Gu Nancheng immediately withdrew his sword, and wisely dodged the ball of will-o'-the-wisp.

"What happened?"

Gu Nancheng obediently shrank back to Fang Ruotang's side.

He knew he was not as good as Fang Ruotang, and he wouldn't take it upon himself to hold her back. So he did whatever Fang Ruotang said.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling something's not right. This will-o'-the-wisp is probably not simple. It's right for us to avoid it."

Fang Ruotang was also here for the first time, so she couldn't explain it clearly. It was just an emotion in her heart. Fortunately, Gu Nancheng was obedient.

He did exactly what she told him to do.

"Okay! I've observed it for a bit. This will-o'-the-wisp has no consciousness; it just floats in the air erratically. As long as we don't touch it, we'll be fine."

"Okay, let's move forward!"

"good."

Gu Nancheng held his sword horizontally in front of him and moved forward slowly.

Fang Ruotang followed behind Gu Nancheng and secretly cast a layer of spiritual energy around his body.

Gu Nancheng sensed something was wrong, and with a shameless grin, said, "Little Ruoruo, you're so good to me."

Fang Ruotang smiled but didn't say much. After all, now was not the time for romance. Even with the lighting, this gloomy place still felt cold and damp.

Be careful.

"good!"

Gu Nancheng agreed earnestly, then turned around with a serious expression.

Then another burst of will-o'-the-wisps appeared, which Gu Nancheng dodged directly. He glanced back at Fang Ruotang, who moved away nimbly.

"Don't worry about me. You go ahead and take care of yourself. I'll take care of myself too. I'll call you if anything happens."

"good!"

Gu Nancheng was well aware of Fang Ruotang's abilities.

They also knew why they hadn't broken through to a higher realm and left, and what their purpose was in staying here.

Although he couldn't help wanting to go back and check on Fang Ruotang, he didn't dare to disappoint her.

Therefore, whenever any wandering creatures appeared, Gu Nancheng would rush forward and eliminate them, and the two of them circled the dungeon again and again.

Gu Nancheng noticed something amiss during the second lap, but he and Fang Ruotang were together and dared not take any risks. Only after the second lap was completed did he pull Fang Ruotang away from the will-o'-the-wisp and arrive at a wooden box.

"This is a square cage, but I just observed that the cage is divided into two rooms, one large and one small. There are about seven or eight of these boxes in the corner. I guess we might have to open these boxes to have a chance to get through this. I just don't know what's inside these boxes."

Gu Nancheng frowned and stared at the inconspicuous wooden box in front of him. He brandished his sword at it but did not make a move.

Fang Ruotang also saw these wooden boxes. After all, the prison was too empty. Apart from the occasional wisps of will-o'-the-wisps and the wandering creatures that Gu Nancheng had almost killed, there were only these wooden boxes.

Moreover, there are quite a few of them. Anyone with a brain would know that there's something strange about these boxes.

"Stand back a bit, I'll open one and try it."

"How can I let you drive? I'll drive, you stand in the back."

As Gu Nancheng spoke, he took Fang Ruotang's hand and pulled her back five or six steps before softly instructing her, "You just stay here and watch over me."

Fang Ruotang tilted her head to look at him, then her gaze shifted to the wooden box. She didn't feel anything unusual. She figured the wooden box wasn't dangerous, at least not capable of hurting Gu Nancheng.

"Okay, be careful."

This was already a trial for Gu Nancheng, and with the protective spiritual energy she had specially placed on him, even if ghosts and monsters were released directly from the box, it wouldn't be a big problem.

As long as he wasn't instantly killed, Fang Ruotang was confident she could save him.

Gu Nancheng didn't get too close. He slashed at the wooden box with his sword, and strangely, it wasn't split in the middle. Instead, it was as if a giant hand had gently lifted the lid.

With his sword in his right hand, Gu Nancheng noticed that Fang Ruotang behind him wanted to step forward, so he immediately put his left hand behind his back to stop her.

"Don't come over yet, I'll go upstairs and take a look."

Gu Nancheng cautiously stepped forward and peered inside. There, lying quietly, was a jade bottle.

"What's this?"

Gu Nancheng picked it up and showed it to Fang Ruotang.

Fang Ruotang couldn't figure it out either, so she directly asked the little mirror.

I don't know, I'll have to check it out to find out. The rewards in this secret realm are all random; the further you go, the better the rewards. We're currently on the first level, so the rewards we have now are probably useless.

Fang Ruotang took the bottle, shook it, and put it directly into the little mirror's treasure bag. He gave his answer after looking at it.

It is the Heavenly Spirit Spring, capable of purifying impurities within the body.

Isn't this similar to the effect of the Marrow Cleansing Pill?

Far from it.

[Tsk, after all that, it's not even as good as the Marrow Cleansing Pill!]

Most cultivators have already abstained from grains, so their bodies wouldn't have any impurities or impurities. You are a special case.

That's as if I'm dirty because I eat grains.

Fang Ruotang was dissatisfied, but Xiao Jingzi dared not speak out, though she acquiesced.

I'm going to eat it anyway.

This was Fang Ruotang's last act of defiance. She had so many spiritual herbs and medicines to cleanse her body of impurities, and now she had this Heavenly Spirit Spring.

Suddenly she realized this was a good thing, but the bottle was so small that it was only enough for her to take a sip.

"How stingy!"

Fang Ruotang muttered to herself, and Gu Nancheng immediately said, "I'll go open all the other boxes; there might be some Heavenly Spirit Spring inside."

"Okay, be careful, there might be ghosts or monsters coming out, and not every one of them will bring a reward."

"I see."

Gu Nancheng wasn't stupid; he could figure it out himself.

This eerie place isn't a place for doing good deeds, so how could every box possibly contain a reward? It's more likely that this secret realm prefers to reap the lives of intruders.

The second box opened, and there was another reward, but it wasn't the Heavenly Spirit Spring that Fang Ruotang wanted. Instead, it contained a hairpin, a common magic item that was practically useless to Fang Ruotang.

"How dare you bring out this piece of junk?"

"Keep it as a reward for the new disciples of the sect! It's quite suitable for new disciples, and the design is simple and elegant, suitable for both men and women."

"Too!"

Fang Ruotang immediately took a liking to the hairpin and put it away. The two then moved on to the next wooden box.

This time, Gu Nancheng summoned a monster.

With its blood-red maw wide open, it excitedly charged towards Gu Nancheng, the black mist enveloping him like a shadow.

Fang Ruotang was about to make a move when Gu Nancheng mentally called out to her.

Don't move, I'm fine.

It wasn't that Gu Nancheng couldn't speak, but rather that this male ghost hadn't brushed his teeth for hundreds of years, and was rushing towards him with his mouth wide open, so much so that he held his breath from the stench.