Chapter 359
Shen Li carried her to the mountaintop.
As they approached, Shen Tang realized this wasn’t an ordinary mountain, but a volcano crater, no wonder the surrounding air was stiflingly hot!
Shen Tang flipped off the fox’s back and landed on the ground; as soon as her feet touched the ground, her shoe soles almost melted!
Shen Tang looked down from the volcano’s mouth; it was pitch dark, and nothing could be seen.
She took two steps back, swallowed nervously, and turned her head to look at Shen Li, who had transformed into his human form, “The entrance to the Secret Realm you mentioned… wouldn’t be here, would it p>
“A few days ago, I detected energy fluctuations nearby, and the entrance marked on the map is here as well, it’s hardly wrong p>
Shen Li walked up to Shen Tang, wrapped his arm around her waist, and comforted her with a smile, “Don’t be afraid, this volcano has been dormant for a hundred years, it hasn’t erupted; it’s just an extinct volcano p>
Shen Tang was somewhat apprehensive, “Are you sure you want to go down today p>
Shen Li, “According to my observation, now is the time when the earthfire is sleeping; if we wait a while longer, the earthfire will become active, and it won’t be so easy to enter p>
The place below seems like a thousand fathoms cliff; jumping down would lead to certain death!
Shen Li chuckled softly, “Xiao Tang’er, hold on to me tightly p>
Shen Tang held onto his waist, pressed against his chest, and could distinctly smell the faint enchanting fragrance on the man, captivating and bewitching.
His chest emitted a slight vibration, and the man’s low, pleasant voice came from above, “Close your eyes p>
Shen Tang obediently closed her eyes.
The mountain winds whistled, he held her, and leaped forward.
The world spun, a sudden sensation of weightlessness, Shen Tang let out a piercing scream, her mind went blank, leaving only the instinct to cling tightly to him—this was even more thrilling than a roller coaster ride!
Shen Li looked at the female in his arms, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Nine fox tails suddenly spread out, expanding several times, crimson like flames, resembling a blooming fiery lotus piercing the turbulent darkness, spreading a cascade of flowing fire amidst the black descent down the cliff.
The tips of the tails brushed through the air, swaying lightly, like evening clouds scattered by the wind.
The descent seemed to stretch into eternity; Shen Tang’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest, her ears filled with the howling wind and her own thunderous heartbeat, just as she thought this fall would never end—
A gentle laugh, mixed with the vibration from his chest, reached her ears,
“Alright, open your eyes now, we’re here p>
Shen Tang felt her feet touch the ground, only then did she open her eyes, her breath gradually calming.
A thrilling ride, safely landed.
It was pitch dark all around, nothing could be seen, only the sound of something flowing could be heard, like the sound of water but much more muffled.
Shen Li raised a cluster of flames in his palm and casually tossed it into the air.
The flame transformed into a red nine-tailed fox, winding and drifting above them, illuminating the surroundings, scattering specks of light dust.
They were inside a massive underground cave.
To be more precise, this didn’t seem like a natural cave—the walls around were too smooth, with clear signs of chiseling, the top arched perfectly extending into the distance.
The air was distorted by the heat, yet Shen Tang no longer felt that unbearable heat, her earrings touched her face, inexplicably cool, forming an energy barrier shielding her from the volcano’s wild heat waves.
“This is a man-made cave!” Shen Tang exclaimed in surprise, “It must have been created by the Empire’s ancestors, who would have thought they built subterranean ruins at the volcano’s bottom; truly impressive p>
“These murals have existed for quite some time; they might not have been left by the Empire’s ancestors; perhaps, there are predecessors.” Shen Li approached a wall, gently touching the reliefs with his fingers.
Shen Tang walked closer to observe. The reliefs seemed to depict people performing some kind of ritual, wearing peculiar clothing, holding unrecognizable tools. At the center, there was a stone-made altar with a crystal-like object, emitting a seven-colored faint glow.
The two proceeded along the corridor; the mural’s content grew increasingly enigmatic, making one wonder if these depictions were real events or engraved stories.
What exactly do the murals describe?
A highly advanced civilization, the discovery of a certain energy, followed by… disaster?
Of course, these are Shen Tang’s guesses based on the murals; the last few reliefs were severely damaged; only scenes of explosions and people fleeing could be distinguished.
Beyond that, nothing was left.
“System, take photos and record these murals p>
[Alright, Host p>
Shen Li looked at these murals, also lost in thought.
Suddenly, as if he guessed something, his slender, jade-like fingers caressed the wall, tracing some sort of trajectory, sketching lightly.
His fingertips touched a certain point.
Pressed down.
It was hollow!
Rumble—
The ground trembled; a crack opened beneath their feet, with scorching red magma flowing within.
Shen Li quickly carried Shen Tang away from the area being eroded by lava, narrowing his fox eyes dangerously, then pressed another spot on the wall.
The ground trembled again!
The entire cave swayed precariously, with large chunks of gravel falling from above, the murals disintegrated, crumbling down.
Shen Tang’s face turned pale with fright, urgently grabbed his hand, stopping him, “Stop for now, don’t mess around, or we’ll be buried alive here p>
However, Shen Li didn’t stop, his expression rare with cold severity, seeking clues left by the murals, stringing them together mentally, pressing the final mechanism.
The concealing cave completely collapsed into ruins.
A stone door suddenly appeared before their eyes.
The stone door was covered with obscure, incomprehensible runes, seemingly protected by some mysterious force, preventing access by outsiders.
Shen Tang was deeply stunned by the scene before her.
From behind came the man’s low, pleasant voice, “Xiao Tang’er, the place we’re looking for is hidden behind the door p>
“The site has been sealed, take out the scepter given by the High Priest and break the seal p>
“Alright.” Shen Tang nodded, retrieved the scepter from the space.
No one ever taught her how to use the scepter, but at the moment she got hold of it, a voice guided her in the void, instructing her to use spiritual power to activate the scepter’s power and lift the stone door’s seal.
A low rumbling sound emitted from within the door; the entire space began to tremble slightly as the stone door gradually slid open to the sides, revealing a staircase leading down.
Shen Tang’s expression lit up overjoyed; she quickly stepped through the stone door.
Shen Li hesitated for a moment, clenched his fists, and followed suit.
After passing through a long tunnel, the two finally reached the hidden chamber.
Contrary to the grand vastness they imagined, inside the stone door was just a very narrow space, pitch dark; fortunately, the Fox Fire illuminated the central altar.
This was the altar depicted in the murals!
In the center of the altar, there was a primitive stone, nowhere near as sacred as the seven-colored divine stone in the murals; it simply appeared to be an ordinary gray stone.
“We didn’t find the wrong place, did we?” Shen Tang frowned.
Shen Li looked at the stone on the altar, nodded, “This is the Earth Core, it’s just been sealed for too long, covered in dust, becoming like this p>
Shen Tang was about to walk over to retrieve it when the man behind her suddenly called out to her,
“Xiao Tang’er, may I ask you something p>