The small dark hole was only as thick as a thumb. This was because the beam of light from Lin Fei's Pierce Divine Ability was not particularly wide. The more condensed the beam, the stronger its power. The size of the beam wasn't crucial; what mattered was its penetrating power. But this didn't pose a challenge for Lin Fei. If the beam was too small, he could enlarge it or even use it multiple times.

"Divine Ability, Pierce."

Once again, Lin Fei activated the Pierce Divine Ability. Beams of light pierced through the "void", creating numerous small holes. These beams were consecutive, linking the holes together. Over time, these connected small holes grew into a larger one.

After an unknown number of uses of the Pierce Divine Ability, a person-high large hole formed in front of Lin Fei. Surprisingly, the hole was slowly recovering. If Lin Fei didn't continue to use his Divine Ability, in about half an hour, the hole would probably "recover" to its original state.

Inside the large hole was profound darkness, like another world. However, Lin Fei faintly guessed that this might be a seal! Or perhaps, a formation!

Lin Fei hesitated, wondering what lay on the other side of this large hole. After a long pause, he decided to step in and see for himself. The legends of the Ancient Continent must have their origins. There was indeed something wrong with the Great Chang. Such a seal or array couldn't have been set up by someone of the Golden Core or Martial Sovereign level. Even a Nascent Soul Great Being might not be capable of it.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Fei no longer hesitated. With a whoosh, he stepped into the large hole. A buzzing sound filled his ears, and everything went black as if he had arrived deep underground. However, when he looked up, he was met with a shocking sight.

Floating in the void was a creature so colossal it defied imagination, resembling a Flood Dragon. Its body was covered in pitch-black scales and spanned tens of thousands of feet. Yet, such a gigantic dragon was bound in the void by massive chains. These chains seemed to be forged from pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth. An endless stream of spiritual energy gathered, forming the chains that directly bound the Flood Dragon.

"Roar..."

Occasionally, the Flood Dragon would raise its head and roar, expressing intense pain. Then, unable to resist, the Flood Dragon spat out a massive inner core from its mouth. This was the inner core of the Flood Dragon. As it spun, countless Spiritual Qi converged around it, seemingly condensing into a clear and sparkling droplet. The nature of this liquid was unclear and seemed to require a lengthy time to form. Below the Flood Dragon was a pond.

At the moment, the pond was filled with this crystalline "water." However, it wasn't really water but droplets from the Flood Dragon's inner core, which had gathered over time to form this pool. The time it took to form such a pool was uncertain.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Young man, kill me! End my suffering!" The Flood Dragon seemed to have noticed Lin Fei and, astonishingly, spoke in human language, begging Lin Fei to end its life.

"Eh? Where is this? Who are you? Why are you trapped here?" Lin Fei bombarded the dragon with questions.

The Flood Dragon roared to the heavens, "I am the Azure Flood Dragon King! Kill me, and you can have my flesh and blood. For a Martial Sovereign like you, consuming me can greatly benefit your progression to becoming a Martial King. If you end my life, all of my flesh and blood are yours!" The Flood Dragon bellowed, clearly enduring tremendous pain, so much so that it would rather die.

Lin Fei was taken aback. Flood Dragon King! Clearly, this was an exotic beast, or perhaps, a sea beast. Any creature with the title "King" indicates its high status. A king-level exotic beast is equivalent to a Martial King among martial artists, or a Nascent Soul Great Being in the Daoist world.

Lin Fei never expected to encounter such a beast here, chained and seemingly in great agony. Who could have possibly chained the Flood Dragon King?

"At last, someone has entered..."

Just as Lin Fei's attention was focused on the Flood Dragon King, an ethereal voice entered his ears.

"Who's there?" Lin Fei immediately became alert, looking around.

A hum resonated. Gradually, a phantom figure took form in the void. It was a man dressed in Daoist robes.

"I am Dubhe, the artifact spirit. Your arrival here might be fortunate or perhaps unfortunate. Entering this place merely proves you are worthy of my allegiance. However, if you wish for me to serve you, you must pass a test," the spirit named Dubhe stated directly.

"A test? What kind of test? And where is this place?" Lin Fei inquired, full of questions. He had arrived at this strange location, met the Flood Dragon, and now faced a spirit that inexplicably wanted him to prove his worth. Lin Fei was utterly puzzled.

"Pass the test, and all your questions will be answered," Dubhe said. "If you fail, you'll die. Knowing or not knowing the answers then won't matter."

"Die?" Lin Fei's eyes narrowed. Dubhe's words revealed a hint: the test could be fatal.

"You're a Martial Sovereign, so the test will only be at the level." Dubhe waved his hand, and with a roar, a terrifying exotic beast appeared: a massive python, thousands of meters long, emitting a dreadfully oppressive aura.

"White Python, if you kill this man, you'll be free!" Dubhe declared, "And Martial Sovereign if you can kill the White Python, you'll pass the test. The loser will die!"

With that, Dubhe vanished, leaving Lin Fei alone with the menacing python.

Without hesitation, Lin Fei's Life Wheel emerged powerfully from behind him. Surprisingly, he felt a potent threat emanating from the python, a force far surpassing any Martial Sovereign-level beast he had ever encountered.

"Divine Ability, Gravity Domain!" From the second layer of Lin Fei's Life Wheel, a radiant light shone, and suddenly a crushing gravitational force descended upon the White Python.

Caught off guard, the Gravity Domain pressed the python heavily to the ground. But its body seemed extraordinarily robust. Even when slammed into the ground with such force, it appeared unscathed, merely shaking its head to recover.

But Lin Fei's powers weren't limited to the Gravity Domain. In the next instant, a saber materialized before him. Countless energies from the Life Wheel converged, and the third layer of his Life Wheel radiated brilliantly.

"Divine Ability, Dual-World Saber!" With a swift motion, Lin Fei unleashed his attack. Silently, the Dual-World Saber struck the White Python.