Chapter 238

"Sister, you mean there's a beast in this realm at least at the Golden Core stage?"

"I think that's unlikely—if there were a Golden Core beast, it would have slaughtered everyone the moment the realm opened. With Foundation Establishment cultivators unable to enter, how could it allow us and the demonic sect disciples to roam freely inside without ever revealing itself?"

"Besides, this realm clearly imposes limits on excessive power. Given the beast's terrifying strength capable of turning against a Nascent Soul cultivator, how could this realm possibly contain it?" Wang Yu shook his head repeatedly.

"Brother, don't forget that Master Jialan was also a Nascent Soul cultivator—and yet he entered this realm easily and left behind so many traps." Ximen Mei, however, held a different view and countered.

"Nascent Soul cultivators' methods are unfathomable; it's not surprising they could find a way into the realm. If this beast once served as Master Jialan's spiritual beast, it might have used the same method to remain trapped here—it's not impossible." After pondering this, Wang Yu's face suddenly changed.

"So the most important thing now is to leave here quickly and escape the realm. Once we're outside, with our family's four Golden Core elders guarding the exit, even if that spider beast truly appears, we won't need to fear it." Ximen Mei said.

"This isn't a safe place—I want to leave too—but here, all cultivation techniques are forbidden, even the power of our artifacts is suppressed. Getting out won't be easy." Wang Yu spread his hands and smiled bitterly.

The stone hall was built strangely: though its walls and ceiling were complete, a massive passage opened directly above its center—the very spot where the two had fallen earlier.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die—we must try something." Ximen Mei insisted firmly.

"Naturally. Waiting to die isn't my style. If artifacts won't work, then talismans should be useless too, right?" Wang Yu thought for a moment and asked the woman.

"I already tried the talismans—they won't activate either." Ximen Mei bit her silver teeth in frustration.

The realm's suppression seals had instantly neutralized nearly nine-tenths of her abilities, especially the talismans and talisman treasures personally bestowed by Elder Tianchan—her last-resort survival tools.

"Then let's search around first—see if there are any other exits. If not, we'll consider other options." Wang Yu paused, then said reluctantly.

"Fine. Let's check the walls first—see if there are hidden doors or passages behind them." Ximen Mei nodded eagerly.

The two then split up and began meticulously examining the hall's four walls.

Wang Yu pulled a bone hammer from his storage bag and periodically struck suspicious sections of the stone walls. On the other side, Ximen Mei drew a short ruler and tapped the carvings on the walls.

Wang Yu activated his hyper-sensory mode. Through the tactile feedback from his bone hammer and the echoes from the stone, he confirmed every wall behind them was solid bedrock—no hidden doors, no suspicious hollows.

Ximen Mei reached the same conclusion. The two met again at the hall's center and stared at each other in silence.

"Brother Wang, you mentioned other methods just now—what did you mean?" Ximen Mei couldn't help asking.

"What other methods? Obviously, see if we can retrace our steps back up." Wang Yu looked up at the passage they'd fallen through, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"But no cultivation techniques work here—how will you get up?" Ximen Mei was puzzled.

"Who said you need cultivation techniques to reach the top? My body cultivation hasn't been affected at all. Sister, step back two paces." Wang Yu grinned at Ximen Mei.

Ximen Mei glanced at the passage's exit, six or seven zhang above, her expression skeptical—but she still stepped back two paces as instructed.

Wang Yu calmly pulled a thick bone spear from his storage bag, then retrieved a long rope, tying it firmly to the spear's shaft. He hefted it once, tested its weight, then nodded.

"You plan to…" Ximen Mei suddenly understood.

Wang Yu smiled at her, took a deep breath, and his body swelled slightly. His arm, gripping the spear, thickened as well.

"Go!"

With a low grunt, Wang Yu leaned his body and hurled the spear upward with all his strength.

"Whoosh!"

The bone spear shot upward like a meteor, piercing the passage.

"Crash!"

With immense force, the spear drove deep into the stone at the passage's edge, dislodging chunks of rock. The long rope unspooled and dangled down, its end hanging just over a zhang above the ground.

Ximen Mei's eyes lit up, and she stepped back several more paces.

"Sister, wait a moment—I'll go up first to scout." Wang Yu called to her, then stomped hard on the ground. His body shot upward, leaping nearly two zhang high, and he seized the rope.

He pulled himself up with both hands, climbed swiftly along the rope, then plunged his fingers directly into the stone. With a swift swing, he scaled upward like a monkey, vanishing into the passage.

Ximen Mei widened her eyes, staring without blinking at the passage entrance.

But less than a cup of tea later, Wang Yu tumbled headfirst out of the passage. A gust of wind swept past, and he landed steadily beside Ximen Mei.

"Brother, what's the situation? Can we escape through the top?" Ximen Mei asked urgently.

"No. There's suppression above too. The higher you go, the heavier your body becomes. Even with my physical strength, after climbing dozens of zhang, I couldn't go any further." Wang Yu shook his head.

"Even the top is blocked—so we're truly trapped here?" Ximen Mei's face paled with despair.

"We haven't reached a point with no options at all. Why give up so soon, Sister?" Wang Yu suddenly smiled at her.

"What do you mean, Brother? Do you have another way out?" Ximen Mei's eyes lit up again in surprise.

"If there's no way around, and no way up—then let's see if there's a way down." Wang Yu looked down at his feet. Compared to the clean, uniform white tiles elsewhere, he spoke slowly.

The tiles faintly formed a simple circular pattern.

"You think there's an exit below?" Ximen Mei paused, then instinctively stomped hard on the floor several times—but felt nothing unusual.

"When I first fell here, the sound of my landing told me something was off—this floor isn't completely solid underneath." Wang Yu gazed at the white tiles, his tone calm.