The thumb-thick root quickly burst into golden flames, then turned to charcoal.
The roots covering the tunnel walls were jolted awake all at once. They came alive, writhing over the stone like countless snakes.
The Banyan Tree Spirit hadn't expected this outsider to be so clever. With its lie exposed, it dropped the act and snarled, "Since you refuse to come over, then die!"
The stone floor split open. Chunks of rock heaved upward as thick roots burst out of the ground, twisting like tentacles as they lunged for Zhang Yuanqing.
At this distance, Zhang Yuanqing could escape even without the Red Dancing Shoes.
So it really was trying to lure me closer. Zhang Yuanqing didn't retreat. Instead, he slid beneath the roots with a low tackle, closing the distance between himself and the banyan tree. Then he sprang into the air, leaping several meters high and dodging another sweeping root.
More and more roots broke through the ground, thrashing wildly around the stone cavern.
Zhang Yuanqing vaulted and leaped between the tentacles with graceful ease. No matter how hard the roots tried, they couldn't catch him.
Without the Red Dancing Shoes, a novice facing this stage with only the Demon Subduing Pestle would have had an extremely high chance of dying.
Tap, tap, tap. The Red Dancing Shoes raced along the wall, avoiding the roots' grasping and whipping strikes. Its knees bent, then sprang straight, propelling Zhang Yuanqing like an arrow through the roots' encirclement and straight at the trunk.
At the sight of the human hurtling toward it, the trunk's face filled with unmistakable fear.
Boom!
The rocks at the base of the roots split apart. More roots erupted like a geyser, forming a wooden wall.
Zhang Yuanqing drove the Demon Subduing Pestle into it.
Golden flames spread across the wooden wall, making the Banyan Tree Spirit shriek with rage.
Zhang Yuanqing smashed through the charred wall and rammed the pestle's sharp, three-edged tip deep into the trunk.
Thud!
The three-edged spike sank deep into the trunk. A blazing sun burst forth in the pitch-black cavern.
The golden light twisted the trunk and its human face, drawing a piercing scream from it as wisps of smoke hissed into the air.
In an instant, the souls hidden inside the trunk also turned to smoke amid their shrieks.
Every ghost vanished, consumed by the golden light.
As the light faded, darkness returned to the cavern, but it was now clean and clear.
The first thing Zhang Yuanqing did wasn't check whether the Banyan Tree Spirit was dead. He quickly removed the Red Dancing Shoes and put them in his Inventory.
It had been nearly five minutes since he entered the cavern.
Only after storing the shoes did Zhang Yuanqing turn his attention to the banyan tree. It had withered, its bark cracked and dry, its roots scattered throughout the cavern.
A cold voice rang in Zhang Yuanqing's mind:
[ Ding! Congratulations on completing the S-Rank Trial. Your Role Card has been unlocked. Calculating rewards. ]
[ Item acquired: Demon Subduing Pestle. ]
[ Experience awarded: 100% ]
[ You have become a Night Wanderer. ]
[ Experience awarded: 20% ]
[ Role Card reward activated. Item awarded: Red Dancing Shoes. ]
[ You will leave the Spirit Realm in five minutes. ]
It was finally over. Zhang Yuanqing felt utterly exhausted, as if every last bit of strength had left his body.
He had cleared Sheling Tunnel, accomplishing what no one had managed to do in decades.
As the notification sounded, the Black Moon Mark on Zhang Yuanqing's forehead came into view. A strange, mysterious power poured from the scorching mark and surged into his body with almost brutal force.
His skin turned as red as a cooked shrimp. The strange power washed through him, seeping into every cell and every bone. The wounds on his arms healed at a visible pace.
He began to twitch involuntarily. Two illusory black moons appeared in his eyes, then vanished.
The pain soon faded, replaced by the soothing comfort of a hot spring.
So comfortable. Zhang Yuanqing felt pleasantly languid, as if he wanted to stretch. He instinctively looked down and was startled to see his body standing there.
Had his soul left his body?
Panic welled up inside him. He instinctively tried to return to his body. The moment he had the thought, his soul sank back into his body.
Once he was back in control, Zhang Yuanqing realized that something new had appeared within him: a talent.
He accepted it naturally, as though he had been born with it.
At the same time, he felt filled with boundless energy and strength. He even had the strange impression that he could punch a planet apart.
Zhang Yuanqing opened the Character Attribute Panel:
[Name: Yuanshi Tianzun]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Night Wanderer]
[Level: 1]
[Skills: Night Roaming, Spirit Devour, Lunar Spirit]
[Experience: 20%]
[Moral Value: 60 (Initial Value)]
[Night Roaming (Active): Condense Lunar Power around yourself to enter the Night Roaming state. While the skill is active, you briefly become invisible and suppress your scent and breathing, as well as the sounds and heat your body gives off. Duration: six seconds.]
[Spirit Devour (Active): Devour souls to strengthen your own spiritual nature.]
[Lunar Spirit (Passive): Night Wanderers have robust constitutions, abundant vitality, and powerful regenerative abilities. Under the cover of night, all of a Night Wanderer's abilities receive a substantial boost.]
He had officially become a Night Wanderer, and gained another 20% experience. Along with the item rewards, the gains from this trial in the Spirit Realm had been substantial.
Zhang Yuanqing opened his Inventory. The Red Dancing Shoes lay quietly in the first slot, and the thirty-minute countdown had disappeared.
He was now officially the shoes' owner.
Two minutes later, he had gotten used to his body's new state. The wounds on his arms had already healed.
Then Zhang Yuanqing turned his attention to the stone coffin.
The mission was over, which meant his exploration progress had reached 100%. So was the coffin empty?
"It looks like the Banyan Tree Spirit was the Temple Keeper. That means all the 'characters' have appeared. How did he turn into a tree spirit? Was the body in the coffin his?"
As he wondered, Zhang Yuanqing walked up to the stone coffin, planning to loot it. Maybe there were treasures buried inside with the corpse.
There were still a little over two minutes before he left the Spirit Realm. He had enough time.
To be safe, he summoned the Red Dancing Shoes again and chose to wear them.
The coffin was wrapped in dry roots. Zhang Yuanqing swung the Demon Subduing Pestle, cutting through them one by one. Only then could he see the coffin clearly.
It was about two meters long, its sides carved with delicate patterns. A thin layer of dust covered the lid.
Creak.
He slowly pushed the lid open and peered inside. As a Night Wanderer, he could see through the darkness with ease, even without the Demon Subduing Pestle's divine power.
A woman's corpse lay in the coffin, dressed in a decayed ancient robe. Her arms were crossed over her flat stomach, her waist slender as a willow, her figure graceful. Her body showed no signs of decomposition.
The corpse had elegant features. Her cheeks framed a perfectly shaped face, her nose was delicate and high-bridged, and her full, sensual lips were pale. Her eyes were closed, and her thick lashes crossed.
An absolute beauty.
Zhang Yuanqing stumbled backward in shock, one thought flashing through his mind:
Was this really Lady of Three Paths Mountain?!
Compared with the statue in the main hall, the corpse looked less benevolent and more aloof, less rounded and more slender, like a young woman.
But her features were at least seventy or eighty percent similar.
"Was the Banyan Tree Spirit telling the truth? Was Lady of Three Paths Mountain the reason the temple's disciples disappeared?"
For a moment, he was overcome with fear and began to doubt his judgment. A mistaken conclusion could only mean serious danger.
"No, that's not right. I really did complete the mission, which means my deductions were correct. So does that mean the lady in the coffin is part of a hidden quest?"
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly regretted opening the coffin.
If Lady of Three Paths Mountain lay inside, then the Mountain God Temple must have a much deeper story hidden beneath the surface.
This could easily trigger a chain of bad consequences, like activating a hidden quest.
He had just started to close the coffin when he noticed a glint of black between the woman's lips.
Something was in there?
After a brief hesitation, he gripped her pointed chin and pried open her full, sensual lips. There, he saw the black glint clearly.
It was a pure black bead.
[Name: Spirit Crystal]
[Type: Consumable]
[Function: None]
[Description: A soul crystal purified by the power of the Sun God. It contains immense spiritual power and is the most coveted nourishment for Night Wanderers.]
[Note: Lady of Three Paths Mountain has purified the impurities in the crystal. Feel free to consume it.]
Zhang Yuanqing reached out with two fingers and plucked out the bead.
It dissolved at once into a viscous stream of energy that shot into the space between his brows.
[ Ding! You have gained 22% experience. ]
Zhang Yuanqing's strength surged, bringing back the strange impression that he could punch a planet apart.
He felt noticeably stronger. He didn't need to check his Character Attribute Panel to sense that his skills had improved.
The delay before Night Roaming took effect had increased by three seconds, from six to nine.
I got stronger by accident. Lady, rest in peace. Zhang Yuanqing silently put the coffin lid back, pretending he had never opened it.
As he waited for the countdown, Zhang Yuanqing fidgeted, increasingly anxious. He was afraid something would go wrong, like touching off a hidden quest and interrupting his return.
Fortunately, nothing happened. Zhang Yuanqing watched the timer on the glowing blue panel count down:
5, 4, 3...
Suddenly, a long exhale sounded in the dark, silent cavern.
Zhang Yuanqing: "..."
The coffin lid was pushed open from within. A pale, delicate hand reached out and gripped the edge. Then the beauty inside sat up.
Her deep, pool-like eyes swept across the cavern and met Zhang Yuanqing's frozen gaze.
She stared at Zhang Yuanqing, then curled her lips into a smile.
That smile nearly scared Zhang Yuanqing to death on the spot.
At that moment, the surroundings shattered like a reflection on water torn apart by the wind. The countdown ended.
Everything blurred.
A moment later, the scene gradually steadied. Bright white fluorescent lights shone down from above. There were white walls, a desk, a computer, a television, and a double bed.
The curtains swayed in the breeze, and birds chirped outside the window.
He was back in the human world.
P.S. That's all for today. I'm posting several chapters in a row because the plot flows better that way, so you'll have a better reading experience. I'll fix any typos in the next update.
Before you continue