Who told you I'm not a monster?

The King of Kings twitched the corner of his mouth and reminded him, "These children can't handle it, don't mess around."

"In your heart, that's the image I have?" The Nether Empress raised an eyebrow, her eyes subtly sending flirtatious glances. "King of Kings, your subconscious can't change."

"This..." The King of Kings was momentarily speechless. The Nether Empress pressed her advantage, and the King of Kings retreated steadily.

"Little Ming, that's enough," Bear Lord said, covering his face. "So many children are watching."

"You want to tell me what to do?" The Nether Empress glanced at Bear Lord and said indifferently, "Old Bear, since when have you become so motherly and timid?"

"Heh heh." The Nether Empress playfully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her delicate fingers and confessed, "I sent those two children to the Dark Rift."

Jiang Mian couldn't help but ask, "The Dark Rift? What is that?"

"It's a very magical place. Even with my profound control over dark power, I still can't control the endless darkness on the other side of the rift," the Nether Empress said. "Moreover, that place naturally repels spirit beasts, so I can't even enter to investigate."

"So you took Xie Yue and Yan away to use them as guinea pigs?" Bear Lord questioned.

"It's also a tremendous opportunity," the Nether Empress smiled charmingly. "I'm only willing to share this opportunity out of respect for you and the King of Kings."

The Nether Empress's expression suddenly turned very serious. She said coldly, "It's best if no one ever discovers what's inside."

"Could it be a Divine Relic?" Jiang Mian's exclamation startled everyone, and they all looked at him with disbelief.

"You are very intelligent," the Nether Empress nodded, confirming Jiang Mian's guess. "It's highly probable that it is a Divine Relic, which is why spirit beasts cannot enter."

"I've been observing you since the battle with the Earth Gnomes and found that all three of you youngsters have potential," the Nether Empress pointed at Jiang Mian. "Among you, you are the most astonishing. I originally intended to send you in as well, which would have been a sure thing. But your words made me change my mind."

Jiang Mian asked, "Why?"

"A young man who can earn the favor of both Di Tian and the Snow Empress has limitless potential," the Nether Empress chuckled. "Why should he be prematurely molded?"

Jiang Mian looked at the Nether Empress and smiled helplessly.

"I was about to bring you to the entrance so that those two little guys could have backup when they emerged," the Nether Empress said lightly. "Even if something went wrong inside, we could forcibly pull them out."

Bear Lord exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you say that place naturally repels spirit beasts?"

"With the strength of the three of us combined, we should be able to forcibly pull those two out," the Nether Empress said confidently. "Don't worry, the energy of that Dark Rift is very weak now. I'll definitely bring you back those two complete little fellows, alright?"

In the silent, dark night, Xie Yue cautiously walked along a forest path. It was so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, and he'd already run into tree trunks several times.

"What is this place?" Xie Yue clutched his throbbing forehead, blindly searching for a way out.

Xie Yue had long since lost his bearings. He could only crawl forward cautiously. After an unknown amount of time, Xie Yue felt the air around him becoming thinner and thinner, as if an invisible force was preventing him from moving forward. Xie Yue was truly struggling to take each step.

"My Soul Power seems to be increasing," Xie Yue exclaimed, sensing the changes within his body. "It's even faster than when I'm by Jiang Mian's side!"

Xie Yue had just broken through to level fifty and hadn't even absorbed a Soul Ring yet, so he was essentially still a Soul Ancestor. The resistance felt tailor-made for him, not too much, not too little, but each step required him to exert all his strength.

"What's going on?" Xie Yue was confused. How could there be such a magical place in the world that could adjust its difficulty according to one's own situation?

Xie Yue's Moon Blade was inherently of the dark attribute, giving him a natural advantage in this place. If Jiang Mian were here, he would likely be repelled because he had extreme light within him, which would directly oppose the darkness.

"This is interesting." Xie Yue gritted his teeth and forced himself to take another step. After this step, Xie Yue felt as if his entire body was about to be torn apart.

But it was also after this step that the world became clear!

Although the darkness around him hadn't dissipated, Xie Yue could perceive everything around him in his mind, just like the legendary Mind's Eye.

There were once people who specialized in training this technique, not relying on their eyes but on their hearts to perceive the world. Once mastered, even if their eyes were blind, they could still see everything in the world. Xie Yue had a vague feeling of this.

Xie Yue now knew where he was. Before him was a temple exuding death and decay. Temples were supposed to be sacred places, but the one before him exuded an aura of evil at all times.

"What is this place?" Xie Yue wondered. He took another step and found that he was as light as a swallow, with no heavy resistance like before.

"Was that perhaps the temple's protection? Have I entered the inner layer, and it has disappeared?" Xie Yue speculated, then quickly ran towards the temple.

"Is anyone here?" Xie Yue stood at the temple entrance and asked softly.

The grand doors of the temple were badly decayed, clearly not looking like a place someone lived.

Xie Yue called out a few more times, but found that apart from his own echo, there was no other sound. He gathered his courage and cautiously walked inside.

"This place is huge." Xie Yue couldn't even sense the boundaries of the temple. The ability he had just gained was like his second pair of eyes. From the outside, the temple looked only the size of a house, but upon entering, it felt like a world of its own.

"Who are you?" a timid voice came from behind the main hall's pillars. Xie Yue turned his head and saw a little girl with twin ponytails who had appeared there at some unknown time.

"Who are you?" Xie Yue asked curiously. "Are you here alone?"

"Big brother, I was abandoned here. Can you take me home?" the little girl asked with a hint of a cry.

"Little sister, what's your name?" Xie Yue became wary. In such a desolate place, where would a little girl come from?

"My mommy and daddy don't want me anymore," the little girl cried, tears streaming down her face. "Big brother, it's so dark here. Please, take me away. I'm scared."

"The entrance to the main hall is right there. Why don't you walk out yourself?" Xie Yue instinctively looked towards the main hall entrance. It was fine not to look, but the moment he did, he was stunned.

The entrance he had come through moments ago had vanished without a trace. What greeted Xie Yue's Mind's Eye now was only an endless expanse of darkness.

"Big brother," the little girl reached out to grab Xie Yue's leg. Xie Yue shivered instinctively and dodged the girl's embrace.

"Are you scared of me, big brother?" the little girl asked blankly.

"No, no, no," Xie Yue said apologetically. He lowered his voice to comfort her, "Brother was just startled. Little sister, how long have you been here?"

"I don't know," the little girl honestly shook her head. "After I came in, I could never find the way out."

"What!" Xie Yue felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body trembled. Was he going to be trapped here forever? That wouldn't do at all; everyone was waiting for him outside!

Xie Yue steeled himself and said, "Little sister, follow me. We'll get out of here together."

"Brother, you have to be careful. There are big monsters roaming inside the temple," the little girl said, trembling, from behind Xie Yue. "I've seen them before."

"There are monsters?" Xie Yue took a deep breath and whispered, "Stay behind me. Brother will protect you and make sure you're safe."

The little girl clutched Xie Yue's sleeve, and he walked cautiously through the empty great hall.

The hall was vast and empty, with only pillar after pillar stretching towards the heavens. There was nothing else.

Xie Yue bit his lip, forcing himself to concentrate. In this environment where the enemy was hidden and he was exposed, a single lapse in focus meant certain death!

"Look, this is the rift," Nether Empress said, leading the group to a stone wall surrounded by rubble and thorns. In the center of the wall was a rift that led into that space.

"Ah!"

Yan suddenly leaped out of the rift, falling directly at Crimson King's feet.

"Master, Master," Yan looked at his surroundings and realized he could see again. His teacher and companions were still in front of him. He immediately hugged Crimson King's leg and cried, "Master, you scared me to death. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Get up," Crimson King yanked Yan to his feet and said with disappointment, "What's the big deal? Why are you so scared?"

"It felt like a very long time passed in there. There were no reference points," Yan stammered, his teeth chattering. "I thought I was going to be trapped in there forever."

"He must have failed," Nether Empress said calmly. "Now it's up to that little guy."

"Failed?" Crimson King sighed and glanced at Yan with despair, saying nothing.

"Everyone has their own path," Jiang Mian comforted him. "Crimson King, you don't have to be like this."

"Sigh!"

"Can I go in and take a look?" Jiang Mian asked curiously.

"Of course, you can," Nether Empress replied. "However, if you go in, the opportunity that originally belonged to that little guy might disappear because of your presence. It's best to let him explore it alone."

Nether Empress's meaning was clear: Jiang Mian was highly valued by Di Tian and Snow Empress, and with Crimson King and Bear Lord as his bodyguards, his future was bound to be limitless. Why bother competing for this kind of opportunity?

Jiang Mian nodded and no longer thought about entering the Dark Rift to explore. It was a good opportunity, better to let Xie Yue have it. After all, he was a brother, not an outsider.

"Big brother, are we going to keep going down?" the little girl asked from behind Xie Yue.

"As long as we keep going down, we'll definitely find an exit," Xie Yue said confidently. He had been leaving marks on the pillars as he walked, and since he hadn't seen them yet, it meant he wasn't just going in circles.

Rumble!

With a loud bang, Xie Yue hugged the little girl tightly and quickly hid behind a pillar. A terrifyingly huge and corpulent monster slowly emerged from the darkness.

Its entire body was covered in eyes, but its face was devoid of features. The creature's belly was as swollen as a woman in her tenth month of pregnancy, and it carried a cleaver in its hand, looking utterly horrifying.

"What kind of monster is this!" Xie Yue felt his understanding of the world being completely rewritten. In all his years, he had never seen such a monstrously grim creature!

"These are the monsters in the temple," the little girl said, gripping Xie Yue's hand with a terrified expression. "They eat all outsiders."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here!" Xie Yue forced a smile, stroking the little girl's cheek. He planned to continue their journey after the monster left.

"Ah!"

The little girl suddenly shrieked hysterically. Xie Yue was startled and followed the girl's gaze. The monster that had seemingly left moments ago was now staring at him from behind.

The monster's body was covered in countless eyes, all fixed on Xie Yue and the little girl as if they were delicious delicacies!

"When did it get here!" Xie Yue was inwardly shocked. He scooped up the little girl, preparing to flee.

The monster raised its cleaver. Its movements seemed slow but were actually incredibly swift. With immense power, it swung the cleaver towards Xie Yue, intending to cleave him and the girl in half.

"Damn it!" Two yellow and two purple Soul Rings suddenly appeared beneath Xie Yue's feet. He held his Moon Blade and blocked the attack head-on. Metal met metal with a powerful hum.

Xie Yue's hand felt numb from the impact. Seizing the brief delay, he quickly ran off with the little girl on his back.

"Ah!"

The monster roared and swung its cleaver, charging ferociously at Xie Yue.

How can it see me in this endless darkness?

Xie Yue hesitated. He had accidentally awakened his Mind's Eye, allowing him to navigate the darkness as if it were day. But that monster didn't seem to possess such an ability.

"That looks like the exit!" Xie Yue vaguely saw a glimmer of light ahead.

The little girl's face suddenly turned extremely fearful. She covered Xie Yue's eyes and said sternly, "Get out quickly! This temple is cursed!"

Xie Yue wasn't using his eyes to see anyway, so he only felt the girl's grip tightening, causing his eyes to ache intensely.

"What curse?" Xie Yue instinctively asked.

"If you don't leave the temple before the sun rises, you will forever become one of the monsters within, never to leave for all eternity," the little girl revealed, her words shocking.

Xie Yue's body trembled. He quickened his pace, charging directly towards the light. At this moment, he didn't even bother to consider whether the girl's words were true or false. After all, when a man truly focused, his intelligence on other matters dwindled.

Xie Yue dashed at lightning speed and finally reached the temple entrance. Seeing the dawn about to break in the sky, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He picked up the little girl on his back and prepared to rush out.

A dull thud echoed through the great hall. Xie Yue found himself sitting on the ground, clearly having hit something hard.

"There's a barrier here? What do we do?" Xie Yue tightened his grip on his Moon Blade, intending to shatter the barrier by force.

"Who told you there was a barrier at the entrance?" The little girl, however, calmly stood up and said, "Didn't I tell you monsters cannot leave the temple for eternity?"

"But we're not monsters?"

"Who told you I'm not a monster?"