Chapter 1389: Domain Barrier and Crack

Strictly speaking, this was Shang Xia's first true journey through the domain barrier crack of the Guantian Domain.

Previously, Shang Xia had traversed domain turbulence to establish the first and second Nest Sanctuaries as bases, but those traversals were direct void transits through spatial channels already pierced by celestial beasts. Even when Shang Xia returned from the Yuanxing Realm with Song Zheng aboard the spirit-class ark, they used array power under the guidance of the Observatory, without truly observing or touching the miraculous entity that had hidden the entire Guantian Domain in the starry sky for a thousand years.

This time, however, Shang Xia was truly fulfilling his desire.

However, when the ark, following the star map's guidance, arrived at a location in the void turbulence where the domain barrier was presumed to cross, everyone aboard was momentarily dumbfounded. The chaotic, unordered flow of void turbulence swirled around, making it impossible to see any sign of the supposed barrier.

"Could it be that there was a miscalculation in our deductions?" Song Zheng cautiously asked.

Yan Ming shook her head firmly and asserted, "There's no mistake, we have repeatedly observed, deduced, and verified it. There definitely is a domain barrier in this region!"

"But..." Song Zheng was skeptical about the existence of a domain barrier, or perhaps he believed more in the notion that the "domain barrier" was some form of special divine power. How vast and expansive was the Guantian Domain, and what kind of barrier could possibly encompass an entire heavenly domain?

Shang Xia then smiled and said, "Verifying the existence of a domain barrier is actually quite simple. If we now deviate from our course and forge a new path from another location using the coordinate of the Lingmang Realm, whether we can reach it will confirm its existence!"

"No, we can't!"

"This is not the time to verify such things!"

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Both Song Zheng and Yan Ming almost simultaneously rejected Shang Xia's suggestion.

The void turbulence was fraught with dangers; how could they experiment with an ark as if it were a toy based on a mere hypothesis?

Moreover, their group was on a mission, needing to quickly meet with the Twin Thieves for a transaction... Where was the time to waste on such matters?

Shang Xia laughed heartily upon hearing this; he was merely making a suggestion, not actually proposing to implement it.

However, neither the ark nor Yan Ming could readily undertake such verification, but Shang Xia himself could try.

Thus, under the astonished gazes of Song Zheng and Yan Ming, Shang Xia left the ark and ventured deep into the void turbulence alone.

Yan Ming looked at Song Zheng in alarm, "Could there be danger?"

Although Song Zheng was also slightly worried, he casually reassured her, "Don't worry, he's no ordinary high-grade True Immortal. These void turbulences can't bother him, and besides, he certainly left a mark on the ark, so there’s no need to worry about him getting lost in the void turbulence."

One of the marks Shang Xia had left was on Song Zheng himself, a complex prohibition within his soul and core that, among its simplest functions, was to locate his position.

As soon as Shang Xia stepped out of the ark's protective formation, he was nearly swept away by a spatial undercurrent.

This surprised Shang Xia; the domain turbulence of the Guantian Domain was much more fierce than that of the Yuanling Domain.

However, Shang Xia was merely caught off guard. Once the Qi of the Six Unions surged within him and his domain fluctuated, he stabilized his form in the void turbulence, but he could feel the increased consumption of his Qi.

Behind him, the spirit-level ark controlled by Song Zheng and Yan Ming gradually moved away and soon vanished into the distorted void.

Shang Xia silently sensed the mark he had left on the ark and then arbitrarily chose a direction to break through the obstacles of the void turbulence and moved forward.

During this process, he tried to understand the changes in the surrounding void turbulence, hoping to find clues about the domain barrier.

However, as Shang Xia counted the time he had been away from the ark, about half an hour by now, the turbulent space around him seemed unchanged, and he encountered nothing like a "barrier."

Could it be that the so-called "domain barrier" truly didn't exist, or was it some kind of intangible entity, even undetectable by himself?

Shang Xia didn't doubt Yuan Qiu Yuan's observations at the Observatory, nor did he think Yuan Qiu Yuan would deceive him. It was just hard to believe there was no tangible evidence of the domain barrier's real existence.

Just as Shang Xia was hesitating whether to end this venture and return to the ark first, he suddenly noticed that the intensity of the spatial turbulence around his domain seemed to have decreased a bit from before!

Originally, Shang Xia didn’t pay much attention to this, as the void turbulence was inherently chaotic. Although it was full of dangers, these could vary greatly in intensity, and it was possible that he was just in a lull. Alternatively, he might soon encounter an even more violent undercurrent. Such things were unpredictable.

However, now that some time had passed and the space turbulence remained dangerous yet seemed to lessen in intensity overall, Shang Xia felt encouraged. He instinctively linked this change to the domain barrier.

Yet when he extended his divine sense as far as possible, he still couldn't detect anything resembling a "barrier."

Despite the significant interference from the void turbulence, in his quest to find evidence of the domain barrier, Shang Xia continued to change locations and delve deeper, hoping to physically encounter the "domain barrier."

However, the results were increasingly disappointing until Shang Xia felt the connection to the mark he had left on the ark weakening, forcing him to temporarily give up the search for the "domain barrier" and swiftly pursue the ark's vague location.

His heart, however, pondered continuously. Perhaps the "domain barrier" was something only a grand Stargazer could see, and other warriors simply couldn't find it, which could be why the domain barrier had successfully hidden the Guantian Domain in the void for thousands of years.

If the "domain barrier" was indeed tangible, then powers outside the Guantian Domain would have likely broken through it long ago, not to mention that the high-level warriors within the domain itself would have punctured it thoroughly.

Half an hour later, Shang Xia felt the intensity of the void turbulence suddenly increase again, and as he followed the mark and pursued the ark, he increasingly felt the force of the void turbulence intensifying. Gradually, he realized that the turbulence wasn’t just chaotic and unordered but began to concentrate in the direction he was moving, giving him the sensation of swimming upstream.

Upstream... the crack in the domain barrier!

This occurrence was because the ark needed to pass through a crack in the domain barrier within the void turbulence!

Was the initially chaotic void turbulence now concentrating in a relatively fixed direction and surging back towards the Guantian Domain through the crack in the domain barrier, indirectly proving the existence of the domain barrier?

As Shang Xia advanced against the surge of the void turbulence, though he used more of his Qi, his speed hardly decreased. After another half an hour, he caught up with the ark, which appeared like a toy being tossed about in the void turbulence from afar.

Shang Xia’s return greatly relieved everyone aboard the ark.

However, Shang Xia was not in the mood to share his exploratory experiences within the void turbulence; instead, he immediately asked Song Zheng and Yan Ming upon entering the ark, "Have you noticed any resistance to the ark’s progress?"

Song Zheng and Yan Ming looked at each other before Song Zheng spoke, "Indeed, the speed of the ark has significantly decreased, and the consumption has spiked, but everything is still within controllable limits. Miss Yan speculated that we are currently traversing the crack in the domain barrier, hence the originally chaotic void turbulence, due to the internal and external dynamics of the barrier, has become ordered. Unfortunately, it seems our luck isn’t great. We are currently in an upstream state."

Clearly, the conclusions drawn by Song Zheng and Yan Ming matched those of Shang Xia.

Song Zheng was about to inquire further about Shang Xia’s findings regarding the domain barrier, but just then, the spiritual perceptions of everyone aboard the ark were triggered. In a fleeting moment, a pure stream of energy suddenly permeated the entire ark’s hull, causing everyone to subconsciously immerse in meditative cultivation.

Shang Xia also felt this pure power penetrate deep into his body, merging into his Qi of the Six Unions almost effortlessly and integrating into his core, serving as nourishment for his cultivation base growth.

Even though he was currently a fifth-tier Returning to the Origin realm True Immortal, he distinctly felt his cultivation growing at a visible rate.

If not for the Crimson Soul Tablet in his mind throbbing against his forehead, he might have wished to remain immersed in this state of rapid cultivation advancement.

The reminder from the Crimson Soul Tablet instantly woke Shang Xia from his deep meditation, and he quickly noticed the others were still in a state of meditative cultivation. As he extended his divine sense, he suddenly discovered that the void turbulence outside the ark was no longer chaotic and unordered, but was flowing in a stable state opposite to the ark’s direction of progress.

At this moment, a clear thought from the Crimson Soul Tablet in his mind moved Shang Xia, and the projection of the Crimson Soul Tablet appeared above the ark. The originally stable flow of the void turbulence suddenly surged with dense stardust light towards the projection of the Crimson Soul Tablet.