"Let’s go. I’ll take you to a good place." Shangguan You shook her head and waved her hands. The originally flat floor split open, revealing a passage in the middle.
"You..." Ye An began, surprised. His gaze shifted as he looked at Shangguan You.
"That’s right, I have the Five Spirit Pearls," Shangguan You nodded. Ye An is a clever man, she thought, and there’s no need for me to keep it a secret any longer.
"Let’s go." Shangguan You leaped gracefully into the pathway. Ye An’s eyes flickered as he followed her. Just as their figures disappeared, the passage that had split the floor merged back to its original state. A pale blue mist enveloped the room’s lights, dousing them, and the Shen Family villa was once again shrouded in darkness.
In the pitch-black stratum, a layer of fiery red light surrounded Shangguan You, illuminating her path with a fiery glow. Ye An followed closely by her side; he could clearly feel the suffocating heat emanating from her.
There seemed to be no path ahead, yet wherever Shangguan You moved, a passage would automatically open up. The surrounding earth acted as if it were part of Shangguan You’s body, obediently bending to her will and command.
The more Ye An followed Shangguan You, the greater his shock became.
The two continued onward. It wasn’t just them moving forward; the very earth around them kept changing. Ye An was certain that Shangguan You must have turned over the surrounding earth several times, possibly even bringing up soil from deeper layers. He knew this because he could distinctly feel a cold chill emanating from the soil—a chill characteristic of the deep earth.
"We’re here." Shangguan You, who had been walking, stopped. The shifting earth around them instantly came to a halt as well.
"What is this place?"
"About a kilometer underground, I suppose." Shangguan You’s casual words almost made Ye An gasp for breath. Had they really descended so deep that even breathing felt difficult?
"What’s here?"
"Shh, don’t talk. Let’s just watch the show," Shangguan You whispered, pressing her ear to the layer of soil. Soon enough, the murmur of voices reached their ears. Ye An’s brow tightened, his expression changing. That voice...
"What exactly is going on? Why has this place turned out like this?" An enraged voice penetrated the layer of earth, clearly reaching their ears.
Ye An’s brow furrowed, his hands clenched tightly. Why is he here? What on earth is down here?
"Eldest Young Master, we don’t know why it has become like this. The Shen Family’s secret chamber is gone. We searched far and wide, following your instructions, and finally found this place. Moreover, the stratum here seems to move on its own. Every so often, it changes location. We expended a lot of effort to find it."
"Useless! You can’t even find a place! You’re all a bunch of incompetents!" The Eldest Young Master’s enraged voice sounded, followed by several THUDS. It was easy to imagine that the Eldest Young Master was in a towering rage.
"Eldest Young Master, we have found this place. What should we do now?" a woman’s voice spoke up. It’s obviously An Ya, Shangguan You thought.
"What to do? Dig, you bunch of useless incompetents!" the Eldest Young Master shouted furiously, and the entire stratum trembled several times.
"Yes, Eldest Young Master," An Ya responded softly, followed by the sounds of digging. It seems they’re using machinery to excavate, Shangguan You observed, her brow wrinkling slightly. Would machine excavation even be useful?
Ye An swept a cold glance at Shangguan You. He didn’t understand why the Eldest Young Master would be here. Shouldn’t he be at the main family house right now? And what exactly was he ordering them to dig up?
"Let’s just wait. There’s nothing else we need to do." Shangguan You waved her hands, and a throne made of earth materialized beside her. She then sat down elegantly, listening to the activity on the other side while slowly closing her eyes.
What’s to come will be exhausting, Shangguan You thought. It’s best to conserve my energy now.
Seeing Shangguan You close her eyes to rest in such a place, even the normally impassive Ye An couldn’t stand her demeanor. He was here, his heart burning as if on fire, questions piling up one after another. Yet Shangguan You was perfectly composed, simply closing her eyes to rest, unwilling to utter another word.
"What exactly is this place? What’s here?"
"If even you don’t know, how would I?" Shangguan You replied indifferently, her eyes still closed, silently calculating their current distance in her mind.
「On the other side of the earth layer」
The Eldest Young Master, wearing a long black robe, sat in a wheelchair with Ye Min pushing it from behind. A biting, gloomy chill emanated from him.
Inside the square tunnel, countless people were diligently digging with tools in hand, removing earth layer by layer. Numerous others simultaneously carried the excavated soil out. An Ya stood beside the Eldest Young Master, directing their mechanical, repetitive digging.
"An Ya." The Eldest Young Master’s brow furrowed as he addressed her, his voice cold and carrying a hint of ruthlessness.
"Eldest Young Master," An Ya responded respectfully, quickly lowering her head, somewhat fearful of him.
"How many days have you been digging like this?"
"Eldest Young Master, we’ve been digging for almost half a month. Soil comes out every time, but no matter how much we dig afterward, it remains the same. It’s as if this earth keeps shifting on its own," An Ya spoke softly. She was equally puzzled, but also helpless.
"Alright, everyone stop. There’s no need to keep digging." The Eldest Young Master gestured with his hands. All those who were diligently digging couldn’t help but stop their work, looking woodenly towards him.
"Eldest Young Master, what should we do now?" An Ya asked softly. The Eldest Young Master’s calm demeanor frightened her greatly. Whenever he was this calm, it meant his anger was immense, the resentment in his chest profound. Once he erupted, it was always the most terrifying, and there would undoubtedly be many casualties.