Chapter 558: with translation of chapter title

The Ancient God Temple was shrouded in a field of Buddha light, with endless chanting drifting from within, and the air was thick with the smell of incense.

At that moment, a strong urge surged in my heart.

I asked Liu Junyan, 'Āyàn, if we launch a strong assault on the Ancient God Temple now, with our abilities, can we take Dìshì?'

'We can take it; Xiao Jiu can burn down this Ancient God Temple and even the whole underground palace with Nirvana fire,' Liu Junyan replied firmly. 'But the problem is we can only seize the Dìshì before us, even if we succeed in destroying that Sān jiǎo yā, we cannot solve the root issue.'

Yeah, we still haven't figured out what exactly is covered by that cloth in the underground palace's god shrine.

A forceful attack would only bring temporary satisfaction, but could bring even greater trouble.

Moreover, we still have several hostages in the enemy's hands.

Time flew by; the seal A Cheng placed on the evil bone head lasts only six hours, vanishing in an instant.

Even without waiting six hours, Dìshì can sense the direction of the evil bone head.

We cannot ignore everything.

Faced with such a powerful and complex enemy, we can only be patient and plan slowly, minimizing casualties.

We are at the final step; we most need to avoid arrogance and impatience.

Dìshì is preparing to welcome the second 'Buddha light shining everywhere,' which is also the best time for us to enter the underground palace.

During the day, we rested at the Fang Chuan Sect's encampment, but no one slept; we arranged the next deployment while researching where the captured Hu Sanmei, Bai Shulan, and Bai Jingmo might now be.

Moreover, Liu Junyan was also trying to establish a sense with the Copper Coin Person.

Although the Copper Coin Person had roughly told us the entrance to the underground palace and what might appear along the way, rushing in is far less safe than having a guide.

What we never expected was that a change would come silently as evening approached.

At that time we were on the mountain behind the Ancient God Temple; I was meditating, Liu Junyan was studying the overall situation, and Hu Yulin, who had gone out for a breath of air, suddenly ran back, urging us to hurry out and have a look.

I followed Hu Yulin out with Liu Junyan, doubtful, looking in the direction his Zhé shàn pointed; I saw on the ridge of the Ancient God Temple a familiar black figure standing alone, its back arched, a fluffy big tail erected behind it, fur bristling all over, fully ready to attack at any moment.

I frowned: 'What does the mysterious cat want to do?'

'I'll go check.'

As Hu Yulin's words fell, he had already transformed into his true white fox form and leapt.

He had intended to land on the highest ridge of the Ancient God Temple and stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the mysterious cat, but he didn't expect that as he neared the temple wall, a strong Buddha light blocked him.

The white fox was flung backward, its eight tails instantly spreading, stabilizing its shape in midair, then landing steadily on a large tree nearby.

Hu Yulin proved with action that the barrier around the Ancient God Temple is very strong; to enter, one must exert effort.

The mysterious cat originally was inside the underground palace, and the entrance to the underground palace lies within the Ancient God Temple, so it itself is inside the barrier.

I exchanged a glance with Liu Junyan, and we both saw worry in each other's eyes.

The position where the mysterious cat stood is the ridge of the main hall of the Ancient God Temple, the highest point.

From that position looking down, one should be able to see the chanting platform.

'The mysterious cat wants to destroy the platform,' Liu Junyan said. 'It wants to avenge its master.'

I agreed with Liu Junyan's view, sighed, and said: 'We've thought it all through, believing we had everything under control, yet there's always a loose end; Āyàn, perhaps we shouldn't be so rigid.'

Liu Junyan said: 'We still need a general direction; no matter what changes occur, our ultimate goal cannot change.'

Our current ultimate goal is to clarify everything inside the underground palace's god shrine.

But just as we had readjusted our plan according to the mysterious cat's actions, its fur, which had stood on end, smoothed again, and after a few leaps on the ridge, it vanished in the blink of an eye.

Liu Junyan and I were stunned, and Hu Yulin returned as well.

Hu Yulin scratched his forehead with his Zhé shàn, puzzled: 'What on earth is that Little Guy thinking? It had clearly taken an attacking pose, yet suddenly it lowered its flags and fell silent.'

I said: 'The mysterious cat has always had its own mind; perhaps it is considering the bigger picture.'

Hu Yulin's face showed an indescribable expression; he looked at Liu Junyan and asked: 'Āyàn, do you believe in considering the bigger picture?'

Liu Junyan gave a noncommittal reply: 'Let's wait and see.'

We waited like that until it grew dark.

There is such a strong barrier around the Ancient God Temple; the Copper Coin Person, tasked with protecting the egg A Cheng brought over, would not risk breaking out of the barrier to meet us.

So, entering the underground palace, we still need to think of another plan.

Fang Chuan Sect spread out a hand‑drawn map centered on the Ancient God Temple, radiating ten li outward, and we gathered around it to study again.

Liu Junyan's finger pointed to the underground palace entrance previously indicated by the Copper Coin Person, and he mused: 'The entrance to the underground palace is here; if we try to force our way in, it now looks rather difficult, but since the earlier Void Silence arson managed to withdraw unscathed, it shows that besides this entrance, the underground palace should have at least one exit.'

Fang Chuan Sect added: 'Based on our past encounters with such underground palaces, exits are usually more than one; the larger the underground palace, besides leaving exits, it also leaves air vents; finding any one of them would be a major breakthrough.'

As Fang Chuan Sect spoke, Liu Junyan's finger slid from the entrance along a line forward; soon his finger stopped abruptly: 'Here… could it be that celestial burial pit?'

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

We had inspected that celestial burial pit before; inside it lay nothing but white bones.

Hu Yulin asked: 'Is there a problem? This spot seems slightly off from the route the Copper Coin Person gave us.'

Precisely because it is offset outward, although we are wary of that celestial burial pit, we have not included it in our travel route.

Liu Junyan said: 'The mysterious cat led the Copper Coin Person along the main route of the underground palace, but as Old Fang said, the larger the underground palace, the more complex the situation; for the whole subterranean system to function normally, each special point on the surface could be serving the underground or even connected to it. This mountain range is continuous and the rock hard, yet a celestial burial pit appears on the backside— isn't that suspicious?'

Such analysis really is too suspicious.

Our previous view was limited to the underground palace entrance, neglecting the periphery.

Hu Yulin immediately said: 'I'll go circle the celestial burial pit to check the situation.'

Who would have thought that after he went, he never came back……