Chapter 85
At that moment, Ye Bai's expression changed. She looked up towards the corridor outside and heard footsteps similar to those of the previous Yalong people's guardian spirits. But this time, there were more than one; it sounded like a whole crowd, some coming from above the passage, others from below.
Earlier, Ye Bai had noticed that on either side of the massive door below, there were two more passageways, extending into the unknown. The donkey had emerged from one of those directions, and she had no idea how it had gotten there.
Recalling the reaction of the Yalong guardian spirit, Ye Bai decided to stop questioning the paper figure for the moment. Instead, she carefully shifted her body, pressing against the corridor wall and waiting.
Soon, as the sound of many footsteps grew louder, Ye Bai saw a multitude of spirits with varying appearances passing through the outer passage. These spirits seemed to have received some kind of summons, moving with clear purpose, and naturally, no one noticed the silent Ye Bai.
"Whoosh—"
With a heavy clang from below, Ye Bai realized that the massive door had been pulled open. More footsteps echoed from below; even though she couldn't see them, she could imagine a large number of dragonborn spirits gathering nearby, pouring through that great door.
Ye Bai dared not move, quietly waiting in place. At that moment, the paper figure's voice broke the silence:
"It seems they’ve received orders and are all converging on one location. And it’s not the treasure vault, rather…"
Seeing Ye Bai raise a finger to her lips, the paper figure instinctively lowered its voice to explain, "Don’t worry, they can’t hear me."
Upon hearing this, Ye Bai lowered her finger and looked outside at the dragonborn spirits that seemed to be gradually leaving, her expression thoughtful.
Noticing her contemplative look, the paper figure seized the opportunity while Ye Bai couldn’t speak to entice her further: "I know you need the fabrics of the Weaving Clan. The dragon clan's treasure vault must have plenty. Right now, the dragonborn spirits here seem to be drawn by something, making it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Meeting Ye Bai's skeptical gaze, the paper figure whispered like a devil: "I know the exact location of the dragon clan's treasure vault, and my sensing range is quite far. Just like I warned you about the approaching spirits earlier, I can provide you with some minor assistance during this process..."
After a night of back-and-forth with the paper figure, Ye Bai could tell that it was trying to use her, a 'three-dimensional' being, to achieve some goal. Yet, at this moment, it did strike a chord with her.
From the behavior of these spirits, it was clear they had received orders from a higher-ranking spirit, all rushing out as if the command was of utmost priority. Even the earlier Yalong guardian spirit had abandoned its attack on Ye Bai, and its health bar was not a mere illusion.
She had no idea what was happening here, but as the paper figure said, it was indeed the perfect time to explore this area. As long as she stayed away from the gathering spirits, other places were relatively safe, making it a rare opportunity for someone of Ye Bai's lower level.
Ye Bai didn’t respond to the paper figure immediately. Instead, she waited for the last of the dragonborn spirits' footsteps to fade away. Once the area fell completely silent, she picked up a magic scroll and asked directly:
"What’s your situation now? You can’t interfere with reality, so what do you want to do in the treasure vault?"
With the conversation reaching this point, the paper figure lowered its head slightly and spoke honestly: "All my power now comes from the written medium. In the dragon clan's treasure vault, there’s a tome. If I can enter that tome, I can regain some of my strength, but I can’t get past without your eyes."
"Oh? Regain?" Ye Bai seized on the key point.
"Hehe..." The paper figure scratched its head, smiling sheepishly. "To be honest, I feel like I was a powerful being in the past."
Ye Bai twitched her lips: "I can believe that."
If it weren’t strong, it wouldn’t have attracted such a bizarre curse. Now, Ye Bai dismissed her earlier assumptions; the curse on the paper figure could be ruled out as coming from a demigod and must have originated from a deity of level 100 or above.
To offend a being of divine caliber was no small feat. Perhaps… Ye Bai glanced at the 'Resistance Field' spell scroll in her hand, maybe it contained the essence of a former divine being.
"So, you kept bringing up the dragon clan's treasure vault to lure me in, so you could conveniently access the tome yourself..."
Seeing Ye Bai's expression darken, the paper figure hurriedly added, "And everything in the treasure vault would belong to you, including that tome!"
Goodness, if Ye Bai hadn’t had plenty of experience with empty promises, she might not have caught on to the underlying issues.
If this fellow really issued a quest for the 'dragon clan's treasure vault,' the rewards would be things Ye Bai could obtain upon entering, and where there was one, there would be another.
Ye Bai said, "And then you’d use those things as rewards for me to help you break the curse, right?"
"..." The paper figure fell silent, staring at a pattern on the parchment as if it were a rare work of art.
Ye Bai remained quiet. She had indeed not misjudged; the paper figure was a true talent in the art of deception!
Of course, she wouldn’t fall for this particular bait. In her heart, she had a scale to weigh the situation; she couldn’t trust everything the paper figure said, but it was undeniable that it needed her to act.
Before achieving its goals, Ye Bai didn’t have to worry about being betrayed. Instead, she could leverage its warning abilities to fulfill her own objectives.
"Are there any spirits nearby?" Ye Bai asked in a low voice.
The paper figure immediately replied, "No, the nearest spirits are over a hundred meters away from you."
The paper figure’s sensing range exceeded a hundred meters… Ye Bai raised an eyebrow, gripping the magic scroll and the snow-white sword as she stepped out of the corridor onto the stone-paved path.
At that moment, the massive door below was indeed wide open, revealing a vast passage illuminated by the glow of luminous stones, radiating an eerie bluish light, leading to an unknown destination.
Under the watchful gaze of two dragon statues at the entrance, Ye Bai stepped forward, one foot after the other.
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**Chapter 61**
"Patta..."
Ye Bai walked alone through the massive door's passage. The corridor was over ten meters wide and more than five meters high, clearly not designed for human proportions but for the larger dragonborn race.
Even as Ye Bai tried to tread lightly, echoes still rang out. Fortunately, all the spirits had already vacated the area.
Inside the passage, there were numerous intersecting branches, and since all the passageways were of similar size and architectural style, it was easy to imagine that the entire structure was a gigantic maze. Wandering aimlessly would surely lead to getting lost.
Moreover, it was foreseeable that if the spirits remained inactive, finding the dragon clan's treasure vault would be nearly impossible. Not to mention that Ye Bai was only at the first transition; even a third transition would struggle here.
With monsters lurking, this place was a typical dungeon, likely requiring at least a 25-person third transition team to even consider venturing in.
Fortunately, Ye Bai had an "artificial navigator" with her.
"Turn left at the next intersection."
The paper figure not only served as a warning against enemies but, more importantly, guided Ye Bai in the right direction. This was one of the key reasons she chose to cooperate with it.
Following its directions, Ye Bai made no detours and delved deeper into the heart of this underground city.
Sometimes, while traversing a corridor, she could hear the sounds of other spirits running in the distance, but her position always remained safe. Throughout the journey, the paper figure proved to be reliable, like a diligent and selfless guiding hand.
Finally, after passing through a circular corridor, Ye Bai found herself at the edge of a break formed by a rupture. The paper figure said to her:
"Just pass through here, and you’ll be there. But there’s a ground dragon guardian at the entrance of the treasure vault. You’ll need to come up with a way to divert its attention before you can get in."
The nearby architectural remnants showed significant damage, with two different styles of ruins. Coupled with the fall of the Sky City, these wrecked structures suggested that a complete underground building had been smashed to pieces.
Looking at the shattered passage formed by the impact, Ye Bai couldn’t help but think: if these dragonborn, who worshipped the ancient dragons, had perished due to the fall of the Sky City and turned into spirits, it would indeed be a tragic tale.
As she climbed into the fissure, Ye Bai asked, "How do you know what’s going on inside?"
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