46: Chapter 46 The Grand Wedding (First Blood Taken)

The Witch Tribe main hall.

"Clang!"

A blinding cyan blade light flashed past.

Grand Elder Miao Cangming, after all, had a gap in strength too vast compared to Miao Yunzhan.

Against this blade strike from Miao Yunzhan, he no longer had the strength to dodge.

Following the blade light, the Grand Elder's massive head was sent flying into mid-air.

Miao Yunzhan did not even glance at the corpse on the ground as he strode out of the Witch Tribe main hall.

At this moment, outside the bridal chamber.

Several men in black were desperately bombarding the defensive Formation; the Formation's light barrier was already teetering on the brink of collapse.

Suddenly, a breeze blew by.

Miao Yunzhan's figure appeared out of thin air behind the men in black.

He casually swung the long blade in his hand.

"Swish!"

There was no fluctuation of spiritual power, but the movements of those men in black instantly froze.

The next second, several perfectly good heads rolled onto the ground in unison.

The Formation light barrier dissipated, and the door was pushed open.

Miao Yunzhan stood at the doorway holding his blade, blood still dripping from the tip.

He spoke to the two people inside the room with extreme speed: "A-Man, go to the Forbidden Ground quickly. Someone is destroying the Formation diagrams of the Ten Thousand Poison Miasma."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shanzhi and Tang Xiaowu exchanged a glance.

It was here, the final plot of this Secret Realm.

Tang Xiaowu did not waste words; with a tap of her toes, her entire body turned into an afterimage as she rushed out.

Chen Shanzhi followed close behind; the two of them, one after the other, sprinted rapidly toward the Witch Tribe Forbidden Ground.

The moment they left, Miao Yunzhan looked up, his gaze locked firmly toward the outskirts of the Witch Tribe territory.

The long blade in his hand hummed incessantly, causing the surrounding air to ripple in layers.

"To dare come to my Witch Tribe alone, you must truly have a death wish."

As his voice fell, Miao Yunzhan's figure blurred again and vanished from the spot instantly.

...

Perhaps it was luck, but Chen Shanzhi and Tang Xiaowu did not encounter any obstruction along the way.

They arrived at the Witch Tribe Forbidden Ground very smoothly.

As soon as they stepped into the Forbidden Ground, the two felt waves of violent spiritual energy fluctuations coming from deep underground.

The two did not stop and ran at full speed in the direction of the spiritual energy fluctuations.

Before long, they arrived at a massive underground cavern.

The two looked up and saw four head-sized white light orbs floating quietly in mid-air according to some pattern.

Below the light orbs, a figure that was very familiar to both of them was struggling to approach one of the white light orbs.

"Sang Ji! It's actually you!"

Seeing this person, Tang Xiaowu was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes were filled with shock and anger!

She never imagined that the person stealing the Ten Thousand Poison Miasma Formation diagrams and nearly causing the death of the entire Witch Tribe would actually be Sang Ji!

He was the Successor of the Divine Oracle, the successor whom her father and Divine Shaman grandfather had raised with all their heart and placed high hopes on since he was young!

So, the catastrophe that almost wiped out the Witch Tribe a hundred years ago was because the Successor of the Divine Oracle at that time had betrayed the Witch Tribe?

"Sang Ji, I'm going to kill you!"

Tang Xiaowu gritted her teeth, her Killing Intent surging.

A majestic surge of True Yuan belonging to the Peak of the Life Fire Realm erupted.

Behind her, the phantom of a towering willow tree instantly solidified!

This willow tree was emerald green throughout, as if carved from top-quality jade, radiating exuberant life force while carrying lethal Killing Intent.

Tang Xiaowu raised her hand and swung her arm.

The emerald willow tree shuddered violently, and a thick willow branch instantly shot forward.

Carrying the deafening momentum of thunder, it lashed fiercely toward Sang Ji's back!

In fact, when the two had just stepped into the Forbidden Ground, Sang Ji had already sensed them.

But he was currently at the most critical moment of forcibly peeling away the second Formation diagram.

If he just had a little more time!

He would be able to pull out this second Formation diagram, and then the second Demon God would be able to enter this Ten Thousand Poison Miasma!

If he truly succeeded, then the destruction of the Witch Tribe would be without any suspense!

He had originally wanted to endure it to buy time.

But hearing the terrifying whistling sound tearing through the air behind him, Sang Ji's eyelids twitched wildly.

If he were struck by this willow branch, he would be severely injured even if he didn't die.

He made an immediate decision and abruptly released his hand from the light orb.

Using the recoil force, his body twisted easily in mid-air.

"Slap!"

The willow branch whipped into empty air, carving a bottomless trench into the rock on the ground as stone fragments flew.

Sang Ji turned around and looked at Tang Xiaowu.

At this moment, in his eyes that were originally as black as ink, a trace of clarity miraculously returned.

"A-Man, wait for me a little longer!"

Sang Ji's tone was urgent, even carrying a hint of pathological fanaticism:

"Once I take out the Formation diagrams inside these four light orbs, I will have the strength to take you away!

Then you won't have to marry that damned Commander Chen of the Great Zhou!"

Tang Xiaowu was so angry she felt like she might explode. Pointing at the remaining four light orbs, she cursed angrily:

"Sang Ji, look at what you are doing!

These are the Formation diagrams of the Ten Thousand Poison Miasma!

As the Successor of the Divine Oracle, you should be protecting the Witch Tribe, not destroying it!

Where is the Formation diagram you took out?

While it can still be saved, hurry up and put the Formation diagram back!"

"A-Man, are you here to stop me too?"

Hearing Tang Xiaowu's scolding, Sang Ji's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly.

"Why do you want to stop me? We are childhood sweethearts!"

Suddenly, Sang Ji's face twisted extremely, and the veins on his neck bulged.

The trace of clarity in his eyes was instantly swallowed by darkness.

"Hehehe..."

A strange voice came from his mouth:

"Boy, don't you understand yet?

Look at the person standing next to her.

This young girl must have been completely bewitched by this treacherous Great Zhou person.

If you want to win back this young girl's heart, you must take out all the Formation diagrams.

Then kill that Great Zhou person and take her away from here to a world where only the two of you exist.

I believe that as long as there is no one else to bewitch her, your beloved will sooner or later understand your good intentions."

"Sang Ji, what are you babbling about? You..."

Tang Xiaowu wanted to curse more, but Chen Shanzhi walked forward, reached out to press her shoulder, and stopped her from continuing.

Chen Shanzhi shook his head and said calmly:

"Don't waste time with this nonsense.

Sang Ji has been eroded by an Evil Spirit."

"Evil Spirit erosion? Bullshit! How could I be eroded!"

"You damned Great Zhou ant, you actually dare to bewitch A-Man's mind; I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

Sang Ji's expression was ferocious as he stared at Chen Shanzhi.

Immediately after, there was a violent churning behind him.

A Pale Wolf, emitting thick black Qi and the size of a small hill, suddenly appeared behind him!

A pair of pitch-black wolf eyes stared fixedly at Chen Shanzhi.

"Die!"

Sang Ji stomped his foot, and his entire body merged with the Pale Wolf phantom.

Transforming into a pitch-black, bloody gust of wind, he charged madly at Chen Shanzhi!

Seeing this, Tang Xiaowu flicked her fingers repeatedly.

On the emerald willow tree behind her, countless willow branches, like wildly growing vines, wound toward the Pale Wolf in mid-air.

The speed was extremely fast; in just a single breath's time, they had wrapped the Pale Wolf lunging in mid-air into a giant green dumpling.

However, before Tang Xiaowu could show any joy, her face turned deathly pale!

Beneath those willow branches tightly binding the Pale Wolf, waves of foul-smelling black Qi were surging madly.

"Sss-sss-sss—"

A harsh corrosive sound rang out, and those incredibly tough willow branches were instantly corroded by the black Qi into a pool of black water!

The Pale Wolf broke free from its restraints, suddenly turned in mid-air, and its thick wolf tail swept out like an iron whip.

It was like a black bolt of lightning!

It was so fast that even Tang Xiaowu didn't have time to make a defensive move.

"Bang!"

The pitch-black wolf tail struck solidly against the main trunk of that emerald willow tree!

The force was so great that it actually caused dazzling cracks to appear on the trunk of Tang Xiaowu's willow tree!

With her Life Fire damaged, Tang Xiaowu's face instantly went pale, and she opened her mouth to spit out a large mouthful of blood.

"Careful!"

She clutched her chest and shouted a warning:

"After being eroded by this Evil Spirit, his strength has skyrocketed!

It feels like it's completely beyond the strength a Peak Life Fire Realm cultivator should have!"

Facing this aggressive, terrifying strike capable of killing anyone of the same rank instantly, Chen Shanzhi's face showed gravity, but no panic at all.

As the person facing the Pale Wolf's Killing Intent directly, he felt the transformation of Sang Ji's power even more intuitively than Tang Xiaowu.

It was a qualitative leap.

But... so what?

A cold smirk curled on Chen Shanzhi's lips.

During this time, he had been exploring and familiarizing himself with this body of the Great Zhou Commander.

Combined with the probing he did while discussing the wedding arrangements with Miao Yunzhan earlier, he had reached an extremely shocking conclusion.

This Great Zhou Commander, Chen San, had a thickness of True Yuan, physical strength, and vigor of Life Fire that were simply unprecedented, and likely unlikely to be surpassed in the future.

As long as everyone was still in the Life Fire Realm, in this major tier, he was invincible.

Facing the black-Qi Pale Wolf lunging over and blotting out the sky, Chen Shanzhi did not retreat but advanced instead.

He stepped forward and raised his hand!

From his palm, a blinding golden light erupted!

A golden long spear appeared out of thin air in his hand.

Chen Shanzhi gripped the spear shaft tightly and thrust it fiercely at the Pale Wolf's massive wolf head!

"Roar!"

The moment the spear was thrust, it actually emitted a high-pitched dragon roar!

The blinding golden light transformed into a golden flood dragon, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, as it violently collided with the Pale Wolf!

There was no stalemate.

The cruel smile that had been hanging on Sang Ji's face instantly froze.

That seemingly invincible Pale Wolf of black Qi only lasted for a single breath under the golden spear tip.

"Bang!"

The Pale Wolf let out a wail, its massive body directly collapsing and turning into black specks that dissipated into the air.

The long spear's momentum did not diminish, and its golden tip pierced precisely through Sang Ji's Dantian.

The immense piercing force carried Sang Ji's entire body flying backward.

With a "boom," he was pinned firmly against the hard wall of the cavern!

The shock on Sang Ji's face had not even fully unfolded yet.

Streams of extremely intense golden light shot out frantically from all directions within his body along the long spear!

"Ah—!"

Under the illumination of the golden light, Sang Ji's entire body was like a watermelon about to burst.

With a "bang," he exploded!

In the rain of blood, a dense black Qi struggled madly within the golden light.

An incredulous, sharp voice came from the black Qi:

"Heavenly Dao... Foundation Establishment? Impossible!

How could your Human Race's method be favored by the Heavenly Dao?

We are the... of the Heavens..."

Before the words were finished.

"Boom!"

The golden light suddenly contracted violently and then exploded!

The black mist didn't even manage a scream before it vanished into nothingness, like residual snow under a scorching sun.

Following the total disappearance of the black mist, the entire limestone cave—or rather, the entire Secret Realm—seemed to have been pressed with a pause button.

The golden light that had exploded against the walls froze in mid-air.

Splattered debris hovered before their eyes.

Even the dust permeating the air stopped its movement.

Tang Xiaowu stared blankly around, and then, on her stunningly beautiful face, an expression of wild joy emerged: "Have we... completed the mission for the Secret Realm?"

Chen Shanzhi stood where he was, not answering.

At this moment, in his mind, a tremendous storm was brewing because of the last words that black mist had uttered before it died.

What was this "Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment"?

Isn't that a Realm only found in cultivation novels?

I'm a hardcore player, and there is absolutely no cultivation-related setting in this eroge!

So... is this another logic patch forcibly applied by the world's will after the game turned into reality?

Or is it that, behind this game, there was always a deeper background setting hidden?

Chen Shanzhi raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

He muttered: "Could these be DLC contents that the development team made but didn't get to release yet..."

"Chen Shanzhi! What are you spacing out for? Look around quickly!"

Tang Xiaowu's anxious, suspicious voice came to his ears.

Chen Shanzhi snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the messy thoughts in his brain.

Thinking about this now was useless; based on just that one sentence from the evil spirit black mist, the amount of information provided was still too little.

He would just have to pay more attention to this kind of intelligence in the future.

The urgent priority now was to leave this Secret Realm quickly and obtain the clearance rewards.

Then, he needed to seize the time to improve his strength, to prevent encountering that cheater Tang Liu during the martial arts tournament at Four Seas Academy after getting out.

Chen Shanzhi looked around.

He walked to the golden light frozen on the wall and reached out to probe it.

His palm passed directly through without any obstruction.

So, everything before his eyes had already turned into intangible phantoms?

He turned his head and looked at Tang Xiaowu.

He saw that she was staring straight at him with her pair of big, watery eyes.

Seeing Chen Shanzhi look over, Tang Xiaowu asked somewhat nervously: "Did... did you figure anything out?"

Chen Shanzhi shook his head.

Seeing this, a thick layer of disappointment immediately emerged in Tang Xiaowu's bright eyes.

"Even you don't know? Then aren't we going to be trapped here forever..."

Just at this moment, Chen Shanzhi's tone suddenly shifted: "However, I know why we haven't left this Secret Realm yet."

A look of surprise immediately reignited in Tang Xiaowu's beautiful eyes, and she hurriedly pressed: "Why?"

Chen Shanzhi looked at her, enunciating clearly: "Because we still have one last mission to complete."

"What mission?"

Chen Shanzhi looked Tang Xiaowu up and down, observing her bright red wedding dress, which was slightly disheveled from the battle and added a touch of temptation.

He slowly leaned in, stared into her eyes, and said word by word: "Because... we haven't consummated the marriage yet."

"Chen Shanzhi!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaowu's stunningly beautiful face instantly flushed bright red, and her beautiful eyes were filled with shame and anger: "What time do you think it is! You actually still have the heart to spout nonsense and tease me here!"

Chen Shanzhi reined in his smile, his tone extremely serious: "I'm not spouting nonsense; I am being serious.

To be precise, it's not you and me.

It's Miao Aman and Commander Chen who haven't consummated the marriage."

Hearing Chen Shanzhi's deadpan explanation, Tang Xiaowu was stunned for a moment.

She wasn't stupid; following this logic, she immediately understood.

But her face was still full of disbelief: "You mean... consummating the marriage with this Chen San is also one of the obsessions of our Witch Clan's former Saintess?"

Finding the Witch Clan traitor and guarding the Formation of the Ten Thousand Poison Miasma—she could completely understand why these matters, which concerned the survival of the clan, were the former Saintess's obsessions.

However, why was consummating the marriage with that Great Zhou Commander Chen San also an obsession?

Tang Xiaowu suddenly felt her worldview had been impacted.

For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

She lowered her head, blushing, her gaze drifting randomly across the floor.

After a long while, she stammered out: "Then... then what do we do now?"

"What do we do?"

Chen Shanzhi looked at her shy appearance and found it amusing.

He knew that Tang Xiaowu was a girl with thin skin and couldn't bring herself to say the words 'Then let's consummate the marriage.'

So...

Chen Shanzhi chuckled, strode forward, and with a sweep of his long arms, domineeringly scooped Tang Xiaowu up into his arms.

"Naturally, we are going to consummate the marriage!"

"Ah!"

Tang Xiaowu exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to wrap her arms around Chen Shanzhi's neck.

By the time she reacted, she only felt the wind whistling past her ears.

Tang Xiaowu discovered that Chen Shanzhi was carrying her and sprinting toward the previous bridal chamber at an extremely exaggerated speed.

This speed was even several times faster than when the two of them rushed to the Forbidden Ground to stop Sang Ji earlier!

...

Back in the bridal chamber.

The scene inside the room remained frozen in the state it was in when they left.

The wedding candles were burning quietly, their flames fixed in mid-air.

The room was filled with red silk, looking extremely festive.

Chen Shanzhi walked to the bridal bed and gently placed Tang Xiaowu, who was in his arms, upon it.

As soon as Tang Xiaowu touched the soft bed, her body stiffened abruptly.

She kept her beautiful eyes tightly shut, her long eyelashes trembling violently.

Even though she had been placed obediently on the bed by Chen Shanzhi, she was too embarrassed to open her eyes to look at him.

Chen Shanzhi looked at her, this charming appearance of being ready to be plucked, and smiled silently.

He sat on the edge of the bed very naturally and kicked off his shoes and socks.

Then, he lifted the red wedding quilt, got onto the bed directly, and lay down beside Tang Xiaowu.

The next second, he stretched out his large hands and, without any hesitation, wrapped them around Tang Xiaowu's slim waist.

Tang Xiaowu's body shuddered violently, as if struck by electricity.

She suddenly opened her eyes and reached out her two fair little hands, clutching tightly at the arm Chen Shanzhi had wrapped around her waist.

She turned her head away, not daring to look into Chen Shanzhi's eyes, her voice trembling severely: "No... no.

Chen Shanzhi, we cannot consummate the marriage... I cannot betray Sixth Brother."

Chen Shanzhi looked at her; this subtle and weak resistance was clear as day to him.

He didn't let go; instead, he leaned his body forward.

His lips pressed directly against Tang Xiaowu's crystal-clear earlobe, the hot air he exhaled hitting her neck.

He lowered his voice and whispered: "What do you mean by you and me?

Xiaowu, get this straight: right now, it is clearly Chen San and Miao Aman who are consummating the marriage.

You are just helping your Witch Clan's predecessor complete her obsession; how can that be considered betraying Tang Liu?"

Upon hearing this, the force with which Tang Xiaowu was gripping Chen Shanzhi's arm loosened significantly.

She bit her rosy lower lip, her eyes hazy, seemingly looking for a way to step down.

After a good while, she muttered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's: "Then... then you are not allowed to call me Xiaowu tonight... call me A-Man."

A triumphant smile appeared on Chen Shanzhi's face.

Just as he had guessed before, this consummation was indeed Miao Aman's obsession.

And while Tang Xiaowu was in this Secret Realm, in the process of playing this role, her mind and emotions had been influenced to a greater or lesser extent.

Therefore, earlier in the Secret Realm, she had accepted all his verbal teasing and physical groping half-heartedly.

Now that this final excuse had been found, that layer of window paper had been completely broken.

"Alright, A-Man."

Chen Shanzhi chuckled and held Tang Xiaowu's little hand that was gripping his arm.

Their fingers interlaced.

He turned slightly to the side, and his other hand gently lifted Tang Xiaowu's chin.

Under the dim candlelight, the girl's cheeks were so red they seemed capable of dripping blood, stunningly beautiful.

Chen Shanzhi didn't waste any more words; he lowered his head and pressed accurately onto those two soft, red lips.

"Mmm..."

A slight muffled groan emitted from Tang Xiaowu's throat.

Her originally tense body went completely soft the moment they made contact, turning into a pool of spring water.

Chen Shanzhi's hand moved slowly upward along her slender waist.

With a nimble flick of his fingertips, the sash at the waist of the complex and gorgeous Witch Clan wedding dress Tang Xiaowu wore slipped away quietly.

The bright red robe spread open, revealing the snow-white undergarments underneath, as well as those delicate and alluring collarbones.

Tang Xiaowu's breathing gradually became rapid.

Her hands, which had originally been gripping Chen Shanzhi, had loosened at some unknown moment and were now climbing onto Chen Shanzhi's broad back.

"A-Man, your heart is beating very fast."

Chen Shanzhi raised his head slightly, his eyes looking straight at her, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"You... you're talking nonsense."

Tang Xiaowu turned her head away, not daring to meet his gaze, but her voice was soft, glutinous, and drawn out.

Chen Shanzhi chuckled, his fingers gently brushing over her burning cheeks, and he took the opportunity to pull the jade hairpin from her hair bun.

A waterfall of black hair instantly cascaded down, spreading across the bright red pillow.

The red candles flickered, and articles of clothing slipped onto the bed one by one.

Every time Chen Shanzhi's fingers inadvertently touched her delicate skin, Tang Xiaowu's whole body would tremble slightly.

When the two finally saw each other completely exposed, Chen Shanzhi discovered that Tang Xiaowu was biting her lip tightly, her face full of moist blushes.

As the curtains were pulled down by Chen Shanzhi, obscuring the spring scenery on the bed, in the dim and narrow space, only the sound of their intertwined breathing and the rustling of fabric rubbing together remained.

The tug-of-war of half-refusal and half-welcome completely turned into a raging fire at this moment.

"Crack—"

A crisp shattering sound resonated in his mind.

The entire world turned into golden fragments filling the sky, beginning to peel away and dissipate rapidly.

Chen Shanzhi held the still-panting girl in his arms, watching the scene before his eyes gradually being swallowed by white light.

A satisfied arc curled at the corners of his mouth.