Chapter 154: The Bizarre Stone Carving

That annoying tunnel had finally come to an end.

Indeed, the light grew brighter and brighter. Both Daoist Sanchuan and the Grand Mage were Tier 5 experts, capable of maintaining a sprinting speed even within the narrow passage.

After a brief moment, they reached the end of the tunnel.

Although there was light at the terminus, the path ahead seemed to be blocked by something.

It was a pile of massive boulders of varying shapes, each at least half the height of a man.

The Grand Mage unleashed a cursed energy wave, shattering the boulders ahead into fine dust.

The two exchanged glances and stepped out of the tunnel one after the other.

At the end of the tunnel was, surprisingly, another cavern.

Unlike the cavern at the entrance, this one was less spacious, much gloomier, and darker.

The two immediately scanned their surroundings to assess their current situation.

Although the light here was faint, it was much brighter than in the tunnel. Having already adjusted to the darkness of the passage, the two could see their surroundings quite clearly in this illumination.

There was nothing particularly extraordinary, but what intrigued them the most was that several tunnels converged here, with numerous stone statues standing at the entrance and around the perimeter of each passage.

These stone statues varied in size, but their material and style were surprisingly consistent. Their shapes, however, depicted all sorts of ferocious beasts. One could even find a few weathered stone carvings of human figures among them.

Spirit-Binding Island had been a forbidden zone for over a decade, with no one setting foot here. How could there be so many stone carvings?

While they were still puzzled, movement arose from the other tunnels.

Yoshino, Alice, Golden-Eyed, Bald Crocodile, and the others all rushed out of the tunnels one after another.

Seeing one another, they paused slightly in surprise. Scanning their surroundings, they realized that all these tunnels were actually interconnected.

Winding and twisting with their own individual paths, the exits had ultimately all converged upon this very cavern.

Looking back at the inexplicable stone carvings, everyone wore an expression of greater or lesser astonishment.

Could it be that a master sculptor lived here?

A mortal artist?

Moreover, this cavern was much more refined than the massive cave outside. The surrounding stalactites had been polished into stone tables and chairs, and in one corner, there was even a stone bed, adding a distinct touch of human habitation.

However, there was no one in sight.

On the other side of the stone cavern lay a calm pool of water, emitting shimmering reflections in the gloom.

Everyone felt bewildered and highly vigilant.

The more baffling things were, the more it made one's skin crawl.

With a tacit understanding, no one spoke. Pair after pair of eyes scanned the surroundings with wary defense.

Only Golden-Eyed lost his patience. "Weren't they saying Xiang Nan ran in here? Where is he? Did they trick us?!"

Although this question was untimely, everyone shared the same doubt and cast their gazes unanimously upon Daoist Sanchuan.

Daoist Sanchuan wore a baffled expression tinged with a hint of worry.

Over the past few days of traveling together, he had actually developed a faint sense of mutual appreciation for Xiang Nan.

"Given the current situation, how would I know where he went?" Daoist Sanchuan put on an expression that seemed to say, *Asking me is useless, if you have the ability, go find him yourselves.*

With everyone harboring their own hidden agendas, what trust was there to speak of?

Though the others glared at him with metaphorical daggers in their eyes, they ultimately had no other choice.

Furthermore, judging by the dead face-winged bats they had seen lying on the ground upon entering, Daoist Sanchuan was most likely not lying.

Alice, the only woman present, did not reply. Her sharp eyes remained fixed on the scattered stone statues, especially the human ones.

These statues were life-sized and varied in posture, yet they were extraordinarily lifelike, particularly regarding their expressions.

Some wore expressions of deep suspicion, others of shock, and still others of terror. Most of them had their eyes wide open, with not a single one casting their gaze downward.

As a woman, Alice paid special attention to details, and these statues left her utterly confounded.

"Take a close look at the clothing on these statues. Doesn't it look familiar?" Alice drew everyone's attention to the stone carvings.

Prompted by her words, everyone indeed turned their gazes toward the surrounding statues.

"This... this is military uniform!"

"Look closely, it seems to be the uniform of the Dragon Abyss Army! There's even a dragon-shaped insignia here!"

"What kind of bored lunatic would carve these ghostly things out here?"

"Ghostly things? Look at these statues, and these beast carvings—they're far too realistic! If you hauled these outside, they could go straight into a museum."

Alice's eyes darted around, finally coming to rest upon the eyes of the statues. "Whether human or beast, their eyes are very peculiar. Could this be some kind of revelation?"

Golden-Eyed also walked around the statues, inspecting them thoroughly, but he remained unimpressed. "They're just sculptures. Probably someone got trapped on this island and had nothing to do, so they made some sculptures to pass the time."

"There are dangers lurking everywhere on this island. If you were trapped here, would you still have the leisure and mood to make stone carvings?"

Alice's retort caused Golden-Eyed's face to flush red, leaving him completely speechless.

"These sculptures are definitely not meant for passing the time. This place is extremely bizarre!"

Everyone's hearts began to tense up once more.

Right at that moment, a sound of rippling water came from the pool inside the cavern. In the gloomy cave, everyone heard it with absolute clarity.

Involuntarily, all of them turned their gazes toward the water's surface, yet none dared to make any rash moves.

Those bizarre stone statues weighed upon their hearts like a massive boulder.

A consensus had already formed among them: the master of this cavern was definitely not an ordinary ferocious beast, for ordinary beasts were incapable of creating sculptures.

And the master of this place could coexist harmoniously with the beasts all over the island; their cultivation level was simply unfathomable.

Even the few Tier 5 experts felt a measure of dread in their hearts.

Exchanging apprehensive glances, they cautiously approached the pool.

There was abnormal movement within the pool!

Among the group, Golden-Eyed was the youngest and most arrogant. Seeing that everyone had been frightened by the disturbance in the water, he found it utterly ridiculous.

Since Bald Crocodile looked down upon him, he was determined to put on a show in front of these people!

Besides, water was his element; in the water, he was like a fish in its natural habitat.

While the others were proceeding with extreme caution, Golden-Eyed suddenly transformed, shifting into a semi-bestial form with a snake's body and a human head. With a single glide, he drifted toward the pool.

Ever since that single sound, the pool had conversely grown exceptionally calm.

Golden-Eyed poked his head forward, seeing that there was no sound or movement within the water.

*This beast must be afraid of us and doesn't dare to show its face. Well then, I'll just drag you out myself!* Thinking this, Golden-Eyed hesitated no longer and slithered straight into the pool.

With Golden-Eyed recklessly diving into the pool, none of the others stopped him. Having someone go ahead to scout the path was naturally a good thing for everyone else.

In any case, if there was danger, Golden-Eyed would be the first to die.

A flicker of pleasant surprise, accompanied by undisguised disdain, even flashed through Alice's eyes.

A person like this was worthy of competing with them? He was barely fit to be cannon fodder.

And at this moment, he was indeed about to serve as cannon fodder.

Even Bald Crocodile, who had come along with Golden-Eyed, made no move to stop him.

If someone insisted on walking into their own death, why should he block them? Wasn't fulfilling their wish a fine thing?