Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Radiant light burst into the sky, illuminating the entire Lintai Hunting Valley. All cultivators within the valley immediately witnessed this extraordinary phenomenon.

An unusual spectacle from above must signify the emergence of a rare treasure.

In an instant, everyone put aside their tasks and hurried towards the source of the brilliance.

Before the valley, the detached middle-aged scholar's expression also revealed a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected such a dazzling glow to emanate from a remote and resource-poor mystic realm. Though he was unsure what caused the light, he could discern that it signaled something of immense value.

Not only the middle-aged scholar, but Xu Jiuxiu shared similar thoughts. There was no time for anything else.

Recalling his dragon lizard, he intercepted Stealth Hunter's attack and swiftly retreated to the scholar's side. With a cold smile, he said, "Master Ninth has business today, so I'll spare you for now. But if we cross paths again, I'll take your lives to feed my dragon lizard!"

With that, he waved his hand, storing the injured creature in his storage bag, then darted off with the scholar and the burly man towards the location of the radiance, disappearing from sight in a matter of moments.

Stealth Hunter sheathed his sword without pursuit, his face revealing a solemn expression.

Approaching Ning Yuzhou, he slightly bowed and addressed him as "Your Highness."

Ning Yuzhou gazed at the distant radiance and inquired, "How powerful are they?"

"Very strong. If it's just one of them, I could hold my own. But if all three were to attack, I'd be helpless," Qianshuo replied in a solemn tone.

Ning Yuzhou hummed softly and narrowed his eyes slightly.

From the behavior of those few individuals earlier, Ning Yuzhou had already guessed that there were quite a number of external cultivators who had entered the Scale Platform Hunting Valley this time. The people they had encountered and killed on the plain previously were likely victims of these external cultivators as well. Furthermore, they weren't part of Xu Jiuxiu's group. Based on Xu Jiuxiu's attitude of wanting to feed the dragon lizards with cultivators, if he was the one who did it, he wouldn't have left any corpses behind but would have fed them directly to the dragon lizards.

In addition, these external cultivators seemed to be quite wealthy. Otherwise, they wouldn't have left behind the storage bags after killing their victims. Presumably, they didn't find them worth taking.

The Scale Platform Hunting Valley was a mystic realm of Dongling Kingdom, existing within the kingdom for countless years. Whenever it opened, it was managed by the royal family and prominent clans of Dongling Kingdom, only accessible to cultivators of Dongling Kingdom. If external cultivators were interested, they could negotiate with the royal Ning family for entry in exchange for benefits. However, there were no reports of external cultivators participating this time.

Therefore, this group must have infiltrated the valley. It was unclear what their intentions were or what they aimed to achieve.

Recalling the strength of those three individuals, Ning Yuzhou's gaze darkened. He said, "Let's go take a look too."

The Hidden Scale Guards acknowledged his command. After organizing themselves, Qianshuo summoned a Swiftwind Beast from his beast bag. This beast was naturally for the use of Ning Yuzhou and his wife to travel. As everyone else was a cultivator, short-distance flight with their flying artifacts was not an issue.

Cultivators could only fly with artifacts after reaching the Yuanming Realm.

Wen Qiao, concerned that Ning Yuzhou might not withstand the swift pace of the Windhowl Beast, promptly flipped around and seated herself behind him, looping her arms around his waist.

Ning Yuzhou: "..."

He turned his head to look at the young girl behind him. She lifted her head, her clear and bright eyes reflecting his image as if asking what else was there.

Ning Yuzhou nonchalantly turned back and said it was nothing. In his mind, he accepted the traditional gender arrangement, figuring there was no harm in it.

Qian Shou couldn't help but glance at the peculiar pair. Seeing Ning Yuzhou's silence, he ordered them to proceed.

The Windhowl Beast was incredibly fast, and within half a day, they reached their destination.

Fortunately, they weren't too far away from their goal.

Aside from them, practically all cultivators in the Scale Platform Hunting Valley had gathered. Along the way, they encountered numerous cultivators rushing from all directions. Upon meeting each other, they didn't engage in conversation but instead accelerated silently, fearing that if they were too slow, someone else might snatch away the treasure.

After more than half a day, the radiant glow had mostly dissipated, leaving only a faint layer remaining.

From afar, they saw what resembled a massive glowing egg embedded in the mountainside. As they drew closer, they realized it was a luminous portal standing on the cliff, the brilliant radiance emanating from within. Only from a distance did it resemble an illuminated egg.

The Concealed Scale Guards halted, and Wen Qiao scooped Ning Yuzhou up from the back of the Windstorm Beast and leaped down.

Ever since she had honed her combat skills in the territory of the Ice Tear Toad and advanced to the Essence Feather Realm, she had finally gained some self-preservation abilities. She no longer gasped for breath with every step, and she now carried the demeanor of a cultivator. It was effortless for her to carry someone and jump off the Windstorm Beast's back.

Wen Qiao considered Ning Yuzhou as one of her own. Knowing that her husband couldn't cultivate, she naturally had to keep an eye on his needs and safety at all times.

After Ning Yuzhou landed on the ground, he glanced at Wen Qiao. Seeing that her face was pale but not strained, he couldn't help but smile.

Wen Qiao didn't notice his gaze. Instead, she looked at the glowing door.

The light gate stood within a hundred-foot-tall cliff, towering about ten feet high. The leakage of its radiance made it impossible to discern what lay beyond.

By the time they arrived, other cultivators were also converging. After observing for a while, they entered the light gate. Upon seeing this, the subsequent cultivators hesitated momentarily before their desire overwhelmed them, and they followed suit without hesitation.

Perhaps they had arrived later than most, for the cultivators who had rushed ahead were already mostly inside. Those who had just arrived were scarce, and soon, only Ning Yuzhou and the Concealed Scale Guards were left.

Standing there obediently, the Concealed Scale Guards awaited orders. They wouldn't act rashly without their master's command, demonstrating exceptional discipline and restraint.

Submerged Stalker approached the light gate and stopped a dozen feet away. After examining it for a moment, he returned to report, "Your Highness, there's something peculiar about that light gate. When one is a dozen feet away, a subtle suction force can be felt, as if it's trying to pull people in. We can't see what's inside, nor can our divine senses penetrate it."

Ning Yuzhou listened and started walking toward the radiant gate.

Wen Qiao followed closely, her arms wrapped around her sword, her expression stern, resembling a vigilant protector.

Stopping a yard away from the gate, Ning Yuzhou examined it thoughtfully. "There should be a teleportation array here."

Wen Qiao looked but found no signs of a teleporter. She glanced at Ning Yuzhou in surprise.

Qian Shou didn't doubt Ning Yuzhou's assessment and promptly asked, "Shall we go in?"

"Yes," Ning Yuzhou replied. "Twenty of you stay outside to guard and be ready for any situation. The rest will come with me."

Qian Shou left twenty men behind, instructing them to remain on alert and adapt as needed. Then, he turned his attention back to Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao.

Taking Wen Qiao's hand, Ning Yuzhou said, "I don't know what kind of teleportation array lies behind this gate. If it randomly separates us, you must be cautious and prioritize safety above all else."

Wen Qiao acknowledged him and, unable to resist, stole a glance at him, resolving to hold onto him tightly when the time came.

Afterward, Ning Yuzhou also reminded the Quan Lin Guards to prioritize safety. With Wen Qiao in tow, he stepped toward the radiant gate, followed closely by Qian Shou and the other guards.

As the brilliance engulfed them, the suction force of the teleportation array pulled their bodies in. They then experienced dizziness as the teleportation's force compressed their bodies.

Wen Qiao held Ning Yuzhou's hand tightly until they were free from the pressure and successfully stood firm. Only then did she heave a sigh of relief, noticing that Ning Yuzhou was still with her.

However, in the next moment, she realized that none of the other Scale Concealment Guards were present, clearly indicating that they had been separated -=-!

Was it because they were holding hands, unlike the other Scale Concealment Guards?

Ning Yuzhou remained calm and smiled, saying, "Looks like it's just the two of us from now on."

Wen Qiao acknowledged with a soft "mm," gripping his hand even tighter. She made up her mind to protect him well and act with greater caution since the Scale Concealment Guards were no longer around.

Next, they began observing their surroundings.

Before them was a passage paved with enormous square stones, one zhang wide and high, with smooth cut surfaces suggesting human craftsmanship.

"This is where?" Wen Qiao peered ahead and instinctively asked her knowledgeable husband.

Ning Yuzhou speculated, "Perhaps it's the abode of some mighty being."

Considering the teleportation array within the radiant gate they encountered earlier, Wen Qiao found Ning Yuzhou's speculation highly plausible. Only cultivators would engage in such endeavors at their entrance. The resplendent light they had seen previously must have been an unusual phenomenon accompanying the emergence of this cave mansion, albeit on a grander scale.

With such a massive anomaly, she wondered what treasures lay within this cave mansion.

Wen Qiao glanced back at their path, discovering that it was sealed by a wall with no escape route or additional teleportation arrays. They had no choice but to proceed forward.

They set off together, their pace slow due to Ning Yuzhou's non-cultivator status. After walking for half an hour, they reached a fork in the road. Ning Yuzhou examined it, instructing Wen Qiao to mark their surroundings before continuing. They encountered more forks and marked them accordingly, choosing a path each time.

After several hours of walking, when they stumbled upon their previous markings, Wen Qiao fell silent.

"It turns out we're in a maze," Ning Yuzhou said calmly, turning his head to look at the young girl beside him. "Ah Cuo, what should we do if we're lost?"

Wen Qiao stared at him silently. "Are you tired? I can carry you."

Ning Yuzhou replied, "…No, I'm not tired."

She responded with an "oh" and said slowly, "Are you hungry?"

With a hint of distress, she pondered that their provisions seemed scarce. If they were trapped in this labyrinth for ten days or half a month, both of them might end up starving. As a cultivator, she could draw upon the surrounding spiritual energy to sustain herself, but Ning Yuzhou was an ordinary person; he would suffer greatly from hunger and thirst after a while.

Although Ning Yuzhou was unaware of her thoughts, he could tell from her troubled expression. He found it amusing yet couldn't help but find his young wife utterly endearing.

"Ning Yuzhou smiled reassuringly, "We're not hungry for now." He added, "If we do get hungry, there are Fasting Pills."

Wen Qiao glanced down at the storage pouch hanging from her waist, which Ning Yuzhou had given her before they set out. She hadn't had the chance to examine its contents yet, but upon hearing his mention, she felt compelled to take a look.