Zhang Er Gou poked his head out, only to discover that the ice-cold snowy mountain had merely punctured the roof of his own cell.
He had entered another cell, but this one was simpler and lacked the metal structure of the previous one.
Zhang Er Gou cursed inwardly. The people of Liu Hai Sect were clearly giving him special treatment, fearing he might escape.
The ice-cold snowy mountain continued to extend upwards without stopping.
During the ascent, Zhang Er Gou was protected, remaining completely unaffected.
Zhang Er Gou cautiously observed his surroundings, afraid that the movement of the ice-cold snowy mountain would attract unwanted attention.
Fortunately, when the ice-cold snowy mountain pierced the roof of the fourth floor, no one came to investigate.
They were also lucky; the four cells above the one where Zhang Er Gou was imprisoned were all empty.
“We’re almost out, be careful,” Xue Shan Lao Ren’s voice transmitted as Zhang Er Gou peered around.
Zhang Er Gou quickly and carefully clung to the ice-cold snowy mountain, so as not to be discovered immediately.
With a crack, the ice-cold snowy mountain punctured another floor's roof.
A burst of light assaulted his eyes. Zhang Er Gou waited for a moment, but no sound came.
He hastily signaled for Xue Shan Lao Ren to send him out.
“Wait a moment!” Xue Shan Lao Ren did not send him out immediately, but retracted the mountain peak that was extended outwards.
“What is it?” Zhang Er Gou transmitted.
“Someone is coming!” Xue Shan Lao Ren said in a deep voice.
“What do we do now?” Zhang Er Gou hadn't expected that at this critical juncture, when he was only one step away from escaping this damned place, someone would arrive. He felt a surge of impatience.
“Hush, hold your breath. The person coming has a strong cultivation, likely Nascent Soul stage.” Xue Shan Lao Ren’s voice was laced with seriousness.
“What?” Zhang Er Gou’s eyes widened in shock. The newcomer was a great cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage. Su Dan Novel Network.
If he had rashly gone out just now, he would have been caught red-handed.
The ice-cold snowy mountain remained active, transforming itself to resemble the punctured roof, sealing the hole. Zhang Er Gou was plunged back into darkness.
“Hmm! I clearly detected movement here earlier, why is there nothing unusual now? Did I misjudge?”
About a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Er Gou heard a voice from outside.
It was fortunate that Xue Shan Lao Ren was cautious; otherwise, he would have been caught.
Zhang Er Gou waited quietly, not daring to even transmit with Xue Shan Lao Ren, for fear of being discovered by the person outside.
...
After leaving the plaza, Chi Yu intended to find Zhang Er Gou. She had visited Liu Hai Sect twice before and was not entirely unfamiliar with the place, though not perfectly so.
As the disciples of Liu Hai Sect were all at the plaza for the opening ceremony of the Two Sect Grand Competition, other areas were devoid of their usual hustle and bustle.
Chi Yu did not fly on her sword, as that would have caused too much commotion.
Zhang Er Gou's disappearance remained a mystery, and it was unclear if Liu Hai Sect was involved. However, it was best to be cautious.
To minimize attention, Chi Yu concealed her aura along the way.
She transformed, taking on the appearance of a Liu Hai Sect disciple. This way, even if she encountered anyone from Liu Hai Sect, it would be explainable.
Fortunately, she encountered no one along the way.
However, Liu Hai Sect was not much smaller than Piao Miao Sect, and she had only ventured a few li from the plaza.
Although the journey was relatively smooth, she felt like a headless fly, unsure of which direction to search.
Chi Yu swooped onto a mountain peak, surveying the surroundings. Everything came into view.
But all she saw were some magnificent buildings and spirit-infused peaks.
There was no clue as to Zhang Er Gou's whereabouts.
Chi Yu frowned, intending to use her spiritual sense to investigate.
She stealthily released her soul power. Not only were there no people around, but not even a ghost could be seen.
Chi Yu was utterly disappointed, her brow furrowing even tighter.
“Where could he have gone?”
Although Chi Yu had visited Liu Hai Sect several times, she was not familiar with the location of its prison.
Furthermore, the direction she was searching was tens of li away from where Zhang Er Gou was located.
Despite Chi Yu’s cultivation at the peak of the late Golden Core stage, her soul power could not possibly reach that far.
With a helpless sigh, Chi Yu quietly sped towards another mountain peak.
...
“How is it, has that person left?” Zhang Er Gou transmitted quietly.
“He’s gone, but I suspect he was feigning. Be careful, he might turn back.” Xue Shan Lao Ren’s experience was far beyond what Zhang Er Gou could match.
As expected, after a short while, sounds were heard from outside again.
“Could it really have been my illusion? That shouldn't be the case!” A questioning voice sounded from outside. Fortunately, Xue Shan Lao Ren was cautious and did not fall for the trick.
After a while, there was no more movement outside. This time, the person truly seemed to have left.
“Can we leave now?” Zhang Er Gou transmitted to Xue Shan Lao Ren again.
“No, be careful of a trap. Never underestimate the patience of a Nascent Soul cultivator.” Xue Shan Lao Ren remained exceptionally cautious.
Another hour passed. Seeing that Xue Shan Lao Ren still made no move, Zhang Er Gou was about to ask when Xue Shan Lao Ren suddenly spoke, “This path is clearly blocked. We will exit from somewhere else.”
The ice-cold snowy mountain left behind a piece to block the punctured roof, and then the mountain peak actually turned.
Zhang Er Gou’s eyes widened, unable to believe what he was seeing. It was the first time in his life he had seen a mountain body turn!
The ice-cold snowy mountain continuously smashed through the walls of several cells. No matter how sturdy those walls were, they were like flimsy structures before the ice-cold snowy mountain.
They advanced unimpeded, and their speed was not slow.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Er Gou had lost count of how many walls the ice-cold snowy mountain had broken through. He was already somewhat numb; the prison was far larger than he had imagined.
With a loud crash, a thick wall was broken by the ice-cold snowy mountain.
Then, Zhang Er Gou was shocked by the scene before him. It seemed they had inadvertently stumbled into a secret chamber of Liu Hai Sect.
“Old man, did you lose your way?” Zhang Er Gou looked at the scene before him, speechless. Xue Shan Lao Ren was somewhat unreliable. He had gone from one cage to another.
Zhang Er Gou had no inclination to investigate what treasures might be in this secret chamber. To him, it was no different from a prison.
“Uh!” Xue Shan Lao Ren retracted his true form, his expression somewhat embarrassed.
“It seems I made a mistake, but we did leave that cell, didn't we? And we didn't trigger any formations.” Although Xue Shan Lao Ren was embarrassed, he still tried to justify himself.
“So what do we do now?” Zhang Er Gou asked, exasperated.
“Since we’re here, don’t you want to see what treasures are inside?” Xue Shan Lao Ren tempted him.