Secret Passage

Su Muxue and Chen Feng heard the sound and immediately stepped closer.

"There is spatial fluctuation hidden beneath, but it is masked by an obscure force. If not for focused observation, it would be impossible to detect."

"Shall we pry it open and see?" Chen Feng suggested in a low voice.

The three of them joined forces to act. The stone slab was exceptionally hard, and it was only after exhausting their strength that they managed to pry open a corner.

Beneath the slab was a vertical shaft leading downward, its inner walls polished as smooth as a mirror, so deep that the bottom was invisible.

"There really is a secret passage!" Chen Feng could not hide his joy.

Lin Ye's gaze was calm, but his tone carried an unquestionable certainty: "Staying here and waiting for the barrier to collapse is a dead end. This secret passage is our only chance of survival."

"Let's go down!" Su Muxue gritted her teeth and nodded, a look of determination rising in her eyes.

"I'll scout the path!" Before Chen Feng finished speaking, he prepared to leap into the shaft.

"Wait." Lin Ye reached out to stop him, took out a tough rope that had been tempered for strength, and tied it firmly to a stone pillar nearby, securing the knot tightly.

"I will go down to scout first. You two stay on guard above and wait for my signal before coming down."

With the arrangements made, Lin Ye said no more. He gripped the rope tightly, leaped, and was the first to slide into the pitch-black darkness of the shaft.

After descending vertically for about thirty zhang, his feet finally touched a solid stone floor.

Lin Ye released the rope and condensed a wisp of dark golden true energy in his palm. The gentle light instantly dispelled the surrounding darkness, illuminating the entire stone chamber.

This was a secret room built from a single block of bluestone. The four walls were smooth, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.

In the center of the room lay a skeleton. The body had long since decayed, leaving only a pair of bony arms tightly clutching an ancient wooden box.

Lin Ye bowed to the skeleton before taking the wooden box.

The box felt extremely heavy in his hands. In the center of the lid was an indentation that perfectly matched the shape of a palm. After a moment of contemplation, he pressed his right hand firmly into the print. The moment his fingertips touched it, the wooden box trembled slightly.

He focused his mind and looked inside the box. There lay three items: an irregular crystal with a dark golden hue, an ancient token engraved with star patterns, and a silver silk scroll.

"Lin Ye, did you find anything down there?" Su Muxue's hushed voice came from the top of the shaft, filled with urgency.

"It's safe. Come down, but be careful." Lin Ye replied, his eyes fixed on the treasures in the box as his thoughts raced.

The dark golden crystal contained pure and vast energy, which was the perfect item for restoring his cultivation and reinforcing the barrier at this moment. The star-patterned token had an ancient aura and was likely the credential and access key for these ruins. The silver scroll surely contained key secrets regarding this place.

Lin Ye flicked his fingertips and slowly unfurled the silver silk.

The moment the silk stretched out, a brilliant silver light burst forth, projecting onto the walls of the stone chamber like a pouring galaxy, clearly revealing flowing dynamic images and ancient seal characters.

The first half of the scroll was a detailed map of the ancient battlefield, precisely marking the peripheral areas centered around the Tongtian Tower, with routes and strongholds clearly visible.

The latter half recorded the operational principles of the Star Dome Array, the eruption patterns of the Guixu Tide, and the fatal weaknesses and countermeasures for several common evil spirits.

Lin Ye felt a surge of excitement; this intelligence had arrived just in time.

"Lin Ye, what did you find?" Su Muxue and Chen Feng slid down the rope one after another.

"I found a map, key intelligence, and clues to leave this place!" Lin Ye lowered his voice and quickly relayed the core content of the scroll to the two of them.

Upon hearing this, the aura around Su Muxue and Chen Feng surged, and hope reignited in their dim eyes.

"This dark golden crystal has pure energy that can restore our cultivation and reinforce the barrier. The token is a credential for the ruins, which will surely be useful for the subsequent Star Observation Platforms and the Tongtian Tower." Lin Ye pointed to the treasures in the box, his voice steady. "The priority now is to use the crystal to restore our strength. Muxue, you specialize in ice-attribute techniques; you can absorb the star's cold energy to heal your wounds."

"Chen Feng, your physical body is damaged, so absorb the earth's energy to nourish your muscles and bones. I will guard you while repairing the barrier according to the scroll, striving to buy us a moment to breathe."

"Understood!" Su Muxue and Chen Feng replied in unison, immediately sitting cross-legged and closing their eyes to regulate their breathing.

Lin Ye held the scroll, focusing on studying the method for repairing the barrier. Following the instructions, he injected his true energy into the metal plate at the array's core to strengthen the connection, then firmly embedded the dark golden crystal into the slot.

"Hum—"

A low hum resonated throughout the ruins. The Seventh Star Observation Platform, which had been silent for so long, seemed to awaken in an instant!

The blue starlight in the eyes of the altar's stone statues surged to its peak. Dark golden array patterns flowed across the surface of the stone, and the previously dim and thin outer light barrier instantly solidified as if cast in metal, its evil-repelling power increasing several times over.

Based on the energy consumption, the reinforced barrier would last for three days, buying the three of them precious time to prepare for battle.

A short while later, Su Muxue and Chen Feng opened their eyes almost simultaneously. Their gazes were sharp, and their auras were several times stronger than before, becoming more refined and profound. The pure energy of the dark golden crystal had not only healed their injuries but also advanced their cultivation.

"How do you feel?" Lin Ye asked in a deep voice.

"I have never felt so full of energy." Su Muxue's beautiful eyes sparkled with joy. "The star's cold energy is a perfect match for my Ice Heart Art, and even my cultivation bottleneck has loosened."

"My physical strength has also mostly recovered. My combat power is back to its peak!"

"Very good." Lin Ye nodded. "Next, we will break through along the safe path and find the exit."

"When do we move?"

Lin Ye looked toward the entrance of the passage, a hint of gravity in his eyes. "According to the scroll and the celestial phenomena, there is less than two hours until the next Guixu Tide. We must reach the first temporary shelter before the tide erupts; there are remnants of an array there where we can temporarily avoid danger. No time to lose, let's go!"

Lin Ye looked at the dark passage on one side of the stone chamber. "This secret passage is the hidden route connecting the Seventh Star Observation Platform to the start of the safe path. Taking this route will allow us to avoid most of the evil spirits on the periphery."

Su Muxue and Chen Feng nodded in understanding, following closely behind Lin Ye as they entered the pitch-black passage one by one.

After sneaking for about a quarter of an hour, a flight of upward stone stairs appeared ahead, with faint daylight visible at the end.

Lin Ye raised his hand to signal for silence, indicating for the two to suppress their auras. He himself moved like a ghost to the top of the stairs and peered outside.

The exit of the secret passage was hidden in a crevice at the base of a giant rock. Not far away was the stone bridge marked on the map. Several black shadows with sinister and powerful auras were slowly wandering by the bridge, radiating killing intent.

On the other side of the stone bridge, one could vaguely see the ruins of a building similar to the Seventh Star Observation Platform, with ominous energy fluctuations emanating from deep within.