70 A Sharp Mind Cuts Through All Obstacles I

The azure sky above Amon's head was bright, and a refreshing breeze blew behind his back, ruffling his ashen hair. The white clouds floating up high all moved toward the same direction, no matter where Amon looked at. They were converging to a specific place, as if something was attracting them all.

In the distance in front of Amon, a mountain range could be seen, stalwart and solid in the dark horizon. Like spear tips, the mountains rose to the skies, piercing through the clouds and hiding their peaks in the unknown boundaries of the world.

The clouds seemed to be gathering around it, twirling over the mountain range as the converging winds collided. Like a white vortex, they blocked the sun, leaving the mountains in a perennial shade.

Amon knew this was the direction he had to follow. There was no real mystery, nor did he need any other hint. The world itself was converging to the mountain range, so he decided to follow the flow.

The grass beneath Amon's feet rustled lightly as he stepped on them as he walked. Not far away from him, a wall of gigantic trees covered his view of anything but the mountains.

Their wide crowns cast deep shadows underneath them, and their green leaves glistened underneath the sunlight. Their branches swayed with the wind, throwing their leaves in the air, where they were caught up by the breeze and carried away.

Each tree seemed to reach dozens of meters high, their trunks even wider than Amon's height. Even if the trees were enormous, there was quite some distance between them. They were far from being as densely packed as they were in the Broken Forest.

The grass also seemed to grow between them without much problem, making for a very lively visage. Nevertheless, Amon could not hear a sound that was not the rustling of the leaves or the swaying of the branches. There were no birds, insects or any other kind of animal in sight.

Light and shadow intermingled on Amon's face as he walked beneath the trees. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he was clearly tense. He could spread his divine sense and could even absorb Qi this time, but something was still giving him a bad feeling.

Even if he could use his Bottomless Pouch, there was still no answer from Lya at all. This made Amon feel even stranger. He knew he was in the Trial of the Mind, but the way the world changed was suspicious.

As he walked while pondering, the trees around him turned even sparser, gradually opening up to a wide clearing in the forest. Warm sunlight shone over a mostly empty space. The clearing would have nothing at all if it were not for a bizarre door stuck in its center.

The door was at least five meters tall and two meters wide, and it absorbed all of the light that shone in it. Looking at it made Amon remember the Warrior Hall. It also made him remember the Sword Abyss.

This door looked more like a window to a world made of pure darkness than a passageway.

Amon approached it hesitantly, taking slow and uneasy steps. His divine sense was completely focused on the door, probing for even the most minute of changes. When Amon was a few meters away from it, something churned inside his clothes and made him jump in surprise.

Cursing aloud, Amon searched inside his clothes and retrieved the golden token he had received before entering the Hellblaze Secret World. It was emitting a bright and vivid light while vibrating wildly in his hands.

Amon raised a brow as he held the token tightly. He looked at the door with suspicion showing in his golden eyes and approached it slowly. Each step he took would make the token vibrate even more.

When he got close enough to that terrifying black door, he raised his hand as he grasped the token. The door started buzzing violently, and the darkness inside it started to churn, as if it was a viscous liquid.

It started to distort and twist, giving way to a blinding light that came from the other side. Soon enough, the darkness completely faded, leaving only a visage that made Amon hold his breath.

In front of him, across that strange doorway, was a brightly lit room. No, room was not the right word. It was trove. A trove filled to the brim with every kind of treasure he could picture.

The walls of the trove were made of red gold, and the tiles on the floor were made of white jade. Everything inside the trove glowed with a pale light, looking like priceless enchanted artifacts.

There were rows and rows of swords of all sizes and shapes. Their blades reflected the light like mirror as they stood in silver racks, as if waiting for someone to take them away. There were also spears, halberds, sabers, bows and a myriad of weapons Amon did not recognize.

Looking further into the trove, Amon could see bookstands filled with heavy tomes bound in leather riveted with gold and silver. They gave a mysterious aura, making Amon incredibly curious about their contents.

Even further were glossy stands filled with porcelain jars and bottles, covered in a faint mist of varied colors. Amon could tell from a glance that those were most likely pills, ointments and other kinds of medicine.

Whenever he looked at, he could see a new section of the trove filled with amazing trinkets, scrolls and weapons. Whatever Amon could think of, the trove seemed to contain somewhere in its depths. He looked at it in a daze, enchanted by the mystical treasures the trove held.

"What the hell is this place?" He asked to himself, waking up from his trance. His face turned grave and fear showed in his eyes. That had been dangerous. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

This trove was most likely a trap, one for which he almost fell for. Fear showed in his eyes as he slowly backed away. The token in his hands started shaking and vibrating in protest, but Amon did not mind.

The viscous darkness soon spread again from the edges of the doorway, covering the view of the trove in endless shadows. His hair stood on end as he took a deep breath and sent the door one last glance before looking away.

He looked up, seeing the wind carrying the leaves it had ripped from the trees, and soon found the direction to follow again. As fast as he could, he left the clearing behind him.

He closed his eyes as he walked, trying to calm himself. There was something wrong. Something was tugging at his mind, making his thoughts return to that ominous door no matter what he was thinking.

Amon, however, had no time to worry about it. He soon found himself in another clearing, almost identical to the first one. Amon froze in place as he looked to the clearing, and his face was drained of all color.

Lying down in the middle of the clearing was horrendous creature.

It had thick white fur that covered his body like an armor of sharp needles. Its size alone was enough for it to tower over the trees in the forest, and its paws were big enough to crush Amon with a single step.

Its hind legs seemed somewhat short, while what seemed to be its arms were far too long. If it stood up, Amon was sure the claws in its arms would scrape against the ground. Its paws ended in curved, sharp claws so massive they looked like sabers.

A narrow and long head that looked like the mix of a wolf and a bear complemented the creature's bizarre appearance.

Amon stood completely still, hearing only a heavy breathing sound coming from the creature at regular intervals. It was clearly in a deep sleep.

Slowly, Amon backed away. Cold sweat dolled down his back and all of the muscles in his body were tense as he left the clearing. Breathing heavily, he walked to his right for a great distance before following the winds again.

His breathing had calmed down as he entered another clearing again. A spacious, mostly empty clearing showed itself in front of his eyes. Except for a door made of pure darkness standing in front of it.

Amon's hair stood on end and all of his senses screamed at him to run.Without thinking twice, he turned back, running with all his might. He did not return to the direction he came from nor did he follow the winds, instead, he started running against them, trying to leave the woods.

As he ran madly away from the clearing, he looked around him. The trees surrounding him were not as sparse as before, meaning he had successfully left the clearing behind. He gave a sigh of relief, but soon enough his heart clenched.

The trees in front of him were turning more and sparser each step he took. Yet again, he would reach a clearing. The first thing he realized, however, was the sound. A heavy, regular breathing sound. Amon could not hide his fear and confusion as he looked ahead, seeing the sleeping white beast in the middle of the clearing.

"How is that possible?" He asked himself dumbstruck. He had guided himself using the winds. He was sure he was nowhere near the place where he originally found the beast. What was happening?

"It is useless." A cold voice echoed in Amon's mind. It was a crisp, chilling tone that made his head hurt, sounding more like the scraping of metal.

Amon raised his golden eyes, and his gaze was met by a pair of translucent blue eyes that seemed more like ice.

The beast had woken up, and was looking at Amon with a gaze that gave him chills.