Chapter 19: Entering the Cave

After a while, guided by Xiao Yi Xian, Gu He arrived at a cliff.

"Teacher, the treasure in the cave is right in the middle of this cliff," Xiao Yi Xian pointed her jade-like hand towards the bottom of the cliff and said to Gu He.

Upon hearing this, Gu He looked down and saw that the bottom of the cliff was covered by dense mist, making it difficult to see clearly, but he could vaguely make out a blurry platform.

"Alright, let's go down," Gu He nodded and held Xiao Yi Xian as they slowly descended towards the bottom of the cliff.

The crimson wings on their backs fluttered slightly as they both entered the mist.

At the same time, Gu He spread out his spiritual power, investigating the situation within the mist.

After a while, as they descended, Gu He suddenly became alert, his expression changing.

"Sss..."

In the next moment, a faint sound of breaking through the air echoed in the night sky, attacking towards the two of them.

Sensing the danger, Gu He swiftly dodged while holding Xiao Yi Xian.

"Teacher, what is that?" Xiao Yi Xian looked at a strand of red light in the mist, feeling a bit scared.

Just now, it was this thing that ambushed them.

And through his spiritual power exploration, Gu He instantly saw what attacked them.

"Rock Snake."

Looking at the creature in front of him, Gu He was taken aback.

He remembered that in the original work, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian also encountered this thing when they came down.

Rock Snake, as the name suggests, is a snake-shaped demon beast that lives in the cliffs, with a level of around the first rank.

This kind of demon beast, relying on its long and flat body, can glide through the air like an eagle. Moreover, due to its mutated stone attribute, its body is as hard as stone, making it difficult for ordinary swords and blades to cause significant damage to it.

"Sss..."

Once again, the Rock Snake let out a hiss, its narrow wings flapped, and its eyes gleamed with a red light as it swooped down towards Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian. Its sharp fangs emitted a chilling glow.

"Seeking death!" Gu He's eyes flashed with a cold light as he looked at the ferocious Rock Snake.

How dare a mere first-rank demon beast act so insolently in front of him.

In the next moment, qi gathered in his palm, and a flaming palm imprint blasted towards the Rock Snake.

"Thump!"

After struggling for a moment, the yellow figure fell stiffly from the air, crashing heavily into the bottomless abyss of the valley.

With a faint smile, Gu He dealt with the Rock Snake, and then slowly descended outside the cave while holding Xiao Yi Xian.

Standing in front of the cave, Gu He frowned as he looked at the scattered rubble and strange wood at the entrance. He slowly extended his palm, took a deep breath, and uttered a low shout, "Open!"

As his voice fell, a tremendous force erupted from his palm, blowing the intertwined rubble and strange wood into the dark ravine like a gust of wind sweeping fallen leaves.

Then, Gu He turned his gaze towards the now uncovered cave.

Without the cover of trees and rubble, illuminated by the faint moonlight, Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian finally saw the cave left behind by their predecessors up close.

The entrance of the cave was not wide, only allowing two or three people to pass through. It was dark inside, but there was a faint glow, giving it a somewhat mysterious and secluded feeling.

Around the cave entrance, there were numerous engraved marks, but perhaps due to the passage of time, these marks had become extremely blurred. If it weren't for Gu He's sharp eyesight, they might not have noticed them.

Turning his gaze towards the now uncovered cave, Gu He said, "Let's go inside." Looking at the dark cave, he placed Xiao Yi Xian down and took the lead in stepping forward.

Xiao Yi Xian immediately followed behind Gu He and entered the cave.

Walking in the quiet and dark cave, a faint chill lingered around them. In the silent passage, only the faint sound of their footsteps could be heard.

The gloomy surroundings made Xiao Yi Xian involuntarily hug herself.

She glanced at Gu He, who was walking slowly ahead, and then took a few quick steps to closely follow him. In this kind of environment, only her teacher in front of her could give her a sense of security.

After walking for some time, Gu He suddenly stopped.

"Teacher, what's wrong?" Xiao Yi Xian asked curiously when she saw Gu He stop abruptly.

"There's no way forward," Gu He said calmly, looking at the stone door ahead.

In front of them, a sturdy stone door blocked their path.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian furrowed her brows and took a couple of steps forward, contemplating the stone door.

She mused, "Behind this stone door should be our destination. Since the previous person created this cave here, I don't think they would have made it impassable."

Gu He stepped forward and touched the stone door, testing its thickness. Then he said to Xiao Yi Xian, "Disciple, take a step back. I'll open the stone door."

"Teacher, how do you know to use brute force?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, not stepping back but giving Gu He a disdainful look.

"Look at the yellow glow on the stone door. It's obviously set with earth-based mechanisms. With a little care, it's not difficult to open it," Gu He explained.

Saying that, Xiao Yi Xian took a few steps forward and touched the stone door, then slowly began to move it.

"Heh, I didn't expect you, little girl, to understand mechanisms," Gu He remarked, surprised, as he looked at Xiao Yi Xian's serious face.

"I've only read some books about mechanisms. I can't say I'm proficient, but it's no problem to give it a try," Xiao Yi Xian replied playfully, continuing to explore the stone door.

Nodding slightly, Gu He stopped disturbing her exploration. His gaze moved away from the stone door and, aided by the faint firelight, he surveyed the surrounding stone walls.

On the stone walls, there were some faint carvings. Although the carvings were now blurred, Gu He could still make out some figures. These figures should be the imprints left by the owner of the cave.

"Found it!" Just as Gu He was observing the stone walls, Xiao Yi Xian's joyful voice made him quickly shift his gaze.

Beside the stone door, Xiao Yi Xian had already crouched down. With a slender hand, she touched a small protrusion under the stone door and pressed down slightly. A creaking sound echoed through the cave as the stone door slowly opened.

"Teacher, am I amazing?" Xiao Yi Xian's face lit up with excitement as she looked at the slowly opening stone door, trying to impress Gu He.

In that moment, it seemed like she was saying, "Teacher, praise me!"

Watching the stone door gradually rise, Gu He couldn't help but give Xiao Yi Xian a thumbs up. "Good disciple, you're really great!"