"Young Master Zhang, is there an underground space here?" Xiao Guang asked Zhang Tian from the side.
They didn't know what Zhang Tian and the others had discovered over there, but judging by Zhang Tian's expression, it seemed like they had a significant find.
"I suspect there is, but finding its location might be difficult," Zhang Tian replied softly. "Turn over all those buildings. Even if it's in a crevice, we must find it." His gaze drifted to the side; the golden peak that had appeared earlier was long gone. Zhang Tian guessed that even if he had wanted to ascend then, it wouldn't have been ideal.
As Zhang Tian finished speaking, the others began to act. The central mountaintop area was quite spacious. They had explored for hours previously without finding anything unusual, and Zhang Tian was now searching with even greater diligence.
Time passed quickly. Half an hour later, the others returned to their original positions. Zhang Tian also emerged from some ruins. Despite searching for so long, even clearing all the collapsed buildings on the ground, they found nothing, just as Zhang Tian had suspected. There wasn't even a single crack.
"How was it? Did anyone find anything?" Fatty asked first. The others shook their heads. Zhang Tian frowned slightly.
"Boss, I've checked the entire ground, and there's nothing," Fatty said. "Could we have been mistaken?"
Zhang Tian shook his head, his mind racing. Gradually, he noticed something. "Wait, the iron chains we walked on earlier were connected to this central peak, and both chains were linked. There must be space within. If not above, then the entrance must be below." Zhang Tian said with a deep voice. The chains were mostly connected underground. If they were simply anchored to the outside, the load-bearing capacity and weathering would be far greater than what they appeared.
"Do we have to go down?" Xiao Guang looked at Zhang Tian. They had just come up and honestly didn't have the energy to keep running around.
Zhang Tian shook his head. "No need to go down. We came up from below. If the entrance were below, how would the chains have been transported? Therefore, the only answer is the cliff face." Zhang Tian stated. The underground entrances on the two side peaks had confused Zhang Tian and his companions earlier. They had assumed the entrance here would be similar to the ones on the sides. However, the location of the chains made Zhang Tian wary, suggesting the entrance might not be at the mountaintop.
"That's possible," Shirley Yang nodded. She found the hypothesis about the entrance to be somewhat plausible.
"Qilin, Lao Hu, the three of us will go check the cliff face. We'll let you know if we find anything," Zhang Tian said. Shirley Yang nodded, taking a moment to process the information she had just absorbed.
Zhang Tian and the other two headed towards the cliff edge. Looking down at the fathomless abyss, they hesitated not at all. The three of them leaped off the mountaintop, and in the next moment, they were already on the cliff face. They began to climb around the sheer rock.
Gradually, the three of them reached the place where the chains were anchored. At the anchoring point, Zhang Tian noticed what appeared to be signs of prying. Zhang Qilin tapped the surface with his hand, then pressed his ear against the cliff wall. "Empty," Zhang Qilin said.
Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi exchanged glances. If they tried to force their way through here, the chain would surely break.
"There might be some mechanism here. Let's check the surroundings," Zhang Tian said softly. Since it was empty and there was no mechanism above, the entrance could only be here. Zhang Qilin nodded slightly. Dark figures moved constantly along the cliff face, searching for clues. Hu Bayi and Zhang Tian studied the chains before them.
"These chains must have been secured from the inside. Judging by their weight, ordinary people couldn't have moved them," Zhang Tian murmured. "I wonder how these things were transported up here." He knew that without heavy machinery, it would be incredibly difficult to transport such loads up such a high mountain. Zhang Tian was very curious about how this engineering feat was accomplished.
"Could it be that there were cultivators like us back then, making construction much simpler?" Hu Bayi suggested. Zhang Tian nodded. Perhaps that was the only explanation. Moreover, they still had no news of the ultimate Medicine King from the Medicine King Valley. Zhang Tian guessed that their cultivation must be considerable.
Soon, Zhang Qilin returned, his figure treading on the cliff face. His face remained impassive, but a flicker of unusual brilliance flashed in his eyes. "Found it," Zhang Qilin announced. Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi started, impressed by Qilin's speed.
"So quickly," Hu Bayi exclaimed.
"Mhm, follow me." Zhang Qilin said, leading Zhang Tian and the others towards a nearby cliff. Soon, in front of a tree growing on the cliff face, Zhang Qilin stopped. The tree grew strangely, leaning diagonally, much like unique trees seen on television. Such trees do exist in reality, but they are rare. After all, on a cliff face, water is scarce, and if it faces away from the sun, it might also be very cold. Few plants can survive there.
However, there was a branch here that Zhang Tian hadn't expected. The branch was located quite low, so Zhang Tian had overlooked it when he had observed earlier. As Zhang Qilin stood on the branch, he pressed a stone beneath it. Immediately, a circular opening appeared before Zhang Tian.
"I didn't expect there to be a mechanism here," Hu Bayi murmured, somewhat admiring Zhang Qilin's investigative skills. With the tunnel revealed, Zhang Tian didn't rush in. Instead, he looked upwards. Shirley Yang and the others were still above. Zhang Tian considered whether to bring them down.
"Let's go up and bring Miss Yang down. She should be able to learn a lot here," Zhang Tian said softly. Hu Bayi nodded. He found Zhang Tian's consideration for Shirley Yang heartwarming. Afterward, Zhang Tian and the others ascended the mountaintop and brought Fatty and Shirley Yang down. Although they were hesitant to bring Professor Li, the two of them would have been in real danger on the mountaintop, so they brought him along.
Soon, they reached the treetop. Upon seeing the opening beneath the branch, everyone expressed their astonishment. "This entrance is hidden so well. No wonder we didn't find it," Professor Li muttered, his eyes filled with surprise.
"Young Master Zhang, shall we go in? What will be inside? Could it be a dan ku (pill repository)?" Xiao Guang's mind was already filled with images of countless elixirs and miraculous medicines. Zhang Tian remained silent and was the first to enter.
Upon entering the opening, Zhang Tian discovered it was an upward-sloping passage. "Everyone come in. There's no danger here," Zhang Tian said after surveying the area. Then, everyone squeezed in.
"Another one of these passages. Fatty feels like we're becoming moles," Fatty grumbled, walking ahead with great swagger.
Not long after, the passage widened, and a vast space appeared before them. Within the space, Zhang Tian could vaguely see a chain that ran through the entire interior! That chain was not two separate pieces but a single one, directly piercing through the mountain range! Seeing this, Zhang Tian was stunned. This design was called a "dragon-locking spine" and was an ill omen!