Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 372 - 365: Variables - Four

Chapter 372: Chapter 365: Variables - Four

Inside the belly of Taoist Canon Snow Mountain, there was a gigantic underground palace, akin to a furnace.

Named Marsh Fire, it was connected to a vein of Earth Fire, a special Sun Spring characterized by a cyan-black flow tinged with potent poison. The Sun Spring, like a flowing ribbon, encircled the entire underground palace, forming an inherent protective barrier.

The structure of the underground palace resembled a colossal serpent coiled upon itself, its outer perimeter swathed in a band of golden-yellow Sun Spring ribbons.

"Move faster!"

At this moment, within a central passage of the underground palace, Wang Peng and several others were surrounded and escorted by a group of Bronze Armored Guards, heading towards the Third Layer’s temporary holding cells below.

One of the Bronze Armored Guards, growing impatient, gave Wang Peng a shove.

"What are you pushing for? I know where I’m going," Wang Peng glared back irritably.

After being taken away for questioning by that palace spirit, the three of them had been separated from Lou Xiaofei and brought directly beneath this part of the underground palace.

"Where are you taking us?" Qiuling asked loudly, glancing back and forth as if trying to memorize the route they were being led through.

"Don’t bother, this is the Marsh Fire Underground Palace beneath Taoist Canon Mountain, and we’re not locking you up, just temporarily isolating you. It’s not a prison," the leading Bronze Armored Guard sneered.

Upon hearing this, they calmed down somewhat, and the panic in their hearts eased a little.

Thinking back to the attitude of the palace spirit during the questioning, it indeed did not seem like they were being treated as criminals.

Descending further, they soon arrived in front of a small oval hall. One of the Bronze Armored Guards stepped forward and swiftly performed some Hand Seals. As he had his back to them, they couldn’t see which Seal Decisions he used.

Suddenly, the space before them twisted.

What was once empty air revealed a pale yellow light at the entrance of a tunnel.

"Temporary holding room number two hundred and sixty-one," Rongyan murmured the inscription by the tunnel.

"Alright, go in. There’s food and drink, everything you need; you’re just going to stay here for a while," said one of the guards, clearly impatient.

Wang Peng and the others looked around and saw no chance of resistance. With Forbidden Method bracelets on their wrists preventing them from using Taoist Arts to escape, they could only obediently enter the tunnel.

The tunnel led to individual cells with iron doors, each door opening to a rectangular living space complete with a bed, chairs, a vanity, and bookshelves, fully furnished.

The trio was taken to an iron door further in and ushered inside.

With a clang, the door shut, and a flash of yellow light swept past, which appeared to be some type of prohibition.

"Don’t damage the iron door carelessly. That will lead to very troublesome issues. If you don’t want to die, don’t cause a ruckus," the captain of the guard briefly explained before turning to leave with his men.

"And they say it’s not a prison!" Qiuling mumbled, looking around at the other cells. There wasn’t a single person in sight, nor was there any sign of life.

Once the squad of Bronze Armored Guards exited, the entrance slowly twisted and disappeared completely.

The entire corridor then was sealed tight as a drum, with neither entrance nor exit visible.

"What do we do now?" Qiuling looked at Wang Peng. "Wang Sheng, you’re always full of ideas; it’s all on you now."

Wang Peng laughed helplessly. "What can I do? We’ve encountered a palace spirit of such a high level, nearly a Heavenly List caliber freak. With our meager strength, we wouldn’t even be enough to stick in their teeth."

"Husband, I believe in you. You will find a way," Rongyan, like Qiuling, seemed to completely ignore Wang Peng’s logic, still staring at him expectantly.

Wang Peng shook his head.

"Let’s rest first, no rush, no rush. We’ll find a way."

The three of them decided to sit down and eat some of the food and drink they had brought, resting for a bit. They had no idea how the time was passing, and before long, they felt drowsy and fell into a deep sleep.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Wang Peng vaguely heard the sound of footsteps getting closer.

His eyelids twitched, but he didn’t open his eyes. Instead, he quietly shifted his body to shield Rongyan behind him.

"Hey."

Someone was calling him.

"Hey...wake up..."

It seemed someone was standing in front of the iron door, calling out to him.

Barely cracking open his eyes, Wang Peng looked out toward the iron door.

After falling asleep, he didn’t know how many Hours had passed, but the outside was still quiet.

Yet, in front of the iron door, there was a shadowy figure, staring at the three of them with bright eyes.

"Wang Peng?"

The person’s figure and features were indiscernible, only the eyes shone with unusual brightness.

"That’s me," Wang Peng responded softly. "Who are you?"

"You don’t need to worry about who I am. Just know that I was sent by someone who values you, to rescue you," the person said in a deep voice.

"Rescue me?" Wang Peng feigned confusion. "Someone who values me?"

"Heh, you must be unaware," the person chuckled softly. "The Wei Family is already exerting effort to convict the three of you. The palace spirit hesitates, underestimating the Wei Family and Tianyun Dao’s influence in Taoist Canon Mountain."

"Whose side did you come from?" Wang Peng instantly became vigilant. The tone of the other party didn’t seem like it came from the Crown Prince, nor the Second Green Lady, and even less likely from the Palace Spirit.

"You need not concern yourself with who sent me. All you need to know is that without us, all three of you could die," the person chuckled sinisterly. "It might not matter to you alone, as you could take a gamble, but you have two women to look out for. If you gamble and win, naturally you will be released unscathed and even rewarded. But what if you lose?"

A shiver ran through Wang Peng’s heart.

Indeed, he expected someone to come for him after entering, but his worry was precisely this. If he lost the gamble, it was something he couldn’t afford. He had promised Yan’er to live quietly and peacefully with her, finding a peaceful place by the mountains and waters to settle down.

He himself could afford to lose, but Yan’er absolutely could not be put at risk!

"So, how about it? Have I hit the mark?" the person laughed once more. "I can open the door for five breaths, but only five. Any longer and the Palace Spirit will definitely notice. You just need to escape this place and return to the Yuan Dou Demon Sect’s base. We’ll handle the rest. What do you say?"

"Let me think about it," Wang Peng murmured, his eyes flickering.

"Alright then, I’ll give you a quarter of an hour to decide. If it’s a no-go, then I can’t stay any longer and must leave," the person said before leaning against a wall and starting to regulate their breath keenly.

Wang Peng woke up Rongyan and Qiuling to inform them of the situation in whispers.

"We trust your decision!" Rongyan still showed complete trust in him. "Whatever decision my husband makes, I am willing to bear any consequence," she said earnestly.

"So many times along the way, you’ve turned danger into safety. This time I believe in you too. Of course, if we choose wrong, then I’ll accept it," Qiuling, however, appeared particularly straightforward.

"You two really make it easy for me to let go," Wang Peng said with a wry smile.

He pondered for a moment, then lifted his head.

"Alright then, together, we’ll make our escape!"

"Yes!" Both of them nodded in agreement.

***********************

Entrance to the Underground Palace.

There was a cliff being circled continuously by black hawks. In the middle of the cliff, there was a concealed protrusion, resembling a small platform.

At this moment, a man in a golden armor with the surname Wei, and the Second Green Lady were standing on the platform, their gazes falling on a medium-sized arched stone door on the inside of the platform.

"This is the entrance to the Marsh Fire Underground Palace. Aside from the Palace Spirit, the Underground Palace has four entrances and exits, but this one is rarely used because it is extremely inconvenient," the man surnamed Wei explained calmly.

"Is the key to this round in the Underground Palace?" the Second Green Lady asked softly.

"Yes, I’ve already coordinated with the Palace Spirit. Apart from the necessary defense and alert Formation operations, all guards and monks will be withdrawn.

This time only those of the Yuan Jing level can participate. This is related to the power struggle of several major forces. We are in the light; Brother Guan is in the dark."

"Such a grand move. A free-for-all battle?" The Second Green Lady remarked.

The golden-armored man surnamed Wei sneered. "Isn’t the Wei Family ancestor eager to make a move? We’ll give him full room to act and face him head-on to see who truly is the main pillar of the Taoist Canon!"

Without further words, the two leapt towards the stone door and, right before touching the stone, disappeared into thin air.

************************

In another sealed crimson building on Taoist Canon Mountain’s Snow Mountain.

All the windows were firmly shut, leaving no gaps.

Three withered old men with skin like thousand-year-old tree bark were sitting on the ground, forming a triangle formation.

The building was filled with lit white candles, clusters upon clusters, all with yellow flames.

A crowd of White Robes of all ages stood at the entrance, bowing respectfully to the three elders.

"Ancestors, they’ve killed Wuxuan and Tiancheng, and now they want to use those few youngsters to pressure our Wei Family!" The leading man with pitch-black eyebrows hanging down to his chin spoke in a tone of sorrowful determination.

"It’s more than pressure," another old woman retorted angrily. "They’ve laid out the fighting stage for us to enter the ring! It’s outrageous!!"

"Do they really think they can bully our Wei Family!?"

"We’ve guarded Snow Mountain for hundreds of years, with no credit but plenty of hard work. Just using some resources to support our family causes such a fuss!"

"We must teach them a lesson."

"Exactly! We must show the true strength and backbone of our Wei Family!"

A chorus of Wei Family Elders voiced their indignation.

"Ancestors, we cannot let this accusation stand firm! Otherwise, once those True Monarchs come down to question us, we...." the long-eyebrowed man urgently added in.

The three elders remained motionless on the ground.

After a good long moment, one of them slowly opened their eyes.

"We are aware of the situation. Having consumed various resources for so long and surviving till now is already quite an accomplishment," one of them stated.

"The ancestors see clearly!" The group quickly bowed in respect.

"They’ve set up the arena in the Underground Palace waiting for us; we shouldn’t lack such courtesy. Brothers and sisters, shall we together?" the elder who spoke asked.

"Certainly," the other two responded in unison.