Before long, Shi Ling’s simple shout echoed.
“Chen Xiao, hurry over and look, there’s a problem here!”
Chen Xiao and Gongsun Yi rushed over. Shi Ling was in the refuge’s kitchen.
Beside the kitchen was a cold storage room, about ten square meters, filled with various frozen meats and medicines.
The temperature inside the cold storage was very low, but it was no obstacle for Chen Xiao and Shi Ling.
Even for Gongsun Yi, it wasn’t a major issue; he could resist the cold by circulating his internal energy.
“It’s hollow underneath!”
Shi Ling’s large head pointed to the center of the cold storage.
Chen Xiao immediately released his divine sense to probe, but as soon as it touched the floor, he felt immense resistance, preventing it from detecting any deeper.
Shi Ling, being a natural spirit body, possessed a perception far beyond human capabilities. Even Chen Xiao had to admit defeat.
“There seems to be a seal underneath!”
Chen Xiao said calmly.
Gongsun Yi was stunned for a moment, then said with a grave expression, “What should we do? I’ve heard that breaking a seal requires a formation master among cultivators, but I don’t think any of us are that, are we?”
As he was speaking, Chen Xiao activated his Blazing Kirin Eyes, and two streams of flame erupted from his sockets, melting the cold storage floor.
Gongsun Yi was dumbfounded again. Damn it, he really shouldn’t speak; it was too embarrassing!
After a flash of golden light, Chen Xiao nodded, “Hmm, it’s done.”
Then, he used his divine sense to probe again. This time, it was unobstructed.
However, below was a very long staircase, and his divine sense could only detect a limited range. To know what lay below, he had to go down himself.
Chen Xiao punched out, and a large hole appeared in the ground.
Whoosh—
A hurricane shot out from the hole at high speed, piercing through the steel and iron walls above the cold storage in an instant.
Chen Xiao squinted and quickly warned, “Be careful, it’s a spiritual energy storm!”
This hurricane was not ordinary wind but a spiritual energy storm generated by extremely dense spiritual energy, possessing astonishing destructive power.
In just one second, it destroyed the reinforced concrete above the refuge.
Chen Xiao finally understood the purpose of the seal: to prevent this spiritual energy storm.
Gongsun Yi was dumbfounded. If this continued, the villas above ground would be destroyed in less than a minute, no, not even thirty seconds.
Just then, he suddenly felt a shadow dart past him. Looking closely, it was Shi Ling, who had rushed towards the opening and was blocking the eye of the storm with its body.
Gongsun Yi was greatly impressed, “This Brother Shi is truly remarkable, always stepping up when there’s trouble!”
Chen Xiao spat, “Remarkable my ass, this spiritual energy storm is the best tonic for it. Damn it, I need to cultivate quickly too; good things shouldn’t be monopolized by this beast!”
With that, Chen Xiao sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating the Canglan Art.
However, compared to Shi Ling, his cultivation speed was truly unsatisfactory.
Most of the spiritual energy from the storm was absorbed by Shi Ling, with only the stray wisps that leaked out entering Chen Xiao’s body.
This was the advantage of being a natural spirit body. After Chen Xiao absorbed and refined the spiritual energy, he was left with only thirty to forty percent.
Shi Ling, on the other hand, absorbed everything, taking in as much as it could without wasting a single drop!
Gongsun Yi stood aside, only able to watch with envy. If he dared to approach, he might be torn apart by the violent spiritual energy storm in the next second.
About half an hour later, the spiritual energy blowing from the opening had become almost calm.
The reason for the spiritual energy storm earlier was entirely due to the seal.
With the seal in place, the spiritual energy could not escape, leading to a massive accumulation below. When the seal was broken, it erupted like a storm.
However, even though it was nearing calm, the spiritual energy in this area was still extremely dense, at least dozens of times more concentrated than outside.
Therefore, Chen Xiao was still certain that there was something down there.
“There might be a spiritual energy vein down here, otherwise the spiritual energy wouldn’t be so dense. Gongsun Yi, although your martial arts are excellent, you are not a cultivator. This place might hold many dangers for you and offer no benefits. So, if you don’t want to go down, you don’t have to,” Chen Xiao said truthfully.
Gongsun Yi looked as if he was about to cry.
Not for any other reason than Chen Xiao’s remark, ‘although your martial arts are excellent’!
Receiving Chen Xiao’s acknowledgment felt like being praised by his master in his childhood.
“No, Boss Chen, I still hope to go down with you. I love exploring!”
A man dies for the one who appreciates him. For Chen Xiao, Gongsun Yi was willing to take the risk.
Chen Xiao frowned helplessly, “Alright, if you want to come, then come. But don’t drag me down!”
Only then did Gongsun Yi understand that Chen Xiao had said that because he was worried he would be a burden.
However, a gentleman’s word is like water spilled; it cannot be taken back. As it stood, Gongsun Yi had to go down, even if it meant gritting his teeth.
Besides, he genuinely enjoyed adventure and wanted to witness this underground world.
Shi Ling led the way, floating down first.
Chen Xiao followed closely, also entering the hole in the cold storage floor.
Below the opening was a long staircase. This staircase was not naturally formed but was clearly man-made.
This indicated that people had been here long ago, undertaking a rather grand construction project.
It was just unclear why it was later abandoned, and Lin Jie had bought the land and built villas on top.
Chen Xiao descended the steps. The stairs were steep, and the pit space was narrow, making the overall environment quite cramped.
The staircase was long, stretching for over a thousand meters.
Fortunately, Chen Xiao and Gongsun Yi were not ordinary people; otherwise, the air pressure alone would have crushed them into a pulp.
Finally, they reached the end of the staircase. After passing through a path paved with stone steps, the world before them suddenly opened up.
Gongsun Yi’s eyesight couldn’t match Chen Xiao’s. He took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and gasped.
Before them lay a vast plaza. Emerging from the path, they saw towering mountains on all four sides. The space between the mountains was hundreds of meters high, incredibly grand.
The plaza floor was paved with exquisite white marble, reflecting a pale white glow under the flashlight.
And about a hundred meters ahead, directly in front of them, was a cave dwelling with a tightly shut door!