Moonlight like water flowed over the magnificent city forged from endless golden sand, reflecting a mesmerizing and divine halo. The closer they approached, the more they could feel this ancient city's vastness and extraordinariness. It wasn't the deathly stillness of dead objects, but a restrained, heavy pressure like a sleeping giant beast—especially the aura emanating from the city gate, carrying an undeniable solemnity.
Xiao Qi's group of three came before the tightly closed city gate. This gate was ten zhang high, also formed from that strange golden sand particles. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, yet one could faintly see inside countless fine, blood vessel-like flowing pale golden runes. Above the city gate, two massive, ancient Sanskrit characters filled with Zen meaning were engraved. Even without recognizing the characters, one could feel the "Diamond" and "Guardian" meaning contained within.
The city gate wasn't locked, yet it was tightly sealed without a crack. An invisible, powerful force field shrouded the city gate surroundings, forming a solid barrier.
"Brother Qi, this door... seems like it won't push open?" Zhao Tiezhu tried pushing with his hand. The city gate didn't budge at all. Instead, a rebounding force came from the door, numbing his palm slightly. He circulated spiritual power to try again, and the rebounding force was even stronger, nearly bouncing him away.
"This place's restriction repels spiritual power and divine consciousness." Xiao Qi observed carefully before concluding. He reached out to touch the city gate, clearly feeling that layer of invisible force field existing—resilient and thick. "It seems entering the city requires pushing open this door with pure physical body power. This is probably the ancient city's first trial for visitors, screening those qualified to inherit the Buddhist body refining transmission."
Zhao Tiezhu, upon hearing this, not only didn't become discouraged, his eyes instead burned with fierce fighting spirit! "Competing in physical body power? This I'm good at!" He took a deep breath, his whole body's muscles instantly bulging, blue veins like coiling dragons wriggling under his skin. A pale golden qi and blood light penetrated his body, illuminating the surrounding sand in brilliant radiance. The Diamond Subduing Demon Divine Ability was pushed to his current limit!
"Hah—!"
He exhaled with force, like a thunderclap on flat ground! His feet steadily rooted in the sand, waist and abdomen exerting force. The muscles on both arms bulged block by block, containing explosive power, fiercely pressing against that heavy golden sand city gate!
"Creek—!"
An extremely heavy, teeth-grinding friction sound rang out! That originally immovable city gate, under Zhao Tiezhu's terrifying pure physical body power, actually began slowly moving inward! Though the speed was extremely slow, every inch moved seemed to require the strength of giant elephants. The pale golden runes on the city gate also flickered slightly, applying stronger resistance. But the door was indeed being pushed!
Zhao Tiezhu's forehead and neck veins protruded, his face flushed red. All his strength poured out without reservation, his mouth issuing low roars. Step by step, difficultly, he pushed that heavy city gate open a crack wide enough for one person to pass through!
"Hah... hah... Brother Qi... pushed... pushed it open!" Zhao Tiezhu let go, staggering back two steps. His hands trembled slightly, his whole body dripping with sweat as if just pulled from water. Clearly that one push had exhausted most of his physical strength. But his face was full of pride and excitement—he had pushed open this Buddhist ancient city's trial door with his own power!
"Well done, Tiezhu." Xiao Qi nodded in approval. Zhao Tiezhu's physical body power was indeed top-tier among same-level body cultivators.
Now it was Xiao Qi's turn. He didn't strike an all-out explosive pose like Zhao Tiezhu, but calmly walked to the door. His body now, tempered through the Northern Plains extreme cold, washed by ancient city Dao rhyme, and multiple feedbacks from his own spiritual power, had long reached an inconceivable level of strength. In terms of pure physical body power alone, he was probably a notch stronger than Zhao Tiezhu who specialized in body refining—only he rarely showed it.
He extended his right hand, five fingers spread, lightly pressing on the ice-cold smooth door panel. The qi and blood within him quietly circulated, not showing external anomalies, yet like a dormant volcano containing majestic power.
Then, he seemingly casually pushed forward.
"Om—"
The city gate issued a low hum. That heavy golden sand giant door resisting external force, under his push, was like an ordinary wooden door—lightly and smoothly sliding inward, revealing the even wider passage behind! The pale golden runes on the door only flickered once, then quickly dimmed, as if acknowledging this power that made the difficult look easy.
The entire process was relaxed and effortless, forming a sharp contrast with Zhao Tiezhu's desperate struggle just now.
Zhao Tiezhu watched dumbfounded, his mouth gaping enough to stuff in an egg. He knew Brother Qi was powerful, but hadn't imagined Brother Qi's physical body power was terrifying to this degree?! This... this was simply inhuman!
The rabbit spirit also tilted its small head, looking at the panting Zhao Tiezhu, then at the calm Xiao Qi, seemingly comparing something.
Xiao Qi withdrew his hand, feeling the force the restriction had fed back when pushing the door just now. His heart had a clearer understanding of the ancient city's trial standards. He turned to the still-dazed Zhao Tiezhu: "Let's go, Tiezhu. The real trial has perhaps only just begun."
Having said this, he took the lead, stepping into that pushed-open door crack, his figure merging into the even denser darkness inside the city that seemed to have precipitated ages of time.
Zhao Tiezhu came to his senses, forcefully shaking his head, suppressing the shock in his heart, and hurriedly followed with still somewhat weak legs. The rabbit spirit followed closely behind.
Just as they all entered the city, behind them that heavy golden sand city gate issued a low muffled sound, slowly closing again, seamlessly fitting as if it had never opened.
Moonlight was shut out. Inside the city wasn't pitch black. On the walls, those golden sand particles forming the city themselves emitted soft light, dispelling part of the darkness. But this also made the scenery inside the city appear even more strange and varied, full of mystery and unknown.
The trial of entering the city was over. They had finally stepped into this legendary moving ancient city. And what awaited them ahead—the lost Buddhist transmission, or even more severe challenges?