Taking advantage of the respite, Han Yu slipped a hand into his robes and brushed his fingers against the communication slip. He infused it with a thread of spiritual sense, sending a ssage to ng Jueyan.
"How is your situation?" Han Yu asked through the slip.
The jade glowed faintly, then after a pause her reply ca.
"I have retreated to the hidden passage we ca from," ng Jueyan said. "I am heading back to regroup with other Mist Eye Sect forces. So far, it does not seem like anyone else knows that my team has been eliminated."
'Finally...' Relief flickered in Han Yu's eyes.
That ant they would not imdiately face retaliation. If her sect believed her companions had simply vanished in the maze of traps, they would not be blad directly.
"Good," Han Yu replied. "Delay their discovery if you can. Buy us more ti."
Her next ssage arrived after a short silence. "I can delay it for a while. The other Mist Eye groups are scattered across different sections of the complexes. Unless one of them finds another hidden corridor that connects to your location, they will not approach. You will be safe for the ti being."
Han Yu's lips curled slightly. "That is acceptable. About the agreent we had. Was eliminating this group sufficient for your request?"
ng Jueyan's response was asured, as though she had already weighed the outco. "It is enough to make an impact. While Elder Hei's faction still has many disciples, losing an entire team is no small matter. You managed to remove a tenth of his direct supporters in one stroke. That will sting."
Han Yu absorbed her words in silence before sending his next question. "How many more of them remain?"
"If I exclude the elders," she answered, "there are around ninety left. Perhaps a little more. The elders themselves were never included in my request, since I know you cannot possibly oppose them. They are in the Nascent Soul realm, and moving against them would invite disaster."
Han Yu nodded to himself, though she could not see. "True. I could never touch them. Nor would it be wise. Even if I wanted to eliminate them, that would an igniting a full conflict between our sects. Both the orthodox and unorthodox sects would interfere. No one wants such a war."
ng Jueyan's next reply carried a trace of agreent. "Yes. The balance must remain. But smaller strikes can still weaken Elder Hei's grip."
She knew that if a full blown war started, Elder Hei's faction might gain even more opportunities to take hold in their sect
Han Yu thought carefully, then ssaged her again. "We might be able to use the repository's traps to our advantage. If anyone asks, we can say the group perished while exploring. It will not raise suspicion if the story is that the labyrinth claid them."
ng Jueyan's ssage ca quickly. "That is what I intended as well. As long as the bla rests on the traps, there will be no uproar. Elder Hei cannot demand justice for disciples who were simply unlucky in such a deadly place. The sect will not pursue it further."
The altar trap they had encountered was dangerous enough to use as an excuse. Even if the Mist Eye Sect sent another group to investigate, they would face the sa trap, which was enough to damage and even kill Core Condensation realm cultivators.
Han Yu felt satisfied with that. "Good. That ans we can continue to chip away at his faction when the opportunity arises."
ng Jueyan's reply was short but firm. "Agreed. I will do my part from within. You do yours in the field."
The communication jade fell silent after that, and Han Yu slipped it back into his robes, his expression unreadable. To the others resting in the corridor, it seed like he was simply ditating in silence.
anwhile, the group discussed their next steps.
Wu Shuan looked toward the far end of the trapless corridor. "This path seems safe for now. Should we continue?"
Xuan Qing shook his head. "Not yet. We must check the other path as well. If it leads sowhere better, we should take that instead of pressing forward blindly."
Han Yu opened his eyes and nodded. "Agreed. We will not waste the chance to compare. Chitterfang, lead us back."
The rat perked up at his words and scurried toward the way they had co. The group followed, more confident now that they knew how much they owed to the tiny creature. When they reached the split in the paths again, Chitterfang went toward the second passage.
This one was narrower and darker, the air colder as though unseen drafts moved through hidden cracks. It took only a dozen steps before Chitterfang squeaked and raised its paw again. A glimr of light flashed across the ceiling, and they quickly discovered thin wires stretched across the width of the passage.
"These are ant to trigger sothing heavy," Han Yu observed. "Do not touch them."
Carefully, they maneuvered under the wires. At one point, Wu Shuan almost brushed against one, but Han Yu grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back in ti. A massive slab of stone shifted slightly above them, proof of the trap's lethality.
The further they went, the more dangerous the traps beca.
Arrows that could pierce reinforced qi shields, pits that appeared without warning, and strange runes that exploded with bursts of light when disturbed. Yet with Chitterfang's guidance and their careful steps, they avoided disaster.
Finally, they reached a section where the traps ceased. The corridor widened, and the air grew still once more. They had reached another safe zone.
The seniors let out quiet sighs of relief. Wu Shuan turned to Han Yu. "Both paths are deadly, but with Chitterfang we can manage. The real question is which one leads to the treasure."
Han Yu narrowed his eyes, his mind already turning over the possibilities. For now, at least, they had choices. And choices ant survival.
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