Chapter 158: Bridge of certain death
[Bridge of Certain Death].
They stood at the edge of a jade platform. Ahead, there was no path, just a vast empty void, as though standing on a cliff edge.
Wooo wooo wooo~
Black wind howled, swirling on both sides of the stone platform, as if tens of thousands of black sickles were dancing wildly above and beside them.
A single misstep, and one would be swept into the abyss.
Zhang Xiaohou extended a strand of spiritual thought, but it was instantly shredded by the black wind blades. His face turned pale.
“What kind of wind is this...” Zhang Xiaohou blurted out in shock.
Mo Fan’s gaze sharpened as he stared at the black wind. With Zhang Xiaohou having just stepped into the Advanced level with his Wind Element, his sensitivity to wind was far beyond before, and even his spiritual probe had been torn apart in an instant. That alone already proved how terrifying the quality of this wind was.
Mo Fan stared at it for a moment longer, then his expression changed slightly.
“This is no ordinary death wind... Xiaohou, this should be a Wind Element Heaven Seed!” Mo Fan said in a low voice.
Zhang Xiaohou was stunned.
“A Heaven Seed?”
Mo Fan nodded, his eyes still fixed on the violent black wind. “As expected of a place like this. A Heaven Seed really is hidden here. Even a Commander level creature would be torn to shreds if it fell into the Wind of Death.”
Zhang Xiaohou looked at the howling black wind, his heart stirring slightly.
A Heaven Seed.
For any Wind Mage, this was a treasure that could completely change their future.
Mo Fan glanced at him and said directly, “Don’t even think about touching it now. Your current cultivation can’t subdue something this violent. Wait until you reach the Super tier. When that time comes, come back here and take it. Once you refine it, your Wind Element will become terrifying enough to make you internationally renowned.”
Zhang Xiaohou’s eyes trembled slightly.
Internationally renowned.
Those words sounded distant in the middle of this undead calamity, yet when they came from Mo Fan, they strangely did not feel unrealistic at all.
He nodded firmly.
“Alright, Brother Fan.”
Mo Fan looked away from the Heaven Seed and toward the steep cliff.
Ten magnificent, soaring white arch bridges stood tall, their gray white bridge bodies like flying dragons, connecting one end of the platform to the other.
Only by stepping onto the stone bridges could one avoid the Wind of Death.
However, nine of the ten bridges led to death, and only one was the path of life, thus the name Bridge of Certain Death.
Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou hesitated at the platform’s edge.
Logically, splitting up meant two chances to guess correctly, raising their survival odds to twenty percent.
That would be the most logical and responsible choice.
But it was also too cruel.
Especially for the two of them, who had come this far together, crossed the Dark Abyss together, and wagered their lives together.
The bridges of death.
The bridge of life.
The ten bridges extended into the darkness, swaying slightly as they were brushed by the black wind. It felt like any of them would lead to endless darkness.
Zhang Xiaohou looked at Mo Fan. He could not decide at all.
He was willing to sacrifice himself, yet if he was told to pick a bridge and separate from Mo Fan forever, it was no different than killing him right on the spot.
He had already experienced the feeling of losing people.
He was not willing to experience it again.
“Brother Fan... I’ll follow your decision,” Zhang Xiaohou said after taking a deep breath.
Zhang Xiaohou could not make the decision. His only urge was to choose Mo Fan, choosing to believe him completely.
Mo Fan was silent for a long time. He stared at the ten bridges, as if trying to detect some clue from them. However, the bridges were exactly the same, as if they would all lead to the same destination.
After a while, Mo Fan finally spoke.
“We’ll take one bridge together.”
Zhang Xiaohou looked at him, not surprised.
Mo Fan’s eyes were steady as he said, “I just don’t understand why we have to obey a dead man’s rules. Choosing the wrong bridge does not necessarily mean we are doomed. No matter how powerful the Ancient King was, he was still someone who once died. I don’t believe his rules are absolute.”
He then glanced at Zhang Xiaohou and added, “Besides, if anyone is going to walk all the way to that Blood Emperor Throne and sit in the Ancient King’s chair, it’s not going to be because some bridge allowed it. It’ll be because you forced your way there.”
Zhang Xiaohou froze.
Mo Fan rarely said things like that so directly.
But when those words entered his ears, something in his chest stirred heavily.
As if some invisible fate had just been named aloud.
Mo Fan shrugged.
“We go together. We either live together, or die together.”
Mo Fan stepped forward first.
Zhang Xiaohou followed immediately behind him.
The two of them slowly ventured into the darkness as they proceeded forward on the white arch bridge.
As they turned around and glanced backward, the platform had already disappeared. The path ahead was in pitch black darkness, while the howls of the black wind came from behind. It felt like they were walking on a bridge hanging in the air. They would fall into the abyss at any second...
“Why is there nothing here?” Zhang Xiaohou asked, his voice a little tense as he looked into the endless darkness.
“Most likely because we haven’t reached the real danger yet,” Mo Fan replied.
“Will it work if we turn back here?” Zhang Xiaohou asked again.
“Most likely not. The Ancient King was also terrifying in the Space Element. I think the moment we stepped onto the bridge, there was already no way back,” Mo Fan said.
He had already tried probing behind them with spiritual thought. It was useless.
“Brother Fan, I thought you were walking forward quite confidently,” Zhang Xiaohou said.
Mo Fan let out a laugh.
“Confident my ass, we still haven’t reached the altar yet. This is probably the bridge of death. Buckle up, and stay calm no matter what happens. I don’t believe in the rules the dead man set. I believe that if we keep walking forward, we can still smash through whatever is waiting for us!”
Zhang Xiaohou nodded heavily.
Ahead of them, the darkness remained silent.
Behind them, the Wind of Death screamed endlessly.
And somewhere beyond the end of this bridge, the throne of the Ancient King was waiting.