A White Lie

Lin Ran’s voice was still echoing in the air when he stood up and prepared to set off.

Huo Qiyun, who had just taken a breath, hurriedly stopped him. “Don’t be anxious! I know what’s going on!”

When Lin Ran heard this, he stopped. Huo Qiyun took a few more breaths before saying, “It’s the people who came to steal the swords. On the way here just now, I saw two of them going towards your sword energy cage. It should be them who did it.”

“They?”

Lin Ran looked suspicious. His first reaction was disbelief.

In that group of people, Brother Hong’s cultivation was the highest. He was only at the ninth level of Martial Master. How could he break the sword energy cage Lin Ran had personally set up?

As soon as Lin Ran expressed his doubt, Huo Qiyun looked disdainful. “When will you stop being so cocky? What is this place? Mount Sword! Is it difficult for them to break your sword energy cage with a divine sword?”

“That makes sense…”

Lin Ran nodded. He ignored the sword energy cage and roughly explained the situation.

After Huo Qiyun heard this, he looked suspicious. “Are you sure you’ve searched everywhere?”

“Positive.”

Lin Ran nodded speechlessly. “There are only seven or eight rooms in this yard. I checked all of them.”

“Could there be a secret room?”

Huo Qiyun thought for a moment and guessed, “After all, Sister Empress’s ancestors seem to like building secret rooms.”

Lin Ran smacked his lips. He indeed didn’t think about the possibility that there could be a secret room, but this was not a problem. With a thought, his huge divine sense enveloped the building.

A moment later, Lin Ran opened his eyes and shook his head. “Still nothing.”

Although he said so, Lin Ran’s tone was a little uncertain because he remembered the secret room under the Hundred Fragrance Palace. At that time, that secret room was also undetectable.

However, on second thought, Lin Ran felt that it couldn’t be so complicated. Otherwise, the empress would definitely give him a hint.

The three of them squatted under the peach tree and stared at each other.

Time passed slowly. Seeing that the sky was turning bright, Lin Ran finally couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Let’s split up and search.”

Lin Ran stood up and said helplessly, “The Sacred Sword Hall must be in this place, but it might not be in the form of a building, so…”

historical

Lin Ran suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. Huo Qiyun couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “So what? Why don’t you finish?”

Lin Ran ignored Huo Qiyun and looked at the peach tree beside him with a strange expression.

When he stood up just now, he casually held the tree trunk. It was cold and hard to the touch, completely unlike the feeling a tree trunk should have.

“Could it be…”

Lin Ran suddenly had an idea and enveloped the peach tree with his divine sense, but there was nothing. In his divine sense, there was nothing here, not even this peach tree!

“I Found it!”

Lin Ran was overjoyed and quickly told the other two what he had discovered.

When Huo Qiyun heard this, he hurriedly released his divine sense. Then, his expression became strange. “This is too strange. There’s actually something in the world that can avoid the detection of divine senses?”

“Kid, you’ve never seen it before, right?”

Lin Ran patted Huo Qiyun’s shoulder and said matter-of-factly, “There are many things in this world that you haven’t seen!”

Huo Qiyun pushed Lin Ran’s hand away and said angrily, “Then tell me, how do we open this thing?”

Lin Ran fell silent.

Last time, Lin Ran opened the secret place of the Hundred Fragrance Palace because the empress had given him the key in advance, but this time, he was given no hint.

However, from another perspective, no hint might also be a hint. It meant that the empress thought that they had the ability to open this place, so she did not say much.

Following this train of thought, Lin Ran quickly had an idea. “We still have to find Wang Kailin.”

Huo Qiyun was puzzled. “Why? Aren’t you afraid that he will discover us?”

“We have to use his token.”

Lin Ran shook his head and explained, “His Majesty didn’t tell me how to open this place because she thinks I have the ability to do it as I’ve been a mountain guardian for six years.”

“But during this period of time, Daoist Li never mentioned the way to open this place, which means that the way doesn’t need to be taught. Instead, it’s something every mountain guardian needs—the Mountain Patrol Token.”

Huo Qiyun didn’t understand, but he felt that Lin Ran’s analysis made sense. “Then come back quickly! In any case, I’m not going. I can’t run anymore!”

“Alright, take good care of Xiao Huai. I’ll be back soon.”

Lin Ran nodded and instantly disappeared with a flash.

Almost at the same time, the fatigue on Huo Qiyun’s face was swept away. He pushed himself up and stared at Xiao Huai coldly. “Do you still remember what you promised me?”

Xiao Huai nodded. Huo Qiyun reached into his pocket. After searching for a moment, he took out the Mountain Patrol Token.”

Seeing the token, Xiao Huai’s lips curled into a smile. “You knew this token was needed to open the Sacred Sword Hall all along, but you didn’t mention a word on the way. Your acting skills are indeed not bad… But where did this thing come from? You’ve never been a mountain guardian, right?”

“He sent this to threaten the Dao Seeking Sect. Later, when I went to visit the Dao Seeking Sect, the sect master returned it to me.”

Huo Qiyun looked at the token in his hand and muttered softly, his eyes flickering as he pondered about something. “Later on, too many things happened, so I forgot to return it to its owner. I didn’t expect it to be used now.”

Xiao Huai nodded with a faint smile. Suddenly, she asked curiously, “But is this worth it?”

“It’s worth it.”

Huo Qiyun said without thinking, “Although I don’t like him, Sister Empress will only be safe with him by her side. So, just let me be the traitor who steals the Sacred Abyss Sword.”

The smile on Xiao Huai’s face became even more obvious, as if a pair of invisible hands were tugging at the corners of her mouth.

A strange light suddenly flickered in her big black eyes. “But you’re not my match. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll suddenly turn hostile and kill you after leaving this place?”

Huo Qiyun looked down at Xiao Huai and said with a relaxed smile, “I don’t know why Lin Ran hasn’t killed you yet, but if you dare to kill me, he will definitely avenge me.”

“Boring!”

The smile on Xiao Huai’s face disappeared. She waved her hand and said impatiently, “Hurry up and take out the Sacred Abyss Sword. If you dawdle any longer, he’ll be back!”

When Huo Qiyun heard this, he stopped smiling and turned to look deeply in the direction of the palace. His lips moved slightly as he said something. Then, he raised the token and pressed it heavily on the tree trunk!

Crack!

With a soft sound, the token was easily embedded into the trunk of the peach tree like a piece of red-hot iron falling into butter.

Immediately after that, a crack quickly expanded on the tree trunk, and a wisp of emperor’s sword intent slowly spread out from the crack…