Xie Lian grabbed the dice from the jade tray, exchanged glances with Shi Qingxuan, and nodded. The two of them, one in front and one behind, walked deeper into the cave.
Shi Qingxuan walked ahead, snapping his fingers and raising a palm flame, illuminating the steps below. Xie Lian gently closed the door and followed behind, covering the remaining steps. After descending about fifty stone steps, they finally reached flat ground.
This was a single-lane tunnel, wide enough for five or six people to walk side by side. It had only one path: pitch black ahead, with stairs leading to the surface at the back. Thick walls surrounded both sides, so there was no need to worry about which way to go; just keep moving forward. However, after walking over two hundred steps along this tunnel, a cold stone wall appeared before them, blocking their path.
Shi Qingxuan said, "There's no way out? That's impossible." He held the flame in one hand and groped the wall with the other, as if trying to find some mechanism. He cast a few spells to break the illusion, but the wall remained motionless. He was at his wit's end and said, "Should I break through it?"
Xie Lian said, “That would make too much noise, and the entire Ji Le Fang would be alerted.”
Shi Qingxuan placed his hand on the stone wall and sent out a burst of spiritual energy. After a while, he withdrew his hand and said, "I can't break through it even if I hit it. This wall is probably at least ten feet thick."
But Xie Lian had clearly seen the masked man enter. He couldn't possibly be sneaking around just to meditate in such a dead end, could he? There had to be some other method, so the two of them looked around carefully. After a while, Xie Lian said, "Master Wind Master, look, there seems to be something on the ground."
He pointed to the ground, and Shi Qingxuan immediately lowered his palms, and they both squatted down.
The tunnel floor was paved with countless square bricks, each about the size of a small door. And in front of this stone wall, on the brick they were standing on, was a picture. It wasn't large, but depicted a small figure rolling dice.
Shi Qingxuan looked up and said, "Could it be that the method here is the same as the method for opening the door above? I must throw the correct number of points to open this stone wall?"
Xie Lian nodded slightly and said, "That seems to be the case. However, I didn't come in with that masked man, so I don't know what the clearance points are."
Shi Qingxuan said, "We're already here. It's not practical to retreat and investigate further. Let's just throw one randomly and see."
Xie Lian also agreed, saying, “Master Fengshi, please give it a try. I… I wonder how long this borrowed luck of mine can last.”
Shi Qingxuan didn't refuse. He took the dice and threw it on the ground, saying, "How is it?"
He rolled a two and a five. The two waited for a moment, but the stone wall didn't open. Xie Lian collected the dice and said, "It really doesn't work."
Shi Qingxuan suddenly said, "Your Highness, look at your feet, the pattern has changed!"
Hearing this, Xie Lian immediately lowered his head. Sure enough, the pattern on the square brick on the ground, originally a little man playing dice, gradually faded, then gradually deepened, transforming into another image that looked like a plump, black worm. Shi Qingxuan asked, "What is this?"
Xie Lian guessed, "Earth dragon? Leech? They look very similar. There are a lot of them in the fields. I've seen quite a few."
Shi Qingxuan asked, "What on earth have you done to have seen so many..."
Before he finished speaking, he disappeared.
Not only him, but Xie Lian also disappeared. It turned out that when they mentioned the word "things" just now, they both felt their feet suddenly go empty, and the next moment, they fell into a hole in the ground.
It turned out that the stone wall wasn't a door at all. It was a genuine stone wall, and the square brick they were standing on was the real door. After throwing the dice, the door suddenly opened and then immediately closed. Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan fell in the air for a moment before landing heavily on the ground. Fortunately, the ground was extremely soft. Although two deep human-shaped pits were pressed out, the two men didn't feel much pain from the fall and were about to stand up immediately. Unexpectedly, when they stood up, they both hit their heads and cried out "Ah". Xie Lian covered his head with one hand and groped above with the other, but he only touched the same soft and moist soil as the ground under his feet, and there was no stone slab. The stone door had long disappeared.
As they were falling, the flame in Shi Qingxuan's palm went out, but now it reignited, illuminating the surroundings. The two then realized they were in a dirt tunnel.
The cave was circular, its walls covered in mud, showing no signs of human excavation. Shi Qingxuan rubbed his forehead and asked, "What kind of place is this? Is it because I miscalculated that we were thrown here?"
After a moment's hesitation, Xie Lian said, "It's very likely. The stone gate is gone, which means we won't have a chance to return. Let's find a way out first."
After a brief discussion, the two of them headed forward along the cave. The cave was winding, and it would be difficult for an adult to stand upright in it. They could only walk with their waists bent, or crawl inside the cave, which was slow and quite arduous. Moreover, the air in the cave was moist and warm, and the soil was also very difficult to walk on. Every step you took would cause you to sink into the mud and drag along. Occasionally, you would step on the corpses of small animals and plants that had rotted in the soil. Xie Lian's face didn't change, but Shi Qingxuan got goose bumps all over his body. The more Xie Lian walked, the more he felt something was wrong, and he said, "Master Feng, I'm afraid we have to hurry up. This place is probably..."
At this moment, a strange loud "boom boom" sound came from behind.
A loud bang echoed, and the entire cave trembled slightly, sending bits of dirt crashing to the ground. The two exchanged a glance, then, without a word, sprinted in the opposite direction of the noise.
However, the roar and tremors surged forward, their speed far greater than theirs, steadily approaching. The two men, one foot deep, one foot shallow, tumbled and crawled through the winding cavern, but they could not see the exit, not even a glimmer of light. Furthermore, in the direction they were running, a roar and tremor, identical to the one behind them, could be heard!
With both the front and back roads blocked, the two men had no choice but to stop. With the rumbling noise of their heavy, massive bodies dragging through the mud, two giant insects wriggled and appeared before them.
These two giant insects are extremely large and bloated, with purple-black bodies and slightly transparent skin. Their bodies are segmented, without eyes or legs, and their heads are just two fleshy spikes. If they are not two extremely long earth dragons, what else could they be?
When the stone door opened, it actually threw them into the lair of a ground dragon monster!
Xie Lian raised a hand to block the way ahead, while Ruo Xie poised to attack. Shi Qingxuan, unknowingly, pulled out his Wind Master Fan, but unfortunately, it couldn't generate a strong wind in this narrow underground space. If it did, it might even knock him unconscious, making such a top-grade magical weapon useless. Then, Xie Lian remembered that earth dragons are afraid of light and heat, and said, "Master Wind Master, please lend me some of your magic power to make the flame in your palm bigger!"
Shi Qingxuan followed his instructions, striking him with his left hand. The flames in his right hand shot up several inches. Xie Lian also quickly created a bright palm flame. As expected, the two earth dragons, sensing the scorching heat, retreated, a foot away. So, using the power of the flames, the two men continued their slow march, forcing the two earth dragons to keep their distance, hoping to find an exit.
However, the cave was narrow, and the blazing fire not only frightened the two earth dragons, but after a while, Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan also began to sweat profusely, feeling as if they were in an oven, quite uncomfortable. Even more frightening, despite Shi Qingxuan's efforts to strengthen the flames with his magic power, the flames in his palms seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. The two earth dragons, noticing this, retreated, but were no longer as desperate as they had been.
Xie Lian took a few more steps, feeling his breathing become slightly strained. He said, "Master Wind Master, I'm afraid this palm flame won't last much longer. Although the soil is moist and loose, it's still deep underground. Before long, the airflow might become blocked, the fire extinguished, and the people fainted."
Shi Qingxuan gritted his teeth and said, "Then we can only use the Shrinking the Earth a Thousand Miles technique."
Although neither of them could currently draw up a formation, and the terrain was extremely unfavorable, there was no other option. Xie Lian said, "I'll find a flat area."
Just then, he felt his feet touch a patch of less damp ground, resembling a stone slab. Xie Lian's heart stirred, and he immediately leaned over to investigate. Sure enough, it was another stone door!
This stone door also had a painting of a little man throwing dice. Shi Qingxuan had stepped on it, and with great joy, he exclaimed, "Quick, quick, throw the dice to open it!" Xie Lian was about to throw the dice when he suddenly thought, "Don't let me throw an even more ridiculous number and open the door to an even more terrifying place." He handed him the dice and said, "You come!"
Shi Qingxuan, without a word, grabbed it and threw it. This time, it landed on a "three" and a "four." Xie Lian immediately put the dice away, and they both stood on the door panel. The flame in Shi Qingxuan's palm had shrunk even further, and two earth dragons were stirring. Xie Lian stared closely at the pattern on the door panel. It gradually faded, then gradually transformed into another picture: a forest, with several oddly dressed little figures seemingly dancing around a figure in the center.
At this time, a ground dragon seemed to finally be unable to hold back. It opened its mouth slightly and rushed over dragging its heavy body!
Fortunately, when it was only three feet away from the two of them, the stone door suddenly opened!
This time, the two fell into a narrow cave again. However, this time, the ground was hard, narrow, and dry. They both fell painfully, collided with each other. Xie Lian, used to bearing the pain, said nothing, but Shi Qingxuan started yelling. Xie Lian's ears hurt from his yelling, and worried that he was in trouble, he said, "Master Feng, are you okay?"
Shi Qingxuan, with his head down and his feet up, said, "I don't know if I'm okay. I've never fallen like this before. Your Highness, working with you is so exciting."
Hearing this, Xie Lian couldn't help but laugh. He then realized they had fallen into a tree hole. He struggled out of the hole, then offered his hand to Shi Qingxuan, saying, "You've worked so hard."
Shi Qingxuan said, "You're welcome."
He took Xie Lian's hand and emerged from the tree hole, his face covered in dust and dirt, his gauze dress already tattered. The sunlight outside pierced his brows, and he asked, "Where is this again?"
Xie Lian said, "As you can see, it's a deep forest." He glanced around and added, "I see this stone gate. It actually functions as a magical device specifically for shrinking the earth by a thousand miles. Different numbers are rolled, and you're transported to corresponding locations. I wonder if the number I rolled this time is correct."
Shi Qingxuan crossed his arms, his bare hands bare, and said solemnly, "Using the Shrinking the Earth Thousand Miles technique consumes a tremendous amount of mana. That Blood Rain Scholar, to prevent others from prying into his secrets, actually created this stone gate artifact. This shows how powerful his mana is, and how cunning he is."
Although his expression was serious, his barefoot and shirtless appearance made it seem almost comical. Xie Lian struggled to suppress his laughter, but the image of Hua Cheng's quirky expression surfaced in his mind. He shook his head, thinking, "Rather than saying he's scheming, it's better to say... he's just being naughty."
The two men walked out of the tree hole and had just taken a few steps when a group of naked people suddenly jumped out from behind the bushes around them and started jumping around them, shouting loudly: "Oh oh oh!"
“…”
Both of them were extremely shocked. Shi Qingxuan asked, "What's going on this time?"
Xie Lian raised his hand and said, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. Let's take a look."
He looked closely and found that these people were not really naked, but only wore animal skins and leaves. They looked like they were eating raw meat and drinking blood. They held spears made of branches with sharp stones stuck in the spear heads. They smiled at the two men, and their mouths were full of sharp teeth, all of which were serrated fangs.
Without saying a word, the two of them ran away.
Shi Qingxuan ran while saying, "My brother always told me that there are many wild beasts in the deep mountains of the south who feed on humans! He told me not to go to such a place alone! Could it be that we are encountering this now?!"
Xie Lian was already well versed in escaping, his posture and demeanor much more relaxed than his. He said calmly, "Yes, it's very likely! Anyway, let's look for the door first. Let's see if there's any stone door!"
The savages were shouting and screaming behind them, relentlessly pursuing them. Originally, Master Xie and the others could only flee, not fight back, because of the rules of heaven: when a priest descends to the mortal world, he cannot arbitrarily use his magical powers to suppress mortals. This rule is to prevent priests from abusing their power and causing harm. But they would occasionally throw sharp stones and branches at the two of them, and suddenly, a branch brushed against Shi Qingxuan's cheek.
This was bad luck. Shi Qingxuan touched his face and felt a faint trace of blood, which instantly made him furious.
He uttered a "huh," stopped in his tracks, and turned around, saying, "You, a bunch of unworldly mountain barbarians, are not only unconvinced by this Wind Master, but you even dare to mess with my appearance! This is truly outrageous!"
After drinking, he suddenly unleashed his Wind Master Fan, unfurling it with a swish. With a swish, the group of savages instantly flew off the ground, being blown several feet away, hanging from the trees, howling and wailing. The two men were finally able to stop and gasp for breath. As they panted, Xie Lian's thoughts returned: "Being a priest is truly arduous... Whether it's human, ghost, or god, no one has it easier than anyone else..."
Shi Qingxuan exhaled a breath of anger and said to Xie Lian, "Your Highness, you see, they brought this upon themselves! I'm not using the law to bully others."
Xie Lian said, “Yes, I saw it.”
Shi Qingxuan touched his face again, muttered something like "Even my brother doesn't dare", and turned around and said, "Let's go find the stone gate."
Xie Lian nodded silently. He watched Master Qingxuan shake his clothes and straighten his hair, a truly dashing presence. However, he was wearing a tattered purple gauze gown, and this air of elegance was inevitably tinged with a strange, unforgettable quality. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. Thinking back to their first encounter at Half Moon Pass, Master Feng had such an ethereal presence, he'd thought he was either a peerless demonic pather or a master of his time. Who knew, it was all just an illusion...
The two wandered aimlessly through the forest for several long circles before finally finding a stone door near another tree hole. This time, Shi Qingxuan refused to roll the dice again. Scratching his head, he said, "I don't know what's going on. My luck used to be good, but it wasn't always bad. But today, I seem to have bad luck. I rolled the dice twice: once I ended up in a dragon cave, and once I encountered a wild spirit. I don't know what I'll encounter next time."
Xie Lian coughed lightly, feeling guilty. “Maybe it’s because I’m next to you that I’ve ruined your luck as well…”
At this time, Shi Qingxuan said, "You should come. Maybe your Sanlang still has some luck left from lending you a hand."
For some reason, Xie Lian felt a strange tinge of embarrassment when he heard the phrase "your Sanlang." He wanted to explain something, but then he realized there wasn't much to say. Explaining would only make things awkward, so he said nothing more. He simply picked up the dice and rolled them gently.
Two "sixes".
Holding his breath for a moment, Xie Lian carefully watched the changes in the pattern on the stone door, so as to be mentally prepared for what he would encounter next. However, this time, the pattern did not change at all, and the stone door creaked open.
Behind the door was another dark stone staircase leading deep into the ground, filled with cold air.
The two looked at each other, both thinking, "Could it be that after all this commotion, we've ended up back where we started?"
Even if they were back where they came from, it was still better than staying anywhere else. So, they decisively descended the stone steps. The stone door slammed shut behind them. Reaching out to push, they felt a smooth stone wall. Xie Lian said, "Let's go down."
The two of them once again walked along this square underground stone passage. After walking over two hundred steps, Xie Lian gradually realized that this wasn't the tunnel we first walked through.
Shi Qingxuan said, "That's right. Back then, we encountered a stone wall after walking two hundred steps, but now we haven't."
Xie Lian said softly, "It seems that this time, we made the right choice."
At this moment, the two of them stopped at the same time.
From the darkness ahead came a smell of blood.
Along with it was the sound of a man's heavy breathing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
