Revenge Challenge

The moment Song Que’s Blood Sea Saber Intent threatened to engulf Long Lingyu, it instead conjured a sacred stream of light.

Suddenly, Song Que faltered, a voice of infinite allure echoing in his ears.

“Look deeply into your own heart.”

As the voice resonated, Song Que’s Blood Sea Saber Intent dissipated.

His vision dimmed, plunging him into darkness.

Yet, within that void, the tapestry of his life began to unfold.

Song Que’s past was fraught with tragedy.

He hailed from a fallen family, annihilated when they offended a powerful authority.

As a mere child, he had witnessed his loved ones brutally slain by their enemies.

This indelible scar festered in his heart, a trauma he believed long buried.

To confront these horrific images again now, to face the very inner demon that had plagued him, was unbearable.

“How could this happen?
No!
Father, Mother, you bastards, stop!
I’ll kill you all!” Song Que roared, a primal, animalistic scream tearing from his throat as he relived the terrifying scene.

To those outside, the scene unfolded quite differently.

In the eyes of the spectators, Song Que had charged towards Long Lingyu, only to halt abruptly, standing motionless and vacant-eyed.

Long Lingyu watched Song Que calmly, a mere three meters separating them.

Song Que’s eyes were clouded with tears, as if trapped within an illusion.

Long Lingyu’s expression was complex, filled with both sympathy and pity.

Moments later, Song Que’s eyes rolled back.

He collapsed directly before Long Lingyu, and his body was instantly teleported away.

The battle had ended.

“What?
What just happened?
How is this possible?” The surrounding Sky Pride disciples erupted in a clamor.

This outcome was even more perplexing than Bai Lan’s previous victory over Xue Feng.

From their vantage point, Long Lingyu had simply stood still.

Song Que had charged, then frozen, only to collapse unconscious.

The battle hadn’t even lasted a minute.

Could Song Que truly be so weak?

“Impossible!
I know exactly how strong Song Que is.
To lose without even exchanging blows… what did this Long Lingyu do?
What method did he employ?” Even the top-ranked trial-takers on the Sky Pride Ranking were bewildered.

Among them was a formidable individual ranked eighth on the Heaven Tier.

His face was etched with gravity; even he could not discern how Song Que had been defeated.

“Trial-taker Long Lingyu has successfully challenged and will now reside in Heaven-tier Pavilion Number Thirty-Three,” the Void Heaven Realm consciousness announced.

Meanwhile, Bai Lan, who was busy sorting through her treasures, paused in surprise at the announcement.

‘He won?
This fellow actually defeated Song Que?
That’s quite unexpected,’ Bai Lan murmured, a hint of doubt in her tone.

Though she hadn’t witnessed the fight, anyone capable of defeating Song Que undoubtedly possessed extraordinary strength.

Back in his Heaven-tier Pavilion residence on the third layer, Song Que lay unconscious.

After an unknown period, he finally stirred, his eyes fluttering open.

Upon waking, he found himself back in his residence.

Seeing his surroundings, he knew he had lost, and lost utterly.

“What a terrifying opponent!
He directly unearthed the one thing I least wanted to face, forcing me to defeat myself.
Damn those eyes!” Song Que clenched his fists tightly.

Long Lingyu had provoked him, trespassing upon the forbidden territory of his inner heart.

That was unforgivable.

Taking a deep breath, Song Que activated his challenge status and used the teleportation array to return to the first floor.

As for Bai Lan, while she was surprised by Long Lingyu’s combat prowess, she didn’t dwell on it.

The treasures she acquired from the secret realm, well, they were mostly at the Foundation Establishment level.

She didn’t bother to examine them too closely, knowing that for someone of Xue Yue’s status, Foundation Establishment-tier items were practically trash.

“Congratulations, Bai Lan!

You have successfully challenged the Sky Pride Ranking for the first time.
You are rewarded with an evolving defensive treasure, the Ice Crystal Dragon Scale Armor, and one thousand experience points,” Yun Yao’s voice declared.

Her voice now clearly indicated the distribution of rewards.

Bai Lan’s eyes lit up at the mention of an evolving defensive treasure.

This was likely the highest reward granted by the Heavenly Dao.

As Yun Yao’s words faded, a silver box materialized before Bai Lan.

She stood, opened the box, and a dazzling silver light burst forth, accompanied by a chilling aura.

Inside the box lay a translucent garment, resembling armor yet not quite.

The white fabric was adorned with shimmering scales, like ice crystals, exquisitely beautiful.

Bai Lan picked it up, examining it closely.

While undeniably stunning, she found it a bit too flashy.

Nevertheless, Bai Lan’s adaptability had improved significantly.

She immediately bonded with the armor, and upon doing so, understood its effects.

It was a defensive outer armor whose protective capabilities could adapt to her cultivation realm and mitigate incoming damage.

She would need to test its practical effects herself.

When not in use, the armor could be retracted into her body, reappearing instantly with a thought, even layering over her existing clothes.

Donning it, Bai Lan transformed in an instant into an ice warrior goddess.

The armor fit snugly, appearing deceptively light and unprotective.

While comfortable to wear, Bai Lan felt a little awkward in it, so she quickly retracted it.

“Sigh!” Bai Lan sighed, then prepared to resume her cultivation.

Her goal was to cultivate to the peak of the Qi Refinement realm here.

She had only recently broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refinement, but she had no immediate plans to enter the Foundation Establishment realm, intending to pause for a while.

Bai Lan remained in the cultivation chamber for several days.

Her cultivation speed here was visibly accelerating.

However, after about a week, the Void Heaven Realm consciousness suddenly roused Bai Lan once more.

“Notification: Trial-taker Song Que has challenged Sky Pride Ranking’s Thirty-Third, Long Lingyu.”

Bai Lan froze, stopping her cultivation at the sound of the announcement.

‘How interesting.
This Song Que must have come down from a higher floor.
He was probably defeated by Long Lingyu and couldn’t accept it, so he came to the first floor to challenge him again,’ Bai Lan mused.

Indeed, her guess was correct.

This time, Bai Lan had no intention of missing the action.

She immediately stood up and entered the Sky Pride Battlefield via the teleportation array.

Song Que’s decision to come to the first floor for a rematch naturally drew the attention of other trial-takers.

Bai Lan soon appeared in the spectator stands beside the Sky Pride Battlefield.

As soon as she arrived, someone approached her.

“You must be Bai Lan, right?
Hello, my name is Lei He.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.” A tall young man stepped forward and greeted Bai Lan.

Bai Lan recognized him as a member of the Thunder Clan.

Of course, it wasn’t just Lei He; soon, other men and women, both familiar and unfamiliar, approached, all eager to befriend Bai Lan.

However, given Bai Lan’s personality, she wasn’t one for social niceties.

Surrounded by so many people, she felt a little overwhelmed and could only manage a strained response.

“Uh, my name is Bai Lan.
As for other information, it’s not convenient to disclose,” Bai Lan replied with an awkward laugh.

Seeing that Bai Lan seemed disinclined to engage with them, many quickly departed.

After all, they weren’t the type to shamelessly curry favor with others.

Yet, some recognized that Bai Lan’s reserved demeanor stemmed from her nature, a personality trait they could understand.