251 The World Within the Array

"What the hell are the two of you crying for? Something like that won't make me kick the bucket..."

Like a beacon amidst the darkness, Dan's voice rang behind the young women. As if electrocuted, Natalie and Grace stood stiff and turned their heads around. Upon landing on Dan's smiling figure. Their faces went pale and they exclaimed.

"Ghost!"

Natalie and Grace tightly embraced each other and their Spiritual Energy burst forth in a panic, transforming into a snake that lunged forwards at Dan who hurriedly stepped at the side.

"Natalie, Grace. It's really me. Do both of you really think that something like that is enough to kill me? Both of you are really underestimating your husband. Even though I look like this, I still have my methods, ah..."

Dan shook his head and approached his fidgety wives. Pulling them into a hot embrace, the two women cried tears of relief which made him smile in return as a warm sensation filled up his heart.

Having such thoughtful and beautiful women care for him made him appreciate the fact that he had transmigrated. Pecking their foreheads, rubbing their hairs and patting their heads. Dan calmed the two little kitten in his arms.

"You... How could you act so reckless ah. When I saw you dying before my eyes, don't you realize how much pain I felt? What should we do if you really died earlier?!" Natalie punched his chest and Grace dug deep into his arms, saying.

"That's right, you idiot husband! Don't you realize that you have so many people waiting for you to come back? Me, Natalie, Grace, Sandra, Jacob, Zieve and your family... They are waiting for you to come back safely, but here you are risking your life!"

Grace and Natalie's words made him realize something. He couldn't bet his life so recklessly anymore. After all, he had so many people awaiting his safe return. Nodding his head, a flash of resolve surged within his eyes and he solemnly vowed in front of his wives.

"Don't worry, no matter how treacherous the path of cultivation is, I will definitely return safe..."

Dan's words sounded so optimistic and unrealistic yet when the two women heard what he said, security and relief surged within their hearts. Tightening their embrace, Dan lifted their head and wiped their faces clean of snot and tears as he lightly chuckled,

"Grace, I thought of you as someone strong and reliable yet you could actually still cry like a baby..."

Grace puffed her cheeks and Natalie chuckled at the side.

"You too, Natalie... For someone that's older than Grace for several years, you sure could cry like a small baby..."

Dan poked fun at the two women and their teary-eyed sight made an irresistible sensation surge within Dan's heart as he pounced forward and pinched their cheeks to the limit. Grace and Natalie pushed him away at first but seeing his bloodied clothes, they felt hesitant and before they realized it. It was already too late, Dan had captured them and repeatedly pinched their cheeks as he wanted.

After this short transmission, Natalie and Grace glared at Dan. Their cheeks reddened and puffed from all the pinching that the latter did. Pecking their foreheads for one final touch, he tried pulling them into an embrace but Grace slapped her hand away, saying.

"You... We're inside the Array, can't you at least suppress that instincts..."

"That's right, Dan... Also, we don't even know if people are watching us from the outside..."

Dan surveyed their expressions and saw that despite their warnings, their faces were flushed red that extended until their neck. With his knowledge about his wives' attitude. Dan revealed a smile akin to that of a wolf that found its prey.

Arriving beside them, Dan's hands transformed into mirages that danced around their bodies, simulating some of their weakspots which made them uncontrollably shivered. In the end, Dan's technique transformed their unwillingness into the opposite. But just as they lifted their heads and stare at Dan with their glazed eyes. The latter suddenly said.

"Oh yeah, the two of you are definitely right, we're inside a virtual world created by the Array, and there's no guarantee that there are no one watching us from the outside... We should really stop doing these kinds of activities, righhhttt?"

Dan made a sidelong glanced at the flushed women before turning to stare ahead and whistling away. His expression looked so nonchalant and carefree that it felt like he was walking on his backyard.

Natalie and Grace stared at each other and simultaneously nodded in tacit understanding. Unleashing a hail of Ice that slowed down Dan's footsteps. Natalie followed suit with her Soft Sword that wrapped around his legs before dragging him back towards his hungry and aggrieved wives.

Soon enough, the light of a Sound and Light Isolating Formation sprung up and covered the figures of the three, along with muffling Dan's miserable, yet pleasure-filled screams.

Half an hour later, a bedraggled Dan emerged from the formation. His expression looked pale, and his breathing uneven. In contrast, the two women behind him looked refreshed and jubilant. Their skin looked supple and blooming, their complexions, rosy.

Staring ahead of them, the clouds that blocked moonlight finally parted ways, illuminating the darkenend world which revealed the tall skyscrapers standing at the distance. Natalie and Grace looked visibly shaken, astonished by the scene before them.

In contrast, Dan looked relatively calm. However, his eyes repeatedly danced around the dark corners and alleyways, looking for some kind of an evidence that will prove the conjecture in his mind.

"Woaaah... What kind of a world is this? Such tall buildings, that building is even taller than the Heaven Piercing Tower of the Empire of Eternal Faith!" Grace's innate curiousity sparked as she pointed at a towering skyscraper.

"Indeed, and these architechtural designs. It is something that I have never seen nor read... Dan, since the Array conjures a world based on one's wishes. Could it be that something like this world is something that you wished for?"

Natalie turned to look at Dan along with Grace who stared at him in astonishment and curiosity. Dan made a sidelong glance at the two. Seeing their jubilant and exhilarated expressions. He decided not to break the ice on them about how cruel his previous world was. Nodding his head, he smiled and said,

"It's indeed a fantastic world filled with marvelous wonderful things and mysteries..."

Grace and Natalie sweetly smiled. Dragging him towards the direction of the City, all three of them dashed as fast as they could towards the City with smiles of excitement and anticipation decorated on their lips.

Amidst the gloominess that surrounded the entire City, several crimson eyes suddenly lit up and stared at the direction of the invaders. Growling, deep and slow footsteps rang out as these creatures walked towards the approaching three.

Within the City, Natalie and Grace felt like fishes that returned to the ocean as they happily danced around and observed all the mysteries that they could see. Despite the obvious eeriness of the area, these two women still showed their excitement and curiosity which made Dan scratch his head in awkwardness.

They came here to temper their minds and bodies yet these two women were frolicking so nonchalantly and carefreely right before his eyes. Oh well, since they looked so happy, it would be better to just let them be and do the investigation on my own.

Turning around to leave, Dan activated [Stealth] and leaped towards a nearby rooftop. Observing everything around him with narrowed eyes. He continued his journey, leaving his wives behind in their trance.

Natalie stared at a figurine of a dignified woman carrying a broken sword on her shoulder. The woman's expression looked unyielding and defiant. Her clothes, although simple and even torn at the hem looked practical and easy to move with. But that wasn't the reason why Natalie stared at her so intently.

It was because of the words written on the plaque above her head.

[A warrior's blade reflects the truth in their heart. Mine is black, and broken. - Riven]

Written in a domineering fashion, Natalie's mind and soul unknowingly focused on the simple phrases carved on the plaque that were covered by dust and moss. Her eyes looked listless, yet the faint trembling of her body indicated that she was completely conscious and in the middle of enlightenment.

Little did Natalie knew that as soon as she entered a state of enlightenment, deep, heavy and slow footsteps approached her from the side. Once the creature that looked rotten and spiteful to behold spotted her figure. Its eyes sparkled with a crimson light that desired for her flesh.

"Growwwlll..."

The creature emanated a guttural growl as it slowly approached, each footstep that it took left sticky mucuous that looked so disgusting. In fact, if one looked closely, they would see maggots festering on the mucuous that it left on the ground.

Pouncing at the listless Natalie, the sound of flesh being penetrated suddenly rang out followed by the voice of Grace who screamed.

"Natalie, wake up! We're being surrounded!"