The chatter deep in the dungeon on the third floor suddenly dropped.
The tall, thin man in gray robe put down his tea bowl and frowned slightly.
His name is Ma Yuan, and he was originally a high-level demon from Qingyang Prefecture Heavenly Demon Sect. This time, Qingshan County was transferred by the secret messenger to help guard the dungeon for several days.
The short and fat companion sitting opposite him is named Lü Yan, and his cultivation level is also at Middle Stage of Transforming Force. The two have been partners for many years, and they have a great understanding of each other.
"What's wrong?" Lü Yan saw that he suddenly stopped talking and chewed the peanuts slowly.
Ma Yuan did not answer immediately.
He turned his head and glanced towards the half-opened iron door at the end of the corridor.
"Did you hear anything?"
"What did you hear?"
Lü Yan was a little confused. He put down the peanut shell in his hand and listened attentively for a moment. Except for the crackling sound of burning torches and the ticking sound of water seeping from the stone wall, there was nothing.
"You are just suspicious."
He muttered and grabbed another handful of peanuts.
Ma Yuan frowned and did not answer.
He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly was wrong.
He took a sip from the tea bowl and couldn't help but glance towards the stone steps, always feeling uneasy in his heart.
"How long has it been and why is there still no news?"
Lü Yan stuffed a piece of dry biscuit into his mouth and said vaguely, "Why are you so anxious? Water is leaking up there. Those people are busy putting out the fire and they don't have time to send us news."
Ma Yuan put down the tea bowl and glanced at him. "What do you know? The water is flowing strangely up there. It doesn't burn in the morning and doesn't burn in the evening. It just happened to burn just when the secret envoy was about to turn on the furnace. This is obviously someone who is causing trouble behind the scenes."
"So what?" Lü Yan curled his lips nonchalantly. "With Qingshan County, this group of chickens and dogs, what else can they do? There are secret envoys outside, who dares to come and die?"
Ma Yuan snorted coldly and did not refute again.
He knew there was some truth in what Lü Yan said.
The secret messenger brought thirty or forty elite Sacred Sect people, including more than ten masters above Transforming Force, and You Zhong and three other Peak Transforming Forces were in charge.
This kind of power, let alone Qingshan County, can be considered a considerable force even if it is placed in several counties under the jurisdiction of Qingyang Prefecture.
But the uneasiness in Ma Yuan's heart still lingers.
He has been working hard in the Heavenly Demon Sect for more than ten years, climbing step by step from the lowest level of the peripheral demons to where he is today, relying on this intuition of danger.
Just as he was thinking about it, Lü Yan next to him suddenly lowered his voice and his tone became more serious.
"Old Ma, do you think that after Master Secret Envoy has been refined into Blood God Pill, can he really be transferred back to the main altar as he wishes?"
Ma Yuan glanced at him and didn't answer immediately.
Of course he knew what Lü Yan meant when he asked.
There are many factions within the Heavenly Demon Sect, and the overt and covert fights between various states and governments have never stopped.
Although Lord Secret Envoy has connections in the main circle, he has wasted several years in Qingyang Prefecture. If Blood God Pill is perfected, it will certainly be a great achievement, but it is hard to say who will receive the credit in the end.
"Why do you care about this?" Ma Yuan said calmly, "Just do your job well."
Lü Yan chuckled and stuffed another peanut into his mouth, "I'm not worried about you adults."
He chewed peanuts and said with a hint of gossip in his tone, "I have heard that there has been some unrest in the main forum recently. The law enforcement elders and the meritorious elders are fighting fiercely, and even the branch forums in various states have been affected. Qingyang Prefecture is pretty good here. I heard that in several branches in the south, some people have been recalled to the main forum to 'report on their duties.'"
Ma Yuan raised his eyebrows. "Debrief?"
"That's what you think." Lü Yan lowered his voice. "He went back, but he hasn't come back yet. It is said that he was detained."
Ma Yuan was silent for a moment.
This kind of thing is not uncommon in the Heavenly Demon Sect.
When the two factions of the general forum are fighting, the people below are forced to take sides. If they stand on the wrong side, they will be demoted at best, or their lives will be at risk at worst.
The secret messenger is eager to practice Blood God Pill to perform meritorious deeds, probably because he senses that the wind in the main altar is not in the right direction.
"Don't say these words outside." Ma Yuan said solemnly, "If it reaches the ears of the secret envoy, neither you nor I will reap the consequences."
"Of course I know that." Lü Yan smiled and returned to his careless look, "I just want to say a few words to you."
Ma Yuan did not answer the call.
He stood up, walked to the center of the cross corridor, raised his head and glanced towards the stone steps.
the next moment,
His eyes suddenly condensed.
Something seemed to flash past in the shadow behind the door just now.
"Who!"
He shouted loudly, his body suddenly rose up, and he appeared in front of the iron gate in an instant.
The next moment, he suddenly opened the door.
But there was nothing behind the door.
Lü Yan also stood up and asked nervously, "What's wrong?"
Ma Yuan didn't answer, his eyes swept over the steps behind the door like a hawk.
There was no one on the stone steps, only the flames of torches swaying gently in the breeze.
He frowned.
Are you really being suspicious?
He stood up, walked a few more steps up the stone steps, and listened for a moment.
There were some faint sounds coming from above, like someone walking around, but it was hard to hear clearly through the thick stone slabs and layers of stone steps.
"What's going on up there?"
Lü Yan also followed, looking up at the top of the stone steps.
"Is it possible that someone from the next shift has come down?"
Ma Yuan did not answer the call.
He stood in the middle of the stone steps and listened intently for a moment. The tiny sounds above suddenly stopped, and the dungeon fell into dead silence again.
But this silence made him even more uneasy.
He turned around and whispered to Lü Yan, "Go up and have a look."
"Me?" Lü Yan pointed to his nose, with a look of reluctance. "There are people guarding up there, what am I going to do?"
"Go if you are told to go."
Ma Yuan's tone left no room for doubt. "Come down as soon as you finish reading, don't delay."
Lü Yan muttered, and finally walked up the stone steps.
His figure quickly disappeared above the stone steps.
Ma Yuan stood at the bottom of the stone steps, looking up at Lü Yan's figure disappearing at the entrance to the third floor. Instead of diminishing, the uneasiness in his heart became more intense.
He stood at the bottom of the stone steps and listened carefully.
After waiting for about ten breaths, a very light muffled sound suddenly came from above, followed by the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground.
Ma Yuan's pupils shrank suddenly, and an ominous premonition suddenly surged into his heart.
"Lü Yan!"
He shouted loudly, and without thinking, he shot towards the top of the stone steps like an arrow from a string.