Granny Jing seemed not to have heard Qin Sang's warning. Her gaze remained fixed on the depths of the gorge, her eyes uncommonly bright, as though harboring a starry sky within—profound and mysterious. She was evidently employing some kind of secret art focused in her pupils.
Left with no choice, Qin Sang did his best to conceal his aura, darting noiselessly through the black mist.
As he drew closer to the other person, Qin Sang finally sensed a faint trace of their presence. A glint of delight surfaced on his face. Halting his steps, he could not resist transmitting his voice to remind Granny Jing once more.
"Senior, that person doesn't seem to be a fellow cultivator from our Lesser Cold Domain. It's someone from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance..."
Those who had entered from the Lesser Cold Domain this time were all familiar faces. From their auras, Qin Sang could generally determine their identities, much like Cultivator Wei of the Guyi Sect, whom they had crossed paths with earlier.
The aura ahead was utterly unfamiliar. Qin Sang had dealt with the Heaven-Traversing Alliance for three years, having fought most of their experts, though there remained a few he had yet to encounter.
This was only the second person they had run into since entering Heaven-Pointing Peak. To have traveled so far behind Granny Jing and encountered only two people demonstrated just how immense Heaven-Pointing Peak truly was.
Since this person was an adversary from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance, Qin Sang naturally did not wish to let the opportunity slip by, but it all depended on Granny Jing's willingness.
Qin Sang pointed forward, looking toward Granny Jing with an inquiring gaze.
Yet he found that Granny Jing remained fixated on the depths of the gorge, not even glancing in the direction he indicated. "Go around him," she said resolutely.
It was different from last time.
Last time, Cultivator Wei had been a fellow cultivator from the Lesser Cold Domain, and Granny Jing had been unwilling to engage in fratricidal conflict.
This time, that was clearly not the reason.
Each served their own faction, and Granny Jing would not hold the slightest mercy toward a cultivator of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. She simply did not wish to waste time on this person.
Guessing her reasoning, Qin Sang sighed inwardly and had no choice but to obey.
"Yes!"
After taking a few steps forward, Qin Sang’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of hesitation appearing on his face. "Pardon my presumption, Senior, and please do not take offense. Might I ask... how much farther until we reach our destination?"
Granny Jing finally deigned to retract her gaze. She took a deep look at Qin Sang, pondered briefly, and proved as sparing with her words as ever. "Soon!"
Qin Sang thought to himself that it was just as he had expected. He immediately pressed on in an earnest tone, "Junior has an audacious request... When we encounter restrictions shortly, could Senior please help me conceal the fluctuations of my spiritual power so he does not notice my presence?"
Granny Jing was unwilling to intervene, but Qin Sang did not want to pass up such a rare opportunity.
Inside Heaven-Pointing Peak, there was no need to fear attracting the attention of mighty experts. Both the ebony sword and the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner could be wielded without restraint. Coupled with the combat experience he had accumulated through three years of trials, Qin Sang was ninety percent certain he could bring down his opponent even without Granny Jing's assistance.
Granny Jing had promised that once they arrived at their destination, he could extricate himself, as the subsequent matters would not require him.
Qin Sang intended to return alone, so it was best that the other party remained unaware of his presence, lest it put the man on guard or even prompt him to decisively abandon the area.
Restrictions were densely scattered here, some of which possessed terrifying power. Even with Granny Jing's guidance, Qin Sang had to devote his full concentration to dealing with them, making it nearly inevitable that the other cultivator would notice something. He could only rely on Granny Jing's aid to conceal his spiritual power fluctuations.
Qin Sang had merely asked to test the waters, never expecting Granny Jing to agree so readily.
"Very well!"
"Thank you, Senior, for granting my request!"
Elated, Qin Sang cleared away all stray thoughts and concentrated on weaving through the gorge according to Granny Jing’s instructions.
With Granny Jing assisting him in concealing his presence, the cultivator from the Heaven-Traversing Alliance indeed noticed nothing. Oblivious that someone had brushed right past him, he remained entirely absorbed in collecting Star Element Stones.
Having bypassed the man, Qin Sang quickened his pace under Granny Jing’s urging.
Granny Jing no longer held back her assistance at this point. Whenever powerful restriction fragments blocked their path, she would help Qin Sang unravel them.
The further they progressed, the denser and more hazardous the restrictions became, rendering forward movement nearly impossible. Without Granny Jing, Qin Sang could never have made it here on his own.
Qin Sang firmly committed the route to memory as he advanced, knowing that otherwise, he might well be unable to find his way out later.
Granny Jing’s objective was exceedingly clear, and she proceeded straight ahead without wavering.
The deeper they ventured into the gorge, the colder and gloomier it grew. The black mist thinned somewhat, yet the surroundings became even darker than before. With Qin Sang's cultivation, he could not see very far using only his naked eyes.
While breaking through the restrictions, Qin Sang observed the surrounding environment out of the corner of his eye.
Along the way, there had been countless jagged rocks and overgrown patches of black weeds, leading him to believe this was merely a desolate, secluded chasm.
To his surprise, a paved stone pathway had suddenly emerged beneath his feet just moments ago. Although the stone path was so heavily ruined that it was barely recognizable, with every slab shattered and crumbled, one could still discern that it had definitely been laid by human hands.
Granny Jing commanded Qin Sang to follow the stone path forward. Her destination appeared to lie at its very end.
*What could be ahead?*
Curiosity stirred in Qin Sang's heart, though his expression remained impassive, obediently carrying out Granny Jing's orders.
At the same time, winds surged and clouds gathered within his origin soul space. He quietly mobilized his spiritual sense as the ebony sword silently detached from his origin soul, its blade quivering faintly, primed and ready to strike.
He would not, and dared not, make the first move against Granny Jing.
Given Granny Jing's character, she likely would not break her promise or eliminate him after he had served his purpose.
Yet one could never be without vigilance against others. If Granny Jing’s previous conduct had all been a facade, he would simply have to accept his bad luck, but he would never stretch out his neck to be slaughtered. He would fight back with everything he had.
He believed the ebony sword would certainly leave a lasting impression on her!
The stone path was unimaginably long.
At last, two broken stone pillars appeared ahead, towering on either side of the walkway.
The pillars were extraordinarily thick, resembling two gigantic columns that upheld the heavens. One could imagine that when they were intact, they must have been toweringly high—perhaps even surpassing the chasm to reach the azure sky.
Regrettably, both were now snapped almost at their bases, leaving behind nothing but ruined stumps.
Huge, shattered blocks of stone lay piled in disarray around the pillars. Peering further ahead, things grew somewhat hazy, resembling a vast stone-paved plaza.
Qin Sang paused momentarily in his steps. Hearing no new commands from Granny Jing, he could only press on. Soon arriving beside the two stone pillars, an immense plaza unfolded before their eyes.
It was hard to imagine that such an expansive space existed at the bottom of the gorge, complete with the remnants of such a magnificent plaza.
Standing at the edge, Qin Sang felt utterly minuscule.
The circular plaza was composed of countless identical, enormous stone blocks, each easily over a hundred feet in length and width. Rings of neatly arranged blocks formed a peculiar shape.
The perimeter was elevated while the center sloped downward, forming the shape of a funnel.
Had it been inverted—raised in the center and lower at the edges—it would have looked like an altar used to offer sacrifices to Heaven.
With such a bizarre configuration, Qin Sang found it difficult to deduce the plaza's true purpose.
Along the outermost perimeter of the plaza stood several similar stone pillars, all likewise broken off near their roots. The mounds of stones of varying sizes heaped throughout the plaza were the remnants of those fallen pillars.
The shattered wreckage had smashed into the plaza, inflicting immense damage upon it and leaving behind a scene of utter ruin and desolation.
Even more peculiar was that, as Qin Sang swept his gaze across the area, he discovered not a single restriction fragment existed within the plaza.
The entire chasm was riddled with restrictions, presenting peril at every turn, yet this place alone was an exception.
The plaza appeared to be the only pure land in the entire gorge.
Chapter 465