Chapter 191: Hidden Secret

Chen Yan spoke, though his eyes did not continue to look at the Masked Man, but were instead constantly fighting.

The Masked Man was startled and spoke:

"How did you know?"

As he spoke, his voice was changing, shifting from a male voice to a female voice.

"Because your authority is a bit too great."

Chen Yan spoke.

There is more than one Trial Executor, and the Extreme Cold Northern Lands should have its own executor.

But at this moment, the one who appeared was still the other party.

Chi Lao told him to go to the Tianjiao Trial to find a woman named Shen Keqing.

He only told Chen Yan the name.

There was no way to identify her, no map, and no other information.

But a name alone was enough to say everything.

That meant Chi Lao was certain that Chen Yan would definitely see Shen Keqing.

And in the entire Tianjiao Trial, the only person Chen Yan saw besides the Heavenly Pride was this Masked Man.

Chi Lao had been hinting to Chen Yan from the very beginning.

Shen Keqing's death within the Illusion Realm might be a faked death.

Within the Illusion Realm, Shen Keqing had already died; in history, Shen Keqing might have truly died as well.

But what if that death was a faked death?

Within the Illusion Realm, Chi Mi said to Xia Hanzhou:

"You are too weak, so you cannot protect the person you love most."

Lu Xunyang said:

"You cannot even protect your own woman; you disappoint me."

What if this "woman" was not referring to Shen Keqing?

What if this woman was referring to Chi Mi?

Chen Yan grabbed the incoming firelight with one hand, then flung it away; the firelight exploded on the Ice Surface, scattering into countless rays of fire.

While fighting, he spoke:

"The reason Senior Xia Hanzhou researched Array Patterns that could transform the Chi Family Bloodline..."

"... was not to deal with Chi Mi, but to save Chi Mi, who had already been transformed into an Ancient Divine Beast!"

High above, the Masked Man's body stiffened slightly.

She removed the Mask, and it was strikingly the face of Shen Keqing.

Who decreed that a Trial Executor must be a man?

Shen Keqing reached out one hand, and a Golden Formation Disk appeared in her palm.

She condensed it with one hand.

The Ancient Divine Beasts attacking from all directions instantly stopped their movements.

The Cannon Fire within each Castle also ceased abruptly.

Inside the Castle.

Shao Hengyang watched the suddenly stopped Cannon Fire and the Light Points on the screen that were no longer moving, falling into deep thought.

"Sure enough, if we simply rely on the Castle's own combat power to suppress that Ancient Divine Beast, what do we need to do?"

Shao Hengyang chuckled, but could not help but Clenched Fists.

That Ancient Divine Beast was very strong.

These few Castles attacking together, with countless Cannon Fire and thousands of Ancient Divine Beasts, could not suppress it.

So strong!

"Just thinking about it makes one extremely excited!"

Shao Hengyang Clenched Fists, yet his eyes flashed with intense wariness.

He had not even made contact yet, but it was as if he had already felt endless Malice approaching.

That Ancient Divine Beast was highly likely to be Tier 4!

Following that, Shao Hengyang shook his head.

"If it were Chen Yan, he would probably have already gone to fight."

He could not help but speak.

He had not had much contact with the other party, but he had clearly watched the other party walk step by step toward higher heights.

Even he had to admit it.

He had defaulted to treating the other party as a rival.

Thinking of this, Shao Hengyang walked downstairs and opened the door.

Only to suddenly discover that the door would not open.

"That's right, that Ancient Divine Beast needs to rest; going now would be taking too much advantage."

At the same time.

Inside the other Castles.

Shen Youning, the Gong Family Hidden Prodigy, Gong Fanling, and others all had the same thought.

They took a deep Breath.

Knowing that they must take action themselves.

In the distance.

Amidst the frost.

Yu Saixian had changed into a set of exquisitely crafted clothes at some point; the cold wind lashed against his face, causing his skin and flesh to vibrate.

On his face, there were still traces of stitches, looking extremely ferocious.

Yet a smile always hovered at the corners of his mouth, unhurried and steady.

He extended a finger, using an Array to stabilize his hairstyle and collar.

"It should be starting over at Luo Chen's side, Chen Yan..."

Yu Saixian clicked his tongue:

"Why are they all such perverts? But, even if I lose to such a pervert, it won't be too unsightly."

He glanced to his side.

Chen Zhihe was walking with a jerky, puppet-like gait, despair and struggle flickering incessantly within her pupils.

"I wanted to put some makeup on you or something, but there's no time left. You're quite strong; you can serve as my aid."

Yu Saixian smiled.

…………

At the same time.

Beside Chen Yan.

Admiration appeared in Shen Keqing's eyes:

"Xia Hanzhou has a very thin skin; how could he possibly take out his own history for others to see?

The reason he took it out is because only by understanding the process of his battle with Chi Mi can one more easily condense the Yanyang Tree Pattern."

As Shen Keqing spoke, she came to Chen Yan's side and said:

"Xia Hanzhou let me stay here the whole time just to find a Heavenly Pride who can perfectly condense the Yanyang Tree Pattern.

You have already perfectly condensed the Yanyang Tree Pattern; now you only need to condense the Extreme Cold Ice Pattern.

This is all of Xia Hanzhou's memories."

She took a cyan crystal from the Iron Box and handed it over.

Chen Yan's expression was calm, but he did not reach out to take it immediately.

"No need to worry. If you can successfully condense the Yanyang Tree Pattern, then if Lu Xunyang can bring Chi Mi back from the Ancient God Forbidden Land later,

then you can come again. If Lu Xunyang cannot come out, or does not bring Chi Mi back, nothing will happen to you," Shen Keqing said.

"I ought to go and receive them," Chen Yan said:

"Although I have never met Master Lu, I have walked this path, and that person is my mentor."

As he said this, Shen Keqing was somewhat stunned.

So it was because of Lu Xunyang.

Inside the Light Curtain, Xia Hanzhou's expression was even more complex.

It seems I have to say thank you to Lu Xunyang again.

Below, Chen Yan gripped that cyan crystal with his right hand.

The next moment, a wave of unfamiliar memories surged in.

【My name is Xia Hanzhou. When I was born, the Heaven and Earth shook, starlight filled the sky, and the ruler was overjoyed, naming me Hanzhou, meaning to ride a boat straight up, fearing no cold, to seek the Supremacy Truth.

I was enfeoffed as the King of Xia.】

【That year, the Second Son of Chi Family Head, a friend of the King of Xia, had a daughter. At that time, the King of Xia and Chi Hao were sworn friends, and the Xia Clan and the Chi Family were on good terms.

So Chi Hao named his daughter Mi, and I was Hanzhou; she could seek the future together with me.】

【It was just that good times did not last. In the fifth year of my life, the King and Chi Hao went beyond the Great Xia to seek opportunities for advancement.】

【The King of Xia died at the mouth of an Ancient Divine Beast beyond the Great Xia, and outsiders saw with their own eyes that it was Chi Hao who harmed the King of Xia for the sake of the Dao Fruit.】

【From then on, the Xia and Chi completely split, but the Chi Family was one of the Five Clans, and the other Four Clans could not sit by and watch the Chi Family perish.】

【The Great Xia had already reached its final years, growing weak.】

【But this hatred is irreconcilable.】

【The ruler asked me if I was willing to shoulder this life-and-death feud, and I accepted it.】

【Thus, the Xia and Chi set a battle pact: when I and Chi Mi reach twenty-eight years of age, we shall decide life and death and settle our grievances.】

【But as luck would have it, I entered the path of Arrays, and Chi Zhou, where the Chi Family is located, is a place where the Arrays of Heaven and Earth are perfected.】

【Perhaps it was fate; I disguised myself as an ordinary person and entered the Tian Zhen Ge of Chi Zhou to cultivate.】

【I ignored the world outside for seven or eight years in the blink of an eye. By the time I was fifteen or sixteen, I was already somewhat famous, and many young ladies of Chi Zhou came to visit.】

【I had hatred in my heart, so how could I pay attention to these? Until a White Skirt Woman arrived.】

【"Hey, you look quite good, and you're a genius too; do you want to go to the Great Xia with me to explore?"】

【"I ignored her, but this woman seemed to have set her sights on me, coming many times."】

【"I'm going to the Great Xia. The Great Xia is vast and rich; although the Heavenly Pride aptitude there is not as good as in my Chi Zhou, there are many opportunities. Your talent is very good, why stay in the Tian Zhen Ge all the time?"】

【"I heard you love eating the chicken legs from Xiao Lou, hahaha, you really are a glutton. Don't worry, I didn't bring you any."】

【"I heard you were composing poems and setting up arrays with Yaoguang Fairy yesterday? You can even take a liking to that green tea bitch Yaoguang; you really have no taste."】

【"This woman was very annoying; I really didn't want to pay attention to her, until one day, she brought a White-Haired Youth."】

【"The youth's name was Lu Xunyang, a Horizontal Forging Prodigy rarely seen in this age. I set up an Array, and he was actually able to break it with his two fists!"】

【"Lu Xunyang said he wanted to go to the Great Xia with the woman named Li Xun and asked if I wanted to go. I readily agreed."】

【"As for Li Xun, this name is too masculine; I wasn't interested in it either."】

【"After all, returning to my homeland, I was also happy."】

【The three of us traveled across the Great Xia, encountering many strange things and seeing many strange people.】

【Lu Xunyang is truly a rare talent of this age; compared to his natural gifts, his willpower makes me even more astonished!】

【Lu Xunyang is my Elder Brother and also my teacher; I believe that as long as there are more existences like Lu Xunyang in the future, the Great Xia will have no fear of falling!】

【As for that Li Xun, she is average, just average, but she is actually stronger than me!】

【She is actually a Fifth-Rank Qi-Blood Warrior!】

【She has actually comprehended Sixth-Rank Sword Intent, damn it!】

【She actually saved me and Brother Lu Xunyang...】

【Lu Xunyang recognizes Li Xun as his Sister, which displeases me; although Lu Xunyang is of the Lu Family, his heart is tied to The World. What right does Li Xun have? She is a person of Chi Zhou, and she is destined to be an enemy in the future!】

【Until one day, she suddenly found me.】

【Do you dislike me? Where did I go wrong? Can you stop targeting me all the time?】

【You only met Lu Xunyang because of me.】

【Do you know why I came to the Great Xia? Our... Family bloodline is special; we have almost no resistance to Malice Crystal.】

【If I am transformed by Malice, I will become a powerful Ancient Divine Beast; this is the fate of my Family.】

【I found you because your Array techniques are extraordinary, and I found Lu Xunyang because Lu Xunyang can withstand the corrosion of a Six-Tier Malice Crystal alone.】

【She apologized, formed seals with her hands, and actually created an Array that astonished me.】

【I find it hard to learn Lu Xunyang's willpower, so I only enter the Dao through Arrays; you can also be considered my teacher.】

【I grit my teeth; this woman stole my Array techniques, her intentions are truly impure!】

【I could not bring myself to like her, until one day, I met Shen Keqing.】

【The four of us traveled through the Great Xia together, and the distance to my final battle with Chi Mi grew closer.】

【Li Xun also gradually saw my feelings and stopped bothering me.】

【Until one day, the four of us encountered a Six-Tier Ancient Divine Beast; it was supposed to be a very simple battle, but there was actually a Seventh-Tier Malice Crystal there.】

【Lu Xunyang could hardly hold on, and both Shen Keqing and I were on the verge of death, until at this moment, Li Xun actually took the Malice Crystal and fled into the Abyss alone.】

【When the three of us found her, she was already on the verge of being transformed.】

【I was extremely furious; are you stupid? Your bloodline clearly cannot withstand it...】

【She looked at me with teary eyes, and one sentence left me frozen in place.】

【So, you like me, right?】

【I...】

【I found it hard to speak; I asked myself, do I really like her?】

【I was asking myself.】

【A long time later.】

【She is Chi Mi!】

【She is Chi Mi!】

【She is Chi Mi!】

【She killed Shen Keqing; she must die!】

【I disregarded everything to duel her, only to learn later that everything was her ruse.】

【Shen Keqing did not die; she just wanted to enrage me into killing her.】

【But her Father caused my Father's death; this grudge is irreconcilable.】

【Time passed slowly, and another three years went by.】

［I learned some things about what happened back then; my Father's death might be related to the Chen Family. ］

【She was about to get married; I pondered for a long, long time and finally made up my mind to see her one last time.】

【But...】

【She escaped on her wedding night and said to me while Crying.】

【You coward, why did you come only now? You came too late; I have already...】

【She found it hard to speak, hard to name the person who harmed her; she was controlled by a Secret Technique.】

【She turned into an Ancient Divine Beast.】

【It took a long time for me to find out that the one who made her turn into an Ancient Divine Beast was her fiancé, Chen He of the Chen Family.】

【I loathe the Chen Family, I loathe the Five Clans, I hate them!】

【I only regret that today, I cannot exterminate the Five Clans!】

【The other party is from the Five Clan Chen Family; knowing that Chi Mi and I were in love, he wanted to use Chi Mi's hand to make the Chi Family and the Great Xia completely hostile.】

【But at that time, how could I have known all this? I only knew I had to go to the Ancient God Forbidden Land!】

【She turned into an Ancient Divine Beast, so the secret of the Chi Family bloodline could no longer be kept; therefore, the ones who wanted to kill her most at that moment were the people of the Chi Family.】

【I disregarded everything and pushed her... pushed her toward the Ancient God Forbidden Land.】

【That is the territory of Ancient Divine Beasts; she would be fine, and she would be gone from me forever.】

【The people of the Chi Family wanted to raise an army, but because Chi Mi respected Lu Xunyang immensely, and Lu Xunyang also had supporters in the Chi Family.】

【Plus, the Chi Family themselves sensed something was wrong, so the incident gradually calmed down.】

【But she seemed to have been completely forgotten.】

【For so many years, I have been researching how to deal with the Chi Family bloodline.】

【One thing affecting her transformation into an Ancient Divine Beast was that Malice Crystal of unknown grade, which has long since merged with her.】

【The other is the Ice-Fire Bloodline of the Chi Family itself; I thought if I could strip away her bloodline, I could save her.】

【Fortunately... fortunately, she seemed to have known this day would come long ago, and for so many years, she has been researching it.】

【She has been concerned with her own life and death all along, while what I saw was, after all, too one-sided.】

PS: Regarding the point that the Masked Man is Shen Keqing, this is definitely not something the author wrote blindly.

If everyone looks at her dialogue with Xia Hanzhou, they will discover that it is simply not the kind of dialogue a subordinate should have with a boss.

The reason 'he' was used instead of 'she' is because what the other party displayed after putting on the Mask was that of a male.

There is also the dialogue between Chi Mi and Lu Xunyang within the Illusion Realm, as well as Lu Xunyang shouting 'Chi Mi' inside the Ancient God Forbidden Land, and so on.

These are all pieces of foreshadowing.