Douluo Continent: The Twin Holy Dragons of Light and Darkness, the Dragon Emperor Breaks Through the

The seventh, the eighth, and the ninth.

For each one he confirmed, he would mark its location and status in his notebook, confirming that the appearance and depth of the stone slab were consistent with the previous ones.

When he finished confirming the last marker, he took out the drawing that already had all the node positions marked, looked at it from beginning to end, and confirmed that the positions of all the nodes and the lines connecting them were consistent with the markings on the map.

He closed the blueprints, stood by the window for a while, then sat back down in front of the lamp, opened the blank page of his notebook, rearranged the confirmed nodes according to priority, and marked the node closest to the core area of ​​the underground space as the first priority.

He wrote a note at the bottom of that page: "Priority detection node three, located near the core area of ​​the underground space, with the stone slab at the entrance in good condition, suitable as the target for the first detection."

Jin Chen received the letter on the eighth day.

He sat on the stone bench: "He said he had confirmed all the markers and completed the priority sorting. He marked the first priority detection node as node three, which is close to the core area of ​​the underground space."

He plans to travel to Node Three in three days for his first in-depth exploration.

Ling Feng said, "He chose a node close to the core area, which was indeed a reasonable entry point."

Qian Renxue said, "If node three does indeed lead to other areas of the underground space, then he might discover another part of the structure of this space."

Chen Yuan said, "He should have made full preparations for the first probe."

Tang San said, "Once he confirms the internal structure of node three, he will be able to more clearly determine the priority of the other nodes."

Jin Chen said, "He said he had prepared the necessary tools, including shovels, lights, and ropes for marking the route."

Three days later, the boy arrived at node three at dawn, carrying his tools.

He cleared away the dirt and gravel covering the slab, confirmed that the edges of the slab were still intact, and then inserted a crowbar into the gaps in the edges and began to slowly apply force.

The stone slab was lifted upwards with a continuous sound as he pried it open, then was completely lifted, revealing an entrance that extended downwards.

The entrance had smooth edges, similar to the structures he had seen in underground spaces before.

He crouched at the edge of the entrance and shone his oil lamp downwards, the light reaching the ground at the same depth as the entrance he had entered through before.

He put away the oil lamp and climbed down the entrance.

The space at the bottom of the entrance was more spacious than he had expected.

He stood at the bottom, looked around, and saw that he was standing in the center of a circular stone chamber. The floor of the chamber was carved with a map similar to the one he had seen on the fourth-level stone wall, but larger and with more dense markings.

He crouched down, brought the oil lamp close to the ground, and carefully examined the details of the map by its light.

The lines and markings on the map were more detailed than any version he had ever seen before, as if this map marked the complete extension path of every area of ​​the underground space.

He found his current location on the map, marked as node three, and also found the paths connecting the various areas.

After confirming the location marked on the map, he went back along the same path, covered the stone slabs again, and restored the ground to its original state.

Jin Chen received the letter six days later.

He sat on the stone bench: "He said he had entered node three."

At the bottom of the entrance is a circular stone chamber, with a map carved on the floor that is more detailed than any previous version, marking the complete extension path of each area of ​​the underground space.

He located his current position on the map and confirmed the routes connecting the various areas.

He plans to make a complete copy of the map next time he goes in, and bring it back to the cabin for careful analysis.

Ling Feng said, "That map might be the master plan for the entire underground network."

Qian Renxue said, "If the map marks every area and path, it can help him determine which areas have not been explored."

Chen Yuan said, "What he found was indeed a key point."

Tang San said, "He will probably reassess the priority of the remaining nodes after he finishes copying that map."

Jin Chen said, "He said he plans to re-enter node three in two days to complete the map copying."

Two days later, the boy, carrying paper and charcoal pencils, entered node three again.

He squatted in the center of the circular stone chamber, laid the paper on his knees, and began to trace the map section by section.

He proceeded segment by segment following the direction of the lines, marking the relative position and path direction of each area on the edge of the map.

It took most of the morning to complete the copying of the entire map.

He put away the paper and charcoal pencil, went back the way he came, and covered the stone slab again.

After returning to the cabin, he laid out the copied map side by side with the previous map and compared them section by section.

He discovered that the map marked a path that had not appeared before, leading to an area in the southwest of the underground space, a path that had not been marked in previous versions.

He wrote down the location and direction of the new path in his notebook, then closed the notebook and stood by the window for a while.

Jin Chen received the letter six days later.

He sat on the stone bench: "He said he had completed the copying of the Node 3 map and discovered a path marked on the map that had not appeared before, leading to an area in the southwest direction of the underground space."

He is planning the next exploration direction based on the course of that path.

Ling Feng said, "That area in the southwest direction may be the part of this space that has not yet been discovered."

Qian Renxue said, "If he can confirm that the path does exist, then the full extent of this space will become clearer."

Another part of the structure of Chapter 403

Chen Yuan said, "He will probably prioritize exploring the entrance to that new path."

Tang San said, "Exploring that new path might allow him to discover another part of the structure of this space."

Jin Chen said, "He said he plans to decide on the specific exploration time after confirming the location of the path entrance."

Ling Feng said, "Then let him do it at his own pace."

Over the next two days, the boy traced the path along the ground, using the locations marked on the map to pinpoint the entrance.

It was a shallow pit located in a low-lying area, with a thick layer of fallen leaves and soil covering the bottom.

He cleared away the covering from the surface of the shallow pit, revealing a cover plate made of the same material as the stone slab he had seen before, with slight wear marks on the edges, as if it had been opened repeatedly.

After confirming the size and location of the cover, he did not rush to open it, but covered it with fallen leaves again, restoring it to its original state.

After returning to the cabin, he recorded the location and status of the new path entrance in his notebook, and then wrote a note at the bottom of that page: "Entrance confirmed, status good, conditions ready to proceed."

We plan to conduct formal exploration during a period of stable weather.

He closed his notebook and stood by the window for a while. The night was deepening, and the wind was seeping in through the cracks in the window, as if providing him with continuous confirmation of the existence of that new path.

Those paths are indeed still there, and a new route awaits him to continue along it.

He stood there for a while, then walked back to the table, turned off the light, and sat in the darkness for a moment, as if adjusting his position to a new one.

He stood up and, following the coordinates of the new path, took his next step southwest.

The boy from Sea Breeze City entered the entrance to that new path on the morning of the sixth day.

The weather was fine that day; the sea breeze was gentler than usual, and there were no clouds in the sky.

He took the oil lamp and the rubbing of the map, squatted down in front of the shallow pit covered with fallen leaves in the low-lying area, cleared the fallen leaves and dirt covering the surface of the cover with his hands, inserted the crowbar into the gap at the edge of the cover, and began to apply force.

The cover was lifted up by his prying, without making the expected sound, as if it had been opened and closed many times. The wear marks on the edges were the marks left by long-term opening and closing.

After the cover was completely lifted, a downward-extending entrance was revealed. The edges of the entrance were smoother than any he had ever seen before, as if it had been meticulously repaired. He squatted at the edge of the entrance and shone the oil lamp down for a while, seeing the ground at the bottom. The entrance was shallower than the previous ones.

He put away the oil lamp and climbed down the entrance.

The space at the bottom of the entrance was more spacious than he had expected.

He straightened up, looked around, and found himself standing at the entrance of a wide passageway that stretched southwest. The walls were inlaid with rows of tiny, luminous patterns that were evenly distributed along both sides of the passageway and extended into the distance, as if they had been carefully arranged.

He walked along the path, his footsteps making a soft sound on the smooth stone surface.

He walked for a while, and the passage gradually widened. Some shallowly engraved lines and symbols began to appear on the walls on both sides, consistent with the writing system he had seen before.

He didn't stop and continued walking forward, covering a distance of about a hundred steps for an average person, until the end of the passage opened up.

He stood at the entrance to a much more spacious space, the dome higher than any space he had ever seen before, with light streaming down evenly from above, illuminating the entire area.

In the center of the space stands a tall stone pillar, its shaft covered with inscriptions that spiral upwards, stopping only at the top.

He approached the stone pillar, and using the light filtering down from the dome, looked up and followed the direction of the text, reading it line by line to confirm the arrangement and reading direction.

He stood in front of the stone pillar for a long time, confirming that the text recorded the initial construction process of this underground space and the last set of records left by the builders.

The text mentioned a name in the middle of the column, a name he hadn't seen in his notes before, like the builder's signature or the name of the planner responsible for designing the space.

He continued looking up and saw a description of the space's original purpose on the upper part of the column. It roughly matched what he had deciphered on the three walls, but was more complete, as if it had brought all the paragraphs to a close.

He stood in front of the stone pillar for a while, confirming that the inscriptions did not mention any other exits or passages, and then retreated along the way he had come.

Jin Chen received the letter six days later.

He sat on the stone bench, unfolded the letter, and after reading it, looked up, his voice carrying a sense of confirmation: "He said he had found a taller stone pillar, its shaft covered with inscriptions that recorded the construction process of this space."

The last signature and date left by the builder.

Ling Feng sat on the veranda: "Signature?"

date?"

Jin Chen said, "The signature was a name he had never seen before."

The date is earlier than any known record of this continent.

Qian Renxue said, "If the date is earlier than known records, then the construction time of this space may be far longer than our previous estimates."

Chen Yuan stood in the corner of the courtyard: "That means this space may be older than we thought."

Tang San asked, "Did he find any specific descriptions of the function of this space on the stone pillars?"

Jin Chen said, "Yes."

He said there was an inscription in the middle of the pillar that mentioned this space was originally a device for long-term observation of the flow of divine power. The builders chose this location because it was situated at the intersection of several major ley lines on the continent, allowing for continuous monitoring of the ley lines' direction and changes, and recording the slow-moving energy trajectories.

Ling Feng said, "Then it is indeed an observation station."

Qian Renxue said, "If it is indeed a device for long-term observation of the flow of divine power, then it may have recorded some key moments in the history of the continent."

Chen Yuan said, "Then he might record the inscriptions on the stone pillars in their entirety as a core record of this space."

Tang San said, "He said he plans to bring enough paper and charcoal pencils next time he enters to copy down the text on the stone pillars line by line as a core record of this space."

Ling Feng said, "That's right."

The inscriptions on the stone pillars are likely the most crucial record of this space and deserve to be preserved intact.