No one expected the ten-thousand-year-old Chi Dragon to suddenly appear and be so terrifying. Su Luo and the other two took a step back in unison.
But she frowned immediately.
Something was wrong. The Divine Eye Mirror showed "Chi Dragon Iron Puppet." It was fake!
Although it looked convincing, it was actually artificially forged. The surface was lifelike, and one could easily be deceived if not careful. But if one looked closely at its eyes, they seemed to be made of obsidian, dark and shiny but lifeless.
Could a fake also eat people? Who made this?
Seeing everyone fleeing towards them, Su Luo quickly pulled Tang Xiaoguo to hide behind Li Tianjue.
Behind them was a dead end, with nowhere left to run. Li Tianjue did not hesitate. He stood in the center of the passage, allowing a group of panicked cultivators to rush over and hide behind him, his expression unchanged.
Boom!
Li Tianjue struck out with a palm. A muffled, hollow sound erupted from the Chi Dragon Iron Puppet. It was struck and slid back three feet, a dented palm print appearing on its forehead.
He was somewhat surprised to find it was not alive, but made of metal.
Otherwise, with the palm strike he just delivered, its skull would have already been shattered.
Despite being hit by Li Tianjue's palm, the Chi Dragon Iron Puppet was not destroyed. It made creaking sounds all over its body, as if its bones and muscles were dislocated. Its head drooped to one side, and a seam appeared on its neck, revealing a few wires and some gears.
The cultivators also understood: "It's actually fake?"
The Chi Dragon Iron Puppet made a creaking sound and staggeringly walked forward again. Li Tianjue's eyes sharpened. A cold, chilling long sword appeared in his hand, slicing it into two halves.
Clatter…
The Chi Dragon Iron Puppet split into two. The half-eaten corpses it had previously swallowed, along with other things, spilled onto the ground. Su Luo and Tang Xiaoguo could not bear to look, while the others almost vomited.
Su Luo knew she could no longer slack off. She quickly aimed her Divine Eye Mirror at the gray wall and activated the viewing mode.
A three-dimensional schematic of an ancient architectural structure appeared in Su Luo's mind.
The entire underground palace consisted of over ten palaces and halls, forming a vast palace complex. Palaces, passages, corridors, courtyards, gardens, and more were all clearly visible, covering an area of no less than a thousand mu.
Bixiao Palace: The residence of Emperor Haotian during his lifetime, construction began in the year 342 of the Xuanhuang Calendar…
It was the residence of a great emperor during his lifetime!
No wonder it was so ancient and mysterious, and housed magical items like the Chi Dragon Iron Puppet.
Emperor Haotian was a top-tier powerhouse from fifty thousand years ago, and legends about him are still circulating. It is said that he had already reached the Demigod realm, was proficient in Qimen Dunjia, beast-taming inscriptions, alchemy, and artifact forging… he was almost omnipotent.
Su Luo did not waste any time and said, "Senior Brother, this time I'll lead the way. You all follow me."
"Sister Su, you know the way?" Tang Xiaoguo asked excitedly.
"Let's try. There's no time to explain. Everyone, hurry!" Su Luo said, not waiting for a response. She took the lead, avoiding the disgusting puddle and heading towards another passage according to the topographic map in her mind.
Li Tianjue hesitated for a moment before following.
The others saw this and quickly followed, some exclaiming in panic, "Hurry, follow Young Master Li! He's so powerful, we'll be safe if we follow him."
Before long, more than ten lost cultivators were following Su Luo.
She paid them no mind, constantly turning and advancing according to the topographic map. However, soon, cries for help and the sound of thundering footsteps echoed from ahead. Su Luo's heart sank. What she had feared had indeed happened.
Not just one Chi Dragon Iron Puppet!
Su Luo quickly turned back to the previous passage and left through another path. Li Tianjue and Su Luo followed closely behind her, along with a large group of cultivators. But after a short while, they collided head-on with three more Chi Dragon Iron Puppets.
"Run—!"
Su Luo shouted and turned to flee. The others, terrified out of their wits, also scrambled away.
Chaos erupted behind them, with cultivators who fell behind being caught by the Chi Dragon Iron Puppets, either trampled to death in the confusion or swallowed whole. The entire underground palace had turned into a purgatory, filled with screams and blood.
"Do you even know the way?" Li Tianjue rushed forward, beginning to doubt her.
Holding the weak-kneed Tang Xiaoguo, he fled alongside Su Luo.
Su Luo ignored him, constantly observing the topographic map in her mind, and shouted, "There's no mistake. There's a palace ahead, let's hide there…"
As she spoke, she turned a corner, and a door indeed appeared in front of them.
Li Tianjue's eyes lit up. He quickly grabbed Su Luo's waist with his other hand and, like the wind, pulled the two women ahead, creating a significant distance from the crowd.
As if an invisible force emanated from him, the slightly ajar door slowly opened with an ancient sound.
As soon as Su Luo landed, she immediately pulled the almost stunned Tang Xiaoguo through the gap in the door.
The cultivators behind them cried out, "Wait for us! Don't close the door… Save us!" Fearing abandonment, they mustered all their strength, forcing themselves to speed up.
In the nick of time, Li Tianjue stood guard at the entrance and shouted, "Hurry!"
They rushed in one by one, the last one being flung in by Li Tianjue.
Before closing the door, Li Tianjue unleashed a powerful blow at the group of Chi Dragon Iron Puppets charging towards them. Boom… Amidst the loud noise, the leading Chi Dragon Iron Puppet's head was directly knocked off, and its body, with immense inertia, slammed into all the other Chi Dragon Iron Puppets like cannonballs, piling them up.
The palace gate finally closed!
Su Luo had discovered the mechanism behind the door earlier. As soon as Li Tianjue entered, she closed the two large doors and then, her legs weak, collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"So, so close…" She hadn't experienced anything so thrilling in a long time.
Everyone else collapsed on the ground, their faces ashen and pale as if they were dead, still shaken. Only Tang Xiaoguo was doing better, as she had been carried by Li Tianjue for most of the escape and was completely unharmed.
Looking at the vast palace they were in, Li Tianjue realized Su Luo had not lied.
She indeed knew the way!
The grand hall before them was silent and empty. The surrounding furnishings were scattered on the ground, and the floor tiles were crushed by huge footprints. It was evident that this place had been ransacked long ago.
After resting for a while, Su Luo regained her energy and stood up.
She looked around, sighing regretfully, "This place should have been magnificent, but it's already been destroyed."
Under the scan of the Divine Eye Mirror, Su Luo knew the value of every item here.
The pile of rags on the ground was made of Cloud Brocade Snow Silkworm Silk, known for its properties of keeping warm in winter and cool in summer, being soft and lightweight. A flattened crane-beak lampstand was made of Sky Essence Bronze, and the gems inlaid for its eyes were Fire Refined Jade, a gemstone she had never seen before and only heard of for the first time.
There were also fragments of cups made of ten-thousand-year-old Warm Jade, a broken table made of Golden Silk Divine Wood, and a small stub of a candle that hadn't been fully used, refined from the oil of an ancient Kunpeng, capable of dispelling all illusions and counteracting evil spirits and yin entities…
Su Luo quickly picked up the stub of the candle. Looking at the messy scene all over the ground, her heart ached so much it trembled. "What a pity. So many good things have either been broken or lost their original functions due to the passage of time."
Having narrowly escaped death, the others also began searching for useful items within the hall.
Li Tianjue was also looking around the hall. Suddenly, his eyes moved. He walked towards a dilapidated table in the corner and picked up a dusty booklet from the ground.
Fortunately, it had not rotted, and he managed to pick it up.