddle and his confidence returned, alongside a radiant smile.
These so-called fierce winds were time-based…
After very deliberate recollection, he realized that regardless of the speed or strength of anyone, there was always a fixed timing when their ‘feet would slip away’. This phenomenon would always occur forty-five seconds in.
‘Feet slipping away’?
He chuckled softly, this must be the manifestation of the fierce winds.
So as long as he could reach the platform within forty-five seconds, he would be safe!
Just as he was thinking this, someone next to him had already started the descent, a figure moving swiftly down. While not as fast as Du Gang, the speed was still more than double that of Brother Zou.
15, 16, 17…
The handsome man silently counted.
38, 39, 40…
Finally, at the fortieth second, the descending figure made it to the platform.
He noted that throughout this interval, there had been no ‘feet slipping’.
Was this the answer?!
His heart was clear, but the others didn’t know the truth and assumed there were hidden powerhouses among them. All they could feel was an endless sense of admiration and envy.
The handsome man casually glanced around, and noticed a few individuals who, like him, wore smiles on their faces.
Undoubtedly, they too had discovered the pattern of the abyss. While this pattern couldn’t help them explore the entire abyss, it would allow them to descend to the eight hundred-meter mark.
That was enough!
The group had an understanding, none of them had any intentions to share their newfound knowledge with the crowd. All of them individually picked a spot and jumped.
And so, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, these individuals made it to the eight hundred-meter platform.
“Nine Gloomy Sun Grasses?”
The moment Du Gang entered the platform, he quickly started looking for traces of the Gloomy Sun Grass, and soon he found it.
The platform wasn’t big, about two hundred square meters, with nine Gloomy Sun Grass plants growing evenly around the cliff, like gourd vines.
However, there were fewer people on the platform than he had imagined.
At first, Du Gang thought there were hundreds of people here, but now, there were only dozens.
Although the number was small, their strength was very strong. There were no weak ones who could reach here.
After locating the Gloomy Sun Grass, Du Gang started to observe the others.
A glance immediately stunned him.
He saw that in front of five of the Gloomy Sun Grass plants, there was only one person standing alone.
But the area in front of the other four plants was crowded with people.
Huh?
He was slightly surprised, but quickly understood the situation – those five people were the strongest on the Human Ranking!
No one dared to compete with the strongest on the Human Ranking!
So, they easily collected those five Gloomy Sun Grass plants!
As for the remaining four, they were the objects of contention for the other people here!
As Du Gang was looking at the others, the people on the field also took a look at him.
After noticing his peculiar cultivation, no one said much, they just glanced at him curiously and then turned their heads back.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the Gloomy Sun Grass.
At this moment, there were only about ten minutes left until the Gloomy Sun Grass matured. Nobody dared to blink, fearing that if they were not careful, the grass would be taken by someone else.
Du Gang quickly spotted some familiar figures in the crowd in front of the four Gloomy Sun Grass plants.
The Yin Yang Five Sons!
These guys weren’t as arrogant and domineering as they were on the ground. Instead, they blended in very low-key with the crowd in front of the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass.
What’s more, to his surprise, the five of them were wearing different clothes!
They deliberately changed their uniforms to look like individuals, intending to seize the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass!
Immediately after, Du Gang saw another acquaintance. It was the man surnamed Zou who had come down first.
His choice of standing position was quite interesting. He wasn’t in front of the outermost ninth Gloomy Sun Grass, but ran into the range of the eighth one.
Obviously, the man surnamed Zou also knew that the Yin Yang Five Sons were in collusion and didn’t want to be schemed against by them, so he deliberately avoided them.
Where to go?
Du Gang didn’t think much about it, and with an expressionless face, he walked with a sneer in his heart to the front of the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass.
Since the Yin Yang Five Sons wanted to grab this Gloomy Sun Grass, he would mess with their plans!
Among the dozens of people present, the strength of the Yin Yang Five Sons was only average.
Here, the peak performers were everywhere.
Just from a quick glance, Du Gang felt at least half of the people were nearly perfect, suspected to be peak performers.
This was the reason the Yin Yang Five Sons didn’t dare to disperse.
With their strength, if they scattered here, they might not be able to grab even one plant, but if they teamed up, they had a greater chance to snatch the same plant.
Hehe!
Du Gang sneered and quietly started to transmit a message.
“Friend, I have important information to tell you, please remain calm…. I just came down from above, and among us in front of this ninth Gloomy Sun Grass, there are five people who are long-term partners….”
He unceremoniously betrayed the Yin Yang Five Sons directly.
He transmitted his voice to everyone standing in front of the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass, urging them not to reveal their knowledge of the situation.
With Du Gang’s message, the scanning of the divine thoughts on the field became more and more frequent.
Everyone, including the Yin Yang Five Sons, didn’t pay attention to this change.
The maturation of the Gloomy Sun Grass was imminent, so it was normal for the divine thought to be frequently mobilized. Even the Yin Yang Five Sons and others were scanning the others frequently to prevent anyone from taking action in advance.
Little did they know, these people were scanning to lock onto the five of them based on the information provided by Du Gang.
No one responded to Du Gang, nor did anyone speak up.
Everyone was uncharacteristically quiet, not uttering a single word.
Those who were able to enter this place were all intelligent, no fools among them.
They did not want to be used by others, yet they did not let down their guard either.
However, everyone involuntarily turned their attention to the Five Children of Yin and Yang.
Without a doubt, they were the ones with the highest hopes of winning the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass!
“Friends, I’ve discussed with eight people. The moment the Gloomy Sun Grass matures, we should first eliminate these five. After all, we’re all independents, relying on our own abilities, but they are not…”
In reality, Du Gang had not formed an alliance with anyone, but he was saying this to everyone, as if many people were targeting the Five Children of Yin and Yang.
Especially when everyone saw others around them scanning the Five Children of Yin and Yang, they were more inclined to believe Du Gang’s words.
Why not follow his suggestion? Eliminate these five first?
For a moment, many people had this thought in their hearts.
The Five Children of Yin and Yang, although they considered the scanning of Divine Thoughts normal, were somewhat suspicious and began to communicate with each other.
“Big brother, why does the atmosphere feel strange?”
“Yeah, I also feel something strange, as if these guys want to attack me…”
“Third, fourth, aren’t you both being overly sensitive? The Gloomy Sun Grass is about to mature, by which time everyone will be our enemy. So isn’t it normal for them to want to attack you? Don’t you want to attack them too?” retorted the second brother dismissively.
The eldest Child of Yin and Yang did not say much but asked another silent one, “Fifth, have you sensed the presence of the Ancient God?”
Upon hearing this, the fifth brother hurriedly responded, “Big brother, ten minutes ago I had just sensed it. If it comes down, this guy is the most likely…”
As he spoke, he subtly indicated the position where Du Gang was.
The eldest Child of Yin and Yang stared at Du Gang as if he wanted to devour him.
However, Du Gang seemed unfazed. He showed no signs of panic, no anger, his eyes calm as still waters, as if he didn’t care at all.
At that moment, several sounds came from outside. Many people turned their gaze upon hearing the sounds, and several figures jumped onto the platform.
It was the handsome young men who came after Du Gang!
The Five Children of Yin and Yang initially focused on Du Gang, but shifted their attention after the newcomers arrived.
After a while, the elder sighed, “I can’t lock onto a target. They all seem to be wearing masks, so I can’t see their true faces…”
This was different from the surface world, not like the tearoom in Mo City…
Everyone here was a powerhouse. Even if they were not as strong as them, they were nearly comparable, or even stronger. Thus, they could not just randomly start fights.
If they became public enemies, even in their near-peak state, they wouldn’t be able to walk out alive.
“Forget it, let’s go for the Gloomy Sun Grass first. As for the Ancient God fellow, we’ll deal with him after we snatch this!”
In the mind of the eldest Child of Yin and Yang, the Gloomy Sun Grass was still the most important.
Those who had just come down also started to make their choices after figuring out the situation.
Without exception, they all avoided the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass where the Five Children of Yin and Yang were. Obviously, everyone knew they were a group.
And those who originally stayed in front of the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass were half-believing half-doubting. But at this moment, seeing the actions of the others, they all believed Du Gang’s words.
Their expressions as they looked at the Five Children of Yin and Yang were intriguing.
Seeing this scene, Du Gang almost burst into laughter.
Just wait, Five Children of Yin and Yang!
In this way, the venue became quiet again. Although everyone was silent, everyone was preparing for battle.
They believed that once the signal that the Gloomy Sun Grass had matured was given, the battle would ignite.
“After the Gloomy Sun Grass matures, it will emit a glow…”
At this time, the strong man ranked in the Human Rankings who was standing next to the third Gloomy Sun Grass began to speak softly.
His words sounded like a signal for the start of the battle, giving everyone some reassurance, knowing what mature Gloomy Sun Grass looked like.
“Also, this Gloomy Sun Grass is a remarkable treasure and cannot be stored in small worlds, so you don’t have to worry too much…”
Unable to store it in a small world meant that if one wanted to fight over it, they would have to defeat everyone else first!
After that, the strong man on the Human Rankings did not say anything else but looked towards the crowd with interest.
Time was ticking away.
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Under the eyes of everyone, the nine Gloomy Sun Grass bloomed simultaneously, emitting a fluorescent green glow.
“They’re ripe!”
When someone shouted, the entire gathering descended into chaos.
At this moment, everyone lunged for the Gloomy Sun Grass, with all types of powerful attacks emerging.
Something occurred near the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass that left the Yin and Yang Quintet at a loss.
A dozen people around them suddenly attacked them in unison.
“Boom!”
A series of attacks, each over ten thousand, assaulted them relentlessly.
“What are you doing?!”
The quintet were furious – they were all individual competitors, why were they being ganged up on?
“Hehe!”
The attackers sneered, their offensive maneuvers remained relentless and even intensified.
“Boom boom boom!”
The quintet, in just a blink of an eye, were injured.
After all, the combined attack of a dozen competitors of the same or higher tier was an overwhelming force, an onslaught they could not withstand.
“Retreat!”
The chief of the Yin and Yang, without further thought, swiftly called for a retreat. This moment called for immediate action, any further delay and they would be stuck here.
Under orders, they all moved.
At this moment, the quintet acted as one, retreating swiftly.
However, the attackers had no intention to let them off, continuing their pursuit and cornering the quintet to the edge of the plateau.
“Move up!”
Blinded by rage, the quintet were left with no choice but to escape to the surface.
The attackers, upon witnessing this, ceased their pursuit and lunged for the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass instead.
Du Gang watched the escaping Yin and Yang Quintet with some regret. He had hoped that he could use others to eliminate the quintet.
Unfortunately, the Yin and Yang Quintet had tactfully escaped, not staying to fight a losing battle and choosing to flee at the critical moment.
“Attack!”
The chaos erupted once more. This time, everyone was an enemy, attacking each other relentlessly.
“Die!”
This was an absolute peril. Under soaring attacks, any targeted by two or more strikes were in danger of death.
“Mine!”
At that instant, a man closest to the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass excitedly lunged for it.
“How dare you!”
“You’re seeking death!”
Seeing this, the others let out angry roars, launching terrifying and powerful attacks.
“Ah?!”
The man was forced to retort just before he got the Gloomy Sun Grass.
But it was too late.
Multiple people attacked in anger, each with a minimum of twenty thousand Naer worth of attack power. Even with one, he would need his full strength to resist, let alone so many.
Silently, the man was torn apart, and the god within him was destroyed.
Witnessing this, Du Gang involuntarily reeled back. He initially wanted to snatch the Gloomy Sun Grass and quickly escape.
Considering the long-term consequences, it now seemed better not to compete for it.
Fortunately, he was in a position further from the chaos, and only facing one other competitor.
No one can remain calm in front of a treasure!
If one person tries to grab the Gloomy Sun Grass, there would certainly be a second!
An extremely fast figure wearing a black crown, under everyone’s gaze, darted towards the edge of the Gloomy Sun Grass.
“It’s mine!”
The man in the black crown, completely excited, reached out and grabbed it.
He was particularly quick and had noticed earlier that there were no speed specialists in front of the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass.
“Hum!”
At this moment, he froze!
Someone else was casting a spell!
A bizarre-looking Taoist was handling a straw figure.
This method was truly terrifying!
Seeing this, Du Gang felt the hairs on his scalp stand up.
Being immobilized at such a critical moment could cost one’s life!
Indeed, the man in the black crown, without causing a ripple, was crushed into debris under everyone’s attack.
At this moment, the ones at ease were the five strong competitors of the Human Ranking. Hardly anyone dared to rival them, and even if any reckless individual charged at them, they easily defeated them.
“The Gloomy Sun Grass really does snatch one’s sanity…”
“Yes, these guys are all losing their rationality now…”
After a moment of reflection, the five of them didn’t hesitate any longer, each quickly grabbing their Gloomy Sun Grass and hurriedly left the plateau, climbing towards the ground.
Obviously, they didn’t plan to consume it here.
“Don’t run!”
At this point, a reckless guy really lost his mind, aimed a sword at the last departing member of the Human Ranking.
Unsure if it was intentional or unintentional, the sword attack held a power reaching twenty thousand Naer!
Such strength was nearing peak!
“Humph!”
The member of the Human Ranking was a bit displeased. None of the others were stopped yet he was being obstructed, and therefore, exerted a bit more force.
“Boom!”
He casually threw an attack worth over thirty thousand Naer.
“Ah? Spare me!”
That man, feeling the terrifying power, instantly woke up from his madness and began pleading for mercy.
But it was too late. The Human Ranking member had succeeded by stepping over countless bodies. He wouldn’t let him off cheaply.
“Bang!”
After a loud noise, a blackened human-shaped mark appeared on the ground. The area where the man who had sneak attacked was impaled, had disappeared without a trace. It was clear that he was the one marked on the ground.
“Hiss!!”
This attack immediately silenced the entire field as everyone looked at him in shock.
At that moment, it seemed as if everyone had forgotten everything, stopping their attacks.
Good opportunity!
Seeing this, Du Gang instantly brightened. Here at the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass, there were only seven or eight people left, all in their daze. It was the perfect time for him to seize the Gloomy Sun Grass.
Without saying a word, Du Gang activated the Jie-Character Secret, instantly transforming into a shadow, sweeping past the Gloomy Sun Grass, grabbing it, and fleeing towards the edge of the plateau.
Of course, he didn’t foolishly choose to return the way he came, but fled along the cliff edge, rushing towards the position where the Human Ranking competitors who had already left had been.
“Stop him!”
Du Gang’s actions snapped everyone back into reality.
At this point, it didn’t matter who got the Gloomy Sun Grass. Everyone was fighting each other. Therefore, those nearest to him launched frenzied attacks.
One, two, three, four…
While Du Gang’s actions seemed reckless, they were carefully calculated.
He silently counted the attacks coming his way while his right eye turned blood red.
The Unlucky Omen activated!
Buzz!
In an instant, all the trajectories of the incoming attacks along with their anticipated collision points and timing were presented before him.
Two meters?
Impossible!
Upon receiving the virtually calculated data, Du Gang promptly made a decision!
His body hastily turned toward the oncoming attacks while his divine incarnation, carrying the Gloomy Sun Grass, escaped to a predetermined location.
“Haha!”
Someone sneered in contempt at Du Gang’s decision.
“In the Dragon Dive Abyss, divine entities are limited, they can’t fly. Even your physical body is weakening. How will you escape?”
Escape?
Du Gang inwardly laughed. He had no intention of returning to the surface.
He only needs to reach a thousand meters away!
Upon reaching there, he could enter the Heavenly Court and then his physical body would naturally regenerate!
Boom!
The physical body that Du Gang had abandoned successfully completed its mission, blocking the attacks that were meant to cut off his route of escape.
Meanwhile, the other incoming attacks continued to relentlessly pursue Du Gang’s divine incarnation.
He escaped!
Although Du Gang was still on the platform, he had confidence in his plan.
Whoosh!
At the critical moment, Du Gang barely evaded four attacks and plunged into the abyss.
“Is this guy tired of living?”
The strong men near the ninth Gloomy Sun Grass were all burning with rage.
At eight hundred meters, they were close to the limits of their descent. Descending further meant increased risk exponentially.
Especially at a thousand meters, the gushing wind was terrifying.
Du Gang’s action looked as if he was purposely making use of the dangerous area to avoid attacks.
“Chase him!”
People on the edge of the platform watched Du Gang’s rapidly descending divine incarnation with the Gloomy Sun Grass in its grasp, grit their teeth and jumped down after him.
They weren’t content with just watching the Gloomy Sun Grass fall.
In a moment, seven or eight figures were chasing after Du Gang.
The others, upon witnessing this scene, couldn’t help murmuring, “Fools!”
After all, the most terrifying thing here wasn’t the opponent, but the powerful winds within the abyss!
On the other side, a handsome man who had been valiantly fighting spotted Du Gang’s maneuver and his eyes lit up.
Following suit, he snatched a Gloomy Sun Grass, didn’t think twice, and ran towards the edge of the platform.
Simultaneously, while being attacked, he too abandoned his physical body. His divine incarnation holding the Ghost Sun Flowers, took a leap and jumped down.
“Hiss!!~”
The handsome man let out a scream of pain as soon as he left the platform.
Without his physical body and relying only on his divine entity, resisting the gales was extremely difficult. The pain was multiplied, and a tearing force was surging towards him.
Hold on, just two hundred meters to go!
Down below, the seven or eight people who were tracking Du Gang halted at nine hundred meters. The wind here was already incredibly fierce, even they could end up dead if they weren’t careful.
However, they stopped because under their watchful gaze, Du Gang disappeared at a thousand meters.
“Did he die?”
Several people furrowed their brows, “That’s impossible. What about the Ghost Sun Flower? Was it destroyed by the powerful wind as well?”
While they were puzzled, a gust of fragrance drifted by.
Staring open-mouthed, they watched as the handsome man followed suit, plummeting down, and disappearing after reaching the one thousand meter mark, just like Du Gang.
“It’s impossible for them to just disappear; there has to be a hideout there!”
Someone refused to believe it, roared, and dived once more, heading towards the one thousand meter mark.
The others, including those who pursued the handsome man, grit their teeth and followed after seeing this.
At this critical juncture, they must risk it!
980, 990, 1000 meters!
Finally, the first man arrived at the one thousand meter mark.
“Where’s the platform?”
With one hand grasping the precipice firmly, his body leaned out to look at the place where Du Gang had disappeared, as if there genuinely was a platform there.
But to his dismay, there was none!
Just as he was about to dive further to investigate, “Buzz!”
A gale suddenly swept in.
His feet felt as though they were stepping on air, instantly losing strength.
“Step!”
At this moment, not only did his feet lose footing, but the rock his hand was tightly gripping also loosened.
It was as if the cliff didn’t want him to hang on.
“No!”
The man cried out in terror, frantically trying to hold onto the cliff.
Unfortunately, the powerful wind that had already arrived didn’t allow him to return. It not only prevented him from grabbing the cliff but also blew him several meters toward the center of the abyss.
“Sizzle!!”
As the man drifted away from the cliff, his entire body began to dissolve as though being covered in sulfuric acid.
Within a second, his entire being was completely dispersed by the strong wind, disappearing without a trace.
“He’s dead…”
The man’s death instantly brought everyone to their senses.
Most chose to return while a few stubborn individuals decided to investigate the one thousand meter mark.
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
Unfortunately, all who went to explore the one thousand meter mark were inevitably blown away from the cliff by the fierce wind, their souls scattered and lost.
“Fools, the one thousand meter mark isn’t a place they can touch!”
A Human Ranking powerhouse who had just arrived on the surface looked down at this scene, cursed under his breath, shook his head, didn’t linger, and walked away.
He didn’t notice that a thousand meters below, another divine incarnation, like Du Gang’s, was plunging toward the one thousand meter point.
When it arrived at a thousand meters, the same situation happened: it disappeared without a trace!
This time, unlike before, a lot of people witnessed the event.
“It disappeared…”
“Can divine entities in the abyss die so quickly on their own? There wasn’t even a struggle…”
“Where is the Gloomy Sun Grass?”
“Buried along with those two…”