A few days have passed since the last time I left Crown Prince's Residence. Chen Jieqi went to the Dugu Manor.
When Chen Jieqi arrived, Dugu Bo was lying on a wicker chair in the yard basking in the sun, squinting as if he was asleep.
Chen Jieqi approached, but he didn't open his eyes.
"Coming?"
"Grandpa."
Dugu Bo snorted and still didn't sit up.
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
Chen Jieqi stood next to him and repeated the message he had received from Xue Qinghe in detail.
Dugu Bo After listening, he opened his eyes and frowned slightly.
"So you want to take a look."
"I would like to ask grandpa to accompany me for a walk." Chen Jieqi said,
"As long as you are here, no matter whether it is Evil Soul Master or not, I dare not act rashly.
And based on your experience, you might be able to tell something."
Dugu Bo glanced at him and said nothing.
He stood up, walked two steps in the yard with his hands behind his back, and suddenly stopped.
"Okay. Just tomorrow."
Chen Jieqi nodded, stood up and left.
Early the next morning, when Chen Jieqi arrived at the Dugu Manor, Dugu Bo had already packed up.
She is still wearing her usual dark green robe, her hair is tied neatly,
It's less casual than usual and more dignified than Titled Douluo should be.
"Let's go." he said.
The two of them left the city and headed in the direction of East Foothills.
Dugu Bo walked in front, walking at an leisurely pace.
"Grandpa, is there a tail behind it?" Chen Jieqi asked.
Dugu Bo didn't look back. "Yes. I've been following him since we left the city."
"Evil Soul Master?"
"It doesn't really look like him. I just recognize him and don't dare to approach him."
Dugu Bo The tone is casual,
"In Heaven Dou City, Soul Master, who doesn't know me, hasn't been born yet."
Chen Jieqi gave a thumbs up.
When the mine arrived, Dugu Bo stood at the mouth of the valley, glanced at the terrain, and nodded.
"Surrounded by mountains on three sides, underground rivers, mines... you kid is really good at picking."
Chen Jieqi led him deeper into the mine.
The mine tunnel becomes narrower as it goes down, the air is humid, and the excavation marks on the wall are gradually replaced by natural rock walls.
After walking for about a cup of tea, Chen Jieqi noticed that the surroundings were incredibly quiet.
There was no sound of dripping water, no buzzing of insects, even my own footsteps seemed to be sucked away by something.
It's dull and doesn't travel far.
Dugu Bo's pace also slowed down.
"Feel it?" he asked in a low voice.
Chen Jieqi nodded, there was something in front.
It's not Soul Power fluctuation, it's like pressure, it's something older and heavier,
Like a heartbeat, but not his heartbeat, nor Dugu Bo's.
It is the heartbeat of this mountain.
After turning another corner, my eyes suddenly opened up.
This is a natural underground hall, about ten feet high and half the size of a training ground.
The rock walls around the hall are smooth and flat, not like they were formed naturally.
It's more like it was forcibly smelted by some kind of force.
There is a huge Stone Gate embedded in the stone wall at the deepest part of the hall.
It is about three feet high and two feet wide, and its surface is covered with dense runes.
Those runes were not carved on them, but more like they grew out of the stone.
The lines are deep and shallow, some are blurred, while others are still as sharp as new.
Stone Gate stood there quietly for who knows how many years.
But Chen Jieqi can feel that it is not dead.
Between the lines of the runes, there is a very faint platinum light flowing,
Like blood flowing in a blood vessel, very slowly, so slow that it is almost invisible,
But it does move.
Dugu Bo stopped, his eyes fell on Stone Gate, his brows furrowed.
He didn't speak, but Chen Jieqi noticed that his hands clenched unconsciously.
After a long silence, Dugu Bo finally spoke.
"I have lived for so many years and have seen no less than ten ancient ruins."
His voice was lower than usual, "But nowhere is it so alive."
Chen Jieqi looked at him.
"This thing..." Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, "It's breathing."
Chen Jieqi turned to look at Stone Gate.
The rhythm of the civilization and destruction of runes is indeed like breathing.
One light and one dark, one light and one dark, slow and constant, like some kind of creature that has been sleeping for a long time.
He stepped forward, and the mark between his eyebrows began to heat up.
It's not burning, it's a warm feeling, like being watched by something.
He raised his hand, his fingertips hovering an inch above the rune without touching it.
The runes seemed to light up for a moment, then dim again.
"Did you feel it?" Dugu Bo asked.
"It's looking at me." Chen Jieqi said.
Dugu Bo was silent for a moment, walked directly in front of Stone Gate, and took a deep breath.
Emerald green Soul Power surged out of the body, and the pressure of level 95 Titled Douluo instantly filled the entire hall.
A thick layer of poisonous mist condensed on his right palm, and he slapped Stone Gate with one palm.
"Boom--"
The runes suddenly lit up, and white-gold light poured out like a tide, colliding with the green poisonous mist.
It wasn't an explosion, it wasn't tearing apart, but a gentle but irresistible force that ejected Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo took several steps back, plowing two shallow grooves on the ground with the soles of his feet.
He stabilized his body and looked down at his palm. There was no injury.
But the whole arm was numb, as if something had shaken it from the bones.
With a solemn look on his face, he whispered.
"I hit it with all my strength, but it didn't move at all."
He raised his head, his solemn expression dissipated, but instead showed something complex, almost awe-inspiring.
"This thing... doesn't look like an ordinary thing."
Chen Jieqi walked forward and stood directly in front of Stone Gate.
The mark between the eyebrows begins to glow.
It wasn't him who initiated it, it was Stone Gate who was calling.
He could feel that those runes were "looking" at him, like countless eyes opening from a deep sleep.
He slowly raised his right hand and pressed it on Stone Gate.
At that moment, he heard a heartbeat.
It's not his, it's not Dugu Bo's, it's the one behind Stone Gate.
The heartbeat was very slow, so slow that it seemed like it took a long time to beat.
But every beat made his chest feel tight, as if someone was beating a drum on his heart.
The runes light up.
It's not the passive, defensive light when Dugu Bo is touched,
Instead, it was like coming alive, with white-gold light spreading from the palm of Chen Jieqi,
It lights up layer by layer along the lines of the runes, like the tide overflowing the beach, like dead trees blooming in spring.
The whole hall was illuminated.
Chen Jieqi could feel that something behind Stone Gate was responding to him.
Not a sound, not an image, but a resonance that spans a long time, like two hearts beating at the same frequency.
He "heard" it.
Not language, not words, but a more primitive sigh that is directly engraved into the soul,
"You're here."
But it only lasted a few breaths.
The power began to be consumed, and the holy light poured out from the palm and was swallowed by the runes.
It was too fast, he had no time to react, Soul Power leaked out like a river bursting its banks.
The mark on the center of my eyebrow was so hot that it hurt, my chest seemed to be pressed by something, and it became difficult to breathe.
He heard that his own heartbeat and the heartbeat behind Stone Gate began to misalign.
One is fast and the other is slow, the faster one seems to explode.
"Let go!" Dugu Bo's voice came from behind.
Chen Jieqi wanted to let go, but his palm seemed to be sucked on Stone Gate.
The light of the runes became brighter and brighter, his face became paler and whiter, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Dugu Bo didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward, grabbed Chen Jieqi's shoulders, and pulled him back violently.
Instead of using brute force, Soul Power was used to shake open the connection between Stone Gate and Chen Jieqi.
"Bang--"
Chen Jieqi was dragged away from Stone Gate, staggered back, and was supported by Dugu Bo.
His palms were still trembling, and there was a faint burn mark on his palms. The holy light was rushing around inside his body.
It was like something had been forcefully taken away and stuffed back again.
Dugu Bo looked down at him, a trace of distress flashed in his eyes, but he didn't say anything.
"Can I leave?"
Chen Jieqi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and nodded.
"Go back first." Dugu Bo said, his voice a little deeper than usual.
"This thing recognizes you, but your current strength is not enough."
Chen Jieqi looked back at Stone Gate.
The platinum light of the runes has dimmed, returning to its lifeless appearance.
But he knows that it is not "dead", it is waiting.
He turned around and followed Dugu Bo out.
When we walked out of the mine, the sun was dazzling.
Chen Jieqi squinted his eyes, took a deep breath, and the pain in his chest eased a little.
Dugu Bo was walking in front and suddenly spoke.
"I have lived for decades, and this is the first time I have seen such a thing."
Chen Jieqi said nothing.
"It's not an ancient ruin, it's not a trace that Titled Douluo can leave."
Dugu Bo's voice is very low,
"I'm afraid it's the legendary..."
Chen Jieqi's fingers tightened slightly.
"At least until Soul King." Dugu Bo said,
"Your light can light it up, but it can't hold it back. Then practice until it's enough."
Chen Jieqi looked at his back and was silent for a moment.
"Two years. Continental Soul Master Tournament ago."
Dugu Bo didn't look back, just snorted as an answer.
Dugu Bo flew back directly with Chen Jieqi.
Just after flying not far away, Dugu Bo suddenly turned back and glanced in the direction of the mine.
Chen Jieqi Looking along his gaze, the valley was empty and there was nothing.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing." Dugu Bo looked away.
"Gone."
Chen Jieqi didn't ask, but he knew that Dugu Bo must have felt something.