Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

Chapter 290 Spatial Passage

The three landed deep in the old forest, a place rarely visited by people and densely covered with vegetation.

The overhead tree canopy shreds the sunlight, perfectly demonstrating the Tyndall effect.

Beams of light slanted into the forest, making the floating dust particles appear like gold dust.

The surroundings were quite quiet, with even the chirping of birds being so sparse as to be almost nonexistent.

Izumi stood before a stone wall covered with ancient vines, his heterochromatic eyes sweeping lightly over the seemingly naturally growing tendrils, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"This should be it."

Ye Cang crossed her arms and looked left and right, but she couldn't detect anything.

It just felt a little too quiet here, and there were almost no signs of human presence around.

Momona peeked out from behind her, closed her eyes, and sniffed a few times like a puppy.

He touched it from the left, looked it from the right, and even tapped a few spots before letting out an "Oh," as if he had discovered something.

"What an ancient seal!" Momona straightened up and put her hands on her hips.

His eyes darted around, scrutinizing everything on the stone wall, behaving like an old scholar.

"Moreover, this seal is quite complex; it has three layers inside."

"The outer layer is a warning illusion that will cause ordinary people to take a detour and avoid this place."

"The middle part is a spatial anchor, used to stabilize the space and fix the position."

"The innermost layer is a barrier that refuses entry; if you wander in randomly, you'll likely be randomly thrown away."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly raised her chin triumphantly at Izumi Kawa and chuckled.

"Momona hasn't been slacking off lately; I've learned quite a bit about what's on the sealing scroll."

"This type of layered barrier has been recorded in Uzumaki Village, so it can be considered a very ancient barrier."

"In most cases, they can all be traced back to the era of the Sage of Six Paths."

Momona said something without much certainty, and then continued.

"However, solving it isn't a problem, it just takes some time."

Seeing that her tail was practically sticking up in the air, Ye Cang couldn't help but reach out and gently pat the back of her head.

He said impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and get it done. Don't keep going until dark."

Momona secretly made a face, then obediently walked forward.

Her expression changed, becoming very serious and focused. Her little face was unusually earnest as she carefully examined and analyzed the seal on the stone wall.

The first layer of illusion was the first to be broken; instead of completely dispelling the seal, it directly opened a small door.

As Momona took two steps back, the vines on the stone wall seemed to be blown away by the wind, turning into fragments and quietly disappearing.

The stone wall seemed to melt away, quietly revealing the entrance within.

"First floor, done!" Momona turned around and smiled happily. "Let's go in. The remaining seals need to be dealt with inside."

"Well done!" Yecang rarely praised him.

Izumikawa smiled and offered the same compliment, which pleased Momona greatly.

Looking at the cave entrance, Izumi could feel the spatial fluctuations emanating from it.

It seems that this second layer of seal must be a method buried in the spatial passage.

If you touch the barrier of the third layer, you will be randomly thrown out.

"Let's go in and take a look. We'll have to see how Momona performs next."

Yekura nodded and followed Izumi into the room, with Momona close behind.

The entrance to the passage, which opened at midnight, quietly returned to its original state after they entered.

The three walked for a while in the passage behind the stone wall, and then they saw a spatial passage that looked like a spring.

Looking back, the path we came from was a solid cave passage.

The rock face was damp and cold, and the stone slabs underfoot were already uneven and covered with various kinds of moss.

Both the traces and the plants suggest that the cave was poorly constructed and that no one had set foot there for many years.

The space in front of us, a flat surface like a spring, reflects a variety of brilliant colors.

Only Izumikawa could sense that intense spatial power.

As for Momona, she scratched her head and said with some distress, "The spatial passage is just ahead."

"However, due to the barrier issue, randomly entering could trigger the third layer of barrier, and you would end up being randomly thrown to an unknown place by the spatial channel."

"The barrier is very complex, completely beyond my comprehension."

"Especially regarding the folded space, I can't understand it at all, and I have no idea where to begin."

Upon hearing this, Ye Cang slightly raised her hand, and a small fireball of Scorching Release rose from her fingertips.

She wasn't afraid of being thrown anywhere; protecting herself wasn't a problem.

But with Momona by her side, her safety is in serious danger.

As for Izumi, there was no need for her to consider her safety at all.

"Should I try it first?" Yekura suggested to Izumikawa, "How about we throw a fireball to test the waters?"

"No need," Izumi said, refusing. "Then just follow me."

"9

"The road ahead is simple, it just requires you to roll your eyes."

1

Roll your eyes—open!

With veins bulging and spreading at the corners of his eyes and forehead, his white eyes were immediately activated.

Under Bai Yan's gaze, the seemingly dangerous spatial passage was already crystal clear.

There are even special route guides, so you won't get lost.

"You all follow behind me, and don't touch anything on the road. Go wherever I go."

Momona nervously gripped the hem of Yekura's clothes, looking up at Izumi's back.

The more she knew, the more afraid she became, because she was the most likely to have an accident.

"However, you can also hold my hand."

Izumi glanced at the frightened Momona, sighed softly, and extended his hand to the two of them.

Momona immediately showed a happy expression, jumped out from behind Yekura, and grabbed Izumi's hand.

Hehe, with Lord Izumikawa here, I'm not afraid at all!

Yekura reached out and grabbed Izumi's other hand, standing beside him.

Feeling the different temperatures of his two hands, Izumi Kawa clenched his fists slightly.

My gaze fell upon the spatial passage, which was actually that pool of water.

With a light leap, he carried the two of them into the water, which shimmered with an unusual color like a mirror.

There was no sense of wateriness at all; instead, it felt like falling into a weightless starry sky.

He immediately sensed the change in space, with starlight appearing all around him, as if he were traveling in the starry sky.

Izumikawa didn't let go; his left hand was clasped around Yokura's arm, and his right hand was holding Momona's.

"So beautiful—" Momona exclaimed, looking at the starry sky-like scenery around her.

Especially those twinkling starlight, seemingly within reach, flowing past you.

"Don't touch it, just look at it." Yekura's voice sounded from the other side, reminding Momona.

But his gaze was also drawn to the surrounding scenery, to the starlight.

Giant, bubble-like objects drifted through the starry sky, seemingly from other universes.

Each cosmic bubble is different in size and color, quiet and beautiful.

"Those bubbles, could they be from another world?" Yecang wondered, a hint of speculation in his voice.

Izumikawa watched the cosmic bubbles passing by him and felt the spatial power around him.

"Perhaps." The voice clearly reached their ears, "Or it could just be a projection left behind when space folds."

"No matter what, don't touch it, because you don't know what the consequences will be."

They continued forward, but the spatial passage seemed to the two women as if they were drifting along with the current, without any clear path.

But in Izumi's eyes, a clear path stretched deep into his vision.

Perhaps in the future, all these barriers will be broken by Sheren.

As they ventured deeper, the surrounding starlight gradually diminished, and the colors began to dim.

Finally, the three emerged from the lake, stood on the water's surface, and looked around.

Silence, utter silence. It was another cave, with white crystalline pillars piercing through the surrounding rock formations.

"Be careful!"

Ye Cang let out a low shout, and the Scorching Release Fireball was already thrown from his palm.

It traced an extremely bright arc and struck the giant crab that had sprung out from behind the crystal pillar.

The fireball exploded, sending up a ring of crimson heat.

But the crab's shell was incredibly hard, and it was only forced back a few steps.

The two claws slammed heavily against the rock wall, spraying out a series of white, shimmering bubbles.

The foam, though seemingly light, hissed and corroded the rocks as soon as it touched them.

Several closely spaced crystal pillars were immediately etched with charred pits.

Yekura spun around, shielding Momona and Izumi behind her, and with a series of waving hands, several more Scorching Release fireballs were fired.

The crab's enormous body moved with surprising agility in the burrow, shifting sideways and striking the leaf stalks with its claws like heavy hammers.

Ye Cang dodged to the side, and with a downward slash of his right hand, a scorching blade of air swept across the crab's leg segment.

It cut out a spray of sparks, but still couldn't break through the carapace.

Momona hid beside Izumi, watching Yekura and the big crab make a hole in the shallow water, sparks flying everywhere, and occasionally covering her ears.

Izumi didn't make a move; he simply observed his surroundings quietly.

The cave was enormous, and the white crystal pillars were reflected in the water, like countless mirrors slanted into the shimmering water.

That crab was no ordinary creature; its movements were accompanied by subtle fluctuations of chakra.

It must be some kind of guardian among the lunar ruins, awakened by their arrival.

"This thing is so hard!" Momona whispered.

"The leg joint." Izumi didn't explain further, only calmly reminding, "Start there."

Upon hearing this, Ye Cang's eyes narrowed. She deliberately gave up half a body space, luring the crab to swing its claw and strike.

He suddenly swooped down, skimming low to the ground, and passed under its belly, his right hand forming a knife shape with his fingers together.

A crimson, scorching blade of light precisely sliced ​​into the joint gap of the crab's left hind leg.

This time, with a crisp "crack," the leg segment split open.

The snow-white crab meat inside was exposed, and it was instantly scalded by the high temperature, curling up and turning red.

The crab, in pain, let out a sharp hiss and sprayed out even more foam.

Yecang seized the opportunity to press on, and several fireballs slammed into its exposed joints from different angles.

Using the momentum, he flipped over and leaped onto the crab's back, pressing down with both hands, and the scorching chakra poured in along the patterns on the shell.

The crab thrashed about a few times before finally crashing into the rock wall with a thud, slowly sliding down, its eight legs still twitching slightly.

"Phew—that was pretty tiring." Ye Cang leaped back to the ground, shook the sparks off his hands, and was slightly out of breath.

The large crab lay half-side down against the rock wall, its shell bright red, and white steam rising from its body.

A rich, fresh aroma gradually filled the cave, mixed with a faint smell of burning, which actually made me a little hungry.

Momona swallowed hard and tugged at Izumikawa's sleeve: "Is it... cooked?"

Izumi stepped forward and touched the crab leg with the tip of his shoe. The shell of the leg was already very hot, and the crab meat inside was yellow and white, so it was definitely cooked.

He turned to look at Yekura, then at Momona who was swallowing hard.

She couldn't help but chuckle: "Ye Cang, you baked it just right."

"Let's eat here and replenish our chakra before we leave."

Ye Cang paused, then sighed, "Are you here on business, or for a picnic?"

Despite saying that, the person had already walked towards the large, roasted crab.

For the first time, the aroma of food wafted from the deep caves of the moon.

The fragrance traveled far, as if even the sleeping ruins were momentarily awakened by this earthly scent.

The crab meat was very fresh, and the crab roe was excessively plump.

Momona's mouth was glistening with oil from eating, and even Yekura made an exception and ate a few more bites.

Only Izumi tore off a few pieces of crab leg meat, swallowed them slowly, and then leaned against the crystal pillar to rest.

The fight was quite loud, and the aroma spread far and wide, but no second monster ever appeared in the cave.

After finishing eating, Yekura used the Scorching Release to burn the remaining crab shells and legs to ashes, and then washed her hands in shallow water.

Momona rubbed her stomach, looking so content she didn't want to move, but Yekura glared at her before she awkwardly stood up.

Izumi Kawa didn't say anything more, but walked towards the brighter part of the cave.

The shallow water underfoot gradually receded, and the rock face changed from wet and cold to dry.

The glowing crystal pillars gradually diminished, revealing a faint glimmer of light, almost like the first rays of spring sunshine.

The further they went, the brighter the light became. When they turned the last narrow opening, the view suddenly opened up before them.

Outside the cave was a small island, where sunlight streamed down from very high up. It wasn't the sun, but it was warm enough to make your skin feel warm.

The waves of the sea echoed softly in their ears.

The distant continent, like the horizon, is tinged with green.

Even more astonishing is the sight of a green continent above the sky.

"Is this the moon?" Momono stared in disbelief, her mouth agape.

This was a paradise on earth, completely different from the cratered moon she had imagined.

"This is probably inside the moon, or underground."

Ye Cang looked up at the continent on the distant horizon and drew a conclusion.

While in the Land of Snow, she had seen the research collection of the daimyo of the Land of Snow, including a telescope that could observe the starry sky.

The surface of the moon is cratered and riddled with impact craters, showing absolutely no signs of life.

If this is the moon, then it must be inside or underground.

"Yakura is right, this is indeed the interior of the moon."

"That's one of the reasons I brought you here."

"9

Izumi waved his hand, leaving a spatial imprint. Immediately, a spatial rift opened above, and the skeletal dragon returned, poking its head out.

With the flapping of their bone wings, they flew out from the spatial rift and hovered above their heads.

Deep within the moon, a white-haired child, eyes closed and brows slightly furrowed, looked toward the direction where Izumi and the others had appeared, as if sensing something.

"It seems someone broke in?"