Ye Ling and Xue Sha walked down the narrow passage after ascending the stairs.
It was dim all around, and they could only vaguely see the path a few meters ahead. Coupled with the narrow space that only allowed one person to pass, Ye Ling and Xue Sha were not moving very fast.
Xue Sha, leading the way, looked at the strange patterns on the walls of the staircase and asked Ye Ling, "Boss, don't you find the patterns on these walls very familiar?"
"I always feel like I've seen these patterns somewhere, but I just can't recall where."
Ye Ling also touched the patterns on the wall and said, "These patterns contain the principles of the Heavenly Dao, as if derived from the Great Dao."
"I remember that the patterns on the stone bricks in the Heavenly Dao Palace on the Eastern Xuan Continent were similar to these."
"Right! It's from the Eastern Xuan Heavenly Dao! That's why these patterns feel so familiar!" With Ye Ling's reminder, Xue Sha slapped his thigh, and it all came back to him.
Then, Xue Sha added, "Boss, do you think this palace might have been the residence of a Heavenly Dao from a past world? These patterns should be unique to palaces inhabited by the manifestations of Heavenly Dao consciousness and wouldn't appear elsewhere."
Ye Ling nodded, "There is indeed that possibility. Heavenly Dao consciousness is not immortal. This place is likely the residence of a Heavenly Dao from a perished civilization."
"However, the Great Dao patterns here are even more complex than those in the Eastern Xuan Heavenly Dao. The former owner here must have been no weaker than us. If a civilization did exist here, it would have been a world stronger than the Eastern Xuan Continent."
Xue Sha couldn't help but say, "Stronger than the Eastern Xuan Continent... I really want to know what happened here to make it fall into such disrepair."
"Who knows?" Ye Ling shook his head and then reminded Xue Sha, "But speaking of which, this place has gone through such a long time. We don't know what kind of creatures might have spawned here. We should be careful."
Xue Sha replied, "I know that without you reminding me, Boss. Compared to me, you're the one who needs to be more careful."
"We've come to such a dangerous place, and you still have the extraterrestrial dark energy to deal with. If you're not careful, you could fall into a situation of eternal damnation. Don't be careless!"
Ye Ling smiled, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
The two continued to walk down, chatting, and it was unclear how long they had been walking in the narrow staircase passage.
After an unknown amount of time, Xue Sha finally saw light ahead, his eyes lighting up, "We've finally reached the end. The Great Dao patterns on both sides could affect my soul power, making it impossible to probe what's ahead. If we hadn't reached the end, I would have thought we were trapped in a loop."
Ye Ling said, "The aura surging ahead is not simple. You retreat behind me."
With that, Ye Ling instantly moved to Xue Sha's front and walked forward.
Seeing Ye Ling suddenly teleport in front of him, Xue Sha was startled and quickly said, "Boss, we agreed that I would scout ahead. How can you go back on your word? What if there's danger..."
"Stop fooling around and follow me obediently."
Ye Ling used his spiritual power to push Xue Sha back and was the first to step out of the narrow staircase, stopping in a sealed room.
Directly opposite them was a closed bronze door, with two ferocious ghost faces on it, one green and one red, both emitting wisps of black energy.
The aura Ye Ling had sensed earlier was released from these two ghost faces.
Xue Sha had intended to argue further, but upon stepping out of the staircase and seeing the bronze door, he fell silent, staring blankly at the door, "This door..."
He could feel that the aura emanating from this bronze door was extremely dangerous and should not be approached lightly!
If he were to rashly touch it, he might be in mortal danger once entangled by that black energy!
Ye Ling quickly glanced at the bronze door ahead and said, "This Silent Ruin is indeed not a simple place. Although the aura emitted by the two ghost faces is slightly different from the extraterrestrial dark energy, there are similarities. Perhaps there is a connection between them..."
Ye Ling took out the black energy he was analyzing, pondered for a moment, and then separated a small cluster of it.
The moment Ye Ling separated the extraterrestrial dark energy, the bronze door ahead reacted, emitting a faint glow, and the two ghost faces on the door came to life.
"Who goes there?"
The ghost face on the left suddenly spoke, its eyes rolling left and right, scanning Ye Ling and Xue Sha.
Seeing the ghost face come alive, Xue Sha exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, so this door is alive? I thought those two ghost faces were just decorations on the door!"
The ghost face on the right said in a shrill voice, "What an impudent brat! How dare you be so disrespectful to us, the guardians of this domain? Are you tired of living?"
Provoked by the ghost face on the right, Xue Sha retorted, "Just a mere door, if you have the guts, come down here and spar with me?"
Although the aura emanating from this door was powerful enough, Xue Sha was not intimidated by a mere door!
"You brat! I'll teach you a lesson!" The ghost face on the right was infuriated by Xue Sha's arrogant attitude and gritted its teeth, with a large amount of black energy surging out from the door.
The ghost face on the left immediately said, "A'You, they are guests. Do not be rude!"
"Hmph!"
Upon hearing the ghost face on the left, the radiating aura of the ghost face on the right rapidly dissipated. After a cold snort, it fell silent.
Ye Ling also took the opportunity to observe the two ghost faces on the door. Confirming that the ghost face on the left had the authority to speak, he then addressed it, "We are from Earth, and we are here to retrieve Earth's Heavenly Dao. We request that you open the door so we can go in and bring them back."
"Earth's Heavenly Dao?" Hearing Ye Ling's words, the ghost face on the left frowned and then said, "This place has not imprisoned any Heavenly Dao for a long time. You might have come to the wrong place."
Ye Ling replied, "Whether we've come to the wrong place, we'll know once we go in and investigate."
The ghost face on the right couldn't hold back and shouted at Ye Ling, "Brat, my brother said there isn't one, so there isn't one. Don't push your luck!"
Xue Sha was also getting annoyed. A blood-red saber materialized in his hand, and he asked Ye Ling for permission, "Boss, I can't stand that guy on the door anymore. Please let me cleave him with one strike!"
The ghost face on the right also retorted, "Just a mere brat! When your grandpa was guarding this place, you were still a pile of scrap metal. If I'm afraid of you, I'll admit defeat! Come on!"
"You fellow..."
Xue Sha rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the door, but he was stopped by Ye Ling.
Seeing Ye Ling stop him, Xue Sha was taken aback, "Emperor?"
Ye Ling said calmly, "Stand down."
Hearing Ye Ling's command, Xue Sha opened his mouth but ultimately could not disobey. The demonic saber in his hand dissipated, and he stood quietly behind Ye Ling, respectfully saying, "Yes..."
Seeing Xue Sha's predicament, the ghost face on the right sneered, "Just a brat, always a brat. In the end, aren't you still..."
"A'You!"
The ghost face on the left also let out a cold snort, directly interrupting the ghost face on the right.
"Brother..." The ghost face on the right wanted to say more, but it seemed to fear the ghost face on the left as well, and finally, it could only shut its mouth obediently.
After making the ghost face on the right shut up, the ghost face on the left said to Ye Ling, "I apologize for the spectacle. A'You is ignorant. Please forgive him."
"It's fine. Xue Sha is also the same."
Ye Ling replied politely and then asked the ghost face on the left again, "We must enter this time. Tell me..."
"What conditions must be met for you to let us in?"