Chapter 52: The Trials of Yama Demon’s Abode

Yue Feng, Wang Yu, and Situ Yan, deep within the Land of Ten Thousand Fires, remained oblivious to the impending upheaval in Furnace City.

Their attention was solely focused on carefully traversing the volcanic crab’s densely populated habitat.

They no longer had to worry about sudden ambushes from other individuals. Anyone attempting to track them would first need to brave a vast, densely packed region teeming with volcanic crabs.

The wise would retreat, while the foolish would inevitably be reduced to molten slag.

Despite their formidable skills, which should have allowed them to traverse this path swiftly, they painstakingly spent over half a day to finally make it across.

The moment they were finally clear, everyone immediately accelerated their pace. Only after running far enough that the massive swarm of volcanic crabs was entirely out of sight did they, without exception, collapse to the ground.

A-Bao, in particular, presented a comical sight; as a bear, walking on tiptoes had been an unbearable ordeal. It simply lay motionless on the ground, overwhelmed by the immense mental pressure they had all endured.

Oh, and everyone except for the one who could fly.

“If only I could fly too,” Wang Yu lamented, wishing for a pair of wings. Yet, the concept of how to achieve flight remained utterly elusive to her.

“Experts above the Cloud Ascension Realm can fly by manipulating qi,” Situ Yan explained, catching his breath.

“But flying through the air isn’t entirely safe. Volcanic crabs are incredibly sensitive to foreign auras, and they will attack even those in flight.

The sky above the Land of Ten Thousand Fires also restricts flight altitude, generally keeping you within their attack range.

We were only safe because Yama Demon’s aura suppressed their aggression; as long as we didn’t provoke them, they wouldn’t strike.”

Wang Yu clicked her tongue. These creatures were practically a cheat code. A thought suddenly struck her—the question any Chinese person would prioritize upon encountering a new species: “Can these crabs be eaten?”

Yue Feng and Situ Yan stared, their mouths agape, unsure how to respond. ‘Your nonchalance is truly something, Elder,’ they thought.

“This… I don’t think so,” Situ Yan said, sounding uncertain. “Volcanic creatures don’t have blood flowing through their bodies; it’s a substance similar to magma. Even if they were edible, the taste would be far too… stimulating.”

“Is that so?” Wang Yu asked, a hint of regret in her voice. “So many hairy crabs, yet not a single one is edible.”

“Alright, Yu’er, if you’re so keen on eating them, I’ll take you to get some later,” Yue Feng said, standing up and clapping his hands. “Brother Situ, this must have been the most challenging part of the journey, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Indeed,” Situ Yan affirmed. “Yama Demon’s coordinates are not far from here.”

Physically, they hadn’t expended much energy, and Wang Yu’s antics had significantly alleviated their mental strain.

They picked up their pace for the remainder of the journey. The closer they drew to Yama Demon’s territory, the scarcer living creatures became.

Even though Yama Demon had been dead for a long time, the simple-minded volcanic creatures still dared not approach as long as his aura lingered.

Finally, they halted before a colossal cave.

Outwardly, the cave once had a grand entrance, but it had been forcibly broken open from the outside, leaving only half a doorframe dangling precariously. Yet, from within, a vibrant, multicolored, glazed light emanated.

“My people only reached the first layer of the trial here before retreating,” Situ Yan explained, a helpless expression on his face.

“The trials here are peculiar; their difficulty scales with the highest strength of the challenger. Therefore, it’s best not to have too high a cultivation realm or too great a disparity in strength when challenging it, as it’s not a trial one can clear alone.”

“What kind of trial is it?” Wang Yu asked, her curiosity piqued.

Situ Yan pondered for a moment before replying,

“The trial transports us to an altar. In front of the altar is a massive blue crystal. Across from us is the enemy camp, where a large red crystal awaits. We need to destroy their crystal to win; conversely, if our crystal is shattered, we lose.”

Wang Yu’s eyes widened. Why did this sound so incredibly familiar?

“However, when my people bypassed the enemy’s guards to attack their crystal, they couldn’t even budge it a fraction,” Situ Yan said, a troubled look on his face.

“Even the elite opponents sent out would revive after being killed. Moreover, they advanced in three lanes, so we couldn’t even pass the first stage. After that, a series of events unfolded, and we had no time to investigate further.”

Yue Feng’s expression grew strange as he spoke to Shi Yang in his mind: ‘Master, wasn’t Yama Demon cornered and defeated right outside his home by you all? Why are there still trials he set up inside?’

‘Uh, because we set these up,’ Shi Yang admitted awkwardly. ‘It was Zhao Ritian’s idea.’

Yue Feng’s eyes widened. ‘Why? You blocked someone’s home and then set up obstacles?’

“Because the situation at the time was that we had cornered Yama Demon outside his own home,” Shi Yang clarified.

‘??? What do you mean?’ Yue Feng asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Didn’t I tell you Yama Demon has no sense of direction?” Shi Yang said.

“His coordinate map was lost due to various accidents and then, by a stroke of luck, ended up in our hands. So, by the time he found his way home, we had already been living there for half a year.”

‘And you spent those six months setting up these mechanisms in his house?’ Yue Feng was stunned by their actions. ‘By a stroke of luck? You’re lying!’

Shi Yang nodded silently.

“Actually, most of the ideas came from Zhao Ritian; I just lent a hand. Don’t ask me what I set up; I don’t really understand it myself.

All I know is that when Yama Demon emerged from there, he was mentally exhausted and looked at us as if we were his sworn enemies.”

Yue Feng was speechless. ‘Didn’t you have urgent business?’

“We did!” Shi Yang complained.

“It was precisely because we wasted half a year setting up traps that the matter became urgent, almost past its deadline.

Even so, Zhao Ritian remained tirelessly enthusiastic. If Yama Demon hadn’t returned, he would have prepared even more traps.”

‘Is he a devil?’ Yue Feng didn’t know what else to say, especially since he was, in a way, Zhao Ritian’s successor. ‘So now we’re going to be trapped by the mechanisms you two set up? Couldn’t you have dismantled them after you were done?’

“We were in a hurry, weren’t we? Besides, it’s good to keep them as a memento; your master and I did most of the work for half a year. Isn’t Wang Yu from the same place as Zhao Ritian?” Shi Yang asked awkwardly. “She should understand.”

Yue Feng, feeling helpless, looked towards Wang Yu and whispered, “Yu’er?”

“Say no more,” Wang Yu said, pushing Yue Feng’s approaching face away. “I understand. Once we’re inside, you’ll follow my command.”

Yue Feng nodded. “Alright, alright.”

“Eh?” Situ Yan looked at the two of them, confused. “You two know about this trial?”

“A little bit,” Wang Yu replied, offering no further explanation. “Come in with me.”

“Welcome to the Canyon of Ten Thousand Fires. Embrace despair, hahahaha!”

‘???’ ‘Excellent, even the opening line has changed. The static noise must be crude language, but something seems to be malfunctioning.’

Wang Yu confidently declared, “Go get me a bot! Watch me go godlike!”

And then…

“What the hell? There’s no Teemo, so why are there mushrooms in the brush?”

“What’s going on? Isn’t this Garen? Why does he have Ezreal’s ‘E’ and even a hook?”

“Whoa, why are there so many people? That’s not fair!”

“Why are Jarvan and Xin Zhao popping out of the brush!”

Outside the cave, Wang Yu, radiating dark energy, cursed incessantly. “@#*%%&.”

Cough, cough, it was all crude language anyway.

Yue Feng and Situ Yan exchanged glances. They could tell that Wang Yu clearly understood the rules and gameplay, but something was still different from what she expected.

A-Bao also looked exhausted, while Xiaoke, conversely, was laughing so hard they were practically paralyzed.

Since Xiaoke had no real combat power, Wang Yu hadn’t considered them a combat unit, so Xiaoke had been watching them suffer from the sidelines.

“Hahahahaha!” Xiaoke’s eyes teared up from laughter. “I can’t take it anymore! A bunch of noobs, hahahaha! You guys are here for comedy, right? Fountain commander, hahahaha!”

Wang Yu’s adorable little face flushed crimson, her anger skyrocketing. “Xiaoke!”

Xiaoke sensed trouble. Just as they were about to flee, Wang Yu grabbed them by their wings and dragged them back towards the trial.

“I know what we’re missing! Xiaoke, you’re going to be our meat shield!” Wang Yu roared at Yue Feng and Situ Yan, her face flushed with humiliation and fury. “What are you waiting for? Keep up!”

“Alright, alright, we’re coming!” Wang Yu, with her face flushed, was truly captivating, causing them to stare blankly. Snapping out of it at her words, they quickly followed.

Wang Yu repeatedly threw Xiaoke out as bait and a meat shield. With the others providing insane damage from a distance, they finally managed to push down the enemy’s crystal.

“I… I… I can’t go on,” Xiaoke crawled out of the trial, utterly drained of the strength to even fly. “Ah!”

Xiaoke was immediately crushed under A-Bao, who had teleported out behind them, letting out a pained shriek.

“The trial is finally over!” Wang Yu clapped her hands, feeling refreshed. “You think a mere hell mode can stump me? How naive!”

Yue Feng and Situ Yan looked at Xiaoke, who was sprawled on the ground, speechless.

“Come on, let’s go see what Yama Demon has in store for us,” Wang Yu declared, striding forward. She didn’t notice the yellow line on the ground, stepping directly over it.

“I never thought your intelligence would allow you to pass the first stage! Come, this is my final trial. Home is just ahead, brave warrior, you must strive!”

‘???’ Wang Yu was immediately teleported into a game space.

Yue Feng and Situ Yan tried to rush forward but found they couldn’t enter, though they could still see inside.

“Welcome to the Cat Mario Space!”

Wang Yu’s pupils constricted. She immediately turned and ran back towards the exit. “I want to switch players! I want to complain! This is too inhumane!”

Then, she crashed directly into the spatial wall. “Ouch!” Wang Yu rubbed her head. ‘It hurts so much. Be strong, don’t cry,’ she thought.

She didn’t realize that her attempt to hold back tears was utterly endearing to those outside.

Simultaneously, a voice echoed: “Trying to run? Haha, no way! Come on, you’ll be home after eight levels!”

Wang Yu’s face was filled with indignation. There was no choice but to play. This time, she would personally make an appearance; she wouldn’t clear the game without using up all her lives.

“Ah, where did that monster come from?”

“Why is there a pit?”

“Damn hidden brick!”

“Oh my god, this floor is so fragile.”

“Ahhh, why can’t these monsters just let me step on them peacefully?”

“Finally, the finish line! Ah, why are there monsters at the finish line too?”

It was too tragic; Yue Feng and Situ Yan couldn’t bear to watch. Wang Yu was constantly being tricked by all sorts of traps.

“Hahahahaha!” Of course, the carefree Xiaoke was always this happy.

A-Bao silently counted Wang Yu’s deaths, sighing, “How tragic.”

Finally, Wang Yu cleared the eighth stage, reached Yama Demon’s home, and pressed the switch, turning off the trial.

Yue Feng rushed over and hugged Wang Yu, stroking her head. “There, there, it’s all over, good girl. Go to sleep now.”

“Mm.” Wang Yu, surprisingly, didn’t resist and simply fainted in Yue Feng’s arms.

Xiaoke gave Yue Feng a thumbs-up from behind.

Situ Yan watched the pair before him, his expression complex. If he had previously underestimated Wang Yu, this trial had shown him just how resilient this seemingly delicate girl was.

To say he wasn’t moved would be a lie. But knowing he no longer had a chance, he could only offer his silent blessings.

Just then, Situ Yan felt his jade token’s barrier fluctuate!

Though it lasted only a moment, it caused Situ Yan’s face to change drastically. He looked at Yue Feng, who had also pulled out his jade token to examine it, confirming the thought in Situ Yan’s mind.

Something had happened in Furnace City!