Chapter 2326: World's Enemy

'Fast' couldn't begin to describe the speed of the bloody light. No one had time to defend themselves, counterattack, or even escape.

Even if the formation's power was immense, the golden-armored man and the others had no chance to activate it. Even if Qin Sang's Thunder Escape was swift, he didn't have time to use his Phoenix Wings! By the time they saw the bloody light, it was already upon them; by the time they realized something was wrong, they had been engulfed.

Fortunately, they were already engaged in combat and had activated their protective spells or artifacts, so despite their shock and anger, they weren't overly panicked.

The moment he was swallowed by the bloody light, Qin Sang's vision first turned blood-red, everything became blurred, including his enemies, and he felt as if he was falling into a bottomless pit instead of towards the ground. He knew this was merely an illusion. Inside the bloody light, there was no up or down, left or right; all his senses were disrupted. To describe his feelings metaphorically, the void seemed to be collapsing, and he was swept into a torrent of void fragments, accelerating towards the point of collapse.

In the blink of an eye, the enemies vanished from sight, and the two threatening auras quickly faded until they were completely imperceptible. This meant everyone had been pulled far apart by the bloody light, and the immediate threat was neutralized, only to be replaced by an unknown danger.

"Qin..."

The entire process unfolded in an instant. By the time Qin Sang could react, the first thing he heard was the Vermilion Bird's startled cry. It was also swept along by the torrent of bloody light, on the verge of being separated from Qin Sang. Fortunately, it was pressed tightly against him and bore Qin Sang's mark within its body.

Qin Sang reacted, immediately activating the Thousand Jins Ring to store it in his small grotto-heaven. He silently cursed his luck, then looked around, feeling dizzy. At that moment, there was no sky or ground in his vision, nothing at all existed. The formation and his enemies were nowhere to be found. All around him was an empty void, filled only with endless bloody light, and Qin Sang's body ceaselessly tumbled and spun...

Outside the Formation

When the anomaly occurred, the old man and the old woman sensed it. They had an agreement with Yu Ling: if she encountered danger, she would activate the power of the Heavenly Axis Spirit Core within her, allowing them to sense it through the Heavenly Axis Spirit Core. They would then immediately activate their artifact, working in concert to rescue her.

The two felt uneasy, yet the Heavenly Axis Spirit Core showed no reaction. They exchanged a glance, both hesitant. If Yu Ling wasn't in danger, rashly activating the Heavenly Axis Spirit Core would ruin their crucial plans. But... Ultimately, Yu Ling's safety was paramount. They quickly made a decision to activate the Heavenly Axis Spirit Core without waiting for her signal.

Unexpectedly, the supreme treasure merely flickered faintly and then showed no further response. Their hearts jolted, and they turned pale with fright. Immediately after, they felt unusual fluctuations coming from the direction of the formation.

Anticipating that Yu Ling's predicament was related to these fluctuations, and that an unknown change must have occurred ahead, they disregarded the risk of exposure and immediately burst from the ground, rushing towards the formation. Midway, they felt the fluctuations instantly surge to their peak, then rapidly recede. Their appearance and disappearance were instantaneous. By the time they reached the vicinity of the formation, the bloody light had already faded, leaving behind a ravaged landscape and rolling blood clouds.

Looking at the scene before them, both were stunned. The earth was cracked and fractured everywhere, as if shattered by an immense force. This would be remarkable anywhere, but here was a formation meticulously arranged by the descendants of Shao Hao!

"Where's the formation?"

They looked around in confusion, unable to detect even the slightest fluctuation from the formation. What's more, Qin Sang and all the Shao Hao descendants had vanished. Suppressing their unease, they flew towards the core of the formation, reaching the place where the golden platform had once stood. The area had been leveled, and both the golden platform and the main operator of the formation were gone.

Continuing onward, they arrived near the underground palace, where there were no guards, and they encountered no resistance. The ground above the underground palace had been torn open, revealing the scene inside. All around the stone walls, dense 'blood vessels' were exposed, with countless blood spirit veins pulsating. At some unknown point, the 'blood' flowing between these veins surged together, their throbbing shaking the earth and echoing with a booming sound throughout the underground palace.

With their knowledge, they instantly recognized this as the most crucial location. So many blood spirit veins converged here, a sight unparalleled anywhere else in the forbidden area. It was highly likely Yu Ling had infiltrated this very spot. But where had she gone?

The bottom of the underground palace was unrecognizable. The blood pool, the golden platform, the divine totems... all the arrangements of the Shao Hao descendants were gone. Instead, fresh blood was surging upwards, transforming the area into a massive blood well. Gazing at the tumultuous waves of the blood sea within the well, its might sent shivers down their spines.

At this moment, the old woman gripped the Heavenly Axis Spirit Tree tightly in her hand. Although they couldn't sense Yu Ling's aura, this artifact was a supreme treasure of the Tianyu Clan, and its connection wasn't easily severed. They could be certain Yu Ling was still alive, though her whereabouts were unknown — a blessing amidst misfortune.

Just as they decided to risk entering the blood well to investigate, their expressions suddenly changed, and they had no choice but to flash away from the spot. Moments later, several auras approached!

An unknown space.

Here, the sun shone brightly, and the air was fresh and natural. The land was lush green, with dense vegetation in the jungle, and a small river meandered through the forest. The river was two zhang wide, crystal clear to the bottom, with blooming flowers of all kinds along its banks, competing in beauty and releasing a pervasive fragrance.

'Splash!'

Suddenly, a bloody silhouette plummeted from the sky, crashing into the middle of the river, sending water splashing. The bloody silhouette sank to the riverbed, and the crimson light slowly dissipated, revealing a human figure at the bottom.

Qin Sang felt his vision clear. The sensation of being swept away by a torrent vanished, replaced by a refreshing coolness. He was startled, then saw gentle water ripples within his sight. Sunlight pierced through, shimmering on the water and illuminating the clean riverbed sand and a few unknown aquatic plants. There were no threats around; everything seemed peaceful and serene.

Qin Sang found it somewhat unbelievable. He had been preparing for a greater crisis, yet the bloody light had unexpectedly brought him to this place. He glanced at his body; the bloody light was fading, almost invisible to the naked eye, on the verge of complete dissipation.

He shook his body, shot out of the water, and saw lush greenery extending in every direction — an endless jungle. "What is this place?" As this thought crossed Qin Sang's mind, a sudden warning flared in his heart, and his scalp tingled slightly.

'Crack!'

In broad daylight, without warning, a bolt of heavenly lightning descended, striking directly at Qin Sang. "Something is definitely wrong!" Qin Sang knew it wouldn't be that simple. His figure flashed, easily dodging the lightning bolt, and he landed on a large tree branch.

Just as he stood firm, preparing to observe the jungle closely, he felt the branch beneath his feet tremble, and an ominous shadow enveloped him from above. Qin Sang was astonished to see the large tree come alive, its branches lashing out at him like long whips! "Tree spirit?"

Qin Sang felt something was off; if it were a tree spirit, it couldn't have escaped his perception. This was clearly just an ordinary tree; even now, there was no aura of a spirit. However, the moment the tree moved, it certainly displayed extraordinary power, its branches whipping with considerable force.

Qin Sang was bewildered but reacted swiftly, transforming into a streak of green lightning. With a few twists and turns, he slipped through the gaps in the branches, easily breaking out of the encirclement.

'Crack!'

He was met with another lightning strike. At the same time, Qin Sang felt a strong gust of wind attacking him from below, which turned out to be a dense array of earth spikes. The tree branches were also growing wildly, pursuing him. With attacks from above, below, and behind, Qin Sang could only charge forward.

'Boom!' 'Boom!' 'Boom!'

Loud explosions continuously roared behind Qin Sang. The ground shot out countless earth spikes, and lightning flashed repeatedly from the sky. Qin Sang dodged each one, and these attacks collided with each other, disfiguring the jungle. But that wasn't all. With a 'whoosh,' transparent, hollow-eyed flood dragons emerged from the river, encircling Qin Sang to attack.

A fierce wind began to rage around him. The gale was like countless invisible blades. Qin Sang had nowhere to hide and could only endure the cutting wind. 'Rumble...' Lightning flashed and thunder roared. The sky above was already covered in dark clouds, with lightning bolts resembling a forest and thunder-fire floating in the air, followed by a true downpour. The raindrops were actually water arrows. The torrential rain pursued Qin Sang, and the dark clouds perpetually hovered over his head.

Lightning, thunder-fire, water arrows, earth spikes, wooden whips... The jungle, which had previously appeared peaceful and serene—its flowers, plants, trees, ground, and river—was, in fact, a terrifying trap! Every blade of grass and tree was a soldier! Everything in this world could turn into a terrifying attack, and their target was clear. No matter how fast Qin Sang was, he couldn't hope to dodge, because there was simply nowhere to hide.

The attacks were relentless; Qin Sang's figure was already overwhelmed. In addition, he felt an invisible suppressive force, giving him an inexplicable sense of confinement. At this moment, Qin Sang had a feeling that he was an enemy of this realm, regarded with hostility by its will, with no place to hide.

He dodged with speed and defended with his spirit treasures, so he wouldn't be in immediate mortal danger. However, if he didn't find a way to break free soon, he would surely die!

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had flown out from his Qi Sea, extremely anxious, continuously flapping its wings to unleash lightning and help him ward off the attacks. Qin Sang's brow was furrowed. He refused to believe there was truly an insurmountable dead end in this world; there had to be a way out, perhaps hidden in something he had overlooked!

His thoughts raced. Qin Sang suddenly noticed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and realized that none of the attacks were directed at it. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly was his spirit insect, fundamentally connected to him. The only difference was that the Heavenly Eye Butterfly was an insect, while he was a human! "Could it be that..."

A flash of insight struck Qin Sang. He recalled all his experiences since entering this jungle: the first attack he endured was the bolt of heavenly lightning when he emerged from the water, and then the attacks grew increasingly dense and fiercer each time...

Suddenly, Qin Sang realized something. With a thought, he instantly recalled the myriad sword lights, and the Ash Warbler Sword shot back, disappearing into his sleeve. Qin Sang stared intently at his surroundings. The moment he withdrew the Ash Warbler Sword, the world's assault on him suddenly weakened. Then, his Phoenix Wings, Great Vajra Wheel Seal, and even the Bright Mountain Armor were all recalled by Qin Sang, who ceased to use any power whatsoever.

Instantly, the rain ceased, the sky cleared, the lightning vanished, the clouds dispersed, the flood dragons returned to the river, and the plants and trees resumed their normal states. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly unleashed a lightning barrier, shielding Qin Sang from the last wave of attacks, and then tranquility returned to the jungle.

On the ground, the obvious traces of the battle showed that this place was not as peaceful as it seemed. Qin Sang hovered in mid-air, but it was thanks to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's power. Now, he didn't even dare to fly on his own; using any power would trigger a counterattack from this realm! However, there must be some limit.

Qin Sang cautiously probed the jungle's boundaries. With a flash of the Thousand Jins Ring, the Vermilion Bird flew out. "What exactly happened?" The Vermilion Bird, unaware of the situation outside, loudly questioned, and instinctively activated its protective flame.

With a 'crack,' lightning descended from the sky. "Careful!" The Vermilion Bird cried out in alarm, quickly using its flames to resist, which, as expected, provoked an even fiercer reaction from the jungle. It then followed in Qin Sang's footsteps.

Qin Sang and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly quietly moved away from the Vermilion Bird, watching silently from a distance. It wasn't until they 'kindly' warned it that the Vermilion Bird's entire plumage stood on end from the electricity, making it look like a ruffled turkey.

"Qin! You dared to trick me!" The Vermilion Bird roared loudly, but only dared to express its anger with its eyes. Firstly, it feared provoking another siege from the world itself, and secondly, that pesky butterfly was glaring at it, looking ready to pounce. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine abilities were mostly supportive, and its combat power was inferior to the Vermilion Bird's. However, here, their roles were completely reversed: the Vermilion Bird dared not attack, but the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could.

Qin Sang seemed to ignore the Vermilion Bird's fiery gaze, musing, "It appears that all living beings here, except spirit insects, are suppressed. Even Thunder Beast Warriors are no exception..." As he spoke, he sighed, "As expected, this place must be the Insect Tomb!"

He didn't know much about the Insect Tomb, but one piece of information was certain: cultivators in the Insect Tomb would face significant restrictions, which was why it was said to be a place of 'nine deaths, one life'. He hadn't expected the Insect Tomb to be so peculiar. Deep within the Gonggong Platform, there was no hint of bloodlust or the sound of divine weeping.

According to Qin Sang's original plan, he would first test the edges of the Insect Tomb to familiarize himself with it. If it seemed feasible, he would explore further; otherwise, he would retreat and return when better prepared. He hadn't anticipated being directly swept into it by the bloody light.

What exactly was the bloody light, and why did it bring him here? And what about the golden-armored guards? Qin Sang's knowledge of the Wu Clan was still too limited. He guessed that those who attacked him had done something to trigger an anomaly in the forbidden area, and he had been caught in the crossfire.

Thinking of this, Qin Sang rose into the air. He used his own true essence, controlling it to a certain degree so as not to provoke attacks. This allowed him to move without too many restrictions and react promptly if danger arose. Flying high into the sky, Qin Sang gazed into the distance. A continuous sea of trees stretched out, with faint outlines of rolling mountains visible. The area he could see alone spanned at least a thousand li, and it was far from its end.

It was said that the Gonggong Platform was the smallest of the Wu Clan's ten forbidden areas, with the Insect Tomb located in its core. This jungle, however, extended beyond that. Either this was a lesser realm, or the internal space of the forbidden area was distorted, making it far more vast than it appeared from the outside.

"You should go back for now." Noticing the Vermilion Bird's unfriendly gaze, Qin Sang smiled faintly. Here, only spirit insects could move freely; even he was restricted. Keeping the Vermilion Bird out might not help and could instead cause trouble. But was this place truly controlled by the will of heaven?