Chapter 205 - 13: Discovering a Secret Room, Setting it Ablaze

Chapter 205: Chapter 13: Discovering a Secret Room, Setting it Ablaze

"Someone’s clearly discovered our secret and is trying to smoke us out!" The mind of the man in the green robe raced, and he instantly understood the situation.

"Damn it! Who could it be?!" Abbot Liao Chen was both shocked and furious.

"We’ve always acted in secret. How could we have been exposed?"

"Could it be those people from the Demon Slayer Department from earlier today? Did they find a clue but pretended not to, only to come back and set a fire tonight?"

"Impossible!" the man in the green robe flatly denied.

"If that bunch of idiots from the Demon Slayer Department were that smart, I’d have died a hundred times over by now."

"Besides, if it were them, they would’ve come with blades, not fire."

He narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flickering within them.

"It’s someone else!"

"A master, hidden in the shadows, who has seen through our plan!"

At this thought, a strong sense of unease washed over him.

’Someone who could sneak into the temple undetected, figure out everything about us, and still dare to provoke us like this... their power must be extraordinary.’

"Senior Brother, what do we do now?" Abbot Liao Chen was starting to panic.

"The men from the Demon Slayer Department will be here soon. If they trap us in this secret chamber, we’ll be sitting ducks!"

A flicker of conflict and resentment crossed the face of the man in the green robe.

He glanced at the nearly-complete Ghost Bride in the secret chamber, then at the approaching torchlight outside. His heart bled.

Just one last step!

Just a few more hours!

’Was his perfect masterpiece, planned for years and forged with countless painstaking efforts, going to end in failure just shy of completion?’

No!

He refused to accept it!

A crazed, resolute light flashed in the eyes of the man in the green robe. "Since we can’t wait until midnight, we’ll act now!"

"The timing is wrong, which will affect Ling’Er’s quality and might even damage her foundation, but it’s better than getting nothing at all!"

"Junior Brother, guard me!"

He shouted and spun around, rushing back into the secret chamber.

"Senior Brother, this... this is too risky!" Abbot Liao Chen tried to stop him.

’Forcing the ritual ahead of schedule could cause a backlash, or even ruin the Puppet completely.’

"There’s no time!" the man in the green robe roared.

"Either we risk it all now, or we watch all our hard work go up in flames and turn to ash!"

"You choose!"

Abbot Liao Chen looked at his Senior Brother’s bloodshot eyes, gritted his teeth, and finally nodded.

"Fine, I will guard you, Senior Brother!"

Without further hesitation, the two sprang into action inside the secret chamber.

The man in the green robe approached the altar, his hands rapidly forming a series of complex and bizarre Dharma Seals.

He muttered under his breath, chanting an ancient and wicked Spell.

With his Casting, the entire Array within the secret chamber activated.

One by one, the Runes on the walls lit up, emitting a faint, blood-red glow.

A vast and sinister Energy began to converge within the chamber.

Miss Zhang, who was tied to a pillar, seemed to be stimulated by something and began to convulse violently.

An expression of immense pain appeared on her face.

Visible wisps of a shimmering white aura were being forcefully torn from her eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.

That was her very Soul!

"AHHH—!"

Miss Zhang suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream, a sound filled with utter despair.

On the other side, Abbot Liao Chen took out a dozen or so black Array Flags and planted them in the corners of the secret chamber.

He sat cross-legged, put his palms together, and also began to radiate a powerful aura.

His task was to stabilize the entire secret chamber, preventing the ritual from being disturbed by any external commotion.

Outside the secret chamber, Cong Bo had already arrived at the scene of the fire with a large group of men.

"Quick! Put out the fire!"

He looked at the blazing temple before him, his face a mask of shock and anxiety.

"Sir, the fire is too big! We can’t get it under control!" a Chief Constable reported, running over while drenched in sweat.

Cong Bo’s face was grim. He knew the fire was big, but he was more concerned with something else. ’How could a perfectly fine temple suddenly burst into such a huge fire?’

Just as Cong Bo was reeling in shock and suspicion, Chen Ye suddenly appeared behind him.

"Stop looking around. They’re all underground. Follow me, quickly," he said, turning and walking away.

Cong Bo was startled, but he knew the situation was urgent. Without asking any questions, he immediately led his men to follow Chen Ye to the rear hall.

The fire in the rear hall was comparatively smaller, but the entrance was still blocked by the flames.

"There’s a secret chamber below. They’re most likely down there," Chen Ye said, pointing at the floor of the rear hall.

As he spoke, Chen Ye was already feeling for and activating the switch for the secret passage.

Despite the raging inferno outside, the moment the secret passage appeared, a wave of sinister, cold air rushed out, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

"Attaboy, I knew I could count on you."

Overjoyed, Cong Bo took the lead, charging in first with his heavy Ghost Head Saber in hand.

Chen Ye and the other Demon-slaying Captains followed close behind.

Meanwhile, in the secret chamber below, the man in the green robe’s Casting had reached its most critical moment.

Most of Miss Zhang’s Soul had already been extracted, forming a shimmering white orb of light that hovered in mid-air.

And the aura of the Ghost Bride on the altar was growing stronger and more bizarre.

Its head, covered by a red veil, even began to sway slightly, as if it could open its eyes at any moment.

’Almost... just a little longer... ’

A feverish flush appeared on the face of the man in the green robe, his eyes filled with fanaticism.

He could feel an unprecedentedly powerful force feeding back into his own body through his connection with the Puppet.

’Once the ritual is complete, not only will I gain an Inner Realm Puppet, but my own Cultivation will also use this opportunity to break through!’

But just then.

A noise suddenly came from the entrance of the secret passage. Abbot Liao Chen, who was standing guard, saw his expression change as he snapped his eyes open.

"This is bad, Senior Brother! Someone’s broken in!"