In the north of the forest, Ye Ling led Davies to a cave covered in thorns.
"The Gray Robed Walker is inside this cave. Davies, you burn away the thorns at the entrance," Ye Ling instructed, glancing at the thorns.
In this world, the Primordial Wisdom King could monitor every blade of grass and tree at any moment. Ye Ling was not yet ready to reveal his identity, so he would not act if he could avoid it.
"Yes..." Davies replied cheerfully, shaking her staff and flinging a fireball at the thorns. The sharp, spiky thorns ignited in a fierce blaze, quickly turning to ash and revealing the cave entrance.
A layer of gray mist covered the large cave entrance, and the dangerous aura emanating from within made Davies feel vaguely uneasy.
Davies looked at the cave ahead, swallowed, and exclaimed, "I didn't expect such a dangerous dungeon to be hidden in a beginner area with an average level of only 15!"
"How are the dungeons in your world constructed?" Ye Ling asked Davies, glancing at the cave ahead.
Davies didn't understand why Ye Ling said "your world," but she didn't overthink it and honestly replied, "There are two types of secret realms on the continent: quest dungeons and hidden dungeons. Quest dungeons are opened by divine beings issuing quests. They are not very dangerous, and as long as your level is appropriate, you can easily clear them, though the rewards are usually ordinary."
"As for hidden dungeons, they are hidden in various corners of the world. They are extremely dangerous, but the corresponding rewards are also extremely rich... Moreover, hidden dungeons are unique. Once the boss inside is killed, the hidden dungeon will disappear."
"Hmm... not much different from general game settings," Ye Ling nodded slightly, gaining a basic understanding of the dungeons in this world.
"Game?" Davies looked at Ye Ling curiously, not understanding what he was talking about.
Although this world was a virtual game, for the players within it, they were born and died in this world. All the rules of the game were the basic laws of this world. To them, this was the real world.
Ye Ling didn't bother to explain the concept of a virtual world to Davies. He casually found an excuse to brush it off and then walked straight through the gray mist in front of the cave.
"Wait for me, sir!" Davies didn't dwell on Ye Ling's words and quickly followed, entering the cave with him.
The moment Davies entered the cave, she felt immense pressure. The monster corpses along the way constantly assaulted her senses. After all, this was a level 50 hidden dungeon, and Davies was only level 20. It was likely that even the regular mobs in this cave could easily kill her instantly. To say she wasn't panicked would be a lie.
Ye Ling briefly scanned the cave and said, "Let's go... the monsters here have all been killed by the Gray Robed Walker. There's no danger."
"Y-yes..." Davies clutched her wooden staff tightly, following closely behind Ye Ling, vigilantly watching her surroundings, afraid that a stray mob might rush out from a corner and finish her off.
As the two ventured deeper, the cave's interior space grew larger, and the monster corpses on the path increased. Ye Ling even saw many cyclops corpses. The cyclops, which could be lords in the beginner area, were merely regular mobs in this hidden dungeon.
"The monster corpses in this hidden dungeon don't disappear like those outside... It seems all creatures in such dungeons are unique... Perhaps these monsters are actually 'players'." In the cultivation pods at the center of the universe, there were not only humans but also other races from the universe. Perhaps the monsters killed by adventurers corresponded to beings outside. Ye Ling observed the cave conditions as he advanced, gaining a deeper understanding of this game world. It was likely that all creatures in this world were consumables for the Primordial Wisdom King.
Bang!!! As Ye Ling led Davies deeper into the cave, they could also hear loud noises coming from the depths of the cave.
"It seems the Gray Robed Walker and the boss of this hidden dungeon are not far ahead. Let's pick up the pace." Hearing the sounds of battle, Ye Ling and Davies quickened their steps, soon arriving outside a large lake in the cave.
Above the lake, an old man in a gray robe, holding a black gilded staff, stood in the void, calmly staring at a giant snake in the lake. The snake was tens of meters long, entirely purple, with only its upper body exposed above the lake surface. It had two bulges on its head, appearing as if it was about to transform into a dragon.
"The Legendary Serpent Barton! It's actually hiding here!" Davies exclaimed subconsciously upon seeing the purple giant snake in the lake.
"You've heard of that snake?" Ye Ling asked Davies curiously.
"More than just heard of it! Everyone in our Violet Empire knows the legend of Barton! It's the child of the Violet Main God and Madam White Snake, inheriting the bloodlines of both a god and a demon. However, because it accidentally poisoned one of its siblings while playing with other children of the Violet Main God when it was young, it was ultimately stripped of its divinity by the Violet Main God and expelled from the Violet Divine Palace!"
"Barton is a divine beast from mythology. I didn't expect it to be in this hidden dungeon!" Davies spoke rapidly, clearly very knowledgeable about Barton's legend. The Violet Main God was the supreme deity of the Violet Empire, protecting all beings within the empire, possessing supreme authority and power. Once, when the Violet Empire was invaded by an enemy nation and suffered countless casualties, the enemy's million-strong army had reached the Violet Empire's royal city. In the end, the king of that time sacrificed his life to the Violet Main God, who then intervened and annihilated the entire enemy army. Violet Empire history records that the Violet Main God merely struck down a palm from the sky, and the million-strong enemy army vanished into thin air. With the divine might of the Violet Main God, the Violet Empire rose to become the strongest empire in the southwestern region of the continent, boasting countless powerful individuals! If the Violet Main God was so powerful, then his son Barton would naturally not be too weak!
Ye Ling's gaze swept back and forth between the Gray Robed Walker and Barton. Although Barton was only level 50, it showed no fear when facing the level 70 Gray Robed Walker, only being slightly at a disadvantage. If their levels were the same, the Gray Robed Walker would definitely not be Barton's opponent!
"Barton, stop struggling. This old man needs your snake gall to obtain divinity!" The Gray Robed Walker shook his staff, releasing balls of black gas that corroded Barton's scales.
"Damn human, you will pay for your arrogance!" Barton roared, spitting venom at the Gray Robed Walker, but it was all blocked by the magic barrier in front of the Gray Robed Walker. At this rate, if nothing unexpected happened, Barton would eventually be poisoned to death by the Gray Robed Walker.
Ye Ling made a quick assessment of the situation, then lost interest in the battle between the Gray Robed Walker and Barton. He strode to the edge of the lake and called out loudly, "Excuse me, both of you!"
As soon as Ye Ling spoke, the gazes of the Gray Robed Walker and Barton fell upon Ye Ling, who wore a smile. The Gray Robed Walker narrowed his eyes, like a vigilant falcon, and asked Ye Ling, "Who are you?"