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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
The Supreme Mountain Elder, who was in the palace, looked around faintly as he waved his hands, shooting out a hazy layer of green light that shrouded the surrounding area. The light could prevent any expert’s divine sense from sweeping over and spying on their discussion. Other than them, there were also experts from the Three War God Clans in this palace, whom the Supreme Mountain Elder could fully trust.
In his opinion, everything else would be easy to handle as long as they knew where Luo Feng and the others were being held. By the time he rescued Luo Feng, he would directly tear apart Space and leave. The world was a vast place, and there were endless universes out there. No one would find him if he lived in seclusion somewhere.
It wasn’t like the life or death of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains had anything to do with him.
The various clans of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains were only his pawns for dragging out the process.
Xiao Yang and everyone else sported solemn looks on their faces. Xiao Yang, especially, had eyes full of expectations. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. He wanted nothing more than to charge into the dungeon and rescue his Master and sister.
“If that’s the case, shall we make a move tonight? I’m worried Gu Changge will notice something’s wrong if we put it off for too long. It would be bad if he moved Master and Sister away…”
“From your investigation, that place should be where Second Mountain Elder and the others are being held captive. We cannot put this off any longer. Tonight’s the night we strike.” The Supreme Mountain Elder nodded with a rare smile on his face. Everyone then discussed the details of their next move in order to make sure that there were no flaws in their plan.
…
Night came in the blink of an eye, and the entire Sky Deer City was shrouded in thick and magnificent mist. Strands of blinding galaxies began to fall from the sky.
“When the time comes, I want some of you to guard the entrance. Anything out of place shall be reported immediately.” The Supreme Mountain Elder looked serious as he glanced at the many experts in front of him and ordered.
“Understood. Please rest assured, Supreme Mountain Elder.” Everyone grew solemn when they heard those words. They understood how important the operation tonight was. There was no room for mistakes.
Immediately afterwards, the Supreme Mountain Elder waved, and simple but mysterious runes emerged in the void and turned into a misty brilliance that hid everyone’s figures. He seemed especially cautious as he sensed the movements of the people monitoring the place around him.
He hid and left the palace to head for the street in the southwest direction. Even though it was nightime, Sky Deer City was still brightly lit, and silhouettes could be seen coming and going in the palaces and pavilions.
Soft sounds of singing could be heard coming from the boats in the distance where bean-like night lights shone, adding liveliness to the night. Be it the stone-gambling stalls, teahouses, shops, or brothels, people could be seen almost everywhere. Except for the patrolling soldiers passing by in the sky from time to time, the entire Sky Deer City seemed peaceful, which was completely different from the extraordinary and heavy atmosphere in times of war.
Xiao Yang, Gu Wudi, and the others carefully concealed their auras and followed behind the Supreme Mountain Elder. Although the Supreme Mountain Elder was personally protecting them, they couldn’t help feeling nervous at such a crucial time. However, they did feel reassured and confident about their plan when no one noticed them despite having left the palace and traveling quite a distance on the streets.
The Supreme Mountain Elder had such profound power and skills that there was no flaw in his concealment technique.
Xiao Yang spoke up then. “After we pass through the stone-gambling stall in front, we will reach a dilapidated house in the southwest. That is the suspicious place we found.” He looked at the brightly lit stone-gambling stall in front and pointed to a road behind it leading to a house with a courtyard. Everyone’s eyes followed the direction he was looking, and all they could see were dimmer lights. It was as though no one lived there.
“There is indeed a subtle aura fluctuation there. We need to be careful when we get there. Gu Changge is a cunning man. He might have some traps laid there for us,” the Supreme Mountain Elder reminded them with a nod, his face glum.
A pale golden light emerged in his initial pitch-black eyes then. The aura and Principles of the whole world began to change, and even the fluctuations of the Dao manifested in his mind. Such a mysterious technique seems to have touched upon the Source of this world.
Immediately, everyone more carefully concealed their energies as they quietly went to the shabby house.
…
On the top of a palace in the southwest of Sky Deer City.
Standing here, Gu Changge raised his gaze to look at the glorious palaces not far away with thoughtful eyes. Ni Shang soon appeared behind him and respectfully reported, “Master, as you speculated, Supreme Mountain Elder and the others have quietly left the palace where they rested for the past few days… According to our spies’ report, they should be heading southwest of here.”
“It seems that the fish is about to enter the net. I didn’t spend all this time planning it in vain after all.” Gu Changge let out a small smile when he heard the words and looked away.
“You have great foresight, Master. Supreme Mountain Elder must think that he has everything under control, but he doesn’t know that this is all part of your grand plan!” A smile appeared on Ni Shang’s cold and beautiful face as she looked at Gu Changge’s back, with a glint in her eyes.
If the Bone Ancestor hadn’t mentioned it, she wouldn’t have known that Gu Wudi, who seemingly was on the Supreme Mountain Elder’s side, was a chess piece that Gu Changge had planted a long time ago. In other words, Gu Changge had made prior arrangements for Gu Wudi to be there because he had long anticipated this day to come. She couldn’t help but be surprised by the entire plan. She would never have figured out what went wrong if she were the Supreme Mountain Elder.
The rescue plan that the Supreme Mountain Elder thought was foolproof was actually already under Gu Changge’s control. Gu Changge had even told Gu Wudi the place where Luo Feng, Second Mountain Elder, and others were imprisoned. He also taught Gu Wudi how he could tell the Supreme Mountain Elder in a way that would lower his guard.
“It’s almost time. Gather everyone. We caught the fish. So, we should also reel in the net.” Gu Changge smiled, and when he moved, invisible stairs seemed to emerge and condense in the void in front of him as he took a step that sent him thousands of kilometres away.
“Yes, Master,” Nishang respectfully responded before she, too, disappeared in an instant.
At the same time, there were several incomparably terrifying auras emerging from the darkness of Sky Deer City. Vast fluctuations flashed by like a raging wave that swept across and crashed into the sky, causing the world to tremble. Many who didn’t know what was happening almost fell to the floor when the pressure hit them.
The clan leaders of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains who were discussing about the truce, and have to give their answer by tomorrow, were alarmed. Their faces quickly fell. They almost thought it was the work of an expert from the Upper Realm. At this moment, inexplicable terrifying energy descended and covered the entire Sky Deer City.
…
On the other side, Xiao Yang and the others who carefully avoided the many patrolling soldiers along the way finally found the extremely worn house. From the outside, it looked like the owner of the house had abandoned the house and fled in a hurry before the outbreak of the war. The few items left behind made the house look extremely desolate.
Wormwood and vines that had grown to half the height of a person were also growing in the corners of the wall, and they looked extremely scary at night. This place is quiet because there weren’t any patrolling soldiers. But it was precisely because of this that Xiao Yang’s group was uneasy and cautious.
Right then, the Supreme Mountain Elder suddenly spoke with what looked like golden, overwhelming flames of a burning candle in the depths of his eyes. “Leave someone outside. The rest of you, go down with me. There are arrays placed to keep the entrance hidden.”
He stared at a courtyard not far away before a few Divine Talismans shot out between his raised hands, and the brilliance there suddenly disappeared followed by the ripple-like broadening of a vague portal.
Everyone was excited when they saw this. Through that portal, they could see a deeply hidden corridor. They had no doubts then that this was where the Second Mountain Elder and others were held captive.
“Time is of the essence,” the Supreme Mountain Elder continued. “I have done something to hide us from them. They won’t notice us for the time being.” With the strands of World Principles hanging from his robe at this moment, he overflowed with powerful and mysterious Divine Light.
Everyone was sullen when they heard those words. Soon, Xiao Yang, Gu Wudi, and a few others chose to go down with the Supreme Mountain Elder. Meanwhile, the experts from the Black Tortoise War God Clan, the White Tiger War God Clan, and the Vermilion Bird War God Clan kept guard outside. These experts from the Three War God Clans would be the ones to inform the others if there was movement as soon as possible.
However, what surprised everyone was that there were not many jailers guarding the dungeon.
From the moment the Supreme Mountain Elder entered, he didn’t hesitate to wave and sent a blast of mighty energy ahead, knocking out the many prison guards in front of him. His victims fell unconscious on the ground, and no one knew if they were alive or dead.
“This must be it! They must be here!” Xiao Yang and the others were excited as they followed the Supreme Mountain Elder closely. Nothing seemed out of place so far.
The layout of the dungeon did not differ to how regular dungeons appeared. There were many perennial candles lit on both sides, making it look dark and damp.
They didn’t go far before they caught sight of a few people who were imprisoned, among them Luo Ying and the Second Mountain Elder. However, their four senses had obviously been sealed off, as they couldn’t speak or hear. They could only see the Supreme Mountain Elder, Xiao Yang, and everyone else who came from outside the dungeon.
There were strong chains made of special materials wrapped around Luo Ying and the Second Mountain Elder. They could hardly move.
Luo Feng, who was on the other side, was in the same state right now. However, he was unconscious, and others could only detect a faint aura from him.
Xiao Yang’s group was pleasantly surprised when they saw the people in the dungeon. Even the corners of the Supreme Mountain Elder’s mouth curled into a smile as he heaved a sigh of relief.
Xiao Yang took a look around. Except for a few people being held captive, he didn’t see anyone in charge of guarding this place. [It seems that Gu Changge is so confident about his arrangement that he didn’t bother sending any experts to guard this place.]
This somewhat surprised him, but he thought it was likely that Gu Changge was in over his head, thinking that no one dared to break into this place to rescue the Second Mountain Elder and the rest.
Xiao Yang didn’t think too much about it as he stepped towards Luo Ying and the Second Mountain Elder, who were held in chains and tried to save them as runes rose from his body. “Master, Sister, I’m here to save you!” he reassured them.
But what made him feel a little strange was how Luo Ying and the Second Mountain Elder were looking at him with fear, helplessness, and pain written all over their faces. Luo Ying’s eyes were especially wide as if some great horror was hidden within them.
[Something’s wrong… I have a bad feeling about this.] The smile the Supreme Mountain Elder had on abruptly froze as he let out a frown. A sense of impending doom had hit him all of a sudden. At the same time, the sound of unhurried footsteps could be heard in the silent dungeon as it gradually closed in on them.
No matter how slow Xiao Yang’s group’s reaction was, they could sense that something was off when they heard the sound. Their hearts seemed to stop as their faces fell, and they took out their weapons almost immediately.
Their plan to rescue the Second Mountain Elder and the others didn’t go smoothly after all.
“Who goes there!?” The Supreme Mountain Elder promptly turned around when he felt the cold air hitting the back of his torso. His angry voice possessed special power that could injure even someone in the Sacred Emperor Realm.
But the moment he opened his mouth, there was a buzzing sound, and a bright and dazzling brilliance suddenly lit up the four walls of the dungeon.
Grand Runes appeared one after another like bright lights so piercing they brought tears to everyone’s eyes. It only took a second for the dark depths of the dungeon to be illuminated.
*Boom!*
These Grand Runes contained terrifying power as they floated like a galaxy and evolved into a myriad of sceneries. At the same time, some kind of powerful Principle also emerged and rushed forward in all directions, leaving their marks in the void.
Standing in the middle of it all, Xiao Yang’s group could also hear the sound of ancient chanting. They even saw a majestic and vague figure that could only be described as an ancient god or demon capable of subduing the entire world. Such a scene caused their expressions to change dramatically as horror and disbelief replaced the looks on their faces previously.
It was obvious that a trap had been planted, and they were now completely isolated from the outside world.
Xiao Yang paled, and even his voice shook when he saw the man clad in white striding in from outside the dungeon. “Gu Changge! How did you know we’re here…”
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” Gu Changge announced with a light-hearted smile. He shook his head without offering much explanation. And as he finished speaking, a huge wave suddenly came from behind him. It was like a stormy sea that rushed forward and tried to submerge Xiao Yang’s group.
Many True Daoists had appeared, but the Bone Ancestor and a few others gave off the most terrifying feeling. Just by standing there, they seemed to be able to force Xiao Yang’s group to bend their knees to show their respect. This kind of aura made their faces pale with fright, and it was difficult to hide their fear. They couldn’t even stand still as they looked at the Supreme Mountain Elder for help.
Even though the Supreme Mountain Elder was a lot calmer than the rest of them, he couldn’t hide the sombreness he felt.
“Have you expected we would come and save them?” He asked, eyes fixated on Gu Changge.
