At that moment, identical azure Qi stretched above, below, and in all four directions. With no way to tell where the exit lay, everyone turned their eyes toward Yu Kong, hoping his experience would quickly uncover a way to break through the formation.
"The wind is picking up."
Qin Sang, who had been studying their surroundings intently, suddenly spoke.
The others started. Following his gaze, they saw that the azure Qi beneath their feet was indeed stirring.
Like a calm lake brushed by a gentle breeze, clear ripples spread across its surface as though undercurrents were surging deep within the azure mist. As layer upon layer of waves pushed outward, the change began rippling into other areas.
By then, the others also keenly felt delicate wisps of wind caressing their faces.
Immediately after, however, the wind abruptly swelled.
In an instant, the tranquility was utterly shattered.
Gales, wild winds, tempests...
Amid the howling gusts, the azure Qi danced into motion. It was wind materialized, condensing before their very eyes into spherical clusters of varying sizes.
Surrounded by countless wind spheres, Qin Sang and the others felt the true terrifying might of the azure Qi.
The azure Qi high above seemed light and ethereal, yet carried an abnormal, searing heat as if laced with raging flame; the azure Qi rising from below was a sinister yin wind laden with boundless chill; and the azure Qi in between was keen as razor blades, sharp beyond compare.
Hastily circulating their spiritual power to shield themselves, the cultivators shattered several nearby wind spheres.
Yet they soon discovered that the wind spheres elsewhere moved toward them as if guided by unseen eyes. In the process, the spheres devoured one another, swelling larger and larger as their destructive power mounted at a visible rate.
Everyone could feel that dispersing the spheres was growing increasingly difficult. If this continued and they failed to find an exit swiftly, they would surely be swallowed alive.
At the thought, anxiety gnawed at their hearts, yet no one had managed to locate the way out.
Just then, Xiu Zhirui suddenly pointed ahead and cried out in delight, "Look over there!"
The Xiu sisters were warding off the encroaching wind spheres in tandem, having a somewhat easier time than the rest.
Straining their eyes into the distance, the others indeed spotted something strange. High in the air at the far edge of their vision stood a deep, cavernous wind tunnel, laid bare only because the azure Qi had coalesced into spheres.
"That should be the exit."
Yu Kong pointed toward the wind tunnel, poised to move. "Let's go!"
Old Man Muteng said in a sinister rasp, "Fellow Daoist Yu, wouldn't it be improper to charge over recklessly without carefully observing the grand formation's shifts? What if that wind tunnel is merely a feint, or even a trap? Or what if, after we go through immense hardship to draw close, it suddenly relocates elsewhere? Wouldn't our efforts be in vain?"
Finding great sense in his words, the others wore hesitant expressions.
Seeing this, Yu Kong explained in a loud voice, "You need not worry. If this formation were actively controlled by someone, it would indeed be as unpredictable as Fellow Daoist Muteng suggests, and cultivators of our level would surely be doomed.
"However, the master of the cave dwelling has long passed away, leaving the grand formation unmanned. Furthermore, it is currently in its low-ebb period, meaning its operation is sluggish and will not produce such intricate changes.
"If that wind tunnel is the exit, it cannot possibly shift elsewhere within a short time. Even if it turns out to be an illusory gate, once we get close, we will quickly discover where the true exit lies.
"Formidable as the grand formation is, after being worn down by the passage of time, it is no longer an inescapable death trap. At least eighty percent of those who brave it manage to safely enter the cave dwelling—let alone a group as large as ours.
"As long as we find the exit, escaping won't be difficult. If we cower and hesitate, delays will breed disaster and throw us into panic instead."
In the end, everyone chose to trust Yu Kong. Maintaining the Guiyuan Formation, they flew toward the wind tunnel.
Yu Kong conjured Qi sabers to clear the path, forcefully cleaving through the wind spheres blocking their way as he sped straight for the tunnel at no slow pace.
As they drew closer, the surrounding wind spheres grew ever more numerous. Streaks of tangible azure Qi lashed out, slamming against them with increasingly terrifying force.
Their figures shuddered violently as they trudged forward with great difficulty. Suddenly, Yu Kong waved his hand, releasing the spiritual power gathered at the formation core to form a milky-white barrier that enveloped them all.
When the azure Qi battered the barrier, ripples spread across its surface. The barrier trembled fiercely, yet held without breaking.
Shielded by the barrier, the crushing pressure on everyone eased significantly, drawing a collective sigh of relief. Yet tension seized them again almost instantly, for the ripples on the barrier grew increasingly violent, leaving it teetering on the verge of collapse.
Without needing Yu Kong's reminder, the cultivators knew what had to be done and channeled their spiritual power with all their might into the formation core, striving to keep the barrier intact as long as possible.
Without Qi sabers cutting a path, their speed dropped sharply. However, they were already not far from the wind tunnel, and by now they were certain that it was indeed the exit.
Yu Kong had not lied to them. Before the low-ebb period ended, the grand formation would not undergo any drastic upheavals, and there was no sign of the wind tunnel shifting.
Dawn was right before their eyes. So long as they held on for a little longer, they could leave the grand formation behind!
Suddenly, Qin Sang sensed that something was amiss with the wind spheres drifting ahead. An instant later, Yu Kong shouted in alarm, "Watch out!"
Before his voice had faded, the tremendous wind battering the barrier vanished without a trace.
The very next moment, an immense suction erupted from within those wind spheres!
The change came so abruptly and without the slightest warning that the barrier was torn to shreds by the ferocious suction. Caught completely off guard, everyone was left exposed.
Wu Chen, positioned at the very front, was sucked straight out by a current of force, causing the formation to collapse from within.
Reacting with remarkable swiftness, Wu Chen furiously brandished his precious fan. Several beams of sword radiance burst from the fan, tearing him free from the pull. Leveraging the momentum, his body punched through a wind sphere, and he bolted for the wind tunnel without once looking back.
Having been on guard all along, Qin Sang transformed into a beam of sword radiance the instant he saw the danger, severing the two currents of suction coiling toward him before fleeing forward along the path Wu Chen had carved out.
In a flash, the group scattered from the formation, each fighting for their own survival.
Just then, a sharp scream rang out from Yan Wu at the edge of the defunct Guiyuan Formation. He had been the slowest to react, failing to respond in time when the formation crumbled. By the time he tried to act, it was already too late.
Seven or eight wind spheres converged directly on him, surrounding him from mere inches away. A magic tool he had just brought out was shredded before he could even use it.
Yan Wu was on the brink of being swallowed whole.
At that moment, the others were racing desperately toward the wind tunnel, barely able to look after themselves. Even if someone had strength to spare, no one would risk turning back to save him.
Qin Sang certainly would not. Back in Xihuang Town, Yan Wu had picked a fight, and Qin Sang had used him to establish his own dominance, bruising Yan Wu's ego and earning his bitter hatred.
For nearly a year, Yan Wu had never once shown Qin Sang a pleasant face. The friction between them was obvious to everyone in the group, and Qin Sang was naturally not about to subject himself to someone else's cold contempt.
Qin Sang harbored no doubt that if the roles were reversed and he were the one trapped in the suction, Yan Wu would not only refuse to help, but would kick him while he was down without the slightest hesitation.
Yet unexpectedly, just as Yan Wu was about to be engulfed by the wind spheres, Yu Kong—the strongest among them and the closest to the wind tunnel—suddenly halted his flight. With a flick of his palm, a crimson chain shot forth from his hand.
The chain was as nimble as a serpent, coiling and springing until it landed around Yan Wu. It then erupted with dazzling light, fending off several currents of suction on his behalf.
Chapter 284