Two elders now stood before the doorway where Gu Luolin had once almost fallen to the God-Smiting Bow. One look at their faces, and it was clear that they were the treacherous sort.
Appearances reflected the heart; people who looked like this couldn’t possibly be trustworthy.
Or even if they were loyal to someone, in the face of benefits, they would undoubtedly cast aside duty in favor of personal gain
“Huangfu, what are you doing over there?” The elder in green glanced at the elder in black. They’d picked up on the nature of this place’s confusing formation not long after entering.
Based on the order they’d come in, they ought to go through the door all the way on the left next.
“There’s someone in this room!” The black-robed elder pointed to the door Ye Zichen and his friends were in.
“So what? It’s not like we didn’t bump into anyone on our way here. Like just now. Didn’t we see others go before us? Let’s just keep going in the proper order. If we act at random, we might waste all the work we’ve done so far.”
“Old Man Yuchi, have you gone senile?” The man in the black robes roared. The man in green’s eyes flashed with displeasure, but before he could argue, the man in black continued, “The palace is only so big. How can it possibly fit so many rooms?”
‘When we enter, the doors are all close together, but as soon as we step through, there are another five doors, and the space behind the door is the same size as the previous room. It’s obvious that each room exists in an independent space!”
“I didn’t need you to tell me that!” said the elder in green.
“You…” The black-robed elder pointed at him. “I really don’t know what Zhou Wu saw in you. I already said all that, and you still don’t get it?”
These two elders were none other than the heads of two of the four clans Zhou Wu had raised up: the Yuchi and Huangfu Clans.
Yuchi Kong and Huangfu Youming!
They’d had a falling out with the God Emperor just before entering the mausoleum, so the fates of their clans now rested upon whether or not they could obtain the transcendent fortune they longed for.
If they succeeded, when they left, their clans were destined to flourish.
But if they failed?
Given Zhou Wu’s tendency to hold a grudge, their clans’ most likely fate was annihilation.
They’d made it into the “paradise” constructed by the former Demon Emperor’s remnant soul, but they didn’t linger there. They chose to traverse the lava right away, and wound up in the snowy mountains before anyone else.
That was why no one had seen either of them in either the paradise or at the foot of the mountain.
Yuchi Kong still didn’t understand what Huangfu Youming was getting at. Huangfu Youming sighed deeply, then explained, “Since each room is its own separate space, how could it be possible to sense someone after they enter a room?”
Now, Yuchi Kong finally understood.
Huangfu Youming then pointed to the arrow hole before the doorway. “Look at this hole. It’s obvious that an arrow fired out from a trap in that room. Every other room has been open to come and go as we please, except for this room, which for some reason, we can’t open. You ought to get what I’m saying now, right?”
“That room isn’t in a separate dimension!” said Yuchi Kong.
Separate dimensions were spaces separate from their planes. The two spaces existed in parallel, without any intercrossing.
But the rooms Yuchi Kong’s group and Ye Zichen’s group occupied were connected.
This meant that they were part of the same space. All the other rooms existed in separate dimensions. Comparing the two, the answer was obvious…
This was the true room, the one they’d been searching so bitterly for ever since entering the mausoleum!
“You finally get it!” When he saw that Yuchi Kong had finally opened his eyes, Huangfu Youming shouted viciously.
They were like grasshoppers tied to the same string. Whether they transcended or not, they had to work together if they were to have any hope of ensuring their clans’ safety and future.
Yuchi Kong was, whatever else you might say about him, a prominent figure even among imperial lords. He was a bit stronger than even the patriarch of the destroyed Bai Family.
Huangfu Youming was relatively satisfied with him, as far as allies went.
It was just, his brain was so slow on the uptake that he was a little worried. Perhaps, choosing to collaborate with Yuchi Kong wasn’t such a wise choice after all!
“There’s undoubtedly someone in that room. Perhaps, the transcendent fortune we’ve been searching for all this time is inside.” Yuchi Kong was visibly shaken. In truth, he’d been terrified ever since entering the mausoleum; he was worried Zhou Wu would target his clan. He also feared that, if he failed to obtain transcendent fortune, given how irrevocably they’d severed their ties with Zhou Wu, his clan would have nowhere to go.
On their way here, he’d considered backing out and finding an alternative path forward for his clan, but to his surprise…
They really did seem fated for transcendence!
“You ought to have seen that Divine Arbiter girl too,” said Huangfu Youming. “She entered not long after us. If she picks up on the hint and shows up here, and we have to fight in this small area, we can’t possibly beat someone so proficient in the Grand Dao of Space!”
“You ought to know who is she is to Zhou Wu too! She’s his ‘pillowside minister’!”
“She’s absolutely loyal to Zhou Wu. We turned our backs on him, so she undoubtedly hates us to the bone. Transcendent fortune lies before us; I don’t want to see some little girl seize it from right before our eyes!” Huangfu Youming’s eyes flashed with sinister light. He was vicious by nature.
When he heard that Zhou Wu wasn’t fated to transcend, he turned his back on his former master without hesitation. He didn’t even need to use his brain to guess how deeply Zhou Wu must loathe and resent him now.
But he wanted transcendence intensely. Rather, everyone wanted transcendence badly.
The true room was right before them. He wasn’t going to let anyone ruin this for him!
“Then what are we waiting for!” Yuchi Kong was just about to take action when Huangfu Youming pulled him back.
“Don’t. Since we know that this is the real door, and that there are people inside, so long as we keep watch, they can’t possibly escape. What we need to do now is keep an eye on the others outside…”
“If we take action here, those who haven’t entered other dimensions will be sure to hear the noise and come running.”
“That is to say, if we fight, we have to be quick about it. Before the sound of battle draws others over, we have to break down the door and dispose of whoever’s inside.”
“What are you trying to say?” Yuchi Kong frowned.
“Don’t hold back in the slightest! Fight and end it, as quickly as possible!”
When Yuchi Kong heard that, his expression turned solemn, and he nodded firmly. Then, holding nothing in reserve, he attacked the door.
Bang!
Ye Zichen’s ground heard the blast outside their door clearly. When the two imperial lords attacked the door, they could even see Gou Monan’s face pale as he went all out trying to ward them off.
The joint attack of two imperial lords put an enormous burden on Gou Monan’s body.
“Are they insane? Aren’t they afraid of drawing others over?” Gu Luolin glared, eyes wide. The three in the room had heard every word of Yuchi Kong and Huangfu Youming’s discussion, which is why she knew there were only two of them.
“I’m afraid they’ve steeled themselves to get rid of us as quickly as possible, and that they’re not concerned about all that other stuff!” Gou Monan gnashed his teeth. Bean-sized beads of sweat dripped down his face, but his hands continued forming seals without pause, endlessly reinforcing the barrier around the door.
Now that people really were trying to barge in through the door, Gu Luolin lost her former gleeful smile. “Do you need me to help?”
“No need!” Gou Monan cried out. “Go tell Brother Ye the right order. So long as he opens the secret tunnel, we’ll be safe inside. Otherwise, even if we can keep them out, the sound will only draw others. Sooner or later, our defenses will break!”
Ye Zichen was still focused on using the five elements to resonate with the paintings. Every time the enemies’ attacks shook the room, it had an enormous impact on him. He was likely more frantic than anyone else.
But it was just as Gou Monan said: the door would break sooner or later. All he could do now was open the hidden tunnel.
Otherwise, all the imperial lords in the area would show up. In the face of so many such experts, especially experts here in search of transcendence and red-eyed with greed, they were in for trouble. At their cultivation, nevermind taking a share of the spoils; they’d struggle surviving the chaos of the inevitable battle!
Even if it were just Huangfu Youming and Yuchi Kong, so long as they broke into the room, Ye Zichen’s group was almost certainly doomed.
Given the two imperial lords’ personalities, there was no way they’d let the three of them escape alive!
There was no other way out. All they could do now was solve the puzzle and enter the hidden tunnel.
Suddenly, another crisp sound reverberated throughout the room. Ye Zichen hurriedly cried out, “Gu Luolin!”
“Lightning! Then, the last one’s thunder!”
The hanging scrolls were solved in order: fire, wind, rain, lightning, thunder…..
Ye Zichen’s five elemental powers coursed through him like mad. Thunder and lightning were the hardest to control, and since the two elemental affinities had much in common, it was difficult to call upon them separately. But who was to say that slipping up wouldn’t waste all the hard work they’d done already? Ye Zichen had no choice but to scrupulously separate the two powers, but by bit.
Crunch!
There was yet another crisp sound. This was the fourth so far. Only the final element remained!
Thud!
The banging at the door continued relentlessly, but that thud wasn’t the sound of Yuchi Kong and Huangu Youming breaking the door. Rather, it was the sound of Gou Monan flying back and slamming into the opposite wall.
The impact left him heavily injured, and he coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood.
Even so, he crawled up to his feet and, ignoring his wounds, formed a continuous series of hand seals.
“Cough!” His blood poured out nonstop. From Gou Monan’s expression, it seemed he’d already hit his limit.
“Out of the way!” Gu Luolin pulled Gou Monan behind her, then pressed her hands against the door. A halo of jade green energy appeared in her palm. Resisting two imperial lords taking turns to launch explosive attacks against the door wasn’t easy. Gu Luolin now felt firsthand just how much pressure Gou Monan had been resisting earlier.
The door was already showing signs of cracking. Gu Luolin still had her hand pressed against the door, but she wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
Rumble!
Suddenly, a tunnel leading downward opened within the empty white scroll. Ye Zichen’s eyes instantly lit up with delight. “It’s open! Hurry inside!”
Only after he spoke did he notice Gou Monan’s wounds, but he practically didn’t even have time to be shocked.
Without so much as another word, Ye Zichen lifted him onto his shoulders, then tossed him into the tunnel. Then, he turned to Gu Luolin, who was still bitterly warding off Yuchi Kong and Huangfu Youmiing. “Gu Luolin! Enter the tunnel!”
