"You've been there? But you're..."
Li Chonglou knew what she meant. He spread his hands. "You're talking about the curse power, right? I've unsealed it."
However, Mei Niang's brows remained furrowed. "How did you unseal it? From what I know, out of a hundred people who've been afflicted, not a single one has managed to do it."
Li Chonglou's expression froze, and he was momentarily bewildered.
It was that difficult? But several people around him were almost fully unsealed!
The grey dog he met in town back then, and Du Tian who was now at his company, at least those two were almost completely unsealed. Coupled with Wutong later, Li Chonglou had long since taken the curse power lightly.
He never expected it to be such a big deal for Mei Niang.
But Li Chonglou's mind was quick. After a brief pause of about a second, he concealed his surprise and said calmly, "Just because others can't doesn't mean I can't. But I can only say it was partly luck."
Wutong had clearly said that the fastest way to unseal a curse was by killing other curse-bearers, a method commonly known in the martial world. But Mei Niang's attitude now made Li Chonglou doubt who was telling the truth.
If Wutong was telling the truth, then how could Mei Niang, who knew about such a miraculous place, not know about this universally acknowledged method?
If Mei Niang was telling the truth, then Wutong's intentions would need to be re-examined!
However, the most important thing now was to deal with Mei Niang. So Li Chonglou didn't ponder this question deeply. Instead, he watched Mei Niang's reaction.
The latter's brows did not relax, but her tone changed. "I didn't expect your talent to be so exceptional. Not only have you reached such heights at such a young age, but you can even unseal the curse power."
"Whose descendant are you?"
Li Chonglou didn't answer the question. Instead, he asked, "Mei Jie, why don't you tell me about the situation inside? What exactly is this place?"
Mei Niang's expression suddenly changed, and she said with some displeasure, "Don't call me that casually. You should still call me Mei Niang. I'm not used to other forms of address."
Li Chonglou nodded.
Mei Niang then said, "Above our circle, there is a bottleneck layer. Have you heard of this?"
Li Chonglou frowned slightly and shook his head, but his expression instantly turned solemn.
Mei Niang didn't seem surprised by this. Knowing about the Lost Land was astonishing enough for her. If he also knew this, he would likely know about the situation inside.
"The Lost Land is actually where they break through."
As soon as she said this, Li Chonglou froze completely, as if struck by a bolt of lightning that directly hit his forehead.
The Lost Land is their breakthrough place!
This meant that there truly was a circle he had never encountered!
Seeing Li Chonglou stunned into a daze, Mei Niang smiled slightly. "It's truly identical. When I first heard this news, it took me a long time to digest and accept this reality."
"Once upon a time, the moment we first entered a certain realm, we already felt that we had reached the ceiling of this world. Even becoming an outstanding figure was merely a matter of time."
"Although as we progressed, we gradually learned to be low-key, when our cultivation broke through the fifth layer, even if we didn't say it out loud, I believe few didn't feel a sense of pride within."
Mei Niang suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh. "But after learning this news, you have no choice but to accept that you are merely a frog in a well, a clown who has never seen the world."
Li Chonglou also recovered from Mei Niang's lament. Although shocked, he didn't entirely agree with what she said.
"Mei Niang, the path is forged by oneself. Those at the seventh layer, or even higher realms, also came from our stage. I believe as long as a person is still alive, anything is possible!"
These words were not just for Mei Niang, but also for himself. In cultivation, one either advances or retreats; they could not afford too much sadness.
Surprise appeared on Mei Niang's face, this time not because of Li Chonglou's strength, but his state of mind.
"Kid, I didn't expect you to have such high awareness at such a young age."
Li Chonglou said speechlessly, "I don't think I'm that young anymore."
"That's still younger than me!"
Mei Niang glared at him. Li Chonglou didn't retort, and she then brought the conversation back.
"However, sometimes confidence comes from a lack of experience. I hope you can maintain your current mindset after entering."
Mei Niang suddenly sighed and then truly began to explain the situation inside.
"You already know the origin of the Lost Land. Inside, it's actually not complicated. It's just another underground space connected to the deep sea of North Port, or you could call it an underground world."
"Underground world?"
Mei Niang nodded. "Yes, its area is said to be at least the size of a Eurasian continent. Legend has it that in ancient times, this was the center of the world. But for some unknown reason, it eventually sank to the depths and became the underground world."
Li Chonglou's shock this time was no less than when he first heard about the Lost Land.
He was once again dumbfounded, frozen in place.
What on earth!
An underground world? The former center of the world?
Why had no one ever mentioned such a significant matter? Not even Old Tie from the General Bureau, his captain, or even the brothers in the Iron Forest and his master – no one had ever mentioned anything like this!
And this was the first time in his two lives that he had heard of it!
"Then what about the Lost Land?"
Li Chonglou looked at Mei Niang somewhat dazedly. She calmly replied, "Naturally, it's the special place that connects to it. Unlike the entrance we're standing at now, the Lost Land often connects to the 'Tiantian Treasure Lands' within."
Mei Niang explained in easily understandable terms, "You can think of it this way: this world has several normal passages connecting to the underground world. Besides these, there are also some blessed lands within the underground world. Because of the extremely dense spiritual energy, special exits have formed."
"And these special exits often connect to our above-ground space, thus forming the Lost Land."
Li Chonglou suddenly understood, but he also instinctively asked, "Then what about the curse power?"
However, Mei Niang suddenly widened her eyes. "Alright, kid, don't get greedy. I'm taking your blood crystal to explain the situation inside, not the situation of the Lost Land. That requires additional payment!"
"I'll pay!"
Li Chonglou said resolutely without hesitation.
Mei Niang was also straightforward. "Sorry, I really don't know about that."
Helpless, Li Chonglou could only ask her to return to the main topic.
"We're running out of time, so I'll make a long story short. Firstly, the underground world is currently the only place with complete spiritual energy. Without exaggeration, for us cultivators, it is paradise."