Realm of the Night God

Chapter 35: Passing the Test

Master Jiang wanted to help Yang Haoran, but he couldn't do it too blatantly, for that would not only bring him considerable trouble but also harm Yang Haoran in the process. To help, he needed to devise a plan that wouldn't implicate himself or endanger Yang Haoran. After some thought, he had an idea.

He started the black sedan, then revved the engine while in neutral, creating a thunderous roar that echoed far and wide.

Master Jiang's black sedan was an old car, poorly equipped and somewhat dilapidated, especially the exhaust pipe, which hadn't been replaced in years, covered in rust and holes. With this sudden rev, the noise was comparable to a sports car.

This method was the only feasible one Master Jiang could think of. There might have been better ways, but in the current situation, there was no time to consider alternatives.

Eight minutes!

Five minutes!

One minute!

Every now and then, Master Jiang glanced at his cheap wristwatch, watching time slip away under his vigorous revving. As it neared eight o'clock, he sighed inwardly because Yang Haoran hadn't appeared.

With only a few seconds left, Master Jiang gave up revving. He had done his best. If Yang Haoran didn't emerge from the haunted building, there was nothing he could do.

"I hope you're just asleep and not dead in there. Even if you fail the test, at least you'll still have your life."

With this thought in mind, Master Jiang checked the time again. With the final ten seconds ticking away, he shook his head, ready to leave. However, at that moment, something caught his peripheral vision.

He froze, then looked towards the old building. In a ray of sunlight, he saw a figure swiftly darting out of the building. The person's hair was disheveled, their expression panicked, as if they were exerting every ounce of strength. In just a few seconds, they dashed out of the iron gate, their speed comparable to a sprinter!

Master Jiang glanced at the time; it was exactly eight o'clock. When he looked up again, there was a figure beside the car window, leaning against the car, panting heavily with a strong smell of alcohol emanating from them. Master Jiang wrinkled his brow involuntarily, stepping back from the smell.

The sudden appearance at the car window could only be Yang Haoran.

"Grandma... grandma... you scared me to death," Yang Haoran gasped heavily, his face pale with fear.

Master Jiang waved away the pungent smell of alcohol with his hand, a slight smile appearing on his face. He addressed Yang Haoran, "Quite a feat, carrying that stench on you..."

Yang Haoran paid no heed to these words. At this moment, he didn't care about the unpleasant smell emanating from him. Even if he smelled like a sewer, it wouldn't matter to him. What mattered most to him right now was whether he had passed the test.

Taking a few deep breaths, he looked at Master Jiang anxiously and asked, "Master Jiang, did I pass the test?"

That was the question Yang Haoran cared about the most!

Master Jiang nodded. "Congratulations, you passed."

Upon hearing that he had passed the test, Yang Haoran's body went limp, leaning against the car, his face filled with exhaustion and relief.

"Let's go. I'll take you somewhere to meet someone."

Yang Haoran's expression shifted, and there was a hint of caution in his gaze as he looked at Master Jiang. He struggled to speak, "Master Jiang, please don't tell me there's another test that requires someone's life."

Master Jiang shook his head. "Don't worry, there isn't. Your efforts will soon be rewarded."

Yang Haoran breathed a sigh of relief. What he was most afraid of now was another supernatural test. His inner turmoil was like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished by the slightest breeze.

"Since there are no more tests, let's leave this place quickly. I don't want to stay here for another moment."

With that, Yang Haoran tried to open the car door to leave, but he was stopped by Master Jiang.

"The car's broken, help me push it from behind," Master Jiang said.

"Damn! The car broke down! It had to happen now, didn't it? Let me take a look and see what the problem is."

Saying this, Yang Haoran closed the car door and was about to go to the driver's seat, but Master Jiang stopped him again.

"Just push like I said. Trust me," Master Jiang said quietly, giving Yang Haoran a meaningful look.

Yang Haoran was puzzled at first, but then he understood. He wasn't stupid; he knew Master Jiang had a reason for this. Recalling the roaring engine earlier, he seemed to grasp something.

Yang Haoran nodded, gave Master Jiang a thankful glance, and then went to the rear of the car, pushing the worn-out black sedan with all his might.

With a series of creaks and groans, Master Jiang started revving the engine again. By now, it was broad daylight, the sun rising, but there were no pedestrians on this road, only the sound of the black sedan's engine revving.

After a while, seeming to expend considerable effort, the old black sedan finally sputtered back to life.

"Alright, get in. Once you're done with your business, I need to get this car fixed," Master Jiang leaned out the window, calling to Yang Haoran behind.

Yang Haoran acknowledged and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was really pushing hard. Occasionally, he glanced around, trying to figure out what was wrong with the car, acting as if it were a genuine problem.

Opening the car door, Yang Haoran gasped for air as he prepared to get in. In that moment, however, he turned his head to look at the dilapidated haunted building. A look of fear involuntarily crossed his face, but beyond fear, there was something else in his eyes.

Retracting his gaze, he decisively got into the car, without a hint of reluctance.

Master Jiang didn't waste any words. He stepped on the gas, and the black sedan dashed out, quickly leaving the narrow road, far away from the haunted building.

What Yang Haoran experienced in the haunted building, besides himself, only the ghosts inside knew. Naturally, Master Jiang didn't know either. He could only make some guesses based on his understanding of the haunted building. Whether his guesses matched reality, who knew.

Shortly after the black sedan left, in front of the iron gate of the haunted building, a space suddenly twisted strangely. Then, a crack appeared in this twisted space, widening as a figure emerged, hands behind their back.

This person was short and had a pointed face, but looked very young, perhaps only seventeen or eighteen years old.

If Yang Haoran were here, not only would he be startled by the sudden appearance of the young man, but also by his appearance. It wasn't because the young man looked ugly with his pointed face, but because Yang Haoran had seen this young man before—he was the one who had sealed Decaying Corpse Granny into the bead.

"Hehe, the car broke down just in time. But it doesn't matter. Whether there's one more cannon fodder or one less, what does it matter to me?" The young man watched the direction the black sedan was leaving, laughing as he spoke.

As his words fell, the young man's gaze shifted to the haunted building, his smile fading, his expression becoming serious. He spoke lightly, "That kid has a weak heart. It's his first time experiencing such a big scene, yet he wasn't scared to death. Did you go easy on him?"

The young man seemed to be talking to himself, yet also asking someone. But besides him, there was only the dilapidated old building around, without a second person in sight.

Under the sunlight, the old building still exuded that eerie and terrifying feeling, but compared to the night, it was much better. However, despite looking at the old building, there was no trace of fear in the young man's eyes.

With no one answering him, the young man sneered, seemingly provoked by the sudden chilly wind. He snorted and continued, "Hmph, don't think I won't touch you. I just don't want to. You're on your own!"

Leaving these words behind, the young man waved his hand, and the space in front of him twisted again, followed by a crack. As the crack widened, the young man, hands behind his back, walked in.

As the young man walked into the crack in the space, his figure immediately disappeared, and the rift he casually tore open closed up, returning to normal as if the crack had never appeared.

Shortly after the young man left, the iron gate outside the courtyard of the old building suddenly slammed shut with great force, as if someone, in a bad mood, had forcefully closed it, causing some iron shavings to fall from the gate.

There was no one, no wind, only a gloomy and terrifying old building. Yet, the iron gate closed with such force.

The sunlight warmed the earth, but it seemed unable to warm this old building. It remained eerie and chilling, as if it were an ancient block of ice, freezing the souls of any living beings who approached, making them tremble with fear.