Inside the Xin Residence, Li Qingxian moved forward, his brow slightly furrowed.
During a typical raid, even the family of a Middle-Grade Official would meekly cooperate.
But the people in the Xin Residence were different. Some, like the butler, tried to throw their weight around, others questioned the guards’ actions, and some even looked on with unconcealed arrogance.
The Night Guard already loathed members of the Demon Sect, so they cut down anyone who stood in their way.
Soon, the Night Guard finished searching the sprawling, three-courtyard residence. Compared to an ordinary home, there was nothing unusual about it—it was just more opulent, and that was all.
Li Qingxian kept his Spiritual Eye active as he walked from one end of the residence to the other. Yet, aside from discovering traces of Demon Poison cultivation in the training room, he found nothing.
"Something feels off, but these people are tight-lipped," Jingg Guan whispered.
"The people are suspicious, but the residence itself is completely normal. There’s definitely a problem."
"You have a plan?"
"I’ll give it a shot."
As soon as Li Qingxian spoke, the Immortal-Seeking Bee took flight, and countless Child Immortal-Seeking Bees scattered in all directions.
They flew for a full quarter hour, yet found nothing at all.
But Li Qingxian simply smiled. ’This is a big one.’
’It seems the chain reaction from disrupting the Ministry of Justice’s fate is far greater than I imagined.’
Li Qingxian took out a variety of Magical Artifacts and began to chant a more complex Life-Seeking Skill. Before long, he found a trace.
In the study of the Xin Residence, Li Qingxian stared at a very ordinary-looking large porcelain vase that held painted scrolls.
The Night Guard had already searched the room spotless, and they had inspected the porcelain vase multiple times from every angle.
However, the Immortal-Seeking Bee had discovered distinctly unusual signs of wear on the vase’s surface.
Li Qingxian held it up to the sunlight for a closer look. It was a celadon vase with a winding lotus pattern. Seven of the lotus flowers had clearly been rubbed often, making their glaze slightly different from the surrounding surface.
"Eunuch Jingg, you’re worldly and wise. You can surely figure this out," Li Qingxian said, handing the Large Cyan Porcelain Bottle to Jingg Guan.
Jingg Guan examined it carefully. "It’s an Array Bottle. Touching seven points in the correct order will likely open a secret chamber. I’ve seen them in the palace. The problem now is the sequence. One wrong move, and the chamber might be sealed shut, impossible to open."
"Leave it to me," Li Qingxian said.
With that, he directed his Immortal-Seeking Bee and performed the Life-Seeking Skill, this time consuming one Qi Fortune Fish.
A translucent hand appeared over the cyan porcelain bottle, tapped the seven lotus flowers in succession, and then vanished.
Li Qingxian memorized the sequence, placed the cyan porcelain bottle back in its spot, and then tapped it seven times in the same order.
The cyan porcelain bottle trembled slightly and expelled a plume of white mist. The mist snaked through the air to an empty spot on the floor, where its ends connected to form a large ring, like a doorframe standing upright.
A faint blue light emanated from within the misty, round gateway. After a flash, a staircase appeared, leading down into pitch-black darkness.
"It couldn’t be a legendary Grotto-Heaven, could it?" Li Qingxian asked.
Jingg Guan shook his head. "It’s not a Grotto-Heaven, it’s an Array Gate. It leads somewhere nearby—it won’t be far. We should probably... let Lord Zhou go in."
Li Qingxian nodded, took out his Communication Talisman Disc, and sent a message to Zhou Henn.
A moment later, Zhou Henn entered the room. He took one look, and the corner of his eye twitched sharply. He then turned to give Li Qingxian a long, meaningful look.
"You’ve accomplished something major. For safety’s sake, we won’t go in. Eunuch Jingg, you’ll be our witness."
A look of understanding dawned on Jingg Guan’s face. He quickly said, "Rest assured, I’m not a fool."
"Wait here," Zhou Henn said. "I’m sending a message to Lord Zhou."
After sending the message, Zhou Henn looked at the other guards. "All of you, get out. No one is to speak of what happened here. Whoever does, dies."
The others’ expressions flickered. They hastily promised to keep silent and scrambled out of the room.
Only the three of them remained in the room.
"Uncle Xiaozhou, what’s in there?" Li Qingxian frantically gestured with his eyes at Zhou Henn. ’If there’s treasure, we can’t miss out!’
Zhou Henn shot Li Qingxian a look. "Ever heard of a Dead Demon Land?"
"Impossible!"
"Of course it isn’t," Zhou Henn said. "Most Dead Demon Lands are places where the Demon Sect uses living people to cultivate Demon Poison. Before they become Dead Demon Lands, they’re called ’Demon Chambers.’"
"So this is a Demon Chamber?" Li Qingxian asked.
Zhou Henn nodded. "Correct."
Jingg Guan was fuming. "These Little Demons are unbelievably audacious! The Imperial Court has issued decree after decree forbidding the Demon Sect from establishing Demon Chambers in the Divine Capital, but they refuse to listen! The Death Demon Land of Depu just outside the city was already a massive scandal for the Daqi Country. If a Dead Demon Land were to appear inside the city itself, how could we officials of Daqi ever show our faces again? Those bull-fucking scumbags! Thank goodness Li... I mean, Lord Zhou Henn discovered it."
After speaking, Jingg Guan shot Li Qingxian a pointed look.
Li Qingxian took the hint. "Uncle Xiaozhou, I’ll have to trouble you with this."
The corner of Zhou Henn’s mouth curled up for a second before falling. "What, not trying to steal the credit from me anymore?"
Li Qingxian put on a serious expression. "Uncle Xiaozhou, that’s such a distant thing to say! How could a humble Eighth-Grade Fate Master like me possibly take credit for something this huge? Of course, it’s best if it goes to you. Uncle Xiaozhou, when you make it big, don’t forget about me, alright?"
"Just give it a rest," Zhou Henn said. "I’ll take the credit. If the Demon Sect found out it was you, your life wouldn’t be safe."
"This has nothing to do with me. Even in the report to our superiors, it was Uncle Xiaozhou who made the discovery. Right, Eunuch Jingg?" Li Qingxian said.
Eunuch Jingg laughed. "Qingxian, you’re talking nonsense again. With your meager Cultivation, are you even qualified to discover a Demon Chamber?"
"Alas, I am not worthy," Li Qingxian said with a pained expression.
Zhou Henn shot Li Qingxian another look, then stared silently at the Demon Chamber, his gaze shifting subtly.
The entrance to the Demon Chamber looked like a pine forest at night, with light and shadow alternating as if stirred by wind and clouds.
Li Qingxian waited obediently, asking a few questions from time to time to try and pry more information out of Zhou Henn and Jingg Guan.
Neither of them was a fool. They answered what they could and refused to breathe a word about what they couldn’t.
Before long, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Li Qingxian glanced toward the door and was surprised to see Zhou Chunfeng and Yan Shixiao arriving together.
Their expressions were grim, even a little frightening.
Behind Yan Shixiao was an entire squad of Middle-Grade Red-Robed Eunuchs, and trailing them was a familiar face.
It was Yui Qingchen, the Third-Grade Grandmaster who had been the first to flee during the landslide in Beichang County. He was dressed as an ordinary Middle-Grade Eunuch, just as before. No one who didn’t know him would ever guess he was a Third-Grade Great Cultivator.
Aside from a teardrop mole at the corner of his left eye, there was nothing remarkable about his face or body.
Li Qingxian pointed at Zhou Henn and declared, "Lord Zhou Henn discovered all of this! It has nothing to do with me."
Yan Shixiao nodded vigorously but kept his eyes fixed on Li Qingxian. "I will be sure to remember Lord Zhou Henn’s great contribution."
Then, the powdered and delicate-looking Yan Shixiao stopped before the entrance and said in a soft voice, "Eunuch Yui, please, you first."
"Good things never come to me first," Yui Qingchen muttered, pursing his lips. He clasped his hands behind his back and stepped through.
Zhou Chunfeng and Yan Shixiao followed close behind, with the squad of Red-Robed Eunuchs after them.
Li Qingxian and Jingg Guan exchanged a look and quietly followed, with Zhou Henn bringing up the rear.
The moment he stepped onto the staircase, an indescribable smell washed over Li Qingxian. It carried a hint of stench that made his stomach churn.
Besides the stench, there were all sorts of other indescribable odors.
For some reason, Li Qingxian’s vision seemed to grow hazy, and scenes from Deceit Village began to flash through his mind.
Li Qingxian froze for a moment before continuing slowly forward.
The smell here was indeed faintly similar to that of Deceit Village, especially the courtyard of the White Tower.
The group continued onward, and the Magical Artifact Lamps on the walls lit up in sequence as they passed.
They walked for a full half a quarter hour before emerging from the passageway.
The passageway opened into a large, square hall, over ten zhang across and brightly lit by countless lamps.
On each of the other three walls stood three arched doorways.