With the portal having opened stably, Lin Mu first peered into it. After all, he didn't know where the portal would lead to in the hidden plane. All Lin Mu knew was that it would link to it, but the exact location of it would be unknown.
'Don't want to walk literally into a prison of some sort…' Lin Mu thought to himself.
Extending his spirit sense into the portal, Lin Mu did a quick sweep of the area.
"What is this place?" Lin Mu found the area inside the portal to be very strange.
'My spirit sense is restricted?' Lin Mu was surprised.
No matter how much he tried to extend his spirit sense, it was as if trying to swim in mud. Even with the full force of his spirit sense, Lin Mu could only look around the immediate area around the portal.
"What's the issue? Is there a formation array restricting you?" Xukong asked.
"No… I don't think it's a formation array. The feeling is different. It's as if… there is something other than spirit Qi filling that area, making it hard for my spirit sense to move. It's also dense… as if a drop of water in a pool of mercury." Lin Mu explained.
Xukong's expression furrowed as he thought of possible options.
"How about you try a recording spirit tool and see what's inside first?" Xukong suggested.
"Yeah, I can try that." Lin Mu replied and took out a small mirror that was about the size of a palm.
It was a spirit tool that had formations that could record the scenes that were reflected on it. This was a rather expensive spirit tool and was classified as a high grade spirit tool. Lin Mu had obtained it from the Ripple Mist sect earlier.
He had several of these, but this one was the best of them and also the most durable. Which was important since Lin Mu didn't know what was hidden behind the portal.
~shua~
The small mirror entered the portal being held in Lin Mu's hand and stayed there for a few seconds, while Lin Mu turned it around. Once he was satisfied, Lin Mu pulled it back and activated it.
~shing~
A faint light flickered on the mirror, before a scene appeared on it.
"What's this?" Lin Mu looked at the micro which showed an empty room filled with dark smoke.
The smoke swirled around and let him glance at the empty room from between the smoke wisps. After a few seconds, Lin Mu also saw a closed door on one end of the room.
Xukong who also saw it though was surprise.
"That's Yin Qi…" Xukong revealed.
"THAT'S YIN QI?!" Lin Mu exclaimed, as this was different than he had seen.
"Indeed… it's in impure form though. Similar to the crystal from the ruins. Though there is certainly something else added to it as well." Xukong replied.
"I see… still we can enter it if its just that." Lin Mu said.
"If something does happen, you can always escape the place." Xukong reminded. "Keep your ring ready."
"Yes senior." Lin Mu said before looking at Little Shrubby. "I'll enter first, and tell you if its safe."
"Okay!" Little Shrubby responded in agreement.
Lin Mu nodded his head and entered the portal.
~shua~
He could feel the spirit Qi touching his skin disappearing and replacing it was the impure yin Qi. It felt like there was a weird gas hovering around it.
"Ugh… this is worse than the ruin." Lin Mu muttered as he activated the mortal strengthening scripture at full power.
It was surprising that the impure yin Qi could still affect him over the armor and even his gold skin. Usually they would prevent anything that could harm his body from reaching him. But this seemed to be rather different.
But now, Lin Mu could at least look at the room properly.
"There are vents on the sides." Lin Mu noticed what looked like grill plates attacked to the sides of the ceilings.
"Not just that, there are runes inscribed too." Xukong spoke up.
Lin Mu raised his brows and approached the walls to check closely, finding that it was true.
"Without spirit sense it's hard to perceive them." Lin Mu muttered and tried to read the runes.
After five minutes, he could make sense of it and realized what the runes were for.
"A channeling formation and a circulation formation? Is this room an exhaust?" Lin Mu wondered.
He had seen these formations being used in the refinement halls where alchemical pills or spirit tools were refined. Often times volatile and toxic fumes would be produced from them, that would need to be removed.
These formations would help in that and would send the fumes to another closed room that would be the exhaust room. Here they would either be stored in some other container or be purified if it was possible.
"Doesn't seem like there is any secondary processing here." Lin Mu said seeing the impure yin Qi just floating around.
"There is also a possibility that they simply have no way to process it further." Xukong replied.
"Mmm… that could be it too." Lin Mu said as he walked towards the door.
He held the hand and tried to move it but the door wouldn't budge. It wasn't just that the door was physically locked, but rather there was a formation sealing it.
"Time to take the wall then." Lin Mu casually said before he phased through it.
~huu~
Lin Mu could breathe fresh air again and found himself to be in an open corridor.
"Who're you?" A voice was heard from behind him.
Lin Mu's eyes snapped towards the voice before he blinked and appeared next to the person.
"UGH!" The man grunted in pain as his neck was clasped in Lin Mu's hand.
He looked at the man from top to bottom and checked him with spirit sense.
~CRACK~
Then a second later, Lin Mu tightened his grip, breaking the man's neck.
"Another tainted soul…" Lin Mu muttered as he stored the corpse in the ring.
