Chapter 15: Eight Years in the Cemetery

Chapter 15: Eight Years in the Cemetery

The heat waves filled this fifth layer, blurring and distorting even distant figures.
"Linley, come over here!" A familiar voice called out from afar. Linley couldn't help but look into the distance. The figure there was very blurry, but he could still make out that it was the War God's Gate's senior apprentice, 'Fahn'.
Though Linley felt somewhat downcast inside, his will remained firm.
In a place like the Necropolis of the Gods, unless one chose to give up, one had to stay resolute and take each step forward.
"Bebe, let's go over." Linley said calmly. Bebe leaped directly onto Linley's shoulder.
Turning into a blur, Linley quickly arrived at a place where many experts had gathered. Not only was Fahn there, but also Desri, Rosarie, Tulily, and Rutherford. These five Saint-level ultimate experts were all gathered together.
Besides the five of them, there were also three Six-Eyed Golden Lions nearby.
"With you two here, we're all set." Desri said with a faint smile.
Linley felt a bit puzzled. What did he mean? What did 'all set' refer to?
"Linley, sit down." Fahn pointed to a spot beside him. "I also heard that when you were down below, the Basalisk woke up. That's truly unfortunate. Luckily, you made it through alive. Now, let's discuss matters regarding the sixth layer and beyond."
Linley sat down cross-legged nearby.
The scorching temperature below meant nothing to the scales covering his entire body.
"Not discussing it with those people?" Bebe asked curiously, pointing at a distant group of humans and magical beasts.
More than thirty experts had managed to reach the fifth layer alive. Among them were over a dozen magical beast experts and over a dozen human experts. Of the original eighty-plus people, there had been over sixty human experts. However, more than thirty had died in the third layer alone, plus a few who likely perished in the first and second layers. The remaining ten or so were probably hiding in the second layer, afraid to enter the third.
"Those people?" The stern-faced Tulily said coldly, "If they get involved, they'll only hinder us."
Linley understood immediately. Glancing at the distant group including Olivier, Hayward, and others, he thought: "Tulily's meaning is simple. The ten of us here are the top ten. Bebe and I are no weaker than them. And those three Six-Eyed Golden Lions are also unfathomable. As for Olivier, Hayward, the disciples of War God's Gate, and the many magical beast experts... they're a step weaker."
Here, the top experts naturally formed their own group.
The more than twenty experts who were slightly weaker also formed another group.
Although the second group included Desri's good brothers 'Hayward, Higginson' and others, as well as a few of Fahn's junior brothers, and two of Tulily's disciples, there was nothing they could do about it.
"Linley, Bebe, and you three brothers, Crione. You're probably not familiar with the sixth layer of the Necropolis of the Gods. Let me explain first." Desri said seriously. "Bebe, you all saw just now. The creatures on the fifth layer are a few 'Crimson Rock Demons'. Their strength is only comparable to Hayward and the others."
"Crimson Rock Demons?" Linley felt puzzled.
He hadn't seen any Crimson Rock Demons. Desri looked at Linley: "Linley, you didn't get a chance to see them. Crimson Rock Demons are made of rock, about the height of a human. They have immense strength and formidable defense, but they're slow. Their strength... I'd say it's comparable to your good brother Barker, though their defense is slightly weaker than his."
Linley now had a clear understanding.
"This fifth layer is the weakest of the first five. Those few Crimson Rock Demons have all been eliminated by us." Desri continued. "This fifth layer is also a resting and preparation layer for us. And the sixth layer we're about to enter..."
Linley, Bebe, and the three Six-Eyed Golden Lions listened attentively.
The sixth layer's danger level would skyrocket, far surpassing the first five.
"The sixth layer is a world filled with lava and solid rock. There, the most powerful creature is the Flame Sovereign!" Both Desri, Rosarie, Tulily, and Fahn all wore grave expressions.
Flame Sovereign?
"To be precise, this Flame Sovereign is several hundred meters tall. Its body is actually formed from countless hard rocks. It has infinite strength and its defense reaches a terrifying level." Desri said seriously. "Most importantly, it wields a bloodthirsty giant axe. Any one of us, if struck by that axe, would likely lose our lives."
Linley's heart clenched.
If struck, you'd lose your life. That was too terrifying.
"Not only that, besides the Flame Sovereign, the sixth layer also contains hundreds or even thousands of Crimson Rock Demons." Desri's expression grew even more solemn. "One or two Crimson Rock Demons are nothing, but a thousand of them—that's a huge threat."
Linley was speechless.
"A thousand Crimson Rock Demons—that's like a thousand Undying Warriors?" Linley thought in alarm. "Although these Crimson Rock Demons are slightly weaker in defense than Undying Warriors, having hundreds or thousands swarm you at once is still terrifying."
Desri continued: "The massive number of Crimson Rock Demons obey the Flame Sovereign's commands. Actually, I have a feeling... the Flame Sovereign is an advanced life form of the 'Crimson Rock Demon'. Look, they're both made of rock. But the Flame Sovereign is as huge as a mountain, while Crimson Rock Demons are only human-sized."
Rutherford sneered: "The Flame Sovereign is like a Crimson Rock Demon magnified hundreds of times. Its strength and attacks are also thousands of times greater."
Linley and Bebe exchanged glances.
"Boss, the Crimson Rock Demons have strength comparable to Barker. If the Flame Sovereign's strength is also thousands of times greater..." Bebe's voice echoed in Linley's mind. Linley remained silent.
Now, Linley and the others had a clear understanding of the sixth layer.
This sixth layer was a place where a Flame Sovereign commanded hundreds or thousands of Crimson Rock Demons. A single punch from the mountain-sized Flame Sovereign could shatter a mountain. No one dared to withstand that.
...
After a long silence, once Linley and the others had fully absorbed this information, Desri spoke: "None of us can defeat the Flame Sovereign alone. Only by joining forces and working together can we hope to get through the sixth layer."
Linley nodded slightly.
"Three thousand years ago, we fought the Flame Sovereign." Desri said.
Linley, Bebe, and the three Six-Eyed Golden Lions perked up. Experience would help them figure out how to deal with the Flame Sovereign.
"Actually, back then, only Fahn and Tulily managed to attack the Flame Sovereign. The rest of us were overwhelmed by the swarming 'Crimson Rock Demons' and forced to retreat." Desri added. Three thousand years ago, he hadn't even touched the Flame Sovereign's body.
Fahn spoke up: "Among the five of us, Tulily has the strongest attack power."
No one objected.
Linley looked at this number one expert of the Far East Prairie, known as the 'War Saint', Tulily. Tulily said coldly: "The Flame Sovereign's defense is the most terrifying I've ever seen. But three thousand years ago, we were all weaker than we are now."
The others nodded.
Three thousand years had passed. The five of them had all reached the Saint-level limit, far stronger than they were three thousand years ago.
"Once we enter the sixth layer, you seven will clear a path for me, Rutherford, and Rosarie. The three of us will work together. We should have a chance against the Flame Sovereign." Tulily said. Rutherford and Rosarie nodded.
Desri explained to Linley, Bebe, and the three Six-Eyed Golden Lions: "This is their strongest move, developed after long research. It's likely the most powerful attack among us."
"Alright, we'll help clear the way." Linley nodded.
Tulily was acknowledged as having the strongest attack among the five Saint-level limits. With the other two joining forces, their combined attack would certainly be formidable.
"Now, what we all need to do is..." Desri said with a faint smile. "Cultivate and prepare here on the fifth layer!"
Fahn also smiled: "Let's cultivate for eight or nine years first, then head to the sixth layer."
"What?" Linley was stunned. They only had ten years total in the Necropolis of the Gods, and they were going to spend eight or nine years on the fifth layer?
But Linley immediately understood. He knew from Clay that the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth layers of the Necropolis of the Gods would be extremely dangerous. On these four layers, they probably wouldn't even have time to rest or prepare.
If they could get through all four layers, it would likely take at most ten days or half a month.
"Prepare well. On each subsequent layer, a single misstep could mean death. If you're afraid, you can stay on the fifth layer until the ten years are up." Tulily stood up, said coldly, then flew off alone to a distant spot to begin his meditation.
...
Not only Linley and the other ten top experts, but even Olivier, Hayward, and the more than twenty other experts knew how terrifying the sixth layer was. No one was in a hurry to enter immediately. Instead, they all seized the time to adjust their states or make breakthroughs in the shortest possible time.
Heat waves rose, flames flickered faintly.
The many experts began their meditation on the fifth layer of the Necropolis of the Gods.
Linley gazed into the distance, where figures blurred by the heat waves. Whether it was Olivier and the other human experts or the Saint-level magical beast experts, these thirty-plus people were the cream of the Yulan continent's strongest. Now, they were all in meditation.
Linley and Bebe exchanged glances, understanding each other's thoughts. Both man and beast began their meditation.
"Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!"...
The pulse of the earth was everywhere. Even within the Necropolis of the Gods, Linley could clearly sense the profound pulse of the earth. Each wave was incredibly mysterious. Linley began to focus on his insights, rapidly deducing the 'Earth Essence'.
One year, two years, three years...
The many experts would meditate for half a year or a year, then test their newly understood attacks. Time flowed on like this.
Initially, Linley had only taken a little over a year to merge the 256 layers of the Earth Pulse into 128 layers. But now, five full years had passed, and he was only halfway to merging them into 64 layers.
Just as Linley had predicted, the further he went with the Earth Pulse, the harder the merging became.
In the blink of an eye, eight years had passed.
The fifth layer of the Necropolis of the Gods was still the same as before, heat waves rising. Many experts had long stopped cultivating. Most had been training for thousands of years; now, they only needed a few years to perfect their attack techniques and adjust their states.
"This Linley, still cultivating? He's the only one left." Rutherford frowned as he looked at Linley, who was sitting cross-legged not far away.
At this moment, the five Saint-level ultimate experts, the three Six-Eyed Golden Lions, and even Bebe—who had reached the level of splitting into eight with his 'Shadow Clone Technique'—had all stopped. Only Linley remained fully immersed in cultivation.
"Don't rush. My boss is at a critical moment. Once he breaks through, his strength will increase several times over." Bebe stood beside Linley, coldly looking at the people before him.
"Break through and increase strength several times?" Desri, Tulily, and the other experts were stunned.
They had all reached the Saint-level limit, pushing their own paths to the extreme. Without a true epiphany, it was hard to take that final step and become a Demigod. At their level, strength couldn't increase several times unless they became gods.
"Whoosh." Linley let out a long breath and opened his eyes, a smile on his face.
After eight years, Linley had finally fully mastered the 64-layer Earth Pulse. The attack power of the 'Earth Essence' had increased several times again.
Seeing everyone standing, Linley understood immediately. He said with a faint smile: "Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we set off now?"