Long River Eternity

Just as Lin Ding was stunned by the photo, Yang An's voice broke the silence. "If what Old Qin said is true, and the Soul Summoning Formation is constructed with the Mother of Supreme Spiritual Essence as the centerpiece, then the spiritual energy underground may have become so dense that it has transformed into spiritual fluid. If an ordinary person drinks a sip, they may indeed regain their youth."

Lin Ding was shocked when he heard this and asked quickly, "What do you mean by possible?"

"Because no one has ever let ordinary people drink such a high concentration of spiritual liquid, and people of this era are simply unable to absorb spiritual energy, so no one can predict what the result will be." Yang An explained seriously.

Lin Ding pondered for a moment and thought to himself: The information we have obtained so far can only prove that my parents may have had close contact with the underground spirit-summoning formation, but where they are now is still a mystery.

At this moment, Chu Tianxiao saw Lin Ding in a daze, and he couldn't help but waved his hand in front of him, and asked with concern: "Do you have any ideas?"

Lin Ding came back to his senses, shook his head, and said solemnly: "This is just speculation now, there is no definite conclusion. First, tell me about the last time you saw my parents and the report about their disappearance."

"Okay." Chu Tianxiao nodded, thought for a moment, organized his words, and continued, "Your parents came to see me in person that day. They excitedly told me that they had made a major discovery. They found a suspected entrance to ancient ruins in the east district. Next, they will join other archaeological teams to conduct an in-depth investigation."

Lin Ding immediately interrupted: "Are you talking about the old city or the new city in the East District?"

"Every area has new and old urban areas, but Dr. Lin did not specify the specific location of the entrance. Perhaps for confidentiality reasons, he only mentioned that it is in the East District." Chu Tianxiao replied.

"Didn't they come out after they went in?" Lin Ding asked anxiously with a tense expression.

Chu Tianxiao shook his head helplessly. "That was the last time I saw your parents, and I don't know if they made it out safely. On the day of the monster invasion, He Shuyi and I went to the East District together and saw a Tianji Realm monster fighting a mysterious person. From their conversation, I vaguely heard that the monster seemed to want to enter the ancient ruins underground, but the mysterious person refused. Until the invasion ended, I never saw your parents again, nor did I find them. Later, I wrote that report based on my own speculation."

"In other words, you are not sure that my parents' disappearance is related to that mysterious man?" Lin Ding frowned.

Chu Tianxiao said awkwardly, "Reports aren't always true. They're always mixed with the reporter's personal speculation."

Lin Ding smiled bitterly and sighed in his heart. It seemed that his original plan to find the mysterious man was now useless.

At this time, Wei Wu asked in confusion, "How big is that ancient ruin underground? Even a Tianji Realm monster can enter it? A Tianquan Realm monster is often over 20 meters tall, and a Tianji Realm monster is even larger. If it can enter the ruins, doesn't that mean your underground ruins are even larger than the houses above ground?"

Chu Tianxiao smiled and said, "You may not have seen or heard of the situation of Tianji Realm monsters. Once a monster reaches the Tianji Realm, it can control its size at will. It can be as tall as a hundred meters, or it can be reduced to the size of a normal person. I heard that when a monster reaches a higher level of cultivation, it can even transform into a human form."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ding's thoughts drifted back to ancient times, when demonic beasts cultivated spiritual energy and, upon reaching the Divine Realm, gradually transformed into human form. He had assumed that in this age of nuclear energy cultivation, demonic beasts would no longer be able to transform into human form, but he hadn't realized it simply required a higher realm.

Chu Tianxiao continued, "I went to the East District today to see if I could find the entrance to the ruins."

Lin Ding thought for a moment, then said, "That ruin is close to the edge of Zhongzhou City, so it should be considered the new city area, right? You said before that the ruins are spread throughout the old city area, so could the entrance also be in the old city area?"

Chu Tianxiao smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, I had the same idea as you. So, since the day the invasion ended, I've been searching for a possible entrance in the old city of the East District, but I've never found anything. Today, I have no other choice but to try my luck in the new city."

"Have none of the archaeological teams that went in to explore with my parents come out?" Lin Ding said after thinking for a moment.

Chu Tianxiao shook his head and said, "The confidentiality measures for this archaeological operation were very strict. Your parents didn't tell me, and I didn't find any clues about this operation afterwards."

Lin Ding frowned upon hearing this. He stood up and paced back and forth in the room. Finally, he walked to the window, drew aside the curtains, and tried to see the scenery outside. However, since this building was only six stories high, and the surrounding buildings were mostly six stories high or higher, all he could see was the street below, buildings lined up one after another, and the sky approaching dusk.

It turned out that the three of them had been at Chu Tianxiao's house from morning to afternoon, but they still had no idea where their parents were.

On the first day in Zhongzhou City, Lin Ding didn't get any useful clues, which made him feel even more annoyed.

Lin Ding opened the window. It was autumn, and the evening breeze brought a hint of coolness. It blew on Lin Ding's face, calming him down a little. He took a deep breath and then asked, "Did they say anything else to you?"

Chu Tian smiled and said, "That day, they were initially quite excited, but then, as if they had thought of something, their expressions became somewhat serious. They then told me that if anything happened after entering the ruins, to tell someone I trusted where they were going. I originally thought that exploring ancient ruins was inherently dangerous, and that many existing ruins had been developed at the cost of human lives, so I simply comforted them. Now I think they must have had a premonition. And since you're here now, it's only fitting that I tell you this news."

As Lin Ding had guessed, the so-called instructions from his parents did not contain any useful information. If there were any clues in the last instructions, Chu Tianxiao would not have made no progress in all these days.

Now all the clues are gone, and I don't know where to start. Do I have to do the same as Chu Tianxiao, searching for the entrance to the ruins in the East District like looking for a needle in a haystack?

"The person has been missing for so long, and the law enforcement officers here haven't taken any action?" Wei Wu asked in confusion.

Chu Tianxiao said helplessly: "I did report him missing again, but after the law enforcement officers checked the research institute, they were told that they were just conducting normal archaeological work and were not missing, so the case was left unresolved."

"What?!" Lin Ding seemed a little angry. "So, either my parents' disappearance is related to the research institute, or the research institute knows where my parents are but is keeping it secret?"

Chu Tianxiao was stunned for a moment and then said: "You can think so."

"Why don't we just go find them directly? Why are you hesitating?" Wei Wu stood up and prepared to leave.

Chu Tianxiao hurriedly stopped Wei Wu and said, "Don't be impulsive. I've been there before. All the information there is confidential and I won't tell you at all."

"I can't even go find my own parents?" Lin Ding asked in surprise.

"First of all, you have to prove that you are their son. You can't use your spiritual skills on everyone in the institute. Secondly, even if you prove that you are their son, you can't enter the institute without their guidance." Chu Tianxiao explained.

Lin Ding thought for a moment and said, "Do you know where they live? I want to go there and see if I can find any clues."

"I have been there once, to the staff dormitory of the institute, but the surveillance measures there are also quite strict, second only to the institute headquarters. When I went in that time, even though they brought me in, I was still questioned for a long time, and all my filming equipment was handed over." Chu Tian said with a smile.

"It's okay, just tell me the address and there's a way to get in." Lin Ding said anxiously.

Chu Tianxiao saw Lin Ding was so determined, thought for a moment, and then told Lin Ding an address and the house number of Lin Tiansheng and his wife's residence.

Lin Ding then asked some more questions about Chu Tianxiao's experiences with his parents. After confirming that there were indeed no useful clues, he said goodbye to Chu Tianxiao and prepared to go to his parents' residence.

After walking out of Chu Tianxiao's apartment building, Lin Ding said to Wei Wu: "I'm going to take a look at my parents' place now, you go back first."

"Let me go with you so I can take care of you." Wei Wu said.

"Chu Tianxiao said that the security over there is very tight. I have a way to sneak in, but you can't. If you wander around, you are tall and strong and it will be too easy to be discovered. I'd better act alone." Lin Ding said.

"Okay, Zhongzhou City is full of hidden talents, so you must be careful." Wei Wu warned.

Lin Ding nodded in agreement and headed towards the address Chu Tianxiao had given him. The staff dormitory of the institute was located in the central area of ​​Zhongzhou City. Although Lin Ding was currently in the southern district, it wasn't too far from his destination.

Seeing that it was not completely dark yet, Lin Ding prepared to walk and wait until dark before taking action. This would allow him to hide himself better and familiarize himself with the nearby terrain so that he could escape faster in case of any accident.