The moment Lin Lei entered the Netherworld Mountain, a soul-shaking oppressive force radiated outward.
"What incredible pressure!" Lin Lei's expression turned grave instantly. "Even back in the Netherworld, when I faced the Bloodridge Sovereign, the pressure wasn't this terrifying!" Stepping into the Netherworld Mountain and being crushed under this oppressive force, Lin Lei felt… it was like the first time he had seen the Magic Beast 'Black Dragon' back when he was still a child in Wushan Town — the same paralyzing terror.
A pounding heart! The crushing weight pressed directly upon the soul!
"Boss, I can't even extend my divine sense." Bei Bei turned to look at Lin Lei. "This pressure is too strong — even stronger than the Bloodridge Sovereign's last time."
"That's because what descended from the Bloodridge Sovereign was only an energy clone, not the real body." Lin Lei studied his surroundings carefully.
Behind them was the entrance to the Netherworld Mountain. The Highgods who had entered hadn't dared venture deeper yet — they were all cautiously familiarizing themselves with the environment. The Netherworld Mountain had a fearsome reputation; even a Seven-star Demon level powerhouse who ventured in could very well perish. In a place this dangerous… how could anyone afford to be careless?
"There's no gravity inside the Netherworld Mountain at all. It's as though it's completely cut off from the outside world." Lin Lei simply hovered in place.
"This white fog makes your head spin too. But for me and Bei Bei, the effect is negligible." Lin Lei continuously assessed the situation around him.
The Netherworld Mountain was covered with thick vegetation and trees, all shrouded in that white fog. And at the outermost edge of the fog lay the 'Chains of Heaven and Earth.' Lin Lei had long heard of the power of those endless chains of lightning. He had no intention of touching them or testing just how powerful that lightning might be.
"Whoosh!" Lin Lei's body sank, and he dropped straight down to stand on the rocky surface.
"Bei Bei, while we're within the Netherworld Mountain's range, stay close to the mountain surface as we move forward," Lin Lei transmitted gravely. "If we fly, the white fog will completely obscure our direction. One wrong move and we brush against those lightning chains — that would be disastrous."
"I kinda want to give it a try, though," Bei Bei said with a grin, but he still descended and planted his feet on the rock.
"Remember — watch out for snakes and trees!" Lin Lei transmitted, while also eyeing warily the towering trees nearby. Trees that lived on the surface of the Netherworld Mountain in this peculiar environment were all rather short, with unusual shapes. "For all we know, these trees could attack people."
Lin Lei didn't dare let his guard down.
"Relax," Bei Bei said, glancing at the surrounding trees as well. "Trees like these can't hurt me."
By now, the other Highgods had also finished assessing their surroundings. One by one, they began to set off.
"Let's move." Lin Lei gave the signal.
Immediately, Lin Lei and Bei Bei took off, skimming along the surface of the Netherworld Mountain toward the front. But they didn't dare move too fast… for fear that trees along the way might suddenly strike. And the 'snakes' the red-haired woman had warned them about — Lin Lei and Bei Bei hadn't spotted a single one.
After a short while—
"Swish!" Lin Lei and Bei Bei halted, both wearing puzzled expressions.
"Boss, which direction should we head now?" Bei Bei looked around.
"This wretched place." Lin Lei frowned in distress.
All around them was nothing but endless white fog. Even with Lin Lei and Bei Bei's eyesight, they could barely make out shapes a few dozen meters away at best. And under the terrifying oppressive force permeating the Netherworld Mountain, divine sense couldn't extend beyond one's body at all. Add to that the fact that there was no gravity inside the mountain—
All of this meant—
They had absolutely no way to tell which direction they were going!
The mountain slopes tilted in various places, but once gravity vanished, even if Lin Lei and Bei Bei stood at an angle on the mountainside, they wouldn't know they were tilted. The trees growing in this zero-gravity environment pointed in every conceivable direction, their shapes utterly bizarre.
"Inside this Netherworld Mountain, you can't even tell direction anymore. No idea which way leads up the mountain and which way leads down!" Lin Lei looked around carefully, but all he could see were those strangely shaped trees, patches of vegetation, and the dense, boundless white fog…
Bei Bei's face fell. "All I know is that if we leave the mountain surface and fly upward, we'll run into the Chains of Heaven and Earth. As for left, right, forward, backward… I have no idea where any of them lead."
Lin Lei and Bei Bei had encountered the Netherworld Mountain's first obstacle—
They were lost!
"Forget everything else — just push forward," Lin Lei said through gritted teeth. "The fog's diameter is only a few hundred thousand meters — less than a thousand li across. We'll just blunder through randomly… and maybe we'll blunder our way out." Right now, brute-forcing it was the only option. Relying on speed to crash through blindly.
"Sure," Bei Bei agreed.
And so the two of them set off again in what they believed was the 'forward' direction!
But along the way, they didn't dare run at full speed. They still had to stay alert for those trees, still had to watch for the 'snakes' that had yet to reveal themselves — so naturally, their pace was somewhat slow.
"There's someone!" Bei Bei transmitted.
Lin Lei and Bei Bei stopped immediately. Through the white fog ahead, they could make out a blurry figure approaching in their direction. As the figure drew closer, they finally recognized him — it was the purple-haired young man in the black robe. The purple-haired young man spotted Lin Lei and Bei Bei as well, gave a cold snort, and continued onward without a word.
Suddenly—
"BOOM!"
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, slamming directly into a massive tree less than a dozen meters from Lin Lei and Bei Bei. The tree was instantly reduced to flying ash.
"What was that?!" Bei Bei leapt in fright.
"You two, be careful!" came the cold voice of the purple-haired young man from not far ahead. "Lightning occasionally strikes inside the Netherworld Mountain. That lightning carries the power of the 'Chains of Heaven and Earth' — its destructive force is immense! If you're flying, you'd better watch the sky above you. If you get hit… hmph…"
The voice faded into the distance, growing fainter until it could no longer be heard.
The Chains of Heaven and Earth maintained an endless reservoir of lightning energy year-round because they constantly absorbed the lightning elements of heaven and earth, continuously growing more powerful. Whenever the energy within the Chains exceeded what they could contain, bolts would randomly strike downward to release some of that excess power.
And so…