The three of them searched in the direction the tools had been scattered, pushing aside layers of vines and weeds. After more than two hours, they finally discovered a narrow path in a crack in the stone wall, almost completely buried beneath the undergrowth.
The path was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, but there were clear signs that the road surface had been carved and repaired. The three of them climbed upward along the path. The vegetation gradually grew sparse, and the road beneath their feet became clearer and clearer.
After walking for another half hour or so, their view suddenly opened up—they had reached the mountainside of Fude Mountain.
A huge platform appeared before them, roughly thirteen or fourteen zhang square. The ground was paved with neat stone slabs, and the surroundings were concealed by dense trees and vines, making it completely invisible from below.
At the end of the platform, a heavy stone door was embedded in the mountain wall, its surface covered in moss.
The three of them were still marveling at the scale of the platform when Xiao Yun suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on a shadowed area on the other side of the platform. "Who's there? Come out."
As soon as he spoke, several figures walked out from the other side of the platform. They were not in good shape—some had torn clothes, some had bloody marks on their faces, and some limped as they walked, as if they had just gone through a fierce battle.
They were divided into three groups, with obvious distance between each of them.
On the far left was a group made up of a fat man, a thin man, and a beautiful woman. The fat one was round and plump like a small mountain;