Chapter 0: Speaking Properly or Not?
Qin Gou’s move to burn his bridges was no joke. The terrifying fortune contained within the Eight Directions Destiny Spirit Artifact now left only two options: either quickly help Qiu Lingyun find the Egu Remnant Soul’s hiding place, or directly eliminate Qin Gou from the root, as he posed a threat to its host.
In any case, from Qin Gou’s understanding of the Eight Directions Destiny Spirit Artifact, with its current abundant fortune, Qiu Lingyun herself would be almost 100% safe.
Qiu Lingyun naturally understood this too, but in her eyes, compared to the disciples of the Three Sects, or even her own well-being, Old Qin was the most important!
“Destiny is Mine!”
Instantly, Qiu Lingyun screamed and took off running. This time, she didn’t even throw her staff, as it wasted too much time. Her fortune erupted to its absolute limit, and she relied purely on her intuition.
The three of them ran through the maze at their fastest speed, but before long, Qiu Lingyun led them into another dead end.
“This is bad, Old Qin!” Qiu Lingyun turned around, her large, watery eyes filled with guilt as she looked at Qin Gou. She had failed again; the Egu Remnant Soul was probably not in this maze at all.
Then, under the overbearing and unparalleled power of the Eight Directions Destiny Spirit Artifact, the most likely outcome was that at the moment the duration of one incense stick burned out, Qin Gou would suffer a calamitous misfortune, at least injuring his bones, rendering him unable to fulfill his promise to beat up Qiu Lingyun, and he would even face punishment for violating the Spirit Oath.
Unless.
“This humble one will give it a try!”
Qiu Lingyun quickly reached into her robe and grabbed her pants, her little face turning red. She couldn’t help but glance at Li Yuanzhen. But the demon sister was still watching, and someone could pass by in the maze at any moment. What was she to do? It was so embarrassing.
“That’s not right,” Qin Gou frowned and said calmly, “Why does this place look so familiar? Isn’t this the dead corner we accidentally entered last time when I, your Master, told you to find the exit?”
“Could it be…”
“Li Xiaogou, hand me a Pai Gow tile!” Qin Gou said immediately.
Li Yuanzhen rummaged through her mysterious Daoist robe’s small pocket and handed it to Qin Gou.
“By the way, what was Little Ball saying just now? Did she have a better idea?”
“No… This humble one didn’t say anything,” Qiu Lingyun shook her little head like a rattle drum.
Qin Gou chuckled and tossed the Pai Gow tile to Qiu Lingyun, saying, “Test it and see if this is indeed where the Egu Remnant Soul is hiding.”
Qiu Lingyun immediately understood and threw the Pai Gow tile upwards, shouting, “This humble one doesn’t want to be beaten! This humble one dreams of finding the Egu Remnant Soul, so if this is the right place, this tile will fall and not stand!”
The Pai Gow tile fell and landed upright on the ground, perfectly balanced.
Li Yuanzhen watched, almost crying. Others might perform tricks with tiles, but this “Ball” could truly be described as “speaking it into existence.”
“It is indeed so.”
Qin Gou placed his hand on the dark wall at the deepest part of the dead corner. “There should be a special Spirit Art to open a hidden door, but there’s no time to decipher it.” With that said, Qin Gou drew his staff sword and struck down fiercely.
At the same time, Li Yuanzhen held the Myriad Derivations Sword and thrust it forward sharply.
The top-tier Emperor Weapons in their hands only left two shallow cracks less than an inch deep on the dark wall.
“Such a strong material! This kind of rare and precious item would never be used for the entire maze. The Egu Remnant Soul must be hiding here without a doubt!” Qin Gou’s eyes sharpened, and he took out a paper-thin small knife from his Nas.
Inside the dark room, the severely weakened Egu Remnant Soul was counting the passage of time.
Suddenly, a cold light flashed before him like lightning, and in an instant, it went back and forth several times, chiseling a moderately sized entrance in the wall not far away.
That streak of bright treasure blade was the Nine Saint Monarch’s unique Emperor Weapon, the Ban Qin Saber, the nightmare of the Human, Demon, and Sea races a thousand years ago.
“Who’s there?” the Egu Remnant Soul roared in shock and anger.
The material of that wall was special; it would never leak even half of his aura. Without any clues, how did the newcomer find him? It couldn’t be a fluke, could it?
The figures of the three appeared clearly before him. Qin Gou smiled slightly and said, “Greetings, Venerable Egu.”
“It’s you?” the Egu Remnant Soul’s eyes widened. As expected, “Out of Blue” was truly superior to its predecessor; one demon was more formidable than the next.
“Venerable, you have indeed been paying attention to me. Then, tell me, why did you force Qin to return that Deep Red Token one by one?” Qin Gou asked with a faint smile. “I presume you have other important uses for it?”
“Extremely intelligent,” Venerable Egu said with a cold laugh. “As things stand, I have no reason to hide anything. That token was indeed the most crucial part of my grand plan. You almost ruined it, youngster, but since you were able to find this place, I am happy to congratulate you on successfully escaping this ordeal!”
As the Egu Remnant Soul spoke, the dark wall behind Qin Gou and the others began to automatically repair itself, returning to normal in less than a moment.
“Judging by Venerable Egu’s words, besides the three of us, everyone else still in the maze will die today?” Qin Gou asked in a deep voice.
“Correct,” the Egu Remnant Soul said with a cold smile, his face like frosty ice. “Their lives will become the best tonic for me. As for you, youngster, you are to my liking. Stay here peacefully; I guarantee your safety.”
Although he said this, the Egu Remnant Soul never once reminded Qin Gou and the others to get rid of the Guijou Talismans on them.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyun abruptly raised her Nine Bands Raging Calamity Staff and pointed it directly at the Egu Remnant Soul, shouting, “You fiend, you are so wicked! So this Secret Realm was a trap from the very beginning!”
“So what?” the Egu Remnant Soul glanced indifferently at Qiu Lingyun. “Youngster, control your subordinate and don’t let her be so noisy.”
“Firstly, she is not my subordinate. Secondly, what she said is entirely correct.” Qin Gou stared sternly at the Egu Remnant Soul. “Egu, it’s not too late to turn back from the edge of the cliff. Otherwise, I will make your Soul Scattered and Spirit Vanished right now.”
The Egu Remnant Soul’s expression faltered, and then he burst into laughter. “You little demon are quite amusing, putting on quite an act! We of the Demonic Path, why would we care about the lives of mere insects? Speak, now that you’ve made such a fuss, are you trying to extort more benefits from me? You can rest assured, after this is done, I will let you choose one item from the treasury, considering it as my encouragement for you, youngster!”
“Ah?”
With a *shing*, the blade was unsheathed.
Qin Gou was almost infuriated to death on the spot, gritting his teeth, “Bastard, watch your mouth! Who are you calling a little demon?”
Li Yuanzhen also summoned her silver sword, “Invisible Slash,” and prepared to attack. At the same time, she cast a sympathetic glance at the Egu Remnant Soul.
Exactly, this person really doesn’t know how to talk. A little demon, indeed? That’s too insulting to Demon Master!
