A cliff face, shrouded in mist, revealed countless massive white stones suspended in mid-air. This mysterious sight caused Li Tianjue's pupils to narrow. So this… this was what the ancient ruins looked like.
Everything was quiet, the air thick with the power of heaven and earth, and spiritual energy swirling around. Even Li Tianjue felt a sense of being in an 'immortal realm'. If not for the disheveled marks on the cliff's edge, he would have thought this place tranquil and secluded, an excellent spot for cultivation.
He didn't rush forward and began to survey his surroundings.
His gaze swept across, and Li Tianjue spotted the stone tablet – it bore the inscription "彼岸神桥" (Bǐ'àn Shénqiáo), the Divine Bridge of the Other Shore.
He walked over, his palm gently caressing the tablet. Suddenly, he noticed something unusual about the soil at the base of the stone tablet. He quickly dug it up and found a留影珠 (liúyǐng zhū), a projection pearl, buried there.
"Luoluo…" Li Tianjue guessed it was left by Su Luo. He picked up the projection pearl and wiped the dust off it.
Inputting spiritual energy, the projection pearl emitted a beam of light that refracted in mid-air, indeed showing the initial images of the幽梦魔使 (Yōumèng Móshǐ), the Sorcerous Envoy of幽梦, and the百目天君 (Bǎi Mù Tiānjūn), the Ten-Thousand-Eyed Heavenly Monarch, leading a group of demonic disciples into the area, along with Su Luo's voice.
"Senior Brother, I know you'll definitely find this pearl. This place is very dangerous. The passage formed by the white stones ahead is the Divine Bridge of the Other Shore, and it requires a special method to pass. Remember this…"
Listening to the melodious voice from the projection pearl, and witnessing the scenes of lightning striking down from the sky, turning demonic disciples into charcoal or sending them plummeting into the abyss, Li Tianjue's brow furrowed deeply.
This place was indeed dangerous!
But since Su Luo had left the projection pearl, it meant they were safe for the time being. The white stones, suspended without any discernible pattern, were even more perilous. Fortunately, Su Luo had left behind the method to traverse them, and Li Tianjue noted it all down.
He walked to the edge of the cliff and observed for a moment, but did not jump up immediately. Instead, he left the ancient ruins.
"Senior Brother, how was it inside?"
The moment they saw Li Tianjue emerge, everyone swarmed forward. Tang Xiaoguo, her little face furrowed, said, "Senior Brother, you said you'd just take a look and come out, but you've been gone for over two hours. We were all so worried."
Li Tianjue frowned, "I was only inside for less than fifteen minutes…"
"Huh? But we've been waiting for almost two hours. Could it be that the time flow inside the ancient ruins is different from the outside?"
"No wonder Junior Sister and the others have been in there for so long."
Bai Qi also understood, "In reality, they might have only passed half a day. This space is too marvelous."
"Yes, that should be it. Although it's mysterious and unpredictable inside, Luoluo and the others should be safe for now. Oh, and I also found this…" Saying this, Li Tianjue took out the projection pearl and projected the image for everyone to see. The magical sight astonished them all; they never imagined it would be like this inside.
Tang Xiaoguo had already guessed Li Tianjue's decision, "Senior Brother, you're going to find Sister Su and the others, aren't you? Be careful!"
Li Tianjue nodded and said solemnly, "The demonic sects sent so many people to explore these ancient ruins; there must be a reason. After I go in, you must hide yourselves carefully to prevent the second wave of demonic sect members from coming."
There was a second wave?
Everyone understood the gravity of the situation and nodded in unison.
After ensuring everything was in order, Li Tianjue re-entered the ancient ruins. This time, he jumped onto the first white stone without hesitation, following the path Su Luo had told him, moving forward step by step, and indeed, no lightning was triggered.
The surrounding mist was dense, but the white stones were intermittently marked by the corpses of tragically dead demonic disciples, all struck by lightning. Some were reduced to charcoal, their deaths incredibly gruesome.
Li Tianjue proceeded at an unhurried pace, step by step, increasingly impressed by Su Luo's capabilities.
How could this little girl know the path here?
She had so many trump cards; even he couldn't see through them.
It took Li Tianjue a full two hours to finally pass the Divine Bridge of the Other Shore. Before him appeared a cliff face, with a shattered jade gate on the cliff wall.
Needless to say, the group from the demonic sects and Su Luo's party must have entered here.
However, when Li Tianjue reached the broken jade gate, he found he couldn't enter. An invisible energy barrier blocked him, preventing him from passing. The energy within the breach was distorted, making it impossible to see what lay beyond.
Li Tianjue's expression remained calm. He quietly sat on a piece of rubble and waited.
...
In the great hall, Su Luo's battle with the 蛊雕 (gǔdiāo), the Gu Diao, had long since concluded.
Not only that, but the seventh resurrected 夔牛 (kuí niú), the Kui Niu, and the eighth resurrected 白泽 (bái zé), the Bai Ze, had also been defeated by Chu Tianshu and Shangxie Shaoqing with Su Luo's assistance. Now, only the last mythical beast remained.
Su Luo had reaped the most benefits. Without realizing it, she had reached the cultivation level of a ninth-tier Venerable. If she broke through again, she would enter the realm of a Spirit King. This was a speed she could hardly achieve even with two to three years of cultivation in the outside world, demonstrating the peculiarity of these ancient ruins.
Chu Tianshu, originally at the seventh tier of the Venerable realm, had also broken through to the ninth tier after defeating two mythical beasts. Lu Jixing had defeated one and was now at the eighth tier of the Venerable realm. Shangxie Shaoqing was currently a third-tier Spirit King, just one step away from another breakthrough.
Wen Daier was a second-tier Spirit King, which was also quite impressive.
Only the last statue remained.
Having won eight consecutive battles, the Ten-Thousand-Eyed Heavenly Monarch and his demonic disciples felt honored. They naturally took it upon themselves to slay the final mythical beast.
"Hahaha, Old Ghost Youmeng, the last one is for my men, right? You've delivered this merit to me yourself. Don't go back on your word when we see the Demon Lord," the Ten-Thousand-Eyed Heavenly Monarch laughed heartily, looking extremely pleased.
"The capable should do more work. Don't worry, I won't snatch your credit. I'll also remember the favor you owe me. I'll ensure you're satisfied once we're out," the Sorcerous Envoy of Youmeng said grimly.
Sima Kun looked at Su Luo and the others and waved his hand, "It's the last one. You five go together this time. Let's finish it quickly."
"Alright, let's finish it quickly!"
It was exactly what Su Luo intended. She struck first, sending an attack towards the last statue. Spiritual light shot out, landing on it.
The next moment, the originally stone statue's dark back armor flashed with a metallic sheen. This was a mythical beast, a 玄龟 (xuán guī), the Profound Tortoise. Its body rapidly expanded, growing to two zhang in size. Its limbs were like sturdy pillars, emanating a commanding pressure. It walked through the air, shaking its head, and stepped down from its pedestal.
Seeing its slow movements, everyone wondered if this mythical beast was rather clumsy.
With a boom, Su Luo made the first move.
Lu Jixing and the others followed suit, seizing the opportunity while it was slow.
Various attacks shot out, bombarding the Profound Tortoise. It continued to crawl sluggishly, its immense defense evident, unfazed by these tickling attacks.
Su Luo took the opportunity to inform Chu Tianshu and the others about the characteristics of this semi-divine beast.
The Profound Tortoise, a descendant of divine beasts, typically lived in abyssal waters of a thousand zhang in the extreme cold of the Northern Sea. It was skilled in water manipulation, possessed heaven-defying defense, and could stir up tsunamis to engulf cities when angered. Its weaknesses were its slow speed, susceptibility to sonic attacks, and poor resistance to poison.
Just as Su Luo was contemplating which of the Profound Tortoise's weaknesses to exploit.
Suddenly, an invisible wave emanated from the Profound Tortoise's black, gaping maw. Su Luo and the other four sensed danger and leaped aside. However, the other demonic disciples behind them, far away and caught off guard, met with misfortune.