In an instant, they released hundreds of arrows. A bubble appeared around Zhou Fan, and all of the arrows within its grasp halted. In the future, he was once again able to use the power of time. He flicked his hands, and the arrows flew back, piercing the figures in gold.
A clicking sound was heard, and a crack extended across the entirety of the ground. Three giant dragons appeared from within the mountains. One represented fire, another ice, and the final one lightning.
Each of these dragons were enough to kill all ten of the golden figures alone.
Zhou Fan rotated his hand, and a ring of fire appeared around him. As the dragons got close, the ring of fire exploded, decimating them on the spot. Everything fell silent for a full minute. Then, a clicking sound was heard again.
In the skies, a person appeared. Zhou Fan could tell he was extremely old, but he had a youthful body.
"Impressive. Now, take one of my clone's attacks, and you have passed."
The clone readied itself before punching out. The force was incredible, and the illusionary world began to crack.
However, it was far too weak.
Zhou Fan lightly punched out, and the attack was decimated. The force of his punch continued, sending the clone flying back. Despite that, it had no reaction. It was clearly following instructions and didn't have any sort of intelligence at all.
But since Zhou Fan was still alive, the clone dissipated, and the world followed.
A medal appeared, and Zhou Fan grabbed it.
The dark room once again appeared behind him.
He walked back towards where he came, exiting the door.
The woman was waiting outside. "Don't feel ashamed to have failed so fast. You lasted longer than many others who have come before you."
In response, Zhou Fan held out his hand and opened it. A medal hung from his fingers, and when the woman saw it, she fell deathly silent.
Not far away, the chatter of guards and the sounds of prayer fell silent as well. All of them looked at Zhou Fan with awe.
The silence lasted for a while before an old man ran over.
"Esteemed sir! I apologize for the delay. Please, come with me. You are more than qualified to enter the Nine Heavens Universe."
Zhou Fan nodded and followed the panicked old man through the gateway below the statue of Lord Lu.
Even after he left, no sound could be heard for hours.
Into the passageway was not a regular teleportation array, but a bright gateway.
"This is a more advanced version of the teleportation array. These are still widely used for short distance teleportation, but it is near impossible to find one that can facilitate travel between Universes. Please, follow me." The old man stepped into the bright light and disappeared.
Zhou Fan also walked through. When he exited, he found himself in a vast starry sky.
It was mostly just space with some stars, but ahead was an extremely large city. The city was so large that it could not even be described in words. It was far bigger than the entire Universe of the Origin Era.
This city was the only thing in this Universe.
"Welcome to the Nine Heavens Universe." The old man said. "The city ahead was at one point the last stronghold of humanity. Without these walls you see, there would be no more humanity in this Universe. Eras have changed, but this city remains the same nonetheless. Since you seem to be unfamiliar with all of this, allow me to act as your guide. What is your destination?"
"I need to speak with Shen Ce." Zhou Fan said.
The man was clearly surprised, but nodded. "Using that medal, you have the authority to request an audience with just about anyone in the Nine Heavens Universe."
They began to walk forward, and as they did so, the old man shared some facts with Zhou Fan.
"That entrance gate you see ahead was once known as the Eternal Gate. Nobody was allowed to pass through it, save for the three strongest beings of that time. Anyone who had tried was met with a violent and quick death. This was naturally before Master Lu was even born. However, one day, someone visited from a Universe that had existed closely with the Nine Heavens Universe, a Universe seen as subordinate to the Nine Heavens Universe. This man was known as the strongest in that Universe, yet extremely reclusive. So reclusive many even in his own Universe thought of him as a myth. Yet he appeared, and when he walked through these gates, nobody dared stop him. The three strongest didn't get involved because they had no interest, and it seemed that the man had many secrets. As for those guarding the gate, those who were among the strongest below the three supreme beings, they felt an intense sensation of death at the thought. He is one of five people to ever walk through that gate during that time period. The first three were naturally the three supreme beings, and the last one, much later, was Master Lu. Now, we can freely walk through of course."
Zhou Fan nodded. It was a good story, even if there were many details missing.
The guide added a note at the end. "Unfortunately, that man, known as the Master of Grass, died in the Race War Era. He was someone that Master Lu respected immensely, even if I only have surface level knowledge of all that. If you get the chance, I recommend you ask Shen Ce about the Master of Grass. She may know a bit more, and perhaps the information you learn can help you out with whatever quest you're on."
Zhou Fan nodded. He would consider it.
The old man spoke until they made it through the gate. There was nobody guarding it.
Although there were large walls and a gate, the inside of the city was not much different from the outside, the only difference being the existence of many planets, sects, and large natural phenomena.
"I'll guide you to Shen Ce now." The old man said.