Translator: AnubisTL
Two hundred beams of Mystic Light landed in front of Gu Feng, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Gu Feng opened his eyes, first showing a hint of joy, then furrowing his brows slightly. He walked over to Hua Wenyue and asked in a low voice, "How is it? Not much gain?"
Hua Wenyue remained silent, her expression unreadable. Zong Shixuan and the others also wore grim faces, not uttering a word.
Watching Gu Feng's cautious demeanor, Monk Wu De at the side twitched his lips. The acting was simply impeccable.
In just a few breaths, Gu Feng had perfectly portrayed the excitement of someone full of anticipation, followed by the cautiousness of someone who sensed something was amiss. If not for knowing him well, even Monk Wu De wouldn't have noticed anything off.
This heavy atmosphere persisted for the time it took an incense stick to burn.
"Everyone has worked hard. It's alright if the gains are small. The fact that no one was harmed is already a blessing in itself!" Gu Feng scanned the surroundings, trying to ease the tension.
"Before we open the final area, there's something we must clarify!" Duan Yansheng's voice was low, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group.
"That's right. If this matter isn't cleared up, we'll just stay here and waste time!" Wu Sheng, holding the Ancient Sword, narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
"Before we entered, we all agreed that each team would explore three stone gates, and the remaining three would be explored together. Who's the one breaking the agreement?" Hua Wenyue's phoenix-like eyes turned cold as she spoke indifferently.
"Step forward on your own, divide the treasures, and we'll pretend this never happened!" Zong Shixuan frowned, his breathing heavy.
"Those who don't keep their word, just leave now!" Dugu Ao's words were concise, clearly showing he was also quite angry.
"Hua Wenyue, what exactly happened?" Gu Feng's eyes flickered as he asked again.
"Someone broke the rules and stole the treasures!" Hua Wenyue replied without turning her head.
Silence. Silence once again.
No one admitted to it, nor did anyone step forward to accuse others. It seemed like a deadlock.
After another half an incense stick's worth of time, Wu Sheng's brow twitched. A Heaven's Chosen from his team had reported something to him.
"Are you sure you saw it clearly?"
"Only a back view, I didn't see the face!" The Heaven's Chosen sounded uncertain.
After a moment of consideration, Wu Sheng pushed the Heaven's Chosen forward and announced to the group, "He saw the person's back!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone, including Gu Feng, turned their attention to the Heaven's Chosen.
"Everyone, I only saw a back view. It's possible I might have been mistaken!" The Heaven's Chosen's eyes flickered. Accusing a Peerless Prodigy was no small matter, and he had to choose his words carefully.
"Stop wasting time. Just say what you saw, and we'll judge for ourselves!" Hua Wenyue's willow-like brows twitched as she spoke impatiently.
"It seemed like he noticed me first. By the time I sensed any movement, I only saw a back view. The back... looked similar to Gu Feng's. Of course, I might have been mistaken, but the treasures in the passage I was searching were indeed all gone!" The Heaven's Chosen chose his words carefully and tactfully.
Whoosh—
As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of Hua Wenyue and the others all turned toward Dugu Ao. However, Dugu Ao's gaze was fixed on Gu Feng.
Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Dugu Ao's expression froze, and he was utterly baffled. "Why are you all looking at me? Didn't you hear him say the back looked like Gu Feng's?"
"Brother Dugu, stop making excuses. He also mentioned that the figure resembled Gu Feng's silhouette. Don't you understand what that implies?" Wu Sheng said expressionlessly.
"What do you mean? Are you accusing me of breaking the rules?" Dugu Ao felt deeply insulted, his face changing color as he roared.
"Brother Dugu, my teammate spared your dignity by withholding some information. In fact, the figure he saw was wearing a purple-gold robe!" Wu Sheng's gaze burned as he stared at Dugu Ao.
"Hmph, they gave you face, but I won't. They're practically pointing fingers at you, yet you're still stubbornly denying it!" Hua Wenyue said disdainfully, her beautiful eyes filled with contempt.
"You... you're slandering me!" Dugu Ao gasped heavily, his face flushed red.
"You have a history of this. Do we really have to force you to admit it?" Hua Wenyue pressed on, not letting up, causing Dugu Ao's lips to tremble with anger.
"Brother Dugu, last time at the examination hall, there were over fifty thousand people, so you could slip through. But now there are only two hundred. Are you really treating us like fools?" Duan Yansheng narrowed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.
"We're all companions here. Hand over your storage ring. You must have used some treasure to break so many restrictions. Out of respect for your effort, we'll let you have a larger share when we divide the spoils!" Zong Shixuan looked directly at Dugu Ao, smiling as he spoke.
Scanning the room and seeing everyone's suspicious and scrutinizing gazes fixed on him, Dugu Ao's chest heaved violently. A surge of hot blood rushed to his brain, shaking his very soul.
"This time, it really wasn't me!" Dugu Ao roared, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he froze.
Why did he say that? It seemed like he was also wronged during the examination hall incident!
He was truly furious.
"Slip of the tongue! Last time wasn't me either!" Dugu Ao weakly added.
Seeing everyone remain unmoved, he was so angry he almost vomited blood, his fingers gripping his spear so tightly they cracked.
It was like mud stuck to his pants—even if it wasn't what it seemed, it still looked bad!
"It seems you really want us to force you to admit it!" Hua Wenyue stepped forward, her aura erupting as she moved.
"Brother Dugu, this time you've really gone too far!" Duan Yansheng clenched his fists, closing in on Dugu Ao.
Soon, four peerless prodigies stood in four directions, surrounding Dugu Ao, their stance clear: hand over the treasure, or they would act immediately.
Monk Wu De, who had been sitting cross-legged nearby, suddenly had a flash of understanding. No wonder when he saw Gu Feng earlier, he seemed to be adjusting his clothes and hair. So that was the reason!
Impressive, truly impressive!
While silently mourning for Dugu Ao in his heart, he quietly took out a small notebook and began jotting something down.
Gu Feng glanced sideways and saw what Monk Wu De was writing, immediately feeling a wave of chaos in his heart.
A line of crooked characters read: Prepare in advance, choose the right target, frame them, and escape unscathed afterward!
After finishing, Monk Wu De silently read it a few times, as if committing it to memory for future use.
One had to admit, this crooked monk was really a diligent learner.
Returning his gaze to the scene, Gu Feng saw Dugu Ao, surrounded by Hua Wenyue and the others, utterly humiliated. His eyes were bloodshot, like a lion in heat, terrifying to the extreme.
He forcibly restrained himself and said in a deep voice, "I've been wronged! What will it take for you to believe me?"
This was the first time in his life he had ever lowered himself to explain in such a manner.
Though he was proud, he wasn't foolish. He had no choice—Hua Wenyue and the others were far too powerful. How could he possibly stand against them?
Seeing the four of them unmoving, only continuously building up their aura, he let out a heavy breath and said, "I swear, I didn't enter your passage to plunder treasures!"
As soon as these words left his mouth, Hua Wenyue and the others were stunned. Although Dugu Ao hadn't made a Heavenly Dao Oath, his words indicated that he might indeed have been wronged.
Given his personality, he wouldn't casually swear an oath!
For a moment, the situation fell into a deadlock once again.
Everyone was baffled. If it wasn't Dugu Ao, then who could it be?
"I swear, it wasn't me or anyone in my group!" Zong Shixuan frowned and spoke in a low voice.
"I also swear, it wasn't me..."
"..."
Left with no other choice, Hua Wenyue and the others began to swear oaths, declaring that they weren't the ones behind the wrongdoing.
After the five Heaven's Chosen had all finished swearing, they furrowed their brows, unable to make sense of the situation.
"Is it possible that none of us committed this act?" one of the Heaven's Chosen finally spoke up after a long silence.
"Out of the two hundred people, one hundred and ninety-eight entered the Coral Stone. The remaining two stayed outside," another Heaven's Chosen said, glancing at Gu Feng but quickly shifting his gaze, finally settling on Monk Wu De.
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to Monk Wu De. He had both the capability and the means to commit the crime.
Monk Wu De, who had been sitting cross-legged, watching the commotion with a cheerful smile, now froze. His expression turned extremely grim.
In his heart, he cursed: There are two people outside! Why is everyone looking at me?
"Gu Feng, was Monk Wu De with you the entire time?" Hua Wenyue asked softly.
At this, everyone's gaze shifted to Gu Feng, who looked bewildered. He blinked and said, "No, he said he wanted to look around and disappeared for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Monk Wu De silently cursed in his heart. It turned out Gu Feng had a backup plan to shift the blame. He was about to become the scapegoat.
"Everyone, please listen to my explanation—" Monk Wu De began to explain in a flustered manner, but his demeanor only made everyone more convinced that he was the thief.
"Enough nonsense! Dare you swear a Heavenly Dao Oath?" Hua Wenyue's phoenix eyes widened as she shouted.
"I... I..." Monk Wu De stammered, feeling as though he had just coughed up blood in his heart.
He had indeed entered the Coral Stone and had stolen treasures. How could he dare to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath?
"Outside, there's also Master Gu. I separated from him, which means he was alone too," Monk Wu De wanted to say that there were two people outside, so why was everyone only suspecting him? Why weren't they interrogating Gu Feng?
But he didn't dare. He could only hint at it indirectly.
"Do you think we're fools? Could Gu Feng break the restrictions there?
Brother Gu, I don't mean to belittle you, but the restrictions inside are indeed very strong. Even with your full strength, you might not be able to break them. It took us a tremendous effort to do so!" As he spoke, Zong Shixuan gave a kind smile, not wanting to hurt Gu Feng's pride.
"It's fine. I don't mind people saying I'm weak because it's the truth," Gu Feng said solemnly.
"Monk Wu De, Brother Gu has treated you quite well, hasn't he? Isn't it a bit inappropriate to falsely accuse him repeatedly?" Duan Yansheng said with a forced smile.
Monk Wu De felt as if he had been screwed over by a dog, and his grievance was hundreds of times worse than Dou E's.
At this point, he didn't continue to drag Gu Feng into it. He had already angered Hua Wenyue and the others. If he provoked this man further, he would truly be left with no place to bury his corpse!
He was also quite straightforward, directly taking off his kasaya and scattering ten storage rings on the ground.
"Actually, there's nothing much in the other cave abodes. This is all I managed to obtain!"
"If you don't believe me, I can swear an oath!"
The five Heaven's Chosen mercilessly collected the ten storage rings. Upon opening them, they frowned, somewhat disbelieving.
"I can strip to prove my innocence!" To save his life, Monk Wu De had already thrown caution to the wind and began removing his clothes.
"Get lost! Who wants to see your fat body!" Hua Wenyue kicked Monk Wu De away.
"The bald donkey doesn't seem to be lying. Maybe he really only got this much treasure!"
"Forget it, they're all Mystic Grade items. Not important!"
"Opening the final destination is the main task. We can't delay any longer."
"Right, delays lead to complications. The sooner we open the final destination, the sooner we can leave!"
"Let's discuss this matter later. The final destination is what's important."
"..."
At this point, Hua Wenyue and the others were too lazy to dwell on it. The final destination was their true goal.
Monk Wu De walked over with a sullen expression, his head hanging low, standing behind Gu Feng, sighing heavily.
"Patron Gu, this... you see—"
"None of my business!" Gu Feng said coldly.
No matter how cold Gu Feng was, Monk Wu De had no choice but to follow him. After all, as long as Gu Feng was around, he should be safe from mortal danger.
As for gains, he no longer held any hope, treating it all as a lesson in experience.
After making up their minds, the group turned their attention to Gu Feng.
"Gu Feng, the final destination has an array formation. Since you've studied the Rune path, we might need you to come with us and help us analyze it!" Hua Wenyue walked over, taking out two storage rings and handing them to Gu Feng.
"Mm," Gu Feng nodded. The so-called final destination they spoke of was the plaza. If his analysis was correct, it required five human Heaven's Chosen to open it simultaneously.
This point also puzzled him. Unable to fully understand it, he could only take things one step at a time.
"Don't worry, there might be dangers inside, but with me around, nothing will happen to you!" Seeing the uncertainty in Gu Feng's eyes, Hua Wenyue thought he was afraid and gently comforted him.
"Brother Gu, we'll be relying on you again this time. If there are treasures inside, we'll definitely share them with you!"
"Stay away from that damn monk in the future. I'm afraid he'll get you killed."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen..."
"..."
Among the two hundred people, only Gu Feng had studied Runes. To open the final destination, they had to rely on his abilities. Everyone came over to express their goodwill.
Gu Feng was also moved, nodding with a flattered expression, silently reaping the benefits. There was nothing more delightful in the world.
The group arrived at the second entrance and entered the passage.
After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they reached the plaza!
"Gu Feng, go take a look. Can you crack it?"
Hua Wenyue said softly, unaware that Gu Feng had already studied it long ago.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Gu Feng walked to the end of the square, sometimes gazing from afar, sometimes examining closely, his fingers gently tracing the grooves on the wall.
Then he returned to his original spot, pretending to ponder deeply.
The crowd held their breath, silently watching Gu Feng.
After about half an hour, Gu Feng opened his eyes, his expression filled with excitement.
"I understand now! To activate this Array Formation, it requires the combined effort of five Heaven's Chosen individuals with different attributes!"
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!"
"Which five among us are suitable?"
The crowd gathered around Gu Feng, eagerly asking.
"Monk Wu De, Dugu Ao, Zong Shixuan, Duan Yansheng, and Wu Sheng—you five possess both defense and attack capabilities, aligning with the principles of heaven and earth. As the saying goes, the extreme of yang gives birth to yin..."
Gu Feng rambled on, leaving everyone in a daze.
"Why am I not suitable?" Hua Wenyue asked with dissatisfaction after the five stepped forward.
"Activating the Array Formation consumes a lot of energy. I'm afraid you won't have the strength to protect me afterward!" Gu Feng casually replied, and Hua Wenyue pouted.
Roar—
Five beams of Spiritual Radiance flashed, striking specific points on the wall.
Hum—
A violent tremor nearly knocked everyone off their feet, but fortunately, it lasted only a moment. Then, a glowing dot appeared at the center of the Array Formation, emitting a strange sound.
The dot rapidly expanded, and in an instant, the entire Array Formation began to glow.
The flickering light appeared somewhat eerie.
A vast and ancient aura erupted from the wall.
Seeing this, Duan Yansheng and the others let out a collective roar, unleashing even greater power. Under their combined effort, stone fragments fell like rain, and the wall slowly began to rise.
A faint light seeped through the cracks in the wall, spreading an unusual sensation.
Soon, the entire wall disappeared, revealing a passageway.
This passageway was different from the previous ones, with no stone doors on either side.
"Let's go in!"
Two hundred Heaven's Chosen individuals filed in, and the wall descended once more, returning to its calm state.
At the same time, the coral stone at the bottom of the sea emitted several rings of strange halos before rapidly shrinking, resembling a lifeless piece of coral. Even if a cultivator passed by, they wouldn't notice that it was an Earth-grade Artifact.
The halo shot out of the sea surface and vanished in an instant.
In the distant deep sea, an indescribably majestic palace!
Dong—
Dong—
Dong—
The melodious sound of bells echoed, and terrifying shadows emerged from the palace.
One of the figures was indistinct, but the moment it appeared, a crushing pressure surged like a tidal wave, stirring up a ten-thousand-meter-high wave on the sea surface.
"Has the inheritance stolen by the traitor decades ago finally reappeared?" A ethereal voice transcended time and space, causing the entire palace to tremble.
"Your Majesty, the inheritance has been activated!" someone responded from afar.
"Retrieve it! This is our East Sea Dragon Clan's last chance to return to the Central Plains and restore our former glory!"
"What if the inheritance has already been claimed?" someone else asked.
"Then he shall be our clan's most honored guest! Do not cause too much commotion; our East Sea Dragon Clan can no longer dominate the entire sea!" With that, the shadow dissipated, and the palace returned to its calm state.
"Yes, we shall obey the Dragon Emperor's Decree!"
(End of the Chapter)
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