Chapter 1535: Chapter 920: _2
Three days later, Yang Xiao met the elder responsible for treating Nalan Shuo. She was a female elder, about 60 years old, named Elder Shouzhuo. She was not tall, but her face was stern and rigid, radiating a "Do Not Enter" aura.
"Elder Shouzhuo, thank you for your trouble." Yang Xiao respectfully performed a junior’s greeting to Elder Shouzhuo.
"Director Yang, you’re too kind. I’m just following orders." Elder Shouzhuo lifted her eyelids slightly, her tone as calm as a still pond, maintaining her cold, iron-faced demeanor.
Yang Xiao looked around and saw only two disciples accompanying him. So he stepped forward, leaned in, and whispered, "Elder Shouzhuo, may I have a word with you?"
"No need, Director Yang, just say what you want." Elder Shouzhuo icily replied.
"Elder Shouzhuo, this is a matter of great significance. I hope the elder will spare no effort. After the matter is resolved, I will present you with a generous gift."
"This is independent of my agreement with the Yi Sect. It is my personal gesture of goodwill." Yang Xiao sincerely said.
Unexpectedly, these words made Elder Shouzhuo’s face darken, "What do you mean, Director Yang? Do you think I won’t make an effort to save lives unless I receive benefits?"
"No, no, elder, please don’t misunderstand. I... I misspoke." Yang Xiao immediately apologized.
"I will bring Director Nalan to the Spirit Cage at midnight tomorrow. It’s an order from the sect, and I will naturally do my utmost. However, human plans are one thing, and divine outcomes are another. There will be dangers, and I hope Director Yang is prepared for it," Elder Shouzhuo said before leaving, with the two disciples closely following behind.
In the following days, Yang Xiao lived in anxiety, one night even dreaming a nightmare of Director Nalan’s face covered in blood.
Yang Xiao awoke abruptly from the nightmare, his forehead and back soaked in cold sweat.
Sitting at the bedside, Yang Xiao was wide awake and couldn’t tell whether this was just a dream or a prophetic dream from the Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes.
But soon it would be clear because the agreed time would arrive after dawn. If everything went smoothly, Elder Shouzhuo would bring the healed Director Nalan out of the confinement.
Struggling to make it to dawn, Yang Xiao didn’t even have breakfast before being taken by members of the Yi Sect to Elder Shouzhuo’s place of confinement.
Located within this office building, it was a large room arranged with an ancient aesthetic, quite spacious and sparsely furnished.
Not only was Yang Xiao present, but many from the Yi Sect were waiting here too, led by Elder Shao Changyin Ji. This person didn’t look older than thirty but was definitely older than she appeared.
The group waited until noon, and at this point, the Yi Sect members began to get restless, their leader Shao Changyin Ji’s expression also turning grim.
"Elder Yin Ji, what exactly is the agreed time for them to come out?" Yang Xiao asked anxiously. He knew only the day but was unsure about the exact time.
"Director Yang, don’t worry. Maybe... maybe they’ve encountered something that delayed them," Elder Shao Changyin Ji spoke without confidence, clearly also flustered.
"It’s past the time, isn’t it?" Yang Xiao’s heart sank as he recalled the nightmare of Director Nalan’s bloodied face. Clearly, something had gone wrong, and now... the dream seemed to be coming true!
Unable to withstand Yang Xiao’s questioning, Elder Shao Changyin Ji reluctantly revealed the truth, saying the original time to exit had been this morning, but it was already past noon.
"What should we do then?" Yang Xiao was also panicked, it was clearly a crisis, "Is there any other remedial plan? Should we send another elder inside?"
"It’s useless, this isn’t a problem that can be solved with more people. Going in now would only complicate the situation," Elder Shao Changyin Ji spoke hastily.
"If something really went wrong, what is the worst possible outcome?" Faced with the current situation, Yang Xiao had to consider the worst-case scenario.
"Both Elder Shouzhuo and Director Nalan will encounter calamity," Elder Shao Changyin Ji didn’t hide the truth, "And because they’re in the Spirit Cage Space, we won’t even be able to retrieve their bodies."
Yang Xiao himself possessed a space-type magical artifact and understood the terrifying consequences of such artifacts losing control. Once caught up in them, one would be lost without a trace.
Though Yang Xiao had known the risks of the mission from the start, when the unforeseen events occurred, he realized he was far less composed than he imagined, feeling like a helpless child.
He could do nothing, nor did he dare to act, fearing he might extinguish the last spark of life left in Director Nalan.
The Yi Sect was filled with experts, with Elder Shao Changyin Ji being a renowned expert in the Netherworld Realm. They could not succeed, and he had even less of a chance.
At this moment, Yang Xiao regretted his actions. If he hadn’t rashly called Director Nalan here, the director might not have died so soon, and he would have had about a year more.
But now it’s too late to say anything, and Yang Xiao decided to wait another half hour. When the time was up, he would attempt his own rescue plan.
He would activate the Soul-Capturing Mirror and try to enter the Spirit Cage Space. Whether it would work, Yang Xiao had no assurance, though it was unlikely to succeed.
The Soul-Capturing Mirror could only help him open an entrance to penetrate the Mirror World, while this Spirit Cage was another unknown space with no intersection.
As time ticked away, just as Yang Xiao prepared to act, the unexpected happened. The space in front of him began to twist.
