Chapter 65: Visitors?

Yunyi's divine sense slowly spread out, like microscopic tentacles, gently brushing against the walls, the ground, and every corner of the entire space, attempting to catch even the slightest unusual aura.

However, for a period at first, his efforts seemed to yield no reward; everything around him remained calm and undisturbed, with no signs of any treasures.

Just as Yunyi, this tiny mosquito, felt a ripple of disappointment stirring in his heart and was about to withdraw his thread-like divine sense, an imperceptible anomaly quietly invaded his acutely sensitive perceptual world.

His form came to an abrupt halt, appearing exceptionally abrupt in this dim and tranquil space, while an indescribable excitement surged within his heart.

For, in a hidden nook of the ancient wall, upon a seemingly unremarkable stone brick, a faint fluctuation entirely different from the surroundings was faintly emanating.

Although this fluctuation was as subtle as the beating of a mosquito's wings, it was exceptionally clear, resembling a whisper, seemingly revealing some deeply buried secret to him.

"Could this be the key to some secluded space?" A thought flashed through Yunyi's mind. He immediately beat his wings and flew swiftly, landing with difficulty upon that stone brick, pouring his Foundation Establishment-stage divine sense even more intently into the stone brick.

However, after a meticulous investigation, Yunyi quickly discovered that this stone brick was not some mechanism to open a secret realm, but a long-weathered, slumbering magical artifact whose high grade could actually rival spirit treasures.

Yet, because the passage of time had carved deep traces upon the stone brick, the spiritual essence within seemed to have slumbered for too long, becoming hazy and indistinct.

Even so, for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this remained a supreme treasure.

After all, even a spirit treasure-grade magical artifact with diminished spiritual essence was by no means something easily attainable by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Furthermore, Yunyi knew well that the spiritual essence of a spirit treasure was not immutable; through later nourishment and refinement, it was not impossible for it to regain its brilliance.

"For now, I shall keep this seemingly inconspicuous stone brick for myself. As for the treasure I originally intended to use to lure those sect disciples into dealing with that beast possessing true dragon bloodline for me, it seems I must seek another way." Yunyi murmured softly in his heart with the faint voice peculiar to a mosquito.

Immediately, he vibrated his almost transparent wings, slowly approaching the stone brick, and gently touched its surface with his slender, thread-like proboscis.

Gradually, a nearly imperceptible power surged from within his body—that was demonic qi.

Under the influence of this power, the stone block seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, slowly floating upward, and finally landed steadily upon Yunyi's virtually negligible "hand."

However, just as the stone block was suspended in mid-air and about to be stowed away by Yunyi into his storage ring boundary, movement suddenly came from the entrance of the passage.

"Senior Brother, this passage is actually so smooth and unobstructed, without the slightest sense of crisis." A somewhat youthful voice drifted gently into his ear.

"Junior Brother, you must not lower your guard; remain vigilant at all times. You must know, this cavern is rumored to be the closed-door cultivation secret realm of a Deity Transformation-stage grand master, so we had better be cautious." Another voice was steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"Understood, Senior Brother." The junior brother replied respectfully.

At this moment, in the dim and tranquil chamber, Yunyi was about to store the stone brick artifact into his storage ring.

Suddenly, a burst of conversation pierced the silence of the room, causing his antennae to quiver slightly and a nameless vigilance to surge in his heart.

Although his tiny body and compound eyes had not yet captured the specific source of the human voices, the gradually clarifying sounds told him that danger was quietly closing in.

Yunyi hurriedly stowed the stone brick artifact into his storage ring.

Immediately afterward, he began to anxiously search everywhere for a crevice or corner to hide in, silently chanting in his heart: "Where should I hide?"

His compound eyes scanned the surroundings rapidly, yet he failed to find a minuscule space sufficient to shelter him.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: that colorful, lush ancient tree—a seemingly perfect hiding place.

However, upon second thought, he hesitated.

Once human cultivators stepped into this place, such a conspicuous ancient tree would undoubtedly catch their eye at first glance, and they would by no means easily miss the opportunity to investigate it.

Once discovered, he would probably find it difficult to escape and would face a joint attack from two human cultivators.

"Sigh, forget it, I might as well just find any inconspicuous corner." Yunyi sighed helplessly in his heart, and then executed the Blood Concealment Technique unique to the mosquito clan.

His body gradually became transparent, seemingly merging with the surrounding air, leaving only a faint shadow.

He vibrated his almost silent wings and lightly flew to the corner of the wall on the other side of the passage, pressing tightly against the wall and hiding himself perfectly within that patch of shadows.

In his heart, he prayed silently, hoping no one would discover his traces.

Meanwhile, the red figures of the senior and junior brothers emerged silently like two ghostly shadows at the entrance of the passage.

Their gazes were as sharp as falcons, scanning everywhere, attempting to capture the movement of every inch of space in the room.

However, they were completely unaware that in that patch of shadows in the corner, Yunyi, who was almost completely blended with the surrounding environment, was holding his breath and hiding in concentration.

Yunyi's tiny compound eyes stared fixedly at every move of the senior and junior brothers, tension and unease surging in his heart, yet he dared not move the slightest bit.

"Senior Brother, look, there is a tree there." The junior brother's voice sounded softly, his gaze attracted by the colorful ancient tree.

Upon hearing this, the senior brother immediately looked in the direction of the sound and indeed saw the eye-catching ancient tree.

Yet at this very moment, the junior brother was about to step forward, only to be stopped in time by the senior brother.

"Junior Brother, hold on." The senior brother's voice was steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"What is it, Senior Brother? There's no one here anyway." The junior brother turned his head to look at the senior brother in bewilderment, his face full of confusion. He looked around and saw that the room was entirely empty, with only the figures of the two brothers swaying in the dim light.

"Junior Brother, it is precisely because there is no one here that we must be even more careful." The senior brother's expression grew solemn. "After all, someone was clearing the path for us beforehand, yet now this place is so utterly silent, which inevitably gives cause for suspicion."

"Senior Brother is right." The junior brother nodded, his expression also turning cautious.

"Next, the two of us will split up," the senior brother instructed. "You first observe the surroundings to see if there are any abnormalities; I will set up a small formation at this passage entrance just in case someone enters, so we can be alerted in time. Even if we are engrossed in searching for treasures in the room by then, we will still be able to react promptly to any newcomers."

"Understood." The junior brother acknowledged, then separated to act on his own.