Chapter 75: The Eerie Cave Part 1

With the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Seal that Wang Ya formed, red light blazed brightly on her body, enveloping even Zhang Qingshui within it.

The monsters diving from the sky abruptly halted their descent the instant the red light erupted on Wang Ya, as if they had encountered an extremely terrifying natural predator. They flapped their wings desperately to gain altitude and fled in panic. Their speed surpassed even the speed at which Wang Ya formed her seals; by the time she unleashed the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Hand Seal, they had already vanished into the vast darkness high above. Not a trace of their black qi touched Wang Ya.

Zhang Qingshui, who had collapsed onto the ground, witnessed the entire scene clearly. She could confirm that they had been scared off by the demonic aura that suddenly burst from Wang Ya’s body. Given their numbers, speed, attack power, and command of the airspace, even if Wang Ya had exerted her full strength, she might not have prevailed.

Wang Ya had already braced herself for a fierce battle. She never imagined that after landing just one strike and preparing her second, the monsters would vanish from the sky without a trace. She stood there pinching the flower seal, waiting for a long time, but nothing stirred.

Had they all withdrawn completely? Or were they lying in wait to strike when she let her guard down?

Wang Ya had no time to puzzle over the whereabouts of those hidden monsters. She turned to look at Zhang Qingshui and saw her sitting weakly on the ground, seemingly too exhausted to even stand. Even the Azure Dragon Vine had dimmed completely; if not for its frantic absorption of yin qi, Wang Ya might have thought it was “severely injured.” She glanced at the vine and thought to herself, Tough little thing.

Wang Ya asked Zhang Qingshui, “Can you still walk?”

Zhang Qingshui shook her head and said, “Climbing down earlier took everything I had. I’m not badly hurt; I just need to replenish my strength.”

Though Wang Ya had endured plenty of hardship these past days, her demonic power sustained her. All the remaining rations and water had gone into her stomach, leaving her spirit vigorous. She could have carried the two large mountaineering packs plus Zhang Qingshui without issue. But Wang Ya would sooner abandon Zhang Qingshui here than carry her. Zhang Qingshui understood this perfectly, so when she said she needed to replenish her strength, she really meant food and water.

This place teemed with yin spirits and ghosts, but water and food were nowhere to be found—at least, Wang Ya didn’t know where to get any right now. She faced two choices: take Zhang Qingshui along, or leave her behind and break the labyrinth’s grand array alone.

The mere thought of the array knowledge and vast computational requirements needed to breach the Illusory City Labyrinth made Wang Ya’s scalp tingle. Abandoning Zhang Qingshui to die here might trap Wang Ya herself in the Illusory City Labyrinth forever.

Wang Ya had no other option; she had to take Zhang Qingshui with her. She slung the two mountaineering packs diagonally across her back, one on each side, extended a hand to the kneeling Zhang Qingshui, pulled her up, and supported her as they proceeded along the plank road toward the sound of rushing water.

Right now, the priority wasn’t the Illusory City Labyrinth—it was finding water and food. Even if no food turned up, water was essential.

Zhang Qingshui wasn’t so weak that she couldn’t move an inch, but she needed to conserve her remaining strength for survival.

Visibility was extremely low. Wang Ya could only make out the plank road underfoot and the cliff beside her, unable to discern the surroundings or spot the things lurking in the darkness. She relied on her hearing and acute sensitivity to yin qi for vigilance.

Their journey proceeded with uncanny calm. Even when they occasionally encountered flying monsters like those from before, the creatures kept their distance.

The sound of water grew louder, a “crash” like cascades plunging from on high.

The further they went, the heavier the moisture in the air became. Zhang Qingshui and Wang Ya felt as if they walked through a fine mist; their hair and clothes grew wet. Their waterproof jackets repelled the water, forming beads that trickled down.

Listening to the water, Zhang Qingshui said, “There should be a waterfall ahead.” She licked her parched lips and unconsciously quickened her pace.

Soon, Wang Ya supported Zhang Qingshui to the end of the plank road, arriving at a broad stone platform.

A stele stood on the platform, inscribed with three vivid, blood-like seal characters: Retrospect Platform!

Zhang Qingshui glanced briefly at the stele before stepping toward the nearby water source, but Wang Ya yanked her back. She eyed Wang Ya warily and asked, “Is there a setup here too?” She looked down at the smooth stone slabs underfoot, perfectly seamless with no anomalies. If there were no traps, Wang Ya wouldn’t have stopped her.

Wang Ya formed seals with both hands, pinching the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Hand Seal. With a flip of her palm, the seal landed on the stele.

The fiery red Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Seal sank into the stele, which immediately rippled with a water-like glow of red talisman patterns. Surrounding yin qi surged madly toward the stele. As vast amounts poured in, a vivid Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower slowly rose from the stele, its fiery red light enveloping the entire platform. The light sealed every inch of the platform without spilling even a sliver beyond its bounds.

Wang Ya bit her finger and smeared her blood onto Zhang Qingshui’s forehead.

Zhang Qingshui jolted inwardly, thinking, Who would have thought this ordinary-looking platform hid such deadly intent! She looked again at the platform now covered by the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Mark and discovered that the previously blank square stone slabs now shimmered with colorful Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower-shaped talisman patterns.