◇ 【147】 Five Elements Tower

A familiar aura quickly approached. It was someone from the Xuanyuan family.

Xuanyuan Qing's figure flashed and flew away quickly.

Xi Lang thought to himself that this was not good.

After a while, a group of people flew over.

"Chengfeng, hand over the ginseng doll."

"Yes, hand over the ginseng doll!"

“…”

When Gu Juan heard this, he immediately guessed that it was Xuanyuan Qing's doing.

Xuanyuan Ao stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Chengfeng, you killed my disciple Xuanyuan Chun and stole the treasure we found, the ginseng doll. You must give us an explanation. Otherwise, my Xuanyuan family and you two will be irreconcilable."

Gu Juan still had to explain, "Whether you believe it or not, I wasn't the one who did it. It was Xuanyuan Qing who practiced some strange technique and disguised himself as me, deliberately trying to sow discord between us and the Xuanyuan family."

Xi Lang nodded, "That's right."

Gu Juan continued, "Master Xuanyuan, even if I wanted to steal the treasure, we've only been in Shenlong Flying Mountain for a couple of days, and there are still many unexplored areas. I don't need to become an enemy of Master Xuanyuan right now. Besides, Xuanyuan Chun and I don't have any deep hatred for each other, so why would I kill him?"

Xuanyuan Ao's expression softened. He wasn't the type to act on his own. "Even if you have a point, how can you prove that you weren't the one who did it?"

"Yes, this is just your one-sided statement." Xuanyuan Rong agreed coldly.

Gu Juan smiled and no longer concealed his cultivation level. Xi Lang also showed his true cultivation level.

Xuanyuan Ao was shocked.

Gu Juan said confidently, "Master Xuanyuan, I'm not exaggerating. With Polang and I's cultivation, we can easily deal with you. Do you think that if we really stole the ginseng doll, we should deny it? Or do you think Polang and I can't leave this place before you arrive?"

Xuanyuan Ao's face darkened.

Xuanyuan Rong shouted angrily, "You arrogant boy!"

Xi Lang said, "Master Xuanyuan, if you truly believe we are the murderer, you will only fall into the trap set by Xuanyuan Qing."

Xuanyuan Ao was silent for a moment. "What you said does make sense. Let's assume that the real murderer is Xuanyuan Qing. But why would Xuanyuan Qing pretend to be Fellow Daoist Chengfeng instead of someone else? This matter is not completely unrelated to you."

"What does Patriarch Xuanyuan want?" Gu Juan felt that Xuanyuan Ao had not finished speaking.

Xuanyuan Ao said, "Since Xuanyuan Qing has come to Shenlong Feishan, he will not leave easily. He must still be in the mountain. I hope you two can help us find the ginseng doll. As for Xuanyuan Chun's revenge, the Xuanyuan family will avenge it themselves."

Gu Juan frowned.

"If Xuanyuan Qing really did get the ginseng doll... He didn't have it on him when he appeared before me. He's not strong enough to withstand the medicinal properties of the ginseng doll right now, so it can be inferred that he most likely hid it in a safe place. Master Xuanyuan, this is all I can tell you. I'm also a victim and have no obligation to help you find the ginseng doll."

Gu Juan and Xi Lang had calm expressions and stood casually, without a trace of defensiveness. Their strong self-confidence was natural.

A trace of anger flashed across Xuanyuan Rong's face as he looked at Xuanyuan Ao.

Xuanyuan Ao's brows furrowed and then relaxed.

"Okay. We'll meet again." Xuanyuan Ao nodded slightly and left with his men. Although some of his men looked puzzled, no one expressed any objection.

"Just leaving like that?"

Watching them walk away, Gu Juan was still a little bit unconvinced and patted Xi Lang's buttocks. He had thought that he and Xi Lang would definitely have a big fight with the Xuanyuan family.

"Is it not good to leave?" Xi Lang laughed and took his hand, "Let's go too."

Half an hour later, they stood in front of a five-story tower.

Gu Juan tried to use his spiritual sense to explore the situation inside the tower, but found that his spiritual sense was blocked and he could not enter at all. He turned to carefully examine the tower.

The five-story pagoda's floor area gradually decreased from bottom to top, and its height was comparable to a twenty-story building. Strangely, they hadn't seen the pagoda when they first stood on the mountaintop. On the south side of the first floor, a red gate stood open. Above it hung a plaque that should have inscribed the pagoda's name, but it was blank. To the left of the gate hung a large, brown, finely slate stone slab. On it was a rough sketch of the five-story pagoda, with large, iron-painted, silver-hook characters labeling the Welcoming Hall, Refining Hall, Appreciation Room, Alchemy Garden, and Classics Pavilion.

"Found it, the Classics Pavilion!" Gu Juan's eyes lit up, but he didn't move. "The Classics Pavilion should have secret manuals on cultivation. However, no matter how I look at it, it looks like a trap."

"Go in?" Xi Lang asked.

Gu Juan nodded and said, "Come in." For the sake of his friends, he had to go in.

"Master, there is a tower ahead!"

The sound coming from afar made Gu Juan and Xi Lang smile at each other. It wouldn't be a bad thing for them to have more people to join them in breaking through this five-story tower. The two turned around and saw a large group of people approaching.

People from the Demon Sect were also among them, and Gu Juan felt helpless.

Feng Feiye acted as if he didn't see Gu Juan and Xi Lang. He looked at the five-story pagoda and saw the simple diagram.

"Master, there must be a lot of treasures in the weapon appreciation room and the elixir storage garden!" said one of his subordinates, unable to hide his excitement.

A gorgeous female disciple from the Demon Sect said disdainfully, "You speak as if the treasures here are already in the pocket of your Qianshan Sect."

She obviously had a certain status in the Demon Sect. There was no blame on Yin Ji's face. Instead, there was a smile of determination at the corner of her mouth.

"Hey, everyone's here."

Shang Liuyun actually came too.

Behind him, Yue Chunqiu, Nie Wanxiu and another male disciple approached slowly.

"Ride the wind and break the waves." Shang Liuyun seemed unaware of the tense atmosphere and greeted Gu Juan and Xi Lang happily.

Gu Juan nodded, "You are here too."

Shang Liuyun said casually, "Yes, my master said he would bring us here to see the world."

Yue Chunqiu didn't know whether he had no intention of entering the tower or he was too disdainful to argue with others, but he stopped about seven or eight meters away, stood under a big tree and drank his wine, with the casualness of a wandering knight.

No one knew if there was any danger inside the tower. This time, all the sect leaders had brought elite disciples with them into Shenlong Feishan. The sects had invested a lot of resources and energy in training them, and they were reluctant to send them out to explore the way easily. Sacrificing one meant losing a helper.

"Master Yin, would you please go first?" Feng Feiye said to Yin Ji with a smile.

Yin Ji said expressionlessly, "Master Feng, you're welcome. Please come in."

Neither of them moved.

A lone cultivator gritted his teeth and stepped forward. He couldn't defeat a large sect alone. If he fought, he might gain the upper hand; if he didn't, he might not gain any advantage at all.

Feng Feiye and Yin Ji glanced at him with indifferent expressions, with no intention of stopping him.

Seeing this, the wandering cultivator quickened his pace and entered the tower gate first.

Therefore, he did not see it, but everyone else saw it, three large characters written in a flamboyant style suddenly appeared on the plaque on the door: Five Elements Tower.

Everyone knows that the Five Elements are gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, but I wonder how they relate to this tower?

Everyone saw that the wandering cultivator looked around and didn't seem to find anything valuable, so he stepped directly onto the wooden ladder on the right. Soon, his figure disappeared from the sight of everyone outside the door.

Everyone used their spiritual sense to capture the breath of the wandering cultivator, but was shocked to find that their spiritual sense could not enter the tower!

Now, they couldn't sit still any longer. What if all the treasures in the tower were taken away by that casual cultivator? How could they regret it?

"Let's go!" Yin Ji waved her hand and went in with her disciples.

Gu Juan and Xi Lang followed closely behind.

The Qianshan School immediately followed.

Yue Chunqiu and his three disciples were at the end.

The first floor of the pagoda, as described in the schematic diagram outside, appears to be a reception hall. To the north lies a platform with a mahogany chair on it. Five armchairs are placed on each side, with a coffee table between each pair. Apart from that, there's nothing special about it.

A glance at the nearby staircase revealed no trace of blood or corpses, indicating no danger. However, Yin Ji hesitated for a moment before cautiously leading her disciples toward the staircase. She didn't believe the Five Elements Tower was a random name given by its owner, so she remained vigilant against hidden weapons, traps, and formations.

Nothing happened until I stepped onto the first step.

Yin Ji breathed a sigh of relief, but at this moment, tiny but dense purple electric wires suddenly splashed out from the wooden stairs, crackling and exploding.

Yin Ji felt a numbness in her feet and immediately shouted, "Be careful!" At the same time, she quickly dodged backwards without caring whether there was anyone behind her.

But the rear is not necessarily safe either.

Yin Ji's stomping acted as if it had triggered a mechanism. Throughout the hall, strands of electric wires protruded from the floor and walls in random patterns, dancing merrily across the floor and walls like a torrential summer rain, crackling and clattering. Many were struck, screaming in agony. These wires were not only powerfully aggressive but also capable of draining the zhenqi (vital energy) from the cultivators' bodies. Unprepared, they fled blindly for a moment before realizing their zhenqi (vital energy) in their dantians had dwindled. Everyone was horrified, their expressions heavy with worry. This Five Elements Pagoda was truly extraordinary!

Gu Juan and Xi Lang reacted quickly, hovering in mid-air upon noticing the anomaly. Unexpectedly, the electric wire, as if possessed of consciousness, sprang from the ground and pursued them. The seemingly random attack left Gu Juan and Xi Lang struggling to dodge.

Gu Juan found that several monks were much weaker than when they first came in. He immediately guessed the purpose of the electric wire and a light bulb went off in his head.

"Alang, since they can absorb our true energy, let's absorb theirs too!"