My Arch-Nemesis is My Wife! - Chapter 3

With his demonic energy sealed, Qi Zhen was now no different from an ordinary mortal. After standing for only a few moments, he was drenched in sweat, his clothes clinging to his skin. He gritted his teeth. “What kind of hellhole is this?”

Ye Lan Jialuo scanned their surroundings while wiping sweat from his forehead. “The sensations are so vivid. this must be a Natural Dao Array.”

The Dao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; and Three produced all things. A Natural Dao Array was a real world birthed from the power of a formation. Those living within it would never realize they were artificial creations; they possessed their own thoughts and lives, yet they could never escape the boundaries of the array.

Qi Zhen frowned. He sensed that this place contained more than just a Natural Dao Array. There was another layer of restriction—he couldn’t even sense his own spiritual sea. This meant he couldn’t even retrieve the “Covering the Heavens” herb to heal himself. The Tianyan Sect had truly spared no expense on this setup.

Initially, Shenzhang Lingxi thought Qi Zhen’s plan to assassinate Xue Yunbi during the trials was feasible. Now, seeing their predicament, he realized it was a pipe dream. “We should just focus on surviving these five days,” he whispered. “If we get disqualified now, everything was for nothing.”

Though the crowd of twenty thousand was massive, no one seemed to have a clue how to proceed. People began huddling together to brainstorm. Small cliques had already formed during their stay at the foot of the mountain, but Qi Zhen’s group remained isolated. They had stayed at the inn for three days without speaking to a soul.

Qi Zhen found it strange. He hadn’t stepped foot outside his room, so it made sense he was a stranger to everyone, but Ye Lan Jialuo had been out every day scouting. How did he not know anyone?

“I only gathered intel from the Tianyan disciples,” Ye Lan Jialuo explained. “I didn’t bother interacting with the other candidates.”

Shenzhang Lingxi was surprised. “The Tianyan disciples actually talk to outsiders?”

Ye Lan Jialuo looked at him like he was an idiot. “They’ll tell you anything if you give them enough money.”

Qi Zhen turned his gaze toward Shenzhang Lingxi. “If he was out gathering intel, where were you?”

Caught in his lie, Shenzhang Lingxi admitted sheepishly, “I took a hit for him a few days ago, remember? I’ve been nursing my injuries until today.”

A few days prior, when they were being chased out of the sect, Shenzhang Lingxi had intercepted a palm strike from Lu Jin’an on Ye Lan Jialuo’s behalf. The injury had been severe, and he had only just fully recovered. Qi Zhen didn’t press the matter; since even Ye Lan Jialuo hadn’t found anything useful, having a second person wouldn’t have changed much.

As the other groups began to drift away from the starting point, Qi Zhen felt the heat becoming unbearable. He was panting, his tongue nearly lolling out like a dog’s. If it weren’t for the need to maintain his dignity as the Demon Sovereign, he would have collapsed on the ground right then and there.

“What do you think ‘Benevolence’ stands for here?” Ye Lan Jialuo asked, mulling it over.

Qi Zhen wiped his brow, gasping for air. “There are thousands of people here. Which one of them is the ‘Benevolence’ representative?”

Ye Lan Jialuo raised an eyebrow and explained, “The announcement said the trial is named ‘Benevolence.’ I figure if we crack the meaning of the word in this context, we’ll find the way to pass the stage.”

Qi Zhen watched the crowds walking into the distance. “Just grab one of them and study them.”

Ye Lan Jialuo sighed. “The Spiritual Realm emphasizes ‘Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trust’ as virtues, Big Brother. It’s a concept, not a person.”

Qi Zhen was utterly fed up. “It’s just an entrance exam. Why all the theatrics? Are they picking disciples or a new Sect Master?”

Ye Lan Jialuo fell silent, but Shenzhang Lingxi nodded vigorously. “Exactly! Big Brother is right. These Spiritual Realm types are so annoying. If you want to take disciples, just have everyone fight it out and be done with it.”

As if on cue, a shout erupted nearby. Qi Zhen looked over to see two groups of people fighting in front of a village, arguing over who had discovered it first.

Qi Zhen had zero interest in watching mortals brawl. He followed the flow of people into the village. It was a place of deathly silence crumbling walls and ruins where not even a blade of grass grew. However, it offered shade. The village was small and couldn’t hold twenty thousand people. Within an hour, violent conflicts broke out as latecomers tried to shove their way into the shaded ruins.

Suffocating in the heat, the three had no desire to make friends or fight. They searched the ruins until they found an abandoned cellar. Casting aside his pride, the Demon Sovereign was the first to scramble inside.

It was still hot in the cellar, but it was a paradise compared to the blistering sun outside. Qi Zhen’s shoulder wound, which hadn’t fully healed, throbbed painfully from the exertion. He sat down in the dirt.

In all his life, he had never sat in such a filthy, pathetic place. “When that insufferable bastard falls into my hands,” Qi Zhen snarled, “I will repay this suffering a thousand times over. I’ll make him beg for a death he won’t get.”

“Save your breath, Big Brother,” Ye Lan Jialuo advised. “We have to survive here for five days.”

“I can’t stand another minute in this dump!” Qi Zhen snapped, looking like he might actually lose his mind.

“We’ll stay here and outwait the clock,” Ye Lan Jialuo soothed. “We should be fine if we don’t move.”

Shenzhang Lingxi wiped sweat from his face, his throat parched. ” I really need a drink.”

They looked at each other. No one said a word, but the desperation for water was written on their faces. After a long silence, Ye Lan Jialuo whispered, “Just endure it. There’s no water in a place like this.”

Pain, thirst, and heat eventually drained Qi Zhen’s strength. To conserve energy, he leaned against the hot stone wall and tried to sleep. It was miserable, but it was all he could do.

Watching Qi Zhen’s weakened state, Shenzhang Lingxi whispered to Ye Lan Jialuo, “Can we really last five days?”

Ye Lan Jialuo didn’t know the answer, but he couldn’t afford to be pessimistic. He nodded firmly. “We will. Conserve your energy. Everyone, sleep.”

Morning arrived. They had survived the first night, though it had been a living death.

Qi Zhen was the first to wake. The air was so dry his lips had cracked; the moment he moved, they began to bleed. He sat up, his throat feeling like it was filled with sand. When Ye Lan Jialuo and Shenzhang Lingxi woke, they looked just as haggard.

Qi Zhen didn’t even have the energy to curse anymore. He tried to speak, but his voice wouldn’t come. He swallowed hard, forcing a bit of saliva to lubricate his throat before finally croaking out, “We won’t last five days like this. We have to find water.”

His companions nodded. They had been too naive. If passing the trial was as simple as sitting in a hole, it wouldn’t be much of a test.

They crawled out of the cellar and began searching the village for clues. It was a grim sight. Every bit of shade was packed with people huddling together, their lips bloody and their bodies soaked in sweat. Those who hadn’t found shade wandered the streets like ghosts, their skin burnt beet-red by the sun, their eyes dark and hollow.

Suddenly, a man lunged for a shaded spot. A fight broke out instantly. As others joined in, people began to vanish one by one disqualified and teleported out as they reached their breaking point or violated the “Benevolence” of the trial.

The vacant spots were filled instantly. Qi Zhen looked away. He was certain now that staying here meant failure. He looked toward the village exit and said decisively, “We’re leaving.”

Shenzhang Lingxi was horrified. “But there’s no shade out there! We’ll die even faster!”

Qi Zhen didn’t argue; he simply started walking. The village population had already been cut in half in just twenty-four hours. As he reached the village gate, a bystander asked in awe, “You’re actually going out there?”

Qi Zhen gave him a cold, aristocratic look and kept walking.

The sun was a red orb of torture. The landscape was a repetitive loop of dead trees and cracked earth. Qi Zhen felt dizzy, the heat making his head spin. He stopped, closed his eyes, and turned in a few circles to steady himself. When he opened them, he picked a direction and marched forward.

Ye Lan Jialuo and Shenzhang Lingxi followed him faithfully, though they were walking in a daze. After an unknown amount of time, a loud THUD echoed.

Qi Zhen had walked straight into thin air. Luckily, he wasn’t moving fast, so he only suffered a minor scrape on his forehead. The shock snapped his companions out of their stupor. “Big Brother! Are you okay?”

Qi Zhen didn’t answer. He reached out. Though there was nothing but empty air in front of him, his palm pressed against a solid, invisible wall.

The others reached out too. Shenzhang Lingxi’s eyes lit up. “A wall! Is this the exit?”

Ye Lan Jialuo felt around, confused. “Is it really that simple?”

“Break it,” Qi Zhen ordered.

They looked for something to use as a battering ram but found nothing. Parched and desperate, Qi Zhen barked, “Just kick it!”

He threw a kick at the invisible barrier. The other two followed suit, pouring their remaining strength into the wall. After a few moments, a loud CRACK echoed, and the world shifted.

The endless scorched forest vanished, replaced by a cool, damp cave. Inside, a pool of crystal-clear water sat beneath a spring trickling from the cave wall. Beside the spring sat an old woman with white hair. Despite her age, she looked vigorous, her eyes bright and piercing as she watched the three intruders.

Shenzhang Lingxi couldn’t contain himself. “Water! There’s water! We’re saved!”

They stumbled toward the pool, their eyes locked on the liquid. But the old woman raised a hand in a “stop” gesture. Her voice was cold and clear:

“This water is not for drinking.”

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