Ye Ningze knew that Su Xue had lost her courage, but he himself could not afford to lose it.
The reason was simple: even if it meant facing a mountain of knives and a sea of fire behind them, even if it was hell, he had to venture in.
If he retreated this time, he would lose the psychological fortitude expected of a strong individual, and truthfully, it would leave an unbridgeable scar in his heart.
If he failed in combat, he might one day reclaim that psychological edge from his enemies.
But if he retreated himself, he would never be able to conquer the inner demons that plagued him.
Therefore, Ye Ningze's gaze was firm as he spoke to Su Xue before him:
"Do you think that having come this far, if we don't go in and see, we can be at peace? Believe me, your grandfather, until his dying moment, could never let this matter go."
Ye Ningze was not wrong about this point. Su Xue's grandfather was uneasy until the moment of his death, even regretting that he had not, as he always intended, walked through that door back then.
If he had entered that door and known what lay beyond, perhaps he would not have carried such regrets, even to the point of repeatedly instructing Su Xue to uncover what was behind that door.
Perhaps it was Ye Ningze's gaze that was too powerful, or perhaps Ye Ningze truly gave him a sense of security.
Thus, he prepared to follow Ye Ningze into this place to see what was inside.
Su Xue was not foolish, so she knew that where there were heavenly treasures, there would inevitably be fierce, exotic beasts guarding them.
Precisely because of this, if they wanted to obtain the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus, they might have to endure a battle.
And this battle would undoubtedly be one they could not win. Ye Ningze slowly pushed open the stone door. What lay beyond the door?
He held his breath, awaiting the final answer. But when they pushed open the chamber, they were utterly stunned, for there was nothing inside.
There was only a massive stone platform. Apart from this colossal stone platform, the entire chamber was empty.
Ye Ningze slowly walked onto the stone platform, with Su Xue following closely behind him.
As they entered the chamber, the feeling of being watched grew increasingly intense.
This sensation of being observed made them feel as though there was a peculiar spatial distortion within the room.
It was as if the immense stone platform, which was only a few steps away, could not be reached even after taking a dozen steps.
This strange spatial distortion made both of them realize that there was something special about this chamber, waiting for them to explore further.
"Do you feel it? It's as if the space in this room has been layered, a double overlap of sight and sensation."
Who would have thought that such technology could be encountered in this place?
Indeed, the things within ruins could never be judged by ordinary standards, Ye Ningze suddenly had a thought.
That is, perhaps the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus never existed in this world originally; it was only when someone brought it to this world that its legend began.
This place seemed to be intrinsically linked to the origin of the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus.
The most crucial problem now was how to make the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus manifest.
He believed the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus was in this room, but they couldn't find its precise location.
If this were the case, it would be destined for them to miss the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus.
So, Ye Ningze closed his eyes and began to sense the exact location of the Nine-Colored Golden Lotus.
However, his so-called sensing ability seemed to be of no use in this space.
It was known that martial artists possessed considerable perception of their surroundings; sometimes, a slight sensing could predict the onset of danger.
But now, his perception was almost zero. Precisely because of this, it was extremely dangerous for them.
Suddenly, Ye Ningze lunged forward, his fist swinging fiercely behind him.
But he hit no one. To be precise, the opponent had no physical form, like a faint shadow.
The opponent seemed quite surprised by Ye Ningze's action, as if those who entered this room had never perceived their existence as Ye Ningze had.
The figure, ethereal and phantom-like, spoke to Ye Ningze with a hint of bewilderment:
"How did you sense my existence?"
Ye Ningze looked at the figure before him with extreme caution and said in a very low voice:
"What, you cannot be sensed? How pathetic. To be here for tens of thousands of years as if in prison."
After Ye Ningze uttered these words, the other party fell into complete silence. Indeed, it was as Ye Ningze had said.
He was like a prisoner in this place, living each day repetitively and monotonously. The crucial point was that he could not die, only endure the torment of time forever.
Therefore, if given the chance, he would do everything in his power to leave this place, or to find someone who could communicate with him and stay to accompany him.
But mortals had limited lifespans, and these mortals could not sense his existence. Thus, the best course of action was to leave this place.
"Since you can see me, is there a way to let me leave this place? As long as you can help me leave, I will tell you where the treasure within is. In essence, it's a transaction, but the premise is that you must be able to provide me with what I desire."
Su Xue looked at the wavering shadow before her and cautiously said to Ye Ningze:
"What kind of monster is this? Why is it so difficult even to sense its presence? So, I'm wondering how we can satisfy what it wants. If we can't, will it attack us?"
Su Xue's heart was filled with considerable worry. This fellow appeared strange in every way.
So, if they offended someone like this, would Su Xue and the others be able to leave this place?
Ye Ningze nodded slowly, indicating that he had a plan.
Ye Ningze certainly understood the strangeness of this entity, but without making this deal, it was clearly impossible to obtain what they desired.
Therefore, Ye Ningze gently patted Su Xue's shoulder, signaling her to relax.