324: The secret passage revealed yet another hidden world within.

Yang Mi nodded repeatedly: "Mhm!"

Ye Bai approached the coffin and used a Dagger to dig a hole in the Stone Pillar. This hole was just large enough for him to crawl through.

Just as he was about to climb in, he suddenly heard Yang Mi say: "Huh? What's inside this box?"

She picked up a booklet and handed it to Ye Bai.

Ye Bai flipped through a couple of pages, his brow furrowing slightly.

Yang Mi asked: "What's wrong?"

Ye Bai looked up at the booklet on the Stone Pillar and pondered: "What is recorded here is an evil art called 'Blood Devourer'..."

"Evil art?" Yang Mi's expression changed drastically as she thought of the monsters they had encountered before. Could this evil art be related to those things?

Ye Bai continued: "This 'Blood Devourer' manual describes absorbing human essence and qi to refine into Medicinal Pills for consumption. Furthermore, by cultivating to a high Realm, one can even increase their own power by devouring living people."

"That's terrifying! It's simply inhumane!" Yang Mi couldn't help but curse.

"Fortunately, what we found is only an Incomplete Manual, otherwise..."

Ye Bai shook his head and sighed, throwing the 'Blood Devourer' manual in his hand into the groove on the Stone Platform. In an instant, a brilliant light burst forth, and the entire Stone Platform began to vibrate, emitting a rumbling sound.

The Stone Pillars inside the Stone Chamber also shook violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

"Ye Bai, what should we do?" Yang Mi asked in a panic.

Ye Bai reassuringly took Yang Mi's trembling hand and said calmly: "Don't worry, it'll be over soon."

The vibrations inside the Stone Chamber lasted for a long time. When everything returned to calm, Ye Bai looked at the now-shattered outer coffin before him, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Sure enough, there was a secret passage on the Stone Platform, and the Stone Door at the end of the passage was wide open.

He took the lead and walked in, then beckoned to the two women, saying: "Come on, this is our real target."

The three of them walked forward cautiously. The stone passage was deep and dim, with occasional luminous pearls emitting a soft glow. At the end of the passage, a stone coffin lay quietly.

"That's..." Meng Ziyi's eyes widened because she saw a Skeleton.

Yang Mi was equally shocked, but more so by fear and dread.

This scene was simply too eerie for her; even though she was quite brave, she didn't dare approach that Skeleton.

Ye Bai's expression was solemn as he walked up to the Skeleton to examine it.

"Strange, I can't even feel the deceased's corpse?"

Ye Bai murmured softly: "This is the core of the Tomb; the owner of this Skeleton definitely isn't simple. Could it be a prince or princess of some royal family?"

"Ye Bai, are you sure it's a human Skeleton?" Meng Ziyi stepped forward and asked timidly.

Ye Bai frowned: "I suspect it's some human royal or noble. After all, there are some secret arts in this world that can achieve this."

"This Skeleton possesses an extreme aura of yin-coldness, and there's also a thick scent of blood. So I believe it's definitely no ordinary person."

Yang Mi nodded: "You're right. Since we've come here, we should at least find some treasure, right?"

"Of course!" Ye Bai smiled. "I've already scouted around; besides this Tomb Chamber, there's only the Jade Disc placed on the Stone Platform. I suspect the Jade Disc should be the key to opening this Tomb Chamber."

Meng Ziyi said: "Although the Jade Disc is precious, compared to the treasures inside this coffin, it's nothing at all."

Yang Mi looked at the Skeleton and then at the coffin, hesitating: "But this is a human Skeleton after all, I'm a bit..."

"Relax, it's just an ordinary person, it's fine," Meng Ziyi said, taking her hand.

Yang Mi nodded and slowly walked forward.

The stone coffin wasn't far, but because the Skeleton was blocking the path, they had to spend some effort to circle around to the side of the Skeleton.

"Step back a bit, I'll see if I can move it away."

After Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi stepped back, Ye Bai crouched in front of the Skeleton, then circulated his Spiritual Power and pushed against the Skeleton's shoulder.

*Creak—* The chains of the stone coffin made a crisp snapping sound.

Ye Bai's eyes lit up: "It really worked!"

The stone coffin was moved aside, revealing the Stone Platform beneath.

Ye Bai jumped down, closed the stone coffin as he went, and pinned it firmly to the wall.

"Let's hurry and see what treasures are down there," Meng Ziyi urged.

The three of them walked down the steps and arrived in front of a Bronze Door.

"Ye Bai, can you open this door?" Yang Mi asked.

"I can try." Ye Bai nodded.

He reached out and tapped the Bronze Door a few times; the door made a crisp sound and finally opened with a 'click'.

"It really opened!" Meng Ziyi was incredibly surprised.

Ye Bai smiled and stepped into the room.

The room was simply and plainly furnished; besides some furniture, there was nothing else, but the walls around the room were covered with Talismanic Incantations.

Yang Mi carefully observed the surroundings and said doubtfully: "This room looks quite old; could it be a century-old ruin?"

Ye Bai smiled and walked toward a painting hanging on the right wall of the room. He reached out, took the painting down, and examined it closely.

The paper of this painting was yellowed and the brushwork was rough. The content of the painting was a scene of a man and a girl leaning against each other; the man had his back to the viewer. He had a tall, straight figure and a heroic bearing, while the girl wore a red dress and had a beautiful, moving appearance.

Judging from the style of this painting, its creator was a romantic wanderer.

Ye Bai hung the painting back on the wall, then turned his head to look at Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi, asking with a smile: "How is it? Beautiful, right?"

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi nodded in agreement.

Ye Bai rolled up the painting and said to Yang Mi: "I'm giving this painting to you."

"Really?" Yang Mi was overjoyed and hurriedly ran over to hug the painting and give it a kiss.

Ye Bai laughed and said: "The content of this painting is a bit too simple; I'll draw a complete Painting of a Court Lady for you another day."

"That's great!" Yang Mi was extremely excited, wishing she could rush into the room right now.

She knew Ye Bai had that kind of ability.

She saw Ye Bai push the stone coffin lid back up and immediately asked: "What's inside there?"

"A Bead, containing a powerful Life Essence. Which of you two wants it?"

Yang Mi quickly blurted out: "Me! It's me, of course!"

Ye Bai shook his head with a chuckle: "This Bead isn't suitable for you to use."

Yang Mi pouted her lips, feeling a bit aggrieved.

"The power contained in this Bead is very complex, and it also contains resentment; taking it rashly would harm your body," Ye Bai explained.

"resentment?" Yang Mi was startled: "Then what should we do?"

Ye Bai said: "I'll keep this Bead for you for now, and when you need it, I'll give it to you."

Yang Mi's face turned slightly red as she smiled shyly.

Just then, Ye Bai suddenly heard a 'click' sound from behind him.

His expression changed instantly; he quickly turned around and pushed the stone coffin aside.

The Skeleton had disappeared, leaving a Dagger on the Stone Platform.

Meng Ziyi and Yang Mi were stunned: "Where's the Skeleton? How did it disappear?"