And though this Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus before him was a being of the same order as the Brain-Eating Worm, its strength far surpassing the likes of the Ancient Goumang King, it was plainly a beast of the technique type; in theory it would not be as thick-skinned and tough as the Brain-Eating Worm. Perhaps the difficulty in dealing with it lay in finding its true body—and its true body might well be little stronger than its avatars. If so, two True Qi Elixir Fire Bombs would be enough to settle it with ease.

Instead, a contemptuous smile spread across the Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus's face, as though it had resolved to open Wei Zhao's eyes to something. It made no move to dodge, nor did it strike back; it simply let the two True Qi Elixir Fire Bombs explode against its body.

Wei Zhao and Duanmu Yu both went wide-eyed. But the next moment, the earth-shaking detonation they had anticipated never came. Two faint ripples of light shimmered across the Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus's skin, and then the two True Qi Elixir Fire Bombs simply vanished, without so much as a whisper of disturbance—two utterly dead duds.

Wei Zhao was stunned for a moment. This was the first time anyone had neutralized his True Qi Elixir Fire Bombs in such a fashion—exactly the same way it had neutralized the Five Elements killing aura before. This Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus truly was insoluble.

"Now do you see the gulf between us?" The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus smiled a profound, unfathomable smile.

Wei Zhao was silent a moment, then said abruptly, "This is the Well of Stillness, isn't it?"

"Oh? I never expected a human to be not only clever but so broad in his learning—you even know of my Well of Stillness?" The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus could not help but be a little astonished.

"Nothing much. When you fought the Brain-Eating Worm at the banquet earlier, I happened to overhear it mention the term," Wei Zhao said lightly.

"I see. Well then, now that you have witnessed my strength, what do you intend to do next?" The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus wore a look of amused interest.

"Mm. Your strength is extraordinary, sir. You have the Mirror Flower, Water Moon—a phantom space that is all but insoluble—and the Well of Stillness, a defense that leaves one utterly helpless. With these two divine techniques in your possession, you are fit to rule a domain of your own," Wei Zhao said, stating the facts as they were.

"Quite right. Before that lord descended upon this place, I was the foremost overlord here. Only that freakishly gifted worm could offer me even slight opposition; as for all the other beasts, great and small, even if you gathered every last one of them together, I could slay or exterminate them at will," the Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus said with no small pride.

"Since you are so powerful, sir, why then are you content to serve beneath that lord? In name you are a Guardian, but in truth you are no more than a lackey, a running dog," Wei Zhao asked.

The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus fell silent at once. A long while passed before it recollected itself and spoke with a note of mockery: "Spare your schemes, human. Whether you mean to pry information about that lord from me, or to sow discord between me and that lord, it is all in vain. I am not one of those fools who grow only muscle and no brains—I will not be taken in so easily."

"Very well." Wei Zhao was somewhat disappointed. This ancient trial ground was treacherous at every turn, fraught with peril; compared with this Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus and the Brain-Eating Worm before him, creatures like the Ancient Goumang King counted as easy prey. Yet the greatest threat came from that lord, who was present everywhere. A being capable of commanding the Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus and the Brain-Eating Worm was by no means to be trifled with. If he could not find some way to learn that lord's true nature, then even if he escaped this time, he would live in constant dread hereafter.

"Enough of this nonsense. I give you one last chance to change your mind, human. Think carefully before you answer me: will you accept my offer and serve as my second from now on, or will you choose to die here?" The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus delivered its ultimatum in a heavy voice.

"I have thought it through very clearly. I will neither serve as your second, nor die here. I have a third path," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile.

"A third path? Interesting. I should like to hear where this third path of yours comes from." The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus's eyes narrowed to a thin slit.

Wei Zhao considered carefully for a moment, then suddenly wore an apologetic smile. "Forgive me. I miscounted—strictly speaking, there is a third and a fourth path."

"A third and a fourth?" The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus was taken aback, then looked down its nose at him. "Very well, then enlighten me—what exactly are this third and fourth path?"

"Courtesy demands reciprocity. Since you think so highly of me as to grant me two paths, I must return the favor and grant you two as well. One path is that I kill you; the other is that I take you in. What does Your Lordship think?" Wei Zhao met it tit for tat, smiling.

"Kill me? Take me in? Hahahaha!" The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus laughed instead of growing angry, laughing until it rocked back and forth and could not contain itself. Only after a long while did it manage to stifle its laughter and say with amusement, "Amusing, very amusing. Humans really are a most amusing species, and you are a prime specimen."

"You find this amusing?" Wei Zhao eyed it sidelong, with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"Of course it's amusing. If an ant came up to you and told you it was going to kill you and take you in, wouldn't you find that amusing?" The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus laughed heartily. Wei Zhao's performance just now had indeed been impressive, but at best it was a cut cleverer than the common run—it could not change the weak, wretched ant that he fundamentally was. From first to last, the Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus had never regarded him as a true opponent; he was merely a somewhat entertaining toy.

"Has Your Lordship never heard the saying?" Wei Zhao smiled.

"What saying?" The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus asked, curious.

"You cannot judge a person by his appearance," Wei Zhao said mildly.

"Fine words indeed—you cannot judge a person by his appearance. Ambition is a good thing, but no amount of ambition can change the lowly nature of an ant. You should know well that I am the master here, and that I could extinguish you as easily as turning my palm. But..." The Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus paused, its expression imperious. "...I won't be accused of bullying you. I will give you a chance right now—show me just how you mean to kill me and take me in!"

Duanmu Yu watched Wei Zhao with some nervousness. From where she stood, the Guardian of the Sleeping Lotus was all but invincible. Even if it did not lift a finger and merely stood there letting you strike at it, there was nothing to be done about it. To say nothing of anything else, the Well of Stillness alone was enough to make one shrink back.

Though it was still impossible to tell just what mechanism lay behind the other's Well of Stillness, one thing was certain: the Well of Stillness could effortlessly neutralize the vast majority of attacks, and among them was the True Qi Elixir Fire Bomb that Wei Zhao regarded as his trump card. If even the True Qi Elixir Fire Bombs could not scratch the creature, what else could? (To be continued.)