I asked you to go down the mountain and get married, not to shock the world!

Inside a crack in the rock wall.

Having confirmed that Jizhou was out of danger, the two did not linger and quickly adjusted themselves to their best condition.

Ye Chuhan removed the simple array at the entrance, and the two of them, like cheetahs blending into the shadows, silently slipped back into the desolate land of Ash Hill.

This time, their goal was clear: to find the rumored path that could bypass the core area and reach the flank.

"Based on the map fragments and the information I heard before, the entrance to that path should be near a huge black rock formation resembling a reclining ox." Ye Chuhan lowered his voice, his gaze sweeping across the jagged rocks around him with intense intensity.

Ji Zhou nodded, his spiritual senses fully activated. He not only kept an eye out for any potential pursuers, but also carefully sensed any unusual flow of spiritual energy in the air or any abnormalities in the geological structure.

Beneath the desolate surface of this Ash Hill, perhaps lies a secret unknown to others.

The two moved through the scorched earth and rubble, avoiding areas where spiritual energy was clearly still present.

About an incense stick's time later, Ye Chuhan suddenly stopped and pointed to a spot not far ahead.

"Look there!"

Several huge black rocks were piled up crookedly, the largest of which did indeed resemble a reclining ox, standing out starkly against the gray backdrop.

The two approached cautiously, carefully examining the reclining ox stone.

Jizhou reached out, his fingertips brushing across the surface of the rock, feeling its rough, cold texture, while simultaneously sending a wisp of wind elemental energy extremely subtly into the crack between the rock and the ground.

“There’s a breeze.” His eyes narrowed. “It’s very faint, but it’s coming from the bottom of the rocks.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Chuhan immediately squatted down and began to clear away the loose soil and pebbles piled up at the bottom of the rock.

Soon, a cleverly disguised, narrow opening, just wide enough for one person to crawl through, was revealed.

The edges of the opening are smooth, with obvious signs of artificial excavation and long-term use, but it is covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that no one has set foot there for a long time.

“This is it!” Ye Chuhan said with suppressed excitement. “It seems that very few people know about this secret passage, and even those guys from the Qingcheng Imperial Law Sect may not know about it.”

Ji Zhou carefully observed the cave entrance and sensed the atmosphere inside. He said in a deep voice, "The entrance is hidden, but the situation inside is unknown. Be careful. The previous missing investigation teams may have discovered similar paths."

His words calmed Ye Chuhan down a bit.

Yes, the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts has been rife with strange occurrences, and so many elite teams sent by various sects have suffered heavy losses. This seemingly hopeful secret passage may also lead to an even more dangerous abyss.

“I’ll go first.” Ji Zhou made a quick decision. He was back to his peak condition, and it was more prudent for him to scout ahead.

Ye Chuhan had no objection and followed suit.

The cave entrance slopes downwards, initially extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person to pass through.

After walking several dozen steps, the surroundings no longer showed signs of artificial excavation, but instead transformed into a natural karst landscape.

The air was damp and chilly, carrying a strong earthy smell and a faint, unsettling aroma.

Some moss on the cave walls emitted a faint phosphorescence, providing a little light that allowed the two to barely see.

The passage is winding and narrow, sometimes opening up into small underground caves.

They moved with extreme caution, each step landing silently, their divine senses extending forward like tentacles, probing the movements ahead.

Suddenly, Jizhou, who was walking at the front, stopped abruptly and raised his hand to signal.

Ye Chuhan immediately held her breath and stared intently.

In a corner of a slightly larger cave ahead, some things were scattered...

Several fragments of clothing with dim runes, a broken longsword devoid of spiritual energy, and several pieces of weathered and blackened remains that resemble human bones!

Their hearts sank, and they slowly approached each other.

Jizhou crouched down and carefully examined the items.

The runes on the clothing fragments were ancient in style and did not belong to any of the major sects in the current Spirit Realm.

The broken longsword was made of a special material, but its internal structure had been completely destroyed by a strange force.

On those skeletal remains, there remained an extremely faint yet unsettling trace of erosion, neither poison nor curse, but rather as if some unknown entity had drained all their life force and spiritual energy.

“This is not the work of the Qingcheng Imperial Law Sect.” Ye Chuhan said solemnly, “Judging from these marks, they were left quite some time ago, at least several months or even earlier.”

Jizhou stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping over the cave, and said in a deep voice, "It seems we are not the first to discover this path. Perhaps some members of the previous investigation teams, like us, found this secret passage, but met with misfortune here."

He pointed to several deep, branching cave entrances on the other side of the cave, leading to unknown locations: "The strange events and disappearances in the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts are probably rooted in something deeper than we thought."

The real danger doesn't come from Luo Yang and his group's pursuit, but from the unknown entity lurking deep within the core area of ​​the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts, the one that caused so many investigators to mysteriously disappear.

The two exchanged a glance and saw the solemnity and determination in each other's eyes.

The mission became clearer, but also more dangerous.

“Keep moving forward,” Jizhou whispered, his voice unusually clear in the dark cave, “We must find out the truth no matter what.”

Ye Chuhan nodded emphatically.

The two of them were on high alert. They bypassed the unsettling ruins and chose a branch entrance that seemed to have a relatively normal aura. They then cautiously made their way towards the flank of the core area.

Deep within the dark cave, it seemed as if countless eyes were secretly watching these two uninvited guests.

The faint, unsettling aura in the air seemed to become clearer, like an invisible veil wrapping around me, bringing a strange sense of oppression.

The passage was still winding, but the terrain began to rise gently, which cheered them up, as it was in line with their expectation of leading to the flank of the core area.

The phosphorescent moss on the cave walls seemed to have become denser, providing enough light for them to see their feet and a few feet ahead.

After walking for another fifteen minutes, Jizhou, who was in front, stopped again. This time, he did not signal danger, but listened intently to something.

Ye Chuhan listened intently. Besides the faint murmur of the underground current and the occasional dripping of water, there seemed to be an extremely deep rhythm, like the breathing of some huge creature in its sleep, faintly coming from the depths of the cave.

"Can you feel it?" Ji Zhou said in a barely perceptible voice transmission, "The source of that unsettling aura is probably just ahead."

Ye Chuhan nodded solemnly. His spiritual energy seemed to be drawn to something, becoming somewhat restless.

“My spiritual energy seems to be flowing sluggishly; something’s strange about this place.”