The place was devoid of sunlight, making it impossible for them to distinguish day from night, only a sense of primordial chaos.
Gu Qianying attempted to leave.
However, upon reaching the outside, the forbidden area had transformed.
The ferocious beasts had all but vanished, replaced by an unmoving ring of miasma.
If it were only Gu Qianying and a few others.
They might still try to escape.
But the situation was different now; they were a large group.
Half of them possessed weak spiritual energy, and Bai Yufeng had even lost his spiritual pill. Leaving from here would be no different from walking into certain death.
Thus, without a second thought, Gu Qianying immediately turned back.
Everyone returned to the central area, preparing to search for another exit.
On the way back, Xiao Yihao persistently clung to Bai Yufeng, "Daddy, I really liked the story you told me last time. Can you tell me more?"
"And more!"
He clapped his hands joyfully, then pulled Gu Qianying's hand and placed it between theirs. His expression was one of pure innocence.
"The book says that Daddy and Mommy are husband and wife, so you two should walk together and do intimate things."
"But, does 'intimate things' mean holding hands?"
A dark cloud seemed to form over Gu Qianying's head. She looked at Bai Yufeng in surprise, "What exactly have you taught him?"
Bai Yufeng's expression was calm. "I'm just saying it's normal. What's with your reaction? And there's something else."
Bai Yufeng paused abruptly, then firmly grasped Gu Qianying's hand, a triumphant smile on his face. "According to your son, you have to hold my hand."
Gu Qianying tried to pull away.
"What are you doing?"
Bai Yufeng said smugly, "Don't you care about your son's feelings? He just escaped danger."
Gu Qianying was so angry she almost gritted her teeth.
Xiao Yihao, in his innocence, asked, "Mommy, why aren't you holding hands?"
Gu Qianying forced a bitter smile and lifted Bai Yufeng's hand. "Aren't we holding hands now?"
Xiao Yihao was overjoyed, clapping his hands continuously.
"Great, great! Mommy and Daddy are like they are in the book!"
Ouyang Qinglin, trailing behind the trio, witnessed their family interaction. Jealousy surged within him, and his fists clenched tightly.
A sound of knocking came from behind.
Du Chun sighed, "Brother, don't worry, I will always be by your side."
Meng Qinghua teased, "What good is being by his side? What he wants is someone else."
Du Chun curled his lips. "Can't you say something nice?"
Ouyang Qinglin's posture became more stooped, and he smiled wryly. "Thank you, you two."
The two behind him blinked. "It's nothing, it's nothing."
After several days of searching.
They stumbled upon the lowest level of the underground palace.
Here, they discovered an entrance.
It was pitch black inside, so dark that one could not see their hand in front of their face.
Gu Qianying used her spiritual energy to probe forward, but it seemed as if something within was devouring everything, absorbing almost all the energy. They could sense nothing.
However, at this point, this was the only entrance.
If they didn't leave soon, they would truly be trapped and die here.
Whatever was within was known to be terrifying. Gu Qianying dared not let them risk it.
So, she took the lead. "Let me go down and see. Once I ensure it's safe, we can all enter."
Upon hearing this, everyone objected.
"That won't do!"
Bai Yufeng was the first to step forward, standing directly in front of the cave entrance.
"You cannot go in."
The others also waved their hands. "Yes! Yes! If we go, we go together, so we can look out for each other. What do you mean by going alone?"
Gu Qianying was momentarily troubled.
She was only afraid of the danger within. If something were to happen, at most, only she would be injured.
If everyone went down, they would have no chance of escape.
As the two sides were in a stalemate.
Strange sounds suddenly emanated from the dark, ominous entrance.
The underground palace was already vast, and even the slightest sound could cause vibrations.
Especially sounds coming from below.
The sounds were like a baby's cries.
Sometimes the sounds seemed distant, and sometimes they drew near.
While the sounds could be described as crying, they were more like moans.
The sharp voices, accompanied by the rustling of wind, instantly enveloped the entire underground palace in a terrifying aura.
"Waa waa waa!"
The child began to cry loudly.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what was happening.
"What is in there?" Duan Xifeng's voice trembled, and he dared not look towards the entrance.
Gu Qianying quickly drew her weapon, her senses on high alert, and stared tensely at the entrance.
However, after a short while, laughter suddenly echoed from below.
The laughter pierced their hearts, attacking their minds time and again.
They had been here for many days.
Their spirits were already at their breaking point.
Coupled with this stimulation, everyone was chilled to the bone, their hair standing on end.
"Could there be children down there?" Gu Qianying speculated.
The sounds from below were not from a single source; some were sharp, some fearful, some bizarre.
Since ancient times, there had been secret arts that used children as sacrifices.
This underground palace was already suspicious.
Combined with the cries of infants, Gu Qianying found it even more peculiar.
She spoke again, "This place is truly eerie. If there are children below, how can we stand by and do nothing? Let me go down."
"No."
Duan Xifeng quickly objected, his sharp eyes narrowing. "Don't go. I am your elder brother, let me go!"
Those behind also volunteered.
"Let me go."
"Let me go."
These voices, a cacophony, quickly drowned out the cries of the infants below.
Gu Qianying clicked her tongue in frustration and covered her ears. "Everyone, don't rush. I have an idea."
Everyone fell silent, staring blankly at Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying sliced her wrist with her finger, drawing a few drops of blood.
The blood floated in mid-air, and as Gu Qianying formed a hand seal, it quickly formed a phantom image.
The aura emanating from this phantom was familiar to everyone; it clearly belonged to Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying's face was slightly pale. "I once learned a secret art, the clone technique. It allows me to create another self from my body. As long as my physical body is protected, I will not be affected. Therefore, I need you all to protect me."
Using the clone technique was indeed the best method at this moment.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Gu Qianying nodded at them, then lifted her robes and sat down. The phantom image, with the infusion of Gu Qianying's spiritual energy, gradually took on a physical form.
Duan Xifeng and the others stood guard around her, protecting Gu Qianying's physical body from harm.
The clone technique, in essence, was dividing the power within the body into two halves...