I'll Take It Myself

A stream of information flooded into his mind, instantly pinpointing several crucial nodes and weak points in the Stone Gate's formation energy flow, along with a clever opening sequence that would not trigger the alarm.

Dragon Thunder Baleful Force flickered from Lu Chen's fingertips, transforming into several threads that precisely tapped a few inconspicuous protrusions and indentations on the stone gate.

"Click... click-click..."

An exceedingly faint sound arose, like insect legs crawling. The insect-shaped patterns on the heavy stone gate wriggled slightly, and then the gate silently slid inward, opening a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

A surge of dark green poisonous gas, ten times denser than outside and nearly tangible, rushed at him, mingled with the pungent stench of medicine, blood, and an indescribable odor of decay!

Lu Chen held his breath. Dragon Thunder Baleful Force formed a thin yet resilient membrane of light over his body as he stepped through the gate.

Beyond it was not the hall or room he had expected, but a broad, sinister stairway descending underground. Insect-egg-shaped gemstones embedded in the walls on either side emitted a ghostly miserable green glow, illuminating the path below.

Faintly, deep underground, came a low "thump... thump..." like a heartbeat, along with the clearer rustling of countless venomous insects crawling and pained groans.

This was the true core of the Poison Miasma Residence!

Lu Chen's gaze turned icy. Moving like lightning, he sped down the stairs. His divine sense spread like mercury spilling across the ground, carefully sweeping the path ahead and both sides as he avoided several hidden venomous insect traps and warning gu.

The stairway was long and spiraled downward. The temperature steadily dropped, the dampness grew heavier, and the poison gas became increasingly dense.

Cages began appearing on both sides,