Chapter 170: The Unlucky Gu Di (Three Chapters Combined)

Wang Lin calmed his Qi and focused his mind, walking through the mountain peak. Over the past seven years, every Restriction he broke, he would inevitably modify slightly and add several extra layers. If the Restrictions he passed before were akin to a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, fraught with danger at every step, then after he passed through, this place could be described as swallowing the heavens and devouring the earth, where every plant and tree was a soldier, its danger level increasing several times over.

If someone unlucky were to stumble into it, even if they survived due to their powerful cultivation, they would still be severely injured.

In seven years, Wang Lin had changed significantly, especially regarding Restrictions. They had opened up his perspective and broadened his horizons. Now, any Restriction he had broken could be easily replicated and, when frequently used, proved more miraculously effective than any Spell.

While pleasantly surprised, Wang Lin's interest in Restrictions grew even stronger, as they were the only means to traverse this mountain peak.

Over the past seven years, his study of Restrictions evolved from simple recording to mental deduction. This deduction was a unique method he employed, relying on extensive calculations to incrementally advance the Restriction from its starting point. If he encountered a blockage, he would ponder deeply. Although this slowed his progress, it ensured he worked steadily and surely.

What was particularly valuable was that he began his research with the simplest and most fundamental Restrictions. This approach was systematic and gradual, devoid of impatience, and slowly aligned with the mindset required for Cultivating Restriction techniques.

Looking across the entire Vermilion Bird Star Cultivation World, there were many Cultivators who could use Restrictions, but very few who researched them deeply. Wang Lin's current mastery of Restrictions was virtually unmatched among his peers, save for a few old veterans.

Even he himself was puzzled by this; despite his unremarkable talent, he seemed to have a special aptitude for Restrictions, just as he felt more comfortable using Formations than practicing Spells when he first encountered them years ago.

At this moment, Wang Lin's eyes were sharp as he sat cross-legged on a large, protruding rock halfway up the mountain, staring at a patch of cloud and mist not far ahead. This cloud and mist remained completely still.

Wang Lin had been sitting here two days ago, contemplating the cloud and mist. He occasionally took out a Jade Slip to engrave a few characters, and sometimes he simply drew on the ground with his hand.

However, this patch of cloud and mist appeared extremely exquisite to Wang Lin, like dotting the eyes on a painted Dragon. The original Restriction here was located in a fault-like mountain hollow, and to pass, one could only rely on luck while flying.

Seven years ago, Wang Lin might have needed to take out a small beast to experiment and deduce the Restriction. But now, with his mastery of Restrictions, especially his pair of Divine Sense Eyes, he only needed to stare at the air for a moment. While he couldn't grasp it instantly, he could confirm that one function of the Restriction in the sky was to prohibit flying.

This made the Cloud Mist Restriction somewhat ingenious. In Wang Lin's view, without this cloud and mist, the Restriction inside, although difficult to break, would not be entirely without clues if studied for a long time. But the current location of the cloud and mist was precisely the center point of the Restriction.

Thus, the changes within this Restriction significantly increased the variables.

Despite this, Wang Lin showed no emotional fluctuation. He stared intently at the patch of cloud and mist, his eyes flickering. Suddenly, he raised his right hand, which blurred into an afterimage before him, swiftly forming Hand Seals.

Countless afterimage branches appeared from his right hand. At first glance, it seemed as if he had suddenly grown thousands of hands. These afterimages shook continuously, rapidly spreading out horizontally before him.

Finally, as Wang Lin waved his right hand, these afterimages gradually connected to form a circle. Wang Lin’s right hand instantly paused, then slapped forward. Immediately, the Circle of Afterimages shot out of his hand and struck the cloud and mist.

After entering the cloud and mist, the Circle of Afterimages immediately dissipated, transforming into layers of ripples that penetrated the mist. Wang Lin sat cross-legged, not even looking, but focused his mind and closed his eyes. His right hand vaguely gestured through the air, and slowly, his brow furrowed.

This Circle of Afterimages was a method of breaking Restrictions that Wang Lin had created himself through seven years of research. After continuous refinement over those seven years, he had now mastered its use.

He didn't even need to look with his Physical Body; he could perceive the structure and rules within the Restriction simply through the Divine Sense ripples inside the Circle of Afterimages. After pondering for a moment, he opened his eyes and waved his right hand in front of him again. This time, his expression was serious and his gaze solemn. He waved his right hand continuously for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and circles of afterimages rapidly appeared before him.

By the time the tenth Circle of Afterimages appeared, Wang Lin was sweating profusely, panting heavily, and his right hand had lost all feeling. Relying on his last ounce of strength, he slapped forward ten times consecutively with his right hand.

The ten Circles of Afterimages instantly fell one by one onto the cloud and mist.

Although the Circle of Afterimages looked simple, in reality, forming just one required Wang Lin to continuously shake his right hand tens of thousands of times within a few breaths of time. Only then could the circle be formed.

Furthermore, all his movements were strictly according to the Restriction methods he had analyzed over the past seven years. It could even be said that a single Circle of Afterimages was itself a Restriction.

The ten Circles of Afterimages now pierced through the cloud and mist and vanished. A large amount of ripples surged everywhere, finally entering the cloud and mist and rapidly fluctuating within it.

Wang Lin kept his Divine Sense tightly locked on. His left hand continuously drew engravings on the ground. After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He reached out and wiped away all the engravings on the stone surface. His eyes flashed, and he stood up from the ground. After rubbing his right hand, he lowered his head to calculate briefly, then his right hand moved abruptly, striking out a Spiritual Light.

It shot onto the cloud and mist. As the Spiritual Light landed, the cloud and mist immediately shook, then slowly spread outwards. As it spread, the scene within gradually revealed itself.

Wang Lin took a deep breath, took out a Jade Slip, and carefully recorded every Restriction he had just engraved and analyzed. Over these seven years, every Restriction Wang Lin opened, he would record in a Jade Slip, along with his insights, for future reference.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Wang Lin put away the Jade Slip and stared into the cloud and mist. There, a segment of a broken bridge was revealed, about ten zhang away from where he stood.

This was the true appearance of the Restriction. Just as Wang Lin was about to proceed, his gaze suddenly sharpened. He looked around and finally focused on a small tree growing out of the rock beside the broken bridge.

With Wang Lin's seven years of experience breaking Restrictions, he could tell at a glance that there was something wrong with the small tree. Up until now, Wang Lin had encountered instances where two types of Restrictions overlapped on this mountain peak, but such occurrences were rare, and the technique used here was clearly different from the inherent Restrictions of the mountain.

If it were real, it must have been an addition by an outsider. This was something he himself hadn't done infrequently over the past seven years. Looking at it now, the small tree was clearly something someone else had added after breaking the original Restriction.

Wang Lin sneered. As soon as he saw the technique used in this small tree Restriction, he immediately recognized it as being set up by the same person responsible for the malicious Restrictions he had encountered several times before.

He had started encountering Restrictions set up by this person four years ago. After breaking them one by one, he had gained a deep understanding of their Restriction Technique.

The Restrictions on this mountain peak usually wouldn't attack unless triggered, but this person's Restrictions were different: as soon as one entered their range, they would automatically attack. If the attack failed, they would even self-destruct, triggering a large-scale activation of surrounding Restrictions, instantly trapping the intruder in a prison of heaven and earth.

Wang Lin narrowed his eyes, staring at the small tree for a long time. Only then did he cautiously strike out three consecutive Circles of Afterimages, landing them on the small tree.

The small tree trembled slightly. Its leaves rapidly fell off, and the trunk quickly turned pitch black, eventually twisting and bending eerily.

Wang Lin's Circle of Afterimages contained countless Restriction techniques, and its main purpose was to break Restrictions. Now, the Restriction on the small tree was being broken layer by layer, gradually revealing its Origin.

Suddenly, a cold light flashed in Wang Lin's eyes. He slapped his Storage Pouch, and a black venomous sword swiftly flew out. At the same time, the curved tree trunk immediately sprang up, aiming directly at Wang Lin.

At this instant, the highly venomous Flying Sword flashed out, barely missing the trunk. Immediately afterward, a black light flashed on the trunk, splitting it in two. When the pieces fell to the ground, they immediately twisted, slowly transforming into a brown centipede severed into two halves.

The centipede twisted a few times and immediately turned into a mass of black Qi. As the black Qi surged up, a feeling of panic arose in the heart, abruptly appearing and quickly fading, vanishing almost instantly.

Wang Lin looked solemn. He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. This was the first time he had encountered the technique of using a Spirit Beast as a Restriction. The Spirit Beast transforming into a Qi of panic upon death—this technique felt extremely familiar to him.

Although he could confirm that this Restriction was set by the same person who created the previous few, it was clear that using Spirit Beasts as a Restriction method was rarely employed even by that person. While its power didn't increase significantly, it was superior in its strangeness. If one wasn't careful and walked over rashly, they would surely not escape the centipede's maw.

"Liu Yu Demonic Lord!" Wang Lin muttered to himself after a brief contemplation. He knew why it felt familiar. Back in the passage, the Liu Yu Demonic Lord had used the young man beside him as the subject to execute a series of extremely bizarre Cultivation Techniques.

Wang Lin remembered this clearly. He recalled that the Liu Yu Demonic Lord had first targeted him, but after seeing his vigilance and making eye contact, he changed his mind and experimented on the young man beside him instead.

Furthermore, he had extracted some special substances from the young man to complete the execution of his Spell. Now, it was clear that this scene was exactly the same as what happened then, only the subject had become this centipede.

At this moment, on a rock five hundred zhang away from the mountain peak, the Liu Yu Demonic Lord suddenly turned his head, staring at the mountainside, his face as dark as water. The young man standing beside him no longer had a look of confusion in his eyes, but a deep look of dullness.

"Who is it? Continuously breaking this old man's Restrictions for five years, and now even breaking the killing move I set up at the cloud and mist… Could it be Duanmu Ji? Doesn't look like it. It must be Gu Di. That old bastard might also have been studying Restriction Techniques for the past millennium. This person will be my greatest enemy in entering the Third Pass!" the Liu Yu Demonic Lord muttered, his eyes flickering.

A trace of fervor appeared in his eyes as he looked toward the mountain peak five hundred zhang away, where a huge Vortex was located. That was the path leading to the Third Pass.

Over the past seven years, the Liu Yu Demonic Lord had initially proceeded smoothly, but the higher he went, the greater the complexity and power of the Restrictions became. There were several particularly astonishing Restrictions, one of which trapped the Liu Yu Demonic Lord for five whole years before he luckily managed to escape.

He withdrew his gaze and rapidly walked forward.

Meanwhile, a person walked out of the entrance Vortex at the foot of the Restriction Mountain. This person held a Horsetail Whisk, wore a tall crown, had the appearance of an immortal, was full of Daoist aura, and stepped out with a calm yet firm pace.

This person was none other than Gu Di!

Although his expression was normal, his brow was slightly furrowed. In the First Pass, he had rushed into the Land of Fire Element, which was a sea of flames that countered his own Spells. It took him seven years to walk out step by step.

Countless demonic creatures within the sea of flames were slain by him during those seven years. In fact, if he had risked all his Magic Treasures, he could have left the First Pass sooner. However, Gu Di was extremely cunning and his temperament was quite grim. He preferred to spend a vast amount of time rather than risk everything in a fight.

In this respect, he was clearly different from Meng Tuozi.

Gu Di's preparation for this trial was extremely thorough. Even in the sea of flames, where the element countered his nature, he still managed to withstand it powerfully and walked out step by step.

Although he spent a considerable amount of time, most of his Magic Treasures were preserved, which would be crucial for him to pass the remaining trials.

The Road of No Return did not cost him any time. He walked through calmly, ignoring any illusions that appeared behind him, given his grim nature.

After entering the Second Pass, Gu Di let out a long breath. His eyes flickered as he stared at the mountain peak, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He had been preparing for this day for the past millennium.

To enter the Third Pass, one must master Restriction Techniques. He had realized this deeply after he luckily escaped this place last time. Had he not relied on his speed back then, seizing the opportunity to kill several people blocking his path within the three breaths of time the passage was open, he would likely be a pile of yellow earth by now.

He was different from the Liu Yu Demonic Lord, Duanmu Ji, and Meng Tuozi. A thousand years ago, his cultivation had already reached the Soul Transformation Stage Middle Stage. He was one of the strongest experts at the time and a key participant in the trial back then.

In his eyes, the Liu Yu Demonic Lord and the others were merely Juniors back then. If he hadn't been severely injured during his escape, preventing him from killing the three of them, how could the Liu Yu Demonic Lord and the others have survived!

For the past millennium, he had been recovering from his injuries somewhere in the Cultivation Devil Sea while simultaneously beginning to study Restriction Techniques, hoping they would be miraculously effective when he attempted the trial again. Although his cultivation recovered during this millennium, he made no further progress. After careful analysis, he suspected that his severe injuries had affected his Foundation. Without some extremely precious Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, his cultivation might remain stagnant for the rest of his life.

Because of this, his interest in attempting the trial again suddenly increased to the extreme. Only here could he find those Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. If he was lucky, after passing the Four Passes and entering the Ancient God's body, and obtaining a Nascent Soul Transformation Pill, he could instantly become a Nascent Soul Transformation Stage expert. In that case, all his efforts would yield countless times the returns.

To this end, he resolutely gave up cultivation and devoted himself entirely to the study of Restrictions. He even changed his appearance and consecutively joined several Schools famous specifically for Restrictions, systematically learning the art.

A millennium later, today, he possessed considerable confidence in his Restriction research. Furthermore, he had prepared several astonishing items. He touched his Storage Pouch, and the smile on his lips grew wider.

Without hesitation, he leaped out and immediately arrived at the location of the first layer of Restriction at the foot of the mountain.

He had forcibly broken this first layer of Restriction back then. Now, after glancing at it briefly, he stepped right in. In his view, there was no need to waste mental effort on such low-level Restrictions; the best method was a powerful Breakthrough.

After all, that was how he had passed through it before.

He remembered that upon entering, the weeds would transform into sharp swords. Reality was exactly as he expected: the moment he entered, all the weeds on the ground flew up, rushed into the red mist that suddenly appeared around them, and when they flew back, they had become a Rain of Swords.

Gu Di's expression remained calm. His body rapidly charged forward. Any sharp swords that stabbed him were instantly enveloped by a layer of Profound Ice the moment they struck, causing them to shatter immediately.

The continuous banging sounds did not stop Gu Di for even half a step. He easily arrived at the edge of this Restriction, where he remembered a red light would appear.

Indeed. As soon as the thought arose, the surrounding red light intensified greatly, and several beams of red light suddenly appeared. Gu Di snorted softly, clenched his right fist, and slammed it into one of the beams of red light. Instantly, the red light collapsed and scattered, vanishing completely.

Following this, he threw several consecutive punches, hitting each beam of red light. In less than two breaths of time, all the red lights were completely shattered and dissipated. This Restriction was solved by him with extreme ease.

Gu Di stepped forward, his gaze already fixed on the second Restriction several dozen zhang away. Just as he intended to push through several hundred zhang in one breath, his expression suddenly changed. The moment his foot stepped outside the Restriction, waves of black mist immediately emanated from the surroundings. Distinctly different from the previous red mist, this black mist carried faint sounds of whistling.

Immediately afterward, black sharp swords, along with countless beams of red light, instantly rushed over with a roar. Their speed was so fast that the whistling sound had only just appeared when the attacks were already upon him.

Gu Di's expression was grim. He shouted loudly and spat out a mouthful of Spiritual Qi. As soon as the Spiritual Qi emerged, it immediately transformed into walls of Profound Ice, blocking him. Most of the attacks instantly landed on the ice walls.

Immediately after, he retreated a few steps. Clenching his right fist, he viciously struck the Profound Ice through the air. The ice wall instantly shattered, transforming into countless pieces of Profound Ice that shot out in all directions.

At the same time, he performed Hand Seals with his left hand, continuously unleashing countless Spiritual Spells. These Spiritual Spells automatically chased after the scattering ice fragments. In that instant, the ice fragments immediately melted, amazingly transforming into countless Clones of Gu Di. Each Clone formed a single-handed seal and simultaneously unleashed countless Hand Seals.

Inside the Restriction, there was a massive roar, and under the impact of this powerful attack, it completely collapsed.

Amidst the scattering black mist, Gu Di walked out with a grim expression. He looked around briefly, his face growing even darker, revealing a killing intent. He muttered to himself, "Little Six Desires, this Restriction must have been set up by you!"

His eyes flashed with cold light. The Restriction that suddenly appeared just now had caught him slightly off guard. If his cultivation hadn't been truly formidable, anyone else, while perhaps not fatally endangered, would certainly have been flustered and embarrassed.

The reason he was so certain that the Restriction caster was the Demonic Lord of Six Desires was that, in Gu Di's opinion, Duanmu Ji's personality was fundamentally unsuited for researching Restrictions. Of course, he didn't rule out that youngster named Wang Qingyue either.

But instinctively, Gu Di placed the primary suspect on the Demonic Lord of Six Desires. As for Wang Lin, he had long forgotten him.

Given his current attainment in Restriction techniques, a moment of reflection allowed him to analyze the maliciousness of this extra Restriction. He couldn't help but curse silently in his heart, while simultaneously abandoning his careless attitude. He secretly decided that even if he encountered the simplest Restriction, he must thoroughly analyze it before proceeding.

Wang Lin slowly walked toward the mountain peak. Suddenly, he paused his steps, looked back at the foot of the mountain, and sneered a few times. In that instant, he detected that the first Restriction he had set up had been destroyed.

However, Wang Lin felt no panic. Throughout his journey over the past seven years, he had laid down countless Restrictions wherever he went, ensuring that any latecomer, even if they managed to pass, would certainly have to rack their brains. If they were slightly careless and triggered multiple Restrictions consecutively, even if they didn't die, they would be stripped of a layer of skin.

If they had bad luck, it might trigger a larger sequence of Restrictions. In that case, even a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator would face a dead end.

Such powerful Restrictions were few on the path behind Wang Lin, but there were still three or four locations. The reason these Restrictions possessed such immense power was that they not only retained the inherent Restrictions of the mountain peak but also had many added by the Demonic Lord of Six Desires. Finally, after Wang Lin passed through them with trepidation, he gritted his teeth and overlaid another layer. He ultimately felt this was still not vicious enough, so he simply circled the area, linking several Restrictions together consecutively. Once one was triggered, a catastrophe would await the opponent.

Wang Lin sneered, completely ignoring the person behind him, and continued walking forward.

The higher he went, the slower Wang Lin's speed became. He needed to expend a great deal of mental energy to deduce the changes in every Restriction, and even the branch details of the Restriction had to be thoroughly researched before he dared to attempt breaking it.

The Restriction technique he created could only produce ten rings of afterimages at most. If there was one more, not only his Physical Body but even his Divine Sense would struggle to keep up.

If others attempted this technique, even if they succeeded, they could only produce three to five rings of afterimages at most. The reason Wang Lin could achieve ten was precisely due to the marvelous function of his extreme realm Divine Sense.

The extreme realm—utilizing everything to the extreme—this function reached a certain limit over these seven years. Supported by it, Wang Lin was able to make leap after leap, thereby reaching the current level of being able to draw ten rings of afterimages.

The number of Jade Slips recording Restrictions had already exceeded one hundred. These were witnesses to the gradual growth of Wang Lin's Restriction techniques, and they were also his precious wealth.

Wang Lin's perseverance was undoubtedly extremely firm. Sometimes, in order to break a single Restriction, he often had to put in a lot of effort, researching day and night just to find a Breakthrough point.

Time slowly passed, and in a blink of an eye, three more years went by. By now, Wang Lin's hair had completely turned white. His eyes were sharper, seeming capable of seeing through people's hearts.

In fact, Wang Lin himself had never expected that one day he would stay on a mountain peak for ten years. These ten years passed quickly for him, spent every day researching Restrictions.

His current location was less than six hundred zhang from the summit. However, starting from three hundred zhang up, the summit was enveloped in a thick layer of white mist, making the details inside unclear.

Over these three years, Wang Lin's Spiritual Liquid had nearly run out. He could only proceed cautiously, striving not to waste a single trace of excess spiritual power, ensuring the Spiritual Liquid would last.

After all, researching Restrictions was an extremely mentally taxing task. With the depletion of mental energy, the spiritual power within the body would also fluctuate, gradually being consumed along with the mind.

At this moment, his hair was tied back. He sat cross-legged on a stone cliff, surrounded by numerous Restrictions that he had casually set up to conceal his presence.

The higher he went, the stronger Wang Lin's sense of crisis became. He analyzed the situation the whole way, unsure if the person ahead had passed this second stage. If they hadn't passed, that person must be right in front. Any Restriction at this location could be considered extremely powerful; even a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator would find it hard to escape death.

Because of this, it was inconvenient for Wang Lin to release his Divine Sense, so he could only analyze the situation himself.

As for the person behind him, Wang Lin had clearly felt their progress over the past three years. From initially sensing a Restriction being broken every few days, now it took months for the opponent to break one. Besides the increasing power of the mountain's inherent Restrictions, a crucial factor was Wang Lin's growth. The Restrictions he now set up were worlds apart compared to those from ten years ago.

Wang Lin slowly exhaled, his eyes flickering. He knew that just as he could sense others breaking his Restrictions, the person ahead must also be aware of his arrival. Danger might be waiting up front.

After a brief contemplation, Wang Lin sneered. He waved his right hand and set up several more Restrictions around him. All told, he had been sitting here for nearly a year. During this year, he had to observe the area above, keep an eye on the area below, and simultaneously set up Restrictions around himself.

Wang Lin was not in a hurry. He had no intention of blindly walking into the opponent's trap, and since he had come this far, he absolutely could not afford any mistakes.

Wang Lin was waiting. He was waiting for the person behind him to catch up and let them pass first.

The cultivation of the person behind him must also be at the Soul Transformation Stage, which is why Wang Lin stopped for a year to set up Restrictions. The purpose of these Restrictions was not attack, but to conceal his aura.

After a year of preparation, Wang Lin was now confident that even if that person came here, as long as he remained still within these Restrictions, the opponent would find it very difficult to discover his presence.

One day several months later, Wang Lin's heart stirred. The Restriction he had set up a hundred zhang away had been broken!

A cold smile appeared on his lips. His eyes stared silently at the area a hundred zhang behind him.

Gu Di's fury had never dissipated since three years ago. Not only did it not fade, but it grew increasingly intense. Over these three years, almost every Restriction he encountered required great effort. He not only had to break the inherent Restrictions of the mountain peak but also had to constantly beware of those that had been added externally.

What was most infuriating to him was that often, just as one Restriction was broken, it would suddenly, and for unknown reasons, trigger the activation of a series of other Restrictions. If his cultivation hadn't been formidable, and if he hadn't had experience from a thousand years ago, he would likely have nearly lost his life multiple times.

Throughout his journey, he was almost constantly cursing silently in his heart. Even with his grim demeanor, he sometimes couldn't help but swear out loud. In his opinion, the person who added these extra Restrictions was maliciously wicked to the extreme.

Sometimes, things often looked normal, but upon closer inspection, one would find a Restriction present. Yet, right after you broke it, you would discover that the Restriction you just broke was actually the switch to activate the next Restriction.

If he didn't break it, then even walking over it wouldn't pose any danger. But if he broke it… well, what awaited him was a circular dead knot: breaking one led to another appearing, constantly cycling. Step by step, knowing the danger ahead, he had to bite the bullet and continue breaking them until he finally escaped death.

If he gave up halfway, he would have to abandon continuing up the mountain; otherwise, he could only keep breaking them.

Whenever this happened, his hatred surged uncontrollably. He wished the opponent would immediately appear before him so he could tear them apart alive.

There were also times when strong Spiritual Power fluctuations clearly appeared in a location. When he concentrated and checked for a long time, he still couldn't discern what kind of Restriction it was. After expending a great deal of mental energy, he finally gave up, risking triggering the Restriction by using a Magic Treasure to test it. He was then astonished to discover that there was no Restriction there at all; it was clearly just the opponent deliberately leaving behind some Spiritual Power to confuse people.

These things were already extremely irritating to him, but what made his anger burn even hotter was that in some places, there seemed to be nothing unusual at first glance. However, upon careful inspection, one could find extremely faint Spiritual Power fluctuations that were so subtle they were impossible to detect without full concentration.

But when you expended a great deal of mental energy and still couldn't see through it, you suddenly realized that this place was also fake.

For three years, the path had been a mixture of illusion and reality, truth and falsehood, leaving Gu Di in a sorry state. If he ignored them, there truly were some genuine Restrictions present, and if he carelessly triggered one, a chain reaction of simultaneously activating Restrictions would await him.

The many Magic Treasures that he had painstakingly saved in the first stage, spending time to be "frugal," were mostly used up over these three years. Almost all these Magic Treasures were used for dealing with the aftermath of triggered Restrictions.

The feeling of heartache was constantly imprinted in his mind. He regretted more than once wasting so much time in the first stage. Otherwise, if he had come out earlier and entered this second stage sooner, walking ahead of that person, he certainly wouldn't be experiencing this bitterness now.

Two years ago, after seeing three different types of Restrictions, he had already ruled out the Demonic Lord of Six Desires as the sole identity of the Restriction setter. At the very least, the Demonic Lord of Six Desires was only one of them!

He was now certain that there were two Restriction masters ahead of him. Originally, the one he feared most was the Demonic Lord of Six Desires, but now, he bestowed that halo upon this mysterious person.

As he broke the Restrictions set by this person along the way, his apprehension grew with almost every one he solved. If the very first Restriction only showed that this person's Restrictions were slightly strange but lacked adequate flexibility and failed to cover many details, then from then on, this person's Restriction techniques could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds. They were not only full of flexibility but also incredibly strange, astonishing, and unexpected.

Breaking these Restrictions earlier was not difficult for Gu Di, some were even simple. But the further he went, the greater the difficulty became, the more time he wasted, and the mental energy he expended doubled accordingly.

This person's weight in Gu Di's heart naturally grew heavier and heavier. At least concerning Restrictions, Gu Di already regarded them as his opponent. Although these Restrictions still seemed raw to him, lacking the depth of his thousand years of study, Gu Di admitted he was inferior in terms of strangeness.

What shocked him even more was that he gradually discerned that this person seemed to have only recently started learning Restriction techniques—a fact he saw but simply could not believe.

And most importantly, the Restrictions this person set up, which started out chaotic and disorganized, eventually and faintly formed their own unique System. This System consisted of only two characteristics: speed and strangeness!

The speed of activation was fast, making it difficult for people to react in time. The methods of attack and triggering were strange, astonishing, like a divine stroke of Genius, making them impossible to predict.

In his heart, he had already placed this person on a very high level, and now, that level had risen even higher. At this moment, he had just broken a rather troublesome Restriction and walked out with a grim face.

Looking ahead, there were still about seven hundred zhang to the summit. Normally, he would only need a single Instant Shift to arrive immediately. But now, let alone Instant Shift, he didn't even dare to use ordinary flight.

He clearly remembered that a thousand years ago, an Early Stage Soul Transformation Cultivator, relying on his unique Magic Treasure, flashed out on this mountain peak and performed the Instant Shift Spell. But just as his body disappeared, a purple lightning bolt suddenly descended from the entire sky. The lightning crashed down onto a certain spot, forcibly interrupting his Instant Shift Spell and revealing his figure.

The Magic Treasure that person relied on was instantly shattered by the Purple Lightning, just like a toy in a child's hand. His Physical Body, and even his Nascent Soul which had integrated into his Physical Body, were completely annihilated.

This scene completely shocked everyone present at the time. Compared to the Restrictions in the sky, the Restrictions on the mountain ground were easier to break, and their power was incomparable. Thus, everyone immediately walked up obediently.

Gu Di walked a distance of a hundred zhang in nearly a month. Gradually, he got closer and closer to the place where Wang Lin was concealing himself. During this month, Wang Lin observed a Soul Transformation Stage master breaking Restrictions at such close proximity for the first time, and his heart immediately gained enlightenment.

On this day, Gu Di stood ten zhang away from Wang Lin. Suddenly, his eyes flashed, staring at Wang Lin's location, and his gaze revealed a trace of strangeness.