240: Bodhi Secret Realm, Five Elements Fire

Demon Domain, Dark Demon Sect.

The sky was dim, occasionally punctuated by two caw-like sounds that made one's scalp tingle.

Halfway up a black stone mountain, a massive cave had been hollowed out.

The cave entrance was carved into the likeness of a fiendish ghost's head, eerily realistic and terrifyingly grotesque.

Inside the cave, several figures gathered around a large stone table.

In the center of the stone table lay a massive mirror.

However, what the mirror reflected was not the scene inside the cave, but a world of ice and snow.

A sinister voice echoed.

“This newly promoted little fellow is quite clever; at least he discovered the key. If he had kept going, his life would have been in peril.”

“Stop it. The purpose of the Five Elements Trial is to temper the minds of the test-takers; it won't actually kill anyone. How many times before has someone died in the second trial? Even if he failed, wouldn't he be directly kicked out of the Secret Realm?”

The Black Robed Man who spoke earlier was completely shrouded in a black robe, his face obscured, but occasionally wisps of black Qi would emanate from his body.

And the one who spoke next was none other than the Building Master of Cold Crow, who had recently parted ways with Jiang Lan.

“I wouldn't be so sure. No matter what, he's only a newly promoted Soul Transformation cultivator. One can only say this little fellow is bold; even after your warnings and reminders, he still dared to challenge the trial,” the Black Robed Man said again.

Just then, the scene in the mirror vanished, changing from the icy world to the interior of the cave.

There were four people in total. After the image disappeared, the other three turned their gaze to an old man with a youthful complexion and white hair.

This old man, with his white hair and youthful face, exuded an ethereal, Daoist Aura, looking exactly like an old immortal.

This person was Tian Tong, the Pavilion Master of Miao Fa Pavilion.

“Don't look at me. He carries great Karma and is currently in the Secret Realm. Flower in the Water being able to sustain for even this long is already its limit.”

Beside the old man, the burly Kunpeng Demon Emperor pouted.

“Old geezer, you're so stingy, clearly you still have reserves.”

Hearing this, the old man turned his head and shot a glance at the Kunpeng Demon Emperor.

“You do it if you can.”

The Kunpeng Demon Emperor spread his hands, “I can't. If I could, why would I need you?”

The young woman interjected, “Alright, arguing is useless. Anyway, the water trial lasts for a week, and it seems this is only the second day. There's no point in watching. Let Tian Tong conserve his energy. It won't be too late to use Flower in the Water again after he emerges from the water trial in a few days.”

The Kunpeng Demon Emperor stared at the young woman for a while, his expression seemingly a little strange.

The young woman clearly noticed, furrowing her brow and asking,

“What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hehe…” The Kunpeng Demon Emperor chuckled with a simple, honest look, “Nothing, nothing…”

The young woman was not foolish; she immediately sensed something was amiss and pressed,

“Speak.”

Her Aura emanated, and her voice became much colder, as if she would take action if the Kunpeng Demon Emperor didn't answer her question.

The Kunpeng Demon Emperor clearly didn't dare to provoke her, fearing what she might do, and hurriedly said,

“Really nothing, don't misunderstand.”

But the more the Kunpeng Demon Emperor said this, the more the young woman wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Among them, these Soul Transformation cultivators, there was nothing new happening day in and day out. If she didn't ask in detail, it would become a knot in her heart later on.

“Are you going to tell me or not?”

Hearing the young woman's question, Tian Tong's expression was also extremely colorful.

He quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

“Yuan Wei, there's really nothing. Oh, my Flower in the Water can be used again. Aren't you quite interested in him? Do you want to continue watching?”

The Building Master of Cold Crow's name was Yuan Wei.

Yuan Wei, angered, laughed instead.

Although the relationship between Tian Tong and the Kunpeng Demon Emperor was good, it was definitely not to the extent that they would speak up for each other like this.

Especially Tian Tong; his attitude towards things had always been one of 'not my business, I'll stand aside'.

Yuan Wei didn't even know when he had ever cared about anyone else.

Let alone stepping forward at a time like this.

Even a fool, as long as they knew the two of them a little, would be able to sense the strangeness of the matter.

Yuan Wei stopped speaking, and a chilling Aura emerged from her, instantly enveloping the Kunpeng Demon Emperor.

“Speak.”

The Kunpeng Demon Emperor glanced at Tian Tong with an expression of 'I'm sorry', and then honestly said,

“Really nothing, it's just that Tian Tong used Flower in the Water to peek at you bathing before, and he even boasted about it to me afterwards.”

Every word from the Kunpeng Demon Emperor seemed to strike Tian Tong's heart.

Tian Tong's eyes widened.

He pointed at the Kunpeng Demon Emperor, his voice trembling,

“You… how can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air? When did I ever tell you…”

“Bang!”

Before Tian Tong could finish, a small, pristine white fist had already landed on his face.

“You, Tian Tong, I'll kill you!”

...In a flash, five days later.

Jiang Lan's entire body was completely covered in ice and snow.

He sat cross-legged in the snow, his whole person seeming to have transformed into an ice sculpture.

The wind and snow in the sky grew fiercer, gales sweeping across the land, emitting wails like ghosts and wolves.

Yet, Jiang Lan, sitting in the snow, seemed unaffected, still sitting with his eyes closed in quiet contemplation.

However, the intervals between his breaths were extremely long; it would be a long time before his chest would rise and fall once.

If one didn't look closely, they would most likely assume he was dead.

Seven days had passed… The surrounding coldness seemed to have frozen his thoughts as well.

Suddenly, Jiang Lan opened his eyes.

In the world, the ice and snow melted, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining directly on his face.

The biting cold also receded in an instant.

Clear consciousness reoccupied his mind, and Jiang Lan let out a long breath.

It was finally over.

God knows how he had endured these seven days.

Being on the brink of death? That was child's play.

This entire week, he had been constantly hovering on the edge of death.

If not for his tenacious will supporting him, he would have likely died beyond all redemption long ago.

Jiang Lan suspected that the person who designed the Secret Realm had created this trial purely for torture.

He stood up, slightly moving his body, which had become somewhat stiff from being still for too long due to the cold, and murmured,

“It must be time for the next trial, right?”

As his voice fell, the scenery before him changed again.

Just a moment ago it was covered in ice and snow, but in the blink of an eye, Jiang Lan's surroundings had transformed into a scorching hot area filled with magma.

The frozen sensation on Jiang Lan's body completely receded, replaced by a warmth.

However, this warmth quickly turned into a scorching heat.

In an instant, Jiang Lan was drenched in sweat.

Since he began cultivating after acquiring the System, he didn't know how long it had been since he last sweated.

Enduring the discomfort brought by the scorching air, Jiang Lan looked around.

His current location, if nothing unexpected happened, should be somewhere underground.

Three sides were scorching black rocks, while only beside Jiang Lan was a massive lake of lava.

The lake was so vast that it stretched beyond sight.

However, upon closer observation, one could still discern a faint glimmer of light on the opposite side of the lake, appearing to be an exit.