Time flowed slowly.

As the blood dwindled, Li Cheng頤’s vision began to blur.

His consciousness also gradually faded.

A weariness he hadn't felt in a long time slowly surged forth.

His head was heavy, his body empty, as if he was becoming lighter and lighter, trying to float away like a feather.

The large, barrel-like container beside him, taller than half a person, was almost full.

This meant that the blood in Li Cheng頤's body was nearly drained.

Iserine stood by, nervously monitoring his condition and observing the changes in his vital signs.

Gradually, Li Cheng頤's lips turned whiter, and he grew colder.

An odd aura began to emanate from him, growing stronger and gradually solidifying.

*Chff.*

Tiny specks of gray dust-like matter emerged from his vicinity.

"Death energy?!" Iserine recognized it instantly.

Before she could react, a dense swarm of death energy rapidly coalesced.

In mere seconds, this death energy, like snowflakes, enveloped Li Cheng頤 completely.

Even then, it continued to accumulate rapidly.

Iserine stared blankly at the scene, watching the massive amount of death energy cocooning Li Cheng頤 in a thick shell. She didn't know whether she should intervene or not, and could only stand by, at a loss.

This transformation had caught her and her brother completely off guard.

*Poof.*

Suddenly, a soft sound.

The cocoon of death energy surrounding Li Cheng頤 shattered instantly, scattering countless gray particles that swirled around before rapidly returning to his body, merging with his skin like ice and snow.

*Whoosh.*

Li Cheng頤's eyes snapped open, revealing no pupils, only a desolate gray-white expanse.

"Brother..." Iserine became anxious.

Opening the Non-Gate was a dangerous endeavor; generally, only one in ten attempts succeeded.

Failure meant certain death.

She didn't understand why Li Cheng頤 insisted on taking such a risk, forcing the opening of the Non-Gate.

Even if he opened it, what good would it do?

It wouldn't make him instantly stronger. At best, he could actively escape the Dead Zone and enter the Black Sea, with the potential to ascend into a Black Sea entity.

Only a possibility.

As time passed, Li Cheng頤's eyes began to darken.

The gray was gradually replaced by an ink-like blackness.

Finally, after another two hours,

he closed his eyes.

A subtle, indescribable, special aura suddenly surrounded him.

"He did it!" Iserine recognized it instantly. As someone who had opened the Non-Gate herself, she immediately knew that her brother had succeeded.

Immediately, she quickly re-infused the extracted blood through the metal tube.

"Thank you, Iserine," Li Cheng頤 said weakly as he slowly opened his eyes.

"It's nothing. I'm just glad you're okay. You scared me to death," Iserine said, patting her chest in relief.

Li Cheng頤 smiled, but only he knew that he had actually failed this time.

However...

'Flower Utterance: Good Luck +1 (Your Non-Gate ritual was about to fail, but unexpectedly, your past experiences with death reduced your fear and panic compared to others, allowing you to experience the feeling between life and death more deeply and carefully. As a result, after several coincidental changes, you successfully opened the Non-Gate).'

After evolving once, the Good Luck flower utterance had completely recovered, returning to its +1 state.

Now that the Non-Gate was successfully opened, it seemed to have consumed one opportunity.

Under Li Cheng頤's gaze,

the +1 in the Good Luck flower utterance gradually disappeared, reverting to its previous normal state.

'Looks like I can use it one more time,' he guessed inwardly.

This was his true safety net.

The Non-Gate opening process had a high mortality rate. He dared to be so reckless because he had this flower utterance.

And if that didn't work, he still had two Crescent Moons.

Slowly sitting up from the bed, Li Cheng頤 glanced at the metal tube still infusing blood beside him.

In his eyes, the entire world had changed.

Black cracks were scattered everywhere within the bedroom.

These cracks crawled and writhed like living worms, constantly growing and shrinking.

Some disappeared suddenly, while others appeared just as abruptly.

"After opening the Non-Gate, you'll see the weak points where the world connects to the Black Sea. Because we can't comprehend the Black Sea, everything in it is pitch black. The cracks are the same," Iserine explained, relieved.

"I see... So, expanding these cracks would allow me to enter the Black Sea?" Li Cheng頤 asked.

"That's right," Iserine smiled. "Many people have crossed this threshold. Even ordinary people who overcome death may open the Non-Gate. But very few know how to utilize this state. If you need methods to enter other Dead Zones within the Black Sea, the teacher has a complete set of instructions, as long as you sell more death energy knowledge."

"I understand..." Li Cheng頤 nodded.

With the Non-Gate opened, the foundation was laid. Now, all he needed was a Prism Dragon Heart to create an Engraving Orb.

He didn't know when the next Dead Zone would appear, so he had to complete the Engraving Orb as soon as possible and carry out the Second Engraving sublimation.

Speed Engraving...

'Getting rid of the Dead Zone – as long as I become strong enough, no Dead Zone will pose a threat to me, and I can naturally solve it easily.'

Thinking this, Li Cheng頤's gaze hardened, and he no longer hesitated.

After the blood transfusion was complete, he traded with Professor Miman through Iserine for access to the passage to Midraan.

He also asked the professor to maintain the passage for a month. Compared to a month in the Black Sea, it could be hundreds of years in Midraan.

Midraan was a well-known, massive vortex in the nearby Black Sea.

Everything there was distorted and spinning, with many extremely evil and powerful auras lurking within.

If Li Cheng頤 didn't desperately need the Prism Dragon, he wouldn't want to wander into such an unknown and unfamiliar place.

This was the first time, the first time that exploring the Black Sea was so dangerous.

To prepare and cope with potential dangers, Li Cheng頤 collected and crafted a large amount of personal equipment through the Mingyuan Group.

Not intelligent equipment, but purely simple-structured, cold-weapon equipment.

While the Flower Scale Robe was useful, in terms of pure defense, a custom-made metal armor crafted from top-grade special Rainbow Iron was actually stronger in terms of toughness and hardness than most Flower Scale Robes.

Only a few Ultimate Flower Scale Robes were strong enough to compare, but even then, he had to worry about not having flowers to repair them in Midraan if they were damaged.

Therefore, spare equipment and weapons were essential.

As a Ninth Order, and nominally a high-ranking member of the military, Li Cheng頤's requests were a drop in the bucket compared to other Ninth Orders.

So the national treasury accepted everything without hesitation, and all of it was crafted to the highest specifications.

In three days, all the supplies and equipment were delivered to Yong'an Garden.

Super-compressed military ration pills that could last for ten days with a single pill, full-body enclosed heavy armor and a sword and shield with the same hardness as top-tier flying instruments. Everything he could think of was available.

After making all the preparations, Li Cheng頤 decided to go and return quickly. He brought his equipment and immediately found Iserine.

Within Hand-in-Hand.

"The teacher has already set up the passage, but no one knows what you'll encounter once you're there. You must be careful,"

Iserine instructed before his departure.

"Don't worry, with my current strength, even if I encounter some danger, I can still run if I can't win," Li Cheng頤 said, ruffling her hair.

"I know... but..." Iserine sighed and took out a black metal token the size of a palm, shaped like a small arched doorway.

The door was covered with countless complex and bizarre patterns.

Lizards, phoenixes, flames, lightning, smiling people, frantically roaring rats.

The door's patterns seemed to be coated with some unknown, mysterious paint, causing the small door to reflect various different lights as the light changed.

"Here, this is the passage. Use this key to open the lock, and you can go to Midraan," Iserine said, handing Li Cheng頤 the small door and a delicate, old cylindrical key.

"Thank you..." Accepting the small door.

Li Cheng頤 didn't hesitate. He put on the fully enclosed heavy armor. Before leaving, he also went to replenish all the flowers nearby that could absorb variant flower energy.

He had now replenished three types of flowers: crape myrtle, wisteria, and magnolia.

In particular, the magnolia was evolving for the fourth time. After this was completed, the fifth time would be the final evolution into the Ultimate form.

The magnolia was the core of his Flower Utterance Pearl, and he wanted to see what enhancements would occur after evolving to the Ultimate form...

After gearing up, Li Cheng頤 picked up the small door again.

"So... just open it like this?"

He asked.

"Yes, put it on the ground and then open it. The other side is Midraan," Iserine nodded.

Li Cheng頤 carefully placed the small door on the ground and inserted the key into the lock.

*Click.*

A soft sound, as if something was turning, colliding, and releasing a catch.

The lock clicked open.

*Hiss.*

Instantly, the lock automatically faded and disappeared.

And the small door grew rapidly, twisting and wriggling as if it were drunk.

In the blink of an eye, it grew to be over one person tall and more than two meters wide.

The various creatures on the door began to move around frantically, all emitting terrified screams.

Real red flames poured out of the flame patterns, setting the door ablaze.

Real blue arcs of electricity flowed from the lightning patterns, causing the door to shake wildly.

*Boom.*

In an instant, the door swung open, revealing a dark, swirling tunnel inside.

"I'm going," Li Cheng頤 said, looking at the opened door.

"Be careful... If you encounter danger, don't force your way through," Iserine said worriedly.

This wasn't a brief entry like the Dead Zone, but a complete and long-term entry from the beginning.

If he got trapped inside and couldn't return, based on the time flow difference, Li Cheng頤 might die of old age within while only a month or two passed outside.

"I'm just going to collect materials. I'll be back soon," Li Cheng頤 took a deep breath. The Flower Utterance Fortress lit up with a faint golden glow on his body.

He raised his sword and shield. His thick, pitch-black armor made faint clanging sounds as he walked.

He walked to the door, looking at the dark swirl.

He slowly reached out to touch it.

Unexpectedly, a massive pulling force instantly dragged his whole body in.

*Poof!*

In the blink of an eye, Li Cheng頤 disappeared from the spot.

Leaving Iserine standing alone in front of the door, her hands clasped in front of her chest, praying for him with her eyes closed.

(End of Chapter)