After that shattered gray figure dissipated in the morning breeze, the light in the woods regained some of its clarity. Wind slipped through the gaps between the pine branches, rolling up the last wisps of mist like a canvas being turned over, revealing the roots and moss marks that had been hidden beneath. Shen Xiu withdrew the residual lightning from his palm, yet that layer of purple-gold radiance did not completely fade. It continued to flow slowly around his fingertips like an alert snake, ready to tense again at any moment.
He did not immediately unclench his fist. The nine fragments in his sea of consciousness were still resonating at an extremely subtle frequency. That resonance had not ceased with the figure's disappearance; instead, it had become more prolonged, as though hinting at an echo that had yet to end. He extended his divine sense deeper into the soil. Beneath the patch of overturned ground, the fragment within the hollow had already shattered completely, leaving behind only a few lines so faint they were nearly impossible to discern. Yet farther below the surface, some five or six zhang deeper, the aura of one area differed somewhat from its surroundings. It was denser, quieter, as if deliberately drawn inward.
He guided Thunderbolt Power slowly down along the trail of that aura and touched a hard surface. It was smooth and level. After extending for some distance, it turned sideways, forming an almost circular outline. Several grooves marked its edge, like the rim of some lid or seal. Just as he was preparing to investigate the full extent of that hard surface, a brief tremor suddenly came from below the earth. It was swift and faint, as though something inside had turned over in its sleep.
Shen Xiu withdrew his divine sense.