As the snowy ground collapsed, a massive city began to emerge, uncovering the ruins of Lingcheng.

When Bai Fanlu landed, Xiao Liu was still holding him tightly. Bai Fanlu struggled to break free, but Xiao Liu stubbornly refused to let go. After a moment of silent resistance, Bai Fanlu finally lost his temper.

“Are you just going to leave those people behind? Did you forget what I said?”

He tried to use reproach to push Xiao Liu away, but Xiao Liu wasn’t having it. “I knew you’d blame me, but I made sure everything was safe before coming back. If you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it to you once we’re out of here.”

“How could it possibly be safe?”

“I set up a barrier around them, and Little Snowflake… it…” Xiao Liu struggled to explain further.

Bai Fanlu stared at him for two seconds, then coldly smiled. “So… you’ve been hiding your true strength after all.”

“No, I haven’t!” Xiao Liu quickly denied it.

But Bai Fanlu’s eyes were full of suspicion, along with a suppressed heaviness from feeling deceived.

Xiao Liu felt a pang in his heart and said in a low voice, “I didn’t know either… It was just that night in Yingzhou, after I went to find you, I suddenly felt different.”

Bai Fanlu patiently listened to his explanation, then said, “Let go of me.”

“If I let go, what if you run away…?”

So that’s what he was worried about, which was why he wouldn’t let go? Bai Fanlu couldn’t help but smile, looking around at their surroundings with resignation. “I can’t run anywhere right now. Let go.”

After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Liu reluctantly loosened his grip, but as soon as he did, Bai Fanlu grabbed his hand.

This time, Bai Fanlu openly probed Xiao Liu with his spiritual power and indeed saw a divine light on him, identical to the one he had noticed on Zizi before it mysteriously disappeared.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Bai Fanlu released Xiao Liu’s hand but still felt doubtful.

Even if Xiao Liu was telling the truth and the divine power had transferred to him, why had he hidden it for so long? Didn’t he feel any fear about having such an unusual power inside him?

Xiao Liu lowered his head in silence.

Bai Fanlu sighed. Since Xiao Liu wasn’t going to talk, he turned to leave but was pulled back by Xiao Liu.

Looking back, he saw the young man still with his head lowered, but he finally spoke, “If I had told you earlier, you wouldn’t have let me follow you, right?”

Bai Fanlu thought for a moment. That was indeed the case. Initially, he felt sorry for Xiao Liu’s loneliness and convinced himself to teach him some self-defense techniques, which led him to take Xiao Liu along.

If he had known earlier that Xiao Liu had unintentionally gained divine power and become so powerful, he wouldn’t have bothered with all the trouble.

Bai Fanlu didn’t directly answer Xiao Liu but instead asked, “Then why are you so determined to follow me?”

“I…”

“At first, you said it was to become my disciple, which made sense, but after Yingzhou, is it still about becoming my disciple?”

“…” Xiao Liu was at a loss for words, his eyes fixed on Bai Fanlu.

Bai Fanlu grew more irritated. He knew he didn’t like being deceived, and now that it had happened, the feeling was a hundred times worse than he imagined.

It was like a dull knife had scraped across his heart. This little brat—he had trusted him so much!

Feeling inexplicably annoyed, Bai Fanlu angrily shook off Xiao Liu’s hand. “Forget it, this isn’t the time to discuss this. We still have…”

“I like you!”

Bai Fanlu froze. What did he say?

His unfinished words were cut off, and he couldn’t remember what he was going to say. He could only watch as the young man took a big step closer, closing the distance between them, and pulled him into his arms again, holding him tight with no intention of letting go.

“I like you, which is why I want to follow you. Even though I know it’s wrong to hide it from you, I’d rather do that than risk being left behind by you. Even if you’re angry with me, at least I can stay with you. It’s better than being far away, unable to see or touch you.”

The youth’s confession was astonishingly fluent.

With him so close, Bai Fanlu heard every word clearly, but when taken together, all he could focus on were those four words: “I like you.”

As a modern person, facing such a situation for the first time, Bai Fanlu’s initial reaction was to blush, feel his heart race, and experience dry mouth.

At the same time, he was still trying to maintain the role of an ancient person. After a brief moment of brain freeze, he suddenly grasped a thought that could save him.

In ancient times, did those four words mean a romantic confession?

It didn’t seem so. Wonderful! His reading comprehension was indeed top-notch! Thank goodness he reacted quickly; it would have been embarrassing to misunderstand.

“Xiao Liu, I know. You think of me as your big brother, right?” Bai Fanlu’s voice was shaky, but his mindset had already calmed down significantly.

“…” Xiao Liu frowned, feeling as though all the things he had just said had gone in one ear and out the other.

“I don’t just think of you as my brother…”

Bai Fanlu ignored whatever “not just” meant and nodded, “I also think of you as my little brother.”

Xiao Liu’s grip on Bai Fanlu tightened slightly.

The two of them fell silent, and after a moment, Bai Fanlu couldn’t stand the awkward atmosphere any longer. He had already forgotten to question Xiao Liu’s identity and just wanted to escape from this strange mood as soon as possible.

So he asked, trying to change the subject, “Where’s Zizi?”

“I sent it away with the others.”

That makes sense—it’s safer for it not to be here.

Bai Fanlu was about to say something else when Xiao Liu suddenly spoke again, “Do you think I’m really immature?”

Bai Fanlu remained silent. That wasn’t the reason at all; why would he suddenly think that?

“If I start to mature now and become someone you can rely on, would you still choose to ignore what I just said?”

Bai Fanlu wanted to say he hadn’t ignored it, but he had no confidence because, in reality, he had. While he was still contemplating, Xiao Liu seemed to come to terms with something on his own and suddenly let go of him.

“I’ll change.”

Xiao Liu walked ahead by himself. Bai Fanlu watched his back and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Once Xiao Liu had turned away, Bai Fanlu’s heart, which he had been trying to suppress, began to race uncontrollably. He raised a hand to touch his face, feeling the warmth. How embarrassing!

He tried to steady his breathing, took a deep breath, and then slowly followed, not wanting to appear flustered or inexperienced.

However, when he looked up, he noticed that Xiao Liu hadn’t gone far and was watching him.

Those crescent-shaped eyes glimmered slightly with a hidden smile.

Bai Fanlu’s breath caught, and he glared. That little rascal—could he have seen all those small actions of his just now?

Look at how smug he is!

“Cough, cough…” Bai Fanlu covered his mouth, but this only made him seem even more embarrassed.

As he approached, Xiao Liu asked, “If I suddenly matured, would you find it unsettling?”

How could someone change so suddenly?

Bai Fanlu replied irritably, “Once you learn not to lie to me, I might just consider you mature.”

That casual remark caused Xiao Liu’s expression to change slightly. He gave a bitter smile and said nothing more, then quietly followed Bai Fanlu.

This city beneath Lingcheng appeared on the surface to be no different from any other, but the empty streets and lifeless houses on either side, combined with the eerie silence, were enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart.

But since Bai Fanlu had already been forced to enter, even without Yun Zhan’s reply, he had no choice but to push forward with the story. After all, they couldn’t just sit around and wait in this empty city.

The key was knowing that this barrier was set up by an ancient god. Without advancing the story, no one could get in or out, leaving them stuck.

Fortunately, Xiao Liu had accidentally gained considerable power, making Yun Zhan’s absence less concerning. At least Xiao Liu would follow his instructions without requiring too much explanation, making him a perfect tool.

Bai Fanlu finally felt a bit better.

It seemed that the young man was really trying to mature, as he didn’t ask any questions along the way and focused on being a good follower.

According to the original story, after Yun Zhan and his companion arrived in Lingcheng, they discovered an ancient city hidden within the volcanic crater below, mirroring Lingcheng above. This was where they currently were.

The layout of the two cities was identical, except for the central Temple of Heaven. The roof of the temple below featured a dragon statue, while the one above had a phoenix.

Walking straight through the main street that ran from north to south, they arrived at the Temple of Heaven in the center. Bai Fanlu’s goal was the Sealing Platform beneath the temple, where the demonic rift was located.

The wooden doors of the temple had already half-decayed, and when

 pushed open, wood chips and snow fell softly to the ground.

The main hall was spacious, with a towering roof. A lifelike sculpture of a green dragon stood in the center, its eyes blazing as it gazed down at the intruders.

Bai Fanlu took a sharp breath, thinking that if he hadn’t known in advance that it was fake, he would have been startled. But looking at Xiao Liu, he seemed completely unfazed, his expression calm.

So he really is maturing quickly, huh?

They walked into the hall and moved to the Meditation Hall at the back, where a long, intricately carved willow wood table stood, holding a censer and a shrine.

Three incense sticks, seemingly extinguished halfway by an external force, lay among a thick layer of ashes in the censer, adding a sense of decay.

This place really gives me the creeps, Bai Fanlu thought. It wasn’t just this place; the surrounding solemnity also carried an underlying sense of eeriness, not to mention the bronze statue in the shrine…

The armor of the deity reflected a faint cold light, but those eyes, lacking pupils, filled Bai Fanlu with an inexplicable sense of unease the longer he looked at them.

He turned away and noticed Xiao Liu also studying the statue.

“Who is this?” Xiao Liu asked.

“The ancient dragon god, Xunhuang,” Bai Fanlu briefly explained before moving behind the censer to probe the wall with his right hand.

The square stones, worn and weathered, were covered in cracks, but one of them subtly stood out in color from the others.

Bai Fanlu brought his index and middle fingers together and tapped on the stone three times. A small formation of blue light suddenly appeared in the center of the stone, forming a tiny sealing array.

This was a formation designed specifically for spatial manipulation. The temple was merely the visible form of the array, while the true power lay in the space beyond the array’s core.

Experiencing the spiritual energy waves brought by the array, Bai Fanlu noticed a familiarity that differed from the description in the book. Upon closer reflection, he realized it was somewhat similar to the move Ling Qingzi had used against Bai Junming that day, though not identical.

Xiao Liu also focused on Bai Fanlu’s actions as he broke the array. Bai Fanlu drew a few strokes with his fingers, creating a hidden array that matched the visible one. When the two arrays overlapped, the wall began to shift backward, revealing a dark entrance.

From deep within the entrance, a cool, moist air began to dissipate the dust, gradually revealing a set of green stone steps.

Before entering, Bai Fanlu gave specific instructions, “Follow me closely. No matter what happens, focus on protecting yourself, and I’ll handle the rest. And remember, Xunhuang has a long tail—don’t let it hurt you. Got it?”

Seeing Xiao Liu about to say something, Bai Fanlu cut him off, “Didn’t you promise to mature? Don’t make me worry about you.”

Xiao Liu was stunned. Did Bai Fanlu just say he was worried about him? Did he mean what Xiao Liu thought he meant?

Unfortunately, before Xiao Liu could confirm, Bai Fanlu had already entered the passageway, and Xiao Liu quickly followed.

Ahead, Bai Fanlu gripped his sword while casting two protective spells. Xiao Liu, seeing this, also gathered spiritual energy in his palm, preparing himself fully.

The passage wasn’t long, with faint glimmers of light along the walls. After walking for about half an incense stick’s time, the path suddenly brightened.

Bai Fanlu knew they would encounter an enemy but didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. As soon as the space opened up, a thunderous roar echoed,

“Any intruders will die!”

Bai Fanlu steadied his heart, gripping his sword tighter, and prepared himself for the inevitable confrontation. The roar had come from a creature guarding this ancient place, a powerful entity that would not allow them to pass easily.

The open space they had entered was vast, with towering stone pillars lining the walls. At the far end of the room stood a massive figure, shrouded in shadows, its eyes glowing a menacing red. The creature was enormous, its body covered in scales that shimmered in the dim light, and it held a giant weapon in one of its clawed hands.

Xiao Liu moved closer to Bai Fanlu, his expression serious as he prepared for the battle ahead. He could feel the oppressive aura of the creature, a force that seemed to weigh down on them, making it hard to breathe. But Bai Fanlu was calm, his mind focused on the task at hand.

The creature took a step forward, the ground shaking beneath its weight. “Leave now, or face your doom!” it bellowed, its voice reverberating through the chamber.

Bai Fanlu didn’t flinch. He knew there was no turning back. They had come too far, and the only way forward was through this guardian. He raised his sword, its blade gleaming with a faint blue light, and prepared to face the creature head-on.

“Get ready,” Bai Fanlu said quietly to Xiao Liu, his eyes never leaving the creature. “This won’t be easy.”

Xiao Liu nodded, his determination clear. He wasn’t about to back down either. Together, they would face whatever challenge lay ahead, no matter how formidable.

The creature let out another deafening roar, raising its weapon as it charged towards them. Bai Fanlu and Xiao Liu sprang into action, their movements swift and coordinated as they prepared to engage the guardian in a fierce battle for their survival.