Sacred Land Trial Chapter Twenty-One: Encounter in the Dense Forest

Jian Zhongli smiled, perhaps because this was the answer he had always longed to hear. For millions of years, rather than guarding the Thunder Abyss, it was more like being imprisoned there. He still remembered those words in his heart: If you wish to break free from the shackles of the Thunder Abyss, he may be your only chance.

At this thought, Jian Zhongli couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at fate’s twists. Once, he had been someone else's sole hope. Now, someone else had become his only chance.

Luo Chen rested his hand on Shi Ling’s shoulder, his body upright within the formation. He watched as Jian Zhongli waved his hand. At once, a blinding light engulfed his vision, forcing him to close his eyes. Jian Zhongli, meanwhile, smiled as he watched Luo Chen vanish from the formation, the array beneath him gradually fading until his expression suddenly tightened.

“Damn. I forgot to tell that kid the exit of this formation is random.”

But after a moment’s hesitation, Jian Zhongli turned his gaze to the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Pool and once again showed a satisfied smile.

“No matter. With her there, perhaps my worries are unnecessary. Luo Chen, I truly look forward to the surprise you’ll bring me.”

When Luo Chen reopened his eyes, he found himself standing within a dense forest. The woods were thick and shrouded in darkness, with only the faintest traces of moonlight filtering through distant treetops. Now and then, the howls of wild beasts echoed in his ears, their cries mingling with the surrounding solitude and sending a chill down his spine.

As Luo Chen stood at a loss, a glimmer of light appeared on the back of his hand. As the glow grew, he clearly saw a small golden sword forming there. The blade flashed, and Shi Ling appeared before him.

“At last, I can eat Sister Yu’s pastries again—”

Shi Ling hadn’t finished speaking before noticing something was amiss. Staring at her stunned figure, Luo Chen could only shake his head helplessly, stepping forward to pat her tiny head.

“Stop looking, Shi Ling. We’re probably not in the imperial capital anymore.”

A wailing howl escaped Shi Ling, and before Luo Chen could finish his words, she threw herself onto his shoulder and burst into tears. Luo Chen was baffled by her sudden outburst, but could only smile gently and continue to comfort her. After a while, Shi Ling’s sobs slowly ceased, and she sat on Luo Chen’s shoulder, arms crossed, pouting angrily.

“That old sword geezer! Because of him, I missed out on Sister Yu’s pastries. Next time I see him, I’ll pull out all his beard!”

At this, Luo Chen covered his face with his hand and shook his head once more, speechless, though he couldn’t help but smile secretly. He was long accustomed to Shi Ling’s little fits.

He looked around, his expression growing uncertain. He had no idea where he was, only that the moonlight was visible in one distant spot. Finally, he fixed his gaze on that single patch of pale light.

“Let’s go, Shi Ling.”

With those words, Luo Chen strode toward the distant moonlit spot. After a long walk, he reached the area only to find a small clearing, nothing more. All around, it was still endless forest, as if there were no way out at all. At this, Luo Chen remembered he could extend his spiritual sense to search around.

After all, his soul was of Spirit Void strength—even though his current cultivation was only at mid Earth Spirit Realm, his spiritual sense could easily cover a hundred miles. With this in mind, Luo Chen closed his eyes and instantly released his spiritual sense. In the space of a breath, the entire area within a hundred miles appeared vividly before him.

“So this is my spiritual sense now,” he murmured with a faint smile. Under its sweep, not even the dew sliding off flower petals, the insects crawling between leaves, or the little spirit beasts playing under the trees escaped his notice. Within a hundred miles, nothing could hide.

“Brother, go! Go back to find Father!”

At the edge of his spiritual sense, the commotion in the forest was accompanied by a woman’s voice that caught Luo Chen’s attention. Frowning in puzzlement, he pushed his spiritual sense even further.

A moment later, a man, dragging a woman, burst out of the dense woods and entered Luo Chen’s perception. Luo Chen examined them carefully and saw that the man was wounded, and the woman behind him was hurt even worse. Her face was pale and anxious, with blood at the corner of her mouth; both of them seemed terrified of whatever was behind them, which piqued Luo Chen’s curiosity. He withdrew his spiritual sense and turned toward their direction.

He hesitated, unsure whether to approach. After a moment’s indecision, he took a mask from his storage ring. Gazing at it, he thought of Luo Xiaoya, Qing Xuan Yu, and Qing Xingyue from the academy. This very mask had been left in the ring by Qing Xingyue when she gave it to him. It could conceal his aura and cultivation—though it only covered his eyes, it would suffice. Without further hesitation, Luo Chen donned the mask of deep blue and leapt toward the pair.

A fleeting shadow darted swiftly beneath the treetops. In moments, Luo Chen sensed he was close and concealed himself behind a boulder.

Peering through the dense foliage, he saw the man shielding the woman with one arm, the other trembling as he gripped his sword, eyes fixed warily on the forest ahead.

“Brother, just go! Leave me behind!” the woman cried.

“Shut up,” the man barked.

Though her words were panicked, the man showed no gratitude, merely steadying himself before gripping his sword tighter, his hand no longer shaking.

“You sure can run. My brothers and I have chased you for quite a while—why don’t you keep running?”

The unknown voice drew Luo Chen’s attention. He looked again at the woods ahead of the pair. Soon, five men emerged from the shadows. Though all had refined features and wore matching robes, the malice in their eyes made Luo Chen inwardly recoil. The leader took two steps forward, leering at the woman before turning a stern gaze on the man.

“Hey, Wang Lin, must I invite you over myself?”

At these words, Luo Chen was momentarily stunned. Hadn’t Wang Lin just been shielding the woman? But the tone suggested Wang Lin was one of them. Luo Chen glanced at the woman behind Wang Lin. Her delicate face was stricken with panic, her pale hand clutching Wang Lin’s arm as she stared at his back in terror.

“Brother, what are they saying? Tell me!” she pleaded anxiously, but Wang Lin did not answer, only glancing at the five men’s wicked smiles. After a moment’s hesitation, he wrenched his arm free and walked straight to stand beside the five men, turning his back on the woman. She was lost, her eyes filling with despair as she collapsed to the ground.

“Let me explain,” said the leader, suppressing his sinister smile as he looked down at the woman. After a glance at Wang Lin’s back, he continued, “You’re Wang Siyu, aren’t you? Your brother probably never told you who I am. Let me introduce myself: I am Chen Xingjie, second son of the Chen family. As for why you’re here and being hunted by us—well, I’ve long coveted your body, and your brother brought you here and gave you to me in exchange for a favor.”

At this, Wang Siyu sprang to her feet and glared at Chen Xingjie. “Impossible! My brother would never do that!” She locked her gaze on Wang Lin’s back, hoping for any sign that Chen Xingjie was lying.

But nothing happened as she wished. Wang Lin kept his back to her and gave no reply. His silence itself seemed to confirm Chen Xingjie’s words.

Chen Xingjie walked up to Wang Siyu, lifted her chin with a finger, and gazed at her youthful face with a lascivious glint.

“Don’t worry. In exchange for your brother giving you to me, the Chen family will no longer suppress your Wang family’s business. In fact, your Wang family will become our exclusive partner in Tianfeng City.”

As soon as he finished, Wang Siyu shoved his hand away and backed up, glaring at Wang Lin and the others with hatred.

Luo Chen watched it all without acting. Of those present, only Chen Xingjie had reached the third level of the Earth Spirit Realm. Luo Chen still hoped Wang Lin might repent and intervene, so unless absolutely necessary, he would not act.

“Even if I die, I won’t let you have your way!” Wang Siyu cried, drawing a dagger and plunging it toward her chest. But in a flash, Chen Xingjie snatched it away, binding her body with a thread of spiritual power. He glanced at the dagger, then at the helpless Wang Siyu, and tossed the weapon aside.

“Brother, save me!”

“Get away from me!”

As Chen Xingjie approached, Wang Siyu screamed for help, but Wang Lin did nothing. As Chen Xingjie’s hand reached to untie her belt, Luo Chen watched Wang Lin with growing disappointment. Steeling his resolve, he summoned Zhe Qing to his hand and flung it at Chen Xingjie.

Just as Chen Xingjie was about to savor his prize, he sensed danger and quickly leapt back, narrowly escaping. The others rushed to support him, all staring in astonishment at the spot before Wang Siyu.

There, in the moonlight, embedded in the ground just a half-step from where Chen Xingjie had stood, was a long sword, its blade gleaming with an eerie cyan light.

“That bastard! Daring to disrupt my pleasure—show yourself if you have the guts!”

No answer came. Chen Xingjie steadied himself, scanning the area with his spiritual sense but finding nothing. He looked back at Wang Siyu, wanting to advance again, but the sword’s cold light made him hesitate and draw back his step.

The group stood in place, bewildered. When nothing happened for a long while, Chen Xingjie glared at Wang Lin, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded furiously, “Was this your doing?”

Wang Lin glanced fearfully at the sword, stammered, “Young Master Chen, it truly has nothing to do with me!”

“Nothing to do with you? Then you’d better explain yourself!”

Before Wang Lin could think of an excuse, a faint rustling sounded in the forest, and a figure leaped out, landing before Wang Siyu in a flash.

“Let me explain.”

Chen Xingjie eyed the newcomer, who wore a blue mask that concealed much of his face in the dim moonlight—none other than Luo Chen. Chen Xingjie released Wang Lin, turned, and glared at Luo Chen with hatred.

“Who are you? Do you know what happens to those who cross me?”

Luo Chen only smiled coldly, producing a new cloak from his ring and draping it over Wang Siyu’s shoulders. She stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words, then saw his gentle smile and felt her eyes grow moist.

Turning to the others, Luo Chen glanced with contempt at Wang Lin before pulling Zhe Qing from the ground and pointing its blade at Chen Xingjie, sneering coldly.

“I am the one Young Master Wang Lin invited to deal with all of you.”

At this, Chen Xingjie spun to glare at Wang Lin. Luo Chen saw the fury and killing intent growing on Chen Xingjie’s face. Wang Lin, meanwhile, was utterly stunned and terrified, shuffling back two steps under Chen Xingjie’s wrath.

“Wang Lin, you’d better give me a perfect explanation. Otherwise, you’re not leaving the Spirit Beast Mountains alive.”

At these words, Wang Lin collapsed to the ground, hesitated in fear, then suddenly looked at Luo Chen, seeming to realize something. He sprang up, eyes full of hatred.

“You! You’d better explain yourself, boy! Otherwise, not just Young Master Chen, but I, Wang Lin, won’t let you off either!”

Luo Chen looked at him, feigning innocence as he produced five hundred spirit stones and tossed them on the ground.

“Come now, Young Master Wang, you can’t deny it. Look, aren’t these the five hundred spirit stones you paid me? You even said you’d give me two thousand more after the job was done. Now you’re pretending it never happened?”

Wang Lin stared at the pile of spirit stones, then at the furious Chen Xingjie. Luo Chen could tell Chen Xingjie was waiting—waiting for Wang Lin to give a satisfactory answer. But seeing the evidence on the ground, Wang Lin knew Chen Xingjie was almost convinced, leaving him momentarily speechless. Luo Chen sighed heavily.

“Ah well, I was blinded by greed and trusted you, Young Master Wang. Now I’ve even offended Young Master Chen. Let’s call it quits.”

He turned to Wang Siyu with a smile, his back to the others. Chen Xingjie, hearing this, shot Wang Lin a venomous glare, his expression finally easing.

“So, little brother, you’re willing to let this matter drop?”

Luo Chen didn’t answer. Chen Xingjie took out three thousand spirit stones, walked to within three paces of Luo Chen, and said, “These three thousand spirit stones are my gift to you. I’d like to make you my friend.”

Luo Chen didn’t immediately turn around. He gently touched the spiritual binding on Wang Siyu, nodded at her, then turned to Chen Xingjie and his spirit stones, touching his nose with a smile.

“You are indeed generous, Young Master Chen. But I’ve never liked owing favors. Miss Wang Siyu once helped me, so I ask you to show some magnanimity today and allow me to take her away.”

“Don’t push your luck!” Chen Xingjie roared, flinging down his spirit stones as rage exploded from him, his aura swirling with killing intent.

But Luo Chen was unmoved. The force only ruffled his hair as he smiled faintly.

“Face? I have no need for that, nor do I need anyone else to give it to me.”

“You... courting death!”

With a snarl, Chen Xingjie charged. Luo Chen simply stretched lazily, and when a loud crash sounded, he found Chen Xingjie’s fist planted firmly against his chest.

Luo Chen knew that punch carried at least seventy or eighty percent of Chen Xingjie’s full strength. Yet Luo Chen didn’t budge, only smiling calmly at him. The onlookers—including Chen Xingjie—were all stunned, unable to believe what they had seen.

Luo Chen saw their astonishment and confusion, but he alone knew the truth: with his current mid Void-breaking Realm body, not even a peak Earth Spirit Realm expert—let alone Chen Xingjie—could harm him in the slightest.

Chen Xingjie withdrew his fist, staggered back two steps, looked at his hands, then at Luo Chen in utter shock.

“Who... who are you, really?”