The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1184 - 638: Entering the Southwest Territory (2)
So that’s how it is.
Thinking about Lu Yaner, a high-grade magician in the world, joining the battle, would undoubtedly ease Zhenbao’s considerable pressure. Zhao Douan stood up and sincerely clasped his fists: "This time, it should be my turn to thank the Taoist on behalf of the people of Yu Country."
From "young lady" to "Taoist," the difference in wording carries different meanings.
Lu Yaner accepted it calmly, then bid farewell and left.
Watching her leave, Zhao Douan pondered:
Perhaps, besides solving the Grand Ancestor mystery as soon as possible in the rear, I can also find ways to gather some scattered experts and invite them to Xiping. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
...
Having settled the matter with Lu Yaner, Zhao Douan hurriedly headed to the Heavenly Master Mansion.
After showing his face to enter, he was surprised to find that many magicians were missing inside the mansion, making it seem quite empty.
"Many priests have gradually gone to Xiping Road during this period," explained the guiding priest. "The grudge of Heavenly Hunting and Destruction of Buddha concerns the entire Daoist world, and we understand these principles well. Even Priest Zhong Pan went to the west earlier."
Did Zhong Pan also go to join the battle?
Zhao Douan nodded, regretting that he couldn’t go to Xiping.
With the battle reaching a fever pitch, Xiping Road is bound to become a meat grinder.
But that will no longer be a battlefield dominated by mortal armies, rather, it will be the battlefield of cultivators.
Knocking on the door of the residence where the Old Heavenly Master lived, the moment Zhao Douan pushed the door, he saw four figures scattered under the big banyan tree, sitting on bamboo stools.
At this moment, all eyes turned towards him simultaneously.
"Brother Zhao!" Gongshu Tianyuan’s chubby face showed a smile, and beside him was placed a huge bookcase. Inside, there lay the Heavenly Element Cannon that was temporarily out of use.
"Hm." Yu Xiu also nodded to him; the female Taoist was reading a Taoist book while elegantly eating fruit.
"Yawn... you’re here?" Jin Jian, curled up in the largest chair, was originally dozing off; upon hearing the commotion, she woke like a cat, raised her arms, stretched her lazy waist widely, and adjusted the slightly crooked glasses on her nose, greeting casually.
Zhao Douan nodded to each of the three, then looked towards the smilingly standing Old Heavenly Master under the tree: "Greetings, Heavenly Master."
Zhang Yan Yi smiled and said: "Is the work at hand done?"
"Almost, just finished the last task. The injuries are also mostly healed, so I’m ready to move at any time," Zhao Douan replied.
Zhang Yan Yi nodded slightly: "Then the sooner the better, how about setting off after lunch?"
Gongshu Tianyuan was puzzled, wondering: "Set off? Where are you going?"
Upon returning, he first came to pay respects to his master, then learned that his master was waiting for Zhao Douan, but he didn’t know what the specific matter was.
Zhang Yan glanced at the three disciples blandly: "Yu Xiu, Jin Jian, pack up, and then take a trip with your master. Tian Yuanzi, you stay and guard the Heavenly Master Mansion. As it’s quite empty now, and many elders have gone to the frontlines, there needs to be someone with enough presence left to guard."
The female Taoist, with an appearance so charming and possessing a very "otherworldly" ethereal demeanor, was surprised but didn’t ask any questions, just agreed to it.
"Going out? What outing?" Jin Jian replied sluggishly, reacting half a beat slow. Seeing no one answered, she didn’t worry much.
Zhao Douan was also slightly surprised.
Taking Yu Xiu made sense to him, as she was familiar with the Southwest Territory, but why take Jin Jian?
...
Lunch was settled within the Heavenly Master Mansion.
After lunch.
Zhao Douan and Old Zhang, along with the three disciples, a group of four people, entered the palace again.
Directly heading to the Grand Temple.
On the way, Yu Xiu and Jin Jian learned that their master had reached a deal with the Empress to protect Zhao Douan and find a way into the legendary Mubei Forest.
Both were greatly amazed.
Jin Jian was so excited she wasn’t sleepy anymore.
Upon learning that they must first go to the Southwest Territory to find clues left by the Grand Ancestor Emperor, they were even more astonished.
Wondering why, if they were going to the Territory, did they need to go to the Imperial Palace?
But soon, they found out the answer.
When the group used magic to bypass the imperial guard’s watchful eyes and entered the core hall of the Grand Temple, Zhao Douan cast a spell to open the secret passage, leaving the two women completely shocked.
"There’s actually a secret passage beneath the Grand Temple?"
As a group of several people ventured deeper into the secret passage, reaching the innermost chamber, they were moved by the sight of three massive doors, even Zhang Yan Yi was visibly affected.
The Old Heavenly Master stroked his beard, gazing awestruck at the golden door, feeling the divine-level power behind it, and sighed lightly, "Is this the door foretold by the previous generation’s Heavenly Master?"
Unable to resist, Zhang Yan Yi reached out and gently placed his hand on the golden door, but his palm was rebounded by a gentle force.
"Ha, there’s no need to try. This golden door can’t be opened. We need to find the key, so the goal of this mission is that." Zhao Douan pointed to the green door beside it.
With a serious expression, he continued, "In a moment, we will ask the Heavenly Master to open this door. Beyond it should be the Southwest Territory. As for what to do once we get there, we’ll have to play it by ear."
"Alright." The tall and narrow-eyed Old Heavenly Master nodded with a smile, stepped forward, and placed his palm on the door.
Then, as Zhang Yan Yi’s entire body shook with mana, he pressed against the door, sending ripples of white outward.
The entire chamber danced with light and shadow.
"Zha Zha Zha—"
The stone door opened slowly, revealing a bright white light behind it.
"You all go in first. This door must be pushed continuously, otherwise, it will close once released," Zhang Yan Yi’s forehead tensed with veins, he said in a deep voice.
Zhao Douan was surprised; this seemingly ordinary door was unimaginably heavy.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Jin Jian’s and Yu Xiu’s hands with each hand and stepped through under their bewildered gazes.
Swoosh!
One step, two worlds!
The three seemed to pass through a waterfall, and when they reopened their eyes, they were shocked to find themselves no longer in a chamber, but in a vast forest!
A dense forest loomed ahead, with ancient trees reaching the sky, sunlight filtering through. They seemed to have traveled back to ancient times, as a primitive aura enveloped them. Overhead, strange birds circled, and distant mysterious beast roars could barely be heard.
"The Southwest Territory!" Yu Xiu blurted out, the female Taoist couldn’t hide her astonishment, "Did we really just get transported here from the Capital?"
Jin Jian was even more in a daze.
She herself could master teleportation abilities and understood more clearly what such long-distance transmission meant.
"Boom!"
At this moment, a sound came from behind them.
Zhao Douan turned quickly, just in time to see Zhang Yan Yi’s figure, clad in a black priest robe, emerging from the white light, and at that moment when the Old Heavenly Master stepped in, the heavy stone door in the white light slammed shut.
Then, the light behind them compressed into a small point and disappeared!
The door vanished!
Zhao Douan’s heart jumped, yet he did not panic.
For according to the cultivation notes of the Grand Ancestor Emperor, as long as he performs the secret technique here, he should be able to find the hidden door again.
Besides, even if they couldn’t find it or if they had difficulties returning to this spatial anchor after leaving, it wouldn’t be much of a problem.
With Zhang Yan Yi nearby, they could fly back to the Capital in a day.
Moreover...
Zhao Douan had left one of his puppets in the Capital, and Zhenbao had also left her puppet there.
Thus, if he wished, he could return in an instant by means of visualization, without worrying about losing communication with the Capital.
"So this is the Southwest Territory? The realm of the Liao Clan?" Zhao Douan leisurely observed his surroundings, curious, "Wasn’t it said that there are many miasmas here? Why don’t I see any?"
This time, Yu Xiu calmed down. Being familiar with the territory, she took out her compass and began to determine her exact location, explaining as she did, "It’s not that the whole area is covered in miasma. The miasma only exists in parts of the Great Territory, and some miasmas move like clouds. The strongest miasmas are further south, not here, which means we aren’t located particularly deep..."
Thrust into an unfamiliar environment, Jin Jian was tense. She summoned her One-eyed Magic Staff with a gesture.
Then she spoke in terror, "Ah, Master! My mana is being suppressed."
Reminded by her, Zhao Douan carefully sensed and realized that the operation speed of the Qi Mechanism within him had significantly slowed, meaning his combat power was also suppressed, though not as severely as other magicians of the same level.
Zhang Yan Yi, with a serene expression and arms folded behind him, stated, "This place is no longer Great Yu, nor is it a realm ruled by the True God. What we are under now is the territory occupied and taken root by the Evil God, Great La Ba, for thousands of years. In such a god-tier domain, even the power of the Heavenly Dao can be heavily disrupted. The moment I stepped in here, my cultivation dropped by two minor levels. If we use magic and alarm Great La Ba, the suppression will become even more pronounced."
Zhao Douan was shocked that even Old Zhang had been weakened so severely. He was about to speak.
Suddenly!
All of a sudden, the sound of voices came from the distant forest!
