Chapter 273: The Return

Excluding Core Formation Realm cultivators, twenty-seven people had entered the ancient cultivators' estate. Now, only sixteen remained gathered by the stone stele.

Of course, some might have chosen to abandon the trial midway, like Ascetic Yunqiong, and left the ancient estate.

When Qin Sang arrived, he saw that Mu Yifeng and Yu Dayue were also present, so he walked over to join them.

"Have Senior Uncle Che and the others not come out yet?" Qin Sang asked softly.

Mu Yifeng shook his head, his expression grave as he stared westward. "After the anomaly began, Senior Sikong instructed us to leave and await further orders while she personally went to assist Senior Uncle Che and the others."

The collapse was worsening. Some spatial rifts were linking together, forming an enormous fissure over a thousand zhang long. It resembled a monstrous maw, ready to devour any intruders.

The torn space revealed bizarre and otherworldly sights.

Some lava rivers had suddenly dried up. In certain areas, the ground and mountain peaks were inverted, defying all logic. These phenomena grew increasingly severe the closer one approached the four heavenly peaks.

Yet, the Core Formation Realm cultivators were still nowhere to be seen.

Di Que and Daoist Master Xuanyu were certainly gone. However, the absence of the other three cultivators was even more perplexing.

Did all five Golden Core cultivators perish?

Qin Sang gazed at the apocalyptic scene, secretly murmuring to himself.

Losing five Golden Core cultivators at once would be a devastating blow to the major sects. Even the Eight Major Sects of the righteous path had limited numbers of Core Formation Realm cultivators within their ranks.

The Qingluo Sect, in particular, would suffer the worst, as its sect leader was among the missing.

As more time passed, the lava and Fire Spirit Beasts encroached aggressively, drawing ever closer to the stone stele. Still, there was no sign of the Core Formation Realm cultivators. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense and uneasy.

Suddenly, someone’s expression lit up with joy, and they pointed into the distance, shouting, "Look over there!"

Peering into the distance, they saw three specks of light appear amidst the spatial rifts. The space was still far from stable, constantly shifting and trembling. Some spatial rifts expanded, while others drifted unpredictably.

The lights moved with difficulty, narrowly avoiding the engulfing spatial rifts at every turn. Despite the great distance and obscured details, the sight left everyone on edge.

At last, the lights broke free of the spatial rifts, only to be met by the ferocious Fire Spirit Beasts.

Fortunately, though numerous, the Fire Spirit Beasts were sparse relative to the vastness of the estate. For the Core Formation Realm cultivators, they posed little threat and were easily shaken off.

Before long, three figures materialized in front of the crowd—Che Yutao, Sikong Muyue, and Du Yi.

Sikong Muyue and Du Yi appeared relatively unharmed, but Che Yutao looked disheveled, with a conspicuous wound on his left arm where a chunk of flesh had been torn away.

Ignoring his injury, Che Yutao swept his gaze across the crowd, his face darkening. He barked angrily, "Where is Daoist Master Xuanyu?"

The oppressive aura of a Core Formation Realm cultivator bore down on them, making it hard to breathe. The weight felt like a mountain pressing on their chests. One late-stage Foundation Building cultivator struggled to reply, "Senior Uncle Che, after the anomaly began, we never saw the two seniors again. T-They seem not to have come out yet..."

Che Yutao and the other two exchanged grim looks. Sikong Muyue spoke in a deep voice, "When the anomaly began, I sent them out and returned to assist you. I did not encounter the two fellow Daoists."

Du Yi turned to look into the distance, frowning. "Daoist Master Xuanyu ascended the peak like us. If he was trapped by danger, that’s understandable. But why hasn’t Daoist Di Que escaped yet? Could he also be restrained by some kind of barrier?"

Meanwhile, the Fire Spirit Beasts were drawing closer, and lava was beginning to seep into the ground near the stone stele.

Sikong Muyue shook her head and turned to Che Yutao. "It’s too dangerous to stay here any longer. We should retreat for now. The collapse seems to be slowing, and the estate may not be completely destroyed. The two fellow Daoists are resourceful and will likely find a way to survive. Once the estate stabilizes, we can devise a rescue plan."

Che Yutao’s face remained grim as he stood in deep thought.

Du Yi, impatient, added, "Sikong’s suggestion is reasonable. Ensuring our own safety first will give us the capacity to rescue them later. If all else fails, we can send someone back to Xuanlu Stronghold for reinforcements."

Seeing that both Sikong Muyue and Du Yi agreed, Che Yutao reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Before entering the stone stele, Qin Sang glanced back briefly before withdrawing his gaze and stepping inside.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

A wave of vertigo swept over him, and when his vision cleared, he found himself standing on the rubble outside the estate. Besides Ascetic Yunqiong, three others who had abandoned the trial were also waiting there.

Altogether, six Foundation Building cultivators had perished within the estate.

Seeing the disheveled state of those who had returned, Ascetic Yunqiong and the others were visibly astonished. After learning what had transpired inside, their expressions turned to relief, clearly glad they had opted out.

Che Yutao and the other two Core Formation cultivators exchanged a few words through voice transmission before positioning themselves near the entrance, showing no intention of leaving. Qin Sang and the others, without any orders, dared not leave on their own. Instead, they found spots nearby to rest—some meditating to recover their energy, others tending to their injuries.

Qin Sang used his spiritual consciousness to examine his inner state. He glanced at the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman resting within his Qihai. Despite his eagerness, he refrained from probing the talisman with his spiritual consciousness, choosing instead to let it recover naturally.

To ensure complete concealment, Qin Sang reinforced the talisman with a few barriers within his Qihai, sealing off its aura entirely, not allowing even a trace to leak out.

As Di Que had said, the talisman was unclaimed. As long as no one forcibly searched his Qihai, there was no need to worry about the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman being discovered.

After securing the talisman, Qin Sang quietly opened his eyes. He saw Che Yutao and the other two Core Formation cultivators standing in a triangular formation around the entrance. Occasionally, they activated the black hole, monitoring the changes within.

Initially, the stone stele within the black hole remained calm. However, it soon began to tremble violently. Black light erupted from the black hole, turning it into what seemed like a dark sun.

The three Core Formation cultivators acted swiftly, setting up a large barrier to block the black light, preventing its unusual phenomena from attracting Cloud Beasts.

Thus, three days passed.

Eventually, the black hole vanished completely, and the black light dissipated. The stone stele became fully visible, standing intact amidst the surrounding rubble, an astonishing sight.

Though the stele was covered in cracks, it remained whole and had miraculously avoided shattering.

Another three days went by without further disturbances.

The stone stele remained unchanged, suggesting the estate had stabilized.

Cautiously, Sikong Muyue approached the stele and pressed her palm against its surface. Spiritual power flowed from her hand as she probed the stele. After a long pause, she said, "The trial space has been destroyed, which is why the entrance has become exposed."

After some discussion, Che Yutao and the other two decided to summon everyone. To Qin Sang’s dismay, they planned to reenter the ancient cultivators' estate.

At this point, no one could predict the dangers that might still lurk within. Though Qin Sang and the others were reluctant, they had no choice but to follow orders. Together, they formed the immense Nine Radiant Galaxy Array, with the three Golden Core cultivators at its core, and stepped into the black hole, entering the stele.

Upon entry, Sikong Muyue’s conjecture was confirmed—they were no longer separated into trial spaces but directly entered the interior of the estate.