124: Chapter 124 Is this forbidden land or a tomb?

"Are these the remains of Cultivators who explored this Forbidden Ground in ancient times?" Liu Tingting asked, covering her mouth and nose, holding back her nausea.

The answer was in the question itself; there was no need to answer.

Xia Shaoxin stared in astonishment.

The Chiyan Sect also had a Forbidden Ground, but it did not have such a tragic scene of piles of white bones.

Elder Luo Xi looked around and shouted in surprise, "It is exactly as I understood. The Shenji Tower transported us to this place, which is a massive underground maze."

He completely ignored the existence of the white bones.

He immediately took a piece of paper from his bosom and examined it carefully.

Xia Shaoxin leaned in, and on one corner of the paper, it was clearly written, "Shenji Tower Map."

It was covered in dense, crisscrossing lines, resembling a street map.

Xia Shaoxin was very surprised. The Forbidden Ground of the Chiyan Sect was a barren mountain with no man-made structures; the Shenji Tower was actually a man-made secret passage!

"Was this really not built by the Seniors of the Yue Kingdom?" Xia Shaoxin questioned.

Elder Luo Xi shook his head. "That is not something this old man can answer."

In the middle of the map, there was a distinct mark with two small characters written: Teleportation.

Elder Luo Xi pointed to this place and said, "If we want to leave, we must reach the Teleportation Array. Miss Liu, it all depends on you."

Xia Shaoxin asked, "Where are we on the map right now?"

Elder Luo Xi said awkwardly, "I do not know."

Xia Shaoxin became anxious. "Is there no fixed location when being transported by the Shenji Tower?"

"No."

"We don't even know where we are on the map; how are we supposed to find it?"

Elder Luo Xi smiled slightly and ordered Xia Shaoxin to extend his hand.

"What are you doing... Ah!"

With lightning speed, Elder Luo Xi used a needle to prick Xia Shaoxin's finger, squeezed out a drop of blood, and let it fall onto the map.

A red dot instantly appeared on the map.

"And you too." Elder Luo Xi stared intently at Liu Tingting.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Liu Tingting shrank back.

With the speed of a hawk catching a chick, Elder Luo Xi grabbed Liu Tingting's hand and pricked a drop of blood from her fingertip.

"This map can record our route."

Unfolding the map, two small red dots appeared—one dark, one light.

Xia and Liu understood. In the Chiyan Sect's Forbidden Ground, there was a similar Magical Artifact in the Pavilion; they worked on the same principle.

"Don't you need to prick yourself?" Xia Shaoxin asked.

Elder Luo Xi shook his head. "It is enough for me to see the two of you."

Afterward, Elder Luo Xi stepped forward and walked cautiously.

The walls on both sides were inlaid with stone slabs, covered in purple, brown, and black patches, resembling mold during humid weather.

These were the remains of eerie creatures inside the secret passage, and none of the three had any interest in touching them.

From time to time, they saw pieces of human bones scattered on the ground, rarely finding a complete skeleton.

Damaged swords could be seen everywhere, all left behind by people from the past, but no one was interested in picking them up.

"Why do I feel like this is a tomb passage?" Xia Shaoxin said after walking for a while, unable to help himself.

"The style is quite similar." Elder Luo Xi nodded.

Liu Tingting asked, "After we enter this place, what should we do?"

Elder Luo Xi said in a deep voice, "I only wish to find my brother. If you see any items from another world, you may take them; you won't have come in vain."

Xia Shaoxin asked, "Senior Luo, are you just relying on a feeling to determine that your brother is here?"

Elder Luo Xi stopped walking and slowly took a jade pig from his bosom.

"My brother was a master of artifact crafting, best at creating Magical Artifacts. These are two jade pigs cut from the same piece of jade; my brother and I each have one."

Liu Tingting exclaimed, "So beautiful, so lifelike."

The girl did not treat the jade pig as a Magical Artifact, but rather as a piece of jewelry.

Elder Luo Xi's face immediately broke into a smile, overflowing with an expression of happiness.

"The jade pig has no other use; it only allows me to sense the existence of the other jade pig."

Elder Luo Xi gripped the jade pig tightly, closed his eyes, his face tense, completely immersed in memories of the past.

"You and your brother have a truly wonderful bond!" Xia Shaoxin said with great emotion.

He had no siblings, only parents, grandparents... all were elders.

Liu Tingting also sighed softly.

She had entered the sect at the age of five, severing all emotional ties and desires, and had no relatives.

"My brother is twenty years older than me. I was actually raised by my brother. He joined the Shanyuan Sect first, succeeded in Qi refinement at ten, and brought me up the mountain at twenty-five."

"I have no other relatives. To me, my brother is more like a father."

"This life of mine can be considered quite eventful; I have done some great things, but I never had the chance for Foundation Establishment, and then I suffered from Qi Deviation, leading to a desolate old age."

"The only thing I cannot let go of is that I could not find my brother's whereabouts before I died."

The jade pig in Elder Luo Xi's hand suddenly emitted a bright light.

"Ah, he really is in this place!"

"This place is not our world; only by entering here can one have this kind of sense."

With a panicked expression on his face, he took off running.

Xia Shaoxin hurriedly followed.

After running for a while, Elder Luo Xi suddenly stopped and pointed ahead, saying, "Look!"

Xia Shaoxin looked over Elder Luo Xi's shoulder and saw a three-foot-tall plant growing on the floor a few zhang away, blocking their path.

Surprisingly, the plant's leaves were green.

In this tomb-like place, seeing a green plant represented vitality.

"What is this? Do you recognize it?" Liu Tingting asked.

Xia Shaoxin shook his head. "I have never seen it."

Elder Luo Xi said in disbelief, "If I am not mistaken, this should be the Jade Radish Stem, a specialty of the Shenji Tower. I have only seen it in ancient books."

Xia Shaoxin looked closely; the plant's leaves were shimmering, looking like green jade.

His heart could not help but surge. This must be a good item, though he did not know which Pill Formula it was used for.

He suddenly thought, since it was the Shenji Tower of the Yue Kingdom, the Pill Formula must naturally be in the Yue Kingdom.

Regardless of its effect, it must be for an excellent Medicinal Pill.

"This item is highly poisonous!"

Elder Luo Xi crouched down and gently put on leather gloves.

"Since we have encountered it, we must not miss it. If you dare to block my path, I dare to put you into the Pill Furnace!"

Xia Shaoxin became anxious and asked in a low voice, "Senior Luo, do you have any more gloves?"

Gloves were not common attire, and leather gloves were even rarer.

Elder Luo Xi thought for a moment and handed him the left-hand glove.

"You use this."

Elder Luo Xi approached cautiously. When only five feet remained, the plant suddenly stood upright, leaped up with a 'whoosh,' and sprinted forward.

"It can actually run!" Liu Tingting shouted in shock.

Xia Shaoxin was also stunned. If this were a Poisonous Insect, it should run, but it was a plant!

Elder Luo Xi chased after it with long strides. Xia Shaoxin followed closely, and Liu Tingting, worried about being left behind, followed as well.

After all, their cultivation levels were significantly lower, so they were quickly left behind by Elder Luo Xi. After turning a few corners, a three-way fork suddenly appeared in front of them.

Xia Shaoxin was dumbfounded and shouted loudly, "Senior Luo, Senior Luo."

The sound echoed in the empty secret passage, but there was no response from Elder Luo Xi.

"Don't panic. Senior Luo has the map. If we stand still, he will find us." Xia Shaoxin comforted Liu Tingting.

"We still have the butterfly loves flower in our hands. In case of danger, we can still teleport back to Senior Luo's side."

The two of them stood in front of the three-way fork and waited.

After a while, a rustling sound suddenly came from ahead.