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Chapter 537 Jiang Hanying confronts Duanmu Sen directly, enters the cave

The fact that Que Zhishan, who was originally guarding the stone embryo, could hear the noise and come over immediately meant that they were already very close to the stone embryo.

Before long, the group arrived at a seemingly ordinary cave entrance.

Yes, it's the entrance to the cave.

The crack, which was originally only wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways, and even a fat man might not be able to squeeze in, has now quietly expanded into an opening that allows a person to enter upright with room to spare.

Wisps of white mist were constantly seeping out of the cave entrance, then dissipating into the air and disappearing.

Just moments ago, the snow beneath their feet was almost thigh-deep, but here there wasn't a trace of snow. There were even clumps of grass with various small flowers blooming here and there on the ground, and the human-faced tree growing opposite the cave entrance was piled high with green leaves, the leaves so green they looked oily, and not a single yellow leaf could be found.

Even the air temperature seemed to be affected by the white mist drifting out of the cave, turning from a snowy landscape into a warm, spring-like one.

The group had only stood in the open space in front of the cave for a short while when they could clearly feel their bodies, which had been almost numb from the cold, rapidly warming up.

Jiang Hanying hadn't felt particularly cold to begin with, and now she even considered taking off her outermost layer of clothing.

The environment here is a completely different world from the snow-covered landscape just a few steps away.

It was the first time that Li Zhi and Duanmu Sen had ever seen a human-faced tree. They were looking around curiously when they were suddenly confronted with such a lifelike giant face that seemed ready to turn into a human at any moment. They were immediately startled.

Before Li Zhi could even gasp out, she instinctively covered her mouth, forcefully suppressing her exclamation.

Duanmu Sen didn't have her habit of trying her best to remain quiet whenever the master was present. By the time she realized she hadn't controlled her volume and exclaimed, it was too late to cover her mouth.

Li Chengxiao was looking towards the cave entrance when he heard the sound and suddenly turned his head to look.

Just then, Duanmu Sen also looked in his direction, feeling a little guilty. When their eyes met, they couldn't help but hold their breath.

Li Chengxiao spoke first, his tone devoid of emotion: "Uncle Sen, what are you doing here?"

Duanmu Sen, in a fit of desperation, pulled off his mask and forced a stiff smile. "Haha, you still recognized me after all. Cough, I heard from Mr. Yuan about the birth of a stone fetus, so I came here out of curiosity to take a look."

After hearing his words, Jiang Hanying made no attempt to hide her disdain and pursed her lips. "Just came to take a look?"

"if not."

"You seem to have a lot of free time." She glanced at his disheveled appearance and said, "With your old bones and limbs, you're still quite capable of making a fuss. Aren't you afraid of getting burned halfway through this trip?"

This was the first time Duanmu Sen had experienced Jiang Hanying's sharp tongue.

All I can say is that it's just as good as fists and feet!

He had no choice but to adopt the airs of an elder, "Is this how you talk to your elders?"

Jiang Hanying ripped off her helmet, visor, and goggles, and rolled her eyes at him with obvious disdain. "Who do you think you are, elder? Don't try to get on my good side. I don't have an elder as deceitful as you!"

“Chengxiao…”

Li Chengxiao interrupted him, "Uncle Sen, I only have one question for you: how long have you known Yuan Qingzhuo?"

Hearing this, Jiang Hanying turned her head and corrected him in a voice loud enough for everyone present to hear: "Why are you being so polite to him? You should ask how long you've been in cahoots."

Li Chengxiao raised his hand and smoothed her still slightly frizzy head, which she had just taken off her helmet. "It's good that you know the answer."

Duanmu Sen's face turned even redder, not from the heat, but from the suffocation he felt.

Seeing that he gritted his teeth and remained silent, Li Chengxiao simply asked again, "Twenty years ago?"

Duanmu Sen met the fixed gaze that was staring at him and couldn't help but blink.

"Okay, I understand." Li Chengxiao nodded, then paused. "Mr. Duanmu."

Upon hearing this title, Duanmu Sen's shoulders slumped.

Although he had intended to use Li Chengxiao from the very beginning, he had also watched the child grow from a young boy into the outstanding person he is today, and even considered marrying his own daughter to him.

Now, with just the title "Mr. Duanmu," everything has come to nothing!

"It's almost time."

Since arriving here, Yuan Qingzhuo had been focusing on the direction of the cave entrance. Sensing the increasingly restless atmosphere inside, he suddenly spoke these words and then walked straight towards the cave entrance.

Duanmu Sen couldn't care less about his discomfort now. He turned around hastily and was about to follow.

Que Zhichuan, who had been guarding the cave entrance, instinctively reached out to stop the two approaching figures. However, after seeing his eldest cousin gently shake his head at him, he could only grit his teeth, lower his hand, and take a step back. The gray-robed man quietly settled into third place.

Li Zhi and Lin An exchanged a glance and took Que Zhichuan's place guarding the cave entrance.

They still don't know what the Lord wants this stone fetus for, but they only need to know that it is extremely important to the Lord!

Que Zhishan forced himself not to look towards the cave entrance, and instead looked at his friend, "How did you two come with them?"

"We didn't go together. They set off a day earlier than us and only caught up with us when we were almost at the finish line."

"what?"

Seeing his surprised expression, Li Chengxiao asked, "Was it foggy here yesterday?"

"No, apart from two snowfalls, the weather has been fine the rest of the time."

“But yesterday there was a lot of fog on the mountain and at the foot of the mountain,” Li Chengxiao said, looking at Duanmu Sen, who was walking into the cave with his head down and his back looking somewhat impatient. “They braved the wind, snow and fog to get here, and twenty-seven of them fell along the way.”

The two Que brothers both gasped in shock.

Some things don’t need to be said clearly.

First, the wind, snow and fog blocked the road, then twenty-seven lives were lost on the road, and combined with the unease shown by the stone body, whatever Yuan's intentions toward the stone body were, they were not good ones.

But they just let people in right before their eyes!

Que Zhichuan, disregarding the presence of Yuan Qingzhuo's men nearby, asked, "Is it too late to stop them now?"

As he spoke, he walked towards the cave entrance.

Seeing this, Li Zhi and Lin An raised their hands to stop him. Li Zhi smiled at him, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "You want to ruin this deal? Have you asked your Que family patriarch?"

Que Zhichuan's chest heaved, but he couldn't find the words to refute him.

Jiang Hanying reached out and pulled him aside, meeting the eyes of Li Zhi and Lin An who were both looking at her: "You can't stop me."

Before Li Zhi could speak, the master, who had already entered the cave, said from inside: "No need to stop her."

Li Zhi paused for a moment, then withdrew her hand.

Seeing Li Chengxiao following behind Jiang Hanying to go in, and not hearing what her master was saying, she pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, but still didn't reach out to stop him.

Even if we tried to stop them, we might not be able to.

Since white mist was drifting out of the cave entrance, there must be even more inside. They were immediately enveloped by the mist as soon as they entered the cave.

The air also became noticeably thicker.

And the further you go in, the more viscous the feeling becomes.

Jiang Hanying reached out and pushed aside the air in front of her, which seemed to be gradually compressing. "Was it like this when you came last time?"

"Pretty much, but the air wasn't nearly as thick back then. You only felt like you were walking in hot spring water when you got to the very back."

They walked a short distance further and caught up with the three people who had come in first.

It's not that the first three didn't want to speed up; it's just that the further they went, the greater the resistance became, and the more difficult it was to take each step.

This cave equally rejects all life except for the stone embryo, after all, this is the place where the stone embryo was conceived, and those who come in are all outsiders.

The last few people moved forward in slow motion, yet they still managed to push their way forward.

Duanmu Sen leaned against the stone wall to catch his breath, then looked up and saw that the people in front of him were still moving forward without stopping. He gritted his teeth and followed.

Having finally caught up, he intended to pass Yuan Qingzhuo by the shoulder as they approached the finish line, but he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the other's profile.

Her breath hitched and her eyes widened suddenly. In a daze, she uncontrollably took a step back, but the gray-robed man behind her reached out and stopped her from taking another step back.

Even after I stood still, I was still a little shaken.

He actually saw fine, spiderweb-like red cracks on Yuan Qingzhuo's face and neck, or rather, on his exposed skin!

Was he seeing things or...?