Chapter 293 - 289: Not Necessary, but Inevitable

Chapter 293: Chapter 289: Not Necessary, but Inevitable

Ding Yi and the other Disciple stopped their fight. The large man known as Uncle Qiao, whose arm had been dislocated, casually used his left hand to brace his right shoulder. With a POP, he snapped his right arm back into place.

"Ma’am!"

Dawn didn’t have much in the way of excessive formalities. A simple fist-and-palm salute was their standard greeting.

Their attention then fell on Zhang Yi.

The nail on the man’s left pinky was a mangled, bloody mess, looking as if it had been ripped out and then gouged with a small knife. It wasn’t hard to imagine the pain.

Even though Zhang Yi desperately clamped his right hand over the pinky, a thin line of blood would still occasionally spurt out.

"Ah... Help me! Aren’t you... HUFF... going to do something? My hand! HISS... Ah..."

Beads of sweat covered Zhang Yi’s forehead from the pain. His voice was filled with terror.

Su Su sighed. No matter how flamboyant her Witch persona was, she was still Su Su at heart. A complete Flower of Life, the size of half a palm, flew out from within her cloak. It was densely packed with dozens of petals.

She then grabbed Zhang Yi’s jaw and shoved the entire flower into his mouth.

"Chew it lightly and suck the juice from the petals. It will ease your pain."

Baru would have probably just knocked him unconscious and called it a day.

In his agony, Zhang Yi instinctively complied. The flower filled his mouth, and he chewed with difficulty a few times. There was none of the bitterness he expected from a plant. Instead, a fresh, sweet fragrance filled his mouth and nose. As he swallowed the mixture of saliva and floral juice, a powerful Life Force instantly spread throughout his body.

The pain in his finger dropped sharply. Within seconds, the bleeding stopped and a scab formed.

"Hahh... I really thought I was going to die... Heh... It’s hard to imagine how people endured this kind of pain when they were tortured for information..."

Off to the side, Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao frowned. That dosage was a bit excessive.

Back in the Silent Knight Training Camp, someone with a broken bone or even internal injuries would have recovered quickly with two petals at most. What was a mere fingernail in comparison?

The strange thing was, this man was clearly an Evolver. His body’s sensitivity, and by extension his perception of pain, should have been far greater than an ordinary person’s. And yet, his willpower was weak, and his tolerance for pain was shockingly low.

Even a "wild Evolver" who knew nothing wouldn’t likely exhibit such a huge discrepancy.

"Ma’am, is there anything we can help you with?"

"Yes. Since you’re here, there’s no need to go looking for the Mo Family. You two will come back to headquarters with me. And, bring the Silver Needles."

The Acupoint Needle Technique was both a Martial Technique and a versatile, cure-all skill at the Celestial Traveler’s Hall. Its effects after one broke through the limits of the human body were even more unimaginable.

As a favored disciple of the Mo Family, Ding Yi was an expert in this art.

"Alright. I’ll have my people outside come in to stand guard over the Secret Realm."

A call was made. In the supermarket by the park, two "employees" broke away and entered the Secret Realm.

Once the replacements arrived, Su Su led Zhang Yi and the two Celestial Traveler Disciples away, departing from the central Technique Array in the Secret Realm Park.

This was Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao’s first time in a Secret Realm. They couldn’t help but feel a mix of nervousness and awe, but they did their best to restrain it, not wanting to make a fool of themselves.

But the impact on Zhang Yi was even greater.

The Association’s headquarters now gave one the distinct impression of not being in the normal world, but rather in an Otherworld.

Aside from the central tower, a rustic blend of Eastern and Western architecture, the surroundings were filled with fantastical, ever-changing scenery.

The magical plants here were far more wondrous than in other Secret Realms. Some were towering, others small and exquisite. The sky was perpetually full of starlight, yet the ground below was brightly lit.

Under the long-term influence of the Red Demoness’s power, the rivers within the Secret Realm had formed several loops that circled through the air. The crystal-clear water flowed overhead, its surface reflecting the starlight in a magnificent display, even creating localized rainbow sheens.

One could even spot fish swimming within the currents. It was only after seeing groupers and other marine life that they realized it was seawater. Clearly, these so-called "rivers" were no longer connected to the Winding Loach River outside the Secret Realm.

In the distance lay a world of flowers. Many of the strange blossoms seemed to able to communicate. Zhang Yi, and even Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao, had the distinct impression that some of the flowers were whispering amongst themselves, swaying in directions that defied the gentle breeze.

On the other side, a spectacular Crystal Forest was equally stunning. Some Crystal Pillars were already taller than the Association’s main building, glittering under the starlight and the reflections from the rainbow-hued water. You didn’t need to be a genius to know the place was full of treasures.

It wasn’t just Zhang Yi; the sight was a huge shock to Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao as well. The three of them were rendered speechless.

"Mm, so you’ve arrived..."

A soft, melodious voice drifted down from the sky. Pulling their gazes from the sea of flowers and looking up, they saw a peerlessly beautiful figure swimming through the air. Her brilliant red hair, as long as she was tall, fanned out around her in a hazy cloud, casting a crimson halo around the Red Demoness’s lovely form.

SPLASH!

The Red Demoness suddenly descended from the aerial river. Droplets of water clung reluctantly to her sea-blue gauze dress as she landed barefoot on the grass. At the same time, a hazy aura enveloped her, veiling her captivating charm.

"Sister Hong!" "Lady Red Demoness!"

Su Su, Ding Yi, and Uncle Qiao greeted her. Although the latter two had prepared themselves, their hearts still betrayed them and began to pound wildly.

But to Zhang Yi’s special senses, the sight had been so overwhelming he could barely breathe.

The colors and light emanating from the Red Demoness, her deadly allure combined with a sacredness as if she were wreathed in Holy Light... it was a feeling that couldn’t be described with words, a concept his mind couldn’t even properly form.

After a long moment, a single word finally came to Zhang Yi’s mind: Goddess.

This wasn’t the "goddess" of infatuation, born from mere lust or aesthetic appreciation. This was a true embodiment of beauty and divinity, an existence beyond the reach of mortals.

’As expected. What his eyes see is different from what ordinary people see!’

The Red Demoness nodded at Su Su, Ding Yi, and Uncle Qiao, then turned her gaze to Zhang Yi, her eyes filled with interest.

"Sister Hong, where’s Mentor?"

"He’s in the lab preparing a Magic Potion. He’ll be here soon. Also, stop giving him the Flower of Life. If you keep suppressing his body’s collapse, he might just suddenly explode."

Hearing this, Zhang Yi, who had just experienced that agonizing pain, felt a surge of despair. Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao, however, seemed lost in thought.

They didn’t have to wait long. Qin Xiaoxia, a man with long, salt-and-pepper hair, emerged from the building holding a test tube. Inside, a liquid of intermingling black, pink, and crimson swirled.

"Mentor!" "Master Sage!"

Su Su, Ding Yi, and Uncle Qiao quickly offered their greetings.

Zhang Yi’s perception of Qin Xiaoxia, however, was unique. Ever since his eyes had started seeing special colors and light, the experience had always been one of horror or awe. But for the first time, looking at this mysterious, long-haired man, he saw "nature."

The man’s form was somewhat indistinct, as if invisible flames were distorting the air around him. Yet, his figure remained clearly visible to the naked eye. The effect was visually disorienting, but not at all bizarre.

Everything seemed to revolve around him, as if he were a Druid from myth, one with nature itself. The flowers, grass, trees, and even the wind and water seemed to hold a fondness for him.

Yet deep in Zhang Yi’s heart, a faint sense of horror lay buried, introducing a note of dissonance to the feeling.

From the moment he was taken, Zhang Yi had been completely bewildered, aside from the one fact he knew for sure: he was very likely going to die.

’If that government agency had taken me,’ he thought, ’it would have been for a trial, or maybe they would have sliced me up for research. It was even possible they’d recruit me into some ’Dragon Team,’ assuming I survived.’

’But this place... this organization where everything is so magical... why did they bring me here?’

’The higher-ups in the government obviously know this organization exists. They might even cooperate. And technologically, the government probably can’t compare to this place.’

’Are they really just trying to save me?’

He tried to think positively, but he didn’t dare say a word in this strange environment.

"Sit down and rest a while. This has been a series of shocks for an ordinary person. You must be feeling overwhelmed."

With that one sentence from Qin Xiaoxia, the tense, somber atmosphere instantly melted away. Even the wind seemed to carry a warmth that dispelled the winter chill.

In Zhang Yi’s eyes, the surrounding "nature" brightened by a degree.

Thin vines automatically wove themselves into comfortable chairs and a table. Puffs of dandelion fluff, flying from some unknown source, drifted on the wind and settled upon the chairs.

No one needed to move; a chair formed directly behind each person, and everyone sat down instinctively.

The vines continued to shift with their movements, as if adapting to find each person’s most comfortable posture.

"Is there anything you want to say to me? I’m the one who had Su Su bring you here."

It was only then that Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao understood, to their surprise, that the "Witch" and the "Crystal Ball Witch" were one and the same person.

’Or perhaps two personalities in the same person?’ they added mentally.

Zhang Yi did indeed have many questions, but the most pressing was his fear of death. He mimicked how the others addressed the man.

"Ma-Master Sage, do I have to die? I mean, am I going to die soon?"

The subtext was clearly, ’I think I can still be saved.’

Guided by the power of the Secret Realm, a tea set filled with perfectly warm tea flew out from the building and landed on the table before each of them.

"Let me correct you. It is not that you ’must’ die, but that you ’will inevitably’ die."

Qin Xiaoxia stared intently into Zhang Yi’s eyes. Through those windows to the soul, he could both feel the young man’s fear and see his surging Soul Power.

"It is not I who decides your life and death. I simply do not wish for your very existence to dissipate because of a defect in the current environment of our world."

His tone was soothing, and the others relaxed, but Zhang Yi’s heart remained clenched tight. He gulped down the tea in his cup in one go.

’They have so much power here,’ he thought. ’There’s no reason to lie to me about whether I’m going to die.’ He also understood that, lie or no lie, his fate was sealed.

’At least he said my existence might not just dissipate! Does that mean I’ll become a ghost?’

"Fear is a natural human emotion. However, I must still tell you the cruel truth: even with our power, we are not completely certain we can preserve you."

The words made Zhang Yi flinch. He stared, stunned, at the mysterious Master Sage, who calmly met his gaze.

In the Sage’s eyes, he vaguely saw the ravages of war, the sorrow of final partings, darkness and terror, but also the dawning of light. He saw glimpses of events from all over the world, from the past and from the future.

’He’s not lying to me... He’s just stating a fact...’

He’d felt enough fear for one night.

He didn’t cry or make a scene. After a final, frantic spell, even his heart began to calm down. What weighed on him now was regret.

"I have 230,000 in savings, and another 100,000 in stocks... though that’s probably only worth 50,000 now."

Zhang Yi spoke after a moment of silence.

"I want to leave 150,000 for my parents, and the rest... give it to Xiaomo’s family!"

Xiaomo was the girlfriend he’d met in a nightclub and had only been dating for a little over a month.