He came to this conclusion.

Zhou Huai’s heart skipped a beat.

He immediately gave an order to Moria, who was beside him.

“Notify everyone: no one is to cross the bridge without permission.”

“I’ll go ahead and scout the situation.”

Moria’s pretty face was filled with worry, but he still nodded heavily.

“Yes, Master! Please be careful!”

Zhou Huai said no more.

He controlled Moria, whose figure flickered, and stepped onto the ancient, greyish-blue stone bridge.

The flagstones underfoot were cold and hard, covered in fine cracks and slippery moss, each step conveying the weight of ages.

The bridge was wide, and the railings on both sides were carved with abstruse, incomprehensible characters, which, in the dim light, resembled distorted eyes silently watching this uninvited guest.

Moria’s figure moved across the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ bridge like a phantom blending into the night.

He walked slowly, each step exceptionally cautious, his senses highly concentrated, perceiving every rustle and stir around him. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Above the lake, there was still that deathly silence.

However, beneath the lake, it was a different scene.

“Splash—!”

The calm lake water suddenly began to churn violently, and huge waves, without warning, crashed against the bridge piers, sending splashes several meters high.

Immediately after, several unimaginably massive shadows slowly rose from the depths of the lake, swimming back and forth beneath Moria.

They did not leap out of the water, but their undisguised hostility, full of ferocity and greed, was palpable.

Zhou Huai’s consciousness was within Moria, and his heart sank sharply.

Just by sensing the energy fluctuations emanating from those shadows, he could clearly determine that every single Strange Beast at the bottom of this lake was definitely no lower than Rank 40 in strength.

Among them, there were even a few Qi that were so powerful they made his heart palpitate.

Zhou Huai secretly rejoiced.

Fortunately, he hadn’t been impulsive and directly had Moria fly over the lake to investigate the source of the golden light.

Otherwise, if he had trespassed into the territory of these aquatic overlords, even Moria, with his shadow abilities, would likely not have escaped death.

As for why they dared not attack the bridge now, Zhou Huai guessed it was likely due to some innate apprehension these Strange Beast held towards this ancient stone bridge.

Or perhaps, it was protected by some even more powerful existence.

Zhou Huai no longer delved deeper and quickened his pace.

After walking on the bridge for about five minutes, he finally reached the other end of the bridge and stepped onto the land on the opposite side of the lake.

Here, it was still enveloped by that thick, impenetrable white fog.

The visibility was even less than five meters.

But the golden light in the distance became increasingly clear, increasingly brilliant.

It was like a heart suspended in the thick fog, beating rhythmically, one beat at a time, each flicker causing the surrounding mist to churn.

Zhou Huai did not hesitate and walked straight in the direction of the flashing light.

The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the sound of his own footsteps echoing in the empty mist, appearing exceptionally clear.

He hadn't walked far when several huge, blurry outlines appeared in the thick fog ahead.

Zhou Huai slowed his steps, approaching cautiously.

When he finally passed through that thin layer of mist, the sight before him made him momentarily hold his breath.

It was a dilapidated, grand architectural complex.

Ancient buildings, constructed from massive black stones, stood silently in the mist, like the skeletons of ancient behemoths.

The style of these buildings was completely different from anything Zhou Huai knew.

They were angular, with rugged lines, filled with a primal and wild aesthetic, as if they were building blocks casually stacked by deities.

The tall stone walls were covered with huge, bone-deep claw marks, suggesting that some colossal creature had once engaged in a fierce battle here.

And between those claw marks, Zhou Huai once again saw those familiar, mysterious, and eerie characters.

They were deeply branded into the stone walls, enduring countless years of erosion, yet still clearly visible.

Seeing these buildings, Zhou Huai became even more certain.

This Secret Realm should be the ancient civilization ruins Nakamura Shin'ichirō spoke of!

This means there are at least two ruins within the Great Xia Country.

One, near Simon City, which triggered the city-destroying beast tide ten years ago.

The other, right here, a thousand meters beneath Donghai City.

No wonder the Zhou Family and the Liu Family were so mobilized, sending so many powerful experts to explore here.

They had clearly already realized this point.

After all, Divine Artifact exist within the ruins.

Thinking of this, Zhou Huai's heart also grew fervent.

No matter what, he had to find clues about the Divine Artifact before the Zhou Family and the Liu Family.

Controlling Moria, his figure flickered, silently blending into the shadows of a corner, and he began to stealthily move through this deathly silent ancient city.

“Roar—!”

As soon as he entered the architectural complex, a low, suppressed roar reached his ears.

The sound seemed to come from the depths of Hell, filled with ferocity and hunger.

Moria stopped behind a broken wall, cautiously peeking out.

Not far away, in a half-collapsed tower, a giant lizard, over thirty meters long, was coiled.

Its entire body was covered in dark green, thick scales, and three spiral-shaped horns grew on its head. A pair of molten-lava-like vertical pupils vigilantly scanned its surroundings.

【Calamity Rank BOSS · Abyssal Demon Lizard LV32】

Zhou Huai’s pupils suddenly constricted.

He had just entered and already encountered a Calamity Rank BOSS.

He immediately withdrew his gaze, not daring to peek any further.

He continued to move through the shadows.

Soon, he was horrified to discover that this deathly silent ancient city was practically a BOSS’s nest!

Almost every dilapidated building housed a powerfully suffocating Strange Beast.

The lowest Rank among them was also Rank 30.

And, without exception, they were all BOSS-level existences!

Zhou Huai even saw a cyclops, as large as a small mountain, sleeping soundly against a broken stone pillar in the ruins of a collapsed square.

Each of its breaths stirred up a gust of wind, sending the scattered stones on the ground rolling.

【Calamity Rank BOSS · Primordial Cyclops LV35】

Zhou Huai roughly estimated that the BOSS-level Strange Beast he had encountered so far on his journey already exceeded twenty.

Fortunately, the Rank of these BOSSes ranged from Rank 30 to Rank 35, and no Hell-level existences had appeared.

Even so, it was still enough to be terrifying.

This place was simply a dead end.

Moria’s figure swiftly leaped between the shadows of the buildings, like the most agile leopard, avoiding one powerful Strange Beast after another.

Finally, he arrived at a huge, empty square.

This was the source of that golden light.

In the very center of the square stood a massive stone pillar, a hundred meters tall.

The pillar was a deep purplish-black, its surface smooth as a mirror, yet inscribed with dense golden runes.

Countless golden electrical currents, thicker than an arm, like wildly dancing golden giant snakes, coiled around the stone pillar, continuously climbing upwards, then exploding at the top with crackling sounds.

With each explosion, a surge of extremely pure lightning power diffused outwards.

That power was domineering, violent, filled with the Qi of destruction and rebirth.

Zhou Huai, controlling Moria, stood at the edge of the square, staring blankly at the towering lightning pillar.

For the first time, an uncontrollable excitement and ecstasy appeared in his silver eyes.

This power... this lightning power... that’s right.

It’s definitely abnormal lightning!