Chapter 122: The Onset of Calamity

Chapter 122: The Eerie Rainy Night of Descending Disaster

The group of eight, led by Li Hao, was searching for a place to hide for the night to ensure their safety. As they flew along, Li Hao turned to Ling Guanghan beside him and asked, "Forgive me for being forward, brother, but may I ask your age?"

In truth, there was no need to ask; everyone knew that Ling Guanghan was at least a youth over twenty. Li Hao’s inquiry was not redundant; it was a way to initiate conversation, get to know one another, and observe basic courtesy.

Upon hearing Li Hao’s question, Ling Guanghan replied, "I am twenty-one this year."

Hearing this, Li Hao said, "I am twelve. From now on, I shall call you Brother Ling."

Ling Guanghan was startled by this revelation and blurted out, "You mean to say, young master, that you are twelve?" He repeated the question intentionally, thinking perhaps Li Hao had misspoke or he had misheard.

Before Li Hao could respond, Lu Yao chimed in, "Brother Li Hao is correct. He is twelve, only two years older than me. I am ten. Like Brother Li Hao, I shall call you Brother Ling, and you can just call me Sister Lu Yao."

Ling Guanghan was utterly stunned, muttering to himself, "Young Master Li Hao and Princess Lu Yao... their aptitude is simply heaven-defying. A twelve-year-old at the mid-stage of the Traveling Realm and a ten-year-old at the early stage."

Qin Zhen, hearing Ling Guanghan’s exclamation, spoke with indifference: "I am Qin Zhen, seventeen. I’m just a little follower of the young master. I’ll call you Brother Ling as well. There’s no need to be so shocked, Brother Ling. In our eyes, the young master is a monster; you’ll get used to it eventually."

Everyone present felt a sense of agreement mixed with amusement at Qin Zhen’s bluntness. Ling Guanghan found Qin Zhen’s straightforwardness quite humorous. However, he was also slightly taken aback by the fact that a seventeen-year-old like Qin Zhen was already at the early stage of the Traveling Realm.

Recovering his composure, Ling Guanghan replied to Qin Zhen, "I am honored that Brother Qin does not look down upon me. That is excellent! Truly excellent!"

Kui Hu said, "I am eighteen. I’ll call you Brother Ling too!"
Li Zhan added, "Eighteen. I’ll call you Brother Ling as well!"
Zhen Ba said, "Nineteen. I’ll call you Brother Ling!"
Lin Xueyou added, "Twenty. I’ll call you Brother Ling too!"

Ling Guanghan felt that this happiness had come too suddenly, leaving him feeling overwhelmed and flattered. He tried to calm his emotions and said to the group, "What have I done to deserve such kindness from you all? I am truly humbled."

The group realized that Ling Guanghan felt inferior due to the disparity in their social standings. Li Hao spoke up: "We are all just ordinary participants in this selection tournament. Here, there are no distinctions of status or rank. I have said before that status and background are mere passing clouds. Even if they exist, they are not our own—they are given by others. Our future does not depend on anyone but ourselves. In our group, there are only those who can be friends and those who cannot."

Upon hearing these words, the shadow of inferiority dissipated from Ling Guanghan’s heart. His mind cleared, and he said gratefully, "Thank you, young master, for your golden words of wisdom. I have learned much. Thank you!"

Seeing their new friend let go of his inner burden, the group felt relieved for him. Li Hao added, "From now on, we are friends who will weather storms together."

"Agreed! Friends for life!"

As time passed, Ling Guanghan gradually integrated into the small group. Night soon fell. Before the darkness fully took hold, Li Hao retreated into his sea of consciousness, quickly activating the Primordial Chaos Bead hidden within. Under his mental command, the bead appeared before his soul. He entered it and initiated the Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Array, sending orders to his nine external clones to find shelter for the night.

The eight, led by Li Hao, found a random cave in the sub-dimension. Lin Huashu and Qin Yanyun were destined to spend the night alone together, while Lu Zhentian and his sister also found a separate cave. Having learned from the previous night, the young cultivators in the sub-dimension no longer wandered aimlessly, instead huddling into caves in groups of two or three.

Once inside their cave, the eight fell into meditation. Two hours later, midnight arrived. Thick, dark clouds gathered in the sky, casting an even gloomier atmosphere over the already dim sub-dimension.

When the clouds covered the entire space with a heavy pressure, a deafening thunderclap echoed, followed by a violent gale. The thunder was muffled and oppressive, and the storm was far more ferocious than before.

The thunderclaps jolted the meditating cultivators awake, and the cruel gusts left every youth feeling agitated and uneasy. Lin Xueyou woke up and saw her friends waking as well. She said, "This storm tonight is so hateful; it makes one feel restless and irritable."

Li Hao replied, "Sister Xueyou is right. The storm tonight can disturb one’s state of mind." He sensed the air carefully for a moment and added with a frown, "Everyone, sense this carefully. I believe it is not just the storm affecting our minds; the thunder tonight is having an even greater impact."

The seven others quieted their hearts to sense the environment. Among them, aside from Lin Xueyou, Zhen Ba held the highest cultivation. In terms of raw strength, their rankings were: Zhen Ba, Li Hao, Lin Xueyou, Ling Guanghan, Kui Hu, Li Zhan, Qin Zhen, and Lu Yao.

After sensing for a while, Zhen Ba spoke, "You are right, young master. I feel the impact of the thunder as well. It affects the mind more than the wind does. Together, they make one feel completely agitated."

The others nodded in agreement. Buffeted by the heavy thunder and the violent wind, they held their breath and circulated their energy to resist. The mental strain grew, and those with lower cultivation began to break out in beads of sweat.

Half an hour passed, reaching the peak of midnight.

"Ah!"
"Ah!"

A massive thunderclap shook the very foundations of the sub-dimension. At that sound, the weaker girls and timid cultivators screamed in terror. Following the thunder, the wind intensified tenfold. Even hidden in their caves, the youths were affected, with dust swirling into their shelters.

Among the eight, Lu Yao was drenched in cold sweat, and Qin Zhen was also perspiring heavily. Seeing this, Li Hao urged, "Everyone, gather your law barriers to resist the storm!"

They all poured their strength into weaving barriers of heaven and earth laws, shielding themselves from the wind invading the cave. For these young cultivators, it was a grueling night. They had to use their souls to defend against the thunder’s mental assault while simultaneously maintaining law barriers against the wind.

Just as they were struggling, a torrential downpour began. The rain showed no signs of letting up, worsening their plight. After an hour, the sub-dimension began to flood. Water levels in the valleys and low-lying areas rose, and those hiding in caves at the base of mountains faced the threat of being trapped in water. They had to divert even more energy to hold back the rising floodwaters.

In another cave, Lu Xuemei was filled with worry, particularly for Lu Yao and Li Hao. Her concern for Li Hao went beyond mere friendship; it was a lingering, deep-seated attachment. She prayed silently, "Brother Li Hao, please take care of yourself. Nothing must happen to you."

Her brother, Lu Zhentian, noticing her distress, comforted her: "Don't worry too much, sister. You must trust Brother Li Hao and Sister Lu Yao. Perhaps they are with Lin Huashu!"

Lu Xuemei replied, "Don't worry, brother, I am fine."

Lu Zhentian didn't believe her, but he could only mutter to himself, "Sigh! I hope Brother Li Hao does not disappoint my sister’s devotion."

Lu Xuemei heard him clearly. With a blush, she asked, "Brother, what are you saying?"

Realizing he had let it slip, Lu Zhentian laughed awkwardly, "Nothing, nothing at all!"

But how could his clumsy cover-up escape her sharp eyes? She said, "Brother Li Hao is still so young, you mustn't talk nonsense!"

Seeing her bashful expression, Lu Zhentian suddenly realized something. With an incredulous look, he asked, "Sister, have you truly fallen for Brother Li Hao?"