Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 262: Divine Hall of Murals (16)

Dragon Raja 3

Chisei hunched as he circled around Caesar and Chu Zihang, Kumogiri’s tip trembling slightly, emitting a faint whistling sound with each deep breath—just like a demon preparing to devour its prey.

Both Chu Zihang and Caesar felt as if they were frozen by the killing intent. Though Chisei hadn’t even swung his sword yet, the icy chill from the blade had already pierced their hearts.

“Fall back!” Chu Zihang suddenly roared.

Chisei’s killing intent grew stronger and stronger. Though Chu Zihang couldn’t fully comprehend Chisei’s technique, he had wielded a katana long enough to smell the blood in every movement.

If the blood in the mural hall was like a slaughterhouse for animals, then Chisei’s sword was hell itself!

Chu Zihang’s shout was the trigger that set Chisei’s attack into motion. Chu Zihang’s roar was proof that his fighting spirit had collapsed—it was the perfect opportunity for Chisei!

Heart-Form Sword Style: Fourfold Eight Phases!

Exhaling completely, Chisei stomped down, his whole body turning into a blur, Kumogiri held close to his chest. Hidden within this stance were four potential attacks! And the “Eight Phases” referred to eight terrifying visions: Red Flame, Asura, Rakshasa, Yomi, and so on. When a student learned this forbidden technique, they were required to imagine each of these terrifying visions in sequence, and the teacher would assist by creating real sensory experiences. For instance, during the Red Flame phase, a heated iron ruler would be pressed against the student’s back, creating the illusion of burning in flames. The student had to endure these eight hallucinations before they could master this savage strike. When the attack was unleashed, killing intent would condense on the blade, and even stepping into a furnace or onto a bed of nails would seem trivial.

The so-called ancient assassination sword required absolute resolve—Chisei had already prepared himself to take a blow from Caesar in order to first incapacitate Chu Zihang, the stronger opponent in close combat. Once he unleashed this strike, the outcome would be uncontrollable. Chu Zihang might die or suffer severe injury, but that was the nature of assassination swordsmanship: when wielding the sword, one stepped into hell.

Caesar and Chu Zihang both lunged forward in a desperate attack. At this point, attacking was like charging straight into Chisei’s blade, but they were in a position where retreat was impossible. Not attacking meant waiting to be slaughtered.

Just then, the world suddenly tilted. Chisei’s powerful stomp missed its mark entirely, causing him to lose balance and fall straight into Caesar’s embrace. The Fourfold Eight Phases technique failed completely. Overjoyed, Caesar took the opportunity to drive his knee into Chisei’s solar plexus.

As he was about to grab Kumogiri, a massive black shadow descended from above.

It wasn’t until the silver metal door behind him quietly closed that Lu Mingfei realized something was wrong.

He had used the electronic key to open several doors in the building, but each time, it had simply beeped and the door opened. This time, however, the door recognized him and welcomed him “back” as Ricardo M. Lu, a specialist from the Execution Bureau, returning to the “ξ” floor.

“ξ” represented something uncertain, and he had returned to some uncertain place. An indescribable fear exploded in his mind—an uncertain place, like a stray thread from the loom of fate, mysteriously weaving its way into his life.

He didn’t want to stay in this uncertain place for even a second longer. He turned to push the door, but it had already sealed shut. He tried to use the electronic key again, but only heard a buzzing error sound. The key that Lu Mingze had given him only worked for one-way entry on this floor.

The corridor was deserted, with a faint smell of formaldehyde drifting in from the distance. The place felt more like a hospital—like a Sleeping Beauty’s castle—but one where time had stopped, and everything was sealed by some malevolent force. Lu Mingfei couldn’t open any of the doors along the corridor. His electronic key was completely useless on this floor. Pale light filtered through the windows, but there was no sound of human life. The tremors continued to shake the building, and cracks had formed on the walls of other floors, yet not a single crack appeared here. It was evident that the walls on this floor were extraordinarily sturdy. There were no windows leading outside, and all the doors were made of solid black metal, with signs plastered on the walls warning, “Dangerous Area” and “No Entry Allowed.”

The further Lu Mingfei walked, the more his fear grew. Eventually, he couldn’t control it any longer and started running down the empty corridor. But the faster he ran, the more lost he became. In the end, he couldn’t even find the entrance anymore. The hallways on this floor were like a never-ending maze, winding and intricate like a spider’s web.

The more scared he got, the faster he ran. His own footsteps echoed in the corridor, amplifying and overlapping, making it sound as if a host of ghosts were chasing after him. Yet when he stopped, the sound didn’t disappear entirely. There was a faint, prolonged breathing sound in the air, as if something sinister was nearby.

Panting heavily, Lu Mingfei hid behind a medicine shelf, trembling as he texted Lu Mingze: “What kind of trash app did you give me? I’m trapped in a place that feels haunted!”

“Haunted places can be interesting, can’t they? Remember Lanruo Temple? Ning Caichen met Nie Xiaoqian there,” Lu Mingze replied.

“Idiot! That was because he had Yan Chixia! Otherwise, he would have been eaten by ghosts!”

“Your Majesty! I am your Yan Chixia! Don’t worry, everything’s under control! You already know that Genji Heavy Industries has many hidden areas, right? To get through them, you need a different set of electronic keys. Now, check your phone again. Heh heh.”

Lu Mingfei unlocked his phone and found that the “Electronic Key” icon had turned a ghostly blue, and its name had changed to… The Key to Lanruo Temple!

He opened the navigation program, and a blue arrow appeared on the screen, trembling slightly as he moved, seemingly searching for direction. Honestly, this damned app didn’t even resemble a navigation program anymore—it looked more like a feng shui compass, meant to help a master find an auspicious burial spot. Following this thing might lead him straight into a grave! But at this point, he had no choice but to trust Lu Mingze. That guy loved to mess with him, but when it came to the big stuff, he was usually reliable. He’d never put Lu Mingfei in real danger before.

The path ahead grew increasingly complicated, as if Lu Mingfei was heading toward the core of this floor. He passed several security doors, all of which The Key to Lanruo Temple unlocked with ease. The deeper he went, the wider the corridors became. The final passage was seven or eight meters wide, its walls reinforced with stainless steel, and up ahead was a bright white light. When he reached this point, the navigation arrow disappeared, likely because the signal was being blocked. Stepping carefully on the steel-plated floor, Lu Mingfei noticed that the eerie footsteps had finally vanished as well. The corridor was so vast that even the sound of footsteps seemed too afraid to follow him here.