No sooner had
The high-ranking members of the three great clans stepped forward together to inspect the area. After a moment,
"Exactly. Our three great houses cannot afford to lose face over this!"
"Commander Ding, will you open the second layer's barriers yourself, or shall we do it for you?"
Commander Ding threw a helpless glance at Prince Huo, clearly seeking his instructions.
Prince Huo waved his hand in resignation. "Open it."
He then cupped his fists toward the three great clans. "Everyone, I have but one request. While pursuing the culprit, please do not damage the formations within. The people of Winterend Island will guide you, and if the culprit is truly there, he can certainly be caught."
"Hmph—that depends on whether your guides are sincere about leading the way. If the killer keeps slipping through our fingers, don't blame us for taking matters into our own hands!"
The three great clans clearly did not place much weight on Prince Huo's request. Their goal was to catch the culprit, and if they succeeded, they might refrain from stirring up further trouble. But if they failed, they certainly wouldn't guarantee anything.
Prince Huo was helpless. He knew these three clans were in a state of fury, and on top of that, they were from the Duowen Divine Kingdom—a superior power. Even if he was dissatisfied, what could he do about it?
The second layer's barriers were slowly opened.
The forces of the three great clans split into nine groups. The Garrison Commander and Prince Huo's side also brought their people along, each group leading a detachment as they launched their search-and-capture operation across the second layer of the Black Nightmare Mountains.
This second layer was the core region of the Black Nightmare Mountains. The deeper one went, the closer to the true center. Moreover, the second layer was noticeably far larger than the first, making the search infinitely more difficult.
…
After entering the second layer, Jiang Chen was visibly more cautious. Along the way, he suppressed his aura to the absolute minimum.
He knew that the people hunting him this time were extraordinarily powerful. The slightest slip, the tiniest flaw in his concealment, could be seized upon.
Therefore, Jiang Chen dared not let his guard down in the slightest.
"Winterend Island places such importance on this second restricted layer of the Black Nightmare Mountains—what secrets does it hold, I wonder?"
Jiang Chen was genuinely curious. He had always felt that before the trial began, the Winterend Island authorities had issued repeated warnings against trespassing into the second restricted layer for good reason.
Now that he had actually broken into it, he could feel that the danger level had spiked dramatically.
Along the way, Jiang Chen had already encountered killing intent on several occasions. Fortunately, his divine sense was powerful enough, and his danger awareness sharp enough. Most importantly, his vast experience allowed him to anticipate many of the threats in advance.
"Although the danger in this second layer is significantly elevated, I wouldn't say there are any truly lethal threats. So why is the Winterend Island Garrison Command so terrified of this place?"
Half of the dangers Jiang Chen had encountered came from within the Black Nightmare Mountains themselves—poisonous flora, venomous insects, fierce beasts, and various plants with aggressive attack capabilities. These threats posed relatively little danger to him.
What posed a greater threat were the barriers, traps, and ambush-style attacks that the Winterend Island authorities had scattered throughout the area. Fortunately, Jiang Chen had enough expertise in these matters to avoid them—otherwise, charging in blindly could easily have ended in disaster.
"Strange. Just how afraid is the Winterend Island Garrison Command of people trespassing into this second restricted layer? Why is every corner riddled with traps?"
Jiang Chen's suspicion grew with every step.
As he was pondering this, his divine sense suddenly stirred. Faintly, he sensed a crisis descending. He couldn't help turning to look behind him.
In the distance, at the very spot he had just passed through, beams of light shot into the sky one after another.
"Hm? The barriers at the entrance to the second layer—they've been opened? Has the pursuing army already entered?"
Jiang Chen's heart lurched. He had known a pursuing force would come behind him, but he hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly.
In an instant, he found himself with obstacles ahead and pursuers closing in from behind.
"If Winterend Island's people are guiding them, they can easily avoid all the barriers and traps—their speed will be incredible. Meanwhile, I have to dodge every trap along the way, which inevitably slows me down. It looks like this really is going to be troublesome."
Jiang Chen analyzed the situation with a calm head, but he had to admit that things were going to be grim.
Still, at a time like this, there was no room for overthinking. He turned back and pressed onward deeper into the mountains.
"No matter what—I keep moving forward. Even if I have to cut straight through the Black Nightmare Mountains, turning back is not an option. If I can traverse these mountains stretching tens of thousands of li, according to the map, I should be able to reach the outer border of Winterend Island. Once I cross that border, I can enter Winterend Island's territorial waters. Through the waters, I can escape directly!"
"However, the border region is protected by powerful barrier formations. Breaking through will be no easy feat. And reaching the open sea requires crossing one or two thousand li of treacherous waters. The difficulty of getting out of here is truly immense."
Jiang Chen deeply felt the arduousness of this journey.