"Major, it's too early to give up now. Regardless of whether Ji Lin's Stigmata exists, there must be something in this Jiu You, otherwise there wouldn't be such a high concentration of Honkai Energy. Even if there's no Stigmata, there must be other important treasures!"
Looking thoughtfully at the several stone steles inscribed with ancient characters, Ming Yu shook his head and said in a serious tone.
With Fu Hua's translation, Ming Yu now remembered more about Jiu You.
If that information was correct, the Xuanyuan Sword held by Ji Lin was currently in Jiu You, and it was the key item sealing Chiyou.
As for the steles saying that the Xuanyuan Sword wasn't found, Ming Yu could only say that he didn't believe a single word of it.
Although he didn't know why the recorder of the stele would deliberately leave false information in such a remote place, Ming Yu was certain that this was not the work of the legendary "Lian Shan" alone.
Even as a hero of the same era as Ji Lin, Lian Shan was not known for his martial prowess. In other words, he likely lacked resistance to Honkai Energy and could only be considered an ordinary human.
Excluding the effect of Honkai Energy, Ming Yu absolutely did not believe that Lian Shan alone could have found Jiu You, let alone leave behind such miraculous man-made structures.
In that case, the other creature mentioned in the stele—the Chiyuan Bird—was quite intriguing.
Glancing at the still-calm Fu Hua, Ming Yu quickly pushed the absurd idea out of his mind. Although the names were similar, Celestial Phoenix and the Chiyuan Bird were definitely two different individuals.
To be able to find Jiu You in the vast sea, the Chiyuan Bird truly deserved to be called a divine bird. But all seemingly unscientific things could ultimately be explained most rationally through Honkai.
Moreover, this recording method of forcibly imposing mythological meaning, coupled with those vivid Chiyuan Bird statues, could only make Ming Yu think of that one person without hesitation.
Hearing Ming Yu's words, Himeko immediately shook off her dejection and said resolutely, "You're right, Jiu You must still be hiding some secret. And Anti-Entropy is right behind us. This treasure must not fall into their hands!"
She was never one to give up easily; it was just that she had momentarily struggled to recover from the huge psychological drop. After Ming Yu's reminder, Himeko instantly recognized the situation she was in and understood what she should do next.
After pulling herself together, Himeko began to arrange for the four of them to explore the ruins, looking for any possible mechanisms or treasures.
With a final glance at the obscure stone steles, Ming Yu muttered under his breath, "Although I understand your intention was to hide Chiyou's seal and protect the people of Shenzhou, this time, we will do our utmost to eliminate Chiyou and bring peace to the land of Shenzhou."
With that, Ming Yu turned and began to search for the hidden sealing place.
Both Theresa and Cocolia had their eyes on Ji Lin's Stigmata, but the soft-spoken Ming Yu could not persuade either side to abandon their actions. As long as the people from the Far East Branch and Anti-Entropy remained in Jiu You, with their greed for it, the seal's breaking was only a matter of time.
Faced with this overwhelming trend, Ming Yu could only choose to comply. The only thing he could do was to participate as much as possible to ensure that the development of the situation did not exceed his expectations.
Unlike Himeko and the others, the prescient Ming Yu knew from the beginning what the mechanism here was and how to find the hidden Xuanyuan Sword. In this respect, even the knowledgeable Fu Hua was no match for him.
But in order to keep a low profile, Ming Yu still went through a period of "serious exploration" before finally finding that stone wall.
Reaching out to gently touch the stone wall, watching the ripples like the surface of water appear on it, and feeling the distinct pulling force from his fingertips, Ming Yu instantly knew he had found the right place and quickly shouted, "You guys, come and see, there seems to be something wrong with this stone wall!"
But before the other three could get close, Ming Yu felt the suction of the stone wall suddenly increase, and his entire body was involuntarily sucked into it.
When Ming Yu came to his senses, he found that he had already left his original position and entered a brand new space. Three small paths separated by rock walls appeared before his eyes.
Looking at these chaotic, maze-like paths, Ming Yu knew that with his own strength alone, he could probably wander in there for several hours.
"The Nine Palaces Bagua..."
Ming Yu rubbed his chin and could only sigh helplessly.
Although Ming Yu didn't understand these complex things, he wasn't worried at all. Because this time, there was a master-level figure of the Nine Palaces Bagua with them.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Himeko and the other two appeared behind him one after another.
"Kid, you could at least be a little more vigilant!"
The moment she saw Ming Yu, Himeko immediately punched him on the shoulder and exclaimed in annoyance.
"It's not like I wandered off..."
Staggering a few steps, Ming Yu showed an apologetic smile and defended himself in a low voice.
If he hadn't known what was about to happen and lowered his body's guard, that stone wall alone would not have been able to suck him in so easily.
Looking at Ming Yu's sly grin, Himeko couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. Just as she was about to say something more, she suddenly seemed to notice something and frowned, even the fist she had raised stopped in mid-air.
After a long while, Himeko, with her brows tightly furrowed, asked hesitantly, "Have you... heard any calling?"
Hearing Himeko's words, the smile on Ming Yu's face instantly stiffened. After thinking for a few seconds, he resolutely shook his head. Fu Hua and Bronya's eyes also showed a hint of confusion, and they too shook their heads, indicating they hadn't heard anything.
"Over there... something seems to be summoning me."
Lowering her head in hesitation for a long while, Himeko finally pointed forward and spoke of her feeling.
Glancing over the three people in front of him, a flash of understanding passed through Ming Yu's heart.
As the wielders of the Key of Consciousness and the Key of Corruption, Fu Hua and Ming Yu would naturally not be affected by a single Key of Domination, and the current Bronya was too weak. In that case, the only one of value who could be affected by the Key of Domination was Himeko, the A-rank Valkyrie.
"Since that thing has sent an invitation, let's accept it frankly."
Ming Yu raised Jizo Mitama in his right hand, the hilt pointing straight ahead, and said fearlessly.
It was just a mere Key of Domination; it was far from enough to make Ming Yu back down. In terms of Divine Keys alone, their side still had the Key of Consciousness, the Key of Domination, and the Key of Corruption.
The one who should be worried and afraid was that Xuanyuan Sword!
"You have a point." Looking at the black longsword in Ming Yu's hand, Himeko couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Since the other party has sent an invitation, what's the harm in meeting it!"
With that, Himeko tossed her long red hair tied behind her head and strode to the front of the team, just as she had done before.
As the team's captain, she would intercept all dangers at the forefront, protecting every member of her squad.