Open Sesame

"Then aren't we receiving a blessing in disguise?"

Lu Sha said happily. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she grew angry:

"Your Qi Peak master is truly too much. I already said Senior Brother Zhao Xiaoban's death had nothing to do with me, yet your master still refused to believe me and even attacked us."

Xiao Yi looked at the beautiful woman sobbing, his heart aching.

"Sister Lu, do not be sad anymore. Justice resides in the heart. Why care about those who cannot distinguish right from wrong?"

"But... Senior Brother Zhao's death. I am also very sad."

Lu Sha wiped the corners of her eyes:

"Although his death had nothing to do with me, we were still fellow disciples for a time. Why won't they believe me?"

"Don't cry! I am here! I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Is that true, Brother Xiao?"

"Of course, my good sister."

Seeing the two of them embracing so passionately, Zhu Yao couldn't help but roll her eyes. From this conversation, she gathered that they had fallen in here due to the retaliation of the Qi Peak disciples. She had long known what a stallion Xiao Yi was, but she hadn't expected Lu Sha to be so cold-blooded.

Zhao Xiaoban had loved Lu Sha to the point of madness, even dying to save her. Instead of being grateful, she was now throwing herself into Xiao Yi's arms while claiming she had nothing to do with Zhao Xiaoban. Zhu Yao suspected her parents had forgotten to add a word to her name: Green Tea Bitch!

For a moment, she felt pity for Zhao Xiaoban. She only hoped that in his next life, he wouldn't encounter someone like her.

Zhu Yao had no interest in going out to greet them. She walked deeper into the palace. If she grouped up with them, they might stab her in the back at any moment, and they would probably say she deserved it!

Yu Yan had no objections to her decision. He was naturally a quiet person, except when dealing with his disciple. As for others, he had absolutely no interest.

Yu Yan used his divine sense to scan the area. The entire layout of the palace appeared in his mind, except for the central area, which seemed to be shielded by some sort of barrier. Even he couldn't see it clearly.

"In the deepest part of this hall, there seems to be something."

Zhu Yao turned her head in surprise to look at her master on her shoulder:

"Master! Did you use a probe robot?"

*What is a probe robot?*

"This place isn't very large. A sweep of divine sense is enough to know everything."

"..."

*And you call this not very large?*

Zhu Yao remained silent. Although her divine sense could cover several miles, all she could see right now were walls upon walls. How on earth did her master do it?

"Go right!"

Yu Yan reminded her. Zhu Yao turned into the right passage.

Zhu Yao turned into the right passage. She wondered if the location her master mentioned was where the "Wood Spirit" was. Although Xiao Yi possessed protagonist halo, didn't she have her master—a humanoid cheat code? Moreover, she had arrived before them. She would definitely seize the Wood Spirit first.

As she walked, she was stopped by a massive door. It was highly unusual, carved with the image of a bizarre ancient beast that seemed almost alive, constantly shifting on the surface. A faint white light emanated from the door. Although it was a door, it had no seams, let alone a handle... Damn! How was she supposed to open it?

"Master?"

Zhu Yao turned to her cheat code for help.

Yu Yan also raised an eyebrow at the strange door. He pointed at the beast carved on it and said:

"This door has an ancient beast sealed within it. I believe the owner of this palace sealed it to protect the items inside, intentionally using a formation to trap it here."

"Then how do we get inside?"

Zhu Yao was 100% certain the Wood Spirit was behind it.

"This formation is incredibly dense. It contains three thousand sub-formations."

Yu Yan frowned. "If you touch it carelessly, it will activate the beast, which will devour the intruder. Unless one knows the password or is the creator of the formation, this door cannot be opened."

"So there's no other way?"

"Unless you forcibly dismantle the formation. But this formation is highly complex; dismantling it is not something that can be done overnight."

He turned his head to look at Zhu Yao.

Hearing this, Zhu Yao sighed. She understood her master's meaning. She feared that by the time she dismantled the formation, Xiao Yi and Lu Sha would have already caught up. It seemed avoiding them was impossible. Damn that protagonist halo!

Since they had to wait for Xiao Yi anyway, Zhu Yao wasn't in a hurry. She sat in front of the door, carefully examining it.

The beast on the door was highly bizarre. It had a green face and sharp fangs, a body like a leopard, two very long horns on its head, talons like an eagle, and a supple tail like a snake. Strangely, it also had wings—not just one pair, but three pairs. One pair looked like bird wings, another like bat wings. Its massive body occupied more than half the door, making its movements within the door look incredibly comical.

Zhu Yao stared at the door for three hours. Her master, who was intently studying the formation, suddenly turned his head toward the end of the corridor and said:

"They're here."

Footsteps could be heard from afar. The pig-like teammates were leisurely approaching.

"Oh, long time no see!"

Zhu Yao, who was sitting on the ground with her head in her hand, spoke up to greet them.

The moment Yu Yan sensed them entering, he slipped back into the necklace.

Xiao Yi and Lu Sha froze upon hearing a voice. Their faces displayed a spectacular array of expressions—awkwardness, shock, and a hint of suppressed resentment.

"Why are you here?"

Lu Sha hesitated before speaking, her smile somewhat strained.

"Well, look who it is!"

Zhu Yao smiled, waving at them with utmost sincerity. "When I was chased by that demonic beast earlier, I knew you guys would definitely come looking for me. And look, here we are."

Xiao Yi and Lu Sha's expressions grew even more awkward. Zhu Yao was clearly mocking them. Zhao Xiaoban had died for Lu Sha, yet they hadn't cared at all. There was no way they would have come to save her. They were probably calling her stupid in their hearts.

"It's good that you're fine."

Xiao Yi truly lived up to his protagonist status, quickly recovering his composure. He scanned Zhu Yao from head to toe, noting she was completely clean and uninjured. Recalling how he and Lu Sha had encountered countless traps and formations along the way, leaving them in a wretched state, he couldn't help but feel suspicious of her pristine condition.

"Sect Niece Bun. How did you escape?"

*Bun your sister!*

Zhu Yao was infuriated, but she held it in. She began spinning a half-truth: "I don't know how I escaped either. I was chased into a cave by that beast, and then I think I stepped on a teleportation formation. When I woke up, I was already outside this palace. The terrain here is highly complex, and I've been trapped here for over ten days, unable to find a way out."

So she had been here for over ten days. No wonder she didn't look disheveled. Thinking this, Xiao Yi relaxed.

"Sect Niece Bun, do you know what is behind this door?"

Xiao Yi also noticed the bizarre door and asked.

Zhu Yao shook her head: "I don't know either. But this door has too many formations; it won't be easy to open."

"What a strange door."

Lu Sha also noticed the door. She raised her hand and stepped forward to touch it.

"Don't touch it!"

Zhu Yao shouted to stop her, but it was too late. Lu Sha had already touched the door.

Instantly, the entire palace began to shake, as if some mechanism had been triggered. The door emitted an even more blinding light, and the beast on it began to writhe violently, looking as if it was about to break out.

Zhu Yao wanted nothing more than to strangle Lu Sha on the spot. She glared fiercely at the culprit. *What a pig-like teammate!*

Knowing she was in the wrong, Lu Sha meekly hid behind Xiao Yi, looking aggrieved as if she were the victim.

*What a supreme green tea bitch!*

Placing blame now was a waste of energy. Zhu Yao braced herself, holding her breath as she waited for what was to come. *Please, let it not activate the beast!*

A moment later, the shaking stopped.

The light on the door faded. When nothing happened, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, the beast on the door poked its head out, as if emerging from within. It opened its bloody maw and let out a roar.

Its cry was incredibly sharp—more of a shriek, really. It acted as a sonic weapon, piercing their ears and leaving them dizzy.

Its eyes, large as bronze bells, swept over the three of them before locking onto Zhu Yao, who was closest:

"Password?"

Zhu Yao was dumbfounded. *Password? What password? How should I know! And I wasn't even the one who knocked, why are you asking me?*

Seeing her silence, the beast leaned closer, slowly opening its mouth. Instantly, a foul stench assaulted Zhu Yao's nose. Seeing it about to bite her, she panicked.

*Password, password... could it be...*

"Open Sesame!"

Zhu Yao shouted.

*As if that would work!*

The beast froze, then glared at her fiercely. In the next instant, its mouth snapped shut, and it pulled its head back into the door. With a loud "Boom!", the massive door slowly creaked open.

*Holy crap! It actually worked?!*

*Is this beast's name Alibaba?*

Before Zhu Yao could recover from her shock, a powerful gust of wind erupted from inside, sucking everyone toward the doorway. Zhu Yao, Xiao Yi, and Lu Sha were all swept inside by the gale before they could react.

Instantly, her vision plunged into darkness, as if she were falling into a bottomless abyss.

A massive pressure assaulted her. Zhu Yao felt her chest tightening and her dantian cracking. This immense pressure was completely irresistible, causing her agonizing pain. Even her consciousness began to waver.

"Focus your mind, protect your dantian."

A cold voice echoed in her mind. Instantly, the pressure on her body eased, gradually subsiding.

*Master...*

Zhu Yao immediately channeled her spiritual energy to guard her dantian, keeping her consciousness clear. Only after a moment did she breathe a sigh of relief.

At this moment, they were lying on a barren wasteland under a dim light. Xiao Yi and Lu Sha lay nearby; she guessed they had been knocked unconscious by the pressure.

Suddenly, an old, raspy voice echoed.

"This old man has waited for so many years. Finally, a destined person has arrived."

She turned her head and saw a ghostly white figure floating ahead. It was an old man with hair and a beard as white as snow. His face was almost entirely covered by his beard, making his features hard to discern. She could only see his eyes crinkled into lines, as if he were highly pleased.