Yu Daochen narrowed his eyes. Although he couldn't see the behemoth's appearance clearly, he could see its pair of blood-red eyes.
The behemoth narrowed its eyes, its voice turning sharp, "Do you truly wish to know?"
Hearing this, Yu Daochen hesitated.
Perhaps it knew the price of such knowledge?
"Yes!"
Yu Daochen ultimately decided to know.
This was crucial to his future plans.
Not a single misstep could be afforded!
The behemoth was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Let me use an analogy from your books. Your world is like one book, with what you call the Heavenly Realm, the human world, and the underworld all within that one book. And where we are is another book. Do you understand?"
Yu Daochen forced an awkward smile.
It was exactly as he had suspected. This creature's world was not part of his own.
To be precise, the Shan Hai Jing was not of this world at all!
But how did they get here?
And what power brought them to this world?
But if that were the case, then they…
With this thought, Yu Daochen voiced his unspoken question, "You cannot act in this world, can you?"
As soon as he spoke, Yu Daochen could clearly sense a rapid shift in the behemoth's aura.
Killing intent… intense killing intent!
It was a killing intent that made one feel as though a single thought could erase them.
The behemoth's blood-red eyes were sharp. If not for the Kun Peng tattoo on Yu Daochen's back, he would have already lost consciousness from fear.
Seeing its aura fluctuate, Yu Daochen was a hundred percent certain his guess was correct.
They couldn't act because of the Heavenly Dao's laws. As for whether they would be annihilated by the laws on the spot, that remained unknown.
The behemoth's tone grew serious, "You guessed correctly. Because of the Heavenly Dao's laws, we cannot act carelessly. However, we are immortal and indestructible. Even the Heavenly Dao's laws cannot completely erase me. But once I act and the Heavenly Dao's laws become aware, I will be completely expelled from this world, forever unable to step foot in it again."
Hearing this, Yu Daochen ceased his questioning.
Knowing this much was sufficient. Moreover, he could sense that if he asked one more question, this creature would unhesitatingly annihilate him.
"I shall take my leave!"
Yu Daochen cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and turned to leave.
Just as he reached the large door, the behemoth suddenly spoke, "Two-legged sheep, the bead in your pocket does not belong to this world. You can keep it, or swallow it to gain special power, but the price is…"
At this point, the behemoth abruptly stopped. Yu Daochen turned back to look.
The mist dissipated, and Yu Daochen finally saw what it was.
The embodiment of gluttony, a Taotie!
Looking at the Taotie's form, Yu Daochen swallowed hard, a primal fear gripping him.
This was pure bloodline suppression!
Seeing Yu Daochen's fearful expression, the Taotie let out a sinister chuckle and said, "Two-legged sheep, don't have nightmares when you get back."
Yu Daochen forced a strained smile and asked, "What is the price?"
The Taotie did not answer, instead playing coy, "You'll only know if you swallow it!"
"I understand," Yu Daochen replied and turned to leave.
He truly did not wish to look at the Taotie any longer.
The moment Yu Daochen stepped through the door, the surrounding environment instantly returned to peace.
The sun blazed in the sky, with not a cloud in sight.
Yu Daochen glanced back fearfully, only to find the Taotie had long since vanished.
"Was that an illusion?" Yu Daochen murmured.
How could all of this feel so unreal?
The black bead in his pocket exuded a dense ghostly aura, as if telling him.
Everything he had just experienced was real!
Afterward, Yu Daochen returned to his car, but he seemed to have lost his soul, listless and dispirited.
For the next week, Yu Daochen diligently tutored Zhou Li.
While Zhou Li's talent wasn't on par with his brother's, it was significantly better than Zhou Fu's.
A week passed in the blink of an eye. Yu Daochen dropped the little girl off at the shop, while Zhou Li returned to his sect for cultivation.
He himself headed towards the encirclement of the fifth layer of hell to find someone.
The battle had now entered its white-hot phase, as Yu Daochen's solo feat of holding off the second layer had spread throughout the martial world.
All disciples were inspired by this shocking news, their morale boosted.
Currently, all three entrances to hell remained unbreached, which was also very good news.
The tide of this battle had turned in their favor.
However, the sudden disappearance of the Divine Cult recently had put all the sects on high alert.
If another entrance to hell were to be opened, the human world would truly be finished.
For the upper three layers, Yu Daochen might be able to handle them alone, but what about the lower three?
Late at night.
A jeep sped towards the encirclement of the fifth layer of hell.
In the back seat, Yu Daochen suddenly opened his eyes from a dream, his forehead slick with cold sweat.
The driver in front saw Yu Daochen wake up and said respectfully, "Sect Leader Yu, you're awake?"
Yu Daochen nodded and asked, "How far are we?"
The driver in front replied, "Less than three kilometers from the encirclement."
Yu Daochen nodded, reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette case, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag, exhaling slowly. He fell silent.
A week had already passed, so why was he still having nightmares?
For the entire week, Yu Daochen had been dreaming of the Taotie's appearance.
Reaching for the black bead in his pocket, Yu Daochen's expression grew solemn.
Swallowing this bead could grant him its power, but what was the price?
This uncertainty prevented Yu Daochen from daring to swallow it rashly.
That Taotie really knew how to tease people.
It was also that he couldn't defeat it. Otherwise, he would definitely teach it a lesson!
Upon arriving at the outer perimeter of the encirclement, a lone figure was already standing at the roadside, having waited for a long time.
The driver stopped the car. Yu Daochen grabbed the packed food and got out.
The driver drove away, and the figure walked over, looking puzzled, "Master Yu, is there something that couldn't be discussed over the phone?"
The person Yu Daochen was looking for was Shi Bingzhi, who had been on the front lines these past few days.
Seeing the bandages on Shi Bingzhi's arms and legs, Yu Daochen asked, "Are you alright?"
Shi Bingzhi shook his head and smiled, "No bones were broken, it's nothing serious."
Yu Daochen held up the packed roast chicken and two bottles of Niulanshan, grinning, "Want to have a drink?"
Shi Bingzhi knew Yu Daochen wouldn't have called him here just for a casual drink, given his personality.
"Sure," Shi Bingzhi nodded.
The two casually found a rock, placed the roast chicken on it, and each holding a bottle of Niulanshan, began to drink.
Shi Bingzhi rarely drank, but after so many days of fighting, he was physically and mentally exhausted, downing three gulps directly.
Yu Daochen picked up a chicken leg, tore off a piece of meat, and began to eat.
Shi Bingzhi opposite him also picked up a piece of meat, held it in his mouth, and asked, "How are things in the other two layers now?"