Tianchi Ley Line

Chen Zhou thought for a moment, and his heart settled quite a bit. He asked, "How did you all avoid being captured?"

The little rabbit said, "Because Dingding fought with all his might to protect us. He pushed us into a half-collapsed crack in the wall and blocked the entrance himself."

"When those monsters were grabbing him, he kept shouting for us not to come out and not to make a sound."

"Later, Tao Tuantuan seemed to be in a hurry. She said something like, 'It's starting over there, we have to get there quickly,' and then she left with those big monsters, only leaving a few small ones behind to silence us."

"Then you arrived, Lord."

"Lord, we really didn't know Tuantuan would be like this... We've lived in the underground city for so many years, and she was always the one taking care of us, finding us food, and teaching us how to survive."

"We truly thought she was a good person."

After listening, Chen Zhou had a general understanding of the situation.

This timing likely coincided exactly with when he was in Jiao Mu Jiao's memories, confronting Wan Xiu.

Qing Lu had calculated the location of the Eternal Scars, and Tao Tuantuan must have received the news as well, which was why she was in such a hurry to leave.

She didn't actually want to kill these little demons; otherwise, there would have been no need to leave any survivors.

With the strength of the giant hundred corpse patchworks, a single slap could have crushed these dozens of little demons into meat paste.

So, she simply needed sacrifices.

A large number of sacrifices.

Was that it?

Then why did she specifically leave a few little demons behind, including Yang Dingding, and not take them? Was she intentionally leaving them for him so he would discover her movements?

Chen Zhou looked at Chan Yi. "Lead the way."

Chan Yi quickly raised the tortoise shell, activating its remaining light.

The beam of light danced on the ground a few times, then passed through the wall, pointing to a location even further down.

"Lord, it's right below. Right under our feet, very, very close."

Chen Zhou nodded and turned to look at Wu Gou.

"You stay behind."

Wu Gou raised an eyebrow. "What, you're not letting this poor monk follow?"

Chen Zhou said, "Chan Yi is just a guide. We don't know what the situation is like down there, so there's no need for him to take the risk."

"This place isn't safe either. So many hundred corpse patchworks died here, and the ground is covered in the human-shaped markings they left behind. Something could crawl out again at any time."

"Someone needs to stay back and hold the line."

Wu Gou thought about it and nodded. "Fine, then this poor monk will stay and be the babysitter."

He turned to glance at the shivering little demons, then at the unconscious Yang Dingding, and gave a casual, roguish smile.

"Don't worry. With this poor monk here, these little fellows won't die."

Chen Zhou glanced at the little gecko in the little rabbit's arms and took out a few pills from his robes, handing them over.

"Give these to him."

The little rabbit quickly took them and nodded repeatedly.

Chen Zhou stood up and looked at Lian. "Follow me."

Lian quickly followed behind Chen Zhou.

Wu Gou directed the little demons to move Yang Dingding to a corner and had others gather the injured little gecko and the other wounded together.

As he worked, he called out without turning his head.

"Big Demon."

Chen Zhou paused in his tracks.

Wu Gou's voice suddenly became serious, and he smiled. "Be careful. If you go any further down, you'll be at the Tianchi Ley Line. There are many filthy things underground."

Chen Zhou didn't look back; he simply waved his hand and led Lian out of the room.

The underground city was already unrecognizable.

After the formation was damaged, large sections of buildings had collapsed, and rubble and dust covered every passage.

Wing-Fire Snake led the way in front, its ten-zhang-long skeletal frame moving through the corridors. Transparent flames surged from the gaps in its bones, incinerating the obstructing rubble and fallen beams into ash.

Having shrunk in size, Jiao Mu Jiao coiled around Lian's shoulder, its pitch-black scales shimmering with a dark luster in the firelight.

Lian followed behind Chen Zhou, her palms drenched in sweat.

She had never been this deep underground before.

The surroundings were completely dark, a blackness so deep it felt like it could swallow a person whole. It constantly triggered terrifying memories of lying in a coffin, unable to see or hear anything.

"Lord..." she whispered, "it's so deep here."

Chen Zhou gave a brief grunt of acknowledgement and quickened his pace.

The direction Chan Yi pointed out was very clear. They headed straight down, passing through collapsed tunnels, bypassing the shattered Jianmu Hall, and stepping over the remains of hundred corpse patchworks that Wing-Fire Snake had already turned to ash.

Before long, they arrived at the edge of a massive pit.

The pit was circular, at least several hundred zhang in diameter. Its edges were jagged, as if something had violently torn it open. The walls were covered in dense scratch marks, each a zhang deep, looking like they had been carved out bit by bit by the claws of some giant beast.

The pit was pitch black, revealing nothing. Only gusts of cold wind blew out from within, carrying a heavy stench of rot.

Countless hundred corpse patchworks were crawling along the walls of the pit.

They clung to the walls like ants, some crawling up and others down, creating a rustling sound.

Wing-Fire Snake opened its mouth and spat out a wave of flames.

The fire surged into the pit, instantly engulfing the hundred corpse patchworks on the walls.

Screams rang out as the rotting corpses struggled, twisted, and exploded in the flames before turning to ash and fluttering down.

After a few breaths, the walls of the pit were clean; not a single hundred corpse patchwork remained.

However, more rustling sounds came from the bottom of the pit, as if something had been disturbed and was crawling upward.

Chen Zhou frowned. The death qi in his body had only recovered a little, just barely enough to use his Ghost Domain.

He activated his death qi, and the grayish-white Ghost Domain surged from his body, enveloping him and Lian.

"Stay close to me."

With that, he leaped into the deep pit.

Lian took a deep breath, clutched Jiao Mu Jiao, and jumped down after him.

The pit was like a bottomless hole.

The two of them descended, the sounds of whistling wind and rustling crawling filling their ears.

Hundred corpse patchworks constantly emerged from the walls to pounce at them, but before they could get close, they were incinerated by Wing-Fire Snake's flames.

Jiao Mu Jiao leaped from Lian's palm, turning into a streak of black lightning that darted along the walls.

Everywhere it passed, countless black vines erupted from its body, shredding the lunging hundred corpse patchworks into pieces.

With two seventh-stage fifth symbiosis contract summons leading the way, the low-level hundred corpse patchworks were no match for them.

Their path was completely unobstructed.

After an unknown amount of time, a sickly green light finally appeared below, looking like a cluster of rotting fireflies emitting a morbid glow.

Chen Zhou activated his Ghost Domain to slow their descent, finally landing steadily on the ground.

Lian landed after him, her legs going weak as she nearly stumbled.

She looked around and gasped.

This was a massive underground space, so vast its boundaries were invisible.

Above them was a pitch-black rock layer, and beneath their feet was grayish-white stone. The entire area was bathed in sickly green light, making everything look eerie and spectral.

There was also a river flowing at their feet.

Chen Zhou had seen a ley line in the provincial capital of Gloomlight Province. It was where the ley lines of the entire province converged, known as a dragon vein.

The dragon vein had taken the form of a dragon, coiling majestically beneath the provincial capital, but it had later been tainted by sinful karma, turning into a lifeless corpse dragon.

The ley line of Tianchi Province was different from that of Gloomlight Province.

It resembled a winding river, but the water was not water; it was emerald-green light, like freshly sprouted grass, exuding vibrant vitality.

Unfortunately, it was also contaminated. Strands of black qi floated on the surface like duckweed in a pond, and within it, one could faintly see countless vengeful spirits wandering.