Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 68

The mirror’s surface rippled, like a calm lake broken by a stone. Lu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, watching Tantai Jing’s tall, slender figure merge into the mirror first. Her robes caused a circular wave on the surface before she vanished.

Lu Xiaoxiao stretched out her finger and gently touched the mirror. A warm sensation came from her fingertip, as if she were caressing a piece of warm jade.

After a fierce bout of dizziness and disorientation, Lu Xiaoxiao’s world settled.

A whistling wind assailed her ears, and hot air currents rushed toward her face.

Lu Xiaoxiao felt as if she had plunged into a gigantic furnace; every inch of her skin was enduring the searing heat. She instinctively held her breath, but even the air she inhaled felt scorching hot.

“Be careful.”

A slightly cool hand promptly steadied her arm, allowing her to balance herself.

Lu Xiaoxiao opened her eyes and found herself standing on a patch of crimson-red earth. Tantai Jing stood by her side, and the trace of coolness from her arm brought Lu Xiaoxiao some relief from the discomfort.

The scene before her was truly shocking.

The ground was a dark, molten red, and searing flames constantly spewed out from the cracked earth seams, the flickering, hot tongues of fire seemingly ready to devour anyone alive.

In the distance, several volcanoes stood tall, billowing thick smoke, with magma snaking down like rivers of gold. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur; every breath felt like swallowing fire.

The number of people who entered the secret realm this time was high. Lu Xiaoxiao looked around and saw at least a thousand people, including a few groups of thirty to fifty human cultivators who wanted to try their luck.

Lu Xiaoxiao was sweating profusely, constantly fanning herself with her hand: “It’s so hot inside this mirror. A steamer couldn’t be worse than this.” Her cheeks were flushed red from the high temperature, her hair was sticking to her forehead, and even her breathing became ragged.

Tantai Jing conjured a white jade bone fan, adorned with pale blue cloud patterns, and gently fanned her: “The task ahead may consume a lot of spiritual energy. Bear with it for now.” Her movements were elegant and composed. The breeze she created carried a hint of cool spiritual energy, making Lu Xiaoxiao feel much more comfortable.

“Coming in only causes trouble. Just because she holds a divine artifact, she forgets her own limitations.” Luo Mu stood not far away, arms crossed, casting a cold gaze at the perfect couple. Her white clothes were like frost, making her appear exceptionally poised in the fiery environment. However, her slightly upturned lips carried a degree of sarcasm, and a flicker of concealed jealousy flashed in her eyes.

Lu Xiaoxiao was unaffected by her words. She imitated Tantai Jing, gathered spiritual energy in her palm, and conjured a bamboo fan. She earnestly fanned Tantai Jing: “You must be hot too, right? I can see sweat on your forehead.”

Tantai Jing’s eyes were filled with gentle affection. She reached out and held Lu Xiaoxiao’s wrist: “You don’t need to do this. It’s important to conserve your spiritual energy.” Her fingertips were slightly cool, a stark contrast to the scorching air around them.

Luo Mu scoffed and turned to walk toward the center of the trial ground.

Lu Xiaoxiao saw a faint layer of white frost forming around Luo Mu. Remembering that Luo Mu was a Snow Demon, she realized that staying close to her would be much more effective than fanning. She grabbed Tantai Jing’s wrist and shamelessly edged closer to Luo Mu. Sure enough, the moment she got near, she felt bursts of coolness.

After this brief distraction, most of the people who intended to participate in the trial for the Hao Yue Bracelet had entered, and the huge mirror at the entrance was no longer there.

“Blazing Corridor.”

A clear, cold female voice echoed across the empty space, seemingly coming from the heavens above. Everyone subconsciously looked up, only to see four ancient Seal Script characters slowly materialize in the air at the center of the area.

Just then, sudden change erupted all around them.

A violent tremor shook the ground beneath their feet. Lu Xiaoxiao quickly circulated her spiritual energy to stabilize herself. She looked down and saw the once-solid ground disintegrating at a visible speed, turning into fine grains of sand. These grains were not ordinary yellow sand but a strange crimson red, shimmering with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

“This is… Crimson Flame Sand?” Luo Mu’s pupils constricted. She had seen this peculiar sand in ancient texts. It was said that every grain of Crimson Flame Sand contained an extremely high temperature, enough to instantly incinerate the flesh and blood of an ordinary cultivator.

In the blink of an eye, the entire area had transformed into a sea of crimson-red sand. The distant volcanoes had vanished, replaced by an endless expanse of dunes. Heat shimmered above the sand sea, warping the air into illusory waves.

Lu Xiaoxiao could feel the burning pain in the soles of her feet, even through her boots. She was forced to circulate her spiritual energy, forming a protective layer beneath her feet. Even so, she could clearly feel her spiritual energy being consumed at an alarming rate.

“Ah—”

A shrill, tragic scream pierced the air above the sand sea.

Lu Xiaoxiao snapped her head back, her pupils contracting sharply.

Not far away, a burly Leopard Demon was convulsing painfully on the ground. All the fur on his body stood on end, and his skin quickly turned charred black. The crimson-red sand stuck to his skin like maggots to a wound; every grain of sand was furiously devouring his flesh.

“Save… save me…” The Leopard Demon stretched out his already scorched arms, begging the surrounding trial participants for help. But his voice was quickly swallowed by tormented roars. Lu Xiaoxiao clearly saw the demon’s skin begin to peel away, revealing fresh, red flesh, which was then instantly incinerated by the Crimson Flame Sand, turning to ash.

In just a few breaths, the Golden Core stage Leopard Demon was reduced to a pile of ashes. Only the flying sword he had used remained stuck in the ground, glowing with a faint blue light.

The other trial participants were shaken by this sight and backed away several steps, terrified of meeting the same fate as the Leopard Demon.

“This Crimson Flame Sand… it’s truly terrifying.” A woman in white robes muttered, her voice trembling slightly.

Lu Xiaoxiao was also badly frightened by the scene, secretly glad that she was already a Nascent Soul stage cultivator: “What kind of Blazing Corridor is this? It’s clearly the Blazing Desert!”

The Blazing Corridor gave the crowd little time to react.

A massive wave suddenly rose from the red desert behind them. The Crimson Flame Sand rolled like boiling magma, forming a red tidal wave several zhang (a unit of measure) high, surging toward the crowd.

“Run!”

Someone shouted. The trial participants instantly fell into chaos. Many panicked and brought out their magical artifacts, attempting to fly into the air and escape the terrifying sand wave.

However, a cultivator in green robes had just flown less than ten feet high when a jet of scorching flame erupted from the air, heading straight for his face.

The green-robed cultivator hurriedly rolled away to dodge but was still grazed by the fire on the corner of his robes. The flame seemed to have a life of its own, instantly spreading across his entire body.

He hastily tumbled down from his flying sword, landing embarrassingly on the sand, rolling to put out the flames on his body.

Before Lu Xiaoxiao could take another look, Fuzhao and Tantai Jing each grabbed one of her arms and pulled her forward.

Fuzhao’s expression was grim, her eyes full of worry: “This secret realm has existed for over a thousand years. Logically, it should have weakened as the avatar grew weaker. The power of a cultivator who ascended at the Integration Stage is truly terrifying.”

“Ah—”

Another scream rang out. Lu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but look back, only to see a Nascent Soul stage cultivator being caught by the sand wave. The Crimson Flame Sand crawled up his legs like maggots. The cultivator struggled desperately but could only watch helplessly as his legs instantly turned to ash.

“Don’t look!” Tantai Jing sharply tugged at her, and Lu Xiaoxiao barely managed to avoid a sudden rise in a sand dune in front of them.

She could feel that Tantai Jing’s palm was already sweaty, yet she still held onto her tightly.

Another female cultivator beside Lu Xiaoxiao, whom she didn’t know, suffered a tragic end. Her protective magical artifact instantly shattered under the sand wave’s impact, and the Crimson Flame Sand rushed toward her like hungry wolves. In the blink of an eye, the female cultivator turned into a fireball, rolling on the sand, letting out spine-chilling wails.

Seeing so many cultivators perish so quickly, Lu Xiaoxiao felt her legs begin to weaken, and her breathing became increasingly labored. Her Nascent Soul stage cultivation felt so insignificant in this environment, and her spiritual energy was rapidly draining away.

Lu Xiaoxiao gasped for breath, her steps already beginning to falter.

When she saw a drop of sweat run down Tantai Jing’s neck, slipping along her collarbone and into her robes, she suddenly remembered Luo Mu’s words and felt that she, a mere Nascent Soul stage cultivator, should not have come in to burden Tantai Jing.

The words “I can’t run anymore,” which were stuck in her throat, absolutely refused to come out.

Tantai Jing seemed to sense her thoughts. The hand that had been holding her now intertwined with hers. Lu Xiaoxiao felt a stream of warm spiritual energy continuously flowing from their clasped hands, traveling through her meridians and into her Dantian.

“You…” Lu Xiaoxiao was about to speak to stop her when Tantai Jing’s telepathic message sounded in her mind.

“The Lancang Secret Realm shouldn’t actually be this dangerous,” Tantai Jing’s voice was still calm but carried a note of solemnity. “I once read records in ancient texts. The last time cultivators entered the Lancang Secret Realm, there were hundreds of Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and at least dozens of them walked out alive and obtained opportunities.”

“But this time is extremely strange,” Tantai Jing continued. “Two hundred fifty-one Nascent Soul stage cultivators came in, and over two hundred have already been submerged by the sand sea before this first stage is even over.”

Lu Xiaoxiao’s heart trembled. She realized that she truly couldn’t hear the screams of many cultivators anymore.

“But don’t forget, you are not an ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivator,” Tantai Jing’s voice held a hint of amusement, “You are capable of slaying Tribulation Crossing stage cultivators.”

Lu Xiaoxiao opened her mouth: “But…”

“Don’t say anything more,” Tantai Jing interrupted her. “My body is amply filled with spiritual energy, and I primarily cultivate a fire-attribute technique. Please don’t underestimate us Mahayana stage cultivators, alright?”

Just then, Fuzhao, who was ahead, suddenly stopped: “Look!”

Lu Xiaoxiao followed her gaze and saw an ancient stone gate faintly appearing in the distant sand sea. Three archaic characters were carved above the stone gate: “Li Gate.”

“Is that… an exit?” Lu Xiaoxiao murmured.

“Not necessarily an exit,” Tantai Jing’s voice held a note of vigilance, “but at least it’s a turning point.”

Before her voice faded, the sand wave behind them suddenly surged, and a colossal wave dozens of zhang high rushed toward the trio. Lu Xiaoxiao could clearly see that countless hideous faces had condensed within the giant wave, bearing the likenesses of the cultivators who had previously been swallowed by the sand sea.