Chapter 83 The Unbelievable Reward Was Actually a Demon Within
The blinding white light made Ji Mingran, even with his eyes tightly closed, still feel the light shining in front of him clearly.
After adjusting for a while, she squinted, opened her eyes a crack, avoided the source of light, and looked around.
The expected reward didn't fall; instead, she was the one who lost it.
It was as if she had been switched to another unfamiliar space.
The space was a vast expanse of white, with only the dusty stone steps beneath our feet casting a shadow over the white expanse.
This time, she was not separated from her companions. Shen Qingluo, Zhu Shibai, and Guan Wangzhen were on her left and right sides, and further away were the participating disciples of Hongqizong and Liuhuan Valley.
The white light was dazzling, and Ji Mingran could not see the face of the cultivator opposite him clearly. However, he could vaguely make out from his clothes that he was most likely a disciple of the Zhu family and the Nameless Sect participating in the test.
So... Ji Mingran seemed to understand something. All the participating teams who completed the combat challenge were here? They'd been waiting for half a day after completing the challenge and hadn't been able to leave because they still needed to gather enough people to enter this space?
Based on their positions on the stone steps, the four members of the Dingsheng Sect were at the very front, followed by the Zhu family, with the rest positioned in order of seniority. Although their positions on the steps differed, the horizontal spacing between them was quite even, forming a circular pattern with the beginning and end connected.
The stone steps lead upwards, and at the far end lies the origin of the light.
Ji Mingran tried to turn left to approach Shen Qingluo, but although the thought arose, he couldn't take a step.
Turning right is also an option.
“No, you can’t move sideways,” Shen Qingluo also said.
“Me too, and not just us, I think they are too.” Guan Wangzhen pointed to Liu Huangu and the others who were closest to him.
The disciples from Liuhuan Valley participating in the trial had their cheeks taut, clearly exerting great effort. But even though their faces were flushed from the strain, their legs remained rooted to the spot, completely still.
“The stone steps lead upwards; it seems we have no choice but to go up.” Zhu Shibai observed the surroundings and cautiously made a deduction.
At this moment, Ji Mingran had already taken a step, and as soon as his left heel touched the ground, a scream came from the far left.
Everyone immediately looked over at the sound and saw a first-rate Illusion Valley disciple lying on the stone steps, blood flowing freely.
"What's wrong with him?" one of the participating disciples exclaimed in a low voice.
Guan Wangzhen, who was closest, waved his hand to clarify: "It wasn't me, and I didn't see anyone make a move."
“Indeed, I didn’t sense anyone making a move either.” Shen Qingluo is most sensitive to all kinds of attacks, and she would definitely be able to detect it if someone attacked.
Ji Mingran had only taken one step when her heel left the ground. She dared not move and remained where she was. She carefully looked around again, calmly sensing her surroundings, and reported, "I did not sense any different changes in the flow of spiritual energy."
Zhu Shibai squatted down and tapped on the stone steps, listening to the echo, and then said, "The stone steps don't seem to have any hidden mechanisms."
So, how did that disciple of the Flowing Illusion Valley suddenly get injured?
Each participating team is a competitor, so they don't communicate with each other. What they occasionally hear are just snippets of conversations between their teammates, and the information is incomplete.
Although the disciples of Liuhuan Valley looked anxious, they did not reveal anything.
Since none of his companions noticed anything unusual about this space, the fact that this Liuhuan Valley disciple suddenly collapsed suggests that he might have been injured when he entered.
Ji Mingran slowly lifted his foot, then put it down, his whole body on alert.
Nothing happened.
It seemed to have nothing to do with the stone steps. Ji Mingran felt relieved and took another step forward.
This time it was the turn of Hong Qizong's disciples.
"Brilliant, brilliant!" Guan Wangzhen chuckled to himself. "Although I don't know how it happened, it's all them who fell down, truly brilliant!"
Zhu Shibai said, "Grandma Ming, try taking two more steps."
Ji Mingran nodded to Zhu Shibai. She had also noticed something amiss and quickly took two steps forward.
Thump, thump.
One disciple each from the Nameless Sect and the Zhu Family fell on the opposite side.
Ji Mingran slowly shifted his gaze from his feet to the light source.
Could it be...? She tried to take another step.
Now, it wasn't just her and Zhu Shibai who noticed the problem; everyone present realized it.
Hongqizong disciples were already shouting, "Don't go any further!"
Apart from Ding Shengzong, everyone else was filled with doubt and suspicion: "She takes one step and someone collapses, how is this possible?"
"Hahahaha, could this be the reward for the last level?" Guan Wangzhen laughed, gloating over the fact that all the fallen opponents were his foes.
"Stop laughing!" Liu Huan Gu Ya Dong Bai's face was terribly dark, his eyes were gloomy, and he stared intently at his junior brothers lying on either side of him. "They were not eliminated, but... they really lost their lives."
Qin Danniang, who was not far from him, covered her face and silently shed tears.
"What did you say?" The remaining disciples of Hongqi Sect were shocked and began to call out the names of their fallen teammates.
"Zhang Chong, Zhang Chong, can you hear me?"
"Zhang Chong, how are you?"
Meng Yingyang stopped his fellow disciples: "No need to shout, he's already stopped breathing." He lowered his brows and turned to look at Ji Mingran: "This place is strange. Before we find out what happened, I hope Fellow Daoist Ji will not act rashly."
The cries of the Zhu family's young disciples could also be heard from the other side.
Only the nameless sect remained silent from beginning to end.
“I will…” Ji Mingran began, but was interrupted by Liu Huan Gu’s scathing curses.
"She killed our junior brother!" The disciples of Liuhuan Valley stared at Ji Mingran with tears streaming down their faces and their eyes bloodshot. "It was you!"
"We, the Flowing Illusion Valley, will surely avenge him!"
"Our Hongqi Sect will not let you off the hook either!"
Unable to bear the devastating news of their fellow disciple's sudden death, the participating disciples, in their fear and rage, turned their anger towards Ji Mingran.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Guan Wangzhen shouted, "Who knows what's going on here! Don't make baseless accusations!"
Shen Qingluo: "This was not Mingran's original intention."
Zhu Shibai's voice was strained, but he remained calm and shouted to the Zhu family disciples opposite him, "Don't panic, first check if there are any other clues here!"
"Fellow Daoist Ji!" Meng Yingyang called out again, "Don't go any further."
Ji Mingran wanted to defend herself, but also wanted to tell Meng Yingyang that she had never intended to go any further.
However, things didn't go as planned.
A scorching heat wave came from behind, and thick black smoke billowed and surged.
Suddenly, a huge fire broke out on the steps behind her, growing stronger and stronger until it was right in front of her, almost licking her cheek.
Ji Mingran raised his hand, about to cast a spell.
There was no movement.
Summoning Array Technique.
There was no movement.
Summon flying swords.
There was no movement.
Ji Mingran's expression was stern; all of her Taoist arts were forbidden and she could not use them.
Shen Qingluo, Guan Wangzhen, and Zhu Shibai all noticed her predicament at the same time.
"Grandma Ming! Forget about them, run!"
"This is no ordinary flame! It damages spiritual consciousness, run!"
"Your magic is forbidden, run upwards first!"
"No! No! If you run away, we'll all die!"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"
"Perhaps we have another way."
Meng Yingyang called out to her again, "Fellow Daoist Ji!"
The sounds around her were chaotic, the crimson flames were reflected in her eyes, and thick black smoke filled the surrounding air, making it increasingly difficult for Ji Mingran to breathe.
"Please!" cried a disciple from another sect.
A wisp of flame touched his fingertip, instantly scorching it black and red. Ji Mingran abruptly pulled his hand back, turned around, and ran away at top speed.
The fire only chased after her; she couldn't put it out, and neither could anyone else. Otherwise, the others certainly wouldn't have just watched her being chased up the steps by the flames.
Other people's lives are lives, but hers is also a life.
Screams grew louder as she ran, one after another, and as she ran, more and more disciples fell.
Ji Mingran exerted all his strength to extend his stride, leaping over four or five steps in one go, trying to reduce the number of steps while increasing the distance between himself and the flames.
But the flames relentlessly pursued it.
She simply blocked out the shouts and ran faster.
Until a soft thud was heard.
Ji Mingran stopped and turned around abruptly.
Shen Qingluo collapsed on the steps, blood gushing from her mouth and nose. Her lips were slightly parted, her breathing rapid, and her eyes stared at her helplessly.
"Qingluo!" the three exclaimed in unison.
Just as Ji Mingran was stunned, the flames reached him, the piercing, burning pain was unbearable, and his legs reflexively took a step forward.
Thump. Zhu Shibai, his eyes bloodshot, collapsed with a muffled thud.
"How...how is this possible?" Through the raging flames, Ji Mingran saw Guan Wangzhen looking at him in disbelief. "I can't believe it."
Thick smoke quickly enveloped her, obscuring her vision.
The flames had reached Ji Mingran's lower limbs. Her body, engulfed in flames, was severely burned and her nerves were paralyzed. She stumbled and fell to the ground.
His feet left the ground, his head hit the ground, leaving a patch of scarlet blood on the steps.
She heard the last thud.
Ji Mingran stared intently at the light source above the steps, struggling to reach out his hand, his nails digging into the ground, as he trembled as he climbed up.
She didn't believe it, she didn't believe it.
Her eyes were open, but her vision was completely obscured by thick smoke.
......
Dry, barren, empty, and quiet.
A sense of emptiness and death filled my chest.
Ji Mingran suddenly opened his eyes.
The ground was crimson, my head was throbbing with pain, and my limbs were burning.
Enduring the excruciating pain, Ji Mingran convulsed and rolled over.
The sky was heavy with dark clouds, the ruins were in ruins, and...
And towering, gigantic mutants.
This is the last memory she had of her previous life before her rebirth.
Ji Mingran stared at the armor scattered in pieces beside him, bewildered and incredulous.
A sense of sorrow and absurdity surged in my heart like a tide, seeping into my very bones.
Don't tell her that everything before was a hallucination caused by her head hitting the ground after being thrown away by the mutated creature.
Ji Mingran clenched his fist, and boundless power surged from his limbs and bones.
Her superpowers have all returned.
Just then, a shadow as large as a mountain descended from the sky, striking down with immense force.
The frail body that had been lying on the ground suddenly appeared and sat a thousand miles away.
The colossal mutant's massive hand slammed down where she had been, causing an earthquake and landslides. The ruins were instantly reduced to dust, leaving only a deep, menacing crater in the ground.
In her memory, she was knocked away by the super-giant mutant, so it seems that she hadn't been unconscious for long after landing.
He woke up just before the second blow landed.
In a short time, it felt like I had been reborn.
Ji Mingran sat atop the tower, watching the colossal mutant continue searching for him. The light in his eyes gradually faded, leaving him as lifeless and desolate as a walking corpse.
The mind can lie, but strength cannot.
Now that she possesses both supernatural abilities and power, everything that happens in the small world and the spiritual realm seems to be nothing more than her imagination.
Ji Mingran felt a little sad and confused. She whispered to a shadowy figure beside her, "What do you think?"
She caught the rotten black skull zombie mutated creature hanging at the top of the tower with one hand, baring its teeth and letting out a beast-like roar.
The air was filled with a fishy, foul odor.
Ji Mingran's gaze became increasingly confused.
......
On the observation platform, the cultivators stared at the projected image on the stone for a long time, unable to understand it, and began to discuss among themselves:
"Hey, what are they doing? It's been the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, why aren't they moving?"
Within the projection stone, the disciples who had completed the challenge were positioned on the endless stone steps, some higher up and some further back, but all at the same distance, forming a circular circle.
At the end of the stone steps was a burning torch.
The disciples participating in the test stared blankly at the torch, seemingly lost in thought, without moving an inch.
"What else could it be?"
"It's probably because he's encountered a mental demon."
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