266: Treasure Hunt in the Underground Palace

Located within a stronghold city of the Demonic Path forces.

"Our next action will no longer be capturing people from the Demonic Path forces, but finding a treasure land within Demonic Path territory..."

Xiang Zizhen looked around at everyone and spoke.

Besides Xiao Shi and the three Prison Guards who had acted together before.

Five more Prison Guards joined them.

Including Xiang Zizhen, there would be ten people acting together.

However, what Xiao Shi didn't expect.

Was that this mission wasn't a capture, but had turned into a treasure hunt.

"Every person participating in this operation, regardless of the outcome, will receive twenty contribution points."

Xiang Zizhen's words stirred Xiao Shi's heart.

Twenty contribution points.

It was equivalent to being able to exchange for two prisoners in the prison.

Looking at it this way, it was quite good.

"At the same time, everything you gain during the operation will belong to you and does not need to be turned in."

"Of course."

"I must remind you..."

"This operation will carry a certain level of risk; you must be mentally prepared."

Xiang Zizhen said solemnly.

The dangers of treasure hunting were often greater than those of a capture mission.

For example, before their previous capture mission, they had already scouted out the background of the Sanguinary Blood Valley.

They knew how many in the Martial Soul Realm and how many in the Martial Demon Realm were there.

But with treasure hunting, there was no way to grasp such clear information.

They only knew the general situation.

The rest would require them to explore on their own.

Xiang Zizhen did not reveal too much information at the moment.

He only told them that the place they were going to this time was an Underground Palace.

Early the next morning.

They began their operation.

This time, besides the ten of them, there was surprisingly one more person traveling with them.

When Xiao Shi saw this fellow traveler.

His brow furrowed imperceptibly.

This person was none other than.

The old man who had been imprisoned in his cell back then!!

At this moment, the other party's hands and feet were in handcuffs and shackles.

These handcuffs and shackles were not only forged from extremely sturdy Materials but also possessed a powerful Seal, causing the old man's entire cultivation to be sealed, making him no different from an ordinary person.

Xiao Shi didn't expect the other party to be traveling with them.

And looking at the situation... the Underground Palace treasure site they were heading to was likely based on information provided by this old man!

This was also the greatest value of these prisoners.

However, ordinary information wouldn't usually reach the Warden.

Only particularly significant information would be handled personally by the Warden.

Xiao Shi took a deep look at the old man.

He was secretly on guard.

As they traveled along.

Xiao Shi was surprised to find... they had actually returned to the valley where the Sanguinary Blood Valley was located!

"Could it be..."

Xiao Shi had just formed a conjecture in his heart.

When Xiang Zizhen ahead of him spoke.

"The Underground Palace we are going to explore this time is hidden within the Sanguinary Blood Valley!"

Surprise flashed in the eyes of Xiao Shi and the three Prison Guards who had acted together before.

They instantly realized that the reason Xiang Zizhen chose to come here for a capture was to prepare for the subsequent exploration of the Underground Palace.

The reason Xiang Zizhen hadn't led them directly to explore the Underground Palace last time was mainly due to two factors.

First, they didn't have enough manpower at the time.

Last time, there were only five of them in total.

Second, Xiang Zizhen's visit last time.

Was inherently to investigate the situation.

He couldn't completely trust the words of these prisoners.

Only after investigating personally could he confirm whether this Underground Palace was worth exploring.

Xiao Shi even felt that during the few days he had returned to the prison.

Xiang Zizhen might have come alone to investigate the situation.

The other party's style of action was very steady.

Following the guidance of the prisoner old man.

They soon arrived at a residence within the city where the Sanguinary Blood Valley was located.

This residence was very ordinary.

Nothing special could be seen about it.

However, when the old man took out a polygonal Compass and pressed it into the ground.

Clack!

The ground of the residence suddenly recessed downward, forming an entrance.

The entrance was covered by a layer of gray light curtain, making it impossible to see the environment inside.

"After I go down, you follow..."

Xiang Zizhen began to arrange the order of entry into the Underground Palace.

He went down first.

Then the old man.

Followed by the others.

Everyone entered the Underground Palace below one by one, according to Xiang Zizhen's arrangement.

Entering the Underground Palace, it was initially very narrow, only wide enough for one person. After walking a few meters, it suddenly opened up.

Emerging from the tunnel.

Before them was a vast space.

Within the Underground Palace were countless walls, all connected to the ceiling; even if one could fly, they couldn't go very high, making it naturally difficult to see the full layout.

At the same time, after entering the Underground Palace, many Prison Guards in the team discovered that their Soul Consciousness was severely suppressed here.

It could only spread over a very small range.

Some even tried to blast the walls, only to find that the walls here were incredibly sturdy, difficult to shake even with their level of cultivation.

Furthermore, Soul Consciousness was unable to penetrate these walls.

This caused many people to frown.

Feeling that the environment here was very unfavorable to them... Xiang Zizhen also realized this.

He stared at the prisoner old man, his gaze carrying a warning.

"You lead the way in front, and don't play any tricks. If I sense anything wrong from you, I will strike directly and kill you!"

Without a word, the old man walked at the very front with an expressionless face.

The entire Underground Palace was pitch black.

It was so dark one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face.

Previously, with Soul Consciousness, this visual darkness wouldn't have had any impact on them.

But now that their Soul Consciousness was suppressed, the range it could spread was very small, and visibility decreased accordingly.

Compared to the others.

Xiao Shi was completely unaffected.

When he was in the Qi Martial Realm, he practiced Taiyin; this pitch-black environment was like a fish returning to water for him.

He walked at the back.

Keeping a close eye on every movement of the old man in front.

The entire Underground Palace was very quiet.

There were only the sounds of their footsteps as they moved forward.

After the group had traveled some distance.

They entered a stone chamber within the Underground Palace.

Inside the wide stone chamber sat a massive stone chest over two meters high.

The stone chest was tightly closed.

Since Soul Consciousness could not penetrate it, no one knew what was inside the stone chest.

When the old man walked up to the stone chest.

He paused.

He turned his head and looked at Xiang Zizhen.

Asking with his eyes if he should open the chest.

Xiang Zizhen's brow furrowed slightly.

Usually in this situation, there would either be treasure or some kind of danger inside the chest.

He thought for a while.

Then he spoke.

"Everyone, step back."

Once everyone had retreated outside the stone chamber.

Xiang Zizhen flicked a beam of white light toward the stone chest, pushing open its lid directly.

A long-sealed scent immediately wafted out.

Everyone remained on high alert to prevent any potential danger from emerging from the stone chest.

Fortunately, after the stone chest was opened.

There was no abnormality.

Xiang Zizhen walked to the side of the stone chest and examined the interior, finding it filled with various treasures.

However, with his caution and steadiness.

He did not reach in directly to take them.

Instead, using his own power, he caused all the treasures inside the stone chest to float up.

After confirming there were no issues.

Xiang Zizhen then turned back to look at the group.

"Divide them among yourselves."

He had absolutely no interest in the treasures inside the stone chest.

The group of Prison Guards was instantly overjoyed.

They all stepped forward to divvy up the treasures.

Xiao Shi also successfully obtained a treasure.

It was a pendant.

It was also a Martial Soul Realm treasure.

It possessed the effect of being able to block and weaken Soul attacks.

It was a defensive-type treasure.

It clearly couldn't compare to the treasures Xiao Shi had obtained through kills previously.

It could only be considered one of the most ordinary types of Martial Soul Realm treasures.

The treasures the others received were basically at this same level.

No wonder Xiang Zizhen looked down on them.

After they finished dividing the treasures in the chest.

They inspected the stone chamber for a while longer, and after confirming there were no other gains, they left the chamber and continued deeper into the Underground Palace.

After they had traveled for a while.

A corpse suddenly appeared ahead!

It was surprisingly a headless corpse, with only the torso remaining.

Although the degree of decomposition suggested the person had been dead for a long time, the moment they saw the corpse, everyone felt a surge of intense vigilance.

Xiang Zizhen approached the corpse with a solemn expression.

He inspected it carefully.

He found no signs of a struggle around the corpse.

However, the neck of the corpse looked as if it had been slashed by a sharp blade, the cut smooth.

Xiang Zizhen looked up at the prisoner old man.

His gaze was questioning.

The old man, however, shook his head.

Indicating he knew nothing.

Xiang Zizhen's gaze instantly became sharp as a knife.

An incredibly powerful breath erupted from his body, sweeping toward the prisoner old man.

He was very dissatisfied with the old man's attitude.

The prisoner old man just looked at Xiang Zizhen calmly.

Even though his body was emitting the harsh sound of bones breaking under the pressure of Xiang Zizhen's Aura, and blood was leaking from the corner of his mouth.

His gaze remained calm, without any ripples.

Xiang Zizhen took a deep look at the prisoner old man.

Only then did he withdraw the pressure of his Aura.

Xiao Shi frowned as he watched this scene.

Up until now, this prisoner old man hadn't spoken a single word!

This made him feel that something was very wrong.

And what was even more wrong was Xiang Zizhen.

Based on Xiao Shi's knowledge and understanding of Xiang Zizhen, it was impossible for Xiang Zizhen not to see the problem.

Yet now, Xiang Zizhen chose to believe this prisoner old man.

"Or is it..."

"That Xiang Zizhen has other plans?"

Xiao Shi knew that with Xiang Zizhen's shrewdness, he wasn't so easily fooled.

It was very likely he was planning something else.

Judging from Xiang Zizhen's current Soul fluctuations, his Soul was as steady as ever, a posture of having victory in hand.

"Or I could observe this old man's Soul state..."

"To see if there are any fluctuations in his Soul."

As the thought flashed through his mind.

Xiao Shi immediately and silently began to condense a Soul Seal on the old man's Soul.

By observing this Soul state, he could grasp their truest feelings, thereby inferring their thoughts and obtaining important information.

However, Xiao Shi's Soul Seal condensation failed directly this time!

"This is..."

Xiao Shi's mind was suddenly shaken.

He actually couldn't find his Soul on the old man!!

This was a situation he had never encountered before.

"He... he has no Soul??"

"No..."

"That's not right!"

"It's not that he doesn't have a Soul, but that his Soul is also imprisoned!!"

Inside the old man's body, Xiao Shi discovered a "prison."

This caused his Soul Seal to only be able to stay outside the prison.

It could not penetrate into the prison.

This caused a strong vibration in his heart.

This old man's background... was even more startling than he had imagined!

The other party's imprisonment and Seal were not just the external handcuffs and shackles; the true confinement was within his body!

Such layers of imprisonment and Seals.

Only experts with a massive background would receive such treatment.

No wonder when he was killing people in the cell back then.

The other party didn't even spare a glance.

Presumably, to the old man, his kind of killing was like children playing house.

It wasn't worth his attention at all.

Xiao Shi had originally thought this old man was just a relatively powerful Martial Soul Realm at the Soul Consciousness Stage, but now, after sensing the imprisonment and Seals inside him.

He realized that the cultivation the other party displayed was not his true cultivation.

After understanding this.

Xiao Shi also began to feel that this Underground Palace treasure hunt... was not as simple as imagined.

Within this, there must be a lot of information he didn't know.

"From beginning to end, Xiang Zizhen never told us what was inside this Underground Palace..."

"He only stated there were treasures here."

"But those previous treasures couldn't possibly catch Xiang Zizhen's eye."

"Xiang Zizhen wouldn't personally come just for treasures of that level."

"What exactly is he plotting?"

The situation Xiao Shi was currently worried about.

Was that Xiang Zizhen would use them as cannon fodder.

Judging from current inferences.

This Underground Palace probably contained some kind of crisis.

Xiao Shi felt that the likelihood of Xiang Zizhen bringing them along to shield him from danger was definitely greater than bringing them to get rich.

In the eyes of these Prison Guards, Xiang Zizhen had a good reputation and was the Warden, so he surely wouldn't sell them out.

But Xiao Shi knew Xiang Zizhen's true background.

As a member of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect and a Cleric of the Holy Court.

He wouldn't have any psychological burden even if he used these Prison Guards as cannon fodder.

After all, both sides were inherently on opposing sides.

If Qin Mo had been killed by Xiang Zizhen, then he would be even more adept at doing such things.

Until this moment.

Xiao Shi truly realized that this Underground Palace treasure hunt was far from being as simple as it appeared on the surface.

He was secretly on guard.

Although he was currently just a Clone and his death wouldn't cause any damage to his main body.

But the Clone was carrying many items he had obtained earlier.

If these items were lost before they could create their proper value... it would be a huge loss!

Most importantly.

It had been difficult for him to get close to Xiang Zizhen using this identity.

If he died like this.

He might not get another chance to approach Xiang Zizhen.

"At this point, I can only take it one step at a time and deal with whatever comes my way."

Xiao Shi's expression appeared normal on the surface.

In reality, he had already expanded his perception to the maximum, his spirit highly concentrated as if facing a formidable enemy.