Chapter 150: Heartfelt Acting

Three top-tier magical treasures radiated brilliant light.

Fang Junmei and Luan Shi Daolang stared at each other in blank dismay, suddenly feeling as though everything had descended into utter chaos.

"Aside from those three statues and the three treasures, let's search other areas and see if there are any anomalies."

After pondering for a good while, Fang Junmei spoke with the attitude of a desperate physician trying any available cure, though even as the words left his mouth, he felt the suggestion was utterly absurd.

Luan Shi Daolang had no better plan either, so searching it was!

The two of them began to search once more, meticulously examining every inch.

Lightning lay bored on the ground, watching them.

...

"Junmei."

After quite a while, seeing that the great hall had been searched almost entirely, Luan Shi Daolang's voice suddenly resounded in Fang Junmei's sea of consciousness via spiritual transmission.

"Keep searching and act natural. I need to talk to you about your great-lord horse."

Before Fang Junmei could even process this, the voice came again.

"In my view, those three magical treasures must be the key. Now it all depends on whether your lordly horse is willing to help."

Luan Shi Daolang put on a show of searching while his eyes darted around.

"What malicious scheme do you have in mind? Lightning is stubborn by nature; if it's unwilling to help, nothing will make it change its mind."

Fang Junmei replied.

Luan Shi Daolang said, "Did you mention to it earlier how we plan to leave this secret realm in the end?"

Fang Junmei answered, "Isn't it that once a month is up, no matter where we are, we will be forcibly teleported out by that strange light? I didn't mention that to it before."

"Splendid! Good thing you didn't say anything. If it knew that even without finding an exit, we could leave on our own simply by enduring until the end of the month, it would be even less likely to lend a hand."

Luan Shi Daolang's voice rose with excitement. "Watch my lead in a moment."

...

After another moment, the search concluded, yielding naturally not a single result.

"It's over, it's over, Junmei! We can't get out!"

Luan Shi Daolang produced a flask of wine, took several fierce gulps, and then, with a panicked expression and a voice bordering on despair, said, "If we don't reach a height of a thousand zhang into the sky before the final day arrives, we won't be touched by the guiding divine light, and we will never be able to leave this place. We'll be trapped here forever and perish!"

His expression was filled with sorrow, indignation, and helplessness!

Bang!

Having finished this speech, Luan Shi Daolang ruthlessly smashed the wine flask onto the ground and continued, "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have smashed that teleportation array. Junmei, it's all my fault for dragging you down with me!"

His eyes were filled with immense self-reproach, and his aura surged turbulently.

Fang Junmei almost stared in utter disbelief.

This truly was heartfelt acting—starting the performance right on cue!

If Luan Shi Daolang hadn't tipped him off beforehand, Fang Junmei would surely have believed him, especially since the fellow even fabricated some utter nonsense about a "guiding divine light."

Lightning was also staring in wide-eyed astonishment. Although it could not yet speak, it understood every word Luan Shi Daolang had uttered.

After a momentary daze, Fang Junmei squeezed out a bitter smile and said, "Destroying that teleportation array was something I agreed to in the first place, so I can't blame you."

Though forced, the bitter smile wasn't entirely fake.

"As for me dying, it wouldn't matter much, but I would never get to look after Liangyan again, and many of my aspirations would remain unfulfilled."

Luan Shi Daolang wore an expression of lingering regret.

Hearing this, Lightning seemed to recall something, and its gaze grew complicated as well.

"Don't panic!"

Fang Junmei shouted as he usually did, saying, "Lightning might just find a way."

With that, he looked toward Lightning.

...

At that moment, Luan Shi Daolang hastily cut in before Fang Junmei could say more. "Forget it. Lightning loves its freedom; why force it further? Since it doesn't want to do it, let it be."

His tone was so sincere that even Fang Junmei was nearly convinced.

Fang Junmei's gaze flickered with internal struggle, unsure of what to say. He simply produced a flask of wine and began to drink, muttering, "Let's search again, look around once more. There has to be a way."

Having said that, he didn't even glance at Lightning.

Drinking as he walked, he approached one of the statues and began examining it anew. Though he spoke those words, his expression was utterly dejected, as if he held not a shred of hope, while profound fatigue weighed upon his mind.

Mental exhaustion was real!

Not only did he have to fight other cultivators, but he also had to trick his lordly pet into doing manual labor. What kind of life was this?

On the other side, Luan Shi Daolang sat down heavily and resumed his prolonged sighs and groans, focusing primarily on two major themes: recalling the past and sibling affection.

How difficult things had been.

How hard he had struggled.

How he had climbed step by step to this point.

How deep their sibling bond was and how they had supported each other.

It was truly enough to sadden the onlooker and move the listener to tears, prompting Fang Junmei to cast occasional glances at him.

Lightning looked from Fang Junmei to Luan Shi Daolang, sensing that today's atmosphere was somewhat bizarre, though it couldn't quite put its finger on what was strange.

However, a remark Luan Shi Daolang had just made touched a nerve: if they truly couldn't escape, numerous aspirations would remain unfulfilled. For Lightning, the most important aspiration by far was to avenge its parents and clan.

Unawares, its gaze shifted toward the three magical treasures, its equine eyes narrowing as its expression turned serious and resolute.

"Junmei, we've got a bite!"

Catching sight of this out of the corner of his eye, Luan Shi Daolang twitched with excited anticipation. Ultimately, he had managed to instill a sense of crisis in that lordly horse, Lightning.

Hearing this, Fang Junmei felt a surge of excitement as well. Fortunately, Luan Shi Daolang was here today; otherwise, he would surely have been at his wit's end with Lightning.

After another brief moment, Lightning finally rose at a leisurely pace, walked over to the nearest golden, jade-seal-like magical treasure, and cast an intensely profound gaze upon it.

Luan Shi Daolang watched with even greater delight, though he forcibly restrained himself, unsure whether his joy stemmed from the treasure itself or the prospect of escaping this place.

Fang Junmei watched openly, eager anticipation shining in his eyes.

After the span of a cup of tea, Lightning slowly raised a hoof.

"Lightning, wait a moment!"

Remembering something, Fang Junmei hurriedly intervened.

Lightning and Luan Shi Daolang turned their heads toward him simultaneously.

"Do you already have a method to shatter this barrier and retrieve the treasure inside? According to our earlier conjecture, there might actually be a specific sequence for unlocking them."

Recalling this crucial matter, Fang Junmei dared not be careless.

"I haven't thought of a method yet, I simply want to try."

Lightning replied, "What else can be done? I must get out of here."

Fang Junmei looked at Luan Shi Daolang, and both furrowed their brows deeply. Just as they had finally coaxed Lightning into working, a new problem arose.

With three magical treasures, heaven knew what the proper sequence was. If they messed it up, disaster might well strike.

After pondering for a moment, Luan Shi Daolang gritted his teeth and said, "Junmei, this sequence is impossible to deduce. Since that's the case, let's leave it to fate. You pick one first, then it's my turn, and we'll take whatever remains last. Let's hope fortune favors us, or that no sequence actually exists at all."

Fang Junmei thought it over and nodded in agreement.

Nicker—

A long, clear neigh rang out.

"Let it be understood first: if we truly manage to unlock it, I want that jade seal."

The voice echoed in Fang Junmei's mind.

Lightning wasn't foolish at this moment; it wanted to divide the spoils beforehand to prevent the two humans from bullying a lone horse.

"What did it say?"

Luan Shi Daolang immediately asked.

Fang Junmei smiled and said, "It wants that jade seal."

Hearing this, Luan Shi Daolang burst out laughing and replied, "I have no objections. Just give me that saber, and you two can divide the other two."

Fang Junmei smiled and shook his head. That meant the sword would be his, which happened to suit his cultivation style.

"Let's divide them this way. I'll take the sword. Lightning, you first—"

Fang Junmei's gaze swept over the three treasures before finally settling on the sword. "Let's retrieve that sword first."

Hearing this, Lightning made no superfluous remarks and walked toward the sword.

...

This sword was approximately four feet and nine inches long, its blade slightly wider than ordinary swords, featuring an archaic and elegant design. Its color was dark green, resembling a stretch of deep pool water scooped straight out of an inky-green abyss, rippling with a shimmering luster. It gave an impression that was simultaneously profound and concealing sharp intent.

The body of the blade was not a barren, plain sheet of iron; rather, it was engraved with strange, intricate runes that glimmered with a golden light, lending an even greater aura of mystery to the weapon.

The scabbard rested beside it, sharing the same archaic and elegant design, while its surface was carved with patterns resembling mountains and rivers.

Only now did Fang Junmei have the opportunity to closely examine this sword, and the more he looked, the more delighted he became.

Putting everything else aside, let us look at Lightning alone.

After walking beneath the statue holding the dark green treasure sword, its body shifted and it floated into the air until its hooves were parallel to the sword. After gazing intently for another moment, it finally lashed out with a hoof!

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, spatial ripples surged violently. Centered around the treasure sword, an invisible shockwave pushed both men and horse outward. Simultaneously, cracks began to spread across the statue that held the sword.

Boom, boom, boom—

Lightning rained blows upon it in a frenzy, spatial ripples rolling outward!

Using spatial force to shatter space!

Such an attack was bound to cause some rebound injuries to Lightning, who was closest to the source. Soon, Fang Junmei and Luan Shi Daolang saw pain flicker in Lightning's eyes, filling their hearts with a pang of guilt.

Boom!

After another cup of tea's worth of time, an exceptionally loud explosion echoed through the air. The statue supporting the dark green treasure sword shattered completely, rock fragments flying in all directions.

Lightning was thrown backward, crashing heavily onto the ground as blood sprayed from its body.

Meanwhile, a majestic ringing of the sword began to reverberate wildly throughout the hall. The dark green treasure sword flashed brilliantly, vibrating intensely as though possessed of a spirit.

"It worked!"

Luan Shi Daolang cheered.

Fang Junmei was naturally overjoyed, but he remembered to check on Lightning first, pulling out healing pills and feeding them to the beast.

"The sword can be retrieved now."

Lightning said, its gaze filled with gratification, clearly very satisfied with Fang Junmei's actions.

Fang Junmei nodded, darted over to the sword, and grabbed the hilt with one hand and the scabbard with the other!

Hum—

The ringing of the sword surged violently once more, carrying a sense of fierce resistance within its tone. At the same time, it trembled fiercely in Fang Junmei's grip, attempting to break free of his hold.

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Junmei's eyes. Guided by a sudden flash of spiritual intuition, golden light erupted across his body. Clinging desperately to the sword, he channeled the full force of his sword intent, which had fused into his very bones, injecting it straight into the blade.

A low roar escaped Fang Junmei's throat. Luan Shi Daolang and Lightning watched as the veins on his forehead throbbed violently and sweat began to bead on his skin, as though he were locked in combat with a supreme master. The green light emitted by the treasure sword fell upon him, creating a remarkably striking and peculiar scene.

Time ticked away second by second. The dark green treasure sword struggled with increasing violence, and the trembling of Fang Junmei's arms grew more severe, as if he were utterly incapable of subduing it. Worse still, blood began to seep from his hands as the sword light released by the treasure weapon pierced him like countless tiny blades.

"Merely having sword intent fused into the bones probably isn't enough to subdue this sword."

Luan Shi Daolang murmured softly, a sigh underlying his tone.

Hearing this, Fang Junmei's gaze grew abruptly profound, and even deeper sword shadows began to emerge within the world of his pupils.