568: Lu Xueqi (45)

Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao both looked at him, noticing the unusual tone in his voice.

"Senior Brother Su, have you discovered something?"

Lu Xueqi asked.

Su Han hesitated for a moment, deciding to reveal some information but concealing the crucial netherworld token.

"When I was meditating just now, I faintly felt a sense of unease.

The arrangement of this stone forest, and those carvings, seem to form an extremely ancient and powerful Formation.

Combined with the demonic creatures in the deep pit, I suspect that the entire Liubo Mountain ruins might be a massive Seal suppressing demonic creatures.

The stone forest where we are located might be an important node of this Seal.

It's not advisable to stay here for long, in case we trigger something..."

He didn't continue, but Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao both understood his meaning.

If that were true, staying here would be like sitting on a volcano.

"But the astrolabe's guidance seems to point deeper," Bi Yao said.

Bi Yao took out the bronze astrolabe, and the starlight needle on it trembled, pointing towards the core of the stone forest.

The three looked at each other.

The path ahead might lead to the core of the Seal, making it even more dangerous.

However, the retreat path was blocked by Devilish Qi, and the astrolabe's guidance was their only clue at the moment.

"We can only go forward."

Su Han took a deep breath and made his decision.

"Proceed with caution; if anything seems wrong, retreat immediately."

Lu Xueqi also agreed.

Bi Yao put away the Formation Plate and Formation Flag, and the three once again formed a simple Formation, carefully advancing towards the depths of the stone forest, following the direction indicated by the astrolabe.

The further they walked towards the center of the stone forest, the taller and more complete the stone pillars became.

The carvings on them also became somewhat clearer.

In addition to stars and cloud patterns, some ritual-like scenes began to appear: countless blurry figures kneeling on the ground, bowing towards a tall, glowing entity in the center.

However, the image of that entity was always deliberately blurred or damaged, making it impossible to see its specific appearance.

There was also a recurring pattern: a winding river, with strange flowers blooming by its banks, their petals long and enchanting.

Su Han's heart stirred; these patterns of the river and flowers bore a striking resemblance to the Yellow Springs Road and the other shore flowers by the Forgetfulness River that his Divine Sense had perceived within the netherworld token!

Could these carvings truly be related to the netherworld?

He calmly suppressed this surprise and doubt.

Finally, after walking for about half an hour, they passed through the dense stone pillar forest.

The view suddenly opened up before them.

The center of the stone forest was not the expected altar or palace, but a huge, mirror-smooth circular platform.

The platform was made of a dark black stone, its surface so polished that it reflected people, mirroring the dim sky and the surrounding stone pillars, giving it an eerie, unreal feeling.

In the center of the platform stood a stone tablet.

The stone tablet was not tall, and it was pure white, forming a stark contrast with the dark black platform.

The stone tablet itself was blank, without any text or patterns.

However, in front of the stone tablet, on the platform's surface, an extremely complex Formation was etched.

The lines of the Formation were deeply embedded in the stone platform, with dark red traces remaining in the grooves, like dried bloodstains.

In the center of the Formation, there was a recess, its shape... almost identical to the netherworld token in Su Han's hand!

The starlight needle on the astrolabe pointed directly at that blank stone tablet!

The three stopped at the edge of the platform, not daring to step in rashly.

This place was too strange.

The smooth platform, the blank stone tablet, the Formation that seemed to involve blood sacrifice, and that recess that perfectly matched the netherworld token... everything exuded an unspeakable strangeness and sense of destiny.

"Is this... the end point guided by the astrolabe?"

Bi Yao's voice was a little dry, and she unconsciously moved closer to Su Han.

Lu Xueqi held heavenly abyss, her Sword Qi latent, her clear, cold eyes fixed on the blank tablet in the center of the platform, as if sensing something.

Su Han's heart rate quickened.

He was almost certain that the blank tablet was the core of Liubo Mountain's secret!

And the key to unlocking this core was the netherworld token in his hand!

Should he use it?

What would happen after using it?

Would he obtain an astonishing Legacy Treasure Trove, or... unleash a terrifying entity that had been suppressed?

The scene of the demonic shadow kneeling reappeared before his eyes.

That demonic creature held the netherworld token in awe.

Perhaps, this was not a release, but a form of... control? Or communication?

Great risk and potential opportunity intertwined.

Su Han was caught in an unprecedented struggle.

Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao also sensed Su Han's unusual silence and solemnity.

Their gazes also fell on him; they seemed to vaguely guess something.

The peculiar token in Su Han's hand might be the key to unlocking the mystery of this place.

Silence enveloped the platform.

Only the wailing of the wind through the stone forest could be heard, as if countless Souls were whispering.

Finally, Su Han slowly raised his head, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

Since he had already come this far, retreating was meaningless.

Some secrets had to be uncovered personally.

He took a step forward, onto the mirror-smooth, dark black platform.

His footsteps on the platform made a crisp sound, echoing in this dead silent space.

Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao exchanged glances, both seeing the worry in each other's eyes, but they did not dissuade him; instead, they followed closely, one on his left and one on his right, vigilantly guarding Su Han as they also stepped onto the platform.

The three walked step by step towards the center of the platform.

The closer they got, the more they felt an invisible pressure.

This pressure did not come from Spiritual Qi coercion, but from a reverence and tremor deep within the Soul, facing the ancient and unknown.

Finally, they reached the edge of the Formation, standing before the blank stone tablet.

Viewed up close, the stone tablet was even more pristine white, as if carved from the finest spirit jade, yet it had no Spiritual Qi fluctuations, only an ancient and desolate aura of eternal existence.

Su Han lowered his head, looking at the recess on the ground that was exactly the same shape as the netherworld token.

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

Then, under the tense gaze of Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao, he took out the ancient netherworld token.

The token trembled slightly in his hand, emitting a faint glow, creating a mysterious resonance with the ground Formation and the central stone tablet.

Su Han no longer hesitated, he bent down and carefully aligned the netherworld token in his hand with the recess, then pressed it down.

"Click."

A soft sound, a perfect fit.

The netherworld token perfectly embedded itself into the recess.

In that instant—

A sudden change occurred! (End of chapter)