Hearing Song Jie's rapid-fire questioning, the White Lotus disciple immediately sneered, preparing to unleash a barrage of insults and sarcastic remarks.

What's a traitor got to be so smug about?

Gongyang Han had no patience for their bickering and said directly, "Continue. What else did Yu Qingqiu say?"

"Yes,"

The follower nodded and said, "According to Yu Qingqiu, he'd been in the underground tunnels for nearly an hour. He roughly determined that the entire tunnel system could be divided into three levels.

The first level is just the tunnels themselves. The terrain is winding and complex. A moment of carelessness can lead to disorientation, causing you to circle around in the same place.

But as long as you mark your path along the way and have enough supplies, you can always find a tunnel back to the surface.

There's no real danger to life."

"The second level is more complicated. Intruders will encounter stone doors, each with a variety of strange and bizarre questions..."

The white-browed old man frowned and whispered, "What kind of questions?"

"He didn't specify."

The White Lotus follower replied, "However, he did say that answering a question incorrectly on the second level and entering the wrong tunnel would result in some kind of punishment.

However, what would be a deadly situation for ordinary tomb raiders without any magic power,

was merely a slight danger to cultivators; not an inescapable doom."

Gongyang Han felt a little relieved and continued to ask, "What about the third level?"

The White Lotus follower frowned slightly, and said uncertainly, "According to Yu Qingqiu's description, the third level's tunnels are similar to the second level,

but answering questions correctly results in certain rewards.

For example, tree sap that can turn white hair black,

fruits that can heal chronic injuries,

spring water that forces the user to tell only the truth.

And so on and so forth."

"Ridiculous."

Song Jie shook his head and said, "Does he think this is some immortal palace where enlightened celestial beings used to live? Hiding secret treasures as rewards?

Even if there really were a celestial palace in this world, it would never be hidden underground in Luzhou, adjacent to the Nine Nether Yellow Springs, full of mud and insects."

"A celestial palace might not be possible, but a secret realm is."

The white-browed old man closed his eyes and pondered for a while, then said faintly, "Rumor has it that when demon behemoths or reclusive cultivators with extraordinary cultivation die, their corpses remain incorruptible for ten thousand years.

As their magical power leaks out, the surrounding environment undergoes earth-shattering changes, even spontaneously constructing all sorts of incredible secret realms.

But right now, we're trapped in Luzhou. Our top priority is to find a way out quickly."

In every dynasty, there were rumors of a powerful cultivator who once dominated his era and was an ordinary person without any talent for cultivation in his early years, only to accidentally enter the cave dwelling of a predecessor and obtain their inheritance,

allowing him to transform from a fish into a dragon in one fell swoop.

Ordinary martial artists might covet these so-called secret realms,

but these fanatical White Lotus followers only had "The Azure Sky is Dead, the White Lotus Shall Rise" in their minds.

Even if there really were a secret realm, they would have to wait until they rescued the young master before exploring it and offering its treasures to the leader.

The White Lotus disciple nodded in agreement and added, "Yu Qingqiu said that the dangers of entering the wrong tunnel on the third level are far greater than those on the second level.

The rumbling we just heard was caused by him opening the wrong door, which led to something being released..."

Before he could finish speaking, that deafening roar echoed from the depths of the tunnel again. This time, the sound was even closer than before.

Boom!

Gravel and dirt rained down like hail, and the entire tunnel trembled, as if it would collapse in the next second, burying the terrified crowd under tons of earth and stone.

The gale returned. Gongyang Han, protected by the white-browed old man, had a determined look in his eyes. He pushed away his subordinates, took out a circular jade pendant from his waist, and decisively crushed it.

Clang—

The sound of the jade shattering was so clear that it could be heard even in the howling wind.

A huge vermillion figure appeared behind Gongyang Han with deceptive slowness. It wore a dragon helmet and armor, held a short spear in its right hand, and supported a pagoda with its left hand. It was kind-looking, dignified, and peaceful,

but a heart-stopping, sinister malice permeated its eyes.

The phantom slowly opened its scarlet eyes, and the raging wind immediately subsided. The entire tunnel was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.

Only the nervous breathing of the White Lotus followers remained,

along with the sound of blood spurting from Song Jie's shoulders—he still had two arrows sticking out of them.

Crack, crack...

A faint rustling sound came from the far distance.

An orange glow appeared around the corner of the tunnel, as if someone was holding a bright torch and slowly approaching.

"Is... anyone... there?"

A hoarse, low, intermittent, and shrill voice echoed from around the corner, "Help... me..."

Including Gongyang Han, all the White Lotus followers tensed up, involuntarily gripping their weapons.

"Is... anyone... there?"

The voice continued to call out, and the rustling footsteps grew closer and closer.

Finally, the orange light of the torch rounded the corner, and the White Lotus followers saw clearly the "thing" that was calling out.

It was a gigantic monster, so large that it almost filled the wide tunnel.

Its body was long and narrow, a combination of a centipede and a worm.

Its back was covered with heavy, black armor, and hundreds of pairs of white legs were distributed on both sides of the armor. As it moved across the mud, it made a dense sound that made one's scalp tingle and feel unwell.

The armor on the centipede's head was twisted and deformed, taking on the shape of a human face.

Inside the human face's empty eye sockets, there was an orange glowing orb, like eyes, and like lanterns.

Between the upper and lower jawbones of the human face, three gear-shaped bones extended out,

forming a structure similar to the tri-cone drill bits used in modern drilling projects.

"Is... anyone... there?"

The giant centipede rounded the corner and slowly crawled towards the crowd.

The huge human face on its head made a hoarse, turbid cry.

The tri-cone drill bit in its mouth slowly rotated, grinding the dirt and stones it touched into dust.

"What... what is this thing..."

Even the knowledgeable white-browed old man couldn't help but feel sweat on his palms, and his whole body was drenched in a chill.

The other White Lotus followers were even paler, their legs trembling, and they were on the verge of fleeing.