The Divine Urban Physician Chapter 3556: Greetings, Samsara Master!

Upon hearing those words, a faint ripple stirred in Ye Chen's heart. Clearly, the Blood Venerate stood as a formidable expert from the Outer Realm, and with Jun Mo as his junior, the noble bearing he exuded felt entirely fitting—Jun Mo had likely spoken truthfully.

"Are you certain that crossing the Death Ancient City grants access to the Nine Death Realm?" Ye Chen pressed onward.

"I'm no longer certain. Blood Venerate only shared that much with me before trying to end my life. Why would I know the steps ahead?"

A bitter expression crossed Jun Mo's face. In that instant, his eyes drifted to Yang Han's remains nearby, a flicker of sorrow passing through them.

"Yang Han placed such faith in me, but I led to his demise. In that case, I'll venture into this Death Ancient City myself."

With those words spoken, Jun Mo abruptly discarded the Death Flower and strode into the Death Ancient City.

"Boom!"

As Jun Mo crossed the threshold, he avoided Yang Han's fate. Tossing aside the Death Flower had evidently neutralized the immediate threat of sudden death, though fresh dangers arose.

The overwhelming decay from the Death Ancient City surged forward, barreling toward Jun Mo with devastating force. This decay proved alarmingly potent and thick, not quite matching the Death Flower's intensity yet still a fierce challenge to withstand.

"Damn it!"

Upon witnessing this, Jun Mo cursed under his breath, and in the following instant, he swiftly drew forth a jade token.

A soft radiance poured from the jade token, wrapping around Jun Mo, while a profound and enigmatic supreme essence flowed out, forming a subtle shield over his form.

Yet the glow from the jade token remained faint, and now, battered by the decay, it quivered relentlessly, on the verge of collapse at any second.

Jun Mo gripped the jade token in fear and dread, pouring spiritual energy into it without pause, all while glancing back at Ye Chen and the other.

"You two, if you lack protective treasures or methods, it's wiser to retreat. This decay overwhelms everything."

Jun Mo called out before dashing deeper into the ancient palace. He had no idea how long the jade token could fend off the decay; he had to locate the Nine Death Realm's entrance swiftly within that window.

Watching this unfold, Ye Chen's brow creased faintly, and right then, the Destruction Divine Dao erupted outward, cloaking him in boundless destructive might, as if he embodied a lord of ruin.

At once, the dust tablet emerged from Ye Chen's frame, unleashing boundless expansive light laced with Hongmeng Energy, steadfastly shielding him.

Simultaneously, vast demonic qi billowed from the Demon Emperor's body, shaping into an Ancient Bell adorned with elaborate patterns, radiating an ancient presence so timeless it stunned, carrying waves of awe.

"Let's move."

The Sky-covering Demon Emperor eyed the depths of the Death Ancient City with grave intent, then advanced into it, with Ye Chen trailing right behind.

The instant they set foot inside the Death Ancient City, Ye Chen sensed an endless tide of decay crashing upon him, this horrifying decay intent on erasing all existence, consuming every spark of life.

The limitless decay rolled in, leaving Ye Chen and the Demon Emperor like fragile vessels amid stormy seas, their defenses shuddering nonstop, clearly on the brink of failing against the immense decay.

"If we fail to locate the entrance, we pull back right away." Ye Chen turned to the Sky-covering Demon Emperor and stated.

Ye Chen yearned to locate Ye Luo and pull him to safety, but he refused to risk the Sky-covering Demon Emperor's life. Without finding the Nine Death Realm's entrance, lingering in the Death Ancient City spelled doom.

"Understood."

The Sky-covering Demon Emperor gave a nod, offering no further words, and soon the pair plunged through the endless decay, pressing ahead.

"Boom!"

Through the ceaseless decay's onslaught, Ye Chen and the Demon Emperor scoured the Death Ancient City for the Nine Death Realm's entrance. Upon reaching its far edge, a stone door came into view, with Jun Mo positioned before it.

"You two, hurry over."

Jun Mo beckoned to Ye Chen and the Demon Emperor, and around the death door, no decay lingered—clearly, this spot alone in the Death Ancient City repelled the decay, serving as its sole haven of life.

Spotting Jun Mo, a glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes, and alongside the Sky-covering Demon Emperor, they hurried to the stone door's vicinity, free of decay. At once, the decay's assault halted, bringing Ye Chen and the Demon Emperor a deep sense of ease.

"Is this the gateway to the Nine Death Realm? Why linger outside?" Ye Chen questioned Jun Mo.

"I figured you'd both enter as well, so I held position here."

Jun Mo chuckled at the query, then gestured toward the stone door's central point. "Besides, a mighty figure here informed me that only once everyone who survived the Death Ancient City gathers, can he unlock the path to the Nine Death Realm."

"Another presence here?"

Ye Chen's heart stirred at that, his sharp gaze sweeping the stone door's center, though no powerful entity revealed itself upon the door.

Concentrating his vision now, Ye Chen abruptly spotted a single grain of sand at the stone door's heart, and inside that grain sat an elder.

The elder's presence pulsed with boundless might, surrounded by countless sand-like particles, yet luminous specks brighter than stars swirled nearby.

Sensing Ye Chen's scrutiny in that moment, the elder's eyes snapped open, their depths like a devouring Black Hole, swirling endlessly, capable of drawing in souls, even the vast All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds.

"All have arrived."

The elder's voice rang out, ancient beyond measure, before his form shifted, materializing directly in front of Ye Chen and the trio.

Seated cross-legged beside the stone door, the elder raised his gaze, scanning Ye Chen and the others with detached calm, then addressed them: "You seek to venture into the Nine Death Realm?"

"Indeed."

Ye Chen inclined his head respectfully, his tone exceedingly courteous toward the elder, aware of the man's immeasurable strength—provoking him would invite instant doom.

"Relax, I'm just the caretaker of the Death Door, tasked with its activation and sealing. As long as you harbor no ill intent toward the Death Door, I won't harm any who reach this place."

The elder spoke evenly, his eyes fixed on Ye Chen.

"Death Door?"

Ye Chen's eyes tightened slightly at the term, shifting his view to the stone door ahead. "This is the Death Door?"

"Correct."

The elder's black-hole-like eyes gleamed with light. "It represents the ultimate forge, where one grasps the essence of life and death. To access the Nine Death Realm, passage through the Death Door demands insight into those mysteries for true worthiness."

"Yet the Death Door offers nine paths to death and but one to survival. Emerging intact calls for profound insight. No matter your strength, failure to grasp life and death ensures your end."

"Thus, you three—have you resolved to brave the Death Door? Departure remains an option even now."

Hearing this, Ye Chen and the pair showed no trace of doubt, responding at once, "We have."

Jun Mo had chased the Nine Death Realm across years, and with it so near, the Death Door's dread wouldn't deter him.

Ye Chen and the Sky-covering Demon Emperor shared that resolve. What's more, both brimmed with supreme confidence, bordering on pride, convinced their sharp minds would carry them beyond the Death Door.

"Fine then, step forward."

The elder smiled without pretense, resembling a simple elder. Absent the surging power within him, Ye Chen might have pegged him as an Earthly retiree idly passing time in a park.

Now, the elder swept his hand, releasing torrent of immense power; the stone door quaked fiercely, unleashing a savage, overpowering surge of force and weight!

The stone door parted, unveiling a separate domain beyond, where void-like aura billowed endlessly, a majestic and immense pressure rolling outward.

Beyond lay an boundless universe, with myriad worlds in constant birth and ruin, countless souls cycling through existence and demise amid the stars, embodying life's endless cycles.

"Step inside and grasp life and death." The elder's tone turned grave now, his words deep and resonant toward Ye Chen and the rest.

"Right!"

Jun Mo surged ahead, entering the stone door and vanishing into the infinite cosmos in a flash.

"I'll take the lead." The Sky-covering Demon Emperor shot Ye Chen a look, then crossed into the stone door as well.

The elder's gaze deepened as he regarded Ye Chen. "Your turn now."

"Yes." Ye Chen nodded steadily, approaching the stone door, only to meet an unyielding barrier of repulsion that barred his path.

"What's this?" Ye Chen arched a brow in astonishment, summoning an unbeatable aura and unleashing earth-shaking might to shatter the barrier and charge through.

"Boom!"

A thunderous crash echoed as Ye Chen's form hurled backward, the stone door's explosive rejection slamming into him with nightmarish ferocity, nearly pulverizing his bones on impact.

"Why do you delay!"

Ye Chen barely regained his footing when the elder fixed him with a furious glare, his own aura exploding with vast power.

"The Death Door blocks my passage."

Ye Chen's forehead creased in confusion over the bizarre turn.

"Blocks you?"

The elder's stare turned frigid at the claim. As the stone door's eternal sentinel across eons, it had never denied entry before—Ye Chen must be deceiving him.

"You dare deceive me!"

The elder erupted in fury. "I've unsealed the stone door; every survivor of the Death Ancient City must proceed, fear or no—even if you dread it, you enter!"

Convinced Ye Chen shrank from the Death Door's dangers and now wavered, the elder acted without delay, binding Ye Chen in overwhelming power and flinging him toward the stone door with brutal force.

The elder sought to shove Ye Chen through the Death Door by main strength, his savage energy clashing against the door, sending cataclysmic waves rippling across the world.

The stone door's repulsion detonated in response, smashing headlong into the elder's assault.

"Boom!"

The whole Death Ancient City shuddered, ancient structures crumbling in droves, the elder coughing up blood as his face drained to ashen pallor.

"You..." The elder stared at Ye Chen in sheer terror, his energy wavering wildly.

"I have no idea what's occurring here either."

Noting the elder's fading presence and the backlash from clashing with the stone door, Ye Chen knitted his brows, offering his explanation.

Plainly, the elder meant no harm, simply upholding his role as guardian by ushering all who survived the Death Ancient City into the Death Door—that alone drove his efforts.

At Ye Chen's words, the elder dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, gazing up at him in profound reverence, and declared loudly, "This humble servant, Stone Gate Guardian Zhou Liang, bows to the Samsara Master!"