Chapter 296: Breaking Out in a Sweat
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing the young man stop, Lin Jingq emerged from her inexplicable “shy” state. She asked softly.
Chen An shook his head and didn’t say anything more, continuing to walk. His spiritual sense had always been keen, so he naturally knew that someone had been manipulating the secret realm and peeping from the shadows. However, he had no intention of doing anything to stop it. As for whether his strength would be exposed or if he should conceal it, that was not within his range of consideration.
But if the secret realm’s formation could be activated from the outside, why was the part where one exited the secret realm missing? Was it due to disrepair… or was it man-made? Based on the limited known conditions, Chen An could not yet make a deduction. But as long as he reached the “Lingxu Palace,” the core location of the secret realm, he believed everything would become clear.
…
Mount Longhu, Heavenly Master’s Mansion.
The young man’s calm glance back plunged the entire hall into an inexplicable silence. Not a soul stirred. In that instant, it felt as if a misconception arose in everyone’s heart. He seemed to know he was being watched, but simply didn’t care.
The young man’s plain white robe was clean, but its origin was unclear. However, the girl he held by the hand could easily be identified by her attire. Thus, numerous unseen gazes were drawn to the woman wearing the same daoist robe. Her dark hair was tied to one side, her appearance was exceptionally beautiful, and her temperament was tranquil and transcendent. Though she had not spoken, she had been subtly attracting everyone’s attention.
Of course, if it were just this, they had heard of the talented and beautiful Master Luo before. But today, beside her sat two other women, one older and one younger, who were no less impressive. The one in the purple dress was sumptuous and dignified, her alluring eyes casually surveying everything around her. Whenever someone was swept by her gaze, they couldn’t help but straighten their backs, even though the gaze did not linger for more than half a second. The other girl in the white dress had an extremely cold and aloof demeanor, her usual expressionless face making people hesitant to look too closely.
After a while, Meng Mao, who had been forced to “specialize” in observing expressions, noticed the way the young man and woman in the secret realm were holding hands. His heart stirred, and he thought, it seems the relationship between Master Luo and the young man is probably not as simple as elder and junior. It’s likely they are planning to arrange a marriage between his disciple and the young man.
So, he stepped a little closer and casually said, “Ahem, they look quite a good match…” Meng Mao’s intention was to flatter Luo Cong’an and curry favor. However, as soon as he spoke, he felt as if the air around him had instantly solidified, and the temperature began to drop rapidly. He froze, then felt three extremely cold gazes directed at him. In that instant, it was as if a vast sea of blood appeared before his eyes, filled with the wails and screams of vengeful spirits. Countless severed limbs and tormented souls frantically tore at his fragile soul. For a moment, he even felt as if he had been torn to shreds, not even a speck of dust remaining…
The man trembled, and with a jolt, he suddenly woke from the scene filled with pain and madness. The hall remained silent, and the young man in the secret realm continued to move forward. Only Meng Mao’s pupils contracted, and he hurriedly shut his damned mouth. Unbeknowingly, his back was already soaked, and large beads of sweat dotted his forehead.
Terrifying! So terrifying! No wonder the Old Ancestor gave the order that they must absolutely not offend them… At this moment, Meng Mao deeply understood this. So, the phrase “killing with a glance,” which he had previously dismissed as a joke, was not just talk here. Fortunately, those gazes lasted only for a moment before returning to the young man in the secret realm.
Meng Mao secretly wiped his sweat, and just as he was feeling lucky that he had saved his life, he suddenly heard an irrepressible gasp. The silence in the hall was finally broken. It was the old Heavenly Master holding the divination wheel. He widened his eyes and said with disbelief, “Wait, why hasn’t he encountered the trial yet?”
The old Heavenly Master’s words successfully shifted everyone’s attention from the three peerlessly beautiful women to the light screen. The young man’s figure weaved through the giant trees. His speed was not fast, but he had not stopped at all. Logically speaking, based on the distance he had traveled, he should have already entered the first trial level. But until now, he was still as if strolling leisurely in a garden, each step he took carrying an air of inevitability. If viewed from a macro perspective, their team had set off last, but they were undoubtedly far ahead of other teams. Even the six Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples, who were cooperating extremely well, were now far behind them.
This was the first time in the recorded history of the Lingxu Secret Realm that such a bizarre phenomenon had occurred. It’s not possible that the secret realm is giving him special treatment, right?! Someone couldn’t help but frown and ask, “Is there something wrong with the Lingxu Secret Realm?” The person who spoke had auspicious cloud patterns embroidered on his chest, and he was an elder from the Baiyun Temple. In recent years, due to the revival of spiritual energy, many large and small temples had appeared in Xia Nation. Among them, Baiyun Temple was considered a prominent one. Though its inheritance and history did not match the two great holy lands, it was by no means an ordinary, unknown temple. In other words, anyone invited by Dragon Tiger Mountain to participate in the secret realm could not be a simple person.
Hearing this, the old Heavenly Master frowned deeply and firmly stated, “Impossible!” “Before we opened the secret realm today, we specially checked it, and everything was exactly as described in the ancient texts.” “Unless someone could seize this opportunity, enter the secret realm without a ‘key,’ and destroy the formation that has been circulating endlessly for who knows how many years…” Although the old Heavenly Master didn’t finish his sentence, his meaning was clear. Moreover, even if a divine being could do such a thing, why would they bother?
The hall fell silent once more. Until a male voice broke the stillness. Meng Mao, while secretly observing the expressions of the three women, cautiously said, “Actually, is there a possibility that the problem doesn’t lie with the secret realm, but with the young man himself?” As he spoke, his thoughts seemed to drift back to that afternoon. It was a drizzling rain, and in the classroom with the signboard “Formation,” the young man’s voice was slowly lecturing. That class might have been too advanced for the students attending, but for Meng Mao, it was an absolute epiphany.
“Wait…” “They… seem to have arrived?” Some doubtful voices pulled Meng Mao back from his thoughts. He looked up and saw that the young man in the screen had stopped walking.
(End of Chapter)
