Chapter 1738: Full of Expectations

"Oh, this is interesting," the sphinx-like monster said, sounding somewhat surprised.

"Your cultivation level exceeds my imagination. If I were truly face-to-face with you, it would be a bit troublesome." Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing exchanged glances, both aghast. The monster's existence was unbelievable, and the fact that it only called it "a bit troublesome" suggested that even in a direct confrontation, the Emperor might not be able to secure a win. What kind of monster was this, to be so powerful?

"Are you not in this spacetime?" Zhao Hao raised an eyebrow. Even with his capabilities, he couldn't comprehend how the other party managed all this. The world truly was vast and mysterious.

The monster nodded. "You are indeed clever. I am separated from you by many timestreams, so naturally, you cannot harm me." Zhao Hao's expression truly changed. This completely surpassed his imagination, and at the same time, he felt a surge of excitement. There truly were beings more powerful than himself in this world. Did this mean the path to immortality was not an illusion after all?

He couldn't help but ask, "Can you achieve eternal life?" The others also felt a chill in their hearts and looked at the monster with eager faces. For a moment, they even found its strange body somewhat pleasing to the eye.

The monster paused, then chuckled. "How strange. Usually, I'm the one asking questions, but now I'm being questioned by others." It paused again and said, "Normally, if I were in a good mood, answering your question would be no problem. However, today my mood isn't very good." It thought of the two women from earlier, and a wave of irritation washed over it. In all these years, it had never suffered such a setback.

Hearing its tone, Zhao Hao's heart grew even more eager. "How can I make you answer the question?" The other party seemed to know something about eternal life.

"First, pass my test. We can discuss other things after that," the monster said, revealing a strange smile.

"Oh, and my name is Sphinx. Remember it, so you'll know whose hands you died in," it added. The hearts of those present sank. This monster was utterly bizarre, and its words were clearly not an idle threat.

The monster continued, "Soon, I will ask you a question. Answer correctly, and you pass. Answer incorrectly... hehe, and I will take your souls. How about that, fair enough?" Zhao Hao frowned slightly, momentarily doubting the truth of the monster's previous words. Was it truly separated by many timestreams, or was it using some illusion to deceive them?

It made no sense that if he couldn't harm it, it could still take his soul across many timestreams. For years, he had been unaccustomed to placing his safety in unknown hands, and he considered trying to attack again.

As if reading his thoughts, the monster said with a strange expression, "My patience has limits. Don't make me angry." Zhao Hao directly voiced his thoughts: "Since I can't harm you, you shouldn't be able to harm me either. You're just bluffing." Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing secretly admired him. The Emperor truly lived up to his reputation as the strongest; his composure and bearing were unparalleled.

As for the other two, they were already trembling so much that clear thought was impossible. The monster replied, "Indeed, my methods of attack cannot harm you either. However, if you fail to answer my question within the allotted time, your souls will be taken by me. This is a law of this world, and you cannot resist it." It paused, then added, "If you anger me, I will pose a question that no one can answer, and then you will surely die." Zhao Hao's heart skipped a beat. At his level, he had naturally glimpsed the threshold of the world's laws and knew that if this world was set up this way, he truly couldn't resist.

Realizing this, he dared not make another move. Truly angering the opponent would be a terrible idea.

But what if he couldn't answer the question? Just then, the monster spoke. "Hmm, there are five of you in total. To make things simple, I'll just ask one question." With a wave of its hand, nine illusory cakes appeared in mid-air, along with an ethereal knife.

Then it said, "The question is: how do you divide these nine cakes equally among five people with a single cut?" The five people present were instantly taken aback, finding the question very peculiar.

At first glance, it seemed simple, but upon closer thought, it was quite problematic. Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing were sect masters of the Daoist school, exceptional talents who were skilled in numerology. They quickly began to ponder.

Dividing nine cakes equally among five people was certainly possible, but it would definitely require more than one cut. However, if the knife skills were exquisite enough, a single cut could have many variations, potentially achieving it. The question then was whether the monster would truly consider it "one cut."

Furthermore, the ethereal images in mid-air might not withstand such knife skills; a cut could potentially cause the illusions to dissipate and ruin the cakes. One by one, they fell silent, deciding to wait for someone else to answer, hoping to gain inspiration.

Even if not, they would gain more time to think. Seeing them all fall silent, the sphinx-like monster said sinisterly, "There's a time limit for answering. If no one answers within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, I will take your souls." As it spoke, a burning incense stick's ethereal image appeared in the void nearby, instantly creating a sense of time pressure.

At this point, the monster added, "Whoever answers this question correctly will ensure everyone passes."

"Oh, and a friendly reminder: the later you answer this question, the greater the disadvantage you might face." Hearing this, the others looked puzzled. If anyone answering correctly meant everyone passed, why would answering later lead to a disadvantage?

At that moment, Zhao Hao stepped forward, standing before the illusory knife. "I'll divide them!" Seeing his calm expression, as if he had a plan, Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing were overjoyed. They thought, 'The Emperor is indeed the Emperor. It feels good to stand with the strongest and cling to their coattails.'

The monster watched him with a half-smile. "Be sure to divide them correctly, or no matter how strong you are, according to the laws of this world, your soul will be taken by me." Zhao Hao didn't respond. He picked up the knife, made a cut behind him, and then calmly stated, "I've divided them. Three pieces for each person." The other two, who had been craning their necks to watch how he would divide them, suddenly felt a chill at their throats, as if falling into an ice cellar, before being completely enveloped by darkness.

Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing jumped in shock, their faces utterly pale as they looked at the two men lying dead nearby from a single cut.

They hadn't even seen how Zhao Hao made the cut! But who would have thought he would swing the knife at his own companions?

The monster was visibly stunned, clearly shocked by the scene. After a long moment, it exhaled. "I never thought it could be divided this way." Having said that, its entire form transformed into a distorted black shadow and vanished. The mysterious law that had enveloped the group also disappeared with it.

Zhao Hao's expression remained calm as he stepped out. "Let's go explore this new world together."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Li Changsheng and Xuan Bajing were utterly shaken and hastily followed him. ...Meanwhile, on Zu An's side, Wei Suo was lecturing him: "Boss, I'm not saying anything, but why did you act like such a gentleman just now? You could have used the opportunity to gather some information. Anyway, you're a grown man, what's the harm?"

"Ahem!" Qiu Honglei glared at him. Wei Suo thought, 'No wonder. With you around, Boss might have the desire but not the courage.'

He quickly added, "In my opinion, if there really are ghosts, they won't give up so easily. Let me be next; don't fight me for it. It would be a waste if you took it." A faint smile played on Zu An's lips. "Alright, I won't fight you for it." Seeing his handsome and sunny smile, Wei Suo was stunned, then quickly said, "No, no, Boss, you're too handsome. If you stand here, the female ghosts will only come for you." Zu An's expression was odd. "Fine then, let's go out and look around. See if we can find that female ghost from earlier and ask her what's going on." Wei Suo was delighted. "Excellent!" Without his handsome boss around, he might actually get what he wished for.

Zu An and Qiu Honglei walked to the doorway, then couldn't help but turn back to ask, "Will you be in danger by yourself?" Wei Suo patted his chest. "Boss, don't underestimate me. I've traveled far and wide for years; I can certainly be considered a master. Isn't a single demon-subduing staff more than enough to handle a delicate female ghost?"

"Then be careful," Zu An agreed, and he and Qiu Honglei stepped into the night. At this moment, inside a cave in the wilderness, rough tree vines slowly glided everywhere, as if countless snakes had gathered within.

In the center, a robust woman looked discontentedly at a delicate young woman opposite her, her voice ambiguous. "Xiao Ying, why are you back so early? Where is he?" The woman had a masculine appearance, with thick eyebrows like strokes from a coarse brush. On top of that, her face was covered in a thick layer of white powder, and her cheeks were painted with fiery red rouge, making her look neither male nor female and incredibly ugly.

Xiao Ying was visibly afraid of her. "Senior Sister, the main reason is that the young master had a companion as beautiful as a celestial fairy. I knew I couldn't seduce him..." Hearing her recount the recent events, the ugly woman was immediately overjoyed. "Hahaha, an incomparably handsome young master and a woman as beautiful as a celestial fairy! I love playing with both types. I'll go meet them myself!" As soon as she finished speaking, countless vines swiftly moved towards the distant dilapidated temple.