The Outer Layer of the Cave Abode

In a hidden forest, a group of Demon Cultivators had gathered, having erected an altar.

On the altar stood five Demon Cultivators, each with the strength of a Tier Five.

The five stood on the altar according to the positions of the Five Elements.

Each of them was making preparations, getting ready for the altar to activate.

At that moment, one of them said, "A lot more people have come in, and the Spiritual Qi here has become much more abundant. But it seems the array’s barrier has also been strengthened."

"Don’t worry. It’s all part of the plan. The pros outweigh the cons."

"Forget ’part of the plan.’ I don’t believe you haven’t sensed it. Someone’s already gotten in—at least two groups."

As soon as the Demon Cultivator spoke, the others fell silent. They all knew about it but were powerless to stop it.

So, it was better to pretend they didn’t know.

Then, the first Demon Cultivator coughed twice and said, "Even if they got in, they won’t necessarily conflict with us. And they might not even find what we’re looking for."

They fell silent once more.

Someone asked, "You guys think it’ll be a problem, letting that thing out?"

"Who knows? Anyway, there are people waiting for us outside. If something goes wrong, we can just run for it."

"Let’s hope so."

Finally, they fell silent again, each of them waiting—waiting for the altar to send them into the inner area.

******

Meanwhile, the people who were already inside didn’t think it was hard to get in at all.

Ximen Linglong asked, "What if a bunch of people come in later and we can’t beat them?"

She was currently holding a pile of items, and not a single one of them was ordinary.

Every single one was a Magical Treasure.

A staff, a die, a mirror.

In any case, they were all somewhat useful minor Magical Treasures.

Ximen Linglong didn’t lack Magical Treasures, but she liked these. And even if she didn’t, she could take them back to sell.

Either way, she had to have them.

That was why she was worried they’d be stolen.

Zhong Yiyang said while eating some meat, "Doesn’t your brother have a Storage Treasure? Just give them to him."

"No way. If I give them to him, they’ll disappear. It’s the same every time." Ximen Linglong hugged the items a little tighter.

After all, she had just picked these up while casually strolling around.

"Those belong to my master! You people are truly shameless, taking things just because you feel like it. Even that guy surnamed Po isn’t as shameless as you!" the Yongxi jeered from the side.

Watching them eat, it wanted to eat too. But then it remembered that this was its own flesh, and it didn’t even have a mouth anymore, so it resisted the urge.

Ximen Linglong ignored the Yongxi. ’Isn’t the whole point of coming to ancient ruins to look for fortuitous encounters?’

Meanwhile, Jiang Zuo, who was also eating, suddenly frowned and looked up at the sky.

The sky here wasn’t real; it was a simulation created by the internal array.

Ximen Chuihuo asked curiously, "Did something happen?"

Jiang Zuo nodded. "Someone is using a crude method, attempting to break through the overlapping arrays."

The Yongxi also looked up. "Surnamed Po, how can you tell? Why can’t I see it?"

"Because you’re blind," Jiang Zuo replied without emotion, lowering his head to continue eating the roasted meat.

The Yongxi was utterly speechless.

’I may be blind, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see!’

In truth, Ximen Chuihuo and the others didn’t understand either and were quite curious.

But they didn’t ask. If they couldn’t see this sort of thing, it simply meant their expertise in this area was lacking.

If they had the insight for it, they would surely be able to see it too.

However, as Jiang Zuo continued to eat, his brow furrowed even more tightly.

A sense of crisis—a very strong one.

Then, Jiang Zuo ignored the sense of crisis. He’d finish eating first, then deal with it.

’When I catch the culprit, I’ll definitely kill them. How dare they disturb my meal?’

"You might not believe this, but I sense a crisis," the Yongxi said. "For my safety, my master gave me a special ability. In this place, I can perceive changes in the greater environment." It had used this very ability to escape from here.

Who would have thought things would turn out even worse?

Fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin.

Ximen Chuihuo and the others knew that this Yongxi talked a lot of nonsense and had a sharp tongue.

So, it was hard to tell if it was telling the truth.

Zhong Yiyang looked at Jiang Zuo and asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you think it’s true?"

Jiang Zuo, leisurely eating his roasted meat, said, "Mm, it’s true. I sense it too. It’s especially dangerous, which is why I need to hurry up and finish eating."

Zhong Yiyang: "..." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Ximen Linglong: "..."

Li Ya: "..."

’Is there something wrong with this guy?’

Ximen Chuihuo, however, nodded in agreement and buried his head in his food. He might not get many chances to eat Yongxi in his lifetime. If he failed to escape the crisis later and hadn’t eaten his fill now, he would die with regrets.

The others: "..."

’Forget it, let’s just eat.’

******

East Courtyard

Su Qi and Qing Lian walked into a palace hall.

"I can’t believe a place like this exists here," Qing Lian said in surprise.

The palace hall wasn’t tall, but its aura was magnificent, like a colossal, coiling wave poised to strike.

It gave one the feeling that it could surge to the heavens at any moment and inundate everything.

If Su Qi hadn’t led the way, Qing Lian definitely wouldn’t have been able to enter.

Su Qi found this strange. "I don’t get that feeling. The aura is there, but it seems very docile to me."

Qing Lian rolled her eyes. How was she supposed to know what was going on?

Still, as long as they could get in, that was all that mattered.

When they reached the center of the main hall, they discovered three stone tablets.

"Holy Sister, see what’s written on them," Qing Lian said with her eyes closed.

Su Qi asked curiously, "Why are your eyes closed?"

"I glanced at them just now. They’re too dazzling."

Su Qi was surprised. She had looked at them several times but didn’t feel they were dazzling at all.

"Junior Sister, do you think there’s something wrong with me?"

Qing Lian shook her head. "This isn’t a bad thing. It’s probably a privilege of the Saintess. After all, the Saintess’s authority is so high. And since you were a Candidacy Saintess for the longest time, you should have some privileges too."

Su Qi nodded, but she felt that wasn’t quite it.

’Could it be because I’m married?’

’Okay, probably not.’

She then looked at the stone tablets. They were covered in countless runes and characters, but while she couldn’t read them, she could instantly understand their meaning.

She wiped one of the tablets and then said, "Try opening your eyes now."

Hearing this, Qing Lian opened her eyes and said in astonishment, "I can look at them now! It’s like whatever was obscuring them is gone."

Su Qi smiled. "Then you take a look first. These seem to be cultivation insights. I’ll check out the others."

Qing Lian nodded. She realized they really were cultivation insights. Although they were profound, she had studied ancient scripts and could understand a little.

She discovered that if she could just comprehend these things, her future path would be incredibly smooth.

But amidst her surprise, she still remembered to remind Su Qi, "Holy Sister, the content here is beneficial for one’s cultivation. You don’t know the ancient script, so let me read it to you."

Su Qi smiled. "No need. I’ve already finished comprehending it."

"Huh?" Qing Lian was a bit dumbfounded.

"Er, I mean, I’ve already memorized it. I’ll be able to use it once my cultivation is high enough."

This left Qing Lian even more dumbfounded. She said in disbelief, "Holy Sister, are you a freak or a prodigy?"

Su Qi chuckled, toying with the end of her hairband that had come loose. "Me? Hmm, my senior sister often says I’m the little grieving wife of the Jiang Family—no, of Jiang Zuo’s House."