Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

"Dharma Eye... are they all the same?" Shen Ye asked.

"Of course not, but I'm not very clear on this matter; it's secret transmission content that you only learn in senior year—my time hasn't come yet, and my family hasn't talked to me about it," Xiao Mengyu said.

"I see," Shen Ye sighed.

He had finally gotten a rough understanding.

But now, darkness surrounded them, and they couldn't see anything clearly.

"Can that candle be shared between two people?"

Shen Ye asked.

"Let's try it! We are in a team state now, and since it's a team, I think we can!" Xiao Mengyu said.

The next second.

Their playing cards vibrated slightly.

A line of small characters emerged:

"You have entered the second challenge of the exam."

"This challenge is a non-combat assessment, and the content is as follows:"

"The Tide of Lamentation is coming."

"Numerous Divine Statues are scattered across the island; candidates must find a suitable Divine Statue, communicate with it, complete its command, and get its promise to safely survive the Tide of Lamentation."

"Failure means elimination!"

"In addition, since you are working as a team, you only need to find one Divine Statue."

Xiao Mengyu took out the Candlelight Flame and wedged it in a gap at the front of the motorcycle.

The darkness receded, revealing the scenery of the Floating Island.

The land was full of green vegetation, towering trees, flowing creeks, and even more imposing mountains stretched across the terrain.

Clouds descended from the mountain, and in a flash, a torrential downpour with lightning and thunder ensued.

The creek's water level surged instantaneously, turning into a raging current that rushed into the dense forest, transforming everything into a swamp land.

"Look over there!"

Xiao Mengyu said.

Shen Ye looked in the direction she pointed and saw the remains of some statues—broken arms and legs—everywhere among mountain forests, open plains, and piles of rocks.

These fragments varied in size.

The small ones were only as little as a human physique, while the large ones were excessively big.

A massive stone arm, over fifty meters long, lay across the creek and the forest, drawing both of their gazes.

"Did you know the exam would be about this?"

Shen Ye asked Xiao Mengyu.

"The contents of the exam are different every year; heaven knows it would be this sort of situation," Xiao Mengyu said.

Shen Ye revved the engine, and the Ghost Fire Motorcycle sped off, flying over swathes of swamp, landing on the side of a mountain.

This place was strewn with statue fragments, an ideal spot to undertake their task.

Xiao Mengyu got off the bike and sighed, saying:

"They are really big."

"Aren't they?" Shen Ye also looked ahead.

In the pile of rocks in front of them, a statue's head more than five meters high lay quietly on the ground.

—This was a human male's head, but unlike humans, the forehead of the head had a vertical pupil, and the cheeks were carved with various mysterious Curse Scripts.

Further on, there were fragments of body torsos and limbs, ornaments, offering tables, and other such items.

Shen Ye was about to step forward but was held back by Xiao Mengyu.

"After teaming up successfully, my power is twice what it was before; let me do the communicating," Xiao Mengyu said.

Shen Ye thought about it and then stood still.

Xiao Mengyu stepped forward a few paces, her hand lightly on the hilt of her Short Sword, and spoke:

"May I ask how to address you?"

The five-meter-long giant statue head opened its eyes, glanced at Xiao Mengyu, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Pure human girl."

"The Tide of Lamentation is coming. If you and your partner wish to receive my protection, you need to piece together my body and then worship me as I demand, so that I can regain Divine Power."

"How should we worship you?" Xiao Mengyu asked.

The head stared at her and said, "I want to drink the blood of that companion of yours, and you must undress and Dance for me."

"Is there another way we can offer our worship?" Xiao Mengyu hesitated.

"No—The Tide of Lamentation is a terrible thing. If you want to save your life, how can you not give up something?" the head said deeply.

Suddenly, a Short Sword appeared in front of it.

Nightfall.

Shen Ye, wielding the Short Sword, slashed with all his might, cutting off a chunk of the head, revealing the smooth stone interior.

"Hey, it's a Divine Statue," Xiao Mengyu said nervously in a low voice.

"What did you just say? Say it again," Shen Ye glared at the statue and demanded.

The head trembled and lost its previous majesty, its expression turning mournful:

"If you don't agree, forget it. Why resort to violence?"

"Drink my blood? Have her do a striptease dance? Who gave you the right?" Shen Ye hit the statue's cheek with his sword.

The head suddenly rolled backward, rolling down the slope swiftly, disappearing from their view.

"It actually ran away."

Xiao Mengyu said with a complex expression.

"Ignore it. Let's find another Divine Statue—there are plenty all over the island; there has to be a suitable one," Shen Ye said.

He walked back and restarted the Ghost Fire Motorcycle.

Xiao Mengyu sat back on the bike and sighed:

"Next time, try talking to them nicely instead of getting rough; remember, they represent the divine."

Shen Ye hummed lowly.

He had just seen two lines of small characters on the top of that statue:

"Statue of the God of Evil Dance."

"—This divine spirit has already perished."

The god is already dead.

What do I have to fear from a mere statue?

"He wanted to drink my blood! Where I come from, gods like that usually don't live long," Shen Ye said.

"The gods don't live long?" Xiao Mengyu thought he was joking and casually continued the conversation.

"Even the sun, if it oversteps, can be shot down by our people—that's the upbringing of our nation," Shen Ye said.

The Ghost Fire Motorcycle roared, took to the air, and sped towards the mountaintop.

"Isn't that mythology?" Xiao Mengyu shouted.

Shen Ye paused.

Right.

This world seemed to have that myth as well.

Why?

No time to think further.

The motorcycle stopped at the mountaintop.

There was nothing else here but a stone horsehead lying in a pile of grass.

The horsehead was about the size of a basketball backboard, much smaller compared to the Divine Statue that wanted to watch the strip dance earlier.

The vegetation was lush around it; if one did not look closely, it would be hard to discover.

Xiao Mengyu and Shen Ye exchanged glances.

This horsehead—

Was it actually a Divine Statue?

"Shall I try? I have some experience with lying horses," Shen Ye offered.

Xiao Mengyu gave him an annoyed look.

Shen Ye pretended not to see it, took a step forward, and said, "Hey, big brother, the Tide of Lamentation is about to arrive, can you protect us?"

"As you said, I only lie in the grass," the horsehead spoke: "Friend, you must find the one who rides me."

Words appeared above its head:

"Fragment of the War Deities' Mount Statue."

It was a mount.

"The one who rides you? Does he need any offering?" Shen Ye asked cautiously.

"The lady beside you wields a sword; she'd definitely suit his taste. Just maintain respect in front of him," the horsehead replied.

"So, where is he?" Shen Ye asked.

The horsehead said, "He's right—"

A loud bang.

Something struck the horsehead, sending it flying into the sky, its whereabouts unknown.

Two people emerged from the edge of the grass.

Zhao Yibing.

And—

A unfamiliar middle school student.

"Caught you."

Zhao Yibing said with a smirk that wasn't quite a smile.

Her entire presence had completely changed, and her eyes shimmered with a faint, dark light.

Xiao Mengyu immediately reached for her sword but was stopped by Shen Ye.

"Zhao Yibing, it's over! Why are you still bothering me?" Shen Ye demanded.

A hint of mockery flashed across Zhao Yibing's lips, and she raised her hand to cast something but instinctively opened her mouth and said mournfully:

"Shen Ye... I'm already dead."

All four froze.

Shen Ye was the first to react.

Zhao Yibing was already dead!

When he had asked her, he had unintentionally activated "Whispers of the Dark," so her soul returned to her body to answer him!

Zhao Yibing's expression darkened, and she shouted:

"Damn it, it's the power of the Undead!"

She waved her hand, releasing a dense web of crimson threads, about to attack, when suddenly an enormous force appeared out of nowhere, and with a "boom," she was flung away from the mountaintop into the dark distance, vanishing from sight.

At the same time.

Their playing cards trembled.

Shen Ye picked it up and saw two lines of text:

"This stage is non-combat assessment; private battles are forbidden."

"If violated again, expulsion from the examination site!"

—No fighting allowed!

Shen Ye exhaled in relief and looked at the unfamiliar young man.

"Hmph, I'll let you live a little longer for now, but you won't survive much longer anyway," the young man said, eying Shen Ye's left hand.

After speaking, his figure flashed, chasing after Zhao Yibing.

Shen Ye look down at his left hand.

A crimson thread tightly wrapped around his hand, stretching endlessly into the void, pointing towards where Zhao Yibing had been struck away.

Small letters emerged:

"???"

"Otherworldly Divine Technique."

"Description: When you appear within a five-hundred-mile radius of the other party, they can sense your location and instantly teleport to your side."

"—Your world is yet unable to comprehend this technique."

The crimson thread gradually faded until it became invisible.

"The current technique has been used."

"If you reappear in front of the other party, this technique will immediately take effect again."

—He had suffered from this move once!

That is to say, once this stage of the examination was over, if the next stage allowed combat, and he encountered her again—

She could keep teleporting to slay him!

The thought itself was terrifying.

"Thank goodness we don't have to fight this round," Xiao Mengyu breathed a sigh of relief, whispering.