Strange Ghostly Creature

After waiting outside for a while, Xin Yueling's Spirit Beast flew out of the fissure.

Zhang Zhengan came out after it, his expression dark.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, please don't be angry. It's not that I didn't trust you. I just wanted to take a quick look."

Seeing his face darken, Xin Yueling felt a little embarrassed. She offered a brief explanation, then put the Spirit Beast into her Storage Bag.

But her excuse was so feeble she would have been better off saying nothing.

"All right. Since everything inside is as described, let's go in!"

Yue Tianyi stepped in to smooth things over.

Zhang Zhengan was hardly going to fall out with them over this. They had been on good terms before; otherwise, he would not have invited them to join him. So he led the group into the fissure in single file.

Beyond it lay a wide natural passage. After descending several hundred zhang along its slope, they reached a stretch of rock wall riddled with holes.

"This is the unusual area I mentioned. Once we pass through this stretch of wall, we'll reach the Earth Cave proper. Watch out for the Yin Nether Qi inside, and for Yin Souls and Ghostly Creatures that could appear at any moment!"

After warning them, Zhang Zhengan continued forward.

The others followed.

Chen Lin hung back. Once everyone had gone in, he released a Golden Core Puppet.

"What are you doing?"

The puppet had barely left when someone doubled back from inside and gave him a suspicious look.

It was Xin Yueling.

Chen Lin had not expected her senses to be so sharp. "Nothing," he said calmly. "I'm leaving a marker outside so I can find my way back if I get lost in there."

Xin Yueling nodded.

The explanation made sense.