Chapter 8: The Painting World

Time seemed to come to a standstill, and Tang Mu felt like the space around him was twisting and collapsing in on itself. An upsurge of vertigo welled up like a tide within him and blinded his senses. Everything else that followed was confusing, and for a moment, it was as if he was drowning and holding on for dear life.

Fortunately, the uncomfortable feeling lasted for only a second or two. Tang Mu's mind quickly regained clarity, and his senses opened up again, allowing him to perceive his surroundings.

He blinked and subconsciously glanced around. Surprisingly, he was no longer on the first platform within the mysterious Celestial Gallery but in the middle of an expansive savanna grassland with borders far beyond his visual perception.

He inhaled the fresh air typical of a jungle as his eyes took in the rest of his surroundings.

The bushes around were abnormally tall, with their tips reaching slightly above his knees. Most likely, they were home to many creatures, some of which could be dangerous.

Tang Mu continued observing his surroundings, sweeping his gaze across the few trees scattered in the area, then the lofty anthills punctuating the vegetation, until he noticed the majestic mountain with a peak that seemed to tower past the clouds in the distance.

His eyes immediately widened with surprise as he found everything quite familiar and surreal.

Could I have arrived in the painting world?

Tang Mu couldn't contain his astonishment as everything around him bore an uncanny resemblance to what he had just seen in the mural painted on the stone slab of the first platform of the Celestial Gallery.

Narrowing his eyes, he cast his gaze above to get a sense of time for the place. It seemed like noon, as the sun was at its highest point in the sky for the day. The scorching golden rays shone down on his face, causing him to squint in discomfort.

This is unscientific!

Tang Mu shook his head and retracted his gaze. The fresh breeze and the scent of the jungle, the warm climate and the blinding midday sun, plus the set-up of the surroundings, including the grassland and the mountain in the distance, all made him believe that he had, in some magical way, arrived within the painting world.

In just a few seconds, he had again experienced another metaphysical transfer and descended into a dimension that could be within a mural painted on a stone slab. Everything he had experienced was almost implausible, and even if he told the story to other people, they wouldn't necessarily believe him.

"Shua... Shua..."

At that moment, Tang Mu heard rustling sounds coming from behind his back. He resisted his urge to escape and looked over his shoulder toward the source of the sound.

A cold chill rose from the base of his spine as his eyes caught a flash of motion parting the bushes only a few meters away. "What the hell is it...?"

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There was a hissing sound as the bushes continued parting. Tang Mu whipped his head around while reflexively stepping back. He then forced himself to relax and turn 'ever so slowly' to avoid alerting the terrifying enemy he thought was still some distance away.

"Aahhh…"

The next instant, Tang Mu was scared shitless. Behind him lurked an enormous black cobra, probably a dozen meters long. Its upper body stood erect while bearing menacing fangs, seeming as if it was poised to strike at any moment.

The mammoth of a black cobra stopped a few meters away and looked down at him with unmasked brutality in its serpentine eyes. Judging from its behavior, it was definitely not an ordinary snake.

What do I do?

Tang Mu stood still, taking care not to antagonize the colossal monster of a snake. He knew he couldn't bare-handedly battle a cobra that could spit venom and kill with a single bite. He exerted all his willpower to overcome his fear and then began to take a few measured steps back.

One step, two steps, three steps, four steps!

The snake didn't react as it just observed him coldly. Then, just as suddenly as blinking, it lowered its head and attacked without warning.

It bounded forward like a black bolt, covering the few meters between it and Tang Mu within seconds. Its reptilian scales shimmered along with its cold dark eyes as its maw opened in preparation for a bite of its prey.

"Shit!"

Tang Mu's instincts kicked in, causing him to feel a tightening in his chest.

The fear of the imminent attack robbed him of all his senses, substituting them with something that made his muscles clench in dread. He struggled to jump to the side and barely managed to dodge the menacing fangs of the cobra.

However, the threat was still at large, and Tang Mu's sense of danger didn't stop ticking even after avoiding the snake.

Adrenaline continued pumping through his system, heightening his senses and causing his reactions to speed up. His ears picked up the near-silent rustling of grasses behind him, and he hopped to the side and barely managed to dodge another attack.

But even then, he didn't just stop at that. He took off like the wind toward the distance without even bothering to see if the snake was on his tail.

Stones, sharp rock fragments, and twigs concealed in the tall bushes hurt his bare feet as his strides ate up yards of space through the jungle. However, he didn't slow down to ease his pain, as the sense of danger behind him had not diminished, even in the slightest.

As a person who had experienced a rebirth, he had already done his best to improve his fitness with the aim of passing the Psionic Society's Assessment. Even without appropriate gear, his sprinting speed was beyond what average humans could reach, and he covered hundreds of meters in about ten-plus seconds.

But since he was only an ordinary seventeen-year-old human, who was yet to step into the official ranks of psionics, his stamina reserves dwindled quickly, and soon, he was almost hitting his limit.

A sense of desperation swiftly built up within him as he struggled to maintain his top sprinting speed.

He looked over his shoulder again and noticed a flash of movement parting the grass some meters behind him. He bit his lips and forced himself to remain calm as the gears in his mind turned, trying to find a solution to the predicament.

For the first time, he began facing his situation with calmness. His eyes darted around as he ran until they landed on a pile of rocks beside a tree some distance away.

Without thinking much, he changed his running course and headed toward them. He intended to quickly gain some distance from the snake before using the heavy rocks as weapons against it.

With the plan of action, Tang Mu felt more relaxed and assured. He increased his sprinting speed and quickly approached the pile of rocks while ignoring the chasing serpent behind him.

A few seconds passed, and just when he was only a few meters from the pile of rocks beside the tree, an abrupt change happened. The wind around the area seemed like it had been stirred up by something, and Tang Mu's ears picked up a whooshing sound from above.

Tang Mu saw a swift shadow rushing in from above out of the corner of his eyes. His heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat dripped down his back.

He reacted instinctively without identifying what kind of enemy had arrived on the scene. Mustering all his power, he hurled his body forward and dived into the tall grasses while praying for safety.