Beyond the Life and Death Gate

After confirming that the second door was the gate of life, Bai Ze was so excited that he jumped up and down on the spot, wagging his tail like a rattle drum, and excitedly shouting:

"Ding Zhen, you're amazing! You actually found the escape route! Let's go in quickly, we can finally get out of this hellhole!"

Its cat-like eyes gleamed with anticipation, as if it could already see the glimmer of hope behind the door.

However, You Su did not act immediately, but instead turned and walked towards the third door.

The third door was crystal clear, as if carved from the purest ice crystals, yet it gave off a very fragile and broken feeling. You Su slowly reached out and placed her hand on it, as if sensing something.

Bai Ze was stunned upon seeing this, his mind filled with doubt:

"Ding Zhen, what are you doing? We've found the exit, aren't we going in?"

It tilted its head in confusion, scratching its head with its little paws, trying to figure out You Su's thoughts.

"The Life and Death Gate and Death is a matter of life and death; we must proceed with extreme caution."

He turned back and smiled at the kitten, his tone a mixture of affection and determination.

Bai Ze also showed a lingering fear upon hearing this, then looked at You Su with admiration. Even its little brain understood that You Su was trying to ensure everything went smoothly; one shouldn't be too rash in the face of life and death.

You Su's face was pale at this moment, and he rubbed his temples. The two consecutive use of Shadow Flow Technique had made him feel Divine Sense exhausted. If it weren't for his extraordinary Divine Sense abilities, he might have fainted long ago.

Bai Ze hesitated, then a lifelike 'You Su' emerged from You Su's side, as if it were a layer of skin that had been shed.

You Su took a deep breath and slowly opened the third door. Just like before, it was shrouded in darkness, and the true face inside could not be seen at all.

Bai Ze was powerless to help with the life-or-death situation within the Exploration Gate, and could only obediently stand there nervously watching You Su, who was deep in thought controlling his clone.

After a long while, You Su suddenly frowned and then staggered backward. Bai Ze hurriedly rushed over, but fortunately You Su quickly regained her balance.

"What's wrong with you?" Bai Ze moved nimbly, leaping over the wall and landing on You Su's shoulder.

You Su shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You should take a rest," Bai Ze said with concern.

You Su chuckled and flicked its head, ignoring the kitten's suggestion that it rest. Bai Ze, somewhat annoyed by You Su's teasing, jumped from You Su's right shoulder to his left, seemingly impatient.

"Behind this door is a door to death," You Su said.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ze's handsome face finally came to life again. "That's great! Then let's go through the second door!"

As it spoke, it immediately leaped down, poised to enter through the door, but You Su still showed no intention of entering through the second door, so it urged:

"Why aren't you leaving? Aren't you most afraid of things going wrong if you stay here? What if something else happens?"

You Su shook his head. "There's no need to rush. This Life and Death Gate is clearly no ordinary thing; how could it be made so simply?"

Bai Ze frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The Life and Death Gate then?" You Su said slowly, adding, "Moreover, when most people are undecided, they often choose the middle one. That middle door is undoubtedly the easiest to be deceived, which goes against the original intention of placing the Life and Death Gate here."

"So you mean... the door to survival might be this one sometimes, and that one other time?"

"Exactly." You Su frowned, puzzled.

"What should we do then?" Bai Ze turned around in place, looking completely clueless.

"I'll try the middle door again before I know." You Su made a move to condense the Shadow Flow Technique once more.

Seeing this, Bai Ze quickly jumped up to interrupt his spellcasting, "Are you out of your mind? Look how exhausted you are, try again later."

You Su smiled and replied, "To avoid any unforeseen complications."

Bai Ze's beard trembled with anger. "Could it be that you're overthinking it?"

"You're oversimplifying things. The Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace's guidance to this place must have a deeper meaning; perhaps this is a test she's deliberately putting on us. Life and death are matters that cannot be taken lightly. Go and keep watch, and wait for my news."

Bai Ze scratched his head and cheeks, as if he felt indignant at being slighted:

"If what you say is true, and the Life and Death Gate can change, then how can we find the Gate of Life before entering it?"

"That's where the test lies. Step aside and let me check if it's still safe after the second door."

You Su made a move to grab Bai Ze by the back of the neck and throw him aside.

Bai Ze nimbly dodged, then angrily said, "How can you be as cowardly as a mouse!"

You Su was slightly surprised, but quickly replied calmly, "Because I don't want to die, and I can't die."

He stepped forward, took another long breath, and suddenly turned back to ask:

"But you, weren't you terrified by this Life and Death Gate just now? How come you've suddenly become brave?"

Bai Ze turned his head away, and said angrily like a sulking child, "You think you're so great? I don't care anymore!"

You Su knew that Bai Ze didn't want him to overdo it, but he didn't intend to give up. The situation was urgent, and he was already fortunate enough to have this almost second life to try the Life and Death Gate. Otherwise, he would have to make a blind choice in front of the Life and Death Gate, and he was never one to leave his life to fate.

He closed his eyes and focused on casting the spell again. This time, the shadow took much longer to appear, clearly indicating that it had been brewing for a longer period of time.

You Su now has a deeper understanding of the essence of this Shadow Flow Technique. Although it is called a shadow, it is actually a part of his Divine Sense materialized by using the Black Sea Moon's ability. This ability is indeed heaven-defying, but in the final analysis, it is still another self controlled by himself.

When practicing swordplay, he doesn't need to consciously control it; his subconscious mind is enough to make his clone behave in the same way as him, so it's not tiring at all. But now, he needs to control it to perform specific actions, which is extremely mentally taxing.

You Su's Divine Sense, like countless threads, slowly separated from his body and merged into the lifelike shadow. Immediately afterwards, he gained a new perspective, now before the darkness of the second door. The reason he closed his eyes to cast the spell was precisely to avoid confusion about his surroundings, which was also a major reason why he was so exhausted the first two times.

Like a night stalker, "You Su" cautiously stepped into the darkness. Unfortunately, an avatar is still an avatar; the world it saw was entirely black and white. This was because the avatar's essence was Divine Sense, and Divine Sense does not have the ability to see. The surrounding environment was actually perceived by the Divine Sense it had split off, and then materialized into a picture. Therefore, it was even less likely to possess hearing or perception. That's why You Su dared not easily judge whether there was danger behind the door.

Just as You Su adjusted to the clone's vision and tried to see the scene behind the door, a series of urgent shouts suddenly woke him from his reverie.

The voice was filled with anxiety and panic; it was Bai Ze calling him, "You Su, wake up! Wake up!"

You Su suddenly opened his eyes, and the first thing he heard upon regaining consciousness was a huge roar. He turned around sharply and saw that the ice crystal tunnel behind him had begun to collapse, with huge blocks of ice falling from above, making a deafening roar.

The ice blocks crashed against the ground, scattering countless ice shards like the most dazzling fireworks in winter, breathtakingly beautiful. However, behind this beautiful scene lurked a deadly crisis: the collapsing ice path was about to spread to their heads!

"How could it have collapsed so suddenly?!"

You Su's heart skipped a beat, but there was no time for him to delve into the cause of the ice path's collapse. The situation was urgent, and he knew he had to make a decision immediately, or he would lose even the last glimmer of hope from the Life and Death Gate.

He quickly withdrew his Divine Sense, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He didn't have time to verify whether the second door was still safe; he could only rely on his intuition and judgment.

He took a deep breath, rushed towards Bai Ze, picked him up, and shouted, "Don't run around!"

With that, he dodged a falling ice brick with Bai Ze in a flash, and then rushed towards the first door without hesitation!

"Hey! Why is this the first door?!" Bai Ze exclaimed in You Su's arms.

You Su did not respond, but her eyes were exceptionally determined.

This door, which he initially identified as a death trap, became his final choice.

The moment You Su stepped through the first door, she was utterly stunned by the sight before her.

Outside the door was still a frigid world of ice and snow, but inside it felt like stepping into purgatory. Raging flames surged like a raging sea, their tongues licking every inch of space, turning everything in their path to ashes. The intense heat, like tangible waves, surged towards him in layers, as if to engulf him.

You Su was wrapped in heavy winter clothes, which were already stiflingly hot. Now, it felt like he was in a sauna, with sweat streaming down his face and soaking his clothes. He instinctively wanted to take Bai Ze out of his arms to get some fresh air, but Bai Ze seemed frightened, curling up tightly in his arms, motionless, and even his breathing became rapid and weak. Clearly, he was extremely uncomfortable from the sudden heat.

After all, it is the Spirit of the Snow Mountain, how could it withstand such high temperatures?

You Su's heart tightened. Without thinking, she could only hold Bai Ze and run forward desperately, trying to escape this hellish land filled with lava and raging flames.

The ground beneath his feet seemed to be burning red-hot, each step feeling like stepping on a scorching iron plate. The searing pain shot from the soles of his feet straight to his head, forcing him to grit his teeth and endure the excruciating pain to continue forward.

The surrounding rock walls were twisted and deformed by the raging fire, with lava constantly gushing out from the cracks like fiery serpents chasing after You Su. He could only dodge left and right, carefully avoiding these deadly attacks, while also being wary of the flints constantly falling from above. These flints traced scorching trajectories in the air before crashing to the ground, scattering countless sparks. A slight misstep could result in a fatal blow.

However, just when You Su thought he was about to be engulfed by the endless flames, a miracle happened!

You Su felt a cool breeze rush towards him, instantly enveloping his entire body. The cool breeze was like a gentle breeze, brushing against his skin, taking away all the heat and pain, making his previously unbearably hot body instantly feel incredibly comfortable.

He looked down at Bai Ze in surprise, only to see Bai Ze slowly open his eyes, as if he had come back to life.

Just then, the scene ahead rapidly changed. The raging fire, as if suppressed by an invisible force, gradually weakened and dimmed. Then, as if the world had been turned upside down, it transformed into a brightly lit cave filled with ice and snow.

You Su blinked in disbelief, thinking it was her imagination, but it was indeed true.

He turned around abruptly, but the raging fire was nowhere to be seen. There was only a mountain wall covered with ice crystals, standing there quietly, as if all the burning was just an illusion.

The rapid change in the surrounding environment made You Su feel as if she had gone from summer to winter in the blink of an eye.

Bai Ze then poked his head out from his arms, and exclaimed in surprise upon seeing his surroundings:

"What... what's going on?"

Unlike You Su, Bai Ze had no worries and didn't even try to investigate the reasons for the changing environment. Instead, he jumped down from You Su's arms and exclaimed with delight:

"You're amazing, Ding Zhen! How did you know the first door was the door to survival?!"

You Su only came to his senses at this moment, but for some reason, there didn't seem to be much joy on his face from surviving a disaster.

"Actually, I don't know either," You Su replied.

"You didn't know either?! How dare you rush in! This is the Life and Death Gate!" Bai Ze looked terrified, but quickly his expression turned to relief. He said smugly, "But luckily, this Divine Beast is blessed with good fortune. It's all because you brought me here that I've been so lucky, you know?"

You Su pursed her lips, glanced around, and seemed to completely ignore Bai Ze's words.

Let's keep moving forward.

With that, You Su walked forward on her own. Seeing this, Bai Ze quickly followed her.

You Su and Bai Ze trudged through the winding passages of the Ice Palace, each step seeming to echo the passage of time. The ice beads that had condensed on the ice walls shimmered with a faint blue light in the dim light, like stars fallen to earth, or like tears from ancient glaciers, telling tales of the vicissitudes and silence of time.

The passageway was bitterly cold; every breath brought a piercing chill, as if even the air itself had frozen, solidifying into invisible icicles that cut into their skin, making their movements increasingly stiff. Each step felt like a silent battle against the cold.

Bai Ze unconsciously moved closer to You Su's legs, trying to attract the other to pull him into her arms for warmth. But You Su seemed oblivious, continuing to walk.

Finally, the ice track took a turn.

After turning a corner, the scene before them left You Su and Bai Ze speechless with shock.

The vast ice palace was filled with enormous, jet-black stones, rising abruptly like small mountain peaks, or perhaps the skeletons of ancient behemoths. These Divine Radiance Stone had surfaces as smooth as mirrors, yet possessed a strangely rough texture, as if they had endured countless years of wind, frost, rain, and snow, worn smooth and dulled, yet hardened by the passage of time. They stood silently within the ice palace, exuding an aura of solemnity and reverence.

Bai Ze's eyes widened, and its tail wagged excitedly. "Wow, there are more big rocks here than at my house!"

However, You Su remained silent, which made the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Bai Ze looked up and asked cautiously, "You Su, are you very tired?"

You Su took a deep breath and spoke slowly, her voice unusually cold:

"What is your purpose in bringing me here?"