Chapter 122: Entering the Depths of the Mountain

Jiang Yao's expression was solemn as he looked at the cave entrance that had appeared in the mountainside.

Previously, he had sensed that the energy in the surrounding area was much denser than other places within the beast ridge. Still, upon opening this cave entrance, he noticed that there was an oppressive force that was leaking out from within.

The force was very domineering, and it clashed with his own aura, making even Jiang Yao feel uncomfortable. Clearly, he had no affinity with whatever was left inside the cave, but while he felt nauseous and uncomfortable, Luo Xiao was like a fish in the water.

Narrowing his eyes, Jiang Yao was unwilling to give up on whatever might be waiting for Luo Xiao within the cave. Still, he was not comfortable letting the young man go in alone, and thus he decided to calm himself and retract his aura, showing that he meant no harm.

The coercion that was released from inside the cave lessened somewhat; however, the oppression stayed, and Jiang Yao knew full well that it would not disappear again, not before Luo Xiao had fully accepted whatever it was that was waiting for him.

Initially, Jiang Yao had been certain that this was a legacy, but the closer they got to this mysterious phenomenon, the more unsure he became.

The dense energy that was shrouding the place was not what a legacy could create. Legacies required energy to keep existing, but this one seemed to be creating the energy instead.

Another reason why he was suddenly unsure was because of the strange coercion and oppressiveness he could sense from within the cave. It was as if there was a conscious entity that guarded whatever this was.

If it were not conscious, it would not notice him, and thus the coercion would not be pointed at him, but Jiang Yao, who was the target of the energy, could easily tell that it had been projected towards him, while it had not even touched Luo Xiao.

This was also why he had retracted his aura. If it were a conscious entity, then it would understand his gesture of wanting peace, but if it was truly without a mind of its own, then it would have continued to put pressure on him. However, his gamble had paid off.

But what could this be if it was not a legacy? There were certain legends about divine treasures with artifact spirits, but he had never encountered them, and he was not expecting this to be one either.

However, sensing the coercion retracting, Jiang Yao knew that the entity within was positive towards Luo Xiao, and was permitting him to enter the cave alongside his lover.

Since this was the case, then they should not waste time.

Jiang Yao tightly grasped Luo Xiao's hand in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze to calm him down. "Don't let go of my hand, no matter what."

The voice that Jiang Yao used was so gentle and reassuring that the nervous Luo Xiao instantly nodded his head and felt his suspended heart returning to its original position.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled his emotions, and took the first step forward. Jiang Yao had waited for this, and a gentle smile hung on his lips as he followed suit.

The two of them slowly made their way through the entrance of the cave. It was illuminated by night pearls, and these shone with a gentle, silvery light that resembled the soft moonlight.

The cave was not very big, and at the back of the cave was a small tunnel leading into the mountain's depths.

While there were still some night pearls on the walls to illuminate the path, not many were left, and the gentle, silvery light was unable to fully light up the tunnel.

Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao were barely able to see the other's silhouettes, and they were walking forward with uncertainty.

They continued to walk for a long time. Initially, the air was humid and uncomfortable. It had a scent of stale air that had been trapped underground for a long time, mixed with the smell of wet soil, but the further into the tunnel they went, the more pleasant the scent became.

When they entered into the cave, the temperature was low and chilling, but now that they had moved deeper into the pathway, a gentle and warm breeze was coming from somewhere unknown in the distance.

Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao kept one of their hands tightly connected to one another, while they kept the other hand on the tunnel wall.

They ran their hands across the stone wall, but to their surprise, the wall was not rugged or rough, but smooth, and even felt somewhat soft.

They walked for an unknown amount of time before they saw the darkness being broken up further away. Light began shining into the dim tunnel, and both Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao knew that they had come through the tunnel.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, they found that it opened up into a massive cave. This cave was simply unexpected. It was much taller than any other cave that Luo Xiao had ever seen before, it was so tall that he could hardly see the roof.

At the same time, millions of sunstones were embedded in the roof, and these stones were very different from night pearls.

Where night pearls released a soft and gentle light, the sunstone was bathing everything in a strong and brilliant light.

There was enough to illuminate the whole cave, but this was still not the most shocking part.

The whole cave, which was simply so vast that it would take a day or two to walk from one end to the other, actually contained an archaic forest.