The two were swept into the current. After a moment of spinning heaven and earth, they entered a broad black tunnel.
The stone walls on both sides of the tunnel were smooth and damp. River water surged through it, producing a rushing roar.
The two continued flying through the tunnel for some time. The current gradually slowed, and the light ahead grew increasingly distinct.
Before long, Chen Changming saw a stone gate flickering with a faint white glow, standing majestically at the end of the tunnel.
"We're here."
Dong Xueqi flew forward, reached an arm into the layer of white light, and gently pushed the stone gate.
The stone gate silently slid apart to either side, revealing a passage.
She turned back and gave Chen Changming a meaningful look, signaling him to follow, then took the lead and stepped through the stone gate.
Chen Changming followed her inside.
He noticed that the outside of the stone gate was covered by a simple formation that kept out the river water. Its spiritual light was faint and its structure crude; it could not block Void Refinement Realm cultivators in the slightest. Clearly, its original builder had set it up merely to prevent the river from flooding in, rather than as a defensive restriction.
After passing through the stone gate, the two found themselves in a rather enormous underground chamber.
The chamber spanned dozens of zhang in each direction. Its ceiling hung high above, and its four walls were level and smooth, clearly having been meticulously polished.
More than a hundred fist-sized luminous pearls were embedded overhead, arranged in the shape of some ancient star map. Each gave off a soft white radiance, illuminating the entire chamber until it was as bright as day.
The air was filled with an ancient, dry scent,