"Daoist Fang." Elder Gou spoke:

"You don’t seem to be short of money, so why come to a place like this?"

And all alone!

"Exploring ancient ruins, especially those related to Ghost Script, is my hobby." Fang Zheng replied:

"And why are you here, Elder Gou?"

"Me?" Elder Gou’s eyes flickered as he replied slowly:

"Years ago, my senior and master accidentally acquired a book from the previous dynasty, from which they discovered treasures here, prompting their investigation."

"The result..."

"I came here this time partly to excavate the ancient tomb for some riches, and also to figure out the reason for their mishap back then."

"Haha..." Master Ji appeared nearby at some point and laughed upon hearing this:

"I’m different from you; I heard there’s a rare snake here that supposedly grants longevity upon consumption."

"So I came to check it out."

"At my age, money is no longer a concern; it’s just the fear of death. Naturally, I’d strive to acquire anything that can prolong life."

"Everyone!"

Scar, walking at the front of the group, raised his voice and shouted:

"I see something."

Hmm?

The group quickened their pace upon hearing this and finally stopped in front of a pitch black cave.

"Not a natural cave."

Crippled John, an expert in tomb raiding, limped up and touched the stone wall at the cave entrance, then glanced inside, marveling quietly:

"Goodness, could they have drilled through the entire mountain? How did people in ancient times achieve this?"

The cave was deep and its end could not be seen.

According to prior investigations, passing through this cave is necessary to reach the ruins.

Even with modern technology, piercing through such a deep cave would be no easy task.

Ancient people...

Unless they embodied the spirit of the Foolish Old Man Moving Mountains!

Elder Gou then examined some murals on the stone wall, his eyes flickering:

"Judging by the style of the murals, they should be from the Tang Dynasty, though unrelated to Zhong Kui."

"They rather resemble items worshipping the Snake God in West Province."

The murals were chaotic, as if deliberately damaged, with too few clues to interpret anything.

After a brief adjustment at the cave entrance, the group began to move inside.

"Eh?"

As soon as they entered, Fang Zheng sensed something amiss.

This feeling...

It was like entering the Otherworld!

But that’s not all.

With a step forward, it felt like crossing an invisible barrier; even his divine thought was suppressed.

His own True Qi circulation also became somewhat sluggish.

"Daoist Fang."

Crippled John, following behind, looked up and asked:

"What’s wrong?"

"..." Fang Zheng’s eyes flickered, and after a pause, he replied slowly:

"Nothing."

Saying this, he continued forward.

As he ventured deeper into the cave, the invisible pressure grew stronger.

Thus,

it actually put Fang Zheng’s mind at ease.

Things that could suppress divine thought and True Qi were rare but did exist, the most common being arrays.

Moreover,

The aura of Masters, Martial Sects, or the Inner World created by the divine thought of powerful beings like Master Jiuyuan could achieve this.

Earth certainly does not have Masters or Martial Sects.

Not to mention Masters or Martial Sects; even Martial Artists or Mages are absent, otherwise his current level of interaction would not be unaware.

So it’s an array...

Or perhaps a natural Feng Shui Grand Array, without human manipulation, which would suppress less abruptly.

Interesting!

After walking for an undetermined time, the group exited the cave, and a densely forested valley unfolded before them.

"Dragon Devouring Four Channels Feng Shui Formation!"

Elder Gou held a compass and stared at the constantly moving needle, his eyes full of disbelief:

"Does such an extraordinary Feng Shui Formation really exist in this world?"

"What do you mean?" Master Ji approached.

"The Four Channels are at the four extremes, representing the Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise; each is a top-notch Feng Shui treasure site." Elder Gou’s voice was grave as he spoke.

"Having all Four Channels together is unheard of, and now there’s the aspect of Dragon Devouring Four Channels; it’s even more unbelievable!"

"It’s like..."

"A person who hasn’t bought a lottery ticket in ten years suddenly buys one, wins the jackpot, and then buys another ticket only to win the jackpot again."

"The odds aren’t nonexistent, but they are almost impossibly small!"

"Indeed." Fang Zheng, with hands behind his back, approached and squinted towards the distance:

"Unless someone cheated!"

"Cheated?" Elder Gou’s eyes flickered:

"Daoist Fang means this Feng Shui Formation was man-made, but... how’s that possible?"

Feng Shui Formation at a residence can be altered by rearranging furniture; how do you change one in the wild?

Move a mountain over?

At least,

With Elder Gou’s understanding, he couldn’t figure it out.

Fang Zheng gently shook his head; the capabilities of this world might be limited, but not of the Otherworld.

Connecting earth veins, aligning land energies, various methods far beyond what Feng Shui Masters can comprehend.

"Snake!"

"Careful, there’s a snake!"

At this moment, commotion erupted nearby, with some people wielding knives and swinging them around at their feet.

Fang Zheng’s ears twitched as he suddenly reached out sideways.

"Pop!"

A black snake burst from the trees, and as it neared Mute’s neck, Fang Zheng caught it.

With a slight exertion of his fingers, the little snake went limp, like it had no bones.

Others weren’t so fortunate.

"Poison!"

"Ah..."

Accompanying a mournful scream, someone went rigid and collapsed, and in seconds, the exposed skin turned black like ink.

The snakes here are not only venomous but lethal seven-step poison!

Seeing this, everyone’s expressions drastically changed.

Especially Mute,

who looked at Fang Zheng with gratitude; if it weren’t for him, Mute would’ve already been in danger.

Fang Zheng held the snake and studied it; its features reminded him of a certain venomous snake.

Black Singing Snake!

This snake is highly venomous, but its flesh can strengthen Qi and Blood, nourish Yang Energy, and it counts as a rather expensive medicine.

But,

Black Singing Snake is an Otherworld creature!

How can it be here?

"Come take a look."

Someone called:

"There are snake sculptures here."