Ancestor, the first trial is the [Dusk of Heaven and Blood Formation]. How do I pass this? Will it be easy for him to break?" Your Majesty Suomen asked the old man ahead.

Before the two of them floated a crystal ball the size of a soccer ball, allowing them to see everything outside the first trial clearly.

"Break it?" The old man in the golden robe laughed and shook his head. "This formation was given to me by someone else. He claimed that even on the overseas continent, it is extremely powerful. Based on what he said, even I would likely have trouble escaping if I fell into it!"

"There are only 314 Third-Tier Dou Shis running this formation. How can it possibly trap a Saint Domain expert?" Your Majesty Suomen exclaimed in shock.

It was simple for one Saint Domain expert to defeat thousands or tens of thousands of Third-Tier Dou Shis, so if the old man in the golden robe said it could easily trap him, just how powerful must this formation be?

"Nothing is impossible. You don't know how formidable this formation is. These 314 people are merely maintaining the structure so it doesn't collapse. Do you think they are the ones activating it? To activate this formation requires at least fifteen Dou Zun experts acting simultaneously, and the consumption of magic crystals is astronomical! Even if those two manage to get out, it would probably take them half an hour!" the old man in the golden robe stated flatly.

"Half an hour?"

"Yes. The [Dusk of Heaven and Blood Formation] is a kind of ancient formation. It can actively absorb the energy supplied by those trapped within to maintain its stability. So, once activated, it only needs assistants. Once trapped, the surroundings become utterly dark, instilling a sense of powerlessness and panic in the heart. Moreover, the formation can continuously amplify this fear. If one does not discard this mentality, it is impossible to break the illusion and escape! This Ba Shen An, achieving the Saint Domain at such a young age, means his cultivation advanced too quickly; I suspect his spiritual power is quite weak. This formation will be most effective against him!" the old man in the golden robe explained.

"So that's how it is!" Your Majesty Suomen felt more confident after hearing the explanation, his eyes fixed intently on the crystal ball before him.

"No need to rush. Rest a while longer before watching. Even if he luckily breaks out, he will certainly be mentally disoriented and severely weakened. A magic array that can continuously absorb attack energy is not something broken so easily… Ah, how is this possible?" The old man in the golden robe suddenly stopped mid-sentence, staring blankly at the crystal ball, his face etched with utter disbelief.

In the crystal ball, the 314 Third-Tier Dou Shis suddenly cried out simultaneously and were flung outwards. A powerful, chaotic surge of energy instantly exploded where they stood, like dynamite. The rocks and trees closest to the formation's center were pulverized.

Watching the figure emerge from the exploded formation, Your Majesty Suomen gulped deeply and jumped up in shock. "It hasn't even been three minutes..."

……………………………………………………………… "How was that? Although absorbing energy in that peculiar formation is terrifying, using sheer brute force wasn't that difficult after all!" Chen Feng retracted his fist and faced Ling Feng.

"Mhm," Ling Feng nodded in agreement.

Looking at the surroundings littered with rubble and injured Dou Shis, Chen Feng did not pause, walking forward with Ling Feng.

"Their formation was indeed decent. If these people weren't Dou Shis, and if they were all Saint Domain experts instead, blasting our way through might have been somewhat harder," Ling Feng commented.

"Maybe not. I think this formation was already quite stable. Three hundred-plus Dou Shis are probably insufficient to create such a formation. The most likely scenario is that they were just maintaining it, and the formation itself was acquired after being activated by someone else," Chen Feng surmised.

"Oh? Acquired? Would someone really gift away a formation of such immense power?" Ling Feng asked curiously.

"Who knows!" Chen Feng shook his head. "This formation affects early and mid-stage Saint Domain experts, but its effect isn't as significant on late-stage Saint Domain experts. Even if they can't locate the escape route, a full-force punch from a late-stage Saint Domain expert is enough to shatter the formation!"

"Mhm," Ling Feng responded.

Xiao Hu and the others followed not far behind. Chen Feng forbade Xiao Hu from challenging the trials, so he stood outside the checkpoint every time, waiting with frustration.

…………………………………………………………………… "I truly didn't expect you to clear the trial so quickly!" A voice drifted down from the mountaintop; it was the old man. "The next trial won't be this simple. I can tell you this much: the next challenge is a cave. If you can emerge within two hours, you win! However, no one has ever managed to get out in under two hours. Whether you succeed depends on your luck, ha ha..."

The voice carried no displeasure over Chen Feng passing the first trial so quickly, but rather an air of glee and triumph, as if convinced that Chen Feng and the other could not possibly complete the next stage.

"A cave? Hmph, at worst, I'll just blast through the entire mountain until I find a way out!" Chen Feng snorted coldly.

The group walked for a while and indeed saw a huge cave entrance barring their path in the near distance. On it were inscribed three large characters: "Second Trial."

"Huh? Why is there a cave here? I've never seen it before," Milo said suddenly, confused.

"There are so many caves in the mountains; how could you possibly remember them all?" Anthony replied casually.

"But I've climbed this mountain at least four or five times. There should be a sheer rock face here instead..." Milo insisted.

"You probably misremembered. I recall this cave when I came last time. Many people have gone in. I heard there's an illusion formation inside; very few who enter ever come out," Anthony continued.

"Oh, is that so..." Milo seemed to accept the explanation.

"Xiao Hu, you all wait outside the cave. Ling Feng and I will go in," Chen Feng instructed.

"Got it!" Xiao Hu nodded readily.

Chen Feng stepped into the cave first. It was silent and pitch black; he could see nothing. He extended his spiritual sense inward, only to discover that the deeper they went, the more numerous the branching paths became, with a new fork appearing almost every ten meters.

It was no wonder people got lost; walking this way, one truly couldn't keep track of direction.

Chen Feng reached the first fork and exerted his right palm against the stone wall, instantly leaving a clear handprint.

Since there were so many paths, he would leave marks on the ones he took to avoid confusion.

After walking several hundred meters inward, a faint light began to appear in the cave.

"Ah..." At that moment, a delicate cry came from behind; Ling Feng had suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

"What's wrong?" Chen Feng asked.

"This place is very strange," Ling Feng murmured weakly, her voice lacking energy.

"Strange?" Chen Feng rushed to Ling Feng's side in two steps and gently helped her up. When his hands touched her waist, he realized her skin was burning hot.

"What's wrong with you?" Chen Feng felt something was amiss. He immediately spread his spiritual power around, scanning the vicinity, but found no one.

With Chen Feng's powerful spiritual perception, if he couldn't sense anyone, there truly was no one nearby.

"I... I feel hot all over!" Ling Feng whispered.

Looking at her in the faint light, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes held a trace of infatuation. Her breath carried a faint, captivating fragrance, like orchid or fragrant grass.

Seeing this, Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat: "Could there be something or some vapor in here that incites desire, which Ling Feng inhaled? But... why didn't I detect it?"

However, the thought itself made him feel uneasy, and a subtle heat began to rise in his own body.

"Chen Feng..." Ling Feng suddenly called out softly, her voice sounding like a seductive moan in the silent cave.

"This might be a special kind of medicine; just hold on, and you'll definitely get through it!" Chen Feng pulled his face away from Ling Feng's suffocating closeness and looked toward the deeper part of the cave, trying to empty his mind of everything else.

But sometimes, the harder one tried not to think about something, the more it surfaced. He couldn't help turning his face back.

"Am I good-looking?" Ling Feng suddenly asked.

"Yes, good-looking!" Chen Feng nodded reflexively.

"Pretty?"

"Mhm!"

"Do you like me?"

"Mhm!"

"Then... take me," Ling Feng suddenly whispered.

"Take you..." Chen Feng felt his mind spin, nearly fainting. Ling Feng's directness was startling! In the gloom, he could vaguely see a blush rising on her fair face, her eyes flowing with a look that seemed capable of melting him.

"What... you don't like me?" Ling Feng pouted slightly, revealing her girlish side.

"No..." A wave of panic rose in Chen Feng's heart.

"You say 'No,' does that mean you don't like me?" Ling Feng sounded a little sad.

"I... I, I like you!" Chen Feng felt this internal struggle was harder than fighting an opponent of equal strength.

Ling Feng was a very disciplined person, always composed in whatever she did. Why would she say such things so directly now? Could it truly be the effect of that unknown vapor?

Although Saint Domain experts were supposedly immune to all poisons, 'desire' was not a poison but an excitation of the body's yearning for the opposite sex, making it effective even against Saint Domain powerhouses.

Even gods experience desire; how could a Saint Domain expert be immune?

Ling Feng, with her naturally detached temperament, spent all her days intimately close to him, and her heart had long been silently offered. It was only natural for her to speak these words now under the influence of that special vapor.

Yet, Chen Feng still sensed something peculiar.

"If you like me, then kiss me!" Ling Feng closed her eyes slightly, her soft body trembling faintly, and her ruby-red lips moved forward to meet him.

"I..." Chen Feng wrapped his arms around Ling Feng's yielding body, listening to her gentle words. Seeing her actively lean in, he felt a heat surge in his lower abdomen, and his jade dragon immediately reared its head... (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please log on to www**com for more chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)