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The whole group could only set everything else aside, and they quickly ran out of the storeroom.
When he saw them storm out in single file, the guard leader stared straight at them, intending to firmly remember what they looked like. Failing to guard the storeroom was a mistake punishable by death. He had to make sure to find a way to lighten his crimes. What could be better for quelling the Monster Lord’s fury than providing information on the invaders?
Why do these people look like humans? When was our Monster World invaded by humans?
He was feeling confused when suddenly, a flash of silver light appeared in front of him. He was shocked to discover that he could see his own back, and then there was nothing.
Suolun Shi withdrew her curved blade that was dripping with blood. She knew they couldn't leave behind any witnesses for the Monster Lord to track them with.
At the same time, a black flame rushed out from Pei Mianman. The guard’s corpse was completely burned away.
Ji Xiaoxi found that a bit hard to accept. “Big sister Pei, they're already dead…”
Pei Mianman explained, “The monsters have all kinds of strange methods. We can't be sure that they have no way obtain information from corpses.”
Ji Xiaoxi was a bit embarrassed. “It's still big sister Pei who thinks of the bigger picture.”
The others were also filled with admiration.
Zu An didn’t waste any time. With a sweep of his robes, an invisible force wrapped around the women and they flew out. At the same time, he used the same force to prevent their energies from leaking out.
Almost the same moment they left, a three-headed bird’s scream echoed above the palace. Then, the Monster Lord instantly appeared at the storeroom. When he saw that the door was open and that the guards had already turned to ashes, the Monster Lord’s eyebrows twitched. He quickly went inside.
The palace emissaries also arrived behind him. They were about to go in too when they were blocked by an invisible force outside. The Monster Lord called out from within, “Stand guard outside. Send another group of people to track down the scoundrels’ whereabouts!”
“Understood!” The palace emissaries quickly split into two groups and dispersed.
…
The Monster Lord entered the storeroom. When he saw the empty shelves and racks, his face darkened. He naturally couldn't let his guards see what the condition of the storeroom was really like. If the residents of the underground city learned that their resources were already so lacking, there would be a huge uprising.
He didn’t stop, and went deeper inside until he arrived at that wall. He saw that the formation was still intact, and the Resurrection Technique was still there; he sighed in relief.
Still, he didn’t feel completely reassured. He took out a key to unlock the formation, then removed the jade strip to examine it and make sure that it hadn’t been switched out by someone. Then, he pressed the mechanism inside and saw that the strange stone was still there. Only then did he feel completely relieved.
Even though he didn’t know what the stone was, it had been passed down by the Monster World for generations, so it was definitely something extremely important. It no doubt contained a tremendous secret.
He returned the jade strip to its place, then reactivated the formation. Then, he walked out and closed the storeroom entrance again.
“This storeroom’s formation cannot be used anymore; it must be changed. In the meantime, you are all to stand guard here. Do not let anyone near,” the Monster Lord ordered.
“Understood!” The guards bowed respectfully. They didn’t even dare to breathe too heavily for fear of angering the Monster Lord.
Only one of the most trusted palace emissaries gathered the courage to say, “Those scoundrels really are cunning. They not only silenced the guards, they even burned the corpses to ashes. We didn’t have the time to search their memories.”
The Monster World had a kind of soul-searching method that could retrieve memories. However, that would normally turn the target into a madman or an idiot.
The Monster Lord harrumphed. “The corpses have been burned and there’s nothing to find there, but the flames they used are a bit special. Investigate that.”
The palace emissaries also sensed the fire element energy that remained in the air. “The lord is wise! These flames seem to be a bit similar to some abilities from the True Demon race, but it seems a bit different.”
“The True Demon race…” The Monster Lord had a pensive expression. A while later, he said, “The scoundrels stole some formations, medicines, and things our races normally don’t need. Investigate that too.”
“Understood!” The palace emissaries bowed.
Just then, a palace emissary rushed over. “Reporting to the lord, Salamay’s subordinates have broken out Mojard and have just left the palace. If we pursue them, we should still be able to stop them…”
The Monster Lord raised his hand to stop him. “There is no need. Let them leave, but don’t make it so obvious that they develop suspicions.”
“Understood!” The palace emissary quickly left to pass on these orders.
…
Meanwhile, Salamay’s subordinates had indeed just rescued Mojard from the palace. They continued to flee toward an area of safety. When they saw that they had already broken free of the pursuers, Salamay sighed in relief. “It really was too dangerous today. Thank goodness we were able to save Uncle Mo.”
Mojard was heavily injured, but he suddenly turned around to look in the palace’s direction and said with a frown, “Something’s not right!”
“What is it?” Salamay was stunned.
“I heard the Monster Lord’s three-headed bird mount when we rushed out of the palace. He clearly came back, so how could we still possibly get away?” Mojard had a blank expression. “Is he deliberately letting us get away?”
“But how can that be?” Salamay’s smile froze on her face. “He has the ability to get rid of all of us in one go, so why would he let us go deliberately? He must be preoccupied with something right now.”
Just then, a trusted aide said, “There seems to have been another force that suddenly attacked the storehouse. The Monster Lord probably went in that direction.”
Salamay immediately felt relieved. “That must’ve been it.”
Mojard’s expression immediately became downcast. “In the past, the Monster Lord and I both served as officials and were known as the outstanding duo. Yet now, even a storeroom is more important than me. He really doesn’t regard me with any importance anymore.”
Salamay said reassuringly, “Who in the Monster World doesn’t know about Uncle Mo’s fame? It was just that after that guy seized the throne, he had the world’s resources at his disposal, and that was why his cultivation improved explosively. Uncle Mo didn’t do anything wrong.”
The other companions also tried to advise him against those thoughts. Mojard regained his confidence and said, “Hahaha, all of you are right. This is a good thing. The pride of that guy will be the opportunity for us to make a comeback.”
…
Compared to his excitement, Zu An’s group was quiet back in Donaire's cave.
Overall, their mission had gone quite smoothly today. They now had all of the formation and medicine texts they needed, as well as ingredients other special materials. If only Xie Daoyun hadn’t disappeared...
“Ah Zu, what is that Nature Jade Plate?” Jiang Luofu couldn't help but ask.
“In the past, Chuyan also disappeared into spacetime because of something like this…” Zu An explained.
This was the first time many of them had heard about Chuyan’s experience. Their expressions changed.
“There's something that mysterious in this world?” Jiang Luofu finally exclaimed in surprise.
Zu An nodded bitterly.
“Then how do we find her?” Jiang Luofu asked nervously. Xie Daoyun was her martial senior’s disciple, as well as her former acquaintance from Brightmoon City. Their relationship had always been quite good.
“We need to find another Nature Jade Plate, and we need to know the coordinates of where and when she was taken.” Zu An’s voice became softer and softer. He knew that the chance of doing that was pitifully small. The two of them had clearly just confirmed their relationship, and yet they could now be separated forever. If he had known things would be like this, he wouldn’t have treated little sister Ling’er so coldly. He would have accepted her sooner.
He sat down in a corner and buried his head in his knees.
Suddenly, a pair of soft hands rested on his shoulder. Pei Mianman said gently, “Ah Zu, don’t be so downhearted. Fate will bring people together across a thousand miles. I believe that the power of destiny will reunite you and little sister Xie, just like how you met Chuyan again.”
Zu An raised his head. A bit of color returned to his eyes.
Right, Chuyan also disappeared because of the Nature Jade Plate, and the Snow Lady even forgot who she was. Yet in the end, we still ended up reuniting…
The higher one’s cultivation grew, and especially now after he had merged with a world’s source, he could clearly sense the power of destiny. Even though it wasn’t anything tangible, he had a powerful premonition that he would most likely reunite with little sister Ling’er again, and it wouldn’t be too far away either!