Chapter 367: Waiting

Listening to Regigigas's words, Huo La was silent for a moment, showed no hesitation, turned and left, his steps crisp and decisive, revealing no trace of lingering.

Ming Yao and Xiao Zhao watched his sudden move, their faces full of confusion; they exchanged a glance, and though they did not understand why Huo La was so resolute, they did not ask further and quickly hurried after him.

Bin Lian, seeing this, hurriedly shouted, "Huo La, Huo La! Wait a moment!" His voice was full of bewilderment and urgency, but Huo La seemed not to hear, continuing forward without turning his head, his steps never pausing.

Shan Kui and Binlian looked at each other, their eyes full of bewilderment— they could not fathom Huo La's thoughts, yet they could not further impede him, so they first bowed respectfully to Regigigas, then hurriedly turned and chased after Huo La and the others.

When Huo La's party vanished completely at the far end of the Temple corridor, Regigigas's deep, resonant voice echoed again through the spacious Temple, but this time its tone lost some authority and became more restrained: "Wait a moment, he will return."

As the words fell, the two massive Stone Gates that had previously tilted inward slowly rose, accompanied by a muffled "crack" sound, sealing the cave entrance again tightly, as if they had never been opened.

Chunbai Dongtu's Pearl Squad Camp.

In the center of the camp a bonfire burned; Huo La sat beside it, his fingertips unconsciously fidgeting with the logs, sparks crackling, the flames growing brighter, casting intersecting light and shadow on his face, his expression unusually solemn.

Binlian and Shan Kui carried steaming dinner, hurried into the camp's tent, gently placed their plates on a nearby wooden table, and softly said, "Huo La, Ming Yao, Xiao Zhao, dinner is ready."

Xiao Zhao lifted his own portion, took two gentle bites, watched Huo La staring absentmindedly at the bonfire, and finally could not help asking, "Huo La, you've been silent and lost in thought since returning from the Temple; what's wrong? Is Regigigas's test that difficult?"

Huo La, hearing this, inhaled deeply, slowly set down the rice bowl he had just lifted, a faint bitter smile appearing on his face, and said with resignation, "Regigigas's test for me is indeed too hard."

Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Regieleki, Regidrago—all average around level 80, and each one's skills are densely honed and masterful; this strength truly startles him.

If the test required only defeating one of them, perhaps he could still strive and give it a try.

But Regigigas's demand is to defeat all five Pokemon; with his current strength, achieving that is nothing but a fool's dream.

Rather than stubbornly struggling in the Temple and wasting effort, it is better to return, have a proper meal, get some sleep, restore his spirit, and then slowly contemplate a solution.

Ming Yao and Xiao Zhao, hearing this, also wore solemn expressions.

Binlian and Shan Kui exchanged a glance, their eyes full of worry, and both furrowed their brows. Binlian paused briefly, then spoke first, his tone carrying a hint of hope and urgency: "Is there not even a sliver of possibility?"

Huo La gently shook his head, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the rim of the rice bowl, his tone heavy yet tinged with a faint hope: "If we speak of possibility, there is still some. Since leaving the Temple I've thought of many ways, but only one is truly feasible, and... it requires a great amount of time."

He silently reasoned: the best plan he could devise was to quickly boost his own strength, yet such improvement never comes instantly; it demands countless high‑intensity battles to forge, and the current situation simply does not afford him that much time to train and steadily improve.

Hearing Huo La's words, Binlian's hope gradually faded, and he fell silent, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his expression growing ever more solemn.

Although he did not know the precise details of the world's upheaval, he had seen and noted the ever‑expanding Time and Space rift in the TianQiong sky and the anomalous appearances of Pokémon Kings across the lands.

Moreover, judging from Huo La's frantic, race‑against‑time journey, many matters are clearly better resolved quickly; if they were to drag on, no one knows what dreadful changes might occur.

He trusts Huo La's judgment—if there were enough time, Huo La would surely find a solution and pass the test.

But precisely because he trusts Huo La's judgment, he knows even more clearly that they now have little time left to waste.

The tent fell into a dead silence, only the crackling of the bonfire echoing, reflecting the group's solemn faces, the air thick with oppression and anxiety.

Huo La was silent for a moment, then slowly lifted his head, picked up the rice bowl on the table, and said with a touch of resignation and relief, "Well, let's eat first; after finishing, I'll think of a solution properly."

Speaking, he bent down and took two bites of rice, his expression still solemn, merely suppressing his inner anxiety for the moment.

Xiao Zhao, seeing this, quickly agreed, "Exactly, eating first is important! Maybe by tomorrow Regigigas will change its mind and lower the test's difficulty." She said cheerfully, trying to ease the tent's oppressive atmosphere, though she knew this possibility was most likely nonexistent.

At the meal, no one spoke further, only the soft clink of bowls and chopsticks; each person kept their own thoughts, quickly finishing their rice and then dispersing, the tent returning to its prior silence, with only the bonfire still crackling, illuminating the empty tables and chairs.

Outside the camp, in the snow, Shan Kui paced back and forth, his expression anxious as he waited.

Seeing Binlian's figure approaching from afar, she hurried forward, and with urgent tone asked, "How's it going? Did you go back to the Snow Peak Temple, see Regigigas? Did you manage to negotiate with it?"

Binlian stopped, a bitter smile appearing on his face, gently shook his head, and said with resignation, "What could I see? When I rushed to the Temple entrance, those two Stone Gates had already closed again, sealed tight, impossible to enter."

"Huh? How did that happen?" Shan Kui instinctively covered his mouth, his face full of disbelief, the hope in his eyes vanishing instantly.

She and Binlian had deliberately discussed after the meal, perhaps they could communicate with Regigigas again and plead for a lower difficulty, but they never imagined even the Temple's doors were inaccessible.

Shan Kui steadied himself, then urgently asked, "What do we do now? We can't just keep waiting forever, can we?"

Binlian let out a soft sigh, the bitterness on his face deepening, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Now we can only wait and see."

He lifted his gaze toward the Snow Peak Temple, his eyes filled with melancholy, "We thought the mission of shedding the Guardian Deity's Temple would be at hand, that we could finally lay down the burden, but it turned out like this; now we can only keep waiting."

Shan Kui fell silent, following Binlian's gaze toward the distant Snow Peak, his face full of anxiety yet helpless.