Chapter 209

The following days were calm and peaceful.

Tang Luo did not receive any probing or other movements from Wen Hanfei.

The other party behaved no differently from an ordinary person.

However, Kongming's side had already investigated some results and could basically confirm that Wen Hanfei was a God-Demon Walker.

Wen Hanfei was very cautious, never revealing any supernatural traits in daily life, but on two occasions he fell suddenly ill and was hospitalized.

At the same time, over these years Wen Hanfei had directly purchased a private hospital; although its management was somewhat poor, he still invested a large amount of funds.

He also felt deep sorrow for the hospital and would visit it for inspection every so often.

Obviously, this was to prevent himself from suffering serious injury in the mission world.

The purpose of this hospital was to allow Wen Hanfei to receive better and timely treatment.

It makes one sigh—having money is truly wonderful; ordinary God-Demon Walkers do not have a private hospital specially prepared for treating injuries.

Regarding Wen Hanfei's continued inaction, Kongming considered it very normal and highly consistent with Wen Hanfei's cautious and careful personality.

Tang Luo, however, thought it should be because the New Year was approaching and he was busy.

After all, in Huaxia, people still place great importance on the New Year.

There is a saying: "During the New Year..."—many things can be temporarily set aside and discussed after the holiday, making it the best excuse for procrastinators.

As for the actual situation, it is a combination of both.

Wen Hanfei did not relax his original duties just because he became a God-Demon Walker; before the New Year, he was actually very busy, and one could say even busier.

That is, he rested only a few days after the Spring Festival.

At the same time, Wen Hanfei had never considered directly going to find trouble with the Furious Arhat; although the latter's strength was weaker than outside rumors suggested, he was still a bearer of a destiny.

Given Wen Hanfei's personality, even if he wanted to warn or admonish, he would do so gradually, making thorough preparations.

If he could avoid acting personally, that would naturally be best.

To this end, Wen Hanfei needed to mobilize "our" strength, which would involve other God-Demon Walkers, and thus could not be done on a whim.

Wen Hanfei had already decided to spend some time weaving a great net to envelop the Furious Arhat.

Let him be like prey caught in a spider's web, able only to submit to slaughter.

If things went well, he could even be made to serve him—since he had come, he should not leave.

Wen Hanfei felt he was just lacking a capable assistant.

The Furious Arhat was an excellent choice—daring to confront directly, a brainless brute, yet hard to find.

These undercurrents naturally had no effect on Tang Luo.

With no new missions appearing, after six missions Tang Luo's mission intervals suddenly lengthened.

This year passed so peacefully...

To be precise, it was much livelier than before—at least New Year greetings came in one after another, along with various red envelopes.

After the New Year.

At night, Tang Luo stood on the balcony, raised his head to gaze at the night sky, lifted his right hand, and pushed forward a palm strike.

A faint wind could be heard.

"Level up." As this strike was directed into the empty air, Tang Luo's Empty Palm skill successfully reached level three.

Tang Luo felt that if he used it a few more times, seeking the sensation, he would soon fully master it, turning Empty Palm into a descending palm technique from the heavens, usable at will.

Since returning from the previous mission, over two months had passed.

In between, a year had passed; Tang Luo reckoned that, having left the novice period, his first mission after that—the seventh mission—should now arrive.

"Consecutive Ordinary Fist" had been transformed by Tang Luo into "Thousand Hands Cannot Defend," thus no longer occupying a skill slot.

Passive enhancements likewise did not occupy a slot.

Tang Luo had a total of 5+1 skills; it would be best to fully master Empty Palm during the seventh mission.

This would free up another slot, more than enough, so there was no need to worry about which skill to replace.

In the mission world, using skills in combat yields far better results than mere practice.

Real combat is the fastest way to increase strength.

This holds true whether or not one is a destiny bearer.

After raising Empty Palm to level three, Tang Luo also tried using Parry and Dragon-Capturing Hand.

The remaining "Boundless Buddha Law" (Spartan War Cry) and Dragon's Roar were unsuitable for use in such a place.

If there were a progress experience bar, then instead, the Dragon-Capturing Hand's progress would be faster and its experience greater than what had just been obtained.

Tang Luo greatly liked the Dragon-Capturing Hand skill; mainly, it was very convenient.

If, after several missions, skill replacement became necessary, Tang Luo would prioritize replacing Dragon's Roar.

As for Boundless Buddha Law, it would be a retained item—even if upgraded slowly, it would not matter.

This is an important sign of Master Xuanzang's profound Buddha Law, just like enlightenment; both are signature abilities for external promotion.

"Eh, why don't I buff myself?" Tang Luo suddenly thought.

The designated target of "Boundless Buddha Law" also includes the user himself, so Tang Luo could completely use this skill on himself.

It should still have a training effect—just look at the dog to know.

After using Boundless Buddha Law on her, she leapt up and down happily, having received excellent training.

After daily training, Tang Luo turned and returned to his room.

Two days later, Tang Luo stood before the mirror, tidying his elegant white monk's robe.

The previous set had been burned to ashes by the fire of karma, leaving not even dust, but Tang Luo had originally bought several sets, preparing for emergencies.

The set he was currently wearing had additional black edge patterns and decorative motifs compared to that one.

Compared to before, it gave off an extra sense of coldness.

Putting on his glasses in an invisible state and changing into light and agile shoes, Tang Luo took out the three pieces of equipment he had stored on his person—Wind-Piercing Bone Sword, Gold Brick, and Cursed House—one by one, confirmed them, and then put them back.

"I don't know what the mission here will be."

Rubbing the head of the Heavenly Hound that had jumped onto his shoulder, Tang Luo silently thought in his heart, and suddenly his vision went dark.

Compared to before, where changes were imperceptible, this sudden scene shift was completely different.

This change almost made Tang Luo overlook this mission.

"Camp mission: Protect the queen's life, prevent her death, and help her gain control of the country where the ruler resides."

"Is there actually a hinted camp mission? This means the gods and demons walking among us have a mission that is 100% in conflict with mine—shouldn't their mission be to kill the queen or something like that?"

Tang Luo silently thought in his heart, then temporarily set the mission aside.

He began to study the current strange state.

Front, back, left, right, all directions—everywhere was pitch black, with not a single glimmer of light.

It was as if his vision had been directly stripped away; even when Tang Luo stretched his hand in front of his eyes, he could not see the outline of his palm.

The Heavenly Hound on his shoulder had already vanished.

Tang Luo's entire body appeared to be in a state of levitation.

Although the surroundings were dark, they were not cold; on the contrary, they were warm, like sinking into warm water with eyes closed, and he could still breathe—very comfortable.

Closing his eyes, he could fall into a deep sleep.

Tang Luo tried moving his limbs slightly, feeling some resistance.

Floating and spinning, with no distinction between up, down, left, or right, making it impossible to find a direction to "strive forward."

"What kind of start is this?" Tang Luo silently thought in his heart.

Being thrown into such a strange place right from the beginning—no matter how you look at it, it's not a good omen.

This mission, it seems, is not simple.

At least this opening is more complex and strange than the previous six missions.

Raising a single index finger, a spark of fire burst forth, dispersing the surrounding darkness.

A flame danced on Tang Luo's fingertip, emitting light, a fire lighter than amber in color, giving a feeling of crystal clarity and transparency.

It seemed not the flame itself that was dancing, but rather some kind of crystal flowing in the form of fire.

Dazzling, eerie, beautiful.

This is the "supporting divine ability" Tang Luo slowly came to understand on his own after cultivating the Diamond Glazed Buddha Bone.

Named Liuli Flame, it is likely born due to Tang Luo having tempered it with the fire of karma, which gave rise to this divine ability.

At this moment, using it for illumination is still quite effective.

At least it saves Tang Luo from consuming merit power by using the Merit Jade Lotus for lighting.

The Liuli Flame dispersed the surrounding darkness, allowing Tang Luo to see farther.

But this is of no use, because even farther away, it remains dark, as if Tang Luo had been thrown into the depths of the universe.

Clenching his fist, the Liuli Flame at his fingertip vanished simultaneously—old habit: when faced with a situation where no entrance or exit can be found, just throw a punch.

Smash the entire " predicament" directly, and you can get out.

A maze? What maze?

Unless this dark space is solid, or rather vast enough to completely contain Tang Luo's power without affecting him.

Just as Tang Luo was about to throw a punch—if one punch doesn't work, throw a few more—

A beam of light suddenly appeared, landing before Tang Luo.

Just like on a black stage, a spotlight exclusively for one character.

A mirror abruptly appeared there.

Tang Luo also felt the sensation of solid ground beneath his feet; he walked toward the mirror, but what he saw was not himself.

But another person.

A woman, dressed in an ornate Western court outfit, very beautiful.

In Tang Luo's words, she could be called a female bodhisattva, not a female donor.

The woman silently gazed at Tang Luo, more likely looking at herself from the other side of the mirror; after a moment, she softly opened her vermilion lips and asked: "Magic mirror, magic mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

"..."

Tang Luo fell silent.

Based on her question, it can be confirmed that this is the fairy tale world of Snow White?

So, the queen he must protect is the woman before him.

"Magic mirror, magic mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

The queen stared at the mirror and asked the question again.

"Have I become the magic mirror?" Tang Luo reached out his hand to touch the mirror's surface.

Just like passing through a water surface, Tang Luo's finger directly entered the mirror's interior, sending out ripples.

He saw the woman in the mirror show a surprised expression and retreat two steps.

"Cough cough." After two coughs, Tang Luo withdrew his hand and asked, "Hey, can you hear me speaking?"

"Magic mirror, magic mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?" the woman asked again, like a broken record.

"Don't ask anymore." Tang Luo said, "Wait until I come out to answer you."

Saying that, he stepped forward directly and walked out through this tall mirror.