This piece of gold, it was obvious the Fatty wanted to move it, but he tried a few times and his strength was still insufficient, so he could only reluctantly give up.
"… I don't know why, but I always feel that the purpose of these things is to stop Xiao Ge from advancing." Wu Tianzhen stared at the gold, lost in thought. He wanted to get a glimpse of the bronze door from afar, but his vision was completely blocked by the suddenly overgrown plants, rendering him unable to see anything clearly.
"Could it be that this bronze door has a consciousness of its own?"
"It's afraid of Xiao Ge passing through, why?"
In fact, neither they nor Song Shuning had any intention of making the resolution of the bronze door fall upon Zhang Qiling.
Their current advance towards the bronze door was merely their inability to stop Zhang Qiling, as usual, and their concern for him going alone.
Gunshots could be faintly heard from the periphery, likely Song Shuning and his group discovering something was amiss and beginning their clearing operation. However, Wu Tianzhen was now worried about this plan.
… If there were powers similar to the bronze tree everywhere here, the difficulty of resolving it would increase exponentially.
Wu Tianzhen began to recall the scene of the bronze door's first appearance at Changbai Mountain.
At that time, it emitted colorful light and immobilized both him and the Fatty. Thinking back carefully, it was probably to reduce obstacles and facilitate Xiao Ge's swift entry.
But why now, not only did it not immobilize them, but it also displayed such an urgent desire to obstruct them?
… Was it afraid? Did the current Xiao Ge possess something that could truly threaten it?
If that were the case, when Xiao Ge was unable to threaten it before, he still suffered amnesia and serious injuries upon his return. What would happen to Xiao Ge now that he was entering again?
… Would he really be able to come out?
Wu Tianzhen, who had initially thought the worst-case scenario was Zhang Qiling returning with amnesia, was instantly plunged into panic. The feeling of things exceeding his expectations made him extremely anxious.
Zhang Qiling still stood there with his back to them. When Wu Tianzhen looked over, he could only see a back and the slowly swaying cold iron qilin pendant on the hilt of the Black Gold Ancient Saber.
"... Let's go."
Zhang Qiling looked up. No one knew what he saw through those plants.
Wu Tianzhen and the Fatty only saw a faint, clear gaze in his eyes when he turned back. Then, he stepped down from the golden divine platform, wading into the dirty water, and slowly moved forward.
"… Fatty…" Wu Tianzhen followed behind, staring intently at the retreating figure, but he lowered his voice and spoke his fear to the Fatty, "I regret it a little. I feel now, I don't know why, but I feel Xiao Ge shouldn't go in."
He tried to keep his voice calm, but his unsteady tone betrayed his struggle.
"We can't let Xiao Ge go in…"
He repeated himself, but despairingly knew that the two of them could not stop Zhang Qiling.
Even if the Fatty were to leap onto Xiao Ge right now to restrain his movements, and then Wu Tianzhen seized the opportunity to grab a brick from the ground and smash him on the head, it would likely only result in one being unable to restrain and the other missing, with both being thrown off.
"Hey, Tianzhen," the Fatty was silent for a moment, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he suppressed all emotion and sighed, "Let nature take its course."
… Let nature take its course, isn't that just an excuse for the powerless?
Wu Tianzhen quieted down, once again hating his own powerlessness.
Just then, the water beneath their feet suddenly disappeared, and the resistance in the water was instantly replaced by a sense of obstruction from sand and stones.
Wu Tianzhen didn't react in time and plunged to the ground, then opened his mouth and swallowed a large mouthful of sand.
… Wait, sand?!
He got up blankly, only to see that in the blink of an eye, the scene had transformed into a desert. Sand dunes stretched in all directions, with countless ruined ancient architectural relics scattered about. He looked up; the plants had disappeared, replaced by the enormous bronze door in the distance and a blazing sun.
"Honestly, Fatty feels like he's dreaming now." The Fatty was so stunned that he didn't even remember to help the little Wu up from the ground for a moment.
In the distance, towering skyscrapers could still be faintly seen. It seemed that only the small area around the bronze door had changed its scenery, completely influenced by the bronze door.
Zhang Qiling stood quietly on a sand dune ahead, seemingly looking at something below.
Wu Tianzhen, filled with worry, walked over to look. He saw that in the sand below, countless giant ants with ghost masks on their backs were resting, displaying a bizarre scene.
"Is this a Guitu Ant?" he said uncertainly, but suddenly felt Zhang Qiling beside him quicken his pace and walk straight down.
"Wait, Xiao Ge!!"
The cut on his palm was still bleeding. Those drops of vibrant blood were no different from dust in front of the ant swarm.
But despite such a disparity, those Guitu Ants were instantly awakened by Zhang Qiling's slow and rhythmic footsteps. As if encountering their natural predator, they instantly scattered, turning into streams of black torrents rushing everywhere, weaving through the yellow sand.
Looking from above, it seemed like a large black dahlia was slowly blooming with Zhang Qiling at its center.
Zhang Qiling walked very fast. His head was throbbing with immense pain, as if a scorching hot rod had been forcefully inserted into it, burning away the shackles that were already covered in dust and crisscrossed with cracks as it stirred.
The Guitu Ants were left behind. A vast city appeared ahead, with the symbol of the Dome Silver City quietly resting in the sand outside, displaying an incongruous abruptness.
Zhang Qiling ignored the golden statues that were watching him menacingly but dared not approach. He passed the Buddhas and caught sight of the golden nine-story pagoda not far away slowly blooming.
His eyes grew brighter, as if something was awakening.
Behind him came the difficult footsteps and heavy breathing of Wu Tianzhen and the Fatty. They had not prepared for desert marching, so they appeared particularly arduous at this moment.
Zhang Qiling stopped, waiting for them to catch up.
… It won't be long.
He realized.
… They won't trek like this for long.
The desert heat was dispersed by the coolness of the sea. The gentle sound of the tide reached his ears, accompanied by a dreamlike, soft swaying beneath his feet.
"… Is this a ship?" Wu Tianzhen could already feel the dullness in his voice. He sat numbly on the deck, took off his shoes, and poured out the pile of sand that had gotten inside.
The golden sand hit the deck, and like mischievous little bugs, it bounced away in an instant, swept away by the waves that crashed against the edge of the ship, as if it were a cruel joke.
The scene in the distance on the sea was clearer. The distant Hangzhou city was still visible. This place had inexplicably transformed into a sea within a city!
"Fatty retracts his earlier words about letting the bronze door supervise exams. It's too much of a waste; it should be a tourist attraction!" The Fatty collapsed to rest for a while. "Damn it, it's more outrageous than Nanfu batteries. Even the slogan 'one section is better than six sections' can't hold up!"
Wu Tianzhen did not reply. He turned and went to the cockpit.
The familiar furnishings came into view. He pursed his lips and looked directly at the navigation panel—
Familiar coordinates. This was Yingzhou.