Chapter 1382: Ring-Shaped Space

This ruin, leveraging the surrounding mountains and extracting a spiritual vein specifically for power, absolutely cannot simply leave behind a Hollow Gourd. There must be more to it.

Zhang Xuan suddenly realized this. He looked at the others and saw that Bi Hongyin and the rest were not surprised, and then he understood. It seemed these few already knew this, which was why they were determined to help Luo Xuanqing acquire the Hollow Gourd, despite the obvious danger.

"Yun Lianhai, I'm counting on you!" Luo Xuanqing turned his head.

"Alright!" Yun Lianhai didn't refuse. He once again used a secret technique, and immediately, ripples continuously emanated outwards from his glabella. Having passed through the spatial formation that previously prevented the use of power, this area was much more vast. The ripples spread for a long time until Yun Lianhai's body trembled slightly before they finally stopped.

"How is it?"

"I've sensed some ancient objects, but I don't know if they're treasures!" After a few gasps, he recovered somewhat, Yun Lianhai said.

"Lead the way!" Luo Xuanqing spoke. Without further ado, Yun Lianhai confirmed the direction and led the way forward.

After walking for over ten minutes, they stopped.

"The river in the sky, its position has barely changed. Is this a trapping formation?" Bi Hongyin frowned.

Everyone looked up and saw that the long river of spiritual energy in the sky had not significantly changed its position from where they first encountered it. It seemed as if they had been suspended in place for the past ten minutes, making no progress.

"It's not a trapping formation, but a distorted space!" After a moment of hesitation, Luo Xuanqing said. Having reached the Half-Step Hollow Realm, his comprehension of space was much stronger, and he now realized something was amiss.

"Distorted space?" Bi Hongyin asked, puzzled. They had entered through a distorted space when they arrived, but this place was vast and empty, completely different from the previous funnel-like area. How could it be the same?

"The spaces we normally see are three-dimensional. But this one is like a folded ring. No matter how we walk around inside, we'll always return to the same starting point!" Luo Xuanqing continued, "When space is distorted, light also bends along with the distorted space. So, it appears we're walking in a straight line, but in reality, we're moving in circles! If we could step out of this area, we would see that our bodies are also curved, not straight!"

Zhang Xuan nodded. People trapped within a distorted space cannot perceive it, just as people on Earth cannot tell by sight alone that the Earth is round. If you draw two points on a piece of paper, everyone knows a straight line is the shortest distance. But if you bend the paper to form a circle, the previously drawn straight line would not only not be the shortest but would become extremely long. This was precisely their situation; they appeared to be moving forward continuously, but in reality, they were just circling in place.

"Then... how do we leave?" Yuan Xiao couldn't help but ask.

"Break the space!" After a moment of hesitation, Luo Xuanqing said.

Bi Hongyin shook her head, "Folded space is unstable. If something goes wrong, we might be trapped here forever..." Folded space is not as stable as the outside world; it can even automatically restore itself after being broken. If too much force is applied here, it could lead to a complete collapse, potentially pulverizing everyone on the spot, leaving no trace behind. This was precisely why individuals who had reached Saint 8-dan could not enter this place.

"This..." Luo Xuanqing frowned. He knew this as well; otherwise, he would have acted already and wouldn't have remained silent.

"Actually, there's no need to break the space!" Zhang Xuan spoke.

"Oh?" Everyone looked at him in unison.

"Everyone, look at the river of spiritual energy above us. No matter how we move, it remains suspended overhead, which indicates... its space is stable, not folded!" Zhang Xuan explained.

Everyone nodded. If this river were also in the folded space, it would move with them; it couldn't remain stationary.

"To escape from here, we just need to find a way to enter the river and move against the current!"

"That's right!" Luo Xuanqing's eyes lit up, and he also nodded.

"Then let's go!" Without further hesitation, everyone flew up in unison and headed towards the river.

This river was actually a spiritual vein. Upon entering it, they immediately felt a dense, surging spiritual energy, so potent it made it difficult to breathe. Luo Xuanqing formed a massive spatial bubble with a grab of his hand, enveloping everyone. Only then did they feel more comfortable as they slowly flew forward.

"This spiritual vein could have fully formed top-grade spirit stones. It's a shame that so much of it has been consumed to nourish this space!" Zhang Xuan sighed with emotion. If such a large spiritual vein had remained within the mountain range, it could definitely have formed many top-grade spirit stones. However, due to its continuous consumption to maintain the spatial operation, it couldn't even produce high-grade spirit stones, let alone top-grade ones. However, on the other hand, if it truly produced top-grade spirit stones, it would surely have been discovered and mined by those super-powers long ago. It wouldn't have been left untouched until now, allowing someone to obtain a treasure like the Hollow Gourd.

"Right, I should communicate with this guy!"

Knowing that Luo Xuanqing's protection meant there was no immediate danger, Zhang Xuan didn't ponder further. He performed an internal spiritual examination, returning to his dantian. He saw the fellow who had burrowed in there lying comfortably within, radiating an indescribable sense of ease.

"Since this guy has absorbed my blood and recognized me, it means it has already been refined!" Seeing a gourd act so arrogantly, Zhang Xuan frowned. With a flick of his spiritual thought, he began to control it. Honeycomb-like spatial forces flowed within his body. As these forces swept through, the Heavenly Dao True Qi, which had been abundant in his dantian, immediately collapsed, forming a hollow.

"What's going on?" His pupils constricted. His True Qi had taken a great deal of effort to fully recover. Why did a large portion of it vanish just from being touched by the power emanating from the gourd?

"No, wait, it didn't disappear. Instead, the space here has changed, and it can now accommodate more True Qi..." He swept his gaze around, then froze in surprise. He saw that where the gourd had just swept, the True Qi wasn't evaporated; rather, the space had become distorted, allowing it to hold more True Qi.

"That's right, if I arrange a circular space like that inside my dantian, not only will it hold more True Qi, but I'll also be able to access it much faster, whenever I need it..." An idea surfaced. The circular folded space they had just navigated appeared bizarre and confusing, but once the logic became clear, it was simple. If he could set up such a space within his dantian, it would not only hold more True Qi, but the True Qi could also circulate continuously, refining itself without interruption. More importantly, the extraction speed would be much faster, without any limitations!

"If I could unleash all my True Qi in an instant, perhaps I could execute that 'Vast Ocean' ultimate move..." His eyes lit up. The reason he couldn't cultivate and execute the 'Vast Ocean' technique was primarily due to insufficient cultivation, but more importantly, his True Qi output speed was too slow. It was like a water channel the width of a fist: no matter how fast the flow, only a limited amount of water could pass through in an hour. But it would be different if it became a river tens of meters wide. Even in a single breath, it would be countless times more than before. The 'Vast Ocean' technique required a much more profound amount of True Qi than 'One Sword Cleaving Sea'. If he could construct such a space to allow True Qi to burst forth rapidly, he might truly be able to execute it!

"Let's try it..." With a thought, he began to manipulate the Hollow Gourd according to his understanding of space. Responding to his power, the gourd slowly rotated, releasing layers of space that hung inside his dantian, like bees creating a honeycomb.

"It looks like it will take some time to complete the construction..." Knowing that he was limited by his strength and that even with the Hollow Gourd's help, constructing a circular folded space would require considerable effort, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Although the gourd still looked somewhat haughty, the fact that he could use it without resistance indicated that it had been completely refined.

"As long as it doesn't cause trouble, that's fine. But... now my True Qi is insufficient again, and I'll need to find enough spirit stones..." Seeing the folded spaces being arranged layer by layer within his body, like individual honeycombs hanging there, Zhang Xuan again felt a sense of helplessness. His True Qi had already been quite abundant from cultivating the Sealed Saint Giải, but to fill his dantian after arranging it into a circular folded space, even more True Qi would be needed. He roughly calculated that it required ten times more than before! In other words, he needed even more spirit stones to convert into True Qi to fill it. He was already poor; where would he find so many?

"If all else fails... observing someone else's tribulation and seeking out lightning tribulations wouldn't be a bad idea..." Cupping his chin, an idea emerged. The last time he pushed for the peak of the Spirit Exodus Realm, a lightning tribulation appeared, allowing him to absorb a great deal and make significant progress. If he were to undergo another tribulation and take a stroll, he might easily gather enough True Qi in his dantian without so much trouble.

"Once we're out, I'll discuss it with Brother Luo and ask if I can observe when he undergoes his tribulation..." Zhang Xuan secretly nodded, his mind made up. After the last incident, the power contained in ordinary lightning tribulations was no longer very useful to him. If push came to shove, he would go during Luo Xuanqing's tribulation and try to get some of it back.

"Look, what's that?" While deep in thought, a voice from the crowd pulled him back to reality. He looked up and saw that the spatial bubble had reached the end of the river, and a towering mountain range appeared before them. This mountain range wasn't real; it resembled a painting suspended in the sky, or perhaps a mirage, giving off an ethereal feeling—something to be admired from afar but not approached.

"It's the highest realm for calligraphers and painters: a world within a painting!" Luo Xuanqing said with a solemn expression.

"A world within a painting?"

"This realm surpasses the 'seemingly real, seemingly illusory' stage. Worlds created at this level allow humans to actually enter and live within them..." Luo Xuanqing explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded and looked closely at the painting before him. Suddenly, he froze, his pupils constricting: "Why does the mountain range in this painting look so familiar? It seems to be... the one Qing Tianhuang asked me to break the seal on..."