Chapter 118 Leaving the Valley

  "How could this be?"

  Finding his Earth Escape Technique ineffective, Zhuge Jin muttered to himself in puzzlement, this was a situation he had never encountered since he began practicing the technique.

  Qin Xiao's body was covered in a canopy-like evasion device, and he continued to say "Something is wrong, it should be that this underground area has something strange!"

  "You try from the side, I've been out of this outer ring before, and there was no resistance at that time."

  Her spiritual sense swept over, and she didn't find anything unusual below. Zuo Xiaoyao furrowed her brow and said, "Earlier, in order to confirm whether there was still a spirit jade below, I had used my spiritual sense to make a simple probe after which she had personally gone down to investigate."

  Weng Yilun retreated, and Zhuge Zhan nodded and said, "I also went down to the lower part earlier to investigate, but found only earth and rocks, so I didn't pay attention. Now it seems that things are not so simple."

  When they retreated to a position more than ten meters away from the Lingyu core, the two of them finally managed to escape underground successfully. They only felt slightly relieved, but Zuo Xiaoyao's heart was filled with shock, because she now knew that the strange existence below might be related to their long-cherished goal.

  After a while, when Zhuge Jiyu and Qin Xiao returned to the ground again, their faces were somewhat solemn. Although they knew that there might be more things than the two of them, Zuo Xiaoyao just smiled and asked, "How's the situation?"

  "It's strange, the area around Lingyu Xin just below seems to be filled with that power, and there is no soil or rocks in between. As Qin brother and I descended deeper from the side, we could feel this power getting stronger and stronger. Unfortunately, as we went further down, the pressure was too great, and our current cultivation level is too low, it's a bit unbearable."

  Zhuge Jin sighed with some regret.

  Qin Xiao added as if explaining, "From the situation of the previous two times we took action, this power should be able to rebound back our attack, so we didn't take action again to test it."

  "It should be so. This power is unknown to us, and before we truly understand its nature, it's better not to act rashly again, lest we suffer from it!"

  Zuo Xiao Yao naturally understood their concerns. Although the three of them each had a way to escape underground, when it came to using spiritual energy to protect themselves against the earth's pressure and being buried in soil and rocks, they found it difficult to utilize their own methods. After pausing for a moment, she continued, "Perhaps our previous efforts were misdirected. It's not just places with obvious spiritual energy fluctuations that are targets... like here..."

  It's like this, if it weren't for the high-quality Lingyu mine above, they wouldn't have had the idea to come and mine. That's how they discovered that this place is strange. But judging from its ability to reflect spiritual attacks, it should be related to their goal.

  The two of them nodded in agreement, and Qin Xiao's expression turned solemn as he replied, "This is the first time we've discovered a place that we can't explore since entering this space. No matter what, we have to try our best to uncover the secrets within. Who knows, this might be our opportunity!"

  As they spoke, the three of them couldn't help but reveal joyful expressions. Even the frustration of having such a large piece of Lingyu core in front of them, yet being unable to divide it or take it away, had largely dissipated.

  With a leader, their energy for work was unusually great, and they worked with more attention to detail. In the following time, the three people could be said to have used all means at their disposal without reservation. The five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth were released in turn, and they didn't dare hope that they could completely break through the outermost layer of that strange power with just the three of them. They only hoped that even if they could only tear open a small gap, they would be able to know what was behind that strange power.

  "It seems that with just our abilities, we are still somewhat lacking. Qin's Mountain Crusher Gun can only unleash a power that is less than one-tenth of its full potential. Every time, it falls short by just a little bit. My Sky Splitting Axe and Xiaoyao's Heaven Piercing Stab aren't much better either!"

  After countless efforts in vain, exhausted and sitting on a rock, Zhuge Jingyu concluded with an unresigned heart.

  Qin Xiao also deeply felt the same way, thinking that he had only used 70% of his strength from start to finish. Although he had taken out the Broken Seal, he had not exerted himself fully and had intentionally let it be like an ordinary magic treasure in the hands of its master at the Foundation stage, unable to successfully refine it or bring out its true power. Similarly, Zuo Xiao Yao's spiritual energy was exhausted, but she did not regret it. She always remembered the principle of not revealing one's wealth, and besides, she knew that this was not yet the "right moment".

  The spiritual jade in the cave had all been mined, but because there was still a spiritual jade core nearby, and this location was close to the direction of the spiritual spring, the surrounding spiritual energy was still quite abundant. After recovering their own spiritual power without spending too much time, the three people once again cast their eyes on the unremarkable ground beneath their feet, with complex emotions in their hearts.

  She glanced at the two of them with a thoughtful expression, and Xiaoyao smiled faintly as she waved her hand. "Let's not continue here for now. We've already wasted quite some time. Let's go back and confirm Rong's decision first, then we can make plans afterwards. If everyone is willing to take a risk, I think we'll definitely gain something!"

  A bright smile, with full confidence in his words, made Qin Xiao and Zhuge Jingyu's unusually heavy mood suddenly lighter, and between the lines, they felt that everything had a possibility of being realized. What they didn't know was that the other side also had this confidence.

  After a moment of hesitation, the two people who looked at each other also had their own plans. Qin Xiao nodded and said, "Let's do it this way, we'll go back to Yinghu Mountain Villa first. Anyway, the current situation has already been decided, no matter how small the possibility is, it's worth our all-out effort!"

  Although the words were somewhat melancholic, they were also the heartfelt voices of the three people present. Once their minds were made up, they didn't linger any longer. After Qin Xiao laid down two more arrays around them, three flashes of light swiftly flew towards the direction where Dong Hua Ridge was located.

  It's been almost two months since they left, and everything in the Yinghu Mountain Villa seemed to be calm as usual. The three rays of light hovered above, looking down at the large and exquisite painting boat that was slowly moving on the lake surface. Faintly, there were also laughter sounds coming from inside, but the faces of the three people were not good, their mood heavy. However, now that things have come to this point, everyone should be ready to face the answers!

  Silently, a figure descended onto the open platform on the second floor of Wangdao Pavilion, and saw two people beside her with stern expressions as if they were about to go find someone to question. Ben also felt some reluctance, but at this moment, Xue Xiuyao seemed to have let go. As the creditor of a certain existence in the Purple Yuan boundary, she had fortunately taken a reassurance pill ahead of time and embarked on the path of cultivation. Each person has their own choices in their heart, outsiders can only watch from the sidelines, even if it was her former friend whom she truly respected!

  Until the sun sets in the west, after a whole day of playing on the lake, the painted boat finally docked at the small pier. Under the crowd's attention, Luo Hongtian, who had just walked into the Minghu Villa, heard the report from a young servant who came up to greet him. His eyes, which were full of smiles, suddenly froze, and he was slightly stunned for a moment before lowering his head to look at the baby in his arms: "Ci Xiu, did you hear that? My three friends have all left the pass. Arrange for the kitchen to start preparing now. We will set up a family banquet tonight. Yu Rong, take your brother back first and bring him over again during dinner!"

  "Yes!" "Alright!"

  The two women nodded in agreement, knowing better than to ask more questions. It was a fact known to everyone at the Yinghu Mountain Villa after Brother Yu's 100th birthday banquet that whenever those three people with unclear backgrounds were involved, they only had to agree and never had the opportunity to question further. The lesson learned from being humiliated by her own son on his 100th birthday was still fresh in her mind.

  But in their eyes, as if the sky existed, Hong Tian was now dazed and confused. His gaze towards Wang Dao Pavilion was ambiguous, seemingly enlightened, grateful, melancholic, and regretful, with a hint of determination hidden within.

  But who knows, who is the real one going out?