Chapter 168: Different Times

Zhai Guangyi withdrew the Divine Pressure emanating from his soul, allowing Yang Jingting to finally catch his breath. Everything had happened too suddenly.

Only now did Yang Jingting realize that the adorable Elf Maiden before him was on an entirely different level. During his time in the Secret Realm, he had not only grown significantly but also gained absolute confidence in his own strength. He had even planned to leave the Secret Realm to challenge Xiong Batian and prepare to marry her daughter, Xiong Er.

Yet, he never expected to encounter such a powerful Maiden here. And to think he had just tried to pinch her cheek—such frivolous behavior! Could he have angered this formidable being? Why would such a strange individual appear in Dragon God Radon’s Secret Realm?

Zhai Guangyi cast the King Tree Domain over Yang Jingting, calming his fearful emotions and soothing his unsettled soul.

“I bear no ill will. That was merely punishment for your disrespect.”

Zhai Guangyi had no intention of revealing his identity as a Classmate in this form—it would be far too embarrassing. It was better to maintain the dignity of the Divine Tree.

“Thank you, Honored One, for sparing my life!”

Yang Jingting prostrated himself in an exaggerated manner, hands on the ground and buttocks raised, expressing his gratitude for Zhai Guangyi’s mercy. For Yang Jingting, simply being alive in this World and able to stay with Xiong Er was enough. When faced with an unbeatable opponent, he would flee; if he couldn’t escape, he would surrender. Survival was all that mattered.

Zhai Guangyi was puzzled. What had Yang Jingting been through? How had an online powerhouse who would hunt down opponents in real life changed so drastically? It seemed both he and Chen Dabai had undergone transformations after meeting each other.

Could it be that the two of them…!

Zhai Guangyi suddenly had some unsettling thoughts. Had Xiong Er’s sexual orientation changed as well? Could physical form influence such things?

Zhai Guangyi was now deeply concerned about these matters, especially since he was currently operating in a Maiden’s body. Feeling a bit uneasy, he decided it was best to quickly deal with the Elven Divine Tree Sylph and complete his evolution.

“I’ll ask you questions. Tell me everything you know.”

“Absolutely no problem!”

Yang Jingting flashed a wide grin and gave Zhai Guangyi an OK sign.

“Aside from me, have you truly not encountered anyone else? For example, someone who looks exactly like me.”

Zhai Guangyi had just used his soul to sense this World but found no signs of any so-called Divine War.

“No! Other than you, I haven’t met anyone else here.”

Yang Jingting answered with certainty.

Zhai Guangyi observed Yang Jingting’s demeanor and saw no signs of deception. Even if Yang Jingting were lying, Zhai Guangyi could detect it by observing his Soul Fluctuation.

“Then what do you usually do in this Secret Realm?”

Zhai Guangyi sensed no threat from this World created by Dragon God Radon, nor did he find any traces of Demon King Mephistopheles or the Elven Divine Tree Sylph. Therefore, he needed to understand the rules of this World as much as possible through Yang Jingting.

“I am here for tempering. There are many powerful rare metals in this place, containing immense energy that can nourish both soul and body. However, they are usually hidden in rather dangerous locations. For example, beneath this lake, there are many rare metals with soul energy surpassing the Demigod Rank. But the danger level of this dense alloy water is beyond what I can withstand. Even after staying here for so long, I can only manage to swim on the surface.”

Yang Jingting began detailing everything about this place. After all, in his eyes, the one before him was likely a powerful individual sent by the Divine Tree for tempering. Those who could enter this Secret Realm through the Dragon God Radon Honored One were usually here for tempering. Moreover, judging by the appearance of this maiden, she didn’t seem like a bad person. Perhaps she was even a powerful ally worth clinging to.

Hearing Yang Jingting emphasize the energy metals at the bottom of the lake, Zhai Guangyi felt somewhat tempted. Metal crystals capable of restoring soul energy would be an excellent choice, whether for consolidating His strength or crafting powerful weapons. Moreover, judging by Yang Jingting’s demeanor, he seemed eager for Him to take him down there.

These energy metals were indeed what Zhai Guangyi needed now, but what He truly wanted to know was where the Demon King and the others had gone.

Even with Zhai Guangyi’s Divine Rank soul strength, He couldn’t sense anything amiss, which struck Him as very strange. Moreover, Yang Jingting’s words also raised a hint of suspicion in Zhai Guangyi’s mind.

This World created by the Dragon God Radon—Zhai Guangyi had learned while outside that there was only one such World, with no other planes of existence. So why were neither the Demon King Mephistopheles nor the Dragon God Radon here?

There was no other way; He could only rely on the power of the ‘World.’

“I have already deduced the specific location of the Demon King Mephistopheles.”

Zhai Guangyi directly imagined that He had guessed the correct outcome. This method consumed the least energy, but even merely guessing consumed a considerable amount of soul energy.

A flash of insight appeared in His mind—the words ‘different spacetime’ surfaced in Zhai Guangyi’s thoughts. This was clearly the correct answer.

They were still within this World, but merely in a different time. This was clearly the ability of the Demon King Mephistopheles, likely utilizing the so-called Retrograde Light Skill. The Demon King truly spared no expense! He had transferred both Deities away.

With the answer in hand, Zhai Guangyi was no longer in a hurry. It now seemed that the Dragon God Radon and the Demon King Mephistopheles had likely joined forces. Sending two Deities to another spacetime required such immense soul energy consumption that the Demon King Mephistopheles alone could not have borne it.

The Dragon God Radon probably did not want to destroy the golden World He had created. This also served as a double safeguard—different spacetime, different planes of existence, creating two layers of imprisonment to hinder or encircle and kill the Elven Divine Tree Sylph, preventing her from escaping easily.

“Retrograde Light!”

Zhai Guangyi’s previous Primordial Spirit Body had witnessed the Demon King Mephistopheles use this Skill before dying, so He could naturally recreate it using the ‘World.’ In fact, He could learn it, but that would require obtaining the Demon King Seed and evolving into a Demon King.

That seemed far too troublesome. It was better to directly manifest the existing Retrograde Light using the ‘World.’

Zhai Guangyi did not directly transmigrate over but instead peered into the past. This consumed even less energy.

Faintly, Zhai Guangyi saw a void world, a vast expanse of black curtain. This was when Dragon God Radon had just created this plane—a plane empty of all things.

Three streams of energy collided with one another. The one shimmering with a dark red glow continuously suppressed the golden and black energies. At times, the dark red radiance grew even more ferocious, as if it were about to devour the black and golden energies.