The passage extended upward, and the patterns around him had dimmed considerably.
Since he had taken the Spiritual Qi Core, only a few scattered patches of the eerie blue light that had once been everywhere remained.
Jiang Lan followed the passage upward.
Xing's voice sounded in his mind again.
"Oh, right. Once the array goes dormant, those Energy Bodies you encountered earlier will dissipate too."
"Got it."
Xing continued, "Also, I've hidden the Spiritual Qi fluctuations from the Spiritual Qi Core for you."
Jiang Lan raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Thanks."
With Xing helping conceal it, he was spared quite a bit of trouble.
Then he closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings.
There were several familiar auras above him.
They belonged to Shen Fang and the others.
Their auras were moving downward now. It looked as though they were probably searching for him.
Jiang Lan opened his eyes and quickened his pace.
At the end of the passage, a slightly more open area appeared ahead.
Almost immediately, he spotted Shen Fang.
Shen Fang stood at a fork in the passage, with Fang Yi behind him.
The two had clearly noticed Jiang Lan too, and Fang Yi was the first to approach.
"Are you all right?" Fang Yi hurried over to Jiang Lan and looked him up and down. "You suddenly vanished back there."
"I'm fine." Jiang Lan shook his head. "I just fell. Dropped straight into the hall on the third floor."
Fang Yi let out a long breath and patted his shoulder.
"Good. We've been looking for you for ages."
Shen Fang stepped forward and swept his gaze over Jiang Lan. After confirming he had no visible injuries, he asked:
"What's it like down there?"
"Another hall, a little smaller than the one on the second floor. Nothing special."