Chen Linjian and the others arrived at the training grounds, a flat expanse used for drilling troops, which generally drew the least attention.
"Dig three feet deep!"
Chen Linjian’s men pulled out their tools and began to excavate.
Meanwhile, inside the underground palace.
"Nie Li, where exactly is the exit?" Ye Ziyun asked. They had been searching for two days but still hadn't found the way out.
"There is no exit," Nie Li said, shaking his head. "If there were an exit, those people wouldn't have been trapped and died in that hall."
"No exit?" Ye Ziyun paused, then asked desolately, "Then doesn't that mean we can't get out?"
"Not necessarily. The people in that hall were brought in from outside, which means those outside can dig open an exit. We can only hope that Chen Linjian will help us dig it open. I estimate the exit should be right at the location of the training grounds!" Nie Li smiled slightly. "They'll definitely find it!"
"How can you be so sure he'll find it?" Ye Ziyun retorted. Nie Li was always so confident, as if everything was under his control. He even stubbornly believed she would fall for him. If everything in this world could go exactly as he predicted, then he was practically an all-powerful god!
Just as Ye Ziyun finished speaking, the stone wall emitted a faint tremor.
"It's started!" Nie Li smiled. Based on the source of the tremor, he could judge the exit's location. He turned to Ye Ziyun. "Let's go!"
After speaking, Nie Li strode forward.
Ye Ziyun opened her mouth, unsure how to react. Nie Li was simply monstrous—how did he know everything? Could it be that one day, she really would become his girlfriend? Ye Ziyun couldn't quite identify her own emotions. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head in silence.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The digging actions of Chen Linjian and his men were quite substantial!
"So the exit is over here!" Nie Li led Ye Ziyun, following the sound to its source, finally stopping before a stone wall. He looked it over; this wall should be a mechanism, yet he hadn't noticed anything when passing by earlier.
Nie Li placed his hand on the stone wall and slowly pushed inward.
Rumble!
The stone wall slowly rotated, revealing a massive stone chamber in Nie Li and Ye Ziyun's view.
This chamber had a series of steps leading upward, but the exit was blocked by large boulders and similar debris. From behind came the clanging sounds of someone chiseling open the exit.
Everything inside the chamber left Nie Li and Ye Ziyun utterly astounded.
It was piled high with all manner of bronze and silver armor and weapons, along with numerous inscription scrolls, demon beast crystal cores, pelts, horns, various rare metals, and mountains of gold coins—the currency of the Holy Empire.
There were also many artifacts without names, likely precious treasures from the Holy Empire era.
If someone took these treasures and sold them at the auction house in the City of Radiance, they would become incredibly wealthy!
"Ziyun, pick out a few items," Nie Li said to Ye Ziyun. There were simply too many treasures here; their space rings couldn't possibly hold them all. Moreover, if they cleared out everything, Chen Linjian and his group would inevitably take issue.
Nie Li wasn't greedy. He only needed to obtain the one item he desired.
Nie Li's gaze fell upon a distant stone pedestal. Atop the pedestal flickered a candle lamp, its light waxing and waning, imbued with a mysterious aura.
Upon seeing this spirit lamp, Nie Li's face lit up with ecstatic joy. It really was a Shadow Demon Spirit Lamp!
The Shadow Demon was a very mysterious and rare species of demon beast, rumored to have gone extinct during the Wind Snow Empire era. Only seven Shadow Demon spirits had been crafted into seven spirit lamps, enshrined in a temple on the Sacred Spirit Continent. Later, those Shadow Demon Spirit Lamps were stolen and scattered across the world.
The reason Nie Li cared so much about this Shadow Demon Spirit Lamp was that he wanted to obtain the Shadow Demon spirit within it!
Once he reached the Silver level, Nie Li's Soul Sea would be able to fuse with one demon spirit.
The Heavenly Dao Divine Art that Nie Li practiced allowed him to fuse with seven demon spirits. For this first one, Nie Li didn't want just some ordinary, trashy demon spirit. Too powerful a spirit was something his Soul Sea couldn't yet handle; the most suitable was this Shadow Demon spirit.
Although the Shadow Demon was not a demon beast race with exceptional combat power, it was incredibly mysterious and eerie, possessing many unique abilities. Even if one cultivated to the peak realm of a strong warrior, the Shadow Demon spirit could still play a powerful role.
With the Shadow Demon spirit, Nie Li could learn some special martial techniques!
In his past life, this Shadow Demon Spirit Lamp had ended up in Shen Yue's hands, who then sold it at the auction house. But in this life, Nie Li had obtained it.