Downward?
Why was the true path downward after breaking the ghost-wall?
Could there still be space beneath the Clock Tower?
The three people, who had expected the secrets and truth to lie at the top of the Clock Tower where the "heart" was located, found this somewhat unexpected. After all, when they entered the Clock Tower, their starting point was the first floor, and at that time they had not seen any space like a basement.
Of course, it was possible that they simply hadn't thought about that area, and since subterranean spaces were well-concealed, they had overlooked it.
Now that the opened path did not lead to the top, Yu Xing didn't dwell on it. Anyway, the looping staircase was a hoax, and there were no other paths to walk here, so they might as well head down and take a look first—perhaps there was another way leading to the summit.
This time, the positioning of the three was reversed. Qu Xuanqing became the first after turning around, and without hesitation, she led the other two behind her and stepped into the newly opened passage one by one.
The dark vortex slowly closed behind them, completely cutting off that infinitely looping staircase.
What the three stepped into was a narrow, downward-sloping passage. Unlike the material mixed with metal and bone above, the walls here felt more like some kind of hardened, dried biological tissue, presenting a dark red hue with surfaces covered in thick, tendon-like veins.
These veins were still pulsing extremely slowly, emitting faint heat and a strange... foul odor resembling a mixture of stale blood and pheromones.
The air grew increasingly humid and stuffy, carrying a heavy earthy smell and the scent of metal corrosion.
The sense of oppression from the Clock Tower above diminished greatly here,