Chapter 1459: The Bride in the Underground Palace

Chapter 1459: Chapter 1459: The Bride in the Underground Palace

After the ’rumbling’ noise, the stone gate revealed another staircase of about thirty steps in front of them, almost indistinguishable from the one they encountered earlier.

Chen Moxiang was a little surprised, "There’s actually a second level."

Xv Jiazhi then said, "There are a total of six levels."

Upon hearing this, Chen Moxiang’s mouth twitched. Clearly, she was also startled by this number.

Thinking about it, they have encountered almost nothing but traps on this level. If it weren’t for Xv Jiazhi leading the way, it might have been even more troublesome.

That means, there are five more levels, and even if there are no traps, when will they find a tiny Luban lock?

"No worries, each of our backpacks contains three days’ worth of food and water. Won’t three days be enough to explore the entire underground palace of the Wang Family?" Chen Moxiang said, turning to look at the other stone chambers, blinking, "What about those other rooms? Shouldn’t we check them out? It’s just a matter of pulling the lever anyway."

Lin Tian glanced at her and asked, "If this underground palace were yours, would you put important things on the first level?"

"No."

"And although this lever is well hidden, compared to other mechanisms, it’s the simplest. It’s also a trap."

Xv Jiazhi clapped his hands and said, "I get it. The lever only needs a gentle pull, simple and effortless. The average person would instinctively open the other stone gates to see what’s inside. Conveniently, there are traps behind the stone gates."

Chen Moxiang was a bit speechless, "So many stone chambers just for setting traps? Isn’t that too wasteful?"

Lin Tian laughed, "Perhaps there are so many stone chambers in these six levels of the underground palace that they figured they might as well use them. When needed, they could clear them out."

This was Lin Tian’s guess. Not to mention, just like earlier, the jars storing the green beetles won’t release the beetles unless opened. If the Wang Family needed them, they could be taken out. As for the Sword Array and poison gas, they’d be more troublesome to deal with.

"Alright, let’s just follow your lead and not look. Come on, let’s go down and check it out."

After speaking, Chen Moxiang tugged at Lin Tian, indicating for him to take the lead.

This little man with a macho attitude surely wouldn’t go ahead on his own, so she thought she might as well give him a chance to show off.

Lin Tian smiled lightly, striding confidently yet cautiously down the stairs.

This second level was more complex than the first. There were no stone chambers here, only passageways, one after another. It was quite possible that while walking, they would suddenly face two or three forks in the road, resembling a labyrinth.

Obviously, among these forks, only one path was correct. The three of them hadn’t taken a wrong turn, all because of those corroding marks, allowing them to proceed with thrilling ease.

This is a merciless underground palace, also a fortress of the Wang Family. If they had taken a wrong turn earlier, what would have awaited them were perilous mechanical traps, posing a life-or-death situation.

After a few left turns, a few right turns, just when Xv Jiazhi was nearly dizzy, they finally found themselves with no more forks ahead, only a staircase similar to the previous ones.

Having safely reached the third level, the three suddenly discovered that the lighting on this level was completely turned on! Approximately every fifteen meters, there was a light, brightly illuminating the passageway so that there was no need to rely on headlamps.

Lin Tian turned to the two behind him, "Did you step on the mechanism on the stone stairs just now?"

There was a switch that controlled the lights on the stone stairs, and with utmost caution, the three of them had already agreed not to step on any. Yet none had been lit until they reached here, where all were on?

Lin Tian didn’t believe it was really voice-activated; something must have been triggered.

"No."

The two of them replied in unison.

"We were careful with each step, ensuring we didn’t step on anything. As for these lights..."

"It’s just lights, let them stay on. Let’s not turn off our headlamps, just to be cautious," Lin Tian said.

"Okay."

The three continued forward, walking less than fifty meters before taking a turn.

As they turned, the three stopped in their tracks, staring at the scene before them.

It was a vast hall, nearly the size of a football field. Stone columns carved with auspicious clouds and mythical beasts stood in two rows of six each, thick enough that an adult couldn’t wrap their arms around them.

Apart from the columns, there were also stone statues of qilins, and dan crane stone statues holding red wax in their mouths, placed beside the stone columns like two rows of loyal guards.

Actually, calling this a palace would be inappropriate. This place lacked the most important features of a palace, like a throne or a coffin.

Lin Tian thought it would be more apt to call this a law court! Because he noticed that beneath his feet was no ordinary stone, but the same as the one used in the Wang Family’s martial arts training ground, what was it called again? Oh right, Haogang Stone, extremely hard, even tougher than diamond.

Haogang Stone covered the entire court, with a giant array inscribed on it. Those stone columns and qilin statues all became part of the array, serving as focal points.

Suddenly, Xv Jiazhi pointed to the center of the court and said, "Look, there’s someone sitting there, wearing red clothes."

Lin Tian squinted his eyes, not using his perspective vision, as if this gave him a clearer view.

Actually, that person wasn’t far from them, just twenty or thirty meters away, but the light seemed to be dispersed, making it impossible to see clearly.

Lin Tian was confident that the array was causing the light to distort.

"Let’s go take a look," Lin Tian said, stepping ahead with large strides.

Anyone who made it this far wouldn’t be timid. If there was anything to fear, it wasn’t the red figure in the center but the possibility that the array itself was a trap. However, he sensed with his Spiritual Qi and detected no danger. It was a subtle intuition that encouraged him to proceed.

If the array was indeed a trap, Lin Tian was certain it would be too late to escape. With such a vast area, the possible power would make even him shiver, and without any terrain advantage, it would be unwise not to be cautious.

In just a few steps, the three of them reached the red-clothed figure.

It was indeed a person, dressed in red silk, sitting cross-legged at the center of the array, eyes closed, hands in a meditative posture, seemingly cultivating.

Looking closer at the face, with its makeup, the vibrant red lips, wasn’t this today’s bride, Wang Sijing?

It turned out she had a maid stand in for her at the wedding, while she alone came here.

Chen Moxiang and Xv Jiazhi clearly also recognized Wang Sijing, their eyes betraying their shock.