22: Inside the Hall of No Worries, the dagger is revealed at the end of the scroll.
At the end of the Mirror Bridge was a spiral stone staircase extending upwards.
Lin Que was in no hurry to rush up.
Having just promoted to the Bone Transformation Realm, the Aura within his body surged like a great river and had not yet completely settled.
He found a blind spot in the shadows with an excellent view and adjusted the angles of several broken bronze mirrors. Through the layers of reflection, the scene above came clearly into view.
Subconsciously, Lin Que felt inside his robes.
It was empty.
The Little Snow Ferret that had been clinging to his chest was gone, its whereabouts unknown.
“It certainly runs fast.”
The corners of Lin Que's mouth curled slightly; he wasn't worried.
Although that Heavenly Demon Ferret was young, its sense for danger and ability to escape were a hundred times better than these shrewd humans. Since it had slipped away, it meant this place was about to become a Shura Field.
Lin Que restrained his Aura and cast his gaze toward the image in the bronze mirror... Above the stone steps was a magnificent, breathtakingly massive palace.
This was no longer a gloomy cavern, nor was there any stench of blood.
Everywhere he looked was gold and silver.
The floor was paved with solid gold bricks, the walls were embedded with fist-sized night-luminescent pearls, and countless gold and silver vessels, jewels, and jade were piled like mountains, as if the wealth of the entire Qingzhou City had been moved here.
This was the legendary—Wuyou Hall.
Those who entered this hall would be as wealthy as a nation; indeed, they could live their whole lives without worry.
But the glittering jewels filling the hall could not hide the disheveled state of those five important figures.
The five family heads and the commander stood amidst the sea of gold and silver, their faces flushed and their breathing heavy.
Although the 'Ten Thousand Mirror Heart-Reflecting Formation' from earlier hadn't caused them to suffer Qi Deviation, it had stirred the deepest greed and brutality in their hearts.
Now, stimulated by this endless wealth, that Heart Demon had not subsided but instead grew more intense.
“Is this... the Nine Nether Legacy?”
The Zhao Family Head grabbed a handful of pearls and crushed them with force, his eyes bloodshot.
But soon, everyone's gaze moved past these worldly objects on the floor and looked toward the center of the hall.
There stood a massive statue several dozen feet high.
It was not carved from stone or wood, but cast and piled from countless exquisite gold and silver objects and bronze ritual vessels. Its form was extremely bizarre—nine heads roared ferociously, a thousand arms spread out like a peacock's tail, and it rode upon a beast that looked like a bird but wasn't.
Multi-headed and thousand-armed, the ghost-riding gāluó!
This statue, full of both wickedness and divinity, had its hands in seals. On its six thickest outstretched arms, each held a purple-gold treasure box emitting a misty, precious glow.
The light was lush and mysterious; one look was enough to tell that what was inside these six boxes were the true priceless treasures!
“Six boxes...”
Su Tianhe narrowed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the killing intent surging in his heart.
There were five factions present, and there were six boxes.
Enough to go around.
“Since we've reached the destination, let everyone rely on their own abilities!”
Su Tianhe gave a cold shout and his figure lunged forward.
He didn't go for the easy ones but lunged directly toward the treasure box held in front of the main head at the very top of the statue! Intuition told him that one was also the most precious!
“Brother Su, you're being a bit too impatient!”
Just as Su Tianhe's fingers were about to touch the treasure box.
A sharp gust of wind attacked from the side!
Snap!
A steel folding fan flew out like a boomerang, viciously slicing toward Su Tianhe's wrist.
If he didn't pull back, he would lose that hand.
Su Tianhe's expression turned cold. He changed his move mid-air, swatting the folding fan away with a palm strike and using the momentum to land back on the ground.
He glared at the Li Family Head who had attacked, killing intent clear in his eyes: “Li Changfeng, what is the meaning of this? There are six boxes; you and I can each take one. Why ruin my plans?”
“Each take one?”
The Li Family Head caught the returning folding fan and shook his head slowly, a cold smile on his face: “Brother Su, that's not how the math works.”
He looked around. The Zhao Family Head, the Wang Family Head, and even the City Lords Mansion Commander had unexpectedly formed a loose encirclement, trapping Su Tianhe and his son in the middle.
Su Tianhe's face darkened. “What are you trying to do? Planning to double-cross me?”
“Double-cross?”
The City Lords Mansion Commander sneered, his long halberd thumping heavily against the ground with a sharp 'clang'.
“Su Tianhe, let's not beat around the bush.”
“Along the way, you've been a bit too familiar with these Nine Nether ruins. You knew how to avoid the traps, how to use human lives for blood sacrifices to the Demon Idols, and even... you know the layout of this Wuyou Hall like the back of your hand.”
Su Tianhe's face was as gloomy as water, standing with his hands behind his back. “I have consulted countless ancient texts and made thorough preparations for this expedition. Is that a crime?”
“Consulting ancient texts?”
The Li Family Head sneered and suddenly pulled a broken black iron tablet from his robes, throwing it at Su Tianhe's feet.
On the iron tablet was a ferociously carved character 'You', identical to the handwriting on the stone tablet outside.
“Brother Su, you shouldn't be unfamiliar with this, right?”
The Li Family Head's eyes were sharp as knives as he spoke word by word.
“Five hundred years ago, the Yinyue Dynasty brought chaos to the world, and its state religion, the 'Nine Nether Heavens,' was a demonic cult that everyone wanted to destroy.”
“Back then, the Founding Martial Emperor wiped out the Nine Nether Heavens, but a remnant branch escaped with the cult's secret scrolls, changed their names, and ended up in Qingzhou.”
Su Tianhe's pupils constricted suddenly. His hands inside his sleeves clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.
“That remnant branch changed their identity and, relying on the secret arts of the Nine Nether Heavens, engaged in business and martial arts, gradually growing strong until they became the famous... Su Family of Qingzhou today!”
The Li Family Head's voice suddenly rose, exploding in the hall like a thunderclap: “Su Tianhe! You aren't here for an expedition! You're here to reclaim your ancestry!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place broke into an uproar.
Even the two retainers beside Su Tianhe looked at him in shock.
Their own family head was actually a remnant of a demonic cult?!
“Not only that.”
The Wang Family Head, who had been silent, also spoke in a raspy voice: “We don't care about the gold and silver treasures in this Wuyou Hall. We can even give you a share of the Secret Manuals, Medicinal Pills, and Magic Treasures in those six boxes.”
“But...”
The Wang Family Head stared intently at Su Tianhe, greed flickering in his eyes: “We want you to hand over one thing.”
Su Tianhe took a deep breath, and his expression actually calmed down.
That kind of calm was the silence before the storm.
“What thing?”
“The map to the Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven!”
The City Lords Mansion Commander took a step forward, his Aura overwhelming.
“Legend has it that back then, Emperor Li dug open the Netherworld Springs, not only creating an army of Monsters but also establishing a 'Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven' deep within the springs. Inside, the national treasury accumulated by the Yinyue Dynasty over three hundred years is hidden, and even... the secret to immortality!”
“Su Tianhe, hand over the map in your head. Otherwise, this Wuyou Hall will be your burial ground today!”
So that's how it was. This was the so-called 'Five-Family Alliance.' From the very beginning, this was a trap set against the Su Family! They used Su Tianhe to lead the way, and once they reached the core area, they joined forces to force his hand!
In the shadows before the bronze mirrors.
Lin Que watched this scene, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.
“No wonder the Su Family used human lives to fill the gaps... turns out they were just coming home to get their stuff.”
“Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven... immortality...”
This script is getting more and more interesting.
In the center of the hall.
Facing the pressure from the four great experts and this certain-death trap.
Su Tianhe suddenly laughed.
“Hehe... Hahahaha!”
He laughed toward the heavens, the sound making the gold and silver vessels in the hall hum.
“Good! What a 'Five-Family Alliance'! What 'righteous sects'!” Su Tianhe suddenly lowered his head, and his once majestic eyes had now turned an eerie, solid black—no whites, only an endless abyss.
A suffocatingly terrifying Aura erupted from his body!
That wasn't True Qi.
That was pure, evil... Nine Nether Devilish Qi!
“Since you all know now.”
Su Tianhe's voice became overlapping and raspy, as if countless ghosts were roaring inside him: “Then all of you stay here and be the... tomb keepers of my Wuyou Hall!”
Boom!
As his voice fell, that massive 'ghost-riding gāluó' statue actually moved!