The eruption of the Bronze Gate's power brought forth a scene of utter chaos.
Initially, all that was visible was a rainforest, but as the group ventured further, the situation grew increasingly complex.
Waves of seawater weaved and spread through the rainforest, exuding a salty, fishy odor. Familiar dog-headed eels, inexplicably, had taken to the trees, dancing in the air alongside toothed sharks.
The sensation was akin to being in a crudely made game that had suffered a bug, with countless unrelated NPCs freely flying about.
"Holy shit, this is truly an eye-opener!" Fatty cursed, slashing at the withered vines at his feet with his knife.
To his surprise, when the withered vine broke, seawater gushed out like a faulty faucet, swinging wildly. In a fleeting moment, a piranha even leaped out.
"Damn!" Fatty jumped in alarm, instinctively kicking the piranha away. The fish hit a tree trunk with a thud, instantly dissolving into a puddle of mud that slowly flowed down and submerged into the water.
"...What kind of power is this? It's too terrifying?!" Wu Tianzhen watched the scene before him, a chill running down his spine. It was then he truly felt the dread of the Bronze Gate. If such power were to spread completely, the entire world might become its playground.
Just then, a strange, long bell chime echoed in their ears.
The chime was utterly out of place amidst the current rainforest and windswept scenery. Wu Tianzhen looked sharply, and through the concealment of the trees, a corner of brilliant golden luster was revealed!
The object appeared out of nowhere, its presence unnatural. Thus, its inherently bright color was veiled by a layer of eerie shadow, making it resemble a divine statue on a high altar in a Taoist temple, grinning sinisterly and sending shivers down one's spine.
And almost the instant Wu Tianzhen thought this, the ground shook and the vegetation shifted. From the spot where the golden bell was, a dilapidated Taoist temple abruptly emerged from the earth, like a forgotten relic of time in the depths of a dense forest.
"Wuxian... Guan?"
Wu Tianzhen slowly read the inscription on the temple's dark plaque. The golden bell now hung silently before the temple, exuding a hint of compassion like a slumbering elder.
However, Zhang Qiling frowned, sensing that something was amiss.
He subtly tightened his grip on the Black Gold Ancient Saber and took a step to the side, preparing to change their direction of advance.
But the moment he stepped—
Silently, the Taoist temple, like a phantom, appeared directly in front of their path. Looking back, the original spot was empty, as if the Wuxian Guan had always been there.
...This temple was blocking their progress.
The golden bell now held no beauty, only the terror of a man-eating demon. Wu Tianzhen gritted his teeth and decisively raised his hand, firing a shot!
The bullet struck but caused no damage. Instead, the golden bell was struck by the impact, emitting strange roars like those of birds and beasts, waves of sound assaulting their eardrums!
"Holy shit, Golden Bell Shield!" Fatty immediately attributed the famous Buddhist defensive technique to the temple. He tried to retrieve the explosives bag, but just as he lowered his head, when he looked up again, the temple was still there, but the golden bell within had somehow vanished silently.
...But the bell's chime had not stopped.
It hadn't disappeared; rather, it had concealed its presence, lurking like a venomous snake, watching intently, waiting for the moment of a fatal strike.
"The bell of Wuxian Guan, I think I've seen information about it," Wu Tianzhen said, his body tense, recalling, "This bell is called the Great Forbidden Bell. It should not be struck lightly. A true dragon is sealed upon it, so every night it flies to the great lakes and marshes to contend with other dragon species. Its temperament is quite violent."
"Good heavens, really? There's a true dragon? " Fatty began to ramble, "Then what? Looking at its color, could it be a golden dragon? Made entirely of gold from head to tail?"
Having ventured into the forbidden lands for so long, they had encountered countless dragon-like creatures but never a genuine true dragon. Thus, Fatty found it absurd at this moment.
But the instant his words fell, a deafening dragon roar rushed towards them!
Following it came countless clanging sounds of metal colliding. The scene instantly turned into a blinding brilliance. Light from an unknown source descended, like a spotlight being shone directly into their eyes!
Zhang Qiling focused his gaze, and saw a colossal dragon, entirely golden, breaking through the waves and flying towards them with a roar!
"Holy hell!!!" Fatty, having finally recovered his vision, almost gouged out his own eyes the moment he saw it clearly. "Damn it, since when am I such a jinx? What the hell is this thing?!"
Blade energy crisscrossed. The Black Gold Ancient Saber met the onslaught head-on, precisely catching the two pairs of sharp horns. With a crisp clang, the blade edge sank directly into the dragon's body, firmly sealed by the instantly encasing golden hide.
Zhang Qiling's expression sharpened. He flipped up and landed on the giant dragon as lightly as a bird. As he descended, he forcefully slammed his knees into the back of its head!
His palm brushed against the exposed blade edge, and the scorching blood was rapidly absorbed, instantly transforming into a blazing Qilin Fire!
For a moment, Qilin roars intertwined with dragon roars. Amidst the rampant Qilin Fire, the golden hide that sealed the Black Gold Ancient Saber turned into cascading golden droplets, which cooled into golden beads the instant they hit the water.
...Could this truly be a giant dragon made entirely of gold?!
Zhang Qiling paused slightly, but his hand showed no hesitation. With a sweep of his saber, he unleashed a wave of Qilin Fire, engulfing everything before him!
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty, who remained behind, raised their hands slightly to shield their eyes from the burning embers. But at this moment, Wu Tianzhen's heart was filled with immense shock.
"...This, is this materialization?" he murmured, recalling the terrifying Bronze Tree from before. "Turning thoughts and desires into reality, so the appearance of that temple just now was also because I thought of something related!?"
Fatty, who was eagerly scooping golden beads from the water, froze upon hearing this. He shot up, attempting to cover Wu Tianzhen's ears and eyes to isolate him from the outside world.
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Things are different now, Tianzhen, be careful, don't think carelessly!"
Wu Tianzhen: ...
At this moment, the dragon's roars gradually subsided. Zhang Qiling descended lightly from the air, but his landing made no sound that would stir the water.
His short boots landed on a massive, newly formed golden "reef." The golden dragon, which had been so imposing moments ago, was now completely scorched into a piece of golden stone in the water, becoming a small stepping stone peeking out of the water beneath Zhang Qiling's feet.
The Qilin Fire still burned fiercely, transforming into sparks on the blade and falling into the nearby water, emitting a sizzling sound.