Chapter 262: They were waiting here for us to arrive

The Bone-dissolving Poison Water rose at a speed that was shocking to behold, and in the blink of an eye it spilled over the pond's edge, spreading rapidly across the ground like a living thing.

「Zizi—! 」

Where the ground touched the water, a pungent white smoke instantly rose, and the surface immediately became covered with dense holes.

This sight made everyone's blood run cold instantly.

Xiao Ningxun shouted sternly, "Quick! Retreat to the wall!" He grabbed the frozen Xiao Ran beside him and pulled her back toward the wall.

Everyone's backs were pressed tightly against the stone wall farthest from the pond, staring fixedly at the deadly thing as it relentlessly crawled toward them.

At this rate, within a moment there would be no place left to stand!

「No wonder this place is empty! 」 Xiao Ningxun stared at the rapidly approaching water surface, then angrily punched the wall, saying, 「They calculated it perfectly—those who come in have nowhere to hide and can only wait to die. 」

Xiao Ran watched the Bone-dissolving Poison Water relentlessly approach the ground, her face turning deathly pale.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a glance, then moved in perfect unison.

Xiao Er crouched down, and Lu Qi stepped onto his shoulder.

Xiao Er rose steadily, and Lu Qi reached out from above, saying in a low voice, "Miss, hold on tight!"

Xiao Ningxun immediately understood, gripping Tuan Tuan's armpits with both hands and lifting her up with all his strength.

Lu Qi caught her precisely, letting Tuan Tuan's two small feet rest on his open palm.

In an instant, Tuan Tuan became the highest and safest person in the stone chamber.

「Don't be scared, Miss. 」

「Lord Master, don't panic, I'm here. 」

Tuan Tuan leaned against the cold wall: "Wow, it's so high!"

Her small hand unconsciously felt along the rough wall, thinking, "If only I could make that water go back, then we could keep moving forward!"

Suddenly, she felt a strange indentation.

「Huh? 」 She lowered her head, leaned close to the wall and examined it carefully, "How did a little hole appear on the wall?"

By then, the liquid surface had already reached their feet.

Xiao Ran's face fell: "We've lost out! We've really lost out! We haven't even gone to look for the Treasure Map that little Xiao Ningxun just picked up!"

Xiao Ningxun forced himself to calm down, putting on a relaxed front: "Yeah! Indeed we've taken a loss. Later…"

Treasure Map!

Tuan Tuan suddenly recalled the Hollow Copper Ball that held the Treasure Map!

"My little ball!" she exclaimed, quickly undoing her embroidered pouch and pulling out the small ball.

Tuan Tuan placed the small ball against the hole in the wall to test the fit—it was just right!

Without hesitation, she gently poked the copper ball into the hole.

「Clang! 」

A clear, metallic sound of something falling into a slot rang out, clearly heard by everyone.

「Boom……」

The entire stone chamber shuddered suddenly!

Immediately after, a heavy "creak creak creak" of machinery turning came from the pond direction!

The deadly poison water that had already flowed up to everyone's feet instantly stopped spreading.

Immediately, with a "whoosh," it rushed back even faster than it had risen.

Almost at the same moment, something at the pond's bottom shifted with a boom, revealing a pitch-black opening.

All the liquid surged frantically toward the opening, producing a tremendous rushing sound.

In less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the entire pond—including the liquid on the ground—dried up completely, and the pond bottom returned to its original state.

Only the ground, corroded into pits and hollows, bore witness to the recent peril.

Inside the stone chamber, there was utter silence.

The immense shock of having survived left everyone somewhat dazed.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi gently set Tuan Tuan back on the ground.

The four adults all turned their gaze to the little figure tiptoeing, straining her small hands to reach the hole in the wall.

Tuan Tuan muttered plaintively, "Uncle Er! Uncle Qi! Lift me up again! My little ball saved us, but it's still inside and hasn't come out!"

Everyone: "……""

Xiao Ran suddenly exhaled a big breath: "Little Xiao Ningxun! What on earth did you do again?!"

Tuan Tuan lifted her head to look at him, pointing at the wall with a sullen, innocent expression: "There's a hole there that's just the right size for my little ball, so I poked it in!"

Xiao Ningxun glanced at his sister's aggrieved little expression, then at the dried‑up pond, and bent down to hug her tightly: "Tuan Tuan, you're truly a lucky star!"

Everyone waited in place for a moment.

Lu Qi carefully probed the ground that had been soaked by the Bone-dissolving Poison Water with the tip of his foot.

Although the rock surface was now uneven, it felt solid, with no trace of the terrifying, gradual melting.

He said in a low voice, "We can move! Follow me!"

Xiao Ningxun picked up Tuan Tuan, and the others immediately followed him.

Lu Qi and Xiao Er stepped together into the now‑dry pond, exchanged a glance, and without a word silently split up to feel along the wall above the pond's edge.

Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ran stood together outside the pond, vigilantly guarding their surroundings.

Xiao Er gave a low shout: "Here!" Lu Qi immediately stepped forward, and the two shoved forward together with force!

「Creak——! 」

A dull scraping sound rang out, and the massive stone wall slowly swung inward, revealing a pitch‑black opening!

"Ah, now I see!" Xiao Ningxun exclaimed, realizing, "If that Bone‑dissolving Poison Water were still present, we could never have found this entrance; the designer of this place must have had an extraordinarily meticulous and ruthless mind—simply beyond comprehension!"

Xiao Ran, still trembling with lingering fear, said, "Quick, quick, I don't want to stay in this cursed place another moment!" and was the first to dart inside.

The others entered one after another, and the stone door behind them slowly closed, sealing the retreat once more.

The few had become accustomed, not looking back, and kept moving forward.

This place was narrower and damper than the previous passage, yet it was not long; after a short while, light began to filter in from ahead.

Xiao Ran asked, "Could that ahead be the exit?"

The group simultaneously quickened their steps.

However, when they finally emerged from the passage and saw the scene before them, they all involuntarily inhaled a gasp of cold air.

At the end of the passage lay an incomparably vast underground space.

Looking out, countless logs of varying sizes and thicknesses formed an overwhelmingly massive area.

Up to now, everyone had struggled to find a path; now, to their surprise, the surroundings were all paths, tangled and countless, with no end in sight.

Xiao Ran stared dumbfounded, "What… what is this place?"

Lu Qi slowly uttered three words: "Lost Soul Formation."

"How long must we walk before this ends?" Xiao Ran scratched his head, looking at the innumerable forks ahead.

Lu Qi pondered briefly, "Let's set a rule first, so we don't lose our footing. I'll take the lead, staying on the right side all the way; you follow one after another, and never stray alone."

"Alright, as Brother Lu says," Xiao Ningxun nodded, gripping Tuan Tuan's hand tightly, "We'll all stay close."

Lu Qi led, Xiao Er followed, and the others entered the formation one after another.

Whenever they reached a fork, Lu Qi unhesitatingly took the right‑hand passage.

After walking for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they still hadn't emerged; the road ahead seemed endless, endlessly spawning.

Soon, another right‑turning bend appeared ahead.

Lu Qi turned first, and suddenly shouted, "Stop!"

Xiao Ningxun's heart jolted; reacting swiftly, she bent down and grabbed Tuan Tuan, abruptly halting her steps.

Xiao Ran, still behind, couldn't stop in time and crashed into her with a "Ow!" sound.

Xiao Er lunged and caught him, shouting loudly, "Brother Lu! What's happening?"

Lu Qi answered loudly, "This is a downward slope; you must move slowly!"

The group walked over slowly; with a single glance, everyone's blood seemed to freeze instantly.

It was a dead end.

And at the end of that dead end lay a pond exactly identical to the one in the stone chamber they had just escaped from!

In the pond, the Bone-dissolving Poison Water, glowing with a strange faint light, rippled gently.

The others looked back; the road beyond the corner they had just turned was now all sloping downward!

Had Lu Qi not stopped in time to warn them, they would have slid down the sudden slope straight into that lethal pond!

Xiao Ran's face turned pale, "So… those damned waters… are just waiting here for us?"