Chapter 849 - 510: The Owner Here Is...

"Stop right there!" Xu Xin directly pulled her back.

Though he couldn’t really restrain her with his strength, Zeng Tao still stopped, looking back in confusion, "What’s wrong? What happened?"

"...Is there something wrong with this staircase?" From behind, Shi Wanyun spoke up, asking softly.

"That’s right." Xu Xin nodded, then flicked Zeng Tao on the forehead, "If I hadn’t stopped you, you might have been dead by now. You’ve been cautious following me for so long, and when danger comes, you almost got into trouble."

"Ugh..." Zeng Tao covered her forehead, then hid behind Xu Xin, muttering, "How was I supposed to know there’d be a problem with the staircase... There were no issues on the first level."

"Really? The staircase has issues?" Lou Fei’Er exclaimed in surprise, "That’s the opposite of the first level!"

"...It probably exploits this kind of mindset." Jin Yue spoke.

Xu Xin nodded.

The person who designed this palace trap indeed had some ideas.

Such a large palace trap is something that basically can’t be passed through alone; once you step into the trap, you’re obliterated.

Of course, there are stronger individuals who might probe out the trap or use the advantage of numbers in a team to sacrifice some to explore, bringing people to the second layer.

But the second layer has no traps whatsoever.

People reaching the second layer naturally don’t believe it; they proceed very cautiously, heading toward the staircase leading to the third layer, becoming more and more excited as they approach the entrance.

And what will they do when they reach the staircase’s entrance, having been so on edge all the way?

Naturally, they would want to leave this second layer they’ve finally passed through and head to the third layer!

And that’s when they’ll get caught.

The staircase from the first to the second layer is fine, but the staircase from the second to the third layer is a major trap!

"Can’t we step on it?" Shi Wanyun asked, "So how do we get up there? Or... should we head back the way we came?"

For her, confirming some things already, she wanted Xu Xin to turn back quickly and not take any more risks.

"How can we go back the way we came? We’ve come this far!" Zeng Tao peeked from behind Xu Xin, looking up at the entrance to the third level, "Xu Xin surely knows how to go up; we just follow him."

"...Follow me."

Xu Xin didn’t walk up the staircase; he bypassed it to the side.

The staircase was made of solid steps, blocked underneath, looking half like a wall from the side.

Xu Xin reached out to touch it, then pressed it with force.

"Click..."

A palm-sized section of the wall was slowly pressed in by him, followed by a door-shaped slit appearing on the side’s half-wall, a small door slowly opened inward, allowing one person to pass.

"There’s a mechanism here?" The few behind him were all very surprised.

"Who would have thought..." Zeng Tao muttered, "This place doesn’t really want people to enter, does it?"

"...Could it really be a tomb? Only a tomb would refuse outsiders like this..." Lou Fei’Er mumbled to herself.

Xu Xin immediately stepped in.

Below the staircase was another flight of stairs leading upwards.

Because the crystal material emitted light on its own, the inside of the stairs wasn’t dark at all.

Looking up along the staircase, one could see a crystal door.

"So this was the real staircase all along!"

"Alright, let’s go."

The group immediately followed the staircase up and arrived at the door.

Xu Xin pushed it open without any difficulty.

The scene of the third level appeared before them.

The third level’s area was smaller than the two below, considering it’s an ancient palace-style building.

However, its ceiling was taller than the previous two levels, about ten meters high, which is very tall, equivalent to a three-story building on Earth.

And this third level wasn’t as empty as the previous two.

"Whoa, what a huge door!" Zeng Tao exclaimed.

A massive domed door stood directly in the center of the entire third level.

The top of the door reached this level’s ceiling, also ten meters high, making the door enormous.

But what made them feel strange was that it’s nothing more than just a door.

That’s right; there were no walls to the door’s left or right—just a lone door.

And the entire third level didn’t have anything other than this door.

"Could there be a passage behind it..." Lou Fei’Er wanted to go around and see what’s behind the door since, from where they stood, the door completely blocked their view.

She glanced at Xu Xin.

"...There’s no danger on this level." Xu Xin said, then stepped forward while observing the door.

In the door’s center, there was a plate-sized circle that was slightly recessed. This circle was different from the rest; it was made of metal, looking quite special.

And within the circle was a vertical slit.

Could it be the keyhole to unlock this door?

Wait a minute...

A large keyhole?

Meanwhile, Lou Fei’Er went around behind the door, and while observing the situation behind it, she wondered, "There’s nothing behind either—it’s just a standing door... huh?! There’s someone behind the door!!"

She immediately tensed up, her hands swiftly reaching for her waist, drawing two daggers at lightning speed!

Someone?!

The others immediately became alert, drawing their weapons and moving to look behind the door.

A person was resting against the back of the door, sitting on the ground with their head down, face obscured, legs stretched out, and hands hanging loosely on the ground, seemingly...

Unconscious, or dead?

Wait, isn’t that...

"Ah!" Zeng Tao suddenly exclaimed, "Isn’t that... Qin Fu?! This guy actually got in before us!"

"Huh? Qin Fu?" Lou Fei’Er was puzzled.

Jin Yue was also stunned.

Shi Wanyun appeared somewhat bewildered, as she didn’t know who Qin Fu was.

Xu Xin quickly approached to check on him.

The girls gathered around as well.

"Is he dead?" Shi Wanyun asked softly.

"No, he’s not dead. He’s in good condition; he should just be unconscious." Xu Xin breathed a sigh of relief.

His vital signs were normal, and there were no injuries on him, not even a tear or scratch on his clothes.

He seemed to... have come up very easily?

But why was he unconscious?

"That’s good... Wait!" Zeng Tao pointed at Qin Fu, shocked, "Why is this guy able to come up here alive? I thought he died in the trap outside..."

"We’ll know when he wakes up."

But...

Xu Xin squinted slightly, looking up at the massive door.

The enormous door.

A big keyhole requiring a large key.

And he coincidentally had a large key that he didn’t know what it was meant to unlock.

This key was brought back by Qin Fu, who was unconscious before him, and he had almost killed a Blood Pattern Giant because of it.

The bronze ancient sword!

Moreover, the bronze ancient sword was brought back from the altar in the Hilly Resource Zone!

And the location here, he had checked before as well.

It’s right below the Hilly Resource Zone!

The map in his mind unfolded, and then he suddenly realized, this place wasn’t just below the Hilly Resource Zone but instead...

Directly beneath the altar!

No doubt about it!

The key obtained from the altar was likely meant to unlock this place!

Wait...

That altar, wasn’t it used to worship a deity?

...?

Used to... worship the owner of this palace?

And the owner here, it felt like it should be...

His thoughts suddenly tangled into a mess.

...That altar, could it have been originally used to worship him?!