Following the direction of Chen Bugu's finger, Han Badou and the others could clearly see the stone platform.
Rather than a stone platform, it was more like a giant black rock, but its external shape was too regular, making it resemble a pillar-like high platform.
They also knew that the stone platform must be extraordinary; after all, appearing so abruptly in this space, completely out of place with everything around it, how could there not be something fishy about it?
Besides this stone platform, the place was empty, as if this space existed solely for this stone platform.
Therefore, even if Chen Bugu hadn't said anything, Han Badou's next plan would inevitably be to first explore the unique aspects of this stone platform.
As Chen Bugu pointed it out, the group arrived around the stone platform.
Observing it up close, the group found the stone platform even more miraculous.
It was naturally formed, as if it grew out of the ground, yet its surface was incredibly smooth, and the black stone wall's surface could even reflect everyone's appearance.
"Ah, why am I so dirty? It seems I really need a good wash when I get back."
Every side of the stone platform was like a huge full-length mirror. Lin Xiaoxiao looked at her reflection and sighed.
Han Badou ran his hand over the surface of the stone platform, then looked down at his palm.
He seemed to have discovered something, quickly walking around the stone platform in a circle, constantly pressing his hand against its surface.
"Han Badou, did you find anything?"
Yan Kuan saw Han Badou's quick steps and immediately asked.
"It's a bit strange. Look closely, this stone is located underground, yet it's spotless, truly spotless in the literal sense."
Han Badou stopped in front of the group, squatted on the ground, grabbed a handful of gravel and dust, then tossed it forward. The surface of the stone platform seemed to turn into a phantom, easily penetrated by the gravel and dust.
Han Badou stretched out his hands, pressing them against the stone platform, yet he could clearly feel a physical sensation.
"Oh, right, I also found something. Inside this stone, I can't feel the presence of any Earth Element. This is the first time I've seen such a situation."
Yan Kuan, after seeing Han Badou's series of actions, also expressed his surprise.
"What exactly is this thing?"
After speaking, the group simultaneously looked at Chen Bugu, waiting for his answer.
"This is a Free Secret Realm's carrier stone, but it requires a medium to activate, and its medium is not in our hands."
"Its medium is called a trigger stone. You can understand it as a 'key'. But it's not just a 'key'; it's also a 'treasure map'. The owner of the trigger stone can roughly sense the location of the carrier stone through this medium."
When Chen Bugu saw this stone, he gained a new understanding of the commission Bai Ting and his group had taken.
The issuer of the commission was most likely the holder of the trigger stone, and through it, sensed that the "Free Secret Realm" was located within this cave. Perhaps due to some special circumstances, the other party could not freely explore this area. To cover their tracks, they fabricated a commission, hiring vagrants from the camp to investigate the situation in the cave.
Even if the hired team of vagrants discovered and recognized this "Free Secret Realm" carrier stone, without the trigger stone, they would not be able to activate the secret realm.
If the hired team could leave this place alive, and assuming they couldn't find the liuguang jade, this information would most likely become their bargaining chip for compensation.
This way, the issuer of the commission not only obtained the information they truly wanted but also ensured the safety of the information. After all, making a group of vagrants outside the city disappear was much simpler than dealing with a few city residents.
Therefore, this information appeared in the camp and not in the commission hall within High Heaven City.
For those powerful city residents, vagrants' lives were like grass, and their disappearance would not attract attention; on the contrary, once a city resident knew this information, even without the trigger stone, for the sake of profit, they would find a way to bite a piece of flesh off the commission issuer.
So, in the previous life, those last few teams that explored the "No Return Cave" not only suffered heavy casualties but eventually vanished, most likely completely eliminated by the commissioner...
Chen Bugu thought while explaining his speculation to the others.
The more Bai Ting and the others listened, the uglier their faces became, but undeniably, Chen Bugu's speculation had a high probability of being the truth.
"So, they issued a commission that couldn't be completed, using our lives to scout the way for them? Even if we could survive the Juyuan Beast and return with the information, we would ultimately become the most tight-lipped dead people?"
Yan Kuan said through gritted teeth, unable to believe that their group would be played for fools.
"This is just my speculation. After all, there are still some parts I can't understand. What exactly happened, we'll have to investigate slowly after we get out. At least we need to know who issued the commission first."
Chen Bugu looked at their grim faces and could only try to comfort them.
"We almost died here, and in the end, it's all for nothing?" Lin Xiaoxiao was a bit unwilling.
"Kuan Ge, Xiao Xiao, don't worry. Didn't Chen Dage say? He told us to treat the trigger stone as a 'key'. Since it's a 'key', then this Free Secret Realm is ours, right, Chen Dage?"
Han Badou turned to ask Chen Bugu. He always seemed to be the first to understand Chen Bugu's meaning.
The most crucial thing was that, through emotional perception, he could sense Chen Bugu's emotions, which showed no regret, but rather a subtle joy.
"Ba Dou, you fellow..." Chen Bugu smiled.
"What is a Free Secret Realm? According to your speculation, this thing is worth the commission issuer putting so much effort into it, so it must be extraordinary." Bai Ting also reacted and continued to ask.
"A Free Secret Realm, indeed, it's a good thing. Let's put it this way, the essence of a Free Secret Realm is still a secret realm. There are no clear tasks in this secret realm; you can explore freely, and whatever you explore, you gain. That's why it's called a Free Secret Realm."
"If that's the case, how do we leave the secret realm?"
"This is the most attractive point of the Free Secret Realm: there's only one way to leave the secret realm, and that is death!"
After Chen Bugu finished speaking, everyone stared at him in silence, waiting for the mystery to be revealed.
"Alright, death isn't actual death. When we 'die' in the secret realm, we will exit the secret realm and return to this place. In other words, from the moment we enter the Free Secret Realm, we gain an extra life. This is why the Free Secret Realm is so precious: because no one truly dies, yet there are genuine rewards."
Upon hearing this, Yan Kuan and the others' eyes lit up, as if they had discovered a treasure.
"Then isn't this a free dungeon with zero death rate that can be repeatedly farmed? There's actually such a good thing? Hahaha, this can almost be called a BUG."
"Then you're thinking too much. A 'treasure chest' only has surprises when opened for the first time."
Chen Bugu knew very well that a Free Secret Realm was almost impossible to come by. Precisely because of this, the fellow holding the trigger stone was so cautious, even commissioning these vagrants to scout ahead to ensure nothing went wrong.
Chen Bugu was also unsure if there was a connection between the existence of the Juyuan Beast King and this "Free Secret Realm."
But one thing he could be sure of was that the commissioner had miscalculated.
You know, since they were vagrants, it was reasonable for them to master some "lock-picking" skills, right?
Chen Bugu placed his hands on the black stone platform, his eyes flashing with purple light, activating Breaking at full power.
Yan Kuan and the others noticed that the black stone platform in front of them suddenly emitted a faint glow, and then, cracks appeared on the smooth stone wall's surface.
Once the cracks appeared, they spread rapidly.
As Chen Bugu's mental energy continuously drained, he also pushed forward slightly with his hands.
Finally, the stone wall shattered with a crash, revealing a mysterious black mist.
The black mist swirled in a vortex, with countless stars twinkling within, like a shimmering galaxy, drawing people into its depths.
Chen Bugu resisted the urge, turned his head, and looked at everyone.
"Get ready, partners, it's time to collect the reward for this commission~"
