Watching Lin Mo and his wife's figures disappear in the midst of the yellow sand of the dunes, Chen Hao took Ye Yuqiao's hand and walked behind Lin Huashan, gently patting her shoulder, "Huashan, it's time for us to go!"

Lin Huashan turned around, wiped her tears, and shivered as she let out a soft "Mm."

Chen Hao looked at Ye Yuqiao, still hoping that Yuqiao would give Lin Huashan a comforting hug, but seeing the expressionless look on Yuqiao's face, he immediately gave up, thinking that Yuqiao, as a queen, wasn't cut out to be the heart-pouring kind of best friend.

"Do you think I'm too cold?" Ye Yuqiao's voice suddenly rang in Chen Hao's mind.

"Haha!" Chen Hao laughed inwardly, "Not at all, I really like this haughty and cool queenly demeanor of yours. As long as you're good to me, that's enough!"

Ye Yuqiao huffed, "But the better I am to you, the more you bully me!"

"I'm sorry!" Chen Hao begged for mercy in his mind, "If I ever show half a sign of disrespect to Your Majesty the Queen again, shall I commit suicide to show my guilt, okay?"

"Fine!"

"Let's go," Lin Huashan suddenly said to Chen Hao, her childlike face stained with tear marks. "I'm alright now. Don't worry about me!"

Lin Huashan's words made Chen Hao look at her in a new light, admiring her for not being as fragile as he thought. Yet, thinking carefully about what Huashan had been through over the past two years, Chen Hao felt it wasn't surprising.

After that, the trio set off for the cave together.

Upon approaching the cave entrance and feeling the chilling air flowing out of it, Chen Hao suddenly stopped in his tracks, furrowed his eyebrows, and instructed Lin Huashan and Ye Yuqiao, "Be careful when we enter!"

"Mm!"

After stepping a few paces into the cave and hearing eerie sounds echoing within the gloomy interior, Lin Huashan couldn't help but draw closer to Chen Hao and clung to his left arm.

Chen Hao was startled and quickly looked toward Ye Yuqiao, who was holding his right hand, hurriedly explaining in his mind, "Your Majesty the Queen, this has nothing to do with me."

Ye Yuqiao didn't respond, but by the faint light coming from the cave entrance, Chen Hao could see her stunningly beautiful profile was expressionless.

After walking three more steps, Ye Yuqiao quietly let go of Chen Hao's hand.

"Your Majesty the Queen, I...?" Chen Hao felt frantic.

"Idiot, why aren't you casting Nether Light from your left eye to light the way? Do you really want her to keep holding your hand?" Finally, Ye Yuqiao's icy voice resonated in Chen Hao's mind.

"Oh, right, yes, right away! No, that's not what I was thinking!" Chen Hao replied inarticulately.

With that thought, Chen Hao instantly emitted a gentle purple light from his left eye, illuminating the entire cave. Then, he turned to Lin Huashan beside him and said with an awkward smile, "Huashan, don't be afraid, we're all here with you."

After a moment of stun, Lin Huashan let go of Chen Hao's arm, bowed her head slightly, and shifted her feet to the left.

Chen Hao reached out with his right hand to the right side and once again took hold of Ye Yuqiao's hand.

Ten minutes into their walk in the cave, suddenly, a voice so deep that it reached the limit of human hearing echoed throughout, "You have defeated the Rain Demon, you may leave now."

At that moment, Chen Hao distinctly felt Ye Yuqiao trembling, wondering if the voice was that of the Great Ancestor of the Nether King, therefore affecting Yuqiao.

"Who are you?" Yuqiao looked up at the surrounding cave walls and asked, feeling the Nether King's Power in the air around her.

"I know who you are! I can feel the power hidden within you and the blood that flows through your veins, all of it related to my inheritance!" The voice suddenly grew excited. It then rippled through the cave, causing some small stones to fall from the walls.

"I understand!" Yuqiao's eyes flashed coldly, and her face wore a stern expression. "Then let us out!"

"Fine, let's part ways and never meet again!"

Afterward, a vortex door shimmering with black and purple light appeared in front of the three of them.

Exchanging glances, the trio headed toward the vortex door.

"Huashan, you go in first!" Chen Hao said.

After Lin Huashan entered the vortex door, Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao looked at each other, then held hands and moved forward together.

Just as they were one step away from the vortex door, Ye Yuqiao suddenly furrowed her brows and angrily exclaimed, "You bastard, you..."

Before Ye Yuqiao could finish her words, Chen Hao suddenly let go of her hand, then pushed her into the vortex door, and shouted, "Don't worry, I will definitely be fine!"

After entering the vortex door, Ye Yuqiao was suddenly engulfed by darkness. When her eyes once again perceived light, she found herself back in Chen Hao's room in the real world.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?" Zhao Chong appeared before Ye Yuqiao with a face full of worry.

"Ah!" A scream erupted from the room; it was Lin Huashan's, "Where is this, and why is this thing glowing?"

Ye Yuqiao looked towards Lin Huashan, who was now gazing up at the ceiling light, clearly panicked. She furrowed her brows, looked at Zhao Chong, and gestured with her eyes for Zhao Chong to go and comfort Lin Huashan.

Though filled with questions himself, Zhao Chong still heeded Ye Yuqiao's silent command and explained to Lin Huashan, "Miss, this is a light, similar to oil lamps and candles, it's used for illumination."

"And what are these things?" Lin Huashan pointed toward the computer by the wall, her body trembling continuously.

Zhao Chong sighed helplessly and said, "Just think of it as a toy like a bamboo dragonfly, one that people in this world play with."

"This world is too frightening!" Lin Huashan exclaimed, then turned to Zhao Chong. In a flash, her cheeks reddened slightly, as she thought the young man with a face like white jade was very handsome and possessed an elegant demeanor.

After the tension in her heart had eased somewhat, Lin Huashan suddenly asked, "By the way, where is Chen Hao?"

Zhao Chong looked toward Ye Yuqiao.

Ye Yuqiao was instantly consumed by rage. Just before entering the vortex, she had suddenly heard the voice in Chen Hao's heart that he had been desperately hiding and didn't want her to know: To obtain the fragment of the map leading to the ancient city. Thus, Chen Hao had sent her and Lin Huashan back to the real world first, while he stayed in the world within the painting to confront the manifestation of the Nether King's Power—the Sandrock Demon.

..

Inside the world of the painting.

Seeing that Chen Hao had pushed Ye Yuqiao into the vortex door but stayed behind himself, the deep voice rang out again in the cave, "Why haven't you left yet?"

"I want to take something."

"What is it?"

Chen Hao cracked a smile and replied, "The fragment of the map leading to the ancient city."

"I cannot give that to you!"

"I wasn't expecting you to hand it over nicely," Chen Hao's eyes glinted with a killing intent, "I was already prepared to snatch it! But there's one thing I really don't understand?"

"What is it?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.