Chapter 388: Child's Words

Xu and You breathed a sigh of relief when they realized they were only being asked to return to the island. Still, they looked to Shi Chun for his cue, unwilling to make decisions on their own. They genuinely didn't understand the situation and felt it was inappropriate to act independently, needing some coordination.

As it was merely a simple evasion, Shi Chun didn't fuss about it and gave a slight nod.

Xu and You then obediently retraced their steps, showing no hint of resentment.

Lord Nine then formally introduced the horned old man before them. "Shi Chun," he said, "this is the Elder you wish to meet."

Shi Chun promptly bowed and said, "Shi Chun greets the Elder."

The Elder studied Shi Chun intently. "I heard you intend to marry Zhen'er?"

Shi Chun hummed an affirmative, nodding, "Yes."

People here weren't accustomed to the evasive speech of the outside world, so the Elder spoke plainly: "Do you know that Zhen'er cannot leave this forbidden area?"

Shi Chun replied, "I do."

The Elder asked, "Are you certain you are willing to stay in the Divine Fire Domain forever for Zhen'er?"

Shi Chun solemnly declared, "I am willing."

The Elder continued, "There are precedents for those who have remained in the Divine Fire Domain. Your cultivation, compared to theirs, is less than that of an ant, yet even they could not survive the Realm of Silence of the Gods after a century. In other words, once the exit is sealed, if you stay here, you will at most live for another hundred years. Are you aware of these facts?"

"I know, Zhen'er has already told me," Shi Chun said, turning to Zhen'er. He took her hands, gazing at her as adoringly as possible. "Isn't it enough to meet someone you truly love and spend a hundred years together? If you don't find someone you love, what's the point of eternal life? Having Zhen'er in this life is all I need."

Zhen'er, secretly nervous and uneasy, still loved hearing his words, even though she knew they were insincere flattery. She smiled sweetly; if the Elder hadn't been there to restrain her, she would have been unable to stop herself from speaking again.

The Elder's expression remained unruffled, and he said nothing, though his gaze, despite his attempts to appear composed, still seemed to drift slightly.

Lord Nine, meanwhile, couldn't help but look up as if at the sky.

Had they not been able to guess Shi Chun's true intentions, they truly couldn't have imagined that outsiders could be so utterly nauseating. They had never encountered such behavior before, but they understood how he had managed to silence the Elder, who had been asking questions relentlessly, leaving him speechless.

Those secretly eavesdropping displayed a myriad of postures and ever-changing expressions, some mouthing words silently into the air.

Shi Chun dared to act so uninhibitedly and realistically because he was certain that the Elders in the Earth Core Tower had no idea Zhen'er knew how to dismantle the array's core.

At least, Zhen'er had told him privately that 'Su' had secretly informed her and instructed her to keep it hidden from outsiders, as the Elders in the tower would otherwise not spare her.

Observing the seemingly endless display of intense affection between the two...

For a moment, the Elder was at a loss for words, so he resorted to small talk, asking, "If you don't return, what about your family?"

Shi Chun immediately turned his head and declared, "I, Shi Chun, am all alone, without father or mother..."

And so, in a question-and-answer exchange, he began to explain his family history and origins, inevitably mentioning the Land of Exile. Surprisingly, the Elder and the others seemed quite interested in similar matters from the outside world, asking numerous detailed questions.

Xu and You, having dutifully and obediently climbed back to the seventh floor, used sandalwood gold to illuminate the dark surroundings. Lord Nine was no longer accompanying them, nor was there any divine fire spontaneously appearing to light their way.

As they walked, quietly observing their surroundings, they were rounding a curved passage when they suddenly heard a childish sigh from ahead.

The phrase, "They won't kill us, will they?" made both instinctively grip their sandalwood gold, dimming its light. They faintly discerned flickering light and shadows ahead, so they lightened their steps, slowed their pace, and tilted their heads to listen.

The two cautiously advanced, craning their heads towards the end of the curved passage. Suddenly, they stopped and drew back, only to cautiously peek out again a moment later. They saw two children sitting on the stairs, playing with firelight.

"They are guests; they won't kill us."

"But I heard that people who forge artifacts outside like to consume us. I heard that every two or three hundred years, a group of people comes in, searching for our kind to eat."

"Those who can enter the Earth Core Tower must be different, right? The Elders will protect us; they won't let them succeed."

"But when we passed through the 'Realm of Silence' earlier, an accident occurred. The Elders' bodies were nearly depleted by the Earth Core Tower's array; they are too weak, they can't even defeat us. What if these guests become greedy and Sister Zhen'er helps them? What will we do then?"

"They don't know that. No, Lord Seven and the others said that outsiders are very afraid of us and wouldn't dare cause trouble here. Besides, Sister Zhen'er has no reason to help them harm us..."

Upon hearing these words, Xu and You were considerably startled, their heartbeats almost beyond their control.

Listening further could easily lead to trouble. Xu Anchang poked You Mu's fingertip and made a subtle gesture to retreat. Understanding, You Mu immediately withdrew quietly with him, cautiously looking around as they went.

Only when they returned to the staircase where they had ascended did they release the light from their hands, feigning as if they had just arrived on the floor, and intentionally made their footsteps heavier.

"Hmm, these layers, they resemble both a building and a tower," Xu Anchang remarked, deliberately making conversation.

You Mu was not foolish; understanding his companion's intent, he cooperatively added, "How can a building and a tower be constructed underground? And this central columnar structure appears to be completely sealed."

As he spoke, he reached out to touch the wall.

Xu Anchang quickly pulled his hand back, admonishing, "Don't touch things carelessly."

"I just wanted to see what material it was made of..."

As they spoke, they glanced ahead and spotted the stairs leading upwards once more, but the two children who had been sitting there were gone.

Thus, exchanging remarks, they reached the staircase and began ascending step by step.

After the two had departed, firelight once again drifted from the end of the curved passage. It was the two children who had previously been playing with firelight on the stairs.

The two children bounced down to the bottom of the stairs, looked up, and then suddenly revealed eerie, mature smiles. They turned and walked away. Not long after, scorching red flames erupted from their bodies, and the two transformed into a mass of crimson fire. This rapidly condensed into a barefoot woman in red, faintly radiating red light.

The woman wore a red gauze dress, her graceful figure faintly visible beneath the fabric. The gauze was as red as mist, and her skin as white as snow. Her long, slender legs stepped gracefully as if on air, her thighs frequently glimpsed. With every movement, a faint jingle of bells could be heard, emanating from the black bells attached to the multiple black hairpins in her high-bunned dark hair.

A red veil draped across the hairpins on both sides, partially obscuring her face.

Even though only the upper part of her face, above her eyes, was visible, one could easily infer her complete beauty, recognizing her as an enchanting woman whose charm would make the moon hide and flowers blush.

Her barefoot figure, tapping on air with her toes, resembled a dancer. She truly embodied a soft, floating grace, like a wisp of dandelion in the wind. Raising a hand to cover her nose, she giggled softly, saying, "I'm done here."

There was no one around, and an unaware observer wouldn't know to whom she was speaking.

When Xu and You exited the cave entrance again, seeing the frozen lake and the vast expanse of brilliant starlight once more, they couldn't help but exchange glances. Both were secretly excited, realizing they had uncovered a significant secret.

Now, even they finally understood why Lord Nine had been so polite to Li Hongjiu, who had been pursuing them. It turned out there was a shocking secret hidden within.

After glancing left and right, You Mu dared not speak aloud. He leaned in close to Xu Anchang's ear and whispered, "What should we do? Should we tell Shi Chun?"

Xu Anchang instantly bit his lip hard. He had been pondering the exact same thing, so he perfectly understood the implication of You Mu's question.

According to ancient legends, there are theories about how this underground tower-like structure originated, likely connected to legendary figures who vanished in ancient times. If relics from those individuals exist, and if they could gain control of this place, they would naturally discover them.

These ancient, god-like figures were all extraordinary beings. In an era when natural treasures were abundant and easily acquired, any relic they might have left behind would likely be something incredible.

What treasures might be hidden there? It was a concept far too captivating to merely imagine, and incredibly tempting.

Should they tell Shi Chun? In their current situation, if they revealed it, they would lose control. How could they possibly agree to that?

After much thought, Xu Anchang's face showed his struggle. He leaned close to You Mu's ear and whispered, "I want to, too, but haven't you noticed something off? A marriage proposal—do you believe that nonsense? This guy seems very familiar with some aspects of this forbidden area. He knows there's danger, yet he came here for some ridiculous proposal. Are you sure he doesn't know the full story here? Are you sure he isn't after what we're looking for?"

Upon hearing this, You Mu also found himself agreeing, nodding slightly and letting out a soft sigh.

Xu Anchang continued, "Furthermore, how is he so familiar with the situation here? Can you be sure he isn't acting on higher orders? We don't know the true nature of this tower, nor whether what we seek even exists within it.

We both witnessed that man's strength, and he possesses a magic treasure. Moreover, there's the issue of the exit; how do we leave? That fellow clearly has nothing to fear, seemingly unconcerned about getting out. It's possible he's been given a rendezvous method from above.

Even if we manage to take some extraordinary magic treasure with us, relying on a single artifact to contend with the powerful forces outside, given our strength, would be a challenging path.

Of course, all of this is secondary and can be resolved.

The problem is, if the entities within the tower are truly so weak, gaining control of this place would first require dealing with that man. A surprise attack, while he's unprepared, should be enough to eliminate him. The crucial point, however, is that too many people know we came with him; the Mingshan Sect group cannot be left alive."

The implication was simple: if they could eliminate all witnesses, the risk would be worth taking.

You Mu pondered for a moment, then whispered, "Actually, it's not difficult to resolve. We find Wu Jinliang, take him aside under the pretense of discussing a secret, and if our surprise attack succeeds in getting the magic treasure from him, eliminating the Mingshan Sect group will be easy, a piece of cake. Then, using that treasure to deal with that man will be even simpler."

Xu Anchang immediately grabbed his wrist, scanned the surroundings, then leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "You and I are of the same mind; that's exactly what I was thinking. However, someone definitely needs to stay here to monitor the situation and keep that man occupied. Who among us should go, and who should stay?"

After a brief pause, You Mu whispered, "It's hard to predict if you're not here, so I'll go. That big fellow probably won't suspect a trick, so there shouldn't be a major issue."

"Good," Xu Anchang said, shaking his wrist forcefully. "Now's the time; go quickly and return quickly! Once that man comes out, who knows what complications he'll create? We might find ourselves trapped again."

The two truly showed no hesitation whatsoever; they were utterly decisive. You Mu simply nodded, pushed Xu Anchang's hand away, turned, and ascended into the air, urgently making his way to Wu Jinliang and their hiding spot.

Interestingly, while they had been steady and cautious earlier when searching for the divine fire, they now, in an instant, made such an imprudent and risky decision, quickly reaching an agreement. The stark contrast made their behavior seem entirely uncharacteristic.