"What!" Feng Jing Sheng suddenly screamed, genuinely frightened by Sen Lei's mention of seeking death.
Upon hearing her scream, Sen Lei quickly covered her mouth and made a "shh!" gesture.
He then whispered, "Keep your voice down, madam."
Feng Jing Sheng, with wide eyes, gently nodded.
Sen Lei released his hand from covering her mouth and gave her a reassuring look, saying, "Don't worry, there won't be any danger. I'll be back soon. Stay here and wait for me."
Though Feng Jing Sheng didn't know what Sen Lei intended to do, his confident gaze indicated he had a solid plan and didn't seem like someone who would rush to his death. Thus, she relaxed a bit and softly said, "Be careful, I'll be waiting for you."
Sen Lei smiled warmly at her and replied, "Got it."
Then, he quietly moved deeper into the cave.
Feng Jing Sheng watched Sen Lei's retreating figure, lost in thought. "What kind of man is he really?"
...
Sen Lei thought that if the Azure Moon Wolf King succeeded in its breakthrough, it would undoubtedly enter a period of dormancy.
He wondered if he could get lucky and retrieve its "old body" for use.
Thinking that the Wolf King, being a peak Dao Mirror powerhouse, discarding its old body would be a waste, he resolved to take advantage of it. After all, he prided himself on being frugal and upholding the fine traditions of his Chinese heritage... or something along those lines...
Alright, he just wanted to score a cheap gain!
Sen Lei moved forward cautiously, and the surroundings grew increasingly dark.
"Damn it! Am I destined to become a night crawler in this life?" Sen Lei thought helplessly.
He felt that he'd spent far too much time in the dark...
As he continued to explore, Sen Lei, nearing what he believed to be the end of the cave, suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my god!" He disappeared from sight.
It turned out the cave had a hidden expanse within. Sen Lei had fallen straight down, landing flat on his back.
He rolled over and looked up. Although the pit wasn't deep, it was enough to leave him disoriented and seeing stars.
He clutched his head, realizing his earlier shout might have disturbed the Azure Moon Wolf King's breakthrough.
"No, breaking through major realms involves shutting down all six senses," Emperor Blood Heaven's emotionless voice suddenly sounded in Sen Lei's mind.
"That's good." Sen Lei sighed in relief.
"When it completes its breakthrough and falls asleep, that's when I'll make my move!" Sen Lei muttered.
Then, Emperor Blood Heaven's voice echoed again, "Why would it fall asleep??"
"What?" Sen Lei was taken aback.
Emperor Blood Heaven continued, "I said it would shed its skin or grow a new body, but I never said it would lose its combat ability or fall asleep, leaving itself vulnerable. Besides, I don't know what would happen if it fails the breakthrough!"
Sen Lei felt as if he were frozen in place.
He was stunned.
"Why didn't you say this earlier!"
"You didn't ask."
"Damn it! I've already come this far!" Sen Lei shouted to the sky.
He felt like he'd been set up.
But really, he couldn't blame anyone but himself for assuming...
"What now? Should I go back?" Sen Lei asked tentatively.
But this time, Emperor Blood Heaven remained silent, as if to say, "You decide. I'm not speaking anymore to avoid you going crazy and blaming me later."
"Damn it!" Sen Lei gritted his teeth.
"Screw it! I don't believe breaking through to the Dao Mirror peak is that easy!" Sen Lei resolutely continued forward, convinced that a major breakthrough would involve a period of weakness. He didn't want to miss any opportunity to become stronger. He had to confront Feng Wuyia, after all. If he didn't grow stronger, there would always be someone pushing him to do so.
Sen Lei ventured deeper and deeper. The further he went, the more astonished he became.
A narrow cave entrance that could barely accommodate four people hid such a vast space inside. This truly broadened Sen Lei's horizons.
Listening intently and sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations around him, Sen Lei knew he was getting closer to the Azure Moon Wolf King!
Suppressing his excitement and fear, he continued to move forward, step by step.
Before long, he sensed a massive explosion of spiritual energy ahead, with chaotic currents of spiritual energy whipping his face painfully.
Sen Lei squinted.
He knew the Azure Moon Wolf King had reached the critical moment of its breakthrough.
He had to hurry!
Without knowing the specifics of the situation or whether he'd succeed, Sen Lei felt compelled to take the risk.
Fortune favors the brave, and in this world, cultivation often involves seizing great opportunities. There's no shame in that.
If you don't even have the courage to attempt, those great opportunities won't matter to you either.
Because you lack courage and the resolve to burn your bridges, qualities often possessed by the strong.
If given the choice, would you prefer to be a powerful person who dominates or a weak person who lives a mundane life?
Sen Lei made his choice the moment he entered this hidden space!
Such a choice doesn't require much contemplation. Often, it's born in your first thought! What follows is just deciding whether or not to act on it.
And you don't need to consider it multiple times, as a wise person once said, "Think thrice before acting, twice is enough."
It means you don't need to think so many times; often, you can make a decision after considering it twice. The more you think, the more worries you have.
Following this principle, Sen Lei, even knowing there were risks, didn't spend much time considering and quickly knew what he wanted to do.
As Sen Lei neared the source of the spiritual energy explosion, a loud roar echoed throughout the cave.
"Howl!~" It reverberated through the entire cave.
Not just the cave, the entire outer region of the Spirit Beast Ridge was in turmoil.
People from various nations who were training in the outer region of the Spirit Beast Ridge fled in panic upon hearing the terrifying beast roar. Even Feng Jun, who was searching for his daughter's remains, temporarily avoided the area.
For Feng Jun, not finding his daughter's body was both good and bad news.
The good news was that his daughter might still be alive!
The bad news was that she might have been kidnapped or taken hostage!
For Feng Jun, aimlessly searching seemed pointless compared to returning and mobilizing all the Wind Guard's resources to find her.
With this in mind, Feng Jun glanced warily in the direction of the roar before immediately leaving the Spirit Beast Ridge.
Not far from him, in a cave, his daughter was feeling helpless.
Seeing that Sen Lei had been gone for so long without any sign and hearing such a terrifying roar from the cave, Feng Jing Sheng returned to her initial state of anxiety, worry, and helplessness.
For the first time since her birth, she worried about a stranger for such a long time, beginning to fear losing him, not just because without him, she wouldn't survive, but because...
...
Sen Lei patted his chest to reassure himself. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, just think of it as entering a haunted house."
Sen Lei saw it.
He saw the ground covered in snow-white fur, and the entire cave was stained with blood, as if a life-and-death battle had taken place.
"Will I have to suffer this much when I break through this realm.." Sen Lei suddenly felt a bit scared.
The heap of blood-stained white fur piled up like a small mountain, obscuring his view of what lay inside.
He approached cautiously, fearing that an upgraded version of the Wolf King might jump out and devour him as its first meal...
"Howl~ Howl~" A soft, weak cry caught Sen Lei's attention.
He slowly parted the white fur.
He found a small, snow-white wolf within the fur.
With its two big, black eyes curiously staring at him, its fluffy tail raised high, the little wolf, with its petite snow-white body, was incredibly adorable.
Seeing the cute little wolf, Sen Lei quickly transmitted a message.
"What happened? Where's the Wolf King? Did it fail the breakthrough and give birth to a pup?"
"I don't know," Emperor Blood Heaven replied simply.
Sen Lei rolled his eyes.
The little snow wolf's perky ears slowly drooped as it approached Sen Lei, sniffing him, then affectionately nudging his leg.
It even let out two adorable howls.
Looking at the pile of fur and the little snow wolf, Sen Lei felt troubled.
"So, I have to help the Azure Moon Wolf raise its child? No way! I'll keep looking!" Sen Lei crouched down and continued searching.
After some time passed.
Sen Lei slumped to the ground in frustration.
"Damn! Did it vanish into thin air?"
The little snow wolf adorably yawned.
Sen Lei picked it up, shook it gently, and asked, "Where's your mom?"
The little snow wolf stared back with its big, bewildered eyes.
"Howl~ Howl?"
Sen Lei knew he wouldn't get any answers from it.