The map was pitch black, and the surroundings were so quiet that not even a whisper of wind could be heard.

After a while, Xi Xi had no choice but to slow her pace, try to remain calm, and move her body forward slowly.

The faint light of the light-blading scythe danced like fireflies in front of them, each time it illuminated a new area, it was as if it were waging a silent battle against the darkness.

Suddenly, her footing faltered, and the echoing sound of tumbling gravel shattered the silence. Xi Xi looked down and realized that there was a precipice in front of her.

This cliff is not very deep, but it is exceptionally steep, cutting the ground into a nearly vertical crack.

Xi Xi held the light-bladed scythe and gently swung it. The light emitted by the scythe faintly illuminated the area below the cliff, revealing a glimpse of the scene below.

The area below was dry, not the stagnant pool Xi Xi had imagined. Although shrouded in darkness, the outlines of the towering boulders could still be vaguely discerned.

After a moment's thought, Xi Xi decisively put away her light-bladed scythe. She raised the Azure Stone and threw it down the cliff without hesitation.

With a muffled "bang," the blue stone landed precisely in the center of the cliff bottom, instantly illuminating a small area of ​​the cliff space.

Looking through the light shining from the blue stone, Xi Xi saw that the bottom of the cliff, which was originally pitch black, had emerged with outlines resembling stone bricks.

Xi Xi was somewhat surprised. She frowned, then raised her hand to gesture to the little white duck on her shoulder.

Upon seeing this, the little white duck immediately understood Xi Xi's meaning. It quickly flapped its wings, circled once, and flew towards the direction of the blue stone.

Xi Xi turned her back and used both hands to support herself on the horizontal support, carefully beginning to slowly climb down.

The moment her feet touched the ground firmly, she didn't feel a sense of security or peace. Instead, the sight before her left her speechless with shock.

She wasn't mistaken; the path at the bottom of the cliff was indeed made up of individual stone bricks.

However, these stone bricks have been severely weathered by natural erosion over the years, with uneven surfaces and even cracks in some places.

Xi Xi picked up the blue stone and placed the little white duck back on her shoulder.

She looked up and around. It was a stone path that ran across the bottom of the cliff and extended to the left and right. In the distance at both ends, there was only bottomless darkness, which seemed endless and awe-inspiring.

Xi Xi drew the light-bladed scythe from her waist and slashed fiercely at the bottom of the cliff several times with all her might, leaving obvious marks as a marker so that she would not lose her way when she turned back.

After doing all this, she took a deep breath and, with the faint light of the azure stone, repeatedly compared the paths on the left and right.

In the end, Xi Xi followed her intuition and chose the path on the right, stepping onto this land sealed by time.

Compared to the previous cave, the space at the bottom of the cliff is much more spacious, and the view is also more open.

However, the ground was scattered with stones of varying sizes, making the terrain uneven and rugged.

Xi Xi had no choice but to carefully navigate among these huge rocks, sometimes climbing with all her might using her hands and feet, and sometimes leaping over obstacles.

An unusual sense of heaviness permeated the air, as if every breath carried the heavy marks of time.

The ore, radiating a deep blue light, streaked across the pitch-black environment, illuminating the mottled stone walls ahead.

After some time of trial and error, her eyes gradually adapted to the dark environment. Xi Xi deftly placed herself on a large piece of gravel, but felt a rough, uneven texture in her hand.

She then discovered that these scattered large pieces of pebbles were actually intricately carved with patterns!

Clearly, these patterns are not naturally formed, but rather created by human hands.

Xi Xi reached out and gently touched the gravel, but the already fragile, fine texture turned into sand and fell down the moment her fingertips touched it.

She couldn't help but frown. The reliefs were so weathered that their original appearance was almost unrecognizable. However, judging from their size and cutting techniques, these fragments were very likely remnants of the huge stone pillars that once supported the dome above.

Xi Xi involuntarily looked around, imagining the glorious scene of the past. She thought that this place might have once been a pavilion.

The thought sent a chill down her spine. Could this be the ruins of an ancient town? Abandoned and buried beneath the sand, becoming a slumbering underground relic…

Xi Xi carefully navigated through the ruins. The broken walls and rubble blocked her way, so she had to compare and find a safer path.

The stone path underfoot had become uneven and bumpy due to the erosion of time, making every step very difficult.

Her steps were slightly heavy, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on her forehead. Xi Xi sat down to rest on a broken stone pillar nearby, looking somewhat exhausted.

Just as she was catching her breath, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a small white dot at the edge of the light screen map.

The white dot seemed to be coming from the road on the left side of the cliff, and it was approaching from behind at an alarming speed.

Xi Xi was stunned for a moment. According to the previous prompts from the automation component, the white dots in the pixel map represented neutral creatures.

Without a second thought, her body reacted instinctively, and she quickly hid in the darkness.

Xi Xi crouched down behind the boulder, hid the azure stone inside her clothes, and then lowered her body as much as possible to blend completely into the surrounding shadows, minimizing her presence.

The little white duck seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation.

It obediently kept its mouth tightly shut, afraid of making the slightest sound, and finally simply closed its eyes tightly, pretending that it did not exist.

As the dot on the map drew closer, Xi Xi clearly heard a series of hurried footsteps approaching from afar.

Her heart leaped into her throat, and she held her breath, observing him intently.