They walked into the structure, which should have been a palace, but unfortunately, only half of it remained, the other half presumably buried in the desert.
Entering the palace, they noticed a staircase in one corner that descended deep underground.
These soldiers informed Zhou Yan that a few of their comrades had already gone down to scout ahead.
Zhou Yan nodded and instructed the other soldiers, "You all stay here and do not go down."
"Yes."
Following this, Zhou Yan, along with Diao Chan and the others, descended into the underground passage.
It was a long, dry tunnel. Candles were lit along the walls, likely by the soldiers who had gone ahead.
As they proceeded along the passage, they turned a corner and found a large door ajar. Upon entering, they discovered a spacious hall.
Inside, there were many living supplies. Although quite dilapidated, it was evident that people had once lived here.
They continued their exploration and found numerous other similar places, some for living, others for activities.
Beyond these, they found nothing else out of the ordinary.
After walking for a considerable time, Zhou Yan sensed a different kind of presence and spotted several unconscious soldiers ahead.
"They've fainted."
"What happened?"
"They look like they've been poisoned."
Cai Yan stepped forward, examined them, and said, "Let me try."
She took out her Jiao Wei Qin, unleashed a wave of sound, and a peculiar light enveloped the soldiers, causing them to awaken.
The soldiers opened their hazy eyes and, upon seeing Zhou Yan, were greatly surprised. They quickly got to their feet and exclaimed, "Lord, you're here."
"First, tell us what happened. How did you faint all of a sudden?" Zhou Yan quickly inquired.
The soldiers recalled the events. "I remember seeing a shadowy figure drift past overhead. I was about to react, but before I could, I felt dizzy and lost consciousness."
The soldiers' accounts were largely consistent.
"A shadowy figure, what did it look like?" Zhou Yan asked.
"I don't remember clearly."
"I recall it being some sort of energy mass, with eyes, yes, I think I saw a pair of blue eyes. I really don't know anything more specific."
Another soldier had a clearer recollection but still couldn't describe it precisely.
Zhou Yan and his companions couldn't glean much more information, so he said to them, "You should return to the surface."
"But Lord, there's danger ahead. Let us scout further." They were all concerned about the unknown shadowy figures.
Zhou Yan replied, "Your mental strength is too weak, which is why you succumbed to that energy's attack. If you followed us, I might have to look after you. So, it's best you go up."
Hearing Zhou Yan's words, the soldiers could only respond, "Yes."
They then departed.
Zhou Yan looked at the tunnel ahead and mused, "It's likely some sort of energy-based monster, with residual energy. It's difficult to determine its type. These monsters only caused the soldiers to faint, not kill them. I wonder if their ability is limited to merely knocking them out."
"My mental strength is quite high; I'll take the lead," Zhen Mi offered.
"I'll go ahead too," Cai Yan added.
Zhou Yan said, "If we're talking about the strongest mental attribute, it's probably me. No matter how strong they are, they can't be my match. Furthermore, the fact that they could only incapacitate soldiers suggests that's the extent of their power. The danger should not be significant."
Thus, Zhou Yan took the lead.
His mental attribute was exceptionally high, allowing him to sense the monsters' presence more quickly. After walking for about ten minutes, he finally detected a definite approaching energy.
"We'll soon see what it is," Zhou Yan looked ahead.
Diao Chan and the others also strained to look forward.
Before long, they saw several dark energy masses drifting towards them from the tunnel.
These energy masses were about the size of a basketball and, as the soldiers had described, had a pair of blue eyes. Zhou Yan could sense that these energies had no hostile intentions.
"They don't seem to have any ill will," Cai Yan and Zhen Mi remarked, surprised as they couldn't sense any malice from the black energies.
Suddenly, a fluctuation washed over them, and to their astonishment, they received a piece of information.
They were greatly surprised; the energies were greeting them.
"They can communicate with us in this way. What peculiar beings," Diao Chan observed the black energies with great curiosity.
"They seem rather kind."
"What about the earlier attack on the soldiers?"
As if sensing their confusion, they emitted another fluctuation, and suddenly, they understood.
It turned out they had intended to greet the soldiers, but their mental strength was too weak to withstand the energy, causing them to faint. The black energies were unable to rescue them and could only leave.
Zhou Yan and the others finally understood; these little beings had acted unintentionally, which explained the earlier incident.
Zhou Yan examined their attributes.
[Race: Black Spirit]
[Quality: Common]
[Type: Soul]
[Level: 50]
[Special: Soul]
[Description: A peculiar spiritual entity capable of communicating with other races through soul means. They typically reside in dark passages and will vanish if their souls dissipate.]
"So they are Black Spirits."
Although it was their first encounter with such strange beings, Diao Chan and the others were curious about these Black Spirits, and they began asking many questions.
"Why do you live here?"
"Do you know what happened to the ruins above?"
"How long have you existed here?"
...
The Black Spirits began to answer Zhou Yan's questions one by one. Moreover, because Zhou Yan could communicate with them, they seemed very happy, flitting around in the air like children.
Through their answers, Zhou Yan and the others learned why they lived there.
It turned out that this underground palace had originally been built by the Desert Queen as a sanctuary for them.
However, at some point, the Desert City seemed to have been attacked by many powerful monsters. The entire Desert City was breached by monsters, and countless members of the Sand Tribe perished.
Only a small number of the Sand Tribe managed to hide in these underground passages.
But they didn't live there for long before being forced to leave in search of food.
As they departed, this place fell into perpetual darkness.
Until their arrival.
This information had been passed down through generations of Black Spirit elders. They didn't know how long they could live; they had no concept of time.
"So that's how it is," everyone understood.
The Sand Tribe had long since vanished, leaving only these passages behind. The Black Spirits, unable to perceive time and fearing sunlight, had never left this place, which was their home.
Every living being possesses unique characteristics and its own way of life.
Zhou Yan and his companions had no intention of disturbing the Black Spirits' existence. After understanding these matters, they decided not to explore the deeper passages.
However, one of the Black Spirits asked them to wait and then ran inside, seemingly to call others.
Zhou Yan and his companions were curious and decided to wait.
Before long, that Black Spirit returned with more than a dozen other Black Spirits. These Black Spirits had stronger soul power, likely ranking them as higher-level individuals among the Black Spirits.
The Black Spirit with the strongest soul power transmitted a message to them: "We once said that if any other living beings were fortunate enough to reach this place, they could visit the inheritance left by the Sand Queen. There lie the treasures left by the Sand Queen, but one must pass a trial to obtain them. We wonder if you are willing to go."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan replied, "Then I would very much like to witness it."
"Please follow us."
The Black Spirit led Zhou Yan and his companions towards a wall.