Return

Not counting the Core Formation cultivators, a total of twenty-seven people had entered the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode, but now only sixteen were gathered beside the stone stele. Of course, some might have been like Yunqiong Sanren, abandoning the trial midway and leaving the abode. When Qin Sang arrived, he saw that Mu Yifeng and Yu Daiyue were both present, so he made his way over to them. "Martial Uncle Che and the others haven't come out yet?" Qin Sang asked in a low voice. Mu Yifeng shook his head, staring grimly toward the west. "After the upheaval began, Senior Sikong ordered us to leave first and await orders, while she went in person to provide support to Martial Uncle Che and the others." The collapse grew increasingly violent. Several spatial rifts merged, forming a colossal tear several thousand feet long that resembled the maw of a monstrous beast waiting to devour all trespassers. The shattered space presented a bizarre, surreal spectacle. Some lava rivers abruptly ran dry, while elsewhere, the earth and mountains turned upside down in defiance of common sense. The closer one drew to the four Heavenly Peaks, the more severe this phenomenon became. Yet even now, none of the Core Formation cultivators had emerged. Old Man Dique and Daoist Xuan Yu could not possibly appear again, but the other three had not shown up either. *Could all five Golden Cores have perished?* Looking at the apocalyptic scene, Qin Sang muttered inwardly. Losing five Golden Core cultivators all at once would be a massive blow to the various sects. Even among the Eight Righteous Sects, the number of Core Formation cultivators in any given sect was limited. The Qingluo Sect would suffer the worst of all, as their sect master was among them. They waited for some time longer. Lava and fire spirit beasts encroached aggressively, drawing ever closer to the stone stele. With no sign of the Core Formation cultivators, everyone began to grow anxious and uneasy. Right then, someone's expression shifted to immense joy as they pointed into the distance and shouted, "Look there!" Looking as far as the eye could see, three specks of light appeared amidst the spatial rifts. Space was still far from stabilizing, churning incessantly; some rifts expanded while others even drifted about. The specks of light maneuvered with great difficulty through the turbulence, narrowly escaping being swallowed by the spatial rifts each time. Although they were too far away to be seen clearly, the sight was still hair-raising to behold. At last, the specks of light broke through the zone of spatial rifts, only to be greeted by frenzied fire spirit beasts. However, numerous though the fire spirit beasts were, they were quite sparse when spread across the vast expanse of the abode. They posed no great trouble to Core Formation cultivators, who quickly shook them off. Before long, three figures materialized out of thin air before the crowd: Che Yutao and his companions. While Sikong Muyue and Du Yi looked relatively unharmed, Che Yutao appeared far more disheveled. His left arm bore a conspicuous wound where a large chunk of flesh had been torn away by who knew what. Che Yutao did not bother tending to his wound right away. Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, his face abruptly darkened, and he demanded angrily, "Where is Daoist Xuan Yu?" The oppressive aura of a Core Formation cultivator bore down upon them, causing everyone's breath to hitch. Feeling as though a mountain were crashing down on them, they were thoroughly frightened. One of the late Foundation Establishment cultivators managed to stammer out with difficulty, "Reporting to Martial Uncle Che, after the upheaval began, we haven't seen either of the two seniors. They... don't seem to have come out yet..." Che Yutao and the other two turned pale at those words and exchanged glances. Sikong Muyue said in a deep voice, "When the upheaval began, after sending these juniors out, I turned back to assist you two. I did not encounter either Fellow Daoist." Du Yi turned to gaze into the distance, puzzled. "Fellow Daoist Xuan Yu scaled a Heavenly Peak just like us, so it would be understandable if he was trapped by danger. But why hasn't Fellow Daoist Dique escaped yet? Could he also have been ensnared by some restriction?" By now, the fire spirit beasts were drawing closer and closer, and lava had even begun seeping through the ground near the stone stele. Sikong Muyue shook her head and looked at Che Yutao. "We cannot linger here. It would be best for us to withdraw first. The collapse seems to be slowing down, so this abode should not be completely destroyed. Both Fellow Daoists are blessed with great fortune; so long as they find a place to hide, they will surely be fine. Once the abode stabilizes, it won't be too late to devise a way to rescue them." Che Yutao wore a sullen expression, lost in thought. Du Yi chimed in impatiently, "Fellow Daoist Sikong's suggestion is sound. Only by ensuring our own safety can we have the strength to rescue the two Fellow Daoists. Worst comes to worst, it won't be too late to send someone back to Xuanlu Pass for reinforcements." Seeing that both of them shared this view, Che Yutao had no choice but to nod in agreement. Before stepping into the stone stele, Qin Sang glanced back once, then quickly withdrew his gaze and entered the stele. After a bout of dizziness, his vision cleared to find himself standing on the rubble outside the abode. In addition to Yunqiong Sanren, three other cultivators who had abandoned the trial were waiting there. Counting it up, as many as six Foundation Establishment cultivators had perished inside the abode. Seeing their battered states, Yunqiong Sanren and the others were naturally astonished. Once they learned what had happened inside, expressions of relief spread across their faces. Che Yutao and the other two conferred briefly via voice transmission, then took up positions by the entrance with no intention of leaving. Lacking orders, Qin Sang and the others dared not depart on their own. They sat on the ground nearby, either regulating their breath or tending to their injuries. Qin Sang turned his vision inward, glancing at the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman in his sea of qi. Suppressing the urgency in his heart, he did not touch or examine the secret talisman with his spiritual sense, instead letting it nurse and recover on its own. He then set down several restrictions in his sea of qi to completely seal off the secret talisman's aura, preventing the slightest bit from leaking out. Just as Old Man Dique had said, the secret talisman was ownerless. So long as no one forcibly searched his sea of qi, he didn't need to worry about the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman being exposed. Having sealed the talisman away, Qin Sang quietly opened his eyes. He saw Che Yutao and the others standing in a triangle around the entrance, occasionally striking out to summon the black hole and inspect the changes within. At first, the stone stele inside the black hole was fairly calm, but later it suddenly began to shake violently. Dark light blazed fiercely from the black hole, making it seem like a black sun. The three Core Formation cultivators hurriedly took action, laying down a large-scale restriction to conceal the dark light lest the phenomenon attract cloud beasts. In this manner, three days passed in succession. In the end, the black hole completely vanished. The dark light dissipated, and the stone stele was clearly revealed, standing firmly amid the ring of rubble to everyone's astonishment. Though covered in fissures, the stone stele remained intact, miraculously spared from shattering. They waited for another three days. It remained tranquil, and no further anomalies occurred with the stele. It seemed the interior of the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode had finally stabilized. Sikong Muyue cautiously walked over to the stone stele and placed her palm against it. Spiritual power welled from her hand as she examined it. After a long pause, she said, "The trial spaces have been destroyed, which is why the entrance is exposed to the outside." After some discussion among the three Core Formation masters, they called everyone together—intending to re-enter the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode! At this point, no one knew what dangers lurked inside the abode. Though Qin Sang and the others were reluctant, they had no choice but to follow orders. Together, they formed a massive Nine Luminaries Star River Formation, anchored by the three Golden Cores, and stepped through the stone stele together. Once inside, just as Sikong Muyue had predicted, they were no longer divided among the trial spaces, but entered directly into the abode itself.