Chapter 178

There is a dry well deep in the shrine.

Beside it lie many fallen leaves and weeds, the "old nest tiger's lair" mentioned by Liu Suifeng.

Only a few people stood by the dry well, feeling nothing abnormal.

"To truly enter, four people are needed in total," Liu Suifeng said, "Now we have five, but it doesn't matter."

"How do we do it?" Tang Luo asked.

"Hold onto someone's shoulder, line up," Liu Suifeng said.

Feihuang, who had been silent until now, went forward and placed his hand on his shoulder; Chu Zhongtian glanced at Tang Luo and also went over to place his hand on Feihuang's shoulder.

An'an first took out the two axes from her backpack, hung them at her waist for easier access, then placed her hands on Chu Zhongtian's shoulders.

Tang Luo was last.

Normally, everyone would ask for details about the situation, but Tang Luo didn't ask, and An'an and Chu Zhongtian, who followed his lead naturally, also didn't ask.

"My 'dog' doesn't need to come, right?" Xiaotianquan habitually stayed on Tang Luo's shoulder.

"No need," Liu Suifeng said, "From now on, you just need to follow me."

After saying that, Liu Suifeng began walking around the dry well, not simply circling it—his steps alternated between fast and slow, sometimes approaching the well, sometimes moving away.

"It feels like playing some supernatural game," Chu Zhongtian couldn't help muttering.

It feels so unreliable.

"Shut up," Feihuang in front of him coldly snapped.

Chu Zhongtian stopped speaking; without Feihuang needing to say anything special, it seemed as if he were answering Chu Zhongtian's words, and the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped considerably.

Originally, everyone's breath was normal, but now, what they exhaled had become clearly visible white mist.

"Jump!"

Liu Suifeng leapt violently into the dry well beside him.

Feihuang's hand remained on his shoulder, following closely without any hesitation.

"Hey——" Chu Zhongtian startled, instinctively wanting to let go.

He found his palm firmly "stuck" to Feihuang's shoulder, utterly unable to pull away.

Carried by immense force, Chu Zhongtian staggered, his shin striking the well's edge, and Feihuang brought him headfirst into the dry well.

An'an and Tang Luo were no exception; the two, one after the other, likewise vanished into the dry well.

However, just one second before Tang Luo "fell into" the dry well, the Xiaotianquan on his shoulder leapt up, landing outside, not following Tang Luo inside.

To prevent anything special from happening outside.

"Meow."

The Xiaotianquan outside jumped to the edge of the dry well, lowered its head to look down into the well, and could see only darkness.

Dark red glimmers flickered in its eyes, its nostrils twitched twice, but it could only smell the scent Tang Luo had left outside the dry well.

Inside the dry well, there was not a trace of breath.

The scene visible was merely piled-up garbage and sludge, plus a little sewage—no human silhouette could be found.

This dry well isn't particularly deep; if several people stood on each other's shoulders, not just five, but three would already exceed its depth.

Without doubt, the space beneath the well that Tang Luo and the others entered is another realm.

"Meow."

The Xiaotianquan lay down at the edge of the dry well, its tail dangling inside, its cry carrying a hint of unease and anxiety.

It instinctively sensed a danger spreading, yet could not smell exactly where it came from.

"Huh? This is……"

Chu Zhongtian nearly jumped up, discovering he was standing beside the dry well, his hands still retaining the sensation of having rested on that Feihuang's shoulder.

Yet here, only he existed—no other person was present.

"Damn, did we get split up?" Chu Zhongtian swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

The reason he came courting death was, first, because he couldn't resist, and second, because they said Master Xuanzang was here—speaking of which, I didn't expect Master Xuanzang to also have the nickname "Furious Arhat."

But suddenly he found himself alone, and Chu Zhongtian immediately felt he was about to die.

"If I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have joined; the master should have helped me refuse." Chu Zhongtian sighed, looking around.

The environment was exactly the same as before they jumped into the well, but Chu Zhongtian wouldn't be foolish enough to think he was still beside the original dry well.

This place is definitely another space, just like when they entered the Cursed House.

"A great Cursed House!" Chu Zhongtian made this judgment; thinking this, his heart wasn't so tense anymore.

After all, the greatest fear comes from the unknown.

"Good!"

Chu Zhongtian took a deep breath, felt around in the darkness twice, and quickly found the two things he had seen before coming down.

A bundle of coarse hemp rope, and an irregularly shaped round wooden board.

First, he tested the rope's "hardness" to ensure it was still usable; Chu Zhongtian decisively tied it around his waist.

He tied a dead knot, then tied the other end to a nearby pillar, pulled hard twice, and confirmed it wouldn't break or come loose.

Chu Zhongtian picked up the wooden board, began descending into the well, and still covered it with the board; due to the rope, some gaps remained.

"I, Chu Zhongtian, will either hide here until death, or hide until I live!"

At the well bottom, Chu Zhongtian sat down; no one can let him out! Unless the master appears—no, even if it's the master, it might not be the true self; I must persist in hiding.

Only those who persist in hiding can become strong.

As for whether there is danger at the well bottom—if there were danger, Chu Zhongtian would have already encountered it at the well mouth.

"Are there branching paths?"

Tang Luo, whom Chu Zhongtian was thinking of, at this moment stood on the stone steps leading up; originally there was only one path, but before him it suddenly split into three.

It looks like different paths leading to the same destination, all roads down the mountain.

But it's clear that if you choose the wrong one, the outcome probably won't be good.

Tang Luo stared at the three forked paths, lost in thought— which one should he choose?

The answer is, of course, only children make choices; adults choose none.

His feet slightly bent, the stone steps beneath him instantly shattered, sank, forming a shallow pit.

With a gust of wind, Tang Luo had already leapt into midair.

The dark city beneath his feet lay fully in view— but… where the sea should have been, there was only a mass of black fog.

You thought coming down the mountain meant walking? I just jumped straight down!

As Tang Luo was about to leap beyond the low mountain's range and land in the city at its base, a sudden immense resistance struck.

The air became extremely viscous, as if he were immersed in a mud pit.

Tang Luo's speed suddenly dropped, the resistance increasing wildly as he gradually approached the edge of the low mountain.

Squeezing, blocking.

Like a high-speed train crashing into a mud pit and finally forced to stop, Tang Luo's body nearly froze in midair.

"Don't I get to go out?"

Tang Luo muttered, adjusted his body into a slightly downward-tilted posture, and the light beneath his feet flashed— Step on Void!

A ring of "white mist" appeared around him, time seemed to freeze for a second, then the next breath— the resistance was shattered! Tang Luo suddenly vanished from midair.

Not far from the mountain's base, on the street, came the booming roar of a heavy object hitting the ground!

"Boom!"

Fei Huang and Liu Suifeng simultaneously turned their heads, looking toward the direction of the loud noise.

"What sound?" Fei Huang frowned.

"Never mind, focus on what's in front of us first." Liu Suifeng said.

"That onmyoji probably never imagined this place would become such a mirrored space." Fei Huang said.

"Be careful." Liu Suifeng reminded.

Did the two of them appear together in the same place, or directly in the city?

They had not yet encountered any attack from demons or monsters, but this was obviously no reason for them to let their guard down and relax.

"Mm." Fei Huang also composed himself, his face turning stern; after a while, a red cloak appeared on his hand, which he draped over himself.

Next came a red helmet— the kind of motorcycle helmet, or a half-coverage simple helmet, looking very mismatched.

After putting on the helmet, Fei Huang didn't stop, then took out a piece of armor, slapped it onto his chest, and directly put it on.

Brown armor, similar to a vest, wrapping the entire upper body, with two shoulder guards on the shoulders, bearing sharp short spikes.

"This look is really ugly." Fei Huang said.

Three pieces of equipment, he had exactly three pieces of equipment, plus five skills!

If An'an's European Emperor status was largely due to clinging to Tang Luo's father's thigh, then Fei Huang's European Emperor was truly pure reliance on his own genuine European Emperor!

Aside from not being a fate-holder, he had almost no regrets.

And now, his goal is the fate fragments!

At least after his and Liu Suifeng's analysis, here, they are very likely able to obtain fate fragments.

Simply put, the original owner of Fei Huang's genuine European Emperor status was a member of a hidden, declining onmyoji family in the city.

After Fei Huang entered, he indeed encountered some troubles.

Fortunately, he happened to meet Liu Suifeng, an old acquaintance, and the two cooperated inside and out, successfully counterattacked, and learned some secrets.

The ancestor of this onmyoji family once, by combining himself with a powerful magical tool, sealed a dangerous demon in the dry well of the shrine.

The so-called cursed videotape is closely related to that demon.

Fei Huang and Liu Suifeng naturally took interest.

After conducting some investigation and experiments, they believed that entering the "sealed interior" would likely yield fate fragments and equipment.

But after all, it's a dangerous unknown place, and they would likely encounter the sealed dangerous demon— an absolute boss-level monster— so they sought out Tang Luo, who doesn't know what "keeping a low profile" means.

The method to enter the dry well is what Liu Suifeng brought Tang Luo and them to do— it must be performed by four or more people using ninjutsu.

The two secretly captured some people for experiments, confirming this method is definitely feasible.

Finally, they had tonight's "Enter the Tiger's Den, Get the Tiger's Cub"!

But now the situation is far beyond what the two originally expected; they can only slowly explore the city, taking one step at a time.

Their exploration is not like aimless flies buzzing around, but rather heading toward the low mountain.

The sealed site is in the dry well of the mountain shrine— if not that way, then where else?

Moreover, the retreat route is also there— advance to attack, retreat to defend, a crucial location.

"Better first find Tang Xuanzang; we need his strength." Liu Suifeng said.

Tang Xuanzang is a fate-holder, just like him, and doesn't need extra fate fragments— just get the equipment and it's fine.

And the magical tool used and worn by that ancestor back then was at least five pieces; even if damaged, as long as more than one remains, it's enough for the two to split.

"There's light there!" Fei Huang said; in the dark city, a small building's sudden light was very conspicuous.

"Come, let's check it out." Liu Suifeng sped up, and the two headed straight for that small building.

Despite no enhancement and not being a fate-fragment holder, Fei Huang kept up completely with Liu Suifeng's pace, far beyond normal human speed.

Probably some kind of status skill.

Upon approaching, Liu Suifeng and Fei Huang both paused simultaneously.

They saw a person shadow, opening the door and entering the small building.

Through the light, they could see a flash of white robes and white hair— indeed, it was the "Furious Arhat" they had been looking for.

"How reckless." Feihuang said, stepping forward directly—it's fine.

"Wait." Liú Suífēng suddenly blocked Feihuang, who was about to move ahead, and said, "Let's wait."

"Why?"

"Let's see if he can come out—" After a pause, Liú Suífēng said, "Knowledge gained from books is shallow; for him, we've only heard rumors, and there's also the element of his deliberate self-presentation. Now is the best opportunity to verify whether he truly possesses sufficient strength."