The group moved forward, and this time, to avoid trouble, they all quickened their pace. Several hours later, they finally reached the base of the colossal tower.
From afar, the tower had already seemed breathtaking, but upon closer approach, its boundless power was even more palpable. Standing beneath it, everyone felt a sense of dread and oppression.
Surrounding the immense tower was a vast plaza. The entire square was like a mirror of white jade, unstained and pristine, a place where no monster could survive. Countless rays of light emanated from it, warding off all monstrous invasions. Approaching this area caused the mirrored space to directly collapse.
However, this did not impede the progress of Liu Nanfeng and his companions, who easily reached the base of the colossal tower. Yet, this massive structure, let alone having a door, didn't even possess a crack, appearing as a single, monolithic entity.
"Why is this tower so strange?" Zhan Guoliang tapped it forcefully with his hand. A wave of light, like ripples on water, immediately surged from the wall, repelling him. Fortunately, he was unharmed.
The group looked up. The colossal tower resembled a giant torch, continuously emitting light in all directions.
"Shall we try to go up and take a look?" Su Jinxiu asked.
"It's probably difficult. There's a powerful restriction here. Don't you feel your powers being suppressed?"
Everyone nodded. They had sensed it as soon as they entered this place.
"Then what do we do now?" Once their powers were suppressed, they felt completely helpless.
"Let's retreat from here first and observe carefully. This colossal tower is not solid; there must be a way to enter." As Liu Nanfeng spoke, he tapped the wall with his finger. Numerous lights bloomed on the wall, and countless runes began to appear, making the entire tower seem like a rune-engraved pagoda.
"What's happening?" Su Huamei's eyes widened in surprise. Every rune on the colossal tower seemed to pose a significant threat to her.
"Let's retreat first," Liu Nanfeng said, leading the way out of the plaza. Once the group retreated beyond the plaza, the light from the colossal tower retracted, leaving only a circular ring of light on each level, stacked one above another. Even so, it appeared extremely grand and awe-inspiring.
"Let's look around," Su Jinxiu suggested. The plaza was immense, and they had only approached from one direction, leaving many areas unexplored.
"Alright, let's walk along the edge of this plaza." So, the group ambled along the perimeter of the plaza. The entire plaza was circular, while the colossal tower seemed to be designed in a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern.
"Oh..." Suddenly, Zhu Yin'e exclaimed. Following her gaze, the others saw a deep sword mark on one side of the colossal tower's wall.
"This is..." Zhan Guoliang murmured softly.
"Unrivaled Sword Technique," Su Jinxiu blurted out. Zhu Yin'e nodded beside her. No one understood the Unrivaled Sword Technique better than her, nor did anyone grasp Feng Zhirun's sword intent more clearly. The group crowded closer. On the tower's smooth wall, a sword mark remained. Even after a long time, a chilling sword intent lingered. Approaching it even slightly gave one a prickly sensation on the skin.
The others quickly stepped back, but Liu Nanfeng stepped forward and traced the mark with his finger. The chilling sword intent did not affect him in the slightest.
Directly touching the sword mark, Liu Nanfeng felt a rush of emotions. He seemed to see Feng Zhirun's lonely figure after a millennium of hardship, finally arriving at the Heavenly Palace, only to leave behind a desolate silhouette. Even with his abilities, he could only stop outside the colossal tower. In his frustration, he brandished his sword, leaving a deep mark on the eternally indestructible tower. However, this sword mark was his only misstep since he began wielding a sword; he had not managed to sever the tower.
Innumerable pieces of information flashed through Liu Nanfeng's eyes. Feng Zhirun had failed to cut through the tower, but he had given Liu Nanfeng the key to opening it. This colossal structure, containing a vast amount of information, was immense and incredibly sturdy, like an iron barrel. Attempting to force entry or inject information was practically impossible. Unless one fully understood this colossal tower, it was unlikely to be opened, and that would require an extremely long process, taking a very, very long time. But now, Feng Zhirun had provided him with a breakthrough.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Liu Nanfeng staring blankly at the wall, Su Jinxiu stepped forward and gently patted him.
"Nothing, but..." Liu Nanfeng turned to look at her, then flashed a smile, choosing not to continue. He changed the subject. "It seems we'll have to stay here for a while."
"It's alright, I'll stay here with you the whole time," Su Jinxiu said. Zhu Yin'e's eyes twitched slightly, and Su Huamei pouted. Only Zhan Guoliang scratched his head, looking puzzled.
"It's good to stay here. I think Dūndūn and the old man will also be heading this way," Zhan Guoliang said, looking up at the colossal tower.
So, the group retreated again. Liu Nanfeng sat cross-legged outside the colossal tower, golden light shooting from his eyes as he dedicated himself to deciphering the tower's information. Su Jinxiu leaned against him, guarding his back. Su Huamei and Zhu Yin'e exchanged a glance, then their gazes fell upon the various ferocious beasts peeking at them from a distance. They walked forward side by side. Soon, rumbling sounds echoed. Zhan Guoliang, after a brief rest, also joined them. Although these ferocious beasts were bizarre and difficult to handle, they provided them with valuable combat experience. With the three of them working together and supporting each other, there wouldn't be any major problems. After all, these monsters were merely manifestations of the flesh and blood of ferocious beasts in the sky, and their strength, though considerable, was limited.
Meanwhile, Dūndūn and Zhang Xinwu also arrived outside the Heavenly Palace, dusty from their journey.
"What a magnificent, grand city. But where is this place?" Dūndūn exclaimed, looking up at the huge city.
"I don't know, but I think that place will give us the answer," Zhang Xinwu said, pointing to the majestic high tower at the city's center.
"Then how do we get in?" Dūndūn asked.
"Just jump over, right?" Zhang Xinwu said confidently. Although the city walls were exaggeratedly high, they were not an issue for the two of them. However, they were soon given a lesson. As they leaped high towards the city, an invisible barrier seemed to appear in the air. The two of them hit it with a thud and slowly slid down.
"Brother Zhang, this doesn't seem to be very useful," Dūndūn said, wiping his bloody nose.
Zhang Xinwu was somewhat annoyed. He drew his staff and said, "Watch this." With that, his body rapidly expanded, transforming into a giant ape. Wielding his massive staff, he swung it down towards the city wall. Countless sharp metallic energies from the air gathered towards him, causing the surrounding space to distort. When the staff struck the city wall, the two impacts produced earth-shattering roars. Zhang Xinwu was then sent flying backward. Dūndūn cupped his hand over his forehead, watching Zhang Xinwu disappear into the distance like a black dot. He hesitated, wondering if he should go and find him.
Just then, he suddenly felt movement behind him. Turning, he saw a massive city gate appear behind him. Dūndūn did not enter immediately but waited for a moment, seeing Zhang Xinwu stagger back. He kept his hands behind his back, his expression solemn.
"Brother Zhang, are you alright?" Dūndūn hurried to meet him.
"What could be wrong with me?" Zhang Xinwu rebuked. Dūndūn didn't mind and excitedly said, "Brother Zhang, when you left just now, a gate appeared." Zhang Xinwu also saw it. Looking at the majestic city gate, he said seriously, "This must have been made by my staff strike just now." Dūndūn: ... Do I look like an idiot?
"Let's go," Zhang Xinwu said, stepping towards the city gate. But he suddenly remembered something and turned to Dūndūn, saying, "You go first." Dūndūn suppressed a chuckle and quickly walked forward, because in that instant, he noticed Zhang Xinwu's hands trembling uncontrollably.