Chapter 1603: Opening the Space Channel

They left the underground cave and flew northwest. Soon after, the five of them landed on a steep cliff. Before them, in the void, a black hole more than ten *zhang* wide loomed, from which powerful gusts of wind occasionally swept out.

This black hole was the infamous Fallen Immortal Cave, a well-known location in the Central Plains cultivation world. The Fallen Immortal Cave was an ancient battlefield, riddled with numerous restrictions. Even Nascent Soul cultivators risked death if they triggered these prohibitions.

Shen Haoran flicked his sleeve, and a white light shot out. It was a palm-sized white flying shuttle. He cast a spell, and the shuttle immediately expanded, growing over ten *zhang* in length. Its surface was covered with countless white runes, radiating an imposing spiritual aura. This was the Qian Guang Dun Ying Shuttle, a flying spiritual treasure.

The five individuals leaped onto the Qian Guang Dun Ying Shuttle. Liu Jiaojiao then conjured a pale silver orb. After she cast a spell into it, the orb spun rapidly in the air, emitting a soft silver light that enveloped all five of them.

"Go!"

With Shen Haoran's low growl, the Qian Guang Dun Ying Shuttle erupted in dazzling white light, transforming into a long white rainbow that vanished into the Fallen Immortal Cave.

Their vision blurred momentarily, and they suddenly found themselves in a space rich with spiritual energy. Below them stretched an endless expanse of emerald green mountains, adorned with ancient trees, strange vines, and rugged, strangely shaped rocks.

Shen Haoran formed a hand seal, guiding the Qian Guang Dun Ying Shuttle southeast. They continuously changed direction, perfectly avoiding both the general and powerful restrictions of this area.

After about the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, they arrived in a vast valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. The sky above was blood-red, and the valley floor was littered with numerous blood-colored stones, giving the place an eerie appearance. Occasionally, a clap of thunder echoed, and a silver bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.

Opening a spatial channel was far from easy. Even with the power of formations, it could only tear open a small rift. The force of the realm was not to be trifled with; merely finding a suitable location had consumed a significant amount of their time.

Liu Jiaojiao took out the formation-setting tools and distributed them among the four others, instructing them on how to set up the array. They spent an entire day setting up the formation. Within the valley, five massive arrays, each a hundred *zhang* wide, now stood, their surfaces intricately carved with numerous arcane blood-red runes.

Each of the five held a blood-glowing array disc. On the surface of each disc were nine uniformly sized indentations, clearly designed for spirit stones. They exchanged glances, then each retrieved nine high-grade spirit stones and placed them into the indentations, totaling forty-five high-grade spirit stones.

"Junior Sister Liu, please activate the outer perimeter restrictions first, to prevent anyone from disturbing us," Shen Haoran instructed with a solemn expression. "Once we tear open a rift, the sect's high-ranking members will need some time to react."

Liu Jiaojiao acknowledged him, then took out a nine-sided array disc that shimmered with spiritual light and cast nine spells into it. A dense green bamboo forest in the distance suddenly began to shake violently, emitting a yellow mist. After about ten breaths, the mist dispersed, and the bamboo forest was gone, replaced by a towering peak. Many surrounding landscapes had also transformed: bamboo groves became large mountains, wastelands became dense forests, and small streams turned into mighty rivers. Even if cultivators entered the Fallen Immortal Cave, they would detect no anomaly, as these altered scenes were physically real, created by the power of the formations.

"Alright, we can begin now," Liu Jiaojiao stated confidently. "Even if ten Nascent Soul cultivators attacked simultaneously, they wouldn't be able to break through my formation this quickly." She had trained under a Soul Transformation cultivator and was naturally full of self-assurance.

The five exchanged glances, then each cast a spell into their blood-red array disc. The blood-red array discs immediately illuminated with countless blood-red runes. The ground beneath Shen Haoran's feet began to shake violently, and all five blood-red arrays simultaneously lit up with myriad blood-red runes, radiating a brilliant crimson light.

"Bloodlight Spirit-Breaking Formation! Activate!"

With a low growl from Liu Jiaojiao, immense spiritual power surged into her blood-red array disc. Shen Haoran and the other four immediately followed suit. With a flash of blood-red light, each of the five blood-red arrays shot out a thick beam of crimson light, all heading directly towards the blood-red void. Midway, the five beams merged into a single, colossal crimson light, emitting a piercing roar.

The faces of all five, including Shen Haoran, turned pale. The crimson light struck the blood-red void, producing a deafening clap of thunder. The void rippled, and a tiny crack appeared.

"Everyone, push harder! Don't hold anything back!" Liu Jiaojiao shouted, channeling her spiritual power frantically into the blood-red array disc.

Shen Haoran and the other four exchanged determined glances and nodded to one another. They then began channeling their spiritual power into their blood-red array discs. The high-grade spirit stones in the indentations quickly turned grayish-white, a clear sign that the formation was rapidly draining their spiritual energy.

A resounding rumble echoed! A deafening roar reverberated from high above, and the void shook violently, as if on the verge of collapse. Slowly, a silver light began to appear in the blood-red sky, its illuminated area steadily expanding. The silver light lingered for approximately ten breaths before rapidly vanishing, and the sky reverted to its blood-red hue.

All five, including Shen Haoran, went limp and pale. They almost simultaneously collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"It's done," Shen Haoran said slowly, his heart filled with apprehension. "I believe Martial Uncle Zhao's Profound Origin Disk will detect the anomaly. All we can do now is wait." He feared that other fellow disciples might open a spatial channel to another realm before them, which would undoubtedly render them expendable.

***

In the Azure Wave Realm, Azure Wave Island was situated in the northwest, stretching over eight thousand *li* long and five thousand *li* wide, making it the realm's largest island. The island was covered with ancient trees, strange vines, rugged rocks, and exotic flowers and herbs. Multi-colored spiritual lights streaked across the sky, indicating the location of the Azure Wave Sect's main headquarters. The Azure Wave Sect was the sole sect and cultivation force in the Azure Wave Realm, comprising both human and demon races.

In the southeastern corner of Azure Wave Island stood a towering, majestic peak. At its summit was a vast bluestone plaza spanning a thousand *mu*, upon which a magnificent blue palace rose. Adorning the palace was a shimmering silver plaque inscribed with the three golden characters: "Azure Wave Hall."

*Dong, dong, dong!*

A series of eighteen resounding chimes echoed, reverberating across the entire Azure Wave Island. Soon, over a hundred streaks of spiritual light converged from various directions, heading directly towards the Azure Wave Hall. The streaks of light diminished, revealing over a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators. They comprised individuals of all ages and genders, with cultivation levels ranging from the early to the great perfection stage of Nascent Soul. A minority of them were of the demon race. Without a word, they entered the Azure Wave Hall.

A moment later, two more streaks of light flew in, settling within the grand hall. One was a square-faced, rosy-complexioned middle-aged man. He wore a blue cultivation robe, possessed a sturdy physique, and his eyes flickered with a blue light. The other was a woman with a pair of five-*zhang*-wide green feathered wings on her back. She was dressed in a green palace gown, her features striking, yet her expression was detached. The auras emanating from both individuals were far more powerful than those of the Nascent Soul cultivators present, clearly indicating they were Soul Transformation cultivators.

"Disciples pay their respects to Martial Uncle Sun and Martial Uncle Feng." Over a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators uniformly knelt, their expressions reverent.

The middle-aged man was Sun Hao, an early Soul Transformation cultivator. The woman in the green skirt was Feng Wu, also an early Soul Transformation cultivator and a member of the demon race.

"The Profound Origin Disk we established in the southeastern part of the Azure Wave Realm has shown a reaction," Sun Hao stated solemnly. "Our dispatched disciples are in the process of opening the spatial channel. Immediately send twenty thousand cultivators to assist them. Provide them with full support; we must open this spatial channel to secure a future for our Azure Wave Realm."

"Yes, Martial Uncle Sun, we receive your command," the hundred Nascent Soul cultivators responded in unison, their expressions varied.

Soon after, the behemoth that was the Azure Wave Sect sprang into action. A large number of skilled cultivators were immediately dispatched to the southeastern part of the Azure Wave Realm, bringing the region to the brink of conflict.