Chapter 557 Risk & Reward.
Shi Lang stood under the door. He had the strongest physique among the three people and could pump the two of them up into the void. He looked at the two people and nodded. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue exchanged a glance, and they rushed forward.
They would step on Shi Lang's palm—one palm for each of them. The door was thirty feet tall, and they had to rely on each other to smack the pressure plate on the top.
Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue stepped on Shi Lang's palm and felt like they had stepped on a stone. Shi Lang took a deep breath and grunted, "HAA!!"
Then he shoved the two of them up. Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue turned to face each other and entered the plan's second phase. The young lady raised her foot and placed it on Bo Qingtan's palm.
The young man used all his might and pushed Yun Xue up. They did not have a base to gain support from. So, they pushed against each other, and You Xue reached the top. She spun her body around, and with a low shout, she slapped the spot Shi Lang had told her.
The pressure plate sunk in from the impact, and the girl fell to the ground. She was a cultivator and landed on her feet very gently. She looked at Shi Lang on the side, gazing at the door. Soon, a series of clicking sounds echoed, and the door opened slightly.
Shi Lang said, "Let's go!"
The two people followed behind him, and they entered the palace through a small gap in the door. As soon as they set foot inside, the door behind them was closed and shrouded in darkness. Shi Lang did not fluster and said, "We can use spiritual energy."
The two people quickly took out night-illuminating pearls from their space rings and used the spiritual energy to make them levitate in the void. They were standing inside a huge hall. Shi Lang looked at the ground and said, "There is a spirit formation engraved on the ground."
Bo Qingtan moved his night-illuminating pearl forward. Shi Lang walked ahead and said, "What do you think this pattern is for?"
After pondering, Yun Xue said, "This is an activation array."
Shi Lang asked, "What does it activate? The defense mechanism of the palace, or a booby trap?"
Bo Qingtan looked around and said, "It probably activates the spirit-banishing array."
The two turned their head to look at him and found Bo Qingtan pointing at the murals dimly illuminated under the night pearl's radiance. The murals depicted how the array would work. Yun Xue sighed and said, "It looks like we cannot get anything out of this place without this array."
Shi Lang nodded faintly and said, "However, before we activate the array, let us get a complete view of this place."
He interacted with his communicator, and nanoprobes moved us. Shi Lang did not hold back, and after half an hour, the map of the entire plaza appeared before them. Shi Lang overlayed the exterior map with the interior, and was a perfect fit. The terran said, "Looks like this place is filled with treasures."
Yun Xue leaned a bit closer and asked, "How?"
Shi Lang replied, "Gine, highlight the structures similar to doors and windows."
Various green spots appeared on the map. Shi Lang said, "These doors are all closed. I suspect they hold inheritances that no one else has ever encountered."
Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I think the same, but I have a doubt."
When he spotted the two of them looking at him, he said, "What if we activate this array, and then this palace attracts attention? If those big forces rushed over, we would be in trouble."
Shi Lang could not help but rub his chin. He said, "I left a few probes outside. We can use them as a detection method. Just because we could be exposed does not mean we should stop acting. Also, the big forces have a lot of competition among them. We found this palace by chance. So we can assume that nobody else knows anything about this place. For now, we must hurry up, that's all."
Yun Xue nodded and said, "Another thing to remember is that even if this place attracts attention after the array activation, it will lure both sides. Demonic Cultivators and human cultivators do not share things, so if they meet, it will be chaos for them. We do not have to worry."
Bo Qingtan thought about it and nodded. He said, "Fine if you two painful than anything you can ever imagine. If they do not find out what they want, they will destroy the immortal soul and make it say, I accept it, but do not reveal your identities if we are discovered. If captured, it is better to complete suicide by destroying the immortal soul."
Shi Lang gasped and asked, "What do you mean by destroying the immortal soul? That will cut off the chances of desperate survival."
Bo Qingtan looked at him and said, "We are only Immortal Generals. This place would throw us out if we broke through to a higher level. If we got caught by those people, they would kill us and then take our immortal soul as a prisoner. Let me tell you, soul torture is more painful than anything you can ever imagine. If they do not find out what they want, they will destroy the immortal soul and make it impossible for you to be reincarnated."
Shi Lang shook his head and said, "I do not understand why you must go to such lengths. Like flailing a person while he is conscious and even easier, the water drops torture."
Bo Qingtan and Yun Xue gulped at his words, and Shi Lang said, "Alright, this place must be filled with traps and other things. How about we make a run for it after activating the formation?"
The two agreed, and Shi Lang said, "You can follow me at a distance of ten meters, ensure that you are following my footsteps to the dot. I will try to avoid as many booby traps as possible."
Bo Qingtan commented, "Brother Shi Lang, you seem unusually confident in this sort of thing."
Shi Lang smiled and replied, "When I was not even a spirit cultivator, I used to train in a labyrinth filled with light-speed guns and traps designed for sure kill. Many times I almost lost my life. So, you can say that this is what I am used to."
The two people exchanged glances and realized he must be talking about the lower realms. Yun Xue asked, "How old were you when you started cultivating?"
Shi Lang replied, "Well, in lower realms, we did not have spirit energy for a very long period, so we developed a cultivation technique by enhancing our physical bodies to total control. I cultivated with that method for about twenty years before I found spirit energy on a planet."
The two were shocked and did not expect the lower-realm humans to be this crafty. They figured out a way to enhance their skills without using spiritual energy. Bo Qingtan glanced at Shi Lang's back and said, "Brother do you know how to create clothes like this? I am envious of this attire. It is so much better than our robes."
Shi Lang smiled and replied, "I will try to make something like this for you but let me state that the quality might be worse than what I have."
Bo QIngtan said, "It is fine as long as I can look gallant."
Shi Lang and Yun Xue chuckled and his carefree manner. Yun Xue said, "Ace, you must drop some blood on the pattern."
The terran nodded, and then a few drops of blood dripped on the array pattern. The pattern began to glow the next moment, and the palace trembled. Shi Lang quickly checked the communicator, and the probes indicated that the entire plaza was moving up.
Bo Qingtan frowned and asked, "What is going on?"
Shi Lang furrowed his brows and said, "Your speculation was correct. This plaza is moving upward. The earthen doom overhead must have some mechanism or formation to allow this palace to appear outside."
Soon the tremor ended, and Shi Lang said, "Let's go."
The two nodded, and Shi Lang ran. He was headed to check the rooms on the ground floor before he moved up. As he ran, he used his ability to sense things and found that the floor was filled with pressure plate tiles. He said, "Be careful and trace my steps."
The young man did his best to avoid the plates, but suddenly, he sensed a section of the wall open into holes and said, "Be careful of the arrows on the left."
The two people behind him became alert, and looking left, they found arrows and needles rushing at them. Bo Qingtan exclaimed, "Hidden Weapons!"
They all ducked and dodged while running before entering the first door. Suddenly, the entire palace fell silent. They looked at the door and tried to push it open, but nothing happened. There was not even a mechanism to aid them. However, on the side of the door, a text was engraved.
Bo Qingtan read it and said, "Only the destined can open the door."
Yun Xue said, "Try the blood marking method to see if you are the destined one?"
Bo Qingtan nodded and said, "I agree, but we are sword cultivators. I doubt if we would be able to be destined."
The lady nodded, but Shi Lang bit his thumb and smeared the door with his thumbprint before they could and suddenly, they heard a click, and their eyes opened wide."
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