Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies Chapter 1267: Entrance to the Demon Kingdom

Zhang Yi reached the region under Great Snow Mountain and uncovered a gigantic underground karst cave.

Without a map in hand, he was forced to probe the area gradually.

This region was indeed immense, precisely as Pagyi Gesang described. The combined might of the four great families would still demand vast manpower and resources for a complete survey.

Little wonder the four great families opted to unite forces and venture inside jointly following the Prayer Festival.

For Zhang Yi, though, missing a map was merely a small hurdle; he enjoyed abundant time and superior skills.

Employing the Smart System devices he carried, Zhang Yi methodically discerned the karst cave's broad configuration.

An underground river connected through it, spanning hundreds of kilometers from southeast toward northwest.

Yet this represented just the portion scanned by his gear. In truth, factoring in the underground river's course, it probably stretched across the full span of Kunlun Mountains reaching into the Sichuan-Chongqing region.

Legends pinpointed the Demon Kingdom's site directly below Great Snow Mountain, so it couldn't stray too distant.

In more than two thousand years, no substantial geological shifts had taken place.

Whoosh!

Once he comprehended the area's overall terrain, Zhang Yi activated his spatial traversal power to swiftly scour the depths below.

In just minutes, he had scoured nearly every inch of the vast karst cave space under Great Snow Mountain.

His findings? Merely heaps of cattle and sheep bones from ancient sacrifices, forming modest mounds, with zero hints of buried ruins.

"Nothing here? Maybe it's located elsewhere?"

Zhang Yi creased his brow, overcome with doubt and wariness.

Right then, his acute spatial awareness picked up on another presence close by.

He instantly teleported into the rock stratum in front without a second thought.

Manifold Phenomena's spatial barrier shrouded his form entirely, rendering him undetectable.

Nevertheless, Zhang Yi retained clear vision of the exterior surroundings.

Moments later, a human silhouette appeared from a different section of the karst cave.

The figure, dressed in a black combat suit, treaded carefully over the damp cave stones, advancing steadily toward Zhang Yi's position.

Zhang Yi's eyes sharpened as he drew White Owl in his right hand, leveling it at the oncoming figure.

The individual strode right past Zhang Yi's spot, pressing onward into the cave's depths.

A chill flickered in Zhang Yi's gaze.

"Looks like others share my intentions."

The four great families had pledged to assemble their map fragments and proceed to the Demon Kingdom's entrance post-Prayer Festival.

Evidently, not all proved reliable; certain ones yearned to claim the Demon Kingdom's treasures first.

Lacking any clues himself, Zhang Yi chose to shadow the figure discreetly.

Guarded by Manifold Phenomena and the Hidden Dragon armor's optical stealth, no one would detect his tailing unless actively hunting for him, not even the keenest observer.

The figure displayed intimate knowledge of the subterranean routes, progressing without any delay.

Before long, he arrived at an underground precipice.

Suspended in the overhead gloom, Zhang Yi observed the scene with icy detachment.

He had traversed this precipice previously, noting its depths crammed with sacrificial bones from cattle, sheep, and humans.

The black combat-suited man scanned warily side to side before vaulting over the cliff's brink.

Instantly, a pair of colossal golden wings burst forth from his back amid a "whoosh."

Brilliant golden glow flooded hundreds of meters of the subterranean expanse. Those wings resembled masterpieces hammered from solid gold, exquisitely artistic, every feather aglow with dazzling luster.

A single wingbeat propelled him aloft before he plunged rapidly downward.

Zhang Yi shadowed him in utter silence.

As the black-clad man touched down, Zhang Yi perceived a concealed realm beneath. Viewed from above, the cliff resembled a mere elongated crevice, yet the chamber below sprawled enormously.

Upon landing, the black-clad man clapped his palms and started chanting softly.

Via the Smart System's interpretation, Zhang Yi recognized it as an archaic Sanskrit incantation.

With the black-clad man's chanting, a thread of golden radiance gradually seeped from his frame.

Cliff-bottom bones numbering in the masses quaked ferociously.

Sacrificial bone mounds rattled as though winnowed apart.

In front of the black-clad man, a bone-stacked hillock surged upward like an advancing wave.

"Clatter! Clatter!"

Bones cascaded down one after another, skulls tumbling across the ground.

The bone mound erupted in a "Boom!" collapse.

Directly ahead of the black-clad man, a colossal dark well stood exposed.

From his shadowed vantage, Zhang Yi locked his stare on that immense well.

"Is this the Demon Kingdom entrance?"

Zhang Yi eyed the black-clad man, a pondering spark igniting in his gaze.

The black-clad man leaped into the well resolutely, without delay.

Zhang Yi paused briefly, invoked All Things Follow Traces to secure the forward route, then pursued at speed.

Time-manipulating powers granted foresight against looming threats.

Spatial talents permitted instantaneous flight from deadly binds.

Having arrived and beheld this enigmatic person and spectacle, Zhang Yi had no intention of forgoing the pursuit.

This intruder undoubtedly sought the fabled Demon Kingdom treasure.

Descending the prolonged shadowy well, Zhang Yi trailed the black-clad man into a subterranean domain.

Smaller than the overlying karst cave, this space evoked a isolated valley.

Uplifted stone barriers ringed it, confining a modest zone of several thousand square meters.

But the instant Zhang Yi entered, his eyes fell upon his quarry.

A gate.

An authentic behemoth of a gate, shrouded in somber darkness. Whether metal or stone proved unclear, it exuded a menacing blackish-blue aura.

The titanic gate was set into the underground chamber's rock face, soaring over fifty meters tall and spanning roughly twenty meters across.

Antique Sanskrit runes embellished its surface, apparently forming a sealing mechanism. Brutal warfare scenes were etched upon the gate.

The depictions proved straightforward: a champion rallying myriad troops to vanquish savage demons, herding them into a shadowy cavern.

Assuming the inference held, this illustrated King Gesar's triumph over the Demon Kingdom, imprisoning it below Great Snow Mountain.

"Could this be the portal to the Demon Kingdom?"

Zhang Yi never anticipated the Demon Kingdom gate's tangible existence; he'd dismissed it as mere allegory.

After all, a gate implied access in and out.

Given King Gesar's suppression of the Demon Kingdom ages ago, he wouldn't permit their return to the Snowy Plateau; all portals ought to be utterly sealed.

Then why preserve this gate?

Did King Gesar recognize the impossibility of fully quashing subterranean powers?

Or had he bequeathed it as a hoard for posterity?