This time, I was completely determined to help the skinny monkey, not only to find Fang Huixin and the others, but more importantly, to atone for my past mistakes. Among the four people present, only Xu Yi didn't understand why Zhang Dabiao suddenly agreed to help the skinny monkey.
Seeing that we agreed to help the skinny monkey find the City God Seal, Xu Yi's face showed gratitude. He kept saying we focused on the bigger picture and also stated that he would offer us considerable compensation once Fang Huixin was rescued.
I pursed my lips and said nothing, thinking to myself that if I believed him, I would starve to death. As for Fang Huixin paying money, it was simply wishful thinking.
Turning my gaze to the skinny monkey, I casually asked, "What kind of barrier was set up here?"
Upon hearing this, the skinny monkey slowly shook his head and said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You're the City God, how could you not know what happened in your territory?"
I looked at the City God in surprise. A City God who governed eight hundred li of Qingfeng Mountain actually didn't know what was happening in his own domain. This was simply ridiculous, no wonder he couldn't even protect the City God Seal.
However, I didn't voice these thoughts, as our lives were still in his hands. I only revealed my suspicion on my face.
"I really don't know who he is. I only know he is the owner of the True Dragon Tomb. As for why he sealed the City God Seal, I'm also unclear."
True Dragon Tomb?
Could it be the Fifth Prince?
But the Fifth Prince had no reason to seal the City God Seal. As the true master of eight hundred li of Qingfeng Mountain, having a City God in charge was more beneficial than detrimental to him. Only with a City God present would no minor figures dare to cause trouble in Qingfeng Mountain.
"When was this City God Mansion unsealed?"
"Ten years ago."
"Why ten years ago again?"
Why did it feel like all the events revolved around ten years ago? Fifth Princess asked me to fulfill a ten-year pact, my father also fell into a coma ten years ago and has not woken up since.
What happened ten years ago?
"What's the problem with ten years ago?" Seeing my thoughtful expression, the skinny monkey asked again.
I shook my head and said nothing, because I didn't want him to know my relationship with Fifth Princess, nor did I want him to know about the Half Yin Realm. The existence of the Half Yin Realm had already affected the balance between the Yin and Yang realms. If he found out, it might lead to unforeseen complications.
"It's nothing. Ten years ago, my father came to Molu Village at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain on business. For some reason, he has been in a coma ever since. Do you know about this?"
The skinny monkey's face paled slightly, then quickly returned to normal.
"Although I am the City God, I don't know everything, especially when it comes to the affairs of living people. Let's not waste any more time, or it will be dawn in a few hours, and you won't be able to leave."
Facing the skinny monkey's urging, I asked one last question.
"One last question, did you lure them here, just to get us to help you retrieve the City God Seal?"
"No."
The skinny monkey answered firmly, "The City God City you see is not real. This is just an illusion. If you want to see the real City God City, I can let you see it once."
Without waiting for our consent, a chilling aura erupted from the skinny monkey's body. As this white airflow surged, the surrounding scenery began to subtly change.
First, the dilapidated City God Mansion behind us, covered by the white mist, gradually revealed a hint of green light. Half-withered trees also emerged. As the white mist spread wider, the noisy evil spirits in the distance gradually disappeared, turning into chattering mountain demons.
Chirp—
A sound of mountain demons reached our ears. The guards at the city gate, eroded by the white mist, revealed their true forms – they were mountain demons. They wore tattered armor like humans, their eyes fierce as they charged from the city gate.
"I feared you before, but why should I fear you now?"
With a wave of his hand, the skinny monkey unleashed a wave of white light. Instantly, four mountain demons were frozen into ice sculptures and then shattered into ice shards.
"You guys hurry and get the City God Seal. I'll deal with these gatekeeping mountain demons. The Mountain God will be here soon, and I won't be able to hold him back without the City God Seal."
I nodded and replied, "We'll go in and get the City God Seal now."
The dilapidated City God Mansion had now become a dark, gaping hole, from which a chilling aura wafted out.
Leaping over the blue barrier, I only felt a slight resistance, unlike the skinny monkey who encountered blue arcs of electricity.
"Let's go."
Not long after entering the cave, we saw Old Zhou lying limply on the ground, his body stiff. His hands were outstretched as if trying to grab something. When we turned him over, his eyes were wide open, his face contorted.
"He was scared to death. He still wanted to leave here before he died," Zhang Dabiao said softly, closing Old Zhou's eyes.
"Let's hurry inside. Perhaps Fang Huixin is still alive." Xu Yi directly leaped past Zhang Dabiao, dragging the paper tiger and rushing inside, unstoppable.
"Let's not worry about him for now. We need to follow quickly."
"Okay."
After walking about a hundred meters forward, the cave turned a corner, and Xu Yi stopped in front of a door, searching for a mechanism to open it.
The door was a dark black, carved with two strange beasts. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be the sixth son of the dragon, Jiaotu, with its eyes inlaid with two green emeralds, emitting an eerie green light under the flashlight.
Seeing us catch up, Xu Yi hurriedly said, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and help me find the mechanism to open the door."
Neither Zhang Dabiao nor I made a move, because I realized we had been tricked by the skinny monkey. This was clearly a tomb, and with the door tightly shut, how could there be a City God Seal inside?
"Xu Yi, stop messing around, we've been tricked."
Xu Yi was stunned for a moment. As a descendant of the paper-making lineage, his reaction speed was naturally not slow, but it was only because he was too worried about Fang Huixin's safety that his mind became muddled.
"Are you saying the skinny monkey is a fake City God, and he just wanted to trick us into opening this door?"
As soon as his words fell, footsteps echoed from within the cave, followed by several pairs of green eyes appearing before us. Turning around, we saw the guards who had been frozen to death by the skinny monkey earlier.
"So you're all in this together?"
In response to our questioning, the guards said nothing but made way for someone beside them.
Clap clap—
"Ah, it really took a lot of effort to get you to open the path to this True Dragon Tomb. It's not in vain to have used so many tricks to get you to find this cave entrance."
As the voice faded, a figure that should not have appeared before us, causing me and Zhang Dabiao to open our mouths in astonishment, unable to recover for a long time.
"You... you're not dead?"
"Hahaha..."