Abyssal Well

The voices soon faded away, as though they had left the underground.

The four had already withdrawn from the building through the skylight in its roof. Even if the others searched carefully, they would find nothing more than a few protective suits.

Only after the footsteps had completely vanished did they jump down from the roof and survey their surroundings.

This place looked very much like the entrance area. The surrounding stone walls were still smooth and orderly, but the space was far larger. Beyond the long building they had ridden in stood many more identical structures, packed densely in rows like sleeping dragons.

"We need to confirm where we are," Li said softly. "Let's get out of the stone cavern and see what's outside first."

The other three quickly agreed.

The scouting team followed the only exit upward. Along the way, they encountered quite a few passing cultists, but none noticed the small animals deliberately hiding in the shadows and evading detection.

Before long, the four saw sunlight again.

The instant she rushed out of the cave, Li's eyes widened in shock.

She found herself standing inside an enormous sinkhole!

Even if Jinxia City were moved here, it could easily fit inside. And that was not even counting its bottomless depth—if its vertical height were included, perhaps dozens of Jinxia Cities could be swallowed within.

The mouth of the well above them was not far away, no more than a hundred paces.

Yet she could not see the sun.

Above them stretched a vast sea of white clouds. Sunlight filtered through it, but it blocked all view of the outside.

Several fragments of memory surfaced uncontrollably in Li's mind—

"His Holiness the Pope has confirmed that what she sought her entire life lies somewhere within these mountains. But how