“What would we learn by staying?” Feng Ke asked, puzzled.
By this time, she had also calmed down, realizing that the woman in the green shirt was merely similar to her master, not her master herself. Although the woman in green shared her master’s build and demeanor, her aura was entirely different!
Moreover, if her master wanted to find her, she would have had plenty of ways to do so without external help.
Most importantly, she knew her master would never speak in such a cold, distant manner as the woman in green.
“Just watch, you child are too impatient,” Ye Ling said.
Feng Ke retorted, “You don’t seem much older than me, so why are you speaking so maturely?”
“I might be much older than you imagine.”
“Tch! Bragging!”
Feng Ke muttered under her breath, but she didn’t continue bickering with Ye Ling, focusing her attention on Xia Minglan.
Her thoughts now aligned with Ye Ling’s. Although the woman in green wasn’t the person she was looking for, she was undoubtedly connected to the person she sought.
With Su Xue’er’s whereabouts unknown, the appearance of the woman in green was a rare clue. Following this lead would surely yield results.
Not long after the woman in green left, Xia Minglan took a deep breath and pressed a nearby mechanism, opening a hidden door and stepping inside.
“Let’s follow her.”
Seeing Xia Minglan enter the hidden door, Ye Ling didn’t hesitate and followed immediately.
Feng Ke trailed closely behind.
Beneath the abandoned factory, Hongchen Pavilion had excavated a massive underground space, where numerous ordinary people were constructing metal pyramids.
The pyramids beneath this abandoned factory were similar to those in the two branches Ye Ling had destroyed earlier, though this one was considerably smaller. The materials used were primarily common metal alloys found on Earth, with very few special metals.
“What exactly does Hongchen Pavilion want? Why are they constantly building these strange structures?”
Ye Ling’s confusion deepened as he looked at the pyramids beneath the abandoned factory.
These pyramids appeared to have been under construction for some time, likely started even earlier than the one beneath Dao City University.
This implied that such pyramids existed in places other than Hongchen Pavilion’s branches.
One or two might be attributed to Hongchen Pavilion’s interests or religious beliefs, but a third one could no longer be dismissed as mere hobbies.
Hongchen Pavilion must have a specific objective that could only be achieved through these pyramids!
It was likely that pyramids of this scale were present in many locations across the country, and even around the world.
“No wonder Hongchen Pavilion needs their constructed platform to generate funds. These pyramids alone, even with the national strength of one or two major countries, might not be enough to build a few of them.”
“Building such a large-scale project on Chinese soil while concealing it from China suggests that Hongchen Pavilion’s power is not on the same level as the Dragon Department.”
Ye Ling transmitted this information about the pyramids to his Divine Soldiers stationed around the world, instructing them to look for these structures while searching for Ye You. If necessary, they could destroy them.
Although Ye Ling still didn’t know Hongchen Pavilion’s purpose in building these pyramids, he was certain that destroying anything Hongchen Pavilion desired was the correct course of action.
Xia Minglan seemed to hold considerable authority within this underground facility. Upon her appearance, the workers around her, both ordinary people and cultivators, stopped their tasks and bowed to her.
After Xia Minglan moved further away, they resumed their work, acting like robots programmed with specific routines.
“Why are they building these towers too?” Feng Ke blurted out instinctively, her eyes filled with confusion as she took in the full view of the underground pyramids.
Hearing Feng Ke’s question, Ye Ling’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, “Do you know the origin of these towers?”
He hadn’t expected to receive such a pleasant surprise from Feng Ke!
“I don’t know…” Feng Ke was taken aback, surprised by Ye Ling’s intense curiosity about the towers.
She explained, “My master once took me to an ancient ruin. There were towers exactly like these, scattered everywhere like black and white pieces on a chessboard.”
“A ruin?” Ye Ling pressed further, “Do you know where that ruin is located?”
He had a premonition that the purpose behind all of Hongchen Pavilion’s actions lay within that ruin!
“I don’t remember…” Feng Ke shook her head. “I was young then, and I don’t recall how my master took me to the ruin. I only remember that my master spent a long time there, recording a lot of information.”
“Oh, right! Master made notes, and her notes are still in Snow Hidden Valley!”
While Ye Ling was initially disappointed by Feng Ke’s first statement, her latter remark brought him renewed hope!
Regardless of how much information about these pyramids was contained in Su Xue’er’s notes, the handwriting alone would be enough for Ye Ling to determine if Su Xue’er and Xiao You were the same person.
He was intimately familiar with Xiao You’s handwriting.
Ye Ling asked, “After this matter is settled, can you take me to Snow Hidden Valley?”
Feng Ke hesitated. “But I left the valley to find news of my master. To go back now…”
Ye Ling reassured her, “Don’t worry, I want to find your master more than anyone. This trip back to Snow Hidden Valley is also related to your master.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
Feng Ke stared intently into Ye Ling’s eyes for a long moment before finally looking away. She nodded in agreement, “A person’s eyes don’t lie. I believe you and can take you back to the valley.”
Ye Ling was delighted. “Thank you!”
This unexpected journey to Snow Hidden Valley, crucial for finding Ye You’s whereabouts, forced Ye Ling to temporarily set aside matters concerning Tianyin Pavilion.
Priorities were important, and in Ye Ling’s eyes… nothing was more important than finding Ye You!
While Ye Ling and Feng Ke were talking, Xia Minglan had already reached the interior of the pyramid and entered a sealed room.
Unlike the exterior, which was still under construction, the core of the pyramid was largely completed, with all functions similar to the pyramid Ye Ling had seen on the East Sea deserted island.
The sealed room had no visible exits.
Upon entering, Xia Minglan directly unbuttoned her top, revealing her smooth, fair shoulders.
Looking upwards from Xia Minglan’s shoulders, she was undeniably a top-tier beauty, flawless in every aspect, captivatingly beautiful.
However, looking downwards from her shoulders to the area above her abdomen, her skin was distorted and grotesque, covered in scars from knives, burns, bites…
Various bizarre wounds had ravaged her perfect skin, making it unsightly!
It was likely that an ordinary man would be terrified to see Xia Minglan’s body!
“How did she become like this?”
Outside the room, Feng Ke, who was secretly observing Xia Minglan through Ye Ling’s divine sense, was filled with confusion upon seeing the hideous scars on Xia Minglan’s body.
“Why does she have so many scars, and why are they concentrated on her upper body? And the transition between the wounds and her intact skin is so sharp?”
“This is too strange!”
Ye Ling’s gaze sharpened slightly, and he said gravely, “That thing… is probably not man-made…”
“Not man-made?” Feng Ke exclaimed in surprise.
“It’s… a curse!”