"Dong, you really just dumped them in the forest?" the Pink-Clad Woman asked. "They're only six years old."
"They've already obtained their first Soul Ring. They're not ordinary children," Bibi Dong replied calmly, as if it were no big deal. "Besides, Uncle She Long is watching them. Nothing will happen."
"I'd expect nothing less from you." The Pink-Clad Woman set a glass of freshly made carrot juice on the table. "So, what do you need me for this time?"
Bibi Dong glanced at the red liquid in the glass but ultimately didn't reach for it. "I want you to oversee the final trial."
The Pink-Clad Woman froze, then looked at Bibi Dong suspiciously, eyeing her up and down. "Are you feeling all right?"
"What are you looking at?" Bibi Dong leaned to one side. "I'm fine."
"If you were fine, would you be so cruel to those six- and seven-year-old kids?" the Pink-Clad Woman asked, taking a sip of carrot juice with an expression of pure enjoyment.
Bibi Dong glanced at her. "Just tell me whether you'll help or not."
"If Dong asks, of course I'll help!" the Pink-Clad Woman answered briskly. "But if they don't wake up, I'm not taking responsibility."
The sunlight poured down from directly overhead, landing on the grassy clearing in the middle. All four people and the mouse were bathed in it.
A Little Pink Rabbit came hopping out from behind a rock.
"What a cute little bunny!" Xue Ke exclaimed. She could hardly wait to run over, catch it, and cuddle it on her lap.
Pikachu leaped down and landed in front of the rabbit, raising its golden paws. "Pika, pika!"
The rabbit lifted its red eyes and glanced at it.
Pikachu immediately flopped onto the ground and lost consciousness.
"Pikachu!" Zhu Zhuqing's gaze turned cold. The Hell Spirit Cat possessed her, and she used Resonance Step to appear in front of the rabbit. She raised both hands like claws, ready to strike, but her body suddenly went limp. She fell to the ground and went still.
"Zhu Qing!"
Su Yan and Tang Chi rushed forward at the same time. Su Yan was half a step faster. The Blazing Spirit Cat darted from side to side, distracting the rabbit.
Behind him, Tang Chi charged up a Thunderquake Wave and slammed it into the ground. Blue-white lightning surged like a dragon, racing straight for the rabbit.
The Little Pink Rabbit hopped lightly and dodged the lightning. Its eyes narrowed, and Tang Chi was instantly struck down, too.
Su Yan quickly retreated.
This was the first time they'd been so thoroughly defeated, despite all the time they'd spent working together.
They hadn't even managed to touch a single hair on their opponent before nearly all of them had been taken out.
Was this the final trial their master had arranged?
Su Yan had no choice but to focus all his attention on the rabbit.
The rabbit stayed perfectly still, its red eyes meeting Su Yan's.
Su Yan thought he saw it smile. The next instant, everything went black, and he fainted.
That left Xue Ke, sitting in her wheelchair. She couldn't fight back, let alone run. All she could do was watch as the rabbit hopped toward her.
As expected, it took only one encounter for Xue Ke to faint, too.
The pink rabbit gave a crisp laugh. Beneath the bright sunlight, it slowly transformed into a person.
In a pitch-black place, Su Yan abruptly opened his eyes, jumped up, and shouted, "Rabbit!"
Seeing nothing but darkness around him, he froze. "Where am I?"
"Zhu Qing!"
"Tang Chi!"
"Princess Xue Ke!"
"Pika-God!"
"Where are you?"
No one answered Su Yan. There wasn't even a sound.
Suddenly, an engine roared nearby, and two beams of light shone directly on him.
Su Yan raised a hand to shield himself from the glare. Squinting toward the light source, he saw that it was a vehicle.
"A car? Am I back in the modern world?" Su Yan murmured, slowly walking toward it.
A white truck's cab was smeared with red, as if someone had doused it in a bucket of red paint. The stains spread outward from several spots.
"Hey, this truck looks familiar." Su Yan furrowed his brow and thought hard, but he still couldn't find anything about a truck in his memories of his previous life.
Just then, the truck suddenly revved and charged straight at him.
Caught off guard, Su Yan was knocked to the ground. Luckily, it was moving slowly. He scrambled back to his feet and ran in the opposite direction.
He remembered this truck now.
It was the Mud Truck that had sent him to Douluo Continent.
He had no time to think about anything else and could only run faster.
The Mud Truck stayed hot on his heels. Its two beams of light were like the white lines on either side of a track—there was no crossing them. He could only keep running into the darkness.
Su Yan ran, the Mud Truck chased, and neither of them could escape.
Whenever he glanced back, the Mud Truck was less than half a meter away. He hurriedly summoned the Blazing Spirit Cat.
Su Yan's speed kept increasing, but so did the truck's. The distance between them never widened.
Su Yan couldn't help cursing, "Damn it, the Mud Truck is still chasing me!"
Two women sat facing each other at a wooden table on a lush green lawn.
One wore a skirt of armor, her hair casually pinned atop her head. She lifted a cup of tea and took a small sip.
The other wore a pink dress. Her long black scorpion braid trailed on the ground. Staring at the tea in front of her, she pouted. "It doesn't taste good at all."
Beside them, four little ones and an Electric Mouse lay on the grass, groaning in pain from time to time.
"Dong, the Pope was wise not to let you take disciples."
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything," Bibi Dong replied. "They need the courage to face their fears first. Only then will they have a chance of overcoming them."
"Good thing my daughter doesn't want you as her master," the Pink-Clad Woman said. Then she hopped over beside Bibi Dong and held out her palm. "When are you going to give me what you promised?"
Bibi Dong took a token from her belt and tossed it onto the table. "This is a New Divine Land token for unlimited cabbage. I couldn't find one for carrots, so make do."
"I don't care, I don't care! I want steamed carrots, roasted carrots, carrot juice, stir-fried carrots, shredded carrots... Nothing but carrots!" The Pink-Clad Woman threw herself onto the grass and threw a tantrum, stretching her body out like a plank as she rolled around. "I want carrots! I want them, I want them!"
Bibi Dong took a sip of tea. "Stop fussing. I'll take you straight to the New Divine Land. You can order whatever you want!"
"Thank you, Dong!" The Pink-Clad Woman changed her tune faster than the pages of a book. She leaped up and wrapped her arms around Bibi Dong. "You're the best, Dong!"
Just then, Su Yan shouted and abruptly opened his eyes.
He sat up and saw the two women clinging tightly to each other. He blinked and muttered, "What kind of dream within a dream is this? My master's getting together with someone I don't even know."
He rubbed his eyes, but the two women were still locked in an embrace.
Su Yan pinched his cheek. It hurt!
He came fully to his senses and hurriedly bowed. "Master, I didn't see anything!"
"What?" Bibi Dong asked, puzzled. She pulled the Pink-Clad Woman off her and tossed her aside. "Xiaoyan, well done. You completed the trial so quickly."
"Master, what just happened?" Su Yan still had no idea what had happened.
Bibi Dong turned to the Pink-Clad Woman. "Ah Rou, explain."
Ah Rou sat by the table and smiled. "I have a Soul Skill that creates illusions. I can make people relive their most terrifying moments."
"Their most terrifying moments..." Su Yan sucked in a sharp breath. No wonder he'd gone on a spontaneous road trip with the Mud Truck. That really was terrifying.
"To break the illusion, you have to overcome your fear. The moment you do anything to resist, the illusion will end," Ah Rou explained, then looked at Bibi Dong. "This is one of the Bi's Training Methods: the Heart Demon Training Method."
"What happens if they never dare to resist?" Su Yan asked curiously.
Ah Rou's smile faded. Her red eyes fixed intently on Su Yan. "They'll remain asleep forever."
"Then that's..." Su Yan was shocked. As expected, none of the Bi's Training Methods were safe.
"I'm kidding!" Ah Rou suddenly laughed, patting Su Yan on the shoulder. "They won't stay asleep forever. At worst, they'll wake up as idiots. Don't worry."
How did that sound even scarier?
Su Yan pointed at himself. "So, Master, did I pass?"
Bibi Dong smiled and nodded.
Without realizing it, he was one step closer to the Flame-Flame Fruit.
But Su Yan couldn't bring himself to be happy. He looked at the three people and one mouse still unconscious on the ground and silently prayed.
Before you continue