C738 Entering the Circle

"Uh..." Woo Zhengyang was taken aback. He hadn't expected Bing Yue to actually bite him, even if it didn't hurt. Such an intimate gesture left him feeling a bit strange.

"Heh, just leaving a mark as a sign for our next life together," Bing Yue giggled.

"Alright, now's not the time to think about this. Even if we're transported to a deadly place, it doesn't mean it's over for us. Don't forget, I still have the Star Bead."

"Exactly, with this treasure, if things get really bad, we can just hide inside it," Bing Yue said, finding hope again at the mention of the Star Bead.

"Let's hope... If it really is a deadly trap, I wonder if the Star Bead can withstand it," Zhengyang thought silently.

The Star Bead was indeed magical, but it was still just a spatial artifact. Zhengyang couldn't guarantee its defensive capabilities, especially considering the relentless nature of the deadly trap they might face. Even the strongest artifacts might not hold out for long, which was why Zhengyang was hesitant to rely solely on the Star Bead.

Regardless, Zhengyang and Bing Yue had made up their minds. No amount of danger would make them back down. After a brief discussion about what they might encounter, they approached the stone coffin.

Zhengyang's plan was for Bing Yue to enter the Star Bead while he carried it down. However, Bing Yue refused to be separated from Zhengyang, and he didn't insist. Even if something unexpected happened, they should have enough time to enter the Star Bead together.

With a leap, two figures hand in hand landed inside the stone coffin. A peculiar sensation washed over them as if they had entered a unique space that kept tumbling endlessly. After what felt like an eternity, they finally emerged, both looking a bit queasy.

"What kind of messed-up teleportation array is this? It's pure torture," Bing Yue grumbled, covering her mouth.

"This is likely the prototype of the earliest teleportation arrays, so it's bound to have some flaws. Despite the ordeal, I gained a lot from it," Woo Zhengyang replied.

"Gained a lot? What could you possibly gain from being tossed around like that?"

"Even though it was rough, I sensed the original workings of the teleportation array during the process. I could even touch upon Patriarch Fuxi's initial design concepts. This experience will give me a deeper understanding of teleportation arrays in the future, far beyond what I had before."

Zhengyang shook the Array Origin Bead in his hand, visibly excited. During the teleportation, he had been using the bead to sense the array's operations.

Bing Yue rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Well, you might have had an epiphany, but it doesn't do me any good."

"You might not have gained anything, but at least you weren't in any danger, right?" Zhengyang said, nodding for Bing Yue to look ahead.

Bing Yue turned around and saw a bronze coffin standing ahead.

“We’ve... safely reached the core of this tomb?” Bing Yue said, almost in disbelief.

“Judging by what we see, it seems so, but let's not act rashly,” Woo Zhengyang cautioned.

“It does feel strange. Why does everything seem so familiar?”

“Of course it’s familiar. Look up,” Woo Zhengyang pointed above.

Bing Yue lifted her head, her eyes brightening with disbelief. “Is that... the passage we entered through?”

“It seems that way, or at least that’s what we’re seeing,” Woo Zhengyang replied, his expression complicated.

Everything had gone too smoothly, almost effortlessly reaching the tomb’s core. Woo Zhengyang found it hard to believe, given the perilous paths they had faced earlier. The eerie calmness here made him suspect it was another trick by the tomb’s creator.

The most puzzling part was that the core of the tomb was a simple, yet strangely familiar space, identical to the chamber they had seen from above. They could even see the passage they had broken through.

Everything appeared normal, yet was far from it.

If this chamber was meant to look like this, then were all the layers they had encountered before merely illusions?

Woo Zhengyang examined the Array Origin Bead in his hand, confirming that what he had just witnessed was no illusion. The bead still held traces of an ancient teleportation array's operation.

This was all quite puzzling. If what they experienced was real, then it seemed as if they had been in a non-existent space. But if there was something fishy going on, they might be in even greater danger, as Zhengyang couldn't spot any flaws.

"Patriarch Fuxi, the great and powerful... We stumbled upon this place by chance. Who knows if it's a blessing or a curse!" Zhengyang mused.

"We already know that, no need to keep saying it. Can you figure out if this place is real or not?" Bing Yue urged.

"The problem is, I can't tell if it's real or fake, so all I can do is wonder!" Zhengyang replied, feeling helpless.

"So, what do we do now?"

"I'll take another look..."

Zhengyang spent another half-hour examining the Array Origin Bead, but found nothing. Bing Yue, growing impatient, took the bead from him and studied it herself. "I can't see any trace of an array here!" she exclaimed.

"That's why I said I can't tell if it's real or fake!" Zhengyang sighed.

Bing Yue shot him a sharp look. "If there's no trace of an array, then maybe there isn't one at all!"

"I don't think so..."

"Why not? Even though Patriarch Fuxi is the founder of formations, this is the heart of the cemetery. He couldn't bear to disturb the natural beauty outside, so why would he disrupt this place?"

"Well..." Woo Zhengyang was at a loss for words.

"Hehe... You must be caught in a loop, thinking that since Patriarch Fuxi built this, it must be filled with formations. But this is a cemetery, not a showcase for formations!"

"Uh..." Woo Zhengyang remained speechless.

Not long after, Woo Zhengyang followed Bing Yue, feeling utterly embarrassed. It turned out Bing Yue was completely right. Woo Zhengyang had indeed fallen into the trap of assuming that because this was the work of Patriarch Fuxi, the lack of visible formations meant his own skills were lacking.

But as Bing Yue had pointed out, there wasn't a trace of a formation here. Woo Zhengyang had spent half an hour examining it with the Array Origin Bead...

No formations, no danger—just an ordinary burial chamber with a simple bronze coffin.

Woo Zhengyang and Bing Yue stood before the bronze coffin...