Ye Liang began thinking.
He'd already been deep in thought for five minutes.
Though this stone golem possessed immense strength, its speed was extremely slow. Even if Ye Liang gave it a two-leg advantage, the golem still couldn't catch up with him.
However.
If he didn't defeat this stone golem, there would be absolutely no way to enter the seventh layer. According to Mifune, the artisan key needed to unlock the seventh floor was hidden inside this Golden Mountain Person's belly.
"Mr. Mifune, since your ancestors were able to hide the national treasure inside, didn't they leave behind any method for retrieving it?"
"Forget about it, Young Master Ye! Back then, our Land of Iron was only able to hide the treasure inside because we eliminated the Land of Craftsmen."
"This Golden Mountain Person was created with the help of prisoner-craftsmen from the Land of Craftsmen. Unfortunately, all those craftsmen have long since passed away, so naturally, there is no way to solve this now."
What nonsense!
Ye Liang suddenly realized talking to Mifune was a complete waste of time.
Not helping figure out a solution was bad enough, but constantly spreading negativity?
No solution available?
Where there are people, there's always a way forward—Ye Liang believed that firmly!
Science drives human progress!
He quickly scanned over the structure of this Golden Mountain Person.
Except for its arms made of rock, its torso seemed to consist of some kind of unknown metal.
This material should have an extremely high melting point!
Since this creature could survive in lava for so long, it must possess extreme heat resistance.
If it's a heat-resistant material?
Then by oxidizing it, its heat resistance would naturally decrease drastically. At that point, without even needing Ye Liang to act personally, the high temperatures here would melt down the Golden Mountain Person completely.
Oxidization alone?
Ye Liang glanced beneath the Golden Mountain Person's feet and immediately hatched a plan.
He quickly started chipping away at the nearby cave walls, prying loose chunks of rock. If the area beneath the Golden Mountain Person's feet contained lava, then he could use the principle of melting rocks.
By stacking these rocks into the lava below the creature.
When the magma melts the rocks, it would release strong gases—not just poisonous gases, but also a considerable amount of carbon dioxide!
If large amounts of carbon dioxide were directed at the stone golem, it would definitely oxidize its outer skin. Then, the problem would be solved effortlessly.
Easy to think, harder to do!
Ye Liang grabbed an iron sword and started digging.
Fortunately, the stone golem was slow; otherwise, this wouldn't be possible at all.
What exactly is he doing?
Hanzo looked puzzled watching Ye Liang's actions, but the latter threw over a rusty iron sword without saying a word.
"Don't ask questions! Dig!"
...
Time slowly passed.
The people waiting outside all furrowed their brows.
During previous Martial Valor Festivals, battles usually ended within three hours at most.
Without water replenishment, nobody could possibly survive for much longer inside—but today had already exceeded four hours, yet the people inside still hadn't come out!
"Have you found out yet? Ye Liang definitely hasn't exited?"
"Yes, Prince! Most likely, those earlier warriors have already taken care of him by now."
One of the attendants leaned close to a prince and whispered something.
The latter immediately burst into laughter.
Kasuka Kazahana's expression darkened immediately!
These two were speaking loudly, pretending to be hiding their words from others, yet clearly voicing their true feelings out in the open.
"Brother, you know Elder Ye Liang won't be held back by such a minor matter! I believe he'll be just fine!" she insisted fiercely.
"Haha, look at the time! You're still living in your dreams. Once this Martial Valor Festival ends, you'll be preparing for marriage to a distant land!"
"You..."
The two began arguing fiercely.
At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared at the periphery of the Sword Cemetery. He staggered forward, clearly on the verge of collapse.
"Quickly, see who came out!" Elder Daimyo immediately sent someone over.
Kasuka Kazahana's heart leaped to her throat!
"Please be Ye Liang Senior Brother!" But when she saw who it was—Lord Mifune—disappointment quickly flooded over her.
It was Mifune who emerged.
He leaned on an iron sword like a crutch, limping forward. Clearly, he had exhausted his strength just like everyone expected.
"Lord Mifune, are you alright!" Elder Daimyo immediately expressed concern.
The latter raised his hand slightly to indicate he was fine.
At this moment, Kasuka Kazahana couldn't wait to walk over.
Besides Ye Liang, Mifune was the last one to exit. If anyone knew where Master Ye Liang was, it had to be him!
"Lord Mifune, may I ask about Master Ye Liang..."
"Don't ask. You'll find out!" Mifune cut her off mid-sentence.
He gazed into the abyss of the Sword Cemetery, unable to speak for a long while.
Even Mifune hadn't expected it.
Out of everyone, Ye Liang was the one who endured until the end!
Ye Liang and Mifune had been digging together on the wall, and later the Golden Mountain Person was actually corroded by the steam from the melted stones!
It gradually dissolved and dripped away, finally revealing a clear, translucent white crystal. Unfortunately, Mifune still couldn't persevere. He exited at the final moment and lost his qualification to enter the Seventh Layer.
Deep within the crimson Sword Cemetery, a monumental event was unfolding.
Ye Liang stood staring at the transparent crystal before him. It shimmered like pure ice—just a single touch sent waves of energy surging through his body.
He picked up the crystal in his hand, and the surrounding lava quickly cooled down, withered, and finally turned into rock.
"So this is how it is! The Seventh Layer of the Sword Cemetery lies beneath this lava!"
Ye Liang tapped on the cooled lava, immediately figuring everything out.
The sound was very crisp.
It was hollow underneath!
No wonder the predecessors of the Land of Iron couldn't enter the Seventh Layer.
This was lava!
No matter how strong someone is, trying to find the entrance to the Seventh Layer within molten lava is simply a fantasy!
Ye Liang gradually pried open the hardened lava crust on the ground. Finally, in a narrow corner, he discovered a large hole lying horizontally!
It was extremely deep!
He jumped in.
The scenery around him changed rapidly. Everywhere were dazzling crystal stones, flashing vibrant colors—purple, red, yellow, and mostly green!
After slowing himself by touching the walls for half a minute, Ye Liang landed at the bottom of the valley.
It was pure darkness all around.
Maybe it was the crushing depth, but Ye Liang actually felt a shiver run down his spine. He shook his shoulders and channeled chakra into his eyes.
They were at least hundreds of meters underground. Using chakra here naturally meant no need to worry about being detected by people above.
His eyes flared red, sweeping the area in an instant with sharp clarity.
"White Zetsu!"
He was shocked!
Right here, hidden in this underground pit—tens of thousands of White Zetsu. But they were all lying still on the ground. All of them... already dead.
"What in the world happened here?!"
Ka-da!
Just as he spoke, a shadow stepped forward!
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