CHAPTER 848: CHAPTER 824: THE BACK DOOR

One week.

An entire week.

Jiang Xiaoxiao and her team harvested countless S-level demon beasts at the palace gates.

The rest had nothing to do, so Jiang Xiaoxiao took them to exploit resources directly.

Of course, they couldn’t come here for nothing.

Jiang Xiaoxiao wasn’t just resource hunting; it was number nine who sensed that number ten’s aura was especially strong here.

Jiang Xiaoxiao came precisely for number ten.

Youli wasn’t by Jiang Xiaoxiao’s side, and Liu Jian’s team of six volunteered to act as bodyguards.

After leaving the palace, Jiang Xiaoxiao hadn’t gone far when she suddenly felt the ring on her finger was somewhat hot, and number nine was calling her desperately.

"Sister, sister, enter from here. I sense number ten’s aura very strongly."

The ring was flashing continuously.

"What’s happening?"

When Jiang Xiaoxiao rotated the ring towards the northwest of the palace, the flashing frequency increased rapidly.

"Could this place lead into the palace?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao’s expression changed.

"No matter, we don’t have any better ideas, and with so many demon beasts surrounding the main entrance, we can’t get in anyway. Let’s just try this first."

Jiang Xiaoxiao quickly shared her thoughts with Liu Jian and his team of six.

Since Jiang Xiaoxiao saved Liu Jian’s life, he almost obeys her every word.

The others had all benefited from the Dragon Crystal given by Jiang Xiaoxiao, and were all willing to take a chance, so they agreed to try.

The group headed in that direction, took multiple twists and turns, and eventually arrived at the back of the palace.

Unlike the collapsed and distressing main entrance, there’s only a small door at the back big enough for two people to pass at once, looking somewhat shabby.

The door was crooked, the plaque had fallen off, barely standing up, as if it might collapse at any moment.

"So, we’ve found a backdoor, but entering from the back, is it different from the front?"

The Monkey smirked in disappointment, but seeing Liu Jian glaring at him, he stuck out his tongue in embarrassment.

"I almost lost my breath when I went in earlier, there’s such a tide of demon beasts, all S-level inside, imagine how I felt; I’m considering for everyone. Otherwise, when we start running, it’ll be quite embarrassing."

"I think the back door is great. Maybe it’s our luck, all the demon beasts are at the front door, so now the back door naturally doesn’t have any. Imagine having free reign over the whole palace; isn’t that the perfect way in!"

Worried that Monkey’s words might upset Jiang Xiaoxiao, Liu Jian intentionally joked.

Livening up the atmosphere.

Jiang Xiaoxiao glanced at him with a smile, ignoring Monkey.

Pushing open the backdoor, a handful of dirt.

A creak sounded, and the backdoor opened slowly, revealing a backyard shrouded in white mist.

"Once inside, we’ll split up!"

Jiang Xiaoxiao looked at everyone and said.

"No."

Liu Jian answered swiftly; given Jiang Xiaoxiao’s safety was at stake in the palace, they couldn’t split up.

"Alright, if there’s danger, don’t worry about me, run fast; I have my ways to save myself."

Jiang Xiaoxiao signaled Liu Jian and the others to follow, stepping through the backdoor first.

"Monkey, keep up."

"Oh, coming!"

Monkey hurried to catch up, and Liu Jian glared at him and mouthed.

"Protect Doctor Jiang, or you’re in trouble!"

Monkey made a pleading gesture, and Liu Jian let him go, immediately following suit.

Entering the backdoor, the first sight was a backyard where plots of land were cultivated!

There were still many wheat seeds left in the fields, but they seemed to be dead, directly heartbreaking to witness.

Passing through the backyard were palaces that differed greatly from the ruins seen outside, shockingly resplendent.

They seemed out of place.

Jiang Xiaoxiao passed by these places without entering, walking quickly toward the east of the palace.

Number nine was chirping, guiding her directions.

She paid no attention to other things.

She cared about number ten.

Monkey, Liu Jian, and the others were restless, wanting to see what was inside the palace, but seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao not pausing, they quickly followed behind her.

After crossing layer upon layer of palace yards, Jiang Xiaoxiao and the team of seven arrived at the far east of the palace.

Unlike other palace buildings, the far east was a forest of stone tablets stretching as far as the eye could see.

Jiang Xiaoxiao and her team were quickly threading through it.

The tablet forest wasn’t dark, but there was always a sense of heat hitting their faces.

Each tablet was inlaid with many red pearls.

"Doctor Jiang, what’s this?"

"Red Flame Pearl!"

How did Jiang Xiaoxiao know?

There’s a well-informed number nine.

"Red Flame Pearl?! Doctor Jiang, this is ranked ninth Red Flame Pearl! Can we pry some off to take with us?"

Seeing these pearls, Monkey, Liu Jian, and the others couldn’t help but feel excited; anyone who didn’t want to pry off a few was a fool.

But seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao not stopping, they still sought her opinion.

Jiang Xiaoxiao turned back, "Go ahead! You stay here, but be careful. Something seems off, leave quickly."

Jiang Xiaoxiao didn’t have time to explain much.

Racing ahead, she quickly distanced herself from them, and Liu Jian thought, "You pry the pearls, I’ll follow Doctor Jiang, can’t let anything happen to Doctor Jiang."

Liu Jian tucked his thoughts away and hurried after Jiang Xiaoxiao.

The further inside they went, the more Liu Jian glanced at Jiang Xiaoxiao. Here, paths crisscrossed heavily, sometimes not stopping at forks, showing no worry about taking a wrong turn.

Until now, Jiang Xiaoxiao hasn’t looked sideways at the magnificent palaces as if blind to them, heading straight here. If nothing attracted her, he wouldn’t believe it.

The deeper they went, the more the atmosphere felt stiflingly hot.

Heat was steaming; Liu Jian felt a growing intolerance to the heat.

His boots felt the heat seep through.

Liu Jian wiped his sweaty face with his clothes, looking at the refreshed Jiang Xiaoxiao, sighing.

It seemed he couldn’t stand heat well.

Jiang Xiaoxiao reached out.

Liu Jian saw a pill.

"Take it, you’ll feel better!"

Liu Jian didn’t hesitate; anything from Doctor Jiang was surely good. She had Dragon Crystals; he doubted she wouldn’t have good stuff.

After taking it, he felt a soothing flow throughout his body, driving away the heat.

Liu Jian became increasingly cheerful, "Doctor Jiang, it’s truly amazing, I’m not hot at all now."

Before long, they saw the blaze at the end.

Stepping out of the tablet forest, Jiang Xiaoxiao and Liu Jian were stunned by the flames surging toward them: it was a massive volcano.

Blazing flames erupted from it.

A large sword was suspended over the volcano.

"There’s a sword there!"

Following Liu Jian’s voice, Jiang Xiaoxiao looked a few meters ahead to a towering volcano mouth, and a black sword hung crosswise at the mouth, repeatedly tempered and roasted by the flames.

Inscribed on the sword in flowing, golden letters were "God-slaying Sword".

At that moment, an unexpected attack occurred, two thin red beams darting toward them.

"Ah!"

The red beams struck too quickly and suddenly; Jiang Xiaoxiao and Liu Jian couldn’t dodge them.

"Boom"

The red beam hit Liu Jian; flames immediately engulfed him, sending him rolling on the ground to extinguish the fire.

On Jiang Xiaoxiao’s end, as the red beam approached, she instinctively spun sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Boom" As the red beam hit the ground, flames erupted within a few meters radius, prompting Jiang Xiaoxiao to retreat swiftly, escaping the burning zone.

Just then, unexpectedly, a mist swiftly coalesced overhead, forming clouds that quickly gathered into a curtain of water above Liu Jian, and countless droplets poured down, drenching him thoroughly, extinguishing the flames on him.