"Th-this... what is this?" After the white light faded, everyone saw what lay inside and cried out, their voices full of disappointment.
Inside the White Jade Box lay something resembling white silk, with a silver key resting quietly in its center. Yet it differed from the key beside it: this one had a cross-shaped, serrated form, its surface covered in golden runic patterns. A round red crystal stone was also set into its handle.
Although the key looked extraordinary, no one could say what it was used for, and the tension among them immediately eased.
"What... is this?" He Jin reached for the key, but Li Xiaoya picked it up first and murmured the question.
"It looks like a key!" Yang Muqing guessed from beside him.
"A key?" Ding Leng said. "But what does it unlock?"
"Ah, I never expected something like this. I'll hold on to it for now. Maybe it's the key to the Rear Mountain Pagoda!" Li Xiaoya put it into his Storage Pouch as he spoke calmly. After a pause, he continued, "None of you mind, do you?"
"The Rear Mountain Pagoda?" He Jin was taken aback. "We're not going to the Rear Mountain Pagoda. With our cultivation, we can't make it through Ancient Demon Mountain."
"What? Why wouldn't we go, now that we're here?" Li Xiaoya asked in confusion.
"Well, as I said, Ancient Demon Mountain and the Rear Mountain Pagoda are far too dangerous. Once we get through the Slaughter Passage, we're leaving!" He Jin said casually.
"Uh, never mind. Let's get through Ancient Demon Mountain first and discuss it afterward!" Li Xiaoya pondered for a moment. Finding it hard to object, he raised his head and spoke.
"Uh, it's not that I refuse to go. It's just that, with our strength, we'd only