A moment later.
“They went into the left passage,” the leading Golden Core cultivator whispered. “Be careful, don’t draw attention!”
One Golden Core cultivator and the rest at the peak of Foundation Building—this lineup was already quite strong. However, since they were monitoring a “mysterious figure,” the demonic cultivators were still on edge.
They had explored this main hall before. It was well-preserved and overall quite intact, much better than the buildings outside that seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Most of the items they could find had already been taken out. Why were these people exploring inside? Could there be undiscovered treasures?
With these questions in mind, the demonic cultivators followed into the passage.
Boom—
Suddenly, an explosion occurred. Two cultivators at the back of the group were thrown into the air by the shockwave and then fell heavily to the ground.
“What happened?”
The Golden Core cultivator turned to look.
“Energy burst,” an experienced subordinate analyzed after observing. “There are remnants of energy in the main hall, and sometimes this happens… but it was fine when we came here before?”
There was no choice but to send someone to take the two unlucky ones out. The Golden Core cultivator continued to lead the team to follow the target.
“They went into the left passage and sped up!”
“Keep up, keep up!”
The demonic cultivators quickened their pace and rushed in.
Whoosh—
As soon as they entered, a fierce wind swept over from the front, forcing everyone to stop and defend themselves. The weaker ones were even injured by the wind.
“What is it this time?”
The Golden Core cultivator angrily asked while defending.
“It could be a chaotic formation causing a spiritual energy storm, creating this strong wind,” the subordinate continued to explain. “But we didn’t encounter this last time. Could it be that we were just that lucky before?”
Enduring the fierce wind, the demonic cultivators sustained some injuries, but the thought of potential treasures ahead kept them pressing on.
The three “mysterious demonic cultivators” led them through a winding path, and the group followed closely, weaving through various areas.
After suffering a few setbacks, they became more cautious, checking the surroundings before entering unfamiliar zones.
“All clear,” one demonic cultivator reported. “No fierce wind, no energy bursts, and the structure is solid.”
“Let’s move!”
The demonic cultivators arrived in a spacious hall, which was almost perfectly preserved. The walls showed no signs of damage, and there was no chaotic energy present.
After the previous mishaps, this time it should be peaceful, right?
“The main hall is so complex, but they don’t seem to be wandering aimlessly,” a Golden Core demonic cultivator said coldly. “These people clearly know something. Hurry up, everyone…”
Thud, thud, thud—
Before he could finish, the ground in the hall began to tremble. Dust, undisturbed for ages, fell from above, turning the view into a hazy gray.
“Crack!”
Amidst the dust, pairs of glowing red eyes converged from all directions.
“What’s going on?” the Golden Core demonic cultivator roared. “What trick is this now?”
“It’s the stone statues,” one of his subordinates said nervously. “The stone statues in the main hall have come to life…”
As the dust settled, a dozen green stone statues had already surrounded the intruding demonic cultivators.
These stone statues were originally meant to guard the main hall, but their activation required the support of the hall’s formation.
Logically, without the main formation, the hall shouldn’t be able to provide the necessary energy for activation.
“Damn it,” the Golden Core demonic cultivator fumed. “Once might be an accident, twice might be an accident, but how many times has it been now?”
Bang!
The stone statues, seemingly identifying them as intruders, launched an attack without any warning.
“Be careful, stick together, don’t let them pick us off one by one!”
The Golden Core demon cultivator punched the stone monster in front of him, sending it flying. But the next moment, the creature stood up again. Apart from a dent in its body, it seemed to be moving just fine.
So tough?
These things’ strength might already rival that of Golden Core cultivators! And there are so many of them!
“Wait,” the Golden Core demon cultivator suddenly remembered something. “They also passed through here, so why didn’t they trigger any attacks? Could it be that senior used some method?”
Judging from the aura that senior displayed earlier, she should be at the Nascent Soul stage… Such a person indeed has the ability to avoid these traps more skillfully.
Could it really be a great senior?
How are they supposed to snatch the treasure from such a powerful person? Does Ba Kui have some kind of plan?
After a chaotic battle.
“Everyone’s injured, and three are seriously hurt,” a subordinate reported. “We can’t go on, we should retreat. This main hall is just too dangerous…”
“Retreat…”
The Golden Core demon cultivator frowned.
He still didn’t want to believe that his luck was so bad that he encountered every possible problem.
Just then, from a passage on one side, the target they had been monitoring walked out.
“Crimson Snow Asura” senior glanced at them indifferently, showing no emotion, and disappeared into another passage with his two subordinates.
The Golden Core demon cultivator suddenly felt a chill all over.
Got it!
It wasn’t bad luck; it was all intentional… This senior deliberately made them suffer!
They say that one or two coincidences can be considered coincidences, but so many times, there must be some factor involved!
Fortunately, this is their “territory,” and the senior didn’t go all out. Otherwise, they might have lost their lives the first time they were in danger!
“Let’s retreat,” the Golden Core demonic cultivator sighed in relief. “Go back and tell Ba Kui that we can’t keep an eye on this senior… Her power is simply too overwhelming!”
…
On the other side, Tang Xin’s three-person team.
“Sorry, I got the directions mixed up,” Lian Xin said, her cheeks slightly red. “Even though I know the layout of the main hall, I still need to find my way…”
“It’s okay, meow,” A Miao said. “Come to think of it, we’ve been really lucky. Energy bursts, fierce winds, traps, puppets, we’ve managed to avoid them all. Maybe I did some great deeds in a past life and accumulated virtue?”
“If anyone did good deeds, it should be me,” Tang Xin said, spreading her hands. “In the Xuanling Sect, I’m known as the ‘kind and helpful senior sister’!”
After getting back on the right path and narrowly avoiding a few more attacks, they finally arrived at the “core area of the main hall” that Lian Xin had mentioned.
As soon as they stepped in, a completely different, evil aura hit them. Various screams, shrieks, and ghostly wails echoed in everyone’s ears.
“Despairing negative emotions linger here, even after a thousand years, they haven’t dissipated,” Lian Xin said solemnly. “This is the human tragedy brought about by the glory of the demonic path…”
