You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"metropolitan!"

When Liu Yu saw Chen Yang, a look of relief appeared on her face. Then, her gaze swept over the stone chamber, which was now much emptier, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"You...have you finished exploring? What were your findings?"

Chen Yang nodded.

"We've only been here a short time. We found some alchemy furnaces and a batch of cultivation resources, which we've already collected. We'll distribute them according to our needs when we get back."

He looked at Liu Yu.

How's it going on your end? Is everything alright?

Liu Yu walked closer and shook her head.

"The passage I chose was relatively peaceful in the first half, but the second half involved many forks in the road and simple mazes, which took some time to solve."

They finally arrived at what appeared to be a secluded meditation chamber, but it was completely empty except for a lifeless futon and a stone bed; they found nothing. "It seems you've had better luck, Sect Master."

Just as Chen Yang was about to speak, footsteps came from the entrance again. Huang Zhenren walked in, his Taoist robe had a clear tear on the cuff, and his face was slightly pale, but he was in good spirits.

"Master Huang, are you injured?"

Chen Yang asked.

Master Huang gave a wry smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Sect Leader. The passage on my side was quite winding, and I triggered a hidden series of traps along the way. Several poisonous thorns shot at me from tricky angles, and I was caught off guard and got a few cuts. Fortunately, I took the antidote pill in time and am fine."

At the end of the passage was a place resembling a library, but most of the books on the shelves were weathered and broken. Only a few incomplete jade slips remained; even probing them with divine sense yielded only blurry information, indicating little value. "Well... cough cough, I've returned empty-handed."

No sooner had he finished speaking than True Lord Chiyang rushed in, panting. He was dressed intact and uninjured, but his face was covered in dust, making him look rather disheveled.

"Elder Chiyang, are you alright?"

Liu Yu asked.

After catching his breath, True Lord Chiyang waved his hand.

"It's nothing, it's nothing! It's just that damn road is so long! It twists and turns like a maze, it almost made me dizzy! When I finally got to the end, there was just an empty stone hall, not a single thing in sight! What a waste of time!"

He glanced at Chen Yang and Liu Yu, then at Master Huang, and sighed.

"Looks like only you, Sect Master, have gained anything? Brother Huang even got injured? This place... is really damn shady!"

Master Huang shook his head helplessly, while True Lord Chiyang looked at the stone chamber that Chen Yang had already "swept" through with disappointment, and muttered something.

"That's it? Is that all? It's about the same as all the gold and silver outside. For us cultivators, it's just icing on the cake, not a great opportunity!"
"All this effort for a few cauldrons and stones? I'm not satisfied! Sect Master, why don't we go back and explore the remaining passages? What if there are still some survivors?"

Looking at the three people, especially the determined look on Chiyang Zhenjun's face, and recalling the giant salamander abyss he had just experienced, Chen Yang thought that other passages might not be without similar dangers.

However, True Lord Chiyang's suggestion was not without merit. Since we were already here, it would be good to explore thoroughly.

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well. The agreed time of two hours has not yet arrived. Since everyone has returned and the harvest was not satisfactory, then as Elder Chiyang said, let us return to the secret chamber and explore the remaining unexplored passages."

However, extra caution is required. Examine the passage quickly; if the passage is too long or obviously dangerous, retreat immediately and do not force it.

"Yes!"

The three responded in unison, especially True Lord Chiyang, who immediately perked up.

Without further delay, the four quickly returned the way they came. When they crossed the abyss by the broken bridge, Chen Yang once again used his movement technique to quickly carry the three across, and they soon returned to the original secret chamber.

Inside the secret chamber, the gold and silver treasures still gleamed, untouched by anyone.

Of the five or six entrances to the passages, besides the four that the four of them entered, there were two that they had not yet explored.

"Same as always, one person per team, go and return quickly, within half an hour. Regardless of whether you find anything or not, you must return!"

Chen Yang decisively gave the order, and at the same time walked towards the remaining passage, which was located on the far right.

Liu Yu, Huang Zhenren, and Chiyang Zhenjun each chose one of the remaining passages and plunged back into the darkness.

The new passage Chen Yang chose was different from the previous one. It was wider and flatter, and the rock walls on either side were no longer rough, carved surfaces, but rather polished to a relatively smooth finish, even revealing some shallow reliefs!

At first, there were simple cloud patterns and water ripples, then the outlines of mountains and rivers appeared, and later, scenes of people moving around appeared!

Although the carving techniques are ancient and the lines are simple, the figures are vivid, depicting farming, fishing, hunting, sacrifice, or feasting, as if telling a story of the life of an ancient tribe or ethnic group.

As Chen Yang walked quickly, he kept a close eye on the murals. At first, he didn't pay much attention, but as he looked at them, he suddenly felt something was off.

The figures and landscapes in those murals seem to contain a certain rhythm. After looking at them for a while, they can make people feel a little swayed, as if they are drawn in and can personally experience the life depicted in the paintings.

"Ok?"

Chen Yang suddenly became alert, immediately calmed his mind, and silently practiced the Qingwei Jingxin technique, restoring clarity to his mind.

"This mural... actually possesses an extremely subtle bewitching effect! It doesn't attack actively, but rather, like the aroma of aged wine, it subtly draws people in, making them addicted and perhaps even unable to leave this passage forever, their minds imprisoned within the painting's meaning!"

He felt a chill run down his spine, and became even more wary of the methods used by the predecessors who had set up this place.

This is no longer just a physical trap, but a sophisticated and insidious arrangement involving the psychological realm.

He stopped examining the murals closely, quickened his pace, and only wanted to get through this eerie passage as quickly as possible.

However, just as he was about to reach the end of the passage and could see the faint light of another stone chamber entrance ahead, a mural on the right rock wall made him stop in his tracks!
This mural is completely different from the scenes of daily life depicted earlier.

It depicts what appears to be a magnificent celestial palace suspended above a sea of ​​clouds, with its palaces stretching endlessly and bathed in radiant light. At the very center of this palace, on a high platform, lies an open jade box. Inside, a perfectly round bead, its interior seemingly swirling with galaxies, radiates dazzling brilliance!
The mural is brightly colored, and the bead is highlighted. Although it is just a stone carving, it gives people the illusion that it is "breathing" and "turning"!

The moment Chen Yang's gaze fell upon the mural, especially the pattern of the bead—

Deep inside his storage bag, the dark purple brocade box, which he had sealed tightly with several soul-suppressing talismans, began to vibrate violently without warning!
The dark red Spirit Orb inside the box seemed to be under some kind of strong summoning or stimulation, bursting out with astonishing energy fluctuations, which even the talisman could not suppress!

Chen Yang was greatly alarmed and immediately took out the brocade box and held it in his hand. The brocade box was still vibrating wildly in his palm, and the agitation of the World Spirit Pearl inside could be clearly felt even through the box.

And then something even stranger happened! The instant Chen Yang took out the brocade box, the faint, mesmerizing radiance that flowed across the surface of the mural on the rock wall depicting the celestial palace and the precious pearl receded and subsided as quickly as the tide!
The entire mural instantly became "ordinary." Although it was still exquisite, it lost its lively and eerie appeal, becoming just like an ordinary ancient painting.

Chen Yang's heart stirred, and he tentatively moved the brocade box slightly away from the rock wall.

The radiance on the mural immediately reappeared, even brighter than before! The "jewel" in the mural even began to shimmer slightly, and the figures and clouds on the mural seemed to come alive!
Chen Yang immediately brought the brocade box closer.

The mural's radiance subsided once more, returning to calm.

"This……"

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Yang's eyes.

He gripped the brocade box tightly, staring intently at the mural.

Could there be such a strange relationship of connection and suppression between this World Spirit Pearl and this mural? Could the celestial palace and precious pearl depicted in the mural be related to the Mysterious Netherworld Grotto and this World Spirit Pearl?

He dared not easily put the brocade box back, fearing it might trigger a change in the mural. At the same time, he examined the mural even more carefully, his keen eyes working at their peak, trying to see through its true nature.

However, this time, even with keen eyesight, one could only see a very special energy field flowing on the surface of the mural, somewhere between reality and illusion. It shared the same origin as the fluctuations emitted by the World Spirit Pearl, but was more ancient and obscure, making it difficult to analyze its specific composition and information.

As he was engrossed in studying the mural, the World Spirit Pearl vibrated more and more violently inside the brocade box, even causing the entire brocade box to pulsate in his hand!
Chen Yang frowned, attempting to temporarily seal and isolate the brocade box along with the World Spirit Pearl using stronger Yin Laws.

Just as he was about to complete sealing his power, a sudden change occurred!
The mural, which had been "calm" before, seemed to be completely enraged, or rather, Chen Yang's sealing action triggered some ultimate mechanism! The entire mural suddenly burst forth with a dazzling, blinding seven-colored radiance!
Immediately afterwards, the area where the "jewel" pattern in the mural shone brightest suddenly twisted and expanded, transforming into a rotating, bottomless, seven-colored vortex!

An irresistible and terrifying suction force, specifically targeting the soul and consciousness, erupted from it, instantly engulfing the unsuspecting Chen Yang!

"not good!"

Chen Yang only had time for this thought to flash through his mind before he felt a dizzying sensation, as if his entire soul was about to be pulled out of his body!
He tried to resist, but the suction was stronger than he could have imagined, and it was specifically targeting the level of consciousness. His cultivation and the authority of the Yin General were powerless against the pull of pure consciousness!
A dazzling array of colors filled his vision, and a surreal roar filled his ears. He could only hold on for less than a breath before everything went black, and he completely lost all sensation in his body, as if he had fallen into a bizarre and fantastical passage.

I don’t know how long it took, maybe a moment, maybe eternity.

Chen Yang suddenly "opened his eyes" and found himself standing in an unfamiliar place.

This appears to be the courtyard of a traditional mansion, with bluestone paving the ground and antique-style side rooms and corridors all around. Although somewhat worn, the exquisite details of the past are still evident.

The sky was a perpetual, sunless yet bright and soft greyish-white, like the background of a painting. A faint scent, similar to aged Xuan paper and ink, filled the air.

What shocked him even more was that he wasn't the only one in the courtyard!
Liu Yu, Huang Zhenren, and Chiyang Zhenjun were all here! Liu Yu was standing under a withered plum tree, warily surveying his surroundings;

Master Huang sat on a stone bench, his face still somewhat pale, and was closing his eyes to regulate his breathing; Master Chiyang paced back and forth anxiously beside a pillar, muttering curses under his breath.

"Head!"

"metropolitan!"

Liu Yu and Master Huang noticed Chen Yang's sudden appearance almost simultaneously, their faces showing surprise and relief as they quickly approached. True Lord Chiyang also stopped pacing and joined them, his face contorted with grief.

"Sect Master! You've finally come in! I thought it was just the three of us who were unlucky!"

Chen Yang composed himself, looked at the three living people in front of him, and then looked at the courtyard environment, which was completely different from the underground cave. Combining this with the previous mural mutation and his experience of being sucked in, an unbelievable but most realistic guess came to his mind.

he asked in a deep voice.

"How...did you get here? Were you also drawn in by a mural?"

Liu Yu nodded immediately, her voice tinged with lingering fear.

“Indeed! Elder Huang and I explored a passage together, and at the end was an empty room. There was only a mural depicting a celestial palace pearl that was quite mysterious. Just as we were about to take a closer look, the mural suddenly emitted light and generated a suction force, which pulled the two of us inside.”

Master Huang also opened his eyes and said with a wry smile.

"I agree with Elder Liu. That suction force targets the soul, rendering protective magic power almost useless. I woke up here."

True Lord Chiyang slapped his thigh.

"Me too, Sect Master! When I got to the end of my path, there was a dilapidated house with a painting hanging on the wall. It was quite fancy. I just got closer to see what kind of treasure it was when the painting suddenly lit up with a 'buzz,' and then I knew nothing more."

I woke up in this awful courtyard! No one answers my cries for help, and weapons and martial arts seem useless here. I can't even break down a wall. It's so frustrating!

Chen Yang understood immediately; it was just as he suspected.

The murals weren't in one place, but at the ends of multiple passages; it was a trap, or rather, an "entrance." The triggering condition would likely be getting close to, or... possessing something that resonates with the murals?

“I saw the three of you in that mural before I came in.”

Chen Yang spoke slowly, his gaze sweeping over every corner of the mansion.

"So lifelike, as if you had been painted there all along. I never imagined that it wasn't an illusion, but that you were actually already trapped in this painted world."

Upon hearing this, the three were startled, then their faces turned horrified. Their every move had already been reflected in the painting, for later generations to "observe"? This feeling of being powerless, like a caged bird, sent chills down their spines.

Liu Yu clenched her fists.

"Sect Leader, this place is extremely strange. We must find a way to escape as soon as possible. Otherwise, I'm afraid..."

Master Huang was also deeply worried.

"This place appears peaceful, but it is completely isolated from the outside world. The spiritual energy is so thin it's almost nonexistent, and the space is exceptionally stable. I've tried several techniques to break through the barriers, but all to no avail. If this continues, not to mention the danger, the mere fact that my cultivation will stagnate or even regress is a major problem." (End of Chapter)