Underground Passage
“Can it attack from an instant now?”
“… Let’s go find out. It might be Xiang Nan and Yu Mo,” suggested Mu Yu.
They arrived on the scene in fifteen minutes to greet an ocean dragon over a kilometre long, starlight shining onto the ocean surface from a formation in the firmament. An island carrying a stately palace appeared out of the blue, resonating with the starlight overhead.
“It’s Xiang Nan!” Mu Yu flew over to Xiang Nan and Yu Mo, who were evading tentacles whilst hovering above aforementioned palace.
Xiang Nan struggled to hold up against dozens of primordial beasts, while Yu Mo already took cuts on her shoulder and was panting.
Whack! Mu Yu entered on a tentacle sneaking up on Xiang Nan with a side kick and followed up with a splattering slash. “Any explanations? Where were you two?”
“We happen to spot this barely-visible island and wanted to explore it. Once we landed on the island, though, it vanished along with the island. I’m guessing we were trapped in some dimension until I accidentally smashed a mirror, bringing us back here. I didn’t expect a tentacle welcome party,” Xiang Nan recounted.
The arrival of more team members agitated the monster, evident from the more tentacles spawned and aggression.
I get the feeling that the monster is trying to keep us from approaching the island. It might be protecting something on the island. Speaking of which, this is the first intact building we’ve come across since entering Ancient Battleground. Yes, the monster is being careful not to damage it, Mu Yu inwardly observed. “Descend onto the island!”
The others did not understand where Mu Yu was going with it but followed, nevertheless. The tentacles paused in the airspace above once they landed as Mu Yu suspected.
“What is this place?” Mu Yu crouched down to scrutinise the rocks and plants. “Let’s head inside the palace and see what’s in store.”
“This palace is different to palaces at Third Heaven with its eight-sided design and walls of, yeah, I can’t identify this mater-” Upon opening the doors, they didn’t see stairs, thrones or anything extravagant but a twirling, twisting chasm almost a hundred metres long sitting between gurgling ocean water that something barricaded from flushing down the chasm. Mu Yu asked, “Anyone reckon this tunnel is the exit?”
“Let’s find out.” Cheng Yan descended ten metres and then called, “It’s safe. I don’t hear the voice outside. This must be the exit. Regardless, shield yourselves with your domains just in case.”
The others descended excitedly. Mu Yu shielded Qiao Xue and Tian Ran from the pressure, while Cheng Yan shielded Gu Yitian, until the winding water path extended tentacles not much longer after they began, though it could not get past the energy barrier. That said, the tentacles tailed them on the way down.
From A-Dai’s head, Xiaoshuai taunted, “Octopus, bring it on.”
“We’ll roast you,” added A-Dai.
After making a turn, they flew out into a world, rather a world that resembled the night sky, except the fact that the rocks in the vicinity drifted around. Overhead was the hostile Nightmare Shore that something forbade from belting down on them.
“Does anyone know where we are?” Tian Ran verbalised.
Mu Yu and Xiaoshuai regarded each other with a nod, then informed together, “A dimensional barrier!”
Cheng Yan stated, “Those without Apotheosis Realm cultivation would be evaporated under this pressure.”
“Nah, I’m good,” Xiaoshuai commented.
“A-Dai is not scared, either.”
“Shifu’s formations prevented me from dying when I ventured into dimensional barriers in the past, then,” Mu Yu lamented.
“How do we get back from here?” asked Wanwan, going back to back with Ximen Buxing to withstand the pressure.
Xiaoshuai swiped his nose and pointed left. “There. That way back to Third Heaven.”
In the distance was a Third Heaven Continent, which stayed airborne just as Celestial Island did, laced in a golden formation that obstructed threats outside of it from entering.
On the way to Third Heaven Continent, they passed by flying rocks, rubble from mangled buildings and large abandoned cities. Rocks that collided would leave behind some fragments and then continue drifting. Perhaps it was trivial, but it was amazing that they remained intact when the pressure could erase Apotheosis Realm cultivators.
“There are mountains here now?”
The group passed by a mountain that could be called the mountains of mountains due to its sheer size, albeit on an angle. There were only rocks on the mountain, and colliding into a ghost city would only generate as much sound as clapping one’s hands on while wearing padded gloves.
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