"It's nothing,"
Soul Changqing shook his head after hearing Xing Su's question, then shifted his gaze from Xing Su to survey their surroundings.
The two were currently in a wide, dark passageway constructed from a type of black rock. Soul Changqing didn't recognize this rock, but it seemed to be a material from ten thousand years ago. A faint, chilling aura emanated from the rocks, indicating their extraordinary nature. Looking at
the walls of the passageway, constructed from these seemingly extraordinary rocks, a smile appeared on Soul Changqing's face. He thought to himself, "As expected of the cave of the renowned Saint Ganmu from Zhongzhou ten thousand years ago; we've already gained something so soon."
Hun Changqing secretly made a decision: after leaving, he would dismantle the passage and pack up all the extraordinary rocks to take with him. Then, Hun Changqing began to anticipate the treasures that would appear in the cave of the Saint Ganmu beyond this passage. A burning greedy light flickered in Hun Changqing's eyes; he was already impatient.
Although his greed was surging, Hun Changqing still maintained basic rationality, not letting the enormous profits cloud his judgment. Every powerful figure who became a Dou Sheng was no simpleton; who knew if this Saint Ganmu would set some kind of trap in his cave?
"Let's go,"
Hun Changqing said calmly to Xing Su beside him, then gave him a look. Xing Su immediately understood Hun Changqing's meaning.
Xing Su knew that Hun Changqing wanted her to go ahead and scout the way, but she didn't hesitate at all and walked straight into the passage. However, when her back was to Hun Changqing, a cold smile appeared on her lips. Hun Changqing slowly followed behind Xing Su, advancing into the passage.
As time passed, the two had been walking in this passage for some time, but contrary to Hun Changqing's expectations, they didn't encounter any sudden attacks or unexpected events. This dark passage remained as dark and silent as ever.
However, Hun Changqing didn't let his guard down because of the passage's tranquility. His Taiyin True Qi was constantly circulating within him; maintaining vigilance against the unknown was one of the essential qualities of becoming a strong person.
As the two continued, they quickly reached the end of the passage. Looking into the distance, Hun Changqing could vaguely see a plaza.
Without hesitation, Xingxiu and Hun Changqing lightly touched the ground with their toes, instantly transforming into two blurry figures and rushing towards the distant plaza.
The plaza at the end of the passage wasn't far; in a mere instant, they had completely passed through the dark tunnel, and the plaza appeared before their eyes the moment they left.
The plaza was quite spacious, sparsely furnished, giving it a rather simple feel. Only in the center stood a disc-like stone statue.
The statue was covered in fine cracks, appearing dilapidated. Around the statue were only a few massive stone pillars, similarly riddled with cracks and missing pieces; besides that, there was nothing else. Looking at the empty plaza and its contents, Hun Changqing's initial joy upon emerging from the passage froze. The scene beyond seemed quite different from what he had anticipated. His
brow furrowed, the burning greed that had previously ignited within him cooled slightly. He unleashed his full sensory abilities, meticulously examining the empty plaza, the circular stone statue, and the surrounding pillars, but found nothing.
Hun Changqing detected not a single trace of his own or Xingxiu's presence in the plaza—a completely impossible feat for a Dou Sheng's abode.
This discovery startled Hun Changqing. Unconvinced, he quickly approached the circular stone statue, carefully examining it and the pillars. He even infused the statue with his Yin True Qi, which corroded a dark mark on its surface.
All these signs indicated that the statues and pillars were simply carved from ordinary stone, nothing special. Although the entire plaza exuded an eerie atmosphere, Hun Changqing's investigation still raised numerous questions. His
face turned ashen, and he began to wonder if he had been tricked by Xingxiu. Had Xingxiu truly only told him about this strange, yet utterly unremarkable, cave simply to save his own life?
However, the spatial passage from before was indeed constructed by a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) level expert; otherwise, Hun Changqing wouldn't have felt that discomfort. Could this really be the cave of the Ganmu Saint, only to have been discovered by someone else first?
"Xingxiu, you'd better explain to me what's going on here? Why is there nothing here? Otherwise, your brother... hmph!"
Filled with doubt, Hun Changqing suddenly turned around, coldly snorting as he questioned Xingxiu with a sharp tone, his voice carrying a hint of killing intent. The discovery on the plaza had left Hun Changqing in a very bad mood.
He felt a sense of having come with high hopes, only to return empty-handed, which lingered in his mind, making him extremely frustrated. At this moment, Hun Changqing even had an impulse to suddenly kill someone.
Xingxiu, however, paid no heed to Hun Changqing's threat and killing intent. She merely raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, before slowly walking towards the circular stone statue. She said to Hun Changqing,
"Are you always this impatient? Without a way to open it, what could possibly appear here? Do you think a saint's possessions are just casually tossed on the ground for you to pick up?"
Hearing Xingxiu's slightly mocking words, Hun Changqing's expression froze instantly, his killing intent also faltering. His mouth opened slightly, wanting to say something, but unsure how to retort, he obediently shut his mouth, remaining silent, and stepped aside, intending to quietly watch Xingxiu's actions.