Shi Qingxuan said, "Is this a dead end? That can't be right."
He held a flame in one hand and felt along the wall with the other, trying to find a hidden mechanism. He tried a few spells to break any illusions, but the wall remained still. Frustrated, he said, "Should I just break through it?"
Xie Lian replied, "That would make too much noise. The whole Elysium Pavilion would be alerted."
Shi Qingxuan placed his hand on the stone wall and sent a wave of spiritual energy into it. After a while, he withdrew his hand and said, "Even if I wanted to break it, I couldn't. This wall is probably at least ten meters thick."
But Xie Lian had clearly seen the crescent moon envoy enter here. Surely he wasn't sneaking in just to meditate in a dead-end alley? There must be another way, so the two of them continued to search the area carefully. Before long, Xie Lian said, "Wind Master, look at the ground. There seems to be something there."
He pointed to the ground, and Shi Qingxuan immediately lowered his hand. The two of them crouched down together.
The floor of the passage was paved with countless square bricks, each about the size of a small door. In front of the stone wall, the brick they were standing on had a picture drawn on it. The image wasn't large; it showed a little person throwing dice.
Shi Qingxuan looked up and said, "Could it be that, like the door above, we have to roll the right number to open this stone wall?"
Xie Lian nodded slightly and said, "It seems so, but I didn't come in with the crescent moon envoy, so I don't know what number we need to pass."
Shi Qingxuan said, "We've come this far, going back to investigate isn't practical. Let's just roll and see what happens."
Xie Lian agreed, "Wind Master, you try. I... I'm not sure how many times my borrowed luck will last."
Shi Qingxuan didn't hesitate. He took the dice and threw them on the ground. "How about this?"
He rolled a "two" and a "five." They waited for a moment, but the stone wall didn't open. Xie Lian picked up the dice and said, "As expected, it didn't work."
Shi Qingxuan suddenly said, "Crown Prince, look at the ground, the picture has changed!"
Hearing this, Xie Lian immediately looked down. Sure enough, the image on the brick had changed from a little person playing dice to a picture of a fat, round, black worm.
Shi Qingxuan asked, "What is this thing?"
Xie Lian guessed, "An earth dragon? A leech? It looks like something I've seen a lot of in the fields."
Shi Qingxuan said, "What have you been doing to see so many..."
Before he could finish, he disappeared.
Not only him, but Xie Lian also vanished. As they mentioned the word "thing," they both felt the ground give way beneath them, and the next moment, they fell into a pit.
It turned out the stone wall wasn't a door at all; it was just a real stone wall. The brick they stood on was the actual door. After rolling the dice, the door suddenly opened and then closed again. Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan fell through the air and landed heavily on a patch of ground.
Fortunately, the ground was incredibly soft. Although they left two deep human-shaped impressions, they didn't feel much pain and immediately tried to stand up. However, as they stood, they both hit their heads on the ceiling and exclaimed in pain. Xie Lian rubbed his head with one hand and felt the soft, damp earth above with the other.
No stone slabs. The stone door had long disappeared.
When they fell, the flame in Shi Qingxuan's hand went out. He reignited it, illuminating the surroundings. They found themselves in an earthen tunnel.
The tunnel was round, with walls made of earth, showing no signs of being man-made. Shi Qingxuan rubbed his forehead and said, "What is this place? Did we get thrown here because I rolled the wrong number?"
After a moment of thought, Xie Lian said, "Very likely. The stone door is gone, meaning we can't go back. Let's find a way out first."
After a brief discussion, they proceeded through the tunnel. The tunnel was winding, making it difficult for an adult to stand upright. They had to stoop or crawl, moving slowly and with effort. The air was damp and warm, and the soil was sticky, making each step a struggle. Occasionally, they stepped on the decaying remains of small animals or plants in the soil. Xie Lian remained unfazed, but Shi Qingxuan was covered in goosebumps. The further they went, the more uneasy Xie Lian felt. He said, "Wind Master, we need to hurry. This place..."
Just then, a strange, loud rumbling sound echoed through the tunnel.
The sound caused the entire tunnel to tremble slightly, dislodging bits of soil from above. The two exchanged a glance and, without a word, ran in the opposite direction of the noise.
However, the rumbling and shaking were much faster than they were, rapidly closing in. They stumbled and crawled through the winding tunnel but couldn't find an exit or even a hint of light. Worse, the same rumbling and shaking came from the direction they were running toward!
With both forward and backward paths blocked, they had to stop. Accompanied by the loud rumbling and the sound of a massive body dragging through the earth, two giant worms appeared before them.
These two worms were enormous and bloated, purple-black in color with slightly transparent skin. Their bodies were segmented, eyeless, and footless, with heads that were just fleshy tips. If these weren't earth dragons, what were they?
The stone door had opened, throwing them into the lair of these earth dragon monsters!
Xie Lian raised a hand to block in front of him, his Ruoye ribbon ready to strike. Shi Qingxuan pulled out his Wind Master fan, but in the narrow underground, he couldn't summon a strong wind. If he did, he might even blow himself away. Such a powerful weapon was hard to use here. Xie Lian remembered that earth dragons feared light and heat. He said, "Wind Master, could you lend me some spiritual power and make the flame bigger?"
Shi Qingxuan complied, clapping his left hand with Xie Lian's. The flame in his right hand grew a few inches higher. Xie Lian also quickly summoned a bright flame in his palm. The two earth dragons felt the intense heat and light and backed away, creating a distance of about ten meters. The two used the fire's power to continue moving slowly, keeping the earth dragons at bay, hoping to find an exit.
However, the tunnel was narrow, and the heat from the fire not only scared the earth dragons but also made Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan sweat profusely, as if they were in an oven. It was quite uncomfortable. Worse, despite Shi Qingxuan's efforts to sustain the flame with spiritual power, it seemed to be getting smaller. The earth dragons, sensing this, were no longer as afraid.
After a few more steps, Xie Lian felt his breathing becoming labored. He said, "Wind Master, this flame might not last much longer. Although the soil is damp and loose, we're still deep underground. Soon, the air might run out, and the fire will go out, and we might faint."
Shi Qingxuan gritted his teeth and said, "Then we'll just have to use a Shrinking Earth Technique."
Although neither of them could draw an array in this situation, and the terrain was unfavorable, they had no other choice. Xie Lian said, "I'll find a flat spot."
Just then, he felt his foot hit a patch of ground that wasn't as damp. It seemed to be a stone slab. Xie Lian's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately bent down to check. Sure enough, it was another stone door!
The stone door also had a picture of a little person throwing dice. Shi Qingxuan stepped on it too, overjoyed. "Quick, quick, throw the dice and open it!" Xie Lian was about to throw when he thought, "I better not roll a worse number and end up in an even scarier place." He handed the dice to Shi Qingxuan and said, "You do it!"
Shi Qingxuan didn't hesitate and threw the dice. They rolled to a stop, showing a "three" and a "four." Xie Lian quickly picked up the dice, and they both stood on the door. By now, the flame in Shi Qingxuan's hand had shrunk again, and the earth dragons were getting restless. Xie Lian watched the pattern on the door closely. It faded and transformed into another image, showing a forest with a few strangely dressed people dancing around someone in the middle.
At that moment, one of the earth dragons couldn't hold back any longer. It opened its mouth and charged at them!
Fortunately, just as it was three meters away, the stone door opened!
This time, they fell into another narrow tunnel. But this time, the ground was hard and dry. They landed painfully, crashing into each other. Xie Lian was used to enduring pain and remained silent, but Shi Qingxuan shouted loudly. Xie Lian, worried he was hurt, asked, "Wind Master, are you okay?"
Shi Qingxuan, upside down, said, "I don't know if I'm okay. I've never fallen like this before. Crown Prince, working with you is really thrilling."
Hearing this, Xie Lian couldn't help but laugh. He realized they had fallen into a tree hollow.
He climbed out of the hollow with difficulty and extended a hand to Shi Qingxuan, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."
Shi Qingxuan said, "You're welcome."
He took Xie Lian's hand and crawled out of the hollow, covered in dirt. His silk clothes were in tatters, and the sunlight outside made him squint. "Where are we now?"
Xie Lian said, "As you can see, we're in a deep forest." He looked around and added, "I think this stone door works like a device for casting the Shrinking Earth Technique. Different numbers take you to different places. I wonder if the number we rolled was correct."
Shi Qingxuan, with his arms bare, crossed them and said seriously, "Casting the Shrinking Earth Technique once requires a lot of spiritual power. That Blood Rain Flower made such a stone door to prevent others from discovering his secrets. It shows how powerful he is and how cunning his mind is."
Although he looked serious, his disheveled appearance made it hard to take him seriously, almost amusing. Xie Lian held back his laughter, but in his mind, he saw Hua Cheng's playful smile and thought, "Rather than cunning, he's just playful."
They had only taken a few steps out of the tree hollow when a group of nearly naked people suddenly jumped out from the bushes, surrounding them and shouting, "Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
"..."
Both were shocked. Shi Qingxuan said, "What now?"
Xie Lian raised a hand and said, "Don't panic, everyone. Let's see what's going on."
Looking closely, he saw that these people weren't truly naked. They wore animal skins and leaves, looking like they lived primitively, holding spears made of branches with sharp stones tied to the ends. They smiled at the two, revealing mouths full of jagged teeth.
Without a word, the two turned and ran.
Shi Qingxuan shouted as he ran, "My brother always told me! There are wild people in the southern mountains who eat humans! He told me never to go to such places alone! Could it be we've run into them now?!"
Xie Lian, experienced in fleeing, was much more composed and said calmly, "Very likely! Let's find a door, see if there's another stone door!"
The wild people chased after them, shouting and throwing sharp stones and branches. One branch narrowly missed Shi Qingxuan's face.
This was bad luck. Shi Qingxuan touched his face and felt a faint scratch. He was furious.
He shouted, "You ignorant mountain people, you dare to ruin my appearance after seeing the Wind Master?! Unbelievable!!!"
After shouting, he unfurled his Wind Master fan and gave it a mighty wave. The wild people were blown several meters away, landing on trees and howling. Finally, they could stop and catch their breath. As he caught his breath, Xie Lian thought again, "Being a god is really tough... humans, ghosts, gods, none have it easy..."
Shi Qingxuan exhaled and said to Xie Lian, "Crown Prince, you saw that, right? They asked for it! I wasn't bullying them with my power."
Xie Lian said, "Yes, I saw."
Shi Qingxuan touched his face, muttering about how even his brother wouldn't dare, and said, "Let's find the stone door."
Xie Lian nodded silently. Shi Qingxuan straightened his clothes and hair, trying to look dashing. Unfortunately, he was wearing a tattered purple silk robe, making his attempt at elegance rather comical and unforgettable. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Remembering their first meeting at Half Moon Pass, the Wind Master had such a divine presence, making him think this person was either a mysterious figure or a great master. Little did he know, it was all an illusion...
They wandered aimlessly in the forest for a while before finally finding another stone door near a tree hollow. This time, Shi Qingxuan hesitated to roll the dice. Scratching his head, he said, "I don't know why, but my luck isn't usually this bad. But today, it seems off. I've rolled twice, once ending up in an earth dragon's lair and once meeting wild people. Who knows what we'll encounter next."
Xie Lian coughed lightly and said apologetically, "Maybe it's because I'm next to you, bringing your luck down."
Shi Qingxuan said, "Nonsense! How could the Wind Master have his luck dragged down by someone else! But you do it this time. Maybe there's still some luck left from your San Lang."
For some reason, hearing "your San Lang" made Xie Lian a bit embarrassed. He thought about explaining but then realized there was nothing to explain. Trying to explain would just make it awkward, so he said nothing and rolled the dice.
Two "sixes."
Holding his breath, Xie Lian watched the stone door's pattern, trying to prepare for whatever was next. But this time, the pattern didn't change, and the stone door creaked open.
Behind the door was another dark stone staircase leading deep underground, with cold air wafting out.
The two exchanged a glance, both thinking, "Did we just go in a big circle and end up back where we started?"
Even if they had, it was better than facing more strange dangers. They'd had enough. So they decisively descended the stairs. The stone door closed heavily behind them, and when they tried to push it, they found only a smooth stone wall.
Xie Lian said, "We have to keep going down."
Shi Qingxuan sighed, "Alright, let's take a breather and continue playing this game with that annoying Blood Rain Flower!"
They walked down the square underground passage again. After about two hundred steps, Xie Lian noticed something and said, "Good news, Wind Master. This isn't the same tunnel we walked before. Though it looks similar."
Shi Qingxuan also realized, "You're right. Last time, we hit a wall after two hundred steps, but not this time."
Xie Lian whispered, "It seems we've found the right path this time."
As soon as he said that, they both stopped.
From the darkness ahead came the smell of blood.
Accompanying it was the sound of a man's heavy breathing.
They stood still and silent. Though there was no light or fire, the person on the other side sensed their presence. After they paused, a cold voice came from the darkness.
A man said in a deep voice, "No comment."
Hearing this voice, Shi Qingxuan immediately lit a flame in his palm.