When the formation evaporated, many cultivators immediately rushed in, but Ling Tian remained waiting, fearing there might be traps inside the cave.
Ling Tian wasn't the only one who did this, because when he turned around, both Xiao Yao and Li Yi were still in their places. Of course, Li Shang, Kong Hao Ran, and Fu Xing Han were also watching the situation.
A minute passed in this state, with everyone fully prepared to flee at any moment if things went wrong.
Some people began losing their patience, but they were still hesitant to be the first ones, especially since after this minute, no sound of battle had been heard at all.
Fu Xing Han was the first person to run out of patience, so he said while heading into the cave: "I didn't come here just to tremble before a cave I don't even know what's inside."
After saying this, he entered the cave cautiously, but he didn't know he was like the spark that ignited the fire within them. So the crowd began gritting their teeth and followed Fu Xing Han inside.
When Ling Tian saw this, he sneered inwardly: "Hmph, what good is courage if my life will be lost? I'd rather be a coward than be regretful."
After that, Ling Tian waited along with Dan Wen and Ling Yan until no one remained.
Dan Wen, who had been eager to enter for some time, said in an insistent voice: "Junior Brother Ling, no one remains. Shouldn't we also enter?"
After Dan Wen said this, Ling Tian realized the time had come, so he took out the talisman he had obtained from Lu Jian, hid it in his sleeve, and entered slowly and cautiously.
When Ling Tian entered, the smell of dampness was the first thing he noticed in this darkness, and then he heard the sound of water droplets falling on the ground.
Using the fire control technique, he ignited a flame in his hand to get a clearer look at the cave.
Ling Tian saw that the cave was natural except for some moss that had formed due to the dampness. The cave's appearance wasn't different from any other cave.
But this made him feel more tense because it was impossible for anyone to place a formation on an ordinary cave, and also because he realized he hadn't heard any sound of fighting until now despite all this time passing.
Dan Wen also began to feel worried and said while frowning: "Junior Brother, be cautious. This place is beginning to worry me."
Ling Tian nodded and said anxiously: "It seems this place is stranger than we expected."
Both Dan Wen and Ling Yan nodded in agreement and continued walking slowly.
Ling Tian moved forward where there was no light except his flame, which showed every rock's shadow due to the cave's narrowness as if it were a beast. With the sound of their footsteps mixed with the sound of water droplets falling and the sliminess of the moss, both Ling Tian and Dan Wen became very tense.
But this soon disappeared when they saw a bright light from the cave's exit.
Ling Tian thought with some relief as he headed toward the exit: "It seems the cave is just a passage, but to where?"
When Ling Tian emerged, he heard the sound of grass rustling, then realized he was now inside a plain surrounded by mountains from every direction. In the middle of this plain, the bright sun was beating down on an ancient stronghold whose walls were destroyed. In front of the gate were many bones piled on top of each other, and grass was growing on the stronghold's walls everywhere.
Both Ling Tian and Dan Wen were shocked to the point of fear, and goosebumps immediately ran through their bodies.
Even Ling Yan growled at Ling Tian to go back. Although Ling Tian wanted to, he couldn't because he knew this secret realm wasn't as peaceful as it seemed.
Ling Tian approached the stronghold, and the closer he got, the more he realized how large this stronghold was and how bad its condition had become.
After a while, Ling Tian reached the side of the bone pile, but he stopped for a few moments, and his heartbeat intensified when he realized these bones weren't just of magical beasts but also of humans.
"Why do things only become more complicated?" Ling Tian thought as he continued his way into the fortress.
Ling Tian passed by the gate, which was now just remains, quietly.
When Ling Tian entered, the ground was filled with weeds, blood was printed on the floor and walls of the destroyed huts deeply. The more he walked, the more he began to see human corpses.
After walking for a while, he finally reached the main hall, where everyone was standing with grim faces. After inquiring, he learned why they had gathered here.
No one here was a fool. After everyone saw the place, they realized they were in trouble, so they stopped carelessly searching for treasures and began searching for a clue to tell them what had happened here.
This led them here, where there was a protection formation on the main room, and now Master Ku was trying to break the formation.
"Master Ku, how much longer until you break the formation?" Xiao Yao said hastily.
Master Ku said without turning while focusing on the formation: "Girl, I told you it won't take long, so let me focus."
Xiao Yao answered with a frown: "It better be so."
While waiting, the crowd began speculating about the reason this place had reached this state. Of course, Ling Tian didn't care about their talk because truth isn't determined by people's words but by evidence.
After a few hours, Master Ku managed to break the formation, saying happily: "Fortunately, it seems this formation is weaker than the one outside."
Inside, there was a large, old, worn table the length of the room with chairs on its side. At the end of the room, there was a skeleton stabbed with a purple sword mixed with black in its neck, as if the skeleton's owner had decided to end his life. In front of him was a piece of leather, a writing brush, and behind him were many treasures.
When the crowd saw the sword, greed began creeping into them, and auras began rising. But Kong Hao Ran said warningly: "Don't forget what situation we're in now. We have no time to fight over treasures. We can divide them later, but now we must focus on knowing what happened here."
When the crowd heard Kong Hao Ran's words, some were opposed, but after seeing that the strongest people had lowered their auras, they had no choice but to do the same.
After that, Li Shang turned to one of his followers and said in a voice that brooked no doubt: "Wu Zang, go and read that piece of leather."
When Wu Zang heard his name, he frowned and hesitated a bit, but when he saw Li Shang's look, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward cautiously.
When Wu Zang reached the skeleton, he hesitated for a while, but he exhaled deeply and tried to move the writing brush away from the leather piece. But as soon as he touched it, the writing brush immediately evaporated in the air.
When Wu Zang saw this, he was afraid the same thing would happen to the leather piece, so he read it without touching it.
Wu Zang read the leather piece aloud enough for everyone to hear: "There is no hope left. We will all die."
After Wu Zang said this, everyone became grim-faced, but they remained silent, waiting for Wu Zang to finish reading.
Then Wu Zang continued with a voice carrying some fear and tension: "Even after I sacrificed my junior brothers to place a Tier Two formation, nothing worked."
When Master Ku heard Wu Zang's words, he said with understanding: "Now I know why it took me a few days to break the formation. It turns out it's a Tier Two formation that deteriorated to Tier One because of time."
His words didn't comfort anyone; on the contrary, it made them more anxious.
Ling Tian thought, cold sweat creeping down his back: "What is the thing that the formation didn't work against? And if it didn't work, how does the formation still exist until now?"
Wu Zang continued, saying in a trembling voice: "Well, I don't have much time left, and I didn't allow myself to become like them, so listen, you unlucky soul who entered here."
When everyone heard this, they began waiting expectantly, all ears listening.
Wu Zang continued: "First, beware of the invasion one month after entering the secret realm. Second, burn the corpses. Finally, the exit is located in the middle of a lake on the eastern side outside the cave, but beware of the—"
When Wu Zang stopped, Li Shang could only say: "Wu Zang, why did you stop?"
Wu Zang answered in a tense voice: "I didn't stop. The writing ends here."
When Wu Zang finished his words, everyone had one thought about the writer:
"Couldn't you finish the message before committing suicide?"