Chapter 2031 - 17: Resolving to Act
Along the way, the corpses were either entangled by vines or bumped into the surrounding mountain walls.
After three or four such jolts, Ao Cangsheng felt the scene before his eyes change as he rolled into a narrow passageway.
This passage sloped downward, less than a foot wide, and he had no idea where it would lead.
Ao Cangsheng was like a round stone, tumbling all the way down. After a dozen breaths, he heard a "thud" as he finally landed.
Although the passage was long, the impact wasn’t strong because it was sloping downward.
Perhaps it was for this reason that Tong Lu survived by falling into the deep ditch.
Just as Ao Cangsheng landed, he heard a muffled "boom" sound from behind.
The next moment, Ao Cangsheng quickly got up.
Then, he saw another person rolling out of the passage in a disheveled state.
As the person slowly climbed up, Ao Cangsheng realized it was Cao Xuanyu.
"Are you okay, Cao?"
Ao Cangsheng found Cao Xuanyu and asked with a smile.
"Mr. Ao, is that you?"
Upon checking, Cao Xuanyu realized Ao Cangsheng was also there. The worried Cao Xuanyu immediately made up his mind.
"It’s me!"
Ao Cangsheng replied.
"It seems I’ll need your help this time!"
Cao Xuanyu said self-deprecatingly, with an embarrassed smile.
"No worries, we are in the same boat.
Cao Xuanyu naturally had no objections and simply followed Ao Cangsheng.
They continued like this for over an hour, encountering five missteps along the way.
Each time, Ao Cangsheng would choose the path opposite to continue forward.
However, after more than an hour, the two suddenly stopped.
"Young Master Ao, I think we’ve been here before!"
Looking at the familiar scene, Cao Xuanyu couldn’t help frowning.
Ao Cangsheng nodded, "This is where we fell earlier. Look, there’s the sloping passage."
Cao Xuanyu followed his gaze and saw a hidden hole in the mountain wall.
"It seems we are just going in circles!"
Cao Xuanyu said in frustration.
Ao Cangsheng smiled bitterly, "This damn place feels like a maze. It looks like it’s going to take a while to get out!"
"What should we do now?"
Cao Xuanyu knew he couldn’t help much. He could only follow Ao Cangsheng’s decisions.
"Let’s try a different approach!"
Ao Cangsheng said, then set off on the previous path.
An hour later, the two returned once more to their original spot.
This time, their faces were full of frustration.
They didn’t expect that after changing direction, they would still end up backtracking.
"Damn it!"
Cao Xuanyu looked at the dark hole and couldn’t help but curse.
"Old Cao, let’s try another way."
Ao Cangsheng knew that the more stifled they felt now, the harder it would be to get out of the predicament. Yu Qiang, holding onto his impatience, spoke softly.
In this way, Ao Cangsheng tried 7 different paths, but they all ended up back at the original place.
As their patience was about to wear thin from the maze, Cao Xuanyu couldn’t help but suggest, "Young Master Ao, why don’t we do the opposite?"
Ao Cangsheng turned around and looked at the path they had taken earlier. He smiled bitterly and said, "Alright, let’s try Old Cao’s suggestion!"
At this point, Ao Cangsheng’s patience was running low. This attempt was merely a desperate try, hoping for a miracle.
But to Ao Cangsheng’s surprise, the outcome of this attempt was different from before.
An hour later, Ao Cangsheng and Cao Xuanyu didn’t end up at the original location but arrived at another hall.
This hall wasn’t as grand as the central hall. There were no corridors on either side, and no row of fierce beast statues at the front.
The five paths leading to the hall formed a pentagon. The main path to the hall’s front door was the widest, with railings on both sides.
"Young Master Ao, it seems like we’ve exited the maze!"
Seeing the towering hall, Cao Xuanyu couldn’t help but become excited.
Ao Cangsheng also smiled and sighed at the hall, "It’s really rare!"
"Shall we go in?"
Looking at the hall, Cao Xuanyu couldn’t help remembering their quest for treasure, prompting him to ask.
"Alright, let’s go in and take a look! Since we’ve arrived at the Dan King’s site, it would be a shame not to take anything back!"
Ao Cangsheng also agreed with Cao Xuanyu’s suggestion and headed into the hall.
"How many times have we been here with Old He?"
"Seems like this is the fifth time!"
"Where exactly is this place? Why does it feel like a maze?"
"I don’t know. Maybe it was deliberately built this way as a path by the Dan King."
As Ao Cangsheng and Cao Xuanyu stepped onto the main path towards the hall, suddenly a shadow appeared from afar.
Instantly, Cao Xuanyu and Ao Cangsheng stopped and looked cautiously toward the hall.
"Old He, do you think the thieves might be trapped here?"
"I think so. We’ve traversed the entire area. There’s no hiding place other than here."
"They must have fallen into a deep ditch and entered the maze. The maze is so strange that they couldn’t find the thieves."
"I wonder what happened to Jing Mingyu and Dragon Hollyhock."
As the conversation between the two grew, Ao Cangsheng suddenly realized that the two people opposite were Le Qingyao and her companions.
"It’s Yue Qingyao!"
Cao Xuanyu also cleared his throat and his face changed instantly.
Ao Cangsheng nodded, "It’s really Yue Qingyao."
"Let’s get out of here!"
Cao Xuanyu knew Le Qingyao was formidable, and what’s more, there was a true dragon by her side.
Once these two find out their whereabouts and Ao Cangsheng, they feared they might die here.
"Don’t rush! Let’s listen closely to see if there’s anyone else with them!"
Ao Cangsheng didn’t seem afraid of Yue Qingyao; he waved his hand.
The reason he was able to break Yue Qingyao’s lie the last time was due to a question he asked.
Originally, Yue Qingyao trusted Ao Cangsheng with a score of 9.
But just to be cautious, he tested Yue Qingyao.
Unexpectedly, this test caused Yue Qingyao to show her weakness.
Shui Ling had passed away long ago, and it was naturally impossible for anyone to repay Shui Ruo’s kindness.
However, unaware of this matter, Yue Qingyao vowed to inform Ao Cangsheng that Shui Ruoshu had mentioned it.
"Mr. Ao, Yue Qingyao is ranked 13th on the Heavenly Pride list. You should think twice before acting!"
Not wanting Ao Cangsheng to die in vain, Cao Xuanyu couldn’t help but urge anxiously.
"I know! I’m just testing them. If I can’t win, I’ll leave immediately!"
Ao Cangsheng said calmly.
"Retreat?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Xuanyu couldn’t help but force a smile.
Once Ao Cangsheng leaves, he felt Ao Cangsheng would struggle to escape as well.
"Come on, they’re approaching. We won’t be able to leave now!"
As the footsteps from the opposite side grew louder, Ao Cangsheng spoke again.
Cao Xuanyu knew he couldn’t help Ao Cangsheng. He gritted his teeth and said, "Be cautious, Young Master Ao. If you fail, retreat immediately!"
Ao Cangsheng nodded, saying nothing.
After Cao Xuanyu left, Ao Cangsheng quietly moved to the side of the hall, waiting for the two footsteps to draw closer.
"Old He, we’ve been through five rounds. Maybe we should rest in the hall and devise a plan!"
"Everything is at the Young Master’s arrangement!"
When the two rings echoed again, they were less than five yards from Ao Cangsheng.
"Swish, swish..."
In a blink of an eye, the empty hall was suddenly lit with sword lights like falling stars, carrying a chill and rushing towards Yue Qingyao.
"Be careful, Young Master!"
Old He switched positions, rushing forward to stand in front of Yue Qingyao.
However, the sudden appearance of the sword light was too fast. Before Old He could move, thousands of sword lights above Yue Qingyao’s head were cut off like a storm.
"The wind is lifting the sky!"
At the critical moment, Yue Qingyao suddenly supported her left hand, then circled her right hand up with her left to counter.