"Wait, what exactly happened just now? They were right in front of us. How could they suddenly disappear?"
"Nothing is impossible. Don't forget, this Hidden Realm is somewhere even the higher-ups take seriously. It might be an Ancient Cultivator's cave abode or a burial palace underground. We must have accidentally triggered a restriction..."
"Exactly. A place like this is riddled with danger. We barged in so recklessly-it's already a blessing that nobody died on the spot. What's a few missing people?"
"Let's hope they're all right..."
Several people in the party began talking, their faces betraying fear, tension, unease, and bewilderment. Yet at the same time, a faint thrill of excitement welled up within them.
An Ancient Cultivator's cave abode! A burial palace underground!
Weren't these precisely the places in all those strange tales where extraordinarily lucky rogue cultivators stumbled upon fortuitous encounters, underwent trials, and ultimately obtained legacies and mystic treasures that sent them soaring into the heavens?
"Lingyue, are you all right?"
Yang Xia did not think that far ahead. His concern was Shui Lingyue's condition. Once he saw that she was still beside him and had not mysteriously vanished like Chang Wei and the others, he felt relieved.
"I'm fine, but something seems very wrong with this place. Do you smell anything?" Shui Lingyue gave him a radiant smile.
"Smell anything?" Yang Xia paused in surprise.
"Blood!" Old Lin interjected from beside them.
The genial, ever-present smile had vanished from his face, leaving only gravity and vigilance.
"There's a very strong smell of blood here!"
"That's right, I smell it too. It seems to have appeared when that strange mist drifted over just now."
Another rogue cultivator traveling with them spoke up.
Everyone looked back. Where the iron-chain bridge should have been, a vast expanse of dense