"Rest assured, everyone. The might of the ancient restrictions cannot reach beyond the dark clouds, but if anyone barges inside, that is another matter entirely," Daoist Canghong said, half in explanation and half as a warning. "It seems Old Demon Ye is not here. Let us split up and proceed according to the plan."
By then, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had also carefully surveyed their surroundings, finding nothing unusual.
Qin Sang withdrew his gaze from the dark clouds and looked toward the depths of Sin God Palace.
This had once been an expansive complex of halls and palaces, yet now it was difficult to tell what they had been used for. Some had collapsed and others had crumbled, leaving scattered rocks everywhere amid broken walls and shattered ruins—not a single intact building was in sight.
It was an utter ruin!
Dense ancient restrictions drifted through the void, omnipresent. Compared to this place, the Abyss Ruins were mere child's play. Countless ancient restrictions intersected, layered atop one another, and influenced each other, rendering many areas extremely unstable and nearly impassable!
Only after generations of Sin Abyss cultivators had explored the area tirelessly were a few relatively safe paths discovered.
"Where is the passage to Ziwei Palace?" Daoist Zhenyi asked.
The others were curious as well. After observing for quite a while, none of them had discerned anything resembling the entrance of a passage.
"Up in the sky!"
Daoist Canghong looked up toward the depths of Sin God Palace. "It cannot be seen clearly from here. Once we cross these ruined halls, we will be able to see a spot where lightning gathers amid the dark clouds. The passage is hidden inside. Our predecessors noticed the anomaly there long ago and had their speculations, but the lightning spawned by the ancient restrictions was too terrifyingly powerful. Many attempted to probe it and gave up in the end, and one senior even perished inside."
"You searched the devils' souls and obtained the secret art to control the ancient restrictions?" someone chimed in to ask.
"Indeed," Daoist Canghong nodded. "The ancient restrictions around the passage are tied to Ziwei Palace in countless ways. Whenever Ziwei Palace falls dormant, the passage closes. Old Demon Ye had to wait until now to enter Ziwei Palace. Even so, we were too late to stop him. The celestial signs of the passage opening are subtle, making it difficult to judge his movements by that alone..."
Abandoning any false hope, the cultivators split into their assigned groups and ventured into the palace ruins.
Though they possessed survey maps, none dared to be careless. Qingjun and Lu Boyuan stood watch at the front and rear, shielding Qin Sang in the center as he employed the Heavenly Eye divine ability.
The expanse of the palace complex was vast; they had already walked for half an hour. Along the way, Qin Sang awakened both the fat silkworm and the Fire Jade Centipede, hoping they might sense any rare treasures or spirit herbs hidden here. Nor did he forget the sword spirit, keeping close watch on any changes in the killing sword.
The three secret realms were interconnected. Both Ziwei Palace and the Hall of Seven Kills held killing sword fragments, and Sin God Palace was likely no exception.
Perhaps this place had long since been picked clean; after traveling this far, neither spirit insect had reacted, and the sword spirit showed no sign of stirring.
The path twisted and turned.
After traveling an unknown distance, Qingjun, who was leading the way, came to a halt and said softly, "We're out!"
Beyond the ruins, the atmosphere remained dim and oppressive.
Once they stepped out of the ruins, they indeed caught sight of the place Daoist Canghong had described.
In the dark clouds deep within Sin God Palace, flashes of lightning occurred more frequently than on the outside. As though drawn by something, a portion of the bolts continually bombarded a single location.
However, it was still far away and impossible to see clearly.
Ahead lay chain upon chain of shadowy mountains. Iron cables crisscrossed the peaks, and the ruins of ancient fortresses could be vaguely discerned.
Flying was ill-advised in such a place. The party paused briefly, then channeled their movement techniques and darted toward the mountains.
The peaks were treacherous, with precipices everywhere, linked together by iron chains as thick as a man's embrace. Gusts of sinister wind blew past, chilling to the bone. Even though everyone was a Nascent Soul cultivator, the cold seeped into them as they traversed the iron chains, turning their faces pale.
Crossing peak after frigid peak, they made no discoveries of value.
Beyond the mountains lay an expansive swamp.
Qingjun took out a survey map and looked toward a direction in the marsh. "One of the forbidden grounds is here. The foul mire of the swamp is corrosive, growing more potent the farther we go. Everyone, be careful."
The group summoned their respective magic treasures, hovering half a man's height above the ground as they swept toward their destination.
Along the way, they encountered ruins here and there. Some had been completely destroyed, while others still flickered with faint, hovering light, yet all lay in utter disrepair. Judging by their structures, these ruins closely resembled cages, making one wonder how many people had once been imprisoned in this vast swamp.
Passing countless cages, they finally arrived before the forbidden ground.
The reason this place was called a forbidden ground was that it was exceptionally peculiar, completely different from the cages elsewhere. This vast area was surrounded by empty space, with the other cages clearly built circling around it—at a glance, it was the central core.
Ancient restrictions densely blanketed the forbidden ground, dark as ink. Merely standing outside filled everyone with an ominous premonition of danger.
Above the forbidden ground, four gray stone pillars jutted out, with only their very tops exposed, almost reaching the dark clouds.
Upon arriving, the group immediately made a discovery. "The forbidden ground has been opened! Old Demon Ye has been here!"
Outside the forbidden ground lay a stretch of stone path leading to a black door. At this moment, the iron lock on the door had been torn apart, and the restrictions were broken!
*Whoosh!*
Reacting with utmost speed, everyone instantly fanned out and assumed battle formation.
The door stood half ajar, a dead silence reigning within.
Someone said doubtfully, "Could Old Demon Ye be setting a trap of false clues to slow us down?"
"It is possible!" Skilled and daring, Qingjun replied, "Let us go in and look before deciding whether to notify the others."
The cultivators landed on the stone path and cautiously entered.
The traces left by Old Demon Ye were evident, leading straight to the end of the stone path. Along the way, door after door had been smashed open.
Without incident, the group reached the depths of the forbidden ground.
"Only the last few layers remain before we reach the core of the forbidden ground. If Old Demon Ye is inside, we had better call for reinforcements first," Lu Boyuan stopped Qingjun and sent a voice transmission.
Quietly retreating from the forbidden ground, the group employed communication methods to notify the other two contingents, then deployed their formation at the entrance.
Meanwhile, Daoist Canghong and Demon Monarch Tongyou were leading their respective teams to explore the other two forbidden grounds in Sin God Palace.
Those places also bore traces left by Old Demon Ye, but they soon realized the signs were fake, existing only along the outer perimeter of the forbidden grounds.
Upon receiving Qingjun's transmission, both groups promptly set out, rushing toward the swamp's forbidden ground.
At this time, Qin Sang and his companions guarded the entrance outside, discussing their subsequent plans while waiting for the others.
Right then, Qin Sang's peripheral vision caught sight of the depths of the dark clouds. Suddenly sensing that something was amiss where the passage was located, he snapped his head up to look.
The others also noticed the anomaly.
The lightning around the passage was showing signs of growing increasingly violent. At the center of the lightning, a ring of lightning the size of a millstone gradually emerged.
At first, the ring of lightning was slender and small, but as time passed, it grew larger and larger.
From the center of the ring of lightning, waves of five-colored light erupted outward, scattering in all directions once they fell into the void.
The cultivators looked at one another in dismay.
Several Sin Abyss cultivators accompanying them wore blank, bewildered expressions.
Never before—not even when the passage opened in the past—had such a phenomenon occurred!
Chapter 1330