With Fahai's disappearance, the surrounding temperature finally stopped rising, reaching a delicate level where it was almost unbearably hot, but barely enough to survive.

"What should I do? This has suddenly turned from a fairy tale into an extreme survival challenge." Xiao Cheng tried to fan himself, but all he got was hot air, so he decided to stay still.

Fang He seemed to be in a slightly better situation than her, specifically in that he was still able to maintain rational thinking.

He didn't answer Xiao Cheng's question immediately, but squatted down on the spot and started sweating profusely as he dug out the loose soil from the ground.

“We need to break down this barrier.” He dug a narrow but deep pit with his bare hands, tentatively reaching in and tapping the bottom of the pit.

A long, ancient metallic clanging sound rang out, like the morning bell of a temple, and even the surrounding heat seemed to be weakened.

Then Xiao Cheng belatedly realized that it really was cool, and not just a little bit.

The white-clad woman's body stopped melting, and her flesh and skin slowly re-coagulated, though it seemed to look even more indescribable.

Then her two fingers suddenly trembled slightly, and not long after, she let out a soft moan. The first thing she said after slowly waking up was...

"You bald monk! Give me back my grandfather!"

Xiao Cheng: "..." You've mixed up the characters, sis. Your plot lines are way too confusing.

The woman in white contorted her abstract face, seemingly showing a confused expression. She looked around before finally fixing her gaze on Fang He, and said softly in a gentle voice, "Excuse me... did you save me?"

Fang He ignored her and remained squatting there, completely absorbed in digging with his bare hands. He widened the hole he had just dug, and soon it became a pit where the bottom was clearly visible.

Then he beckoned Xiao Cheng over to look: "This is it, the barrier, or rather, the bottom of the bowl. We need to break it before we can have a chance to get out."

The woman in white, who had been completely ignored, bit her lower lip in frustration and leaned even closer: "What are you talking about? Maybe I can help."

"Big sister, stop biting your lip, it's almost hanging around your neck," Xiao Cheng said kindly, enduring the burning sensation in her eyes.

But the woman in white was determined to ignore her, relentlessly sidling up to Fang He: "Thank you for saving me! If you don't mind, I can... I can..."

"Disgusted." Fang He interrupted her coldly. "It's hot. Please stay away from me, thank you."

Seeing that the woman in white was about to say something more, he continued, "In fact, I didn't save you, and I couldn't have saved you. Your waking up was just an accident, but it has no impact on me."

"I don't care what your plans are, whether you want to use us to leave here or have some other scheme against us." Fang He took two steps to the side, completely distancing himself from the woman in white and displaying obvious wariness.

"It has nothing to do with me, understand?"

The woman in white was probably hurt by his heartless attitude. She stood there trembling for a long time before suddenly bursting into tears.

She raised her hand to wipe away her tears, but the moment she touched her face, she froze.

"Wait, my face... my face... how could this be... Ahhhhh!! My face!!!"

She screamed in despair, her already contorted body twisting even more violently, her long fingernails digging deep into her flesh, oozing blood-red pus.

Her body suddenly began to stretch and thin rapidly, her limbs intertwined and twisted together, and then her skin began to swell, revealing fine scale patterns on its surface.

Her entire body began to swell rapidly, eventually transforming into a large white snake with a human head on its head, its tail slamming heavily into the ground, carving out deep furrows.

Then it completely transformed into a water arrow, shooting towards the black hole overhead, and finally piercing through it with a whoosh.

Xiao Cheng stared in disbelief: "...She just left like that?"

Fang He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "It seems so."

Xiao Cheng: "...So you're still a sucker for good looks." Is she off to get revenge on the old monk? I genuinely hope something bad happens to him.

"An unexpected surprise, but it certainly saved us a lot of trouble." Fang He looked down at the ground, which was covered with cracks.

After removing the dry topsoil, the bottom of the bowl, made of an indescribable material, was finally fully revealed. It was a bronze color with a metallic sheen, covered with dense ancient runes. The contents were incomprehensible, but it looked incredibly powerful.

"I have to say, it's much more efficient than yours." Xiao Cheng noticed with his sharp eyes that one of the runes had become much dimmer due to the direct impact just now, and tiny, almost imperceptible cracks were spreading out from the edges of the characters.

"Get this straight, I'm not a monster. At least for now, I'm still human." Fang He squatted down again and began to figure out how to break the bowl.

"Can't we just go up there? That snake can go, so there's no reason we can't." Xiao Cheng suddenly looked up at the black hole. "After all, I feel like going up is easier than going down. Maybe we can find the second pea seed. What do you think?"

"I suggest we consider something more reliable." Fang He tried to pry at the cracks, but it was no use. Even if they were cracked, they couldn't smash them open with their bare hands.

"Besides pea seeds, maybe there are other things. After all, it's a fairy tale world, so a little fantasy isn't a bad thing, is it?" Xiao Cheng ignored him and let her thoughts wander freely.

"If it's going to heaven, flying carpet? Flying house? Summoning a dragon?" she muttered as she squatted down next to Fang He. Halfway down, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her pocket.

Three gleaming gold coins rolled down and formed a triangle on the ground.

Instantly, a dazzling halo burst forth from the center of the triangle, and a palm-sized golden figure slowly rose from the halo.

Then it tugged at its curly mustache, squinted its eyes, and said in a low voice, "My dear believer, I am the God of Gold Coins that you worship, so please tell me, what is your request?"

Xiao Cheng: "..."

Fang He: "..."

Things started to get a little surreal.

Xiao Cheng doesn't consider himself a materialistic person, but who can resist a mini version of the God of Gold?

She gave us a kind smile: "Please see us off."

The little man's face immediately showed a troubled expression: "No."

"The God of Gold Coins cannot say no."

"But this really won't work."

The two remained deadlocked for a while before finally deciding to compromise.

"I can give you a new pea seed." The little man raised his golden right hand, palm open and facing upwards, on which rested a pure gold pea that had already sprouted a tender shoot.

Xiao Cheng and Fang He exchanged a glance.

“No, we don’t want the seeds.” Fang He shook his head and rejected the little man’s suggestion. “If possible, please let that snake return here.”