Great Li Martial God

Several dozen breaths later, all the wooden boats descended into the underground river beneath the cliff.

The sound of flowing water reached their ears. The iron chains that had originally locked the boats were struck by powerful gusts of wind, successively detaching from the wooden boats, then rapidly contracting and disappearing into the air above the underground river.

Before long, another sound of breaking air came. Jade tokens flew out from the darkness, falling accurately toward the wooden boats floating in the underground river.

Li Yuanling reached out and caught a jade token that was about to fall into the wooden boat.

She looked down to examine it and found the jade token bore the characters ”twenty-one,” along with many extremely fine boat patterns drawn on it. Among them, forty patterns were marked with fluorescent light.

This meant that their wooden boat was numbered twenty-one, and after perfectly passing the first challenge, they had obtained forty marks.

At this moment, Li Musheng looked up at the jade token and said, ”There are words on the back of the jade token. It should be the rules for the second challenge.”

Hearing this, Li Yuanling immediately flipped over the jade token in her hand. Her gaze swept over it quickly as she murmured softly, ”After entering the lake of dark currents, maintain the candle on the boat unextinguished. At the same time, you may seize jade tokens from other wooden boats. For each jade token obtained, one mark is added.”

”This challenge lasts for half an hour. If the candle is extinguished once, it can be relit within three breaths, but ten marks must be deducted. Finally, the top ten wooden boats with the most marks can enter the final challenge.”

...At the same time, the thirty wooden boats flowed along the underground river into the depths. Before long, they arrived at a dim underground lake.

The lake’s area was extremely large, connected in all directions to seven underground rivers.

From the end of each underground river, thirty wooden boats with lit candles likewise slowly entered, all converging into the underground lake before them.

For a moment, flat boats emitting dim yellow candlelight floated on the lake, like countless prayer lanterns drifting with the current.

”A total of two hundred and ten wooden boats. This scene is truly spectacular.”

Li Yuanling held the jade token and surveyed the extremely vast underground lake before her. Candlelight dotted all around, as if they were placed in a dark starry river in the heavens above.

To be honest, although she had learned from the young masters and ladies of various royal nobles in the imperial capital that this was the location of Shangyang City’s largest underground river.

But seeing the scene before her with her own eyes for the first time, she was still shocked.

Li Musheng similarly surveyed the surroundings. His face finally showed a trace of satisfaction as he nodded and said, ”This sworn sister isn’t too unreliable after all. Being able to see such scenery makes this trip worthwhile.”

Hearing this, Li Yuanling pursed her lips.

However, considering that she would need Li Musheng to keep the candle steady in what followed, she held back from retorting and instead said, ”According to the rules on the jade token, there will undoubtedly be a fierce battle next. Later, you just need to keep the candle from going out. Leave the matter of seizing jade tokens to this princess.”

Li Musheng didn’t speak. Stroking his chin, he looked at her and slowly nodded, ”Sworn sister, it seems you still want some gameplay experience.”

Hearing this, Li Yuanling’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She looked at Li Musheng suspiciously and asked, ”What gameplay experience? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Li Musheng waved his hand and said with a chuckle, ”Gameplay experience is your sense of participation in this challenge.”

”Of course, you don’t need to understand. After all, I’m not someone who doesn’t understand social graces. When you no longer need gameplay experience, I’ll be able to tell at a glance.”

Hearing this, Li Yuanling seemed to understand some of Li Musheng’s meaning, but also seemed not to understand.

However, she was currently full of energy and thinking about seizing more jade tokens. Therefore, she didn’t think deeply about it. Instead, she gripped the jade token tightly and vigilantly observed the nearby wooden boats.

She did this both to guard against sneak attacks from people on other wooden boats, and to secretly search for targets to attack, planning to first pick some soft persimmons to squeeze.

At the same time, in another corner area of the underground lake, on a wooden boat with a lit candle, a man and woman also sat facing each other.

The woman wore gorgeous palace dress and sat cross-legged on the soft stool of the wooden boat, her face covered with a light veil.

Through the half-concealing veil, her exquisite eyes and brows were faintly visible. Her eyes flowed with captivating brilliance, seeming both full of charm and tender affection, delicate and pitiful...

Sitting across from the woman was a dandy young master in brocade robes. He waved a folding fan painted with beautiful women in his hand and asked, ”As soon as the Saintess returned to Shangyang City, you dragged me to this place. Now that I’ve helped you successfully pass the first challenge perfectly, shouldn’t you tell me the reason?”

Hearing this, the woman’s eyes gazed at him with tender affection, but her voice was coldly harsh as she said, ”You call this helping me?”

”If you can’t even handle such a small matter, I think there’s no need to continue assessing you for the position of Holy Son.”

Upon hearing these words, Zhang He immediately showed an ingratiating smile, repeatedly waving his hands and saying, ”Saintess, don’t be angry. I was only joking. If you don’t let me be the Holy Son, how can I be honest with you in the future and cultivate the Six Desires Sacred Scripture together?”

Han Meiyan glanced at him. Her tone changed from icy to soft and charming as she said, ”Then you’d better listen to me well. You should know that there are quite a few people in the sect eyeing the position of Holy Son. You could be replaced at any time.”

Hearing this, Zhang He’s face suddenly showed an infatuated expression. He immediately nodded like a pecking chicken, ”I will certainly follow only the Saintess’s lead and be the most obedient loyal dog.”

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly shook his head vigorously. After realizing something, he quickly waved his hands, ”No, no, those words I just said don’t count. They weren’t from me.”

Han Meiyan’s eyes were indifferent. She glanced at Zhang He and slowly nodded, ”You’ve practiced this ’Undying Blood Sacred Technique’ quite well. After being hit by my ’Charming Gaze Smoke Movement,’ you can recover so quickly. You truly live up to my recognition of your special physique.”

Hearing this, Zhang He’s expression changed several times. He immediately cupped his hands, his expression appearing extremely sincere, ”Thanks to the Saintess’s discerning eye in discovering me from the vast sea of people. Otherwise, if I were still that dandy from before, I would have been buried long ago.”

Han Meiyan nodded lightly. However, the next moment, she asked, ”I heard from Song Shanyue that you once sought him out and had him go assassinate that Great Li prince who wandered among the common people?”

Zhang He’s eyes shifted slightly, then he nodded, ”That did happen. But he arrived too late. When he saw that the five Martial Dao Grand Masters who ambushed the target had all been killed, he immediately became a coward and didn’t dare to continue.”

Hearing this, Han Meiyan’s eyes darkened as she said coldly, ”I spent considerable effort to gain control of a high-ranking Tianjin Guards official. You moved my person without permission. Shouldn’t you be punished?”

Zhang He’s expression changed. At this moment, Han Meiyan looked toward the underground lake before them and said, ”I came to this Floating Boat City actually for an item. If you can help me obtain it, I’ll waive your punishment.”