The two Elders gradually stopped and then both darted into another tunnel.
With two whooshing sounds, they swiftly left the area.
Meng Qiuzhen's eyes shifted slightly.
The scene before him triggered a memory from the depths of his mind.
"Five hundred years ago in the main body's previous life, during the war across the five regions, a super clan once emerged in the Southern Border known as the Earth Clan. The Gu Immortals of this clan excelled at digging tunnels, using them to conduct guerrilla warfare across the land. Could this Earth Village have some connection to them?"
There were several possibilities.
First, the Earth Village's inheritance might have been unearthed by someone. Second, the Earth Village's descendants might have survived through their bloodline — ascending to immortality in an era of rampant dreamscapes, or perhaps already possessing Gu Immortals who had simply been living in seclusion all along. Third, someone from the Earth Village might have been resurrected within the graveyard.
Following the path the two Fourth Transformation Elders had taken, Meng Qiuzhen successfully located Huang Xiaomi.
Huang Xiaomi was curled up in the corner of a cell, having already fallen unconscious.
Once again, Meng Qiuzhen conducted a cautious investigation. Only after confirming there were no signs of any traps did he quietly enter the cell.
He immediately discovered that Huang Xiaomi's condition was extremely dire — on the verge of death.
Huang Xiaomi already suffered from the Mushroomman Plague, an exceedingly lethal affliction. With even slightly insufficient resistance, one would succumb to the disease.
Today, he had first fought the bald youth, then been interrogated by the two Elders through their words and deeds. As a result, mushrooms had now sprouted all over his body.
If Meng Qiuzhen had arrived any later, in just a few more breaths, Huang Xiaomi would have died completely.
Meng Qiuzhen silently sighed with relief — that was close. If he had been even a moment later, this dream exploration would have ended in failure once more.
He immediately began treatment. Fortunately, he had made preparations beforehand.
The mushrooms on Huang Xiaomi's body continuously shrank, then all receded into his body.
"Who... are you?" Huang Xiaomi forced his eyes open, his vision still a blurry mess.
Meng Qiuzhen simply replied: "I am Huang Wan. I've used a killer move to temporarily suppress the Mushroomman Plague on your body. Your condition is far too severe — your life force has nearly bottomed out. I cannot rashly remove the mushrooms, as that would strip away your remaining life along with them."
Huang Xiaomi hurriedly said: "Thank you, Senior, for saving my life."
"Ah, it's too early to be thanking me yet. Let's get out of here first, and then I can properly study this plague. Your time is running out," said Meng Qiuzhen.
He had yet to develop a Poison Path killer move capable of curing Huang Xiaomi's stubborn affliction.
Perhaps the next scene would have him eradicate the Mushroomman Plague entirely.
Of course, this was merely his speculation.
He had been searching for Huang Xiaomi all this time and never had the chance to activate the Dream Butterfly Immortal Gu, so he knew nothing of what lay ahead.
"You have to hold on. Let's go." Meng Qiuzhen immediately helped Huang Xiaomi to his feet and led him away in stealth.
But midway, they unexpectedly ran into the bald youth.
"Stop right there! Just as I suspected — someone's come to rescue you!" the bald youth bellowed.
The two Elders followed behind him, their faces twisted with shock and fury.
"How dare you! Despicable villain, you dare break into our prison!"
"Activate the formation at once and capture this one too!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the Gu formation was already set in motion. The two Elders took the main offensive while the bald youth provided support from the side.
Meng Qiuzhen sighed inwardly and had no choice but to fight.
He possessed numerous Poison Path killer moves this time, and when clashing with his opponents, he barely held even.
But before long, the bald youth quickly spotted a flaw and launched a vicious assault on Huang Xiaomi.
Huang Xiaomi had no strength to resist whatsoever, becoming a tremendous burden on Meng Qiuzhen.
Meng Qiuzhen had to grit his teeth and keep intervening to shield Huang Xiaomi, which caused him to lose all initiative. He was beaten back under the combined assault of the two Elders.
In the end, Huang Xiaomi was blasted to death by the bald youth, perishing on the spot.
"The alien Mushroomman race — every last one of them deserves to die!" the bald youth roared, his expression brimming with righteous conviction and excitement.
The next moment, the dream shattered.
Meng Qiuzhen returned to the Supreme Immortal Aperture once more, healing his injuries while reviewing his findings.
"Last time I used the Dream Butterfly Immortal Gu to scout this dream scene, the bald youth wasn't there. I didn't expect that once I explored this scene to a certain stage, the dream would evolve and give rise to new characters."
"Why did the bald youth come to the dungeon?"
"Judging by his tone, it seemed he had detected my tracks. What method did he use to find me?"
"Could it be that he had already uncovered the secret of his origins — learned that his 'mother' was actually a Mushroomman alien? And so he played along with the plan?"
After his soul injuries healed rapidly, Meng Qiuzhen entered the dream realm once more with his questions.
The route remained unchanged. Meng Qiuzhen arrived at the cell well ahead of schedule.
He lurked in the corner, listening to Huang Xiaomi's screams and curses as he endured brutal interrogation.
These two Fourth Transformation Elders were no pushovers. More importantly, they had the backing of a Gu formation. Meng Qiuzhen had no intention of forcing a direct confrontation.
After the failures of the previous two attempts and the experience he had accumulated, his own strength likely now surpassed that of the real Huang Wan. But his greatest weakness remained Huang Xiaomi.
His prior failures had already proven that as long as Huang Xiaomi died, the dream exploration was deemed a failure.
It seemed this dream scene required him to successfully rescue Huang Xiaomi.
Meng Qiuzhen waited patiently. The moment the two Elders stepped out, he immediately made his way to Huang Xiaomi's side.
Without rushing to wake him, Meng Qiuzhen activated a Poison Path killer move straightaway, directly neutralizing the Mushroomman Plague on Huang Xiaomi's body.
Only then did Meng Qiuzhen wake Huang Xiaomi.