Chapter 197: The Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master Carries the Whole Team to Victory!
The cliff’s chasm stretched for hundreds of meters, its end lost to sight.
Before them lay a relatively thick iron chain, seemingly connecting this side of the cliff to the opposite side.
It was just a single chain, not a so-called chain-link bridge, with no handrails whatsoever.
Due to the polar night environment, visibility was poor, or perhaps because of some mist in the mountains, the destination on the other side was completely invisible.
The Goatee Team Leader explained: “If we cross using this iron chain, we should be able to reach the next location before nightfall. Taking a detour is fine for me, but the situation doesn’t look good for the rest of you.”
The team leader’s words were simple and direct, seemingly telling the challengers that the test of this level was to walk the iron chain.
Because they had set out very early, the stacks of the ‘chill’ debuff on them were already very high.
If they couldn’t reach a place with shelter and couldn’t light a fire to drive away the cold before the blizzard arrived, there was a high chance they would freeze to death.
The challengers glanced at the snow-covered chain ahead and gulped.
Forget about walking this snowy chain; many challengers were afraid of falling just standing near the cliff edge.
Because the area was covered in snow, you couldn’t tell where the ground might give way, causing you to slip and fall off the cliff.
Then there was the structure of the chain itself. Each link of the chain was about two meters long and one meter wide.
It looked extremely sturdy, but it had accumulated a layer of snow, and beneath that pile might be frozen ice. One slip could send you tumbling into the endless abyss.
This made quite a few challengers hesitate. Having them cross here felt riskier than taking their chances with a detour.
Seemingly sensing the challengers’ worries, the experienced Goatee Team Leader, as the guide, began explaining his plan for crossing.
He himself would naturally scout the path and do his best to clear the snow. Once he reached the other side, he would notify the others using the white card.
The others could go in pairs, groups of three and one, or even a group of four.
They could tie ropes around their waists; if anyone fell, the others could pull them up.
This approach was essentially helping the challengers pass the level.
Because the other four team members each had their own skills and seemed unafraid of walking the chain.
If a challenger suggested taking a detour at this point, it wouldn’t be appropriate, both emotionally and logically.
They could only trust the others and place their lives in their hands.
But the challengers kept the rules in mind. If there was a traitor in the team and the traitor chose to act, this level would indeed be an excellent opportunity.
The Pyramid Nation’s challenger, Rahman, began calculating in his mind how to cross safely.
If the traitor was the Goatee Team Leader, and he grouped himself with the other three, if the team leader found a way to break the chain once they were in the middle, all four of them would be wiped out.
It wasn’t about not trusting the team leader; it was about being cautious at such a time.
So, the remaining options were groups of three-and-one or two-and-two.
Furthermore, the person left behind couldn’t start until the second group had crossed.
This would avoid a team wipe, and the traitor wouldn’t have a chance to act.
Rahman felt that pairing up in twos was the best choice.
His chosen partner was the Gold-Rimmed Glasses man. This guy was strong, a fitness trainer; even if Rahman fell, he had the strength to pull him up.
As for the Slicked-Back Hair man and the Purple-Pupiled woman, whether they needed to be tied together with a rope was up to them.
This was Rahman’s idea, and it gained everyone’s agreement.
Rahman had phrased it tactfully, saying he was afraid his own mistakes might affect others.
He didn’t mention the possibility of a traitor in the team, but everyone seemed to understand implicitly.
Although a day of getting used to each other had built some trust within the team.
That was only when there was no danger.
In a place where anyone could easily commit fraud and lead to everyone’s death, the mountaineering team decided to follow Rahman’s method.
However, this level was only difficult for ordinary challengers; the other team members seemed capable of crossing on their own.
The Slicked-Back Hair man and the Purple-Pupiled woman didn’t need ropes. They let Rahman and the Gold-Rimmed Glasses man go first, with them bringing up the rear.
So, Rahman repeatedly thanked the Gold-Rimmed Glasses man, hoping he could help him across.
The Gold-Rimmed Glasses man adjusted his glasses, smiled, and said, “If you’re really scared, I can carry you across on my back.”
He was a fitness trainer, an enhanced beast; carrying someone wasn’t a big problem.
Actually, this was a good idea, but Rahman declined, seemingly not wanting to owe too many favors.
By the time the two of them were securely tied together, a message had already come through on the white card from the Goatee Team Leader. It took him ten minutes to reach the other side, and he had flattened the path where possible. The others just needed to follow his footprints.
Looking at the iron chain before him, Rahman gritted his teeth and prepared to set off.
Before starting, the Purple-Pupiled woman gave him a tool—a magic hook she produced from who knows where.
As long as he held the magic hook and raised it skyward if he fell, the hook would find a place to latch onto.
This greatly reduced his chances of plummeting.
Also, during normal walking, it could be used as a balancing pole, making it highly practical.
It can be said that the mountaineering team was protecting the chosen ones throughout this ordeal.
Rahman increasingly felt how great it would be if there were no supernatural threats in this team.
Once so-called ‘friendship’ developed, acting against it later would weigh on the challengers’ conscience, and their judgment might become slow and hesitant.
Shaking his head to dismiss unrealistic thoughts, Rahman focused seriously on following the Gold-Rimmed Glasses man across the chain.
Before walking the chain, he had eaten something, rested, and regained quite a bit of stamina.
Otherwise, he truly wouldn’t have made it across this level.
There were many techniques for walking the chain, like not constantly thinking about the bottomless abyss below, not obsessively looking down.
You just needed to look at the footprints on the chain, stabilize your posture, and that was it.
Each step required extreme caution, along with constant attention to sudden air currents from the valley, maintaining normal breathing, etc.
After fifteen minutes, Rahman made it to the other side without any mishaps.
The moment his feet touched solid ground, his legs gave way and he collapsed.
Looking back at the chain and the abyss beneath it, he couldn’t believe he had crossed such a terrifying place.
The Strange Tales World truly tempered one’s willpower and mental fortitude.
If he hadn’t had the experience of clearing two levels and often taken risks, he might have fallen during this challenge.
The Goatee Team Leader kindly asked if he had any problems or needed help.
Rahman also said ‘thank you’ and indicated he was mostly fine.
Next was sending a message and waiting for the other two to arrive.
Regarding sending messages, everyone was actually being cautious.
Messages had to be sent by all three together; only then would the person on the other side come over.
Any single person sending a message alone was ‘untrustworthy’.
According to the Purple-Pupiled woman, each white communication card, apart from the holder themselves, couldn’t be operated by anyone else.
It was like a contract with the holder.
Meaning, after the holder died, the card became useless and couldn’t be written on.
This greatly reduced the trouble caused by the card being stolen after the holder was killed.
Rahman didn’t make many mistakes in this level, but some challengers did.
The Turban Nation’s challenger lost focus for a moment, glanced at the abyss below, was briefly terrified, slipped while walking, and fell.
However, the Gold-Rimmed Glasses man pulled him up, saving his life.
Some challengers were even carried across by the Gold-Rimmed Glasses man, which made them somewhat embarrassed.
In the previous level, supernatural beings had no advantage, as the villagers seemed stronger than them.
But in this level, the advantage of supernatural beings became apparent.
Supernatural beings like Greco didn’t need ropes at all. Once the Goatee Team Leader crossed, he easily followed.
The team leader took ten minutes; he reached the other side in five, not excluding the possibility of showing off a bit.
After reaching the other side, they sent the message together, and the others followed without much trouble.
After all, those who could become supernatural beings had undergone certain training; their balance and stability were indeed well-honed.
However, the audience watched with bated breath. Thankfully, this level featured the elites of Blue Star.
For ordinary people, the fear alone might have made their legs give out.
They admired these challengers for making it across on their own.
Walking on iron chains is a common occurrence for Taoist disciples..
Many Daoist sect back mountains were built on towering cliffs, even requiring passage across sections of iron chains.
This was precisely to train disciples to focus their minds and maintain excellent balance.
The senior and junior brothers of Longhu Mountain and the viewers from the Dragon Nation didn’t seem worried about whether Zhang Yangqing could cross.
But seeing Zhang Yangqing’s method of crossing was still unexpected.
Because when the Golden Light Mantra is cultivated to its peak, it can transform into whatever form the user desires.
Zhang Yangqing couldn’t be bothered walking the chain; he simply paved a path with the Golden Light Mantra.
In this dangerous minor obstacle, he managed to create a feeling of walking a golden road.
It was even more exaggerated than Greco’s method of clearing the level.
Other challengers needed their teammates’ help to cross the chain, carried to victory by their teammates.
Not only did Zhang Yangqing not need help, but his teammates also benefited from his light,混上了 (hùn shàng le – got to ride on) the golden path.
In the eyes of his teammates, not taking such a smooth path and choosing to walk the chain instead would be foolish.
Zhang Yangqing truly carried the whole team to victory this time.
On Longhu Mountain, Su Muyu cautioned the other junior brothers that this method was currently only achievable by Zhang Yangqing; other disciples with lesser talent couldn’t precisely control the Golden Light Mantra to such an extent.
Moreover, paving a path with the Golden Light Mantra consumed an immense amount of spiritual energy. Perhaps Zhang Yangqing could handle the consumption, but if others tried this, they might exhaust their spiritual energy before even reaching the other side.
This dissuaded the disciples who wanted to try near the cliff edge; it was better to find a small slope to test their limits.
Otherwise, they might fall to their deaths with no one to save them.
Watching the large screens, the audience noticed a peculiar point.
In other challengers’ screens, the challengers heavily relied on their teammates; losing even one might be disastrous. They worked together united and cooperated to overcome difficulties.
But in Celestial Master Zhang’s screen, his teammates were like accessories hanging from his leg; having them or not seemed to make little difference.
The Goatee Team Leader could still be considered a ‘guide,’ but the other three gave off a pure freeloader vibe.
Another difference is that in other teams, the relationships among the mountaineering team members seem to be getting better and better; they even talk about…
On Zhang Yangqing’s side, it was as if mute was on. Everyone focused seriously on traveling, with no unnecessary conversation.
Relationships remained at a normal level; everyone was just a mountaineer without much emotional attachment.
After crossing the chain, the already dim sky grew progressively darker.
As time passed, wind began to blow from the horizon, a precursor to the coming snowstorm.
The Pyramid Nation’s challenger, Rahman, felt his feet growing heavier. If he didn’t thaw out soon, he would be in serious danger.
Thankfully, the Strange Tales World wasn’t purely out to kill people. Otherwise, arranging for some fierce beasts to appear at this moment could have wiped out the mountaineering team.
Just as Rahman was about to reach his limit, he finally saw a structure ahead.
It was a collapsed tall building, appearing as ruins and debris, different from what the map indicated.
Captain Goatee, acting as our guide, began to explain: “This is a special sanatorium. It looks like it has been abandoned for a long time. The high-rise buildings have collapsed for some reason, but the underground structure of this kind of special sanatorium is very complicated. We can go down there and find a place to rest for the time being.”
After questioning the chosen ones, they roughly understood what kind of place this sanatorium was.
So-called sanatoriums are not medical institutions for restoring health in the ordinary sense.
In this world, there are some special mutated patients. In order to prevent these patients’ conditions from worsening and to prevent them from infecting others, they are sent to this place for rehabilitation treatment.
As for how the ‘therapy’ was conducted, who knew?
Here, the man with the gold-rimmed glasses seemed to suddenly remember something and said, “I’ve heard some reports about this place before. It’s said that someone set up a secret monster-making base in this area. Monsters once escaped from it and caused huge damage to the surrounding area. Then it was closed down. Could this be the so-called sanatorium?”
After hearing what he said, the chosen ones were already a little timid even before they went in.
In other words, this place might be the kind of biological laboratory they imagined?
Could something terrifying like the ‘artificial angels’ appear here?
However, judging by the nature of the surrounding areas, those villagers who managed to create so many terrifying things most likely learned from the modification plans of the biological experimental base.
Using those plans, they tried to create powerful ‘angels,’ but unfortunately failed.
More intelligent challengers could deduce that the ‘angel’ was still in an unformed state, even in a spirit form, yet possessed such destructive power that even the villagers feared it.
If someone truly managed to create one, wouldn’t the mountaineers here be instantly killed instantly?
But realizing this was pointless. If they didn’t go in now to light a fire and drive away the cold, they wouldn’t even have a chance of survival.
Moreover, with nightfall came the blizzard, accelerating the rate at which the chill stacked.
The next resting point required over seven or eight hours of travel even without a blizzard.
The Strange Tales World was clearly forcing them to go down and suffer, accept the test of life and death.
The challengers had to step into th knowingly trap.
The rest of the mountaineering team seemed to be nearing their limit as well, so led by Captain Goatee, they headed towards the ruins in front of them to find a place to stay for the night.
The ruins were covered in snow, but from the exposed parts, challengers could infer this was likely battle wreckage.
What kind of powerful being could destroy such a place?
Or perhaps, did the monsters inside riot and tear the place apart?
One must remember, structures in the Strange Tales World were exceptionally sturdy.
With uneasy hearts, the mountaineering team searched the ruins for the entrance to the basement.
Soon, the Purple-Pupiled woman, as the magician, found the entrance.
As everyone passed through the underground passage and entered the sanatorium basement, they all sensed something off about this place.
First was the assaulting foul stench, a mixture of vomit, rotting corpses, medicinal smells, scent of blood, and the like—impossible to find pleasant.
The mountaineering team members took out their respective flashlights and began scouting the path carefully here.
What greeted them were corridors in three directions: ahead, left, and right. The corridor ahead seemed endless; even flashlight beams couldn’t reach its end.
The two side corridors appeared to have ends, but they weren’t short. The corridors connected to other corridors, and who knew what awaited around the corners?
Everyone carefully observed the area and noticed strange liquids appearing on the floor from time to time.
The liquids were mostly red, green, and purple; some even emitted a faint glow.
Although they didn’t know what these were, the mountaineering team tried to avoid stepping on them.
As the mountaineering team entered, the tap-tap-tap of footsteps echoed in the corridor.
But for some reason, the team members felt something was off.
Because they wondered if there were extra footsteps?
Originally five people’s footsteps, but while walking, some strange sounds inexplicably mixed in.
It was as if someone was following them, walking nearby.
When they stopped, the echoing footsteps in the corridor also ceased abruptly.
Looking around, there didn’t seem to be any figures.
In the dim and stinking basement, this bizarre scene was hair-raising. The mountaineering team had a bad premonition.
Next, there were some strange rooms near the corridor.
The doors had peculiar markings.
Some doors had red exclamation marks, others had green circles, even black X’s, etc.—colorful markings that seemed to inform those entering about potential dangers inside the rooms.
The bold Purple-Pupiled woman pressed her ear close to a door and seemed to hear a ‘heartbeat’ sound.
Then she switched to another door and seemed to hear something wriggling.
Most doors seemed silent, yet gave off a feeling of wanting to lure them inside.
Silence didn’t guarantee nothing was inside.
As for the doors with sounds, they were simply terrifying.
Just as the mountaineering team prepared to turn back, they discovered the entrance had somehow disappeared, and a door ahead suddenly swung open, an oval-shaped head poking out!
