Chapter 160: Rat Blood Tracking, Magic Map Reappears
Regent's Palace, study.
Xiao Yu sat behind the desk, listening to Xuan Yi's report with an expressionless face.
"...Your Highness, this is what happened. Censor Qian is in my residence right now, so frightened he can barely speak. But he repeatedly insisted that he saw it clearly. The pattern on the wood was a withered vine pattern, and he remembered the location of the entrance exactly."
There was dead silence in the study.
Xiao Yu's slender fingers tapped lightly on the table.
"Duke."
"Duke."
"Duke."
"Withered Vine Order..."
"I thought they would hide away in hiding. I didn't expect them to be so bold as to pull off these little tricks right here in the capital, right under my nose."
He stood up and walked to the huge map of the capital's defense on the wall.
"This isn't the first time they've done this."
"After Prince Yu fell from power, I conducted an inventory of his residence and discovered that many important files and evidence were missing. At the time, I thought they had been destroyed by Prince Yu in advance."
He reached out and tapped the map.
"It now appears that these assassins have used this method to gradually remove the evidence from Prince Yu's Mansion, and... they are also communicating with the outside world."
"Your Highness means..." Xuan Yi's heart trembled, "Are they going to resort to desperate measures?"
"No." Xiao Yu shook his head, a bloodthirsty sneer on his lips, "They are not going to jump over the wall."
"They are...waiting for someone."
He turned around slowly, murderous intent flashing in his deep phoenix eyes.
"Pass the order down, mobilize the Xuanjia Army's secret forces, and surround Prince Yu's mansion within a five-mile radius like an iron barrel! Not even a fly is allowed to fly out!"
"Tonight, I will go and see for myself."
"Look at what these rats in the mud are waiting for...someone big!"
The dark alley outside Prince Yu’s Mansion.
Dozens of black shadows, like ghosts blending into the night, quietly occupied every corner where they could hide.
On the roof, under the corners of the walls, and even behind the dark sign of the restaurant opposite after closing time, there are pairs of eyes as sharp as hawks lurking.
They are the Anbu of the Black Armor Army, the sharpest and least known sword in the hands of the Regent.
At the entrance of the alley, an extremely ordinary black carriage was parked quietly in the shadows.
The carriage curtain moved slightly, revealing Xiao Yu's handsome face, as handsome as an ice sculpture. His eyes were coldly fixed on the ordinary courtyard wall.
In the carriage, besides him and Xuan Yi, there was another person.
Green compass, deep clouds.
"Is this the place?"
"Your Highness, this is the place Censor Qian is referring to," Xuan Yi replied respectfully. "I've already sent someone to investigate. This wall is identical to the others in the mansion, made of solid material, with no signs of any hidden doors or traps."
"Ordinary mechanisms naturally cannot be hidden from the eyes of the Black Armor Army."
The one who spoke was Yun Shen. He had his eyes closed at the moment and his fingers were lightly stroking the compass in front of him.
"This is a spatial landmark technique, activated only with the 'Withered Vine Order', which contains special power. Breaking it by force will only trigger the restriction and cause the entrance to collapse completely. They are very cautious."
Xiao Yu snorted coldly: "No matter how cautious a rat is, if it walks too much at night, it will always leave a smell behind."
He looked at Yun Shen: "Can you open it?"
Yun Shen slowly opened his eyes. "Your Highness, I am a humble student, but what Master taught me is the art of stargazing, a technique that penetrates the very essence of all things, not simply opening doors and picking locks. This spatial barrier, repeatedly traversed by the Withered Vine Order, has left behind an extremely faint, yet indelible, energy trace. Just like a piece of white paper that has been folded repeatedly, even when flattened, it will eventually retain a crease."
"Students, you can find that 'crease' and then... tear it open."
"Okay." Xiao Yu said briefly, "How long will it take?"
"One stick of incense," Yun Shen said, "but the noise might be louder than if they used the 'key' to open the door."
"No problem."
"I have turned this place into a cage. The mice inside can't escape, and the mice outside can't get in."
He gestured towards the shadows outside the car.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Yun Shen opened the car door and landed gracefully.
Xuan Yi followed closely behind, with two of the most agile Anbu elites guarding him on both sides.
Yun Shen walked to the wall but did not rush to take action.
He first took out three jade pieces carved with star patterns from his arms and pasted them on the wall in a triangular shape.
Then, he held the compass in his hand, stepped on the seven stars, and began to chant something.
The needle of the compass in his hand began to spin wildly, making a soft buzzing sound.
Xuan Yi and the two Xuanjia soldiers standing by felt an invisible pressure coming towards them, making their breathing stop.
“Found it!”
Yun Shen's eyes suddenly opened.
The needle of the compass in his hand made a "clang" sound and froze in one direction!
"Xun position, three feet off the ground, break!"
He put his fingers together like a sword, and a faint golden light suddenly lit up on his fingertips!
Without any hesitation, he pointed his finger hard at the ordinary blue brick where the compass needle was pointing!
"laugh--!!!"
There was a sound like a hot knife cutting into butter.
The hard blue brick was instantly pierced by Yun Shen's fingertips!
Immediately afterwards, an incredible scene happened!
With that small hole as the center, spider-web-like golden cracks began to spread wildly in all directions!
"Buzz—"
With a low muffled sound, the area covered with golden cracks suddenly shrank inward, and then, like a broken mirror, it silently turned into a twisted, rotating void!
A pitch-black entrance appeared in front of everyone!
"It's done!" Xuan Yi was delighted.
"Walk!"
He waved his hand and rushed in first with two of his men!
Yun Shen followed closely behind.
After passing through the twisted entrance, there is a deep stone staircase leading down.
The air was filled with a damp, decayed smell mixed with a faint smell of blood.
This is the core area of the battle at Prince Yu’s Mansion, the entrance to the underground demon’s nest!
However, now there is no longer the suffocating atmosphere of the underworld.
The four of them walked down, their footsteps so light that they were almost inaudible.
Soon, they arrived at the huge stone chamber that once imprisoned the Heart of the Underworld.
The stone chamber was empty.
The hideous traces of the battle left on the ground and walls seemed to have been carefully cleaned. Even the air was devoid of any unusual odors.
"Boss, this place is cleaner than my wife's face!" an Anbu whispered.
Xuan Yi frowned. He walked to the center of the stone chamber, squatted down, picked up a piece of dust from the ground, and put it to his nose to smell it.
"It smells like spices. They used special incense to cover up the smell here." He said in a deep voice, "Search! Don't miss any corner!"
"yes!"
The two Anbu immediately dispersed and began a carpet search of the entire stone chamber.
However, a stick of incense passed.
"Boss, nothing was found!"
"There's nothing here! Not even a broken stone!"
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