Zhao Qianling was on the brink of despair, but when she heard Xue Yang say there was still one method left, her eyes lit up.
But the more she heard, the more she understood: this was truly a last resort.
The odds of success were less than ten percent!
And it would cost Xue Yang his entire cultivation!
“What method? Quit talking riddles!” Zhao Qianling pressed them, but no matter what she said, it seemed that Xue Yang and the Hermit Emperor had reached a tacit understanding. Neither said a single word about their plans.
The Hermit Emperor pondered Xue Yang’s words, then nodded. “It’s hard to be a parent in this world.”
With that, he ordered all guests out of the room. “This child needs peace and quiet. Today, far too many people came to disturb her rest. Don’t stick around any longer. Go elsewhere, please.”
“Thank you, Hermit Emperor, for looking after her.”
They left the room, but before they could take more than a few steps, Zhao Qianling pulled Xue Yang aside. “Xue Yang, what the hell is going on? What exactly are you and the Hermit Emperor planning?”
“Nothing!”
“Then what was all that talk about a less than ten percent success rate and sacrificing your cultivation?”
“That’s just our plan for a worst-case scenario,” said Xue Yang. He pressed his lips into a grin. “Who knows? The Lord of Seven Stars might change her mind, but even if she really refuses in the end, all you need to know is this: Little Mo’s hope still hasn’t run out.”
…
“Hey, what happened to your eye?” Xue Beibei led Ye Zichen to the dungeons. En route, she c.o.c.ked her head to look at him.
“You mean this eye?” Ye Zichen laughed and pointed at his ruined left eye.
“That’s right! Big Sister Murong and the others said you went off to avenge my big sister. Did it happen then?”
“So, they told you about that?” Ye Zichen nodded.
“Not really,” laughed Ye Zichen.
“That’s good, then!” Xue Beibei smiled without giving it another thought. “Then did you avenge her?”
Ye Zichen recalled the Bai Family’s obliteration, and his remaining eye glinted sharply. “Of course.”
“Really? You’re pretty amazing, huh?”
“Did you ever doubt it? How could the man your big sister took a shine to be anything but amazing? Right, why haven’t I seen Honghong around? Is she not home?”
His ten-year promise.
Ye Zichen had never once forgotten this commitment.
In truth, the two of them hadn’t been through much together, yet for some unknown reason, they’d made their solemn vow. He’d been a bit on edge, his heart pounding ever since arriving at the Sea of Innocence. He wanted to see Xue Honghong, but he didn’t want her to see him in his current state.
“She’s in our clan’s hidden land. She can’t come out on short notice,” said Xue Beibei.
They stopped at the base of a mountain. “This is our family dungeon. You can go in on your own; I won’t accompany you any further.” Xue Beibei looked at the door to the dungeons, and her eyes flashed with a hint of terror.
“Oh? You afraid?” Ye Zichen couldn’t help but tease her.
“Nonsense! It’s just that it reeks in there. If I go in, it might stick and make me smell bad too.” Xue Beibei scrunched up her nose and snorted, then sent a beam of divine power to the light barrier sealing up the door.
As soon as the beam landed, several inscrutable talismans lit up on the doorway. Links formed between them. Based on their structure, only someone with the Xue bloodline could use their divine power to open the door. No one else’s power would provoke a reaction from the barrier.
Before long, the barrier disappeared, and Xue Beibei lowered her hand.
“Go on in. I’ll wait for you outside. Oh, right, take this with you.” She passed Ye Zichen a talisman. “I just infused this with my divine power. When you want to leave, all you have to do is activate this talisman and the door will open again.”
With that, Xue Beibei turned away, glanced at Ye Zichen over her shoulder, and waved him goodbye.
Ye Zichen chuckled, then entered the dungeons. They were nowhere near as dilapidated, dirty, or stinky as Xue Beibei made them sound.
The air was clear, but since it was underground, sunlight didn’t reach the depths. Everything was in darkness.
His one remaining eye lit up with flames, and everything in the dungeons became clear. Ye Zichen walked along the stone path, passing a few ordinary prisoners. It was only after he left the first floor and descended to a lower level that he saw someone worthy of his attention.
It was a man in green. He sat on the floor of his cell enjoying his wind. He even had a banquet table in front of him, and he seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly.
However, based on the aura leaking from his cell, he was a yao. His aura was reserved, but after a single glance, Ye Zichen felt a chill climb up him, starting from his feet and spreading up his back.
Afterward, the man paid Ye Zichen no further heed and went about enjoying his wine.
“I’m afraid that was a Yao General at the very least.” Ye Zichen gulped, then continued further down. On his way, he saw that everyone in the cells was a general: Divine Generals, Demon Generals, and Yao Generals.
He could all but guarantee that ordinary people were confined on the first layer, while the second layer had divine-general-level experts.
As expected, the dungeons had a third layer too...
“Kid, I advise you not to go any further down.” Just as Ye Zichen was wondering whether to go any further down or not, someone called out from one of the cells of the second layer.
Ye Zichen glanced towards the source of the voice and saw an imprisoned yao. He looked like an expert.
“Senior? You actually called me senior?” The green-clad yao general laughed, then leaned against the wall of his cell and scrunched up his nose. “You’re not a member of the Xue Family, are you? No wonder. And yet, if you’re allowed into their dungeons, it seems they have an awful lot of faith in you.”
Ye Zichen stood in place and said nothing.
“Alright then. You called me ‘senior’ earlier, so I can teach you a thing or two,” said the green-clad yao expert.
“I’d like to hear more about the situation here,” said Ye Zichen.
“You should be able to see it for yourself. The Xue Family dungeons are divided based on strength. Ordinary rulers, diviners and the like go on the first level. The second level houses general-level rulers like me. It shouldn’t be too hard to guess that the third level houses an even stronger existence.”
“Imperial-level?”
“Imperial-level? Right, based on you humans’ scale, they are indeed ‘imperial-level.’ But I’ve been sensing the guy’s energy for countless years; I sense his presence every time he loses his temper. He’s almost certainly a demon,” said the green-clad yao.
“An imprisoned demon god?”
“Heh, in any event, that guy is terrifyingly strong. He’s been imprisoned since well before I got here, but he still hasn’t been released. Whenever his temper flares up, even we bros of the second layer are so scared, our teeth chatter!”
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