Chapter 263: Nine Different Pathways!

Cheng Yu retrieved the four keys and got ready to search for the treasury. As for Tian Xue and Tian Xing, he continued to let them hide inside the Mountain River Diagram as it was a lot safer. Passing through the long hallway at the right side, Cheng Yu arrived before a stone door. Looking at the notch on it, he took out the blue-heart key and inserted it into the notch.

The stone door gradually lifted up, and a middle sized side palace appeared before Cheng Yu. With his past experience, Cheng Yu didn’t immediately enter immediately as he surveyed his surroundings first. The side palace was very spacious and empty, and Cheng Yu couldn’t feel any life from it. Cheng Yu realized that other than the door he came from, there were still nine stone doors inside this side palace. However, the stone doors were all shut tightly and there weren’t any keyholes for him to open the stone doors. Ultimately, Cheng Yu’s gaze fell on the altar. Since he couldn’t find any mechanism in other places, then the opening mechanism should be hidden within the altar.

Cheng Yu walked towards the altar and stood before it. On the altar, there was literally nothing on it other than lots of different patterns. The patterns were all big in size and looked complex. The whole alter occupied a length of two square meters and the patterns occupied about ¾ of the altar. There were four dots outside the patterns. These four dots formed the north, south, east, and west respectively. Every direction would join the center notch. With just a look, Cheng Yu was able to tell that notch was where the blue-heart key was supposed to go.

Cheng Yu inserted the blue-heart key into the keyhole. All of a sudden, the patterns on the altar lit up and produced blue radiances. The door Cheng Yu came in from closed and the other nine passages gradually opened up. When the nine different stone doors opened, the inside was lit up in dim blue rays. Cheng Yu knew that these were blue spiritual lamp lights. These lamps were similar to the lamps that were lit on the walls of this side chamber.

Cheng Yu took out blue-heart key and leaped down from the altar. He arrived before one of the stone doors. Cheng Yu looked in and realized it wasn’t a hidden chamber, but was a passage. Cheng Yu didn’t go in, but went to look at the other eight other passages first. The nine stone doors didn’t have any differences and were all passages. Furthermore, judging from the appearances, the passages seemed to be very deep to the point that Cheng Yu couldn’t see the end. Looking at the nine dimly lit passages, Cheng Yu hesitated. In his opinion, among these nine passages, only one would lead him to the real treasury. As for the other eight, they were all fake. If it was fake, Cheng Yu wouldn’t pay any attention to them, but what Cheng Yu worried about was that all eight others would lead him to danger. If it was so, Cheng Yu needed to be more prudent about his choice.

Cheng Yu paced back and forth in front of the nine passages and was unable to come to a decision. Suddenly, Tian Xue sent out a message telling him that they wished to exit from the Mountain River Diagram. Cheng Yu didn’t think much of it and sent them out.

“Senior Brother, why aren’t you going in?” Cheng Yu didn’t limit them on seeing what was happening before him. Therefore, when they were inside the Mountain River Diagram, they were able to see what Cheng Yu was doing. But when they saw Cheng Yu pacing back and forth in front of the nine passages, they were puzzled. With the harvest he had gotten from Thousands Flower Palace, Tian Xing’s courage had grown by a lot. Without even considering the danger lying ahead, he only thought of the treasures waiting for him. So, he had gotten somewhat anxious.

“If I’m not wrong, among these nine doors, only one is correct. As for the other eight, it would be filled with dangers. Therefore, I am not sure which is the correct one,” Cheng Yu looked at the nine mysterious passages while commenting.

“Senior Brother, you are getting more and more timid. With your strength, you can clearly sweep past all dangers in this Death Forest. What is there to be afraid of? Besides, if we are to enter the wrong passage, can’t we just return? What’s there for you to be so confused?” Tian Xing voiced out his disapprovement. In his opinion, the strongest within Death Forest would at most be a Golden Core late stage expert. Although Death Forest was quite strange and the living beings here were able to showcase a strength that was higher than their realm, wasn’t Cheng Yu the same as them?

Although he was only in the Golden Core initial stage, his strength was absolutely not any less than a Golden Core late stage. Even if he were to come across any Golden Core late stage demonic beasts, Tian Xing believed Cheng Yu would still be able to defeat it. This was the confidence he had in Cheng Yu. Knowing Cheng Yu for so long, Tian Xing was able to tell how powerful Cheng Yu was. No matter how strong their opponents were, Cheng Yu was still able to suppress them. Just like when Cheng Yu was fighting against a dozen Golden Core experts, Cheng Yu was still undefeatable. Therefore, Cheng Yu had been imprinted as an unrivalled person within Tian Xing’s heart.

“What if these eight passages are all dead-ends?” Cheng Yu said ill-manneredly.

“Er…this…” Tian Xing immediately calmed down. He truly had not thought about this before. Recalling the days they were trapped inside Thousand Flower Palace, Tian Xing no longer dared to instigate Cheng Yu to pick one of the passages randomly. Now that they were with Cheng Yu, it could be said that the three of them were tied together in a single rope. If Cheng Yu were to die, they would also follow him.

“I feel that Tian Xing’s hypothesis might not necessarily be wrong. The chances of the other eight passages being a dead-end is very small,” At this moment, Tian Xue, who had been observing the nine passages, voiced out her opinion.

“Oh? Elaborate?” Cheng Yu commented.

“Although I am not sure what this palace is for, I feel that the mechanisms they set up wasn’t meant to force someone to death. In contrast, it’s more like a test,” Tian Xue said.

“Why do you say so?” Cheng Yu asked curiously.

“These palaces are hidden beneath the ground and there is no one alive inside. I believe something major must have happened, causing them to be forced to hide. In order to allow their heritage to continue to some extent, they would definitely seek a successor. Previously, when you asked us to drip our blood at the Flowery Ocean, wasn’t it to test such a thing? Since we couldn’t open it and you could, this means that you are the successor they have chosen. If they didn’t want others to obtain their inheritance, why would they allow others to enter? Wouldn’t it be better off for them to just permanently shut their opening mechanism?” Ever since Tian Xue had entered the Thousand Flower Palace, she became very curious and whenever she was alone, she would think of how Cheng Yu had opened the palaces.

“Tian Xue? Is this really you? Seems like I have really underestimated you!” Hearing what Tian Xue had said, Cheng Yu was unable to believe she was actually so meticulous.

“Hmph! Good that you know!” Tian Xue saw Cheng Yu’s surprised expression and she felt complacent. Knowing Cheng Yu for so long, she had always been astonished by what happened before Cheng Yu. Now that she was finally able to make that insufferably arrogant person be astonished by her logic, it could be counted that she had finally gained back some of her face.

“Heh! Senior Brother, this is my true Senior Sister,” Tian Xing giggled. Actually, before Cheng Yu had appeared, Tian Xue had always been their leader because Tian Xue was very calm and her thoughts were very meticulous. However, ever since they met Cheng Yu and were saved by him, everything changed. Tian Xue had turned to someone smitten by love. Ever since Tian Xue was young, she had been very strong and independent. But no matter how strong she was, she was just a female.

Every woman always dreamt of being together with a handsome and outstanding man. They wanted a capable and outstanding hero so that they could depend on him. Previously when Tian Xue had fallen into a calamity, Cheng Yu was the hero that appeared before her to save her. Furthermore, Cheng Yu’s strength had truly caused her to be in shock. And it was also because of such prowess that it caused Tian Xue to virtually place down that kind of mentality in her and started to depend on Cheng Yu. Therefore, Cheng Yu had become their core for everything. As long as Cheng Yu was around, she would not need to be vigilant and everything could be given to Cheng Yu to be in-charge of.

“Really? That’s to say you guys have hidden yourself very well? I have almost been deceived by you people,” Cheng Yu sized Tian Xue up curiously.

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“No? We have always been so!” Tian Xue suddenly changed from her firm and experienced self back into her weak and coyish manner.

“…” Cheng Yu’s face was filled with black lines. This woman changed too quickly. So much that he thought what happened just now was just an illusion. “Treat it as I said nothing. Let’s return to the main topic! What you said just now seems quite reasonable. Since it is so, I will just pick a passage at random. Do you guys want to return to the Mountain River Diagram or follow behind me?”

“I want to follow you!” Tian Xue replied without thinking. In fact, she had long wished to exit from the diagram, she just couldn’t find an opportunity to do so. Previously, because her cultivation was too low, she had become a burden for Cheng Yu and couldn’t be of any help to him. The reason why she placed so much effort in cultivating to breakthrough to Golden Core Realm was so she could fight alongside Cheng Yu. Now that there was an opportunity to do so, why would she waste it?

“I will also be following you! Staying in the Mountain River Diagram for too long is not beneficial. If I’m to not experience any life or death situations, I might not be able to advance into to the Golden Core Realm,” Tian Xing pondered before speaking. Although he was the weakest among them, he had still broken through to Foundation Establishment late stage. The gap between him and Cheng Yu or Tian Xue was too big. He had only advanced by a stage, yet the other two had advanced by a whole realm.

“Alright! Be careful. If the situation is dangerous, be ready to enter into the Mountain River Diagram at any point,” Cheng Yu did not try to dismiss what they wanted. What Tian Xing said was right. It was impossible for him to protect them forever. They also needed to come out and have some experience in order to grow.

Cheng Yu surveyed the passages. In the end, he picked the middle passage and entered it. The passage was long, but it was made in a form of pattern. The wall beside it was also very flat and did not seem like any of those man-made tunnels. The blue spiritual lamps were placed evenly and distributed properly and extended into the depths of the passage.