Chapter 157: A Kiss of Peace
The secret realm, giant tree.
Southeastern direction.
“Go!”
A stern shout was followed by the dull thud of a sword blade cutting against something as tough as a stone wall.
After blocking a powerful blow for his junior brother, Chang Hao steadied himself, took a deep breath, and gazed at the monster before him.
It was truly a ‘monster’.
It stood nearly fifteen feet tall, its stone-like body covered in dense, varied-sized holes. Each hole swarmed with nameless plants.
Chang Hao couldn’t find any facial features resembling humans or beasts on its front, only a rough, rugged stone surface. He had no idea how it navigated.
Honestly, the holes alone were terrifying enough. Coupled with its sky-towering physique and facelessness, he felt a great deal of psychological discomfort every time he looked at it.
And this was merely their third trial.
He couldn’t imagine the legendary thirty-six layers of trials in this secret realm, with escalating difficulty. Was this something humans could overcome?
Even though the trials adjusted to the cultivator’s strength, Chang Hao still found the intensity to be utterly preposterous.
His thoughts were interrupted by the whistling sound of wind.
Chang Hao’s eyes narrowed. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed his sword technique, infusing spiritual energy into the blade. After a sideways dodge, he swung his sword back, burying it into the monster’s descending arm.
However, the reality was that piercing it with a single sword strike was merely his own wishful thinking.
A tremendous recoil shot up his arm, nearly forcing him to drop his sword.
Using the momentary opening, Chang Hao’s expression darkened. He retreated several steps, then bolted with his two junior brothers.
“Senior Brother Chang, why don’t we stop here…”
Beside him, someone was already losing courage.
Chang Hao glanced at him, seeing his disciple robe tattered from the previous battle and his entire body covered in grime, looking utterly disheveled.
Looking at the other junior brother, and himself, they weren’t faring any better.
They had been entangled with this monster for three whole days, yet they hadn’t even managed to breach its defenses. It was hard to muster the desire to continue fighting.
Chang Hao gritted his teeth, casting a resentful glance back before nodding.
But in the next moment, a terrified voice rang out.
“Senior Brother… the, the talisman seems to have failed?!”
He stammered, extending his trembling hand.
In his palm lay the transmission talisman, now crumbled to dust.
Chang Hao froze, then his pupils suddenly contracted.
Once a trial in the secret realm began, it was a fight to the death, unless they voluntarily chose to give up.
But now, their only escape route seemed to be blocked.
Behind them, the terrifying sound of a colossal being landing on the ground echoed.
The earth trembled.
The monster had caught up.
…
…
The core area of the secret realm, a wooden house.
When Lin Jingq finally awoke from her dream state, her consciousness slowly returning, the first thing she saw was the familiar figure of the young man.
He lay on a bamboo chair, his eyes downcast, as usual, but it surprisingly gave her a sense of peace.
It was as if no matter what she went through, as long as he was by her side, she never had to worry about any bad outcomes.
The girl tried to move but froze. Before she could react, she stumbled and fell.
Her body, unused for so long, resulted in a clumsy fall on flat ground.
She fell directly towards the young man who was pretending to sleep on the bamboo chair.
Her head, along with her messy hair, plunged into his abdomen.
Chen An opened his eyes, meeting her gaze filled with a clear, foolish innocence.
He sighed, thinking how he hadn’t noticed her being so clumsy when they first met.
Then, the girl’s lips moved, uttering a garbled sound.
“Chuan’an…”
Suddenly, the door of the wooden house was pushed open, and Zheng Qing walked in.
She saw the scene, paused for a second, and then, as if remembering something, quietly retreated, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
…
A moment of silence.
“Get up.”
Hearing the young man’s calm voice, Lin Jingq let out a soft “Oh” and quickly pushed herself up, standing.
Perhaps realizing what had happened, her face flushed crimson, her earlobes turning a bright red. She stood there, head bowed, like a child who had done something wrong.
Chen An glanced at her, then rose from the bamboo chair and walked towards the door.
“Since you’re awake, let’s go.”
He didn’t dwell on what had just happened, casually saying.
Behind him, the girl let out a soft hum, muttering “So petty,” adding that it wasn’t intentional, before hopping and following his steps.
Chen An ignored her quiet grumbling and opened the wooden door again.
Outside, the woman was looking up at the sky. Hearing the movement, she turned her head, surprise flashing across her face.
“So soon?!”
Chen An walked past her expressionlessly and flicked her forehead with his finger.
His knuckle met her skin with a “bang.”
Zheng Qing cried out in pain, covering her head.
She looked at him resentfully, not angry, just unsure why she had to endure such a reprimand.
Yet, she was older than him, and the young man took on the role of disciplinarian with remarkable ease.
It was as if he were the elder.
“Pfft.”
The girl, walking behind Chen An, couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, covering her mouth.
She stepped forward, nudged Chen An’s shoulder, and whispered, “Chen An, why did you flick Senior Sister? That’s not good…”
Chen An paused.
He raised his hand and flicked the girl with his finger.
“Ouch, that hurt!”
Lin Jingq reacted much more dramatically than Zheng Qing. She cried out in pain, her eyes misting over, and her expression turned as resentful as her Senior Sister’s.
Seeing her wronged look, Chen An suddenly smiled.
“Hmm, this is called ‘not worrying about poverty, but about inequality.'”
He said.
The girl glared at him fiercely, saying, “Bah! Who would want this kind of inequality!”
Chen An continued forward, not arguing with her.
Zheng Qing stepped forward, took the girl’s hand, and led her along to catch up.
She hesitated, then asked, “Chen An, um… how long have we been asleep in that house?”
She asked this not out of concern that Chen An might do anything untoward during their sleep, but because she recalled the words of the Heavenly Master before they entered the secret realm.
“Six days.”
The young man’s answer came from ahead.
Hearing this, both Zheng Qing and Lin Jingq were stunned.
“Six days?!”
In the secret realm, day and night inverted every seven days.
This meant today was the last day.
They exchanged a look, knowing they were thinking the same thing.
“Wait, Chen An, what about those people who entered with us?”
The girl asked with a hint of worry.
She wasn’t worried that Chen An wouldn’t find a way out; his seemingly relaxed demeanor suggested he already had a plan.
But what about the others who had separated from them early on?
Were they just going to abandon them?
The young man ahead stopped.
He looked back, “You want to save them?”
Hearing this, Lin Jingq’s small head nodded rapidly.
“Then go back and get the mirror on the wall.”
“Ah… me?”
The girl pointed to herself, her eyes widening slightly, asking with a lack of confidence.
Thinking back, when she first met Chen An, she had been quite confident…
She had even boasted and made grand promises, including words about her Foundation Establishment potential.
But all of that had faded with her growing familiarity with Chen An.
“Yes, you.”
Chen An looked at her calmly and replied.
(End of Chapter)
