Chapter 438: Ning Rongrong's Arrival
Elder Song, Cai Mei'er, and Xian Lin'er all appeared in the valley, exchanging bewildered glances. They still hadn't figured out what was happening.
"Too old to take the True Heart Adventure? I don't even know what that is, but… am I really that old? I'm not even a hundred yet!" Xian Lin'er grumbled, clearly displeased.
Elder Song glanced at her and sighed. "Lin'er, you have impressive strength and a longer lifespan than ordinary people. But if we measure by normal human standards, you're already an elderly woman over eighty. I suspect this so called True Heart Adventure is a trial meant for the younger generation, so it doesn't really concern us."
"Mom! Who calls their own daughter old?" Xian Lin'er pouted in frustration.
Due to her strong cultivation, her skin was still fair, and she looked no older than fifty. Among the elders in the Sea God's Pavilion, she was considered young in appearance. In her youth, she had been admired by many, even dating Yan Shaozhe at one point.
Elder Song sighed and changed the subject. "Alright, Lin'er, this is just a trivial matter. Right now, we need to focus on the students' safety."
"The students' safety…" Xian Lin'er gave a bitter smile as she stepped closer to Elder Song. "Mom, with our strength, can we even protect the students in a place like this? It's not that I don't want to protect them I simply can't. I can't even protect myself. Here, our so called powerful cultivation is completely useless.
You heard that voice earlier, right? It's likely the one controlling this valley. We've been moved around effortlessly. This isn't just any powerful being this has to be a god!"
Elder Song understood this, but she refused to give up any chance to protect the students. As the third strongest in Shrek Academy, she had to step up in this critical moment. However, she knew that fighting was pointless her strength was utterly meaningless in this valley.
"I'll do my best. I refuse to let what happened to Xuan Zi repeat itself, where so many promising students died." Elder Song took a deep breath, then channeled her soul power and called out, "Divine Senior, may we meet? We are from Shrek Academy, and our ancestor, Tang San, was one of the original Seven Monsters of Shrek.
Surely, in the Divine Realm, you have heard of Tang San's great name. Could you, for his sake, release our students?"
She only mentioned Tang San because he was universally recognized as the strongest of the Seven Monsters of Shrek. With his immense power, he must have made a name for himself in the Divine Realm. Perhaps that reputation could deter this deity.
Ning Rongrong, upon hearing this, couldn't help but feel a little helpless. She had come here at Tang San's request to help him control Qiankun Wenqing Valley. She didn't quite understand why her powerful third brother needed her help with this, but she had agreed anyway partly because the Divine Realm was too boring, and she wanted some fun.
Her only regret was that Tang San had insisted on keeping this a secret. She wasn't allowed to tell anyone, so even if she had fun here, she couldn't share it with Xiao Wu or Oscar.
"Rongrong, there's no need to respond. Just continue testing these children for me."
Tang San's divine consciousness emerged from Wang Dong's head, materializing as a blue haired man. Of course, none of the Shrek students saw this because Tang San didn't want them to.
The real reason Tang San had brought Ning Rongrong to assist him was to have a scapegoat in case the God of Destruction launched a surprise inspection. If anything went wrong, he could blame her. Otherwise, even a mere projection of his divine consciousness would be enough to control Qiankun Wenqing Valley.
Since he had been caught breaking the rules multiple times, his life in the Divine Realm was already quite difficult. If the God of Destruction caught him again, he would undoubtedly face severe punishment at the Divine Realm Council.
"Alright, Third Brother." Ning Rongrong agreed.
She wasn't physically present in Qiankun Wenqing Valley either. Like Tang San, she had only sent a projection of her divine consciousness. Their entire exchange took place on a level far beyond what any of the Shrek students could detect.
Meanwhile, Bei Bei and the others were still observing their surroundings, astonished by the mysterious environment. Suddenly, a calm, gender neutral voice echoed in everyone's ears.
"Qiankun Wenqing, True Heart Adventure, begin."
As soon as those words fell, golden light enveloped each person, blocking their view of their companions.
In the center of the platform, the beam of light flickered before settling in front of Wu Feng. She was taken aback, still unsure of what was happening or what this meant.
The golden silver bubble surrounding her suddenly lit up before disappearing. A golden light rose from the circular platform beneath her feet, engulfing her completely.
Her body was lifted three feet into the air, and she soon realized that no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't move a single inch.
At that moment, the same calm voice whispered in her ear.
"Do you have a lover?"
Wu Feng hesitated, feeling conflicted. To be honest, she wasn't comfortable admitting in front of so many people that her lover was Ning Tian. She wasn't even sure if the others could hear this conversation.
Some things, once spoken, could change relationships forever. She wasn't certain if Ning Tian loved her back. Keeping her feelings buried was the only way she knew to maintain their current dynamic. She had no idea how to take their relationship further, so she clung to what they already had.
With her naturally proud and rebellious personality, she wasn't the type to immediately reveal her true feelings just because someone asked. But remembering that Cai Mei'er had speculated this might be the work of a god, she forced herself to answer patiently, "No."
"No? You're lying! You must be punished!"
The moment the voice spoke, a golden light appeared out of nowhere and lashed Wu Feng. Her clothes tore slightly where it struck, leaving behind a bloody wound.
She screamed in pain, her face turning pale as she trembled in agony.
"I will ask you again. Do you have a lover?"
"…No!" she gritted her teeth.
She would rather endure physical pain than risk ruining her relationship with Ning Tian by speaking the truth.
(End of Chapter