The Ritual Knife had also lined up perfectly with the Holy Altar, and besides, even if it hadn't, Fang Hong really couldn't care less by that point; he could only hope for a dead horse to act as a living horse doctor.

Choosing another path right now would most likely be futile. According to the messages coming from Dianmo Ran Qingzhu's side, they had taken the route previously traversed by the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team. The Red Cloak Team and the Rain Listeners were well-prepared, not to mention they had the aid of the Night Lizard People. This little trouble would certainly not defeat them.

But it was different for oneself. To find the passage that Dianmo Ran Qingzhu's group had taken amid the labyrinth-like paths of this pyramid would be no easy task, especially if other paths were all sealed. Now, one could only hope to rely on the Papalarians' god-defying luck at this moment.

As Fang Hong thought about this, he drew out the Ritual Short Sword in one swift motion and held it in his hand.

The Papalarians he mentioned, seeing him suddenly pull out the gleaming Ritual Short Sword aimed at himself, thought he was about to be used as a blood sacrifice, so Little Fatty panicked and screamed, "Don't kill me! I have high blood lipids, I'm too oily, and whatever god here definitely won't like it! Tainaric and it are close, you go and spill its blood for a try!"

Tainaric also couldn't help but roll his eyes, received the shorty from Fang Hong's hand, then turned the blade and plunged it into the Holy Altar.

It fit perfectly, right in place.

Parker, realizing he wasn't going to be killed, couldn't help but sigh with relief, though unwillingly he said, "That's my short sword."

But Fang Hong paid him no heed, just watching the Ritual Short Sword as it was stuck in the Holy Altar. The entire Ritual Hall still shook as usual, with no change occurring. He and Tainaric looked puzzled, but it was the Papalarians who continued, "Stupid, at times like this you should try twisting it."

"Do you think this is some kind of treasure-hunting adventure novel?"

Fang Hong retorted irritably, then stretched out a hand and twisted it, to his surprise, the short sword actually moved in response.

Under the gaze of the three men, one side of the Ritual Hall's inner wall suddenly creaked and split open, revealing a long corridor behind it, extending into the darkness under the illumination of the Torch Crystals.

Fang Hong opened his mouth wide in shock at this scene.

The Papalarians gloated, "See, people always think the older the mechanism, the more mysterious it is, but that's not necessarily the case. Do you know how much the Nightingale's techniques have improved over this thousand years?"

He chattered on, "These are all just old antiques. The thinking of the Xinsas Serpentfolk has long been ossified."

Fang Hong was too lazy to argue with him, deciding the guy was a blind cat that had met a dead rat, then led Tainaric towards that direction.

The Papalarians, momentarily stunned, then shouted, "Wait, I haven't pulled out my sword yet—that's my short sword!"

"You could wait until we've left, then pull out the sword," Fang Hong answered without turning back, "and stay in this place alone."

Parker thought about the feasibility of doing so, but eventually followed them at a quick pace, since the Attribute of that dagger wasn't really that good, it was just an ordinary Ritual Short Sword. He had only carried it since it could be considered a priceless antique.

But even the most priceless antique wasn't as important as one's own life, a fact the Papalarians were very clear about.

After passing through the Ritual Hall, there was no longer any hindrance inside this fortress pyramid. The three of them had a detailed map, so the labyrinth below wouldn't cause them any trouble, and soon they traversed the fortress pyramid.

They arrived on the other side, facing the core area—

But to Fang Hong's surprise, he initially thought Dianmo Ran Qingzhu's side would have arrived first, but that wasn't the case. The side of the pyramid fortress was empty, with just the bridge leading to the core area—lonely standing above the Abyss, seemingly unaffected by the severe underground tremblings.

No trace of others could be seen at either end of the bridge.

Fang Hong didn't know whether they hadn't come out, or had already entered the core area. He could only send a message in that direction, but no one replied. He faintly felt something was wrong, and could only report back to the emergency command center, waiting for their inquiry.

But the underground tremors were getting more intense, and time was running out.

He obviously couldn't just wait. Fang Hong looked in the direction of the core area; others had already brought them this far, and after passing five Light Bridges, what remained was actually just a final bet.

"What should we do?" Tainaric then turned around and asked.

"Cross the bridge first," Fang Hong made up his mind. "Our task is to find Alice first."

"Only by finding her before it's too late do we have a glimmer of hope."

...

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