xiāo héng wú nài de náo le náo tóu ， kàn xiàng zhāng hào bō qiú zhù 。
萧恒无奈的挠了挠头，看向张浩波求助。
Xiao Heng scratched his head helplessly and looked at Zhang Haobo for help.
zhāng hào bō xiào le xiào ：“ xiǎo mèi kě yì diǎn dōu bù bèn ， fǎn ér dāng chū shuò qián bèi ……”
张浩波笑了笑：“小妹可一点都不笨，反而当初朔前辈……”
Zhang Haobo smiled: "Little Sister isn't as dumb as you think. In fact, Senior Shuo..."
zhāng hào bō dùn le dùn ， gǎi kǒu dào ：“ qí shí tā cōng míng de jǐn 。 yǒu shí hòu kàn shì xíng shì jí wéi chōng dòng ， qí shí dōu zài xīn zhōng quán héng guò lì bì dé shī le 。”
张浩波顿了顿，改口道：“其实她聪明的紧。有时候看似行事极为冲动，其实都在心中权衡过利弊得失了。”
He paused, then corrected himself: "Actually, she's quite clever. Sometimes it seems like her actions are rash, but in reality, she carefully weighs the pros and cons."
“ lián nǐ dōu bèi tā piàn guò ， hái bù néng shuō míng xiǎo mèi tā de lì hài ？”
“连你都被她骗过，还不能说明小妹她的厉害？”
"Even if you've been tricked by her before, doesn’t that still show how formidable Little Sister is?"
sū xiǎo mèi hēng le yī shēng ， gāo áng qǐ tóu 。
苏小妹哼了一声，高昂起头。
Su Xiaomei harrumphed and lifted her head high.
“ nà kàn qǐ lái ， wǒ men xiǎo mèi zhēn shì bǐ wǒ hái cōng míng liǎo ！”
“那看起来，我们小妹真是比我还聪明了！”
"That makes us look even more foolish! It seems our little sister is smarter than me!"
xiāo héng lián máng fù hè dào 。
萧恒连忙附和道。
Xiao Heng quickly agreed.
suí hòu yòu shì yī zhèn huā yán qiǎo yǔ ， fāng cái dé dào le sū xiǎo mèi de liàng jiě 。
随后又是一阵花言巧语，方才得到了苏小妹的谅解。
They then engaged in some flattering words to gain Su Xiaomei's forgiveness.
“ yuán liàng nǐ le ！”
“原谅你了！”
"Forgiven you are!"
“ xiàn zài kuài bǎ xiǎo dǐng ná chū lái shì shì ba ！”
“现在快把小鼎拿出来试试吧！”
"Now, let’s get that small鼎 out and try it!"
xiāo héng sōng le kǒu qì ， jiāng zuì hòu shèng yú de yī zūn yào wáng dǐng qǔ chū 。
萧恒松了口气，将最后剩余的一尊药王鼎取出。
Relieved, Xiao Heng took out the last remaining药王鼎.
xiǎng le xiǎng ， tā xiàng qí zhōng guàn shū líng lì 。
想了想，他向其中灌输灵力。
He considered for a moment before infusing spiritual energy into it.
xiǎo dǐng shòu dào jī fā ， zhàn fàng chū wēi wēi qīng sè guāng huá 。
小鼎受到激发，绽放出微微青色光华。
The small鼎 glowed faintly green as it was activated.
xiāo héng jiāng xiǎo dǐng kào jìn qīng tóng dà mén 。
萧恒将小鼎靠近青铜大门。
Xiao Heng brought the small鼎 close to the bronze door.
guāng huá zhào yào zài mén shàng ， yuán běn jiān yìng wú bǐ 、 rèn píng zěn me gōng jī dōu wú fǎ hàn dòng fēn háo de qīng tóng mén 。
光华照耀在门上，原本坚硬无比、任凭怎么攻击都无法撼动分毫的青铜门。
The light illuminated the door, which had previously been impenetrable and unyielding no matter how much force was applied.
cǐ kè què fǎng fú róng huà le yì bān ， zài guāng máng shǎn yào de fàn wéi nèi ， xíng chéng le yī shàn mén fēi 。
此刻却仿佛融化了一般，在光芒闪耀的范围内，形成了一扇门扉。
Now, however, it seemed to melt away within the range of the light, forming a door.
“ zěn me yàng ！ wǒ cāi de méi cuò ba ！” sū xiǎo mèi dé yì dì shuō dào 。
“怎么样！我猜的没错吧！”苏小妹得意地说道。
"How about that! I guessed right!" Su Xiaomei said smugly as she entered first.
suí hòu shuài xiān zuān le jìn qù 。
随后率先钻了进去。
Zhang Haobo followed closely behind, while Xiao Heng entered after them.
zhāng hào bō jǐn suí qí hòu 。
张浩波紧随其后。
As they passed through the bronze door, he quickly put the small药王鼎 away.
xiāo héng zé shì gēn zhe jìn rù mén zhōng 。
萧恒则是跟着进入门中。
Without the green light, the entrance disappeared and the bronze door returned to normal.
chuān guò qīng tóng mén de chà nà ， bù wàng bǎ xiǎo yào wáng dǐng shōu qǐ 。
穿过青铜门的刹那，不忘把小药王鼎收起。
Although Su Xiaomei was the first in, she didn’t act rashly.
méi le qīng guāng shǎn yì ， dòng kǒu xiāo shī ， qīng tóng mén jiàn jiàn huī fù le zhèng cháng 。
没了青光闪熠，洞口消失，青铜门渐渐恢复了正常。
After meeting up with the others, they observed the space behind the door together.
sū xiǎo mèi suī shì dì yí gè jìn rù ， què méi yǒu qīng jǔ wàng dòng 。
苏小妹虽是第一个进入，却没有轻举妄动。
The long, narrow passage stretched endlessly into the distance.
děng sān rén huì hé hòu ， yī tóng guān chá zhe mén hòu de kōng jiān 。
等三人汇合后，一同观察着门后的空间。
Their divine sense was suppressed, unable to perceive anything beyond it.
xiá cháng yōu suì de tōng dào ， yī yǎn kàn bú dào jìn tóu 。
狭长幽邃的通道，一眼看不到尽头。
"Could there be any danger?"
shén shí yě shòu dào yā zhì ， wú fǎ kuī tàn 。
神识也受到压制，无法窥探。
Xiao Heng asked.
“ huì bú huì yǒu wēi xiǎn ？”
“会不会有危险？”
"There could be traps, mechanisms, or even prohibitions," Zhang Haobo said gravely.
xiāo héng wèn dào 。
萧恒问道。
"Better to be cautious."
“ zhèn fǎ 、 jī guān 、 jìn zhì ， dōu yǒu kě néng 。” zhāng hào bō chén shēng dào 。
“阵法、机关、禁制，都有可能。”张浩波沉声道。
They exchanged glances and had Su Xiaomei lead the way, with Zhang Haobo bringing up the rear.
“ xiǎo xīn wèi shàng 。”
“小心为上。”
Protecting Xiao Heng in between, they cautiously advanced down the passage, their minds on high alert.
sān rén duì shì yī yǎn ， biàn yóu sū xiǎo mèi dǎ tóu zhèn ， zhāng hào bō diàn hòu 。
三人对视一眼，便由苏小妹打头阵，张浩波殿后。
However, to their surprise, this long passage was completely uneventful. They made it through without any trouble.
jiāng xiāo héng hù zài zhōng jiān ， xiǎo xīn yì yì de shùn zhe tōng dào tuī jìn 。
将萧恒护在中间，小心翼翼的顺着通道推进。
"Something feels off about how smoothly we're going," Su Xiaomei muttered as she looked around and continued forward.
xīn shén jǐn bēng ， bù gǎn yǒu sī háo dà yì 。
心神紧绷，不敢有丝毫大意。
At the end of the passage, a spacious hall opened up before them.
rán ér ， ràng tā men méi xiǎng dào de shì ， zhè duàn xiá cháng de tōng dào ， jìng rán yì diǎn bō zhé yě méi yǒu ， jiù zhè me shùn lì de zǒu le guò lái 。
然而，让他们没想到的是，这段狭长的通道，竟然一点波折也没有，就这么顺利的走了过来。
It was divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower.
“ zǒng jué de zhè me shùn lì ， bú shì yī jiàn hǎo shì ne 。” sū xiǎo mèi dū nāng zhe ， dǎ liàng zuǒ yòu ， jì xù xiàng qián 。
“总觉得这么顺利，不是一件好事呢。”苏小妹嘟囔着，打量左右，继续向前。
The central area was empty. Rooms surrounded each level, with corridors leading deeper inside.
tōng dào jìn tóu ， huò rán kāi lǎng 。
通道尽头，豁然开朗。
"This seems to be some kind of gathering place, but something must have happened," Xiao Heng observed calmly.
shì yī chù míng liàng 、 kuān chǎng de dà tīng 。
是一处明亮、宽敞的大厅。
"Tables and chairs are scattered everywhere, and the plants and decorations are all over the floor."
fēn wéi shàng zhōng xià sān céng 。
分为上中下三层。
Su Xiaomei picked up a flower that had fallen on the ground. "This plant looks like it’s only been alive for a few years, not thousands."
zhōng yāng yī piàn kōng dàng dàng de qū yù ， sān céng jiē huán rào zhe jiàn zào le xǔ duō de fáng jiān 。
中央一片空荡荡的区域，三层皆环绕着建造了许多的房间。
Xiao and Zhang exchanged worried glances.
chū cì zhī wài ， lìng yǒu zǒu láng tōng xiàng shēn chù 。
初次之外，令有走廊通向深处。
"It's strange," Xiao Heng whispered.
“ zhè lǐ sì hū shì mǒu chù jí jù zhī suǒ ， bù guò sì hū fā shēng le shén me shì qíng 。”
“这里似乎是某处集聚之所，不过似乎发生了什么事情。”
"Even ordinary spirit artifacts can be preserved so well, what about the cultivators in this药王鼎?"
“ zhuō yǐ bǎi fàng zá luàn wú xù ， huā mù 、 zhuāng shì zhè xiē ， yě diào luò yī dì 。”
“桌椅摆放杂乱无序，花木、装饰这些，也掉落一地。”
Su Xiaomei replied: "Since the药王鼎 returned, over twenty years have passed. If there were still active药王宗 cultivators here, they should have taken it by now."
xiāo héng guān chá sì zhōu ， lěng jìng fēn xī zhe 。
萧恒观察四周，冷静分析着。
"Not like how they’re just waiting for us to find them," Zhang Haobo agreed.
“ zhè yào wáng zhēn dǐng hái zhēn shì shén qí ， zhè me zhǎng shí jiān guò qù le ， zhè lǐ miàn de dōng xī hái néng bǎo chí de zhè me xīn 。”
“这药王真鼎还真是神奇，这么长时间过去了，这里面的东西还能保持的这么新。”
Xiao Heng added, "I fear something that’s half-dead and half-alive."
“ nǐ men kàn ， zhè zhū huā kě yì diǎn dōu bù xiàng huó le jǐ qiān nián de yàng zi 。” sū xiǎo mèi suí hòu ná qǐ dào zài dì miàn shàng de yī pén huā ， yǒu xiē jīng qí dào 。
“你们看，这株花可一点都不像活了几千年的样子。”苏小妹随后拿起倒在地面上的一盆花，有些惊奇道。
There wasn’t much of value in the hall. The doors on each level were sealed shut, unable to be opened.
xiāo 、 zhāng èr rén wén yán ， miàn sè jiē shì wēi wēi yī biàn 。
萧、张二人闻言，面色皆是微微一变。
The trio continued their exploration deeper into the area.
“ yǒu diǎn gǔ guài 。”
“有点古怪。”
Inside the药王鼎, they found nothing but silence, which only heightened their unease.
“ lián pǔ tōng líng wù dōu néng bǎo cún rú cǐ wán hǎo ， nà me zhè yào wáng dǐng nèi de xiū shì ne ？” xiāo héng mī zhuó yǎn ， xiǎo shēng shuō dào 。
“连普通灵物都能保存如此完好，那么这药王鼎内的修士呢？”萧恒眯着眼，小声说道。
Corridors branched off in different directions behind the hall.
zhè cì què shì sū xiǎo mèi huí dá le tā 。
这次却是苏小妹回答了他。
They explored them one by one.
“ yào wáng dǐng zì cóng fǎn huí ， yǐ jīng guò qù le èr shí duō nián 。 rú guǒ zhè lǐ miàn hái yǒu néng huó dòng de yào wáng zōng xiū shì ， yīng gāi zǎo jiù jiāng zhè yào wáng dǐng shōu qǐ lái le 。”
“药王鼎自从返回，已经过去了二十多年。如果这里面还有能活动的药王宗修士，应该早就将这药王鼎收起来了。”
At the end of each corridor was a different area: alchemy rooms, transmission halls, and training grounds.
“ ér bú huì shì xiàng xiàn zài zhè yàng ， yuán dì shǎ shǎ dì děng wǒ men zhǎo shàng mén 。”
“而不会是像现在这样，原地傻傻地等我们找上门。”
But there were no signs of life anywhere. The doors were all tightly shut.
zhāng hào bō wén yán diǎn tóu ， biǎo shì zàn tóng ：“ yào me quán sǐ le ， yào me quán xiāo shī le 。”
张浩波闻言点头，表示赞同：“要么全死了，要么全消失了。”
Even though they knew there might be ancient treasures within, they had no way to obtain them.
xiāo héng yě jiē zhe shuō dào ：“ jiù pà bàn sǐ bù huó de guǐ yì cún zài 。”
萧恒也接着说道：“就怕半死不活的诡异存在。”
They could only stare blankly.
zhè chù dà tīng zhōng méi shén me yǒu jià zhí de dōng xī 。
这处大厅中没什么有价值的东西。
The good news was that this药王鼎 didn’t seem as dangerous as the ruins of other ancient sects.
ér dà tīng sān céng de gè gè fáng jiān ， mén dōu bèi fēng sǐ le yì bān ， wú fǎ dǎ kāi 。
而大厅三层的各个房间，门都被封死了一般，无法打开。
From start to finish, no traps or prohibitions were triggered. Only an eerie aura permeated the area.
sān rén zhǐ dé jì xù cháo zhe shēn chù tàn suǒ 。
三人只得继续朝着深处探索。
Continuing on, they found a gray stone door blocking their path.
yào wáng zhēn dǐng nèi jì jìng yī piàn ， sān rén de xīn què yuè lái yuè bù ān 。
药王真鼎内寂静一片，三人的心却越来越不安。
Their attempt with the small药王鼎 was ineffective this time.
dà tīng hòu de zǒu láng fēn bié cháo zhe bù tóng de fāng xiàng yán shēn 。
大厅后的走廊分别朝着不同的方向延伸。
This stone door seemed much stronger than the bronze one before it.
sān rén jié bàn ， yī cì tàn míng 。
三人结伴，依次探明。
Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo’s combined attack couldn’t even make it tremble.
zǒu láng de jìn tóu shì bù tóng de qū yù 。
走廊的尽头是不同的区域。
Disheartened by their failure, Su Xiaomei sighed: "Is it possible that we’ll return empty-handed?"
yǒu liàn dān fáng 、 chuán gōng gé 、 yǎn wǔ chǎng děng děng 。
有炼丹房、传功阁、演武场等等。
All three of them felt a sense of despair.
dàn shì què dōu hé xiān qián yī yàng ， jiàn bú dào rén yān 。
但是却都和先前一样，见不到人烟。
"Let’s keep searching," Xiao Heng gritted his teeth, unwilling to give up.
dà mén jǐn bì 。
大门紧闭。
No matter which cultivator saw such treasures before him, he wouldn’t easily abandon the quest.
nǎ pà zhī dào lǐ miàn kě néng cún zài zhe zhū duō shàng gǔ shí qī de yì bǎo ， sān rén què méi yǒu qǔ dé bǎo zàng de fāng fǎ 。
哪怕知道里面可能存在着诸多上古时期的异宝，三人却没有取得宝藏的方法。
Turning around, they conducted a thorough search.
zhǐ néng gān dèng yǎn 。
只能干瞪眼。
This time, luck was on their side as they made a discovery: "Look! This door seems not sealed."
wéi yī zhí de qìng xìng de shì ， zhè yào wáng zhēn dǐng nèi ， yě bù xiàng qí yú shàng gǔ zōng mén yí jì nà bān ， wēi jī chóng chóng 。
唯一值得庆幸的是，这药王真鼎内，也不像其余上古宗门遗迹那般，危机重重。
Su Xiaomei called out to them.
cóng tóu zhì wěi ， dōu méi yǒu shén me zhèn fǎ 、 jìn zhì jī fā 。
从头至尾，都没有什么阵法、禁制激发。
Xiao Heng and Zhang Haobo hurried over.
zhǐ shì tòu lù zhe yī gǔ guǐ yì de qì xī 。
只是透露着一股诡异的气息。
Poking at the tiny gap in the door, Zhang Haobo nodded: "Indeed, it’s different from the others."
jì xù xiàng qián ， què yǒu yī dào huī bái de shí mén jiāng lù gé duàn 。
继续向前，却有一道灰白的石门将路隔断。
Seeing hope on the horizon, Xiao Heng grew excited. "Does this mean we can open it?"
zhè cì yòng xiǎo yào wáng dǐng wěi zhuāng de fāng fǎ què bù guǎn yòng le 。
这次用小药王鼎伪装的方法却不管用了。
"Let's give it a try," he said as Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo joined hands.
ér qiě zhè shí mén bǐ qǐ xiān qián de qīng tóng mén gèng yào jiān gù shù bèi 。
而且这石门比起先前的青铜门更要坚固数倍。
Under the light of Scarlet Sun and Blood Sea,
sū xiǎo mèi 、 zhāng hào bō lián shǒu de gōng jī ， lián ràng huī bái shí mén zhèn dòng jǐ fēn dōu wú fǎ zuò dào 。
苏小妹、张浩波联手的攻击，连让灰白石门震动几分都无法做到。
the bronze door creaked as they slowly opened it inch by inch.
tíng zhǐ liǎo wú yòng gōng de sū xiǎo mèi yǒu xiē xiè qì 。
停止了无用功的苏小妹有些泄气。
After a moment, with their combined effort, they finally managed to pry open a small gap.
“ nán bù chéng ， yào rù bǎo shān què kōng shǒu ér guī ？”
“难不成，要入宝山却空手而归？”
"Be careful."
sān rén cǐ kè xīn zhōng dōu bù miǎn yǒng qǐ rú cǐ xiǎng fǎ 。
三人此刻心中都不免涌起如此想法。
They communicated silently and entered cautiously.
“ zài zhǎo zhǎo 。” xiāo héng yǎo yǎo yá ， bù sǐ xīn dào 。
“再找找。”萧恒咬咬牙，不死心道。
No danger awaited them, but the scene inside left them taken aback.
rèn píng nǎ wèi xiū shì kàn dào rú cǐ bǎo zàng zài yǎn qián ， dōu bú huì qīng yì yán qì 。
任凭哪位修士看到如此宝藏在眼前，都不会轻易言弃。
It was a single-person dwelling, though not large, with a bed, table, chair, and cabinet all present.
huí guò shēn lái ， sān rén yòu jìn xíng le dì tǎn shì de sōu suǒ 。
回过身来，三人又进行了地毯式的搜索。
On the floor lay a cultivator who had his head facing the door. He seemed to be trying to close it.
zhè cì ， què xìng yùn de yǒu le fā xiàn 。
这次，却幸运的有了发现。
What shocked Xiao Heng and company was that this person still had a faint pulse; he appeared to have fallen into a deep sleep.
“ kuài kàn ， zhè jiān fáng mén sì hū méi yǒu fēng sǐ 。”
“快看，这间房门似乎没有封死。”
"What do we do?"
sū xiǎo mèi hū hǎn zhe èr rén 。
苏小妹呼喊着二人。
"Should we attack or not?"
xiāo héng hé zhāng hào bō lián máng gǎn le guò qù 。
萧恒和张浩波连忙赶了过去。
"After thousands of years, he’s still alive. His strength is beyond comprehension. If we act rashly..."
fǔ mō zhe mén shàng de yī sī fèng xì ， zhāng hào bō diǎn diǎn tóu ：“ bù cuò ， dí què hé qí tā fáng jiān yǒu suǒ qū bié 。”
抚摸着门上的一丝缝隙，张浩波点点头：“不错，的确和其他房间有所区别。”
Just as they were communicating with their divine senses, the person on the floor groaned and slowly woke up.
yǎn kàn zhōng yú yào yǒu suǒ shōu huò ， xiāo héng yě biàn de yǒu diǎn xīng fèn ：“ nà shì bú shì yì wèi zhe ， kě yǐ jiāng qí dǎ kāi ？”
眼看终于要有所收获，萧恒也变的有点兴奋：“那是不是意味着，可以将其打开？”
Uncertain of what to do, the trio retreated together.
“ gū qiě yī shì 。”
“姑且一试。”
The药王宗 cultivator got up from the ground, first looking around in confusion before regaining his composure.
shuō bà ， zhāng hào bō hé sū xiǎo mèi ， zài dù lián qǐ shǒu lái 。
说罢，张浩波和苏小妹，再度联起手来。
He calculated with his fingers and exclaimed: "Twenty-four years have passed?!"
chì yáng 、 xuè hǎi zhào yào xià 。
赤阳、血海照耀下。
Noticing Xiao Heng and company in the room, he showed surprise but quickly regained his calm.
qīng tóng de mén fēi fā chū gā zhī zhī de shēng xiǎng 。
青铜的门扉发出嘎吱吱的声响。
"Senior, I bow to you!" the trio said in unison.
yī cùn yī cùn bèi cháo kāi bā kāi 。
一寸一寸被朝开扒开。
"Did it take your friends to wake me up?" he asked.
Xiao Heng scratched his head helplessly and looked at Zhang Haobo for help.
Zhang Haobo smiled: "Little Sister isn't as dumb as you think. In fact, Senior Shuo..."
He paused, then corrected himself: "Actually, she's quite clever. Sometimes it seems like her actions are rash, but in reality, she carefully weighs the pros and cons."
"Even if you've been tricked by her before, doesn’t that still show how formidable Little Sister is?"
Su Xiaomei harrumphed and lifted her head high.
"That makes us look even more foolish! It seems our little sister is smarter than me!"
Xiao Heng quickly agreed.
They then engaged in some flattering words to gain Su Xiaomei's forgiveness.
"Forgiven you are!"
"Now, let’s get that small鼎 out and try it!"
Relieved, Xiao Heng took out the last remaining药王鼎.
He considered for a moment before infusing spiritual energy into it.
The small鼎 glowed faintly green as it was activated.
Xiao Heng brought the small鼎 close to the bronze door.
The light illuminated the door, which had previously been impenetrable and unyielding no matter how much force was applied.
Now, however, it seemed to melt away within the range of the light, forming a door.
"How about that! I guessed right!" Su Xiaomei said smugly as she entered first.
Zhang Haobo followed closely behind, while Xiao Heng entered after them.
As they passed through the bronze door, he quickly put the small药王鼎 away.
Without the green light, the entrance disappeared and the bronze door returned to normal.
Although Su Xiaomei was the first in, she didn’t act rashly.
After meeting up with the others, they observed the space behind the door together.
The long, narrow passage stretched endlessly into the distance.
Their divine sense was suppressed, unable to perceive anything beyond it.
"Could there be any danger?"
Xiao Heng asked.
"There could be traps, mechanisms, or even prohibitions," Zhang Haobo said gravely.
"Better to be cautious."
They exchanged glances and had Su Xiaomei lead the way, with Zhang Haobo bringing up the rear.
Protecting Xiao Heng in between, they cautiously advanced down the passage, their minds on high alert.
However, to their surprise, this long passage was completely uneventful. They made it through without any trouble.
"Something feels off about how smoothly we're going," Su Xiaomei muttered as she looked around and continued forward.
At the end of the passage, a spacious hall opened up before them.
It was divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower.
The central area was empty. Rooms surrounded each level, with corridors leading deeper inside.
"This seems to be some kind of gathering place, but something must have happened," Xiao Heng observed calmly.
"Tables and chairs are scattered everywhere, and the plants and decorations are all over the floor."
Su Xiaomei picked up a flower that had fallen on the ground. "This plant looks like it’s only been alive for a few years, not thousands."
Xiao and Zhang exchanged worried glances.
"It's strange," Xiao Heng whispered.
"Even ordinary spirit artifacts can be preserved so well, what about the cultivators in this药王鼎?"
Su Xiaomei replied: "Since the药王鼎 returned, over twenty years have passed. If there were still active药王宗 cultivators here, they should have taken it by now."
"Not like how they’re just waiting for us to find them," Zhang Haobo agreed.
Xiao Heng added, "I fear something that’s half-dead and half-alive."
There wasn’t much of value in the hall. The doors on each level were sealed shut, unable to be opened.
The trio continued their exploration deeper into the area.
Inside the药王鼎, they found nothing but silence, which only heightened their unease.
Corridors branched off in different directions behind the hall.
They explored them one by one.
At the end of each corridor was a different area: alchemy rooms, transmission halls, and training grounds.
But there were no signs of life anywhere. The doors were all tightly shut.
Even though they knew there might be ancient treasures within, they had no way to obtain them.
They could only stare blankly.
The good news was that this药王鼎 didn’t seem as dangerous as the ruins of other ancient sects.
From start to finish, no traps or prohibitions were triggered. Only an eerie aura permeated the area.
Continuing on, they found a gray stone door blocking their path.
Their attempt with the small药王鼎 was ineffective this time.
This stone door seemed much stronger than the bronze one before it.
Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo’s combined attack couldn’t even make it tremble.
Disheartened by their failure, Su Xiaomei sighed: "Is it possible that we’ll return empty-handed?"
All three of them felt a sense of despair.
"Let’s keep searching," Xiao Heng gritted his teeth, unwilling to give up.
No matter which cultivator saw such treasures before him, he wouldn’t easily abandon the quest.
Turning around, they conducted a thorough search.
This time, luck was on their side as they made a discovery: "Look! This door seems not sealed."
Su Xiaomei called out to them.
Xiao Heng and Zhang Haobo hurried over.
Poking at the tiny gap in the door, Zhang Haobo nodded: "Indeed, it’s different from the others."
Seeing hope on the horizon, Xiao Heng grew excited. "Does this mean we can open it?"
"Let's give it a try," he said as Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo joined hands.
Under the light of Scarlet Sun and Blood Sea,
the bronze door creaked as they slowly opened it inch by inch.
After a moment, with their combined effort, they finally managed to pry open a small gap.
"Be careful."
They communicated silently and entered cautiously.
No danger awaited them, but the scene inside left them taken aback.
It was a single-person dwelling, though not large, with a bed, table, chair, and cabinet all present.
On the floor lay a cultivator who had his head facing the door. He seemed to be trying to close it.
What shocked Xiao Heng and company was that this person still had a faint pulse; he appeared to have fallen into a deep sleep.
"What do we do?"
"Should we attack or not?"
"After thousands of years, he’s still alive. His strength is beyond comprehension. If we act rashly..."
Just as they were communicating with their divine senses, the person on the floor groaned and slowly woke up.
Uncertain of what to do, the trio retreated together.
The药王宗 cultivator got up from the ground, first looking around in confusion before regaining his composure.
He calculated with his fingers and exclaimed: "Twenty-four years have passed?!"
Noticing Xiao Heng and company in the room, he showed surprise but quickly regained his calm.
"Senior, I bow to you!" the trio said in unison.
"Did it take your friends to wake me up?" he asked.