pjbooks Chapter 137 The Third Apostle's Hall
Chapter 137 The Third Apostle's Hall
The First Apostle's Temple is located in a valley deep within the European Alps.
Unlike the angular architecture of the Thirteenth Apostle's Temple and the eerie atmosphere of the Twelfth Apostle's Temple, the First Apostle's Temple is extremely simple in appearance—it is a completely black cuboid, with no textures, runes, or decorations on its surface, as smooth as a polished black mirror. It is embedded between the rock walls on both sides of the canyon, about 100 meters high and 50 meters wide, and looks less like a building and more like the canyon itself, cleaved in two by a black pillar of light descending from the sky.
Outside the Temple of the Apostles, a joint force of various nations had established a temporary camp three days prior. The camp was larger and more densely packed than the one at Liangzhou Fortress, with flags from hundreds of countries fluttering in the cold wind. Military transport planes constantly took off and landed, continuously delivering Awakened Ones, equipment, and supplies from all over the world to this plateau at an altitude of three thousand meters.
The command tent of the Dragon Kingdom's Awakened Bureau was set up in the very center of the camp, with a flag bearing a sword and a gavel fluttering atop it. Chen Beiyuan stood at the tent entrance, his white hair slightly disheveled by the high-altitude wind, but he wasn't wearing a hat. His gaze passed over the camp's barbed wire fence and landed on the entirely black Apostle Hall.
Ye Wuhen stood behind him, his silver-white longsword hanging at his waist, his thumb habitually rubbing the shallow scratch on the hilt. His expression was calm, but his grip on the hilt was tighter than usual.
"Elder Chen," Ye Wuhen spoke, his voice hoarse, "Thirty years ago, I stormed the First Apostle Hall and was defeated on the thirty-seventh floor. At that time, I thought I would never set foot in this Apostle Hall again in my life."
"And now?" Chen Beiyuan didn't turn around.
"Now, I have this sword." Ye Wuhen looked down at the silver-white longsword at his waist, "I have 1,100 students from Qingyun Academy, and I have Jiang Chen. The 37th floor is not the end. The 100th floor is."
Chen Beiyuan nodded and turned to walk back to the tent. On the holographic projection screen, the internal structure diagram of the First Apostle Hall was unfolding layer by layer. This was information deciphered by the Dragon Kingdom Academy of Sciences using ancient seal script unearthed from the Kunlun Ruins. Although it could only be deciphered up to the fiftieth layer, it was already thirteen layers more than when Ye Wuhen broke into the hall thirty years ago.
"Jiang Chen and the others have arrived." A technician looked up, his voice tense with nervousness. "The special plane is landing."
Outside the camp, a silver-white transport plane was slowly landing on the makeshift runway. The cabin door opened, and Jiang Chen was the first to step out. His dark blue instructor's uniform gleamed coldly in the high-altitude sun. His right hand was in his pocket, and his left hand was carrying a thermal bag—containing the thermal box Jiang Xueqin had given him that morning, filled with freshly cooked pork and cabbage dumplings.
Wang Kai followed behind him, looking at the densely packed military tents and national flags all around, his mouth slightly agape, like a frog that had just jumped out of a well.
"Brother Chen, isn't this a huge commotion?"
"Not that big." Jiang Chen didn't stop walking. "This is the first time in three hundred years that a human has actively challenged the First Apostle's Temple. It's being broadcast live globally, watched by billions of people. Do you think this is a big deal?"
Wang Kai swallowed hard and gripped the Qingyun Sword at his waist even tighter.
Chen Beiyuan came out of the command tent to greet him. The old man walked up to Jiang Chen, looked him up and down, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the light blue hairband on Jiang Chen's right wrist before moving away.
"Ready?"
"All ready." Jiang Chen handed the insulated bag to the technician next to him. "Put it away for me. Heat it up when you get back."
Chen Beiyuan took the insulated bag and handed it to Qi Hongyu behind him. Qi Hongyu held the insulated bag with a complex expression, as if he were holding a time bomb.
"Jiang Chen, the headquarters can only analyze the internal structure of the First Apostle Hall up to the fiftieth floor. After the fiftieth floor, all information is unknown." Chen Beiyuan's voice deepened. "Kahn is waiting for you on the hundredth floor. Whether he will ambush you along the way, whether he will send Apostle projections to intercept you, whether he will suddenly change the rules when you reach the ninety-ninth floor—we know nothing."
"I know." Jiang Chen looked at the pitch-black Apostle Hall, his gaze calm as still water. "So I brought no tactics, no plans, no preconceived notions. I brought the Primordial Sword and my students, walked into the Apostle Hall, and climbed up floor by floor until we reached the hundredth floor, and then faced Kahn."
He paused for a moment, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"It's that simple."
The First Apostle's Hall, main entrance.
Unlike the heavy stone doors of the Thirteenth Apostle's Hall and the eerie archway of the Twelfth Apostle's Hall, the First Apostle's Hall had no doors. Its front was simply a smooth, mirror-like black wall, without any gaps, handles, or any signs of being able to open. Jiang Chen stood before the wall, his right hand gripping the Primordial Sword, the tip of which rested against the surface.
The moment the sword tip touched the wall, the entire wall began to glow. It wasn't reflected light from the sword's edge, but rather the wall itself radiating light—a dark golden glow spread rapidly in all directions from the point of contact, instantly transforming the entire wall into a sea of dark golden light. In the center of this sea of light, a vertical crack slowly opened, emitting a blinding white light.
The main gate of the First Apostle's Hall is open.
Jiang Chen sheathed the Primordial Sword in his palm and stepped into the rift. Wang Kai followed closely behind, Shen Qingxue trailed behind him, Bing Li and Xuan Ming walked side by side, and Zhao Tieshan, Zhang Ziming, and the other twenty students who had broken through to the peak of Foundation Establishment formed the rear guard and filed in.
The crack slowly closed behind them. After the dark golden light dissipated, the black wall returned to its original state, smooth as a mirror, without a single gap.
First floor.
Unlike the magnificent halls of the Temple of Astra and the greyish-white mist of the Temple of Morgana, the first floor of the First Temple of the Apostles was completely empty.
There was no dome, no walls, no ground. They stood in a void, with endless darkness beneath their feet, endless darkness above their heads, and endless darkness in all directions. But this darkness felt neither oppressive nor suffocating, lacking the eerie feeling of "the void watching you" found in the Temple of the Apostles of Astra. It was pure darkness, quiet, clean, as if awaiting something to descend.
Wang Kai subconsciously gripped the Qingyun Sword. The silver-white light on the blade appeared particularly weak in the darkness, like a candle flame flickering in the wind.
"Brother Chen, what's going on?"
"The trial of the First Apostle's Hall is not a battle." Jiang Chen's voice echoed in the void, calm as ever. "Kahn's law is 'Watching.' He doesn't need to use apostle projections to exhaust the challenger's stamina, he doesn't need to use soul screams to break the challenger's will, he doesn't need to use the law of reversal to negate the challenger's attack. He only needs to watch you, to see how you complete these hundred floors."
He raised his right hand, and the Primordial Sword emerged from his palm, its hilt illuminating six stars simultaneously. Golden celestial fire, dark red flames of incineration, and icy blue power of ice—three kinds of light surged from the sword, creating a protective barrier tens of feet in diameter in the void. Within the barrier, darkness was dispelled, replaced by a warm light.
"From the first to the thirtieth floor, it tests your will. There are no enemies, no traps, no mechanisms. You just need to keep moving forward."
He stepped forward. There was clearly no ground beneath his feet, yet each step was incredibly steady, as if he were walking on an invisible sheet of ice. Wang Kai followed behind him, cautiously taking his first step—the instant his foot touched the ground, he felt a strange sensation, like stepping on thick snow, soft and slightly cool. He looked down; there was nothing beneath his feet, only pure darkness. But he had indeed stepped onto "ground."
"This is the embodiment of willpower," Jiang Chen's voice came from ahead. "Kahn's law is to cover the void with the will of the Watchers. If you feel there is ground beneath your feet, then there is ground beneath your feet. If you feel you can reach the hundredth floor, then you can reach the hundredth floor. If you feel you will die halfway, then you will die halfway."
Wang Kai took a deep breath, sheathed the Qingyun Sword at his waist, and strode to catch up with Jiang Chen. His steps became faster and more steady, and the unseen ground beneath his feet made clear sounds as he ran faster—thump, thump, thump, thump, like a heartbeat, like a war drum, like a mountain moving forward in the darkness.
Shen Qingxue followed behind Wang Kai, her steps light and steady. Her right hand rested on the hilt of the ice-blue short sword at her waist, ice-blue spiritual energy flowing between her fingers, slightly dispelling the darkness within a three-foot radius around her. Bing Li walked to her left, and Xuan Ming to her right, the three streams of ice-blue light intertwining in the void to form a three-colored band of light, like an icy river flowing in the darkness.
Zhao Tieshan walked at the very back of the group, the alloy joint of his left prosthetic leg making a crisp metallic clanging sound with each step. His right fist was wrapped in dark blue bandages, the charred scars on the surface, burned by the lingering heat of the Burning Soul Fire, gleaming with a dark red glow in the darkness. His back was ramrod straight, his steps heavy and steady, each step landing at the very back of the group, like a moving wall protecting everyone's backs.
The thirtieth floor was reached moments after Jiang Chen uttered the word "willpower".
There were no stairs, no teleportation arrays, and no obvious changes in floor level. They simply walked on in the darkness, and the sensation under their feet changed from "soft snow" to "hard ice," while the surrounding temperature changed from "slightly cool" to "cold." Wang Kai shivered and subconsciously activated the true energy in his dantian, a layer of pale golden light covering his body, insulating him from the cold.
"The thirtieth to sixtieth floors test your physical body." Jiang Chen stopped and looked back at the students behind him who were using their true energy to ward off the cold. "Kahn's Law simulates extreme environments using the will of the Watchers. There are no enemies, no traps, no mechanisms here. But the temperature will keep dropping, the air pressure will keep rising, and the gravity will keep increasing. If you can't hold on, you'll be teleported out and lose the right to continue the challenge."
He turned around and continued walking forward.
"Everyone, activate your true energy to protect your bodies. Students in the Body Cultivation Class, use your blood and qi to resist gravity. Students below Foundation Establishment, stand in the center of the line, and let the peak Foundation Establishment students hold up a shield on the outside. Don't try to hold on, just say so if you can't. It's not shameful to be teleported out, it's shameful to die here."
The ranks began to rearrange. Zhao Tieshan led the Body Cultivation Class students to the outer edge, using their Qi and Blood Power to erect two invisible Qi walls on either side of the ranks. The Foundation Establishment Peak students from the Immortal Cultivation Class were scattered around the ranks, condensing their True Essence into shields that covered the inner sides of the Qi walls. Wang Kai stood at the very front of the ranks, pushing the power of his Chaos Spiritual Root to its limit, erecting a pure white shield behind Jiang Chen. The surface of the shield was shrouded in fine golden patterns, perfectly merging with the light shield of Jiang Chen's Primordial Sword, peeling away layers of the external chill.
Bing Li stood on the left side of the group, reversing the flow of her Ice Profound Power to dispel the chill from the students around her with her "thawing" power. Her long, silver-white hair swayed gently in the icy blue light, her face expressionless, but her hands were steady, and the icy blue light in her palms barely fluctuated.
Xuanming stood on the right side of the group, her hands pressed into the void, transforming the chaotic power of her Chaotic Spiritual Root into pure defensive energy, erecting a semi-transparent black shield around the group. Fine, icy-blue patterns flowed across the shield's surface, dissolving layers of gravitational impact. Her long black hair swayed slightly in the shield's light, her lips were tightly pressed together, but her eyes were resolute.
Zhang Ziming stood in the center of the group, his hands pressed against the air. Earthy-yellow spiritual energy surged from his palms into the "ground" beneath his feet, condensing into a thick, earthy-yellow light membrane. This membrane insulated the ground from its chill, providing a relatively warm foothold for the weaker students. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his face was pale, but he did not remove his hands from the ground.