All the living beings on the surface are dead?
Hearing Black Hound’s words, the group was completely stupefied.
This news was so horrifying that they couldn’t even react to it.
After a long pause, Shroud finally spoke up in confusion:
“How could that be? What happened?”
Black Hound said: “I suggest that you don’t try to head to the surface and find out, or your lives might be forfeit”
As soon as it said that, a faint sound of continuous rumbling could be heard from far above the ceiling of the tunnel.
This rumbling was so constant that it sounded like rain in the middle of a monsoon.
The group all held their breaths and listened.
They couldn’t imagine that they managed to escape death by hiding within the ruins of the Pantheon.
But then, what actually happened?
“——I think it might have something to do with the Spatial seal. As soon as the seal disappeared, all the living beings on the surface died” Reneedol mused.
Scarlet thought briefly and confirmed in shock: “I think that really might have been the case!”
Gu Qing Shan pondered briefly before asking: “Shroud, could the Spatial seal of the Law Behemoths have had other functions aside from forbidding us from flying?”
Shroud shook his head: “There shouldn’t be any other functions. This seal was essentially a dome of Law that encompassed all living beings, ensuring that no one under the dome would be able to fly or teleport”
“A dome? Then, could the dome have prevented outside things from entering?” Gu Qing Shan asked.
Shroud trembled a bit and nodded: “It could. It could certainly have been able to stop things from entering, but that shouldn’t have been its main function, it was made to seal off Space—–”
At this point, he couldn’t say anything else.
——this Spatial Seal was something that all the Law Behemoths joined forces in order to create.
It must have been unimaginably powerful, capable of blocking certain things outside.
Gu Qing Shan pondered: “From a logical standpoint, the fact that all living beings were dead after this seal disappeared meant that they were related; but this technique itself shouldn’t be able to hurt anyone, so the loss of lives must have been an indirect consequence of its destruction. Most likely, it had been preventing something or some things from entering the world, and it was these things that killed all the living beings on the surface”
“Then, what could those things have been?” Scarlet wondered.
Gu Qing Shan fell into thought and finally replied after a long while:
“This is only my guess. Without seeing the situation with our own eyes, there isn’t really a way for us to confirm anything”
This statement made sense, so Shroud followed this train of thought:
“Then——- could we be the last survivors of this world?”
Reneedol replied: “Of course not, other entities that reside underground should also have escaped whatever calamity occurred”
Rumble———
A continuous series of loud rumbling resounded from above the tunnel.
Dust and dirt fell from the ceiling.
The four of them stopped.
Gu Qing Shan’s heart became heavy as he said: “Oh no!”
“Rhode, what’s the matter now?” Scarlet anxiously looked at him.
“If the thing that came from above the sky was able to destroy everything on the surface, it should be capable of burrowing underground as well” Gu Qing Shan said.
“That’s true, then this place——” Shroud followed up.
Reneedol cut him off and quickly said: “This tunnel is too close to the surface; we need to hurry and find a downward path to flee from here!”
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
The four of them checked their surroundings.
The rumbling over their heads was growing heavier and more constant.
“Door! Should we head into a door, or the tunnel!?” Shroud loudly shouted.
He took two steps back to check the doors all around them as well as the back and front of the tunnel.
“The tunnel is flat so it won’t lead downwards—— we need to go through one of the doors” Reneedol said.
The group looked at the doors on the walls all around them.
Every door was marked with various warning signs and signals.
[Warning: death]
[A total of five pixies died inside this door!]
[Too dangerous, don’t go in!]
[Extremely dangerous!]
[Definitely do not go inside!]
[If you enter this door, you’ll die even if you’re a pixie, definitely do not enter!]
——numerous warnings that made them all feel dizzy.
Scarlet said: “Let’s go into the safest door”
She opened one of the doors.
“Wait!”
Gu Qing Shan and Shroud both called out.
“What’s the matter?” Scarlet was unclear.
“Take a look at what the sign on this door says” Gu Qing Shan told her.
Scarlet checked the door again, reading out loud: “This is a boring, safe door”
Gu Qing Shan and Shroud exchanged glances.
Shroud told them: “Don’t believe the pixies, their way of thinking is completely different from ours”
Gu Qing Shan didn’t say anything else and instead leapt into the air to check another door.
The sign on this door reads: [A total of five pixies died inside this door!]
Gu Qing Shan opened the door without hesitation.
A gust of frosty wind blew out from inside the door, followed by a mass of warm white fog that quickly dissipated.
Gu Qing Shan stayed silent for a brief moment before declaring to everyone: “It’s safe!”
The three others flew up and looked inside the door.
Only to see that it was snowing inside the door. Aside from the frost-covered ground, there was only a pond that gave off white fog.
A sign was stuck in front of the pond:
[This hot spring was discovered and called dibs on by the five pixies in the 7th group of the Geological Exploration Association]
[All others are banned from entering]
[Anyone who enter is a puppy]
The group of four speechlessly observed the hot spring in the middle of the snow.
——–if the situation wasn’t as dire as it was, it would have been a great idea to enjoy themselves and relax for a little bit within this hot spring.
“I should have known that this was the case” Shroud sighed.
Gu Qing Shan shook his head and closed the door.
“Let’s hurry and find a passage that leads further underground” he said.
At this point, the rumbling from above became even louder.
A large amount of dust had fallen, causing the dark tunnel to become even dimmer to the point of almost obscuring their visions.
Some rocks and broken fragments then began to fall as well.
A piece of rock fell down and was knocked away by Scarlet.
“This place is coming down!”
Scarlet loudly called out.
“I’ll hold it off briefly” after saying that, Reneedol unleashed invisible waves of power from her hand.
The dust and fragments were completely isolated by her power.
Reneedol’s expression suddenly changed and hurriedly said: “Not good, I can’t hold it!”
“I’ll help!”
As Shroud said that, he opened the Book of Prophesized Destinies and took out a holy white glowing pillar to prop the ceiling up.
They managed to hold it from falling.
Nothing else fell at their location.
Shroud’s expression also became solemn and shouted without turning back: “Rhode, hurry and choose a door, I won’t be able to hold it up for very long either!”
“What’s the situation?” Gu Qing Shan asked.
“The thing above is too heavy, not even the Divine Pillar can hold it up!” Shroud replied.
——-too heavy?
Gu Qing Shan looked back.
He saw the pillar that Shroud had taken out to slowly become filled with cracks.
It truly won’t be able to hold for too long!
Gu Qing Shan pulled his gaze back, glanced through the various doors and chose one of them.
He pointed at one of the doors and loudly called out:
“Everyone come, we’re heading into this door!”
The other three turned towards the direction he was pointing.
Only to see a message left by the pixies written with really bad handwriting:
[A warm reminder]
[This door connects to the surface. Any friend who wishes to head to the surface for fresh air can take this path]
Seeing the message, Scarlet was hesitant: “Here? But it says here that this path leads to the surface!”
Gu Qing Shan, Shroud, and Reneedol spoke up at once: “It definitely does not lead to the surface!”
Gu Qing Shan pushed open the door to see a long passage that leads into darkness.
He told everyone: “Hurry up and come here——–”
Everyone went in.
Gu Qing Shan released Black Hound and said: “It’s an emergency, scout the way ahead, we’ll wait for your information”
Woof!
Black Hound barked, then turned into a blurred image and flew towards the end of the passage.
Gu Qing Shan remained at the door, silently waiting.
“My Divine Pillar won’t be able to endure for much longer” Shroud frowned and said.
Everyone looked back.
Only to see the pillar at the middle of the tunnel had already been filled with cracks, practically ready to crack at any moment.
“Try and hold on just a little bit longer” Gu Qing Shan said.
One breath.
Two breaths.
A cluster of black flames suddenly appeared in front of them and manifested as Black Hound again.
“This is a passage that leads underground, it’s indiscernibly deep!” Black Hound reported.
Everyone felt a bit of relief.
——since it leads underground, they would at least be able to escape from the threat on the surface.
“Nicely done!”
Gu Qing Shan praised, gave Black Hound another bottle of alcohol, then turned to Shroud and said: “Retrieve the pillar”
Shroud immediately put the pillar away.
“Are we heading in?” Reneedol asked.
“Everyone go ahead, I’m going to stay here for a bit to see what exactly could——-” Gu Qing Shan said.
Boom!!!
A loud explosion resounded very close to their location; everyone only saw Rhode’s mouth moving without actually hearing what he said.
The tunnel had begun to collapse.
First it was a huge cloud of dust, followed by broken fragments, then an entire piece of the ceiling.
The walls seemed to have taken a lot of damage as well as it quickly collapsed.
The doors on the walls were being crushed one by one.
“If you won’t go now, you won’t be able to anymore!” Shroud caught Gu Qing Shan’s wrist and shouted.
Gu Qing Shan swiped his hand towards the outside.
Something fell through the rocks into his hand.
“Let’s go!”
Gu Qing Shan closed the door behind him.
