The Product of Failure

In one of the relatively intact record rooms, they found some scattered, torn notes and sketches made of special animal skins or thin metal sheets.

The text and patterns on them were equally twisted and difficult to understand, but Liu Xiao recognized that a few of the sketches depicted alchemy arrays, which shared some similarities with the blueprints he was looking for.

"We have a clue, but it's not complete." Liu Xiao carefully put away these fragments.

Just then, Chen Guan, who had been silent and vigilant, suddenly spoke up, his voice kept very low, "Listen... is there a sound?"

Everyone immediately held their breath and concentrated.

At first, there was only the whimpering sound of the wind passing through the broken window lattices, and the faint rustling of falling dust.

But gradually, a sound like something slowly dragging itself faintly came from downstairs.

Crack... crack...

The sound was very slow and soft, but in this dead, eerie environment, it was exceptionally clear, as if stepping on everyone's heartstrings.

"Is there... something down there?" Su Yuehe's voice trembled.

Huo Qixing looked at the detection disc with an ugly expression; the pointer was still spinning wildly, but it vaguely pointed downwards.

Without a doubt, there was something down there.

Li Yuqing and An Changqing exchanged a glance, both seeing the caution in each other's eyes.

"We can't just sit and wait for death. Let's go downstairs."

An Changqing said in a deep voice, "Since there is something down there, perhaps what we are looking for is also down there."

They quickly exited the record room and carefully searched the third floor.

Soon, in an inconspicuous corner, they found the entrance to a narrow passage extending downwards, sealed by a heavy iron plate.

The iron plate was covered in rust and traces of alchemical reinforcement, but the edges seemed to have slight deformations from being violently pried recently.

"Someone went down ahead of us?" Li Yuqing examined the traces. "Not long ago, a day or two at most."

That slow dragging sound was coming from below this passage, and it seemed a bit clearer now.

"It seems we aren't the only ones interested in this place," An Changqing's eyes turned slightly cold. "Assuming, of course, that what's down there is human."

In this world, humans were not the only ones with supernatural powers; there were countless bizarre creatures.

This place wasn't large. A few hours at most would be enough to finish exploring, and then they could report it to the outside and mark this location.

But no, up until they entered, this place still showed no signs of being visited. After all, alchemy was an unpopular school; apart from a very small number of people, no one would be interested. Most people went to fight for inheritance treasures.

Those things, on the contrary, were exactly what An Changqing and his group wouldn't be interested in, since they already had them at home.

"Are we going down or not?" Long Ao licked his lips, battle intent rising in his eyes again. After his injuries healed, his hands were itching for a fight.

Liu Xiao looked at the torn sketches in his hand, then at the passage, and gritted his teeth. "I need the complete blueprints. Since we're here, we can't give up halfway."

A hint of fear flashed in his eyes. Although he was somewhat afraid, whether he could get the blueprints was of utmost importance to him.

When they were discussing the spoils, he had already stated that he only wanted this blueprint. If there were no other gains besides the blueprint, he was willing to take out a large sum of money to compensate An Changqing's team.

Li Yuqing looked at Huo Qixing. Huo Qixing smiled bitterly, "It's even more chaotic down there, detection is basically useless, but... since we are already here."

The two of them had accepted Liu Xiao's commission. Even if they felt something was wrong, the boss had spoken, so they had no choice.

An Changqing looked at the companions behind him, and they all nodded in unison.

"Then let's go down." Li Yuqing made the decision. "Junior, if things go wrong, you guys run first. Your senior sister will be loyal this once and cover your retreat."

She and Huo Qixing had their own life-saving methods, so she wasn't too worried about her own safety.

She took a deep breath, gripped her sword with both hands, infused it with cyan spiritual energy, pressed the tip of the sword against the gap of the sealing iron plate, and suddenly exerted force.

Creak.

Amidst the harsh sound of twisting metal, the heavy iron plate was forcefully pried open, revealing a pitch-black opening inside that exuded a cold, gloomy aura.

That slow dragging sound, which felt as if it was right below the opening, abruptly stopped.

A dead silence fell.

It was as if the thing below had also sensed their arrival.

The dead silence lasted for only a few short breaths.

Immediately after, that cracking and dragging sound rang out again, clearer and more hurried than before, as if something was rapidly approaching. The source of the sound was exactly from the depths of the pitch-black passage beneath their feet.

"Step back!" Li Yuqing shouted sharply, while her figure darted backward rapidly, her longsword held across her chest, radiating a brilliant cyan light.

An Changqing also immediately protected Su Yuehe and Huo Qixing as they retreated, instantly propping up a golden light shield. Long Ao, however, took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Li Yuqing. Crimson aura flared up once again as he clenched his fists, staring at the opening, ready to strike at any moment.

Chen Guan did not retreat. Instead, he once again stood the black iron coffin in front of him. Gripping his scythe, his eyes sharply locked onto the dark opening. His gray energy hadn't recovered that quickly; at this moment, he could mostly only rely on his physical body and the coffin to endure the attacks.

"It's here!" Huo Qixing's voice tightened. The pointer of the detection disc in his hand jumped frantically, ultimately pointing dead straight down the opening.

The next second.

Several dark shadows, like an erupting geyser, violently darted out from the passage entrance.

Looking closely, they were some strange gelatinous substances.

These gelatinous masses squirmed, extending countless slimy tentacles that swept toward the nearest Li Yuqing, Long Ao, and Chen Guan. The tentacles slashed through the air, bringing up a nauseating stench of blood. Wherever they passed, even the stone floor was corroded into sizzling craters.

"Watch out for corrosion and mental pollution, don't let them entangle you!" Liu Xiao cried out in alarm. Being skilled in alchemy, he clearly recognized the origins of this damned thing.

These were monsters formed in alchemical experiments due to improper handling—failed products, discarded potions, and even lingering resentment that had merged and mutated over years and months in a specific environment.

They had no fixed form, their attack methods were bizarre, and they carried strong mental pollution and physical corrosiveness, usually making them quite difficult to deal with.

However, Liu Xiao actually breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't some ghost or spirit, it was fine. It was just some alchemical garbage, and he still had experience dealing with that.

"Slash!"

Li Yuqing shouted angrily, and the cyan sword light poured out like a waterfall, instantly slicing the several gelatinous masses leaping at her into multiple segments. The severed parts squirmed on the ground a few times, actually attempting to fuse back together.

Long Ao's crimson fist fiercely smashed into a larger gelatinous mass. The scorching aura burned its surface, making it sizzle and emit a large amount of black smoke. But the gelatinous mass only contracted violently for a moment before counterattacking even more madly, several tentacles wrapping toward Long Ao's arm.

Chen Guan faced the siege of three gelatinous masses. He swung his scythe to hack at them, but the sharp blade cut into the viscous jelly as if sinking into a quagmire. The force was quickly dispersed and absorbed, making it difficult even to retract the blade.

At the same time, the corrosive energy attached to the gelatinous masses began to erode the scythe and the black iron coffin, emitting a faint sizzling sound. Although it could not destroy the black iron for the time being, it made Chen Guan extremely alarmed.