Deep in Mt. Aocang, on the withered yellow grass plain near the inner river bank, a new, pitch-black deep pit had appeared.
Looking down from above, only the part of the pit closest to the surface was still visible; anything deeper was completely dark.
Although it was noon and the sun's rays were still strong, the deep pit was like a black hole that devoured light, leaving nothing behind when light entered it.
"Hold on tight, or it'll be trouble if you fall."
A voice suddenly echoed from within the deep pit. In the confined space, the not-so-loud voice reverberated, sounding surprisingly resonant.
If anyone could delve deep into the pit, they would discover a very peculiar combination within.
Just three people and a Slime.
Ember held the ropes tied to the Wind Slime with both hands, alternately raising the left rope and pulling the right. With his movements, the Wind Slime's flight height and direction also changed.
Xingqiu and Chongyun, meanwhile, clung tightly to his thick waist, occasionally glancing down into the darkness below.
"How… how much further is it?" Xingqiu looked up at the pit entrance, which now appeared to be about the same size as the sun hanging in the Sky.
However, the area around the sun was incredibly bright, while the area around this cave entrance was completely dark.
Blinking his eyes, Xingqiu looked down at the bottom of the pit again. Now it was completely dark, with not even a trace of light from the pit entrance.
"I don't know either, it's too dark here," Ember said, controlling the Wind Slime while surveying his surroundings.
But because it was so dark, he couldn't see anything.
No need to think, this place definitely has problems!
Ember just wanted to quickly descend and then go find Dain. Based on his experience with Dain, there would surely be plenty of fun staying by his side.
"Chongyun, it's your time to shine!" Xingqiu said, grabbing Ember's armor with one hand and patting Chongyun with the other.
"I'm not a light bulb," Chongyun retorted weakly upon hearing Xingqiu's words.
But soon, a cluster of bright yellow flames shot up from Chongyun's head, illuminating a large space and reflecting Chongyun's own flushed face.
It seemed he was recalling something exciting or embarrassing.
"Sigh—" Chongyun deeply sighed, with the bright Yang Fire above his head.
In the past few days, he seemed to have broken his vows several times. The path to suppress his Pure Yang Body was still long and uncertain!
..."What a strange place, Lumine, why do you think the Treasure Hoarders would come all the way here?"
In the gloomy Domain, only the conversation between Paimon and Lumine echoed.
"If I knew, we wouldn't have to come to this strange place," Lumine said, holding a dull sword, her eyes filled with vigilance.
Now Lumine suddenly felt that the Hilichurl's shouts weren't so unpleasant anymore. In the endless silence, some sound was always good.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as she expected. The scale of this Domain was one of the largest among all the Domains Lumine had explored.
But apart from some Hilichurls stationed at the entrance, there were no other creatures in the Domain.
The vast Domain was like a forbidden land for life.
The deeper they went into the Domain, the more illogical things became.
Although there was no lighting in the entire Domain, an omnipresent purple light emanated from the stone walls of the Domain, which, combined with the gray of the walls themselves, dyed the entire space an unsettling pale purple.
From time to time, the path ahead of Lumine and Paimon would suddenly break off. Looking down, they could only see a vast expanse of white mist, like the mouth of a giant beast waiting for its prey.
"Why does it feel like the deeper we go, the stranger it gets?" Paimon looked at the stone wall, feeling as though it might transform into a giant mouth and devour her.
She looked at the ground, feeling as though it might suddenly open up and still devour her.
Unconsciously, Paimon almost pressed herself against Lumine. She looked around suspiciously, always feeling that something might jump out and eat her.
"Then be careful and stay behind me," Lumine said, without turning her head, picking up Paimon and placing him on her back.
"I will! Your back is in my hands!" Paimon clung to Lumine's shoulder, shouting with forced composure.
However, his tone sounded so weak that one might suspect he would simply flee when danger arrived.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Only Lumine's footsteps echoed in the Domain. After crossing several cliffs, a huge upward slope appeared before Lumine and Paimon.
The slope was very long; looking up, they couldn't see its end. Moreover, the slope's surface was different from other ground in the Domain.
Every part of the slope was covered with peculiar patterns, complex and profound, making the slope look like a celestial staircase leading to an altar.
"Watch out!"
Paimon suddenly shouted from behind Lumine. Lumine looked up and saw the slope's surface begin to glow purple.
Then the purple light materialized, twisting like ordinary light, but this time it carried the stone slabs on the slope.
However, none of this was what Lumine was most concerned about; her attention was entirely on the purple bubbles rolling down from the top of the slope.
Lumine didn't know the origin of these purple bubbles, which were similar to soap bubbles, nor did she have the mind to study their characteristics.
She only knew one thing: being touched by these things was definitely not a good sign!
Looking left and right, the stone walls on both sides were as towering as cliffs, with no place to hide.
Since there was no place to hide, she would create one! A dark green wind cluster appeared in Lumine's palm, then she picked up Paimon and stepped to the wall.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
The sound of breaking rocks rang out densely. The wind cluster exploded the moment it hit the stone wall, and the raging wind blades cut one jagged gash after another into the wall.
Numerous gashes combined to form a hole in the wall.
Without thinking too much, Lumine pulled Paimon and jumped into the newly created wall hole.
"Hiss—"
Before the two could catch their breath, a creaking sound came from behind them. Lumine and Paimon turned their heads to see purple bubbles rolling down from above, and a hazy gray smoke immediately rose from where they passed.
When the gray smoke rose higher, the two realized that the slope had been corroded to a shocking degree.
The once flat and solid stone slope had become uneven, full of cracks and depressions, under the recent corrosion.
The cracks crisscrossed, like a giant spiderweb, dividing the entire slope into countless small pieces.
Mysterious darkness emanated from the gaps between the cracks, making Lumine feel that if she stepped on the slope, it would collapse and drag her into a bottomless abyss.
"What terrifying bubbles, where did they come from?" Paimon flew out, stomped hard on the uneven slope, and nodded to Lumine.
After his test, this place was still safe to stand on!
"Maybe it's a new mechanism?" Lumine saw Paimon's action, breathed a sigh of relief, and then walked out.
It must be said that Paimon was very useful. For some mechanisms or uncertain footholds, Paimon could always try them first.
"Alright, then be careful next," Paimon muttered a few words. Most of the mechanisms he and Lumine had encountered before were defensive, used to block intruders.
He hadn't expected to see an offensive mechanism for the first time today, and its power was so great.
"Crack… Boom!"
The corroded ground became incredibly fragile; those protruding parts crumbled into rubble and rolled down with a light touch.
After a short rest, the two continued to slowly walk upwards.
After the recent anomaly, Lumine felt a mysterious aura permeating the surroundings, making the air feel heavy.
Unconsciously, Lumine and Paimon's breathing gradually became heavier, not only because of the arduous climb but also because of the inexplicable sense of oppression that lingered in their hearts.
Their gazes were fixed on what lay ahead. At the end of the slope, a strange purple glow dimly appeared.
Then, they saw the source of the dazzling light: an upside-down Statue of The Seven.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"