My uncle’s state of mind was incredibly clear.
Perhaps, he had long foreseen this situation unfolding.
Daoist Priest Qingshi, standing beside him, furrowed his brow again and said,
“Hu Xiao, are you really going? It’s too dangerous!”
My uncle turned his head to look at him.
“What else can we do?
We’ll just bring back the remaining people and the gathered intelligence.
Let the Dao Alliance make their plans accordingly.”
With that, he addressed Yun Xia and Old Mo beside him.
“Yun Xia, Xiao Mo, let’s go!”
My uncle tilted his head and walked towards me.
Old Mo followed without a word, and Aunt Yun Xia nodded, also following.
Soon, our four-person team was assembled.
“Xiao Qin, don’t feel any burden. We have a chance.”
Aunt Yun Xia stepped forward.
I nodded.
“I understand, Aunt Yun Xia.”
Old Mo smiled slightly when he saw me.
Whether it was genuine bravado or an attempt to boost morale,
he swung his twin axes.
“Don’t worry, fate will make its choice!
That damn curse, we’ll definitely overcome it.”
Hearing Old Mo’s words, I nodded even more firmly.
“Thank you, Old Mo. Thank you, Uncle, Aunt Yun Xia.”
I was deeply grateful.
To be willing to step forward at such a critical juncture, in the face of such peril, truly touched me.
At this moment, the last vestiges of my fear vanished.
Someone like me, who should have died long ago, what was there to fear?
Now, with Uncle, Aunt Yun Xia, and Old Mo aiding me,
if I were to cower and lose heart, there would truly be no hope, and their good intentions would be wasted.
Not far away, the other fellow Daoists had already started discussing.
“They’ve gone mad, why must they go down there?”
“Exactly, why should we people bother venturing into the Demon Palace!”
“I don’t know what they’re thinking!”
“Forget it, let’s leave in a bit!”
“…”
Daoist Priest Qingshi sighed and prepared to gather everyone and the demon soul of the weasel demon, turning to leave.
The weasel demon was unwilling, but bound by the spell, it could only reluctantly comply.
But at this moment, Xia Qiu Xi, who had been standing with the crowd, after much deliberation,
suddenly spoke.
“Master, Uncle Tang, I… I’ll go with you!”
Saying that, she also grabbed her travel bag and ran over.
“Junior Sister, what are you doing?”
“Junior Sister, it’s very dangerous.”
Xu Han Chi and Luo Fei exclaimed in surprise.
They wanted to stop her, but it was too late.
Aunt Yun Xia, however,’s expression turned stern.
“Go back. This isn’t a training mission, don’t come and cause trouble.”
Xia Qiu Xi and Aunt Yun Xia both knew about my life curse.
The reason this trip was unavoidable…
The reason Aunt Yun Xia helped me might have been out of respect for my master.
That was why she intervened.
However, she also understood the dangers of the Demon Palace below.
She didn’t want her disciple, Xia Qiu Xi, to risk her life along with them.
This journey was almost certainly a one-way trip.
Therefore, this was why she had come along but refused to let Xia Qiu Xi join.
But Xia Qiu Xi didn’t listen.
“Master, you raised me yourself.
Although this journey is dangerous, I want to go with you.
Besides, Qin Ze and I are friends, and I’m willing to lend a hand.
I don’t want to see him die…”
As she spoke, Xia Qiu Xi had already reached us.
Honestly, my relationship with Xia Qiu Xi wasn’t as close as it might seem, but it wasn’t bad either.
Seeing Xia Qiu Xi willing to step forward at this moment, I felt a small sense of gratitude.
Perhaps, I wasn’t the main reason…
“Qiu Xi, this journey is fraught with peril. Have you thought it through?”
Aunt Yun Xia asked with a frown.
Xia Qiu Xi, however, nodded firmly.
“I’ve thought about it, Master. I want to be with you.
Even if it’s a dragon’s lair or hell itself.
Besides, Qin Ze is also my friend.”
Aunt Yun Xia took a deep breath and finally said,
“Fine, fine, if you’re coming, then come!”
My uncle chuckled a few times.
“It seems the disciples we’ve taken are all good.
Since we’re going together, let’s go together!”
After my uncle finished speaking, he turned and walked away.
I looked at Xia Qiu Xi and said “Thank you” again.
Xia Qiu Xi didn’t reply, but gave a slightly apologetic smile.
Thus, the five of us, under the astonished gazes of Daoist Priest Qingshi and the others, departed…
Leaving the rest of them staring at us, dumbfounded.
They seemed to think we were all crazy, irrational, and heading for certain death.
And we were already entering the woods.
The Demon Palace was situated by a river, at the foot of the mountain.
It was still quite a distance away.
As we descended the mountain, my uncle laid out the plan.
“Alright, the number is set.
It’s just the five of us.
Our objective this time should be clear to everyone.
Obtain the soul stone and help Xiao Qin break the ten-life curse.
Everyone should know the general situation on the other side.
The power disparity is immense.
We can only use strategy, not brute force…”
My uncle spoke, occasionally taking a drink of wine.
But his logic and thought process were extremely clear.
A direct confrontation? Even with five times the current number, we likely wouldn’t be able to break through.
My uncle said he had observed the Demon Palace’s layout earlier.
The Demon Palace was likely the ruins of an abandoned old city, surrounded by walls.
There were evil spirits and demon souls both inside and outside, and even demon cultivators guarding it.
If we wanted to break in, we could only infiltrate from the western side, the mountainous area of the old city ruins.
At the same time, we would have to avoid the heavy guard of ghosts, zombies, and evil beings to get close to the Corpse-Ghost Embryo within the city.
Only after getting close would we have a chance to steal the soul stone.
And to accomplish all this, we not only needed to be cautious.
Most importantly, we needed to disguise ourselves.
Disguise the five of us as evil beings.
If the demons within the Demon Palace could not distinguish us, that would be our only chance…