Urban Martial Saint

Chapter 1922 - 1922: Strange Cave

Ye Qing carefully examined those two bite marks. These bite marks seemed like the fangs of some creature, biting very deeply, enough to pierce a person's artery.However, strangely, this person's artery was bitten open, yet there wasn't a trace of blood on the neck or the clothes. Moreover, as Ye Qing examined the area around the wound carefully, there wasn't any blood there either, as if the person's blood hadn't flowed out at all. Also, this person's face seemed to have shrunk, becoming only half the size of a normal person's face, with features twisted together, looking particularly eerie.

What on earth is going on?

Ye Qing was utterly perplexed; he had never encountered such a strange situation before, thus he couldn't speculate on what happened to this person. However, the fact that the person died in this tree and so bizarrely meant that there was certainly something wrong with this tree.

Filled with vigilance, Ye Qing retrieved the Metamorphic Iron Dagger strapped to his leg and held it in his hand, ready to handle any unexpected situations that might arise. At the same time, he slowly walked along the branch, wanting to see what unique features might be on this branch.

The tree grew very close to the stone wall beside it, with some branches even extending onto that stone wall.

Ye Qing walked along the branch, searching and guarding against danger, finally reaching the side near the stone wall. When he pushed aside the lush branches and leaves, they revealed the stone wall behind them. On that stone wall, Ye Qing unexpectedly saw a deep cave, extending forward, with no idea how far it went.

Witnessing all this, Ye Qing's countenance changed; he never dreamed that halfway up the stone wall, there was such a cave. This cave was approximately ten meters high from the ground, completely obscured by surrounding plants. If not for climbing this tree, it was impossible to see the cave. Even upon climbing here, discovering the cave was quite difficult due to the dense foliage outside the cave entrance. The reason Ye Qing managed to spot it was that someone had destroyed some of the plants before, allowing him to clearly see the broken branches scattered nearby. Thus, he was able to notice the cave.

After a moment of astonishment, Ye Qing finally regained his senses and understood why these people wanted to climb this tree. This tree led into the cave, prompting their ascent. And in Mount Duwang, encountering such a hidden cave, so peculiar, inevitably raised suspicions of some underlying issue within.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Qing didn't hesitate; instead, he gripped the Metamorphic Iron Dagger and ventured into the cavern. Though he was unaware of what lay within, to avoid Du Canglang and driven by curiosity, he decided to enter and explore.

Initially, the cave wasn't spacious, forcing Ye Qing to hunch as he entered. However, as he walked further, the cave gradually widened. Later, he could stand upright without any issues while navigating through the cave.

Though called a cave, Ye Qing's current location was actually a Stone Corridor. Darkness enveloped the surroundings, but fortunately, Ye Qing had a flashlight, allowing him to see the environment around him.

The condition of this Stone Corridor was similar to what Ye Qing had seen in the secret chamber where Patriarch Bodhidharma had passed away, going deep into the mountain's interior. Ye Qing knew that this kind of Stone Corridor was merely an entrance; in other words, he was only traversing the entrance, not yet having reached the truly crucial area.

While walking through the Stone Corridor, Ye Qing remained exceptionally cautious. Previously, when he had entered tombs with Handsome Fatty Wang, he had witnessed its mechanisms. Although this cave's status as a tomb is unknown, no one could guarantee the absence of mechanisms here. Moreover, the valley had bones everywhere, yet Ye Qing didn't see any mechanisms outside, prompting him to speculate about possible dangers within the cave.

The Stone Corridor wasn't long, but in his cautious state, it took Ye Qing half an hour to reach the end. Besides, the Stone Corridor constantly sloped downward, suggesting it ultimately delved into the earth. Upon reaching the end, Ye Qing noticed his feet were already starting to become damp, indicating a significant amount of water underground. Continuing further could lead to an Underground River.

The end of the Stone Corridor was a stone gate half the height of a person, appearing somewhat damaged. After examining it closely, Ye Qing discovered the stone gate wasn't merely half the height; it had been broken in half, leaving only a portion, making it appear half the height. The missing half couldn't be found.

Ye Qing carefully inspected the stone gate, noticing that the remaining half was inscribed with words. Upon wiping away the dust, Ye Qing saw two characters, ancient seal script left from the past, barely recognizable, reading "prohibited."

"Prohibited? What does this mean?" Ye Qing muttered to himself while gazing at the stone gate, furrowing his brow slightly: "Does it mean entry is prohibited or that touching is forbidden? Setting up a stone gate to prevent entry — what's inside anyway?"

Contemplating this, Ye Qing leaned his head through the stone gate, trying to observe the interior situation.

Behind the stone gate was a stone staircase, continuing downward, moving further downwards. This deepened Ye Qing's concern; the ground outside was already getting damp, descending further would likely lead to an Underground River.

With doubts lingering in his mind, Ye Qing ultimately stepped through the stone gate and entered. Having come this far, turning back was out of the question.

Ye Qing descended the stone staircase, noting its spiral construction, continuing down for about ten meters. The surrounding air grew increasingly damp. Eventually, when Ye Qing's foot landed on the ground, a cold sensation spread around his feet; he had stepped into water.

Shining the flashlight ahead, Ye Qing was startled to discover that the stone staircase gradually extended into the water. The water appeared ordinary, devoid of any movement, resembling stagnant water with an unknown depth. Nevertheless, proceeding required getting into the water, unavoidable.

Standing by the water's edge, Ye Qing hesitated, having not anticipated going underwater during his journey. Moreover, Nine-Fingers Wu Yong had advised Ye Qing that encountering such water in places like this was best avoided; the water might harbor unknown creatures. Furthermore, ancient tombs had a penchant for housing Tomb Guardian Beasts within the water.

Once sealed, Tomb Guardian Beasts needed sustenance to survive within the ancient tombs. Storing food inside the tomb was unrealistic, as food couldn't preserve for long. Tomb constructors had to find alternate sustenance for the water beasts to perpetuate their guardianship. At this point, underground water became the optimal choice. With water, the beasts could survive, while the water could accommodate fish, providing sustenance for the beasts to live. Hence, ancient tombs housing Tomb Guardian Beasts typically connected to water — otherwise, sustaining them was impossible!

Ye Qing was initially oblivious to these matters, only learning after tomb explorations with Handsome Fatty Wang and Nine-Fingers Wu Yong. In the area where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed and witnessing the dragon crocodile, Ye Qing gained insight into the ancient creation of Tomb Guardian Beasts. Unless utterly necessary, he would avoid entering the water recklessly.

Whether the cave was a tomb remained uncertain. Yet, arriving at a point where entering the water was obligatory, Ye Qing couldn't help but worry. If the water concealed some Water Monster, entering it would be akin to walking into a trap.

After pondering for a long time, Ye Qing finally gathered himself and gradually ventured into the water pool. Having reached this point, retreat was impossible; he could only continue forward. Moreover, notwithstanding his lack of strength, with Buddha's Relic and the Devouring Demon Flower's protection surrounding him, harming him wasn't easy. Should he encounter a Water Monster, he should, at the very least, be able to protect himself.

When Ye Qing immersed his foot in the water, a coldness enveloped him; the water was indeed piercingly cold. Ye Qing took a deep breath, doing his utmost to endure the icy sensation as he descended the stone stairs further, progressively entering the water.

The stone stairs persisted downward; the water first submerged Ye Qing's ankles, followed by his knees, then thighs, after that waist, and finally, the water came up to Ye Qing's chest. Ye Qing initially intended to retreat when the water reached his neck. However, once the water reached his chest, it no longer deepened, with the path changing from winding to straight ahead, extending into the cave's depths.

In the water, once the water passed over his chest, the icy sensation had greatly diminished. The power of the Devouring Demon Flower inside him had gradually started reacting, aiding his resistance to the cold.

As he walked, Ye Qing exerted himself to feel the riverbed, realizing it wasn't mud but level Stone Tablet, unlike typical river beds. Evidently, this was an entirely man-made construct, with underground stone slabs laid by someone. However, considering this, it was indeed a significant undertaking. It's unknown who was responsible for all this.

Being a stone foundation had an added advantage, as Ye Qing could walk more smoothly. Had it been soft mud, with water soaking into it and creating potholes, traversing would have been exceedingly difficult.

After proceeding around thirty meters, while Ye Qing surveyed the area with his flashlight and searched, the light beam unexpectedly caught a mysterious black object. It floated on the water's surface, bobbing up and down, resembling a decayed chunk of wood. However, instinct told Ye Qing that it was definitely not a piece of wood!