Chapter 274: “They’re Participating in the Competition” |
To be whisked away to such a strange place right after entering the Martial Realm was something Mu Zhi’an had never imagined.
Even if someone had told him that the Primordial Witch was still alive and waiting for him in the Martial Realm, he wouldn’t have believed it.
After all, it was too absurd. Countless Ascension Ceremonies had been held throughout history, but no one had ever encountered the Primordial Witch in the Martial Realm.
Yet, he had just entered, and there she was.
And she even claimed to be a reincarnator… and knew about his personal interface.
Mu Zhi’an stared at the woman, his eyes filled with suspicion.
She smiled sweetly from beneath her black hood, her finger resting on her pale, rosy lips. She tilted her head slightly. “Are you surprised?”
Mu Zhi’an stared at her, remaining silent.
The Primordial Witch removed her finger from her lips and touched Mu Zhi’an’s, smiling. “Because you thought your personal interface was something only you could see?”
Mu Zhi’an froze, then his eyes widened in disbelief.
Goosebumps erupted across his skin.
This was a reaction that even the most skilled actor couldn’t fake. Even if he saw it himself later, he would be amazed by his own response.
The information contained within the Primordial Witch’s words was too overwhelming.
His personal interface had always been a secret. Even when he opened it in front of others, they couldn’t see it.
And now, someone knew about it.
She even knew he possessed the Chaos Body!
…The Primordial Witch was the true reincarnator!
But if she was the reincarnator, why did the ‘Reincarnator’ title appear on his personal interface when Mengrou refined the bronze fragment?
There had to be a connection… Mu Zhi’an’s eyes flickered, his mind in turmoil.
After a moment of shock, he suppressed his surprise and tried to maintain his composure, smiling faintly. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand…”
But his gaze remained fixed on her, hoping to uncover the truth.
However, the Primordial Witch seemed to be a master of leaving things unsaid. She raised her head slightly, a playful smile on her lips.
“This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go somewhere else and chat.”
Her voice, as enchanting as a siren’s song, whispered in his ear, tempting him to follow her.
For the ‘protagonists’, the true prize of this Ascension Ceremony wasn’t the three Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herbs, but Mu Zhi’an, the hidden reward.
But no one expected that the prize would be snatched away before the ceremony even officially began…
If a painter were to depict a scene of ‘the protagonist participating in the Martial Realm trial’, it would be a simple task.
He would just have to paint these two.
The Primordial Witch, her beautiful eyes gazing at Mu Zhi’an with love and tenderness, and Mu Zhi’an, his expression a mixture of shock and disbelief.
As for the other protagonists…
They’re participating in the Martial Realm trial.
The Primordial Witch looked up, her gentle gaze fixed on him from beneath her hood. Mu Zhi’an felt his eyes drawn to hers, unable to look away.
His vision blurred, and he stared at her.
I’ve seen her somewhere before…
A sense of familiarity washed over him.
He had met the Primordial Witch before!
But where…?
As he looked into her eyes, the world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only her in focus.
Suddenly, he felt a slight electric shock on his finger, snapping him out of his daze.
The Artifact Spirit within the Purple Lightning Ring was trying to awaken its master!
Mu Zhi’an realized what was happening and bit his tongue, forcing himself to calm down.
This Primordial Witch was strange. Like the Demon Realm Empress, she could manipulate hearts…
I need to stay calm. Think about Yao Meng’s beautiful feet, Mengrou’s long legs, Ruoxi’s ample bosom, Lingxuan and Qian’er’s soft skin, and the alluring Lan sisters…
Sister Lin Ling and the Sect Master are also a good match…
Mu Zhi’an’s eyes cleared, and a hint of wariness appeared in his gaze as he looked at the mysterious woman.
“Alright,” he agreed readily.
If she was truly the Primordial Witch, he wouldn’t be able to escape anyway.
If she had any malicious intentions, she would have already acted. There was no reason for her to wait until now.
Of course, if he refused, she might change her mind.
The Primordial Witch looked at him, her gaze lingering on his handsome face for a moment, then she smiled sweetly.
“You were thinking about other girls just now, weren’t you?”
She can read minds?! Mu Zhi’an’s heart skipped a beat.
The Primordial Witch chuckled. “But it’s okay. I’ll forgive you, no matter what you do.”
“After all, even the love of all those girls combined can’t compare to mine.”
She raised her finger, and the black box hovering in the air silently opened.
“A Celestial Realm?” Mu Zhi’an said instinctively.
The black box contained a Celestial Realm, and it was now pulling both him and the Primordial Witch inside.
He had always wondered why the Primordial Witch had left behind a black box. Was it simply to express her ‘love’ and greet someone?
The answer was no.
Just like his Eight Chaos Dream Scroll, the black box was a Celestial Realm!
…
Boom!
Wei Mengrou unleashed a powerful sword strike, a terrifying golden light engulfing a large area, forcing the surrounding cultivators to retreat.
The young man who had been standing before her wasn’t so lucky. The force of her attack sent him stumbling back, blood spraying from his mouth as he clutched his chest, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Wei Mengrou.
The other cultivators were stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.
The Third Young Master of the Hong family… defeated by this female cultivator with a single sword strike?
It had only been half an hour since they entered the Martial Realm. The smarter cultivators had chosen to observe the situation first. However, some, who were considered ‘geniuses’ within their families, confident in their abilities, wanted to obtain points and pass the trial as quickly as possible, becoming the first to qualify for the Ascension Ceremony.
The Third Young Master of the Hong family hadn’t actually targeted Wei Mengrou for her points. He had simply never seen such a beautiful woman before and had proposed a ‘collaboration’.
It was a ‘collaboration’ in name only. He just wanted an excuse to approach her.
His proposal had naturally been rejected, and when he tried to force her to stay, the situation had escalated.
However, no one expected this alluring woman to be so powerful and decisive. She had defeated the Third Young Master of the Hong family with a single sword strike, forcefully taking one of his points.
Wei Mengrou scanned the surrounding cultivators. Seeing that they had no intention of attacking, she flew away on her sword.
Compared to obtaining points and passing the trial, her priority was her young master.
She had always been the one protecting him. Now that they were in different zones, although she believed in his strength, she couldn’t help but worry.
Thinking of this, she formed a hand seal and flew into the sky, searching for the exit of this zone.
The nine zones in the Martial Realm were interconnected, but each exit led to a random zone. And with the vastness of the Martial Realm, finding Mu Zhi’an depended largely on luck.
And the maid was confident in her luck.
Cultivators flew past her on their swords as she braved the wind and snow, heading towards the edge of the zone.
Several cultivators noticed her presence, but after witnessing her earlier display of power, most didn’t dare to approach her or try to steal her points.
“Miss Wei?”
A surprised voice came from behind her. Wei Mengrou instinctively turned her head and saw a beautiful woman in a blue dress, her figure graceful as she stood amidst the falling snow, her feet resting on a flying sword.
It was Tang Sufei, the Holy Maiden from the World Sea, whom they had met earlier.
“What a coincidence. I didn’t expect us to be in the same zone,” Tang Sufei said with a smile, flying towards her.
Wei Mengrou nodded slightly. “Indeed.”
Tang Sufei seemed accustomed to her coldness. She chuckled and said, “Are you looking for Young Master Mu?”
“If you don’t mind, let’s travel together. As you can see, some cultivators have already formed alliances. It’s dangerous to be alone, as we might be attacked by a group,” Tang Sufei said, offering an invitation.
“I also want to ask Young Master Mu about the black box,” she added.
The black box… Wei Mengrou’s eyes flickered, as if remembering something.
Then, she nodded slightly, accepting Tang Sufei’s invitation.
Although she was cold and aloof, she knew it was best to cooperate with others in this situation to avoid unnecessary trouble.
They stood side by side on their flying swords, braving the wind and snow as they searched for the exit to another zone.
Tang Sufei glanced at Wei Mengrou and suddenly said, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask… I’ve been curious…”
Wei Mengrou looked ahead. “Go ahead.”
“Why are you willing to be Young Master Mu’s maid, Miss Wei? I don’t mean to imply that he’s incompetent, but I’m just curious. With your strength, even the Two Polarities Sect would value you. Why would you be someone else’s maid?”
Tang Sufei slowed down her flying sword, her gaze fixed on Wei Mengrou.
Wei Mengrou also slowed down, looking at the falling snow. “He’s more capable than you think,” she said calmly.
“And,” she paused, then continued, “although I’m his maid, he’s never forced me to do anything I didn’t want to do.”
Tang Sufei looked at her meaningfully, then suddenly smiled. “Do you like Young Master Mu, Miss Wei?”
Wei Mengrou glanced at the smiling Holy Maiden from the World Sea. “Is the World Sea’s Holy Maiden interested in romance?”
She paused, then said casually, “I’m not interested in someone who’s two-timing.”
Tang Sufei knew she didn’t want to discuss this topic. She glanced at Wei Mengrou’s furrowed brows and chuckled. “If you win the Ascension Ceremony, Miss Wei, what will you do with the three Imperial-Grade Medicinal Herbs?”
Wei Mengrou’s lips curved into a slight smile as if thinking of something. “We’ll talk about it after I win.”
“I have a lot of things I want him to do.”
Mu Zhi’an thought asking Wei Mengrou for help was the safest option. She had indeed helped him countless times in the past.
But even he wouldn’t have guessed that his maid also wanted to become the master.
Him…?
Tang Sufei tilted her head slightly, countless question marks appearing above her head.
But Wei Mengrou didn’t explain, and Tang Sufei didn’t press further. They continued flying towards the edge of the zone. Suddenly, Wei Mengrou’s gaze fell upon a patch of black mist not far ahead.
“That black mist looks like the Southern Wilderness’s secret technique… It seems to be concealing Heavenly Secrets,” Tang Sufei said, frowning slightly.
But why would the Southern Wilderness’s secret technique appear in the Martial Realm?
Wei Mengrou’s eyes flickered as she stared at the black mist.
It felt… familiar…
After a moment of hesitation, she instinctively touched the bronze fragment on her chest and flew towards the mist.
Tang Sufei hesitated for a moment, then followed her.
As they entered the black mist, they saw its source.
It was a black object hovering in the air, enveloped in mist, concealing Heavenly Secrets, its true form hidden.
However, after a moment of observation, the same thought crossed their minds:
—The black box!
…
Mu Zhi’an looked at the massive palace and the woman in the black robe walking towards the throne, her feet clad in black boots.
“I didn’t expect the black box to contain such a vast Celestial Realm… The abilities of Dao Integration experts are truly unimaginable,” Mu Zhi’an thought, awestruck.
Although he had met several Dao Integration cultivators, some were just cute foodies, others were mysterious and had never revealed their true strength.
And then there was the one whose daughter he had ‘stolen’… It was best to pray that she wouldn’t attack him.
The only Dao Integration expert he had seen in action was Yao Meng, and she had only been a wisp of consciousness at the time, her Spiritual Energy borrowed from him.
And now that Yao Meng had recovered, there was no opportunity for her to fight.
After all, who would dare to provoke a Dao Integration cultivator?
Therefore, this method of compressing a Celestial Realm within a small black box was something he had never seen before.
His attention shifted to the Primordial Witch.
Although he couldn’t see her face, her alluring figure revealed her beauty.
However, the tight black robe that concealed her body also added to her mysterious aura.
Normally, he would be intrigued by this mystery and even pursue her, but now… in this situation, he was more wary than anything else.
The Primordial Witch sat on the throne, her gaze fixed on him, a sweet smile on her lips. “We can finally talk peacefully here.”
“You mean someone could be eavesdropping on us in the Martial Realm?” Mu Zhi’an asked casually, trying to gather information.
“Of course.”
Her answer surprised him.
“Only within this black mist that conceals Heavenly Secrets can we be sure no one is listening.”
She looked at him with a gentle gaze. “Come and sit. I won’t harm you.”
Mu Zhi’an chuckled. “We’ve never met before. Those words would only work on naive young boys.”
The Primordial Witch tilted her head slightly. “You don’t trust me?”
Mu Zhi’an also tilted his head, staring at her. “You know about my personal interface and even about the Chaos Body?”
His meaning was clear: Explain yourself first, and then I’ll consider trusting you.
The Primordial Witch smiled.
“Of course I know.”
“Because I’m the one who gave you your personal interface.”