Sun Lingtong was filled with shock and uncertainty.
At this moment, his mind raced, quickly reviewing everything that had just happened.
"How exactly did I fall victim to the Petrification Technique?"
The skin on his hands was still turning to stone, and Sun Lingtong carefully discerned, confirming that the Petrification Technique was quite profound; he couldn't detect any specific details.
"This is a trap, deadly without consequence! Before me, there may have already been many victims."
"No, that's unlikely."
"If that were the case, then the hooded figures in black robes wouldn't have made such a showy pilgrimage to the mountain, holding a sacrifice, causing a fatality."
"And they didn't even dare to enter the cave, clearly acknowledging that the Transforming Spirit Level being still lives."
"I used the Magic Artifact to excavate treasures, which were then transported into the Mechanical Dragon. I also personally inspected everything afterward."
"The problem lies with these treasures!"
Sun Lingtong analyzed the situation, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
The Petrification Technique continued to erode him, and even the pressure of his Mana seemed to backfire, having the effect of a desperate remedy. As the Petrification Technique came into contact with his Mana, it benefited and the might of the enchantment began to increase.
"I can't go on like this, I must inform Little Zhuo about the situation immediately!"
"I can't lose track of that group of hooded cultivators, I must find them and extract some information through severe interrogation."
Sun Lingtong hastily began to self-rescue.
He controlled the Mechanical Dragon on one hand, immediately leaving the cave to chase after the departing hooded cultivators.
On the other hand, he wrote a Flying Message, directly delivering it to Ning Zhuo's room.
As for Ning Zhuo, after receiving a lecture from Sun Lingtong, he returned to his own bedroom.
At first, he was calm.
He subconsciously wanted to meditate for cultivation but remembered that Sun Lingtong had forbidden him from doing so.
He decided to lie in bed, determined to sleep.
Yet when he closed his eyes, he found himself unable to sleep.
Logically, he was not yet fully healed, and the aftereffects of Deviation were still lingering, causing him to be weary in body and mind. Under these circumstances, he should have fallen asleep with ease.
But reality was the opposite; Ning Zhuo tossed and turned, his eyeballs moving restlessly underneath his eyelids.
He took a deep breath and suddenly opened his eyes.
He stared blankly at the ceiling and after a while, his restlessness prompted him to sit up.
He didn't maintain this position for long before he got up and sat on the edge of the bed.
After sitting for a dozen breaths, he felt like sitting on thorns and was compelled to stand up.
Anxiety.
Frustration.
Various negative emotions rapidly multiplied.
"Brother Linghu was confined for so long, yet he could endure it, truly remarkable!"
"Boss Sun's teachings are indeed just."
"I can't even tolerate this idle time, feeling restless, thinking it's a waste of time."
"My mindset has changed subtly compared to before."
"Alas..."
Ning Zhuo felt so uncomfortable, reason told him to relax between periods of cultivation and work, yet swirling emotions caused him to pace around the room restlessly.
It was then that there came a knocking sound from the door.
Ning Zhuo opened the door and saw a Flying Message fly into the cabin, unfolding naturally in mid-air.
"What is Boss doing writing to me?"
Ning Zhuo was quite surprised, casting his gaze over it.
After reading it once, he understood the full story and his face changed color, "Boss is in trouble!"
With a flick of his finger, he lit a small flame, and it floated up, burning the Flying Message.
He immediately began writing a reply.
The Mechanical Dragon had an apparatus that allowed Sun Lingtong to transmit sound to Ning Zhuo's living cabin, but Sun Lingtong was worried that the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon might also be petrified, so he had begun to reduce his use of it as much as possible.
He was even more concerned for Ning Zhuo's safety, therefore he used a Flying Message to inform him of the incident and instructed him in the letter to burn the Flying Message immediately, and not to enter the Storage Cabin and the Dragon Head Cabin, and to stay as far away from Sun Lingtong as possible.
Ning Zhuo's Flying Message soon reached Sun Lingtong's hands.
"At least Little Zhuo is informed," Sun Lingtong sighed with relief, rapidly scanning the contents of the Flying Message.
In the letter, Ning Zhuo inquired about Sun Lingtong's injury and suggested breaking the code of a Flying Message that the hooded figures had intended to send into the cave but had been intercepted by Sun Lingtong.
But in fact, Sun Lingtong was already working on it.
The Flying Message was quickly decrypted; the sender hadn't even encrypted it.
Old Monster in Stone:
We, the cultivators of the Six Cave Sect, humbly adhere to the orders of the Demon Heart Cave Master, to hereby send this letter, sincerely inviting the Old Monster to awaken.
Our Six Cave Sect has long heard of the Old Monster's fame, greatly admiring the Earth Element Divine Power, terrifying all directions. As the royal army is currently exterminating the Thousand Peak Forest, the situation is dire, and we urgently require the Old Monster's assistance, to display Heavenly Might and share the joy of slaughter.
If you agree, the Six Cave Sect will certainly provide a generous reward!
...
"These people are actually from the Six Cave Sect?" Sun Lingtong was naturally already aware of the grudge between the Ning Family and the Six Cave Sect.
Sun Lingtong fixed his gaze on a particular line: "Being part of the Six Cave Sect, the Deputy General addresses the Old Monster in Stone and the Demon Heart Cave Master on equal terms..."
"Could it be that the Old Monster in Stone was originally a Nascent Soul Cultivator, who attempted a major breakthrough this time and failed, resulting in death?"
Sun Lingtong uncovered some key information, but it still wasn't enough.
Under his control, the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon easily kept up with the emissaries of the Six Cave Sect.
The emissaries hurried down the mountain and stood at the base, each taking out their mounts, all were Demon Beasts like lions and tigers.
They all wore anxious faces, deep wrinkles on their foreheads as they communicated with each other, not using Divine Sense this time, but speaking verbally.
Along the way, they discussed together how to report back.
Clearly, their mission had ended in failure this time, leaving them under great pressure.