Everyone entered the passage and carefully concealed its entrance. The entrance was extremely well concealed; if not for Bai Xiaole's special powers, it would have been impossible to discover.
After entering the passage and following it forward, Long Chen discovered that it seemed to be a corridor, covered by dust, turning it into an underground passage.
On the walls on both sides of the corridor, there were murals, but because of the passage of time, the murals had fallen off and their original appearance was unrecognizable.
Moreover, the corridor was riddled with cracks, as if it could collapse at any moment. The brand-new footprints in the passage proved that Bai Shishi and the others had indeed passed through this passage.
"Wait."
After walking for a while, Long Chen suddenly waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop. He crouched down and looked at the ground. Amid the dust, he saw a thread thinner than a strand of hair. Not only was it unintentional, but even if you looked closely, it was hard to spot.
"The people from the Celestial Maiden Alliance are impressive—they even know how to set up traps." Long Chen smiled faintly. This thread was hidden among the messy footsteps, extremely difficult to detect. If Long Chen hadn't sensed danger, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
"Be careful to cross this thread, don't touch it." Long Chen didn't destroy the mechanism, but made a mark to warn everyone to be careful.
After everyone passed through, Long Chen finally withdrew the mark. He used his soul power to sense it, but couldn't sense anything. He didn't know where the trigger mechanism was, nor what kind of mechanism it was.
However, any mechanism that could make him feel threatened must be powerful. It seems he had underestimated the Celestial Maiden Alliance. As the top alliance of Lingxiao Academy, they truly had hidden talents and crouching tigers.
After Long Chen and the others passed by, the footprints on the ground became even more chaotic. Those who came after could easily tell that two groups had passed by and definitely wouldn't suspect a trap. If anyone entered, there was a high chance they would hit it.
As he kept moving forward, he encountered two more traps, both of which Long Chen avoided. The further he went, the better the stone wall became more and more intact.
However, many murals have been destroyed with sharp weapons, seemingly deliberately covering something up.
After walking for a while longer, Long Chen suddenly squatted down and picked up a thumb-sized bone fragment from the ground.
The bone fragments were very thin, weathered, and covered with tiny pinhole-like holes, as if they would turn to ashes at the slightest touch.
"What is this?" Luo Bing and the others looked at the bone fragment with curiosity.
"This is the Demon Crystal Bone. Although it has weathered severely, the demonic runes on it can still be faintly seen. The runes on it should be the Demon King Talisman." Long Chen examined the fragment of the crystal bone carefully, his expression grave as he spoke.
"Demon King level?"
Luo Bing, Mu Qingyun, and the others were shocked.
Luo Ning couldn't help but say, "Isn't it said that when a demon reaches the Demon King level, its body can become a divine weapon, its crystal bones as long as heaven and earth, immortal and indestructible?" "
This was also why Luo Bing and the others were shocked. Even the so-called immortal Demon King's crystal bone had decayed. How many years has this ruin existed?
Long Chen shook his head and said, "The so-called immortality and indestructibility are calculated based on the lifespan of humans. In this world, as long as there is something tangible, there is no such thing as immortality or indestructibility." "
No wonder there are no bodies in these ruins—turns out they've all weathered." Mu Qingyun said.
Long Chen led the group forward, the road widening and wider. Soon, a fork appeared ahead—three forks. Bai Shishi and the others followed their footprints toward the leftmost intersection.
Just as everyone was about to follow the footprints, Long Chen stopped them: "Those footprints are a lie." Everyone
was stunned. How could footprints trick people? With Long Chen's hint, Luo Bing and the others looked for a long time but still couldn't figure anything out.
"Third Brother, what exactly is going on?" Mu Qingyun finally couldn't help but ask.
Long Chen sighed and said, "You all lack much experience in this area. Today, I'll teach you another trick."
Look, what difference are their footprints from the ones behind us? Everyone
compared the front and back but couldn't see any difference, and couldn't help but look confused.
"It seems our footprints are a bit messy, while theirs seem even clearer. I'm not sure if I'm right." Mu Qingyun was a bit uncertain.
"Smart, you're right. After Bai Shishi and the others arrived, they must have found a way to find the correct passage.
However, to prevent anyone from following them, they deliberately had people walk through this passage. After reaching a certain depth, the people would follow the footprints backward.
A single footprint was stepped on twice, and it was carefully calculated; even if some illusions were deliberately created, they were different from footprints left casually.
I suspect that the end of this passage is very likely a trap set by them. So, the fact that the Celestial Maiden Alliance is called the number one alliance of Lingxiao Academy is no coincidence—there are indeed capable people inside. Long Chen said with a hint of admiration on his face.
Everyone suddenly understood and felt a chill down their spines. This trap was simply terrifying. Without Long Chen leading the team, the first trap would have been wiped out.
Whether it was Bai Shishi or Long Chen, their schemes were terrifying. How did their brains work? Compared to them, they felt like idiots. The gap between them and the strong didn't seem to be just in combat power.
"Xiao Le, sense it again." Long Chen said to Bai Xiaole.
Sure enough, after Bai Xiaole used her magical powers, she quickly confirmed that Bai Shishi and the others had indeed taken the middle passage.
"But how can we get there without leaving footprints?" Otherwise, wouldn't that be sabotaging Bai Shishi's mechanism? Luo Bing asked.
"Hehe, this question isn't a problem for me, Bai Xiaole. Just leave it to me." Bai Xiaole chuckled confidently.
His spatial divine ability could teleport everyone a certain distance. Long Chen led some people forward, following the footsteps left by Bai Shishi and the others, creating the illusion that the second group had entered a left fork.
Otherwise, if the footsteps suddenly decrease here, it would be too obvious and easily arouse suspicion.
After everything was settled, Bai Xiaole formed hand seals. Everyone felt their bodies tremble, the surrounding space twisted, and it was as if they were riding a teleportation array, being sent into the central passage several hundred li ahead. Here, Bai Shishi and the others' footprints happened to appear again.
"Well done, really impressive." Long Chen patted Bai Xiaole on the shoulder and encouraged her.
At this moment, Bai Xiaole's face turned pale. Clearly, he had put in a lot of effort during that teleportation, but with Long Chen's encouragement, Bai Xiaole's face was full of excitement.
Luo Bing, Luo Ning, Mu Qingyun, and the others also praised him. On one hand, Bai Xiaole's spatial abilities were truly astonishing; on the other, they knew that Bai Xiaole was like a child—he loved being praised by others, and the most direct ones. Because of subtle compliments, he might not understand.
When everyone praised him, Bai Xiaole was so happy he couldn't stop smiling; he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.
Following the footprints forward, they encountered no more traps along the way. It seemed Bai Shishi and the others were confident in their traps and didn't need to set them up anymore.
Suddenly, the space ahead became spacious, and a massive hall appeared ahead. As soon as they entered, everyone groaned in unison, feeling as if their souls were being stripped away. Long Chen's eyes instantly sharpened as he entered the hallCountless corpses appeared, and the pressure they emitted was so intense it felt as if their souls were being torn apart.
"Buzz!"
At that moment, sharp sword auras slashed down from all directions.