My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times

High above Shengjing, deep within the white clouds.

Ten great arenas, held aloft by the single hand of a certain True Immortal, stood firm above the sea of clouds, dark and profound.

"Is that all there is?"

A prodigy of the Demon Race grinned, grabbing the Human Race prodigy he was fighting, and asked mockingly:

"Do you surrender?"

"I... I surr..."

The Human Race prodigy coughed up a mouthful of blood, his gaze losing focus. He wanted to surrender, but before he could finish, a bloodthirsty light flashed in the Demon Race prodigy’s eyes.

SQUELCH!!

He gripped the young prodigy with both hands and, with a sudden exertion of force, tore him in two. Blood and gore flew everywhere!

Reveling as he drank the splattering blood, this Great Demon, on par with the Celestial Human Level, grinned and said:

"Is this what you call a prodigy? Weak, cowardly, timid... is this all? Is this really all!"

High above the clouds, the two seated Grand Grade humans had ashen faces. Beside them, a Little Saint of the Demon Race, who had passed through the gates to watch the battle, chuckled lightly.

"Oh dear, this little fellow is from the Silver Snake Race. He doesn’t know when to hold back..."

As he spoke, the smile on his face widened, and he added lazily:

"Brother Li, Brother Yan, you shouldn’t mind, should you? It’s an arena, after all. Getting injured or killed is only to be expected."

Yan Huang’s palm trembled slightly. He shot a cold glare at the Demon Race Little Saint, who was also a Grand Grade True Immortal, almost wanting to flip the table and kill him. But from the void, two icy gazes locked onto him.

They were from the two Grand Grade Immortals sent by the Life Tower to observe the battle.

Yan Huang’s face twitched. He forcefully suppressed the rage in his heart, ignored the Demon Race Little Saint, and turned his gaze back to the arena.

The True Immortal holding up the ten great arenas also had a grim expression. He took a deep breath and announced in a somber voice:

"Next match: Zhuge Ke versus Hu Futu of the Demon Race!"

Waiting on a Floating Stone Platform, Zhuge Ke’s expression faltered. She activated her Zhi Xuan and performed Divination again and again, only to receive the same result every time: "Ominous."

Her face instantly turned deathly pale. Nearby, Zhao Jifeng placed a hand heavily on Zhuge Ke’s shoulder and warned:

"That Hu Futu has already reached the Celestial Human Level, and you’re only a Grandmaster. The moment you get in the arena, surrender. Don’t hesitate!"

Zhuge Ke recalled her teacher’s words, "Face your trials head-on; do not avoid calamity," but she quickly pushed the thought aside.p>She was skilled in Divination, but she lacked the courage to use herself as a pawn in a game against the heavens.

Simply put, she was afraid of dying.

After she leaped into the arena, the Tiger Demon also walked up slowly. A crimson light swirled in his eyes as he licked his lips.

"What a pretty little lady. Heh heh, this Old Master’s luck isn’t bad..."

As he spoke, the Tiger Demon stepped onto the great arena. A monstrous divine radiance erupted from his body, his Spiritual Will manifesting externally as a vision of raging fire scorching the heavens!

The next instant.

"I surrender!" Zhuge Ke raised her hand without hesitation.

The True Immortal holding up the great arena seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He announced in a loud voice:

"Zhuge Ke surrenders! The winner is Hu Futu!"

The spectating Demon Race prodigies all started cursing and jeering. Their leader, Xuan Tong, shook his head and sneered:

"So this is the so-called Human Race that has fought us for six thousand years? Hmph, just a bunch of spineless weaklings. If it weren’t for that Great Wall..."

Hu Futu, also extremely displeased, walked forward. He sized up the pale-faced human girl, spat on the ground, and gave her a thumbs-down.

The faces of the remaining ten Human Race prodigies cycled through shades of green and white, but they couldn’t utter a single word of rebuttal. No one blamed Zhuge Ke, either. She was just trying to survive. What crime was there in that?

Zhuge Ke walked down from the arena with her head hung low, looking utterly dejected, her body trembling with fear.

It wasn’t just fear. The moment she surrendered, Zhuge Ke felt an empty, hollow sensation in her heart, as if something was drifting away from her.

Chong Shanhu walked over, helped support Zhuge Ke, and comforted her.

"It’s alright. It was a situation of certain death..."

Zhuge Ke looked up in a daze, her voice choked with tears.

"I... I forgot!"

"What?" Chong Shanhu was taken aback.

Zhuge Ke’s face was suddenly streaked with tears, and she began to cry out loud.

"I forgot the mysteries of Zhi Xuan... I can’t remember who my master is. I can’t remember..."

The memories in her mind were blurring bit by bit: that Sanqing Temple, those three bronze statues, that stern old man...

All of it was forgotten.

Zhuge Ke’s tears continued to stream down her face as she said numbly:

"I forgot. I can’t remember... What did I forget?"

The nearby Zhang Jifeng and the others were completely baffled, looking around in confusion. Only Chong Shanhu seemed to have vaguely guessed something, and his heart clenched.

’Face your trials head-on; do not avoid calamity. That is the rule of Sanqing Temple.’

’Xiaoke violated the rule... Does that mean she’s no longer a part of Sanqing Temple?’

Chong Shanhu sighed softly, his heart trembling as a sense of dread washed over him. ’To think that after Xiaoke violated the rule, she even forgot everything related to Sanqing Temple... Such immense power...’

Just as his heart was seized with dread, the True Immortal holding up the great arena spoke again:

"Chong Shanhu of the Human Race versus Hou Hua of the Demon Race!"

At that moment, Zhang Jifeng walked over and warned him, just as he had warned Zhuge Ke earlier:

"That Monkey Demon has also reached the Celestial Human Level. You should do as Xiaoke did and just..."

"No."

Chong Shanhu smiled and gently refused.

"I want to give it a try."

"Give it a try?" Zhang Jifeng’s brow furrowed. "It’s a fight to certain death! There’s no shame in surrendering. Do you think an ant trying to shake a tree is heroic? No, it’s foolish! Only..."

"Xiaoke and I have the same teacher. She cultivated Divination; I cultivate Killing Skills."

Chong Shanhu said calmly,

"My lineage dictates that we face our trials head-on and do not avoid calamity. That is what my teacher told me. I will step into this situation of certain death. And even if that weren’t the case, I still have to show those Demon Children that our spines are straight."