Chapter 3053

Only I and Jiuyou know the location of the core of the Chixiao Golden Hall, yet these people went straight for it—most likely relying on some secret art or divine ability. I used deathly qi to conceal the divine ability fluctuations on the paper effigy's body, hoping to dig a pit for them.

"Do you want to leave the Chixiao Golden Hall?" This was said to Du Shan, "If they succeed, they might take you as well." "Don't joke." Du Shan gave a bitter smile, "As the Chancellor of Cangyan State, I ought to fight alongside the Chixiao Golden Hall and you—how could there be any reason to flee before the enemy?"

He took out a seal from the hidden compartment of the desk and presented it with both hands: "With this treasure seal, one can mobilize all the great powers inside and outside Ju City." "Just contact them—I'll bring them over." This person took the seal and walked toward the Wu Yuan Golden Mirror, then rammed headfirst into it and vanished instantly. ￥￥￥￥￥

The sky had long since darkened.

In the inner mansion, trees were many but people few; whenever the wind blew, the swaying branches looked like drifting ghost shadows, sending chills down one's spine.

Duanmu Heng and the other three had been sprinting northeast for half an hour, truly experiencing what it means to chase a mountain and run the horse to death. Although borrowing the perspective of the Wanglai God allowed them to see the direction of the Chixiao Golden Hall's core, why was that place so absurdly far?

Even Wei Jia Shen couldn't help but ask: "Just how far is it still?"

"Soon, soon." The Wanglai God had already said this three or four times.

It really was soon. These people hadn't noticed, but the threads of divine ability had already become extremely dense—this indicated that the core of the Chixiao Golden Hall was no longer far away.

The Wanglai God glanced once more at Wei Jia Shen, his gaze suddenly locking, and then he said:

"Halt!"

The others urgently braked their steps, faces full of vigilance.

"What? More enemies coming?"

But the Wanglai God pointed at Wei Jia Shen's hands and Pan Xincheng's cuffs:

"You two have been cursed."

"What?" The two exclaimed in shock.

And in the Wanglai God's view, faint black smoke coiled around those two parts of their bodies, drifting thread by thread toward the southwest—this indicated that the source of the curse upon them was currently located to the southwest.

"Those two you just killed were suspicious—they had divine ability fluctuations on them. I thought it was their magical artifacts, but…" Wei Jia Shen interrupted Chi: "Then why didn't you notice earlier?"

"Perhaps it was masked by some force, only now revealed." The Wanglai God replied quickly, "This is curse transference! They were merely mediums for the spell—killing them naturally planted the curse upon you."

"We've indeed been discovered!" Duanmu Heng's scalp tingled, "Say nothing more—charge!"

Since our identity was already exposed, there was nothing left to hold back. Wei Jia Shen pulled from his bosom a small wooden boat half a palm in size, tossed it to the ground. It looked like a craftwork, but before touching down it went "Bang!" and transformed into a flat skiff about one zhang long, thinner than a willow leaf.

The four leapt aboard.

This flying skiff shot forward like an arrow released from a bow—swish—and darted ahead.

The Chixiao Golden Hall forbids flight. But strictly speaking, Wei Jia Shen's method of travel does not count as flying—it is low-altitude hovering, yet far faster than horseback. After slipping out several hundred zhang, they had to pass through a garden, dark and unlit, though it was a shortcut.

Wei Jia Shen was about to lead the three through the garden when the Wanglai God spoke again:

"Ambush—detour around the garden!"

At this moment, Wei Jia Shen was most receptive to advice; he turned right at the garden gate and steered the wooden skiff onto a side path.

Because in the Wanglai God's view, the garden ahead was not only pitch black and silent, but also contained a large patch of strange discoloration.

This represented a massive cluster of intense demonic qi, carefully concealed by the opposition—ordinary cultivators could not detect it at all.

Unless one possessed the Wanglai God's kind of innate talent that strikes directly at the essence.

The enemy lay in wait along their necessary path—no coincidence. Once they entered, getting out again would likely require considerable effort. After they turned and left, a giant toad leapt out from the garden, regrettably licking its lips.

It stood one and a half zhang tall, its body like a small hill, yet when it jumped, it made not the slightest sound—lighter than a falling leaf.

This creature is called the Giant-Mouthed Toad, capable of changing color and camouflage, able to easily blend its body into the surroundings. Earlier it had opened its mouth and occupied the main path of the garden; Wei Jia Shen and the others, piloting their skiff at high speed, would have plunged straight into its maw without noticing—into its internal space.

Easy to enter, hard to exit.

Du Shan, who was observing the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror, exclaimed: "They actually found out!"

Who doesn't enjoy luring the enemy into a trap, then unleashing a three-hit stun combo? He Lingchuan and Dong Rui both favor this opening move; Dong Rui's snail toad is also skilled in disguise and loves using its internal space to capture people. Many toad-type demons possess this talent.

"Really strange—these few are indeed not ordinary." First they discovered the location of the Chixiao Golden Hall's core, then instantly saw through the Giant-Mouthed Toad's disguise. Duanmu Heng and the others had only just detoured when suddenly a burst of mist rose ahead.

Mist rising in the forest at night is perfectly normal. But this mist carried a green qi, spreading across the sky and rolling toward the four with urgent haste. Before the mist even reached them, Duanmu Heng covered his nose, his stomach churning.

Stinking—so stinking!

A hundred times stronger than the stench of rotten fish and shrimp! Strong enough to make someone vomit uncontrollably after just one whiff.

"Poison, deadly poison!" Wei Jia Shen shouted low, "Protect your faces!"

Without anyone reminding them, all four held their breath, daring not to inhale even a trace. But the mist was not only foul—it also had extremely strong corrosive effects on the skin; nearby leaves touching it turned from fresh to yellow-spotted in one breath, and in the next, nothing remained.

Light flickered on all four of them—automatic defense from their artifacts.

But even protective artifacts couldn't hold out long, bursting open one after another in succession.

Pan Xincheng couldn't open his mouth, only able to communicate via divine sense:

"It's Huang Daxian!"

That evil demon who once owned an entire garden! He had been subdued by the companion of the Great Emperor, who then took him in as the garden's guardian beast. After all, this place is truly vast—without eight or ten great demons to guard the estate, it wouldn't do.

In the countryside, households invite demons to serve as household spirits; the Jiuku Great Emperor is even more direct—he simply assigns them.

"Wanglai God, can you find it?"

The Wanglai God strained to open his eyes, enduring the eye pain as he stared fixedly for two moments, then pointed a finger:

There!

Huang Daxian's stench is also a divine ability, and Chi has located its source—hidden in an inconspicuous corner of the thicket.

Wei Jia Shen pointed with his fingers, and dozens of icy beams shot forth—faster than an arrow released from a bow by several times, nearly as soon as he made the gesture, the light had already entered the thicket.

Swish after swish, the entire patch of grass was shredded.

What he shot out were not hidden weapons nor flying swords, but dozens of diamond-shaped vajra stones, pointed at both ends, sharper than needles!