Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 386 - 246: The Berserker with an Intelligence of 5_2

Chapter 386: Chapter 246: The Berserker with an Intelligence of 5_2

"Huu~"

He let out a light breath.

It was at this moment that Cen Zhuangzhuang realized that, unbeknownst to him, the surrounding area of the road had been encircled by layers of pale brown Gu Worms, which had blended seamlessly with the environment and were hard to detect.

At the same time, the youth suddenly discovered that there was no dilapidated inn in front of him. What stood there was just an abandoned straw house that had been empty for a long time, without even a door, only a dim lantern hanging inside.

Inside the house were a few broken tables and chairs, and on one of them was a bowl containing clear water, which looked to be the very thing he had just drunk.

With an expression of surprise, he had no idea when he had stepped into an Illusion Realm, and the tea had clearly been warm when it touched his lips. Could it be that this woman called Ying Ling could not only deceive one’s sight but also one’s senses?

Too terrifying.

"What are you dawdling for? Write it down quickly. In two years, when we enter the world within the belly of the Candle Dragon, we will encounter disciples from various Great Sects."

Compared to before, Cen Yueyue undoubtedly possessed more of the demeanor of an elder sister, resembling both sibling and a strict mentor.

"Oh."

He nodded earnestly.

In front of Cen Yueyue, this dark-skinned strong man was as docile and obedient as a cat, quickly pulling out his notebook. Although the writing by Young Master Cen was unsightly, at least he had some education, especially concerning his own experiences of getting beaten, which he described in great detail.

Standing with her hands on her back, tilting her head to read the cramped writing, she really wanted to criticize the handwriting for being worse than chicken scratches, but when she thought of her brother’s radish-sized fingers gripping the pen, she realized it was torture for him and so held back her complaints, continuing to teach instead.

"Grandfather said that the belly of the Candle Dragon contains a Grotto Heaven, also known as the Phoenix Heavenly Cave."

"That Grotto Heaven experienced some unknown catastrophe and collapsed. It was erased from records ten thousand years ago, with the last note mentioning that it was swallowed by the Candle Dragon, after which it disappeared."

"The Candle Dragon is an Ancient Divine Beast, a Giant Beast, its body capable of hiding the sun and covering the sky. It only emerges once every few centuries, and it has been at least six to seven hundred years since it last appeared. It’s said that every time it manifests, a major event follows this land."

"For instance, the former Peak Master of Swordmaster Peak, the Sword Immortal Liu Jian, found his chance within the belly of the Candle Dragon. This includes the Taixu Sect’s Great Elder, our long-deceased great grandfather, and the current inheritance of Jade Radiance Palace’s Saintess—they all obtained it from inside the Candle Dragon..."

"Countless others too. According to legends, there was a great war across the Three Realms long ago, where clans and domains mingled together, and the battlefield was near the East Sea. Without any warning, the Candle Dragon rose into the sky, covering the sun and astonishing all the combatants."

"In the end, in just one breath, all the disciples on the battlefield were sucked into its belly, where they stayed in that Grotto Heaven for an entire year before they could escape successfully. Throughout that year, the Candle Dragon kept swallowing and exhaling, and many disciples from other territories were not fortunate enough to survive."

"From east to west, almost all of the elders who escaped successfully gained immense benefits. Some became rulers, others became world-renowned, and still others received the inheritance of Ancient Strange Beasts."

"Though it sounds preposterous, those old folks from the Southern Border almost unanimously agree, as they have experienced it firsthand."

"Oh, right, we might also encounter the Demon Race and the Demon Clan this time. It’s said that the Buddhist sects are also interested in going, as they seem to have missed out last time. Recently, they’ve been selecting from within, just like our rule, choosing from the younger generations below the Divinity Transformation Stage."

While listening and nodding, his radish-sized fingers moved quickly, though the sight was quite comical—an oversized brush in his hands looked like he was holding an eyebrow pencil.

However, as he was writing, Cen Zhuangzhuang suddenly looked up, his expression one of confusion.

"Cousin Sister, why is it that us younger disciples are going? Our cultivation isn’t high, and our combat capabilities aren’t strong either. Wouldn’t it be much safer and more certain if a few elders or uncles were sent? Plus, they’d surely return safe and sound."

His mouth twitched.

Clearly, Cen Yueyue was somewhat tempted to clap her brother on the head.

"Cousin Sister?"

He cautiously shrank back, truly not understanding this bizarre rule that only those below the Divinity Transformation Stage were allowed to participate—that is, up to the Nascent Soul at most. With their level of cultivation, the chances of success didn’t seem high at all.

Wouldn’t it be better if those uncles in the stage of God Transformation Refining Void went?

She remained silent, looking around. She was thinking about how to explain this upcoming competition to her cousin. Her gaze fell upon the worn straw house, especially the battered door panel by the roadside, and a lightbulb went off in her mind.

With an effortless movement—

Bang!

The door panel broke, leaving a crack about half a meter wide, her control over strength perfectly executed.

"I’m asking you, can you squeeze through this gap?"

He shook his head decisively.

With his build, he’d have a hard time squeezing through even a one-meter gap, let alone a half-meter one. But what does this have to do with the previous question?

"Then let me ask you, could you have squeezed through a few years ago?"

"A few years ago..."

He stroked his chin and pondered seriously. After a while, Cen Zhuangzhuang patted his chest and said, "If I were eight years younger, me at ten years old might just be able to squeeze through!"

"That’s the point." She nodded, and the woman continued, "The Phoenix Heavenly Cave in the Candle Dragon’s belly is like this door. Young and small children who have yet to grow can easily squeeze through it."

"On the contrary, fully grown adults, even if they try their hardest, cannot fit through this crack. No matter how hard they kick the door, they can only leave this small opening, unable to make it larger."

"So, only we children who have yet to grow up can enter and retrieve the treasures beyond. In order to be fair, the battlegrounds for the competitions are always set in newly discovered and undeveloped Grotto Heavens."

"One reason is for everyone to gain benefits, and the other is to prevent outsiders from intervening. Even those adults with great Divine Skills cannot do anything about such a small crack but to merely extend a hand in, unable to grab anything."

"Do you understand now?"

He widened his eyes.

Clearly, Cen Yueyue’s explanation was a bit too much for him. He was the type with full execution ability—if you give him a task and a clear goal, he can accomplish it very well.

But when it comes to independent thinking...

"Forget it, forget it, just follow me, that’s all."

She rolled her eyes, not really expecting to make things clear to Zhuang Zhuang, and turned to the little booklet held by her younger cousin. After flipping through a few pages, the content described inside was somewhat surprising to her.

"You encountered people from the Taixu Sect and the Fulong Pavilion?"

"Yeah, I did, but I didn’t win."

Honest.

If it had been someone else, they would surely brag a little, clashing back and forth with each other, narrowly losing after fighting three hundred rounds. In reality, that’s how it was with Cen Zhuangzhuang’s physique—as long as the opponent was not too far beyond his realm, he could typically fight a drawn-out battle of three hundred rounds.

Whether it was the disciple with the surname Yan from the Taixu Sect or the disciple from Fulong Pavilion he had met a couple of days prior, it was usually the case that the opponent got tired of fighting him or lost interest and chose to leave.

But Cen Zhuangzhuang remained honest, readily admitting when he couldn’t win and stepping forward to take a closer look at the booklet.

The siblings had not left home together this time because Cen Zhuangzhuang had been breaking through to Mid Grade Core Formation, while Cen Yueyue, as the elder sister, was already at the Peak of Core Formation and naturally could set out first to gain experience.

Another reason was that, within their family competition and among the young generation of disciples in the Southern Border, Cen Yueyue had been winning by a landslide, even amongst their internal competition where there were a few disciples who had already condensed Nascent Souls.

Yet none could match Cen Yueyue.

In contrast, Cen Zhuangzhuang was slightly less distinguished, though still ranked near the top, making him quite outstanding. So after the conclusion of the competition in the Southern Border and determining the quota, she chose to move towards the Central Plains at the earliest opportunity.

She whispered to herself.

"This must be the new disciple of the Taixu Sect, rumored to be exceptionally taken in by the Great Elder who hasn’t appeared in almost a century."

"Half into the grave and still taking a disciple by exception. I heard this woman came from Long Country, she must be visiting her family, what a coincidence."

"Could she be the one who was with Jiang Feng..."

But just then, Cen Zhuangzhuang suddenly asked,

"Cousin sister, where’s that shawl you liked so much?"

"You were always wearing it these past days, that snow-white one, it looked really nice, you said it was a gift from someone."

"Got tired of wearing it? Or did you have a fight with the person who gave you the shawl?"

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