Entering the second week of the exploration of the Three Rivers Treasure Valley, all the disciples who planned to enter the divine beast graveyard had entered. By the time the disciples of Ten Thousand Flower Valley arrived at the location, there were very few people left aboveground.
“We’re finally here!” Lin Qingcheng was the first to cry out.
She threw up her hands in celebration and relief.
The past few days had been spent running away from the carp lake. They rode the jeweled dragon carps as far as they could and then traveled the rest of the way on foot. Thankfully, with the powerful beasts leading the way, they were able to avoid a lot of unnecessary fights.
“Look, it’s Sister Wu!” Bei Yingluo shouted.
A woman in white appeared from behind a large rock and strolled towards them.
“Big Sis!” Lin Qingcheng waved, causing Wu Qianyu to smile.
Beside her, there was another familiar figure in gray.
“Sister Peng is also here!”
Wu Qianyu and Peng Lingxi had been waiting for them. Peng Lingxi had been the first to arrive, and Wu Qianyu a few days later. Now, everyone was here.
The disciples greeted one another happily. They congratulated Wu Qianyu on her breakthrough to the Lesser Realm of Spiritual Formation, knowing how hard she had worked for this. Lin Qingcheng wanted to try out the newly upgraded Sorrowful Sword Style. Wu Qianyu promised that they would have plenty of time to spar after they returned to the sect.
Wu Qianyu and Peng Lingxi also graciously congratulated the ice sisters and Bei Yingluo for their breakthroughs. One had been expected while the other hadn’t been. They were both amazed by the phenomenon of a carp leaping over the dragon gate. It was a wonderful, fortuitous encounter.
As a sect, Ten Thousand Flower Valley had already accomplished a lot. Despite the various schemes, participating in this Immortal Sect Competition had been worth it.
But it was only the beginning. More exciting battles awaited them beneath their feet. There were many hidden treasures in the divine beast graveyard and they couldn’t let them fall into the hands of evil people.
“They say the divine beast graveyard is protected by a strange spiritual array,” Zhou Ziyun said, “It blocks anyone at the immortal realms and those below the lesser realms. Is it true?”
Out of the group, Lin Qingcheng, Zhou Ziyun, Bei Yingluo, and Qin Shui’er did not meet the qualifications. It meant that they would have to stay behind. But they didn’t want to.
“I don’t know,” Wu Qianyu said, “Nobody below the lesser realms has come here except us.”
“Let’s try it out! We won’t know unless we try!” Lin Qingcheng said.
“Chengcheng is right!” Zhou Ziyun said.
They walked over to the entrance, the small, unremarkable hole in the ground.
“I’ll go first!” Saying that, Lin Qingcheng ducked her head and climbed into the hole.
At first, it felt like any other cave entrance. It was a little narrow, but she could still walk. She descended steadily. When it got too dark, she took out a luminous pearl to light the way.
However, a strange thing happened as she continued to go down. The walls of the tunnel started to narrow. The ceiling became lower and lower. Soon, the tunnel became even narrower. She had to lie flat on her stomach and crawl like a worm.
Eventually, she got stuck around a narrow bend. She couldn’t go forward. She also couldn’t go back. She could only wiggle her feet helplessly.
“Help!” She yelped, “I’m stuck!”
Hearing her shout, Wu Qianyu went in and found Lin Qingcheng rolling around on the ground, gathering dirt. She wasn’t stuck at all. Wu Qianyu went up to Lin Qingcheng and shook her, trying to wake her from whatever spell she was under. After that failed, Wu Qianyu lifted her over one shoulder and carried her out.
“Whew! That was a little scary!” Lin Qingcheng said, seemingly returning to normal after exiting the cave.
After catching her breath, she described her ordeal of being stuck. She was then astonished by Wu Qianyu’s opposite account. The rest were equally shocked.
“What a strange spiritual barrier. Let me try,” Zhou Ziyun said.
She bravely went inside, expecting to challenge the same illusion Lin Qingcheng experienced. Instead, she found an ordinary tunnel that descended steeply. She went slowly and carefully but found nothing unusual. Hence, she kept going… and going…
Ten minutes later, Wu Qianyu entered the tunnel and found Zhou Ziyun walking around in a circle, seemingly in a trance. Only when she was back above ground did she snap out of it.
“Ugh…” Zhou Ziyun muttered and rubbed her temples, “I have a headache!”
She sat on the ground, completely perplexed. She prided herself in her mental strength and comprehension ability. Yet, she had been fooled by the spiritual array so easily.
Following Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun's experiences, Bei Yingluo and Qin Shui’er no longer wanted to challenge the strange barrier. This place was too mysterious. It was better not to try too hard. There were also a few people from other sects nearby. They couldn’t reveal all of their powers.
“Alright, then it is decided,” Zhou Ziyun said, “The four of us will continue to explore the Three Rivers Treasure Valley.”
Beside her stood Lin Qingcheng, Bei Yingluo, and Qin Shui’er. They would head back to the river with the jeweled dragon carp. There were plenty of treasures scattered throughout the valley. This divine beast graveyard wasn’t the only worthwhile place.
After they left, the rest prepared to enter the divine beast graveyard. Wu Qianyu was the leader since she had the most seniority. She casually entered the tunnel and experienced none of the ill effects that stopped Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun. The ice sisters went next while Peng Lingxi brought up the rear. They all decided to stick together as it was unknown what kinds of dangers they would face down there.
As Peng Lingxi entered the tunnel, a handsome man appeared from who knows where and followed behind her.
“Miss Peng, the graveyard is very dangerous. I shall accompany you and your sisters!”
It was none other than Luo Ping, the young master of the Limitless Sword Hall. With a smile on his face, he shamelessly followed her into the underground world.
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