Chapter 457: Strange Space

This was already inside the Primordial Profound Ark, but instead of being dim, the light was exceptionally bright. Yun Che looked up, secretly astonished, because before him lay a boundless, emerald-green grassland stretching to the horizon! At the edge of the grassland, it merged with a hazy gray sky.

"Wow! It's just as Master said!" Xia Yuanba, visiting for the first time, also looked utterly surprised and couldn't help but exclaim, "Master said that the Primordial Profound Ark has special spatial laws inside, forming a world of its own. Looking at this, it's impossible to imagine it's the interior of a profound ark."

"A world of its own?" Yun Che looked surprised. At the same time, Jasmine's voice echoed in his mind: "Indeed, the spatial laws inside are completely different from the outside world! From the looks of it, the true space within is much, much larger than what can be seen from the outside! Perhaps... it could be several times, or even tens of millions of times larger than the entire Profound Sky Continent!"

Yun Che was speechless.

The entire grassland was incredibly flat and boundless. The only striking feature was a profound formation about three meters wide, shimmering with a faint reddish glow, not far away. Feng Hengkong and the elders of the Phoenix Divine Sect were gathered around this profound formation, their gazes exceptionally cautious.

"The spatial laws here are indeed strange. A spatial profound formation like this, if left unused for ten thousand years on the Profound Sky Continent, would only decay by about fifty percent. Yet this spatial profound formation, left by my imperial father's generation, has decayed by nearly eighty percent in just three hundred years." Feng Hengkong said with a frown.

"However, the remaining power is enough to transport us to the place we explored last time," Feng Feiyan said calmly, withdrawing his hand from the profound formation's light. The Primordial Profound Ark was too vast to be fully explored in just twelve hours. Therefore, after each exploration, the Phoenix Divine Sect would leave behind such a spatial profound formation, allowing them to directly teleport to the previously explored location when the Primordial Profound Ark reopened.

"First, let's strengthen the initial profound formation, then we can begin," Feng Hengkong said decisively.

"Alright!"

More than twenty Tyrant Profound Realm practitioners from the Phoenix Divine Sect simultaneously acted, pouring their profound energy into the formation. Soon, the profound formation's light grew from dim to increasingly intense.

After the profound formation was strengthened, Feng Hengkong turned around and said, "Distinguished guests from the Sacred Grounds and the Six Nations, would you like to join us in exploring the interior of the Primordial Profound Ark? Our predecessors have explored to a depth of about thirty thousand li, and although they've found nothing so far, perhaps this time we'll make a breakthrough and discover ancient wonders. The deeper we go, the greater the danger. At thirty thousand li, there are rampant Tyrant Profound Beasts, and numerous perils. Some obstacles cannot be overcome by one person alone and require collective effort. If you wish to go together, you may enter this profound formation. If you prefer to go independently, feel free... However," Feng Hengkong paused, then added lightly, "those below the Tyrant Profound Realm should reconsider; entering this profound formation would be seeking death."

Among the thirty-six people present, only five had profound energy below the Tyrant Profound Realm: Yun Che, two profound practitioners from the Black Fiend Nation, and Moon Maid and Charm Maid, who had accompanied Ye Xinghan.

The Primordial Profound Ark appeared once every three hundred years. Since they had entered, it was natural to choose to explore the deeper parts collaboratively. Real Person Gu Cang turned to Xia Yuanba and asked, "Yuanba, will you come with me?"

Xia Yuanba, however, shook his head. "No, Master. This time, I accompanied you to the Profound Ark simply to broaden my horizons. I have no grand ambitions, so I won't join the exploration. My brother-in-law and I will just wander around and have some fun."

With Yun Che present, Gu Cang knew Xia Yuanba's answer. He nodded slowly. "Alright. Although the profound beasts in this nearby area pose no threat and the environment isn't treacherous, this world is extraordinary after all. No one can predict where hidden dangers might lurk, so it's always best to be cautious."

"Also, remember something I've told you many times before... when the Primordial Profound Ark's gate opens, it means the ark will disappear after twelve hours. As the twelfth hour approaches, the entire ark's space will begin to tremble. When you feel this spatial tremor, make sure you are in as open an area as possible. Only then will you be forcibly ejected from the ark's world when the twelve hours are up. However, if you are in an enclosed space at that time—such as a cave, a gorge, a building, or a stone tower—you will not be able to exit the ark but will disappear along with it... which means complete annihilation! Since the Primordial Profound Ark first appeared, more than a dozen predecessors have met this fate, their bodies and souls utterly destroyed! Remember this!"

"I understand, Master," Xia Yuanba nodded, then asked, "But I've never understood why one wouldn't be ejected if they were in a relatively enclosed space."

"Because every piece of land and every stone here is incredibly hard and contains earth-element rules of extremely terrifying density," Real Person Gu Cang reached out, drew a fist-sized stone from the ground, and handed it to Xia Yuanba. "Yuanba, try to destroy it."

"Oh..." With Xia Yuanba's current mid-stage Tyrant Profound Realm strength, he could easily crush even profound iron into powder, let alone a stone. The stone in his hand felt no different from an ordinary stone in weight and texture. He picked it up and squeezed it forcefully... Then, a look of shock appeared on his face, because the stone in his hand hadn't even deformed, let alone been crushed.

Xia Yuanba placed the stone in his left hand, palm open, then took a slight breath, formed his right hand into a fist, and slammed it down hard.

*Thud*...

Half of Xia Yuanba's face contorted, and he grimaced in pain. The stone in his hand dropped... still completely unharmed.

"Th-th-this... What kind of stone is this?! How can it be so hard!" Xia Yuanba exclaimed, shaking his wrist, his face full of shock.

Yun Che stood beside Xia Yuanba, listening to the master-disciple conversation and watching Xia Yuanba's actions, also with a surprised expression.

"Among many theories, this Primordial Profound Ark is very likely a profound ark from the era of ancient true gods. If it originates from the True God era, then even a small stone here is extraordinary. Everything here is tougher than you can imagine. Even if you use all your strength, it's practically impossible to break even the most common stone here, let's alone a stone wall." Real Person Gu Cang slowly explained, "Since things here can withstand such immense force, they can naturally also resist a massive energy field. If, after twelve hours, you are surrounded by such isolating spaces, the energy field that sends us out will be completely blocked, preventing your escape. You will then vanish with the Primordial Profound Ark and be eternally entombed within it."

"Oh, I see," Xia Yuanba said, glancing at the stone at his feet with lingering apprehension, then nodded even more seriously.

"To be safe, Yuanba, take this." Real Person Gu Cang took out a jade pendant and hung it directly around Xia Yuanba's neck.

"Uh, Master, what is this?" Xia Yuanba asked curiously.

"This is a profound formation jade crafted according to the spatial laws of the Primordial Profound Ark. If you encounter a fatal danger within this ark, or if you find yourself unable to exit an enclosed space at the twelfth hour, simply crush this jade. The special spatial profound formation contained within it will directly transport you to Phoenix City, which lies directly beneath the ark. Although the profound formation in the jade is small, its creation is incredibly difficult because it adheres to the spatial laws of the Primordial Profound Ark, requiring the power of several Divine Emperors."

"Years ago, one of the Sacred Emperor's direct disciples got lost in an ancient hall here and couldn't escape, disappearing along with the Primordial Profound Ark. In his grief and fury, the Sacred Emperor commissioned the creation of these spatial jades specifically for the Primordial Profound Ark. Throughout the entire Profound Sky Continent, only my Supreme Ocean Sacred Grounds possess them."

"Oh! I see," Xia Yuanba nodded, then said without thinking, "Master, do you have any more of these jades? Give one to my brother-in-law!"

"This..." Real Person Gu Cang showed a difficult expression. He was about to shake his head, but then suddenly realized that if he didn't give it, Xia Yuanba would very likely give his own to Yun Che. He could only sigh inwardly, taking off his own. "Fine, take this one that belongs to me. These two jades are far rarer than you imagine, so don't use them unless your life is in danger."

"Thank you, Master!" Xia Yuanba immediately handed one of the jades in his hand to Yun Che, then casually bid Real Person Gu Cang farewell. "Brother-in-law, let's go."

"Although there are profound beasts here, Master said that within a few hundred li, the strongest are only Sky Profound Beasts, so there won't be any danger."

Watching Yun Che and Xia Yuanba walk away to the east, Real Person Gu Cang let out a silent, bitter chuckle. Throughout the entire Profound Sky Continent, countless people dreamed of becoming his disciple but couldn't, yet with Xia Yuanba, he often found himself almost trying to appease him, fearing he might lose this disciple... After all, Xia Yuanba possessed the legendary Tyrant Profound Divine Veins, destined to make him a Tyrant Emperor for an era!

What worried him somewhat was... over the past two years, Xia Yuanba's temperament had been quiet yet formidable, quite fitting for someone destined to become an emperor. However, after encountering Yun Che, the increasingly overbearing aura he once had seemed to vanish without a trace. Furthermore, before arriving at Divine Phoenix, Xia Yuanba's purpose in entering the Primordial Profound Ark was to personally brave dangers; the more perilous the place, the more he wished to venture, to break through his limits amidst crises and peril. But now, he was choosing the harmless nearby areas...

Real Person Gu Cang was beginning to feel that Yun Che's presence might have a significant adverse effect on Xia Yuanba's progress and the further awakening of his Tyrant Profound Divine Veins.

People from the Phoenix Divine Sect had successively entered the profound formation. Real Person Gu Cang and Ling Kun also stood at the edge of the profound formation. Ling Kun glanced at Ye Xinghan, who was hovering in mid-air with no intention of coming over, and asked, "Young Palace Master Ye, are you not joining us?"

"Hmph! I'll pass," Ye Xinghan said with a fake smile. "If I were to bring my Moon Maid and Charm Maid inside, some old fossils would surely give me disapproving looks. Compared to discovering some so-called ancient divine objects, I'm more interested in having a good time and enjoying myself within this Primordial Profound Ark."

After speaking, Ye Xinghan let out a loud laugh and, with his arms around the two women, departed into the distance.

"I'm here to admire the scenery. As for fighting and killing, leave that to you stinky men; I want no part of it." Ji Qianrou tossed her long hair, pursed her lips, and haughtily turned, departing alone.

Regarding Ye Xinghan and Ji Qianrou's decision to go alone, Feng Hengkong showed no intention of stopping them. Instead, he secretly let out a sigh of relief, knowing the group would be much quieter without those two troublemakers. "Xue'er, let's go in. After that, you must stay close to your father and never wander off on your own."

After Feng Hengkong finished speaking, Feng Xue'er didn't move. Instead, she suddenly said, "Father, Xue'er wishes to wander around by herself, not with Father. Is that alright?"