Fairy, help me cultivate.

"Your strength shouldn't be that high; these cultivators aren't at a high level."

As Chen Yao spoke, he took out a pile of healing pills from his storage ring and handed them to Jiang Bailin.

Jiang Bailin took it, gulped it down, and said as he chewed, "Your cultivation level shouldn't be this high!"

After hearing her doubtful and angry words, Chen Yao realized that his strength had recovered to the Golden Core Realm without him knowing when.

"My story is a long one, but let's deal with the immediate issue first."

Jiang Bailin glanced at him and gave a soft hum: "That's true. This city lord's mansion is strange; something is restricting my strength. I feel better now, how about you?"

Chen Yao felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

He discovered that the spiritual energy in his meridians had suddenly dried up.

Chapter 146 Suspicious Traces of Nine Falls

"How is this going?"

"You felt it too?"

Jiang Bailin shook his head as he spoke: "When we were being besieged just now, I felt my spiritual energy being consumed very quickly, but now I feel much better."

Chen Yao thought for a moment, recalling the feeling of being targeted when he first entered the City Lord's Mansion: "Perhaps the City Lord's Mansion has a magical artifact like the Listening Eye! However, based on our experience, it can probably only affect one person at a time."

"Ah."

Jiang Bailin nodded and instinctively walked in front of Chen Yao to protect him.

Chen Yao wasn't actually that worried. Not only had he recovered his Golden Core cultivation and was replenishing his spiritual energy extremely quickly, but the Three Purple Fire-Swallowing Python had also advanced to the Golden Core stage and awakened. Furthermore, the large number of pills in his storage ring meant that he could easily keep up with the demand even while fighting.

The two descended into the deep, winding tunnel, with only the echoing sound of their footsteps in their ears.

Just as they were so engrossed in their journey that they lost track of time, an iron mesh gate suddenly appeared at the edge of their field of vision.

"This is it!"

Jiang Bailin pulled out the silver hairpin and was about to rush forward, but Chen Yao grabbed her delicate wrist.

"what happened?"

As soon as she spoke, she understood what Chen Yao meant.

Perhaps this is another trap.

"Isn't that strange? Ever since we beat back the siege, no one has come after us. In an enemy lair, that doesn't make sense."

Chen Yao glanced back at the dark, winding staircase, the path he had come from utterly desolate.

Jiang Bailin nodded: "You're right, we should test the waters first. I'm wearing armor, you stand behind me."

Chen Yao did as he was told.

Jiang Bailin raised the silver hairpin in his hand and carefully looked at the ordinary-looking iron mesh door.

Reminded by Chen Yao, and recalling the scene of being fiercely attacked just now, she also became nervous.

She took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes flashed, and the silver hairpin streaked across the dimly lit space with an extremely bright light.

"nail!"

"Squeak-yah-"

Iron chips flew all over the iron mesh door, and after a huge hole was knocked out, it slowly opened.

After that, there were no more unusual sounds.

The silver hairpin flew back into Jiang Bailin's hand. She and Chen Yao exchanged a glance, their surprise mixed with wariness.

If the Golden Dragon Ancestor is truly imprisoned here, it would be unusual for him to be completely undefended.

"No matter what, we have to go in and take a look."

With a flick of Chen Yao's sleeve, the tiny, three-purple fire-swallowing python slithered and slipped into the net gate.

"how?"

Jiang Bailin waited quietly for Chen Yao's instructions.

"Nothing's wrong. My little snake is already at the Golden Core stage. Unless there are hidden enemies at the late Golden Core stage or above inside, it won't fail to sense them."

"That's weird."

"You'll know once you go in and take a look."

Chen Yao stepped into the net gate, followed by Jiang Bailin.

Behind the net gate was a spacious hall, and there was really nothing else.

There were no decorations, no furnishings, no ambushes, and not even a single person.

At this moment, to avoid being caught in a trap, Chen Yao had already driven the three purple fire-swallowing pythons back up the stairs.

"I clearly found out that our ancestor is being imprisoned here!"

Jiang Bailin was clearly at a loss.

Chen Yao gently patted her shoulder to comfort her: "Is it possible that they are lying to you? Because I received information that we have been exposed, and their goal tonight is to ambush and kill you."

Jiang Bailin suddenly turned around and gave him a deep look: "So that's why you risked your life to save me?"

Chen Yao looked away and shrugged.

Jiang Bailin glanced at him sideways, then pondered, "It's true that we're under attack, but my sources of information aren't reliable either. I need to find out if there are any hidden doors in this place."

She set out to touch the protrusions that looked like mechanisms.

Just as Jiang Bailin accidentally touched a crack in a pillar, Chen Yao's immortal energy suddenly stopped.

He sensed a faint aura of immortal energy emanating from the crack in the pillar, arousing a subtle sensation. If he hadn't possessed immortal energy within himself and focused his attention on that spot, he wouldn't have been able to sense it at all.

So he went over and channeled his divine sense into it.

The feeling he had for Jiu Luo inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

“There are traces of Jiu Luo here!”

As he spoke, Chen Yao gathered his spiritual energy in his eyes and looked around.

They discovered that this spacious hall was covered with similar cracks.

"Here, Jiu Luo is engaged in a fierce battle with someone."

Jiang Bailin followed him and looked around: "It seems that Jiu Luo has been defeated."

Chen Yao still held a sliver of hope, but shook her head: "Not necessarily."

He walked out of the hall quickly, returned to the dark steps, glanced around, and his shoulders slumped.

It seems Jiang Bailin's guess was correct; the crack in the hall stopped abruptly near the iron gate.

The fierce battle was confined to indoors.

The enemy's realm must not be low if it can provoke an immortal like Jiuluo Nuzu to launch a battle of such a scale. Therefore, Jiuluo is unlikely to be able to deal with the enemy easily, and it is unlikely that he can walk out of this iron gate easily.

Apart from a few minor cracks, there was no major damage inside the hall.

She is more likely to be defeated, and more likely to be captured.

This is an incredibly incredible idea.

Pang Xi is just a Golden Core cultivator who has fallen from his cultivation level. How could he possibly capture Jiu Luo?

Moreover, Jiu Luo is full of clever schemes...

Chen Yao's heart sank when he thought of the possibility that the Golden Dragon Ancestor might also have been captured.

Unless, there is another master in this Jinchang City who can defeat the prisoners captured by the Nine Fallen Generals!

Thinking of this, he felt a chill run down his spine and turned to look at Jiang Bailin, who was also looking at him.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and they both sensed the surprise and fear in each other's eyes.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's get out of here first and then figure out a way to find the Golden Dragon Ancestor and Jiu Luo."

Chen Yao grabbed Jiang Bailin's hand and flew back the way they came on their sword.

Jiang Bailin glanced back at the hall and sighed.

The sigh echoed throughout the long, winding road.

That wasn't an echo, but a low hum from the clatter of bricks against bricks.

Jiang Bailin instinctively stood in front of Chen Yao to protect him, and Chen Yao also summoned the little snake back to his side.

The walls surrounding the two now presented a jagged surface of bricks, which flowed rapidly, receding to the sides and creating more space.

Above, the clouds dispersed, the rain stopped, and the sky, just beginning to brighten, was revealed.

The alarm bell in the main building of the city lord's mansion rang out loudly.

A figure in a black brocade robe, whose face was obscured, floated in the air and made a loud sound that resounded throughout Jinchang City.

"Go to the square in front of the government building to witness the execution!"

The figure quickly disappeared without a trace, but both Chen Yao and Jiang Bailin felt that the person glanced down at them before disappearing.

That look in his eyes was like a cold, damp snake crawling across his skin.

Three small purple snakes slid into Chen Yao's wrist, leaving a warm sensation that countered the chilling feeling in the man's eyes.

Who is that?

Jiang Bailin couldn't see clearly either, but tried to guess: "Pang Xi?"

"How could someone who is also a Golden Core cultivator exert such a heavy sense of pressure on us?"

Jiang Bailin looked at the walls that had closed again: "There was no more attack. Opening the walls and roof seems like a deliberate show of force."

As she spoke, she thought of a possibility.

"Judging from the execution, could it be the Golden Dragon Ancestor?!"

The two exclaimed in surprise, and their swords soared into the sky, just as the tower was closing in.