CHAPTER 254 THE GUARDIAN OF THE ELEVENTH SPACE

"You are here," a maiden said, giggling.

Just as Darren set foot in the eleventh space, a maiden in a white robe descended before him. Her

pleasing silvery voice echoed in the space.

Darren nodded with widened eyes. Her beauty astounded him.

"My name is Denise. What is your name?" Denise had a pretty face and bright, beautiful eyes that were

filled with innocence.

"Err. I am Darren Chu. We are supposed to battle. Perhaps it's not appropriate for us to get friendly,"

Darren answered with a frown. Denise's behavior left him speechless.

"Ha-ha, you are very funny." Two charming dimples bloomed in her cheeks as she smiled.

"What?" Darren was lost.

"Why do you want to talk about the fight? I would like someone to speak with. Even though I am made

of a wisp of spiritual intent, I still feel lonely.

Look around you. There is nothing here but stones. It is an ice-cold world. I can't even see the stars.

Please don't go. Stay with me, please," Denise implored.

"Miss Denise, what are you talking about? I am just a challenger in this space. I can't stay here."

Darren gave a wry smile.

"Of course, you can stay here. You will have to stay if I hide because you won't be able to find me."

Denise giggled. Then she strode forward. In the blink of an eye, she vanished. Darren could not even

detect traces of her breath.

"How is it possible? !" Darren found the maiden's behavior, both funny and absurd. 'Is the guardian of

this space a freak?' he wondered.

How was he supposed to start the battle if the maiden had hidden herself? Darren was at a loss.

As he looked around, Darren noticed that the space was, indeed, home to cold and barren mountains.

There wasn't even a blade of grass on the ground! It was somewhat similar to the Fire Cave.

Swoosh!

With no other alternatives, Darren leaped up and began to search for Denise. However, as time went

by, he could neither spot her nor find her breath.

Soon, he stumbled across a stone. The discovery surprised Darren.

"It's the Primitive Stone!" Darren picked it up immediately and inspected the breath contained in the

stone. To his disappointment, the stone did not contain the Heavenly Repression Rule.

This Primitive Stone was thus, useless to Darren. Nevertheless, he stored it in his Space Ring. Since

Primitive Stones were great treasures for the grand warriors waiting outside the Ancient Void

Battlefield, Darren could exchange them for the precious articles he wanted.

In the following three to four months' time, Darren searched every corner of the eleventh space and

collected over two hundred Primitive Stones.

One day, as he flew across the clear skies, he discovered a mysterious cave. After hours of trying, he

was unable to break the powerful restriction that confined the cave. Darren was frustrated with his

failure. After all, he was curious to explore the cave.

"Could the guardian be hiding inside the cave?" Darren muttered.

"I am not." A silvery voice, as gentle as calm sea waves filled Darren's ears. He spun as he tried to

locate the source of the voice. But, Darren could not see anyone. "Why do you bother yourself with this

search for useless articles? Come and talk with me, instead," Denise said playfully.

"Where are you?" Darren asked. As he waited for the guardian to reply, Darren considered her

question. She was correct. What was his purpose for collecting so many Primitive Stones? They would

be of no use to him if he couldn't find the guardian of the eleventh space.

"I won't tell you my position. Find me by yourself, if you are capable enough," Denise giggled.

"This is enough! Come out and fight me!" Darren growled.

"No, no, I won't come out. You will lose if I come out, and then, I will be alone again. Nope, hum!"

"Fuck, what a geek," Darren couldn't help but swear at the guardian's insistence to remain hidden.

"You are a geek!" the maiden retorted.

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Darren released his blade and sword intent into the space around him. The pressure of the intent was

so immense that several mountains collapsed.

"Ah! This is awesome! You have the strength as powerful as that of the supreme stage of the Wonder

Realm."

"Stop this nonsense and come out and fight me," Darren roared. Several months of being stranded in

this cold land had left him frustrated. What's worse, the maiden refused to end her game.

"Did you know that the sky was originally a sea? She was beautiful, but no one could approach her.

Once you become fascinated by her, you will lose your direction and indulge yourself in boundless

loneliness. Slowly, you will be trapped in the loneliness forever," Denise said softly.

"I love the sunshine. I love the glittering and translucent beads of dew in the early morning. I love every

free-living creature," she continued.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Anger laced Darren's voice, but she continued to speak about

things that he didn't understand.

Time flew by, and soon, ten years had passed. For some people, ten years was a very short time. But

for Darren, it was too long.

Every day, he heard Denise's pleasant, silky voice from the skyline. Darren couldn't remember the date

when she started talking. But every day, she would gabble on and on.

In the beginning, Darren replied to her occasionally. Slowly, he became crazy and shouted at the sky

like a lunatic. At last, he found that no matter what he said, his words made no difference. She kept

speaking strangely. At his wits' end, Darren chose to cultivate in silence.

Ten years passed, and Darren's body was covered with dust as if he were a human stone statue.

"Where are you, Darren? Can you hear me?" Finally, Denise realized that the crazy man was gone. No

one was listening to her anymore.

"Are you angry?" She landed beside Darren like a goddess—her spotless white robe danced in the

wind.

"Oh, the dust on your body has coagulated into stone. You are so dirty. Would you like me to wash your

clothes?"

And still, there was no reply from Darren. He was like a dead man—his breath had also vanished.

"I am here. Beat and kill me now. Then you can leave," Denise shouted, hoping to get a reply from

Darren. And still, he remained silent. Frustrated, Denise shouted again. However, Darren made no

response at all.

"I am serious. I won't hide anymore if you return to life.

Hey, are you still there? Answer me!" By now, anxiety had begun to course through the guardian. When

Darren didn't move, she placed her fair hands on Darren's shoulders before gently patting away the

dust that had coagulated into stone.

"Please don't leave me alone. I know you are there. I will be lonely without you. I don't want to be left

alone," she sobbed.

The sound of her weeping echoed between the sky and earth, like Darren's roar before he began

cultivating in silence.

Every second that she waited for Darren felt like hours. Soon, Denise was engulfed by loneliness in an

empty world.

She sat by Darren's side and sobbed. When exhausted, she slept. After waking, Denise cried, giggled,

and spoke more strange words to herself.

Year after year, Darren remained silent, as before. 'It doesn't make any difference if he is indifferent

toward me, ' she realized. Loneliness was always her companion.

"Wake up. I will let you go if you beat me." Her voice was emotionless, like a ghost, there was no

feeling in it at all.

Boom!

Darren's eyes opened suddenly. Slowly, they shone like stars. His strong aura made the whole world

tremble.

"Finally, you are waking up. Aren't you afraid that I will hide again?" The corner of Denise's mouth

curved with a hint of a smile. Her bright eyes shone with mischief as she stared at Darren.

"You won't." Darren's voice was as cold as ice.

"Why?"

"Because you were lonelier than before, even though I was here, weren't you? "

"Yes." Tears welled in her beautiful eyes.

"Tell me what happened to you?" Darren asked softly, mild-eyed.