“Elder, what exactly is this place?”
Among the group of Kunling Mountain disciples hurrying along with packs on their backs, someone who was fairly familiar with Elder Qu finally could not help but ask. Elder Qu: “Can you not read? The words on the archway.” At this point, they had already entered, and none of them were fools. There was no longer any meaning in concealing it.
The hurrying crowd looked at each other, sizing one another up, all in disbelief. Had they really entered the legendary Immortal Mansion?
“Hey, look.”
Someone suddenly shouted urgently, causing everyone to stop and gather around him.
The man held a flower in his hand. When he had learned that this might be the legendary Immortal Mansion, he had bent down and casually picked one to see how the flowers in an immortal’s blessed land differed from those outside, and had discovered something abnormal.
Seeing everyone’s puzzled looks, he immediately tore off another petal. At once, they saw a faint wisp of smoke rising from the torn opening under the moonlight.
Upon closer inspection with their mystic eyes, someone exclaimed, “It is malignant energy!” Everyone immediately looked down and around, plucking flowers and pulling up grass to examine them. Elder Qu did the same, and soon discovered that the flowers, plants, and vegetation here all contained malignant energy.
“How can this be? How can plants in an Immortal Mansion contain malignant energy?”
“Did you not hear? It seems the same inside Little Cloud Realm.” Hearing the disciples’ discussion, Elder Qu said in a deep voice, “It is nothing serious. Just be careful. Continue on our way.” Under his rebuke, everyone continued to follow him in haste.
In his heart, Elder Qu was anxious. He did not know whether the advance party of Yan Yao and the others could find the Great Elder first. If they fell behind the Great Enterprise Bureau personnel, Xiang Lanxuan would know something was amiss as soon as she met with her subordinates, and would immediately guess that Kunling Mountain was plotting something untoward. The Great Elder would be unaware and would inevitably suffer a loss.
Of course, in all likelihood, such a thing should not happen. When the Great Enterprise Bureau people entered, they had deliberately pointed them in the wrong direction, not toward where Xiang Lanxuan had gone, but in another direction, to buy time for Yan Yao and the others.
But this could not guarantee there would be no oversights. Who knew whether Xiang Lanxuan or her subordinates might turn a corner and encounter them along the way? They could not determine Great Elder Huan’s exact location at present, and could only temporarily pursue him in the direction he had previously gone.
At this time, Yu Qing and the others were also groping their way forward in the dark. Although they had entered an immortal’s cave dwelling, they really could not see anything of an immortal blessed land’s atmosphere in this night.
As they walked, Nan Zhu suddenly said, “It is here, it is here, the smell is back, a stench. Do you smell it? Could it be that corpse hair grass the vine demon mentioned? Should we go look?” Yu Qing: “Just hurry along honestly. Our time is limited. We must get out before dawn. Collect pollen today, and find another chance to sneak in slowly another day. Otherwise, Kunling Mountain will not be able to explain it away. The vine demon said the bee swarm stays in the nest at night, and this corpse hair grass is temporarily useless to us.” Though he said not to waste time, the next moment he himself stopped first,
because a wave of foul stench assailed them.
The four of them were forcibly halted by the stench. They estimated that the so-called “corpse hair grass” should be nearby. The stench was truly unbearable. They all held their breath and pulled out fluorescent stones, searching.
Soon, the group found the source of the stench not far ahead. They all held their breath and crouched down to examine it, discovering a basket-sized clump of black, hairy stuff. When the wind blew, it was like long hair fluttering. Upon closer inspection and poking, it seemed to be a moss-like plant growing close to the ground, except the leaves were shaped like jet-black long hair.
The group relaxed slightly and took a sniff, and immediately the stench made them turn their heads wanting to vomit.
“No need to guess. This must be that corpse hair grass.”
Unable to bear it, Nan Zhu stood up, covering his mouth that wanted to vomit, and found a spot upwind to stand. Just as he comfortably took a breath, his eyes widened and he let out a cry of alarm, “Someone!”
Yu Qing and the others startled to their feet, sensing a group of figures pouncing toward them. They had just drawn their swords when they discovered they were already surrounded by several dozen people.
Just as they were wondering how a group of people could appear here, whether they were people from the Immortal Mansion, a quick look revealed something was wrong. Among them were actually familiar faces.
They might not recognise the others, but Ke Ran, who had been their neighbour in the Dingyin District for so long, was absolutely familiar.
Ke Ran also had a face full of surprise, clearly not expecting these few fellows to be here.
These unexpected guests were none other than the Great Enterprise Bureau crowd who had been deceived into entering by Kunling Mountain. Kunling Mountain had falsely transmitted Xiang Lanxuan’s decree, tricking all the Great Enterprise Bureau people into coming in, so Ke Ran was among them.
They had been hurrying at full speed according to the direction Kunling Mountain had indicated, not knowing when they would find the Great Walking Officer, when they suddenly saw several points of light. They swiftly surrounded them to investigate, never expecting that instead of finding the Great Walking Officer, they found these few, and were greatly surprised.
Nan Zhu, after sweeping a glance over the crowd, stared at Ke Ran and said in a deep voice, “Brother Ke is a Great Enterprise Bureau person?”
He recognised the leading man and woman. The man was called Le Shu, the woman was called Gan Li. They were both people he had seen in Little Cloud Realm, remembered as trusted followers of Xiang Lanxuan.
Now that these two were leading, and Ke Ran was following the crowd, it was not hard to guess Ke Ran’s identity.
Ke Ran neither confirmed nor denied it, which counted as tacit acknowledgment.
Le Shu and Gan Li exchanged a glance. The two were also quite surprised to see these few fellows here, but it was not entirely incomprehensible. They estimated that the Great Walking Officer should have followed these few fellows in.
Gan Li immediately demanded, “A Shiheng, where is the Great Walking Officer?” Hearing this form of address, Ke Ran felt quite surprised.
“Great Walking Officer?” Yu Qing was stunned, frowning as he retorted, “Where the Great Walking Officer is, how would we know?”
He was already somewhat furious at this point, not knowing what kind of ghost this was. They had just entered, and were caught again?
Le Shu: “Stop playing dumb with us. The Great Walking Officer tracked you into here. Could she have lost you along the way?” They now quite believed Kunling Mountain’s words without doubt. As he said, Xiang Lanxuan had tracked these people here. Now that they had found these few, it showed that Kunling Mountain’s guidance was not wrong. The Great Walking Officer should have come this way. Yu Qing said in astonishment, “The Great Walking Officer tracked us in?”
He somewhat could not believe the other party’s claim. With his Word Observation Technique, borrowing the cover of the mist, if someone had tracked him, he could not possibly fail to detect it, even if the other party was Xiang Lanxuan. He did not believe Xiang Lanxuan had already reached the realm of listening to heaven and earth from a distance.
Otherwise, how would he have dared to sneak here.
Le Shu raised his eyebrows and said, “Still playing dumb with us, are you?”
Yu Qing also frowned. “If the Great Walking Officer really followed us in, why would we need to play anything with you? We simply had no idea other people had also entered here. Otherwise, how could you have surrounded us so unexpectedly?”
Hearing this, Le Shu and Gan Li exchanged a glance, thinking it made sense. This was also what they found puzzling. If the Great Walking Officer really had come this way, how could she have disappeared? Even if she was tracking in secret,
she should have shown herself when she saw them appear. It could not be that these few fellows had killed the Great Walking Officer, could it?
Even if these few fellows could use some means to kill the Great Walking Officer, it would be impossible for them to let themselves be found so easily. They would probably be hiding too late.
This matter was indeed suspicious. Could it be that the Great Walking Officer had met with some accident along the way? After all, this was an immortal’s cave dwelling.
Yu Qing looked at their numbers, and asked again, “So many of you have come in. Does Kunling Mountain know as well?”
Gan Li demanded, “Are we the ones asking you, or are you asking us?”
Seeing that the other party was unwilling to answer his question, Yu Qing did not want to reveal any flaws by being questioned too much, and immediately said, “Right now, regardless of who is asking whom, the most important thing is to get out quickly. In at most two more hours, the entrance will close. Then none of us will be able to get out. We will all be trapped to death here.”
At these words, the Great Enterprise Bureau crowd was all shocked.
Nan Zhu, Mu Aotie, and Bai Lixin secretly glanced at Yu Qing, not knowing what he meant by this nonsense, but naturally none of them would expose it.
Le Shu had already fixed his gaze on them, and asked in a deep voice, “Is what he said true?”
Nan Zhu nodded repeatedly and said, “Of course it is true.”
Mu Aotie and Bai Lixin also nodded along.
Le Shu frowned, looking around, for they had still not found Xiang Lanxuan.
Gan Li looked at the subordinates all staring at the two of them with pleading eyes, knowing what was on everyone’s mind, and immediately persuaded Le Shu, “How about we go out first and talk later?”
Yu Qing also said, “Perhaps the Great Walking Officer has already gone out?”
Le Shu was silent for a moment, and could only brace himself and wave his hand, saying, “Go, let us go back first.”
He then pointed at Yu Qing and the others and warned, “You had best not play any tricks with me.”
Yu Qing sighed, “You are overthinking. How would we dare to make trouble for the Great…?”
He was truly confused by this situation now, and wanted to get to the exit as soon as possible to see what was going on.
The most important thing was to determine whether Kunling Mountain knew they had entered. If Kunling Mountain did not know, then there would be trouble. They would have to find a way to let Kunling Mountain know as well. The more people who knew, apart from the Great Enterprise Bureau, the better. Otherwise, the Great Enterprise Bureau would definitely make them disappear into thin air. Even if they could still live, they would never see the light of day again in this lifetime. Yet when the group had finally hurried back to the entrance at full speed, and returned beneath the jade archway, they were all dumbfounded.
Before their eyes, where were there any vine bridge and the spirit valley below? There was only void like a mirror surface. Standing before it, they could clearly see their own reflections. Touching the void mirror surface produced ripples.
Yu Qing thought of the vine demon’s instructions. He unleashed a barrage of heavy punches at the void mirror surface in continuous fury, but he could not tear it open, nor could he break through.
After pounding for half a while with no response, he had someone else go up and hit it. On the old root in the depths of the spirit valley chasm, a human face bulged out, revealing Du Niang’s features. She raised her head to look upward, already sensing someone “knocking on the door” inside the Immortal Mansion. Yet she did not know who was knocking. Too many people had entered. Anyone who discovered the door was closed would probably try to break out.
Moreover, there were people guarding on the cliff. She hesitated for a while, then muttered, “You brought so many people here yourself. You cannot blame me. You asked for it.”
Her head swayed, and slowly sank back into the old root trunk.