Chapter 1999: Lake of Hatred Revealed
Zu An was alarmed. He had never expected that Fatty Hu would come and ask him about something like that. Fatty Hu was actually concerned about his safety, but now, it actually put him in a difficult situation. He really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“I haven’t seen him," he said eventually.
When he heard the reply, Fatty Hu said with a frown, “That shouldn’t be… When I heard that you were bringing people to chase after a young lady, I just happened to see Lu Ren there too. Furthermore, Lu Ren’s relationship with this woman didn’t seem that bad, and he was even indebted to this woman for saving him. In that kind of situation, he would most likely save her.”
“Oh, you were talking about that guy. He turned tail and ran as soon as he saw what happened,” Zu An replied.
“He ran?” Fatty Hu asked skeptically. “Like hell Brother Lu ran away. Rather than that, you probably killed him, am I wrong?” As he said that, his expression turned incredibly fierce.
You have successfully trolled Fatty Hu for +555 +555 +555…
The others tried to advise him, asking, “Fatty Hu, what kind of a relationship do you have with that Lu guy? Why do you care about him that much?”
Fatty Hu coldly replied, “That Lu Ren was the only person the Treasure Hunter Path recruited this year, as well as a disciple I accepted in my master’s place!”
Everyone had expressions of sympathy. The Treasure Hunter Path’s people had all already passed on, and the new member Fatty Hu had finally swindled was killed by Fang Biao, so it was no wonder he was so angry.
Zu An couldn't help but be a bit moved by this Fatty Hu’s loyalty. They had only met once, and yet the other person was actually already speaking up for him. However, he could only try to escape blame by saying, “That person really did run away. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her.”
When he saw Zu An point at her, Fatty Hu stared at Zhang Zitong.
Zhang Zitong thought to herself, Sir Eleven really doesn’t care about his reputation… Even so, she also nodded cooperatively and said, “That’s right. When I saw that the situation wasn’t favorable, I told him to run away so he wouldn't lose his life for nothing.”
Even though that was what she said, Fatty Hu still didn’t fully believe her. He said, “Even though brother Lu and I have just met, I don't feel that he's that kind of person. Could it be that she's just saying whatever you want her to say because she's already become your slave?!” He stared at Zu An with incredible hatred, as if he were about to attack at a moment’s notice.
You have successfully trolled Fatty Hu for +444 +444 +444…
Zu An sighed and replied, “Fatty Hu, are you stupid? I didn’t even know that Lu Ren was from your Treasure Hunter Path. If I really did kill him, why would I bother hiding it from you?”
Fatty Hu was briefly stunned.
I guess what he says makes sense.
The other factions also spoke up, and tensions finally eased up a bit.
Zu An chuckled. He went straight to the Yin Yang Path’s area with Zhang Zitong in his arms. There was a banner hanging there, so there was no need for him to have known about it beforehand.
When he saw how arrogant he was being, Fatty Hu gritted his teeth. He had finally tricked someone into joining, and yet that person was chased away!
You have successfully trolled Fatty Hu for +388 +388 +388…
The only good thing he was grateful for was that the woman had let him run away and they hadn’t really abandoned each other.
She might have even entrusted him with the task of contacting the Embroidered Envoy…
Of course, he didn’t plan to voice that guess. Either way, even if the sky fell, there would be a tall person to hold it up. The Treasure Hunter Path had practically nothing right now, so what was he getting worried about stuff like that for?
Pan Qiaoqiao said with a smile, “Since everyone is already here, let’s get ready to leave.”
Zu An was a bit moved. I’ll finally be able to go to the Devil Sect’s headquarters. Just where is the legendary Lake of Hatred?
Some Devil Sect disciples quickly took out black cloths people’s eyes.
Zu An watched with a detached expression. He soon discovered that the ones being veiled were all new disciples. The disciples with higher statuses didn’t need to be blindfolded. He thought to himself, No wonder the court has never been able to find out where the Devil Sect’s headquarters is. They really do go the extra step in ensuring secrecy.
Soon after, a disciple arrived in front of him. He stared at Zhang Zitong, but didn’t dare to actually speak up.
“I’ll do it myself,” Zu An said as he took the black cloth from his hands and covered Zhang Zitong’s eyes.
As he left, the disciple was full of resentment. He couldn't help but give Zhang Zitong a few more glances.
This woman really is beautiful! That bastard Fang Biao really is lucky with women.
“Sir, I’ll have to leave remembering the path to the Lake of Hatred to you,” Zhang Zitong said through ki transmission. If he didn’t remember it, perhaps the two of them wouldn't even be able to get out.
Zu An voiced his understanding. He silently examined his surroundings. The ship was moving along with the current. Could it be that the Lake of Hatred was somewhere around the lower reaches of the river? However, according to the Embroidered Envoy’s information, there weren’t any places there that seemed as if they could hide the Lake of Hatred!
While he was lost in his thoughts, Zhang Zitong was really having a hard time. Her face was entirely red. Even though she knew he was playing the role of a ‘scoundrel’, being kneaded back and forth made her heart go up and down along with those hands. Her eyes were blindfolded too, so her sense of touch was also greatly magnified.
Zu An didn’t have the time to think about those things. His eyes suddenly narrowed, because he discovered that as the ship traveled along, the river's current became faster and faster. With his spiritual awareness, he immediately sensed that there was a massive waterfall drop a mile or so up ahead. If this ship continued, it would fall right down the waterfall. With his cultivation, he’d naturally be fine, but more than half of the passengers on this ship would likely take their last breath.
He secretly examined his surroundings. The newcomers’ eyes being veiled was one thing, but those direct disciples were perfectly calm. There were even some who began idle conversation. He was puzzled, but he was quite good at remaining calm now. He also pretended everything was fine.
Soon after, their ship arrived near the waterfall. The blindfolded newcomers finally reacted.
“Why does the water sound so loud?”
“Do you all feel as if the ship’s speed is a bit abnormal?”
…
“All of you, shut your mouths!” the veteran disciples barked; they all laughed when they heard the panicked discussions. Back then, they had all experienced the very same thing.
A Secret Path disciple walked to the bow of the ship and took out a formation board. With a bit of fiddling, the entire ship shone with light. Runes became faintly visible on its surface. Just then, it was as if the area up ahead sensed something, and rings of ripples gradually appeared.
Zu An was stunned, thinking, It’s a secret dungeon? With his current level of insight, even though only a bit had been revealed, he was already able to come to that conclusion.
This was a secret dungeon suspended right above the waterfall, parallel to the river surface. Furthermore, there were special formations arranged all around it. A special procedure had to be carried out before the secret dungeon would show itself. The large ship didn’t fall down as expected; instead, it entered straight through the flickering light up ahead.
Zu An sized up the surroundings and discovered that this secret dungeon was different from others. While passing through, there was a clear feeling that the surrounding space was extremely stable. It was likely a crystallization of a thousand years of the Devil Sect’s wisdom! They had actually built their general headquarters in a secret dungeon. Who could have imagined that?
His eyes quickly lit up. The entire ship had already reappeared on a river. The surrounding environment wasn't that different from earlier either. The only difference was that there was no more waterfall, and it was replaced with a towering mountain... No, it was more like a tall altar. Normal mountains were often wider on the bottom and narrower on the top, but the bottom and top of this mountain were about the same in width, making it look more like a trapezoid. The river the boat moved along was in front of the mountain, and it split into two paths left and right like a 人 character. It carved out two deep grooves in the valley, while the mountain towered over the middle.
Zu An looked up and saw all kinds of buildings above that ‘altar’ of a mountain. When he looked closely, he saw assorted towers, walls, and other defensive structures, too. From time to time, people in Devil Sect attire roamed around. This was clearly the legendary Devil Sect General Headquarters: The Lake of Hatred!
Sure enough, the large ship stopped at a dock in front of the mountain. The guards vigilantly pointed various weapons at it.
In response, the disciples onboard ran over to talk to them. They handed over a token, and the other side clearly relaxed. Even so, they still rigidly sent people to investigate the ship. When they saw that nothing was wrong, they then permitted everyone to come ashore.
Zu An thought to himself that with the level of security they had here, it was indeed quite difficult for outsiders to infiltrate the Devil Sect.
Once they got off the boat, the disciples of the different sects led the newcomers to a spacious platform, then finally permitted them to remove their blindfolds. When they saw the world around them, all of the new recruits were amazed. At the same time, the excitement of reaching the general headquarters was clear on their faces.
Zu An followed the others along the road. He saw that the path was laid with bluestone, wide enough for three people to walk side by side. Both sides had steep inclines, with thistles and shrubbery growing everywhere. He keenly sensed that there were many dangers hidden in the trees. If one accidentally fell, it would surely bode ill.
There was a tall ballista tower every few hundred meters. The guards inside vigilantly monitored every single person who crossed. If even the slightest thing was off, they could immediately launch an attack. At the same time, they could ignite the beacon next to them or ring the gong to immediately activate all of this place’s defenses.
They made their way up the winding path and crossed several city gate checkpoints. All the structures were built on the mountain’s precipice through an ingenious use of topography. The headquarters really was an incredible undertaking to build!
Zhang Zitong couldn't help but say through ki, “With this level of defense, not even a court army of a hundred thousand would be able to take this city down!”
Zu An nodded. What she said was true. They had even gone through some small openings that only permitted a single person through at a time, and only by bending down a bit at that. There were ninety-degree cliffs all around them, too. If the main army came here, they wouldn’t be able to display their power at all. On the other hand, they would be very susceptible to all kinds of defensive strategies.
…
Just like that, they continued for a mile or so before the terrain finally became more level. Most of the buildings were here.
The direct disciples took their new recruits to their own territories. Even though Zu An didn’t know where to go, he didn’t panic. With a small trick, he had the Yin Yang Path’s disciples take the lead and managed to find 'his' place.
Once the door was closed, Zhang Zitong immediately jumped away from him and looked out the window. She was amazed and excited, exclaiming, “Sir, we actually succeeded!”
The court had long investigated the whereabouts of the Lake of Hatred, but they’d never managed to succeed.
Zu An’s expression remained calm. He examined his surroundings to get used to Fang Biao’s living arrangements. Then, he began to think about how to look for Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei. He had been looking around on the way up, and more or less deduced the Heavenly Devil School’s location.
Suddenly, he thought of something. He took Zhang Zitong into his arms again. Zhang Zitong was stunned, but she didn’t suspect that he was taking advantage of her. She immediately realized that someone was coming.
Sure enough, there was a teasing laugh from outside, and a voice remarked, “I heard that my trash little brother caught and brought back a silver token envoy?"
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