Chapter 157: A Cascade of Surprises

Outside.

Pei Qian’s expression gradually grew solemn as he muttered, "The temperature inside seems abnormally low!"

"Wasn't it like this the last time the Dean went in?" Zhang Jin asked indifferently.

"Lord Zhang, it has been nearly a thousand years since I last went in. At least back then, there was no freezing phenomenon. The only possible explanation is that the Silver Ancient Steed has grown stronger! But that should be impossible!"

Daodezi said calmly, "For the past few hundred years, the Dean's assessment trials have just been a formality. Those three fierce beasts aren't fools. Without the suppression of the Ancient Ginseng Tree, they could cultivate in peace. They probably didn't expect anyone to enter at this time."

"Older brother is in danger!" Ye Qin immediately panicked. His older brother only knew a bit of zither, chess, poetry, and painting; he had never seen him cultivate all these years.

Pei Qian said indifferently, "Although the fierce beasts are suspected of cultivating, the Supreme Heaven Artifact your older brother brought along is more than enough."

Just as Pei Qian finished speaking, he was shocked by the scene visible through the water curtain!

Yekun was standing right at the cave entrance!

A faint glow bloomed, vaguely revealing a bizarre phenomenon!

Countless roots and branches spread out like a web, and the surrounding rock walls were coated with white crystalline ice, yet these roots appeared intensely vibrant.

However, this was a massive, hollow void!

"This is impossible!" Pei Qian completely lost his composure, his wrinkled face contorted with terror. The scene before him was entirely different from what he had witnessed back then!

Back then, it was just a cave entrance leading to a series of three interconnected caves, each housing a single fierce beast. But now, it had turned into a gigantic abyss!

Daodezi’s gaze was filled with horror. Had Yekun not gone down to take a look this time, they probably wouldn't have known that the Ancient Ginseng Tree had actually hollowed out the entire underground of Ankang Prefecture!

Once this place collapsed, Ankang Prefecture would sink into the earth!

Ye Li and Yan Muer were dumbfounded.

The ground beneath their feet was actually hollow!

Ye Li had not seen such a thing in a long time; this was a completely different concept from anything she had witnessed before. Just how large was Ankang Prefecture? Even while sealed, the Ancient Ginseng Tree had used its roots to hollow out the subterranean world!

Everything in this Xuanxun Continent exceeded her father's estimations.

Ye Ming and Dongmen Meng also grew solemn. This was no longer just the Dean's assessment trial; it had far surpassed it!

"We must get older brother out!" Ye Qin didn't care about any of that—his older brother was still down there.

Daodezi said in a deep voice, "Before we can figure out a solution, we cannot take risks. If the ground collapses through, tens of millions of citizens in Ankang Prefecture will perish! It would be a devastating blow to Taijing and might even cause surrounding factions to lose their fear of Taijing and invade!"

Even though Ji Wenshan stood on Ye Ming's side, he knew Daodezi was right. This was no longer just a matter concerning Yekun alone.

It involved the safety of the entire Ankang Prefecture and the entire city of Taijing!

"I will report this to Taijing immediately," Zhang Jin said in a deep voice, and departed at once.

Ji Wenshan cupped his fists and asked Daodezi, "Do we need to evacuate the citizens now?"

Daodezi shook his head. "No. This matter must absolute not be leaked, otherwise Ankang Prefecture will become a dead city."

Who would want to live in a place where they walked on pins and needles? Knowing that a Demon King was lurking right beneath the ground while they slept would scare them out of their wits and send them fleeing in the dead of night.

Ye Qin looked at his parents and asked anxiously, "Dad, Mom, think of something! Get older brother up here first."

Of course Ye Ming and Dongmen Meng wanted to pull their son up, but how could they descend?

The only well entrance was completely blocked, unless they could teleport directly underground.

As if anticipating Ye Ming's question, Daodezi said in a low voice, "My Daoist magic allows me to travel through the earth, but it cannot pierce through this thick layer of soil."

Ye Li and Yan Muer were also racking their brains.

Yan Muer only carried a few defensive artifacts for self-protection, while Ye Li had brought quite a few gadgets—since she was here to pull off some mischief—but she certainly hadn't brought any artifacts meant for pinpoint subterranean tunneling.

"It seems there is only one way now," Bataiyan said sternly.

"What is it?" Dongmen Meng asked in a deep voice.

"Call for backup and have people clear away this rubble."

Pei Qian nodded. "That's the only way. But at this depth, it will likely take months, and we'll have to prevent secondary collapses."

"Then won't older brother starve to death down there?!"

Ye Li and Yan Muer were still waiting. If all else failed, they would use their own methods to rescue the little bald man.

Their husband was simply too unlucky.

Suddenly, everyone saw Yekun inside the water curtain gesture toward his lower abdomen.

Why did that gesture look so much like a scoundrel?

Ye Li and Yan Muer were also speechless. We are worried to death, Husband, and yet you're standing there grinning and needing to pee...

The heavy expressions on everyone's faces cracked into a trace of a smile. This Yekun really knew how to manage the mood.

Guan Qing moved the sphere of water away to spare Master Kun the exposure of his privacy.

Seeing the water ball fly off to the side, Yekun finally relaxed. He was about to burst...

A stream arched downward.

However, before it even hit the ground, it turned into solid ice, showing just how terrifyingly low the temperature was.

Yekun quickly tucked it away, making sure it didn't freeze off—he hadn't even touched his wives yet.

Having that water sphere floating around was a hassle anyway; without it, things would be much easier.

Should he find a way to get rid of it?

Better check out the situation first, lest he raise their suspicions.

Still, this was his first time seeing such a massive underground abyss; it probably spanned the entire Ankang Prefecture. Could those tree roots be connected to the one up above?

Was the Ancient Ginseng Tree really this overpowered?

Yet, after jumping down here, everything seemed strangely normal. He hadn't seen any supreme artifacts, hadn't encountered any legacy-bestowing Heavenly Venerates, and certainly hadn't run into any divine beast eggs. Why was Master Kun in such a good mood anyway?

Still, he had better hurry up and finish the Dean's assessment. This place was gloomy, filled with an eerie presence that made one's skin crawl...

Looking around, the ground below was bottomless, so he had no choice but to jump onto a nearby tree root to hunt down those three fierce beasts. What a hassle.

While other people feared being found by fierce beasts, Master Kun feared not being able to find them.

Yekun took a few steps back, then surged forward into a run, putting on quite an impressive display.

Even so, it made the watchers hold their breath in suspense.

It wasn't that Master Kun was bragging, but someone with great jumping ability definitely had healthy kidneys, and Master Kun's kidneys were top-notch—he would never fail his wives.

With a powerful push of his legs, Master Kun leaped high into the air.

However, Master Kun's expression turned slightly grim mid-air. He had calculated everything except for the sheer amount of heavy gear strapped to his back!

Especially this Beast King Armor—it was ridiculously heavy!

Biu~

Barely halfway through his jump, Yekun let out a strange squawk and plummeted straight down!

Below was pitch-black and bottomless!!

The people above were dumbfounded to see Yekun fall, though Ye Zhao and Ye Shaolong were secretly overjoyed.

Ye Li and Yan Muer covered their pretty eyes in horror, not daring to watch. Brother Qin was heartbroken, mourning that his older brother was gone at such a tender age...