Xiao Jietian glanced at the still-slumbering Earth Demon Puppets. A ripple of his aura enveloped them, instantly turning the surrounding space black and white.
Suddenly, a mischievous idea struck him. He imprinted a mark on the puppets, directly gaining control over all ten of them.
"Master, you're smiling so mischievously. You can't be naughty here," Xiao Huiying said, instinctively crossing her arms over her chest with a look of refusal as she watched him.
"What are you thinking? I just thought of leaving something fun for them," Xiao Jietian replied, reaching out to ruffle Xiao Huiying's silver-red long hair.
At this moment, Xiao Huiying had already put away her dragon horns. She would only reveal them when she was in the Eternal Heaven Palace or when Xiao Jietian needed her to; otherwise, she kept them hidden.
"Because Master, you're smiling so naughtily. Every time you smile like that, it's always… always…" Xiao Huiying's face flushed slightly as she spoke, nearly burying her head in her ample chest.
As Xiao Jietian gained control of the ten puppets, a creaking sound of mechanisms suddenly echoed from the tightly shut main door.
Creak…
The seemingly heavy stone door slowly opened, revealing a crack…
As the stone door gradually opened, an ancient and desolate aura slowly drifted out.
"Let's go. We'll go in first." Hearing Xiao Jietian's words, Xiao Huiying instantly adjusted her state. She stepped ahead of him and moved toward the main door to scout the way.
After issuing several commands to the puppets, Xiao Jietian followed behind Xiao Huiying and entered through the main door.
After the two passed through, Xiao Jietian waved his Dou Qi at the stone door, and the opened door closed once again.
Beyond the main door lay a colossal hall, like a behemoth.
Standing inside the grand hall, they appeared exceptionally small. Their gazes swept around, revealing numerous deep corridors extending from the hall's four sides, their destinations unknown.
However, the two showed no surprise. In the Eternal Heaven World, the size of palaces could be altered at will by its owner, who possessed control over the small world.
"Master, which way should we go?" Xiao Huiying asked, looking at the many corridors and passages.
She could also sense that Xiao Jietian seemed quite familiar with this ruin.
"Follow me." After glancing in one direction, Xiao Jietian soared toward a passage on the left side of the hall. In his perception, the scent of medicinal herbs was strongest in this direction.
Although he didn't possess Zi Yan's talent for treasure hunting, as a Grade 8 alchemist, he was still quite sensitive to the scent of medicinal herbs.
Just as Xiao Jietian chose his direction, numerous figures began to appear one after another in the plaza below the fire path.
These were the various first-rate factions and Xiao Yan with his companions.
Upon arriving, Xiao Yan also noticed the Earth Demon Puppets and couldn't help but feel slightly surprised.
"Xiao Yan, why do these ten puppets look so similar to the one you have?" Venerable Skyfire asked after examining them.
"They're made using roughly the same method. I didn't expect there to be ten of them here." Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping around and noticing that most people's attention was fixed on the puppets. "Presumably, the method to open this stone door lies with these ten puppets."
"We don't need to act just yet. Someone will naturally take care of this," Venerable Skyfire said with a smile.
Xiao Yan couldn't help but let out a wry chuckle. As expected, the old man was shrewd. However, he wouldn't be the one to stick his neck out for this; it was a thankless task.
For a time, the entire plaza was filled with whispers, but no one stepped forward.
After all, everyone sensed that the ten puppets before them were formidable, and they all wanted to conserve their strength for the treasures that lay ahead.
Xiao Jietian and Xiao Huiying continued forward, with Xiao Jietian directly ignoring the other pavilions.
Finally, they arrived at an ancient-looking stone door. Moss climbed all over it, its dark green color conveying the passage of countless years.
Seeing Xiao Jietian stop, Xiao Huiying knew they had reached their destination. "Master, please step back a bit. I'll open the door."
Xiao Jietian knew there were no mechanisms on this door, and he had already scanned it with his soul power.
Seeing no response from Xiao Jietian, Xiao Huiying quickly went to the stone door and pushed it open with force.
Rumble!
With a deep rumble, the heavy, moss-covered stone door slowly pushed open, and a dense, medicinal fragrance that had been hidden for countless years immediately surged forth.
"What a rich medicinal scent, Master! It seems this is a treasure vault for medicinal herbs."
Xiao Huiying knew her master was an alchemist, and medicinal herbs were very important to him.
A hint of joy flashed in her eyes as she exerted more force, pushing the stone door completely open.
The moment the stone door opened, dazzling, brilliant light burst forth, causing both of them to involuntarily squint.
After the light dissipated and they clearly saw the scene before them, their mouths involuntarily gaped open, clearly astonished by what was inside.
"M-Master… This is too amazing!"
Beyond the stone door was not the stone chamber everyone imagined, but a forest—an ancient forest entirely composed of various rare medicinal herbs!
This indicated that the herbs inside were all incredibly old, and this single forest of medicinal herbs was enough to drive any alchemist outside into a frenzy.
Although Xiao Jietian knew there was a medicinal herb forest inside, he was still inevitably surprised when he actually saw it.
"Indeed, as expected of a Dou Sheng's collection. Many of the medicinal herbs here are not ordinary, and many are even extinct outside."
Xiao Jietian came to Xiao Huiying's side and gently helped her close her agape mouth. The action seemed so practiced that it wasn't the first time he had done so.
"If Zi Yan saw the medicinal herbs in here, she probably wouldn't be able to walk, or she might even just live in here!" Xiao Huiying exclaimed excitedly, clinging to Xiao Jietian's arm. "Master, while the people outside haven't come in yet, let's quickly go and collect these medicinal herbs!"
With this medicinal herb forest, her master would be able to cultivate his alchemy skills even better, and everyone's strength would rapidly increase. Then they would be able to better serve their master in conquering the world.
"Yes, of course. Since we're here, picking them one by one is too slow."
Hearing Xiao Jietian's words and seeing the vast area of the forest before them, Xiao Huiying's face immediately fell into a troubled expression.
It was like seeing a mountain of treasure but having no way to acquire it.