I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon

Chapter 1277 - 489: Three on a Journey! Into the Tunnels! (Part 2)

Yu Youhan flicked his fingers, sending four streams of ghostly light into the armor. Their bodies suddenly became rigid, like statues, motionless.

Crack——

Chen Mo stepped forward, directly pushed open the large door, and walked in.

The chamber was silent, with only the rustling sounds of footsteps echoing in the air.

The three of them passed through the palace corridor and arrived at the bedroom. The door was open, and traces of life still lingered inside. A robe just changed out of was draped over the screen, the incense burner was filled with ash, and an illustrated book was left open on the bed...

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes slightly.

It seemed like the Crown Prince was caught off guard, suddenly taken away.

At this moment, Yu Youhan seemed to sense something, turned to the screen, examined it for a moment, and then tore open the brocade embroidered with dragons and phoenixes. There was a hidden compartment inside.

Inside lay a semi-transparent jade plate engraved with intricate patterns, with a faint glow flowing in the grooves.

Yu Youhan raised an eyebrow slightly, "This is..."

"The Mystic Light Tracing Shadow Array." Chen Mo recognized the array at a glance.

It reconstructs images through retrospection without revealing any aura. This was precisely how Empress Xu documented the actions of Wu Lie back in the day.

With the Great Change Formation Solution in hand, he quickly broke the array.

The patterns on the jade suddenly lit up, beams of light intertwined in the air, forming a clear image—

The sky was growing dark, and lamps were lit inside the room.

The Crown Prince yawned as he was being dressed by Fan Sijin.

"I really don’t know what’s going on recently. Father has become stricter with my guarding, not even letting me leave the palace gates. Isn’t that just going to suffocate someone?" The Crown Prince pouted, almost as if he could hang an oil jar from it.

Fan Sijin’s movements paused slightly, lost in thought.

"Fan Sigui?" the Crown Prince asked doubtfully, "What are you spacing out for?"

"Ahem," Fan Sijin returned to his senses, shaking his head. "His Majesty is also doing it for your safety. The situation has been turbulent lately. It’s wise to be careful."

"But if the palace isn’t safe, where is?" The Crown Prince grumbled, "Father has arranged so many guards in the Eastern Royal Palace. Is he guarding against an assassination attempt on me or effectively confining me?"

Fan Sijin frowned and said, "Crown Prince, watch your words!"

"Tch, can’t even speak. Being the heir is really boring." The Crown Prince muttered dejectedly, "I don’t even know when Chen Mo will come back. Clearly, my aunt promised me that if Chen Mo participated in the Prince Consort selection, he could play with me every day, but now I don’t even see him..."

"Strange..."

While the Crown Prince was still muttering, Fan Sijin’s brow furrowed abruptly, sensing that something was amiss.

The palace seemed too quiet. Earlier, the sounds of palace attendants coming and going could be heard, but now it was dead silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Ping’er?"

"Yue’er?"

Fan Sijin called out twice, but no one responded, and a feeling of unease grew stronger in her heart.

At this time, the Crown Prince had already changed into his nightwear and was lying on the bed, flipping through the illustrated book in boredom.

Just then, his body suddenly went rigid. Red patterns emerged on his skin, spreading from his neck to his face. His pupils rolled back, and he began convulsing violently.

The next moment, a pitch-black shadow snaked out from underneath the bed, enveloping him entirely.

"Who goes there?!"

Fan Sijin reached out and pressed the screen, then leapt towards it, only to be swallowed by the shadow in an instant, disappearing along with the Crown Prince.

The room returned to silence as if nothing had happened.

The image ended there.

Having watched the entire process, the Empress’s face turned slightly pale.

To think the dignified heir just vanished into thin air like this?

If even the Eastern Royal Palace is so dangerous, then what place is safe?

"Seems like Fan Sijin anticipated this, so she arranged the array beforehand. When the Crown Prince was taken, it activated and retained the image." Chen Mo turned towards the bed, recalling that the shadow had emerged suddenly from beneath it.

Yu Youhan waved her sleeve, and a blue light surged out, instantly evaporating the entire canopy bed.

The floor tiles below were smooth and seamless, showing no signs of disturbance.

"It’s the Demon-breaking Stone," Chen Mo crouched down, pressing a palm against the floor tiles, exerting force from his palm.

Boom——

With a low rumble, the tiles sank as a hidden door slowly opened.

The entrance was narrow and cramped, with winding steps descending deep into the earth.

"So there is indeed a secret passage. We need to go down and take a look... Your Highness, are you ready?"

"Rea-Ready."

Staring at the pitch-black entrance, the Empress gulped, her hands subconsciously clenching.

Seeing her so tense, Chen Mo hesitated for a moment, then wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her into his embrace. "It’s dark and steep down there. It’s easy for accidents to happen. This way is safer."

"Okay." The Empress nodded obediently.

However, his words seemed more directed toward the Empress.

Yu Youhan didn’t say much, stepping into the passage. Chen Mo followed, holding the Empress.

The surrounding walls were all made of Demon-breaking Stone. In this environment, all Daoist Skills and Divine Skills would be nullified. The passage was cramped and dim, but Chen Mo’s Vision Power still allowed him to see the road ahead clearly.

The three of them continued down the steps, minutes passing without reaching the end.

The Earth Veins lay deep underground, leaving one to wonder just how long this would take. Chen Mo freed a hand to embrace the Empress’s slender waist, leapt downward with force.

The Demon-breaking Stone could suppress Primordial Qi, but it could not affect a body tempered to perfection.

The Empress only felt the wind whistle past her ears making it impossible to open her eyes. After a few breaths, they landed smoothly.

"We’ve arrived."

Chen Mo’s voice echoed.

She looked up to see a narrow and twisting tunnel ahead, approximately two meters high, wide enough for only two people to walk side by side, with a humid and chilly atmosphere permeating.

Every few meters along the walls were niches, each containing a Luminous Pearl, emitting a cold, ghostly light.

"Just as I predicted, Wu Lie used the Earth Veins to construct this tunnel, using the Demon-breaking Stone to block detection, silently taking away the Crown Prince." Chen Mo said, "It seems those guards weren’t only a Blinding Skill; they were also to prevent discovery of the tunnel..."

Yu Youhan adjusted her clothes, saying, "Most likely, following this Earth Vein will lead us to Wu Lie’s hideout."

Chen Mo furrowed his brows.

Despite the plausibility, a sense of unease lingered in his heart, as if he were missing some crucial detail.

At this point, the Empress’s nostrils flared, and she asked, "Do you smell something?"

Chen Mo sniffed carefully, indeed catching a hint of an acrid smell drifting over, somewhat reminiscent of... sulfur?

"Oh no!"

"It’s Intense Burning Powder!"

A chill ran from the base of his spine to the Heavenly Spirit!

Boom——

Boom boom boom——

The next moment, a fierce blaze erupted quickly!

The entire tunnel shook violently, the originally smooth ceiling splitting open into a jagged crack, a red tongue of flame spewing forth, occupying every inch of space, with large stones mixed with soil crashing down, sealing the way back completely!

Bear in mind, they were a hundred meters underground, surrounded by Demon-breaking Stone; if buried here, even an Immortal may not be able to save them!

Before the tunnel fully collapsed, they must escape quickly!

No time to think, Chen Mo grabbed the Empress and the Empress, dashing forward rapidly!

The Red Blood Pearl in his Dantian spun wildly, Qi Blood Power surged from his acupoints, his speed almost reaching its pinnacle, his body expanding rapidly, shielding the two within his embrace, using his body to withstand the explosion’s impact!

At this moment, he finally realized Wu Lie’s scheme—

If the tunnel remained undiscovered, all was well and good. But if anyone found it, they would be buried along with the evidence!

From the moment Chen Mo pushed open the hidden door, the trap had been triggered!

These Demon-breaking Stones were meant as his burial chamber!

"Increasing manpower in the Eastern Royal Palace would arouse suspicion among the Empress and the empress. Wu Lie would naturally understand this, so his target wasn’t only me... even the empress has been caught in his calculations!"