Larvitar cautiously sensed the collapsed area. The blockage was severe—forcing a way through would consume too much energy.
Fortunately, the source of the fluctuation attracting it seemed to be not far below at an angle. It decided to change direction, bypass the collapsed section, and continue downward.
After digging another dozen meters or so, the tunnel's slope became even steeper.
At that moment, Larvitar's sharp claw tips suddenly touched something completely different from sand and gravel!
Hard. Cold.
And carrying the distinct angular texture of something artificially crafted!
It immediately stopped and carefully brushed away the surrounding sand with its claws.
A massive stone slab?
Or perhaps a wall, its surface covered in thick layers of sand and grime, yet still showing signs of smoothness was revealed!
The material was neither stone nor jade. It had a deep dark-gray color, cold to the touch, yet extraordinarily sturdy.
That strange pulsation was clearly emanating from deep within this solid structure!
Larvitar's spirit lifted.
Found it!
It immediately began digging laterally along the surface, quickly clearing a small section.
What appeared before it was part of a massive, slanted, and smooth wall.
The wall was covered with thick sand deposits and a layer of dried, black moss-like material, but beneath the grime, faint and profound geometric carvings could still be vaguely seen.
This was definitely not naturally formed.
It was a structure.
A ruin buried deep underground!
It tapped the wall lightly with its claw, producing a dull, heavy thud.
Extremely solid, far beyond its ability to break through by force.
Its gaze traced downward along the wall.
The source attracting it seemed to lie even deeper, closer to the core.
It had to find an entrance.
Larvitar began exploring along the base of the massive wall, digging downward and sideways.
Excavation became more difficult, as it had to clear the hardened deposits attached to the wall.
Time passed bit by bit.
Finally, after bypassing a section of twisted, collapsed metal structure eroded by time, it discovered a small opening at the junction between the wall and the "ground," mostly buried beneath sand!
This opening was clearly not a doorway, but more like a crack or breach formed by a violent impact or collapse. Its edges were jagged, filled with twisted metal fragments and shattered rock-like materials.
Inside the opening was complete darkness.
Yet the strange pulsation emanated most clearly from within!
Larvitar moved closer, its crimson eyes peering inside.
The interior space seemed fairly large, but it was shrouded in darkness and dust.
Through its keen perception, it could "touch" more solid structures within, and… deep inside the space, there was a relatively stable core emitting a gentle yet powerful energy!
The fluctuation of that energy core resonated ever so slightly, with the Phoenix Divine Mark within its body!
It was faint, but unmistakably real.
This was the place!
But danger came with it.
The opening was too small, just barely large enough for it to squeeze through.
The internal structure was unknown, filled with instability caused by the erosion of time.
Although the energy core attracted it, it also emitted an invisible force field that interfered with its control over the surrounding sand, making it much harder to maintain the stability of the tunnel.
Larvitar could even feel that the loose sand near the entrance was becoming restless under the influence of this force field.
It hesitated.
Should it risk squeezing inside to investigate the core, or retreat now?
The interior space might provide temporary shelter, but the entrance could be sealed by quicksand at any moment.
Above ground, Lin Xia sat cross-legged on the scorching sand, his brows tightly furrowed. Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead, whether from the heat or tension, it was hard to tell.
His spiritual power, like the finest threads, remained tightly connected to Larvitar through their bond.
He could feel the little one continuously descending, sense its tension and steady response during the quicksand collapse, its excitement upon discovering the solid structure.
And now, he could feel its hesitation at the entrance, along with an increasingly clear warning of danger.
The vague perceptions transmitted through their bond, along with the faint but distinct strange energy fluctuation from deep underground, even after being dampened by layers of earth, made his mind uneasy.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly under the desert's scorching heat.
Every second felt unbearably long.
Lin Xia's right hand unconsciously clenched, his nails digging deep into his palm.
He repeatedly weighed in his mind should he forcibly recall it now?
Larvitar hadn't sent a distress signal yet, which meant it believed it could still handle the situation.
But that unknown energy and the perilous underground environment.
What if something went wrong?
Just as Lin Xia's worry was about to overwhelm his reason, and he was on the verge of activating the contract recall.
A powerful surge of intent, mixed with both immense discovery and heightened alertness, burst through the bond like a breaking flood and rushed into Lin Xia's mind!
"Larvitar!!"
This intent carried a mass of fragmented information: the wall, the strange carvings, the narrow and dangerous breach, the massive yet gentle energy core deep within that emitted a disruptive force field, and the unstable quicksand at the entrance on the verge of collapse!
Lin Xia's eyes snapped open, his dark golden pupils blazing with a terrifying light!
In an instant, he understood Larvitar's situation and the complex information it had transmitted!
A ruin buried deep underground!
A mysterious energy core that could attract Larvitar and even resonate with its Phoenix Divine Mark!
And the deadly threat of quicksand!
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xia's powerful spiritual power acted like an invisible anchor, locking firmly onto Larvitar deep underground through their contract. At the same time, he issued a clear and decisive command:
"Larvitar! Retreat! Pull back immediately! Do not risk entering!"
The moment the command was given, he was already prepared to activate the contract recall at any time.
No matter how precious the underground ruins or treasures were, they meant nothing compared to Larvitar's safety!
However, at the very instant his spiritual power reached peak concentration, something changed abruptly!
Rumble—!!!
The ground beneath Lin Xia suddenly began to tremble violently without any warning, as if a slumbering earth dragon had awakened!
The sand where he had been sitting, directly above the entrance Larvitar had dug, began to churn and collapse like boiling water!
A massive funnel-shaped quicksand vortex, over ten meters in diameter, formed instantly. Its terrifying suction was like countless invisible hands, gripping Lin Xia's legs tightly, trying to drag him into the bottomless, devouring abyss below!
Lin Xia's expression changed drastically!
This was not natural quicksand!
The scale of the collapse, the speed, and the explosive suction, this was absolutely abnormal!
Was it caused by a sudden surge from the ruin's energy core?
Or had Larvitar's actions below triggered some ancient defensive mechanism?
The roaring of the quicksand drowned out everything!
Lin Xia felt the ground beneath him vanish as his body was uncontrollably pulled downward!
He desperately unleashed his soul power, fully activating the Sand Power ability, trying to manipulate the surrounding sand to form support.
But the suction beneath his feet was far beyond imagination, and a strange energy fluctuation interfered with his control over the sand!
"Damn it!"
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