Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 237 - 184: Waiting for the Hare by the Tree

The moment he stepped into the magma zone:

"Boom..."

Zhang Yao felt a surging wave of heat hitting him, his magical power rapidly depleting at a rate more than ten times faster than before.

Even with the double barrier of the spiritual artifact and Daoist technique, he could still feel the overwhelming pressure. One could imagine that if someone fell in without any protection, even an iron man would be dissolved in an instant.

"I can still hold on."

Zhang Yao sensed the rate of magical power depletion and felt slightly relieved.

The temperature and destructive force within the magma would not vary much. If it were just at this level, he could at least withstand for over half an hour.

"There!"

Zhang Yao cast a spell, a thin five-colored glow flashed at his fingertips.

All he could see was a crimson red, his vision obstructed, and his divine thought greatly suppressed, barely covering a distance of several dozen feet.

Were it not for learning the sensing technique from Yu Wen Tai's memories, he would have found it nearly impossible to locate the entrance to the secret realm within the magma zone despite knowing its existence there.

"Found it!"

After waiting for a moment, the spell returned a response, bringing a smile to Zhang Yao's face.

He continued maintaining the protective Daoist technique and spiritual artifact, maneuvering his escape light through the magma that was as bright as molten iron, heading towards the sensed location.

The resistance was immense while escaping through the magma, and even with Zhang Yao's strength and without a specific escape technique Dao skill, he could only travel a dozen feet in an instant.

After traveling for nearly half an hour, with nearly half of Zhang Yao's magical power depleted, he finally saw an ancient bronze gate in the endless magma zone.

The bronze gate was nine feet high and appeared a dark gold color, intricately decorated with patterns and symbols, emitting a hazy gray light, automatically displacing large amounts of magma to form a clean area around it.

"The Secret Realm Gate!"

Zhang Yao's spirit lifted, and he hurriedly flew over.

The moment he passed through the invisible barrier, Zhang Yao felt a lightening of his body, and the depletion of magical power sharply decreased.

"Phew..."

Zhang Yao exhaled deeply and, after adjusting his breath, flew forward and stopped before the bronze gate.

This bronze gate itself did not have any protective measures, but from Yu Wen Tai's memories, he learned something:

Before the Five Spirit Roots Recruitment Order was announced back then, the Four Major Golden Core Powers had closed the Five Elements Secret Realm due to severe losses. Four Golden Core Ancestors once joined forces to cast a sealing spell on it.

This was the only protection they left, and also the last one.

"Hmm..."

Zhang Yao observed carefully for a moment, flipping his hand to reveal three crimson Thunder Beads in his palm.

"To blast open this layer of protection, only the simultaneous use of these three 'Four-direction Heaven-shaking Thunder' might accomplish it."

"But if I use them now, I'll lose one of my major trump cards..."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao hesitated.

These three Four-direction Heaven-shaking Thunder were his strongest trump cards, capable of posing a severe threat to anyone in the Golden Core Stage.

Especially since once the Five Elements Secret Realm reopens and those in the Golden Core Stage cannot enter, such a powerful third-grade secret treasure becomes critical in determining victory.

He was certain:

The Lingyang Sect, Shanhe Sect, and the Dugu Family—all with a heritage spanning hundreds to thousands of years—definitely had third-grade secret treasures at their disposal too.

When the Five Elements Secret Realm reopens, everyone will head straight to its core to compete for the crucial 'Innate Pure Essence Pill'; each will definitely give their all, utilizing whatever treasures they possess.

In such a scenario, without a third-grade secret treasure in hand, if the situation were to go beyond his control, he would not have a powerful means to guarantee his last line of defense.

"...Forget it."

"Hesitation only brings more trouble!"

After thinking long and hard, Zhang Yao finally decided to use the Thunder Beads to break through the protection and enter the Five Elements Secret Realm first.

After all, even though he was confident he wouldn't be easily exposed, when the secret realm opens, a Golden Core Ancestor would be personally watching. The risk would be too significant to try sneaking in.

And possessing Yu Wen Tai's memories made the Five Elements Secret Realm akin to his playground. He was confident enough to execute his plans even without the three Thunder Beads.

"Hoo!"

Taking a deep breath and firming his resolve, Zhang Yao swiftly retreated.

He retreated more than a thousand feet, before aiming at the bronze gate, infusing magical power into the Thunder Beads and hurling them powerfully.

"Whoosh!"

After throwing the three Thunder Beads, Zhang Yao turned immediately, and controlled his escape light to speed away as fast as he could.

Only two or three breaths later:

"Boom!"

An earth-shattering explosion resounded suddenly!

The terrifying shockwave rippled out, turning the tremendously thick magma into waves, flooding and destroying countless stone passages.

Zhang Yao only felt a buzzing in his head, his protective spiritual light flickered a few times, and he was pushed several hundred feet by the magma waves before finally stabilizing.

The impact of this Thunder Bead strike caused a slight tremor throughout the depths of Prison Gate Mountain, testifying to its immense power.

"Boom..."

It wasn't long before Zhang Yao noticed the abnormal flow of the surrounding magma.

The magma began collapsing and converging like a vortex, surging toward a particular direction where the bronze gate stood.

The terrifying power of the three Thunder Beads had created a large vacuum area at the point of impact, causing the surrounding magma to roll back in once the shockwaves dissipated, resulting in such a spectacular scene.