97: Chapter 97 The Long Sleeping Palace 24

The three of them moved forward along the winding Underground River, a damp and musty scent lingering all around. No one spoke, and they advanced in silence.

After walking for about an hour, they finally saw the true main hall of the Underground Palace of Eternal Sleep. The sight before them made everyone gasp.

The irregular dome loomed high above, studded with palm-sized night-luminescent pearls that constructed an artificial starry sky within the dark underground palace, looking quite breathtaking.

Luo Yuejian looked up at the dome of this space, feeling quite stunned as well. She thought to herself, 'I wonder how much those night-luminescent pearls up there are worth? At this size, a single one must be priceless, right?'

Looking around, there were no common palace pillars; instead, massive stalactites and stalagmites hung from the dome and rose from the ground.

After ten thousand years, some had already connected, forming natural stone pillars with surfaces covered in peculiar textures, like ancient runes carved by the hands of nature itself.

"The builder of this underground palace really has some skills..." The Man in the Suit walked at the very front, examining his surroundings in amazement. "It seems the identity of the owner of this underground palace is somewhat extraordinary."

"Since the owner of this underground palace was able to go to such great lengths to build this main hall," the Man in Black Turtleneck frowned, "to protect the integrity of the underground palace, there must be many mechanisms and traps set against intruders like us. It must be extremely dangerous, so everyone be careful."

The Man in the Suit's expression also turned serious; he nodded and then glanced at Luo Yuejian. By this time, Luo Yuejian's gaze had already fallen upon those stalactites.

The Man in the Suit followed her gaze for a moment but couldn't see anything unusual, so he had to give up and walked forward with the Man in Black Turtleneck.

They walked toward the depths of the main hall, and a massive Great Buddha appeared before them. This Buddha was over ten meters tall, embedded in the stone cliff, and appeared to be carved directly from the mountain rock, utilizing the terrain.

This was a massive project; the manpower, material resources, and wealth required must have been substantial.

The Great Buddha sat upright on a lotus throne. Its body was massive and solemn, its face compassionate yet carrying a touch of mystery, and its whole body seemed to emanate a strange luster.

"This... is indeed related to Buddhism." The Man in the Suit said softly. He walked closer, looking up and staring at this breathtaking Buddha statue, his eyes flickering with anticipation and nervousness.

They had arrived at the end of the Underground Palace of Eternal Sleep, and the thousand-leaf lotus from the game mission must be right here. This was the key to clearing this round of the game, and the goal they had endured great hardships to find.

As long as they found the thousand-leaf lotus, they could successfully complete the mission and leave this dangerous place. This made the Man in the Suit unable to help but feel expectant.

Luo Yuejian was also very expectant. She knew very well that when every game round was nearing its end, there would definitely be layers of mechanisms, and one slight mistake could cost them their lives.

She didn't care about finding clues anymore; the game had reached this stage, and finding clues would only mean clearing the level a step earlier. But if she happened to trigger a trap, then there would be hope for her to respawn!

This time, she would definitely focus on triggering mechanisms. She refused to believe she still wouldn't die that way.

"Don't waste time. The longer we stay here, the higher the danger coefficient. To improve efficiency, let's split up to find clues." The Man in Black Turtleneck said.

The other two had no objections and immediately decided to split up. The Man in the Suit took the lead and walked toward the Buddha statue, while the two sides of the main hall were left to Luo Yuejian and the Man in Black Turtleneck.

The light source of the main hall mainly came from the starry sky composed of night-luminescent pearls above, so the light on both sides was very dim. The Man in Black Turtleneck frowned when he saw the situation on both sides and took the bronze oil lamp out of his pocket.

This time, the Man in Black Turtleneck was very cautious. He borrowed a matchstick from Luo Yuejian, lit the bronze oil lamp, and then placed the oil lamp on the ground, quickly retreating to observe the situation.

After five minutes passed, there was no sign of any Poisonous Insects, so he finally felt somewhat relieved. He picked up the bronze oil lamp and looked at Luo Yuejian again, asking, "Do you need this oil lamp?"

He actually had a probing intent in saying this, wanting to see Luo Yuejian's attitude toward using this bronze oil lamp.

The game had reached this point, and he was clear about the terrifying nature of Luo Yuejian's observational skills. Perhaps when they knew nothing at all, Luo Yuejian had already discovered the key clues.

Luo Yuejian had no idea what he was thinking, and immediately shook her head, saying, "No need."

She wished everything looked blurry; that way, if she accidentally triggered a mechanism, it would be justifiable.

Hearing Luo Yuejian's categorical reply, the Man in Black Turtleneck immediately felt hesitant, unsure of what this behavior from Luo Yuejian meant.

The last time Luo Yuejian showed such an attitude was when she pretended to take the lead, but in reality, she had no intention of crawling in first and had instead tricked him.

Now she was saying so decisively that she didn't need the bronze oil lamp—could it be another tactic of feigning retreat to advance, pretending not to need the bronze oil lamp while actually wanting it?

But what if Luo Yuejian was precisely manipulating his psychology and setting up a smokescreen?

The Man in Black Turtleneck felt a headache coming on for a moment.

He knew that the White-haired Girl before him was a master of psychological tactics. The seeds of doubt had already been sown in his heart, and no matter how he thought about it, he might step into Luo Yuejian's trap.

After struggling for a while, the Man in Black Turtleneck gritted his teeth, his eyes gradually becoming firm. He could not be led by the nose by this White-haired Girl forever. He believed in his own judgment; since Luo Yuejian had specifically reminded him to take that bronze oil lamp earlier, then this lamp must be a key item.

Thinking of this, he nodded at Luo Yuejian. "Alright then, I'll take this bronze oil lamp. If you need it later, you can come and get it from me."

Luo Yuejian didn't speak; she nodded coldly and turned to leave. Leaving behind the Man in Black Turtleneck, who stared at her back with a deepening gaze.

The walls on both sides of the main hall featured faded murals, but the content of the murals was still clearly visible. Every one or two meters, a deity statue in a different posture was depicted.

Due to the dim light, it was a bit difficult for Luo Yuejian to see. She leaned close to the wall, pretending to search for clues, while in reality, she had already begun preparing to look for traps without any restraint.

Before, she was always afraid of finding clues, so she didn't dare to touch these places much. Now it's fine, haha, damn it, if she doesn't work hard, the game will be cleared...

Luo Yuejian was now in a state of fearlessness!