Chapter 197 – Taurus Temple
Hearing Yue Yang’s idea, Yue Bing immediately blushed excitedly and asked, “Can you really do that?”
Yue Yang had never tried it before, so he couldn’t be sure. However, he caressed his sister’s head and gave her a little motivation.
The Taurus Temple looked more or less like Aries Temple, but it was much bigger.
There wasn’t any mechanical beasts in front, but there was a line of Ox-head statues. When Hui Tai Lang walked near them, those Ox-head statues suddenly turned into Ox-head warriors one by one. These Ox-head Warriors were not that high levelled, only Bronze-ranked Level 3. Yue Bing would probably be able to defeat all of them if she summoned two Hundred Years Old Treant Defenders. Yue Yang ordered Hui Tai Lang to stay behind and kill these Ox-head Warriors outside.
If it was the past Hui Tai Lang, it would probably not be able to handle it. However, after it went to the Cloud Peak Lake and fought the great battle with Tu Lie, levelling up into a Gold-ranked Ancient World Destroying Demon Wolf, its abilities had increased greatly.
Afterwards, it could even kill off the injured Giant Xing Meng.
It could be said that the current Hui Tai Lang was completely different from that Iron-backed Demon Wolf who had entered the Aries Temple last time.
Yue Yang and Yue Bing charged towards the inner part of the temple. Those Ox-head Warriors intimidated and roared loudly at them, but they did not attack them, who were protected by protective shields. Instead, they all went straight towards Hui Tai Lang, which was disguising itself as a Bronze-ranked Level 3.
Pulling his sister’s hand, Yue Yang charged towards the ring-shaped hallway surrounding them, and realized that there were close to a hundred Devil Eyes appearing everywhere.
These Devil Eyes floated in the air as they shot out white light from their giant eyeballs.
If it was any other warrior, they would definitely try to avoid the lights at first.
Furthermore, if it was a normal warrior, by the time they finished clearing the first wave of Ox-head Warriors, the half hour time limit would have been up. They would probably have trouble killing all these Devil Eyes. Right now, Yue Yang and Yue Bing had already barged into the Devil Eyes stage before a minute had even passed. There were close to a hundred Devil Eyes’ [Eyeball Light Ray] shooting at them in disarray, but when the Devil Eyes realized that their enemies were all fine, they started screaming in fury, as if they wanted to intimidate their enemies with their will alone.
Yue Yang wasn’t affected at all, but Yue Bing was a little shocked.
If she was the only one who was clearing the trial, she would definitely be afraid. But her brother was pulling her hands forward now, so Yue Bing’s feet continued to run without stopping, charging through the hallway.
The Devil Eyes tried to chase after them, but retreated when they reached the end of the hallway, as if they were afraid of the BOSS that was up ahead in the next room.
“Heavens!” Yue Bing who had charged in was extremely shocked by the scene that greeted them, crying out in alarm.
A bunch of Barbarian Bulls had appeared right before Yue Yang and Yue Bing.
Ten giant Bronze Barbarian Bulls appeared, each of them Bronze-ranked Level 5. There were also five Barbarian Bulls that looked extremely strong with their bulging muscles and noses that breathed out fire. They were all Silver-ranked Level 5. Lastly, there were also two Gold-ranked Level 5 Barbarian Bulls. They had bodies larger than normal wooden houses. Their legs were bigger than Yue Yang and their eyes were bloody red, as if they were about to shed bloody tears. They glared at Yue Yang and Yue Bing, their gaze filled with killing intent. These two Gold-ranked Level 5 Gold Barbarian Bulls seemed to be mini-Bosses, there was a space, a territory in the middle of the two Gold Barbarian Bulls that they couldn’t even approach.
Occupying 20% of the space, where there were no other monsters in the area, that was the real BOSS. It was a White Bull who was lying on the ground sleeping like a log.
This White Bull was clearly not a Barbarian Bull, seemed like it did not have any kind of combat power.
On the outside, this White Bull looked the smallest amongst the bunch of Barbarian Bulls, completely unlike a BOSS. However, none of the Barbarian Bulls dared to go close to it. Yue Yang’s eyes were sharp, he could clearly see that there was a Gold-ranked Artifact like the Golden Bell from Aries Temple, a Golden Hoop, hanging on the White Bull’s nose.
The White Bull ignored Yue Yang’s and Yue Bing’s arrival, continuing to sleep soundly in its slumber.
Yue Yang realized there was something strange.
The pressure he felt from Tu Cheng’s beasts, the Gold-ranked Level 7 Ancient Giant Beast and the Golden Dragon, were not as powerful as the pressure that he felt from this Gold-ranked Level 6 White Bull and the Three-headed Chimera from the Aries Temple. This White Bull, not only it was strong, it also seemed to be very intelligent… It gave Yue Yang the feeling that it had human intelligence.
If Yue Yang were to compare, he felt that Tu Cheng’s Gold-ranked Level 7 Ancient Giant Beast and Golden Dragon were not as strong as the Gold-ranked Level 7 Reaper Mantis.
Why would their strength vary when their levels were the same?
Was it because one was a strengthening-type, and the other a fighting-type?
Yue Yang suddenly remembered something he had read from the mysterious diary, which was also mentioned by Grandma Wu Teng before…
Grandma Wu Teng said before that only a highly intelligent beast would be able to evolve into a Holy Beast and become stronger! The pitiful guy’s mother had also mentioned one point, and that was a beast would have greater growth if it experienced more breakthroughs and longer cultivation period in each level! If he linked Grandma Wu Teng’s point and the pitiful guy’s mother’s words, that would mean that two beasts of the same level, or even two identical beasts of the same level would have a different evolution path if they were cultivated differently. Their strength would also differ greatly.
Although Tu Cheng’s Ancient Giant Beast and Golden Dragon was superior beasts and highly levelled, their strength were incomparable to the Reaper Mantis who had lived its life in the wild.
They were also incomparable to the Three-headed Chimera and the Gold-ranked White Bull who had guarded the Twelve Zodiacs Temple and possessed intelligence.
Although the Three-headed Chimera and the Gold White Bull weren’t Holy Beasts, they were not far from one.
A thought surfaced in Yue Yang’s mind. If beasts grew in that way, would human cultivation be similar too? A lot of warriors had clambered to ascend to Level 4 or even Level 5, but they couldn’t reach Level 6 their whole life afterwards. On the contrary, some other warriors who cultivated patiently and slowly, gaining strength steadily and advanced gradually could instead ascend to Level 6 [Elder] or even higher. For example, someone like Yue Bing, who had cultivated painstakingly all this while, her strength was comparable to some Level 5 [Grandmasters] and wouldn’t be disadvantaged in a fight although she was only a Level 3 [Hero]… Could this mean that the longer a warrior cultivate, the more breakthrough he experience, the stronger he would be amongst people of his ranks?
Yue Yang couldn’t be certain of this point.
But he decided to mentor Yue Bing in this way. He would not let her level up until her strength had far surpassed her level. In the end, she would naturally level up on her own.
Thinking of his own self, Yue Yang realized that he had gone through the same path.
“Bing-er, don’t be afraid. We still have the protective shield now, so they wouldn’t be able to do anything to us. Let’s go. Go througho the left of the hallway.” Yue Yang now realized that other than the difference in strength in different levels, beasts of the same level could also have a great difference in strength. There was also a huge difference in strength between intelligent beasts and ordinary beasts.
No wonder Grandma Wu Teng said that only an intelligent beast would be able to evolve into a Holy Beast.
The Gold-ranked Level 5 Gold Barbarian Bulls was actually supposed to be ten times weaker than this Gold-ranked Level 6 White Bull. But now it seemed that their strength differ by a hundred times.
When he fought that great battle with the Three-headed Chimera before, Xiao Wen Li had expended a huge amount of effort and had almost killed the Three-headed Chimera, but it had recovered to its initial state with the Aries Temple’s magic. Now it seemed like this White Bull was not an easy opponent either. If Yue Yang could use his Innate Strength, he would definitely be able to defeat it easily. But under the Ancient Laws in this Twelve Zodiac Temples in the Star Domain, he could only watch without doing anything. Furthermore, he had used too much Innate Strength previously. Even if he could use Innate Strength here, Yue Yang would need at least three months to recover first… Initially, Yue Yang had thought that he could clear the rest of the 11 temples in one go, but it seemed like it was not possible now.
At the end of the left hallway, there were also a bunch of Ox-head Warriors.
Yue Yang and Yue Bing summoned their grimoires at the same time. Yue Bing summoned her two Hundred Years Old Treant Defenders, and after Yue Yang’s orders, she put away her grimoire so that she wouldn’t receive any battle experience points. Yue Yang, on the other hand, had summoned his Barbarian Cow Shadow and Bloody Queen. He couldn’t summon the Bloody Queen, but Xiao Wen Li had helped him to do so. Yue Yang was a little speechless. He was unexpectedly unable to control his own beasts and it was not only the Bloody Queen. It seemed like other than Xiao Wen Li and the Barbarian Cow Shadow, none of his other beasts were obedient to him.
The battle quickly ended, but Yue Yang didn’t bring Yue Bing immediately to the right hallway afterwards. Instead, he looked around if there were any Artifacts.
According to convention, there should be some kind of Artifact here that would help them to clear the trial.
Yue Yang looked around the left hall, searching every nook and corner, and finally realized that other than an enormous painting on the wall, there wasn’t anything.
On the huge painting, a few Ox-head Warriors was killing a Barbarian Bull. The painting looked extremely real. The Barbarian Bull was unleashing its Doom’s Eyes, one of the Ox-head Warrior had already died from its attack. The Ox-head Warrior’s comrades standing next to it were furiously brandishing their bloodied axes, slashing towards the Barbarian Bull… There was nothing wrong with this painting, and there was no secret mechanism to it either.
There was no Artifact, no peculiarities and no secret mechanisms.
Yue Yang was thoroughly bewildered.
Yue Yang didn’t mind the half an hour time limit for their protective shield disappearing second by second, but as far as Yue Bing was concerned, this protective shield was their most important protection.
If she was to fight in more battles afterwards, she must definitely have this protective shield.
The beasts outside were all Barbarian Bulls, it wouldn’t be a joke if they were attacked by the Barbarian Bull’s Doom’s Eyes.
Yue Yang carried Yue Bing as they hurried to the right hallway. They flew past the White Bull straight away. Yue Yang had predicted correctly, although those Gold-ranked Barbarian Bulls were furious, they did not dare to enter into the White Bull’s territory. That White Bull on the other hand, simply snorted indifferently and continued its slumber. The Bloody Queen appeared in the sky, causing a riot within the bunch of Barbarian Bulls. The Bloody Queen was now Platinum-ranked Level 5 and it was also a Platinum King Beast. Her invisible pressure made the bunch of Barbarian Bulls a little bit indisposed.
Even the White Bull opened its eyes in its slumber, but when the Bloody Queen had flown past it, it continued to close its eyes and sleep.
The Barbarian Cow Shadow flew past them too.
The two huge Hundred Years Old Treant Defender had followed through clumsily.
The White Bull suddenly opened its eyes, and with one glare, it was as if the two huge Hundred Years Old Treant Defenders had been attacked by a hammer from the front, crashing back outside more than ten metres away. Fortunately the two Hundred Years Old Treant Defenders had strong vitality and health, they were only gravely injured and did not die. They climbed back up slowly and continued to follow their master… Yue Yang and Yue Bing who had already entered the entrance to the hallway, immediately returned. Looking at this scene, they were extremely surprised.
Yue Yang couldn’t understand why this White Bull had attacked the Treant Defenders but allowed the Barbarian Cow Shadow to run past it. Why didn’t it attack the Barbarian Cow Shadow?
Time waited for no man. Seeing that the Treant Defenders had not died, Yue Yang didn’t have time to analyze, he immediately carried Yue Bing and returned back into the left hall.
The Bloody Queen’s speed was extremely fast. She had already started to fight against the Ox-head Warriors in the right hall.
The Barbarian Cow Shadow followed into the battle.
Yue Yang carried Yue Bing and stood in the midst of the chaotic battlefield, staring at the right hall wall, dumbstruck… There was a painting that had been disordered into a sliding puzzle. Seems like they had to re-arrange this giant painting to the painting on the left hall in order to activate the secret mechanism and acquire the Trial Artifact.
“My heavens, why did they like to make fun of people so much!” Yue Yang sweated profusely.
He had only cared about secret mechanisms or breaking seals just now. Although he had seen that left hall painting, he didn’t remember every single thing in the painting. If they couldn’t finish this sliding puzzle and couldn’t activate the secret mechanism, the would definitely not be able to acquire the Trial Artifact. If there wasn’t any time limit, Yue Yang could just run back and memorise the painting again. However, there was an hourglass in the right hall.
The hourglass had started when the Bloody Queen started to fight the Ox-head Warriors just now. The sand in the hourglass poured down continuously.
There was definitely not more than ten minutes until all the hourglass ends.
It would definitely be impossible to run back to the left hallway, observe and memorise the painting carefully, then run back to the right hallway to organize the sliding puzzles.
If it were another person, they would definitely not be able to do it too, because the others might not have even finished killing those Ox-head Warriors in ten minutes.
But Yue Yang didn’t want to give up.
“Bing-er, take care of yourself. I will solve the sliding puzzle! We would only be able to acquire the Trial Artifact if we solve this sliding puzzle. Stand a little further away, because there might be traps activated by some secret mechanisms.” Yue Yang put Yue Bing down. He was uncertain if he could complete solving the sliding puzzle in ten minutes, especially when he couldn’t remember a lot of details. Yue Yang only remembered that there was a bunch of Ox-head Warriors killing a Barbarian Cow. Right now, the painting had been divided into several blocks. When Yue Yang tried to solve it, he could only move the puzzles to right, up and down. He couldn’t move it to the left, such a headache!
“Big brother, you can do it! Yue Bing was fully confident in Yue Yang.
“…” Yue Yang secretly cursed the designer of this wall sliding puzzle in his heart with all his might. He didn’t know who was so cruel to make someone do this kind of thing.
Time passed by, second by second.
Yue Yang couldn’t solve the wall sliding puzzle at all.
Yue Yang had thought about taking a hammer out and smashed this puzzle into pieces a few times, but he endured the impulse.
He reminded himself repeatedly, he must be calm. At this kind of ftime, he must be calm, otherwise, it would be more haste, less speed. The designer of this Trial must have wanted to test the mind controls of the Trial challengers and waste their time, making them fail the Trial in the end. Since the designer had already designed this puzzle, there must be a way to finish this puzzle. There must also be enough time to finish this puzzle.
It couldn’t be that there was no chances of solving it at all.
Yue Yang tried to use his senses, but it was no use.
This painting wasn’t unusual in any way. It was just a simple mechanism, there was no shortcut to it. He must solve the painting completely before clearing this stage.
“Brother? Do, do you need my help? Let me help you!” Seeing that Yue Yang had stopped his hands from trying to restore the puzzle, Yue Bing immediately came over and comforted him. “Brother, we’ll definitely be able to do this. Let’s think of a way together!”
“Okay.” Yue Yang knew that Yue Bing wouldn’t be able to help, but he smiled towards her.
It would be impossible trying to restore the puzzle using their memory.
They must find the most important crux of the puzzle… There must be a point that would help to restore the rest of the painting. Seeing how the blocks could be moved the the right, up and down, there must be a piece that was the center of the painting. Only by finding that piece, would he be able to smoothly connect the rest of the blocks. Amongst the 28 blocks of puzzles, there must be one that would determine the location…
Is it that piece?
Is it that piece where the Barbarian Cow was glaring at an Ox-head Warrior? Or is it that piece where an Ox-head Warrior was furiously trying to slash at the Barbarian Cow?
If he was wrong, he would fail the Trial. How should he choose?
The sands in the hourglass seemed to fall even more quickly.
Time waited for no man.
Yue Yang felt that these two blocks had the most probability of being the crux of the puzzle. He gritted his teeth and finally decided to try it out.
Just as Yue Yang was about to jump, he felt a pain in his eyes all of a sudden. It was as there was a kind of dazzling light that penetrated into his brain through his closed eyelids, just like a pillar of light that suddenly appeared in the darkness… From Yue Bing’s perspective, her brother was suddenly bathed in golden light. Even though Yue Yang’s hands were covering his eyes, Yue Bing could see bursts of light shining through the slits of his fingers. It was so bright that Yue Bing couldn’t even see her brother clearly.
Yue Bing was thoroughly overjoyed. Could it be that her brother had some kind of a breakthrough at this time? Was it his [Camouflage] Inherent Skill that he was hiding?
Could it be that he had risen up in level after using his [Camouflage] Inherent Skill to solve the puzzle?