Chapter 347: The Gloom of the Blade Cuts Without Measure, Tears Splash in the Dead of Night as the Heart Mourns Itself

Boom!

Chen Yan retreated instantly with San Jin, as the billions of blood-colored worms on his body were swept away by the wild thunder, splattering everywhere.

Chen Yan took one look at the blood pool still churning below, then turned back toward the direction he had come from without the slightest hesitation.

The Xun Thunder could not break the blood pool.

It could not let people leave the third layer of the Dream Abyss and return to the real world.

This was almost a devastating blow to Chen Yan.

The only way he could leave the third layer of the Dream Abyss now was to press the withdrawal button.

But the problem was, San Jin did not have a withdrawal button.

Once he left, San Jin would have no way out but death.

Chen Yan's body sprinted high in the sky.

The difficulty of the third layer of the Dream Abyss was simply epic-level.

He could not fathom how Yu Changsheng had entered the third layer of the Dream Abyss and then left so quickly.

Behind him, San Jin was clutching Chen Yan's waist tightly, her face turning deathly pale.

The greatest despair in life is when you discover a path toward hope and persist in walking it, only to find that this path has been sealed off before you.

"Chen..." San Jin began, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Don't speak." Chen Yan said, and San Jin instantly shut her mouth.

Behind them, the two Fei Yi were still chasing relentlessly, grinning hideously and mocking them.

Because, lying before Chen Yan and San Jin was only a dead end.

Even though Chen Yan's speed was far greater than theirs.

But if things continued like this, there would eventually come a moment when Chen Yan would be exhausted.

Chen Yan's expression was grim.

If a stage is destined to be a dead end.

Then what is the point of this stage being designed?

The College Entrance Exam Secret Realm has great crises and many opportunities.

Many candidates will die.

But one thing is certain.

This is an exam.

As long as it is an exam, there is a way to solve it.

Chen Yan's expression did not have a ripple of emotion; at this moment, he would certainly not let himself hinder himself.

What he said to San Jin was what he firmly believed.

Once an external enemy has appeared, there must never be an internal enemy again.

Fear, confusion, nervousness, internal friction, despair, and all such emotions are internal enemies!

Humans find their true selves in the process of constantly overcoming themselves.

Only by overcoming oneself can one achieve oneself.

Chen Yan crossed the stone tablet, crossed the lakeside where the Dao-Slaying Sacred Bamboo stood, and crossed the entire abyss.

Behind him, those two Fei Yi were in hot pursuit.

Within the gray world, Chen Yan flew once again before that boundless ice river.

It was less a river and more a sea.

Because, one could not see the end at all.

On the ice river, the old man fishing from a boat looked toward Chen Yan, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth:

"Little one, your situation is not good."

"Can I take the boat?!" Chen Yan asked.

This was the third time he had seen the old man.

He had no other way; at this moment, he could only think of the old man as a breakthrough point.

The old man looked at Chen Yan, his gaze suddenly becoming profound:

"No."

San Jin's expression was even more pained; she buried her head in Chen Yan's back, her body trembling slightly.

Chen Yan stared fixedly at the old man:

"You said it yourself, the ferry only requires one Time Seed."

The old man raised his brows slightly and shook his head:

"You have a way to leave; you don't need me at all."

Chen Yan watched the old man quietly.

The next moment.

Rip!

Chen Yan transformed into a streak of pitch-black light and flew away.

Immediately after, the two Fei Yi arrived at the lakeside; they seemed not to see the old man at all and flew toward Chen Yan's direction.

…………

Inside a dense forest filled with flames.

Jiang Yuan was covered in blood, and one of his arms had been severed.

With a wave of his hand, golden needles pierced into the site of his severed arm.

Immediately following, he continued to unleash various ultimate techniques, bombarding the three Fei Yi that were attacking him.

Being able to rely on the Fourth Realm to fight three Fei Yi to this extent was enough to prove Jiang Yuan's strength.

Jiang Yuan possessed flames; every time he struck, a sea of fire surged, and his aura was terrifying.

His expression was at times icy, at times complex.

"That's about enough."

He spoke in a low voice, kicking out; a magma-like pillar of fire blasted one Fei Yi away.

"Time to forfeit." He spoke again:

"They should have left by now."

Jiang Yuan's gaze became incomparably complex.

He recalled his conversation with that person before entering the College Entrance Examination Secret Realm.

A trace of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth:

"Xia Qi, I helped him in the end."

He shook his head, preparing to take out his forfeiture token.

Yet, at this very moment.

Jiang Yuan's expression paused; his peripheral vision caught a streak of pitch-black lightning rushing toward his side.

Jiang Yuan narrowed his eyes and swung a palm, using his remaining flame-infused blood energy to push away a Fei Yi that was charging at him.

He stared fixedly at the lightning in the distance, eyes narrowed.

In an instant, he guessed the fact that Xun Ting had been unable to cut through the blood pool.

He sighed.

Now, this was truly troublesome.

"Chen Yan, you..."

He whispered coldly; although he felt the situation was troublesome, it wouldn't be bad to use this to mock Chen Yan.

But when Jiang Yuan saw clearly what the two things following behind Chen Yan were.

Jiang Yuan's brows first shot up, then his eyes became listless, and afterward, he took a deep breath.

He could no longer hold it together, roaring with a strength he had never used in his entire life:

"FUCK!!!"

There were two more Fei Yi!

Counting them all, there were five Fei Yi in total!

What was the point of playing now?

At this moment, even if Jiang Yuan still had his forfeiture token, he felt incomparably desperate.

This was the College Entrance Examination Secret Realm; all examinees were at the Fourth Realm.

This suppression of realm was not friendly to him.

Because he was at the Fifth Realm.

Moreover, his mental power, blood energy, and physical tempering were all at the peak of the Fifth Realm.

When he said he was the top genius of the Great Xia, there was not a shred of exaggeration in that statement.

If there were even a hint of exaggeration, he wouldn't be the head of the Second Rank General Stars.

Because the other few Second Rank General Stars were all freaks and monsters.

But he had suppressed his own realm to enter the College Entrance Examination Secret Realm.

He couldn't even unleash one percent of his combat power.

Originally, none of this mattered.

Because even with his realm suppressed, Jiang Yuan's strength was still among the strongest.

But now...

When Chen Yan arrived in front of Jiang Yuan, he saw a numb face.

Jiang Yuan glanced at Chen Yan, then his demeanor became incomparably serious:

"I will use everything I have to hold off the Fei Yi and save San Jin."

His voice was extremely calm; at this moment, he did not mean to joke at all.

He even carried a hint of pleading.

Because, even if Chen Yan didn't come to save San Jin, he would have come anyway.

The orders given to him by the State Master Xia Qi were, first, to protect Chen Yan, and second, to protect San Jin.

That young State Master, upon learning that Xia Hanzhou had cast a Life Seal on one of his few friends.

Had been furious to the extreme.

He had been angry for an entire day, berating Xia Hanzhou, a senior he had greatly respected, and berating the entire Xia Clan.

He knew he was a spokesperson for the Xia Clan pushed to the front, a person destined to die.

But he was still a person.

He had friends, and he was the State Master.

He found it hard to endure Xia Hanzhou's selfishness and tyranny.

At one moment, he even felt resentment toward Chen Yan.

He was a State Master himself.

Was it not enough to have exhausted a portion of his limited lifespan for someone he had never met, and to have begged for them to be spared once?

Why did Xia Hanzhou still have to cast a Life Seal on his friend?

San Jin, what have you done wrong again?

But in the end, the young Sovereign recognized everything.

Everything was done by Xia Hanzhou, and it had nothing to do with Chen Yan.

Therefore, after San Jin left Jin Province.

He came to Qin Province all by himself and met Jiang Yuan, the head of the second-tier General Stars who was still working undercover.

No one expected that the young Sovereign, who had never left Jin Province, would come to Qin Province alone.

When Jiang Yuan was eating at a restaurant and encountered the young man disguised as a waiter, he was completely stunned.

That was the Sovereign.

The dignity of a nation!

How could he disguise himself as a waiter to see him?

At that moment, Jiang Yuan understood that the Xia clan had a future.

This future was not in the hands of Xia Hanzhou, nor in the hands of Lu Xunyang.

Perhaps, it was in the hands of that dying person who did not have many years of life left.

The world saw him, but it also underestimated him!

Xia Qi's purpose was very simple.

On top of the two layers of protection the Xia clan had bestowed upon Chen Yan, he added this layer of Jiang Yuan protecting Chen Yan.

Within this third layer of protection, he mixed in a trace of his own true thoughts.

To save San Jin.

Jiang Yuan and Chen Yan brushed past each other, and the moment their eyes met, they instantly understood each other's meaning.

Nowadays, the crisis is so great.

But for Chen Yan, there is actually no crisis at all.

Because Chen Yan has an Abstention Token.

But San Jin does not.

Once Chen Yan gives up, Chen Yan will not lose anything.

But for San Jin, it would be a dead end.

"Chen Yan, press the abstention button," San Jin said in a low voice.

At this moment, she was very calm; she spoke this sentence naturally without stuttering.

Behind them, Jiang Yuan really managed to hold back five Fei Yi by his own strength.

The sounds of battle rang out incessantly.

San Jin did not even dare to look at the battle behind them.

The sound of flesh being torn was so ear-piercing.

Chen Yan said nothing and brought San Jin to the sky above the village.

Below in the village, Cheng Zizhen and the other villagers looked up at him with admiration and awe.

Chen Yan entered the village and searched house by house.

He sensed everyone's emotions and did not find a single chance for survival.

"Chen Yan, where are you going? Can you take me with you?"

Cheng Zizhen, who had golden feathers growing on her cheeks, looked up at the young General Star and spoke with immense devotion and admiration:

"I want to see your world."

But Chen Yan left with San Jin without saying a word.

He flew with almost all his might, searching the entire third layer of the Dream Abyss.

Every dense forest, every cave.

At one moment, he returned to the village again.

San Jin buried her head deeply.

There was not a single chance left.

Nothing was found.

She even spoke with a sobbing tone:

"You... you... go, I... I messed... messed up."

Chen Yan did not speak, watching the villagers walking toward him one by one.

Cheng Zizhen was still looking at Chen Yan with anticipation.

She knew that there were countless mountains between her and Chen Yan, but she still couldn't help but want to get closer.

And just at this moment.

"Ka!!!"

A Fei Yi broke through the dense forest, screeching as it charged toward Chen Yan's side.

With a bang.

Jiang Yuan, whose whole body was aflame, lunged out at the same time and pinned the Fei Yi to the ground.

Jiang Yuan raised his head, his eyes full of a bitter smile:

"Didn't find an exit?"

Chen Yan shook his head, and he took a deep breath:

"Perhaps there is no exit at all."

Chen Yan took out the Abstention Token.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Yuan was stunned, then let out a low roar:

"Are you going to give up too? Will you also give up?!"

He found it hard to believe that Chen Yan was actually going to give up.

What would happen to San Jin then?

San Jin lowered her head, and at this moment, she actually let out a sigh of relief.

Yet a trace of a smile appeared on the corner of Chen Yan's mouth;

"I have seen two of the most desperate people; one was named Zhou Lu."

He slowly rose into the air, not knowing if he was speaking to himself or to San Jin behind him.

"And there was another, named Xue Qi."

"The one named Zhou Lu, after killing his own desperate mother with his own hands, discovered that despair had not arrived, and fell into absolute despair."

"The one named Xue Qi, amidst endless grief, crossed the boundary of life and death, and walked toward death once more."

Chen Yan's expression was calm, his mind constantly pondering.

The truth seemed to be the final speck of light in the endless darkness, and he had seen it.

"I have exhausted everything and am unwilling to become Zhou Lu, so I prefer Xue Qi."

He stepped into the high sky, brushing aside all the gloom, as if he had seen where the true meaning lay.

"The gloomy blade slaughters without measure, the night ends with tears as the heart mourns itself."

With a roar.

Four Fei Yi charged over, bypassing Jiang Yuan and rushing toward Chen Yan.

Jiang Yuan gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but with a 'crack', his legs, already rotted by malice, snapped.

He could not continue to fight.

And it was at this very moment.

Chen Yan pressed the withdrawal button in his hand.

Screech!!!

The four Fei Yi shrieked; they were determined to use everything they had to kill Chen Yan.

Yet at this same moment.

A radiance appeared on Chen Yan's body; it was the fluctuation of space.

San Jin's body trembled, and at this moment, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

She had completed her mission.

But in the next instant.

With a boom.

Chen Yan threw the withdrawal token in his hand, and the spatial fluctuation shrouding it moved away from him.

The eyes of the four incoming Fei Yi shrank in unison, and they immediately chased after the withdrawal token.

Only by destroying the withdrawal token would Chen Yan be sealed in this place.

Only if the withdrawal token disappeared would Chen Yan die no matter what he did.

At this moment, it was not just the Fei Yi who were shocked.

Jiang Yuan was too, and so was San Jin.

"Chen Yan..." Jiang Yuan was stunned; he had not expected Chen Yan to do this.

Yet he saw the young Third-Rank General Star smiling:

"You have a way to leave; you don't need me at all."

These were the words of the old man.

The surface meaning was that Chen Yan had a withdrawal token and only needed to press it to leave the third layer of the Dream Abyss.

The real meaning was.

As long as Chen Yan still had the withdrawal token, he would never be able to truly leave the third layer of the Dream Abyss on his own.

Because Chen Yan had long known the method to leave the third layer of the Dream Abyss.

He let out a loud laugh:

"Longing to tread the frozen river in the distance, using one's body to break the stone and shatter the sunken dream."

Hadn't it been written in Xue Qi's poem long ago?

Only by treading across the frozen river can one shatter the sunken dream!

"My fellow traveler, you have helped me once again!"

The four Fei Yi were still chasing the withdrawal token, but Chen Yan had turned into a stream of light, rushing toward the frozen river.

"Jiang Yuan, withdraw and leave; I can see you aren't going to make it."

Jiang Yuan was stunned as Chen Yan's voice reached his ears once more.

"Many thanks!"