Chapter 272: Destruction

A Novel

Two or three years.

Qin Sang nodded lightly. Such a long time would be enough for him to think things through. Most importantly, restoring the Nine Dragons Celestial Chariot Talisman would provide an extra layer of security.

As they spoke, the Spirit Bamboo Flying Boat continuously journeyed underground. Suddenly, Wandering Cloud Immortal's eyes lit up, and he pointed forward.

“Brother Qin, look there!”

Qin Sang followed his gaze and saw a faint crack in the circular restriction in the direction Wandering Cloud Immortal was pointing, extending into a tributary ahead. They were still far from the stele's location, but it was clear that the circular restriction had more than one weak point besides the trial space. They had fortuitously stumbled upon one. Since the anomaly began, the tremors underground had become increasingly violent, and the circular restriction was enduring greater impacts. It was natural for cracks to appear first at its weakest points.

They might not have found the trial space, so encountering a weak point now was an opportunity not to be missed. Without needing a reminder, Qin Sang understood Wandering Cloud Immortal's intention and immediately changed the direction of the Spirit Bamboo Flying Boat, heading along the crack into the lava tributary.

His gaze fixed on the crack, and he finally tracked it to its end. At the end of the thin, thread-like fissure, a thumb-sized opening appeared. The circular restriction here glowed dazzlingly, its power attempting to repair itself. However, the ceaseless tremors caused the restriction to become unstable, not only preventing its restoration but also causing the opening to grow larger. Above the opening, the ground also split into a fissure due to the tremor's impact.

Qin Sang and Wandering Cloud Immortal exchanged a look and spoke in unison.

“We can try!”

The Fire Spirit Beasts were in hot pursuit. They had no time to wait for the opening to disintegrate on its own. As they approached the opening, both acted simultaneously. The Ebon Sword flashed out from Qin Sang's brow. Its sword qi formed a formation, and then the power of the sword formation instantly converged within the sword itself. Wandering Cloud Immortal, meanwhile, conjured a verdant, dragon-eye-sized precious bead. It was crystalline and transparent, with wind and thunder appearing and vanishing, yin and yang alternating within it, as if a small world was evolving inside the bead.

The moment the bead appeared, Qin Sang felt a subtle sense of oppression, secretly alarmed. Qin Sang had only felt this kind of oppressive sensation from artifacts of the magical treasure level, like the Heavenly Sound Snail and the Heavenly Gang Blade Talisman. This bead shared some similarities with them, though its oppressive force was much weaker, incomparable to a true magical treasure. Nevertheless, this was enough to indicate the bead's extraordinary nature; it was definitely a top-tier magic tool, likely on par with the Ten Directions Yama Banner. It seemed that Wandering Cloud Immortal, despite failing to cure his hidden injuries during his years of travel, had still gained significant treasures. Both the Spirit Bamboo Flying Boat and this precious bead were extraordinary.

“Go!”

Wandering Cloud Immortal roared, and the precious bead, trailing a streak of green light, slammed into the circular restriction. Not to be outdone, Qin Sang immediately activated the Ebon Sword, striking the circular restriction alongside the bead. As Qin Sang expected, the bead's power was certainly comparable to the Ten Directions Yama Banner, even surpassing the Ebon Sword.

Boom!

Under the combined impact of the precious bead and the Ebon Sword, the restrictive power at the opening wavered, pausing for a moment. Though the duration was brief, it was enough. The Spirit Bamboo Flying Boat transformed into a streak of light, passing through the opening in the blink of an eye. The pursuing Fire Spirit Beasts lost track of Qin Sang and Wandering Cloud Immortal's aura and gradually calmed down.

The fissure was wide enough for them to pass through. The two put away their artifacts and flew upwards.

“What a treasure!”

Qin Sang glanced at the precious bead, a flash of surprise in his eyes, and praised it. Wandering Cloud Immortal's face paled slightly as he gave a wry smile. “This Flawless Pearl is indeed my greatest reliance, but unfortunately, its consumption is immense. It's like a monster that devours spiritual power, draining my qi sea dry every time I use it. In truth, it's far less convenient than your Ebon Sword, Brother Qin.”

Finally, they had escaped to safety. As soon as Qin Sang flew out of the ground, he was startled by the sight before him. Their location was southwest of the stele, roughly equidistant from both the stele and the Sky Peaks. The prominent stele was visible in the distance. A pungent, strange odor permeated the air.

The western direction had completely transformed, dominated by a fiery red hue. The ground was crisscrossed with cracks, and lava surged forth like torrents, erupting from below and shooting into the sky before spreading out. The flame-like restriction had long been torn apart. Beneath it, countless mountain peaks had toppled and collapsed, shattering along with the ground, then becoming isolated islands surrounded by endless lava. Innumerable Fire Spirit Beasts could be clearly seen floating in the lava. The ancient cultivator's abode seemed destined to become a realm of Fire Spirit Beasts.

Even more astonishingly, the four Sky Peaks had begun to tilt, with two of them already colliding and collapsing by half. Qin Sang recalled the initial tremor he had felt and glanced at the Sky Peak from which Sikong Muyue had descended, wondering if that was the source of the anomaly. Furthermore, Qin Sang noticed that the space of the ancient cultivator's abode also seemed to be collapsing. Around the already collapsed Sky Peak, black lines were visible to the naked eye, stretching across the void, some even hundreds of feet long. When Fire Spirit Beasts and lava came into contact with these black lines, they would vanish into thin air. They greatly resembled the legendary spatial rifts!

Qin Sang gasped, taking a sharp breath. Even after the great battle between Old Man Dique and Daoist Master Xuanyu, those totem restrictions had remained unshaken. Yet now, for some unknown reason, this ancient cultivator's abode, which had existed for so long, was suddenly on the verge of destruction. Could it be that this place was already on the brink of collapse, and they had become the final straw?

“Brother Qin, we must also hurry out to avoid being affected,” Wandering Cloud Immortal said, his expression far calmer than Qin Sang's, as he pointed to the distant ground, offering a reminder. The cracks in the earth were visibly spreading outwards. Periodically, the ground would arch upwards before an entire section was torn away, immediately releasing lava and Fire Spirit Beasts from below, with the lava submerging the land. The vegetation, already struggling to survive, had met its true demise.

At this time, everyone was converging towards the stele at the exit. Near the stele, several figures hovered, having arrived earlier, observing the situation. To the west, streaks of light sped by, fleeing from the disaster. Some were fast, some slow. Fortunately, not too many Fire Spirit Beasts had yet emerged from the ground, so those lagging behind didn't need to worry about being discovered.

Qin Sang hesitated, then said, “Senior, you may go ahead. I have a small matter to attend to.”

“Be careful, Junior Brother Qin. The restrictions will surely be destroyed at an accelerating pace,” Wandering Cloud Immortal cautioned without further questions, then steered the Spirit Bamboo Flying Boat towards the stele.

Watching Wandering Cloud Immortal's back disappear, Qin Sang mused for a moment. Then, his figure vanished, but he went in the opposite direction, stealthily traveling westward for a distance before finally lurking on the path others would inevitably take to escape to the stele. Streaks of light flashed overhead as lava and Fire Spirit Beasts rapidly approached. Qin Sang remained motionless. Not until the last streak of light had passed did he see Ren Hong. Only then did Qin Sang move.

Related: Martial Arts Novel