Chapter Thirty: The Wall of the Betrayer

At that moment, a strange magical creature flew out from within. This creature had only one enormous eye, with two bat-like wings flapping on either side. Its appearance was bizarre, and when it hovered before Qin Xiaochuan and his companions, it actually spoke human language: "You are the envoys sent by the Spirit Realm to seize the Magic Flute, aren't you? My name is Big Eye. The Four Sacred Beasts have ordered me to greet you, heh heh. Please follow me."

With that, the Big Eye flapped its wings and flew into the castle. Seeing such a welcoming gesture, Qin Xiaochuan glanced at the other three, nodded to them, and followed the creature inside. Since they had arrived and the four monsters already knew of their presence, it was better to confront them directly rather than hide. Even if traps lay ahead, they had to press on boldly; otherwise, rescuing anyone—or even returning alive—would be impossible.

Inside the castle was a black corridor, its surroundings crafted from granite, giving an imposing impression. The only flaw was its narrowness; unlike typical corridors adorned with decorations, these walls were smooth and bare, which felt quite odd.

Once the four had entered, the Big Eye flew to the end of the corridor and turned on the lights, squinting as it smiled at them, "Welcome to the castle, heh heh. All who wish to enter must face the Judgment of the Traitor's Wall."

"What? What judgment?"

Qin Xiaochuan sensed danger at these words—surely, a trap. He quickly tried to rush forward to deal with the Big Eye, but the creature was already at the corridor’s end, pulling down a lever fixed to the wall. In an instant, the ceiling above Qin Xiaochuan and his companions began descending upon them. Seeing the impending threat, the four used all their strength to hold the wall up.

Big Eye laughed heartily, "This is the Traitor's Wall. Heavy, isn’t it? This wall is clever—it calculates the maximum strength you four can muster and applies exactly that force. Only one among you can escape; the other three will be crushed when the traitor leaves, or you can all be crushed together when exhausted. Only the traitor may enter the castle’s inner chamber. So, what will you choose?"

"Damn it! How could it be like this..."

Struggling under the wall, Zhang Yang was sweating profusely, seemingly exerting every ounce of his strength.

‘If only I can push the lever back up, the danger will be lifted!’ Qin Xiaochuan calmed himself, spotting the lever embedded in the wall at the corridor’s end. "Feiyan, Feiyan! Do you see that lever? You’re the fastest among us. If you can push it up, we’ll all be saved. Please!"

"No, no, Xiaochuan, you—you go! I don’t trust that little guy..."

Zhang Yang immediately objected to Qin Xiaochuan’s suggestion, clearly uncomfortable with Feiyan and doubting his willingness to save them out of friendship.

"…Just as that scarred one beside you said, can you really trust me?"

"What did you say? Who are you calling scarred?"

"Go, Feiyan. If I use my spiritual power to the fullest, I can support your share for a short time. I trust you!"

Upon hearing Qin Xiaochuan’s "I trust you," Feiyan didn’t hesitate. He dashed to the wall, placing his hand on the lever.

With Feiyan gone, the remaining three felt the increased strain. Watching Feiyan at the end of the corridor, Zhang Yang shouted, "Hurry and push it up, I can’t hold on!"

Qin Xiaochuan was surrounded by spiritual light, just as he’d said—he was releasing all his spiritual energy, barely holding the wall but unable to sustain it for long.

"Heh heh, Lord Feiyan, why are you hesitating?" Big Eye, seeing Feiyan’s hand unmoving, began to tempt him, "A master like you, if you betray them, I can introduce you to the Four Lords. With your skills, they’ll surely treat you as an honored guest, heh heh."

"You little bean, Xiaochuan trusted you with this crucial task. Are you planning to betray his trust, you bastard!"

At Zhang Yang’s curses, Feiyan closed his eyes and sneered, "Hmph! You ridiculous fool, you’re far too naive! Don’t underestimate me!"

With a flourish, Feiyan’s sword slashed across Big Eye’s eye, and with his other hand, he swiftly pushed the lever up. As the lever was raised, the Traitor’s Wall slowly ascended toward the ceiling—the crisis was resolved.

Watching Big Eye wounded and about to flee, Feiyan spoke coldly, "Go tell your four masters: if they wish to live, now is their chance. They greatly underestimate us. If they want mercy, come and pay respect to the elder; otherwise, none of you will survive, I’ll kill every last one!"

Big Eye cried out twice in reply, then flapped his wings and flew deeper into the castle, seemingly off to report to the four leaders.

"Are you alright, Xiaochuan?"

"I thought my veins were going to burst," Qin Xiaochuan said, carefully taking a few steps and finding himself unharmed. He gave Feiyan a thumbs up, "You really helped us, Feiyan. Thanks, you made me sweat buckets. You’re truly capable, though your rotten personality hasn’t changed at all!" As he spoke, Qin Xiaochuan draped his arm over Feiyan’s shoulder, showing their camaraderie.

"Hmph!" Feiyan glanced at the arm on his shoulder, shrugged Qin Xiaochuan off, and pointed at him, "Don’t think I did it for you. I just figured it’d be easier to handle things with more people, hmph!" With that, he strode off into the depths of the castle, leaving Qin Xiaochuan awkwardly behind, his attempt to ease the tension having been thoroughly rebuffed.

Seeing Qin Xiaochuan’s embarrassment, Bai Ying stepped forward and sighed, "Heh, that’s just his way of showing gratitude. Don’t mind it."

Qin Xiaochuan smiled helplessly at Bai Ying, then continued with Zhang Yang and Bai Ying toward the castle’s heart. Just then, Xia Dan’s voice crackled from Qin Xiaochuan’s pocket, "Xiaochuan, are you there? This is Xia Dan, please respond! Please respond!"

Hearing the call, Qin Xiaochuan pulled out a walkie-talkie—something Xia Dan had given him before leaving. Flipping it open, Xia Dan’s face appeared, "This is Qin Xiaochuan. What’s happening, Xia Dan?"

Upon hearing Qin Xiaochuan’s reply, Xia Dan quickly spoke, "Nothing much here. I’ve already squashed fifteen magic bugs—ah, another one! Squashed it! Sixteenth now. But with tens of thousands out there, killing a few is a drop in the ocean. How are things on your end?"

"I, Zhang Yang, Bai Ying, and Feiyan have already entered the castle," Qin Xiaochuan replied, climbing the stairs as he spoke. "Are there many people infected by the magic bugs?"

"I’m not sure, but probably quite a few. These bugs prefer to invade and control people with dark personalities. I’m on the main street where it’s crowded, and I found some bugs in the alleys searching for hosts. Here’s another—squashed! These bugs probably haven’t found hosts yet, so they linger in these dark corners. But the calmer it seems, the more dangerous it feels. You must destroy the Magic Flute quickly, Xiaochuan, or soon those possessed will go mad and do something terrible, and it’ll be impossible to contain!"

"Alright, I understand. I’ll hurry. Anything else?"

"No, just be careful!"

"You too! Over and out!"

Qin Xiaochuan slipped the walkie-talkie back into his pocket and said to Bai Ying and Zhang Yang, "The city’s situation is stable for the moment. We’d better hurry. By the way, Bai Ying, you and Feiyan are both monsters—so you must know something about the Four Sacred Beasts?"

"Yes. Those guys are extremely dangerous, and as monsters sealed by the Spirit Realm, you’ll find them unsettling when you meet them—they might even shock you!"

"Thank you for the compliment!"

Just then, the door at the end of the corridor swung open, and a deep, rumbling voice echoed out. Judging by its sound, the speaker was surely massive in stature.

Entering through the open doors, Qin Xiaochuan and his companions found themselves in a spacious hall, its floor paved with stone. Inside stood a creature whose head was covered in spikes and whose entire body was encased in rock. On its back was a shell much like a turtle’s, and it swung a tail made of stone—its appearance was even uglier than Stone Demon’s transformed state.

As the four entered, the monster slammed its tail forcefully against the floor in a show of intimidation, shaking the entire room. Clearly, its tail possessed formidable power. "Ha ha ha, impressive—you passed the Judgment of the Wall. Let me introduce myself: I am Lord Black Tortoise, guardian of this place. Behind me is a passage leading to the second level. If you wish to meet Lord Vermilion Bird, you must fight your way up, level by level. Either defeat me to ascend, or become corpses and ascend that way. Understood? Come at me together!"

With that, the creature struck the floor again with its tail, as if issuing a warning to all four.