usatvline Chapter 85 Former Members of the Martial Hall
Chapter 85 Former Members of the Martial Hall
For decades, Shi Zhen had never seen, but had only heard of, a beautiful woman in white who could smile.
Shi Zhen was used to being indifferent and ruthless, capable of wiping out entire clans with a flick of his wrist. Now, seeing the white-clad woman's cold smile, which was more awkward than crying, sent chills down Shi Zhen's spine.
With a thud, Shi Zhen knelt down cleanly and decisively, her pretty face deathly pale.
"Your subordinate knows his mistake, please punish him, sir!"
The woman in white's smile froze, and she angrily said:
"Am I that scary, Shi Zhen?!"
Shi Zhen was even more stunned upon hearing this, unsure whether to stand or kneel, staring blankly at the woman in white.
The woman in white angrily rolled up her sleeves, then walked away with her hands behind her back. Shi Zhen silently watched her aloof figure sway back and forth in front of him, holding his breath and waiting.
"Shizhen, you and I both know what you're thinking. In this realm, every blade of grass, every tree, every movement is within my grasp. Don't interfere in Lin Xiaozhi's affairs, lest your plans fall through and you incur my displeasure!"
After the woman in white stopped, she spoke calmly for a while, and then disappeared.
Shi Zhen knelt for a long time, pondering the words of the woman in white. He hesitated before standing up, feeling a mix of joy and worry. The glimmer of hope that Luo Sifan had stirred up, after being suppressed several times, was rekindled.
The woman in white seemed to imply that she did not object to Luo Sifan's desire to rely on him and try to escape this situation.
Even the fact that she gave Luo Sifan the jade talisman was not taken seriously by the woman in white.
After reminding himself not to worry about Luo Sifan anymore, Shi Zhen felt much more relaxed and continued forward, swaying his hips.
Old Jiang rubbed his wrinkled old eyes, unsure whether his young master had suddenly paused or if his own old eyes were failing him.
In the old well of the Shi family, Luo Sifan and the other two did not get a single drop of water wet. After a moment of uncontrollable dizziness, Luo Sifan and the others opened their eyes and found themselves in the backyard of a small courtyard. Beside them was a lush vegetable garden, and a simple square well lay quietly beside them.
Lu Juefei nodded:
"This is it! The entrance to the second level of the pagoda is the most valuable secret realm on this level, Fangyuan City. The origin of this city is still uncertain. After hundreds of years, everything in the city is no different from an ordinary town."
Luo Sifan and his companion looked around. The courtyard, the layout, and the lush green vegetables in the vegetable patch all suggested that someone was taking care of the place regularly.
"but…"
Lu Juefei's voice became obscure:
“We outsiders have never met any local residents here before.”
Luo Sifan and Shu Hongyi were startled upon hearing this.
"Has it not been seen for hundreds of years? Could it be a ghost?"
Shu Hongyi frowned and couldn't help but grip the hilt of the Dragon-Slaying Sword.
"Not like."
Lu Juefei shook his head:
“Ordinary Yin creatures would never interact with the things of the mortal world. The vegetables grown here and the goods sold in the streets are all products of these creatures’ daily operations. Moreover, a senior who had a conflict with them once said that these creatures’ cultivation methods and spiritual energy are not much different from ours.”
Shu Hongyi couldn't help but ask in surprise:
"Have you ever had any conflicts with them?"
Lu Juefei looked somewhat embarrassed.
"If we don't take their things, pick fruit or vegetables, they won't notice our presence. Newcomers don't know the inside story, so it's inevitable that some minor conflicts will arise."
Luo Sifan and the other person said "Oh," accepting the lesson that Lu Juefei had personally experienced and confirmed.
"We outsiders haven't found much useful land here. Brother Lin, if you're looking for someone, you can go and take a look first!"
Lu Juefei then brought up the more important matter.
"What uses do they have?"
Shu Hongyi's interest was piqued, and she pressed Lu Juefei for more information.
"The Grand Secretary's Mansion, the Temple of Civil and Military Affairs, and the City Lord's Hall! The Grand Secretary's Mansion was the residence of a wealthy family in the city. The main hall had a plaque with the words 'Prime Minister' on it. Over time, it became known as the Grand Secretary's Mansion. The Temple of Civil and Military Affairs were located in the east and west of the city, respectively, and were dedicated to several civil and military officials."
Lu Juefei paused for a moment:
"The places mentioned above all contain various martial arts techniques and skills, which have been explored extensively by our predecessors. When we go there, we can simply follow the same methods."
Luo Sifan had no objections; when it comes to finding people, you have to find them one by one before you can give up.
Seeing that both men favored him, Lu Juefei simply made his decision:
"Then let's visit them one by one, according to their distance! Please follow me, gentlemen!"
Lu Juefei soared into the air, leaped out of the courtyard, and led the way along the streets and alleys.
It seems they dare not casually travel through the air above the neighborhood buildings to take shortcuts.
Luo Sifan and his companion followed cautiously, not daring to wander off and disturb the strange creatures of the area.
After passing through two prominent archways, Lu Juefei gently landed in front of a magnificent, stand-alone hall.
Luo and Shu stood close behind him, one on each side, scanning the empty square outside the hall.
"Follow me! Do not be disrespectful here!"
Lu Juefei, with a solemn demeanor, slowly walked forward step by step along the long blue stone steps in front of the hall.
With all four doors of the main hall open, and in the flickering light of incense and candles, it seemed as if someone was moving around inside.
"It should be someone from our generation."
All three noticed it. Lu Juefei glanced at Luo Sifan and Shu Hongyi, and made a guess, but his tone was not so certain.
Before the words were even finished, a deafening roar and a shockwave rolled towards them from the four open doors of the main hall.
"Depend on!"
Startled, Lu Juefei leaped up and soared upwards like a large bird.
Shu Hongyi's eyes narrowed, and she had already taken the Dragon Slayer sword from her waist into her hand. With flashes of red clouds, she charged straight toward the main hall.
Luo Sifan followed Shu Hongyi at a leisurely pace, wanting to see what was going on.
The sword cultivator reacted swiftly and quickly, dodging left and right amidst the rolling air currents. The two of them, one in front and one behind, advanced instead of retreating, and rushed into the main hall through the shaky, broken doors.
The main hall was radiant with light, the elemental energies were in disarray, and the water and fire energies condensed like knives, still scattering in all directions.
Fortunately, the residual force was not great. Luo Sifan lightly unleashed his sword energy, shattering the approaching qi blades one by one.
A layer of spiritual light enveloped the row of military statues on the left, still flickering, suggesting that the powerful attack just now came from this row of statues.
About ten feet opposite the statue, two people stood one in front of the other. The person in front had tattered clothes, his face was covered in blood, and there was even a pool of blood dripping on the ground. He was swaying weakly and about to collapse.
The person behind him pressed down on the injured person's back with one hand, shrinking back and hiding completely.
Shu Hongyi did not stop. While dispersing the chaotic sword energy, she leaped towards the location of the injured person.
She assumed the two had triggered a mechanism in the Martial Hall, and since she had already encountered them, she decided to rescue them first.
Luo Sifan glanced over and immediately recognized the figure cowering behind the injured man. After a closer look, he shouted:
"Ji Yuan! What are you up to here?"
At this moment, the statue opposite Ji Yuan shone with spiritual light again, and an even more intense attack stirred Luo Sifan's sword-body spiritual senses, about to erupt in an instant.
This time, the target of the attack became Shu Hongyi, who was approaching the arena.
Shu Hongyi's resolve hardened instantly, and without a second thought, she unleashed a fierce slash with her Dragon-Slaying Sword.
"Lightning strike!"
With a casual shout, Shu Hongyi's sword suddenly gained a sharper edge.
A faint rumble of thunder erupted, followed by a white column of energy that collided violently with the three-colored, intertwined spiritual energy spear that flashed from the statue's head.
The Golden Core sword cultivator's all-out attack was terrifying. Luo Sifan retreated hastily on his sword. The figure in front of him blurred, but it was Ji Yuan who took the opportunity to throw the wounded man in his hand and frantically fled towards the palace gate where Luo Sifan was.
"Lord Immortal Envoy!"
Ji Yuan seemed to recognize Luo Sifan only then, and called out to Luo Sifan with a look of surprise.
He slightly changed direction and charged straight at Luo Sifan.