274: A treasure that cannot be exposed to light, an army of ten thousand insects

"Brother Ye..." Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi looked aggrieved, as if accusing Ye Bai of being partial.

"I..." Ye Bai sighed. "Forget it, I can't explain it clearly to you. Since you dared to come, it proves you have a lot of confidence in me."

"Mhm, we believe in you!" Yang Mi nodded solemnly. She plucked up her courage and said, "Brother Ye, we will fight alongside you."

Ye Bai nodded. "Alright. But I want to warn you: whatever you do, don't run around blindly. Otherwise, if something happens, I won't be able to save you."

"Mhm, we'll listen to you." Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi nodded obediently.

Ye Bai gave them a few more instructions before leading them toward the other end of the Passage. This was the end of the Underground Palace, and at the very end was an iron door. The iron door was slightly ajar, and it was pitch black inside.

Ye Bai stood before the iron door, closing his eyes and quietly sensing the fluctuations within.

In his perception, the aura inside the iron door was chaotic and violent, as if a ferocious beast were crouched there. After a brief consideration, he pushed open the iron door.

Instantly, a bone-chillingly cold air surged out from within, nearly suffocating them.

"Whew..."

Ye Bai exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"Brother Ye, what should we do next?" Meng Ziyi asked.

Ye Bai said, "You two stay here and keep watch. I'll go over and take a look first."

Ye Bai approached that mass of black mist step by step. A thick, malevolent aura emanated from the black mist, making one's hair stand on end. Ye Bai held his breath and slowly drew closer. When he was still a meter away from the black mist, the thick malevolence suddenly vanished, replaced by an incomparable coldness.

Ye Bai continued forward until he reached the black mist. He lowered his head and saw a skeleton lying inside the black mist. This skeleton was preserved perfectly, but it was just skin and bones, appearing extremely eerie and terrifying.

Hanging around the neck of this skeleton was a dripping green jade necklace.

Ye Bai recognized this jade necklace.

This thing was a genuine antique.

"Brother Ye?" Meng Ziyi called out from behind.

"Shh, don't make a sound." Ye Bai placed his index finger to his lips. His eyes were fixed on the jade necklace, and his heart felt a bit heavy.

Ye Bai squatted down and gently stroked the jade necklace. The jade necklace was beautiful but appeared lonely and desolate. He reached out his hand, intending to take the jade necklace off.

But just as he was about to touch the jade necklace, it suddenly emitted a faint glow. Immediately after, the jade necklace turned into ash and scattered on the ground.

"This..." Ye Bai was stunned. He stared blankly at everything before him and murmured, "So that's how it is."

It was a mechanism. The moment he touched the jade necklace, the mechanism was triggered. The jade necklace would instantly turn to flying ash; this was its final mission and its only task.

"This place is indeed unusual." Ye Bai took a deep breath and stood up.

His action just now was actually a risk. Because back at the Ye Family Ancestral Hall, he had seen a coffin with his own eyes, and inside that coffin lay the remains of a female.

This image had remained in his mind, to the point that at the moment he touched the jade necklace today, his body had an instinctive reaction.

Fortunately, the final outcome did not escape Ye Bai's control.

"Let's go." Ye Bai patted the two women's shoulders and said. He took the lead in walking out, and Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi hurried to keep up.

After walking out of the Passage, a wave of heat rushed toward them. Hot spring water was gurgling and boiling, making bubbling sounds.

Ye Bai looked around; they had arrived at an empty room. The ceiling of this room was entirely made of glass, and it was covered with complex patterns.

At that moment, a pale red flame suddenly began to burn on the glass wall. The flame flickered for a moment and then went out.

"Brother Ye, what's going on?" Yang Mi asked in surprise.

Ye Bai shook his head. "I don't know either." He looked at the extinguished flame and fell into deep thought.

"Where do so many strange things come from in this world?"

Ye Bai muttered to himself. Although he didn't know much about this world, he at least knew a thing or two.

But this trip into the Underground Palace was simply too ridiculous. Everything he encountered revealed a sense of mystery, as if containing great danger, making him feel uneasy.

"Brother Ye, what do we do now?" Yang Mi asked worriedly.

Ye Bai said, "We'll stay here for the night and wait until tomorrow morning to leave."

"Alright." Yang Mi nodded in agreement.

The three of them found a stone slab and sat down. At this time, the temperature was getting higher and higher. Their clothes gradually became soaked, sticking clammily to their skin, which was very uncomfortable. Ye Bai simply took off his outer coat and threw it on the ground.

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi glanced at each other, their faces blushing red, and even their earlobes turned a delicate pink.

Night fell, and the temperature gradually rose. The outer coats they were wearing were also soaked with sweat.

At this time, Ye Bai noticed Meng Ziyi's situation and raised an eyebrow.

Yang Mi gave him a flirtatious, reproachful look. "You're annoying."

The three of them sat in a circle around the campfire, warming themselves.

This way, they felt much better.

"Brother Ye, I'm hungry," Yang Mi said.

"Come on, I'll take you to get some food," Ye Bai said.

The three of them walked out of the Stone Chamber and searched the Underground Palace for a long time, finally discovering some food. However, Ye Bai didn't dare let the two women try it. After all, these things were dead matter; who knew if they were edible? Besides, the taste was bound to be terrible.

"Let's head out," Ye Bai said.

The three of them climbed up the steps.

When they reached the inside of the cave, the scene outside had already undergone an earth-shaking change. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and the sky was high with broad clouds.

"Eh, this is..." Ye Bai looked at the grass beneath his feet, puzzled.

"What's wrong?" Yang Mi asked.

"It's overgrown with plants here, looking like it's spring, but it's clearly winter!"

"I actually understand this. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter," Meng Ziyi said with a smile.

"You understand?" Ye Bai looked at Meng Ziyi in surprise.

Meng Ziyi's pretty face reddened as she said, "You forgot, I've loved reading books since I was a child."

"So that's how it is." Ye Bai realized.

"This world is truly miraculous," Yang Mi said.

Ye Bai laughed. "Naturally. Everything in this world is filled with profound power." He raised his right hand and looked toward the horizon. In the sky, something seemed to be flowing, just like a Milky Way waterfall. Moreover, this feeling was growing stronger.

At that moment, Yang Mi suddenly cried out, "Ah—"

Ye Bai turned his head to look at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yang Mi pointed at the grass ahead and said in a trembling voice, "Insects, so many insects!"

Meng Ziyi was so scared she hid behind Ye Bai.

Ye Bai followed her gaze. He saw that in the grass over a hundred meters ahead, it was densely packed with all kinds of insects, totaling tens of thousands.

They were squeezed together, gnawing on a pile of withered branches and fallen leaves. The scene was truly bizarre and made one's hair stand on end.