187: I would never ask him for help!

Standing before the towering stone door,

Chu Qianqian did not immediately rush forward to touch it out of excitement.

She could clearly sense that surrounding this seemingly dormant gate was an extremely profound and terrifying sealing power, carrying an ancient aura.

This power was formless and invisible, yet it was like a massive spiderweb.

It could not only isolate the probe of Divine Sense but also swallow any approaching spiritual power.

Had it not been for the erosion of time, which caused a corner of the Formation to loosen and leak a trace of imperceptible, special spiritual rhythm,

and the gifted treasure-hunting radar of Little White in her arms,

anyone else passing by this door would likely have mistaken it for an ordinary mountain rock wall and ignored it completely.

Chu Qianqian suppressed her inner excitement, took a deep breath, and urgently called out to that somewhat unreliable Senior in her mind:

“Senior! Senior! Take a look! The patterns on this gate, and this lingering aura... is this the place of Opportunity you left behind back then?”

She was full of anticipation for an affirmative answer.

After all, as long as it was confirmed, it meant the treasures inside were all hers.

It meant she was about to take off in this Lower Realm and could properly teach that guy Lu Yi a lesson!

However, within the Sea of Consciousness, Ancestor Chu Yaohua stared at the gate and contemplated for a long time.

Her reaction was very flat, even carrying a few hints of uncertain hesitation:

“Hmm... it probably is...”

Ancestor Chu Yaohua said somewhat nonchalantly:

“Looking at the style of these bronze patterns and the arrangement of this Restriction, it is indeed a method commonly used in my era. But you know...”

Ancestor Chu Yaohua’s tone shifted, carrying a thick scent of 'humblebragging':

“Back then, I was at my Peak, with cultivation reaching the heavens. Immortal Caves like this, left behind as 'small favors' for future generations or used to store miscellaneous items, were simply too many to count.”

Ancestor Chu Yaohua sighed helplessly:

“So my memory of the specific situation here is a bit blurry; it’s quite normal not to remember clearly.”

“...”

The corners of Chu Qianqian's mouth twitched wildly.

She suppressed the urge to complain about how 'carefree' the older woman was and continued to press for the most crucial question:

“Then... what is the incantation or key to open the door? Tell me quickly! Let’s grab the stuff and leave, lest delays bring trouble and someone else discovers it!”

The air suddenly went silent for a few seconds.

Then, Ancestor Chu Yaohua replied with two words in a tone that was righteous yet carried a hint of embarrassment:

“There isn't.”

“Huh?”

Chu Qianqian was stunned.

“I said, there isn't,”

Ancestor Chu Yaohua added,

“Or rather... I forgot.”

Seeing Chu Qianqian’s dumbfounded expression, Ancestor Chu Yaohua explained somewhat helplessly:

“Please, girl. Who, during their Peak period when leaving a Legacy, would think that they would one day become a pauper and come back to dig up their own Opportunity?”

“This was originally left for someone fated! As for a backdoor or a key to open the door directly... I seem to have just tossed it away back then...”

Chu Qianqian almost spat a mouthful of old blood onto the bronze gate.

What kind of situation was this?!

It was like knowing a vault was just a wall away, and the owner of the vault was inside your own body,

only for the owner to have forgotten the password and not have the key.

The two of them could only guard a mountain of gold while begging for food, staring blankly at the entrance?!

“Senior! Are you playing with me?!”

Chu Qianqian paced in circles anxiously, her heart scratching with frustration. The feeling of seeing it but not being able to eat it was more agonizing than not finding the Opportunity at all; it was like a living death.

“This Restriction is so strong. If I try to force my way in, I’ll probably be left with nothing but ashes!”

Looking at Chu Qianqian, who was so anxious she was about to cry,

Ancestor Chu Yaohua suddenly thought of something. With a flash of inspiration, she suggested:

“Right! That Lu Yi... doesn't he have a map? And I heard that Shen Yueyao say that some guy named Gu Changsheng gave him a Jade Slip.”

Ancestor Chu Yaohua analyzed:

“Maybe... that Jade Slip he gave Lu Yi is the token to open this door!”

“Why don't...”

Ancestor Chu Yaohua said tentatively,

“you go back and ask him for help?”

“What?!”

Chu Qianqian was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her reaction was extremely intense, her hair practically standing on end.

“No way!!”

Without even thinking, she flatly refused:

“Absolutely impossible! Don't even think about it!”

Chu Qianqian pointed at the gate and swore a vow, gritting her teeth as she set a flag:

“I, Chu Qianqian, even if I jump off this cliff today! Even if I return empty-handed! I will absolutely! Absolutely! Never go back and beg that bastard for help!”

“Setting aside... that awkward relationship between us,”

Chu Qianqian said with a face full of indignation,

“just based on his greedy personality where he plucks feathers from every passing goose and won't get up without a profit... if I let him get involved and he finds out there’s a great Opportunity behind this... will there be any left for me?! By then, I probably won't even get a sip of soup! He'll have pocketed it all!”

Chu Qianqian became more and more agitated as she spoke.

She was completely immersed in her complaints about Lu Yi and her strong 'food-protecting' emotions.

She didn't notice at all that because of her intense emotional fluctuations, she wasn't just transmitting her thoughts in her heart.

She was unconsciously muttering these words out loud.

In this quiet and deep cave tunnel, though her voice wasn't loud, it was clearly audible.

And just then,

a shadow appeared silently behind her.

Just as Chu Qianqian finished saying 'it's absolutely impossible to ask for help' and was about to try thinking of another way herself,

a female voice, as pleasant as a silver bell but carrying a hint of curiosity and playfulness, rang out:

“Eh? You're such a strange person. Standing alone in front of a door... what are you muttering about?”

“!!!”

Chu Qianqian's whole body stiffened, her scalp instantly going numb.

Someone was here?! When did they arrive?! She hadn't noticed at all?!

She spun around abruptly, the Spiritual Sword in her hand unsheathing instantly.

There at the tunnel entrance,

a young girl wearing a light purple dress, with her hair in twin ponytails and a cute, innocent-looking face, stood there with her hands behind her back.

She tilted her head, her lively large eyes looking at Chu Qianqian, a cunning light flashing within them:

“I think I just heard you say... looking for someone to help?”

The purple-clothed girl smiled as she took a step forward, glancing at the bronze gate:

“Could it be... you know someone who can open this door?”