Start with push-ups to gain experience

After everything was arranged, Fang Cheng and Cheng Jiashu exchanged a glance.

The two walked side by side to the well platform.

Cheng Jiashu was the first to leap, his clothes arcing in the moonlight before disappearing into the dark well.

Fang Cheng followed closely behind, his legs slightly bent, creating a low, whistling sound as he plummeted to the bottom of the well.

pat.

As the soles of his shoes touched the ground, Fang Cheng stood firmly and looked around at the scenery.

The air was filled with a musty, earthy smell.

Beneath my feet lay a damp, muddy ground, strewn with pebbles and a few unidentified dry bones, each step producing a crisp cracking sound.

The space at the bottom of the well was much more spacious than expected, with well walls made of blue bricks and covered in moss.

A passageway was carved out of the wall, large enough for two people to walk side by side.

The pitch-black cave, like the esophagus of a giant beast, meanders deep into the earth.

A faint gray mist swirled in the darkness, like a living creature crawling along the ground, instinctively gathering around upon sensing the presence of living people.

The mist, when it touched the skin, felt like ice water, sending a chill down one's spine.

These are clearly yin energies drawn from the depths of the earth's veins, which remained here after the collapse of the inner world.

Cheng Jiashu held the prepared glow sticks in his hand and took the lead into the passageway.

The pale green halo barely illuminated the area three to five meters ahead.

Sharp stalactites hang upside down overhead, and cold water droplets gather at the tips of the stones.

Every now and then, drops fall into the puddles at your feet, making a clear, ethereal dripping sound.

The rock walls on both sides have been smoothed by the water flow, and the stratification of sediment deposits can be vaguely seen.

This place was clearly once the riverbed of an underground river, which was later transformed and used by humans after it dried up, becoming a secret passage.

"The feng shui of this place is indeed exceptionally favorable."

Cheng Jiashu looked around at the damp rock walls on both sides and said:
“The Western Hills are a place where Yin energy gathers, belonging to the Kun Yin position. The terrain is sheltered from the wind and gathers water. The Ancient Locust Village is located in the valley in the northwest corner, which perfectly forms a ‘Taiyin Embracing Yang’ formation for nurturing corpses.”

"In addition, the natural riverbed passage at the bottom of the well forms a huge Yin-gathering array. That old monster Jiang Chen used the advantageous conditions here to gradually create an inner world and hide his true body so deeply."

Fang Cheng followed behind, stepping over a puddle, and casually asked:

"Didn't you say before that Ancient Locust Village was the location of your Cheng family's secret heritage site? How come you didn't know there was such a hidden passage at the bottom of the well?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiashu shook his head and let out a sigh:
“Our ancestors did indeed establish a secret heritage site in Guhuai Village to maintain the family’s prosperity for thousands of years.”

"But the entrance to that secret realm isn't here at all, but in a hidden cave in the back mountains."

He paused, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes:

"Decades ago, due to various reasons, that secret realm collapsed, and the entrance was completely blocked by rubble long ago."

"Now it seems that all of this is probably related to Jiang Chen. After all... back then, our Cheng family was guided by him, our ancestor, to come to this deep mountain and establish our initial foundation."

Cheng Jiashu raised the glow stick in his hand and shone it into the deep passageway ahead:

"I didn't even know about the passage under this dry well, even after I've been staking out this place for days. It must have been a secret operation he made in private."

Fang Cheng looked around at the moss-covered rock walls, examining the direction of the earth's veins, and then said:

"It seems that both the recently collapsed inner world and your Cheng family's inheritance secret realm were actually built upon this Yin Gathering Array."

"Yes."

Cheng Jiashu dodged a string of water droplets dripping from the cave ceiling and said in a deep voice:
“This old monster has usurped our territory and turned our Cheng family’s land into his private lair. Today, we’re going to expose his true colors.”

At this point, Cheng Jiashu suddenly stopped what he was doing and abruptly turned around.

The pale green light shone on his face, stripping away his usual carefree attitude and making his expression particularly solemn.

He looked at Fang Cheng, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed solemnly:

"Fang Cheng, thank you very much this time. If it weren't for your help, I probably wouldn't have even been able to see this old monster on my own, let alone avenge the Cheng family's decades-long blood feud."

In the narrow passageway, only the sound of their intermittent breathing could be heard for a moment.

Fang Cheng looked at Cheng Jiashu bowing in front of him, and a relaxed smile appeared on his lips.

He stepped forward, reached out and supported Cheng Jiashu's arm, pulling him up, his tone very casual:

"Alright, stop with the sour talk. I already have a grudge against Jiang Chen, and that old bastard has been causing me trouble time and time again. Even without your Cheng family's affair, I would have skinned him alive sooner or later; it's just a matter of course."

Having said that, he stepped over Cheng Jiashu, his broad back blocking the gray fog surging in front of him.

Fang Cheng raised his chin and gestured towards the depths of the passageway, indicating:
"Don't delay, let's keep going. I want to see what good things this old monster is hiding underground."

The two talked as they continued deeper into the passageway.

The terrain descended downwards, and the surrounding gray fog grew thicker and thicker.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the passage ahead suddenly opened up, leading to the end of a spacious underground cave.

There was a dark red stone gate, abruptly embedded in the gray-white mountain rock wall.

The facade is mottled, covered with traces of weathering and chiseling.

The red pigment applied to the surface appeared to be mixed with the blood of some kind of creature, faintly emitting a fishy smell.

There is a recessed circular keyhole in the very center, surrounded by intricate carvings of mythical beasts.

Cheng Jiashu stopped and took out the bronze box from his bag.

Then, the box was opened, and inside lay a strangely shaped crescent-shaped keystone.

He stepped forward, aligned the keystone with the lock on the stone door, and turned it forcefully.

With a crisp "click," the mechanism engaged.

Cheng Jiashu pressed his hands against the door, lowered his shoulders, and pushed forward with all his might.

However, the red stone door seemed to be rooted to the spot, and no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge.

"let me."

Seeing this, Fang Cheng stepped forward to take Cheng Jiashu's place.

He got into position, steadied himself, and laid his hands flat against the cold stone door.

With a deep breath, his arms, chest, and back bulged instantly, and his muscles rose up like hard rocks.

The body's Qi and blood seemed to boil and surge from the Dantian, flowing into the limbs and bones.

An astonishing heat wave emanated from the bare skin, pushing back the surrounding gray fog by several meters.

"Ho!"

Fang Cheng let out a low growl, his waist and stance becoming one, and he suddenly pushed forward with all his might.

A tremendous force poured out like a raging flood.

The ground beneath their feet could not withstand the enormous reaction force, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread out.

The dull shockwave traveled along the rock wall, shaking off a large amount of accumulated dust from the top.

Even the surrounding rock walls were scattering loose stones.

But the dark red stone door remained completely still.

Fang Cheng felt as if he wasn't pushing a door, but rather shaking the entire West Mountain. This weight, connected to the mountain's veins, had long exceeded the limits of human capability.

Even with Fang Cheng's strength attribute exceeding 80 points, he couldn't budge it in the slightest.

He withdrew his hands, calmed his turbulent blood, and shook his head, saying:

"No, we can't open it by brute force alone. There must be something strange about this door."

Cheng Jiashu frowned, held the bronze box in his hand up to his eyes, and carefully examined the intricate patterns on its surface by the light of the glow stick.

"As Manager Wu just said, opening the treasure vault entrance requires not only a key but also a specific incantation. This incantation should be these strange symbols engraved on the edge of the box."

He traced the twisted lines with his fingertips, staring at them for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.

"What kind of scribbling is this? It doesn't resemble any known writing system in the world at all. Even if we get the key, we still can't get through this door if we can't recite the incantation."

Cheng Jiashu ultimately had no choice but to give up:
"The old monster was too wary and deliberately resorted to such tactics. It's a pity that Manager Wu died too quickly..."

"let me see."

Fang Cheng stepped forward, his gaze falling on a row of fine symbols engraved on the side of the bronze box.

His gaze swept over the tadpole-like twisted patterns, and a long-forgotten memory in his mind was instantly stirred.

The structure, shape, and syllable patterns of these symbols...

Fang Cheng silently recited it, a familiar feeling welling up in his heart.

Isn't this the original vowel I once learned?

Lin Chuqiao secretly recorded the lecture on archaeology at the university and later lent it to him.

To this end, Fang Cheng also accelerated the growth rate of his language skills experience, and successfully synthesized the epic-level "Omniscient Language" talent.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng adjusted his state of mind and then calmly opened his mouth.

A series of coherent and peculiar syllables were uttered smoothly:
"Om—Ah—Hum—Om—"

The moment the words left his mouth, Fang Cheng felt the atmosphere around him change.

Accompanied by these few awkward and difficult syllables, a desolate and profound moo seemed to respond to him from the depths of the earth.

The sound was both extremely distant and extremely near, as if it had pierced through the barrier of time from the distant primordial era and descended upon the depths of the dry well at this moment.

Fang Cheng's pupils contracted slightly, as he felt the vibrations from his vocal cords gradually synchronizing with the frequency of the surrounding rock walls.

As the last syllable fell, a strange wave rippled outwards from him.

buzzing-

A visible ripple was created in the air.

Fang Cheng discovered that his body was resonating with the surrounding environment in a peculiar way.

Like the coastline at high tide, invisible sound waves transform into a massive tide, crashing against the rock walls and the dark red stone gate wave after wave.

The gray mist in the crevices of the rock wall was instantly dispelled by this tide, and the surrounding temperature changed accordingly.

The bone-chilling cold quickly subsided, and the temperature continued to rise, as if one were in a warm summer breeze.

Cheng Jiashu stared wide-eyed in astonishment at Fang Cheng, who had transformed into a priest, as if he were meeting him for the first time.

Just then, the surface of the dark red stone door suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light.

The mottled stone gate rippled violently like the surface of water, and the originally hard stone began to melt, as if it had come to life in an instant.

Fang Cheng stepped forward again, extended only one hand, and gently pushed the door, which was shimmering with golden light.

"Wow—"

This time, without any resistance, the heavy stone door slid open smoothly to both sides, revealing an oval-shaped light gate.

Inside the light gate, light and shadow flowed, resembling a real mercury mirror.

Fang Cheng stretched out his arm and probed into the portal.

After confirming there were no abnormal energy fluctuations, he withdrew his hand, turned to Cheng Jiashu, and said:
"The passage is secure; you may proceed."

He remained holding the box, stunned for a full three seconds, before finally closing his gaping mouth.

"Hey Fang Cheng, I never knew you, this tough guy who likes to punch people, was actually an expert in linguistics? You're quite the multi-talented one!"

Cheng Jiashu immediately gave him a thumbs up in admiration.

Fang Cheng shrugged, his expression perfectly natural:
"I graduated from a top university, so it's reasonable for me to have a broad knowledge base."

"Come on, how come I didn't learn this weird language when I was in college?"

Cheng Jiashu pursed his lips, stuffed the bronze box into his backpack, and then couldn't help but ask:

"What language is this? Sanskrit, or some lost ancient language?"

Fang Cheng dusted off his hands and answered in a relaxed tone:

"The language of another world is an elective course; it's normal that you haven't taken it."

"..."

Cheng Jiashu was speechless for a moment, then rolled his eyes:
"You might as well say you're an undercover agent sent by aliens."

The two exchanged a few teasing words and then didn't linger any longer.

Fang Cheng took the first step, his body passing straight through the light gate that rippled with mercury.

Cheng Jiashu tightened the shoulder strap of his backpack and followed closely behind, stepping inside.

The moment I passed through the portal, a brief feeling of weightlessness washed over me, and the light and shadow around my vision were rapidly stretched and distorted.

This feeling lasted for less than half a second.

The moment my feet touched the ground again, the cold and damp atmosphere around me vanished.

Suddenly, the view before me brightened, and the sky took on a sickly grayish-white hue.

A gust of wind carrying a strong, acrid smell swept over me, brushing against my cheeks and swirling up wisps of fine black ash.

Fang Cheng and Cheng Jiashu looked up and saw the scene before them.

The two stopped in their tracks, their pupils suddenly contracting.

Cheng Jiashu gasped, staring ahead and muttering to himself:

"This is……"

What came into view was a vast space that had been completely reduced to ruins.

As far as the eye can see, broken blue bricks and ruins are stuck diagonally in the swirling soil.

A half-broken load-bearing wooden beam lay collapsed on the roadside, wisps of smoke still rising from its surface.

The once smooth ground looked as if it had been plowed countless times by a heavy plow, now covered with huge pits of varying depths.

The crisscrossing cracks spread outwards like a spider web along the edge of the pit, reaching all the way to the horizon.

In addition to the smell of burning, the air was filled with an extremely pungent stench of blood.

Large amounts of dark red liquid flowed through the cracks in the gravel, pooling at the bottom of the low-lying pits, forming shocking pools of blood.

The entire area was riddled with potholes and holes, looking exactly like it had just been subjected to a saturation bombardment by heavy artillery. (End of Chapter)