Chapter 332 Protecting the Master

"Thank you, Master!" He kept bowing his head to the ground, tears of joy streaming down his face. "Your disciple is slow to learn and has not yet met the master's entry requirements, but has been exceptionally accepted. Disciple, disciple..."

Beside him, Mapeier's mouth remained agape, but Old Wang waved his hand dismissively. "The inner whirlwind technique you used earlier was quite impressive. Although you're not yet a hero, since you've grasped what I've taught you, you naturally qualify to join my school!"

Xiao Bang said with shame, "Your disciple is slow to learn. Although I have mastered both inner and outer whirlwinds, the transition between them is still very stiff... It was only recently, in a battle with Obololo, that I finally grasped it."

"Oh, did you win?" Old Wang squinted. Obololo, that beastman prince from the Nine Gods? I've heard he's quite formidable.

"Thankfully, I upheld my mission with honor!"

Judging by his tone, it seemed he had already defeated the beastman prince.

Old Wang was overjoyed. Damn, this is definitely another strong ally, just as reliable as Old Hei.

"Hmm, that performance is quite commendable!" Old Wang felt pleased inside but kept a calm expression. He pointed to Mapeier beside him, "This is your senior sister Mapeier. Just two days ago, she killed the Blood Demon Manku, yet her ranking is still only in the four hundreds! Xiao Bang, you still stand out too much, you need to learn more from your senior sister!"

Xiao Bang immediately became serious, his face showing admiration.

He had gone through countless hardships to have a life-and-death epiphany and win against Obololo, but this senior sister he just met had casually killed the higher-ranked Blood Demon Manku, yet remained unknown. He had never heard of her name before. What is this called? This is truly achieving fame without chasing it. His own realm is still too shallow!

"Xiao Bang, greets senior sister!" Xiao Bang bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.

Mapeier secretly found it amusing, but since it was her senior brother's arrangement, she naturally cooperated fully. She mimicked Wang Feng's demeanor, responding with a faint "Hmm," quite capturing Old Wang's essence.

The senior sister and junior brother had now met, and Xiao Bang's respect pleased Old Wang greatly. "Now, the chance to advance to the second layer is about to appear. Since we've met, Xiao Bang, you'll come with us!"

"Yes, Master!"

"Don't call me Master!" Old Wang waved his hand. "I'm living incognito and don't want to reveal my identity carelessly. You must call me Senior Brother Wang Feng, just like your senior sister!"

Xiao Bang was startled. Although he didn't understand, since it was the master's command, he naturally had to comply. He responded respectfully, "Yes, Senior Brother Wang Feng!"

Old Wang nodded with satisfaction. "There's another situation I need to inform you about. Your master is currently suffering from a peculiar ailment and cannot easily use soul power. So, fighting will have to rely on you two senior siblings. This is also a test for you!"

Xiao Bang suddenly understood. That's why the master couldn't even deal with Caesar Mo earlier; it was because of the peculiar ailment preventing the use of soul power.

Protecting the master was a matter of course. Xiao Bang was about to agree when Old Wang continued, "In my school, there are only two situations for fighting. The first is if someone dislikes me, you fight them for me! The second is if I dislike someone, you also fight them for me! Don't ask why, there's no why. If I command you to fight, you must act! In short, your master values face. If you don't act or lose, you're automatically expelled from the school!"

Xiao Bang's face turned serious. "Master, rest assured, even in death, Xiao Bang will never yield!"

"Call me Senior Brother, you silly!"

"Yes! Senior... Senior Brother!"

Seeing Xiao Bang's utmost respect, Old Wang felt great. The injuries from the backlash of the Insect God's Heart-Devouring Curse ceased to trouble him.

With a junior sister like Mapeier, he could dominate many adversaries. Adding Xiao Bang to the mix, wouldn't he be able to navigate the second layer with ease? Damn, it's a pity we met only now. If we had met earlier, I likely would have amassed many more tokens!

With Xiao Bang, who had mastered both inner and outer whirlwinds, as a strong bodyguard,

the safety factor greatly increased, and there was no need to disguise as Hei Wukai anymore. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...

The surge of soul power at the cave's center felt like the powerful beat of a giant heart, attracting everyone's attention. All survivors felt the compelling summons and steadily converged towards the center.

More and more people gathered around. Each cave they passed revealed clusters of disciples from the War Academy or the Holy Sanctuary.

Seeing Wang Feng, many were slightly startled. This guy's still alive?

Previously, rumors circulated that Wang Feng had been killed, decapitated no less, but now he stood before everyone, alive and well, leaving people to marvel and lament the unreliability of hearsay.

As they ventured deeper, the caves grew larger. The last three or four caves Old Wang passed through were several miles across. Strangely, few dark creatures were visible; the larger the cave, the fewer the monsters. At the moment, Old Wang and his companions were in the innermost cave, which had only two passages. The entrance was unobstructed, but the other passage was blocked by a blue light barrier, resembling a seal or some kind of formation, trapping many Holy Sanctuary disciples inside.

The cave was devoid of dark creatures, leaving it eerily empty. However, the walls were lit by dim green eternal lamps, providing just enough light to see. The walls were covered in ancient stone carvings, which, to be honest, were highly abstract—mostly lines and polygons, with a few humanoid figures mixed in.

The area was filled with Holy Sanctuary disciples, about fifty or sixty of them. Earlier, a group of about a dozen War Academy cultivators had mistakenly entered but quickly retreated upon spotting the uniformed Holy Sanctuary disciples. The Holy Sanctuary disciples didn’t pursue them, but Wang Feng’s presence attracted considerable attention. Old Wang could sense a few hostile glances, similar to those from someone like Maigete, but with the Dragon Son, Xiao Bang, by his side and in such a public setting, no one dared to act openly. He felt relatively at ease.

Most people were now focused on studying the blue light barrier blocking the path.

The barrier was made up of hundreds of energy lines forming a net. These energy lines emanated from secret patterns on both sides of the cave entrance, spreading across the entire cave wall like a massive tattoo.

Old Wang and his two companions quietly observed for a while. The Holy Sanctuary disciples were trying to break the seal, but few paid attention to them.

Some tried using sorcery to blast through it, but it was futile. All spells passed right through the energy net, exploding deep within the cave, leaving the barrier completely unharmed.

Others attempted physical attacks, but whether it was ordinary swords or refined soul weapons, anything that touched the energy net was cut through like tofu. One Holy Sanctuary disciple, swinging his sword too forcefully, had all five fingers holding the hilt severed, causing him to scream in pain.

Sorcery proved useless, and physical attacks were completely ineffective.

"Carve away the runes on the stone walls!" someone suggested. "Cut off the energy supply to the runes, and the barrier might dissipate naturally."

The suggestion seemed reasonable, and everyone began trying to destroy the runic carvings on the walls. However, the stone walls were exceptionally hard, far tougher than the ordinary cave walls outside. Despite their efforts, they only managed to chip away a small section, and the runic patterns remained intact.

The runes were deeply embedded in the stone, visible even after digging a meter or two into the wall. Even more alarming, the stone walls seemed to regenerate. As they destroyed parts of the wall, it slowly grew back. A hole the size of a bowl would fully recover in just a minute or two.

Everyone was baffled, feeling that the cave was growing increasingly strange.

While the Holy Sanctuary disciples were bustling about, Old Wang had already noticed something peculiar. Thanks to his near-death experience at the "Fairy Tale Cave," the more he looked at the carvings on the walls, the more they resembled the meridians of some living creature. The entire cave wall might very well be the skin of some terrifying monster, which would explain its regenerative properties.

Moreover, based on the shape of these meridian-like carvings, it seemed to resemble...

Old Wang shook his head. It was too early to draw conclusions, but given the current situation, the cave seemed safe for now. As for the seal at the entrance, attacking it was a waste of energy. It might simply be a protective mechanism of the massive creature, like pores that open and close with its breathing or awakening. The seal would naturally disappear when the time came.

Upon closer inspection, the rhythm of the soul power surging from the center felt steady and prolonged. In short, it wasn’t time to enter yet.

"Senior Brother," Mapeier asked, "do you have any clues on how to get in?"

"Just wait," Old Wang replied. He never bothered with futile efforts. After surveying the area, he noticed many Holy Sanctuary disciples but still no sign of anyone from Rose.

After asking around, he quickly received some good news: Kela was safe and with Hei Wukai. The beast girl beside the Godslayer had become a topic of discussion.

Of the two people he was most worried about in Rose, at least Kela was safe. But Old Wang didn’t feel relieved—instead, he grew more anxious.

After asking so many people, no one had seen Fan Te Xi. Could Ah Xi really be... Just as he was worrying, someone else entered the cave. This person was filthy, with disheveled hair and tattered clothes, looking like a beggar. In the dim light of the cave, he almost seemed like a dark creature.

Several Holy Sanctuary disciples couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, but then...

"Ah... Feng?" The "beggar" immediately spotted Wang Feng, his body trembling.

???

Old Wang was stunned, his eyes widening in shock.

The chubby figure, the round little eyes, the trembling jaw, the plump lips, and tears streaming down his face...