Chapter 227: Stone Tablet

Qin Sang gathered all his belongings, taking everything with him, including the Fire Jade Centipede. He only dared to do this after confirming there were no imprints left by others on the Fire Jade Centipede and purchasing a new spirit beast pouch. Qin Sang wasn't sure if the imprints had vanished due to Yin Xingge's death, or if there had never been any imprints in the first place. He had heard that this type of exotic insect was difficult to tame unless nurtured from its egg stage. Normally, it could only be controlled using insect-controlling techniques. Qin Sang had learned a rudimentary insect-controlling technique, which barely allowed him to direct the Fire Jade Centipede, though he had to keep it within a certain range.

Flying out of the vortex, a colossal Flood Dragon Chariot immediately came into view! The chariot's form was peculiar; it looked not much different from a mortal's carriage, square and unadorned, appearing remarkably simple. Strangely, the chariot's body and walls were composed of mist and cloud, not solid matter.

Three flood dragons, bound by wisps of cloud, pulled the chariot. The cloud wisps appeared extremely delicate and thin, yet they firmly held the three flood dragons captive. One was a white flood dragon, and the other two were green. They were snake-like in form, with four claws and scales, and though they had no horns on their heads, there was a bulge, as if a single horn could sprout at any moment. The flood dragons snarled and clawed, their eyes glinting ferociously, their demeanor savage. Surrounded by faint mist, they seemed to tread on clouds.

All three flood dragons felt equally strange to Qin Sang. Upon closer inspection, he noticed they were neither beast nor entirely ethereal; their forms, like the chariot, had a peculiar illusory quality. However, their ferocity and the oppressive aura they exuded were very real, comparable to experts at the False Core stage. This implied that these formidable flood dragons were likely at the peak of the Demonic Spirit stage, on the verge of forming demonic cores and entering the Demonic Core stage as powerful demon beasts!

Under the icy gaze of the three flood dragons, everyone present trembled, standing still beside the chariot, daring not to move. To be able to subdue such fierce flood dragons as mounts—and three of them—this was indeed the power of a Golden Core Master! Qin Sang stood among the crowd, filled with immense envy.

After everyone had emerged, Daoist Xuan Yu's voice came from the chariot, "Come aboard." Before his words finished, the cloud mist from the chariot suddenly swirled, and Qin Sang felt his body lighten, finding himself already inside the chariot. The next moment, the chariot's reins tightened abruptly. The fierce flood dragons roared skyward, their long tails powerfully swished, and the chariot transformed into a streak of light, soaring across the sky at astonishing speed, vanishing from sight in an instant.

Through the misty clouds, Qin Sang could clearly see the desolate landscape below receding rapidly. The speed was incredible, yet he felt no jolting whatsoever. With a Golden Core Master accompanying them, there was no need to worry about safety. After observing for a while, Qin Sang sat cross-legged, adjusting his state, preparing for the upcoming journey into the secret realm.

After an unknown period, Qin Sang suddenly felt a slight jolt from the chariot beneath him. He awoke from his meditative state and opened his eyes. He saw the chariot dissipate into a wisp of cloud, and the three flood dragons rapidly shrunk, disappearing into the mist. Finally, this wisp of cloud twisted, seemingly transforming into a textual shape, which was then taken into the palm of an old man in a Daoist robe, vanishing instantly. This old man was precisely Daoist Xuan Yu. Witnessing this scene, Qin Sang secretly wondered, "Is the Flood Dragon Chariot a magical artifact?"

It was deep night now, the light dim. Qin Sang widened his eyes, surveying his surroundings. He discovered a vast plain before them, strewn with countless pieces of rubble. Though seemingly random, a closer look revealed a definite pattern, forming a subtle, irregular ring. In the center of this ring of rubble, there seemed to be a black hole, absorbing all light and causing the space around it to appear somewhat distorted. Around the black hole, four figures floated, positioned at the four cardinal directions. One was Uncle Che Yu-tao, whom Qin Sang knew. The other three were strangers to Qin Sang, but their auras were comparable to Che Yu-tao's, indicating they were all Golden Core Masters. Including Daoist Xuan Yu, who had just arrived, there were now five Golden Core Masters gathered!

At this moment, the four Golden Core Masters suddenly attacked the black hole simultaneously. Che Yu-tao, positioned to the west, held a Gourd of Mortal Dust, from which he sprayed a beam of iridescent light. To the north was a woman in palace attire. She removed a phoenix jade hairpin from her hair and gently pointed it inward, causing a phoenix phantom to fly out and plunge into the black hole. To the east was a middle-aged scholar, who raised a round precious mirror, emitting a ray of light. The most enigmatic was the old man standing to the south. Despite being a Golden Core cultivator, he had a severed leg and had inexplicably not repaired his physical body. Leaning on a staff, he stood motionless. After the other three made their moves, he suddenly opened his mouth, and a visible sound wave, like ripples on water, drifted out.

The four attacks landed on the black hole simultaneously, without any discernible order, and were then entirely swallowed by it, vanishing without a sound. The four frowned slightly, then their expressions changed, and they simultaneously retreated backward. The next moment, a surge of black light suddenly erupted from the black hole. As if enraged by their attacks, the black light fiercely surged outward, instantly engulfing everything in all directions, only to be blocked by an inexplicable force at the edge of the rubble zone and then retract. Then, the black light and the black hole vanished together, leaving the area looking like nothing more than a field of scattered stones, with no trace of anything unusual.

However, at the moment the black light erupted, a glimpse of an exceptionally ancient stone tablet could vaguely be seen within the black hole. The space was distorted, making it impossible to ascertain the tablet's size. Yet, the mottled traces of ancient ages were clearly visible on the tablet, emanating an aura of antiquity. The four stood calmly at the edge of the rubble zone, watching the black light surge towards them, come within arm's reach, and then retract. Clearly, this was not their first time performing such an action.

The woman in palace attire spoke in a deep voice, "Several attempts have failed. It seems forcefully breaking the restriction won't work. We can only proceed according to the rules set by the restriction, and then send people to try them one by one."

"Perfect, the old Daoist priest has brought people over..."

A red light flashed in Che Yu-tao's palm, and the Red Jade Gourd rapidly shrunk, automatically attaching itself to his waist. He then turned his head, and in a teasing, booming voice, said, "That old Daoist priest just loves to slack off and watch the show, isn't it time to let these juniors come over?"

Daoist Xuan Yu flicked his long sleeve, bringing the people to land at the edge of the rubble zone. He retorted irritably, "I've gone to all this trouble for this trip; even if there's no merit, there's hard work involved. Yet, in your mouth, I've become a slacker..."

Che Yu-tao's gaze swept over the crowd. He stated gravely, "The twenty-seven of you will divide into three groups, nine people per group. How you arrange yourselves is up to you."

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances. Under the Golden Core Master's command, they dared not hesitate, and fellow disciples instinctively gathered together. Shaohua Mountain had the most people present. Qin Sang, Mu Yifeng, and Yu Daiyue stood together, along with two other fellow disciples. Loose Cultivator Yun Qiong approached with one of her fellow disciples and two acquaintances. Having previously cooperated with Qin Sang and Mu Yifeng, she persuaded her friends to join their group.