Palm Print

Between the landmass fragments, space was far from calm; turbulent currents churned throughout. Across the entire Inner Hall, such spatial fragments were beyond count. These fragments were torn pieces of shattered land, bearing almost no treasures. Qin Sang had been quite lucky—the land he had landed upon actually held an ancient hall. The place where good things were truly hidden lay on the largest landmass at the core; that was where the true Inner Hall was situated. Those who entered through the jade wall were mostly teleported to these peripheral fragments; only a few would land directly on the core landmass. Even though an ancient hall stood nearby, Qin Sang did not wish to waste time here. Moreover, he was alone and weak, with little hope of breaking the ancient restriction on his own, so he hadn't even gone up the mountain to take a look. He recalled the maps Granny Jing and Yunyouzi had given him. Cross-referencing the two, he easily confirmed his location—not far from the core continent. He promptly concealed his presence, channeled his movement technique, and sped toward the edge of the land. The instant he left the land, Qin Sang's body was subjected to the squeezing pressure of a tremendous force. He let out a muffled grunt—two turbulent currents struck him simultaneously, trapping him between them in extreme discomfort. The power of these turbulent currents was immensely great and difficult to resist. Intruders could only drift with the flow, waiting for an opportunity to find gaps between the currents and struggle through. Fortunately, these currents were not violently aggressive. As long as one avoided the fastest and largest ones and was not swept into the depths of the void to become lost within, there was no mortal danger. Qin Sang summoned his ebony sword; controlling it now was far easier than in the past. Upon entering the currents, Qin Sang's figure immediately vanished into layers of cloud seas. Keeping firmly in mind the positions of the two landmass fragments ahead, he flew with his sword, maneuvering nimbly through the turbulent currents and edging toward the larger fragment. Before long, Qin Sang felt solid ground beneath his feet once more. He couldn't help but let out a long breath, looking back with lingering dread. It sounded easy, but doing it was far from simple. Some currents moved with extreme speed, rampaging chaotically. If one failed to dodge in time, they would be swept straight into the depths of the void, making return all but impossible. Now that he knew how to identify such currents, the journey ahead should be somewhat easier. After adjusting his breathing for a moment, Qin Sang continued flying toward the landmass fragments ahead. Leaping across fragment after fragment like this, Qin Sang stopped upon a bluestone fragment only several tens of zhang across. Leaning forward to gaze downward, he finally caught sight of the outline of the core continent! Like a slumbering giant kun, it floated quietly in the sea of clouds, casting an enormous shadow. Clearly, the surrounding fragments had been torn away from this core continent. Mountains undulated across the continent in an endless expanse. From time to time, soaring pillars of light could be seen gleaming like rainbows. These pillars of light all emitted powerful ripples. Even from such a great distance, gazing upon them still made one's heart tremble. Deep within the continent stood a mountain shadow towering into the clouds, majestic and imposing, though extremely distant. Qin Sang observed for a moment, pushed off hard with his toes, and leaped down. *Whoosh!* A fierce wind rustled through the mountain forest, setting the leaves fluttering. A figure dropped into the woods and immediately sprang up like a hunting leopard, weaving through the forest with exceptional agility to swiftly leave the area. Silence returned to the forest. After a while, a figure quietly slipped out from another patch of woods. Qin Sang observed cautiously. Just like the landmass fragments, not only was there no human presence around, but there wasn't even a living creature. Flitting up to a mountain summit, Qin Sang gazed toward the immortal mountain in the center. Recalling the maps, he finally confirmed his position. According to Yunyouzi, the wondrous realm where the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit grew appeared to be part of an ancient medicinal garden. Today, only a corner of the ancient medicinal garden remained, yet its scope was still vast. Spirit herbs still grew inside, though entering to harvest them would not be easy. The ancient medicinal garden lay between Qin Sang and Heavenly Mountain, roughly on the continent's edge. The place where Qin Sang and Yunyouzi had agreed to meet was in the ruins of a city near the ancient medicinal garden. According to their established plan, Qin Sang intended to rendezvous at the agreed-upon location first. If Yunyouzi had not yet arrived, he would leave a message and scout the terrain alone. Before those monster cultivators entered, it would be best if he could get there first, break the restriction, and secure the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit. Afterward, he would help Yunyouzi obtain the healing method, and finally go to the ancient hall where Senior Qingzhu had vanished to search for his relics. Since no one else was competing for those two locations, arriving a bit later wouldn't matter. All these actions had to be swift. Otherwise, if he delayed too long and disrupted Dongyang Bo and Chenyan's important affair, no excuse would save his life. Thus, Qin Sang pushed himself to the limit along the way, speeding on his sword. Getting his bearings, Qin Sang channeled his ebony sword once more and dashed through the mountain forests. Mountains stretched continuously, and rivers surged onward. Along the way, there was no shortage of mountain streams, deep caverns, and even underwater manors gleaming with curious lights, but Qin Sang turned a blind eye to all of them. His objective was clear; he knew what to prioritize and what to let go. *Rustle...* The mountain wind shook ancient trees, the leaves rustling continuously. Qin Sang lowered his sword light, touched down upon a mountain summit, and looked down at the city walls and ramparts below, a look of shock surfacing deep in his eyes. Beneath the mountain lay an unimaginably massive ancient city, stretching beyond the horizon. Not a single city Qin Sang had seen in the past could compare to it. This was an immortal city! Now, the immortal city was no more, reduced to a desolate expanse of ruins. Buildings had turned to rubble, overgrown with wild weeds. Only a few sections of city walls, towering like mountains, had yet to collapse, and even those were crawling with vines. Yet these were not enough to startle Qin Sang so much. What truly shocked him was a colossal palm print in the middle of the city! The palm print covered the entire immortal city, embedded deep into the ground. Not only were all five fingers and the palm clearly discernible, but several undulating ridges in the middle closely resembled the lines of a palm! The surrounding dwellings and city walls had all been shattered and destroyed by the shockwaves of the palm print. Aside from this palm print, there were no other signs of battle. In the ruins, not even a single sword mark or blade mark could be seen. It could be said that this ancient city had been obliterated by a single palm strike! "Who's there?!" His attention held by the city ruins, Qin Sang suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation beside him. His expression changed instantly as he swiftly summoned the ebony sword, sword qi flaring as he pointed it toward the shadow beneath an ancient tree not far away. The shadow wriggled, and a figure emerged. "Brother Qin, you're finally here." It was actually Yunyouzi. "Senior?" Qin Sang hastily stowed the ebony sword, immensely astonished. He had been escorted by two Nascent Soul figures, heading straight for the Inner Hall the entire way without stopping. Even when separated midway by the spirit formation, he had been protected by the spirit talismans and magic tools bestowed by Dongyang Bo, which prevented any significant delay. Even factoring in the time spent leaping between landmass fragments, he was unquestionably among the very fastest group of people. Yet Yunyouzi had braved the trials all on his own, and somehow he had arrived even earlier, already waiting here.