Chapter 53: Ruins of the Underground Palace (Please keep reading, please vote)

“Send the 'Firefly Gu' down to scout the area.”

“Yes—”

As the team came to a temporary halt, Liu Jinxian finally found a moment of leisure to speak to Wang Yu. “Junior Brother Wang, what are your thoughts on the underground of this Profound Bone Mountain?”

“I am lacking in talent and cannot hope to match even a fraction of Senior Sister Liu's capabilities. It is better if I say nothing.”

“Heh, at least you have some self-awareness. A mere fifth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator...”

“Shut up!”

Liu Jinxian glared at the disciple, her eyes cold and fierce. The disciple immediately fell silent, not daring to speak another word.

Wang Yu, however, didn't care. The news of his departure from Gu Zhengshun to join Liu Jinxian had long since spread during the five months spent waiting for the flowers to bloom.

Without the true facts being exposed, there were no few senior brothers who envied him for obtaining two layers of high-quality Bone Wood Forest; minor verbal disputes were hardly worth his interest.

“They’re back—”

Bypassing the small interlude, the disciple spoke as the Firefly Gu, which had been scurrying about like a lit wick, returned.

“Senior Sister Liu, below is an underground passage similar to a mine shaft. As for where it leads specifically, it is unknown, but it seems to head north, deep into the underground of the Endless Ice Field.”

“Fine, descend.”

With the command given, the group members jumped one by one into the bottomless, dark pit. Counting silently in their hearts, Wang Yu immediately judged the height of the pit the moment he landed.

It was approximately 1,300 meters. If using a flying magic tool, it would take only five breaths to soar back up. The underground temperature was low and the wind was biting, but for him, this was entering his home turf.

His deep green, pitch-black eyes glowed with a faint light, resembling a beast; his ability to stare directly into the darkness caused those observing him from the shadows to feel a hint of suspicion.

“Ma, Xu, Fang, and the other three will stay here to ensure our retreat is clear.

“Su Qingshan, Wang Qiu, Qiu Qing... you five will be the vanguard. Manifest your magic tools, stay alert, and do not skimp on spiritual power.”

“Yes!”

Liu Jinxian arranged the deployment rapidly, appearing quite experienced. Currently, she had eighteen late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators at her disposal. Three stayed behind, five were the vanguard; none of these vanguards were disciples of Gu Poison Peak.

Instead, they were elites selected from the scattered disciples holding the Profound Bone Tokens before departing for Profound Bone Mountain. One could tell at a glance who was close to her and who was not.

Including Wang Yu and Liu Jinxian, the middle group consisted of twelve people.

After the last battle, although Liu Jinxian had not used all her methods, she had witnessed the power of a second-rank Divine Strength Corpse Arm, and to some extent, she had reached a cooperation with him.

Namely—to deal with Gu Zhengshun!

This strategy was not of Wang Yu's original intent; he was merely going with the flow. After all, being outnumbered, one could only bow and submit in such a situation.

Including him was nothing more than a way to cut off his retreat.

Once he had submitted his token of allegiance, he could only follow her path to the bitter end. This woman was deeply calculating and required constant vigilance.

“Move.”

As the team proceeded along the tunnel, the magic tools manifested by Su Qingshan and the others were primarily offensive tools like sabers, spears, swords, and halberds. Under the enhancement of spiritual power, they emitted light that dispersed the darkness.

The irregular stone walls on both sides bore numerous marks from sharp claws. Besides the cold, there was a faint, stagnant scent in the air. Wang Yu inconspicuously swallowed a top-grade Obstruction-Removing Pill and followed the march obediently.

A little less than an hour later.

Someone muttered, “The further we go, the colder it gets. Are we heading toward the Endless Ice Field? Are we moving contrary to Gu Zhengshun's secrets?”

Someone echoed, “I think so too. Since the Bone-Wrath Lions and the bee swarms both emerged from underground, why haven't we encountered a single one for so long... Senior Sister Liu.”

At this moment, frost hung from the hair and brows of many people. Thick white mist exhaled from their mouths during conversation, revealing how low the temperature was.

The sound of questioning displeased Liu Jinxian; she preferred a style of autocratic command, but when traveling abroad, one still had to listen to the voices of the crowd.

“Wait a moment.” Having said that, she pinched an unusual Gu seal.

From the cuffs, collars, and the seams of her garments... a large number of many-legged small insects, resembling centipedes, tumbled out from her thick black hair, making her look like a human insect nest.

These Gu insects were incredibly fast, vanishing into the darkness in an instant.

A moment later.

Liu Jinxian suddenly opened her eyes, a look of joy appearing on her face.

“Everyone, continue forward. We will reach our destination in about ten miles.”

With that, the crowd ceased their idle chatter and quickened their pace.

They encountered no danger on the way and arrived at the place mentioned earlier.

At the end of the tunnel lay a massive underground space, wide and flat, paved with old jade tiles. The Spirit-Gathering patterns on the jade bricks were blurred and indistinct.

A cluster of underground palaces abruptly came into view, numbering at least forty or fifty. In the center was a set of ascending stairs leading directly to the core palace.

At this sight, someone blurted out

“This is... an ancient sect ruin! This area is already beneath the Endless Ice Field, isn't it?!!”

“This—”

The perils of the Endless Ice Field were known to all.

Even Nascent Soul ancestors found it difficult to pass through. The Taihu Spirit Domain and the Chiyuan Demon Domain, which blocked the path to the north, were surrounded by sea on three sides and were known as the [Chaos Ancient Sea]. The sea monsters there were ferocious, the terrain was filled with natural hazards, and there was no news from other regions.

That an old sect site would be built beneath the Endless Ice Field was something even these inner disciples with prestigious backgrounds had never heard of. Seeing it suddenly, they were all shaken.

Wang Yu secretly observed Liu Jinxian and noticed that her eyes first showed surprise, then disappointment, before turning into a faint look of joy.

It was evident that her emotional shifts were not as calm as her surface appearance suggested.

“Based on this scale, this was at most a sect established by Core Formation cultivators during the Ancient Era. Stay vigilant and do not touch anything recklessly.”

Thus, the group moved forward again.

Su Qingshan and the others were also stunned by this underground palace ruin. Amidst their excitement, they no longer paid much attention to Wang Yu.

Regardless, for this group of Qi Refinement cultivators, this was a massive opportunity that could not be missed.

Comparing the two, Wang Yu fell into thought.

Liu Jinxian might know the secrets of Profound Bone Mountain, just like Gu Zhengshun, or even Situ Hong might know; it was simply not as much as they had expected.

Previously, after perceiving the function and yield of the Profound Essence Flowers, Wang Yu had wondered: such a precious land is surrounded by a second-rank high-grade spiritual vein, so why are there no Foundation Establishment cultivators permanently stationed here?

For demon cultivators, this was irrational for a single power.

But if it were being concealed by multiple parties to serve as a training ground for mid-to-high-level disciples, with a portion left as a reward, it would make sense.

No matter how good the Profound Essence Flowers were, they were merely bottom-tier resources. Through an exchange of interests, someone with a background like Liu Jinxian's could maintain control over them.

As for the underground palace ruins, Wang Yu leaned toward the idea that they were a recent discovery.

It was even possible they were among the first group to enter. He could clarify this after a detailed investigation. He was also very interested in this place, wondering if there might be a recipe for a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

As they approached the ascending stairs, as the crowd arrived, octagonal palace lamps atop the towering Coiled Dragon pillars on both sides lit up with pale blue flames.

This illuminated the entire underground space slightly.

(End of Chapter)