Chapter 172: Tu Si, the Ancient God

This object looked neither like gold nor bone. Wang Lin picked one up between two fingers, and his Divine Sense moved abruptly to probe it. However, the moment he touched the golden granule, a powerful resistance burst forth from within it.

This sudden force immediately pushed Wang Lin's Divine Sense away, preventing him from probing further. Wang Lin pondered for a moment, then squeezed hard. The golden granule was not as tough as he imagined and immediately flattened.

However, no matter how hard he squeezed, the golden granule only became flatter and flatter, yet it never shattered. Wang Lin's heart stirred, and he immediately kneaded several granules together, forming a gold bead the size of a small fingernail.

He pondered for a moment, looking at the gold bead. The more he looked, the more he felt that its color was exactly the same as the finger bone embedded in the forehead of the Beast King from the first trial. If they were truly the same Materials, this golden bead must also be the bone of some creature.

"Could it be the bone of an Ancient God?" A bold thought surged into Wang Lin's mind. He stared at the gold bead, his heart thumping.

But Wang Lin quickly dismissed this idea. According to what Duanmu Ji and others had said, the Ancient God's body was immense, so its bones would certainly not be small. Even a finger bone would be enormous, clearly differing greatly in size from the one on the forehead of the Beast King in the first trial.

After pondering for a moment, Wang Lin put away the gold bead, dusted off his clothes, and stood up. Looking at the Restrictions before him, his body suddenly moved, and he leaped forward.

He had already thoroughly observed the Restrictions between five hundred and three hundred zhang. Coupled with Gu Di's previous scouting, his journey now, though still cautious, was slightly easier than before.

However, at the three hundred zhang mark, Wang Lin stopped. He proceeded cautiously, moving upward little by little. He did not want to trigger a Restriction and end up being struck by heavenly lightning.

Wang Lin was not in a hurry, allowing time to pass slowly. In the blink of an eye, three more years went by.

He spent a full three years traversing this distance of three hundred zhang step by step. During these three years, his Restriction technique advanced rapidly as he broke them along the way.

When Wang Lin finally stood on the mountaintop three years later, he knew that if the Restrictions here had not previously experienced an eruption, which left many Restrictions with their Divine Ability intact but lacking spiritual energy supply—thus making them unable to activate even if triggered—he would never have been able to reach the summit with his current cultivation.

Even so, when he reached within five zhang, dark clouds still slowly appeared in the sky, flashing with lightning. Wang Lin's gaze was calm. After a glance, he walked toward the Vortex.

Wang Lin's pace was steady, step by step, without any pause. Three years ago, when he first saw these dark clouds, he had always suspected what mechanism triggered the sky's Restrictions.

He clearly remembered that when he controlled the hurricane to fly toward the summit back then, he did not encounter any Lightning Orbs. But when the hurricane wrapped around the severed arm and accelerated back, it was struck by a Lightning Orb.

After some research, coupled with Wang Lin's probing using the Circle of Afterimages, he finally understood the principle that triggered the sky Restrictions: speed!

Once the speed exceeded a certain threshold, or if there was a sudden increase or decrease in speed, it would trigger the sky Restrictions. Furthermore, the closer one got to the summit, the more sensitive the Restrictions became.

In other words, a sudden acceleration at the foot of the mountain might not trigger the sky Restrictions, while doing so halfway up might trigger them. If done right at the summit, it would definitely activate the sky Restrictions.

Having made this judgment, when the dark clouds appeared, Wang Lin remained calm. His steps were unhurried; he neither sped up nor slowed down, maintaining a calm and steady pace as he walked the shocking five zhang distance and entered the Vortex.

This second trial took Wang Lin a total of thirteen years. Although the time was long, it was insignificant compared to Wang Lin's gains.

Spending thirteen years to learn the Restriction technique step by step, moving from simplicity to complexity, from easy to difficult, mastering it, and reaching a certain Realm—Wang Lin would not have given up this opportunity even if it took far more time.

In his view, the fundamental purpose of this second trial did not seem to be to block intruders, but rather to be a System for people to learn the Restriction technique.

Otherwise, they would only need to set up Restrictions at the foot of the mountain similar to those on the summit, guaranteeing that nobody could climb up.

Wang Lin was extremely puzzled by this, but no one could answer his question.

At this moment, just as Wang Lin entered the Vortex, a sudden change occurred. The purple electric arcs flashing out of the Vortex converged, forming a massive Lightning Orb.

This Lightning Orb was different from the sky's Restrictions; its color was deeper, and the energy contained within it was even more powerful. The moment this purple Lightning Orb appeared, Wang Lin suddenly noticed that the entire Restriction Mountain trembled abruptly.

From the foot of the mountain all the way to the summit, all the inherent Restrictions within the mountain body transformed into specks of light that drifted up from the mountain. Each speck of light was a Restriction, and countless dense specks gradually floated higher and higher.

They quickly floated into the air. Strangely, the sky Restrictions were not triggered. After the specks of light reached a certain height, they suddenly converged rapidly towards a single point, forming a large light sphere. As more light specks continuously merged, the sphere grew larger and larger, gradually reaching the same altitude as the purple Lightning Orb.

At this point, all the specks of light had vanished, and the mountain body became bare, devoid of any Restrictions.

Wang Lin stared blankly at everything before him. The moment the purple Lightning Orb appeared, his body was instantly confined by an infinite power, making him unable to move even an inch.

Just then, the Lightning Orb and the light sphere slowly approached each other from two directions. The instant they collided, a massive illusory figure suddenly appeared above the two spheres.

This illusory figure was immensely huge, seemingly touching the sky with its head and standing on the ground with its feet. The two light spheres slowly rose from beneath its feet, finally stopping at the position of its eyes. From a distance, these two light spheres looked exactly like the eyes of the giant.

At this instant, although the giant's body was illusory, it gave people the feeling that it had come alive.

"The fourth Great Comprehender of Restriction Mountain, my name is Tu Si… According to the ancient agreement made before the main body fell into slumber, you have met the requirements of this Restriction Mountain. I bestow upon you the title of Comprehender, and grant you the Jade Slip for the creation of the Restriction Banner. If you can enter the main body's Sea of Consciousness, you may, by virtue of your Comprehender status, receive a portion of the main body's Restriction memories…"

A soul-shaking voice boomed forth from within the giant's body. Immediately afterward, a Jade Slip flashing with purple electric light emerged from the giant and slowly drifted toward Wang Lin.

Wang Lin took a deep breath, gazing at the scene before him in astonishment. Judging by the giant's tone, this was clearly a Clone of an Ancient God, named Tu Si. This must be Ancient God Tu Si!

This Ancient God was truly powerful. Just a single Clone gave Wang Lin a suffocating feeling, as if he were facing heavenly might. If Ancient God Tu Si's main body appeared, it would almost certainly exceed the limits of Wang Lin's imagination.

At this moment, the Jade Slip floated in front of Wang Lin. His eyes flashed, and he grabbed it. Instantly, a current of electricity spread out from the Jade Slip, affecting his entire body before returning back into the Jade Slip.

The moment Wang Lin touched the Jade Slip, something immediately appeared in his mind. He clearly understood that the electrical current was not for attack, but merely served the purpose of recognition of ownership.

At the same time, after clearly understanding the introduction to the Restriction Banner in his mind, his heart couldn't stop pounding wildly, yet he also couldn't help but smile bitterly.

The Restriction Banner introduction did not mention its actual use, nor did it specify any particular requirements for its Materials; it seemed that all things in heaven and earth could serve as its Materials.

However, there was one Material that was absolutely necessary: the Ink Space Stone!

The information in his mind also contained a description of the Ink Space Stone. This stone was not produced on any planet; instead, it originated in the starry sky.

For an Ancient God, this stone was easy to obtain; they merely needed to cross the starry sky to find it.

The information also provided a map, pointing out that several Ink Space Stones existed within the Ancient God's Sea of Consciousness, and every Comprehender would obtain one there.

Once the Ink Space Stone was obtained, the creation of the Restriction Banner could begin. The method of creation was extremely simple, yet also extremely complex: one merely had to carve nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine Restrictions onto it.

By doing so, a Restriction Banner could be created!

Although the information did not mention the function of the Restriction Banner, how could a Magic Treasure gifted by an Ancient God be weak? Not to mention the unimaginably difficult creation process and the precious Materials required.

If someone claimed this Magic Treasure lacked power, Wang Lin would never believe it. Clearly, obtaining this Jade Slip and the status of Comprehender was the greatest reward of this trial. If the Six Desires Demonic Lord and Gu Di knew about this, they definitely would not have rushed through using shortcuts, but would have chosen to comprehend it step by step to obtain the title of Comprehender.

"Including me, three other people have also obtained the status of Comprehender…" Wang Lin muttered to himself. His heart suddenly stirred. If completing the entire second trial granted the status of Comprehender and the Jade Slip, did this imply that the first trial also offered a treasure if a certain requirement was met?

After pondering for a moment, Wang Lin recalled the sentence he saw on the Stone Stele of the Road of No Return: that mysterious person had casually mentioned having subdued the Head King!

Perhaps that was the requirement for obtaining the treasure in the first trial. Thinking of this, Wang Lin couldn't help but smile bitterly; he certainly didn't have the ability to achieve that.

At this moment, the giant's body swayed and slowly dissipated. The two light spheres also separated. Soon, as the light spheres burst apart and transformed into specks of light, they fell back onto the mountain body. In that instant, every speck of light immediately turned into a Restriction, and slowly, the Restriction Mountain returned to its normal state.

As for the purple Lightning Orb, it floated back to the Vortex at the summit. Immediately afterward, a pulling force came from the Vortex, and Wang Lin's body slowly sank into it.

When Wang Lin reappeared from the Vortex, he was in a place resembling a fairyland, with fragrant grass everywhere, and waves of dense spiritual energy rushing toward him.

Not far away, there was a circular lake, and within the lake stood a three-story Pagoda, emitting bursts of multicolored light.

The moment Wang Lin appeared, his Divine Sense immediately spread out. After a long while, he cautiously walked forward. At the same time, he patted his Storage Pouch, and the black poisonous sword immediately flew out, revolving around his body.

He knew that Demonic Lord Six Desires and Emperor Gu hated him to the bone. Although they had rushed out of the second checkpoint three years ago, there was no guarantee they wouldn't wait for him here. Wang Lin figured that if he had suffered such a great loss, he would definitely wait here, determined to kill the person who caused his loss!

Along the way, Wang Lin's eyes flickered with divine light. His Divine Sense eyes, which could see through Restrictions, began to meticulously scan the surroundings. However, after a careful search, Wang Lin found no abnormalities. He pondered for a moment, then his gaze fell upon the Pagoda.

There were no Restrictions on the Pagoda. He moved, flying rapidly forward, stopping at the lake's edge. Then, he patted his Storage Pouch, and the Devil Head Xu Ligou immediately flew out.

It had been cooped up for a long time. The moment it appeared, an excited expression immediately appeared on its face, but when it saw Wang Lin, its expression instantly froze, revealing a look of disbelief.

In its eyes, that Evil Star's hair had all turned white, and his eyes seemed capable of piercing through people's hearts. The Devil Head Xu Ligou only took one glance before its heart pounded, and it secretly lamented, "How did this Evil Star get stronger again… If this continues, when will I ever escape his demonic grasp… Even if I risk my life, there's no hope…"

Previously, the Devil Head Xu Ligou only felt this way when Wang Lin unleashed his extreme realm Divine Sense. But now, the other party's Divine Sense hadn't moved, yet it already felt fear. This showed that Wang Lin's attainments in Restrictions over the past thirteen years had already reached the Realm of Precious Light and Appearance.

Wang Lin pointed at the lake with his right hand. The Devil Head Xu Ligou was about to bargain, but as soon as it saw Wang Lin's eyes, its heart immediately skipped a beat, and it obediently flew towards the lake, though inwardly, it cursed and swore a string of profanities.

"I'll remember this, you just wait! When I devour more souls, gather more powerful subordinates, and increase my cultivation, then I'll definitely fight you!" The Devil Head Xu Ligou cursed in its heart, immediately feeling much better. With its resentment slightly vented, it immediately dove into the lake to explore.

Wang Lin, through the Divine Sense he left in Xu Ligou's body, felt as if he was in the lake himself. He eventually discovered that there was absolutely nothing unusual there. Only then did he leap out and fly towards the Pagoda in the lake.

At this moment, Xu Ligou flew up from the lake, cursing a few more times in its heart, but its body involuntarily followed.

In front of the Pagoda, Wang Lin also had Xu Ligou lead the way. After confirming the tower was safe, he walked in. The tower had three floors. The first floor had nine empty compartments.

Seeing this, Wang Lin suddenly had a realization. This place was clearly a reward area for those who passed the two checkpoints, but over countless years, the entrants had already taken all the rewards, leaving these empty compartments.

After ascending to the second floor, Wang Lin became even more certain of his idea. This second floor had four compartments, located in the southeast, northwest, and they were still empty.

On the third floor, Wang Lin saw the Vortex to leave this place. Besides this Vortex, the third floor only had one compartment, which was also empty.

Wang Lin showed no disappointment. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly recalled the message left by one person that he had seen in the first checkpoint and on the Road of No Return. Although he hadn't seen that person leave any words in the second checkpoint, Wang Lin had a feeling that this person was very likely one of the three comprehenders before him.

After a moment of silence, Wang Lin immediately searched the three-story Pagoda. Finally, next to an empty compartment on the second floor, he saw the same line of small characters.

"I entered this Precious Pavilion Pagoda, and only the item in this compartment was somewhat pleasing to my eyes. I am slightly disappointed with this Ancient God Land."

These words were incredibly arrogant. After reading them, Wang Lin's eyes flickered. He pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked to the third floor.

On the third floor, he didn't immediately enter the third checkpoint through the Vortex. Instead, he sat cross-legged and meditated for a while. After his spiritual power reached its Peak, he tidied up the Magic Treasures in his Storage Pouch. Only then did he take a deep breath, summon the Devil Head Xu Ligou, and point his right hand at the Vortex.

Xu Ligou made a bitter face, inwardly cursing repeatedly, but its body immediately drilled in. However, the moment it touched the Vortex, it screamed, its body emitting wisps of green smoke, and it quickly retreated, a look of terror on its face.

Wang Lin's eyes flickered. He summoned a small beast and threw it into the Vortex. This time, the small beast met no obstruction and immediately merged in. However, the moment the small beast entered, the faint connection Wang Lin had with it through the Second Devil Head was immediately severed.

Wang Lin's expression immediately darkened. He pondered for a moment. This Vortex must be the third checkpoint that caused Demonic Lord Six Desires and others to stop and flee in a panic a thousand years ago.

According to what Duanmu Ji said earlier, this third checkpoint required the use of the Death Curse Art, famous for its Divine Sense attacks, to pass. His words were vague and not detailed, but Wang Lin still gleaned some information.

Now, after testing, the usually invincible Devil Head couldn't enter, and the Vortex alone damaged its Primordial Spirit. Furthermore, living small beasts disappeared immediately upon entering, and contact was severed.

It seemed that this third checkpoint was extremely perilous. Wang Lin pondered for a long time, his eyes flickering. He stood up, positioned himself outside the Vortex, and slowly extended his right hand inward.

A chilling sensation immediately came from his hand. He didn't encounter the danger that the Devil Head Xu Ligou had. A cold glint flashed in Wang Lin's eyes, and without another word, he leaped in.

The moment he emerged from the Vortex, Wang Lin was instantly stunned. A monstrous wave immediately surged in his Sea of Consciousness, and a red lightning bolt leaped out, flashing erratically in his eyes for the first time, uncontrolled by Wang Lin.

"This… this is the Realm of Annihilation!" Wang Lin exclaimed.

Before him was a boundless Void Realm. From time to time, strange, gigantic rocks drifted slowly here. At the same time, faint fluctuations of Divine Sense emanated from this place.

A cold smile appeared on Wang Lin's lips. If he passed the first checkpoint by luck and the second checkpoint by perseverance, then for this third checkpoint, Wang Lin could now confidently say that he would be able to traverse it effortlessly!

He patted his Storage Pouch, and the Devil Head Xu Ligou and the Second Devil Head immediately appeared. The two devils stared blankly at their surroundings, gradually seeming to understand. The blankness in their eyes diminished, gradually replaced by ecstatic expressions. Here, the two devils immediately felt like fish returning to water, extremely comfortable.

After releasing the two devils, a cold glint flashed in Wang Lin's eyes. His right hand suddenly moved, grabbing into the Void Realm. Immediately, a scream came from the void, followed by a wisp of smoke suddenly scattering from there, transforming into an illusory creature with two horns on its head in mid-air. This was indeed a Wandering Soul.

It had been hidden in the Void Realm, intending to secretly pounce on Wang Lin, but it didn't expect to be forcibly pulled out of the Void Realm by Wang Lin.

The Wandering Soul immediately showed a terrified and panicked expression. Wang Lin didn't even look at it. His extreme realm Divine Sense leaped out, transforming into a large mouth, and swallowed it in one gulp.

Wang Lin closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he tasted the flavor of a Wandering Soul. This feeling was extremely wonderful. He could clearly perceive that his Divine Sense had immediately strengthened considerably.

"Wandering Souls are indeed great tonics for strengthening Divine Sense. Just for the Wandering Souls here, this checkpoint challenge was worth it!" A cold glint flashed in Wang Lin's eyes, and his body drifted forward.

The scene of him devouring the Wandering Soul just now deeply frightened Xu Ligou and the Second Devil Head. Among these two devils, especially Xu Ligou, who usually devoured others and didn't find anything terrifying about it. Although he had seen Wang Lin devour souls that had his saliva on them, he mostly just felt that his food had been snatched by someone else.

But the moment that Wandering Soul was pulled out, Xu Ligou immediately keenly sensed that the Wandering Soul was quite similar to itself. He even had a feeling as if he had seen an elder or ancestor; that feeling was extremely close. Seeing Wang Lin pull it out, he originally thought the Evil Star was going to recruit another subordinate, and he even wanted to go up and greet it.

Unfortunately, this feeling of closeness immediately turned into fear after personally witnessing his elder/ancestor being devoured alive by Wang Lin. Only then did he realize that the Evil Star he had always planned to fight against could not only devour souls but even devour him.

Thus, Xu Ligou was scared.

Especially the Wandering Soul's scream before being devoured and Wang Lin's intoxicated expression, which almost made its Primordial Spirit unstable and its Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. Recalling the times it had bargained with the Evil Star, its body immediately trembled with lingering fear.

In its opinion, it had truly been playing with fire before. The other party punishing it with Divine Sense, in the past, it felt this was the other party's most powerful method, but now, compared to being directly devoured alive, it was truly insignificant.

Xu Ligou immediately decided that it must never provoke that Evil Star again. Otherwise, if it accidentally angered the other party, it feared it could be swallowed in one gulp, ensuring a complete death, without even a speck of residue left.

As for the Second Devil Head, although its main body was a beast, as it became a Devil Head with a trace of Wandering Soul characteristics, its intelligence also opened up considerably. At this moment, it was also terrified and uneasy.

Its intuition was much stronger than Xu Ligou's. The moment Wang Lin entered this place, displayed his Divine Sense, and devoured that fellow creature, it suddenly had a feeling that in this place, the other party was like a king!