At the top of each of the five towers floated a small box.
Four of the towers were gold, and the boxes atop them were gold as well.
But one tower was red, and the box atop it was red too.
"Each of you will enter one tower and climb to the top. Whoever manages to claim the box will be spared," the woman radiating white light said.
"What if we can't?" Liu Kuo asked.
"Don't be stupid. If you can't claim it, obviously you die." Though the woman radiating white light had no face, Chu Feng could feel that she had shot Liu Kuo a withering glare.
"Remember — there is also a time limit for this contest. If you cannot reach the top of the tower within the time limit, you fail," the woman radiating white light said.
"Um, Senior, why are there five towers? Is there another person?" Liu Kuo asked.
"There are only the four of you," the woman radiating white light replied.
"Then… what's that red tower for?" Liu Kuo asked.
"Claiming a golden box will save yourself."
"But claiming the red box will save all four of you," the woman radiating white light said.
"So that's how it is. Thank you for the reminder, Senior." Liu Kuo bowed deeply.
"Senior, when do we begin?" At that moment, the white-haired woman stood up and asked.
"Whoa, you can talk? What about Long Chengyu? Did you really defeat Long Chengyu?" Upon hearing the white-haired woman speak, Liu Kuo immediately began shouting.
But the white-haired woman paid him no attention whatsoever.
"It has already begun." As the woman radiating white light spoke, she pointed toward a spot in the jungle, where an incense stick had appeared without anyone noticing.
The incense stick was enormous, standing above the canopy of the jungle. It was already burning, and despite its massive size, it burned at a frighteningly fast pace.
Clearly, when the incense finished burning, this opportunity would come to an end.
Whoosh—
The moment she heard those words, the white-haired woman set off immediately, streaking toward one of the golden towers.
"That woman is so selfish," Liu Kuo muttered, then turned to look at Chu Feng and Long Xiaoxiao.
"Brother Chu Feng, Sister Long, you two don't need to go. Just stay here and watch the show."
"I, Liu Kuo, will save all three of you."
With that, Liu Kuo flew toward the red tower.
Roar—
But the moment he drew close to the red tower, a dragon roar erupted from within. The roar was visible to the naked eye, manifesting as crimson sound waves that guarded the perimeter of the tower.
Liu Kuo tried to push through the dragon roar, but before long, blood poured from all seven of his orifices. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly turned tail and ran back.
"Brother Chu Feng, Sister Long, it's not that I don't want to help you — that thing is way too bizarre. You'll have to rely on yourselves."
As he spoke, Liu Kuo wiped the blood from his nose.
Long Xiaoxiao, meanwhile, turned her gaze toward the red tower.
She could sense that though the sound waves were powerful, it wasn't a suppression based on cultivation — it was a personal suppression. In other words, anyone could try regardless of their cultivation level. And she… wanted to try as well.
Not because she wanted to test her limits, but because she didn't want anything to happen to Chu Feng.
"Xiaoxiao, I'll go," Chu Feng said.
"You'll go?"
"Brother Chu Feng, did you not just see what happened to me?" Liu Kuo stared at Chu Feng in disbelief.
"Brother Liu, I'm not confident either. You should go ahead and enter a golden tower yourself. If I fail, you'll still need to look out for yourself."
Chu Feng patted Liu Kuo on the shoulder, then streaked toward the red tower.
Roar—
The crimson sound waves from the dragon roar surged forth once more, but Chu Feng's expression didn't change in the slightest. He flew straight through the raging roar, landed before the tower, opened its door, and walked inside.
"How is he fine? Does he not feel pain?"
Liu Kuo's jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Liu Kuo, you should try hard too."
Long Xiaoxiao smiled at Liu Kuo, then sat down cross-legged on the spot.
"Sister Long, why are you sitting here? Why aren't you entering a tower to fight for your chance?" Liu Kuo asked.
"I'm waiting for Chu Feng," Long Xiaoxiao said.
"You're waiting for him? He just said he wasn't confident. If he fails, you'll die along with him!" Liu Kuo exclaimed.
"Then we'll die together," Long Xiaoxiao replied.
"……" Liu Kuo froze for a moment, then asked, "Sister Long, do I look like a dog to you?"
"No, why?" Long Xiaoxiao looked at him quizzically.
"If not, then why are you making me eat dog food? Sigh, isn't this just bullying a monk?"
Liu Kuo curled his lips, then rose into the air and flew toward one of the golden towers to begin his own challenge.
He… didn't want to entrust his life to someone else. He wanted to control it himself.
"He chose the red tower because of you, but he would probably want you to fight for your own chance," the woman radiating white light said, looking at Long Xiaoxiao.
"I know, Senior," Long Xiaoxiao replied.
"And yet you still refuse to go? You truly want to live and die with him?" the woman radiating white light asked.
"I believe in him." Long Xiaoxiao smiled, and her smile was sweet.
"Ah, the sweet scent of love — pleasant to smell, but infuriating all the same." The woman radiating white light shook her head.
By now, Chu Feng had entered the red tower. Upon stepping inside, he found that everything within the tower was like transparent glass.
Chu Feng could not only continue to observe the battle unfolding in the sky above but also see everything around him.
That was how he learned that Long Xiaoxiao intended to live and die alongside him.
Alas, Chu Feng had no way to turn back now, otherwise he would have gone back to persuade Long Xiaoxiao to reconsider.
"That girl is quite wonderful. This Queen is growing fonder of her by the minute," Egg said, clearly very pleased.
"Wonderful? Isn't this just foolish?" Chu Feng was somewhat angry.
"Hey, she's willing to live and die with you. How many people in this world could do the same?"
"And it's precisely because so few can that love is so beautiful and so worth aspiring to, isn't it?" the Queen said with a smile, sighing softly.