When Ao Yuan, Bai Feng, and Ye Nantian arrived at the Qinling Mountains, they saw the area nearby was cordoned off.
The blockade was extremely tight, with ten people forming a group, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
Upon seeing Ao Yuan, Bai Feng, and Ye Nantian approach, the leader signaled the remaining Great Xia warriors to maintain their vigilance before walking over. He first saluted Bai Feng and Ye Nantian, then greeted Ao Yuan.
Ao Yuan nodded faintly in acknowledgment.
"Then, Guardian Beast of the Nation, since we are here now," Bai Feng said, nodding, "shall we go and see that ancient battlefield first?"
"Certainly!" Ao Yuan smiled, not refusing.
Truthfully, he was already eager to see what lay within this ancient battlefield.
"Everyone, follow me!"
Seeing that Ao Yuan and Bai Feng had made their decision, the Great Xia warrior immediately led them forward.
Ao Yuan had expected to reach the ancient battlefield area quickly, but instead, they first entered a long corridor.
The corridor was dim and chilling, not from the outside temperature, but from a feeling emanating from the depths of one's heart.
In short, the corridor was incredibly eerie!
The corridor was wide enough for four or five burly men to walk side by side, with Great Xia warriors stationed every few meters on either side.
Through his senses, Ao Yuan could tell that these Great Xia warriors were not weak.
Even if they weren't among the absolute top tier of Great Xia, they possessed frontline strength.
This made Ao Yuan's heart tighten slightly. The arrangements made by Great Xia indicated their immense importance placed on this ancient battlefield.
As they ventured deeper, Ao Yuan found that the chilling aura intensified, making his entire body feel cold.
"There's something strange here..."
Ao Yuan frowned, growing more serious. It seemed this exploration of the ancient battlefield's mysteries was not as simple as he had anticipated.
As they went further, the Great Xia warriors, who had been spaced only a few meters apart, were no longer visible.
The surroundings were eerily silent, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing like death knells, causing unease.
"Guardian Beast of the Nation, we have arrived!"
At this moment, the person leading the way suddenly stopped and pointed forward.
Ao Yuan paused and turned to look ahead.
The path ahead opened up, no longer a corridor, but a vast, dark expanse.
At a glance, darkness consumed everyone's vision.
The unsettling feeling in their hearts intensified greatly.
However, those present were all powerful individuals. Despite their unease, they maintained calm expressions.
"Guardian Beast of the Nation, though it appears deep and dark, this place seems to be an alternate dimension," Bai Feng explained to Ao Yuan, turning to him. "Once we step into this area, we will enter the ancient battlefield. The ancient battlefield is fraught with immense danger. If we enter, a light point will be left for us initially, connecting to our current location."
Ye Nantian then continued from Bai Feng, "But if the light point doesn't appear, it will disappear. As for what happens after it disappears, we are unsure."
Hearing this, Ao Yuan nodded slightly and asked, "Did a Great Xia warrior go in and go missing here?"
"Yes."
Bai Feng and Ye Nantian exchanged a look and nodded heavily. "When we went in to search the second time, we couldn't find him at all."
"Coupled with the myriad dangers within the ancient battlefield, we mostly stayed within the vicinity of the light point. When we go in this time, we must be extremely careful and not stray too far, ensuring we can return before the light point vanishes!"
As he spoke, Bai Feng took out a high-tech watch and handed it to Ao Yuan. "Based on our estimations, the light point disappears after about a day. If we are separated by accident inside, we will regroup at the light point's location after a day. This watch will record the light point's location and time, allowing us to manage our return time."
Afterward, Bai Feng took out two more watches, put one on himself, and tossed the other to Ye Nantian.
"Let's go! In we go!"
Once both had put on their watches, Bai Feng didn't hesitate and was the first to step into the dark expanse.
Ye Nantian followed closely. Ao Yuan also didn't hesitate and followed, his body disappearing into the darkness.
In the blink of an eye!
The two of them and the beast seemed to have been swallowed by the darkness.
Logically, they were not far apart, yet no sound from them could be heard.
The area returned to silence once more.
Meanwhile.
As Bai Feng, Ye Nantian, and Ao Yuan stepped into the darkness, their pitch-black vision suddenly brightened.
After nodding to Bai Feng and Ye Nantian, Ao Yuan secretly became vigilant and surveyed his surroundings.
The surroundings were deathly silent and cold.
The air here was filled with a subtle, heavy atmosphere.
What met their eyes was terrifying.
Tattered, blood-stained clothing and skeletal remains were scattered everywhere.
Only behind them was a conspicuous bright light.
This was clearly the "light point" that Bai Feng and Ye Nantian had mentioned earlier.
It was the essential link for them to leave this place.
Ao Yuan's expression, which had been stern, slightly eased as he scanned the area.
Although this place was indeed bizarre, it did not evoke a sense of crisis in Ao Yuan. Clearly, even if there was danger here, it wouldn't cause him significant harm; he could deal with it easily.
However, when he attempted to probe deeper into the distance with his spiritual sense.
He found his spiritual sense frozen, unable to extend outwards at all.
Even when he tried to cover an area, it was limited to what his eyes could see.
"There seems to be something here that can mask spiritual senses," Bai Feng said, explaining slightly as he observed Ao Yuan's actions.
Hearing this, Ao Yuan showed no outward emotion.
However, his attention to this place intensified in his heart.
"Let's go, let's head deeper and see what's there," Ao Yuan hummed lightly and slowly flew forward.
Compared to Ao Yuan's nonchalant demeanor, Bai Feng and Ye Nantian were much more cautious.
In truth, Ao Yuan was also taking it seriously, but he did not show it on the surface.
As Ao Yuan and the others continued to venture deeper, the area grew increasingly dim.
Especially the complete silence around them, which was enough to drive an ordinary person mad.
"Dragon God, there's something here!"
Suddenly, a sound echoed. Ao Yuan turned and saw Ye Nantian pointing to the side, speaking with a hint of surprise.
"What is this?" Bai Feng also exclaimed in surprise as he turned to look.
"A stone statue? Why would there be a stone statue here?"
Despite their surprise, Bai Feng and Ye Nantian did not choose to touch it. Having been here before, they knew that everything within the ancient battlefield held hidden mysteries.
Ao Yuan looked over as well.
The stone statue was ancient and broken.
There were remnants of powder and cobwebs clinging to its surface.
It looked as if it hadn't moved in a very long time.
Around the statue, several skeletons could be seen.
But aside from that, there were no other points of interest. At first glance, it appeared to pose no danger.
Looking at this stone statue, Ao Yuan couldn't shake the feeling that it had been placed here for at least ten thousand years.