Chapter 397 - 243: Desperate Situation?

Chapter 397: Chapter 243: Desperate Situation?

The Black Shadow hadn’t expected Fang Yue to be so tenacious and couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

He knew he couldn’t keep wearing himself down against Fang Yue like this. He had to find a way to subdue him quickly.

Otherwise, once the experts from the Observatory and the Gongzhou Prefecture Mansion arrived as reinforcements, he would have no chance of escape.

At this thought, the Black Shadow’s figure flickered, and he withdrew from the fight.

"What? Trying to run already?"

Fang Yue sneered. He certainly wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to press his advantage, so he immediately gave chase.

However, just as he was about to catch up, the Black Shadow triggered some kind of mechanism.

The floor flipped open, revealing a deep, dark cavern. Without a moment’s hesitation, the Black Shadow leaped inside.

’Damn it! He’s getting away!’

Fang Yue stood at the edge of the opening, took a deep breath, and unhesitatingly jumped into the deep, dark cavern.

His body plummeted through the darkness. Everything was silent except for the wind roaring in his ears.

He gripped his weapon tightly, focusing all his attention on preparing for the challenge ahead.

As he fell, he tried to adjust his posture to maintain his balance.

At the same time, he constantly scanned his surroundings, trying to find any clues or mechanisms he could use.

But the cavern was deep and pitch-black, so dark he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.

Fang Yue could only rely on his intuition and experience to judge the depth.

Although Fang Yue couldn’t fly yet, he could use his Primordial Qi to cushion the impact of his descent.

He took a deep breath and circulated the Primordial Qi in his body, attempting to slow his fall.

As the Primordial Qi flowed, a faint current of air gradually formed around him, enveloping his body.

His rate of descent slowed. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Fang Yue finally landed at the bottom of the cavern.

’I can’t believe how deep this is!’

Fang Yue was secretly amazed; he hadn’t expected the cavern to be so profound.

It was a good thing his Primordial Qi was so abundant. Another Qi Sensing Martial Artist might not have been able to last long enough and would have had a much harder time getting down here so quickly.

Standing at the bottom, Fang Yue looked around. The cavern was still pitch-black.

He knew the Black Shadow was nearby. He had to stay vigilant and be ready for any potential danger.

The cavern seemed empty, with no sound other than the occasional drip of water. Fang Yue felt something was off. He guessed this place was likely hiding some kind of secret.

He pressed forward, each step taken with extreme caution.

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave way, and his body plunged downward.

Alarmed, he immediately circulated his Primordial Qi, trying to slow his fall. ℯℯ𝘭.

For some reason, however, his Primordial Qi had no effect at all.

Fang Yue felt his body accelerating, with no idea where he was going to end up.

Just as he was about to lose control, he felt a jolt and then slammed heavily onto the ground.

But Fang Yue’s body was tough enough that he was uninjured. In fact, he was the one who left a large crater in the ground.

Fang Yue climbed out of the crater, dusted himself off, and looked around.

It appeared to be a basement. There were stone shelves around him, lined with an assortment of unknown bottles and jars.

A strange, somewhat suffocating smell hung in the air.

Covering his nose and mouth, Fang Yue carefully approached the shelves, hoping to find some clues.

He picked up a random bottle. It was cool to the touch and engraved with some ancient symbols he didn’t recognize.

He shook it gently and heard the sound of liquid sloshing inside.

Fang Yue put the bottle back, silently wondering what could be inside all these containers.

He continued onward and found that the basement was quite large. Besides the shelves, there were also stone tables and chairs.

He walked up to a table where a yellowed volume of Ancient Texts lay.

Curious, he picked up the Ancient Texts and flipped through them. He found they recorded some old Cultivation Methods and Secret Techniques.

However, judging by how casually they were left out, he knew these Cultivation Techniques weren’t anything precious—just some basic Cultivation Methods.

Fang Yue put down the Ancient Texts and continued to explore deeper into the basement.

He rounded a few corners when his view suddenly opened up. A stone door appeared before him.

The stone door was shut tight, carved with intricate patterns and symbols that gave off a mysterious aura.

Fang Yue walked to the stone door and tried to push it open, but it didn’t budge an inch.

He carefully examined the patterns and symbols on the door and realized they seemed to be a form of ancient Mechanical Technique.

An idea struck Fang Yue. He recalled some of the knowledge he had once learned about Mechanical Techniques.

He reached out and pressed a few spots on the stone door.

Suddenly, the stone door emitted a faint grinding sound, then slowly swung open.

Fang Yue was delighted. He knew he had found the right method.

He stepped through the stone door and found himself in an even more spacious stone chamber.

In the center of the chamber was a stone pedestal, and on it sat a black box.

Fang Yue walked to the pedestal and tried to open the box, only to find it had a complex lock.

He observed the lock’s structure and saw that it appeared to be an ancient mechanical lock.

Just then,

"Haha, Fang Yue. To be able to die here... what an honor for you." The Black Shadow’s voice, laced with a chilling mockery, came from behind him.