Five streams of gray energy emanated from the tops of five stone pillars, converging on the bronze lid of the well to form a Taiji Yin Yang Fish pattern. However, upon closer inspection, the Yin Fish lacked a white dot. Clearly, this Taiji Yin Yang Fish pattern was incomplete due to one of the stone pillars being damaged.
The woman’s gaze shifted to the Taiji Diagram, her face showing a hint of seriousness as she murmured, “I didn’t expect it to be an array within an array.”
“Hey, how about we break the array together?” The woman retracted her gaze and looked coldly at Leo.
“Hey? My name is Leo. Arlene Dan, don’t you remember me?”
“I don’t know you!” the woman replied decisively.
“…” Leo.
“Arlene Dan is my sister.”
“…” Leo.
“My name is Christine Dan,” the woman revealed her name.
Twins!
Leo realized why this woman looked exactly like Arlene Dan, though their temperaments were slightly different.
Seeing Leo staring at her in a daze, Christine Dan coldly said, “Please answer my earlier question.”
“Alright.” Snapping out of his shock, Leo agreed to Christine Dan’s proposal.
Christine Dan walked to the northwest corner of the Dragon Well Locks. “I’ll stand in the northeast; you go to the west. Open the eight gates, avoid death and seek life. Got it?”
Leo nodded and moved to the west.
Christine Dan’s hands moved quickly, forming a hand seal. Leo did the same, forming a different hand seal. They exchanged a glance and simultaneously directed their hand seals into the Taiji Diagram floating above the bronze lid.
Two powerful waves of energy surged from different directions toward the Taiji Diagram. The diagram rippled like water, appearing ready to shatter at any moment.
Christine Dan’s hands moved rapidly again, sending one seal after another into the Taiji Diagram.
“Heaven’s Choice Hand,” Leo recognized Christine Dan’s technique. Heaven’s Choice Hand was a highly advanced geomantic array-breaking method. It seemed Christine Dan was indeed a Geomancy Master.
Leo’s hands also moved swiftly, sending his seals into the Taiji Diagram. His technique resembled Christine Dan’s but differed in details; it was Heaven’s Question Hand.
In just two or three minutes, they had sent over two hundred seals into the Taiji Diagram. Almost simultaneously, they stopped their movements, and the turbulent waves ceased.
The Taiji Diagram had already fragmented. With a synchronized shout of “Break!” from both of them, the diagram completely vanished.
Leo walked to the well, grabbed the edge of the lid, and lifted it with force. The bronze lid toppled onto the ground. A cold wind blew from the well, causing Leo to shiver involuntarily. He found a small stone nearby and tossed it into the well. After waiting for a while, he heard no sound of it hitting water or ground, as if the Dragon Well Locks had no bottom.
The Death Gate was broken; the Life Gate opened.
Leo looked at Christine Dan. “Christine Dan…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Christine Dan jumped directly into the well! Without hesitation, Leo followed her in.
The well was pitch black and not damp; the wind blowing on his face was dry. Despite thinking the well was deep, Leo’s feet soon touched the ground. It seemed only about five or six meters deep, but why hadn’t he heard any sound when he threw in the stone?
He took out his phone and turned on the flashlight, revealing a stone passage ahead. The passage was about two meters high but narrow enough for only two people to walk side by side. Three thick iron chains hung within it.
Christine Dan, who had descended first, was nowhere to be seen. Leo hurried forward, trying to catch up with her. The passage wasn’t long-about ten meters-before it ended.
Emerging from the passage, Leo found himself in a large stone chamber. The chamber was empty, its walls constructed from large stones fitted together with remarkable precision, leaving no gaps between them. The chamber was roughly twenty square meters in size. Using his phone’s flashlight to inspect it, he saw nothing but a stone door ahead.
Without pausing, Leo continued forward. As soon as he stepped through the stone door, his body tensed up and he stopped. His sharp senses detected an unusual aura-demonic energy!
There was demonic energy here! Could there be a demon inside? But why hadn’t Christine Dan made any noise? Had she been eaten by a demon?
Though faint, the demonic energy put Leo on high alert as he proceeded. Beyond the stone door was another passage, but this one was much rougher than before. The floor was uneven, and the walls were unpolished, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
The demonic energy fluctuated intermittently as Leo quickened his pace to catch up with Christine Dan. After about ten minutes of walking, the passage began to smooth out again, showing more signs of human craftsmanship.
Leo noticed murals on both sides of the walls; their content was abstract and incomprehensible to him. However, some peculiar symbols caught his attention, and he took several photos with his phone.
The demonic energy dissipated at this point. Leo’s intuition told him this place wasn’t an ancient tomb but rather some religious site.
He continued forward; apart from his light footsteps, there was no other sound. Leo found it strange that Christine Dan had moved so quickly without worrying about potential dangers.
At the end of the passage was another stone chamber, smaller than before and slightly damp with a moist cold wind blowing through it. Passing through this chamber, Leo faced a pitch-black entrance about as tall as a person.
The phone’s flashlight couldn’t penetrate the darkness inside; he could only make out stairs leading downward. Realizing his phone’s light wasn’t enough, he used a Fireball Talisman for illumination.
Sensing a faint malevolent wave sweeping over him, Leo looked up and felt a chill. Above the entrance was a stone carving-a black snake head with an open mouth. The snake had a strange horn and sharp fangs; its eyes stared menacingly at Leo, looking terrifyingly lifelike.
The faint malevolent wave emanated from its mouth. Though it posed no harm to Leo, it served as a clear warning. Controlling the fireball closer to inspect it further…