It was no exaggeration to say that, while Cang Xiong’s limbs were overdeveloped, his brain was underdeveloped.
And here Ye Zichen had thought that, when Cang Xiong paused to examine the marks, it was because he’d realized something. He hadn’t guessed that this simple-minded yao imperial expert really hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, and he was just too stubborn to admit it.
Ye Zichen had already explained it clearly, but to his surprise, not only did Cang Xiong not stop, he even walked off in a rage.
“It was a huge mistake to bring him out.” Ye Zichen trailed after him. He couldn’t help but think this way.
They wandered aimlessly throughout the eerie, pitch-black corridor. At first, it hadn’t really been “aimless”; they were looking for the eye of the formation. But after so long without finding even a hint, Ye Zichen was starting to lose his zeal.
Ye Zichen couldn’t tell whether it was the same for Cang Xiong or not.
In any event, Ye Zichen was in no mood to keep searching.
“It’s really frickin’ sinister.” After a few circles, it seemed Cang Xiong remembered Ye Zichen’s warning. He noticed, then walked back up to the marks. He no longer made any effort to forge ahead. Instead, he couldn’t help but swear.
“How about we go back and ask Mister Qing Lan to come out?” asked Ye Zichen.
They’d just been going in circles this whole time, and they’d yet to uncover any leads. Who knew whether the others who’d entered the mausoleum had already left the corridor or not?
If they kept dilly-dallying, he might really not be fated to transcend.
This was extremely important, especially the Divine Soul Grass. Xue Mo was currently lying in her sickbed, waiting for it to save her life.
To tell the truth, even Cang Xiong was thinking that it would have been better to invite Qing Lan out.
He wasn’t as meticulous as Qing Lan. No matter what he did, he liked it coarse and crude. He wasn’t suited to solving these sorts of riddles.
But then this pipsqueak inheritor of the Yao-Sealing Pagoda treated him with such disdain that, in a fit of emotion, he’d gone over the top with bragging.
Now, this was just great. He’d already said all that, so if he failed to lead the kid out of the corridor, the brat was sure to insult him behind his back.
“There’s no need to trouble Brother Qing Lan over something so trivial,” said Cang Xiong.
“That’s fine too. You lead me out of here, then. Boss Cang Xiong, how many times have we gone in circles? You know as well as I do, right? The others might very well have passed this first hurdle already, yet we’re stuck here, falling behind,” said Ye Zichen a little frantically.
“Stop it already!” Suddenly, Cang Xiong’s frame expanded, and yao divine power erupted out of his body.
Unearthly winds howled throughout the narrow corridor. At Ye Zichen’s cultivation, the winds of yao divine power were hard to bear. Even though he immediately placed a barrier around himself, the wind had already cut a few bloody gashes into his skin.
“What are you doing? Don’t just lash out because you’re embarrassed. What, are you going to kill me here?”
Ye Zichen retreated several steps backward. Cang Xiong had been antagonistic since Ye Zichen entered the pagoda; it was possible that he really did plan to kill his master and hide the corpse in the corridor.
It was true that, as a yao servant, he had the pagoda’s slave imprint, and that as the pagoda’s master, Ye Zichen could instantly kill any yao servant he pleased. This was why the yao servants obeyed him with absolute obedience.
Ye Zichen cautiously retreated to a safer location, all the while relentlessly evaluating Cang Xiong.
If he tried anything funny, anything at all, if he even attempted to attack, Ye Zichen wouldn’t hesitate. He’d call upon the slave imprint and end Cang Xiong here. It didn’t matter that he was an imperial expert or that he could be an enormous help in the future.
“Kid, watch closely. See how I’ll lead you out of here!”
Clearly, Ye Zichen had overthought things. Cang Xiong had no intentions of attacking him.
Yes, he’d gotten cut up, but that was the wind. Cang Xiong didn’t target him with any of his attacks. Instead, eyes flashing, he turned towards the walls.
When he saw the look in Cang Xiong’s eyes, he knew what he was planning!
“You’re not going to break the corridor, are you?”
“Hmph! Why shouldn’t I?”
A fist of unstoppable momentum slammed viciously into the corridors, causing no small amount of damage. The corridor shook violently, and rocks and dust fell from the roof.
When they looked at the place his fist hit, there was a faint crack just visible to the naked eye.
“Quite solidly constructed, huh?” Cang xiong grinned viciously. His right arm suddenly seemed even thicker. Now, it really was the same thickness as Ye Zichen’s waist.
His arm released hazy green and orange light. The arm was so taut, the veins bulged, a clear premonition of how strong this next fist was sure to be.
“Break for me!
The corridor rumbled nonstop, and when this next attack landed, the trembling only intensified. From the look of it, it was on the verge of collapse.
“Boss Cang Xiong, a little harder! If not, we’ll wind up buried here!” shouted Ye Zichen.
The walls were far firmer than Cang Xiong had anticipated. Cang Xiong was fully aware of his own strength.
Your typical Imperial King expert would, after taking just one of Cang Xiong’s fists head-on, wind up half dead. Just now, Cang Xiong had thrown two full-force punches, yet the walls had yet to give way.
He heard Ye Zichen’s shout, and just as he was about to fire back, he looked up and saw that Ye Zichen had placed a barrier above his head, too. It was there to prevent the falling stones from landing on him.
As a yao and a body refiner, the damage from falling stones really didn’t amount to anything. Even if they hit, they wouldn’t do any damage. But he could tell Ye Zichen was doing this out of the goodness of his heart. Cang Xiong might have an explosive temper, but he wasn’t an entirely unreasonable sort.
He watched the falling stones for a bit. It really was strange; rocks and boulders seemed to fall endlessly from above, and yet, the ceiling showed no sign of cracking.
This corridor was strange as could be. If they didn’t get out soon, they might really wind up buried here.
“Iron Mountain Smash!” For the sake of breaking through the corridor’s walls as quickly as possible, Cang Xiong no longer hid. With a furious roar, his right hand clenched his left, and both fists slammed into the wall.
Rumble! Crack!
It was just as Ye Zichen thought. Others really had left the corridor ahead of him. A youth in green currently wandered aimlessly the area surrounding the mausoleum’s walls. When he sensed the not-too-distant vibrations, he stopped despite himself, grinned, and murmured, “I didn’t expect to find a kindred spirit here.”
When he reached the source of the vibrations, he saw none other than Ye Zichen hovering overhead. He’d only just crawled his way out of the corridor.
He was the only one present.
Cang Xiong had sensed someone else in the area, so he’d returned to the Yao-Sealing Pagoda.
But before he left, he didn’t forget to show off to Ye Zichen, as well as remind him that he now owed him a favor.
The corridor was indeed a separate, independent space.
After leaving it, Ye Zichen appeared in the skies above the mausoleum’s walls. When he turned around, he saw fully intact skies. There was no trace of that eerie corridor at all.
“Hey, friend.” The youth in green let out a burst of hearty laughter.
Cang Xiong had told Ye Zichen that someone was in the area. Indeed, as he brushed the dust off his body, he sensed the youth’s existence too.
But his expression showed no sign of surprise. He glanced at the youth, his gaze alert and wary, then landed about ten meters away.
The youth could sense Ye Zichen’s wariness. He shrugged and smiled to show he had no ill intentions.
“Who are you?” Ye Zichen fixed his gaze on the youth. The youth seemed entirely unfamiliar, but for him to enter the Divine Mausoleum suggested that he was at least an imperial king.
“I’m Gou Monan of the Yao Realm’s Northern Kingdom,” said the youth politely. As he introduced himself, he even bowed slightly.
The Yao Realm’s Northern Kingdom.
His self introduction left a good impression of Ye Zichen. Of the Yao Realm’s four kingdoms, the south and west were on poor terms with Ye Zichen’s alliance, but the Northern Kingdom was a land of goodhearted, simple people, and they were on good terms with humanity.
“Gu Zichen, the god race,” said Ye Zichen. He was still somewhat careful.
“So, Brother, you’re a god?” As expected, the youth’s eyes lit up with a hint of a smile. “Our Northern Kingdom has always liked doing business with gods. I was actually rather worried that the first person I ran into would be a demon or someone from the Southern or Western Kingdoms. If so, it would inevitably lead to bitter combat. Running into you, Brother Gu, means I can finally relax.
“Demons, I can understand, but you’d fight your fellow yao if they were from the south or west?” asked Ye Zichen.
“You might not know this, Brother Gu, but the yao have been internally divided for a long time now. Yao Emperor Eastern Monarch Taiyi pays such trifles no heed, while the south and west formed an alliance. The Northern Kingdom is peaceable and wanted to remain neutral, but the others wouldn’t let us. The south and west now see us as their enemies.” Gou Monan sighed.
“You can work with the east, though,” said Ye Zichen.
“Brother Gu, as I said earlier, we’re a peaceable kingdom. The Nine-tailed Foxes lead the east, and I heard that lately, the foxes have been close to the gods, especially the master of the Tenth Divine Mountain. It seems his name is Ye Zichen… Huh? Brother Gu, your names are rather similar, aren’t they?” Gou Monan’s frown suddenly relaxed into a smile.
Ye Zichen smiled but said nothing. He actually already knew the answers to his questions.
He’d only asked to ascertain whether this guy really was from the north or not. Now that they were in the mausoleum, you had to be careful of everyone around you. Who knew? He might say he was from the Northern Kingdom, yet in truth, hail from an opposing faction.
But the youth answered Ye Zichen’s questions perfectly, without the slightest flaw. It seemed he really was from the north.
The corridor had trapped Ye Zichen for far too long, and he still didn’t understand the situation on the inside. Furthermore, after entering the mausoleum, he’d been separated from his allies. If he traveled on his own, odds were high that he’d bump into his enemies.
Gou Monan was most likely an imperial king. If they joined forces, they could face their enemies together, which would make it a little easier. And the north had always been fond of humanity. Traveling with this youth seemed like a good choice!
