The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 1046: True Start!

True Start! . . .

Cha Eun Xiao's laughter echoed through the air, but it was accompanied by a deep sigh.

"You deceived me, taunted me, played me like a fiddle, and did it all in this place, in this way, anticipating my every move, understanding my very thoughts... It proves you're stronger than I am," Cha Eun Xiao admitted. "I still want to punch you in the face, and I'll do whatever it takes to make you pay for what you've done today. But you're undoubtedly more powerful than I am. In my eyes, you're a superior cultivator, standing above the clouds. However, this won't last forever. From now on, you are my role model. If I can't exact my revenge for this, I'll never laugh again in my life. I have to defeat you. I have to obliterate you entirely." He smiled and declared, "Wait and see! Nobody can stop me from laughing!"

He meant every word he spoke.

Meanwhile, somewhere far away, a carefree individual who had been laughing heartily suddenly trembled. He gazed around in confusion and muttered, "Who's there? Who's scheming against me?" Another man, who appeared rather untrustworthy, quipped while shaking his head, "Arrogant! Look at that clueless expression of yours. Why would anyone conspire against you? Don't overestimate yourself."

"That's not right... Something is amiss," the carefree man mused, rubbing his head. "I felt as if a celestial curse had befallen me, and it felt so real."

"Oh, come on!" a few voices chimed in. "What could possibly go wrong? Look at you, deluded as always. You're entertaining wild fantasies."

The carefree man huffed and furrowed his brow. He thought long and hard but couldn't place when or where someone had cursed him. After all, it had been a considerable amount of time. He couldn't fathom how he could suddenly remember a man hurling curses at him.

Besides, he had never been the least bit concerned about celestial curses. They were merely a slight inconvenience, something he could manage without any trouble. He then rose with a sense of excitement and proclaimed, "Who among you would like to play a game with me? The loser must strip naked and traverse Chief Xie's territory, walking past him in an attire akin to that of the emperor in his new clothes. You just need to greet the host, without any display of affection."

...

In a while, he found himself donning nothing more than his undergarments as he sauntered confidently around an immense palace, sporting an air of vigor. Whenever he aimed to mimic a dragon, he resembled more of a worm, and in his attempts to mirror a tiger, he appeared as a mere cat.

Suddenly, a white-clad figure emerged from within the palace and was taken aback by the sight of the naked man. Filled with rage, he started beating the man mercilessly, ranting, "Scoundrel! Wretch! Blockhead! I told you not to act like a lunatic. I won't kill you! I promise..."

The man cried out, "Have mercy... Mercy... Chief Xie, please... Mercy... Brothers, save me... Why are you just watching... Come help me... Ahhhh... It hurts..."

"I said I wouldn't kill you, and I won't," the man in white reaffirmed as he continued to rain down blows upon his unfortunate companion. None of the man's brothers rushed to his aid; instead, they observed from a distance, cheering on the white-clad figure.

"Get him, Chief Xie! Well done!"

"Hit harder! Chief Xie!"

"Marvelous!"

"One, two, three... Applause!"

The enthusiastic cries of support continued as the beating persisted.

After enduring a seemingly endless barrage of punches and kicks, the naked man had been pummeled over ten thousand times and kicked over one hundred thousand times, at least. It seemed as though he had been slapped to the far reaches of a few planets.

"Go and amuse yourself there!" Chief Xie shouted with anger, concluding the punishment.

Afterward, the world returned to tranquility.

...

Cha Eun Xiao shook his head and maintained his silence. What was done was done, and he decided not to squander any more time in this place. As he was about to turn away, his eyes caught sight of a smaller jade stele beneath the one he had just destroyed. On the jade stele, there was a line of words emitting a saintly light.

"You were truly bamboozled, weren't you?" the message read.

Cha Eun Xiao pursed his lips and retorted, "Why don't you give it a try?"

It was indeed a strange turn of events.

As the glowing words appeared, Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but think that it was the work of Master Tianji. The style and tone of the words were an exact match for the venerable master.

Although Master Tianji's words were often laced with arrogance and grandiosity, they possessed a certain elegance and otherworldly quality that was unmistakable. There was no concrete evidence, only an instinctual feeling that made Cha Eun Xiao suspect it was his master.

"Heh, heh. That was something you can't skip," the words continued, confirming Cha Eun Xiao's initial suspicion. "I was contemplating handling this all on my own, but a lazy fellow insisted on being part of it. We are brothers, and I couldn't refuse him. That's why I let him leave something here... However, it doesn't matter. After all, this is a game. It won't harm anyone. It brings delight."

Cha Eun Xiao let out a deep sigh.

"A game? Delight?" he pondered. "I must be exceptionally generous. If anyone else were to play this game, they would likely have gone mad by now. It's entirely reasonable for them to go to great lengths, spit out blood, and even meet their end."

After a moment of reflection, he realized, "Why am I even concerned about this? I'm here to reap substantial benefits for myself. People are willing to do anything for even a mere one percent, one in a thousand, one in ten thousand, or just a single blade of grass. After all, if I weren't so driven by greed, how could I have fallen into this trap?"

"However, to truly claim this layer as your own, you must refine this stele. It's the first test you must pass. In fact, breaking that stele is the only way to reach this jade stele," Master Tianji's words appeared on the jade stele. "Now that you've shattered the stele, the real challenge awaits."

Cha Eun Xiao was left speechless.

"To refine a stele again?" he thought. "To be deceived once more?"

His insatiable desire for the potential riches of this place had led him into this trap, which was forgivable. But falling into the same predicament a second time would be utterly shameful.

"Relax. I'm not that heartless," the jade stele's words reassured him, putting his concerns to rest.

It was as if the words of this man were entirely convincing to Cha Eun Xiao, who had decided to place his unwavering trust in them.

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