The interior of the cave was pitch black, making it impossible to discern anything within.
"Master, perhaps you should take everyone back first," Ye Fan advised. "What if we encounter more danger inside..."
"Very well," True Monarch Ziyun nodded. "Then I shall wait for you above."
If the entrance was this perilous, who knew what other tricks lay within.
Not being a burden to his disciple was the greatest help he could offer!
Thus, True Monarch Ziyun led his retinue back the way they came.
He also took the unconscious little demoness with him.
Her current state clearly made her unable to participate in any combat.
"Are you sure you want to stay?" Ye Fan asked in his mind.
"Yes," Ziyu replied. "Master, rest assured, though my combat power isn't that high, I won't die easily."
Ye Fan nodded, saying no more.
If even the system couldn't detect Ziyu's true form, Ziyu's origins were likely significant.
Besides Ziyu, the two elders also remained.
In their words, they had finally managed to get out and wanted to explore properly...
Ye Fan felt even more assured about these two.
It was likely that even if he died, the two elders would be fine...
After everyone else left, Ye Fan and the others stepped through the stone gate.
As expected.
The moment they entered, the stone gate behind them vanished.
They now stood on a dilapidated stone path.
Everything around was dark, and nothing could be seen.
Ye Fan reached out his hand, only to be blocked by something invisible.
The range of movement was limited to the width of the path beneath their feet.
It seemed they could only move forward.
The four of them walked down the stone path.
About an hour later, a small town appeared before them.
The buildings within were in severe disrepair, and the entire town was shrouded in an atmosphere of decay.
Most bizarrely, everything here was in black and white!
All the original colors had been replaced by gray!
Pedestrians could be seen on the streets.
Some were walking, others were buying goods from roadside vendors.
However, everyone remained in a single pose, as if petrified.
"Strange, why aren't these people moving?" the Second Elder curiously tapped a nearby pedestrian. "Excuse me..."
When tapped lightly, the pedestrian instantly turned to dust!
The Second Elder yelped in fright and scrambled into Master Xie Yan's arms.
"Don't be afraid, Second Elder, I'm here," Master Xie Yan comforted him.
Yet, his trembling body made his words utterly unconvincing...
Ye Fan tried touching another pedestrian, who also instantly turned to dust.
Everyone in the entire town...
Had already died long ago!
The surroundings were eerily silent.
This was clearly a dead town!
"They are truly pitiful..." the Second Elder said with a sad expression.
"They can't find peace even in death," Master Xie Yan echoed.
Then, both elders waved their hands, summoning a gust of strong wind.
"Whoosh—!"
The howling wind scattered all the people on the street.
"Two seniors, what are you...?"
Ziyu asked, bewildered.
"They are indeed pitiful," the Second Elder explained. "But if something were to ambush us now, they would obstruct our vision."
Ziyu blinked in confusion.
Wouldn't an ambush be detected by divine sense?
By the time you see the enemy, it would be too late, right?
Due to rarely interacting with the two elders, Ziyu didn't know them very well.
Her understanding was limited to 'these two seniors have peculiar personalities'.
"Little Ziyu, look," Master Xie Yan said solicitously. "The view is much clearer now. If an enemy appears, we'll be able to spot them immediately."
As he spoke, his left eye darted erratically as usual.
Ziyu instinctively cowered.
Even though she knew he meant no harm, she couldn't help but feel an inexplicable chill...
Ye Fan led them to inspect a nearby building but found nothing special.
They continued onward after coming out.
The surroundings remained terrifyingly silent.
Even in uninhabited wilderness, one could usually hear some sounds.
Wind, water, the chirping of insects and birds...
And so on.
But here, there was absolute silence!
Even their own breathing and heartbeats were almost imperceptible!
This was clearly not right!
Ye Fan stomped his foot in place; the sound was incredibly faint.
He had also checked the surroundings and found no trace of any formations.
"Everyone, be careful," Ye Fan warned. "There's something strange about this place."
His voice had also become noticeably weaker.
Just moments ago, everything had been normal when Ziyu and the two elders were speaking.
Now, as the sound was produced, it was as if someone had turned down the volume.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, a statue appeared before them.
The statue was carved entirely from an unknown gray material, several times larger than an adult elephant.
Its shape resembled a rhinoceros, but its body was covered in palm-sized scales.
On its ferocious head, a thick, single horn nearly ten feet long protruded.
If a child saw it, they would probably cry from fright.
Ye Fan was not unfamiliar with this creature.
A beast of the third level of Nascent Soul – the Dragon-Scaled Giant Rhino.
Legend had it that the Dragon-Scaled Giant Rhino was a descendant branch of the dragon race.
This beast's offensive capabilities were not particularly outstanding, but its defensive capabilities were absolutely monstrous!
It could withstand all attacks from a beast a full major realm higher than itself!
It was said that its dragon-scale armor was also capable of growth, and its defense became even more terrifying in later stages!
When it reached its peak, it would be almost indistinguishable from real dragon scales!
The reason for "it was said" was that no one had ever personally witnessed this scenario.
Such exquisite refining materials would naturally not be overlooked by cultivators.
This led to the Dragon-Scaled Giant Rhino being hunted to near extinction...
At least, that was the situation in the cultivation worlds Ye Fan had traversed before his transmigration.
The Dragon-Scaled Giant Rhino's proud scales had become the harbinger of its species' doom...
Ye Fan had a vague feeling that something was amiss.
This creature was too lifelike.
No matter how lifelike a statue was, it was ultimately an inanimate object.
Even the most realistic ones lacked a certain 'spirit'.
As a fully skilled sculptor, Ye Fan understood this very well.
Yet, the statue before them seemed almost *too* lifelike...
"Wow, this thing is so cute!"
The two elders exclaimed in unison and quickly walked towards the statue!
By this time, Ye Fan had no time to comment on the elders' aesthetic taste and hurriedly stopped them, "Don't..."
Unfortunately, it was too late.
The moment the two elders had taken a few steps, a dull gray light emanated from the statue!
Then.
The statue 'came alive'!
The Dragon-Scaled Giant Rhino charged at them like a tank!
Its immense weight caused the ground to tremble slightly.
Strangely, the entire process was utterly silent!
Not a single sound was made!
The Dragon-Scaled Giant Rhino was fast.
The two elders were clearly terrified and forgot to run.
"Ahhh, it's so scary!"
They both crouched down and plunged their heads into the ground!
Good heavens!
They even managed to break through the hard stone ground!
With their heads buried and rear ends in the air, their bodies trembled incessantly.
As if this would make the creature unable to see them...
In an instant, the Dragon-Scaled Giant Rhino reached them.
Its sharp horn, gleaming with cold light, lunged fiercely towards the two elders' posteriors!