Chapter 347 There's something in the darkness!!!

The moment the group stepped into the cave,

it felt as if they had entered another world.

Darkness surged toward them like a tide.

It wasn't ordinary darkness.

Naturally, a place without light would be dark,

but this was a tangible darkness that could swallow everything.

Lei Qing was the first to take out a lighting Magical Artifact.

It was a crystal sphere the size of a fist, translucent white, and under normal circumstances, it was enough to illuminate a radius of ten zhang.

He injected his spiritual energy.

The crystal sphere lit up.

Soft white light spread out in all directions.

And then,

it was as if something had swallowed it in one gulp.

The white light only spread about five meters before coming to an abrupt halt.

Beyond five meters, it was still pitch black.

That darkness was like an invisible barrier, stubbornly blocking all light.

"This..."

Lei Qing was stunned.

Holding the crystal sphere, he took a few steps forward.

Five meters.

It was still five meters.

No matter where he walked, the range of light remained a radius of only five meters.

Beyond five meters, nothing could be seen.

Liu Qingshuang also took out her own lighting Magical Artifact.

It was an ice-blue jade pendant emitting a cold, faint glow.

The same result.

Five meters.

Xiao Chen also tried.

Zhao Zhao tried as well.

It was all the same.

Everyone's lighting Magical Artifacts could only illuminate a five-meter radius around them.

Beyond five meters, the thick darkness was like a giant beast's throat, swallowing all light.

Xiao Jianshan's brow furrowed tightly.

He looked at Fierce Tiger Li.

"Old Li, was it like this the last time you came?"

Fierce Tiger Li shook his head.

His expression was more solemn than anyone else's.

"No."

He said in a deep voice.

"When we came last time, although the cave was dark, the lighting artifacts could illuminate dozens of meters."

"There was no such phenomenon at all."

Jiang Yun didn't speak.

He just quietly watched the darkness beyond those five meters.

His Brick Stone Rank Divine Sense silently extended outward.

Then,

his brow twitched slightly.

His Divine Sense was blocked.

It wasn't completely unable to extend,

but it was like sinking into a quagmire; every inch forward required a massive amount of Mental Energy.

Moreover, the perceived images were extremely blurry.

He could only vaguely sense that this was a massive cavern hall.

Exactly how big?

Unknown.

Where was the end of the cavern hall?

Unknown.

Were there other entrances?

Also unknown.

Even those glowing things he had vaguely sensed before could no longer be felt at all.

It was as if they had been completely swallowed by this darkness.

"Sacred Student."

Lei Qing's voice rang out,

carrying a Rare trace of solemnity.

"What do we do next?"

He looked at Jiang Yun.

In those eyes, there was no panic, only trust.

After spending just half a day together, he had already gotten used to asking Jiang Yun whenever something happened.

Liu Qingshuang also looked at Jiang Yun.

Xiao Chen looked at Jiang Yun as well.

Even Xiao Jianshan and Fierce Tiger Li instinctively turned their gazes toward him.

Without realizing it,

this sixteen years old youth had already become everyone's backbone.

Jiang Yun didn't answer immediately.

He was thinking.

Given the current situation, rushing deeper was indeed too risky.

Even Divine Sense couldn't scout the path, and the five senses were practically useless in this darkness.

Vicious Beasts might be lurking nearby, ready to pounce at any moment.

He couldn't risk the lives of Lei Qing and the others.

Furthermore... he looked at the darkness swallowing everything.

He had never seen such a bizarre phenomenon.

If they continued deeper and encountered a danger they couldn't handle... Just as he was about to speak,

Xiao Jianshan's voice rang out.

"Old Li, you've been in here before. Do you know where the entrance to this cavern hall is? Which direction should we go?"

Fierce Tiger Li gave a bitter smile.

"Town Head, we didn't even get this deep last time."

He pointed behind him.

"We only walked about a hundred meters into the cave when we woke up that group of sleeping Vicious Beasts, and then we were chased out."

He paused.

"And..."

He looked at the surrounding darkness.

"When we came last time, there was absolutely no phenomenon of light being swallowed like this."

"Back then, although it was dark inside, lighting artifacts could see dozens of meters away."

Jiang Yun's heart stirred.

In other words,

this light-swallowing phenomenon had only appeared recently.

And it was highly likely... related to some change occurring in this cave.

Zhao Zhao's voice rang out,

carrying a hint of his Yin and Yang sarcastic tone.

"If you ask me, we should just go back first."

He looked at Jiang Yun, the corner of his mouth hooked in that signature curve.

"This place is incredibly wicked; we can't even find the way. If some danger is hidden inside..."

He spread his hands.

"It's not worth it for us to get stuck here."

His words sounded high-minded,

but everyone could hear that he wanted to retreat.

Lei Qing frowned and was about to argue,

but he thought about it and looked at Jiang Yun instead.

Because he also felt that although Zhao Zhao's words were unpleasant, the logic was sound.

Liu Qingshuang didn't speak.

Xiao Chen didn't speak either.

They were all waiting for Jiang Yun to make the decision.

Jiang Yun was silent for a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Then,

he nodded slightly.

"Let's withdraw."

His voice was calm.

"This cave is too bizarre. With our current strength, forcibly investigating is indeed too risky."

He looked at Xiao Jianshan.

"Town Head, after returning to the academy, I will report this matter."

"Let the academy send stronger Beast Tamers to investigate."

Xiao Jianshan nodded heavily.

"Young Master Jiang is right."

He let out a sigh.

"This place is indeed wicked."

The group began to turn around,

preparing to return the way they came.

Just then,

a cold female voice suddenly rang out in Jiang Yun's mind.

"Just leaving like that?"

It was Fox Immortal.

Jiang Yun's footsteps paused.

He didn't turn back,

but responded via their contract transmission.

"You followed us in?"

He could sense through the contract that Fox Immortal was not far away.

And,

she wasn't using any lighting artifacts.

She was just standing there in the darkness.

How could she see the path?

Fox Immortal's voice carried a faint trace of a smile.

"This bit of darkness can't block this Empress's five senses."

Jiang Yun's heart stirred.

"What exactly is in this cave? Why can't my Divine Sense penetrate it at all?"

Fox Immortal was silent for a breath,

then she spoke.

"This is a special energy magnetic field."

"It absorbs all light-attribute energy."

She paused.

"The light emitted by the lighting artifacts in your hands is also a type of light-attribute energy."

"That's why it can only illuminate five meters... because any light beyond five meters is absorbed by this magnetic field."

Jiang Yun realized.

No wonder.

"Then what about Divine Sense?"

he asked.

"Divine Sense detection relies on Mental Energy penetration. Since this magnetic field can even absorb and distort light, Mental Energy naturally finds it difficult to penetrate."

Fox Immortal's voice remained indifferent.

"So it's normal that your Divine Sense cannot extend."

Jiang Yun frowned.

"Then what about you?"

"Can you see the situation inside this cave?"

Fox Immortal gave a light laugh.

In that laughter, there was a hint of pride.

"This Empress is the Sovereign of the Fox Clan."

"How can you human Beast Tamers compare to my Five Senses Divine Ability?"

"This magnetic field can absorb light and block Mental Energy, but it cannot stop this Empress's Five Senses Divine Ability."

She paused.

"Although I can't see everything perfectly, I can still sense the general direction."

Jiang Yun felt a surge of joy.

"Then do you know what exactly is inside this cave?"

Fox Immortal fell silent.

This silence was longer than before.

So long that Jiang Yun thought she wouldn't answer.

Then her voice rang out again.

"There is a Vicious Beast."

Jiang Yun was startled.

"A Vicious Beast?"

"Mm."

Fox Immortal's voice carried a Rare trace of solemnity.

"An extremely special Vicious Beast."

"Its aura... is very immature."

"It should be in its infancy."

"But its Bloodline..."

She paused.

"Is very strong."

"Strong enough to be on par with this Empress's royal Bloodline."

Jiang Yun's pupils constricted slightly.

A Vicious Beast with a Bloodline on par with Fox Immortal's?

Fox Immortal was the Sovereign of the Fox Clan, and her Bloodline was so strong that even she couldn't clearly explain its Origin.

A Vicious Beast that could match her Bloodline... what kind of background must it have?

"Can you sense its specific Realm?"

Jiang Yun asked.

"No."

Fox Immortal answered bluntly.

"Its aura is heavily obscured by this magnetic field."

"I can only sense its presence and that its Bloodline is extraordinary."

"As for its specific Realm or strength, there's no way to know."

Jiang Yun fell silent.

His thoughts raced.

A Vicious Beast that even Fox Immortal couldn't sense the specific Realm of... what kind of existence could it be?

The anomalies in this cave were likely related to this Vicious Beast.

If they rushed in and encountered it... He took a deep breath.

He reaffirmed his decision to retreat.

Among them right now,

the strongest was Fox Immortal at the Diamond Rank Peak.

If even she couldn't clearly sense the depth of that Vicious Beast,

it meant that either the Vicious Beast's Realm was extremely high, or it had special means of hiding.

Either way, it wasn't something they could handle right now, especially since they weren't sure if there were other potential dangers.

He was just about to speak,

telling everyone to speed up their withdrawal.

Suddenly,

a cry of alarm came from behind.

"Sa—Sacred Student!"

It was Fierce Tiger Li's voice,

carrying a trace of fear.

"In this darkness... there seems to be something!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks simultaneously.

The air seemed to freeze instantly.

Lei Qing abruptly raised the lighting crystal sphere and shone it in Fierce Tiger Li's direction.

The five meters of light illuminated Fierce Tiger Li's pale face.

He stood there,

motionless.

His eyes were fixed on the darkness ahead.

Those eyes were filled with horror.

"Captain, what's wrong?!"

Lei Qing stepped forward.

Fierce Tiger Li didn't answer.

He just raised his hand,

pointing tremblingly in front of him,

at the boundary where the five meters of light met the darkness.

Everyone followed his finger and looked.

In the darkness,

something flashed by.

No.

It didn't just flash by.

It was... a pair of eyes.

Cold, emotionless eyes.

In the darkness, they were quietly watching them.

The moment those eyes appeared, everyone felt a chill surge from their spine to the top of their skull.

It wasn't just fear.

It was an instinctive shudder originating from the very Origin of their life.

It was as if the owner of those eyes was a creature from another world.

Not belonging to the human Realm.

Not belonging to living beings.

"Back up!"

Jiang Yun's voice exploded in the silence!

Everyone instinctively took a step back.

Lei Qing gripped the lighting crystal sphere tightly.

Liu Qingshuang was already prepared to summon her beast.

Sword Qi faintly appeared around Xiao Chen.

Zhao Zhao's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Xiao Jianshan stared fixedly at those eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't speak.

Fierce Tiger Li's legs were so weak he could barely stand.

And those eyes,

were still quietly watching them in the darkness.

No movement.

No attack.

Just watching.

As if... observing.

Scrutinizing.

Waiting.

Jiang Yun tried to use his Divine Sense to frantically extend into the darkness,

but he still couldn't perceive anything.

Only those eyes.

Those cold eyes that seemed as if they didn't belong to this world,

just hung there in the darkness,

motionless.

"Go."

Jiang Yun's voice was lower than ever before.

"Retreat out of here."

"Now."

No one argued.

No one hesitated.

Everyone began to slowly back away.

Lei Qing held up the lighting crystal sphere, staring fixedly at those eyes.

Liu Qingshuang and Xiao Chen guarded the sides.

Xiao Jianshan and Fierce Tiger Li were in the middle.

Zhao Zhao... he retreated faster than anyone.

Jiang Yun walked at the very back.

His gaze never left those eyes.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps... Just then,

those eyes moved!