C499 At the End of the Passageway

As Woo Zhengyang walked through the passage, he quickly sensed something was off. Initially, he thought he had entered a maze, but after discreetly using his Array Origin Bead to sense the surroundings, he felt reassured. The passage was indeed set with an array, but it wasn't a maze; it was a peculiar illusion array.

Under this illusion, everyone felt they were moving forward continuously, not realizing the passage wasn't level. They had been gradually descending underground. This explained why the small hill seemed so low, yet they had been walking for so long. It was another fascinating array, similar to the gravity room at the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. The passage was sloped, but the array altered gravity, so even Woo Zhengyang, without the Array Origin Bead, didn't notice he was tilted the whole time.

Woo Zhengyang decided to keep silent about his knowledge of arrays, as it wasn't something easily explained.

"Haha, look, Woo Zhengyang doesn't dare to speak up," Du Yusheng remarked, finding a new topic. "Miss Situ, you shouldn't ask such questions. There are very few who understand arrays in this world."

"That's not entirely true," Yuen Jinli interjected. "Miss Situ is a distinguished student of the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion, her perspective is naturally broader than ours. She must have encountered many array experts there, which might make her think they're common outside. It makes us feel a bit inadequate." Yuen Jinli quickly turned the awkwardness into humor, speaking with ease, unlike Du Yusheng, who struggled to cover his embarrassment by dragging Woo Zhengyang into it.

"No, no, actually, I've rarely left the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion over the years, so I'm not familiar with the outside world, nor do I know much about the Pavilion itself," Situ Jingxiang explained.

"Oh, I see. May I ask who your mentor is, Miss Situ?"

"Um..."

For the first time, Situ Jingxiang hesitated in her response.

"We're here!" Woo Zhengyang announced, curious about why Situ Jingxiang hesitated when mentioning her mentor. However, he believed everyone has their own secrets, so he decided to change the subject.

"We're here?" At Woo Zhengyang's words, the three trailing behind perked up.

The group consisted of Du Yusheng following Woo Zhengyang, Situ Jingxiang in the middle, and Yuen Jinli bringing up the rear. Upon hearing Woo Zhengyang, Du Yusheng rushed forward, only to find the seemingly endless corridor stretching ahead with nothing remarkable in sight.

"Hey, are you messing with us? Where exactly are we?" Du Yusheng demanded angrily.

"We're really close. Didn't you notice the echo of your voices has changed?" Woo Zhengyang fibbed.

"The echo's different?" Du Yusheng couldn't tell if it was true or not, and Woo Zhengyang's words left him puzzled, prompting him to listen intently.

Woo Zhengyang smiled silently and continued onward.

"What's different?" After a long pause, Du Yusheng questioned again.

"Everyone, be careful! We're almost there!" Situ Jingxiang said.

"What? Miss Situ, do you also feel the echo is different?" Yuen Jinli, from behind, was puzzled. He realized Woo Zhengyang was bluffing, but he didn't expect Situ Jingxiang to say the same thing, and with such certainty.

"I've been listening for a while, and my ears are buzzing, but I don't hear anything different," Du Yusheng said, lightly covering his ears.

Situ Jingxiang laughed softly, covering her mouth. "I don't know about the echo, but haven't you noticed how much denser the energy around us has become?"

Hearing this, Du Yusheng and Yuen Jinli suddenly realized it was true. The energy in this world was already richer than outside, but it was only a slight difference. However, as they ventured deeper into the passage, the energy became increasingly dense. Especially when Woo Zhengyang helped Situ Jingxiang earlier, the energy seemed to respond, doubling in intensity.

The others assumed that the deeper they went, the denser the energy became. Woo Zhengyang, however, understood more clearly that the deeper underground they went, the denser the energy was.

What lay beneath the ground? Given the current situation, they still had some distance to cover. The energy was already so dense—what would they find when they reached their destination?

After a short while, the seemingly endless journey through the passage continued. Woo Zhengyang was mistaken, and so was Situ Jingxiang. Even though the ambient energy had suddenly intensified, they still hadn't found any target or opportunity.

At this point, the energy within the passage was so dense that a faint mist was visible under the glow of the luminous pearl. This mist was a result of the concentrated energy, and training in such an environment would double the speed of absorbing it. The energy was so abundant that it required little effort to draw it into the body, even just through breathing.

Yet, the three showed no intention of stopping. With the energy already this dense, what would it be like further in? What opportunities might be hidden within such an environment?

After another short while, the mist formed by the concentrated energy had become incredibly thick, turning the entire passage into a sea of white. Finally, the three reached the end of the passage.

Here stood a stone door, surrounded by intricate carvings that seemed to have form yet were formless upon closer inspection. They appeared chaotic but not disordered. Outside the stone door was an ancient barrier. It was unclear whether the barrier had deteriorated over time or had been damaged by someone, but it was not as secure as it once was, showing several gaps.

The surrounding energy seemed to seep out from the cracks in the ancient stone door.

"This is a huge opportunity, a massive opportunity!" Du Yusheng exclaimed, his excitement evident. "Just looking at this ancient gateway, we must be on the brink of something big."

"It's truly extraordinary. The energy spilling out from the broken seals is so dense. I can't even imagine what kind of paradise lies beyond this stone door," Yuen Jinli added, equally thrilled.

"Enough with the chatter, let's open this seal!" Situ Jingxiang, ever the impatient one, urged them on.

Woo Zhengyang remained silent, not sharing their optimism. He was acutely aware of how far they had traveled and how deep underground they were now.

Whether opportunity awaited them ahead was uncertain, but the presence of danger was undeniable. They couldn't afford to be careless.