"The Lake of Life and Death, pass by obtaining the Stone of Life and Death!"
As he approached the blood lake, a mechanical voice sounded in Li Xiaotian's mind. This was the passage reminder for the second trial.
"Lake of Life and Death? Stone of Life and Death?"
Li Xiaotian whispered, his brow furrowed. He glanced at the blood lake ahead, his eyes shimmering. Its aura was identical to that of the blood sea, so why was it called the Lake of Life and Death here?
And what was the Stone of Life and Death?
After a moment of contemplation, Li Xiaotian finally jumped into the blood lake.
Boom!
Not long after Li Xiaotian entered, a world-shattering duel began. The Lake of Life and Death churned, raising colossal waves. Terrifying auras continuously emanated, and the bone-chilling killing intent almost altered the color of the heavens and earth beyond the lake. It was evident that this battle was truly earth-shattering, yet unfortunately, no one could witness it.
What was even more peculiar was that this was supposedly the central area of the Nine Regions. Yet, Li Xiaotian was the only one here, and he was the only one who had discovered the Lake of Life and Death. None of the other trial-takers were anywhere to be seen.
The Lake of Life and Death continuously erupted with terrifying auras. This continued for a full ten days before Li Xiaotian, covered in blood, crawled out of the lake.
This was truly astonishing. Li Xiaotian's current physique had already surpassed the Undying Body and was incredibly robust. He hadn't sustained many injuries when fighting against Zi Xiaohan and others previously, yet now he was covered in blood and in a sorry state.
Of course, this only proved that the battle within the Lake of Life and Death had been incredibly fierce. Li Xiaotian had gone all out, fighting his enemy and thus sustaining such severe injuries.
This was undoubtedly the most brutal battle Li Xiaotian had experienced since entering the trial grounds, unmatched by any other. It was a battle of equals, fought with frenzied intensity.
"The Lake of Life and Death, a different kind of trial!"
Li Xiaotian murmured, gazing at the lake. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and the passage reminder for the second trial echoed in his mind, simultaneously explaining the conditions for passing it.
The Nine Regions comprised nine areas. After entering, trial-takers could explore and battle as they pleased. However, the Nine Regions would record each trial-taker's performance and then determine the passage conditions based on their strength.
In other words, each trial-taker would encounter different situations upon reaching the central area.
As for the Stone of Life and Death Li Xiaotian obtained in the second trial, its true function left him profoundly shocked.
The Stone of Life and Death could allow a living being to truly experience a brush with death, a genuine demise, not the kind where one's body is shattered only to be revived by invincible experts.
It was equivalent to a resurrection stone; even if one died completely, they could still be revived, and upon revival, they would be in their peak state.
"It's like having an extra life in a game," Li Xiaotian muttered, his heart unable to calm for a long time.
The effect of this Stone of Life and Death was truly heaven-defying, serving as the ultimate trump card.
"Unless absolutely necessary, I must not use it."
Li Xiaotian made up his mind. He had no intention of revealing the secret of the Stone of Life and Death to anyone. This would be his greatest trump card, and also the greatest trump card for the Nine Provinces.
With this stone, it was as if the Nine Provinces had another powerful expert like him!
"Hum!"
The light of teleportation descended, swiftly enveloping Li Xiaotian. Simultaneously, it began to heal his injuries. In an instant, his vitality, spirit, and mind reached an astonishing state. His blood surged like a vast ocean, his divine sense reached its peak, and his injuries were completely restored.
Then, with a flash of light, Li Xiaotian vanished from his spot.
Shortly after Li Xiaotian disappeared, the distant Lake of Life and Death gradually became illusory and finally vanished completely, as if it had never existed.
At this moment, in a vast expanse of white, figures began to appear one by one.
This was the third trial, or rather, outside the third trial. All they could see in their surroundings was pure white light. All trial-takers who had passed had arrived in this white space.
Similar to passing the first trial, time had affected everyone. Regardless of when they cleared the trial, they would all appear here at the same time.
At this point, there were only a little over three hundred trial-takers. Those who had not appeared here had perished.
Li Xiaotian appeared in a corner, initially not attracting the attention of the other trial-takers.
"The Void Son from the Boundless World encountered a great opportunity in the second trial. Some have seen him traverse across four zones, his power terrifyingly immense, a stark contrast to the strength he displayed in the first trial."
Beings around whispered. Li Xiaotian followed the gazes of those discussing and saw a half-demon male. He had a vague impression of him, and at this moment, the latter exuded an indescribable aura.
Li Xiaotian recalled the first time he saw this Void Son. The opponent was not weak, but he felt that the opponent was not even as strong as Zi Xiaohan. Yet now, the opponent made him feel a sense of danger.
This meant that this Void Son had indeed obtained a heaven-defying opportunity in the second trial.
"Heaven-defying opportunity," Li Xiaotian mused. If heaven-defying opportunities were graded, he wondered what grade his Stone of Life and Death was.
It should be the highest grade, shouldn't it?
"Why are there so few trial-takers from the Sixth Zone?"
"I heard a group of powerhouses from the Twelve Ultimate Worlds went to hunt Li Xiaotian. Their figures are not seen now. Could they have all perished?"
"Strange. Why hasn't Zi Xiaohan, the Human from the Seventh Zone, appeared? His strength is terrifyingly formidable."
The trial-takers in the area were murmuring amongst themselves. Li Xiaotian was also mentioned, but casually, as if they were contestants waiting for a match to start, idly discussing recent happenings while waiting.
However, soon, the voices around Li Xiaotian gradually quieted down until a complete silence fell. This was because some trial-takers had discovered Li Xiaotian, causing them to instantly shut their mouths in fear.