"You're saying, Senior Uncle Li wants us to come check if it's necessary? The prison is so sturdy, do you think those guys could still escape?"
"Hush, keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you. Senior Uncle Li is just being cautious, preparing for any eventuality."
"Ah, it's a shame for us. Today is the lively day of the Two Sect Grand Competition, yet we can't go watch it live."
"What do you know? Precisely because today is important, we can't afford any slip-ups."
The two bickered as they walked, soon arriving beside the stone pillar to which Zhang Ergou was pressed.
Zhang Ergou held his breath, his senses strained, fearing detection by the two guards.
"Hmm?"
Stopping abruptly next to the stone pillar, the shorter of the two men paused.
"What is it, Liu Hu?" the taller one asked, also stopping.
"Something's not right. I feel like someone's here," Liu Hu frowned, sniffing the air.
"Don't be so jumpy. This prison is incredibly strong, and those captured guys are all chained up. How could they possibly escape?"
Liu Hu's companion tugged at him, urging him to move on.
Liu Hu felt his companion's words were reasonable; perhaps he was being overly suspicious.
Shaking his head, he followed his companion forward. Just as they were about to turn the corner into the passage Zhang Ergou had just emerged from,
Zhang Ergou quickly ducked behind the pillar, silently waiting for them to pass.
"Forget it. The walls of the cells inside are built with green stone blocks, incredibly sturdy. The cell doors are even forged from fine steel."
"Even a Nascent Soul stage great cultivator couldn't escape if locked inside. Let's check elsewhere."
The two stood at the bend in the corridor, peered around for a moment, and then retraced their steps.
"What the heck!" Zhang Ergou exclaimed inwardly, his eyes fixed on the two.
As they approached the stone pillar in front of him, he darted back to his original position.
Zhang Ergou hadn't expected them to suddenly turn back, narrowly avoiding discovery.
The two chatted and laughed as they walked back down the original passage, heading to inspect other cells.
Zhang Ergou mused to himself, "This won't do. Although I've escaped my cell, I have no idea what the situation is outside." Su Dan Novel Network.
"Moreover, I might encounter other patrols. The possibility of me being discovered is very high."
Zhang Ergou quietly slipped back into the cell he had previously occupied.
"I must devise a foolproof plan. If I encounter an opponent I can't defeat, I'll surely be captured again."
"This time I was lucky; they didn't notice my cell door wasn't locked, and those two patrolling guards didn't come to check."
"The cultivation of those two patrolling Liu Hai Sect disciples is not low. If I hadn't been cautious, I might have been discovered."
"In this situation, barging out is definitely not a good idea."
Zhang Ergou returned to his cell, contemplating a way to escape...
...
Meanwhile, on a vast square within the Liu Hai Sect, the air was already buzzing with excitement, and the stands were filled with people.
Disciples from various major and minor sects participating in the Two Sect Grand Competition were seated in areas designated by their sect's insignia.
In the area belonging to the Misty Sect, Chi Yu gazed anxiously. Zhang Ergou had not yet appeared, and something must have happened.
However, this was not the Misty Sect, and on such an important day as the Two Sect Grand Competition, they couldn't search haphazardly.
Several Nascent Soul stage great cultivators were present for the opening ceremony of the competition today.
Even the Heavenly Dao Elder couldn't use his spiritual sense to search.
Lin Yichen and the others also wore anxious expressions. If Zhang Ergou missed this, it would be terrible news for the Misty Sect.
Seated on the main stage were several elders at the Nascent Soul stage. They exchanged pleasantries, and then an elder from the Liu Hai Sect stepped forward to speak.
It was nothing but boilerplate platitudes and empty rhetoric. The people from the Misty Sect naturally had no interest in listening to whatever the man was saying up there.
"No, I have to go find Zhang Ergou. Just sitting here doing nothing won't solve anything."
Chi Yu quietly stood up and whispered to Shi Wuhen beside her.
"Mm, be careful. If anything happens, be sure to send a message."
Shi Wuhen nodded. He naturally understood Chi Yu's feelings; Zhang Ergou was someone he had watched grow.
In less than half a year, that young fellow had broken through from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Golden Core stage.
This was notable even in the history of the Misty Sect. He was genuinely happy for his junior sister Chi Yu from the bottom of his heart.
When they came to the Liu Hai Sect this time, he had even expressed envy to Chi Yu. Not only did she not recruit disciples, but when she did, she took in such a monstrous disciple.
It truly made many elders and peak masters envious.
Seeing Chi Yu's urgency, Shi Wuhen naturally supported her actions. This was not the Misty Sect, and accidents could happen at any time.
The Liu Hai Sect was a sect comparable to the Misty Sect, and its foundation was naturally not inferior.
If Zhang Ergou accidentally stumbled into the cultivation grounds of some reclusive old monster, such a possibility could not be ruled out.
Chi Yu nodded. The elders had communication jade slips among themselves, allowing her to transmit important messages to Shi Wuhen and the others immediately.
Taking advantage of the Liu Hai Sect elder's lengthy and tedious speech on the main stage, Chi Yu quietly slipped out from the back...
...
Zhang Ergou was not idle in the cell. Through observation, he discovered that the two patrolling disciples came to inspect every hour.
He didn't know the size of this prison yet. Zhang Ergou tried to probe with his spiritual sense, but his spiritual sense was blocked after only a few dozen feet.
The Liu Hai Sect was very cautious, likely having set up formations within the prison specifically to block spiritual sense probes.
Zhang Ergou inwardly rejoiced that he hadn't wandered around blindly. This prison must have more than just this one formation; he had to remain vigilant.
"Heh, how could I forget about Old Man Xue Shan? That old fellow is incredibly knowledgeable. No matter how sturdy this prison is, can it be sturdier than the great formation that trapped the Ice and Snow Mountain back then!"
With this thought, Zhang Ergou quickly called out to Old Man Xue Shan, who resided in his sea of consciousness, to wake up.
Ever since Old Man Xue Shan moved into Zhang Ergou's sea of consciousness, he had entered a dormant state. He had been like a non-existent presence these past few days, and Zhang Ergou had overlooked him.
"Old man, wake up! Something's happened, I'm trapped."
Zhang Ergou's soul entered his sea of consciousness, found where the old man was hiding, patted him, and called out.
"Huh? What's wrong? What happened?" Old Man Xue Shan opened his groggy eyes. Zhang Ergou was annoyed.
How could this old man still sleep? He had been imprisoned here for so long, and the old man showed no reaction.
Seeing Old Man Xue Shan awake, Zhang Ergou recounted the entire incident in detail.
After listening, Old Man Xue Shan pondered for a moment, then floated out of Zhang Ergou's sea of consciousness.