Changmao leaped onto Shen Haoran’s shoulder and pointed deeper into the Celestial Level Cultivation Room area. "Over there," it said. "The aura is coming from that direction."

Intrigued, Shen Haoran headed deeper inside.

He passed the first stone door and found an inconspicuous path around a corner. The path was a pitch-black slit, utterly devoid of light, like a narrow rift in space. It was so well hidden that one could easily miss it without looking closely.

As he neared the path, Shen Haoran saw two words carved into the stone wall: "No Entry." He couldn’t help but smirk. ’This path has no Seal or barrier of any kind. Are these two words really supposed to stop anyone?’

"Are you sure it’s in here?" Shen Haoran asked, poking his head in and peering down the pitch-black, seemingly endless tunnel.

"Yep, I’m sure of it!" Changmao nodded, then hopped off Shen Haoran’s shoulder and scurried inside first.

"Hey, be careful—" Shen Haoran began to warn, seeing Changmao rush in so recklessly, but before he could finish, the darkness swallowed the creature’s form. With no other choice, Shen Haoran hurried in after it.

It turned out Shen Haoran had worried for nothing. The tunnel held no dangers; aside from its utter darkness, it was no different from any other passageway.

After walking for ten minutes or so, the tunnel suddenly opened up, revealing a cave before Shen Haoran.

"I never expected to find a whole new world hidden deep within the Celestial Level Cultivation Room area!" Shen Haoran marveled, gazing at the enormous cavern.

Once inside the cavern, Shen Haoran began to search all around. Changmao had said there was something good here, and he was curious to see what kind of treasure the creature could be so excited about.

However, after a good while, Shen Haoran was sitting in the cavern with a dark expression, glaring at Changmao.

He had turned the cavern completely upside down, not leaving a single stone unturned, but had found absolutely nothing, let alone some great treasure. ’Is Changmao just messing with me?’

Now Shen Haoran understood why the tunnel entrance only had the two words "No Entry" carved on it. ’This godforsaken place... even if you invited someone to come, they probably wouldn’t bother. What’s the point of setting up a Seal!’

"Changmao, where’s this treasure you were talking about? There isn’t so much as a chicken feather in here!" Shen Haoran said in exasperation.

At his words, Changmao scratched its head in embarrassment. It was certain there was a treasure here; the feeling was stronger than ever! It just hadn’t found where it was yet.

Changmao then closed its eyes and began sniffing the air, eventually stopping before a particular stone wall.

"It’s here!" Changmao’s eyes flew open, and it cried out in delight. Raising a paw, it shattered the stone wall with a single strike!

CRUMBLE... Rubble tumbled down, revealing a dark, gaping hole to Shen Haoran.

The opening was only the size of a basketball and seemed to plunge straight down, deeper into the earth. Wisps of cold air drifted up from it, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. Shen Haoran tossed a piece of rubble into the hole, but even after a long moment, no sound echoed back. ’It’s impossible to guess how deep this hole is!’

Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed. Down in that deep hole, everything was a mystery, and the unknown is always the most terrifying thing of all. He hesitated, debating whether he should risk venturing down to explore.

Changmao stared at Shen Haoran, its eyes pleading with anticipation. It was clearly desperate to get to whatever treasure lay below. But as long as Shen Haoran didn’t make a decision, it wouldn’t dare to act on its own.

Seeing Changmao’s impatient expression, Shen Haoran gritted his teeth. "Fortune favors the bold," he said. "Let’s go. We’ll head down and take a look."

With that said, Shen Haoran sat down cross-legged in the cavern. A powerful surge of Spiritual Thought burst from his body, coalescing into an illusory human figure that was a perfect likeness of Shen Haoran himself!

’There’s no other way. The opening is only the size of a basketball, so my physical body can’t fit through. I’ll have to use my Spiritual Thought. Besides, it’s a form of protection, too. If I run into danger, my Spiritual Thought will have a much easier time escaping from such a narrow space!’

Seeing the illusory Spiritual Thought, Changmao gave a sharp cry and leaped down first. Then, Shen Haoran’s projection took a deep breath and plunged into the opening.

The narrow, winding tunnel continued its descent, pitch-black and utterly lifeless. Suddenly, two faint glows appeared, a man and a beast hurtling through the passage at incredible speed, their passage stirring up a gust of wind.

The two figures were, of course, Shen Haoran and Changmao. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian now swirled around Shen Haoran, enveloping his Spiritual Thought, while a faint black light flickered over Changmao’s body, giving it a very strange appearance.

The deeper they went, the colder and more sinister the surrounding aura became, forcing Shen Haoran and Changmao to use their respective abilities to protect themselves.

"Are we still not at the bottom?" Shen Haoran asked with a frown. They had been hurtling downward for some time now, yet the path ahead remained pitch-black. ’My Spiritual Thought can’t get too far from my physical body, or it will dissipate. I’m about to reach that limit!’

"Almost there!" Changmao cried excitedly, having already sensed the terrifying Energy fluctuations up ahead.

Sure enough, just as Changmao finished speaking, a pinprick of light appeared in Shen Haoran’s vision. Elated, the two of them shot toward it!

"We’re finally out!" Free from the dark, narrow tunnel, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. The passage had been incredibly oppressive.

However, before Shen Haoran could celebrate, a sudden sense of crisis washed over him. The next instant, he instinctively grabbed Changmao and shot upward!

BOOM!

A massive dragon formed of Spiritual Power slammed into the spot where they had just been hovering, the terrifying force blasting the stone wall to bits. A cold sweat broke out on Shen Haoran as he watched the attack.

Only then did Shen Haoran get a clear look at his surroundings, and he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

Before him lay a vast ocean of pure Spiritual Power!

Within the vast Spirit Sea, great waves composed entirely of Spiritual Power rose and fell. They surged forward, row after row, crashing against the surrounding stone walls with unstoppable force. Each impact sent up brilliant sprays of Spiritual Power, and the deafening roar was like a Thunderous Force, the momentum as overwhelming as a stampede of ten thousand horses!

Wave after wave, the tides roared and shrieked through this Underworld. The raging Spiritual Power was filled with a terrifying, shudder-inducing might and a profound, unfathomable mystery.

Before this majestic ocean of Spiritual Power, Shen Haoran and Changmao were as insignificant as specks of dust, trembling uncontrollably. Gazing at the terrifying might that resembled a charging army of thousands, Shen Haoran swallowed hard. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Where... in the world are we?"...