By the time Zhong Lin arrived, Li Guanqi had already finished the battle.

Zhong Lin was in a foul mood, having just been delayed by an explosion from a gunpowder-filled sphere thrown by the enemy.

The fight between the two had ended in the brief moment he was held up.

Meanwhile, outside a mysterious altar on the third level below,

A group of more than a dozen people in black robes gathered, with the leader suddenly pulling out a jade disk, his face changing colors as he spoke gravely.

“The leader of the fourth team is dead!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a black-clothed person with a blue armband on his arm said solemnly, “Is Qianji Umbrella dead?”

“The disciples from the Great Xia Sword Sect who entered this time are generally weak, who could have killed Qianji Umbrella?”

The leader, with a purple armband on his right arm, said gravely, “Never mind them for now!”

“How many disciples from the Great Xia Sword Sect have your other two teams killed?”

The one with the blue armband spoke softly, “Five.”

The black-clothed person with a yellow armband said solemnly, “We only got three. There are a few at the Foundation Establishment stage from the Great Xia Sword Sect who are quite troublesome.”

Finally, the leader said in a deep voice, “Fifty people came in, my team killed four, leaving thirty-eight.”

“Let’s not worry about that now. While they haven’t found this place, let’s head down to the last level and find the Qianji Formation Plate!”

On the topmost level, Li Guanqi also noticed something different. After opening the opponent’s clothing,

He found a white silk ribbon tied around the opponent’s right arm, similar to an armband, but there were no patterns or anything on it.

Moreover, the opponent’s face looked like that of a 26- or 27-year-old youth, not at all like a Sect disciple.

With several scars on his face, he looked more like a rogue cultivator without any Sect affiliation.

Looking at the notch on his own magical longsword, Li Guanqi’s brow furrowed slightly.

Picking up the white umbrella that had fallen to the ground, he discovered that the sword blades shot from the umbrella could be reinserted back into it.

It was just a pity for the fine sword that was part of the umbrella handle.

However, the white umbrella was snow-white all over and felt like porcelain to the touch. The material alone was already quite rare.

Moreover, the white umbrella itself was comparable to a magical weapon, so Li Guanqi took it with him, planning to exchange it for some Spirit Stones at the Treasure Pavilion later.

At this moment, Zhong Lin spoke up, “Who exactly are these people?”

Li Guanqi pondered for a long time before replying softly, “I don’t know. They seem like rogue cultivators, but their strength is not to be underestimated.”

The person he had just killed had just reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, and his Realm was still somewhat unstable.

But the white umbrella used by the opponent had caused him quite a bit of trouble.

“We still don’t know their purpose, but one thing is clear: they want to kill all the disciples from our Sect.”

Li Guanqi kicked the opponent’s body down the stairs, and as it fell through the many floors, it was hit by a flame on the next level.

Engulfed in fierce flames, it eventually crashed down to the very bottom, emitting a dull sound.

This scene not only made Li Guanqi frown but also made him murmur to himself, “Could it be that each level triggers a different mechanism?”

And just as he suspected, each level did trigger a different type of mechanism.

Li Guanqi, along with Zhong Lin, began to search for clues on the thirteenth level.

It was like a maze, with many buildings lacking corresponding mechanisms, impossible to trigger.

However, as Li Guanqi passed by a pavilion, the ‘Earth’ copper plate in his storage ring reacted!

Li Guanqi called to Zhong Lin, who was still walking ahead, and they approached the pavilion.

Li Guanqi suddenly had a feeling that the owner of this pavilion and the owner of the mansion outside the city were the same person!

He took out the item and slowly inserted it into a slot beside the pavilion door.

Boom!

A flash of light in Li Guanqi’s eyes, he hadn’t expected it to actually open!

The two of them dashed inside and found traces of past habitation, though it had been thousands of years ago.

Without finding anything of great value, Li Guanqi suddenly had an idea and said,

“Look for any secret chambers or mechanisms in this room.”

Zhong Lin’s eyes lit up as he began to search through the room’s bookshelves and other furnishings, as well as the ornaments on the tables.

Li Guanqi observed the surroundings and then got up to go to the bedroom of the pavilion’s owner.

Looking at the somewhat simple decorations inside, Li Guanqi went straight to the bed.

Lifting the bed board, he indeed found a small recess!

Click, click!

The sound of mechanical turning came, and a crack appeared in the originally lustrous wood beneath the bed board.

Then, a formation array emitting a faint glow appeared before Li Guanqi.

Before he could call out to Zhong Lin, he was pulled into the teleportation array by a strong suction force!

Buzz!

The sound caught Zhong Lin’s attention, but by the time he reached the upstairs, all he saw was an empty bed board.

Zhong Lin’s face changed slightly, unsure of what to do.

Looking at the closed door, Zhong Lin sighed softly and said, “Maybe this is for the best. If I can’t get out, then so be it.”

“With my current injuries, I’d only be a burden to him…”

“I just wonder how the others are doing.”

At this moment, not a single disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect was in this underground city.

Everyone had formed into several small groups wandering above Dikun City.

The previous collapse had not affected the entire Dikun City, and it was uncertain whether Li Guanqi and Zhong Lin were lucky or unlucky.

Buzz!

The floating sensation under Li Guanqi’s feet disappeared as he stepped onto solid ground, feeling somewhat stable.

However, he immediately felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

In front of him was a huge altar with a radius of hundreds of meters, flanked by two towering silver-white puppets!

The puppets were covered in intricate black and gold patterns, flickering with a soft light.

Between the two puppets, and directly in front of Li Guanqi, a hundred meters away, was a dark green longsword embedded in the ground.

Behind the longsword was a pitch-black door, with a glowing number ‘Thirteen!’ written beside it.

The usually silent Sword Spirit suddenly spoke up softly.

“Be careful, these are two Puppet Soldier Pills!”

Li Guanqi frowned and communicated telepathically, “Puppet Soldier Pills?”

The Sword Spirit replied softly, “Yes, although they are the lowest level Silver Armor Soldier Pills, they are crafted by the Mo family’s lineage.”

“Comparable to the late Foundation Establishment stage, if you can subdue these two Soldier Pills, it would be quite a gain.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he rubbed his hands together.

However, the Sword Spirit chuckled and said, “But… the ultimate reward for this trial is that sword!”

“Why?”

“Because that is a spirit soul weapon!”