Chapter 185 : Husband! I’m Back
Chapter 185: Husband! I’m Back
Yaxi sat at the bedside, patiently listening from beginning to end to the message Long Tao had transmitted through the mirror. Her brows furrowed so tightly they almost knitted together.
The good news was that both Long Tao and True Person Mingzhu were temporarily unharmed, and they had even ended up together.
That was far better than the worst-case scenario she had previously imagined.
But judging from the intelligence Long Tao had provided, the two of them were truly trapped in a place suspected to be a Heavenly Court Fragment.
It even seemed to be some kind of bizarre world resembling a rule-based horror scenario.
Even a Golden Core Great Cultivator like True Person Mingzhu had been instantly suppressed back into a mortal. That place was far too sinister.
Fortunately, that bastard Ye Jingchen had truly met his retribution and had been eaten like a snack by that terrifying Great Being.
Thinking of this, Yaxi felt a lingering chill of fear. If she had been the one captured back then, and once that mighty figure had absorbed enough Destiny Luck, Ye Jingchen might have escaped calamity… and the consequences would certainly have been far worse.
With that thought, Yaxi felt she owed Long Tao yet another debt.
Returning her thoughts to the matter at hand, she recalled having read about several similar Secret Realms in the ancient texts of the Hehuan Sect.
However, none of those places had rules so outrageous that they could silently and instantly turn a Golden Core cultivator into a mortal. As expected of a Heavenly Court Fragment.
She lay back on the bed and pondered further.
The fact that the two sides could establish contact could not yet be reported to the upper echelons of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect. After all, this mirror was one of her secrets.
Giving it to Long Tao had already been out of consideration for a fellow hometown native, but she could not allow more outsiders to know of it.
Moreover, this was a high-level Secret Realm that did not even exist within the Uncircumvented Heaven World.
Even a Nascent Soul True Lord would likely be powerless before it. They would have to rely on those trapped inside to save themselves.
Thus, gripping the mirror, she began sending everything she wanted to say in one continuous transmission. But just after finishing, the pink crystal on the mirror dimmed.
“Ah… looks like the signal between the two sides is still unstable. Long Tao, you absolutely must endure.”
…
On Long Tao’s side, he was carefully inspecting the pork leg.
After looking at it a few times and sniffing it, he found nothing wrong with it. Using the kitchen knife and chopping board already in the house, he cut it up and set it aside.
Although wild boar meat was said to taste rather poor, meat was still meat.
Considering that he and True Person Mingzhu might have to remain here for quite some time, many practical matters had to be considered—clothing, food, shelter, transportation… eating, drinking, relieving oneself…
Right! Thinking of this, a question arose in his mind. If a Golden Core True Person was suppressed into a mortal here, would she still need to use the toilet?
He truly did not dare to ask that question directly. That would not be resolved with just being scolded as shameless.
Just as his thoughts were gradually becoming indecent, the small mirror beside him reacted again.
This time, it seemed even more unstable than before. He hurriedly picked it up and began receiving the information within…
As expected, Yaxi’s voice came through again, and just like before, she had sent a whole string of “voice messages” at once.
“Long Tao! I won’t waste time with pleasantries. You were suddenly taken away at the Martial Arena yesterday, which caused quite a stir. Fortunately, your sect’s upper echelons handled it in time and came up with a passable excuse to calm things down. True Lord Luohong even made a puppet of you to temporarily deceive your family and friends.”
After listening to the first segment, Long Tao let out a long sigh of relief. It was good that his family and friends were not worrying about this matter.
Moreover, he was still alive, and the Soul Lamp he had left in the sect remained lit. For now, nothing would be exposed. If he truly died here… sigh, if he were really gone, what would be the point of thinking so much?
“As for the rule-based horror–like Secret Realm you’re currently in, don’t despair. There must be an opportunity. I’m not just comforting you. Because any Secret Realm that can maintain itself long-term and has its own rules is fundamentally not a dead-end trap, but a living formation.”
Upon hearing this, Long Tao felt a flicker of excitement. Whether she was comforting him or not, at a time like this, hearing that there was still a path to survival was already something to be grateful for. Yaxi’s voice continued without pause.
“And for a formation to be maintained over a long period, it must have a normal cycle. Especially the eerie village you’re in—such a large formation must have smooth energy circulation, mutual generation of the Five Elements, and even the flow of fate calculations. It cannot be an absolute dead end. Otherwise, the formation would soon collapse.”
Yaxi’s voice grew more urgent.
“That means the formation must have a ‘life gate,’ and this ‘life gate’ must always exist. Theoretically speaking, you always have a possibility of escaping from within. The probability might not be high, but it definitely exists—and it won’t be too low either. Otherwise, if the path of the ‘life gate’ were too narrow, the formation couldn’t sustain itself. In short, don’t give up on treatment!!”
Her voice ended there.
When Long Tao came back to his senses, he noticed that the pink crystal on the mirror had completely dimmed. It seemed… the connection between them was indeed very unstable.
Still, the information Yaxi had revealed was extremely important. If this place was truly a formation, then theoretically… there had to be a life gate.
And this life gate could not be too “small,” otherwise such a massive formation would not be able to maintain its various cycles.
He had already realized that the clues to the life gate… were certainly in the mouths of the villagers. However, when each person first arrived here, they would learn from the Village Chief and other Outsiders that they must never knock on a second door.
This made everyone unwilling to use up their precious knocking opportunity.
That was likely a trap deliberately set by the creator of this village. The path to survival had been left to them, but they chose not to search for it. They were unwilling even to perform something as simple as “knocking on a door.” If they died here, they had only themselves to blame.
And the formation could still continue to operate, because the life gate had neither disappeared nor shrunk. It had always been there. It was simply that the people inside had voluntarily abandoned the search.
Yet he also thought of something else. When each person first arrived, they would more or less knock on a few doors and at least obtain one or two clues.
The previous people must have exchanged their clues with one another. But… how many among them had actually managed to escape?
Sigh…
Long Tao let out a breath, knowing that leaving this place would certainly not be simple.
Afterward, he returned to the crimson bridal chamber.
Seeing that it was still early, he moved a small stool outside and sat at the doorway to get some air.
The sea of red inside the room was too oppressive to look at for long. The cool breeze outside felt far more comfortable.
He sat there foolishly until dusk gradually descended, then rose to return inside.
Whether it was because he remembered Du Yiluo’s earlier warning or because of a sudden flash of intuition, he subconsciously glanced at the Nameplate by the door—only to discover that it was blank.
The hand Long Tao had been about to use to open the door immediately withdrew. He stepped forward to examine it more closely. Fortunately, it was only a false alarm.
The Nameplate had merely flipped over. He turned it back so that Long Tao’s name once again faced outward before pushing the door open and entering.
After returning to the room, he felt a wave of drowsiness.
Lying on the floor bedding, he slept for a while. He did not know how much time had passed when he was suddenly awakened by a knock on the door.
Outside the window, the sky had nearly darkened.
Along with the knocking came a gentle female voice:
“Husband! I’m back. Hurry and open the door.”
Hearing that voice, Long Tao responded groggily.
Sigh… he must have been so muddle-headed from sleep that he had even forgotten to let his wife in from outside.