Zhu Xiaoqing limped along the muddy mountain path, her high heels broken, her face pale with terror.
She claimed to have seen real hell once, but that was a childhood memory, the true appearance long forgotten. Today, however, she was truly witnessing inexplicable strange events.
Not long ago, she and Qin Yexuan had entered the dormitory converted from the warehouse, one after the other. Their vision had gone black, and they had seen nothingness.
Then, a giant soap bubble had emerged from the ground.
The soap bubble was transparent, yet the part beneath the ground could be vaguely seen, shimmering with colorful lights.
She watched helplessly as the soap bubble grew larger and larger, only able to retreat.
"Classmate Qin?" she shouted, "Where are you?"
Faintly, Qin Yexuan's voice echoed in her ears: "Relax, this won't hurt us, won't hurt, won't hurt..."
Qin Yexuan's voice continued to reverberate in her ears, like echoes in a valley.
Then she was enveloped by the soap bubble. A film-like substance passed through her. Her body felt cold and damp, and a white light poured down from above, bathing her like a waterfall.
The last thing Zhu Xiaoqing saw was the fragmented warehouse dormitory.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a dim mountain valley.
The white light from above was actually the cold moonlight...
A mountain breeze blew, invigorating her, followed by an biting chill.
Before her lay a black mountain path, flanked by overgrown thorns and mountain grass.
Zhu Xiaoqing's legs trembled, and she looked around in a daze.
Qin Yexuan appeared beside her, still holding a handful of fruit.
"Classmate Qin!" Zhu Xiaoqing was overcome with surprise and relief, wishing she could hug him.
After the terrifying experience, seeing a living person in this desolate wilderness was more precious than family.
But recalling their adversarial relationship, Zhu Xiaoqing stopped awkwardly.
She pretended to be relaxed, "Where are we? Is this a hallucination? Are we still in the warehouse?"
Qin Yexuan smiled, "Stop pretending. You're scared, aren't you?"
Zhu Xiaoqing's face flushed. "Nonsense. I come from the Zhu family. We've seen much since childhood. I've even seen hell..."
Qin Yexuan interrupted her, tossing her a ripe red mountain fruit. "Eat something. We have a long way to go."
Huh?
Zhu Xiaoqing looked at the fruit in her hand. A fragrant aroma wafted from it, and it looked very tempting.
But she dared not eat it.
Who knew what tricks this Classmate Qin was playing?
Seeing the wary look on Zhu Xiaoqing's face, Qin Yexuan smiled again. "Do you know where this is?"
"This is a valley. If it's not a hallucination, then the soap bubble we passed through after entering the warehouse was a special space..." Zhu Xiaoqing slowly pieced it together.
Qin Yexuan nodded. "Not bad. You can still think calmly at a time like this. You're quite capable."
He looked at the deep valley. "Don't bother thinking. This is Lingmeng Mountain, and the most mysterious part of it, Tianyu Valley!"
Tianyu Valley?
Zhu Xiaoqing recalled something. "Many years ago, a few hikers who entered Lingmeng Mountain went missing. Seven people went in, and only one returned, and he was driven mad. He was reportedly shouting 'Tianyu Valley' when he was found..."
Few people knew about this old incident. Back then, transportation was undeveloped, and information spread slowly. It was just a rumor from old newspapers. She was surprised Zhu Xiaoqing knew such obscure gossip.
Qin Yexuan couldn't help but glance at her again.
Zhu Xiaoqing chuckled. "I did my homework before coming to Chaoge. I researched a lot of news reports about Lingmeng Mountain. Since Chaoge Academy is so close to Lingmeng Mountain, I had to prepare in advance."
Qin Yexuan nodded, eating the fruit in his hand. "Let's go. Follow me. This valley might not look big, but it will take at least two hours to get through."
Zhu Xiaoqing stared in disbelief. "To where? Shouldn't we leave here quickly and go back to school?"
Qin Yexuan said coldly, "Don't forget our objective this time is to find the girl in the warehouse."
Zhu Xiaoqing gasped. "That classmate who was giving birth, she's... she's in the valley?"
Qin Yexuan had already started walking. "You can go back to school yourself. As the student union president, of course, I have to find the missing student."
Zhu Xiaoqing gritted her teeth, glanced behind her, and quickly followed.
As they walked, her high heels broke, and her stockings were torn by the thorns. Her fair legs were covered in wounds. They finally passed through the first valley, and another path appeared before them.
It was even narrower than the one they had just traversed.
"Classmate Qin, are you sure this is the way?" Zhu Xiaoqing was starving and exasperated.
"Dean Zhu, you'd better speak quietly. Someone is ahead of us," Qin Yexuan's eyes flickered as he stared at a spot not far into the valley.
There, Emperor Xin and Zhang Taijia had just appeared.
The two sides faced each other across a rock, confronting each other in the darkness for a few seconds.
Both sensed the other's power.
Emperor Xin grabbed Zhang Taijia. "Go!"
A black wind swept up, carrying them like a pair of wind-fire wheels, moving at extreme speed.
The mountain grass and thorns on either side were flung backward.
Zhang Taijia yelped.
At the entrance to the narrow valley path, Qin Yexuan's expression changed. "Dean Zhu, quickly! We have to get ahead!"
Zhu Xiaoqing touched the wounds on her legs and started to cry. "I can't... I can't walk anymore..."
Qin Yexuan turned abruptly, scooped her up by the waist, and with a surge of strength, lifted her.
Zhu Xiaoqing flailed, struggling desperately.
Qin Yexuan slapped her hard. "Be quiet!"
The next moment, he hoisted the woman onto his back, pushed off the ground, and with immense power, leaped over three meters high.
Mid-air, Qin Yexuan extended his left hand, and a stream of energy like a chain locked onto a mountain rock ten meters away. The energy then contracted, pulling him like a released arrow, instantly covering more than ten meters.
Zhu Xiaoqing closed her eyes, all she heard was the whistling wind.
Qin Yexuan repeated the process, ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters, astonishingly catching up to Emperor Xin.
Emperor Xin landed with a grunt, his hand suddenly stirring a mass of black energy from which he pulled a giant sword.
The bronze giant sword swept through the air, and with a roar, Emperor Xin cleaved it directly upwards.
Qin Yexuan arrived just in time, raising his hand and gently patting the air.
His palm collided with the bronze giant sword. Emperor Xin was shocked. "Who are you?"
Qin Yexuan easily bypassed him, accelerating again with Zhu Xiaoqing on his back, instantly turning into a black dot.
The giant sword in Emperor Xin's hand trembled and shattered with a bang.
He panted, looking at his palm, which had cracked from the immense force of the impact.
"Taijia! Do you recognize that person?"
Boss Zhang repeatedly shook his head. "I haven't seen him, but looking at the woman on his shoulder and his attire, he might be from Chaoge Academy..."
Emperor Xin's eyes gleamed. "He might not be human!"
Boss Zhang was startled. "What do you mean?"
Emperor Xin pondered, then shook his head after a long pause. "No human can block my Phoenix Black Flame Sword!"
Boss Zhang scratched his head. "Then shall we... go back?"
"Shut up!" Emperor Xin said, annoyed. "Come with me, let's continue. The Heavenly Wisdom Jade is in the valley. How can I give up?"
Boss Zhang's face was like a crying clown, and he could only continue to follow this madman in search of the so-called Heavenly Wisdom Jade.