Chapter 285: The Wind's Here

At this moment, the surroundings in every direction were identical—endless azure qi, making it impossible to discern where the exit might be. Everyone’s eyes turned to Yu Kong, hoping his experience would quickly uncover a way to break through the array.

"The wind is here," Qin Sang suddenly remarked, his eyes focused intently on the scene before him.

Everyone was startled and followed Qin Sang’s gaze.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Sure enough, the azure qi beneath their feet began to stir.

It was like a still lake ruffled by a gentle breeze, rippling softly. Deep within the qi, hidden currents seemed to surge, and as the waves pushed forward layer by layer, the disturbance began to spread across other areas.

Soon, the group also noticed faint wisps of wind brushing against their faces.

But in the blink of an eye, the wind grew stronger.

In an instant, the calm was utterly shattered.

Gusts turned to gales, and gales to storms...

The azure qi danced wildly in the wind, becoming tangible and forming whirlwinds of various sizes. To Qin Sang and the others, these whirlwinds appeared as solid entities.

They quickly found themselves surrounded by countless whirlwinds, each radiating the immense power of the azure qi.

The qi above was light and agile, yet burned with an intense heat like raging flames. The qi below rose upward as icy gales, carrying a bone-chilling cold. The qi in the middle was sharp as blades, cutting with terrifying precision.

The group hastily activated their spiritual power to shield themselves, shattering several nearby whirlwinds.

However, they soon noticed that other whirlwinds seemed to have eyes, moving toward them deliberately. Along the way, these whirlwinds devoured one another, growing larger and more powerful at a visible speed.

The group could feel the increasing difficulty of dispersing the whirlwinds. If this continued and they couldn’t find the exit soon, they would inevitably be consumed by the growing storm.

Anxiety crept into their hearts as they searched desperately for a way out but still failed to locate any direction that led to safety.

Suddenly, Xiu Zhirui pointed ahead and shouted in surprise.

"Look over there!"

The Xiu Sisters, working together, were fending off the whirlwinds with slightly more ease than the others.

The group strained their eyes toward where she pointed and spotted something unusual. In the distant high sky, at the very edge of their vision, a deep wind tunnel loomed, faintly revealed by the gathering azure qi.

"That must be the exit."

Yu Kong raised his hand, pointing to the wind tunnel. Without hesitation, he signaled to advance. "Let’s go!"

But Mu Teng interjected in a cold voice, "Daoist Yu, isn’t it reckless to charge forward without first observing the changes in this array? What if that wind tunnel is a mere illusion, or worse, a trap? Or suppose we endure endless struggles to approach it, only for the tunnel to suddenly shift elsewhere—wouldn’t all our efforts be in vain?"

The others nodded in agreement, hesitation evident on their faces.

Seeing this, Yu Kong quickly offered a loud explanation.

"There’s no need to worry. If someone were actively controlling this array, it would indeed be as unpredictable as Daoist Mu Teng suggested. Given our current cultivation levels, we’d have no chance of survival.

"But the owner of this cave dwelling has long since passed, and this array operates autonomously. Moreover, it’s currently in its weakest phase, running sluggishly. It won’t produce such complex changes.

"If that wind tunnel is the exit, it won’t shift locations in the short term. Even if the tunnel is a false opening, getting closer will help us quickly discern the true exit.

"This array, though powerful, has been worn down by the passage of time. It’s no longer the death trap it once was—at least 80% of those attempting to pass through it have made it into the cave dwelling safely. With so many of us, our chances are even better."

"Once we find the exit, escaping will be straightforward. If we hesitate and delay, unexpected changes will arise, throwing us into chaos instead."

In the end, everyone chose to trust Yu Kong, maintaining the Guiyuan Array and flying toward the wind tunnel.

Yu Kong activated his qi blade to clear the path, striking down one whirlwind after another with forceful moves, cutting through them as he headed straight for the wind tunnel at a steady pace.

As they got closer to the wind tunnel, the number of whirlwinds around them increased. The tangible azure qi struck them as it collided with their bodies, its power growing increasingly terrifying.

The group found themselves struggling through the chaos, their movements becoming erratic. Yu Kong suddenly swung his palm. The spiritual power gathered at the Array Eye was released, forming a milky-white barrier that enveloped everyone.

The azure qi slammed into the barrier, causing ripples to spread across its surface. The barrier trembled violently but held firm without shattering.

With the barrier in place, the pressure on the group decreased significantly. They let out a collective sigh of relief, but soon became tense again as the fluctuations on the barrier grew more intense, threatening to collapse.

Without needing Yu Kong to remind them, the group instinctively began to pour all their spiritual power into the Array Eye, striving to maintain the barrier for as long as possible.

Without the qi blade to clear the way, their speed slowed considerably, but they were now so close to the wind tunnel that they could already tell it was the exit.

Yu Kong hadn’t lied to them. Before the weak phase of the array ended, there wouldn’t be any significant changes, and the wind tunnel showed no signs of shifting.

The exit was within sight. If they could hold on just a little longer, they would escape the array!

Suddenly, Qin Sang sensed that something was wrong with the whirlwinds ahead. Before he could react, he heard Yu Kong’s urgent shout. "Be careful!"

Before his voice even faded, the tremendous wind that had been battering the barrier suddenly vanished.

In the next moment, a powerful sucking force emanated from the whirlwinds!

The change came abruptly, with no warning. The barrier was torn apart by the force, and the group was caught off guard, exposed to the wind.

Wu Chen, who was at the forefront, was immediately pulled toward the force. The array collapsed on its own.

Wu Chen reacted quickly, swinging his fan in a desperate motion. Several beams of sword light shot out, breaking free of the pull, and he used the momentum to pierce through a whirlwind, heading straight for the wind tunnel without looking back.

Qin Sang, who had been prepared for such a situation, immediately transformed into a sword light, severing the two streams of suction that were entangling him. He followed the path Wu Chen had cleared, speeding ahead.

In a flash, everyone had broken free from the array and was fighting individually.

Yan Wu, who was on the edge of the Guiyuan Array, suddenly screamed. He had been the slowest to react, and when the Guiyuan Array started to collapse, he didn’t respond in time. By the time he tried to act, it was already too late.

Seven or eight whirlwinds surrounded him, closing in rapidly. As soon as he took out an artifact, it was shredded to pieces by the wind.

It seemed that Yan Wu was about to be consumed by the whirlwinds.

Everyone was focused on rushing toward the wind tunnel and couldn’t afford to help him. Even if they had the energy to spare, none of them would risk turning back to save Yan Wu.

Qin Sang certainly wouldn’t. Back in Xihuang Town, Yan Wu had caused trouble, and after Qin Sang had used him to assert his authority and made him lose face, Yan Wu had held a deep grudge against him.

For nearly a year, Yan Wu had never shown Qin Sang any courtesy, and the others in the group could clearly see the tension between the two. Naturally, Qin Sang wasn’t inclined to try to mend the relationship.

Qin Sang had no doubt that, had the roles been reversed, and he been caught in the suction, Yan Wu wouldn’t have helped. In fact, if given the chance, he would likely take the opportunity to make things worse for Qin Sang.

Just as it seemed Yan Wu would be swallowed by the whirlwinds, Yu Kong—who was the strongest and closest to the wind tunnel—suddenly stopped. He waved his hand, and a crimson chain shot out from his palm.

The chain moved like a snake, twisting and striking at Yan Wu’s position, blocking several of the suction forces.