What could they do?
Every Saint Realm powerhouse was thinking the same thing — the situation was now perfectly clear. That "black airflow" absolutely could not be touched. Touch it, and you died.
"Not even Yidons could endure a single wisp. I probably couldn't last a second either." Lin Lei understood clearly that this divine-level magical beast, the Giant Python, had already reached the mid-stage Deity realm. Even the air it exhaled carried a sliver of its energy — and the energy of a mid-stage Deity, even a mere wisp... was not something they, mere Saint Realm cultivators, could withstand.
Suddenly —
Three people simultaneously flew toward the passage leading to the third level. They obviously intended to return to the second level.
"Giving up?" Lin Lei glanced at the three.
Returning to the second level clearly meant they were giving up this opportunity, planning to remain on the second level's staircase for a full ten years. After ten years, they would leave the Tomb of the Gods.
"Giving up also means forfeiting the supreme treasures inside the Tomb of the Gods, but at least they can preserve their lives." Lin Lei couldn't judge whether their choice was right or wrong, but he himself refused to give up. Not until the very last moment.
Seeing those three leave, five more among the remaining forty or so departed one after another, returning to the second level.
Now only thirty-odd people remained on the third level.
*Whoosh.* A phantom figure charged straight through, heedless of the black airflow swirling about. This Saint Realm powerhouse was clearly extraordinarily agile in movement, deftly dodging time and again. In the blink of an eye, he had already mounted the staircase. Another powerhouse could now enter the fourth level.
But the second person — a grim-faced middle-aged man who charged in after — was enveloped by the erratic black airflow.
*Whoosh!* The Giant Python's breathing continued uninterrupted.
The middle-aged man was instantly reduced to powder. His soul was gone as well.
The Saint Realm powerhouses present wore expressions of utmost gravity, and in their eyes there was even a trace of grim resolve. Another Saint Realm powerhouse charged forward, but his luck was terrible — a dense cluster of black airflow happened to converge, sealing the passage entirely shut.
He could only be swallowed by the black airflow. Another person died.
"The longer time passes, the more black airflow accumulates at the passage entrance. Its movement follows no pattern. If you fly in and the black airflow happens to block the passage completely, it's over." Lin Lei knew that at this point, it wasn't merely a test of speed and agility — it also required sheer luck.
Lin Lei nudged Bak beside him.
The two exchanged a glance and both gave a slight nod.
Time to go.
*Whoosh! ... Hah!* The Giant Python's rhythmic breathing had become the loudest sound on the entire third level, while among the thirty-odd Saint Realm powerhouses, the atmosphere was suffocating and grim. At this juncture, a stroke of bad luck meant the scattering of your soul — not even the资格 to enter the Netherworld as an undead.
*Whoosh!* The figure was none other than the brawny man Lin Lei recognized — Kley. Kley's body streaked like thunder, tracing an arc as he plunged directly into the passage. Kley's luck held: he dodged every stream of black airflow and set foot on the staircase.
A faint smile appeared on Kley's face. He glanced back at the assembled Saint Realm powerhouses, then immediately ascended.
"Now." Lin Lei spotted a sizable gap opening in the black airflow and prepared to charge forward at once. But someone moved even faster, rushing in ahead of him. Lin Lei had no choice but to halt.
Sure enough, thanks to the wide gap, that Saint Realm powerhouse seized the opening and shot through at top speed.
Just as the man was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt a searing, violent pain. He looked down — an incredibly thin wisp of black airflow had coiled around his right foot. His right foot turned to powder almost instantly.
At the same time —
The disintegration spread upward from the right foot. His entire right leg was reduced to powder in a flash. By the time the Saint Realm powerhouse registered what had happened, everything below his chest had already turned to dust.
The soul-shattering agony was so extreme that the Saint Realm powerhouse couldn't help but let out a hoarse scream.
"Aaagh!!!" The piercing shriek shattered the silence of the entire third level in an instant.
The pain was beyond description — worse than being sliced by a thousand blades. The man hadn't wanted to make a sound, but he couldn't endure it. It was a kind of agony he had never experienced before... Almost every Saint Realm powerhouse's face drained of color in an instant.
It's over!
"Run!" someone roared in fury, no longer caring about making noise.
Thirty-odd Saint Realm powerhouses scattered like a flock of panicked sheep, fleeing at their utmost speed.
But then came a thunderous rumble — *BOOM BOOM BOOM~~~* — as the Giant Python's enormous body, stretching over ten thousand meters in length, suddenly lashed out. A colossal iceberg of incredible hardness shattered and exploded under the impact of the sweeping tail.
The entire iceberg disintegrated, revealing the passage entrance that had been hidden within. That entrance... now hung in midair like a window suspended high above.
The exploding fragments of the iceberg hurtled outward in every direction with unstoppable force. Numerous Saint Realm powerhouses were sent tumbling away, coughing up blood. The shards of ice carried within them a terrifyingly destructive power.
"Damn it." Lin Lei felt like a foot soldier dodging a sky full of arrows. Countless ice fragments had transformed into streaks of light, spraying in all directions. Any Saint Realm powerhouse struck was sent flying, blood spraying from their mouths.
"Bak!" Lin Lei's face changed drastically.
Bak's agility couldn't compare to Lin Lei's. He was finally clipped by a chunk of flying ice.
The ice shard itself wasn't the可怕 thing — what was可怕 was the tremendous force it carried.
*Pop.* The shard shattered on impact, and Bak was flung backward, spewing a mouthful of blood. "Master, run!" His urgent cry rang out from Bak's mouth.
The entire third level had become an apocalyptic scene.
The Giant Python, previously slumbering, now opened eyes like burnished metal. A pair of enormous, deep-set pupils glowing with an eerie green light swept across the surroundings.
The Giant Python was awake!
A single casual sweep of its massive body had already wrought such devastation. If the Giant Python truly intended to kill these Saint Realm powerhouses, would any of them stand a chance of escaping?
"You want to get in?" The Giant Python raised its head, those enormous eyes fixing on the passage leading to the fourth level above.