Ancient Hidden Realm Part 2

No matter how many times Zhang Jingmo saw this scene, he still felt shocked, and Wu Zuyao was even more stunned, saying, "Baicang, I'm not seeing things, right...?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "You're not."

Wu Zuyao said, "It looks like they are rushing towards us..."

Zhang Jingmo laughed, "Yes."

Wu Zuyao said weakly, "Then shouldn't we run?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "We can run, but can you outrun their horse hooves?"

Wu Zuyao found Zhang Jingmo's words strange. They were both cultivators, so why run when they could just fly away directly? However, just as he was about to mobilize the spiritual energy in his body, he suddenly found that he couldn't circulate it through his meridians at all.

Zhang Jingmo said, "How about it?"

Wu Zuyao's face was ashen. "How can you still be so calm? We're all going to die."

Zhang Jingmo said, "We won't die, but our ears will be a bit uncomfortable."

As soon as he finished speaking, the army of millions rushed to the front of the two. Wu Zuyao only felt his footsteps sink and he couldn't move. He could only watch helplessly as the army trampled over them.

At this moment, Wu Zuyao's mood was complicated. Seeing such a wonder, he was naturally a little excited in addition to being scared, but excitement was one thing. He didn't have the determination to give his life for it.

When the horse hooves were about to crush him, Wu Zuyao closed his eyes in despair, but the expected pain did not come. He was a little surprised. When he opened his eyes, he saw a spear stabbing at him.

Watching the spear pass directly through his body, Wu Zuyao said in a daze, "...These are all illusions?"

Zhang Jingmo, dressed in white, stood out amidst the galloping horses. His face was expressionless, and his tone was calm: "They are souls."

Wu Zuyao asked, "Souls?"

Zhang Jingmo replied, "Yes."

Seeing that Zhang Jingmo was reluctant to say more, Wu Zuyao hesitated for a moment before asking, "Baicang, tell me the truth. Did you already know what would happen here?"

Zhang Jingmo glanced at Wu Zuyao and slowly nodded. He could have pretended in front of Wu Zuyao, acting as if it was his first time seeing this, but perhaps Zhang Jingmo was tired, or for some other reason, he admitted it.

Seeing Zhang Jingmo's confirmation, Wu Zuyao surprisingly didn't get angry. Instead, he sighed with relief and asked, "Then do you know the way out?"

Zhang Jingmo didn't answer. He turned to look in the direction from which the army was coming and said, "Look over there."

Wu Zuyao looked in the direction Zhang Jingmo was staring at but didn't see anything special. The army seemed endless, with soldiers continuously passing by Zhang Jingmo and Wu Zuyao. After a while, Wu Zuyao asked in confusion, "What?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "Wait a little longer."

Wu Zuyao, hearing this, patiently waited.

The charging army didn't harm Zhang Jingmo and Wu Zuyao, except for the piercing sound of their voices, which seemed to have no other effect.

Wu Zuyao didn't know how long he had been watching. When he felt his ears were about to go deaf from the clashing of weapons and the shouting, he finally saw a flag.

The flag was black, with a golden dragon dancing on it, forming the character "Ao".

Under the flag, there was a black horse clad in heavy armor. On the horse sat a general wearing a red cape. The general's expression was cold, looking at the soldiers around him as if they were ants, with no emotion in his eyes.

Zhang Jingmo asked, "What do you think?"

Wu Zuyao looked at the "Ao" flag again, feeling his mouth go dry. He smiled bitterly and said, "Baicang... I must be dreaming."

Zhang Jingmo said, "Of course it's not a dream."

Wu Zuyao said, "I can't believe I'm seeing the legendary scene of the Ao flag. Is the person in front of us the ancient powerhouse Ao Mian? Is this battle..."

He stopped mid-sentence, feeling as if a dangerous beast was staring at him. Following the gaze, his face instantly turned pale, because the person under the flag was looking at him expressionlessly. Fortunately, it was only a glance before the person's gaze shifted to Zhang Jingmo.

Zhang Jingmo didn't react as strongly as Wu Zuyao, which wasn't something to be proud of, because the first time he saw this, he was even worse than Wu Zuyao.

Wu Zuyao whispered, "Baicang, is he looking at us?"

Zhang Jingmo hummed in affirmation.

Wu Zuyao felt like crying at this moment, but to save face, he held back his tears and asked, "Is this person really Ao Mian?"

Hearing the name Ao Mian, Zhang Jingmo glanced at Wu Zuyao. Wu Zuyao said with a bitter face, "Why are you looking at me?"

Zhang Jingmo smiled and said, "I'm just surprised that you still dare to say his name."

Wu Zuyao was stunned for a moment, his face turning even more unsightly. Although the Ao Mian in front of them probably wasn't the real one, he still felt an unprecedented sense of oppression, as if facing an ancient giant beast, feeling that if he moved even slightly, he would be killed instantly.

Ao Mian, riding the black horse, walked towards the two. He held a weapon in his hand, looking down at them from above, his brows still lifeless.

Wu Zuyao's face was as pale as paper. He glanced at Zhang Jingmo, who stood beside him unfazed, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: His Brother Chen is truly a man.

Ao Mian and Zhang Jingmo's eyes met, one calm, the other lifeless, both devoid of any vitality.

Wu Zuyao didn't dare to interrupt, pretending to be a clueless piece of wood.

Ao Mian seemed surprised that Zhang Jingmo dared to meet his gaze. As their eye contact prolonged, the hard lines on his face softened slightly, and he uttered a word: "Good."

Only then did Zhang Jingmo avert his gaze and bow to Ao Mian: "Chen Baicang greets Senior."

Ao Mian said coldly, "You're not bad."

Zhang Jingmo smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Ao Mian asked, "Why have you come here?"

Zhang Jingmo replied, "To find something."

Ao Mian's voice remained cold: "There's nothing here that you can take away."

Zhang Jingmo said, "Not necessarily."

These words, though offensive, didn't anger Ao Mian. A barely visible hint of a smile appeared in his eyes: "Courageous."

Zhang Jingmo bowed again.

Ao Mian looked towards the distant battlefield, his gaze turning cold once more. He asked, "How long has it been?"

Zhang Jingmo answered, "The continent has been divided into three parts by the ocean."

Ao Mian said, "So it's been that long..."

He closed his eyes for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to Zhang Jingmo and said, "Come here."

Hearing this, Wu Zuyao showed a nervous expression, but Zhang Jingmo was very calm. After giving Wu Zuyao a reassuring look, he walked to Ao Mian's horse.

Ao Mian said, "You don't fear life or death. What are you afraid of?"

Zhang Jingmo replied, "Time."

Hearing these two words, Ao Mian laughed. His smile was very stiff, as if he hadn't made this expression in a long time. He said, "Come closer."

Standing behind Zhang Jingmo, Wu Zuyao felt like he was about to stop breathing. He thought that if he were Zhang Jingmo, he would have probably fainted from fear by now.

Zhang Jingmo took another step forward.

Ao Mian said, "You and I are very alike."

Zhang Jingmo remained silent. Ao Mian said, "Every peck and sip is predestined." After saying this, he raised his hand and tossed a small object to Zhang Jingmo, "Your item, take it." It was the small key Zhang Jingmo had thrown into the sea to open the entrance to the secret realm.

Zhang Jingmo looked down at the key in his hand, then clenched his fist. In the many previous lifetimes, Ao Mian had never said these words to him. At most, their interaction was limited to Ao Mian throwing the key from afar. Zhang Jingmo didn't know the reason for this change or whether it was good or bad, but sometimes, the unknown wasn't a bad thing for Zhang Jingmo. At least, he wouldn't feel bored.

Ao Mian said, "There are two more people inside. Do you know them?" As he spoke, two disciples from the Dayan Sect appeared before Zhang Jingmo's eyes.

Zhang Jingmo shook his head.

Having received Zhang Jingmo's answer, Ao Mian slightly raised his palm and made a downward pressing motion. In an instant, the two disciples who were walking on the desert turned into dust.

Ao Mian then said, "I grant you three hundred and sixty-five days."

Zhang Jingmo listened quietly.

Ao Mian continued, "If you fail, stay with me in this secret realm."

Zhang Jingmo replied, "Alright."

After he agreed, Ao Mian gently pulled the reins, raised his spear, and charged on his horse towards the fiercely raging battlefield.