"Could it be... some demon beast similar to the fire ape? Or perhaps... a drought demon?"
The thought of a drought demon made cold sweat break out across Xiao Hua's back. Such creatures were innate spiritual beings, their divine abilities bestowed by heaven itself. With Xiao Hua's cultivation, he was absolutely no match for one. His eyes darted as he surveyed the pitch-black surroundings. Only when he felt none of that scorching thirst rising from the depths of his heart did he relax slightly.
But then Xiao Hua sneered. "Hmph, perhaps this is precisely a feint. Someone harmed Master Ke Qin and deliberately laid out a maze to keep others from guessing whose handiwork it was! But... who would make things so difficult for the artifact-refining master revered by all the soul warriors of Million Meng Mountain?"
Thinking of Ziming's purpose in visiting Master Ke Qin, along with some things Ziming herself had said, Xiao Hua gradually began to form an idea.
"Who?" Just as Xiao Hua felt that he had a clue, a strange sensation arose from the depths of his heart. He hurriedly looked up, his gaze landing on a stone wall deep within the valley.
The stone wall was several dozen zhang across and somewhat smooth, though it was covered in withered vines that rustled softly in the night wind.
Xiao Hua gripped the As-You-Wish Staff and flew before the stone wall. He examined it with his naked eye and swept it with his Buddhist sense, yet found nothing unusual. Still, that indescribable sensation from before had flashed past right in front of this wall.
After pondering for a moment, Xiao Hua formed a hand seal and used the Art of Earth Evasion to enter the stone wall. He searched the area within several dozen zhang around