Chapter 156: The Bronze Gate with Thunder Punishment

Following the direction pointed out by Ou Yezi, Li Xiaobai arrived at the location of the actual small world.

Although Ou Yezi had said that everything inside had already been taken by him, since he was already there, it was necessary to take a look.

There were many masters here, and even if the treasures had been taken away, seizing this opportunity to earn a wave of Attribute Points was also a good choice.

However, according to Ou Yezi, he had been planning for this for the better part of a year, which meant that the Sect Leader must have visited the Tianbei Secret Realm half a year ago and casually taken the treasures from the small world.

Looking at it this way, it was likely that the news of the Tianbei Secret Realm's opening was also spread by the Sect Leader, with the purpose of attracting more cultivators to come and catch them all in one go.

Such schemes and depth of planning, such tactics and grandeur, were truly frightening!

How could such a person possibly only be ranked nine thousandth on the Earth list?

Perhaps it was because Ou Yezi did not want to catch the attention of those with intentions, so he deliberately lowered his ranking to reduce his presence and make a fortune quietly.

However, this Sect Leader was quite protective of his own, with a bit of a heroic tyrant's potential, but he was very good to the Sect Disciples.

There was no one near the thatched cottage in front of him, presumably, all the cultivators who came here had already gone inside.

Parking the Lamborghini, Li Xiaobai took the lead and walked into the small world, with Ouyang Shuanger holding Ji Wuqing close behind.

The small world was magical. From the outside, it appeared to be a hut that could only accommodate one person's living space, but stepping in with one foot revealed a whole new world inside.

It had spontaneously created a spatial vortex within, and upon entering the vortex, a vast expanse of sky and land appeared before their eyes.

The surroundings were cold walls, seemingly part of a corridor, which was now crowded with people and buzzing with noise at the end of it.

Li Xiaobai carefully made his way into the crowd.

In front of him stood a colossal bronze gate, and many powerful beings were exerting their methods, trying to break through the gate with their formidable cultivation levels.

However, these efforts were all in vain, for after all, Beichen Feng, being a sage of the Confucian Path, had cultivation and means far beyond that of Divinity Transformation Stage and Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivators.

The door could only be opened according to the rules stated on it.

"I didn't expect so many big shots to be stopped here. I wonder if anyone has already gone in."

"Of course, there are. I was among the first to come here, and many great powers from senior generations have already entered by demonstrating their understanding of the principles of the world as described on the bronze door."

"Controlling the principles is really too difficult. Nowadays, everyone spends their time improving their cultivation level. Apart from those from the Daoist Sect, Confucian Path, and Buddhist Law who advance themselves by contemplating scriptures, who else would specifically seek to understand the principles of the world?"

"You're right. I saw several Transcendance Tribulation Stage elders being blocked outside ..."

Listening carefully to the conversations of the people around him, Li Xiaobai understood the rules for entering the door.

One must possess a certain level of understanding of one of the world's principles. In plain terms, one's mind must be rich, one must have profound knowledge, and have personal insights about the scriptures and texts.

As long as one could reach this point, even a frail scholar without the strength to truss a chicken could smoothly open the door and enter.

But if one was completely ignorant in this regard, even a top-notch expert wouldn't be able to open the door and would only be left frustrated outside.

This was quite a headache. For Li Xiaobai, let alone any scriptures, he couldn't even understand the most fundamental Cultivation Techniques, so it seemed impossible to enter the bronze gate on his own.

The two companions by his side were obviously even less likely, so it was better to observe the situation first.

Several bald heads stepped forward from the crowd.

"Dear benefactors, we monks spend our days accompanied by the Ancient Buddha and have gained a little insight into the scriptures. Let us try."

"It's the monks from Golden Light Temple!"

"The monks of the Golden Light Temple are the most authentic. Last time my right arm was broken, it was Master Chantian of Golden Light Temple who healed it!"

"Yes, with the Master taking action, we should be able to open the gate by now, and perhaps we could even take the opportunity to enter with them."

The crowd waited with bated breath for the actions of the monks.

The lead monk took out a scroll of scriptures and sat down cross-legged on the spot, beginning to recite.

"To the south there is a tree, which takes an unusual form..."

"One withers, one prospers, this is the cycle of decay and vitality..."

Without practicing any Cultivation Technique, a faint golden Buddhist light began to radiate, casting its illumination on the bronze gate. Moments later, the bronze gate creaked open slowly.

A blinding white light burst forth from the crack of the door.

It was so piercing that the crowd couldn't open their eyes.

"Amitabha, it seems my Buddhist Law is passable. My fellow monks, since the gate is open, we shall enter first," said the lead monk with his hands clasped in prayer, chanting Buddha's name as he led the group of monks into the world beyond the door.

At the same time, several Transcendence Tribulation Stage experts seated nearby became restless. A rare opportunity to enter the gate was right before their eyes, and they did not want to miss it.

With a swift movement, several figures rushed towards the gateway, and numerous cultivators who considered themselves powerful also charged toward the bronze gate.

But as everyone touched the bronze gate, a fierce pressure suddenly erupted. The world inside the gate turned into a sea of thunder, and except for the few monks, all the cultivators who attempted to force their way through were punished by thunder.

Thunder dragons roared, and silver serpents danced wildly in the void, clawing viciously at the people.

"This is heavenly punishment!"

"The real Heavenly Tribulation, its intensity set according to each cultivator's cultivation level. The stronger the cultivator, the more powerful and dangerous the tribulation they face!"

"The very first challenge of this small world is of such dangerous magnitude, trying to force through the gate seems hopeless!"

"Indeed, I'm afraid this first gate will block countless cultivators on the outside."

Within the heavenly punishment, cultivators faced an unprecedented crisis. The thunder tribulation for those at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage was terrifyingly intense, manifesting as a giant silver dragon a hundred yards long.

Without a moment's delay, it dove down, crashing fiercely onto the heads of the cultivators.

"Pfft!"

The cultivators coughed up blood profusely. Most of them had never experienced a Heavenly Tribulation in their lives and didn't even know what it looked like; they had no chance against such a manifestation of heavenly power.

However, some extremely powerful cultivators did not fall behind, withstanding the tribulation and continuing to rush toward the world beyond the gate.

These were the real tough ones. Seeing this, the monks did not dare to linger any longer and, leveraging their strength, they quickly ran off into the distance.

After the monks had left, the bronze gate closed again slowly as the spectacular scene of lightning and thunder in the void gradually dissipated.

With the heavenly punishment gone, what remained was a scene of devastation and defeat.

However, the crowd quickly noticed that in that recent wave, many geniuses had made it through—not only the big shots from the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, but also some prodigies from the Nascent Soul Stage and Divinity Transformation Stage, who had forcefully broken through the tribulation that corresponded to their own strength.

The intensity of the Heavenly Tribulation corresponded to that of the cultivator, meaning that if one's own power was sufficiently strong, it was completely possible to forcibly break through the tribulation's defenses and succeed in entering the world beyond the gate.

For a moment, everyone's spirits were revived once more...