Destruction

"Two or three years." Qin Sang nodded slightly. That was plenty of time for him to think things through. Most importantly, it would allow him to restore the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman, giving him an extra layer of protection. As they spoke, the spirit bamboo flying boat traveled continuously through the underground. Just then, Yunyouzi's eyes lit up, and he raised a hand to point ahead. "Look there, Brother Qin!" Qin Sang followed his gaze and saw a hairline fissure on the circular restriction in the direction Yunyouzi was pointing, extending into a lava tributary ahead. They were still far from the stone stele, but the circular restriction clearly had more than one weak spot besides the trial space. They had chanced upon one. From the moment the upheaval began until now, the underground tremors had grown increasingly violent, and the impacts sustained by the circular restriction had become ever greater. It was only natural for cracks to appear in its weakest areas first. They might not necessarily find the trial space, so now that they had encountered a weak point, they naturally could not let it pass. Without needing to be told, Qin Sang understood Yunyouzi's intention. He immediately altered the spirit bamboo flying boat's course, charging along the fissure into that lava tributary. His gaze locked onto the crack, finally tracing it to its end. At the tip of the thread-thin fissure, a thumb-sized breach had formed. Here, the circular restriction glared with piercing radiance as its power strove to mend itself. However, the relentless shockwaves destabilized the restriction; not only was it unable to repair itself in time, but the breach was growing wider and wider. Above the opening, the ground had also split open into a crevice under the force of the tremors. Qin Sang and Yunyouzi exchanged a look and spoke in unison: "Worth a try!" With the fire spirit beasts in hot pursuit, they had no time to wait for the gap to collapse on its own. As they drew near the opening, both acted simultaneously. The ebony sword flashed out from between Qin Sang's brows. Its sword qi formed an array before the array's power instantly condensed into the blade. Yunyouzi summoned a verdant pearl the size of a longan. Translucent and crystalline, wind and thunder arose and perished within it, yin and yang alternating, as though a miniature world was evolving inside. The instant the pearl appeared, Qin Sang felt a faint sense of pressure and could not help being secretly startled. Qin Sang had only ever felt this kind of pressure from treasures on the level of magic treasures, like the Tianyin Conch and the Tiangang Saber Talisman. This pearl was somewhat similar to them, though the pressure was far slighter and could not truly compare to a real magic treasure. Yet this was enough to show the pearl's extraordinary nature. It was definitely the finest of top-grade magic tools, visibly on par with a Ten Directions Yanluo Banner. It seemed Yunyouzi's years of wandering had yielded no small harvest, even if he had failed to cure his hidden injuries. Both the spirit bamboo flying boat and this pearl were far from ordinary. "Go!" Yunyouzi barked out a shout, and the pearl trailed a streak of green light, slamming violently toward the breach. Not to be outdone, Qin Sang immediately spurred the ebony sword. In tandem with the pearl, it struck the circular restriction. Just as Qin Sang had expected, the pearl's might could certainly rival that of a Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, even surpassing his ebony sword by a notch. *Rumble!* Struck simultaneously by the pearl and the ebony sword, the restrictive power around the gap surged violently, stagnating for a brief instant. The window was fleeting, but it was enough. The spirit bamboo flying boat transformed into a beam of light, darting through the breach in the blink of an eye. The pursuing fire spirit beasts lost the duo's aura and gradually calmed down. The fissure in the earth was wide enough for people to pass through. Putting away their magic tools, the two flew upward. "What a fine treasure!" Qin Sang glanced at the pearl, an extraordinary glint flashing in his eyes as he praised it. A hint of pallor flitted across Yunyouzi's face, and he gave a wry smile. "This Flawless Pearl is indeed this old Daoist's greatest reliance. Alas, it consumes too much power—it's like a beast that devours spiritual power. Every time I use it, it drains my sea of qi dry. It's actually far less handy than your ebony sword, Brother Qin." ... Finally, they had escaped to safety. The moment Qin Sang flew out of the ground, he was immediately startled by the sight before him. Their position was roughly southwest of the stone stele, about equidistant from the stele and the Heavenly Peaks. The prominent stone stele in the distance was visible at a glance. A pungent, bizarre stench permeated the air. The sky in the west had completely changed, bathed in an eye-searing crimson. Cracks tore through the earth one after another, and lava gushed forth from deep underground like torrents, shooting high into the air before spreading out. The flame-like restriction had long since been torn to shreds. Beneath it, countless mountain peaks had toppled or collapsed, crumbling alongside the earth before being surrounded by boundless lava to become isolated islands. Countless fire spirit beasts could clearly be seen bobbing in the lava. The ancient cultivator's abandoned abode seemed on the verge of becoming a domain of fire spirit beasts. Even more astonishing was that all four Heavenly Peaks had begun to tilt. Two of them had already collided, shearing away half their structures in a collapse. Qin Sang recalled the initial tremor he had felt, casting a glance at the Heavenly Peak Sikong Muyue had descended from, wondering if that was the origin of the upheaval. Not only that, but Qin Sang noticed the very space of the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode appeared to be collapsing. Around the collapsed Heavenly Peak, one could see with the naked eye black lines traversing the void, some stretching for hundreds of feet. When fire spirit beasts or lava collided with these black lines, they vanished into thin air. They looked remarkably like the legendary spatial rifts! Qin Sang drew a sharp breath. The fierce battle between Old Man Dique and Daoist Xuan Yu had failed to shake those totem restrictions in the slightest. For some reason, this ancient cultivator's abandoned abode that had existed for so long was suddenly heading toward destruction. Could this place have already been on the verge of collapse, and they were merely the straw that broke the camel's back? "Brother Qin, we must leave quickly as well, lest we get caught up in this," Yunyouzi warned, pointing to the ground in the distance, looking much calmer than Qin Sang. The fissures across the earth were spreading outward at a pace visible to the naked eye. From time to time, the ground would buckle high into the air before an entire slab was flung aside, whereupon lava and fire spirit beasts would surge from underground, submerging the land in molten rock. The vegetation that had already been struggling to survive now met its true doomsday. By now, everyone was converging toward the exit's stone stele. A few figures hovered near the stone stele. Having arrived first, they were observing the situation. To the west, streaks of escape light raced forward in flight, some fast and some slow. Fortunately, not that many fire spirit beasts had burst out of the ground yet, so even those lagging behind did not have to worry about being spotted. Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Senior may go ahead. I still have a small matter to attend to." "Be careful, Junior Brother Qin. The destruction of the restrictions will only accelerate," Yunyouzi warned without prying. Stepping onto the spirit bamboo flying boat, he flew toward the stone stele. Watching Yunyouzi's figure disappear, Qin Sang pondered for a moment. His silhouette flickered and vanished. Doing the exact opposite of the others, he quietly made his way westward for a distance and concealed himself along the indispensable path leading toward the stone stele. Streak after streak of escape light swept past overhead. The lava and fire spirit beasts were drawing nearer. Qin Sang remained motionless. Only after the final streak of escape light flew past, with no sign of Ren Hong, did Qin Sang make his move.