CHAPTER 51

— By the Banks of Wangchuan River —

"Sister Tong, your creativity is truly remarkable. We owe our success in passing this trial to you." Holding Ning Qinglian in her arms, Luqiu Fuyi, representing the disciples of the Nichang Valley, warmly took Tong Tong's hand and expressed her gratitude.

"Hehehe..." Tong Tong pinched her earlobe and smiled shyly.

—No need for thanks, just give me some spirit stones as compensation?

The words lingered in her throat, turning over and over, but she swallowed them back in the end.

"Little monks Daxi / Dayuan / Dajiu thank Benefactor Tong." The three young monks bowed to Tong Tong in unison, chanting a Buddhist mantra, "Amitabha."

—As the only sect among the five major factions that worships the Western Buddhas rather than the Three Daoist Patriarchs, the Tianyin Temple always remained aloof from worldly affairs, maintaining neutrality to avoid provoking attacks from the other sects.

They kept a certain distance from the other factions, never growing too close... which was why they placed great importance on and felt genuine gratitude for Tong Tong's assistance.

"You're too kind..." Tong Tong suppressed a smile, clasped her hands together, and returned the bow—perhaps she felt a sense of familiarity because of their names, or maybe her animal-like intuition sensed no malice from them. In any case, she held a favorable impression of these three young monks.

—They say the vegetarian meals at temples are both delicious and nutritious! And they won't make you gain weight! It's practically a godsend for girls! I wonder if Tianyin Temple serves vegetarian food? If we go there to visit, we could give it a try...

"Um... thanks." Under Bai Jingjing's urging, Liu Ya reluctantly approached Tong Tong, rubbed the tip of his nose, and muttered softly.

—Although he couldn't stand the people from Qiuye Peak and looked down on this weak little senior sister, he couldn't deny that she had saved their group.

Both of them were proud, but they weren't the type to ignore kindness. After some back-and-forth hesitation, Bai Jingjing glared at him with her beautiful eyes, and Liu Ya had no choice but to swallow his pride and come over to thank her.

"You're welcome." Tong Tong replied with a light laugh.

—Hahaha! So you have your day too! Now you know how awesome I, Tong Tong, am, right? Wahahaha...

"I owe you one. I'll repay it." With a turn of his head, Liu Ya hurried back to Bai Jingjing's side, quickly putting distance between himself and Tong Tong, as if afraid of hearing her mocking laughter.

"Pfft—" Tong Tong suddenly thought: this gloomy pretty boy Liu Ya and the spoiled young lady Bai Jingjing actually have a cute side to them!

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group, still not very familiar with each other, maintained a loose formation as they advanced steadily, though the boundaries between each faction remained clear.

Lu Xianrou moved closer to Bai Jingjing and the others, quietly telling them about Xiang Wu's betrayal while carefully observing their expressions—aside from shock, there was only anger, not a single flaw, which temporarily put her mind at ease. If these two were also connected to the Demon Sect, their journey through this secret realm would be far more dangerous...

After warning them to stay vigilant, Lu Xianrou returned to Tong Tong's side and gave Su Yan a discreet look, indicating that Bai Jingjing's group was innocent. After their sparring match, an invisible barrier seemed to have lifted between them, replaced by a sense of mutual respect. Yet, at the same time, that inexplicable hostility grew even stronger than before.

—To find a kindred spirit in life leaves no regrets, but to find a lifelong rival, isn't that also a great joy?

Even the usually cold and proud Su Yan had to admit that, in the way of the sword alone, this junior sister Lu possessed potential no less than her own. If not for their difference in cultivation, given time, she might even surpass her... Thinking this, Su Yan couldn't help but feel even more curious and suspicious about Lu Xianrou's master.

A vague suspicion lingered in her mind, but she would have to wait until they returned to confirm it.

For now, the top priority was figuring out how to get through the next trial.

It seemed there was a reason why the Abyssal Secret Realm was ranked among the three great secret realms—each trial was filled with hidden mysteries, and they all seemed intricately connected to the underworld and the courts of the dead. But who knew if there was some conspiracy behind it all?

Lost in thoughts of conspiracy, Su Yan narrowed her eyes, about to ponder further when suddenly her palm grew warm. She glanced sideways to find Tong Tong pretending nothing had happened—her ears and cheeks slightly flushed, adding a touch of softness to her otherwise plain features. Su Yan quietly averted her gaze, her expression softening slightly as she pushed aside those troublesome thoughts and gently squeezed the small, soft hand in her own.

Trying her best to ignore the two lovebirds beside her who were completely lost in their own world, Lu Xianrou sighed softly. Yet her gaze was drawn to what seemed like a sudden appearance of a lake before them—they had only walked for a short while after leaving the Naihe Bridge, and the entire journey had been a desolate landscape, with no oasis in sight, let alone any living creatures. But in the blink of an eye, such a vast expanse of water had materialized out of thin air. How could they not be astonished?

The surface of the lake was eerily calm, without a single ripple. There were no fish or shrimp, not even a trace of duckweed—no signs of life whatsoever. It exuded an unsettling strangeness that made one instinctively wary.

"Everyone, welcome to the Wangchuan River [River of Forgetfulness]. I am its guardian—Li Wei." A gentle, water-like voice startled everyone, even Su Yan, who nearly drew her sword in response. The woman in blue seemed to have abruptly appeared in their line of sight, yet it also felt as though she had been standing there quietly all along, unnoticed.

One thing was certain: this woman who called herself Li Wei was as unfathomable as Meng Po, the old woman they had encountered earlier. She was not someone to be confronted with brute force.

"The Naihe Bridge stretches far and wide, each step spanning three miles in freedom; the Wangchuan River holds a thousand years of memories, yet faces remain unrecognized, leaving nothing but helplessness." Lu Xianrou held the strategy guide in her hand, reciting the words one by one.

"What does that mean?" Tong Tong leaned in close, whispering softly.

"The Wangchuan River, like the Naihe Bridge, is a path all souls must take. Everyone who crosses the Naihe Bridge and drinks from the Wangchuan River will forget their past lives and be reborn, entering the next cycle of karma." Lu Xianrou glanced at Tong Tong and explained gently.

—So what's the point of this annotation?

"Since you've made it here, I assume you've already crossed the Naihe Bridge. But don't celebrate too soon... I'm not like Meng Po, who might go easy on you youngsters." The woman who called herself Li Wei smiled faintly, though her eyes held no warmth. "My trial isn't particularly difficult, but it's not exactly simple either—the number of skeletons buried in the Wangchuan River is beyond even my count as its guardian..."

"Gasp—" Hearing this, Tong Tong couldn't help but inhale sharply, gaining a new understanding of this gentle woman with features as delicate as a painting and a voice as sweet as a nightingale.

—So this is what they mean by an angel's face and a devil's heart. I've finally seen it today...

"The requirement is simple: each of you must immerse yourselves in the Wangchuan River for a while. If you emerge unscathed, you pass. Otherwise, please turn back." Li Wei adjusted her wide sleeves and waved her hand casually, as if it were nothing. Instantly, everyone was involuntarily plunged into the Wangchuan River—the water only reached chest height, crystal clear, revealing the other half of their bodies submerged beneath the surface—half of them had turned into stark white skeletons!

Panicked by the sudden immersion, some sat down, submerging most of their bodies in the Wangchuan River and turning into skeletal frames.

"What... what's going on?" Tong Tong stammered, turning to Su Yan beside her. She felt goosebumps rising all over her body, her scalp tingling and her limbs growing weak. She nearly sank into the seemingly shallow lake, allowing the eerie water to submerge her head.

"It's just an illusion," Su Yan said coldly, gripping her icy hand. Her gaze remained fixed on Li Wei, who stood with her hands behind her back, radiating an intense k!lling intent.

—This woman possesses formidable power!

To be able to trap so many Golden Core stage disciples present—except for Tong Tong—in an illusion array, even a Great Ascension stage cultivators might not necessarily be capable of it!

Yet this technique of hers had even ensnared herself! D@mn it...

Just as the crimson glow on her Changhong Sword flickered and she was about to make a move, she saw Bai Jingjing beside her suddenly change expression drastically, summoning her lifebound sword and launching a fierce attack toward her partner Liu Ya on the other side—each strike ruthless and aimed to k!ll.

"Have you gone mad?" Su Yan blocked Bai Jingjing's attack with her sword, shouting sharply.

The latter, however, seemed not to hear her, dodging past her obstruction without a second thought. Ignoring the wide-open gap in her defense, she stubbornly pressed her attack toward Liu Ya, as if driven by a deep-seated vendetta.

Su Yan narrowed her eyes and noticed something peculiar: Bai Jingjing's movements were mechanical, yet her power had multiplied, her offensive strength several times greater than before. Her gaze was vacant, her eyes dull, and when she stared blankly ahead, a fleeting crimson glint could be seen—like a puppet under someone's control.

—Was this... soul manipulation?

Su Yan speculated but quickly dismissed the thought. While the controlled lost their consciousness, their cultivation had not diminished but instead increased—far more potent than the soul manipulation technique, which came at the cost of halving one's strength...

Clang! Just before she was struck, Liu Ya raised his sword to deflect the cunningly angled blade of light, then countered with a strike of his own toward Bai Jingjing—his eyes equally vacant, tinged with a faint crimson hue.

At the same moment, not only were Liu Ya and Bai Jingjing locked in combat, but even members of the Nichang Valley and the Tianyin Temple were not spared, sinking into the mire of infighting—as if those standing before them were not familiar, beloved sectmates, but... enemies.

In an instant, sword lights crisscrossed, arts clashed, and the tranquil pond surface shattered, transforming into a battlefield.

—Hey, hey! What are you all doing? Can't we talk this out?

Seeing the cold, merciless gaze of Luqiu Fuyi sweep over her, Tong Tong's throat tightened, and she hastily sidestepped, fearing she might become collateral damage.

As her eyes swept across the scene, she saw Luqiu Fuyi and Meng Qianyao locked in combat—poisons from the Nichang Valley scattered through the air, startling Tong Tong into constantly shifting positions.

Frowning at the chaos unfolding before her, Su Yan glanced at Tong Tong beside her—though she was so tense and frightened she was nearly ready to flee in panic, her eyes remained clear and unaffected. Su Yan's heart eased slightly, but she immediately pulled Tong Tong behind her, swinging her sword to deflect a sneak attack from behind.

"Lu Xianrou?" Su Yan asked gravely, but the other gave no response.

—It seemed that among everyone, only she and Tong Tong remained unaffected.

While fending off Lu Xianrou's attacks, which were three times fiercer than usual, Su Yan spared a glance toward the guardian, Li Wei—but no matter where she looked, she couldn't find her.

Su Yan's brow furrowed deeply. Distracted for a moment, she felt the sleeve of her robe tear as Lu Xianrou's blade grazed it.

"Ahhh! Be careful!" Tong Tong, hiding in a safe spot and unable to help, cried out in alarm, her gaze toward Lu Xianrou tinged with a hint of reproach. "Junior Sister Xianrou! Wake up! Stop swinging your sword at people recklessly!"

"..." There was no response. Lu Xianrou's attacks continued unabated, seemingly even more relentless than before.

—Something's off... Weren't you supposed to be mind-controlled? What's with this reaction?

—Settling personal scores under the guise of duty.

Tong Tong and Su Yan both thought to themselves simultaneously.

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