Perfect: I am Shi An from Shicun, and I am Huang’s brother!

Chapter 424 The Golden Road
"In that case, let's begin!"

After a long while, seeing that no one had left, a middle-aged man on the mountain suddenly stood up and then spread his sleeves.

"boom!"

In an instant, a strong wind swept through the sky, and a dazzling divine light suddenly appeared in the once silent no-man's-land, transforming into a golden road that rushed into the distance.

"This is the road. Keep going, and you will find the ancient city!"

As he waved his sleeves, many symbols rose up in that forbidden area, as if they had been activated, and the ancient road, which had been sealed for a long time, was opened to welcome the trial participants.

Gazing at the golden road, the immortal suddenly had a thought and turned to the middle-aged man, asking, "Senior, have you traveled this road before?"

The immortal's words immediately attracted the attention of many people, who all unconsciously looked at the middle-aged man, waiting for his answer.

But what the middle-aged man said next surprised everyone.

He said calmly, "I have never set foot on this road!"

These few words caused a dramatic change in the expressions of many people. The excitement and anticipation on the faces of countless prodigies froze, replaced by astonishment, confusion, and even a hint of barely concealed panic.

This path to the Heavenly God Academy is one that even the guides have never traversed. Just how unknown and perilous is it?

The clamor receded like a tide, only to be replaced by a low hum, the sound of countless people gasping and their minds reeling.

"He...he didn't even walk that far?"

Someone's voice trembled.

"Even the guide doesn't know the way forward, this..."

Some people turned pale as they looked at the dazzling golden road that seemed to lead to an abyss, their eyes filled with hesitation.

On the mountain peak, Shi An and the others also heard these words.

Cao Yusheng paused, his hand holding the wine jar stilled, and his mouth slightly opened.

The Moon Rabbit nestled in Yunxi's arms, a hint of unease flashing in its ruby-like eyes.

Even the most outstanding talents like the Emperor, the Immortal, and Shi Yi frowned slightly, their gazes becoming even more profound.

The middle-aged man took in the reactions of the crowd below, his face remaining expressionless. He simply raised his voice slightly, giving it a cold, penetrating quality: "The path has been opened. Whether you proceed or not is your own decision."

"I must remind you all that once you embark on this path, there is no turning back. This is your last chance."

After saying that, he stood with his hands behind his back, saying nothing more, as if he were just an indifferent bystander.

silence.

A profound silence enveloped the edge of Shengzhou.

The golden road was dazzling and shimmering with runes and resounding with Daoist chants. It led into the depths of the mist, tempting all the prodigies, yet also exuding a chilling aura of danger.

"I quit!"

Finally, someone couldn't hold on any longer, let out a loud shout, and left in a sorry state.

"I'll quit too!"

"And I!"

"I····"

·······
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of people chose to retreat and stop advancing.

After a long while, the three supreme beings of the high mountain all stood up and looked at the crowd: "Is there anyone else who wants to leave?"

But this time, no one answered, and no one left.

"Alright, in that case, let's get going." Seeing this, the three nodded and then cast spells simultaneously.

"boom!"

The next instant, smoke and clouds soared into the sky, and bone inscriptions filled the air like a sea. The three of them then sent the rest of the people onto that road.

To everyone's surprise, the three supreme beings separated everyone, with very few people standing side by side. They all stepped onto the road like raindrops.

This road is incredibly vast, stretching for eight thousand miles in width and unimaginably long, leading straight to the deepest part of the no-man's land!

Some people are already millions of miles away, while others are just getting started. This is due to the combined efforts of the three supreme beings, who used their supernatural powers to separate them.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Shi An took Yun Xi into the Purple Spirit Domain, thus preventing them from being separated.

Indeed, just as the three supreme beings were about to use their divine powers to teleport everyone, Shi An instantly made a move and took Yun Xi into the Purple Spirit Domain.

Of course, he didn't mean to provoke the Heavenly God Academy on purpose; he just didn't want to be separated from them, in case something unexpected happened to them.

In addition, Shi Hao, seeing Shi An's actions, although puzzled, immediately followed suit and put Huo Ling'er into his World Treasure Box.

The golden road stretches across the vast expanse, its eight-thousand-mile-wide surface shimmering with runes, extending into the depths of the no-man's-land as if it had no end.

The young prodigies, scattered and abandoned by the three supreme beings with their unparalleled divine powers, are like stars dotting this vast ancient road, far apart from each other, and most of them can only face the road ahead alone.

Shi An's figure appeared in a desolate stone forest at the starting point of the ancient road.

"Woo~"

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept in, whipping up a cloud of sand that struck the jagged rocks not far away, making a wailing sound.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, sensing the ancient malevolent aura and an invisible oppressive force permeating the area.

"The rules here are strange, and the void is unusual, so it may be difficult to cross long distances."

He sensed that this trial path was extraordinary, which also made him decide not to release Yunxi immediately, but to explore the surrounding environment alone first to ensure his safety.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, a huge group of stone pillars in front of them hummed, the ancient totems carved on them lit up, the ground cracked open, and dozens of war puppets gleaming with cold metallic light crawled out, their eyes flickering with ghostly blue soul fire, locking onto Shi An, and killing intent instantly spread.

These battle puppets possessed powerful auras, each comparable to a cultivator at the Divine Fire Realm. What was even more terrifying was that they seemed to be able to manipulate the formations here, forming battle arrays to launch a fierce attack.

Shi An's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even use any special techniques; he simply threw a punch.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the fist's energy, though simple and unadorned, contained the immense power to shatter stars, instantly blasting the leading battle puppets apart like rotten wood, scattering fragments everywhere.

Then, he moved swiftly, darting through the battle formation like a ghost. His fists, palms, fingers, and legs all became the most terrifying weapons, and with each collision, a battle puppet shattered into dust.

A moment later, the stone forest returned to deathly silence, leaving only scattered ruins that quickly weathered away and disappeared, as if they had never existed.

"If such a test is present even in the starting area, ordinary geniuses would probably find it difficult to make any progress here."

Shi An muttered to himself, gaining a more intuitive understanding of the dangers of this road.

He continued forward, spreading his divine senses to cautiously investigate.

Along the way, they actually encountered a number of bizarre crises.

Sometimes the stone slabs underfoot would suddenly turn into quicksand swamps with astonishing devouring power; sometimes the void would inexplicably crack open, blowing out a bone-chilling and soul-crushing wind.

On another occasion, a seemingly peaceful rosy glow swept by, yet it could cause a cultivator's primordial spirit to become restless and their foundation to become unstable.

However, he easily resolved them all with his overwhelming strength.

(End of this chapter)