The atmosphere instantly turned awkward, and the two fell into a silent lull.
Dong Huiting could only lie on the Stone Bed, but no matter what, she couldn’t fall asleep.
She was nervous, wide awake, and filled with confusion about the future.
Although she looked like a cool and intellectual beauty, in truth she wasn’t that old, nor did she have much experience in the world.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had her heart so thoroughly broken by Bai Wuzhuang.
Still, after going through such a soul-crushing heartbreak, Dong Huiting had matured a lot.
At the very least, she was no longer the pure-hearted girl who would love until death, but had become suspicious and wary, unwilling to trust anyone anymore.
There was only one Stone Bed. Bai Wuzhuang sat down on the Wooden Stool beside it, preparing to sleep with his head on the table.
“The bed’s big enough. If you want to sleep, just lie on the other side,” Dong Huiting suddenly said.
“Hm? Oh.” Hearing this, Bai Wuzhuang quickly climbed onto the Stone Bed and lay down on the other side.
The Stone Bed really was big enough. Even with two people lying on it, there was still a wide gap in the middle that could fit a third.
Dong Huiting still couldn’t sleep.
She quietly turned her head to look and found that Bai Wuzhuang was already asleep, his expression gloomy, which made her even angrier.
But after being angry for a while, her tension actually lessened quite a bit.
Gradually, drowsiness overtook her, and at last she was able to fall asleep.
“Wuxie…”
In the unfamiliar and unsettling Secret Realm, after falling asleep, Dong Huiting dreamed of that man, murmuring his name.
This, in turn, caused the soundly sleeping Bai Wuzhuang to suddenly wake up with a start.
She sat up and looked at Dong Huiting’s face, twisted with pain and distress. One glance was enough to see that Dong Huiting was having a nightmare.
Bai Wuzhuang’s heart was instantly filled with bitterness.
There was always someone living in Dong Huiting’s heart who no longer existed. She had never truly moved on.
In her mind, Bai Wuxie was simply dead, not that she had been deceived.
Though Dong Huiting said she had moved on, in her heart she still refused to accept reality, even though, in truth, her guess was correct.
Bai Wuxie had indeed died, and been reborn.
“I will definitely protect you.”
Looking at Dong Huiting’s sorrowful sleeping face, Bai Wuzhuang silently made up her mind.
Survive and leave the Secret Realm alive, and win everything.
Three hours later, the heavy stone doors rumbled and began to rise.
Dong Huiting and Bai Wuzhuang got out of bed together, each with their own thoughts, and neither spoke.
The two left the small cave and entered a larger cavern outside, where the other eleven Qi Cultivators had already gathered early.
The atmosphere remained tense and silent. Everyone kept their distance, watching coldly and refusing to interact with outsiders.
This time, it happened quickly. The Mysterious Immortal Phantom appeared again, manifesting before the three massive stone doors.
“Everyone should have already received my guidance through dreams and should know your identities by now.”
“Now, let me reiterate the rules. The task of the seven Sheep is to leave the Secret Realm alive. There are several layers of Maze in the Secret Realm, and for each layer you must find a key to pass through.”
“Each of you will receive a [Deceased’s Ocarina]. It may only be blown upon discovery of a corpse. Once it is blown, everyone will be transported to the [White Tiger Hall] for discussion.”
“Afterwards, a vote will be held to select a culprit, and I will execute them. Then, everyone can proceed to the next layer of the Maze without needing a key.”
“The Wolves’ task is to hide their identities, and before the Sheep clear all the Mazes, to kill every last one of them.”
This time, the Mysterious Immortal Phantom gave a very detailed explanation of all the rules.
“Senior, I have a question.”
Suddenly, the Wushuang City Junior Brother, Tuo Long, stepped forward, raising his little hand and speaking in a childish voice.
“Speak,” the immortal said coldly, raising an eyebrow.
“Three Wolves, seven Sheep, but there are twelve Qi Cultivators. The numbers don’t add up,” Tuo Long asked.
At these words, everyone realized there really was such an issue.
“You don’t need to know. In any case, the two of them know what they’re supposed to do,” the immortal replied with a cold laugh, his tone full of amusement.
This kind of explanation and attitude only made the twelve Qi Cultivators even more anxious.
What was supposed to be a simple trial of good and evil now seemed much more complicated, with a third party involved.
“Let the trial officially begin, then.”
The Mysterious Immortal Phantom turned his back, dissolved into blue smoke, and left only one sentence behind.
“Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!”
The next moment, the three massive stone doors slowly rose, revealing three passageways ahead.
No one knew what to do. Each person stood frozen, exchanging wary glances, still on guard against one another.
“Everyone, may I say a word? Right now, I’m sure we’re all quite confused. But whether you’re a Wolf or a Sheep, staying rooted here is a foolish move.” Qing Shaofei stepped forward at this moment, clapping his hands and analyzing things with a persuasive smile.
“Young Master Qing is right. There just happen to be three doors. I suggest we split into three groups, four people in each, and explore the Maze. With more people, we’re stronger together, and the Wolves won’t dare to act rashly,” Tuo Long also agreed, adding his own proposal.
The other Qi Cultivators, though perhaps harboring doubts, mostly nodded in the end. After all, the idea made sense.
“For fairness and randomness, we can draw lots to form groups.”
Qing Shaofei reached out his hand, and one of his subordinates actually brought out a bamboo tube filled with bamboo sticks.
Everyone stepped forward to draw lots, and the twelve Qi Cultivators were split into three teams, each entering one of the three cave entrances ahead.
Dong Huiting and Bai Wuzhuang’s group included two familiar faces: the Qingfei Gang Young Master, Qing Shaofei, and the Wushuang City Junior Brother, Tuo Long.
The last member was a self-proclaimed “Four-eyed Boy” from the [Military Strategist Alliance], who called himself Sage Xun.
Four Qi Cultivators, along with Bai Wuzhuang and some ordinary subordinates.
The group marched grandly into the leftmost stone door.
“Be careful, stick close to me, and don’t die,” Dong Huiting whispered.
Everyone walked through the dim tunnel, chatting idly about martial world anecdotes, and the mood was fairly relaxed.
But Bai Wuzhuang kept his eyes fixed on the back of the little Junior Brother, Tuo Long, in front, as if wishing he could dig out his heart and eat it.
“Whoosh~”
Suddenly, the candles on the wall flickered slightly.
“Watch out!”
Dong Huiting spun around, slamming Bai Wuzhuang away with a swift iron elbow.
The next instant, five crimson claws flashed with chilling light and slashed down!
Dong Huiting couldn’t dodge in time. Gritting her teeth, she could only raise her arm to block.
“Ah!”
She screamed, her entire arm sliced into pieces, blood splattering everywhere.
Face twisted in pain and fury, Dong Huiting raised her remaining left hand and instantly summoned an Ice Soul Sword to strike back.
“Splurt!”
But a soft sword struck even faster, stabbing through her back with perfect precision and piercing her heart.
By the time the dizzy Bai Wuzhuang regained his senses,
Dong Huiting was already lying in front of him, lifeless, blood pooling all around her, her eyes wide open in death, unwilling to close.