The distance of one hundred meters was not that far anyway. The sisters indeed were not bragging. This distance was nothing to them.

After two minutes, the sisters appeared from the water with Li Mu. After coming ashore, hurriedly, he tried to take off the cover on his head but to no avail.

Shen Zixing came over to help him. With a single tap on him, the Water Purifying Worm shrank. Subsequently, it returned to its original form. At once, she got hold of it and put it into her mouth.

Lin Wan, who was rushing over to them, saw what she did and felt angry yet amused. Shen Ming’er pouted her lip and said, “Miss Lin, please give me one, too!”

Lin Wan took the worm from her head and threw it over to her, “Here you go!”

The girl caught it and swallowed it happily.

Li Mu did not bother to care about what was happening. He squatted by the water and kept washing his head and face. After scrubbing for quite a while, finally, the stinky smell on his head was gone.

Everyone went ashore one after another. And after washing up, they began to observe the surrounding environment.

It was an underground cavern. The surrounding was deep and dark. There were inlaid pieces of luminous ore, emitting a faint light on the stone pillars and the cave wall.

Shen Zixing turned on the flashlight and looked around. Suddenly, she pointed in a direction and said, “Brother Mu, there is a stone monument with words on it!”

All of them walked over and came in front of the stone monument. With the help of the torchlight, the group saw the words on it — Dream Valley.

Behind the stone monument, there was a dark tunnel that led to somewhere unknown.

Li Mu asked in surprise, “Isn’t it the entrance to the gold mine? Why did it turn out to be a valley? What is this exactly? It’s a gimmick or magic?”

“It’s the mine protection gimmick of the Shen Family. We’ll reach the gold mine after passing through this valley. This gimmick is not that dangerous. Don’t worry. Just come with me.” Shen Zixing explained.

“Don’t rush into it. Let’s discuss what to do before setting off!”

Li Mu stopped the sisters and asked Mrs. Hong, “Mrs. Hong, what do you think?”

“The Shen Family was previously known as the Sheng Family. They are the experts in formations and gimmicks. I’ve heard about this Dream Valley before.”

“Our last name is Shen, not Sheng!” Shen Zixing corrected her.

“Your ancestors’ last name was Sheng and your elders changed the last name to Shen during the escape. You’re still very young. I guess your elders didn’t have time to tell you about it. You can ask them about it after you return home.”

“We’re not going back there. We’ll be wherever Brother Mu is. We’ll go back if he goes back with us!” Shen Zixing said immediately.

Her sister shared the same thought as hers, of course.

Lin Wan frowned and did not say anything.

Mrs. Hong smiled and continued saying, “Actually, Dream Valley is an illusion formation. After entering it, one will start having hallucinations and get trapped until he dies. This formation is considered the treasure of their family. It’s powerful yet costs them a lot. Unexpectedly, they use it to protect their gold mine.”

“There is one outside of our village too. We’ll show you where it is if there is an opportunity next time.” Shen Ming’er said proudly.

The Lin Family members were a little embarrassed because they had already seen it. They had seen the protection formation and even had dug their parents’ graves. If they knew about it, they probably would not want to befriend them anymore.

After listening to her, Li Mu was somewhat relieved. He knew that this kind of illusion formation was harmless to the Shen Family member. As long as the sisters were with him, he would be safe.

While thinking of it, he said to the rest of them, “Let’s follow their lead then. We’ll easily get through this illusion formation with them leading the way.”

The girls took the lead while switching on their flashlights and walking in the front. The others followed them behind and got into the tunnel one after another. The path was rugged and long and the terrain was also undulating. Sometimes, they would have to climb upwards and then downwards. They felt as if they were walking on a hillside.

After walking for about twenty minutes, a light appeared in front of them. Shen Zixing shouted, “We’re almost at the entrance of the formation. Hurry up and follow me closely!”

Suddenly, Li Mu had a bad feeling about it, as if it was a cursed land. He did not know why he had this idea. But his instinct told him not to move forward anymore.

“Wait a minute. Don’t...”

Before he could stop the sisters, they had already left the tunnel and walked past the entrance of the illusion formation. Li Mu secretly cursed and pulled Lin Wan to enter it together.

The scene before them was a red valley. It had a red sky, red ground, and red stones. The sisters stood nearby and stared at the valley in a daze.

The rest got into the formation one after another. Mrs. Hong frowned and said, “I feel uncomfortable here. It seems to be a cursed land!”

Lin Wan immediately agreed, “Yeah. It looks strange to me. I don’t feel good here either!”

Li Mu looked afar and saw nothing in front of them. There was not even a plant around them except all the stones.

This valley was so barren that there was even no grass here.

A mist had covered the valley and all of them could not see what was ahead of them. The group could only see the stones around them, which looked extremely strange. All of them were blood-red in color, which made them feel very uncomfortable.

Li Mu hesitated a little, as they had to choose between the two options. They could either continue the journey or go back. If they decided to move forward, they might probably encounter dangers. If they decided to go back, they would die anyway.

Li Mu felt that he should go to ask the guide so he shouted at Shen Zixing, “Zixing, what are you looking at? Should we go forward now?”

The sisters did not respond to him and remained standing with a stunning face.

Li Mu walked over and found that they were still looking at the valley. Their faces looked anxious and hesitant.

“What’s going on with you?”

“The formation has been activated!” Shen Zixing murmured.

As she was saying it, suddenly she got a shock and said immediately, “Brother Mu, why are you here? It’s dangerous here. Get out of here immediately!”

As she spoke to him, she pushed him backward. Suddenly, she exclaimed, “Brother Mu, the entrance is gone!”

Everyone was shocked when they heard her words. Hurriedly, they turned around to check the entrance. As expected, it had disappeared. Behind them was an endless valley that was full of those strange stones.

He Xiaoyu walked towards Li Mu and said shiveringly, “Li Mu, I’m scared!”

Li Mu patted her shoulder and said, “Don’t be afraid. Follow me closely and stick to the group!”

Mrs. Hong observed the surroundings. With a frown, she said, “Li Mu, the illusion formation is activated!”

“What is happening now, Zixing? Why did it activate itself?” Li Mu forced himself to calm down and tried to keep his tone of voice as calm as possible.

Though he did not know what protection formation activation was all about and how dangerous it was, he realized they were in trouble again.

“Brother Mu, I don’t know what’s going on too. Our identity as a Shen somehow could not stop the formation from activating. It’s activated now and we can’t get out of here anymore.” Shen Zixing said depressingly.

“Calm down. You must calm yourself down now.” Li Mu said to himself. Li Mu repeatedly reminded himself not to say anything unhelpful because complaints and getting angry would not help solve the problem. He would have to think calmly to find the solution to resolve this trouble.

Li Mu carried Shen Zixing in his arms and said in her ear, “It’s okay. I’m here for you. I’m here with you. Don’t worry.”

“Brother Mu, I’m sorry!” Shen Zixing kept apologizing and looked as if she would cry anytime.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry. Let’s find a solution together. Tell me. Do you know this protection formation well enough?”

Shen Zixing nodded and explained to him, “Brother Mu, Dream Valley has both the elements of magic and gimmick in it. It’s the most powerful weapon of our family. However, it should be ineffective for the family members. Even an ordinary member can walk through it without encountering any danger. Who knows...”

“Okay. But why had it turned out this way then? Never mind. Let’s stop thinking about it anymore. By the way, do you know the way to break the magic? In other words, do you have any ways to lead us out of here?”

Shen Zixing shook her head sadly and said in a low voice, “In order to protect its effectiveness, our family has never passed down the way to break the magic. I don’t know how to do it either. According to my master, there is no way to break it. Even if they used to have one, our ancestors had already destroyed it.”

“I see. Their ancestor worried that their clansmen would leak the way to break the magic and turn their most powerful weapon into a waste. Therefore, they decided not to tell anyone how to break the magic and only teach them about the formation. The way this family does is so extreme.” He thought.

Lin Wan also came over and asked Shen Zixing softly, “Zixing, what will happen after the formation is activated? Do you know about it?”

Shen Zixing shook her head and said apologetically, “All the illusion formations use the same material and method. However, their contents are totally different. No one knows what will happen in each formation. However, I know that there are three levels in total. If we can pass through all of them, we’ll get out of the formation safely.”

A few of them started discussing and all agreed that they could not retreat anymore. Since the group had come to this place, they had no choice but to continue moving forward. There was no way for them to retreat anyway. They had to continue walking and pass through the formation now!

Li Mu immediately walked in the forefront, beckoning the others to follow. The group walked down the valley, looking around as they walked.

The visibility here was very low. And there was a kind of strange substance floating around in the air. It was neither fog nor light. And it was as if the group was walking inside a jelly.

Li Mu looked down and observed the stones. The more he looked at it, the more frightened he became. Finally, he said in horror, “D*mn it! They’re not stones. Look carefully, guys. What do you think they are?”

The rest of them lowered their heads to check on them. Suddenly, He Xiaoyu shouted, “Ah! They are human skulls!”

After she said that, the rest examined them again. Indeed, they were human skulls. Though they were without any human features, the group could see the outline of their facial features.

He Xiaoyu asked in tremble, “They’re red in color because of their blood, aren’t they?”

Li Mu squatted and observed them. Then, he said in a low voice, “Yes and no. They’re skinless. So I think it’s the color of their flesh.”

He Xiaoyu felt very uncomfortable stepping on these stones. She felt like going to break down very soon.

Mrs. Hong stomped the stones and comforted her, “Xiaoyu, there is nothing to be afraid of. All these are weathered stones. I’m not sure what they used to be. But one thing I know for sure, that they’re just stones now.”