Wait a minute, where is my master?

The light screen was severed.

The amber-colored calf's attention returned to reality. It hid within the Spiritual Power Light Shield, replenishing the shield's spiritual power while observing the tiny insects nibbling above it with its Spiritual Sense.

The amber-colored calf felt itself in a dilemma. The more spiritual power it filled, the more the insects devoured and the more they reproduced.

But if it didn't continue to maintain the shield's spiritual power, the insects would immediately rush in.

Moreover, in just this short while, the amber-colored calf noticed that the invisible insects filling the air had already increased exponentially.

It looked at the cultivators outside who were in disarray, noticing that some clever ones, following its example, had erected their own Spiritual Power Light Shields.

While some skeptical ones continued to cast magic, inadvertently providing nutrients to the insects.

"Overseer sir, just what are these insects? Could they also be a part of the Qingmu Secret Realm's trial?"

A cultivator who had set up a Spiritual Power Light Shield ran to the edge of the pavilion and asked the amber-colored calf.

"...Aren't you seeing that I'm also sustaining a Spiritual Power Light Shield? How could this possibly be a part of the realm's trial!"

The Gathering Spirit Grass, watered by two different mystical beast bloods, silently scorned the cultivator's intelligence while figuring out how to explain that it also didn't know what the creatures were.

The previously severed light screen reconnected.

The amber-colored calf couldn't bother with the cultivators outside the pavilion. With a flick of its tail, it hurriedly looked up at the light screen.

"Ba-ba, you've gotten in touch with Grandpa Che... how have you become so thin!?"

This time, the perspective on the light screen was inside a thatched tower, and the first thing the amber-colored calf saw was the Che Liang Wood, who looked drained. Not far from the old man, there was a neatly shaped deep pit, beside which lay a girl with greyish-white short hair whom it had seen before.

Although the deep pit and the girl by it were also eye-catching, the Gathering Spirit Grass was obviously more concerned about Che Liang Wood's condition, thus it could not help but exclaim.

"Juju, something unexpected happened to Grandpa Che here, but it's not a big problem, someone has already gone to the second layer of the Secret Realm to handle it."

While the amber-colored calf was astonished, a Ba Wang Tree with spiky limbs squeezed into the frame, excitedly telling it.

Behind it, Che Liang Wood, after hearing this, also weakly nodded his head, confirming that what was said was true.

"Right, our temple master has already gone there, so don't worry, Niu Niu!"

The grayish-white-haired girl, upon hearing Ba Wang Tree's words, ran to the front of the light screen pushing away the Ba Wang Tree and exclaimed excitedly at the amber-colored calf.

"Ah, oh, uh-huh, okay."

The Gathering Spirit Grass was a bit dazed, not knowing what had happened in Qingmu Blessed Land in such a short time to make Grandpa Che so emaciated.

But since they said support was coming, it probably didn't need to worry too much.

"You heard that, someone will be coming soon to take care of things here."

The amber-colored calf said this to the cultivator outside the pavilion. The sounds from inside the light screen were not concealed, so the other party should have heard them clearly.

The cultivator nodded, bowed in the shelter of the Spiritual Power Light Shield, and turned back to spread the news among the crowd.

...

A while equating to the time it takes to drink a pot of tea passed.

Living for so long, the amber-colored calf first lamented that time was passing so slowly.

Hadn't they said support was coming?

Where is everyone!?

The Gathering Spirit Grass, now feeling a pinch in its stored spiritual power, took out a handful of pills made from Gathering Spirit Grass from its storage magic treasure and popped them into its mouth to replenish its spiritual power.

Then it turned its head back to check on the cultivators outside the pavilion, noticing that they had gathered together and begun taking turns to sustain the consumption of the Spiritual Power Light Shield.

It turned its head again to look at the black and white chessboard, discovering that the shield above it had only a thin layer remaining, indicating that even its carefully crafted magic treasure might soon give in.

"Should I go join in the fun with the cultivators?"

This thought flickered through the minds of the amber-colored calf. Previously, due to its dignity as an overseer, it had not planned to interfere with the cultivators.

However, given the circumstances and the delayed arrival of support, it was wavering.

"Boom!"

Just as the amber-colored calf hesitated, a large hole tore open in the sky of the second layer of the secret realm.

A golden lightning bolt shot out from it, piercing straight through its second black and white chessboard!

"My chessboard! The last one!"

The amber-colored calf wailed in its heart, and then saw the little Taoist with a mask who had fallen from the large hole in the sky crashing into the black and white chessboard.

...

Inside the black and white chessboard.

Unaware of what was happening outside, Mr. Yao, who was still undergoing the test with the Third Elder's avatar, suddenly sensed a terrifying surge of spiritual power attacking.

He immediately deployed a defensive skill and activated the precious defensive talisman on his body, protecting both of them.

Fortunately, the terrifying attack was not aimed at them, but fell into the river fifty meters ahead of them.

Mr. Yao breathed a sigh of relief and put away the activated defensive talisman.

Suddenly, he realized that Nie Yaner, who he had protected in his arms in a moment of urgency, was shivering.

"Miss Yaner, there's no need to panic, that attack wasn't aimed at us," he said.

Mr. Yao thought she was frightened by the terrifying strike.

In fact, it was indeed the Third Elder's avatar that was scared, but not because of the terrifying attack itself, but because of its originator.

"Miss Yaner, you weren't..."

As Mr. Yao saw Nie Yaner still trembling, just as he was about to ask again, he suddenly saw a figure crash into the river fifty meters away.

Then...

For the first time in his life, the woman he had admired and pursued exploded right in his arms!!!

"Boom!!!"

Mr. Yao was completely stunned.

How could a person just explode like that!?

In his shock, he didn't even cast a defensive skill, and the entire impact of the explosion blew him away.

He was thrown into the river fifty meters away.

The little Taoist was just swimming upstream in the river when he suddenly sensed a figure sinking down from above.

He slightly shifted to the side, letting the sinking figure pass by, and then, as they crossed paths, he reached out and grabbed him, pulling him out of the water.

"Splash!"

The river surface splashed as the little Taoist pulled up the utterly dazed Mr. Yao and leapt to the shore.

"May I ask fellow Taoist, is this the second layer of the Qingmu Secret Realm?"

Jin Xu placed the dazed scholar on the ground, casually cast the Body Purification Skill on himself to dry his robes, and then addressed the other with a question.

"Why? Why? Why?"

Mr. Yao seemed not to hear the little Taoist's question, murmuring to himself.

"Fellow Taoist? Fellow Taoist?"

Jin Xu, seeing his condition and expression, felt a twinge in his heart.

In his past life, a classmate who had experienced a breakup had looked exactly like this, completely listless.

"May I ask fellow Taoist, did you try to drown yourself because of a broken heart?"

While spreading his spiritual sense, the little Taoist asked again, but Mr. Yao still ignored him, continuing to talk to himself.

"Why? Why! Why would Miss Yaner self-destruct!?"