Tremors

"The mysterious figure called for help and drew me here, yet now there's no response whatsoever. That means they were either rescued by someone or died here—in any case, they're most likely gone... "Tan Hao took action, but only his aura remains here, with no sign of an opponent. Could it be that he was unraveling the restrictions under the mysterious figure's guidance? "Chen Heng probably came here as well, though he didn't lift a finger to save anyone. "The Heavenly Corpse Sect's treasures stored in the grand hall must have fallen into Chen Heng's hands, right? How else could he know corpse refinement? That fellow likely snatched the treasures and fled, never intending to rescue anyone at all—shrewd and cunning indeed." Thinking up to this point, Qin Sang immediately realized that this mysterious figure was precisely who he had been looking for! *Tan Hao was swayed by the mysterious figure and stepped forward to help her break free. At the very least, this means she had something to bargain with. And Tan Hao's sole purpose was to awaken Tan Jie; he had long cast his own life and death aside. That condition would move him most! The question is, did Tan Hao succeed, and where did they go?* Qin Sang rose swiftly to his feet and began searching the water at once, sure enough finding sharp gold qi in other places as well. Tan Hao had been guided by the mysterious figure and could even coordinate with her to attack the seal from both inside and out. Qin Sang, being alone, could only follow the distribution patterns of this sharp gold qi, patiently unraveling the seal step by step to locate the sealed space in hopes of discovering something. With no one to disturb him in the secret realm, Qin Sang and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly patiently set about analyzing the seal. To his surprise, however, the seal was grander than he had imagined; he was certain that contemporary cultivators did not possess such strength. The mysterious figure's background was becoming increasingly obvious—very likely hailing from the same era as Bai. Day after day slipped by. Qin Sang spent fully ten-odd days before gradually piecing together some clues. On this day, he appeared beside the altar, demonic banners encircling him as the Jinchen Sword flew out on its own. Like a swimming fish, it darted freely through the water; though seemingly random, it was actually prying open the nodes of the seal one by one. With Qin Sang's actions, the surface of the water lost its calm, suddenly churning into tumbling waves. Undercurrents formed beneath the surface, carrying immense surging force. Qin Sang circulated his true essence to protect himself, oblivious to the tumult around him as he followed the Jinchen Sword's movements, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly gently fluttering its wings upon his shoulder. Following his and the Jinchen Sword's progress, the chaos in the water grew increasingly violent. Restrictions flickered into visibility in some spots only to vanish in an instant, yet immediately set off another stretch of water. This place was like a vast ocean woven from restrictions, peerless in its complexity. Had it not been for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and the traces left behind from Tan Hao breaking the restriction, Qin Sang had no idea how long he would have had to spend deciphering it. Gradually, a layer of the seal's mysterious veil was peeled away. *Rumble...* Cascades of waves completely shattered the tranquility of the space. Standing before the exit, Fat Rooster grew nervous at the sight below and flapped its wings, sparks of lightning flashing as it guarded the exit to prevent the disturbances from affecting the outside world. Meanwhile, underwater, everything turned pitch-black. Sensing the forces in the water becoming increasingly turbulent, Qin Sang broke through the surface, leaving only the Jinchen Sword behind. The sword's glow drifted up and down beneath the water, looming indistinctly. Just then, a mass of shadow inexplicably appeared upon the altar. The unexpected turn made Qin Sang's eyes narrow. He stared fixedly at the altar, yet the Jinchen Sword's movements did not halt. The moment the dark shadow appeared, it shifted rapidly. The power of the seal converged upon it, gradually forming the nascent shape of a whirlpool at the bottom of the water, its base connecting to the dead center of the altar! The whirlpool formed, leading to parts unknown. Yet the water here did not diminish in the slightest, showing that the whirlpool was merely a manifestation of the sealing power. Just as the whirlpool was on the verge of fully forming, Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly, and he abruptly recalled the Jinchen Sword. The whirlpool instantly dissipated, and the sealing power dispersed back into the water. The surface quickly smoothed over again, devoid of the slightest trace of disorder, leaving one to wonder whether it had all been an illusion. "Triggering the whirlpool was this easy. From this, it's clear the seal was definitely broken before, this passage has been opened, and Tan Hao likely entered." Qin Sang analyzed the sight the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had just observed. *The whirlpool leads to the sealed space, but there is no reaction from inside. If I want to verify my conjectures and ascertain Tan Hao and the mysterious figure's whereabouts, I'll probably have to go take a look in person. To be safe when entering an unknown space, I might as well wait until the ebony sword finishes devouring before making a move...* The sword array required his natal spirit sword to unleash its greatest might, which would also afford him another strategy if he encountered danger. However, Qin Sang's primary consideration was that once his natal spirit sword advanced to a top-grade magic treasure, using Thunder Evasion alongside Sword Evasion would elevate his movement techniques to another level. When he set out for the Sin Abyss, the ebony sword was already close to finishing its consumption; it wouldn't take much longer. Fat Rooster was eager to try, but Qin Sang held it back. The other side was a sealed space; if they were plunged straight into danger upon entering, Fat Rooster wouldn't even have time to call for help. Qin Sang was very patient. He returned to the front of the grand hall, sat down cross-legged, and pondered the Seven Po Killing Array while waiting for the ebony sword. ... Entrance to the Abyss Ruins. This was a Sin Abyss forbidden ground, the deepest part of the Heavenly Scar. Yet this was still not the end. On the ground lay an enormous irregular void spanning thousands of zhang across. Within this cavity lay endless mystery and true darkness, seemingly capable of swallowing even one's gaze. From here, one could enter the Abyss Ruins—and the Sin God Palace lay hidden within the Abyss Ruins. Around the perimeter of the void, the Sin Abyss had erected a grand array. One purpose was to prevent scoundrels and infiltrators from slipping in. The importance of the Abyss Ruins and the Sin God Palace to the Sin Abyss cultivators went without saying, especially during wartime when they had to guard against sabotage by the Two Domains Alliance. The other purpose was to keep the forces within the Abyss Ruins from leaking out. At the edge of the void sat a white-haired elder and a Daoist wearing a tall cap. Judging by their auras, both were actually Nascent Soul Patriarchs personally guarding this place! Further out, squads of guards patrolled back and forth in an extraordinarily tight defense. The two Nascent Soul cultivators were very relaxed, seated cross-legged on rocks beside the void with their eyes closed in quiet cultivation. Suddenly, an unusual ripple emanated from deep within the void. Both Nascent Soul cultivators opened their eyes simultaneously, their gazes piercing like lightning as they looked directly into the void. A moment later, they exchanged a glance, and the white-haired elder said, "It should be the Sin God Palace. Calculating the time, half a year has passed since the last one. It's about time for the tremors to begin." The Daoist in the tall cap nodded. "This time, the Sin God Palace and the Ziwei Palace are clearly going to emerge ahead of schedule again. As we draw closer to the years of their emergence, the tremors of the Sin God Palace will become more and more frequent." As the two spoke, they flicked their fingers to send streams of flowing light sinking into the spirit array around the void. A moment later, bursts of strange radiance shone as the spirit array was activated, eventually forming a thin barrier of light that covered the void. Afterward, ripple after ripple appeared in succession. This continued for two days, during which several cultivators flew out from within. "It's coming! Have them come down." The white-haired elder spoke in a low voice and produced an exquisite iron bell, shaking it to produce a melodious chime. Guards shot through the air, landing one after another around the two Nascent Soul Patriarchs. Sensing the increasingly chaotic tremors within the void, they waited for what was to come.