Not long after Lu Xiaotian and the others entered the stone cave, the bearded man arrived outside. But he had only just reached the cave when the spiritual energy behind him stirred again. A transparent white barrier enveloped a black-clad young woman with a black veil over her face. The spiritual energy around her was not particularly strong.
Hidden in the shadows, the bearded man watched the young woman arrive with some surprise. She was only at Qi Refining Great Perfection, yet she dared enter this Domain of Heavy Water. The defensive treasure she wore was quite impressive, but strange things were often afoot for a reason. The bearded man made no move to alert her.
The young woman seemed quite familiar with the area. In the blink of an eye, she entered the stone cave. After a moment's hesitation, the bearded man followed.
After entering the cave, the young woman looked around. Then, at an inconspicuous reef, she scraped away the silt with her hand. Beneath it lay a rough stone slab. Even if an ordinary cultivator accidentally scraped away some of the silt and spotted the slab, they would think nothing of it. It looked just like an ordinary stone buried in the mud.
Yet at the sight of the slab, the young woman couldn't help smiling. She reached out and tapped it several times in a measured rhythm. With a click, the slab slid open on both sides, revealing a small, foot-deep recess. Inside was a mechanism etched with strange patterns.
"I presume this is the mechanism that controls the formation, then. Quite the clever scheme, young lady." Just as the young woman was about to open it, the bearded man quietly stepped out from behind her and spoke in a low voice.
"Of course not. This