He changed Tiwat

But the problem lies in how to crack this mechanism.

According to Yelan, the runes on the ground represent four elements: wind, rock, ice, and lightning, and can only be activated by the corresponding elemental forces.

Among the people present, apart from Paimon and Han Fulai, Yelan is water, Yanfei and Jiaming are fire, Ying has wind and rock, Wenzai has wind and fire... but no matter how they are combined, they are missing the elements of ice and thunder.

Elemental attributes cannot be compensated for by wisdom and willpower... and where can they find two people with lightning and ice divine eyes to help them now?

This is truly no one's fault but theirs. They couldn't have foreseen the underground mechanisms, and they didn't come to explore with all seven Elemental Eyes wielders present...

It's disheartening that hope was so clearly elusive, only to be thwarted by this unforeseen event.

Seeing that everyone was a bit dejected, Han Fulai raised his hand: "By the way, does this mechanism necessarily require someone to activate it? Or is it like the magic array of the 'Thousand Rock Army Treasure,' where only fixed conditions need to be met, such as the corresponding 'offerings'?"

"It's the latter," Yelan answered decisively. "If any of you have magical artifacts or similar items with corresponding elemental power, you can use them to activate these runes. But do any of you have any?"

Everyone shook their heads, except for Han Fulai, who began rummaging through his storage space...

Then he took out two things.

A purple mining lamp shaped like a cat's head.

There was also a ring that looked like ice crystals.

"I think... I can provide lightning and ice elements..."

Chapter Thirty-Five: A Dead End (Part Five)

In fact, not only ice and lightning, but also the "Starry Wings" given to him by Venti in his storage space, and he can also use his own Jade Shield to replace the rock element.

If Han Fulai weren't currently hesitant to use his immortal power, he could actually activate all the elemental runes here by himself...

For Ying, Paimon, and Jiaming, the fact that Sect Leader Han had so many treasures was undoubtedly a great thing, and they were immediately overjoyed.

But the other two are different.

Yan Fei didn't know what the ring was, but she recognized whose cat-shaped headlamp it was... She knew about Han Fulai's relationship with Shen He and Ning Guang, but she never expected that even Ke Qing, known as the "devil boss," had been taken by him...

Yelan had already seen the miner's lamp, but the ring was something that Ningguang's intelligence network hadn't been able to find out... Han Fulai certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to take the initiative to show Ningguang the ring that Yura gave him.

So the two women looked at Han Fulai with eyes full of five words—"womanizer".

With the appropriate magical implements, solving this puzzle is no longer a question.

Ying and Paimon went to the platform corresponding to the Rock element, Jiaming took Wenzai to the platform corresponding to the Wind element, Yanfei took the cat headlamp to activate the Thunder element mechanism, and Yelan took the "Ice Seal" ring to unlock the Ice element mechanism.

Han Fulai, who stayed behind, had no idea that his suffering was far from over.

After the mechanism was solved, the magic array in the center of the platform changed.

The elemental runes on the ground suddenly lit up, and the elemental power they represented converged along the patterns of the ground magic array towards the central stone platform.

Soon, the central stone platform, now brimming with energy, shot a pure white beam of light into the sky.

The beam of light struck the center of the inverted platform above everyone's heads, blasting through layers of spatial barriers like a laser cannon, instantly creating a large hole in the center of the platform.

Then, the pillar of light disappeared, leaving only a portal leading to the platform above.

After a dizzying spin, the group found themselves around the large hole; what had been the "ceiling" was now their feet.

Fortunately, everyone had gotten used to the strange gravity reversals in this secret realm and immediately prepared to explore the large hole.

"The floor... melted? What's underneath...?"

Paimon cautiously peered down into the dark cave, but the bottom was pitch black and he couldn't see clearly.

"Will Xiao be down here?" Ying also looked down curiously.

Just then, another sound came.

"...No...no...wake up! Look carefully..."

"Don't force me to...!"

The voice was suppressed and angry, sounding like a demon talking to someone, as if it were warning someone...

"That voice... it's Xiao! Has something happened to him?" Paimon quickly searched around for the source of the voice.

"It sounds like a battle..." Yanfei also looked towards the source of the sound.

The source of the sound was very close, so close that it seemed to be just a few steps away.

But they didn't see anyone; Xiao's voice seemed to have traveled through space using some kind of magical technique.

"Wait, something seems amiss!" Ye Lan suddenly pointed to a spot not far away.

A blue crack suddenly appeared in the otherwise empty air.

"Is this... a very small spatial rift?" As a half-immortal, Yan Fei had naturally seen such immortal techniques before, and also knew that this thing contained danger.

Han Fulai immediately recognized the source of the crack.

When Xiao dispelled the rain clouds above the Azure River, he unleashed his "Crazy Calamity: Land Dust Crusher," creating a spatial rift like this.

"It's Xiao! He wants to come over!"

Before he finished speaking, a figure in blue appeared in front of everyone.

"Ah, it's the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons!" Paimon was overjoyed to see his savior and flew straight towards the blue figure.

But she soon realized something was wrong, because her hand had passed through Xiao's body.

"Huh? It's an illusion? I can't touch it..."

Yes, what appeared from the spatial rift was not Xiao, but a holographic afterimage; Xiao himself was not there.

Even though it was just a blur, it still proved that Xiao himself was in this underground space. He was probably trapped in some secret realm just like them. Perhaps he sensed their location and specially opened a spatial rift to contact them or send messages.

Yan Fei hurriedly asked, "Great Sage Who Subdues Demons, can you hear us?"

Han Fulai was also a little nervous. Generally speaking, Xiao would directly appear by crossing the spatial rift, and had never used a residual image to send a message to them like this: "Xiao, are you alright?"

The afterimage seemed to hesitate for a moment before reacting: "...You..."

Paimon was overjoyed: "He spoke!"

Jiaming was seeing a true immortal for the first time, and he couldn't hide his excitement: "Is this the magic of the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons?"

Paimon eagerly spoke to Xiao: "We've been looking for you all this way, following your voice, and we never expected you to actually be here! But what a strange thing, we can't find you... How come you're just a shadow?"

The afterimage of Xiao flickered, as if it were pondering: "Shadow?"

Ying rolled her eyes at Paimon. What difference did it make whether it was a shadow or magic at a time like this? The important thing was to call the person over!

"Xiao, since you can hear us, you should know our location, right? Can you come over now?"

Xiao's afterimage flickered again: "Wait... something's not right... cough! There's something wrong with this secret realm, you... leave there as soon as possible."

"Wait a minute, are you injured?" Han Fulai's heart sank. If Xiao was injured, he might not have enough power to break through space.

The situation has shifted from expecting Xiao's rescue to Xiao needing their rescue. And just how dangerous must the secret realm be to be able to injure Xiao?

Ye Lan whispered to Yan Fei, "It would be better to find out his location as soon as possible and have him meet up with us."

Unable to speak directly to the demon, she had to send a message through Yan Fei. No matter how dangerous the place, having more people meant a better chance of getting out; the most urgent thing was to reunite.

Yan Fei nodded and quickly asked, "What happened to you? Where are you? We'll come pick you up."

The afterimage shook its head firmly: "No, your safety is the most important thing right now. This space seems to be..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Just like a sudden disconnection, the spatial rift vanished in an instant, along with Xiao's afterimage.

Paimon exclaimed anxiously, "Where is he? Wasn't he injured? We have to go help him!"

Ying's gaze fell on the large hole in the center: "It seems that the only place nearby where we can continue exploring is... that entrance."

Chapter Thirty-Six: A Dead End (Part Six)

Faced with this deep pit, Jiaming naturally volunteered to take the lead once again.

With Wenzai's help and Yelan's "life-saving silk" as a "safety rope," his "parachute" went very smoothly. After a while, Jiaming's voice came from inside the cave: "It's not deep down, but there's a small lake. Be careful not to fall into the water!"

So Ying spread her wings and flew down with Yan Fei, while Ye Lan went down first and used her life-binding silk to weave a safety net for Han Fulai. Soon, the group successfully reached the bottom of the pit.

The space at the bottom of the pit was not large. The group had explored the surrounding area and found that apart from the small lake at the bottom of the cave entrance and a stone house, there was no other way out.

Xiao doesn't seem to be here, or at least not in a visible place.

And in the unseen areas... only that stone house remains.

“There’s actually a house in this kind of place, and such a heavy door…” Ying tapped the stone door with her knuckles, the sound was dull and sounded very solid.

Paimon tilted his head: "It's one of those 'shelters,' right? Like the supply depots that experienced adventurers built for their juniors in secret realms. We've seen similar things in Dragonspine Mountains, haven't we? Is Xiao here?"

“No, I don’t see it that way.” Yan Fei shook her head.

“Adventurers shouldn’t come to a place like this…” Jiaming shook his head as well.

Han Fulai and Ye Lan remained silent, their expressions grave.

They had both seen this stone house, or more precisely, the door to the stone house.

—There is such a door in the "fluorescent passage" leading to the rock hall.

The heavy stone, the ancient patterns representing the relics of an ancient civilization, and the pale blue fluorescence shimmering in the patterns... everything is exactly the same as that "Gate of the Rock Hall".

This door cannot be opened by force; the only way to open it is with a "key".

Han Fulai was able to open the "Gate of the Rock Hall" because he obtained the "Rubik's Cube" carried by the "Abyss Singer".

They certainly don't have the keys right now.

However, the door can be opened because there is a mechanism next to it with a Rubik's Cube embedded inside. Presumably, the stone door can be opened by activating it with elemental power.

But what might appear behind the stone gate? Could there also be a "giant serpent of ruins"?

This forced the two of them to be cautious.

However, no matter what, just standing here won't get you anywhere. Whatever's inside, you won't know unless you take a look.

"Bosses, please keep me in line. I've come to investigate!"

Always the first to rush into danger, Jiaming stepped forward and activated the mechanism.

After a tremor, the stone door shrank back into the ground, revealing what lay behind it.

The room inside looked like a living room, with somewhat old furniture, but it was very clean. Freshly picked tea leaves were laid out on the table, giving it a very homey feel.

"It looks like a very ordinary house..."

Paimon, peering through the door, whispered to Ying, who nodded in agreement. The scene behind the door was indeed quite different from what they had imagined.

Jiaming paused for a moment as he stepped inside.

"Huh? Where am I...?"

He was about to say something when a hand grabbed his ear.

Jiaming screamed in fright, his Divine Eyes flashing as he prepared to attack, but the person who had grabbed his ear spoke first.

"You little rascal! You've been stealing the rice scoop and wooden basin from home again to practice drumming. You're asking for a beating!"

"And there's this huge basket of freshly picked tea leaves! What are you doing with it for some 'Golden Lion Celebrating Good Fortune' event? You've ruined it all!"

"You still dare to run? I'm going to make sure you get a beating today!"

"It hurts, Dad, let go..." Jiaming reflexively began to beg for mercy.

The middle-aged man who had grabbed his ear refused to let it go.

"If you let go, your mom's going to pull my ear... You rascal, kneel down right now!"

Just then, another "bang" sounded in front of them.

A woman who looked rather quiet was banging a thick rattan cane on the ground, yelling, "You son of a bitch! I've been simmering this soup for three hours, and you won't even drink it when it's cold! You're heartless! And you brat, I'd rather have given birth to char siu than to you! I'll beat you to death!"

"Wow! Help!" Jiaming struggled violently and flipped over in a "flip-over" move, and the stone door closed the moment he escaped.

It wasn't until he was surrounded by curious onlookers that Jiaming remembered he was still inside the secret realm.

"What's going on?" Paimon asked curiously, circling around Jiaming.

"Were those two Jiaming's parents?" Ying also asked.

Jiaming scratched his head sheepishly: "Sorry for making a fool of myself. That room was my hometown, and those two people were my parents... When I was little, they would beat me like this when I made them angry..."

Yan Fei stroked her chin: "But Jiaming, isn't your hometown in Qiaoying Village?... Could that door lead to Qiaoying Village?"