4423

Chapter 4423: 5.0175 Underground

Qiao Mu turned her head and couldn't help but frown slightly.

Why him?

Young Master Ding, clad in light blue, was impeccably clean and carried himself with an elegant, unperturbed air.

It seemed the Land of Misfortune hadn't caused him any trouble.

This guy didn't look disheveled in the slightest.

"What a coincidence, Qiao Qiao."

Qiao Mu remained silent, merely glancing at him sideways before shifting her gaze to their surroundings.

They were currently standing in damp, moist water, with wet, rocky walls on all sides.

This was an underground cavern, with a faint, purplish-yellow light emanating from its depths.

Ding Yun slowly approached her, speaking casually, "Qiao Qiao, it seems we'll have to go further in to find out what's happening."

"Given how strange that Land of Misfortune was, it wouldn't be surprising if it swallowed up twenty thousand people."

Although Qiao Mu remained silent, she inwardly agreed with Young Master Ding's assessment.

Seeing her not speak, Ding Yun, with a calm and unperturbed expression, chuckled and said, "This place is quite narrow; you can see quite a bit with a single glance."

"How about we walk forward together? Perhaps there's a wider area, and we might even find signs of other people. This underground cave is very large, so be careful."

Qiao Mu reluctantly gave him a glance and nodded.

They walked forward, stumbling a bit in the cold, wet water. Qiao Mu felt uncomfortable everywhere.

Fortunately, she had changed into a pair of thick-soled boots before setting out; otherwise, her feet would be soaked by now, making her even more miserable.

The further they walked, the more open the space became.

The cavern appeared very deep, with stalactites of various shapes hanging high from the ceiling.

Some looked particularly sharp; as Ding Yun walked past, he almost snagged his sleeve on one.

Walking through such a dark and damp place, Qiao Mu felt goosebumps rise all over.

She truly disliked such gloomy, damp, and cold environments; they brought back unpleasant memories.

Dungeons were often this dark and damp, with a persistent foul smell lingering in the air.

"Qiao Qiao, do you want to rest for a bit?" Ding Yun paused and looked back at her.

The young girl seemed to intensely dislike this place; her disgusted expression made that clear.

Rest? It was damp everywhere here. Who would want to rest in this godforsaken place?

Qiao Mu shook her head vigorously. "Let's go."

Young Master Ding nodded and continued forward with her.

They hadn't walked far when they saw a dark shadow flicker at the end of the cave, then vanish without a trace.

Ding Yun cautiously stopped and turned to the expressionless Qiao Mu. "It seems there's something."

Grand Master Qiao Qiao silently patted a few more defensive talismans onto herself, activating her egg-shell defense artifact.

Indeed, this egg-shell-shaped spiritual artifact had recently been improved by Crown Prince Mo; now, not only was it tougher and more robust, but the divine power consumed when using it was also significantly reduced.

Ding Yun turned to look at her expression, suppressed a chuckle that almost escaped his lips, and lightly coughed, "Don't worry, it's probably just someone playing tricks."

Qiao Mu gave him a look that said, "Do I look worried?" and silently tightened her grip on her spiritual sword.

They walked for less than half a ke (approximately 7.5 minutes) more when the sound of flowing water became audible.

A dark shadow suddenly slid down the black stone wall and rapidly lunged at them.

Ding Yun immediately shifted his stance, stepping in front of Qiao Mu, and swiftly grabbed the assailant's shoulder.

The moment he touched it, his fingers were instantly frozen by a bone-chilling cold.