As Ye Qiu swept over one hill after another, his gaze finally settled on one of the barren hills.
Had he not noticed the presence of people from the island nation guarding it, he would not have detected anything unusual about this particular hill.
A few men, looking like soldiers, were patrolling back and forth, constantly alert to any activity from outside.
With Ye Qiu’s strength, he easily evaded the men’s field of vision, quietly made his way to the base of the hill, and, using the power of extreme speed, silently followed someone through a stone gate.
Once inside the hill, Ye Qiu discovered a place like no other, which was quite a surprise.
All that met his gaze was a space composed of white special metal, large inside, with dozens of rooms of various sizes as far as the eye could see.
Ye Qiu furrowed his brows. It seemed the people from the island nation were not here for a vacation; rather, it looked like a military operation. However, Ye Qiu did not find any trace of military weapons. The place felt peculiar, and as his Divine Sense spread, it unexpectedly could not penetrate the white metal and continue sensing beyond it.
Such peculiar material that even Divine Sense can’t pass through, Ye Qiu realized this place was no ordinary facility and also that the existence that had once triggered the black Qi was here.
He focused on sensing the black Qi, which hung quietly within his Dantian like a flame. After staring at it for a while, he murmured, "Why is there no movement?"
Logically, since he had entered the hill, he should have felt that presence.
Could there be something else interrupting the connection between it and the black Qi?
Ye Qiu glanced at the white metal again, feeling there was a good possibility it was the cause. It seemed he had no choice but to search bit by bit.
As Ye Qiu hesitated, two individuals from the island nation walked by. In a flash, Ye Qiu stuck himself to the metal material above their heads.
"This matter is of great importance, it must not reach the ears of outsiders. Once we succeed in opening the Pandora’s Box, our Land of the Rising Sun will surely ascend to greatness."
"Sir, please rest assured, up till now, whether it’s the military in Myanmar or China, they believe we are only engaging in commercial development; they are completely unaware of our motives. And even if they eventually learn the truth, it will be too late. We will have already taken the secrets of Pandora’s Box back to our nation."
"Pandora’s Box has always been a thing of legend, and I never imagined we would actually find it. This accomplishment should also be credited to Ozawa Ichiro. Unfortunately, Ozawa-san was killed, and the murderer is still at large. However, his death will not be in vain; our country will surely punish the killer."
"Sir, Ozawa-san once sent back a message saying that the Kusanagi Sword, our national treasure, lies ten miles outside this hill, under a large mountain. I suspect his death may be related to the Kusanagi Sword."
The man referred to as ’sir’ from the island nation frowned and said, "Let’s not discuss this matter anymore. Ozawa-san is a hero of our nation. I will apply to have his ashes enshrined in a Shinto shrine, to be worshipped by our countrymen."
The respectful man beside him showed a look of shock, not expecting Ozawa Ichiro to have such a grand accomplishment in the heart of his superior. He felt a mix of envy and pity.
Envy for Ozawa Ichiro’s treatment and pity that Ozawa Ichiro had died and could not experience this honor himself.
Ye Qiu, perched above the two men’s heads, heard every word they said. He waited until they had opened the stone gate and left the hill before jumping down.
"What is Pandora’s Box?" Ye Qiu muttered to himself. As for Ozawa Ichiro and the Kusanagi Sword mentioned by the two men, Ye Qiu was familiar with both. Who would have thought that the man who killed Ozawa Ichiro was right here, hiding in a hill bought by the island nation, and the Kusanagi Sword naturally became Ye Qiu’s handy weapon.
The island nation had spent a fortune to purchase a hill solely to investigate what they called Pandora’s Box. Regardless, Ye Qiu was determined to see this so-called Pandora’s Box for himself.
Ye Qiu’s thought was, anything that could aid the island nation, he would swiftly take away, or if it could not be taken, then destroy it, making sure not to leave anything for the island nation.
Ye Qiu walked silently along the corridor, thankfully there weren’t many from the island nation inside the hill, and with a quick flicker, leaving behind a momentary illusion, Ye Qiu disappeared from view.
As Ye Qiu delved deeper, he discovered several research labs within the hill.
There was a pile of bottles and jars, filled with liquids of various colors. Ye Qiu couldn’t understand them, but after ensuring there were absolutely no surveillance cameras around, he haphazardly mixed the liquids from the bottles and jars, creating an utter mess. Satisfied with his mischief, he retreated, believing it would surely surprise those from the island nation when discovered.
Where exactly was the so-called magic box? Despite several close calls of almost being discovered, Ye Qiu still hadn’t located the magic box.
Just as Ye Qiu felt that he was nearing the very interior of the hill, he saw the space ahead of him open up suddenly, with massive stone pillars appearing before him. Updates are released by ɴovelfire.net
These pillars were peculiar, not made of a single stone but piled up with identically shaped square stones of varying sizes, densely packed together to form a stone forest.
Ye Qiu squinted his eyes, sensing a heaviness in the air upon entering the stone forest.
There was something extraordinary here, affecting the atmosphere.
Ye Qiu slowly walked forward and, before long, came to a halt.
In the center of the stone forest lay a massive stone platform, upon which rested an ancient box atop a round pillar.
Made from stone, the box was square and unremarkable, sitting there quietly.
At that moment, the black True Qi within Ye Qiu’s body began to surge...
He had never seen the black energy so wildly swirling and turbulent. It was leaping, it was excited, pulsating nonstop.
Was it this very impulse that had initially awakened the black energy—the ancient stone box before his eyes?
Despite the ordinary appearance of the stone box, Ye Qiu felt a palpitation, a sense of dread; the islanders called it a magic box, but to Ye Qiu, it seemed more terrifying than that.
What exactly was inside it? Why was the black energy connected to it?
Even though Ye Qiu was extremely wary of the stone box, the prospect of unraveling the mystery of the black energy meant he had to steel himself and continue approaching it.
"This thing can’t be left in the hands of those from the island nation no matter what," Ye Qiu thought. He swept his gaze around to check for any danger.
"These islanders sure are confident, leaving the stone box here unprotected; could there be a key element I’ve yet to discover?" Ye Qiu wasn’t in a rush to act, sensing that there was more to this place than met the eye. Moreover, given the island nation’s nature, it would be highly unlikely for them to be so careless. If they didn’t need to guard the stone box, there must be a contingency plan. Could there be a trap here?
Despite a careful inspection, Ye Qiu failed to find anything out of the ordinary.
"Forget it, I’ll just take it and leave." Ready to make his move, Ye Qiu dashed forward and appeared instantly in front of the cylindrical pillar.
As he reached out to grab it, Ye Qiu’s expression suddenly changed!
However, the black energy within his body surged forth of its own accord, and the extraordinarily heavy stone box that weighed as much as ten thousand pounds suddenly felt light. Ye Qiu quickly secured it in his embrace, retreated rapidly, and prepared to leave the area.
Just then, a massive bell sounded throughout the hill. "Damn it," Ye Qiu cursed under his breath, realizing he had been discovered!