Chapter 398: 迷城藏真鼎

The City of the Great Eye, it is said, was built by an ancient explorer of the abyss. He slew a monster that emerged from the depths, took its eyeball, embedded it in the cliff face, and excavated the city around it.

The Great Eye can peer into the extreme depths below, effectively monitoring any unusual movements in the Cangwu Abyss.

The three slowly descended beside the City of the Great Eye, their hearts filled with unspeakable awe.

"Just a single eyeball is of such immense scale."

"It's truly difficult to imagine how enormous the monster that emerged from the depths of Cangwu Abyss must have been."

The moment their bodies crossed the 80,000-zhang boundary, Xiao Heng once again felt his strength diminish by several points.

"Even cultivators at the late Qi Refinement stage cannot gain a foothold here."

"Only those with Foundation Establishment strength can barely continue descending."

The pressure from the abyss was just beginning to manifest.

"The third layer is not as vast as the Forest of Spirit Tongues, spanning only between 80,000 and 100,000 zhang deep."

"However, its danger level is several times greater."

As they continued their descent, Xiao Heng and the others vaguely heard a roaring sound drifting up from below. Xiao Heng gazed into the distance. In the vast white mist, two colossal figures seemed to stand suspended in the air, wielding sharp blades and battling each other.

"This is the third layer, the Golem Gorge."

"Two colossal stone golems from ancient times are fighting in this area."

"The two golems exist in a strange state between reality and illusion. If one approaches them, they appear as phantoms, untouchable."

"However, their impact on the surrounding area is very real."

"The golems are nearly 20,000 zhang tall, and their strength is said to be close to the Dao Integration stage."

"Even from a great distance, one could be injured by the aftermath of their battle."

Bang! Bang!

In the swirling white mist, the figures of the two stone golems appeared and disappeared. The three stared, mesmerized by the fantastical sight.

After a long while, Xiao Heng finally spoke, "Alright, let's continue our descent."

"Caution is paramount in everything."

During their descent, they had to constantly monitor the movements of the two colossal stone golems to avoid potential energy impacts. Furthermore, the strength of the aberrant beings appearing in the mist also grew increasingly formidable. As a result, their progress became increasingly slow. It took them a full two days to reach the lower boundary of the Golem Gorge.

"The fourth layer is ahead."

"The good news is that the True Medicine King Cauldron seems to be not far below."

Xiao Heng once again manipulated the Small Medicine King Cauldron, sensed for a moment, and let out a long breath.

"Even so, we cannot let our guard down," Zhang Haobo transmitted with a slight frown.

"Alright, hurry up. I'm already impatient to see that treasure," Su Xiaomei pouted, and was the first to enter the fourth layer.

Between the third and fourth layers, there was no resting point provided for cultivators. Only a long, crimson line carved into the cliff face marked the boundary.

"The fourth layer is the Lost City of Delusion."

"It lies between 100,000 and 130,000 zhang below ground."

Sensing his own condition, Xiao Heng slightly frowned. The spontaneous suppression of cultivation equivalent to that of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator was already having a noticeable effect on him.

Changing their flight direction, they no longer went straight down. Instead, they flew diagonally towards the center of the Lost City of Delusion.

Numerous architectural ruins floated haphazardly in the air. It was as if an apocalyptic disaster had struck, leaving fragmented, dilapidated ruins everywhere. There were no remains, no lingering artifacts. Only the 'corpses' of buildings lay silently in this space, narrating their past misfortunes.

The surroundings were eerily silent. The repetitive scenery of ruins brought a sense of oppression. Xiao Heng and the two others had to keep their spirits up. This was because in the Lost City of Delusion, not only could unknown creatures made entirely of stone leap out to attack at any moment, but there were also malevolent cultivators secretly lurking, ready to launch sneak attacks.

The presence of the Immortal Suppressing Force and the chaotic ruins provided them with optimal hiding spots. If they waited until the stone beasts attacked and both sides were injured before making a move, their chances of success would greatly increase. Moreover, under the abyss, the anomalies signifying a cultivator's demise were difficult to manifest. After succeeding, fleeing far away would ensure complete secrecy. The number of cultivators who mysteriously vanished in this Lost City of Delusion was indeed not small.

As Xiao Heng and his companions ventured deeper into the ruins towards the location of the True Medicine King Cauldron, they were, as expected, attacked by two waves of cultivators. However, their opponents were ultimately petty individuals. Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo had previously managed to retreat safely from the Yuan Sect ruins, even when facing encirclement by thousands of faceless, blood-masked cultivators. How could they possibly regard these people as a threat? They easily dispatched these individuals with little effort. After eliminating two groups and showcasing their strength, the area finally became much quieter.

"It seems we have a tail," Zhang Haobo warned.

"I'll go slay them!" Su Xiaomei's eyebrows rose, a red glint flashed in her eyes, and she was about to turn and act.

"Stop! We're here to find the Medicine King Cauldron, not to kill people," Xiao Heng quickly dissuaded her. "Drawing attention would be disadvantageous."

"Let's just shake them off."

With that, the three suddenly accelerated. They weaved left and right through the ruins. After spending most of the day, they finally shook off all their pursuers.

"Let's go!"

Zhang Haobo formed a hand seal, concealing their aura. Then they headed directly for the True Medicine King Cauldron.

After flying for another good portion of the day, they finally reached the location indicated by the sensation.

"Hmm?!" Xiao Heng looked around in confusion, seeing no sign of the True Medicine King Cauldron.

"This should be the right place."

"Let's split up and search around."

Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo nodded, then spread out.

Not long after.

"Nothing?" Xiao Heng's brows furrowed deeply. "That shouldn't be."

Unwilling to give up, Xiao Heng searched once more. He still found nothing. Su Xiaomei took the Small Medicine King Cauldron from her storage ring, held it in her hand, and sensed again. The result showed no change whatsoever.

"What should we do?" After a fruitless attempt, the three reassembled to discuss.

"This is a bit strange."

"We can clearly sense the True Medicine King Cauldron right here, yet it's nowhere to be seen." Xiao Heng surveyed the surroundings, his face filled with bewilderment.

"Perhaps it's hidden itself," Zhang Haobo narrowed his eyes, then suddenly said.

With that, he activated his spiritual energy and sent a spiritual blade towards the location where the Medicine King Cauldron was sensed. The air twisted as if something had been struck. The spiritual blade vanished silently. The disturbed scene then returned to normal.

"Wow! It really is like that!" Su Xiaomei clapped her hands, a little excited. She flew towards the anomaly. However, it seemed to have been an illusion, as she passed through without any obstruction. Refusing to believe it, Su Xiaomei tried several times, moving back and forth, but the result was always the same.

"This is infuriating, what's going on?!"

Xiao Heng, being much calmer, carefully touched the non-existent barrier with his hand.

"The Small Medicine King Cauldron is the key to entering the True Medicine King Cauldron," Xiao Heng mused aloud. "This Small Medicine King Cauldron, it can hold people, right?" he suddenly asked.