Chapter 428: Golden Hall

Chapter 428: The Golden Hall

Li Huowang stood still, his eyes wide open, staring at everything before him.

He had always been indifferent to wealth, yet when a palace forged entirely from gold appeared before him, he felt an overwhelming shock in his heart.

The golden palace before him looked solemn and sacred; even the snow falling from the sky seemed to vanish upon its surface.

“They’ve all gone inside,” Li Huowang said, observing the bloodstained footprints on the golden bricks from afar. Carefully maintaining his invisibility, he stepped forward into the hall.

Walking alone through a sea of gold, Li Huowang tread upon the golden tiles, gazing at the grand hall as if he were dreaming. How rich must the Liang Empire be to build such a colossal city of gold?

Following the trail of bloodstained footprints, Li Huowang quickly approached the entrance of a great golden hall. On the left couplet was written: “By imperial decree, the realm is vast and arduous—how can we not revere it?”

On the right was inscribed: “Heaven favors virtue—let us forever preserve it, and seek peace.”

Li Huowang raised his head, and there, on the massive plaque above, three golden characters gleamed: “Golden Pavilion.”

“The Golden Pavilion, huh?” Li Huowang frowned, then stepped inside. At this moment, he didn’t care what name this place bore—he was more concerned with where Xin Su Bei Feng, the person he sought, truly was.

Inside the Golden Pavilion, everything was vast and empty, save for the massive pillars adorned with six-clawed golden dragons. Even his deliberately slow steps echoed faintly within the space.

“These people of the Way of Forgetfulness are moving so fast. And why did they come to the Liang Palace for no reason?”

While suppressing his anxiety and unease, Li Huowang hurried toward the six doors at the back of the hall. But when he reached them, he found that there were no doors at all!

"Huh? Ghost walls? In the Liang Palace?" A chill ran down Li Huowang’s spine.

"Dad," Li Sui suddenly spoke.

"What is it? This isn't the time for talking."

"Dad, there's writing on your arm."

Hearing this, Li Huowang instinctively lifted both hands. On the inner side of his left forearm, carved by knife, were words.

"This place is strange—the memory fades. Write it down with a blade!"

Li Huowang knew this was his own note, but despite searching his mind thoroughly, he couldn’t recall when he had carved these words.

"Wait! I've seen this scene once before!"

Just as Li Huowang prepared to carve the words "Heart Turmoil" onto his arm, he noticed that those two characters were already engraved there.

And beside them, other words had been added: “He’s nearby—go find him quickly! I’ve been trapped here for half an hour!”

These words sent chills down Li Huowang’s spine. In his memory, he had only entered the Golden Pavilion a few minutes ago—but how could so much time have passed?

At that moment, he also felt a deep wound on his thigh, bone-deep.

“I’m injured? When did this happen?!” gritting his teeth, he tore open the flesh and saw a crack in his thigh bone—like a hexagram drawn in the bone.

Clearly, he had already cast a hexagram on Heart Turmoil without knowing it.

He memorized the twisted shape of the bone cracks and carved them into his hand. Then, he began searching the Golden Pavilion.

During this search, more and more writing appeared on his arm.

“Have you checked the southeast corner?”

“All the dragon pillars to the east have been searched—no need to look further.”

After a quick sweep, Li Huowang stopped before the center of the Golden Pavilion, where no markings reminded him to go.

Looking at the familiar pattern on the golden tile, Li Huowang gripped the hilt tightly and thrust it into the ground.

Though gold was precious, compared to other metals, it was relatively soft. Under the Purple Earthen Sword, which could cut through iron like mud, it was nothing more than yellow clay.

With ease, Li Huowang pried open the golden tile. As he peered beneath, he saw that the compact earth below had been pushed aside, revealing a red-tiled roof structure.

This buried building was small—perhaps just taller than a man, similar to a roadside shrine.

Without hesitation, Li Huowang raised his copper coin sword and flicked it far away. “Tie Ming Da Tuo La Ji Ji She!”

The small shrine’s roof was torn off, revealing a familiar face—Heart Turmoil, the corpse captured after countless hardships by Ji Xiang!

Its limbs were bent and stitched shut with golden thread. Not only were its limbs sewn, but its eyes, mouth, and every part of its body were bound with golden silk, transforming it into a wooden puppet of Heart Turmoil.

Its entire body, except for the head and chest, was covered in golden symbols—swastikas entwined and tangled, as if draped in a swastika robe.

These symbols weren’t just on its body—they spread outward from it into the surrounding soil.

Li Huowang’s copper coin sword whipped out again, hooking the Heart Turmoil and pulling it forcefully.

The figure, seated in the small shrine, suddenly soared into the air. As it separated from the golden swastikas, the entire Golden Pavilion dimmed slightly.

Only when Li Huowang saw no new marks appear on his body did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. The trouble was over at last.

Time had been wasted long enough. He glanced at the corpse of Heart Turmoil and hurried toward the exit.

This time, no mishaps occurred. Li Huowang exited smoothly. But before he could relax, he froze at the sight of the distant golden halls. “Wait—could there be a Heart Turmoil hidden under each one?”

“Yes, but not all,” Red Zhong, who had remained silent, spoke again.

"These golden halls form a constellation formation. I know little about it—I cannot tell which one exactly. Haha, it seems the Heart Turmoil you went through so much trouble to find was used as a core element in the formation."

Hearing Red Zhong’s words, Li Huowang’s expression darkened. To use such a dangerous Heart Turmoil merely as a formation core—what were they planning?

There was no time to spare. Li Huowang quickened his pace, heading deeper into the palace. This was serious now. If Bei Feng had gotten involved in such a dangerous place, he must not be harmed!

Learning from experience, Li Huowang avoided the golden halls around him, sticking to open corridors and plazas. When there was no path, he dug holes through the golden walls.

Perhaps his strategy worked—or perhaps those ahead had cleared the way for him. Whatever the case, things proceeded normally for a while.

Following the blood trail, Li Huowang moved northward. When he passed a high wall, his keen hearing caught the sound of chanting and metal clashing beyond the walls.

“I found it!” Li Huowang couldn’t suppress his excitement and rushed toward the source of the sounds.

After struggling through another golden wall, the world opened before him.

First among the sights was a black-and-white vertical eye floating in the low, dark clouds above. Around this eye floated sixty-four bronze hexagrams.

(End of Chapter)