The First Restriction

Time was short, leaving them no leisure to slowly search for a safe path; short of forcing their way through, no one could offer a better solution. Though Qin Sang was quite accomplished in the art of restrictions, having seen merely the tip of the iceberg through the mist, he lacked the confidence to unravel it in a short time. Left with no alternative, they could only follow Yu Kong's suggestion. Yan Wu spoke up. "There are four of us, just enough to form two pairs to back each other up..." Before Yan Wu could finish, Yu Kong pointed a finger and said in a tone that brooked no objection, "Yan Wu, you go with Fellow Daoist Wu Chen. Daoist Qingfeng and Fellow Daoist Shangguan combine saber and sword—their synergy is superior!" Yan Wu froze, a flicker of discontent rising within him. He parted his lips to say more, but meeting Yu Kong's chilling gaze, he shuddered involuntarily. He instantly realized that the meager camaraderie between him and Yu Kong was far from enough to make Yu Kong throw caution to the wind and back him at all costs. If his personal grudge jeopardized the grand plan to obtain the herbs, Yu Kong would definitely not mind teaching him a lesson first. Just then, a voice transmission as faint as a mosquito's drone buzzed into Yan Wu's ear. Having received Yu Kong's promise, Yan Wu was overjoyed. Relieved, he cast an inconspicuous glance at Qin Sang and promptly obeyed Yu Kong's command, walking over to Wu Chen. "Fellow Daoist Wu, please look after me." The others did not seem to notice the subtle exchange between him and Yu Kong. "Likewise, likewise..." Wu Chen hastily returned the courtesy, his smile carrying a hint of bitterness. Had it not been for Yu Kong's order, Yan Wu was the last person he would have chosen to pair with. It was not that he feared Yan Wu would harm him; if Yan Wu were just like the rest of them, in moments of peril, saving him or not would be an open choice. But Yan Wu was Yu Kong's man. Wu Chen could not help but worry whether an accident while braving the formation might draw Yu Kong's wrath upon him. Not only did he have to preserve his own life, but he also had to constantly look out to rescue Yan Wu, doubling the danger. Wu Chen let out an inward sigh of sorrow. Shangguan Lifeng walked up to Qin Sang and raised his long saber slightly. "Daoist Qingfeng, I know little of your swordsmanship. If my coordination is lacking, please offer guidance." Qin Sang cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoist Shangguan is far too modest. Poor Daoist will also take care to coordinate with you. However, we do not yet know the situation inside, so it would be better to decide on a tactic after we enter." "The Daoist speaks reasonably." Shangguan Lifeng was a man of few words to begin with, so he lowered his saber and said no more. With the matter settled, the five assumed formation: Qin Sang and Shangguan Lifeng on the left, Wu Chen and Yan Wu on the right, serving as vanguard for Yu Kong. The restrictions surrounding the mountain differed little in power. Lacking the time to distinguish between them patiently, they simply picked a spot at random and stepped into the restriction. There was no world-spinning upheaval. The world merely went dark before their eyes, then flared brilliantly. Immediately afterward, a wave of heat blasted against their faces as a streak of bluish-purple flame plummeted from high above. Qin Sang and the others had remained vigilant all along. The instant they sensed the heat, they sprang into action. Several blasts of spiritual power struck the flame stream almost simultaneously, shattering it outright. They swept aside the drifting embers and surveyed their surroundings. They had landed in a world of churning flames. Above, below, left, and right, flames were everywhere, suffusing this world with unbearable heat. The flames clung to nothing, burning and drifting in the void without ever extinguishing. Around them, the fire was not particularly dense; several flame streams of varying sizes merely drifted about. They had just had poor luck, alerting a stream the moment they entered, but fortunately its power was meager, and it was easily dispersed. Further out, however, the flame streams grew abruptly dense, melding into a boundless sea of fire. Raging flames blazed, blotting out the sky and sun. The flames in different directions varied in color as well: some were bluish-purple like the one they had just encountered, some ash-white, and others ordinary crimson... In the eight directions—front, back, left, right, and beyond—there were eight colors of fire, distributed with extraordinary uniformity, surrounding them like an Eight Trigrams fire platter. Yu Kong had been observing the shifts in the flames and let out a soft murmur of surprise. "The scene conjured by this restriction looks somewhat familiar. When I crossed the guardian formation last time, this was precisely the kind of blazing formation I encountered." Seeing the imposing display of flames, the others had felt somewhat uneasy, but hearing this, they were heartened. Wu Chen asked, sounding as though he had breathed a sigh of relief, "Has Senior Yu found a way to break the restriction?" To their surprise, Yu Kong slowly shook his head and said, "Not quite. While the restriction here seems related to the guardian formation, there are also immense differences. It still requires you to enter and probe it. Based on my past experience, these eight colors of flame should represent eight paths. No matter which path you take, you will ultimately find a gate, but only one is the true exit. If you choose the wrong gate, you will fall into the restriction's next variation, doubling the difficulty of breaking it. What is more terrifying is that this is merely one layer among all the restrictions. If a single mistake sets off a chain reaction that destabilizes the entire restriction, we will land in exceedingly perilous straits." Wu Chen paled slightly and said in horror, "The very first restriction is this perilous..." Yu Kong smiled slightly. "Fellow Daoist Wu, there is no need to worry. As long as we find the right approach, breaking the restriction is not too difficult. Now, enter the sea of fire in pairs. You need not force your way to the end; simply advance halfway and hold out for at least thirty breaths. That will be enough for me to discern its variations and determine which is a false gate and which is the true exit. If you encounter danger, retreat immediately, and I will do everything in my power to rescue you." With that, Yu Kong sat cross-legged where he was, retrieved three small flags, and planted them at his side. The small flags formed a barrier of cloud mist to help him fend off the buffeting flame streams, allowing him to concentrate on observing the restriction's shifts. A sharp gleam flashed in Yu Kong's eyes, and he nodded to signal that they could begin. From the outside, nothing distinguished the eight directions; aside from their colors, the flames seemed no different, and choosing any direction was much the same. Wu Chen and Yan Wu stepped into the ash-white fire, while Qin Sang and Shangguan Lifeng conversed as they walked toward the bluish-purple sea of fire straight ahead. Qin Sang channeled his ebony sword, while Shangguan Lifeng gripped his saber with both hands. Before this, they had developed some familiarity with each other while hunting cloud beasts. Though they could not claim seamless teamwork, basic coordination posed no problem. Sword qi and saber qi crisscrossed, joining forces to scatter several incoming flame streams, and the two figures arrived before the sea of fire. The sea of fire stretched unbroken, leaving not the slightest gap. Countless tongues of flame surged out, licking at their protective spiritual power. Surrounded by blazing fire, even their hair and beards seemed to curl. "Daoist Qingfeng, if we advance side by side and run into danger together, we might not be able to react in time. It would be better for one to take point and one to bring up the rear; that way, it will be easier to cover each other," Shangguan Lifeng suggested.