Chapter 121: Preserving the One (Please cast your monthly and recommendation votes! ^_^!)

"Does this mean I have passed the trial?"

Liang Yan felt as if he had just awakened from a dream, still finding it hard to believe. He turned to look at Zhao Xunzhen beside him, only to see her still holding the teacup with both hands, her eyes a deep, blood-red, as if filled with a monstrous hatred. It was clear she had not yet emerged from the illusion.

"This child is trapped deeper than you," the Fire Ox said, watching her slowly.

Liang Yan took the teacup and sipped the tea. An indescribable sense of refreshment instantly swept through his body. At the same time, the spiritual energy within his "Two Fish Twin-Birth Formation" surged rapidly, becoming noticeably purer by the second.

"This tea has the power to refine one’s cultivation!" Liang Yan exclaimed in surprise.

The Fire Ox smiled slightly and nodded. "Consider this a reward for passing the trial. You should know by now that the attachments of the mortal world are the greatest obstacles on our path to immortality. Your willingness to let go of your attachment within the illusion is the true beginning of your journey."

Liang Yan’s heart skipped a beat as he thought to himself, "I didn't let go of anything in that illusion; it was the Glazed Lamp and the Heavenly Secret Pearl that saved me. But I certainly can't tell it that."

He downed the rest of the tea, feeling the refined spiritual energy within him, and turned to ask the Fire Ox, "What about my companion?"

The Fire Ox waved a hoof. "It matters not. Not everyone can awaken from the illusion on their own. As long as she can hold on for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn without being consumed by it, she passes. If she is swallowed by the obsessions in her heart, I will intervene to save her, but she will have to remain here and keep this old ox company for the rest of her days."

"I see," Liang Yan nodded. "So this is a test set by the owner of this tomb. Given such immense power, he cannot be a nameless figure. May I ask who this master is?"

The Fire Ox laughed heartily. "Don't try to pry, boy. I have served my master for many years, but I was originally nothing more than a wisp of common flame he kindled at the very beginning of his cultivation journey. It was only by chance that I gained sentience here and achieved the Samadhi state. I am bound by a vow of silence; I cannot reveal a single detail about him or this place."

Liang Yan was shocked inwardly. "This fire spirit’s cultivation is at least at the Golden Core stage, yet it was merely a wisp of common flame refined by that person at the start of his path. This suggests the tomb owner’s cultivation has reached a truly terrifying level."

Just as he was lost in thought, a change came over Zhao Xunzhen.

She suddenly stood up from her seat, her eyes blood-red and overflowing with immense hatred, while a dense, chilling ghostly aura emanated from behind her.

Both Liang Yan and the Fire Ox turned their attention to the young woman in blue.

Zhao Xunzhen, however, seemed unaware. Her lips moved as if trying to say something, but to Liang Yan’s ears, it sounded no different from the wailing of ghosts.

The Fire Ox sighed. "This young girl is not old, yet she seems to carry a past she cannot bear to face. She is trapped and unable to pull herself out. It seems she will not pass this trial."

Liang Yan frowned, a sense of empathy stirring within him. He shook his head and suddenly raised his hand, casting a spell. A blue light shot from his palm, heading straight for Zhao Xunzhen’s spirit center.

This was the "Clear Water Dan Heart Technique" he had learned from Xiumu Sheng.

As the blue light entered her body, a look of struggle immediately appeared in Zhao Xunzhen’s eyes.

In that brief moment of clarity, she rapidly formed a hand seal and pointed toward her storage pouch. Three black pills flew out and were swallowed instantly.

She then sat cross-legged, forming a strange mudra at her chest. A thick black mist surged violently, swirling in rings until it enveloped her completely, hiding her from view.

"You!" The Fire Ox’s eyes widened, glaring at Liang Yan.

"Heh, you never said I couldn't help, Senior. You only said she had to hold on for the time of an incense stick," Liang Yan replied, his expression unchanged.

The Fire Ox was stunned for a moment, then waved its hoof. "Very well, very well. If you insist on inviting trouble, don't blame this old ox."

"What trouble?" Liang Yan asked, confused.

But the old ox said no more. It opened its mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke, which formed a Daoist seal in mid-air.

As soon as the seal took shape, red, yellow, and white spiritual lights converged. Then, wisps of gray fog began to drift out from Zhao Xunzhen’s black mist, all of which were sucked into the floating seal.

After a while, when no more gray mist emerged, the Fire Ox opened its mouth again and swallowed the three-colored seal. It smacked its lips and said, "The time of an incense stick has passed. Congratulations to you both for passing the trial."

The black mist surrounding Zhao Xunzhen dissipated, revealing the girl in blue.

Her eyes were clear and devoid of any chaos; she had clearly been freed from the Fire Ox’s art.

"Thank you, Brother Liang, for your assistance," she said, cupping her hands.

Liang Yan smiled slightly. "This place is full of danger. Since we are in this together, it is only right that we help each other where we can."

"Enough, enough! You two annoying youngsters, stop dawdling. Finish your 'Sheep Rock Silver Monkey' tea and be on your way!" the Fire Ox said impatiently.

Zhao Xunzhen looked at the tea, then at Liang Yan. Seeing him nod, she picked up the cup and downed it in one go.

"Truly fine tea," she praised.

"Well, since we have passed the trial, we shall no longer disturb you, Senior." Liang Yan stood up, bowed to the Fire Ox, and headed toward the back of the stone platform.

Zhao Xunzhen glanced at him, bid farewell to the Fire Ox, and followed him into the darkness ahead.

Watching their backs recede, the Fire Ox pulled its pipe from its mouth, tapped it gently against the cyan stone platform, and shook its head with a sigh.

"Fate is a cruel jester."

***

Liang Yan and Zhao Xunzhen stepped onto the stone bridge once more. It was not very long; after about an hour of walking, they saw a high platform looming ahead.

Blocked by their line of sight, they could only see a flickering light on the platform, along with a ring of blue spiritual energy.

"That is the glow of a teleportation array! It seems we have reached the exit!" Zhao Xunzhen exclaimed.

Liang Yan felt a surge of energy. They quickened their pace, ascending the stone steps leading to the platform. Within moments, they reached the top.

The platform was not large. In the center sat a small teleportation array encased in a pale blue light barrier.

In front of the array was a square clearing surrounded by flames, open only on the side where the stone steps led up to the cliff.

Liang Yan was in the lead when he suddenly sensed a sinister wind from behind. As if having anticipated it, he struck back with his palm. Gold and black energies collided, creating a muffled explosion in mid-air.

Both figures retreated rapidly, landing on opposite ends of the fiery clearing.

The person who had launched the sneak attack was none other than Zhao Xunzhen!

Liang Yan wore a bitter smile, for in the center of the fiery clearing stood a stone tablet, with four crooked characters carved into it:

"Only one may live!"