Ji Hongdao said with pride, "Don't worry. With me here, that bunch won't dare step out of line again."
"Even the Chen Clan wouldn't dare offend both the Formation Planning Hall and the Protector Hall at once."
Sun Luyuan cupped his hands. "Then I must thank you in advance, Brother Ji."
"For this trip, my destination is the Great Rift in Fuguang Province."
Hearing this, a glint of surprise flashed in Ji Hongdao's eyes, and he cautioned, "This journey might prove somewhat troublesome."
Seeing Sun Luyuan's puzzled expression, he paused, startled. "What, you didn't know? Because of that earlier upheaval throughout Xuanhuang, the Fuguang Great Rift was compressed and sealed back up."
"The terrain has changed beyond recognition. If you want to descend beneath the original rift..."
Sun Luyuan's brow furrowed tightly.
After a long silence, he sighed deeply. "If that's the case, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."
Bringing along the slightly recovered Boundless Mirror, Sun Luyuan followed Ji Hongdao, streaking through the sky toward their destination.
The two clearly shared a close relationship. Along the way to the Fuguang Great Rift, Sun Luyuan explained the reason for this trip in detail.
Naturally, he downplayed and concealed the true ferocity of the obliteration wind calamity that had suddenly erupted from the Boundless Mirror.
"You suspect the ruins where you first found the Boundless Mirror were actually created by the mirror itself?" Having not witnessed that terrifying calamity firsthand, Ji Hongdao didn't think too much of it, merely viewing it as something capable of threatening a Dao Integration cultivator.
"Indeed. Since that was the mirror's origin, perhaps we can find a way to counter its obliteration calamity. As long as we can find some records—even failed attempts—we can treat them as lessons..."
As the two conversed, their expressions suddenly darkened in unison.
Unsurprisingly, they had noticed a Dao Integration cultivator of the Chen Clan trailing behind them.
"It's Chen Ruoyu from the Chen Clan."
"Don't get tangled up with him. Shake him off," Ji Hongdao transmitted.
A halo of white light enveloped them. Empowered by the formation, their speed exploded, multiplying several times over in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, they had vanished beyond the horizon.
Seeing this, Chen Ruoyu hurriedly accelerated in pursuit.
A moment later.
"Brother Ji, your trick of shedding the cicada's shell was truly masterful."
"Hmph. Against these fools who know nothing but pill refining, it's naturally child's play."
Two illusory silhouettes suddenly materialized out of thin air before speeding off in a different direction.
Having thrown off the Chen Clan's pursuit, it took them another half a day to finally reach the so-called Fuguang Great Rift.
Looking at the long, dragon-like mountain range rising from the ground, Sun Luyuan's cheek twitched involuntarily.
"Brother Sun, do you still remember the exact location from back then?" Ji Hongdao asked.
Sun Luyuan searched his memory carefully. "I can only determine the general vicinity. Beyond that, it will come down to luck."
Just then, Sun Luyuan suddenly received a message from his brother.
"Brother, move closer to the ground. I seem to have a faint sensation."
Sun Luyuan was overjoyed.
Flying low in a circle around the mountain range, he quickly pinpointed where the sensation originated.
"Wait."
Just as Sun Luyuan prepared to force his way underground, Ji Hongdao stopped him.
He produced a flying boat. "Get inside."
"A Dust-Crossing Boat?!" Sun Luyuan was slightly taken aback, then climbed in without hesitation.
The Dust-Crossing Boat transformed into a streak of yellow light, sinking slowly into the earth like ice melting into water.
Watching the shifting layers of soil outside and the lingering auras of numerous restrictions among the subterranean ruins, Sun Luyuan marveled, "Fortunately you have this treasure, Brother Ji, or we would have had to waste quite a bit of effort."
Ji Hongdao nodded. "It was also a reward from Chief Lu. She has been tied down at Alliance Headquarters recently, unable to get away. So she had me run errands in her stead."
The Dust-Crossing Boat descended steadily, its hull continuously brushing past buried debris in the strata.
The vessel's exterior radiated a reddish-orange glow, neutralizing the impacts.
Meanwhile, Ji Hongdao repeatedly formed hand seals to lay down formations, reinforcing the boat's protective power.
"Who knows what region this rift was in ancient times for so many ruins to be buried here."
It wasn't merely architectural ruins. As they went deeper, the two also spotted vast piles of accumulated skeletons.
Some belonged to humans, others to unknown colossal beasts.
Even with their vast experience, both men felt a chill in their hearts.
"Brother, it seems to be right here!"
When they had descended nearly thirty thousand feet into the depths, Sun Luyao finally spoke.
The Dust-Crossing Boat came to an abrupt halt.
The pressure here was already immense, with the red halo outside the vessel spinning continuously to dissipate the crushing force of the surrounding earth.
Sun Luyuan and Ji Hongdao looked around, yet they saw no sign of any ruins.
"The changes have been too great. Not a single trace of how it looked back then remains. Still, the depth does seem about right," Sun Luyuan said.
Ji Hongdao also inspected their surroundings. "Here..."
"Something seems unusual!"
A circular formation plate flew out from his robes, hovering above his head and casting white light in all directions.
Under the illumination, Sun Luyuan could vaguely make out dark golden characters flashing past and fading away.
"There's actually a remnant formation here." Sun Luyuan was surprised.
Though he wasn't proficient in formations, he still understood some basic formation principles.
"Brother, it seems we can enter from here."
Just as Ji Hongdao was using his formation to sweep the area and locate an entrance, Sun Luyao found it first.
Ji Hongdao immediately directed the formation plate's white light to verify it.
Sure enough, in a spot that appeared to be solid bedrock, the golden characters flickered far more frequently than elsewhere.
Ji Hongdao closed his eyes in deduction.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he let out a low shout and pointed forward.
As if a talisman had been torn apart, countless golden characters shattered and drifted away.
The Dust-Crossing Boat seized the opening to fly inside.
Behind them, those shattered characters already showed signs of stitching themselves back together.
"No need to worry. This is a concealment formation capable of drawing upon underground energy to operate on its own."
"Judging by its layout, it is completely different from current styles and must be quite ancient. I have already fully grasped its structure, so we can enter and leave as we please," Ji Hongdao said proudly.
Sun Luyuan showered him with compliments. "Asking for your help this time was truly the right choice, Brother Ji! Otherwise, this formation alone would have stumped me for who knows how long. Oddly enough, though, when my brother and I came here before, this formation wasn't present at all..."
Sun Luyuan suddenly grew vigilant.
Within the Boundless Mirror, listening to the conversation between his brother and Ji Hongdao, Sun Luyao secretly glanced at the illusory silhouette not far away, the awe in his heart deepening.
It had taken Ji Hongdao the span of a cup of tea to break the formation.
Yet that senior...
With merely a single glance, he had pinpointed the entrance.
Indeed, Sun Luyao had not detected this place through any innate sensation of his own.
It had been entirely due to the senior's guidance.
Sensing Sun Luyao's gaze—a mixture of reverence and fear—Li Fan's divided sense paid it no mind.
While Sun Luyuan and Ji Hongdao were still cautiously exploring, Li Fan had already used the Boundless Mirror the moment they reached the ruins to complete a full scan of the area.
"The Yishi Sect?"
Li Fan's tone was inscrutable.
Chapter 1209