CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 176: THE GREATEST SECRET OF MAPO CAVE

Qin Chuan was stunned by these words.

He always felt there should be an idiom to describe the scene in front of him, but he couldn’t think of one.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and said: "Thank you for your concern, senior, but we martial artists should not fear danger. As the saying goes, ’fortune lies within misfortune,’ and crises often come with opportunities."

The elder gave him a surprised look, seeming a bit irritated, and waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, alright, suit yourself! Disregard the words of the elderly, and you’ll pay for it soon. Don’t blame me when you suffer later."

With that, he patted the giant panda.

The giant panda suddenly lifted its head, as if invigorated. It dashed into the foreboding cave with its four legs galloping like the wind, making a thunderous noise.

Seeing this, Qin Chuan’s face twitched a few times.

He was quite certain now that this old man intended to pretend to advise him, so that he himself could gain an advantageous position in the competition for the opportunity...

"Forget it, if he’s shameless, so be it. I can’t beat him in a fight right now anyway, so there’s no need to fuss over it."

Qin Chuan shook his head and also entered the forbidding cave.

Wow!

As soon as he entered the cave mouth, he felt a chill, moist aura rushing at him, along with a faint stench of rot.

"Boom!"

At this moment, there was a violent rumbling sound from ahead. He looked up and saw a massive gray river ahead, spanned by an ancient bridge, swaying and creaking.

Many people were cautiously making their way forward on the bridge.

In the sky, a panda emitting white light strode through the air, thundering across.

"Boom!"

With each step it took, the space quaked violently, and the suspension bridge below swayed fiercely, even the bridge supports on either side were teetering on the verge of collapse.

"Ah! I’m going to fall off!"

"Steady, steady!"

"Where did this beast come from!"

"Beast, in my next life, I’m sure to kill you!"

"Plop, plop, plop..."

One after another, figures screamed as they fell from the suspension bridge, swallowed by the gray river below.

There seemed to be some force above this river interfering, preventing these people from using their flight abilities, leaving them to only pass over the bridge.

And once they fell... they were engulfed by the gray river.

The gray river, bubbling like lava, looked exceptionally filthy and wicked, making one nauseous.

"Hahaha! A bunch of restless youngsters, not practicing diligently, only thinking of taking reckless chances, they deserve to fall!"

On the back of the giant panda, the white-haired elder laughed heartily, and the giant panda quickly disappeared into the darkness after crossing the gray river.

This forbidding cave, immeasurably deep!

Qin Chuan stood by the riverside, gathered a ball of light in his right hand and controlled it to fly above the gray river.

"Buzz!"

In the next moment, a heavy pressure enveloped the light ball, as if trying to drag it into the river.

Qin Chuan exerted his strength with his hand, like fishing, wrestling against the pulling force from the river.

And the force inside the river continuously grew stronger, soon reaching the level of a Realm Emperor and continuing to strengthen.

One tribulation.

Two tribulations.

Three tribulations!

Eventually, that force stayed at the level of a three-tribulation Realm Emperor—of course, referring to a Realm Emperor who has broken through the fifth Heavenly Layer.

And Qin Chuan, this Emperor who broke through the ninth Heavenly Layer, could already rival an ordinary four-tribulation Emperor upon his breakthrough!

This was another form of accumulating strength for a breakthrough.

"Big."

Qin Chuan controlled the light ball to grow larger, wanting to see if the suction of the gray river was related to the object’s size.

Then he found that the suction indeed was proportional to the size. He made the light ball the same size and weight as himself, tested again, and the light ball successfully flew across.

Then, he caught a fellow who was about to fall into the river from a distance and used energy to support and deliver him to the other shore.

Though a bit laborious, it was manageable.

He finally felt reassured, releasing the nine hues of Law from his body, flying toward the other shore like a sun.

"Boom!"

As the energy he released was too powerful, it countered the invisible suction from the gray river, so when he flew across, an invisible tempest rose above the river, causing the wooden bridge to shake violently again, everyone on the bridge was in chaos, crying out for help.

"Senior, save me!"

"Elder, help!"

Someone was hanging on single-handedly to the edge of the bridge’s wooden plank, their pants being sucked away like potato skin, screaming for help in terror.

Qin Chuan ignored them.

He’s having a hard time protecting himself, how can he care about others?

Since these people chose to venture into the Ma Po Cave, they naturally must have the consciousness of encountering danger. Life and death are a matter of fate, wealth and honor lie in the heavens.

Suddenly!

Massive bubbles surged up from the gray river, more and more, and then, the viscous river surface suddenly shattered!

It was as if a section of cement road was overturned, a colossal creature lifted its head from below, and with a bloodthirsty maw, lunged upward at Qin Chuan.

"Splash——"

The waves splashed by the monster reached a height of dozens of meters and, upon landing on the shore, surprisingly corroded the ground, making a "sizzling" sound.

"Suppress!"

Qin Chuan stomped his right foot hard, the Law of Earth blossomed, and a mountain peak rapidly grew from beneath his feet, pressing downward!

"Puff!"

The monster’s open mouth was directly filled by the mountain peak, which, under the bizarre gravity of the gray river, became extremely heavy, pressing the monster back into the river.

Seizing this opportunity, Qin Chuan swiftly flew over the river.

"Roar!!"

And the next moment, a ferocious roar echoed as a colossal creature crawled up along the riverbank.

It was a monster resembling a salamander, ashen gray, seemingly eyeless, covered in stone patches and moss-like plants.

"Crack crack crack."

It raised its head, only to see that mountain peak rapidly melting in its mouth, transforming into the Power of Law being devoured into its stomach.

"Die!"

Qin Chuan decided swiftly, waving his right hand, the Law of Thunder roared out, and lightning poured down, illuminating the darkness!

"Boom boom boom boom!"

The deafening sound resounded as the entire Ma Po Cave shook, even the gray river churned up massive waves.

However, as the boundless lightning struck the monster, it surprisingly caused no harm. Instead, it continuously integrated into the monster’s skin, seemingly serving as its nourishment.

"Slash!!"

Qin Chuan drew out the Black Whale Emperor Sword, sweeping it out with a single strike. The overwhelming sword light slashed at the monster, causing another earth-shaking tremor.

Yet, it was still to no avail.

At this moment, the monster’s tail swung, like a mountain crashing toward Qin Chuan, emanating a domineering aura that seemed capable of smashing everything!

Qin Chuan dodged this collision.

However, the monster’s gigantic tail suddenly swept from behind like thunder, unstoppable.

"Bang!"

At the crucial moment, a whirlwind was born to protect Qin Chuan’s body, but the tail swept through, shattering the whirlwind. Qin Chuan, like a meteor, flew backward, crashing into the gray stone wall.

"Roar——"

The monster roared, brandishing its claws and charging over, its mouth spewing a stench of rot and sulfur, billowing smoke.

"This monster’s strength likely rivals that of a Five Tribulations Emperor!"

Qin Chuan’s expression was grim.

"However... there’s no need to fear."

He raised his right hand, with black and white runes rapidly interweaving, growing like vines in his palm, moving like spirit snakes twisting and turning.

Anathema Curse Seal!

"Go!"

With a wave of his right hand, the black and white runes howled out, merging into the monster’s body like droplets of water.

Crash!

The next moment, the monster’s lunging body froze mid-air and then fell.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."

The black and white runes rapidly surfaced on its slick skin, like taking root and sprouting, spreading all over its body, and then its body began to wither.

"Roar——"

The monster let out a piercing scream, rolling and struggling on the ground, but to no avail, its body growing more emaciated and its strength rapidly weakening.

"I submit, I submit!"

At this moment, a low, hoarse voice sounded in Qin Chuan’s ear, seemingly a transmission of divine thought.

Qin Chuan looked at the monster in surprise.

It appeared the monster crouched on all fours on the ground, humbly lowering its head, with a pleading look in its eyes—actually, it had eyes, just too small to notice earlier.

It seemed to indeed be speaking.

Qin Chuan emerged from the stone wall, looking down at it and asked, "Why should I accept your submission, what value do you have?"

Tormented by the Anathema Curse, the monster was in unbearable pain and hurriedly shouted, "Don’t kill me, I know the greatest secret in this cave!!"