Chapter 62: Desperate Situation

  "Here... there's actually a palace?" Su Feng stared at everything in front of him, utterly astonished. He had never felt that the stars in the sky were so close to him before, as if he could reach out and touch them. Under the soft, shimmering starlight was a magnificent, imposing palace with red walls and black tiles.

  The entire palace is suspended in mid-air, three feet off the ground, with wooden stakes as its base. A white jade-like staircase extends from the foot of the hill to the front of the hall. The double-layered brick and wood pavilion, typical of the Qin style, had seen many large seal characters from before the Qin dynasty along the winding path, and couldn't help but feel some doubt in my heart - wasn't this supposed to be the ancient Gonggong water god's dojo? Why are there only traces left by the Qin people?

  Liang Ze did not say a word, nor did he know what he was thinking about. He directly led the wind to the white jade steps. When they arrived here, the two of them were considered to have given up completely. They had reached the end of the entire stone cave, and except for the palace in front of them, there was nowhere else to go. Now, no matter who was following behind, they could only face this road.

  They understood this point and no longer restrained their hands and feet, letting them tread on the white jade stone steps, making sound after sound.

  Only when I climbed up to the platform did I realize that this was not a traditional palace. Directly above, there was a plaque with four gold-sealed characters: "Tian Xuan Star Palace". Using the name of a star from mythology as the name of the palace wasn't unusual, but it wasn't until I reached the top that I discovered that this grand hall didn't have a door; instead, an entire stone wall sealed off the whole building.

  On the wall are nine colorful dragons with different expressions, using various strange and exaggerated postures to turn this wall into their playground of the nine heavens. Each whisker on the mouths of these dragons, each scale on their bodies, even a glance, an action is full of vitality, as if these dragons were just resting here and would soon soar into the higher sky.

  These dragon-shaped carvings are intertwined with each other, and in addition to being half-convex on the wall, they are extremely vivid. What's more exquisite is that in the middle of the entire wall, there is a majestic and powerful five-clawed golden dragon that has come out from this painting-like wall with its head raised high. As a whole, it looks as if a real golden dragon is coming towards you, followed by eight different divine dragons behind it, which can jump out of the wall at any moment.

  The momentum of the entire relief sculpture is magnificent, and the carvings are exquisite. It's really hard to add anything to it. I think only a powerful Qin dynasty that unified the whole country at that time had such manpower and resources to build this architecture.

  "This dragon wall must be hiding some mechanism, I suppose this is the so-called Nine Dragon Lock. Then, the legendary Ascending Dragon Platform that can change the fate of the world should be after this. However, since the Nine Dragon Lock uses the yin-yang jade pendant as a key, how... Hmm, this is?" As Liang Ze spoke, he reached out and nudged the slightly crooked dragon nose with his hand, and to his surprise, it could be moved with just a bit of force. With a "click" sound, the mechanism responded, and the giant mouth of the golden dragon that was protruding from the wall slowly opened, revealing its bright red tongue inside.

  There is a circular depression on the dragon's tongue, which is not very large, with a diameter of about one inch three. It can just hold an ordinary jade pendant, and the two men looked at each other in surprise, "He Shi Yin Yang Pendant!"

  "Not bad, it's indeed the He Clan's Yin Yang Pendant. Good, good, really good! You actually thought of using the mountain and swamp energy to flood this place. It seems that apart from stealing, you really do have some skills." Along with a heart-pounding footsteps sound, a rough male voice came from the entrance direction of the corridor.

  The two turned around at the same time. "It's you!" Sui Feng recognized the person with a glance, and his heart immediately sank like death.

  Liang Stealer was shocked again, "You know him?" From the beginning, he had a few guesses that this follower might have already entered the realm of innate, and was one of the top masters in the world. At first glance, seeing his rough exterior and his majestic and extraordinary demeanor, Liang Stealer had basically confirmed that this person was an innate master, with no other possibility. However, he didn't expect that Su Feng would actually know him.

  He nodded slowly with the wind, "He is Xue Yin, I saw him once at Murong's house in Shui Long Yin."

  "Blood Hiding..." Liang Tou's heart felt a pang of bitterness, "I had expected that the Blood Hiding Hall might have some hidden dangers, I thought it would only be Kuang Dao or Piao Xue, but I didn't expect it to be Blood Hiding himself, I was too careless."

  "Hahaha...” Looking at the two of them in a state of panic, Xue Yin burst out laughing and only stopped after a long while. Turning to Liang Tou'er, he said: "I must say, you little thief are quite bold, relying on having stolen a few precious items, you even dare to lay your hands on something that is a wonder of heaven and earth. Truly, the eyes of a thief are not open."

  Then, he turned to look at Sui Feng again. To his surprise, Sui Feng had a strange expression on his face, as if he was both amused and annoyed. "Earlier, I thought you were already in the Pre-Heavenly stage, just like your father, a young master. But it seems I was wrong. You're just a useless piece of trash with a pretty exterior. Fine, for your father's sake, I won't make things difficult for you. Today, you've learned such a big secret, so all you need to do is cripple your martial arts and cut out your tongue, and I'll spare your life."

  Liān Duō ér pulled Rú Fēng, who had a pale face and looked terrified, signaling him to calm down. He himself was also stern-faced, his voice rough as he said: "You are also a master of the same school, with some reputation in the Jianghu, and you're even a senior expert who has entered the Xiantian realm. How can you be willing to be the pawn of the treacherous Prime Minister Li Linfu, and still want to attack us two junior disciples today? If this gets out, aren't you afraid that people in the Jianghu will laugh at you?"

  "A stifled groan, and the atmosphere immediately became solemn. 'You two ignorant brats know nothing. The master of a generation, the realm of the first heaven, how can it be compared to being a founding general and a duke? Both fame and wealth are obtained, and one can possess a foundation that will last for ten thousand generations. This Dragon Ascension Platform was left by the First Emperor for his descendants to use when they reclaim the country in the future. Mr. Li is precisely the direct descendant of the First Emperor, otherwise how would he know such a great secret? It's laughable that you're learning from that scholar Zhao Fengzhang, who's just a minor governor, and yet dares to interfere with such a grand affair, foolishly thinking of using an egg to crack a rock, utterly ridiculous.'"

  Liang Tou'er also burst into a fit of mad laughter, his expression manic and crazed, as if he didn't take the Blood Hider's threat seriously at all. With this one laugh, Su Feng suddenly felt that the oppressive atmosphere in front of him had weakened greatly. Originally, his internal energy was almost depleted, and being suppressed by the Blood Hider's aura made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

  "What a descendant of the First Emperor, I spit! I think it's just a renamed and surname-changed bastard. In today's court and in the jianghu, who doesn't know that Li Linfu is a treacherous and cunning little man with a honeyed tongue and a sword in his belly? It's ridiculous that you, a master of the first generation, would sacrifice yourself for this kind of person. Don't mention anything else, can Li Linfu open the Nine Dragon Lock, or can your divine skills cover the world and open it? I said I would destroy this place, and when I say it, I will do it." Liang Touzi pointed at Xue Ying and scolded him with a loud voice, then suddenly pulled out a dagger from his body. As soon as the dagger was unsheathed, the whole atmosphere became cold.

  "This......" Without saying it out loud, even the wind beside him was startled.

  This dagger was none other than the world-renowned Frost Jade Dagger that Ling had wielded earlier, and it was unclear when he had retrieved it. As soon as the dagger left its scabbard, although the air in the arena was filled with a chilling aura, the fear in his heart also dissipated somewhat.

  As soon as Liang Ze saw this move, he was also startled in his heart, and he was no longer as reckless as before. He added a few cautious words: "What do you want to do!?"

  Liang sneered, "What's the matter, don't you think I can destroy this place? Admittedly, with a master like you here, it's indeed difficult for me to escape. But what's the big deal? You say if I were to stab this Cold Jade Dagger into the dragon's tongue a few times, would this mechanism still work? Even if you brought the Yin-Yang Pendant, could the Nine Dragon Lock still be opened?"

  Liang Ze's hand grasped the dagger, and with a casual flourish, he drew a sword flower in the air. He continued in a low, ominous tone: "Tell me, if this Nine Dragon Lock can't be opened because of your meddling, what would the Prime Minister think? What would he do?"

  His face changed slightly, and he let out a cold snort. "Are you threatening me? I've been traveling the world for decades, killing countless people, and I've never met anyone who dares to speak to me like that. You're quite bold, kid."

  Liāng Tuō ér looked at Xuě Yǐn with disdain, placing the dagger in his hand on Lóng Shé's tongue. "You are a senior expert, I naturally dare not threaten you. However, I want to have a talk with you."

  "What do you want?" Blood Hiding's voice remained calm and steady, seemingly unafraid of Liang Ze.

  "I don't particularly want to say anything, I just have a few words to say." Liang Tou'er looked down at Xue Yin with an expression that didn't seem to care that he was a congenital expert, and Xue Yin couldn't guess what Liang Tou'er had in mind, so he furrowed his brow.

  "You say." Blood hidden still endured patiently.

  "I, Xiaozi, wouldn't dare to rely solely on this Cold Jade Dagger to threaten a preeminent master like you. However, if I were to disregard my own life and fight to the death, even if I couldn't escape unscathed, your dreams of being enfeoffed and promoted would likely be shattered as well." Liang Tou'er's words trailed off as he gazed at Xue Yin.

  "Not bad, but since you two have learned the secret, do you still expect to get away with it?" Xue Yin listened to his clever words and already had some impatience in her heart.

  Liǎng Tuō ér smiled slightly and didn't argue with him, instead saying something else. "Think back to the year when Emperor Taizong of Tang counterattacked against the Turks. The people from Xueyintang were also serving in the army, and I'm sure you killed many Turkish generals. It was precisely because of this that we were able to destroy the Turks in one fell swoop, and the Tang Dynasty was called 'Tian Kehan'. And this person by my side, I think you should know, is the son of Yangzhou's Su Tian, the great hero. Back then, outside Chang'an City, it was Su Tian and Hua Qianbei who jointly blocked the Western Regions' old demon who sought revenge against the Turks. You and his father can be considered comrades-in-arms, with some affectionate feelings. This time, we came to investigate the mystery, all because of me alone. If you agree to let Su Feng leave this place first, I, Liǎng Tuō ér, will release my grip on the dagger, and whether to kill or capture is up to your convenience."

  Listening to Liang Touer mention past events, Xue Yin's expression slightly changed, as if some memories from a long time ago floated up in his mind, and he felt a little sentimental. However, this only lasted for a brief moment, and he quickly returned to his previous ferocious appearance. "I killed so many great generals back then for Li Shiming, but when the emperor issued the edict, all he said was that I had committed too much slaughter in my youth, and since my merits and demerits balanced each other out, he wouldn't pursue it further and instead appointed me as the Military Equipment Supervisor. He merely defeated a single person from the Western Regions, yet he got the Golden Plaque of Guangling Great Hero - this is truly unfair! You're telling me these things to make me yield? I'm afraid you've misjudged."

  After listening to the conversation between Liang Tou'er and Xue Yin, Su Feng finally understood that Liang Tou'er had been delaying and coercing in order to create an opportunity for himself to escape. Feeling both moved and helpless, he held back his emotions for half a day before saying, "Liang big brother, you don't have to do this, I won't leave."

  "Alright, you've said what you wanted to say. I'm really not patient enough to waste any more time with you. If you're willing to put down your dagger, I can give you a quick death." Xue Yin said as he walked up the white jade steps.

  Although he saw it with his own eyes, Liang Tou'er still had a calm face, without any urgency. He suddenly pulled him away, if this Blood Hiding was a little closer, it's possible that before Liang Tou'er could destroy the Nine Dragon Lock, they would have been knocked down by Blood Hiding.