Free Web NovelChapter 303: Chapter 301: Divine Hall
Jiang Chen was enslaved, his fate controlled by others.
He was looking for a way to escape, but his captors had too many experts. There was simply no way to get away.
In fact, one wrong move could cost him his life. free𝑤ebnovel.com
He could only remain quietly in the crowd with Zhan Yang and the others.
"Crown Prince, despite the Flame Dragon, we did manage to obtain the key to that Secret Hall."
"As long as we avoid the Flame Dragon, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to get the Black Fire."
Grand General Ming Zhe said this to Wen Shixuan.
They had never given up on their goal: the Black Fire.
Wen Shixuan nodded.
"That’s right. The key to the Secret Hall."
As he spoke, Wen Shixuan flicked his fingers, and a black Jade Talisman appeared in his hand.
On the black Jade Talisman was a single, cryptic character.
No one knew what this character truly represented, but Wen Shixuan was certain that this very Jade Talisman had guided him here.
He studied the Jade Talisman carefully.
His face took on a triumphant glow.
"Grand General Ming Zhe, with this key... we previously received intel that the Secret Hall seems to require sacrifices."
"These Martial Cultivators we’ve captured... they should be enough to satisfy the requirement, shouldn’t they?"
He glanced back, his eyes sweeping coldly over the Martial Cultivators he had captured along the way.
Jiang Chen was, of course, one of them.
The Black Fire of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain had shown signs of its presence long ago.
It was only now, however, that it was ready to emerge.
Previously, Wen Shixuan had already sent men to scout this area many times, and even had them try to enter the Secret Hall.
It was a strange Divine Hall, buried deep beneath Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.
To obtain the Black Fire, one had to enter the Divine Hall.
And most critically, besides the Jade Talisman in his hand, sacrifices were needed to open the Divine Hall’s gate.
Grand General Ming Zhe pondered for a moment.
Then he said, "Crown Prince, rest assured. That Divine Hall has more than one entrance."
"The fact that we were able to obtain the key foretells that we will be the ones to obtain the Black Fire."
"The Flame Dragon may be powerful, but it can only enter through one of those entrances."
After some discussion, Wen Shixuan gave the order.
"Move out!"
"Press onward."
At his command, the army of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom began to advance once more.
They pushed deeper into Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.
Jiang Chen, surrounded by the Fire Sparrow Kingdom’s army, could only move forward passively with the crowd.
Along the way, more people were captured from time to time, joining Jiang Chen and the others as slaves.
The group of captives continued to grow, soon exceeding one hundred people.
「One day.」
"Halt!"
Suddenly, a general roared the command.
The column ground to a stop between two mountain ridges.
Wen Shixuan, with Grand General Ming Zhe, stood atop a peak, his expression tense as he gazed at the innumerable Demon Beasts swarming ahead.
At the very center of the horde, wreathed in flames, the Flame Dragon hovered in mid-air.
It had forcefully occupied the mountain peak.
’Is the Black Fire here?’
From within the crowd, Jiang Chen peered through the sea of heads toward the peak ahead.
’The Black Fire has vanished again,’ he guessed silently.
’But the Flame Dragon’s presence seems to indicate that this is the place where the Black Fire will emerge.’
All the major powers were now gathered here for the Black Fire.
He looked toward Wen Shixuan.
Wen Shixuan stood on the ridge, Grand General Ming Zhe at his side. "With the Flame Dragon there, it will be difficult for us to enter the Divine Hall from the front," the general said.
A flicker of calculation in his eyes, Wen Shixuan’s face darkened.
"If we circle around to the back, it will be a much longer journey."
"But it seems there’s no other way. If we don’t provoke the Flame Dragon, it won’t bother us. Let’s go. To the back of the mountain."
Immediately, Wen Shixuan and Grand General Ming Zhe led the army around the front of the mountain, heading straight for the rear of the peak.
The Divine Hall had more than one entrance, which meant Wen Shixuan still had a chance.
On the mountain, the Flame Dragon stared at the mysterious entrance before it. The trail of the Black Fire had once again vanished at this spot. freewebnovёl.ƈom
It laughed aloud. "The Black Fire belongs to me!"
"No one else may touch it."
It glanced in the direction of Wen Shixuan’s group, flames flickering in its eyes, and snorted coldly. "Humans. Damned humans."
"Dream on if you think you can steal the Black Fire from me."
Seeing that they were from the Fire Sparrow Kingdom, the Flame Dragon didn’t provoke them either.
The Fire Sparrow Kingdom had many experts, so it was still somewhat wary of them.
Both sides knew not to provoke the other.
Some time later, Jiang Chen and the other captives were led to the back of the mountain peak.
After they stopped, Jiang Chen and the others were herded into the center of the group, left to await their fate.
Meanwhile, Grand General Ming Zhe took out an object resembling an astrolabe.
He scanned the mountain continuously with it, searching for something.
Suddenly, Grand General Ming Zhe stopped.
"Alright, it’s here."
"I’ve found it."
Grand General Ming Zhe exclaimed, overjoyed.
Wen Shixuan hurried to Grand General Ming Zhe’s side.
His delight was plain to see. "Quick, dig a tunnel! Have men dig a tunnel here."
He knew that Grand General Ming Zhe was looking for a passage to the Divine Hall. The hall had four passages: south, east, north, and west.
They happened to be at the northern one.
The passage guarded by the Flame Dragon was the southern one.
There were still the west and east entrances as well.
Naturally, Wen Shixuan planned to enter the Divine Hall through the northern passage.
Under Grand General Ming Zhe’s command, they began to act.
"You there, you laborers! Get over here and dig the tunnel!"
Jiang Chen and the others had no idea what fate awaited them after their capture. For now, they were herded over and forced to start digging.
’Could this be the entrance?’
Jiang Chen’s expression was calm as he began to dig into the mountainside with Zhan Yang and the others.
After digging for about an hour, they hit a giant boulder.
"We can’t dig any further! There’s a huge rock here!"
The message was immediately passed back from the front.
Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes to look.
He saw that the "boulder" was pitch-black, like ink, and even emitted faint wisps of black light.
A faint, sinister power seeped out from the black light.
’Hm?’
’This isn’t a boulder. It’s a gate.’
With his experience, Jiang Chen immediately recognized that this was not a boulder, but a gateway.
If this gateway could be opened, one could enter.
’It seems there’s an ancient Divine Hall hidden within the mountain.’
’Interesting.’
Jiang Chen’s mind raced. He knew the Black Fire was hidden within this ancient hall.
And Wen Shixuan’s goal was also to enter the Divine Hall and obtain the Black Fire.
"Move it! Everyone out!"
The men from the Fire Sparrow Kingdom immediately drove Jiang Chen and the other free laborers out of the tunnel.
Wen Shixuan, Grand General Ming Zhe, and a squad of their troops entered the tunnel that Jiang Chen’s group had dug.
Staring at the black boulder before them, Wen Shixuan said, "This must be the north gate of the Divine Hall."
"If we’re going to enter here, we need to use the key to open the gate."
He looked at Grand General Ming Zhe.
Grand General Ming Zhe nodded.
"Crown Prince, let’s try the key first. If that doesn’t work, we’ll begin the blood sacrifice."
After their discussion, the key Wen Shixuan had shown before—the one engraved with that same cryptic character—appeared in his hand.
