Chapter 103: The Terrifying Depths of Reflection

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The single command of “Retreat” from Sanmu was like a backbone holding them firm.

Daoist Qingmei did not bother to entangle with Rong Mu and instead led his people to hastily follow Sanmu’s steps.

“Isn’t this the direction of the Star-Picking Pavilion?”

“Yes, it is the Star-Picking Pavilion,” Sanmu pointed towards it. “Just now, all the disciples under the Imperial Monitor came out to fight us. Now there are only a few guards left inside, nothing formidable. Let’s enter first and take a moment to hide.”

A few followed behind Sanmu, while others looked toward Daoist Qingmei.

Qingmei merely glanced once, then positioned himself to protect everyone and shouted loudly, “Follow me, get inside quickly.”

No one hesitated this time; they hurried after the leader in front.

Sanmu walked ahead, feeling ten whole half-bottles of Vitality Nurturing Pills spinning within his dantian, rotating, then solidifying, stirring a wave of pill energy that warmed the entire dantian. His previously unsettled soul was now stabilized and seemed to have grown somewhat stronger.

“The young master’s Vitality Nurturing Pills are truly marvelous,” Sanmu praised inwardly. Even the pills given to him by that book couldn’t compare. He had slyly taken one from here—what was the point of analyzing it? In the end, all that book did was babble about ‘unscientific’ nonsense. Nonsense! They selfishly hoarded it and still made excuses. Now, looking back, giving that one pill to that book was a real waste.

Sanmu and his group retreated into the pavilion, pursued by the white-robed Taoist disciples of the Imperial Monitor behind, and blocked by the sect’s disciples ahead. Sanmu waved his hand, releasing all his pent-up energy like a dam breaking, roaring forward like a tidal wave.

All the sect disciples were flung backward, crashing into the wall behind and falling heavily. Many fainted on the spot; the stronger ones only lay on the ground shouting, “You! Don’t leave, keep fighting!”

Sanmu grinned, flashing a proud set of white teeth. “If you’ve got the guts, get up! Nah nah nah.”

Seeing Sanmu stick out his tongue like that, the shouting disciple spat a mouthful of blood three feet high, clearly unwilling to die with regrets.

Sanmu held back, causing only severe injuries but no fatalities among the Imperial Monitor’s disciples.

He was a cultivator of the great Dao, unable to recklessly create killing karma.

It was different for those who studied Yin-Yang arts; exorcising demons was their duty, and a certain amount of harsh energy lingered on them, so they were not bound by the same precepts.

Following the path marked by Jiang Lan, Sanmu led everyone further inside.

Outside, the ancient master of the formation and arcane arts guarding the place was unable to leave, so he instructed his disciple Rong Mu to go, “See what they’re really up to.”

Rong Mu hesitated—he didn’t approve of turning against the Taoists like this. It was indeed unorthodox.

But seeing his master’s determined gaze, he knew no persuasion would work now. However, Rong Mu cast a worried glance at the disciple standing beside his master.

“Don’t worry, I’ll watch over him,” the master assured him.

“Thank you, master!” Rong Mu cupped his hands and led most of the sect members rushing towards the pavilion.

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Although Jiang Lan had left marks along the way, Sanmu and his group still encountered numerous traps. Fortunately, there were many extraordinary talents in the team who solved each one.

However, this greatly slowed their pace, and soon Rong Mu and his group caught up.

Rong Mu was shocked—how did these people know the secret entrance?

The two groups met in the first secret chamber beneath the Star-Picking Pavilion. It was a vast space surrounded by stone walls with no path beneath their feet, only a series of stone pillars.

Each pillar could hold only one person, spaced far apart so that a slight misstep could cause a fall. The abyss beneath was pitch-black and bottomless, evoking an inexplicable fear.

Sanmu wondered why they had come to such a place. Had the young master’s mark been mistaken?

Before he could consider further, Rong Mu arrived with his people. Sanmu had no choice but to steel himself and step onto the pillars, crossing to the other side alongside them.

The moment they touched the pillars, they sensed something was wrong. The area seemed cursed, for their normally light and agile movements became clumsy and heavy, like awkward water buffalo.

The first two who jumped misjudged their strength and missed the first pillar entirely, struggling helplessly before falling.

Within less than thirty feet, their forms disappeared, and only their terrifying screams echoed.

“What... what should we do now?”

Sanmu was deeply troubled and dared not attempt recklessly. Then Daoist Qingmei stepped forward and leapt onto a pillar.

Everyone was amazed and asked why.

“Seal your entire spiritual power and just jump across,” Qingmei said.

With that, he turned and in the blink of an eye jumped even farther. Although some worried and doubted, the pressing pursuit left no time to hesitate. They sealed their powers and jumped.

“Daoist’s words are true.”

“Indeed.”

Everyone was ecstatic, their faces flushed with red light—whether from exertion or happiness, no one knew.

Sanmu and the others hadn’t even cleared ten feet when their pursuers arrived.

“Uncle Rong, it’s right ahead. Let me go first.”

Rong Mu quickly reached out to stop him. “Don’t be impatient.”

“But what if they escape?”

“They won’t. As far as I know, there’s no other exit but this one.”

Only then did Rong Qi relax, standing at the cliff’s edge, watching the figures on the opposite side. Suddenly inspired, he saluted Rong Mu, “Uncle, let me shoot them all down.”

Rong Mu wanted to stop him but sighed and gave up. The situation had come this far; if these people weren’t eliminated, the Imperial Monitor wouldn’t find peace either.

Rong Qi already nocked an arrow and, seeing no objection, released it.

Sensing the familiar force, Sanmu shouted to those behind, “Be careful!”

But it was too late to turn or dodge the arrow. Within moments, many lost their footing and fell off the cliff. In an instant, more than half were gone.

Strangely, the ice arrows lost all spiritual power when they fell several yards below and dropped straight down. Those who fell made no agonizing cries like the first two.

“Strange.”

“You noticed it too?”

Sanmu was startled and saw Daoist Qingmei beside him, though he hadn’t noticed when he arrived.

“Daoist.”

“Hmm,” Qingmei rolled up his sleeves. “What did you sense?”

Both were deeply versed in the abyss of delusion.

“There’s something strange below.”

Qingmei nodded. Though he was fortunate to know that the Imperial Monitor’s secret chamber held an unparalleled monster, no one expected the place beneath the Monitor to be like this.

Sanmu was equally shocked.

No one would believe it outside—that within the imperial capital there was such a terrifying place.

And it bordered right beneath the royal city’s foundation. If the emperor himself knew, he would shudder with unease, sweat dripping down his back, unable not to be horrified.

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