Qin Yu didn't move. A moment later, he did indeed take out a Luminous Pearl to light the path ahead.
However, there wasn't much to see. It looked like an ordinary path, and aside from being a bit damp, there was nothing else.
But given their previous experience, Qin Yu didn't dare advance rashly.
After a moment of thought, he took out a Fire Talisman and flung it forward.
A brilliant light flared instantly, burning for a moment before gradually dying out.
After getting a clear look at the scene ahead, Qin Yu's expression instantly turned grim. "There's something wrong with the water on these stone walls."
Lu Sangjiu put on a confused expression. "Hmm? What's wrong with it?"
Qin Yu shot her a disdainful glance. "You can't even tell? If this were ordinary water, the fire would have evaporated it long ago. But look, not a single drop is missing!"
"Oh, right. Water that isn't afraid of fire... could it be some kind of spiritual water?" Lu Sangjiu said, her eyes lighting up. "Why don't we collect some to take with us?"
Unfortunately, Qin Yu was exceptionally calm this time and didn't fall for her nonsense.
"Do you really think someone who couldn't even be bothered to leave behind a Luminous Pearl would be willing to leave spiritual water? Even with the Devouring Spirit Sand from before, if he hadn't run into trouble himself, no one would have been able to take it away."
Qin Yu concluded with a cold snort, "The owner of this place must be an incredible cheapskate. Don't even think about getting anything good from him."
Lu Sangjiu: "..."
'Honestly, it's not that I'm a cheapskate,' she thought. 'This is just a temporary residence. Why would I need to set it up so elaborately?'
'Besides, if I had *really* set this place up, none of you would be getting out of here alive. So how about you stop complaining when you've already gotten off easy?'
While she was fuming internally, Qin Yu had already taken out a Spirit Stone and tossed it down the passageway.
The Spirit Stone rolled a few times on the ground, but nothing happened in the passageway.
Then, a drop of water fell from above, landing squarely on the Spirit Stone. The stone suddenly let out a SIZZLE, and right before their eyes, it dissolved into a puddle of liquid!
Lu Sangjiu wasn't surprised in the slightest. After all, she had recognized what this was the moment she saw it.
Qin Yu's expression, however, grew even more grim. "This is... Spirit-killing Water."
Spirit-killing Water was similar in principle to Devouring Spirit Sand, but it was far more lethal.
Unlike Devouring Spirit Sand, which only consumed Spiritual Energy tainted with a human aura and slowly drained a person dry, Spirit-killing Water would instantly dissolve anything containing Spiritual Energy—including people and animals—on contact.
Furthermore, the resulting liquid was also highly toxic and equally fatal.
Of course, it wasn't just the Spirit-killing Water that horrified Qin Yu, but also its implications.
He desperately needed someone to talk to, so even though it was the irritating Lu Sangjiu, he couldn't stop himself from speaking.
"Like Devouring Spirit Sand, Spirit-killing Water comes from the Western Demon Realm. It's even rarer than Devouring Spirit Sand. For both of them to appear one after another... I suspect..."
Qin Yu took a deep breath, but just as he was about to voice his suspicion, Lu Sangjiu cut in.
"You suspect this is the abode of a Great Power who was a Demon Cultivator?"
Having the words taken right out of his mouth left him speechless, the aborted sentence stuck in his throat uncomfortably.
He glared at Lu Sangjiu before snapping, "...You figured it out too?"
Lu Sangjiu deadpanned, "You figured it out, so isn't it perfectly normal that I would too?"
Qin Yu: "..."
He snapped, "Well, since you're so smart, why don't you tell me how we're supposed to get past this?"
Spirit-killing Water was far more potent than Devouring Spirit Sand. Moreover, it couldn't be tamed or recognize a master.
Even trying to collect it for personal use required extreme caution. The slightest contact was a death sentence.
While not invincible, it was certainly nothing a Cultivator below the Divinity Transformation Stage could withstand physically.
For cultivators with pathetic cultivation levels like Lu Sangjiu and Qin Yu, facing it head-on was out of the question. They had to find another way.
Lu Sangjiu rubbed her chin. "This stuff may be more potent than Devouring Spirit Sand, but it has a weakness: it can't move on its own. It doesn't actively attack people like the Sand does."
Qin Yu froze. He hadn't expected Lu Sangjiu to actually say anything useful, but hearing this, he couldn't help but press her. "So?"
"So..." Lu Sangjiu pulled out a pile of small porcelain vials and said cheerfully, "...of course we should hurry up and collect some for ourselves!"
'It's perfect for destroying bodies and erasing evidence without a trace. An absolute must-have for any murderer!'
Qin Yu: "..."
'Of course. I never should have expected anything from this idiotic woman!'
But when he saw Lu Sangjiu already carefully approaching to collect the Spirit-killing Water, he realized that if he did nothing, she'd take it all for herself again.
Unwilling to be left out, Qin Yu had no choice but to go with the flow and join her in collecting the Spirit-killing Water.
Fortunately, he had three small, ordinary porcelain vials in his storage bag. Only containers completely devoid of Spiritual Energy could hold the Spirit-killing Water.
However, after he had filled his three small vials, he turned to see that Lu Sangjiu was still at it.
He couldn't help but ask, "Where did you get so many non-spiritual containers?"
Without looking up, Lu Sangjiu replied, "I'm poor. I naturally hang on to everything I find. What, are you all out?"
Qin Yu: "..."
For the first time in his life, he felt sorrowful for not being poor enough.
He wanted to ask Lu Sangjiu to lend him a couple of vials, but he knew without a doubt that she would just ignore him.
And so, as he watched Lu Sangjiu crouching there, a wicked thought suddenly entered Qin Yu's mind. 'She looks completely defenseless right now. If I just gave her a little push, wouldn't she fall right into the Spirit-killing Water?'
Staring at Lu Sangjiu's back, Qin Yu couldn't resist slowly reaching out his hand...
Just then, Lu Sangjiu suddenly stood up, muttering to herself, "The drops are getting slower here. I should find a different..."
Before she could finish, Lu Sangjiu turned around and saw Qin Yu's hand, now just inches away. Their eyes met, and a silent, awkward tension filled the air.
Lu Sangjiu stared at Qin Yu darkly. "What do you think you're doing?"
Qin Yu: "..."
His expression stiffened. He awkwardly patted Lu Sangjiu on the shoulder. "...Your clothes were wrinkled. I was just patting them out for you."
Lu Sangjiu: "...Hah."
It was a single, cold laugh, filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.
Although Qin Yu wasn't afraid of Lu Sangjiu, he was genuinely embarrassed. He silently turned his head away, not daring to try any other tricks.
Lu Sangjiu sneered inwardly. 'Still trying to play games with me? My Divine Sense is far stronger than yours. Did you really think you could hide such a pathetic little move from me?'
'But with the Spirit-killing Water so close, neither of us would want to start a fight here. A simple warning will suffice.'
After that, Qin Yu was probably suffering from a guilty conscience. Even though Lu Sangjiu took her sweet time collecting the Spirit-killing Water, he didn't utter a single word to rush her.
After waiting for a long time, he suddenly noticed that the Spirit-killing Water was dripping from above at a noticeably slower and slower rate...