Somnolent Healing and Meteor Heavenfall

Cao Sansui had a dream.

He dreamed that his [Ladder of Audience] score was 200, placing him first, and that he had been summoned by the true deity of [Time].

Just as he was devoutly prostrating himself on the ground, preparing to receive the deity's blessings, a Dread Demon suddenly flew over, kicked him aside, and took his place to receive the blessings.

Burning with rage, he woke up in a fit of temper.

"Damn..."

He roared and sat up, seeing his teammates looking back at him with surprise, looking a little dazed.

"I... Huh? How did I recover?"

Feeling the power within him as full as when he first entered the trial, Cao Sansui was greatly shocked.

It wasn't just him; Nangong, standing beside him, also looked much better, showing no signs of having been injured just moments ago.

Wait, just moments ago?

Cao Sansui's heart skipped a beat. He immediately took out his pocket watch and glanced at it.

Eight hours had passed since the time anchor.

This meant he had only slept for two hours?

"No... how could I recover this much in just two hours?"

Cao Sansui's brow furrowed. He reached out and lightly brushed the air, immediately sensing the flow of time around him.

Followers of [Time] were very sensitive to the passage of time, but they could only vaguely sense whether a long or short period had passed, not specific hours and minutes.

The time here truly hadn't passed much, perhaps only two or three hours.

But the problem was, how had he recovered?

He looked up with a puzzled expression and asked:

"What's going on?"

Nangong felt his gaze, didn't speak, but merely tilted her head towards the doorway before continuing to bandage Xia Wan.

Although their conditions had recovered, their wounds had not fully healed.

Xia Wan, on the other hand, said coldly:

"We just woke up too."

Cao Sansui, who could reach 1900, was naturally not stupid. He blurted out:

"Is there something wrong with the cola?"

Xia Wan nodded.

"Where's Cheng Shi?"

"On guard duty outside."

Cao Sansui frowned upon hearing this.

His recovery within two hours must have something to do with Cheng Shi.

He didn't know if this was a special method used by a high-scoring Priest or if Cheng Shi had provided additional treatment. He only knew that if Cheng Shi had any malicious intentions while they were asleep, they would all be dead by now.

Fortunately, he hadn't acted, or rather, fortunately, he wasn't someone with opposing beliefs.

Even more fortunately, no enemies had appeared during these two hours!

Cao Sansui felt a primal sense of lingering fear. He got up and walked out of the treehouse with a solemn expression.

Below the treehouse, Cheng Shi was chatting with Chen Chong and Song Yawen. Judging by their complexions, they seemed to have recovered to some extent as well.

The moment Cao Sansui thought about how all five of them had fallen asleep together, leaving only Cheng Shi on guard, and that he was a Priest, he couldn't believe it and exclaimed:

"Are you crazy? Letting five people fall asleep at the same time! Even if you had a potion to restore everyone, you should have done it one by one!"

The three of them turned around in unison. Song Yawen grinned and said nothing. Chen Chong's expression didn't change much, but the twitching corners of his eyes clearly indicated his strong disapproval of Cheng Shi's move.

Only Cheng Shi scratched his head and said, "Huh? Don't talk nonsense, I just woke up too. All six of us slept together."

"???????"

Cao Sansui trembled from the depths of his soul. He didn't dare to imagine Cheng Shi being this bold.

"Cheng Shi! You're gambling with everyone's lives! If even the slightest accident had happened, we could have been wiped out!"

Cheng Shi nodded in agreement, "Indeed, the risk was too great, not advisable."

"?"

Cao Sansui's scolding tone faltered. Seeing Cheng Shi's attitude and words, he thought it wasn't him who did it, but rather he was criticizing the instigator.

"You knew the risk and still dared to gamble?" Cao Sansui laughed in exasperation.

Cheng Shi spread his hands, "But I won the gamble. We've recovered to our peak combat strength, haven't we?"

"..."

"We're stuck here for two hours anyway, so tell me, wasn't that a huge gamble with a massive payoff!"

"..."

Cao Sansui sat beside the other three, his face contorted as if constipated, and let out a heavy sigh:

"Next time there's a situation like this, please tell me beforehand. I don't want to be scared to death by you before I've even had my audience with Time."

Cheng Shi dropped the joking demeanor this time, apologizing with a serious expression:

"You guys wouldn't agree, or rather, everyone was unwilling to gamble, but the reality is, we might not have enough time for everyone to recover in turn. Danger is approaching, and we need to seize every second."

"But what if there was a..."

"Looking at the outcome, that 'what if' you mentioned didn't happen," Cheng Shi said with a grin again.

Cao Sansui remained silent, while Chen Chong grumbled:

"There won't be a next time, Cheng Shi. I hate uncertainty. Damn it, you don't act like a believer in Procreation at all, you're more like a believer in Destiny..."

Cheng Shi chuckled, extending his hand and conjuring a small ball of healing light, gesturing over Chen Chong:

"Don't believe me? I can let you experience what it's like to be a mother right now."

Before Chen Chong could react, Song Yawen had already leaped ten meters away.

"..."

Cao Sansui looked at the green glow in Cheng Shi's hand and asked:

"What is it?"

Cheng Shi knew he was asking about the cola. He retracted the healing spell and clicked his tongue, saying:

"I call it 'Somnolent Healing.' I added a potent sleeping pill and an A-rank potion, 'Past Prosperity,' to the cola. This is a top-tier healing potion that combines the divine powers of Memory and Prosperity. I had six bottles in total, and now, they're all gone."

He even put on a pained expression as he said it.

"Another A-rank? I don't think I've heard of this potion. Is it a reward from the Ladder?"

Cheng Shi shrugged, "I don't know. I traded for it from someone else."

"Someone was willing to trade something this life-saving?" Song Yawen asked, running back, his voice filled with confusion.

"Sometimes, the goal is more important than life itself," Cheng Shi murmured with a sigh, perhaps thinking of someone.

Indeed.

If you're dead, what's the point of hoarding so many good things?

But if you lose your purpose, what's the meaning of living?

Although he didn't agree with Cheng Shi's methods, Cao Sansui still expressed his gratitude: "After the trial ends, I'll compensate you with an equivalent amount of potions."

Cheng Shi's eyes lit up: "Oh, that's too kind of you."

But his gaze was clearly filled with covetousness, and he had already started scanning Cao Sansui, trying to see what good things he might be hiding.

"..."

Everyone said that the big shots with 2000 points had eccentric personalities. Seeing Cheng Shi today, it was indeed true.

They had already accepted Cheng Shi as a 2000-point player without question.

"Since everyone is awake and in good condition, shall we head out now?" Cao Sansui asked.

"Proceed as planned," Chen Chong said curtly, seeing that Cheng Shi had no intention of taking charge and was just sitting there grinning foolishly.

"Alright, then let's call them..."

Before Cao Sansui could stand up, he suddenly felt a wave of heat rising from the ground, rushing towards them fiercely. His expression turned to shock.

The others were equally surprised, all standing up and looking down at their feet.

Only Cheng Shi, his expression grim, looked up at the sky and gritted out a few words:

"Damn it, it's Meteor Fire Rain!"

"S-Rank Forbidden Technique: Meteor Fire Rain???"

Song Yawen's voice distorted in fear. He also looked up, and sure enough, in the vast, distant sky, a terrifying, gigantic sun-like phantom was slowly rising.

Blazing fire erupted from the edges of the sun's disc, and every spark that flew out transformed into a massive meteor streaking across the sky, plummeting rapidly towards the flatland where they were located!

It fell like rain in the span of a breath.

"Run!!"

Cheng Shi didn't hesitate, sprinting outwards without holding back any strength.

He didn't need to worry about anyone else; every teammate present could run faster than him.

Cao Sansui's expression tightened, and the next second, Area Acceleration was cast in front of everyone. Song Yawen vanished like a shadow, while Chen Chong activated his Warrior's Charge, grabbing Cheng Shi and Cao Sansui one in each arm, pulling them along as they ran outwards like a storm.

The two figures atop the treehouse moved faster. Xia Wan scooped up the small Nangong and in just a few leaps, went from one treetop to another.

Chen Chong's forward momentum was so rapid that the strong wind stung Cheng Shi's face.

Cao Sansui was also having a rough time. He shouted, his voice laced with extreme suspicion:

"This isn't a spell that can be practiced in the underground world. This is a forbidden technique mastered by the Elemental Judges of the Isle of Hope. What roles are we playing, to be enemies with both sides?"

Enemies? No, that wasn't right.

Even if the six of them truly were enemies of the Isle of Hope, the Elemental Judges wouldn't use such a world-destroying spell to punish them.

What could six people amount to in a war?

Nothing at all!

What merit did they have to deserve a Meteor Fire Rain!

Cheng Shi's face darkened as he considered a possibility.

"This Meteor Fire Rain isn't meant to hit us at all! This damn thing is meant to intercept the Dread Demon army on the right flank!!!"