Chapter 2799: Secret Tunnel

“Do you know about the Sacred Fire Token?” Zu An asked after some thought.

Isabella nodded. “The Sacred Fire Token is a sacred treasure of the Persian Ming Cult. It’s made from platinum mixed with xuan metal and diamond sand. It’s about 60 centimeters long, has a texture resembling jade, and is extremely hard. You’ll recognize it at a glance.

“Six Sacred Fire Tokens were crafted and passed down to the Central Plains Ming Cult back then. Such sacred treasures are wielded only by the cult leader, so you might have to work on Cult Leader Shi.”

Zu An said, “I don’t think Cult Leader Shi was carrying the Sacred Fire Token earlier. He must have placed it elsewhere.”

“It could be in his room, but I have no idea where it is.”

“It could also be in the secret tunnel. The Radiant Peak has a secret tunnel that only the cult leader can access. Anyone else who enters will be executed. It’s the perfect place to store the Sacred Fire Token.”

“Hm? Big brother Zu, how do you know about that?” Isabella was surprised. Not even the Persian Ming Cult knew about the Radiant Peak’s secret tunnel.

Zu An briefly shared why he was knowledgeable about this world with her.

Isabella widened her eyes in surprise. “Big brother Zu, you have such a profound connection with the Deity of Death’s trial. It looks like you’re the most likely candidate to clear the trial.”

“No matter what, I’ll find a way to save everyone.”

“I believe you can do it, big brother Zu.”

Zu An was surprised. He'd thought it would take him more effort to convince Isabella, but the latter believed him right away.

Isabella noticed his expression and smiled. “I've seen you pulling off the impossible many times in Dreamland. I trust you.”

In truth, Zu An wasn't very confident despite his declaration. This was a universal deity’s trial, after all. But looking at Isabella’s gleaming eyes, he suddenly felt a surge of courage.

The two of them continued chatting about what had happened to them respectively after they parted ways, before Zu An took his leave to scout the Radiant Peak.

By the time he returned, it was already nightfall. “Isabella, I found the entrance to the secret tunnel. Let’s investigate it together. We might find the manual for Great Cosmic Shift there.”

“Alright.” Isabella’s eyes lit up. She felt more at ease being with Zu An than staying in her room alone.

Firework and Tingxue had spent their lives in combat, but Isabella, being born into a powerful background, rarely had to fight. Her combat style revolved around her overpowered treasures, but that put her at a disadvantage in this trial world, where supernatural powers were banned.

Isabella wasn't weak compared to the majority of the martial artists, but it would be a stretch to consider her a top-notch expert. On their way to the secret tunnel, Zu An often had to carry her and employ his movement skills to avoid being discovered by guards along the way.

But Isabella enjoyed it. Her grandfather had built many amusement parks for her across the universes, but even those didn’t bring her this much joy.

The thrill of possibly being discovered at any moment and the security she felt from Zu An’s embrace felt overwhelming. If not for the inappropriate circumstances, she might have been shrieking by now.

The two of them soon arrived at the secret tunnel. There were no guards stationed here, as it was a forbidden area.

They pushed open the stone door and entered it. A winding path appeared before their eyes. They advanced carefully, but contrary to their expectations, it wasn't booby-trapped.

They traveled around a hundred meters before reaching the end. Isabella examined their surroundings and remarked in surprise, “We seem to have reached a dead end. It doesn’t look like there are any mechanisms installed here.”

Zu An probingly touched the wall before saying, “Please step aside for a moment.”

He channeled his inner energy into the wall and pushed it aside by twenty centimeters, revealing another passageway. Then, he said, “I’d have expected no less from the Ming Cult’s forbidden area. The other mechanisms in the tunnel are delicate, but this stone door has to be opened with brute force. No matter how smart an intruder is, unless their inner energy is strong enough, they won’t be able to enter.”

Isabella was awed. “I hadn’t expected these people from a lower world to be so cunning. We mustn’t let our guard down here.”

Zu An nodded in agreement. Knowing that universal deities could have tampered with this trial world, he'd never treated the people of this world as countryside bumpkins.

The two of them entered the passageway.

Isabella surveyed their surroundings as she remarked, “There are many forks here. It seems to be a labyrinth.”

“It’s a basic labyrinth,” Zu An replied. Having witnessed major formations in the Myriad Worlds, this labyrinth was indeed nothing in comparison. It didn’t take long for them to find the right path to advance deeper.

Soon, they arrived at a wide room. Its layout hinted that it was the cult leader’s private training room.

Zu An searched the room, but much to his disappointment, he didn’t find the Sacred Flame Token or Great Cosmic Shift manual.

Come to think of it, in ‘Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber’, one of the later cult leaders, Yang Dingtian, died in this secret chamber while carrying the Great Cosmic Shift manual. If I’m not mistaken, the manual is a piece of goatskin leather. I’m many years too early to be finding the manual here.

I bet Cult Leader Shi carries the manual on him everywhere he goes.

Zu An shared his deduction with Isabella. While the two of them were planning their next move, they suddenly heard voices and hurriedly darted into the neighboring stone chamber to hide.

Footsteps approached. There appeared to be two people.

“Cult leader, those Persians are definitely up to something. We should take this chance to deal with them once and for all!”

“That won’t do. They are from the headquarters, and they have come as representatives for the Mongols. The Mongols will retaliate against the killing of their envoys. Back then, Khwarazm was a considerable power in Central Asia, but they killed a Mongol envoy, and that provoked an all-out attack from Mongolia, resulting in their country’s downfall.”

Isabella and Zu An exchanged gazes. One of them had to be Cult Leader Shi, and the other had to be among the Ming Cult’s upper echelon, though his exact identity eluded them.

“Cult leader, the killing of the envoy was an excuse. The Mongols would have conquered Khwarazm regardless. The Persians are clearly here as scouts. If we allow them to return, the Mongols will have information about our location and geographical terrain. By the time the Mongolian army reaches our base, it’ll be too late for regrets!”

“Things have not come to that point yet. We’re so remotely located that it isn’t worthwhile for the Mongols to invade us. They sent a holy maiden here to serve as a hostage to ease our minds.”

“That holy maiden harbors ulterior motives. I sent someone to check her residence, and she isn’t there! Who knows where she has gone to wreak havoc!”

Hearing those words, Isabella stuck out her tongue. She was in quite a predicament.

“I need to think things through.” Cult Leader Shi sounded vexed.

“Cult leader, it’ll be too late if you continue hesitating!”

A sinister laugh suddenly echoed. “It’s already too late.”