Following Meiniang, Li Chonglou went east, towards the sea. After about five minutes, Meiniang stopped in front of a ship.
Although Li Chonglou didn't know what an intruder was, he couldn't sense any spiritual energy fluctuations around.
Meiniang didn't explain, but instead went into an opening beneath the ship.
Li Chonglou paused for a moment, then followed.
Inside was a narrow passage that sloped downwards like stairs, reminding Li Chonglou of his first entry into the Lost Land.
"Will there be poison gas here too?"
As the saying goes, having seen a ghost, one fears the dark. However, Meiniang was leading the way, so Li Chonglou could only hold his breath and follow quickly, without breathing.
They descended for over ten meters without reaching the bottom, and Li Chonglou suddenly remembered something.
Wait, wasn't it a ship they entered earlier? How could a ship be this deep?
This realization immediately made him aware that something was amiss. Unfortunately, Meiniang, who was moving rapidly ahead, showed no signs of stopping.
"What exactly is this place?"
Li Chonglou hesitated, but the outcome was the same: he continued to follow.
In such situations, it was like gambling. Knowing there might be danger ahead, he couldn't resist the urge to seek the truth. If he turned back now, he had a hunch he would miss out on something good!
Of course, it could also be a mere illusion. But this time, Li Chonglou decided to take the gamble. To be safe, he activated his Heavenly Eye.
What truly allowed him to make this decision was that, unlike in the Lost Land, his Heavenly Eye was not rendered useless here.
Only then did he finally see the situation below clearly.
There really were intruders!
And not just humans!
Li Chonglou followed Meiniang with a surprised expression until they emerged from the secret passage into a vast cave. Besides the entrance, five other cave openings were visible.
These five openings were mostly in the same direction, not far apart, lined up in a row. However, only one was open; the other four had stone doors about a meter deep, inscribed with many mysterious characters.
At that moment, everyone in the tavern was gathered in front of the cave opening without a stone door.
The opening was not small, three meters wide and three meters high. The tavern patrons stood five meters away, jointly raising their hands to release spiritual energy, forming an invisible protective shield to block the entrance.
Inside, several black strange beasts were frantically attacking the shield, and behind them stood three men in gray.
The moment Li Chonglou saw the gray robes, he instinctively thought of the Divine Emissary organization.
However, when they spoke, it didn't seem like them, as they were speaking a foreign language. Fortunately, Li Chonglou had studied it and could understand.
"You wretched lackeys! Why are you preventing us from liberating you!"
A burly man directly retorted, "This is Huaxia, not your godforsaken place. I don't need your cannon fodder to liberate me."
"No! You are the cannon fodder! As long as the barrier is broken, you too can enjoy the blessings of spiritual energy. Isn't that the ultimate goal of us cultivators!"
The burly man sneered, "And then you can openly invade, right?"
"I told you, we are here to liberate you!"
As he spoke of liberation, the man in black also directed the strange beasts, which were as large as tigers and indistinguishable as black cats or black leopards.
Unfortunately, their strength was insignificant against the spiritual shield formed by the dozens of experts present. After about a minute of stalemate, the leading man in black finally uttered a voice of unwillingness.
"Withdraw!"
Then, the group and beasts immediately turned and retreated into the cave.
Li Chonglou walked over then. Like him, Meiniang had arrived too late to participate in forming the spiritual shield.
The burly man who had spoken earlier also said, "Let's be careful from now on. The camp must have suffered many intrusions, and we need to hurry."
With that, he truly led the way in dismantling the spiritual shield.
Li Chonglou realized that this man was likely the leader of their group, but he was also puzzled. Wasn't he afraid they were faking their retreat and ambushing at the cave entrance?
This was because his Heavenly Eye's penetration ability was still ineffective inside!
He could only see a dense fog within the cave opening!
Yet, the experts seemed to have no such worries, nodding in agreement. The burly man then added, "Everyone, keep your spirit stones. As for the newcomer..."
As he spoke, the burly man's gaze suddenly shifted to Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou's five-layered cultivation aura was clearly visible, and the burly man nodded in satisfaction.
"You've just arrived, and you don't understand much. Follow Meiniang for now. You can ask her about things here. Of course, you'll have to pay blood crystals afterward; you two can discuss the price."
After speaking, he waved his hand.
"Go!"
The group then entered the cave with a sense of excitement, not showing the slightest bit of the anxiety they had displayed earlier.
Li Chonglou was truly bewildered, while Meiniang walked over slowly.
"You heard Big Head. I won't overcharge you for the blood crystals; the usual ten will suffice. Pay up within three days, and an extra crystal for each day thereafter."
Meiniang smiled faintly. Li Chonglou thought for a moment and then said, "What if I don't need it?"
Meiniang's expression froze.
"Are you saying you already know, or you don't need to know?"
Li Chonglou shook his head, "I don't know what's inside."
Meiniang rolled her eyes, "Then you should go back. Otherwise, I dare not take you in."
"Why?"
Meiniang remained silent but asked again, "Do you want to go back now or go in with me? Make a choice quickly, or I'll lose out on blood crystals from both sides!"
Li Chonglou's heart skipped a beat, "You mean there are blood crystals inside?"
Meiniang rolled her eyes again, "Nonsense. If there weren't blood crystals, why would we go in?"
Li Chonglou's eyes narrowed slightly, "Alright then, tell me about the situation inside first."
Meiniang immediately grinned, her impatience vanishing instantly. She smiled at Li Chonglou, "That's more like it. I can guarantee you won't regret this decision!"
Li Chonglou didn't reply, quietly watching her.
Meiniang didn't waste any more words.
"Before I tell you, let me ask you a question: do you know what the Lost Land is?"
Li Chonglou's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. The Lost Land! Could it be related to the Lost Land?
"I know. I've been there."
This time, it was Meiniang's turn to be stunned.