Ning Yao absorbed almost all the spiritual energy before clapping her hands and standing aside.
With a regretful look, she said, "Sigh, I didn't find one I liked. Let me see what you guys picked."
Upon hearing this, Shen Ci'an presented the stones she had chosen to her as if showing off a treasure: "Sister, what do you think of these?"
Ning Yao pretended to look at them, and after absorbing all the spiritual energy, she said, "These two are alright, let's forget about the others."
Shen Ci'an was somewhat downcast; there were only two.
Immediately afterwards, he heard Ning Yao say that none of Lin Qingyu's were acceptable, but only one of Hua Yan's was.
He was instantly happy; his sister had chosen the most items from him!
Following the planned route, the four continued forward, and nothing unusual happened along the way except for collecting spirit stones.
Ning Yao also vaguely sensed that the spiritual energy in the secret realm had reached a critical point and was about to upgrade.
I wonder what surprises this upgrade will bring?
The group walked for an unknown amount of time without stopping.
Ning Yao looked at the surrounding scenery and had a strange feeling.
The sky she could vaguely see through the trees seemed unchanged.
"What time is it now?"
Shen Ci'an replied, "It's probably around 5 PM."
In the winter, around 5 PM, it's already dark, but they can still see their surroundings clearly.
Through the sparse green leaves and branches, Ning Yao asked, "Then why isn't it dark yet?"
Upon hearing this, the group stopped and looked up at the sky, as an eerie atmosphere suddenly descended.
“Not only is it not dark yet, I haven’t even felt the passage of time,” Hua Yan said.
Lin Qingyu nodded: "After walking all day, I don't feel tired at all."
It would be understandable if the other three martial arts practitioners didn't feel tired, but it was rather strange that Lin Qingyu, a frail scholar, was like this.
"The Kunlun Mountains stretch for thousands of miles, are mysterious and unpredictable, and certainly pose certain dangers. Everyone should be on high alert."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud rumble rang out, and the ground beneath their feet trembled.
The violent shaking made it difficult for everyone to stand.
Lin Qingyu accidentally fell to the ground, while Hua Yan half-squatted to keep her balance.
Shen Ci'an immediately grabbed Ning Yao's arm, and Ning Yao quickly leaned against a large tree beside her.
"What happened? Was it an earthquake?" Ning Yao asked gravely.
The shaking intensified, and a crack appeared in the ground, penetrating directly beneath Ning Yao's feet.
She instinctively took a step back, and in the blink of an eye, the crack widened to half a meter, lying between her and Shen Ci'an, a bottomless chasm appearing.
Seeing this, Shen Ci'an was about to cross the crack when a sudden change occurred!
Ning Yao's feet suddenly gave way, and her body plummeted into a large pit, the bottom of which she could not see.
"Yao Yao!"
Shen Ci'an didn't have time to think and jumped straight into the air.
"Miss Ning! Young Master Shen!" Hua Yan's terrified cries rang out.
Ning Yao and Shen Ci'an have disappeared.
After the two fell, the shaking stopped, and everything returned to calm.
If it weren't for the half-meter-wide crack in the ground, the huge pit, and the fact that Hua Yan and Lin Qingyu witnessed it firsthand, no one would have known that two people had just fallen in.
Lin Qingyu was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she collapsed to the ground: "What should we do? Miss Ning and the others..."
The change happened too quickly; the outcome was decided in the blink of an eye.
Hua Yan was initially flustered, but then she suppressed her panic and began to think of a solution.
"They'll be alright! We have to find a way down there; we'll only know once we're down..."
Lin Qingyu glanced into the deep pit and felt a chill run down her spine.
A chill seeped out, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, bottomless and shrouded in endless fear.
"How do we get down here? There's no path, and we don't have any ropes. Even if we did, we wouldn't know how deep it is, whether the ropes are long enough, or what dangers lie ahead. How will we get back up? Will we be able to find Miss Ning if we go down..."
A hint of annoyance flashed across Hua Yan's brow: "Shut up!"
Lin Qingyu was taken aback, obediently shut her mouth, and then added, "You'd better think of something quickly."
Hua Yan glanced at him, then lay down by the pit to think of a solution.
His movement paused as his fingers touched the edge.
Is the soil dry?
Hua Yan's mind stirred slightly. Normally, freshly turned soil is moist, so how could this be dry?
Could this pit hold a hidden world within?
He took a small bead out of his pocket and circled it around the inside of the pit.
The beads began to glow when they encountered darkness, illuminating the walls of the pit.
Lin Qingyu exclaimed, "These are South Sea pearls! I thought it was just a legend, but it's true!"
Hua Yan beckoned to him: "Look what's on the pit wall?"
Lin Qingyu suppressed his fear of the deep pit, looked at the pit wall, and his expression changed: "This is a climbing ladder! We can go down!"
"Since there's a climbing ladder here, it means this pit was artificially constructed. Miss Ning and the others probably fell into some kind of trap. But why would anyone dig such a big pit here? What's it for?"
Hua Yan's gaze was firm: "No matter what this pit is for, we have to go down and find them. Get ready, we're going down!"
Lin Qingyu nodded: "No problem, I'll go down and scout ahead first, then you can come down."
"You go first? Are you sure you can manage?"
Lin Qingyu replied very seriously, "Although you know martial arts, you are a woman, so it's better for us men to do this kind of thing."
After he finished speaking, he stood up, but accidentally stumbled and fell to the ground with his legs giving way.
On a cold winter day, he was actually sweating profusely.
Hua Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Are you sure you can do it?"
Lin Qingyu couldn't help but glance at the deep pit out of the corner of her eye, then swallowed hard and forced herself to say, "I can do it, I'm just a little bit afraid of heights, just a little bit..."
After saying that, he didn't stand up. Instead, he sat on the ground and moved forward little by little. Then, in one go, he stretched his leg into the pit and slowly reached for the climbing ladder.
Looking at the person in front of her who appeared terrified but was still putting on a brave face, Hua Yan shook her head, stood up, grabbed the back of his collar, and lifted him up.
Lin Qingyu was terrified when suddenly he was lifted into the air, his feet off the ground, hovering above the pit, facing the deep abyss. He screamed in fright.
"Miss Hua... Miss Hua Yan, you... you mustn't... let go, someone will... die..."
Hua Yan pulled him up with her long arm and placed him directly on the ground.
Lin Qingyu wanted to cry; the feeling of being grounded was wonderful.
"I'll go first, you follow me, and don't talk nonsense!"
Hua Yan secured the South Pearl to her wrist, tied her skirt to it, and descended directly down the climbing ladder.
Seeing this, Lin Qingyu quickly followed. Now that someone was taking the lead, he wasn't so afraid anymore.
The deeper you go, the darker it gets, and the darker the South Sea pearls become.
Soon the patch of light overhead shrank to a small dot, until finally darkness completely enveloped everything.
The South Pearl emitted a soft light, illuminating the path the two walked.
Lin Qingyu didn't know how long she had been climbing down; her arms felt like they no longer belonged to her, before she heard Hua Yan say, "We're here."
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