The two of them moved rapidly, with the scenery flying past them at high speed. Old Curtis continued to walk leisurely through the air, while Ye Han explored the surrounding space from the ground.
Mastering the first layer of the Speed Mystery, Ye Han maneuvered with practiced ease. His soul power continually probed the nearby space, searching for gaps.
However, after several hours of swift running, Ye Han gradually felt his soul tire, his speed falter significantly, and soon Old Curtis was far ahead.
"Why has your speed suddenly dropped?" Old Curtis noticed Ye Han's condition and in an instant appeared before him.
"My spiritual power isn't strong enough to shuttle through space for extended periods," Ye Han said calmly, not hiding his ability to traverse space from Old Curtis. If a god-tier being couldn't detect this, would they still be worthy of the title?
The biggest difference between the god-tier and the holy-tier is that upon reaching the god-tier, one's comprehended laws are fully integrated into the soul. It is no longer an increase in quantity, but an increase in quality.
"Heh, I'm getting more and more curious about your cultivation method. With the strength of the ninth-tier, not only is your speed comparable to the average mid-holy-tier, but you can also shuttle through space without understanding the laws. I must admit, the creator of this technique is a genius, a true genius," Old Curtis said with a chuckle, displaying no greed, only pure admiration.
"This isn't something just anyone could create. It's a culmination of endless years and countless powerful zombies," Ye Han thought to himself.
"Let's go, I'll take you," Old Curtis gestured with one hand, and Ye Han found himself involuntarily rising to Old Curtis's side.
Without any visible action from Old Curtis, Ye Han saw everything below him receding at a speed many times faster than before. "I'm still weak," he thought.
If other ninth-tier warriors heard this, they would probably be infuriated to death. A person who hadn't even reached the holy-tier was using a god-tier strongman as a benchmark, calling himself weak.
"Old Curtis, why haven't I seen any other people since I've been here for so many days?" Ye Han asked.
"They're all cultivating."
Ye Han instantly understood. At the level of strength possessed by Old Curtis and others, each cultivation session lasts for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. With nothing else to do here, everyone simply cultivates, striving to reach higher levels.
Old Curtis flew rapidly with Ye Han for a while, and Ye Han noticed that vegetation became scarce until they reached a vast desert.
A boundless desert, barren and lifeless. After entering the desert for a hundred miles, Ye Han felt an unbearable scorching heat, reminiscent of his first transformation into a zombie under the sun. He quickly circulated the Vanshi Decree within him. After several cycles, the heat subsided.
"This is the Red Flame Desert," Old Curtis noted Ye Han's reaction.
"The Red Flame Desert?" Ye Han asked, puzzled.
"Don't think of the Prison of the Apocalypse as too simple. What you've seen is just a corner of it," Old Curtis said cheerfully.
As they delved deeper into the desert, the heat Ye Han had dispelled with the Vanshi Decree started to build up again, forcing him to focus fully on the decree. But the further in they went, the heat did not diminish; it increased, causing white smoke to rise from Ye Han's body.
When Ye Han was at a loss, a cool breeze from Old Curtis's shoulder entered his body, helping to drive away the internal heat. Ye Han no longer felt the earlier discomfort.
Opening his eyes, he gratefully glanced at Old Curtis beside him.
"This Red Flame Desert has existed for an untold number of years, even before I arrived. Except for those who cultivate fire-type qi or magic, no one else can survive here for long," Old Curtis said, then accelerated again.
As they ventured deeper, the air was filled with deep red mist. However, protected by Old Curtis's god-tier energy, Ye Han did not experience the earlier problems.
"If I were to fight others here, I wouldn't need them to kill me. I would die here in no time," Ye Han thought to himself. Without reaching the third-level zombie state, strong sunlight and high temperatures could still kill him.
Although Ye Han had now reached the late stage of a fourth-level main corpse zombie, he was unsure how long it would take to break through.
After several hours of rapid flight, the red mist in the sky began to dissipate. "It's just ahead," Old Curtis said.
With Old Curtis's speed, they had flown tens of thousands of miles in such a long time, indicating the vastness of the place.
"Ah!" Ye Han looked ahead, his face filled with shock.
Even with the memories of the
Inferno and the Immortal King, Ye Han had never witnessed such a shocking sight.
"Heh, surprised?" Old Curtis said, seeing Ye Han's reaction.
"No wonder no one has ever left. Those space fissures alone are enough to tear everything apart," Ye Han muttered.
Thousands of miles ahead of Ye Han was the endless cosmos, filled with endless space fissures that continually tore and repaired themselves, in a cycle without end.
"That's the fundamental reason why no one can leave. If not for that barrier, I think this place would no longer exist," Old Curtis murmured, equally shocked by the sight.
Even from a thousand miles away, Ye Han could clearly see the immense fissures, which must be at least a hundred miles wide, perhaps even a thousand.
"Can we get any closer?" Ye Han asked slowly.
"Of course, as long as the barrier exists, the destructive power of the space fissures cannot penetrate," Old Curtis said, bringing Ye Han to the barrier and gently descending.
Before Ye Han was a seven-colored energy shield, extending to the endless cosmos and isolating the immense destructive power from the space fissures outside.
"Has it always been like this?" Ye Han turned to ask Old Curtis.
"Yes, but those space fissures calm down once every thousand years."
"When will they calm down next?" Ye Han asked eagerly, learning that the fissures weren't always present.
"In four months," Old Curtis responded promptly, as every newcomer asked the same question.
"In four months," Ye Han mumbled, extending his hands slowly towards the colorful energy shield.
Ripples spread from Ye Han's hands at the center, but no matter how much force he applied, he could not budge the shield.
Sighing lightly, Ye Han was about to retract his hands from the barrier when the corpse pill within him suddenly spun rapidly, releasing a pure yin force that flowed along his meridians toward the barrier, enveloping his hands.
Ye Han was startled and wanted to withdraw his hands, but at that moment, his hands slightly penetrated the barrier.
"This..." Ye Han said in disbelief, looking at his withdrawn hands.
"What's wrong?" Old Curtis asked, hearing Ye Han's exclamation.
"Nothing, just that the barrier feels strange."
Ye Han didn't disclose the truth because he couldn't fully trust Old Curtis yet. As long as no one could leave, the people here were nice to everyone without the aloofness of god-tier beings. But would that remain the same once they knew what had just happened? Who wouldn't want freedom?
Facing prepared holy-tier opponents was challenging enough, let alone a god-tier opponent.
Experiences had taught Ye Han the ugliness of human nature; never to be merciful to enemies, and never to reveal all to those around him.
"Heh, it is strange," Old Curtis glanced at Ye Han, "Let's go, we've been out for a long time, little Ya must be anxious." After speaking, Old Curtis gently floated into the air, and Ye Han's body gradually rose beside him.