Chapter 676: Chapter 413: Three Challenges_2

“How could it be!” Holy Daoist felt somewhat embarrassed, then quickly asked, “What is this fog? The visibility seems to be less than one meter, and there is a faint sense of suppression within the fog that renders our Divine Sense Exploration ineffective.”

“I did not dare to act rashly alone, so I stopped here to wait for you all. With more people, we will have a broader sight. The third trial probably requires our concerted effort.”

Logan nodded and said, “The sight of one person is only one meter, but if dozens of people walk together, at least they can cover dozens of meters, which will allow us to be alerted to danger in advance.”

The dozens of members of the Sanctuary behind were utterly astonished: “It’s hard to imagine just how vast the Ancient Secret Realm built by a Strong One above the Power of the Saint Seat is. This fog imposes such a strong suppression on us, which shows the peril of this trial.”

The group walked in the fog for a long time. Because of the presence of unknown dangers, they stayed less than one meter apart to maximize visibility.

Even though many of them didn’t get along on a regular basis, under such circumstances, they had no choice but to cooperate earnestly since it concerned the opportunity above the Power of the Saint Seat and also related to everyone’s lifespan extension.

After what seemed like an impossibly long walk, as if they had traversed hundreds of miles, finally, someone spoke up, “Something’s not right. Could we be walking in circles? Otherwise, how could it be that we never find an end?”

“I also feel there is a great mystery. It could be similar to the first trial with its desert; perhaps everything we see is but an Illusionary Realm.”

Wexler Daoist nodded, accepting this idea. Having been trapped in the first trial for a hundred years, he once again thought of his previous experience when confronted with the current fog.

Holy Daoist was at a loss for a while and only said to the dozens of people, “Then everyone stop, and let’s think this through to see how to proceed next!”

“Logan, you are the youngest among us, and you were instrumental in the second trial just now. Can you think of an idea? We can’t keep going around aimlessly like headless flies.”

All eyes turned to Logan. Though they had all reached the level of the Sanctuary, thus being among the most elite Strong Ones, they had to admit that Logan’s intelligence commanded respect.

Before Logan arrived, they had been trapped in the second trial for decades, constantly trying to solve the puzzle of the stele, not realizing it was only a ruse.

Logan really wanted to roll his eyes. How could he possibly think of a solution on his own when dozens of people could not? The current situation in the fog was truly vexing.

“We can only keep going. I suggest that we change our direction and make sure to mark our surroundings to see if we are indeed walking in circles.”

After a long discussion, this was the only solution they could come up with. Since they were at an impasse, continuing to try and possibly err seemed to be a good option, although it was time-consuming and potentially dangerous. It was still better than endless discussion, so the dozens of them agreed to this strategy.

The group took a different direction, walking with particular caution, but their efforts still led to nothing. The marks they had left before were nowhere to be found, which made it seem as though the fog’s range was too vast, and it wasn’t a matter of simply going in circles. This outcome made things even more troublesome.

After trying all four directions and finding them all futile, someone proposed digging down as in the second trial. They worked together to dig a deep pit, but Logan quickly vetoed the idea, as he had acted with confidence in the second trial.

“Let’s try a different route, this time let everyone follow their intuition.” Seeing everyone becoming increasingly anxious, Holy Daoist spoke up. Previously, they had always walked in a straight line, but whether they directed their steps, it made no difference. Perhaps it was this mistake; the path surely couldn’t be always straight ahead.

The group followed Holy Daoist once more. Logan, who was at the very front, suddenly stumbled over something. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a withered corpse seated cross-legged, with only a skeletal frame remaining. However, the aura it emitted made it clear that it had once been a Sanctuary Powerhouse.

“Somebody had reached the third trial before us. It seems they were trapped here in the fog for many years and eventually passed away meditatively.” Holy Daoist sighed deeply, and the others also felt a deep sense of pity. Every Sanctuary Powerhouse was a figure of great significance. Yet, such a departure was too regrettable. The group then thought of their future—if they did not escape the fog, they would inevitably end up like this person.

Logan discovered a line of text on the ground, filled with despair, declaring that the third challenge was a prison one could never escape from. Dozens of Sanctuary Powerhouses also saw it, their already anxious hearts now thudding with fear. Could it really be impossible to leave this mist?

Holy Daoist shook his head and said to the dozens of people, “Do not panic. Since we were destined to die anyway, making it this far is already a win. I believe there must be a way to break through.”

Unlike the others, who were abuzz with discussion, Logan fell into silent contemplation. What exactly was this mist? Was it really just to trap them all? Then why not create a desert like in the first challenge? Logan believed there must be something he had overlooked.

No matter which direction one walked in, it seemed impossible to leave. The only different thing spotted in the mist was this set of dry bones!

In the next moment, Logan had an idea. Why not use this dry skeleton as a coordinate? Take it as the starting point, then walk in all four directions. If they ended up back at the skeleton, it would prove the mist to be an illusionary realm. Otherwise, it was truly infinite.

Logan stayed put to make sure it was the same set of bones and not another illusion, while everyone else set off under the lead of Holy Daoist.

After an undetermined amount of time, Logan was startled to find that Holy Daoist and his group had walked back, “Did you return the way you came, or did you never change direction?”

“We didn’t change direction.” Holy Daoist was equally shocked. This result confirmed that the mist was not vast; instead, they had just been going in circles.

Although they had left markers before, the mist surely had the ability to erase them. But this skeleton was different. It had been in the mist for too many years, and being of Sanctuary strength, it was almost impossible to erase. The bones of a Saint Seat also possessed an unknowable divine power.

Logan took a deep breath and spoke earnestly, “This mist is an array. I need to break the array now, and to do so, I require the strength of all the Sanctuary Powerhouses.”

He brought out millions of Spirit Stones, asking Holy Daoist and the others to distribute them around the edge of the mist using the Power of the Saint Seat. Then Logan used these Spirit Stones to form an intricate network, and an array began to cycle into motion. He instructed the dozens of people to channel their energy into the Spirit Stones.

With the power of the Spirit Stones swelling, they suddenly erupted in dazzling light, illuminating the surroundings of the mist. Of course, it only enhanced their visibility and wasn’t enough to break through the challenge.

Logan urged them to hold on and then quickly sketched several Runes, positioning them around the mist. Afterward, he instructed Holy Daoist and the others to withdraw their energy, and the Spirit Stones dimmed, losing their light.

Holy Daoist, completely baffled, spoke on behalf of the others, “What is the meaning of this? Can you explain clearly what we should be preparing for?”

Logan didn’t answer but instead used his power to activate the Runes, determining the source of the mist, which all emanated from the breath of that set of dry bones.

Since nobody could get out, Logan suspected it was an array, the only thing with such capability. Through testing, he finally identified the center of the array.

Especially when Holy Daoist and others poured their power into the Spirit Stones, and the light of the stones dispersed the mist, he deduced that the mist was not constructed by a Powerhouse, but stemmed instead from the array. If it were the power of someone above the ranks of the Saint Seat, Holy Daoist and the others wouldn’t have been able to dispel it.

“This dry skeleton isn’t from someone who reached the third challenge, but a blind erected by that Powerhouse. It’s actually the key to passing the challenge. We were almost deceived!”

Logan then explained to everyone and had them move the corpse. Indeed, beneath it was a Scatter Spirit Array, constantly absorbing the laws to create the mist and condensing into a small world.

As the Scatter Spirit Array was destroyed, the mist around it dissipated. Then the entire space began to collapse, and everyone fell into the abyss below.

They found themselves perched on a floating stone, surrounded by molten lava, with what appeared to be a Heavenly Ladder in the distance. Everyone realized that they had passed the third challenge.