Ye Tiancheng made a quick decision, then quickened his pace with the two of them. Bubbles rose from the water beneath their feet, resembling boiling water, but the water had no temperature, which was the truly strange part.
"Brother Ye, why do I feel like there's something in this water, like something is breathing and making bubbles?"
To Xiao Pang's words, Ye Tiancheng quickly rebuked him, "Don't talk nonsense. There shouldn't be any other creatures. The oxygen here is scarce, and it's unlikely there will be any strange creatures. The water ahead is getting shallower, and we can already see the rock surface. Let's hurry up and don't let anyone catch up."
Xiao Pang nodded and said nothing, but the atmosphere remained tense. The few of them walked quickly, no one daring to speak much, yet they could still feel the cold wind blowing past their ears, giving them an uncomfortable, eerie feeling.
"Brother Ye, why do I feel like there's something on the wall!"
Ye Tiancheng remembered he had a portable flashlight in his bag. Although it was a bit small, it could at least emit some light. He quickly took it out and handed it to Xiao Pang.
"Take a look and see if there's anything on the wall."
"Brother Ye, there really is something there. It looks like a statue, and from a distance, it looks like a woman's statue."
Ye Tiancheng also felt a bit nervous. He quickly snatched the flashlight back and shone it on the thing on the wall. "Xiao Pang, you've misjudged this. This isn't just one thing, but many stone statues. It seems this isn't an ordinary cave. It might have been a scenic spot or an ancient tomb or something like that."
"Brother Ye, I've heard that places like this are always very strange, with guardians, disgusting insects, and traps. Are we very dangerous here?"
This time, Fatty had a point. Ye Tiancheng didn't dare to wander around carelessly. "There's a place over there. Let's hide for a bit. It's not suitable to keep wandering now. Let me observe first. If there's no danger, I can be prepared in advance."
The few people sat in a spot behind the stone statues. It was very dry there, and there was a place to rest. Xiao Pang's mind was still unsettled, his eyes constantly fixed on the stone statues.
"Brother Ye, why do I feel like these stone statues are blinking?"
Ye Tiancheng and Xiao Pang had explored a place before that also had stone statues. Thinking about it, they were quite similar to the stone statues here, and it felt like there was some connection.
"Do you think there might be fragments of Nuwa Stone here? The cave in the Su family ancestral hall felt similar to this place."
After asking Xiao Pang, Ye Tiancheng felt it was a pointless question. Whether there were fragments of Nuwa Stone would depend on his own senses, but Ye Tiancheng truly felt nothing.
"I don't know, Brother Ye. This broken place, could it really have the treasures you're talking about? Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?"
As the two were chatting, Cui Cui suddenly spoke up, "If you're talking about searching for treasures, there's a legend that there's a fragment here. Once, a cultivator hid it here. After that cultivator died, it was said that his body didn't decay, but no one knew where it was placed."
Cui Cui's words made Ye Tiancheng and Xiao Pang even more suspicious. This place was truly not simple, and it was very likely to contain so-called treasures.
"Then we dare not explore further. My physical condition is not good, and there are pursuers outside. Let's just survive this ordeal. Don't think about protecting anything, or we might lose our lives. Although fortune favors the bold, there's no need to rush. If the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn."
Ye Tiancheng had a clear understanding at that moment. No matter how much pressure others put on him, he felt that as long as he could stay alive, nothing was more important than his health.
As soon as Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, Cui Cui suddenly cried out, "It hurts so much! It feels like something bit my ear! Help me look and see what bit my ear."
After Cui Cui's cry, Ye Tiancheng and Xiao Pang's attention was all focused on her. They looked at the spot on her ear that she was covering. There was a large black earwig, more than ten times the size of a normal earwig, and it was not much smaller than her ear.
"Don't be afraid. It's just a small bug. I'll handle it."
Ye Tiancheng was actually nervous. This was no ordinary bug; it was evident at a glance. It was nurtured by the unique environment here and might even be poisonous. Ye Tiancheng sensed it with his true qi. The bug was tightly biting Cui Cui's ear. Unless the bug was torn off, the pain would not cease.
"I'll remove the bug for you now. It might hurt a bit, so bear with it."
It was not suitable to use true qi again at this moment, but to save Cui Cui's life, Ye Tiancheng had no other choice but to circulate another stream of true qi from his dantian.
This stream of true qi directly split the bug in half. Ye Tiancheng then smoothly healed the wound on Cui Cui's ear.
"It's so magical, Brother Ye! I thought I was bleeding. It hurt so much, and I thought I was done for, but it turned out to be nothing. I'm not someone who's afraid of pain, so please don't think I'm too delicate and decide not to bring me along."
"No, it's good that you're alright. We can't stay in this cave any longer. We need to get out."
Ye Tiancheng realized that this bug was just one. The bubbles they saw in the water were the remaining bugs.
Those bugs could attack them at any moment and take their lives. Therefore, the most reliable method at this moment was to quickly leave this terrifying cave. No matter what treasures were inside, they didn't have the ability to take them, and instead, they would risk their lives.
"Okay, Brother Ye, I also feel that this place is not peaceful. Let's not stay here any longer. Let's go quickly."
Fatty didn't detect any doubt and instead felt that Ye Tiancheng's words made sense. He didn't ask any more questions but quickly helped Cui Cui up and prepared to follow Ye Tiancheng.
This was what was called brotherhood. When truly facing problems, they always understood each other's thoughts and didn't ask any more questions. Since Ye Tiancheng had made a decision, Fatty would just go along with it. Ye Tiancheng wouldn't betray him, and at critical moments, Ye Tiancheng always made the most rational and calm analyses, allowing them to escape danger time and time again.
As the three of them were supporting each other and walking out, they felt a cold wind blowing from behind and a rushing sound by their ears. The three of them quickly realized that those bugs were flying by their ears, which was why the sound was so strange. They were being chased urgently by these bugs.
At the critical moment, Ye Tiancheng used all his might to form a protective shield with his true qi. The flying bugs were all outside the true qi layer, and none could fly in. If Ye Tiancheng hadn't acted in time, they would all have been in trouble. This matter was crucial, and everyone was on edge, very scared.
"It's alright, they can't harm us for now. Let's run quickly."
The group of three saw the cave entrance and were about to run out. All of them simultaneously saw hope. They had to leave this place immediately; this cave was too dangerous.
"These bugs are all poisonous. Let's get out of here quickly. They can't leave the cave except in this special environment."
"Okay, I understand, Brother Ye. Let's run quickly."
Just as the three were about to escape, the aliens dressed in strange clothing suddenly rushed over.
"I warn you not to come over. The situation inside is critical. If you come any closer, it will be a dead end."
Ye Tiancheng didn't know if these people were good or bad, but to him, they were all lives. He didn't feel like a saint or anything, but simply felt that it was too bad to stand by and watch others die. The situation was too dire.
"You don't think you can escape. We'll come and kill you now."
After those people spoke, they rushed over. Without the protection of true qi, they were completely unable to block the poisonous bugs.
It was a scene of continuous screams as the bugs quickly covered the people, biting them and making them cry out. In less than a minute, an alien turned into a pile of white bones, looking terrifying.
"Kill you!"
Those aliens were still shouting loudly, but they couldn't withstand the attack of the poisonous bugs. Two people had already died, and the remaining ones were bitten and quickly turned back to run outside.
In just a few steps, those aliens suffered heavy losses, howling and fleeing outwards. Ye Tiancheng and the other two were the first to escape.
"Should we save them?"
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng was showing compassion, Cui Cui quickly reminded Ye Tiancheng, "Mr. Ye, please don't pity these people. These people are barbarians who expand their territory everywhere and have killed countless civilians. Many innocent people have died tragically under their swords. Such people cannot be saved."
Ye Tiancheng looked at those people. They were all fierce and had intended to kill them from the beginning. Ye Tiancheng hardened his heart and decided not to bother.
"Their boat is docked here. Let's take this boat and leave."
Since they chose to let go, the next issue was survival. The three of them boarded the boat. Among the aliens, only one man survived and kept shouting in broken Mandarin.
"Wait for me, don't take the boat away. I want to go with you."
Ye Tiancheng hesitated for a moment, but seeing that the man seemed injured, he couldn't help himself. He couldn't bear to see others die like that, so he let him on the boat.
After the alien got on the boat, he lay down, clearly in great discomfort. Ye Tiancheng ignored him. The poisonous bugs were hovering nearby, and they might catch up at any moment and gnaw them into white bones. These few people quickly set sail and fled.
In just a few minutes, they reached the other side. This place was quite close to the opposite shore. If they hadn't been discovered by those aliens just now, they wouldn't have had to run into the cave.
"So many people died. It's over now. They're all dead, all dead..."
It was quite sad to hear. They had seen more than a dozen people, and only one had made it out. Some had already run outside the cave, but they couldn't withstand the toxicity of the poisonous bugs and fell into the lake. Those people were definitely beyond saving and had also perished.
"I saved you. You should at least remember my life-saving grace and not trouble me anymore. Do you understand?"