Chapter 1390: Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Cheyenne turned to look at the cave wall. Sure enough, it was just as Xia Fan had said. There were plenty of carved murals on the wall, depicting a group of arrogant-looking special ability warriors. They were all wearing armor and holding weapons in their hands. There were even two elders who had glowing haloes depicted over their heads beside them.
“That’s Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon,” Xia Fan said in a deep voice.
“Are you sure?” Cheyenne was shocked, a measure of surprise in her voice.
Xia Fan softly answered, “In the addendum of the fifth volume of the Cosmic Chronicles, there were details that described Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon. According to the legends, the two were the two strongest factions before the universe joined civilization. Their strength was far greater than any of the special ability users today.
“The reason is because they possessed a god-like strength that surpassed the combat system of today. Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon were said to be unparalleled existences, and the Ashen Moon Universe was so named due to these two major warriors.
!!
“It was just too bad that the people from both Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon later ended up disappearing for no apparent reason.”
Xia Fan’s memory was truly something. Despite having only joined civilized society not too long ago, he could already recite the history of the universe. This crazy learning ability he had was a point of both admiration and envy to Cheyenne.
As the saying went, comparing yourself to others would only anger yourself; this was truly the case with Xia Fan. Not only did he possess a top-tier special ability, what mattered even more was that he was a conscientious student and excelled in a variety of things. It was really quite ridiculous!
Cheyenne checked the communicator on her wrist and frowned, “We no longer have a signal, so there’s no way for us to contact the bureau, or call for help.”
Xia Fan nodded, “It’s fine. So what if it’s Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon. It’s not like they have three heads and six limbs; they were also humans, just like us. Follow me. Have no fear.”
Cheyenne was clearly five or six years older than Xia Fan, but at this moment, it felt like Xia Fan was the elder brother, comforting his younger sister.
—
The path gradually flattened out. It did not seem to be an accidental phenomenon, but was excavated by the hands of ancient humans. It was only after being battered by the elements all these time that it became barely recognizable. One could easily imagine that this ought to have once been a wide underground passage that could contain two hovercars passing side by side.
This path extended further down, all the way until they were a hundred kilometers under sea level.
The air had not turned turbid, indicating that there had to be some kind of ventilation system that was still working, despite how many years it had been.
Finally, just as Cheyenne’s patience was reaching its limit, the path finally came to an end. In front of them was a dragon floodgate.
This floodgate was constructed from thick metal alloy; there was no way for anyone with ordinary human strength to open it. Five shiny jewels were inlaid in the top of this gate; three were shining dimly, while the other two might have been damaged, for they did not give off any light.
There were carvings on the gate and on the two sides of the gate. They were still depicting Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon, the two bands of super warriors who had made up the historically strongest factions and the forms they took.
“This is Koro metal,” Xia Fan smiled as he stepped forward to push the broken dragon gate. He jokingly commented to alleviate Cheyenne’s nervousness, “This metal is very valuable; we’ll be rich if we can bring it back!”
Just as Xia Fan said that, something neither of them expected happened. They watched as the dragon gate that weighed who knew how many tens of thousands of tons let out a creaking noise as it miraculously lifted upward, revealing a path that extended onward.
“What did you do? Why did it open?” Cheyenne asked, her eyes wide in bewilderment.
Xia Fan scratched his head innocently. “I didn’t do anything. All I did was push at it lightly and the gate automatically opened on its own.”
“Automatically?” Cheyenne stroked her chin.
That was when Xia Fan suddenly chuckled and dragged Cheyenne by the hand, leading her onward.
“Well, since we’re already here, let’s go and take a look. After all, this was once the base of the Ashen Dragon and Hidden Moon.”
“Sooner or later, your curiosity will be the death of you!” Though Cheyenne was voicing her displeasure, she did not actually put up any resistance. The two of them made their way past the dragon floodgate.
All of a sudden, Xia Fan felt a wind blow from behind him, and he hurriedly turned back, accelerating, but the dragon gate had already slammed shut behind them at an astounding speed.
Without giving Xia Fan or Cheyenne a chance, the floodgate dropped down with a loud boom!
*Ka ka ka ka…*
Almost immediately, countless spotlights along the two sides of the path switched on, illuminating the underground corridor brightly!
“Look there!” Cheyenne grabbed Xia Fan by his arm with one hand as she pointed to somewhere above the gate.
They saw that there were also five jewels at the top of the gate, except this time, they were all lit up.
Xia Fan laughed, “The animals told us that three suspicious characters had come here, and adding the two of us now, that just so happened to make up five, matching the five jewels above the dragon floodgate…”
“Don’t say such pointless things. The suspects came here four years ago, so even if they failed to get out, they would be nothing more than corpses right now. Let’s concentrate on how we can survive and get out of here. Without a working communicator, that means no one will come save us,” Cheyenne said worryingly.
—
The lights were blindingly bright, and after they continued on for about another kilometer, a second gate appeared.
After making it past the second gate, Xia Fan and Cheyenne found themselves in an underground jungle, with a view of a world that they could never forget.
The fluorescent sun lamps that hung from the ceiling maintained the vibrancy of the underground jungle, allowing the plants to photosynthesize. There were many streams running through the jungle grounds. Reaching a hand into the water, it was icy cold to the touch, and ought to have been some groundwater being introduced somewhere.
In any case, here in this mystical underground world, an artificially constructed ecosystem of plants, animals, insects, and fishes existed!
Cheyenne pointed at the edge of the jungle and said, “There are traces of humans living for an extended period of time here. They once started a bonfire and even had grilled fish to eat. There are plenty of fish bones littered on the ground, and the cores of fruits that most likely came from wild fruit.
“This is evidence that the three suspects might very well have been here before!” Cheyenne excitedly exclaimed to Xia Fan, proud of her deduction.
But just as she was done, she heard was Xia Fan’s answer, “There’s no need to analyze any further. Not only were the three of them here, they are actually still alive, and are hiding in the jungle right in front of us.”
Xia Fan then raised his voice louder, “Well, since we’ve already spotted you, you might as well just come out!”
It was not too long before they heard the sound of rustling leaves and bushes, and three savage-looking men walked out from the jungle.
The three of them had unshaven beards, and their eyes were bloodshot. They were completely scruffy and dirty, their skin festered with mosquito bites, looking like it had been a long time since they left civilization.
Among the three was a tall and lanky man, with sunken eyes and a pale face. One was fat and had fairly white skin, looking very much like he had led a pampered life, but there was an awful stench to him. The last individual was also the most unique, as he looked like a golden lion, his gold beard hanging limply to his chest. He was short and stout, and carried a bamboo basket on his back.
When Cheyenne saw them, she immediately tensed up, clenching her fists.
But Xia Fan maintained that big grin of his, addressing the three individuals of unknown origins, “How coincidental! How did the three of you find your way here?”
That fat and pale elder seemed to be the leader of the trio, and he sized up Xia Fan and Cheyenne. “You’re asking us? Who are the two of you in the first place?”
Just as Xia Fan was about to reply, Cheyenne suddenly took a step forward and commanded loudly, “Enough talk! Union Special Bureau! All of you get on the ground, and put your hands on your head!”
Xia Fan wanted to stop Cheyenne from revealing her identity, but unfortunately it was already too late. All he could do was shake his head slightly and crack a bitter smile.
Meanwhile, the expressions on the three’s faces changed drastically the moment they heard the two were investigators from the Special Bureau. With ferocious gazes, the golden bearded man among them even sneakily reached a hand into the bamboo basket behind him.
This slight motion was of course still seen by Xia Fan.
The elder very calmly said, “Special Bureau? So what! I’m afraid you’ll be in the same boat as us; you found your way in, but there’s no chance of you finding your way out!”
His gaze turned to Xia Fan and curiously asked, “How did you discover that we were hiding in the jungle, rascal?”
Xia Fan laughed, “It’s very simple, really. Because you guys are too unhygienic, the smell coming from your bodies are far too powerful. No matter how skillfully you hid yourselves, there was no way for you to mask that smell.”
“My colleague has already told you, we’re investigators from the Special Bureau, and we need you three to follow us back. There’s a case you need to assist us with investigating.”
“Hahaha!” The three men exchanged looks and burst out laughing at the same time.
The man with the full golden beard remarked, “Twerp, your sense of smell might be pretty sharp, but you’re a bit dull in the head! Did you chase us all the way here without even knowing what this place is? I’m afraid you won’t even know how you died later!”
The fat elder rolled his eyes, then extended his hand to stop his companions from taking another step forward. He said in a grave voice, “I won’t deny it, this is the trial grounds that the unparalleled factions of Ashen Dragon and Hidden Dragon constructed.
“Back when me and my brothers had discovered this place, none of us could have imagined it would be a trial ground, and five warriors made up a standard combat squad. That was the usual fighting method that the factions used, and there were only three of us, so there was no way for us to trigger the conditions of the trial ground.
“But now that the two of you are here, that makes five, and the trial ground is finally in operation.
“According to the rules, all five of us have to survive the trial, and if one of us dies, the remaining four will immediately be executed. As I said before, becoming a member of Ashen Dragon Hidden Moon wasn’t easy, and this trial ground here is a place that requires its participants to put their lives on the line.
“That is why there’s no way for us to return with the two of you for your investigation, because no one can leave until the trial is done. Whether you’re an investigator of the Special Bureau or not, right now the only thing you can do is cooperate with us!”
Xia Fan was startled. Hearing the tone of the elder, he did not think they were lying. The five lights above the dragon floodgate also backed the claim they were making to a certain degree.
Just as Xia Fan’s brain was racing, thinking of a countermeasure, he had no idea why Cheyenne today was acting so agitated. She yelled spitefully, “You want us to work together with you? Impossible, absolutely impossible! You’re wanted suspects of the Union! There’s no other outcome, aside from being sent to the execution block!”
‘So she actually recognizes these three people!’ Xia Fan was shocked after hearing Cheyenne’s words.
That was when he suddenly sniffed the air deeply, and his expression changed.
In the next moment, Xia Fan grabbed hold of Cheyenne, tucked her under his arm, and began sprinting off.
“Something’s coming! Speed ability, activate!”
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