Chapter 366: An Unexpected Meeting
The aura of the Gate Spirit had completely dissipated. Chen Chang'an did not delay any further and stepped into the passage behind the stone gate.
The passage was deep and silent. The walls on both sides were carved with ancient runes, emitting a faint glow.
After walking about a hundred steps, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead.
Bronze plaques hung on both the left and right sides of the fork. The plaque on the left was carved with: "True words grate on the ear, pointing straight to the heart."
The plaque on the right read: "Falsehood beguiles men, a winding path leads to seclusion."
Chen Chang'an frowned, his gaze sweeping over the plaques on both sides. Then he sneered.
"Playing tricks."
He chose the path on the right without hesitation, simply because the patterns on the plaque were more pleasing to the eye.
The passage wound and twisted. After walking for a while, another fork appeared ahead.
This time, the plaques read: "Heavenly secrets must not be leaked" and "Earth veins hold their own mysteries."
"Again?"
Chen Chang'an was a bit impatient and casually chose the left side.
Just like that, he moved forward, encountering more and more forks. The text on the plaques became increasingly obscure and hard to understand.
"Yin and Yang rotate, endless life" versus "Five Elements conflict, all things return to silence."
"One thought becomes a Buddha" versus "One thought becomes a Demon."
"Those who follow Heaven prosper" versus "Those who defy Heaven perish."
At first, Chen Chang'an chose randomly with an indifferent attitude. But as the forks increased, he finally realized something was wrong.
"Am I in a maze?"
He stopped and looked around.
The runes on the passage walls, which had originally seemed like decorations, now appeared to come alive in his eyes. They faintly formed the trajectory of some array formation.
"The words on the plaques... are hints?"
He frowned in thought but soon gave up.
"Tsk, the logic problem earlier was fine, but this kind of twisting and turning stuff is exactly my blind spot."
He thought for a moment and sighed.
"Senior, don't blame me. After all, I'm really not good at this stuff—"
Then, Chen Chang'an took a deep breath and decided not to struggle with it anymore.
Since he couldn't get out using his intelligence, he would use the most direct method.
He raised his hand, gathering Spiritual Power in his palm, and slammed it against the wall on the right.
"Boom!"
The stone wall shattered in response, revealing the passage behind it.
Chen Chang'an stepped over the rubble without hesitation and continued forward.
If he met a fork, he chose the right; if he met a dead end, he broke the wall. He proceeded violently for an unknown amount of time.
When he smashed through yet another stone wall, the scene before him stunned him.
He had returned to the initial fork.
The two plaques reading "True words grate on the ear" and "Falsehood beguiles men" still hung there, seemingly mocking him in silence.
"Heh..."
Chen Chang'an's eyes turned completely cold.
He slowly raised his hand, gathering terrifying Spiritual Power fluctuations throughout his body.
The next moment, his figure moved like lightning, rushing straight towards the stone wall in front of him!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Amidst the continuous explosions, Chen Chang'an was unstoppable. Stone walls collapsed wherever he passed.
He no longer followed any rules but pushed forward violently in a straight line. He forcibly carved a straight tunnel through the maze.
Finally, after smashing through an unknown number of stone walls, he broke the last barrier. He arrived in a circular stone chamber.
The stone chamber was empty. In the center sat a simple stone platform, and a gray stone tablet lay quietly on it.
The stone tablet was carved with dense runes. These patterns were similar to those on the passage walls but more complex and profound.
Chen Chang'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He scanned his surroundings and confirmed there were no extra circumstances. Only then did he walk slowly towards the stone platform.
This should be what the 'Saint Master' left behind, right?
He reached out and touched the stone tablet.
But the next instant, a sudden change occurred!
A vast pressure, like a starry sea, suddenly descended. Chen Chang'an felt his whole body sink, as if the weight of the entire world was pressing down on him.
What was more terrifying was that he clearly felt, from an infinitely distant space, a pair of terrifying eyes piercing through layers of dimensions. They locked directly onto him.
The power contained in that gaze made the Immortal Power within Chen Chang'an stagnate.
Then, an aged and majestic voice echoed in the stone chamber:
"Able to stump the Gate Spirit and untie the Bagua Maze Array left by that person... it seems you are that person's reincarnation."
The voice held a trace of emotion, and some indescribable complex feelings.
The next moment, eerie blue flames suddenly ignited in the stone chamber.
The flames were silent, yet they carried a heart-palpitating chill, as if they could directly burn the soul.
Chen Chang'an's pupils shrank—Burning Soul True Fire!
This was a flame specifically targeting the Divine Soul. Ordinary cultivators would die upon touching it, without even a chance of reincarnation.
Even a Saint Realm cultivator would lose a layer of skin if caught by such dense Burning Soul True Fire.
The other party's purpose was obvious!
"Heh..."
Chen Chang'an sneered, cold light flashing in his eyes.
With his strength, he could completely disperse these flames directly.
But just as he was about to make a move, his heart suddenly stirred.
The corner of his mouth raised an imperceptible arc. Then his expression changed drastically.
He staggered back in the flames and let out a miserable scream:
"Ah—!"
The voice was mixed with pain and despair, as if his Divine Soul was being burned away bit by bit.
His figure twisted and struggled in the eerie blue flames. Finally, he slowly fell down, his aura dissipating completely.
However, just as his "body" was swallowed by the flames, his Divine Sense had long since quietly returned to his main body. He used the unique restriction characteristics of the Sect Master's secret room to perfectly hide himself.
...
On the other side.
Outer Sect of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land—
Lu Xiaoluo knocked lightly on the room door. A lazy response came from inside:
"Come in."
Pushing open the door, a faint scent of sandalwood wafted out.
Heavenly Demon Venerable was leaning on a soft couch, holding a bunch of crystal grapes, slowly sending them to his mouth.
Thanks to Chen Chang'an, his recent days had been quite good.
Compared to his gauntness just after possession, his face was now much fuller. His originally pale skin even showed a hint of color.
Moreover, because the original owner of this body did not resist for some reason, the body's compatibility was better than an average possession.
"Senior,"
Lu Xiaoluo bowed slightly.
"Master asked me to bring this old gentleman to see you."
Heavenly Demon Venerable let out a careless "Hmm" and casually glanced at the old man at the door—
In an instant, the grape in his finger was crushed with a "snap". Juice splattered onto his robe.
Lu Xiaoluo didn't even have time to finish his sentence before a black shadow swept past his eyes.
Heavenly Demon Venerable was like a ferocious beast lunging up. He instantly grabbed the old man's throat.
"Bang!"
He slammed the person heavily against the wall.
The wooden wall groaned under the burden. The old man's feet hung in the air, his withered fingers clawing futilely at the hand stuck in his throat.
"It's actually you..."
Heavenly Demon Venerable's voice seemed to be ground out from between his teeth. Every word was wrapped in poisoned hatred.
"Traitor...!"
His pupils contracted to the size of a needle tip. The veins on his neck bulged.
His originally handsome face was now as hideous as a ghost.
Lu Xiaoluo clearly saw that Heavenly Demon Venerable's fingers, which were stuck at the old man's throat, were spasming uncontrollably.
That wasn't a tremor from excessive force. It was a physiological tremor caused by bone-deep hatred.
A drop of cold sweat slid down the old man's temple. It left a winding trail on his skin covered with age spots.
...
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