One of my fairy-like friends

"It's likely a restriction left by the owner of this ancient tomb that weakens the cultivation of any cultivator who enters," the young master said. "So it's not just us; anyone who enters this tomb, or rather, this secret realm, will be affected."

As he spoke, the young master glanced at Ming Yan. Just now, his strength was affected and his speed dropped, but Ming Yan's speed was not affected. His strength was probably even above his own, so even after being affected, he was still faster than him. This made him very wary. This person's true strength was probably at least at the early stage of Yangling, or even higher.

"...Why does it smell of blood here?" The boy frowned slightly, noticing a faint scent of blood. "Logically speaking, no one should have been here for many years..."

"It's possible that the earthquake injured or killed the creatures living in this secret realm," the young man said. "Let's continue onward. We don't know what threats this secret realm might hold, so you two should be very careful."

"Don't worry, even if you die, I won't." The boy sneered and continued forward.

Mingyan remained silent and continued forward.

The tunnel was quite narrow at first, but gradually widened as it went on. The three of them were moving at about the same speed. Mingyan was originally moving faster, but he did not rush forward recklessly. Instead, he deliberately controlled his speed and traveled with the other two. Although the other two might have something to hide, if they encountered any other threats, it would be better for the three of them to handle it. Going forward alone might make him a stepping stone for the other two, helping them test the danger. Although Mingyan liked to help others, he would not do such a foolish thing in this situation.

The tunnel led diagonally downwards, winding its way down. As the three continued to venture deeper, the tunnel became increasingly wider. The air inside was thin, and the spiritual energy was faint, but the stench of blood grew stronger.

The boy frowned. "The smell of blood is extremely fresh. The earthquake happened several days ago. If it were the blood of underground creatures injured or killed in the earthquake, it should have started to rot by now..."

The young master cautiously observed his surroundings. "This place is very strange. If it's a tomb, why is it so deep? It's really odd."

"It seems like something is watching us from around here," Mingyan said. He was sharp-eyed and had keen senses, and he could feel that something in the shadows was watching them.

"...I didn't sense anything nearby?" Upon hearing this, the young master closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's probably just your imagination."

The boy shook his head. "I didn't feel that either. Aren't you too timid?"

Mingyan looked around and, seeing that the two did not believe him, said nothing more, but remained vigilant about his surroundings.

The three continued deeper into the tunnel. As the tunnel widened, the fluorescent grass on the walls became less bright, and the tunnel gradually turned pitch black. The young master raised his hand and waved his hand, and a butterfly made of spiritual energy flew into the air, illuminating the tunnel.

The walls around the tunnel were full of wrinkles, making them easy to climb. Moreover, Mingyan noticed that there were many holes in the walls that an adult man could pass through, and he didn't know where they led. They were everywhere. The other two also noticed this strange phenomenon.

"...I feel something's wrong..." The air grew colder, and the sound of water dripping onto the ground came from inside the tunnel. The boy became alert. "The smell of blood is getting stronger."

"This smells like human blood." Mingyan also sensed something was wrong. He had felt something following them before, and now, after smelling it carefully, he realized that the bloody smell was clearly human blood. As a hunter, he could easily distinguish the difference between the smell of animal blood and human blood.

"What is that?" The young master noticed something sticking out of the hole in the wall, so he manipulated the spirit butterfly, which was formed by gathering spiritual energy to light up the tunnel, and flew over. Before he got close, something fell out of the small hole and fell to the ground, motionless.

The thing didn't move after it fell, but the stench in the air intensified. It was pitch black and couldn't be seen clearly. The young master directed the spirit butterfly to move closer and light it up, only to discover... it was actually a corpse!

"A corpse?" The boy was puzzled by what he saw. It appeared to be a human body, lying face down on the ground. The ground was sticky, and there seemed to be some water underneath. He walked closer, turned the body over, and was immediately startled, taking two steps back in astonishment. "This! This!"

The abdomen of the body had been completely pierced, and some of the internal organs had disappeared, leaving only mangled flesh. The water stains on the ground were actually the blood that had flowed from the corpse. The expression on the face of the deceased was extremely terrified, as if he had seen something very terrifying before he died.

"I think I've seen this person before. He was watching from the side. How did he end up in front of us? And he's dead?" The young master's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately recognized the corpse. "How could this be?!"

“This man hasn’t been dead long.” Ming Yan approached and examined him, his brow furrowing deeply. “Not even half an incense stick’s time… There are many bite marks on his body, probably from being grabbed and torn apart by something… This tunnel probably harbors some terrifying underground creatures…”

"Didn't you say before that something was following us?" the boy asked after taking two deep breaths.

Mingyan nodded. "That's right... It's very likely the underground creature that killed this person... The caves in the wall were probably created by it to facilitate its movement... This person might have been captured and killed on our way here, and the body was brought over... Those caves are probably shortcuts..."

"...Since it's just following us without making a move, it must think we're too difficult to deal with." The young man pondered for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to continue. If you're scared, you can go back."

“I should be the one saying that.” The young master’s expression also turned serious. “However, I suggest that we travel together. We don’t know the strength of that thing yet… Let’s travel together as a group, and we can deal with any unexpected events if we encounter a chance.”

Chapter Forty-Nine: Trapped

Mingyan had no intention of returning alone. Returning alone at this time would obviously put him in danger. There was clearly something following them, and acting alone would make him an easy target. Without knowing the monster's strength, acting rashly would come at a terrible price.

Besides, now that we're inside, wouldn't it be a waste of our time if we didn't take something with us?

So the three of them continued forward, exploring the tunnel more deeply.

The tunnel was extremely deep, far exceeding Mingyan's original imagination. He had initially thought that since it was a tomb, it couldn't be that big, but as the exploration deepened, he realized that he had misjudged the situation.

The three of them had no idea how far they had gone underground. They continued to follow the spiraling tunnel downwards. The further they went, the wider and darker the tunnel became. The three of them continued to descend by the light of the spirit butterfly.

"This is too deep... Have we stumbled into some kind of formation and lost ourselves?" The boy gradually sensed something was wrong. At their speed, they had probably already descended dozens of miles underground. At such a depth, the air should be extremely thin. Although the air content was not high, it was not extremely thin either.

“Something does seem off… Perhaps we should stop and carefully check our surroundings.” Mingyan also sensed something was amiss, and he stopped. “And in such an empty space, there’s no echo when we speak. Isn’t that strange?”

The young man nodded, and the three of them checked the surroundings together before walking to the edge of the tunnel.

The tunnel was surrounded by cracks and folds, making it perfect for climbing. Mingyan reached out and tried to pry the rock wall, only to find that the protruding parts were extremely hard. Despite his great strength, Mingyan was unable to break the protruding parts. He was slightly surprised.

So, if something were to climb on it, it wouldn't fall off easily; it's very hidden and quiet.

"A corpse? Why is this corpse here?"

Suddenly, the boy made a discovery. Mingyan and the young master went over and saw the corpse they had found earlier lying there quietly, just as it had been when they left the location of the corpse.

“We are indeed trapped in the formation. Continuing down will only be a waste of time. We must break the formation.” The young master’s expression was solemn. “To break the formation, we need to find the core of the formation. Have either of you noticed anything special about this place?”

Both the boy and Mingyan shook their heads. Seeing this, the young master said, "Let's split up and search for anything unusual around us, but don't stray too far apart. If what you said is true, then there might be monsters that could take advantage of the time we're apart to attack. Right now, all we can do is break the formation. Losing even one person will make our situation even more dangerous. So I hope you two can put aside your other thoughts for now, help each other, and immediately notify the others if you encounter any danger."

The boy nodded. Although he had been arrogant before, he was not unduly conceited now. "If you are in danger, I will do my best to help."

“Me too.” Mingyan nodded.

The young man nodded, and the three of them separated temporarily to search for anything unusual in the tunnel.

Mingyan arrived at the side of the tunnel. There were many caves in the rock wall. Mingyan pondered for a moment.

The monster might not be restricted by the formation; could it use these caves to move through the tunnels?

However, these caves can only accommodate one person at a time. It is impossible for a person to walk upright inside the cave, and it would be very crowded for two people to walk together. There may be more than one monster. If there are other monsters living in the cave, entering these caves and restricting one's own movement is probably like walking into a trap, which is not much different from suicide.

However, being trapped inside the formation for too long would likely lead to death. The spiritual energy here is thin, and none of the three of them have reached the Qi Sea stage in their cultivation, so they cannot produce spiritual energy on their own. Once the spiritual energy is exhausted, they will probably be attacked. Staying here is not a good option either. Ming Yan's eyes flickered slightly as he pondered a solution.

Suddenly, Ming Yan's hair stood on end, and he immediately jumped back. By the light of the spirit butterfly, Ming Yan could vaguely see a dark red figure silently extending its cold claws from the cave. If Ming Yan hadn't reacted quickly, he would have almost had his throat torn apart by those claws.

"Fellow Daoist?" The young man heard the commotion and rushed over. "What happened?"

The boy also rushed over, looking puzzled.

"Something attacked me in these caves just now. It was too dark, I couldn't see clearly, but it seemed to be dark red all over." Ming Yan remained calm. He had been a hunter before and had been attacked by wild beasts. He knew that if he couldn't think calmly in this situation, he might lose his life. "There's probably more than one monster in these tunnels; quite a few probably live in there..."

"...Did you sense the monster's strength?" the young master asked, frowning.

Mingyan shook his head. "I didn't sense anything. Besides, these monsters don't seem to be trapped by the formation. I suspect that these caves in the tunnel can bypass the formation and leave this area, but these caves are too small, only big enough for us to climb through. Going inside would actually limit our strength, and besides, the caves are the monsters' stronghold..."

“Going in is not a wise move,” the young master pondered. “But being trapped here indefinitely is not a solution either… Neither Zeng Qi nor I are Qi Sea Realm cultivators. The spiritual energy here is thin, and we cannot effectively replenish it. If we drag this out, the spiritual energy will gradually run out, and we will die sooner or later.”

It turned out that the boy's name was Zeng Qi.

"Why not take advantage of the current abundance of spiritual energy and try to break out of these caves?" Zeng Qi's eyes flashed like lightning. "Since these monsters only dare to ambush, their strength is definitely inferior to ours."

“But these caves must have been built by monsters. They’re all interconnected, and even if we get in, we might not be able to find our way out.” Mingyan shook his head. “Going in rashly is too risky. I suggest we look for other ways to get out of the formation. If there really is no other way, then we can consider the feasibility of this method.”

The young man nodded. “That’s what I think too. Please try not to consume your spiritual energy. My spirit butterfly was made using special techniques. It only serves to provide light and doesn’t consume much spiritual energy, so you don’t need to worry. Just conserve your strength in case of any accidents.”

Because of the attack on Mingyan, the three of them started working together to search for traces of the formation.

The three of them searched for a while but couldn't find any clues. The tunnel was dark and damp, and apart from a few fluorescent plants growing on the walls and some caves that led to unknown places, there was nothing else.

Mingyan had been observing his surroundings. After practicing the Wind Spirit Scripture, his sensitivity to the surrounding airflow became exceptionally strong.

The tunnel had airflow, which is why the boy could smell the blood. The air clearly had a direction, and Mingyan started to go against the flow. Although the other two did not know what Mingyan had discovered, they followed in his footsteps.

The airflow was extremely strange; despite being in a large, open space, it inexplicably curved and twisted, as if something invisible was blocking it, forcing the airflow to flow only through certain gaps...

Mingyan opened his eyes and found that the airflow was not coming from the caves in the wall. To verify this, he stood at the entrance of those caves and felt it. He found that there was no airflow coming out. These caves were probably built inside tunnels and had no connection to the outside world. If he rashly entered, he would only end up going around in circles in the tunnel. If he was not careful, he might lose his life.

Where does this airflow come from? Mingyan thought for a moment and concluded that it either connects to the outside world somewhere, or it flows in from where they entered.

With that thought in mind, Mingyan told the other two about his discovery.

"Is that so? I've heard that if you follow certain paths within the formation, you can indeed exit without breaking the formation's core." The young master nodded. "It's worth a try."

"Don't hesitate, let's go." Zeng Qi couldn't wait to leave either; being trapped here was no good.

Seeing that the two agreed with his idea, Mingyan began to look for the trajectory of the airflow, while the other two followed behind Mingyan, carefully guarding their surroundings.

The airflow suddenly changed direction, as if it had hit some kind of invisible wall. Mingyan followed the direction of the airflow, leading the remaining two people to spin around in place. They seemed to be spinning around aimlessly like headless flies, but if you looked closely, you would find that there was a certain pattern to it.

Mingyan discovered that there seemed to be a hidden maze here, and the airflow was coming from the entrance of the hidden maze. With this, Mingyan became more determined and quickened his pace. After about half an incense stick's time, Mingyan opened his eyes and clearly felt that the surrounding situation had changed. The spiritual energy suddenly became richer. He looked around in surprise and found that the surrounding environment had completely changed.

"What is this...? Weren't we just in the tunnel? How did we suddenly end up here?" Zeng Qi, the boy who had been following Ming Yan, also noticed the anomaly and was very puzzled.

“This means we’ve broken out of the formation…this place might be the real secret realm,” the young master said.

The three found themselves in a bright and open space, as if they had entered an underground tomb. The surroundings gradually brightened, but there was no visible light source, which was quite magical. A faint medicinal fragrance wafted from the tomb, and the spiritual energy was abundant, which was completely different from the feeling in the tunnel.

"Watch out!" Suddenly, Zeng Qi shoved Ming Yan, who fell forward uncontrollably. He quickly regained his balance and turned around to see a strange, dark red monster being trampled under the feet of the young master. Its head was crushed, and its brains were spilling everywhere.

The monster was covered in red fur, and its blood and brain matter mixed together, emitting a strong stench. Its body was about the size of a monkey, and its claws were not long, but were jet black and looked quite sharp.

"Hmph, this despicable monster actually tried to launch a sneak attack while we were distracted," Zeng Qi sneered.

"Thank you," Mingyan said. This surprised Mingyan somewhat. His first impression of this man wasn't good; he seemed arrogant and domineering, with a very haughty and disdainful personality. Moreover, after leaving the formation, he no longer needed Mingyan's help to escape, yet Mingyan still extended a helping hand to save him...

"It was just a casual push, no need to thank me." Zeng Qi shook his head. "Besides, even though we've left the formation, we might still encounter some dangers... Having one more person always means more confidence. Compared to the treasure, our lives are more important."

“That’s the right way to think.” The young master lifted his foot. His boots were not stained with blood and brains and still looked quite elegant. He chuckled. “There’s no need to fight to the death. Opportunities are something that will come to whoever is lucky in time… No need to fight to the death.”

Mingyan turned his head to observe the situation ahead. The spiritual energy inside the tomb was dense, but he could still see small caves on the walls, just wide enough for one person to crawl through. These monsters could also access these caves...

"This monster isn't particularly strong, probably only around the Taixi Realm. If it were to launch a sudden attack, even a cultivator at the Zhaohai Realm might be in danger, let alone our current strength which is still suppressed... We still need to be careful." The young master bent down to examine the red-haired monster's dark blue claws, flicked them with his finger, and they produced a metallic sound.

“Let’s keep going. There must be some medicinal herbs growing in this tomb. It seems the three of us should be the fastest. Let’s pick them first to prevent others from getting them,” Zeng Qi said.

Chapter Fifty Gu Hanshuang

The three continued forward. The underground tomb was very dry, completely different from the dark and damp tunnel they had just passed. Moreover, the spiritual energy was abundant. Although it was not comparable to places like blessed lands, it was still quite comfortable in such an environment.

Before long, the three of them discovered a medicinal garden where many spiritual herbs were growing. They exchanged glances and began to pick them, gathering all the spiritual herbs in the garden.

The three of them took roughly the same amount, but if one had to say, Mingyan took a little more, since he was the one who brought the other two out, so the two of them deliberately yielded a little.

Mingyan didn't stand on ceremony and directly absorbed it into his Qi Sea.

Seeing this, the young master and Zeng Qi were even more certain that Ming Yan's true strength was definitely not at the Taixi Realm, because only when one reaches the Zhaohai Realm can one collect things from the Qi Sea.

These medicinal herbs were of good quality. Mingyan found that although they were not as good as the medicinal herb that Yue Qingying had given him before, they could still be of great help to him if he was injured.

The three continued deeper into the tomb, where Mingyan discovered numerous small caves. He frowned and asked, "Have either of you seen these creatures in the outside world?"

"No, it's probably because it was contaminated with some corpse energy, causing some underground creatures to mutate, which is why it turned out like this," the young master said. "Hopefully, the spiritual treasures in the tomb haven't been ruined by these monsters."

“These monsters have probably lived here for thousands of years. The owner of the tomb must have died before the current emperor. Calculating the time, it must have been at least 1,500 years. They probably used it as their home... Some things must have been ruined.” Zeng Qi sneered, “I’ll kill one as I go. Maybe I can find something while I’m at it.”

Mingyan's eyes flickered slightly, feeling that what Zeng Qi said made a lot of sense. Most of the things in the tomb would probably be hidden by these red-haired monsters, and he still had to keep an eye on them.

Speaking of which, someone had asked Mingyan to team up with them before, but Mingyan refused. Now it seems that they are in a team-up situation.