Chapter 313: 322 Believe in the Light

Deep in the woods, two figures were constantly shuttling between the treetops.

One of them was dressed in green, his figure swaying unsteadily, not moving in a straight line; although his speed was remarkably fast, it seemed as if he might fall from the trees at any moment.

The other person was even faster, his red hair like burning flames, and his way of advancing was extremely fierce, like a wild boar charging through the forest, smashing through any leaves or branches that blocked his path without exception. Moreover, before he even collided with them, the branches seemed to have been scorched by high heat, instantly turning charred and withered before falling to the ground.

"Not Gang Qi, is it released Sword Essence? Or is it a hidden Sword Image?"

The green-clad person beside him, although appearing as if drunk, was extremely calm in his drunken state, constantly observing this red-haired person who was clearly younger than himself.

It is very easy for a Sword Guest to carry an anomaly about themselves, and they can even go and play god in front of ignorant people, but any manifestation must consume Sword Essence, even just to maintain the descent of a Sword Image. It is fine in ordinary times, but releasing it like this before a battle is a waste. The Inspection Division trains young Disciples in the Training Camp to exert their full strength during combat and not to do unnecessary things.

Of course, after becoming a Sword Guest, not everyone follows the regulations, but that does not stop them from picking faults in others.

"Young man, you are truly full of confidence."

"Hey, let's stop here. Where else do you want to run?" The red-haired person stepped on a knot on a tree trunk and shouted, "Could it be that you aren't looking for a place to duel with me, but are running for your life?"

The green-clad person smiled lazily and did not stop, taking out a wine gourd from his sleeve to take two gulps; despite such intense running, not a drop spilled, and he said, "I am doing this for your own good. You, kid, are all fiery and red, setting things ablaze wherever you go; you need to find a wider place, preferably by the water. Otherwise, if you set the mountain on fire, the offense will be no small matter. If you run into the forest rangers, they will surely arrest you one way or another. At best, you'll get a spanking and jail time; at worst, you'll be exiled three thousand miles."

The red-haired one sneered, "I know you want to leave the forest before making a move. You also know that this forest is the home turf of the old East Pillar of State? You don't dare to make a move here, but it is easy for you to get out, yet difficult to get back in. Aren't you worried about the little friend left here? When he is beaten to tears and crying for help, you won't be able to get in to save him."

The green-clad person laughed, "I can get back in just as easily as I can get out—I will naturally enter once your old man is dead. As for the little friend—it is not certain whose little friend will be the one crying. I see that little friend of yours is weak and frail, his face full of dejection and listlessness; is he used to crying?"

Having said this, he suddenly stopped his steps and stood on a treetop.

Beneath his feet was a giant ginkgo tree, its thick trunk surrounded by thin trunks that had branched out and embraced each other, forming a forest from a single tree. Because it was early autumn, the ginkgo leaves were still lush green, and standing in his green clothes among the branches and leaves, he was almost indistinguishable.

Although the color was indistinguishable, the scent was becoming increasingly obvious. A thick smell of wine permeated his surroundings, almost to the point of making one dizzy.

The red-haired one gave a light huff, and two puffs of breath sprayed from his nose, which were actually residual fire smoke; the smell of wine in the air instantly turned into a scorching scent, "You fear my flames and want to leave the firewood; your line of thinking is correct. But you are still a fool; could it be that you came out of the Inspection Division? This wine vapor, isn't it flammable? Turn into flames—"

The two drew their swords simultaneously, and two streaks of sword light, one green and one red, flashed across.

"Sword Art—New Brew!"

"Sword Art—Fire in the Stone!"

On the other side, deep in the forest, a labyrinth had been erected, though no one knew since when.

The labyrinth was layered and overlapping, the light dim and the Yin energy oppressive. The rough walls all around looked at first glance as if they were woven from withered branches and old vines, but looking closely, they were interspersed with all sorts of shocking, strange sights.

Some wall crevices were piled with dense masses of corpses; some had turned into white Bone, some were still fresh with wounds showing clear flesh and blood, dripping with gore, and some were rotting, with yellow fluid flowing from the putrid meat, swelling like balloons.

Some crevices were crawling with insects, dense black dots, slowly wriggling white maggots, and layers of transparent wings, a whole mass squeezed together.

Some contained snakes crawling inside, their smooth, fine scales rubbing against the ground, making a rustling sound, along with the "da-da" sound of flicking snake tongues.

In other corners stood ghosts: hanging ghosts, drowned ghosts, ox-headed and horse-faced demons...

In this small labyrinth, everything in the world that could make people afraid was present, and there were even monsters beyond human imagination; even if one could not recognize them, they would cause physiological discomfort.

Even if one closed their eyes, they still could not be exempted; various tiny, disgusting, and ear-piercing sounds would come to their ears, making one's bones itch and their heart and liver feel as if they were being scratched by sharp, cruel claws. Even if one plugged their ears, their nose would still smell a thick stench that penetrated straight to the gut, and even if one blocked all five senses, they could still feel deep malice in the dark, as if a sharp sword were hanging over their head, ready to fall at any moment and pierce them through from head to toe.

In short, every second spent in this labyrinth was a painful torture.

Tang Zhao was standing in the center, slightly closing his eyes, then opening them. He had repeated the action of opening and closing his eyes several times, and every time he opened them, it was a new experience. The road before him was always changing, with all sorts of new disgusting things pushed before his eyes; the labyrinth revolved around him, just like the stars revolve around the sun.

No matter if this labyrinth was real enough, the imagination was certainly sufficient. Even though Tang Zhao had learned a lot of knowledge from Chen Zong that he would never use in his life, it was still difficult for him to recognize all the monsters here.

For a moment, he had suspected: could these monsters be projections of his own inner imagination?

But immediately after, he denied it: compared to the bizarre and motley scenes hidden in the depths of his heart, the terrifying things before him clearly lacked imagination—how could there not even be a giant beast?

If a giant beast appeared, he could let them recall what it meant to believe in the light.

He thought, compared, and analyzed in this way, which clearly showed that he had not been intimidated by the labyrinth into falling into fear. His Spirit was very stable. Simple sensory stimulation was not enough to make him lose his focus.

"Hehe... do you want to play a game?"

A drifting voice came from nowhere, seeming to be everywhere—North, South, East, and West—sounding somewhat like the voice of the one who had just become king, yet not quite, distorted and unlike a human voice.

Tang Zhao smiled slightly: "Are you anxious?"

"Let's play a game—" The voice repeated the sentence with almost no pause.

A "zha-zha-zha" sound rang out behind him, a noise created by metal colliding. At the same time, a metal gate rose behind him. The gate was slowly opening; although it only opened a crack, it revealed a foot inside.

This foot did not reveal its full appearance, but one could see the sharp claws in front, which were already taller than Tang Zhao.

"This gate will open within one stick of incense, and it will release a monster you could never dream of. You will be chewed to pieces by it, swallowed, and excreted as dung water. If you want to save your life, then run. Run for the time of one stick of incense along the road paved with white Bone and insects. Perhaps there is a glimmer of survival at the end of the labyrinth?"

"Prepare to depart..."

Following the announcement of the rules, the gate behind him lifted upward inch by inch.

As if an invisible sense of anxiety were pressing on his heart, Tang Zhao, who had his eyes half-closed, seemed to be about to truly follow the rules and run, but then he couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you have mind-reading? I was just thinking about a monster. If you can really release a monster, I would truly dare to transform."

The voice did not respond. The source of that anxiety seemed to tremble for a moment.

Tang Zhao sighed.

"It seems it's not mind-reading, but a whim. Thinking of one thing after another, having whatever is needed. Isn't this just dreaming? Dreams have everything."

"But I don't want to dream, and this isn't a sweet dream. If it's a dream, wake up early."

As he spoke, he pressed his hand against the sword at his waist.

"When morning comes, the dream will naturally wake up, right? When the Sunlight rises, the Shadow will naturally fade away."

"Early morning, there must be morning light—"

As if his words carried the Sword Law, a ray of Sunlight shone upon his head.

This labyrinth clearly looked airtight, as if it were submerged in the Eighteen Levels of Hell, but at this very moment, a beam of light shone down.

It was a pure white, soft, and warm radiance, shining on Tang Zhao's hair and eyelashes, just like when one is half-awake in the morning and someone pulls back the curtains, letting the Sunlight shine through the thin window gauze onto them.

If Tang Zhao had previously had a slightly unpleasant expression, the moment he was bathed in the Sunlight, his expression instantly became peaceful; he opened his eyes, full of spiritual vitality, and even his mood became cheerful.

"Morning Plan," Tang Zhao said happily, "Up in the early morning, time to work."

Following his greeting, a ray of light flashed.

That was Sunlight!

The originally gentle Sunlight suddenly turned scorching, transforming into an arc of light that swept outward!

That Sunlight was so pure; wherever the radiance reached, the Shadow immediately dissipated. Whatever mazes, whatever Bone, whatever giant beasts behind stone doors, they vanished like torn-up paintings, revealing the bright daylight.

Under the daylight, Luse formed shade; it was clearly still that same great forest from before.

Originally, it had already been dawn.

The Sunlight blended into the natural daylight and was no longer visible; Tang Zhao turned his head and smiled: "Eh, found you."

That Cheng Wang was hiding behind a large tree several zhang away, dumbfounded; he also had not expected his illusion to fade so quickly, as if it were truly just like a dream. Once the dream woke, not only was the dream gone, but even the memories belonging to the dream vanished from his mind in an instant, leaving only a blank void of confusion.

"You... you..."

At this moment, a Spirit Image as shriveled as a painting slid down along the large tree. It was precisely his Spirit Image; that Spirit Image's power had all been consumed in the illusion, and at this time, with the illusion broken in a crushing manner, it immediately looked as if it had been drained of blood, leaving only a painted skin.

Tang Zhao scrutinized Cheng Wang and suddenly said with certainty: "We have definitely met."

Cheng Wang opened his mouth, and Tang Zhao said: "If you don't believe me, let's test it. Rolling Earth..."

Hearing these two words, Cheng Wang was terrified to the extreme and clutched his head with both hands, running wildly backward; however, in the past, he had always let his Spirit Image carry him, and now that the Spirit Image was incapacitated, he himself ran wildly like a Mortal. His speed could not pick up at all, and he even tripped over a stone and fell down.

Before he could fall on his own, the light behind him covered him like a sack, dragging him back.

Tang Zhao said with a smile: "I lied to you. Don't be afraid; in the future, I won't use that move casually. Besides, dealing with you doesn't require making such a fuss."

Seeing Cheng Wang like meat on a chopping block, Tang Zhao was very happy—Chi Deputy Envoy said to finish the battle quickly, and hadn't he just finished it quickly? It was definitely faster than him.

Cheng Wang was caught and simply stopped struggling, only saying with a mournful face: "I'm telling you, you are a Sword Guest, why are you bullying me?"