Chapter 168

Chapter 168

When Gu Dongting returned, it was already dusk. As he entered, he felt an unusual bustle in the Gu household.

Following the noisy sounds, Gu Dongting walked to the backyard and immediately saw Shen Wang.

Shen Wang, holding a wooden sword with a somewhat helpless expression, said to Gu Da standing before him, "It's getting late. Let's stop here for today..."

Gu Da's face turned extremely grim: "Again!"

Shen Wang inwardly groaned.

He had intended to gently and slightly guide Gu Da, but as soon as they started, Gu Da's aggression was overwhelming. Shen Wang, failing to hold back, responded a bit too forcefully.

As they fought more, Gu Da's temper flared up. Despite repeated defeats, he kept fighting, never discouraged.

The surrounding Gu family members shifted from excited to bored, commenting on Gu Da: "If you can't win, don't push it. What if you tire Shen Wang out?"

"At this age, to be pinned down by a junior... Sigh."

Under the 'encouragement' of his family, Gu Da became even more determined, fighting with increasing vigor.

Shen Wang couldn't understand whether the Gu family disliked Gu Da or him.

Fortunately, the arrival of Gu Dongting broke Gu Da's momentum, and Shen Wang breathed a sigh of relief: he felt guilty for winning too many times.

"How did you get here?" Gu Dongting was overjoyed, ignoring his disheveled uncle and heading straight for Shen Wang.

The Gu family members pretended to look away, but their ears were all perked up.

Shen Wang touched his nose: "The matter there is settled. The special department plans to collaborate with Yun Jirong and visit Xianshan. I came to inform you about this."

Business conducted impartially, cloaked in righteousness.

Gu Dongting's joy remained undiminished, his gaze tenderly fixed on Shen Wang: "That's a good idea. Let's work together."

As they exchanged these meaningful looks, the members of the Gu family were also fervently communicating through their eyes.

It took a while before Gu Dongting realized the situation and asked Gu Da beside him, "Uncle, what's this about?"

Gu Da's expression fluctuated, struggling to find words: "I, I was just, just sparring with him."

How could he admit that he found Shen Wang displeasing and wanted to teach him a lesson under the guise of sparring, only to end up being 'taught' a lesson himself?

Touching his sore wrist, Gu Da couldn't fathom how Shen Wang, so young, possessed such sophisticated swordsmanship. With just a wooden sword, he had left him utterly defeated.

...To be humiliated like this in front of the whole family, he lost all face.

Shen Wang subtly sensed that the strange atmosphere not only persisted but intensified after Gu Dongting's return.

Even during meals, while the Gu family seemed normal, their behavior was still odd, asking bizarre questions.

After the meal, just as Shen Wang was planning to make a quick escape, Grandma Gu suddenly called out to him: "Little Shen."

Shen Wang swallowed his farewell words: "Grandma Gu."

Grandma Gu, with a smile, pulled out a red envelope from her bosom and handed it to Shen Wang: "Good boy, here's a little red packet for you. I hope you stay safe, healthy, and happy."

Shen Wang, subconsciously looking at Gu Dongting, awkwardly accepted the red envelope under his smiling gaze: "Thank you, Grandma."

His out-of-place demeanor made everyone laugh, a laugh devoid of mockery, just good-natured teasing: "The formidable Shen Wang, actually embarrassed."

At this moment, Shen Wang began to realize something. He glanced again at Gu Dongting and then at the joyous Gu family, even Gu Da's face softened. Yet, he hardly dared believe it.

Stepping outside the Gu residence, Shen Wang, holding the red envelope, looked at Gu Dongting with a half-smile: "Senior Brother Gu, what have you been hiding from me?"

"Confess and be lenient, resist and be strict."

Gu Dongting went with the flow: "I just told my family that I'm pursuing you."

Although he had suspected it, hearing it suddenly made Shen Wang momentarily stunned: "You just said it like that?"

Unlike Shen Wang, who had no elders, Gu Dongting had a large, loving family. Being honest about his feelings was like throwing a bomb into this family.

Shen Wang hadn't expected Gu Dongting to pave the way for their relationship before everything was out in the open, greeted only by the Gu family's goodwill.

"If I'm fortunate enough to be with you, I hope my beloved family won't hurt you because of their love for me." As the night fully descended, Gu Dongting stood glowing in the darkness, his tone gentle yet earnest, "Shen Wang, don't feel pressured by this. Being honest with my family is something I ought to do."

Standing at the door, they looked into each other's eyes for a long time. Suddenly, Shen Wang smiled: "I admit."

"I've also had feelings... for a long time."

In the dim light of the night, Shen Wang gently planted a quick kiss on Gu Dongting's lips, fleeting and light, leaving Gu Dongting breathless and wide-eyed.

The next second, another kiss landed, this one passionate and intense, tinged with a slight pain, yet Gu Dongting relished it.

He closed his eyes, feeling his heart thundering. The once cold and unyielding iron tree bloomed for the first time, filling the air with intoxicating fragrance.

Behind the gates of the Gu residence, the entire Gu family clung to the door like enormous geckos, listening intently to the sounds outside. Upon hearing Shen Wang's confession, their faces broke into smiles.

The younger Gu brother blinked in awe: "Big brother is really impressive, winning over his heart so quickly."

Gu Da exhaled through his nose, rubbing his sore wrist, and then, he too cracked a smile.

With the concerted efforts of everyone in the metaphysical community, China managed to maintain stability, but overseas was less fortunate, plagued by chaos everywhere.

With the urgent situation, after Shen Wang and Gu Dongting opened up to each other, there was no time for romantic talks. The next day, they, along with Yun Jirong and other disciples, hurried back to the ruins of Xianshan.

Since the protective array of Xianshan was broken, the once hidden mountains were now exposed. Fortunately, being far from the mainland, they had not yet attracted mundane attention.

Upon arriving at Xianshan, Shen Wang realized that the so-called 'Xianshan' was not much different from a regular island, merely coated in layers of the world's imagination.

"There are hundreds of defectors. They can't defend the whole Xianshan. We should act cautiously and defeat them one by one," said Yun Jirong, looking at the familiar mountains.

She had already copied the internal map of Xianshan for Shen Wang and the others. They planned to split up and take down the traitors one by one.

Shen Wang examined the map, noticing several locations specifically marked by Yun Jirong, suspected to be the retreats of the mysterious 'Supreme Elder'.

Gu Dongting looked concerned: "Be careful."

"You too," Shen Wang replied with a smile, their eyes meeting, their tense expressions suddenly softening.

After a brief conversation, the group dispersed, quickly vanishing across the island.

A member of the special department following Gu Dongting looked puzzled: "Why does it feel like there's an exclusive aura around Senior Brother Gu and Brother Shen, as if outsiders can't break in?"

Shen Wang led several disciples, their mission differing from the others — to pinpoint the location of the Supreme Elder, a task fraught with greater danger.

Hence, those following Shen Wang were elite seniors from the special department.

Following the map, Shen Wang meticulously searched each marked location, only to find them ordinary, deserted, and unguarded.

The group tensely searched each site, their vigilance waning into frustration: "Damn, are we being played by that woman?"

The speaker, Xia Ye, was an acquaintance of Shen Wang, having jointly dismantled the Samus Cult and participated in an international competition. He was a physically robust cultivator with a straightforward mind.

Shen Wang, studying the map, fell into deep thought.

Xia Ye, observing the surroundings and the triumphant reports from teammates on the communicator, grew increasingly irritated: "Are we just running around for nothing?"

Another teammate, seeing Shen Wang's serious expression, hushed him: "Quiet."

Fuming, Xia Ye glared but eventually stormed off to the side, staying silent.

After a while, Shen Wang looked up from the map: "These three mountains are in themselves a colossal formation."

"Who doesn't know that? But wasn't the formation broken by Tang Jiu?" Xia Ye didn't understand why Shen Wang suddenly mentioned this.

"Have you heard of a Chimera Formation?" Shen Wang shook the map, "In one formation, another is embedded. A skilled formation master can embed countless formations... interlinked, inescapable."

In the cultivation world, where martial prowess is revered, any surviving practice has its own strengths.

Formation masters instill fear in enemies with their masterful and enchanting formations.

"This formation is indeed ingenious," Shen Wang slowly said, "The outer layer is a concealing trap formation, embedded with a spirit-gathering formation... but inside, there is another formation."

Engrossed, Xia Ye couldn't help but ask, "What kind of formation?"

"A trap formation."

Xia Ye: "What? A trap formation too? Who's it meant to trap?"

Only when one is truly close can the presence of a formation be felt. Shen Wang had just discovered this and painstakingly calculated the location of the last trap formation's core.

Gently tapping on a spot on the cliff, Shen Wang mused, "Let's go and see."

After informing Gu Dongting and others via the communicator, Shen Wang led Xia Ye and the others towards the core of the formation.

It was an ordinary-looking rocky beach, with numerous black stones of various sizes, and the ground covered in brown gravel.

"No one's here either?" Xia Ye scratched his head, looking around without noticing anything amiss.

Shen Wang slowly approached a massive stone. As his hand neared it, it vanished into thin air like entering black water.

The others gasped in shock: "Shen Wang, be careful!"

Shen Wang remained composed, skillfully manipulating the trap formation.

Unsure of what was trapped inside, he hesitated to dismantle the formation rashly, instead carefully probing with the formation's runes. Something inside seemed to be preventing him from unlocking the trap.

His consciousness navigated the pitch-black trap formation, reaching its very center, where he finally saw a faint light and a person standing within it.

The person didn't seem surprised by Shen Wang's arrival, chuckling meaningfully, "Shen Wang, I've long heard of your reputation."

Shen Wang realized that his consciousness had lost contact with the outside world, completely trapped within the formation.