Chapter 740: I Will Do It!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
They were still walking forward, getting deeper and deeper into the tunnel.
But this time, the cultivators were lagging behind and were not enthusiastic about talking with Zixia Fairy as they had been before.
Joker, who was transfigured from Xu Que, was walking right next to Zixia Fairy. Although the cultivators knew Joker was a member of the Exploding Heavens Faction, they still did not want to talk to him.
Right at this moment, Xu Que was feeling a bit embarrassed. They had been walking for a few hours, and Zixia Fairy was not uttering a word. Even when Xu Que tried to make conversation with her, she did not reply to him. It seemed that she was still angry at Xu Que for not sticking up for her earlier.
On the journey, they had suffered many restrictions, but Xu Que did not have any chance to act tough by breaking the restrictions since they had all been broken by Zixia Fairy alone. As if she could turn her anger into power, she managed to break all the restrictions one after another, which had greatly surprised the cultivators. Even Xu Que was impressed by her power.
…
"Zixia, I am really impressed by your power!" Xu Que smiled when Zixia Fairy broke another restriction. He had decided to change his tactics and seize every opportunity to praise her. However, this did not work at all. No matter how hard Xu Que tried to praise her, she would not give any responses. It was as if she did not hear Xu Que at all.
You won't talk with me, then I will stop you from breaking the restrictions!
Soon, there was a restriction made of lightning in front of them, and it covered the entire passage.
"Zixia, in fact I also know something about restrictions. Let me deal with this, please!" Xu Que said and quickly moved forward.
Bang!
Xu Que secretly practiced the King of Tough-Acting Fist, which cost him 1,000 Acting Tough Points. In the blink of an eye, the restriction vanished.
Seeing this, Zixia Fairy was a bit shocked. Although it was easy for her to break a restriction, she could not possibly destroy one as easily as Xu Que did.
The cultivators behind were also stunned and said, "This is normal. All the cultivators of the Exploding Heavens Faction are this powerful! Joker must have seen through the layout of the restriction, he managed to break it so quickly."
They continued to move forward. Soon, a pond appeared in front of them, and a golden forest was growing out of the water. What was special about it was that all the trees were burning.
"Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth…this is the Five Elements Land!" The cultivators shouted. "Blimey, we are in such bad luck!"
"Zixia, actually I also happen to know something about the working mechanism of an Array! Please let me deal with this!" All of a sudden, Xu Que flew forward.
Bang!
The Array of Five Elements was destroyed, the pond, the golden trees, and the fire all disappeared.
Zixia Fairy was stunned again, as were the cultivators.
After a while, the passage suddenly became extremely narrow and was covered with yellow talismans, and a powerful Sealing Power erupted.
"Zixia, in fact, I also know a bit about the talismans. Let me deal with it!"
Then, he hurriedly practiced the King of Tough-Acting Fist again, again, and again.
"I know something about this. Let me deal with this!"
"Let me deal with this!" Xu Que's voice was echoing in the tunnel.
No matter what scary restrictions they met on the journey, Xu Que destroyed them all.
Zixia Fairy was shocked and began to doubt whether Xu Que had been hiding his real capability all this time, just like she did.
Thanks to Xu Que's High-Class Disguise Puppet, Zixia Fairy could not find out how powerful Xu Que was, no matter how hard she tried.
While the cultivators walking behind were already completely stunned.
For God's sake, how can he know something about everything? He could destroy any restriction with only one punch, and he calls himself someone who knows something about everything?! Clearly, he is someone who knows everything about everything!
…
A few hours later, they arrived at the end of the tunnel.
Zixia Fairy immediately stopped walking, as did Xu Que.
In front of them was an enormous sea. Although there was no wind blowing, the seawater was shining and rippling, while giving out cold air. At the same time, the sea current was moving quickly underneath.
Countless round stones were floating on the surface. The stones had two colors, black and white, and were dotting the surface in disorder. Looking from afar, the entire sea looked like a great checkerboard.
The black-and-white round stones constantly moved with the water. It seemed that two people were moving them.
"My goodness! What is this?!"
"Turned the sea into a huge checkerboard! Who on earth did this?!"
"This is so very strange! Haven't you noticed, once I get close to the sea, I feel the urge to jump into it!"
"Are you all feeling the energy is fading away gradually?!"
"Blimey! This is a Scary Array which would absorb our energy!"
"No! It is not absorbing our energy, it is instilling Liveless Qi into our bodies."
"Let's back off!"
The cultivators shouted aloud and hurriedly backed off.
Xu Que and Zixia Fairy looked at each other and also backed off.
"Zixia, do you know what this is?" Xu Que asked.
Zixia Fairy shook her head and frowned. "I have never seen such a place before!"
Xu Que then said, "Zixia, I wonder, have you ever been here before?"
"Yes!" Zixia Fairy nodded, "30 days ago. I was here. I took the same path here, but something has changed here!"
"I see, what did you see last time?" Xu Que asked in curiosity.
"Last time, I walked all the way down to the bottom layer, but I saw nothing as peculiar as this during my journey. Rather, when I arrived at the bottom layer, I was stopped by a powerful seal," Zixia Fairy said.
"Seal? What sort of seal?" Xu Que asked in surprise.
My goodness! She can't really have come here to break the last seal of the Five Elements Mountain!
Zixia Fairy shook her head. "I don't know, it was a very complicated one anyway. When I tried to break it, the earth began to crack and a shadow suddenly appeared and tried to drag me down to the underground."
She raised up her head and looked at Xu Que, "The reason why I have come to this place with all you guys is to have someone to protect me while I break the seal. In fact, the shadow I met last time was not powerful, but I can only focus on one thing at a time. So while I was destroying the seal, I would have no time to deal with the shadow. As long as someone could help me deal with the shadow, I can definitely break the seal."
"I see!" Xu Que said.
No wonder she came with us this time! With her competence, she could easily deal with this dangerous situation alone. But if her aim is to destroy the last seal of the Five Elements Mountain, I would have to stop her!
Thinking of this, Xu Que patted her shoulder and said confidently, "Zixia, don't worry, I will protect you. Please count on me!"
Chapter 741: I Have Come To Rescue You!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Anyway, I don't think we will be able to go to the bottom layer where the seal is this time!" Zixia Fairy shook her head, wearing a very serious face.
She looked at the bizarre sea and said in a deep voice, "This Array is based on the heaven and earth's energy. It looks like a checkerboard with the dotting stones as the pieces. Each piece represents a certain position. Among all the pieces, there is only one that can take us to the other side!"
Hearing this, the cultivators behind exclaimed, "What?"
"If what you say is true, then with the moving stones, the Array could change itself any minute!"
"Then…how can we pass it?" The cultivators became very desperate.
The spell's power was beyond their comprehension. Even Xu Que had no idea how to break it. Xu Que's face got very serious.
Judging by this, the Array is probably superior to an Ancient Ominous. I don't think I can break it with my King of Tough-Acting Fist.
"It seems that we have to find another way!"
The cultivators shook their heads. In fact, they really wanted to stick to the path, since they had overcome many difficulties to get here. Now they had not even found the Fate, not to mention an ordinary Spiritual Herb. They did not want to go back empty-handed.
As for Xu Que, he did not mind taking another path, since he did not care about finding the Fate. He only wanted to find out what Zixia Fairy intended to do and stop her from destroying the seal of the Five Elements Mountain.
Suddenly, Zixia Fairy said, "Joker, I want to give it a try! Don't move and wait here!" Then she gently tiptoed out and flew upward like a fairy.
"Wait!" Xu Que shouted abruptly.
He was too late, since Zixia Fairy was almost about to land on a moving black round stone. She landed on it gently, but even so, the stone sank a bit and caused a series of ripples. The ripples changed the moving tracks of other stones, and more ripples appeared. At last, the already complex checkerboard become even more complex.
Even a person who knew everything about the game would have had no idea what was going on.
Suddenly, a little cracking sound commenced, as if something was going to come out. Zixia quickly jumped back.
Bang! A heavy metal sound erupted. A long, rusty iron rope suddenly appeared out of the water and locked on her feet. Then she was harshly pulled back.
Bang!
Great waves tumbled across the sea. All the black-and-white round stones were moving up and down; the entire sea began to spread in all directions.
"For God's sake, the Array has been activated."
"She is in really bad luck. I never thought she could accidently activate the Array just like this!"
"Back off, or we will be devoured by the sea!"
The cultivators began to run in the other direction.
At the same time, Zixia Fairy, who was tied tightly on the black round stone, was losing her energy, as well as her vitality, by the very minute. She looked very desperate, but she still shouted to Xu Que, "Joker! Run away! Leave here now!"
Screw the Array! It must be even more powerful than an Ancient Ominous. I don't think I can find any way in the System to break the Array!"
Normally, Xu Que would run away under such circumstances, but he would not be able to forgive himself if he ran away like this, leaving Zixia Fairy behind. Xu Que raised his head and saw her face had turned completely pale and rather scary. Obviously, her body was almost full of the Lifeless Qi….
"I have to take a risk to save her by using the Divine Tracking Emblem." Xu Que tightly clenched his teeth and was about to go forward to rescue Zixia Fairy.
Bang!
Xu Que turned around and was shocked by what he saw. The road behind him had been devoured by the darkness. The darkness looked very bizarre, just like the darkness in the void, and was rather similar to the color of the black round stone.
"Crap!" Xu Que cursed.
It is even more scary than the moving round stones!
Xu Que hurriedly flew upward without any hesitation toward Zixia.
"Joker, don't come, it's very dangerous!"
She had no idea the road they had taken earlier had been destroyed and got very anxious when she saw Xu Que flying toward her. Her face was twisted; clearly, she was suffering a lot. Being devoured by the Lifeless Qi seemed very painful.
"I won't leave you here!" Xu Que said firmly. "I am not a man who is afraid of death. If I leave you here, I would be ashamed of myself and could never call myself a man!" He grasped Zixia Fairy's hand and activated the Divine Tracking Emblem at the same time. The Divine Tracking Emblem burnt out, but he and Zixia were still there.
I am doomed, the Divine Tracking Emblem does not work here!
"Joker, leave now!" Zixia said with all her strength.
Xi Que forced out a smile.
For God's sake, the road has already been destroyed, I cannot get out of this place!
The Lifeless Qi was about to invade his body. Xu Que clenched his teeth and jumped to the white round stone right next to Zixia. As soon as he landed, a long, rusty iron rope came out and tied him.
"Joker…" Zixia Fairy was stunned when she saw that Xu Que had also gotten stuck, "in fact, I can…"
Before she finished her words, she began to spit out blood. Her blood was quickly absorbed by the stone, and her face got even more pale.
"Zixia, are you all right?" Xu Que was frightened.
This Array is really scary. Even Zixia Fairy cannot get out.
"What?!"
Why am I not invaded by the Lifeless Qi? What is going on?
He looked down and was stunned. A huge amount of energy was erupting out from the iron rope and the energy was rushing into his body.
"So, the white round stone is giving me all the energy that the black round stone extracted from her?" Xu Que was shocked.
"No, this is not right." He used his divine strength to find out the origin of the energy. After a while, he found it! It was a pool of energy that was as significant as an endless starry sky. A cultivator like Zixia Fairy who was in the Mahayana, the Great Vehicle Stage, could not have such a powerful energy.
Obviously, this energy did not belong to Zixia, rather, it must belong to a creature living beneath the sea.
"How frightening this is, if anyone has got energy like this, he must have lived as long as tens of millions of years or even hundreds of millions of years!" Xu Que was shocked.
But soon, his face began to look pale too. His body could not take this much energy.
His body was already full of energy and, if he continued to allow the energy to get into his body, he would explode.
"Crap! This is no better than dying from an invasion of the Lifeless Qi!"
But why on earth would there be this amount of energy inside an Array full of Lifeless Qi? Why would I happen to find it?
I see! There are countless Arrays in this world, and among the most powerful and intricate ones, there must be the Life Door and the Death Door!
Zixia just happened to step on the Death Door, and I happened to step onto the Life Door, right next to her?! Is it because I am extremely lucky? But this does not make any sense. Can it be possible that this is because of the Red Rope of Marriage?
Thinking of this, Xu Que was so surprised that his eyes flew wide open.
"Zixia, don't be afraid, I have come to save you!" Xu Que said, while holding her hands and transmitting energy to her. In just a few seconds, the Lifeless Qi in her body was almost cleared away. Zixia, who had already passed out, slowly began to open her eyes. Then she looked at Xu Que with great surprise and exclaimed, "Joker, what are you doing? Stop! Otherwise, you will die!"
"No!" Xu Que smiled and stared at her with a lot of emotion, "As long as I can save you, I will do it, even if it would cost my life!"
…
Chapter 742: Are You Gonna Die Or Not?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Joker, stop!"
"No!"
"You are hurting me!"
"You are talking nonsense! I am very gentle. How can you feel hurt?"
"Joker, you know you will probably die if you keep giving me your energy?! Listen! Stop giving me your energy, and get out of here!"
"No! Zixia, even if I wanted to leave here, I can't. The power of the Array has covered the entire region. There is simply no way out!"
"What?!"
Hearing this, Zixia Fairy turned around and was shocked. The sea had spread out and covered the entire land, which meant this place had been locked in completely. Just like Xu Que had said, it was too late to leave.
Right at this moment, Xu Que looked at her, saying gently, "Zixia, can you promise me one thing?!"
"If I die, take my ashes with you. In the future, whenever you are in danger, throw my ashes at whatever is bad, and you will be fine!"
Hearing this, Zixia was stunned and terribly upset by his words. She had never met anyone who would be willing to sacrifice his life for her. In the past, she had heard about this sort of thing and thought that it would mostly happen between a couple. However, she had also heard a lot about cultivators who would kill their partners to keep their own lives. Even if these were just rumors, she still believed them.
After all, the Cultivation World in fact was a world where the weak would be killed by the strong. Many people would sacrifice everything they had to enhance their cultivation or to pursue being immortal. It was quite normal that people got killed or robbed.
Even I would not sacrifice what I have got to help others. But now a pure and naive young man takes the risk of losing his life to save me! How noble he is!
How can there be such a man in this world? The only reason I can think of is that he likes beauties and is willing to save beauties. But I am not a beauty…I haven't got the time to make a beautiful body. If it were not for my managing to temporarily lower my cultivation level, I couldn't even be here. Why he is doing this for me?
I am just a ugly stranger to him. Why is he being so nice to me?
…
Xu Que was feeling very good now and was happy that he had found a way to release the already abundant energy inside his body to Zixia Fairy; otherwise, his body would have already exploded.
"Joker, why are you being this nice to me?" Zixia Fairy asked gently while staring at him with a complex facial expression.
Xu Que smiled and shook his head, "When someone does something, he just does it, and you don't need to find a reason to explain his motivation. The reason I saved you was because I wanted to save you!"
Hearing this, Zixia Fairy got silent. With the energy continuously transferring to her, she felt very warm and energetic. At the same time, she also got very worried. In fact, Zixia Fairy could not die, since she came inside the cave with her Magical Body, not her real body. Even if she died now, her real body would immediately come out and would be kicked out from this place due to her higher level of cultivation.
That was why, from the very beginning, she kept asking Xu Que to leave her behind. She never thought Xu Que would do such a thing for her.
This handsome young man would even risk his life to give me his energy to keep me alive!
Zixia Fairy sighed and did not want to tell Xu Que the truth when she saw his innocent face.
I can't tell him that he is just saving my Magical Body! This is too cruel. Even if I tell him, there is nothing I can do to get him out of here.…Never mind, just let him die with the idea that he has tried his best.
"Zixia, have ever eaten roasted chicken wings?" Xu Que asked suddenly.
Zixia Fairy was a bit surprised and had no idea why he asked such an interesting question. She shook her head and answered seriously, "No, I haven't."
He is about to die, so I have to stay beside him and talk to him.
"Neither have I. I heard that it is the most delicious food in the world. I am afraid that I no longer will have the chance to eat it," Xu Que raised up his head and said sadly.
What a good young man! What a noble young man, and now he is going to die here! The only regret he has is that he has not tasted roasted chicken wings.
"Zixia, can you promise me one more thing? After I die, can you do me a favor to find a young man called Xu Que and ask him to cook a few chicken wings for me. Then you can lay them in front of my tomb!"
Zixia Fairy nodded and promised, "I promise you!"
"Good! I am very happy to leave this world without any regrets now!" Then he slowly turned his face away and said no more words. He was not moving either, as if he had already passed away.
Seeing this, Zixia Fairy's eyes were watering up.She was terribly moved by Xu Que's kindness.
May you have a good eternal rest! I will never forget you, and when I get out of this place, I will make a most splendid tomb for you! I will learn how to cook the roasted chicken wings from Xu Que and lay them in front of your tomb on the day of your death anniversary each year.
"Zixia, have you ever eaten the Stinky Tofu?" Xu Que asked suddenly.
"What?!" Zixia Fairy jumped.
I thought he had already passed away. The stinky tofu? My goodness, can a piece of tofu still be eaten when it's gone smelly?
"I suddenly recalled that I haven't even had the chance to eat stinky tofu! I have been told that Xu Que can also cook it. I am afraid I can't eat it in this life now!" Xu Que sighed.
Zixia Fairy was completely stunned. Then she realized that Xu Que was still transferring his energy to her with his hands on her hand.
He is still alive! How can this be?! He is in the Golden Core Stage. How can he have this amount of energy?! Even I cannot do this! This is too weird.
"Zixia, why are you so silent? Please be an angel and chat with me!" Xu Que stared at her and said gently, "I didn't have any friends when I was young. I never thought I would die alone too!"
"I am here! I will talk with you! I would never let you die alone!" Zixia Fairy said aloud.
"Thank you! You are such a nice person!" Xu Que smiled and asked, "Zixia, can you sing?"
"I…can't, I am not good with songs or any other forms of arts." Zixia Fairy shook her head awkwardly.
"Never mind. I can sing, and I would like to sing for you!"
Zixia Fairy nodded instantly and smiled.
"Wait a minute!" Xu Que took out some audio equipment and pressed the "on" button. The next moment, beautiful music came on.
"The past is in the past; red leaves are buried under the ground; nothing has ever changed; you are far away from me and are wandering in the air…"
Hearing the sound, Zixia Fairy was in a daze.
The rhythm is so beautiful, and at the same time, it is also a bit sad and seems like the sound from heaven. His voice is just so wonderful.
The next minute, Xu Que began to sing in a higher pitch:
"The love and the hatred begin to tumble in the sea of misery; no one can ever run away from their fate; you are a darling to me, but I can't get close to you; maybe I have to make myself believe that we are destined to be together."
…
Zixia Fairy was totally stunned and deeply moved by the sound. Realizing Xu Que was about to die, she felt terribly, terribly sad.
"Ahahahah…" A delicate female voice came from the musical device.
Suddenly, Xu Que did not move at all, stopped singing, and closed his eyes.
"He's gone.…" Zixia Fairy was very upset and felt a complicated feeling she had never felt before.
I really hope he is still alive! He is such a good young man, a real man! God, why do you have to take away his life?! Why does such a wonderful young man have to die at this young age?! Goodbye, Joker, you are the best man I have ever met since I woke up. I will stick to my words and make your wishes come true, I will always remember.…
"Oops, I forgot the lyrics, I am sorry!" Xu Que suddenly turned around and smiled at Zixia Fairy.
"…"
Zixia Fairy was speechless.
Are you gonna die or not?! For god's sake!
Chapter 743: Turn Around, I Have A Surprise For You!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At this moment, Zixia Fairy was speechless and shocked. She had thought that Xu Que was already dead, but now she found that Xu Que was still quite energetic and was giving her energy.
This is unbelievable. How can a young man of the Golden Core Stage have such a huge amount of energy? Even a cultivator of the Mahayana, the Great Vehicle Stage, couldn't be like this!
Zixia Fairy couldn't help herself asking, "Joker, how can you have this amount of energy?!"
Xu Que's face got slightly serious and he gestured quizzically. "Zixia, it's not important; don't pay too much attention to the details! I think we should not give up hope. We have to find a way to break this Array!"
"You want to break this Array?!" Zixia Fairy shook her head. She was not that gifted at dealing with this situation. The Array they were stuck in was a huge one, with the sea as the checkerboard and countless stones as the pieces, which moved constantly.
"Let me have a try. I know something about this subject. Maybe I can break it!" Xu Que said gently. This time, he was not joking. Earlier, while he was singing and chatting with Zixia Fairy, the moment when he became silent, he was not pretending to be dead; instead, he was checking the screen of the System. He sifted through the entire market of the System and found nothing useful but a book about chess. The contents were mainly some basic instructions on how to play. Xu Que read it and found that people had to solve a problem to win this game.
"Across the world, there is both Ying and Yang, Dark and Light, Life and Death! They all coexist while contradicting each other. As long as we break the balance between them, maybe we can break this Array!" Xu Que said, while looking around confidently.
Zixia Fairy was a bit surprised and nodded, "But this Array is too complex. Each stone represents a certain spot and is constantly changing its position. Neither you nor I are capable of dealing with this!"
Hearing this, Xu Que nodded. Zixia Fairy was right. The difficulty of this Array lay in the fact that it had too many formations that were constantly changing. Many cultivators would find it very hard to break.
But Xu Que was very lucky, since he happened to stand on the Life Door, while Zixia was standing on the Death Door. This must have had a lot to do with the Red Rope of Marriage. Among the countless stones, there was only one stone that stood for the Life Door, and Xu Que had found it.
Now that I have found the Life Door, there is nothing to be afraid of. No matter how difficult this Array is, once I manage to decipher it, the entire Array will crumble.
Xu Que was right. As long as he could break the balance between the energy and the lifeless Qi, the Array would be broken. This was just like playing chess. The Lifeless Qi was represented by the black chess; the energy was represented by the white chess. No matter how complicated the game was, once the person who held the black chess or the white chess lost, the game was over.
Suddenly, Xu Que's face turned serious, and he looked at Zixia Fairy. "Zixia, I have a bold idea!"
"What idea?" Zixia was a bit surprised.
"I am going to get into the sea!"
"What?!" Zixia Fairy was now shocked.
Get into the sea? What sea? Wait! Don't tell me he is planning to get into THIS sea! Zixia Fairy tried to persuade Xu Que not to do so. "You can't get into this sea. It is full of the Lifeless Qi. If you get into it, no matter how much energy you have got, you will be devoured by it in just a few seconds!"
"So what?! I am not afraid of death!" Xu Que said with great determination. "Well, do you have any other options? If we just stay here and do nothing, we will die! Now we have thought of a way, why not try it?"
Hearing this, Zixia Fairy was silent.
Yes, he is right. If we just stay here and do nothing, we will die anyway. We should try our best as long as there is a shred of hope left. But, jumping into the sea,…will it really do? I am afraid it would only push both of us closer to death!
"Zixia, see you later!" Xu Que had instilled a huge amount of energy into her and, after, he released his hand and stood heavily on the white stone and sank into the sea.
"Joker!" Zixia Fairy exclaimed.
Even though she had known Xu Que would get into the sea soon, she never thought he would do so immediately without any hesitation. However, there was no use for her to cry out his name, since Xu Que had already vanished, without leaving any trace.
She sighed and felt upset and sad. She did not know Joker that well, but now she felt like she had lost someone of great importance to her. "Never mind. After my Magical Body dies, I will try to come back and do everything I can to break the Array. I will also set up a monument to you!"
…
At the same time, Xu Que was smoothly sinking into the sea. He was not being tortured by the Lifeless Qi. Instead, the deeper he went, the more energy his body was taking on. "If the energy keeps rushing into my body, I think I will be dead before I reach the bottom of the sea."
Xu Que frowned. He knew the key to breaking the Array lay in the bottom of the sea. As soon as he took away the object that was giving out the energy, the Array would be crushed. But the energy was too powerful in the sea; his body could not stand it too long.
"Right!" Xu Que suddenly came up with an idea. He quickly took out his Beast Soul Bag and opened it. The moment he opened it, the sound of cursing came out.
"Bastard, how dare you! How dare you imprison us here?!"
"As a member of the Xuanzhen royalty, I will never ever let you go once I get out."
"I swear no one could protect you or rescue you when I get out!"
The cultivators who were at the threshold of the Crossing Calamity Stage were shouting.
Xu Que made a surprising face and said, "I am sorry. My name is Joker. This bag does not belong to me. I simply got it by accident. Why are you all inside?"
"What?"
The cultivators were a bit surprised when they found out that the young man who had opened the bag was not Xu Que, but someone else.
"Don't worry, I will release you immediately," Xu Que said, and he let all the cultivators out of the bag. They all flew out as quickly as possible.
Before they had the time to ask who the young man was who had released them, they were astonished by the place where they were.
"What a wonderful place this is! Where are we?!"
"Why on earth is there such a huge amount of energy?!"
"At last, I have been waiting for this for such a long time!"
"God bless me!"
They began to laugh out loud. For them, the energy was a priceless treasure. As long as they had enough energy, they would be able to reach the Crossing Calamity Stage.
"Turn around, I have a surprise for you!" While they were all getting out of the bag and being excited, Xu Que suddenly began to speak.
Hearing this, the cultivators turned around and were stunned.
Although Xu Que looked like another person completely, they would never be able to forget Xu Que's smiling face. The next minute, they were all hit by Xu Que with a long black stick.
Crap.
They cursed to themselves and were so angry that they thought they were about to spit out blood.
Bang, bang, bang!
They all fainted before they had made any sounds. Xu Que hurriedly pulled them over and used their bodies as a shield. With the cultivators' bodies absorbing the energy, he could smoothly go deeper again.
He was sinking deeper and deeper.…
Chapter 744: Feeling Very Happy!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Bang!
Soon, a cultivator suddenly exploded. His body had absorbed too much energy, and because he never used the Body Cultivation Inscription to cultivate his body, his body was not as tough as Xu Que's.
The explosion wave dispersed the energy around Xu Que and made it a bit easier for him to go down to the bottom of the sea.
"No one can stop me getting to the bottom of the sea!" Xu Que said with great determination.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The cultivators' bodies exploded one after another. Soon, after the last cultivator's body exploded, Xu Que arrived at the bottom of the sea. It was very murky, and there were neither beautiful corals nor lovely fish. Due to the combination of the energy and the Lifeless Qi, the water was very muddy.
Xu Que felt like he was in a place that was full of mist, and he could not tell the energy and the Lifeless Qi apart. However, when he made his first step forward, a ray of extremely bright light appeared. The light was as bright as the stars. Inside the murky water, it was just as if the sunlight had penetrated the mist. Xu Que felt very hopeful.
He did not think about it too much and hurriedly activated his Hell King's Prison Suppression Style to stop the energy getting into his body. Then he strode forward and rushed toward the light, which was getting brighter and brighter.
But the next moment, the light suddenly dimmed and a rather black light appeared, and, all of a sudden, a huge amount of Lifeless Qi erupted all around him.
"Crap!" Xu Que was surprised.
Then he finally saw what was in front of him. It was a stone plate, half white and half black, and it was giving out first the energy and then the Lifeless Qi. Suddenly, he saw a ray of extremely bright light, and felt a huge amount of energy trying to rush into his body. Then, when the light turned black, he could feel a large quantity of Lifeless Qi.
"What on earth is this? It's so weird!" Xu Que was stunned.
A stone plate that was only as big as a person's palm was able to support such a powerful Array and was giving out a huge amount of energy and Lifeless Qi. Even a cultivator who was as powerful as Zixia Fairy could not cope with it.
"This is really scary! I have to take this damn thing away and get rid of it, in case it kills more cultivators!" Xu Que's heart began to beat faster, and he hurriedly walked forward, with a big smile.
Bang!
All of a sudden, the stone plate gave out the Lifeless Qi and stopped Xu Que from getting closer to it. Xu Que was thrown forward a few hundred feet and even made a somersault. At the same time, a huge amount of Lifeless Qi got into his body and began to devour his own energy and rapidly shorten his lifespan.
"Crap! You think you can kill me like this?! I have been in this Cultivation World for such a long time and have defeated so many powerful cultivators and have acted tough successfully millions of times. I swear I can tackle this damn stone!"
Xu Que frowned, waving his hands, and shouted in a deep voice, "System, help! Help me to get rid of this damn stone plate!"
Ding! "An 'Ancient Life and Death Wheel' detected. This object is a holy object. To keep it, the host must create a Holy-Weapon-Keeping Pavilion." The System said coldly.
"What?! A holy weapon?!" Xu Que was so amazed that his eyes opened wide with surprise.
I am so lucky. I even found a holy weapon! My goodness! This is a holy weapon! A holy weapon!
Xu Que was so excited to find a holy weapon that he wasn't even able to buy from the System's market.
"Yes! Let's create a Holy-Weapon-Keeping Pavilion then! Let's create it!" He shouted to the System. The next moment, the sound of the notification sound echoed.
Ding! "Congratulations to the host on successfully creating a Holy-Weapon-Keeping Pavilion by consuming 50,000 Acting Tough Points!"
"Crap!"
50,000 Acting Tough Points?! Are you kidding me?!
Xu Que stared at the screen of the System with big eyes. On the object-keeping space, an extra Holy-Weapon-Keeping Pavilion appeared. It was divided into countless little boxes, and the first box was already opened, while the rest of the boxes were still closed and had question marks on their surfaces.
While Xu Que was looking at the second box, the System said, "To open the second box, the host will have to spend 100,000 Acting Tough Points!"
"Screw you! I will not open it!" Xu Que shouted angrily.
Before, he had worked hard acting tough in the East Continent and won more than 300,000 Acting Tough Points by telling everyone that he would take the responsibility of protecting the Four Great Continents. If he managed to win 2 million Acting Tough Points, he would be able to upgrade the System into version 10.0. By that time, he would know how to make the Space Breaking Spell and go back to earth. But now, he had been tricked by the System, and he had spent 50,000 Acting Tough Points.
I am really pissed off.
Ding! "The Holy-Weapon-Keeping Pavilion is already opened, are you going to keep the Ancient Life and Death Wheel?" The System asked coldly.
"Yes!" Xu Que said abruptly.
Never mind, 50,000 Acting Tough Points is no big deal, anyway. I have got a holy weapon.
The next moment, an invisible and magnificent power erupted out from Xu Que's body just like the time when Xu Que pulled out the Living Holy Tree in the Upflowing Sea.
Bang!
The bottom of the sea began to shake, as did the Ancient Life and Death Wheel, as if it did not want to leave. After a while, the Ancient Life and Death Wheel got smaller and smaller and went into Xu Que's body.
Ding! "Congratulations to the host on getting the Ancient Life and Death Wheel!" The sound of the notification echoed.
At the same time, a vortex appeared near his stomach. The vortex began to absorb all the energy as well as the Lifeless Qi. After a short while, all the energy and all the Lifeless Qi went back to the Ancient Life and Death Wheel. Then the entire sea started to fall apart.
Obviously, the Array had begun to crumble without the support of the holy weapon. Xu Que hurriedly opened the screen of the System and began to check the Ancient Life and Death Wheel.
"Ancient Life and Death Wheel" :
Level: low class
Status: a bit broken
Energy: 80% (helps the host or others to increase their lifespan)
Liveless Qi: 90% (helps the host or others to shorten their lifespan)
"Brilliant! From now on, I will be able to control life and death!" Xu Que said with great excitement. "System, hurry up! Increase my lifespan by 100 million years!"
Ding! "Due to the power of the host, the host's lifespan can only be increased by 500 years!"
The System declined Xu Que's request.
Well, if my span could really be increased by 100 million years, I would not need to worry about being killed by the energy.
"Joker, where are you?!"
An anxious sound came.
Xu Que turned around and found the entire checkerboard was gone. The enormous sea had changed into a small pond. Looking up, Xu Que saw Zixia Fairy standing at the bank and looking for him anxiously.
Xu Que smiled shamelessly.
"System! Decrease my lifespan by 500 years, and make me look older. Make me look like a dying man! As the king in the acting world, I have to act like a real old man!"
…
Chapter 745: The Ultimate King of Acting
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The system notification alert sounded:
Ding! "The Host possesses a Taoist body. Before you merge with your Taoist Body, your lifespan remains a total of 250 years. The system is therefore unable to deduct 500 years off his life!"
Xu Que was stunned! What did this mean? As a mighty Void Training Stage powerhouse, having just 250 years of life is ridiculous, even if he split the lifespan between his current body and his Taoist body!
"Screw you, system! Quit playing me, scum! I'm in the Void Training Stage, so I should have at least a few thousand years of life! How could it have shrunk by that much?" Xu Que demanded angrily.
The system replied in a flat tone, "As per cultivation progression, a normal cultivator is granted 1,000 years of life when they reach the Void Training Stage. However, you are a being who crossed over with just your soul. You don't belong to this world, so your lifespan didn't increase accordingly."
What the hell! So it's because I'm not a local?
"Wait up, so what if I'm not a local? I cultivated with my ability, so who are you guys to deny the prolongment of my lifespan? What you're doing is blatant discrimination against foreigners! Discrimination against people who crossed over!" Xu Que said indignantly.
What lifespan others had from cultivation, he only had half as much. It was too unfair!
Ding! "The Host possesses a Taoist Body. So far, your Taoist body has absorbed most of your lifespan. When you merge with it in the future, you will be able to complete yourself. Your lifespan will then return to normal, and it'll even surpass other cultivators!" The system answered smoothly.
Upon hearing its words, Xu Que heaved a sigh of relief. It turned out that his life years were all transferred to his Taoist Body. According to the system, he is still flawed and will only be perfect when he merges with his Taoist Body in the future.
"I'm so glad!" Xu Que sighed, while expressing his relief. He then tried to exit the System interface. Suddenly, the system's voice rang in his ears: Ding! "Why does the Host sigh while saying that he's happy?"
Eh? Xu Que jumped in shock! What's the situation? Has the system learned to show concern?
That can't be it, why would it care about such words? Why is it acting so strangely today? Has it become more humane?
However, he realized what was happening the next moment. Such a situation had happened before. With each system upgrade, it would become more and more humanlike. Currently, it's only Version 5.0. It could already show care toward the Host from time to time. If it managed to upgrade to Version 10.0 in the future, would it come out and chat him up idly even when nothing was happening?
Xu Que couldn't help but smile; he's already looking forward to how the system would be like when it upgraded.
"I'm sighing because I'm relieved. I felt glad, from the bottom of my heart!" Xu Que answered.
"Why?" pressed the system, its voice still cold like a machine.
Xu Que immediately glanced toward the sky in a 45-degree angle and sighed heavily, "Because no human is perfect! You will have flaws, as long as you're human!"
"What's that got to do with being happy?"
"Of course it does! Before this, I have always been perfect and godlike. I'm so perfect to the point that I'm lonely! However, I didn't want to be a perfect man. It's too tiring to be a god. I want to be a normal man, and now you're finally telling me that I have flaws, which means that I am a human! How can I not be happy about that?" Xu Que replied agitatedly.
The system fell silent and finally ceased all response.
"…"
After a while, Xu Que punched his chest a few times. Blood flowed out of his mouth, and he turned pale. Then, he emerged from the waters with great difficulty. He didn't use the ancient Wheel of Life and Death, only because he was worried about it getting too out of hand. It'd be a little horrifying if he suddenly turned old, then turned young the next instant! So, a change of battle plans. He would use the hero tactic, where he would play a hero who survived with all his might despite suffering grave injuries!
Swoosh!
The waters of the lake sloshed and splashed, and Xu Que's body emerged from it!
"Joker!" Zixia Fairy cried out in joy. Xu Que's appearance surprised her so much. She was already taken aback when he broke the spell! However, she also thought that the courageous and kind young man would never survive it. She can't believe that even after the spell's broken, he has managed to come out alive.
To her, this is an ending that has far surpassed the best-case scenario. However, soon, the smile on Zixia Fairy's face froze, and it was as if something squeezed her heart. The teen who had been handsome and elegant, who always had a sunny smile, had now become drained and pale, with blood trailing down the corners of his mouth. He agonizingly dragged his body over with trembling legs and with all his strength as he tried to hold up his faltering body.
He had suffered injuries so severe that no one would ever be able to imagine them! However, that was not enough to defeat him. He still held his chest up, strong-willed and courageous, and on that pale face, he tried to squeeze out a sunshiny smile.
"Joker!" Zixia Fairy called out softly, all joy and surprise giving way to complicated and stirring feelings of worry and tenderness.
"M…Miss Azi, I…I'm back!" Xu Que struggled to smile. He continued to walk, step by step; he never stopped; every step taken was so heavy that it was as if he would fall any instant, never to rise again. Every sound made when his feet touched the ground seemed to tug at her heart for some reason.
What a strong boy!
What a courageous boy!
Although he's only at the Golden Core Stage, you wouldn't find a man like him even if you combed the whole world. He would throw his life away without hesitation to save an ugly girl he had met by chance. He didn't give up in the face of danger; he plunged into the sea, destroyed a horrifying spell, and came back alive, courageous, and heroic. At this moment, he is not a person who has suffered grave injuries, but a man with the air of a King returning victoriously from war!
Countless conflicting emotions tore into Zixia Fairy's heart. In her life, she has never met someone this excellent, someone who would give his life for her. She even felt that, if she were still young, maybe she would fall for such an outstanding young man.
Such a pity….
"Sigh!" Zixia Fairy sighed crestfallenly to herself.
You were not born when I was born. When you came into the world, I was already old. I am to you, as far as the edge of the skies; you are to me, as distant as the corners of the ocean. Joker, in the end, we still belong to two different worlds.
…
"Miss Azi, I…puu!" With great effort, Xu Que had managed to walk back. However, right when he was about to speak, blood gushed out of his mouth!
"Joker!" Zixia Fairy had collected herself, but her expression changed right away once she saw Xu Que vomiting blood. She came forward, and, in an instant, a green pill appeared between her fingers. She pushed the pill into Xu Que's lips and said hurriedly, "Hurry up, take the pill!"
"Okay. Thank you, Miss Azi, you're such a kind person!" Xu Que took the pill and smiled politely. At the same time, he silently wiped the cold sweat in his heart. He had punched himself too hard just now and now he had honestly hurt himself! That mouthful of blood was real, as real as it could get.
He was the ultimate king of acting! Xu Que gave himself an imaginary pat on the shoulder and felt that he was awesome. However, upon swallowing the pill, the wounds in his body entered a state of recovery even before he could use the system's automatic recovery function. Xu Que was shocked. With a blank expression, he turned to Zixia Fairy, "Miss Azi, what kind of magical pill did you feed me? My injuries are healing so fast!"
"Nothing, just a normal healing pill!" said Zixia Fairy casually.
Though she said that, Xu Que was confident that the pill she gave was not as simple as it looked. At the very least, it must have been a precious pill of Eight-Star quality. Otherwise, it was impossible for it to have such strong healing powers.
"Joker, how did you manage to break that spell?" asked Zixia Fairy curiously.
Xu Que laughed, a weight off his shoulder, "I'm just lucky! Other than the way of spells, I've also known a little about Chinese chess. Just now, I used myself as a chess piece and entered the chessboard to fight against it. I didn't realize that this game of chess would be so dangerous, that many a time, I almost lost my life! At the point, I even thought that I was battling it out with Heaven itself."
"But you still won in the end!" Zixia Fairy commended Xu Que from her heart, with stunning eyes fixed on him. Even without suppressing her strength, it would not be possible for her to destroy this vast, horrifying spell.
Xu Que sighed softly at her words instead and looked up toward the sky. He murmured under his breath, "I had simply…won the Heavens by half a move!"
Chapter 746: An Eerie Scene
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
He had beaten the Heavens by half a move! Zixia Fairy was astonished. Never had she thought that Xu Que could do such a thing! In the World of Cultivators, Heaven is the only thing that is revered. In the whole world, who would dare to say that they could surpass the Heavens?
Xu Que was the only one who had dared to utter such words; this young man standing right in front of her. If it was still the Zixia Fairy of the past, she would think that this lad was too arrogant. However, after seeing how Xu Que broke the formidable Chess Board Sea Spell, Zixia Fairy had begun to think otherwise.
Because to a cultivator at the Golden Core Stage, a Chess Board Sea Spell of this level was comparable to going against the Heavens! Also, now, not only did Xu Que break the spell, but also he survived and said that he had just beaten the Heavens by half a move. Strangely enough, he sounded almost too humble. When Xu Que said that he had only beaten the Heavens by half a move, it wasn't just to act tough. It was his exact sentiment – that he did not have a full win.
Why? Because he felt indignant to have spent 5 million Acting Tough points for that! If he had claimed the Celestial Artifact without spending a single Acting Tough Point, then he would concede that this was a full win.
….
Thanks to the pill given to him by Zixia Fairy, Xu Que's injuries healed at the speed of light. He was now almost fully recovered! After this last dangerous encounter, Zixia Fairy appeared to become hesitant.
"Joker, why don't we stay here? Once I'm out, I'll bestow upon you a piece of enlightenment!" she said, looking into Xu Que's eyes. She didn't want Xu Que to risk his life for her anymore, for this path had changed too greatly and become too dangerous. She could no longer predict future dangers.
Xu Que immediately put on his most determined look as he answered righteously, "Miss Azi, please, don't tell me such silliness! If I, Joker, am a coward who fears death, I wouldn't have come here!"
"But…"
"No buts! I already knew that there would be dangers when I decided to come. Because I believe that to become great, I will need to go through millions of calamities; to experience many dangers; to be fearless, to be reborn in a blood bath, and finally to emerge into greatness!" Xu Que's words were as firm as concrete; there was no trace of fear on his face, and he looked domineering and powerful.
Zixia Fairy still felt slightly reluctant, but, in the end, she agreed with him. On the one hand, she felt that what Xu Que said made sense. After all, cowards who fear death and avoid dangers will never become great! On the other hand, she knew that Xu Que would never stay. So instead of parting with him, they might as well travel together. That way, she could take care of him just in case he got into a bind. She rebutted him no more. She nodded and they continued on their journey.
After the enormous Chess Board Sea Spell had been broken, this place went back to its original form. The sea had become a lake, and what seemed to be a borderless space before was now surrounded by stone walls. A deep tunnel opened up from the crevices of the stone walls, revealing a pitch-black passageway.
Xu Que and Zixia Fairy looked at each other for a moment. Then, they strode forward together, entering the tunnel. Along the way, it felt like they were back to ground zero.
There were some spells to keep out intruders, but they were all easily broken by Xu Que and Zixia Fairy. They made swift progress. As the spells and traps increased in complexity and number, Xu Que and Zixia Fairy worked well together and demonstrated more and more chemistry.
Most of the time when Xu Que was blowing up one corner of the forbidden area, Zixia Fairy's magic art would follow up just in time to blow up the other end of the area, causing it to collapse in a heartbeat. Sometimes, Zixia Fairy would strike first. Xu Que would then cover her swiftly, and together they would break the spell quickly.
To have such chemistry was uncanny. It was as though they were telepathic, and it confused them both. Regarding this, Xu Que felt secretly happy. He assumed that it was just the Red Rope of Marriage doing its magic and pretended to be oblivious to what was happening. There was nothing but focus on his face, and they continued to go deeper into the tunnel.
…
A few hours later, a ray of light finally shone through at the end of the tunnel. It was either an exit or another entry point. Xu Que and Zixia Fairy halted their steps, and their expressions turned solemn as they exchanged a glance.
"We've got company!" said Zixia Fairy first.
"Lots of them!" Xu Que nodded.
Though they were not yet near the end of the tunnel, they could sense hundreds of other Cultivators' auras. There were obviously many cultivators gathered there. What was even eerier was that their breathing was stable and stationary, except for a few who were moving slowly. If not for the fact that they did not attempt to hide their auras, Xu Que almost thought that it could be an ambush!
"Weird! Could it be that there's a big piece of enlightenment inside?" Xu Que frowned in suspicion.
Zixia Fairy's face filled with dread, and she disagreed, "No, I hope I'm wrong, but I'm afraid that we have another humongous spell in front of us!"
"Another spell?" Xu Que stirred at her words. He had obtained a Celestial Artifact from the previous Chess Board Sea Spell. If this spell is as powerful as the former was, could it be there was another Celestial Artifact waiting for him?
Jackpot! Jackpot! I may strike it rich again this time!
Excitement rose within Xu Que, but it was not noticeable on his calm face. He lowered his voice and said, "Miss Azi, shall we take a look?"
Zixia Fairy's brows curved into a pretty frown as she thought. After a while, she nodded and reminded him, "Joker, if you encounter any danger, you have to leave immediately! Don't try to save me. I won't die!"
"Umm…." Xu Que didn't give her a straight answer. He did not want to waste any more time acting tough, so he marched forward instead.
Zixia Fairy knew that he was patronizing her, but since he had already moved, she had to follow him. Soon enough, they reached the end of the tunnel. While both had not let down their guards, they had not encountered any dangers yet – until they took a step out of the cave, where both of them froze on the spot.
…
Whoa! This is a vast secret chamber! It was the size of two football fields and its stone walls were filled with countless other similar exits from many other tunnels, as though it was the meeting point of all tunnels, a nexus.
Xu Que and Zixia Fairy were just some of the many who were walking out of the tunnels and thus did attract much attention. Of course, this was also because there were not many breathing humans left here. Xu Que finally understood the reason behind the hundreds of stable and stationary cultivator auras he sensed in the tunnel. It became apparent what was going on. These cultivators stood as still as the Terracotta Warriors, in the middle of the chamber at floor level; expressionless, they did not even blink their eyes.
"What is going on? Have they been held captive?" Xu Que asked in astonishment.
Zixia Fairy grimaced too, and she shifted her gaze toward the cultivators who were loitering at the exits. Suddenly, her expression changed, "This place is odd, Joker, look at those standing near the exits like us!"
"Oh?" He followed her words and looked over. Apart from the side where they were standing, he saw many other cultivators standing at the exits at the other three walls.
However, at this moment, these people had all fixed their gazes on the space above, as they mumbled soundlessly under their breaths.
Xu Que instinctively followed their gazes, but there was nothing other than a pitch-black ceiling. "I don't get it. There is nothing above! What are they looking at?" asked a stunned Xu Que.
Logically speaking, shouldn't the cultivators rooted in the middle of the chamber draw more attention than the ceiling? Why did all these people seem so fixated on the ceiling? They also spoke without making any sounds. Could it be that they are using the art of soundless communication?"
Boom!
A loud explosion suddenly came from behind Xu Que!
"Not good! Let's go!" Zixia Fairy raised her voice as her expression changed. However, they could not make it in time. The tunnel behind them had burst into flames!
In the next moment, the tunnel where they had come from disappeared before their eyes, as if it was severed in half, leaving behind a ruin of pitch-black nothingness.
"Too late, we have entered the spell zone!" Xu Que shook his head, with his heart heavy. He could hardly contain his eagerness and delight! The more difficult the spell, the more likely that it was supported by a celestial artifact, just like the one he tackled before!
Dismay crept into Zixia Fairy's voice, "Joker, something's not right, look above us!"
Following her gaze again, Xu Que couldn't believe what he was seeing. The ceiling that was black before was now projected with images of cultivators killing each other, going insane, or zoning out! Moreover, those were images of the Cultivators who now stood right in the middle of the chamber!
"It's over! It's all over!" They heard someone say from the opposite wall, his voice trembling from profound fear and horror. "There's no way out of this calamity! Are we going to end up like them?"
Chapter 747: A Formidable Spell!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Eh?" Xu Que was startled.
He turned and looked, only to realize that the cultivators who had stood at the entrances and exits of each passageway – those whom they could not hear this whole time – have now regained their voices. It felt as if a sound-proof glass had previously muted the cultivators. Now that Xu Que and Zixia Fairy have entered the sound-proof glass, they could hear their voices. There was no doubt that this strange spell caused the sound insulation.
All of a sudden, the cultivators at the entrances and exits of the tunnels had fallen into a state of panic!
"Why is this happening? Are these hallucinations?"
"They were motionless when they went down, but then they appeared in those pictures just now. What is happening?"
"Was everything they experienced in those pictures real?"
"Absolutely. I just saw someone getting killed in the picture, and his real body died right away. Moreover, there were more than one who died!"
"Then what should we do? The exit is just below, and the way back is blocked. Are we just going to wait here like idiots?"
"Wait? Wait till when?"
They eventually fell silent. No one had an answer, and no one could decide where to go or what to do. They had come to a dead end!
Although Xu Que and Zixia Fairy had just joined the group, they understood some basics of the current situation. The central area of this spell should be at the center of the chamber. Once you reach its inside, your soul would be drawn out and put into different scenarios. Some of the things they experienced would be projected onto the ceiling of the chamber.
"What a formidable spell!" Xu Que muttered, his heartbeat accelerating. The scale of this spell was comparable to the previous Chessboard Sea Spell. It is entirely possible that a Celestial Artifact also supports it!
"This spell is very dangerous!" Zixia Fairy looked grim. She stared at the scenes on the ceiling and seemed to see a lot of bad things there.
…
Meanwhile, several Cultivators discussed the situation at the entrance to a passage on the opposite wall.
"Senior brothers, do we have to go down?" A fair woman with a small stature asked worriedly.
Several men next to her nodded. "We must try at least, for we've been trapped here far too long. We can't do anything by staying here either!"
"So long as we can resist all temptations and confusions, maybe we'll get through this spell!"
"That's right. Remember, everything we see later is but a hallucination. As long as we don't take it seriously, it will be fine!"
"Rest assured, all of us grew up together. We would never turn against each other for these fake treasures!"
"Our little junior sister, don't worry. Your brothers will protect you. Let's go!"
The men pretended to be relaxed and comforted the woman with smiles on their faces.
Subsequently, they set out from the passage on the wall. Then, as though they were unable to continue flying, they fell directly into the secret room below. There was nothing in the secret chamber now, with only the central area filled with people. However, the single exit to the underground was right at the center. After they went down, the other cultivators all appeared very cautious, huddling together and moving slowly forward.
Xu Que and Zixia Fairy stood above, together with the Cultivators in other wall passages, all eyes on the situation of these brothers and sisters. Sure enough, when they got to the middle of the chamber, they turned stiff immediately as they joined the zombie-like crowd.
Whiz!
At the same time, a ray of light flashed under their feet. Their expressions became dull, and they stopped moving entirely.
"What an eerie spell, just like the one when we came in. There is nowhere to hide," Xu Que concluded. Then he noticed the flash of light under their feet. A similar light could also be found in other areas. There was no way to avoid the light if they wanted to reach the exit in the middle.
Swoosh!
At this time, a brilliance suddenly appeared under their feet. It rose from the ground and flew directly to the ceiling, and it became a picture. The group of brothers and sister appeared in the projection. They appeared in a place that seemed like a palace, and their clothes changed. They wore expensive clothes, with many eunuchs and palace maids around them, calling them princess and prince respectfully.
"An Illusory Realms Test?" Xu Que guessed. He was somewhat taken aback, but he felt confident about the Cultivators. After all, when they entered, they were vigilant and told each other not to take anything seriously. Moreover, judging from the interactions between them, they are genuinely close childhood friends, and the relationship is strong. Their love for their little junior sister is also very authentic. This type of relationship could not be destroyed that easily!
In the picture, the group was vigilant. Surrounded by eunuchs and palace girls, they were taken to a spacious palace and sat down separately. They began to talk, and much information was revealed. It turned out that they were princes from different countries, and that they are here to pay tribute to this country. The princess of this strong country is none other than the little junior sister.
Xu Que stared at the pictures intently and paid close attention to the developments. All of a sudden, the picture flashed, and the scene changed. The group of brothers, armed with swords and armor, appeared on a battlefield filled with warring echoes. Surprisingly, their looks have changed. They are no longer as young as they were when they first went in. Spending several years in the mortal realm like normal humans have made them seem grown up and mature. This time, though, they pointed their swords at each other and regarded each other as sworn enemies. The initial vigilance had disappeared from their faces; only hatred and killing intent filled their eyes.
"What a massive army, Prince Li. Do you seriously think that you can emerge as the victor?"
"That's right, by sending so many of your soldiers and horses, aren't you worried that you'll lose most of your military might here, allowing other countries to attack you while you're weak?"
"Ha-ha, Prince Wu, I beg to differ. Emperor Ming has said that the winner will marry the princess of the Ming Dynasty. Once I win, my country Li will be the allied army of the Ming Dynasty. Who would dare to attack us?"
"Hmph, the princess and I are in love, but all of you want to split us up. Aren't you afraid of the retribution?"
"Rubbish! The one that the princess likes is me!"
"Damn you! The princess told me clearly that we are to be together forever! How dare you spout such nonsense here? Watch my sword."
"Die!"
All of them raised their weapons and, with twisted expressions, led their horses and soldiers directly to the slaughter! The battle was so intense that it was impossible to stop!
Xu Que's heart sank when he saw this, and he secretly thought was that it was over for this group of people. What puzzled him most was that, according to the situation in the picture, these people seemed to have spent several years in the illusion. For some reason, they had forgotten that they had been Cultivators, and now, they are killing each other for the sake of a princess! Moreover, most important, the princess was their little junior sister! Was it true amnesia or was it a deliberate act? What had happened between them in the years that the pictures were not displayed?
All kinds of doubts bubbled in Xu Que's heart, but there were no answers.
At the same time, the war in the picture ended. After fighting each other to the death, only one person survived. Xu Que scanned the chamber. Sure enough, there were only one man and one woman left standing in the group of brothers and sister. The others have fallen to the ground without a sign of life. They bled all over and slowly sunk into the ground.
He also realized that the hundreds who had stood in the secret room before seemed to have dropped by half, with only a few dozen people left!
What a formidable spell! Xu Que repeated silently. He knew that the strength of this spell must greatly surpass the Chessboard Sea Spell.
"Joker, if I'm right, this should be a spell that exploits emotions and human desires!" He heard Zixia Fairy whisper beside him.
Chapter 748: The Seven Emotions and The Six Sensory Pleasures!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"The seven emotions and the six sensory pleasures?"
Xu Que was surprised by Zixia Fairy's words.
He knew something about the seven emotions and the six sensory pleasures, which were worldly desires of most people! For example, there were many explanations for the seven emotions, among which the most popular two versions were "greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, love, desire, and evil" and "happy, angry, depressed, thoughtful, sad, scared, and surprised".
However, the first version was described in the Buddhist doctrine as "greed, anger, ignorance, agony caused by hatred, agony caused by parting, agony caused by unsatisfied desire, and agony caused by losing happiness and reputation".
The explanation for the six sensory pleasures was quite clear, which were the desires or wishes of the "eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind", i.e., the "color, sound, smell, taste, lust, and truth".
Everyone was more or less caught up by the seven emotions and the six sensory pleasures. One who had been isolated from these worldly desires could not be deemed a human being. When Zixia Fairy said it was a spell related to the seven emotions and the six sensory pleasures, Xu Que figured out the meaning of it immediately.
According to the things that people experienced, they were receiving a test of the seven emotions and the six sensory pleasures apparently.
"I didn't expect such a miraculous spell could exist in this world! Everyone in this world has indulged in 'greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, love, desire, evil, color, sound, smell, taste, lust, and truth'. I'm afraid nobody could pass this test!" Zixia Fairy said seriously, shaking her head.
"It is not necessarily as you have said. All spells have Life Gate and Death Gate. Those who are isolated from the seven emotions and the six sensory pleasures strive for nothing, so they won't come to this place. Therefore, I think there must be a way to break this spell. First, we have to locate the Life Gate of this spell!" Xu Que said as he fixed his eyes on the ground. However, he was skillful enough to find enough information from the spell formation on the ground!
"Look! Something is happening to those two fellow apprentices!" The cultivators on the wall screamed in surprise. Hearing that, Xu Que and Zixia Fairy turned their eyes to the image on the ceiling. Among the cultivators who had entered earlier, only a man and a woman who were turned into a prince and a princess were left at this time.
The combat had finished. The man had won by killing his fellow apprentices. Finally, he could be with his junior sister apprentice! However, when he returned with drums beating and banners flying and tried to marry the Princess of a large country with numerous lavish gifts, someone told him the wedding ceremony had been cancelled.
The Emperor had betrothed his only daughter to the Crown Prince of another country. That Crown Prince was tall, majestic, and handsome, and he cast the other Prince into the shade immediately. The Princess accepted her father's arrangement and agreed to marry the Crown Prince.
"No, no! Your highness, you said you would remain a devoted couple with me to the end of our lives, right?" The Prince was in a daze and sat on the ground in despair. The Princess frowned and scolded immediately, "Mind your words! I've never said those words!"
"You…." The Prince changed his expression abruptly. It seemed he remembered how other princes used to say that the Princess had expressed her love to them.
"What a bitchy woman you are!" The Prince was annoyed and roared angrily at last. The entire hall was in an uproar. Many people had weird expressions, including the Emperor, who was annoyed. He ordered the guards to drive the Prince away. However, the Prince had lost his mind. He rushed to the Princess and snapped her neck. Then he was killed by the blades of the guards. The image ended there.
In the secret room, the two apprentices had fallen to the ground, their bodies sinking. This scene quieted everyone in this area, including Xu Que. In front of them, the fellow apprentices, who had grown up together, walked into the secret room confidently. However, none of them expected they would end up like this.
"What happened to them during the years which were not shown in the image? How could they forget their relationship in such a short time?" Xu Que couldn't help but ask with puzzlement.
Zixia Fairy shook her head, "I'm afraid this is the extraordinary point of this spell, which can erase people's memory gradually. Anyone who enters this spell will be caught up in it and believe the world in this spell is true!"
Xu Que was surprised, "If so, how could we break this spell? We have no chance to locate the Life Gate of it!"
Zixia Fairy looked at Xu Que and said nothing. She regretted bringing Xu Que here! Because the current situation had gotten out of her control and dropped her a dilemma! She didn't worry about her own safety. If she died here, she would only lose a Taoist Body, and her real body would be driven out at most. But if Xu Que died here, he would really lose his life.
"No, I don't want to stay here any longer. We've been here for several months. In this way, we will die sooner or later!" Someone who was at the entrance of a passage on the wall opposite to them shouted at this time.
His companions agreed. "Right! We would rather try our luck than be stranded here!"
"Have you noticed that they headed for one position after entering that room. That's why they started to kill each other. We can choose the opposite way!"
"Oh?"
"After reaching the bottom, we should separate and enter different illusionary realms. Then, we should try our best to survive."
"Wow, we can try that!"
"Our fates have been predestined. We are on our own!"
After saying that, they jumped down one after another. According to their plan, they kept a distance from each other and all walked toward the central area. The next moment, the one who walked in the front stopped abruptly. Light appeared under his feet. Then, the same scenario occurred to the rest of them! At last, several lights dashed into the sky and formed several images on the ceiling.
"They entered different illusionary realms successfully!" Xu Que said.
Then, those people appeared in different scenes. Someone became a scholar. Someone became a high official. Someone became an emperor, and someone became a beggar.…
Like before, the images flashed one after another, and the time changed.
The scholar studied hard for many years and had become a middle-aged man. However, he had never been able to pass the examination to become an official.
The high official was honest and upright at the beginning. However, he was turned into a greedy person who became thirsty for supreme powers.
The emperor was an enlightened ruler at first. At the last, he became a fatuous emperor who indulged himself in lasciviousness.
The beggar suffered from extreme poverty and bad health conditions.
At last, the scholar spent all his savings and hung himself in a shabby temple.
The high official was assassinated.
The emperor's dynasty was overturned and he was killed by the rebels in his palace.
The beggar was beaten up by others when he was found stealing food. Then, he died on a cold night because of the serious injuries.
…
They still ended up miserably, and none of them survived.
At this time, the onlookers realized that all of them had died by their own hands.
The scholar was obsessed by his official career. He spent all his savings in study but still failed to pass the examination to become an official. At last, he committed suicide. If he hadn't been obsessed with the official career, he might have enjoyed his life by treating study as a pleasure. In this way, he would have survived that scenario.
The high official wouldn't have been assassinated if he had continued to be an honest and upright official to the end.
The rebellion wouldn't have gone well if the emperor was still enlightened and wise.
If the beggar didn't steal or rob from others, he wouldn't have been beaten to death, no matter how hard his life was!
They were wrong from the very beginning. Even though it seemed that those who entered earlier killed each other, actually their deaths were caused by their own wrong decisions. So, they also died by their own hands because of worldly desires.
"Joker, you…what should we do?" Zixia Fairy turned to Xu Que and asked worriedly. Actually, she wanted to know what Xu Que would do next.
"I have no idea. We didn't get any useful information from the death of so many people! Now, the only thing that we can do is to enter the spell.Then, we might know what to do next!" Xu Que shrugged his shoulders.
Indeed, he couldn't figure out anything. He also didn't get any useful information after inquiring of the System. The only useful information he got was that the System could provide a function to keep his memory! Therefore, Xu Que decided to enter the spell and try to break the spell step by step with the assistance of the System.
Chapter 749: Enter the Spell!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Enter the spell? No!" Zixia Fairy shook her head immediately!
She had witnessed the power of this spell, which was much more lethal than the Chessboard Sea Spell they had just broken. Moreover, Xu Que had been seriously wounded and almost killed when he tried to break the Chessboard Sea Spell. Now she was really hoping he wouldn't die here.
"Joker, let's just stay here. Although this is just a small place, it is big enough for us to perform cultivation. If someone breaks this spell in the future, we can leave here!" Zixia Fairy said, biting her lower lip. It was quite difficult for her to make such a decision. However, after Xu Que risked his life for her several times, she was unconsciously influenced and felt Xu Que's life was more important to her.
"Lady Azi, that won't do. We all know nobody in this world could break this spell!" Xu Que said earnestly.
"But…"
"Don't say but! As a tough man, I would rather try my luck down there than waiting for death here!" Xu Qu said sonorously, as he looked at Zixia Fairy with his longing eyes.
When they had made eye contact, he asked in a low voice, "Lady Azi, are you willing to go with me?"
This was a hard decision for Zixia Fairy to make. However, when she saw Xu Que's determined eyes, her mind wavered. Then, she said, "OK! I'll go with you!"
"Great! Let's go, Lady Azi!"
Xu Que grabbed Zixia Fairy's little hand and clutched it in his palm tightly as they stepped toward the secret room. Zixia Fairy's eyes widened when her hand was clutched by Xu Que. Her heart was full of weird and complicated emotions. In this way, she was dragged out by Xu Que.
At the same time, many cultivators on the wall around them started to fix their eyes on them!
"No way! Someone who is not afraid of death is going down again?"
"It seems they have just arrived. They are quite bold to go down in such a short time!"
"Heh-heh, none of those bold guys survived. Their reckless actions will only lead to their deaths!"
"But the two of them are quite weird. The man is quite handsome, but the woman is so ugly. How did they form a group?"
"I guess they are not cultivation companions either!"
"Then, there will be a good show for us. I'm afraid they won't last long in the illusionary realms."
…
Many people were whispering.
However, Xu Que ignored them completely. With a wild joy in his heart, he clutched Zixia Fairy's hand tightly, and he jumped down resolutely with a fearless expression.
Boom!
When they reached the secret room, Xu Que felt a powerful restrictive force descending from the sky, which restricted his True Core Strength rapidly.
"Wow! Now I know the reason!" Xu Que was surprised. Then, he realized this secret room was an area which could restrict cultivation achievements. No matter how magnificent a cultivator's True Core Strength was, it would be restricted in this area. That was why cultivators could only fall to the ground and were not able to fly over it. Otherwise, they wouldn't die in this spell of the seven emotions and six sensory pleasures.
He landed on the ground slowly as he grasped Zixia Fairy's little hand in his palm. It was quiet around them. The cultivators standing in front of them were still motionless. In the fuzzy light, they looked quite like Terracotta Warriors!
Xu Que started to investigate the secret room. At such a close distance, what he could see was much more than he could see from above! The ground of the entire secret room was full of thickly dotted spell formations, which were giving off an archaic aura. When he stepped on the formations, he could feel a strand of chilliness flowing into his body.
"Find something?" Zixia Fairy asked in a low voice as she looked at Xu Que.
After investigating the room carefully, Xu Que shook his head, "I have nothing. Maybe we will know something after entering the spell!"
When he reached the bottom, he tried to locate the Celestial Artifact. If he could find it, he would definitely open the second grid in the System package for the Celestial Artifact even if he had to spend another 100,000 Acting Tough Points! However, it was impossible now!
He dove to the bottom of the sea of the Chessboard Sea Spell to find the Wheel of Life and Death. At the risk of being blown up by excessive vital forces, he obtained the Celestial Artifact at last. This spell was even more powerful. If it was really supported by another Celestial Artifact, it would be more difficult for him to obtain it.
"Let's go! No matter what will happen, I will protect you forever!" Xu Que said, as he looked at Zixia Fairy sincerely.
"No, you should live! Please try your best to stay alive!" Zixia Fairy said earnestly. She didn't care whether her Taoist Body would survive or not. The young man in front of her must live!
Xu Que smiled and said nothing. Then, he summoned the System to activate the function of memory protection! The consumption of this function was very low. It would only consume one Acting Tough Point per day. In normal times, it was a useless function. But it was quite precious in this spell.
With the cultivators on the wall staring at them, Xu Que and Zixia Fairy started to step forward. They walked forward sturdily, hand in hand, just like two love birds who would die together soon. Their momentum surprised the cultivators on the wall.
"Interesting! Are they really cultivation companions?"
"Impossible! That woman is too ugly! Is the man blind?"
"It's none of our business! Anyway, they will die soon!"
"Right! Let's think about what we should do next! Alas!"
The onlookers sighed, shaking their heads. They had lost interest in Xu Que and Zixia Fairy who had stepped into the spell. After all, they had seen too many people die in that spell, no matter if they entered as childhood sweethearts or if they chose different paths. Now the onlookers had stopped expecting miracles.
…
At this time, Xu Que and Zixia Fairy had almost reached the center of the secret room! The spell formations on the ground were denser than before. However, they could still figure out that the ground was separated by the spell formations into more than ten areas. Each area might represent one factor of the seven emotions and six sensory pleasures.
"Which way should we go?" Zixia Fairy asked in a low voice as she looked at Xu Que.
Although they figured out that these areas represented the seven emotions and six sensory pleasures, they didn't understand the spell formations. Therefore, they didn't know the test contained in each area! Xu Que was also perplexed because different people had different characters. Zixia Fairy had undergone a lot of factors in her life. If she could choose a test which suited her character well, maybe the test would become quite easy!
"My fellow cultivators, just choose one randomly. Anyway, it will lead to your deaths!" Someone at the entrance of a passage on the wall yelled, shaking his head at this time.
"Right! All those areas have been trodden by those who went before. So, it is unnecessary to be perplexed, just choose one!"
"Moreover, if you stand there like that, you will be dragged into the illusionary realms automatically. And you may end up even more miserably!"
Many cultivators tried to persuade them.
Xu Que couldn't help but reply, furrowing his eyebrows, "Guys, I don't agree with you. People should have high aspirations. If we could enter the illusionary realm that suits us well, we may really survive that!"
"An illusionary realm that suits you well? Heh-heh, please choose it!" someone said sarcastically. "There are so many illusionary realms here. Even if there is one that suits you well, are you sure you could find it?"
"I am really confident I will find it!" Xu Que smiled.
Zixia Fairy was surprised. "Joker, do you understand the spell formations?"
"What, no? I don't understand them at all!" Xu Que shook his head.
"Why did you say you are confident you will find the illusionary realm that suits us well?"
"Because I have a patrimonial method!"
"What is it?"
"It is…choosing a direction by throwing a shoe!"
As he said that, Xu Que lifted one of his legs abruptly and tossed his shoe into the sky. Zixia Fairy and the onlookers looked at him in surprise!