Second Master, Save Me!

The next moment, the phantom image of Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord high in the heavens suddenly transformed into a face that was half righteous and awe-inspiring, and half twisted and bizarre. At the same time, the figures in the surrounding void abruptly vanished, turning into faces that converged towards the giant, twisted face of good and evil, becoming a part of it. This face shifted unpredictably, with unfamiliar faces flashing by every instant—men, women, old, and young. A mere glimpse revealed hundreds, even thousands, of faces.

As the ferocious, shifting face roared towards him, Huang Huai felt a sudden clarity. These faces, now part of the monstrous visage, were likely those who had inherited the legacy within the Jade Ruyi but had refused to submit to Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord.

Amazed that the Jade Ruyi had circulated among so many people, Huang Huai also sighed. So many kindred spirits like himself, unwilling to bow to Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord! This suggested there was a hidden crucial point he didn't understand. It seemed that once one chose to submit to the other within this illusion, there were grave hidden dangers and unbearable consequences.

However, seeing the fate of so many predecessors, Huang Huai knew that without a miracle, he too would likely become one of the many faces within this monstrous visage.

"Second Master, save me!"

In a flash of inspiration, Huang Huai thought of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, whom he had worshipped for over ten years since childhood, and instinctively cried out.

In Huang Huai's room at Xunzhen Temple, Huang Huai seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, his face a mask of panic, as if stimulated by something. The thumb-sized, lifelike statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, carved from obsidian and located in the center of the string of beads on his wrist, suddenly flashed with light.

As Huang Huai's cry for help faded, the vast void was immediately thrown into turmoil. Huang Huai felt a flash of divine light before his eyes and saw a majestic figure appear in the void, radiating brilliant light. Who else could it be but Holy Lord Emperor Guan?

Seeing Holy Lord Emperor Guan appear, Huang Huai's heart settled.

At this moment, the majestic figure of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, enveloped in divine light, stood before Huang Huai. High in the heavens, the giant face formed from the phantom image of Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord, seemingly covering the entire space, lunged towards Holy Lord Emperor Guan.

The face appeared devoid of sentience, more like an imprint. Yet, upon being suddenly stimulated by Holy Lord Emperor Guan's aura, its roar intensified, and its speed increased.

Holy Lord Emperor Guan stroked his beard with one hand and held the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in the other. His phoenix eyes cast a downward glance. In an instant, a voice filled with bone-deep arrogance rang out: "A mere straw-head, daring to be presumptuous in my presence!"

A flash of blade light, and the monstrous face that had been roaring through the air like a celestial curtain instantly shattered. Huang Huai, witnessing this, felt as if he heard a cracking sound, and his body suddenly plummeted.

In a fleeting glimpse, Huang Huai saw the Second Master Guan, who had effortlessly cleaved the heavens, still maintaining that aloof demeanor. He seemed to cast a faint glance at Huang Huai before his massive Divine Body vanished.

"Ah!"

With a startled cry, Huang Huai, who had been lying in bed, suddenly sat up, his eyes still wide with lingering fear.

Huang Huai's complexion was slightly pale, and he was gasping for breath. After a while, he calmed himself and immediately lifted the pillow beneath him, looking towards the head of the bed.

Huang Huai remembered clearly that before falling asleep, he had casually stuffed the Jade Ruyi and a pale green treasure bead under his pillow.

However, what Huang Huai saw now made him sigh. The once exquisite and ancient Jade Ruyi had now shattered into a pile of fragments, and no matter how Huang Huai searched, the pale green treasure bead was nowhere to be found.

He thought about how the Jade Ruyi had been in his possession for several days, and he had even carried it close to him without any anomalies. Yet, simply because he had placed it together with that pale green treasure bead, this dreamlike event had occurred while he slept.

It was clear that the inheritance of the Jade Ruyi had been triggered, and it must have been due to that pale green treasure bead.

However, now was not the time to ponder the issue of the vanished treasure bead, but rather the illusion he had just experienced, which had felt incredibly real.

He let out a long breath and got out of bed, no longer in the mood to sleep. He sat by the table, found a small tin of Spilled Jade Spirit Nourishing Tea, took out a piece, and brewed himself a cup.

The recent experience, so real it felt like a dream, had stirred ripples in Huang Huai's heart. Now, all he needed to do was calm his mind and focus, and the cultivation method "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method" would appear in his mind, along with some newly acquired information about it.

If not for this experience, Huang Huai would never have dreamed that Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord had planted such a dangerous hidden trap within the Jade Ruyi that carried the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method."

Picking up the tea, Huang Huai drank it down in one gulp. The clear, cool aroma soothed his mind. Huang Huai sat there, drinking cup after cup of tea, and suddenly couldn't help but chuckle.

"Haha, Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord, you probably never imagined that I have the protection of Holy Lord Emperor Guan. Now that the Xuan Yuan Casting God Method is in my hands, can this be considered losing the wife and also sacrificing the soldiers!"

To be honest, if not for the sudden influx of information about the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method" into his mind after the illusion shattered, Huang Huai would have hesitated to cultivate this method.

After all, Huang Huai couldn't guarantee whether the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method" passed down by Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord had any hidden dangers. However, after receiving the information about the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method," Huang Huai was completely at ease.

If Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord were the founder of the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method," then there was a high probability that this method would contain hidden dangers. But the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method" was not created by Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord.

Rather, it was Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord who obtained the cultivation method "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method" and then cultivated to the Imperial Sovereign, hence his honored title.

One was that Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord existed first, then the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method," while the other was that the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method" existed first, then Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord. The two meanings were naturally different.

Confirming that the "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method" was not left behind by such a sinister and vicious individual as Xuan Yuan Emperor Lord, Huang Huai's mood was exceptionally joyful.

"I was able to escape this calamity today and successfully obtain that cultivation method, all thanks to Second Master Guan."

Thinking of Second Master Guan's divine might in the illusion during that moment between life and death, Huang Huai couldn't sit still.

Just as the sky was showing the first signs of dawn, still a hazy gray, Huang Huai went to the side hall. He took incense and candles and respectfully bowed to Holy Lord Emperor Guan.

The side hall was silent, with a solemn and reverent atmosphere. Wisps of incense smoke filled the air, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility, clearing the mind of distractions.

Before the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, Huang Huai sat cross-legged on a cushion, his expression solemn. The profound "Xuan Yuan Casting God Method" appeared in his mind.