Chapter 285: The Wind Has Risen

At this moment, identical blue mist surrounded them in all directions. They had no idea where the exit was, and everyone focused their gaze on Yu Kong, hoping his experience would quickly help them find a way to break the formation.

"The wind is picking up," Qin Sang, who had been carefully observing their surroundings, suddenly spoke.

Everyone was startled. Following Qin Sang's gaze, they saw that the blue mist beneath their feet had indeed begun to stir.

Like a calm lake surface rippled by a gentle breeze, unseen currents seemed to churn within the depths of the blue mist. As the waves propagated, this change began to spread to other areas.

At this moment, everyone also keenly felt fine strands of wind caressing their faces.

But then, the wind suddenly intensified.

In an instant, the stillness was completely shattered.

Strong winds, then fierce gales, and finally raging storms enveloped them. Amidst the wind, the blue mist danced; it was materialized wind, coalescing into wind masses of varying sizes in Qin Sang and the others' vision.

Qin Sang and the others were immediately enveloped by countless wind masses, truly experiencing the power of this blue mist.

The blue mist overhead appeared ethereal but felt like scorching flames, intensely hot. The blue mist rising from below, however, was a chilling, gloomy wind, imbued with endless cold. The blue mist in the middle was like sharp blades, incredibly keen.

Everyone hastily activated their spiritual energy to protect themselves, shattering several nearby wind masses.

However, they discovered that wind masses from other areas seemed to have eyes, moving directly towards their location. As they moved, the wind masses devoured each other, growing larger and larger, their power increasing at a visible rate.

Everyone could feel that the difficulty of dispersing the wind masses was also rising. If this continued, they would certainly be swallowed by the wind masses if they didn't leave the grand formation soon.

Realizing this, everyone grew extremely anxious, but they still couldn't find the direction of the exit.

Just then, Xiu Zhirui suddenly pointed forward and shouted in surprise.

"Look there!"

The Xiu sisters, working together to resist the erosion of the wind masses, found it somewhat easier than the others.

Everyone strained their eyes to look, and indeed saw something unusual: At the far end of their vision, high in the sky, a deep wind tunnel stood, only revealed because the blue mist had gathered into masses.

"That should be the exit," Yu Kong said.

Yu Kong raised his hand and pointed to the wind tunnel, making a move to leave. "Let's go!"

Old Man Muteng said in a grim voice, "Fellow Daoist Yu, wouldn't it be unwise to rush in without carefully observing the changes in the grand formation? What if this wind tunnel is merely a decoy, or even a trap? Or what if, after we go through immense effort to approach it, the wind tunnel suddenly shifts elsewhere? Wouldn't all our efforts be in vain?"

Everyone deeply agreed, and hesitation showed on their faces.

Seeing this, Yu Kong explained loudly.

"Everyone, there's no need to worry. If this formation were manipulated by someone, it would indeed be as unpredictable as Fellow Daoist Muteng described, and with our cultivation levels, we would surely perish. But the owner of the immortal's cave has passed away, and the grand formation is unmanned. Furthermore, it's currently in a dormant period, operating sluggishly, so there won't be such complex changes. If the wind tunnel is the exit, it won't suddenly shift elsewhere in a short time. Even if it's an illusory gate, as long as we approach this area, we'll quickly discover the true exit. Although the grand formation is powerful, it has been worn down by time and is no longer a fatal trap with no escape. At least eighty percent of those who attempt to pass through it can safely enter the immortal's cave, let alone with so many of us here. As long as we find the exit, escaping won't be difficult. If we hesitate and are indecisive, changes might occur, and we might lose our composure instead."

Ultimately, everyone decided to trust Yu Kong, maintaining the Guiyuan Formation as they flew towards the wind tunnel.

Yu Kong unleashed a spiritual blade to clear their path, forcefully cleaving through the obstructive wind masses one by one, and they headed straight for the wind tunnel at a considerable speed.

As they drew closer to the wind tunnel, the surrounding wind masses became even more numerous. Streaks of tangible blue mist struck and collided with them, their power becoming increasingly terrifying.

Everyone's figures trembled as they struggled forward. At this moment, Yu Kong suddenly waved his hand, releasing the spiritual energy gathered at the core of the formation, which transformed into an opaque white barrier, enveloping everyone.

The blue mist struck the barrier, creating ripples, and the barrier vibrated intensely but did not break.

With the barrier to block, the pressure on everyone immediately decreased significantly, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief. But then they grew tense again, as the fluctuations on the barrier became increasingly violent, making it seem on the verge of collapse.

Without Yu Kong needing to remind them, everyone knew what to do. They quickly poured all their spiritual energy into the core of the formation, trying to maintain the barrier for as long as possible.

Without the spiritual blade clearing the way, their speed immediately dropped significantly. However, they were no longer far from the wind tunnel, and by now, they were certain that the wind tunnel was the exit.

Yu Kong hadn't deceived them. Before the dormant period ended, the grand formation wouldn't undergo major changes, and there were no signs of the wind tunnel shifting elsewhere.

Salvation was within sight. They just needed to hold on a little longer, and they would be able to leave the grand formation!

Suddenly, Qin Sang felt that the wind masses drifting from ahead seemed off. Then he heard Yu Kong urgently shout, "Watch out!"

Before his words even finished, the immense wind force battering the barrier suddenly vanished.

The next moment, those wind masses actually emitted an extremely powerful suction force!

This change was abrupt and came without warning. The barrier was directly torn apart by the powerful suction, leaving everyone caught off guard and exposed.

Wu Chen, who was at the very front, was directly sucked away by a surge of suction force, causing the formation to collapse without an attack.

Wu Chen reacted extremely quickly. He hastily swung his precious fan, and several sword lights burst forth from it, breaking free from the suction. He then used the momentum to penetrate a wind mass, and lunged towards the wind tunnel without looking back.

Qin Sang had been prepared. Upon seeing this, he immediately transformed into a sword light, severing two strands of suction force that coiled around him, and flew forward along the path Wu Chen had opened.

For a moment, everyone scattered from the grand formation, fighting on their own.

Just then, Yan Wu, who was at the edge of the Guiyuan Formation, suddenly cried out in alarm. He was the slowest to react, and failed to respond in time when the Guiyuan Formation collapsed. By the time he tried to move, it was too late.

Seven or eight wind masses directly targeted him, surrounding him closely, already very near. An artifact he had just taken out was immediately torn to shreds.

It seemed Yan Wu was about to be swallowed by the wind masses.

At this moment, everyone was rushing towards the wind tunnel with all their might, unable to fend for anyone else. Even if they had spare energy, they wouldn't risk turning back to save Yan Wu.

Qin Sang would certainly not do so. In Xihuang Town, Yan Wu had caused trouble, and after Qin Sang used him to establish his authority and make him lose face, Yan Wu had come to hate Qin Sang.

For nearly a year, Yan Wu had never given Qin Sang a pleasant look. The others in the group could clearly see the conflict between the two, so Qin Sang naturally wouldn't bother to extend an olive branch where it wasn't wanted.

Qin Sang had no doubt that if he himself were caught in the suction, Yan Wu would not only fail to rescue him, but would also unhesitatingly seize any opportunity to worsen his plight.

Unexpectedly, just as Yan Wu was about to be swallowed by the wind masses, Yu Kong, who was the strongest and closest to the wind tunnel, suddenly paused, and with a wave of his hand, a crimson chain shot out from his palm.

The chain was as flexible as a snake, coiling and extending around Yan Wu's surroundings. Then it burst forth with dazzling light, helping Yan Wu block several streams of suction.