Chapter 674 - 419: Beneath the Abyss

When Wu Shidao returned to the room again, he was holding a brocade bag. He walked to a desk, opened the bag, and took out a stack of something that seemed like very thin animal hide, and spread the wax-yellow, soft animal hide on the desk.

Fan Hongjiao and Lu Geng had already gathered around the desk.

Duan Rong also walked over. He stood behind Wang Yue and looked at the desk. Wang Yue was of short stature, only reaching Duan Rong’s chest level, so he did not obstruct Duan Rong’s view at all.

The soft, wax-yellow animal hide covered almost half of the desk, densely covered with various crossing lines and annotations.

Wu Shidao pointed to several places on the map and mused, "The cycle of these frequently visited places is not quite right."

In fact, this was the reason why Wu Shidao did not immediately agree when Fan Hongjiao first brought it up.

Fan Hongjiao looked at the Geomancy Map, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and said, "Since it’s like this, we can only squat and wait by the stream."

Lu Geng said, "Waiting is a matter of luck. If luck isn’t on our side, we may not encounter anything even after two or three days."

Fan Hongjiao said, "If you’re afraid of waiting, you don’t have to go."

Lu Geng was momentarily speechless due to Fan Hongjiao’s retort.

Wu Shidao, however, glanced at Duan Rong. Clearly, waiting wasn’t a good choice, but Fan Hongjiao seemed intent on taking Duan Rong down as soon as possible, even if it meant waiting by the stream.

Fan Hongjiao’s actions weren’t entirely out of her wish to take care of Duan Rong. In fact, before Zhu He left, he had instructed Fan Hongjiao to take Duan Rong to train in the Dark Forest as soon as possible.

She was merely following her master’s orders!

After all, Fan Hongjiao was the eldest senior sister among them. Since she had made a decision, Lu Geng, Wang Yue, and the others could only comply.

After agreeing on the location to infiltrate the Dark Forest, they each prepared themselves briefly before setting off. Duan Rong asked Wang Yue what he needed to prepare, and Wang Yue told him that he didn’t need to prepare anything; he just needed to follow them when the time came.

About the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn later, they gathered again at the entrance of the discussion hall. Once everyone was present, Fan Hongjiao led them along a corridor, turning down a pavilion.

When they reached the first level of the pavilion, Duan Rong originally thought they would leave, but unexpectedly, Fan Hongjiao suddenly pushed open a rather hidden door.

Behind that door, there were steps that continued to extend downward.

They were already on the first level of the pavilion, so if they went further down, wouldn’t they be entering the mountain’s interior?

Duan Rong furrowed his brow slightly but saw that the others all had calm expressions.

He followed them through the door, stepping down the stairs.

The stairs led downwards into darkness, like a path to endless oblivion.

Lu Geng, at the back, had already taken out a flint and lit a previously prepared torch.

The initial part of the path was still made of wooden stairs like those on the pavilion above, but as Duan Rong walked on, he realized that at some point, the steps beneath his feet had turned into hard stone.

The walls on both sides were covered with moss-covered stone.

None of them spoke, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the hollow space. They kept walking as if time had come to a standstill.

With nothing but the deep stone stairs as a reference, it was impossible to tell how far they had walked in the dark passage.

As they walked, just when Duan Rong started to feel anxious, a gleam of light appeared ahead.

At that moment, Duan Rong heard a few sighs around him; evidently, it wasn’t just him who felt anxious. Although the others must have walked this path before, they too felt a sense of unease.

This was likely a physiological reaction; when walking in such a monotonous tunnel for a long time, a sense of endless progression would slowly emerge, creating the illusion that one would be walking forever...

They followed the stone steps into the light ahead.

It was a small stone chamber with walls intricately carved with dense animal patterns, some of the beast heads appearing fierce and terrifying in the firelight.

In one corner, an old man with a withered appearance sat cross-legged on a prayer mat.

As they entered the stone chamber, Fan Hongjiao looked at the old man and smiled, "Mr. Yi, are you guarding this door these days?"

The old man lifted his eyelids, his murky eyes coldly glancing over them. The look sent a chill through Duan Rong’s heart.

The old man’s gaze locked onto Duan Rong and he asked, "Who’s that youngster? He looks unfamiliar!"

Fan Hongjiao said, "He’s the newly accepted direct disciple on Yunfu Peak." As she spoke, she turned and said, "Duan Rong! Show your Sect Cloud Scroll to the senior here."

"No need!" The old man sighed, "It’s not exactly a pleasant place. Go on."

Even though the old man said this, Duan Rong clearly felt a powerful divine sense pierce through his Dantian for a brief moment. The old man evidently had still checked his cultivation level.

Fan Hongjiao respectfully cupped her fists, "Thank you, Mr. Yi!"

The old man weakly grunted through his nose, like a tiny fly, then closed his eyes to continue meditating.

Fan Hongjiao led the group to a stone wall beside the old man. She suddenly pulled out a peculiar-looking key from her waist and inserted it into a certain spot.

Duan Rong distinctly saw Fan Hongjiao insert the key into the mouth of a menacing beast head carved into the stone wall, then turn it, causing the stone door in front to rumble open.

Fan Hongjiao withdrew the key and entered the stone door, while the others hurriedly followed, with Lu Geng carrying a torch at the rear.

Inside the stone door was a long, dim passageway.