The Demon King is back, leading adorable kids on an adventure around the world!

The passage's direction has remained unchanged, with a stable slope, as if it were extending deep underground along a pre-planned route.

The light source overhead had changed; it was no longer moonlight or the glow of moss, but rather emitted from pale blue minerals embedded in the walls on both sides.

Niannian reached out and touched the surface of the wall. The edges of the ore were neat and finely polished.

At the end of the passage was an archway, with a circle of runes engraved above the door frame. The runes were arranged closely together without any gaps.

Xiao Xiao stepped forward and observed for a while, confirming that the rune itself was not offensive, but only for marking purposes, and was basically intact, as if it was used as a seal.

She took a step back: "You can go in, the door isn't locked."

Niannian was the first to step through the archway. The moment her foot landed, she felt the texture of the ground beneath her feet change.

The stone surface here has a fine texture, making it smoother than the surface of the passageway outside.

She looked up and saw that the space in front of her was much larger than the stone chamber. The dome was very high, and she could see layers of blue ore arranged along the edge of the rocks above.

In the center of the space is a low-lying area, with a slightly sunken ground, like a pool that has been dried up for a long time.

At the bottom of the pool, there are several stone slabs arranged in a circle. The surface of the stone slabs is engraved with grooves, and the grooves point towards the center.

In the center is a stone box with a flat surface and no clasp.

Niannian walked around the edge to make sure there were no signs of restrictions or traps before squatting down in the center to look at the stone box.

There is a very thin gap between the lid and the box body, and you can see that the edge of the lid is a lighter color than the box body.

She reached out and lifted the lid of the box. Inside lay a scroll of bamboo slips. The rope binding the bamboo slips was broken, but the slips themselves were still intact.

There was also a small pile of spirit stones nearby. They were dark in color and of good quality, enough for those below the Loose Immortal level.

She picked up the bamboo slip, unfolded it, and took a look. The writing was fairly clear, and it was written in an archaic script.

The record contains very little, only a few lines:

"This place was once a refuge from the world, but later the spiritual energy gradually diminished, and the clansmen scattered."

The one who left this note has no return date. If anyone comes here later, they may take what remains in the pond.

The signature was not given.

Niannian looked at it once, rolled up the bamboo slip and put it back in the box. She then looked at the pile of spirit stones next to her, and touched them with her hand. There were about ten or so stones, and they were indeed in good condition.

Xiao Xiao peeked out from behind her:

"What does it say on it?"

Niannian handed her the bamboo slips:

"They said this was where their people used to live, but they left behind some things."

Xiao Xiao took the bamboo slip, looked it over, and then put it back:

"There must be something else at the bottom of this pool."

She squatted down and reached out to press the groove on the edge of the stone slab at the bottom of the pool.

Following the direction of the groove, I reached the center, where there was a very shallow gap.

She inserted her fingertips and gently pried it open. The stone slab loosened, revealing a small, hidden compartment underneath.

Inside the hidden compartment was a small cloth bag containing several dark-colored minerals, with a thin layer of spiritual light slowly flowing across their surfaces.

Xiao Xiao recognized the color and texture of that layer of light:

"Ethereal Ore is used for setting up formations. It can strengthen formations and guide spirits."

She placed the cloth bag in Niannian's hand, checked the edge of the hidden compartment again to make sure there was nothing else, and then stood up.

Qiqi squatted on the other side of the low-lying area, staring at the ground.

Niannian walked over and saw a very shallow circular mark on the ground in front of her.

The edges of the mark are smooth, unlike anything that was formed naturally.

Niannian squatted down and pressed her hand against the center of the mark. The ground temperature was lower than the surrounding area, and a faint spiritual energy fluctuation came from below.

Niannian pressed down on the center of the mark and drew a circle around it, as if she were retracing the line.

The mark lit up briefly, and as she finished tracing the entire circle, a complete circular array pattern appeared on the ground.

The texture is intricate, the angles at which the lines intersect are very precise, and there is a ring of fine symbols around the edge, arranged neatly and with consistent spacing.

The small gaze lingered for a moment on the arrangement of the symbols and the angle of each turn.

Judging from its form, it should be a suppression formation, whose main function is to block and stabilize, and it does not have offensive capabilities.

She walked around the array pattern and confirmed that the array's core was located in the very center.

There was a narrow groove there, just big enough to fit something, its width roughly matching the size of the ethereal ore.

Niannian pressed the ethereal ore she had just obtained into the groove, and the array pattern immediately lit up. The light spread from the center to the surrounding area, illuminating the entire array pattern one by one.

A slight tremor came from the ground, and the gaps between the stone slabs were separating.

The space below was revealed to be low and dimly lit, but the ground below was also flat, with several rows of stone shelves arranged along the lower walls.

Niannian leaned in and saw that there were some things scattered on the stone shelf, including broken tools and a few pieces of metal whose purpose was unclear.

Deep in the corner, there was a broken container; judging from the broken surface, the edges were quite old.

She scanned the area but found nothing else noteworthy, so she left and replaced the stone slab.

After the ground closed up, the light of the array pattern gradually dimmed.

Niannian patted the dust off her hands, stood up, and looked around:

"It's about time we left. Even if the people outside are slow to notice, they should realize we're gone before dawn."

Qiqi ran back from the corner, clutching a yellowish ore in her hand, as if she had picked it up from a corner:

"Sister Niannian, this is pretty, can we keep it?"

Niannian looked down and glanced at it:

"Pack it up, we'll check it when we get back."

Qiqi put it in her pocket.

The group returned along the same route. As they passed the archway, they glanced back briefly. The runes above the archway had dimmed slightly after they left.

She glanced at it and then looked away, following Niannian into the passage.