Chapter 759: Ancient Divine Platform

Xiang Yi and his companions halted.

They arrived before the second stone chamber. It was very similar to the first, though the ancient restrictions had changed. The Earth Elemental Banner could still bypass the formation. They cleared the surrounding ferocious beasts, took a brief respite, then deployed the Earth Elemental Banner and began attempting to break the restriction.

While the Earth Elemental Banner inevitably caused tremors, this time everyone was significantly more cautious. As they activated the spirit formation, they constantly monitored their surroundings. No one wanted to repeat their previous mistake and be encircled by ferocious beasts again. Even if another cultivator like Pan were to appear, they couldn't replicate such success.

Qin Sang stood motionless at a distance, doing nothing.

Once the Earth Elemental Banner broke through the ancient restriction, Xiang Yi flew into the stone chamber, then emerged shortly after, whispering, "It's done! Only one stone chamber remains. Follow me, fellow Daoists."

Xiang Yi changed direction; the third stone chamber was now closer to the rift valley. The bone lotus was being corroded at an increasing rate, so they quickened their pace. Qin Sang noticed that the positions of these three stone chambers formed a very regular triangle, hinting at ancient secrets discovered by the East Pole Alliance.

The third stone chamber opened just as smoothly.

As Xiang Yi exited the third stone chamber, the ground suddenly began to tremble. The Earth Elemental Banner had already been retracted by this point. The vibrations originated from far away and deep underground, their waves more profound and heavy, as if the earth had a powerful heartbeat that had reawakened after the three stone chambers were opened.

Qin Sang turned and looked towards the center of the three stone chambers, the source of the tremors. It seemed Xiang Yi had activated some mechanism, causing something to appear there. Just then, Qin Sang sensed Xiang Yi and the others suddenly rushing back, moving swiftly towards the source of the vibrations. He quickly dodged to avoid them.

"An ancient altar has appeared! It might draw the attention of surrounding ferocious beasts. I ask all fellow Daoists to work together and protect me…" Xiang Yi's voice drifted back.

Qin Sang immediately followed.

Before reaching the epicenter of the tremors, Qin Sang saw a mass of golden light in the distance. The light was incredibly dazzling, piercing through the purple mist and clearly visible even from afar. As he moved closer, Qin Sang could faintly make out the outline of the ancient altar.

The ancient altar stood seven to eight zhang tall, narrow at the top and wide at the base, resembling a pagoda. Around the altar, several slender golden lights were barely discernible. They had passed by this area before but hadn't noticed it. Given how conspicuous the altar was, it must have only just appeared, manifesting this unusual phenomenon.

Qin Sang gazed for a moment, realizing these golden lights were likely chains, extending from the pagoda's peak to the ground, with one at each of the ancient altar's four corners. This scene felt somewhat familiar. Qin Sang instantly recalled the black pagoda they had entered at Ziwei Palace with Duke Dongyang and Chen Yan; it too had iron chains at its four corners, very similar to this. However, this ancient altar was nowhere near as tall as the black pagoda on Tianshan.

"Is it a coincidence?" Qin Sang wondered. Since he could only see the outline and not the altar's details, he couldn't make a definitive judgment.

Xiang Yi and the others had already reached the ancient altar. Qin Sang stopped at a distance, observing the unfolding events. A large hole had opened in the ground.

*Creak, creak…*

*Clang, clang…*

The ancient stone altar slowly rose from within, golden light shooting skyward, blindingly bright. Everyone squinted, examining the structure. The golden light wasn't emanating from the altar itself, but from the ancient restrictions surrounding it. The altar itself looked quite ordinary. At first glance, one might mistake it for a roughly carved stone platform.

The stone altar had layers of steps leading to its summit, all squarely shaped, with the top measuring roughly one zhang square. Nothing rested on its surface, and the entire altar had no discernible entrance. From each of the altar's four corners, an iron chain hung down, deeply embedded in the ground. As the ancient altar rose, the chains gradually tautened, creating the loud clanging sound as they swayed. The chains were covered in runes, profoundly mysterious. Strangely, these clearly extraordinary chains were heavily rusted, seemingly unable to resist the erosion of countless years. However, the runes on the chains still shone, their divine power undiminished.

With a dull thud, the ancient altar fully emerged from the ground. Everyone looked up, then simultaneously turned to Xiang Yi.

Xiang Yi walked a full circle around the altar, then produced six spirit talismans, distributing one to each person. The six talismans weren't identical; four of them depicted lifelike black flood dragons, their eyes full of spirit. The other two featured peculiar jade cones made of black jade. The four Black Flood Dragon Talismans were given to the Liu couple, the sword-wielding youth, and Cui Ji, while Xiang Yi and the richly dressed fat man took charge of the Jade Cone Talismans.

He instructed the Liu couple and the others to stand at the four corners of the ancient altar, directly facing the iron chains. He then stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the richly dressed fat man, facing the restrictions of the altar itself.

"Fellow Daoist Liu," Xiang Yi began, "once Fellow Daoist An and I start breaking the ancient restrictions, you all must fully activate the Azure-Black Flood Dragon Talismans to suppress the iron chains. It seems the ferocious beasts in this desolate area haven't been attracted, so our pressure will be much less."

Xiang Yi finished his arrangements and nodded to the richly dressed fat man. Both simultaneously activated their Jade Cone Talismans.

*Snap!*

The Jade Cone Talismans shattered, their paper fragments scattering. A mass of black light appeared, wriggling and transforming, eventually solidifying into a true jade cone.

"Go!"

The two shouted, and the Jade Cone Talismans vanished into thin air, reappearing moments later near the ancient altar.

*Boom! Boom!*

Struck by the jade cones, the ancient restrictions of the altar ignited, and the golden light intensified, bathing Xiang Yi and his companions in a golden hue. The jade cones were equally formidable, tough and sharp, continuously emitting black qi from their tips as they relentlessly impacted the altar.

Just then, the iron chains at the ancient altar's four corners began to move without any wind, producing a resounding clatter. The runes on the chains flickered, then suddenly erupted with silver-white light. The chains were generating lightning! In an instant, the rust disappeared, and silver lines writhed across them, as if they had transformed into chains of pure lightning, exuding a terrifying aura. Lightning surged, held in abeyance, causing Xiang Yi's expression to change. He clearly sensed that these lightning bolts were aimed at him, intended to punish those who attacked the altar. Their power was immense; if released, he and the richly dressed fat man would surely be overwhelmed.

Xiang Yi shouted urgently, "Quickly! Use the Black Flood Dragon Talismans to suppress the chains!"

The Liu couple and the others dared not delay, immediately activating their Black Flood Dragon Talismans. The moment the Black Flood Dragon Talismans shattered, dragon roars that shook heaven and earth continuously rang out. A mass of black qi surged from the talismans, instantly morphing into a true black flood dragon, riding the clouds and mist, baring its fangs and claws, incredibly ferocious. The black flood dragon's eyes glowed with malevolence, exuding an exceptionally ferocious aura, as if it were a demonic dragon from the Abyss, with black smoke billowing from its body and an endless miasma of demonic energy.