The sky was shrouded in oppressive grey clouds, the ground littered with white bones. Nine ruined palaces stood starkly, supported by colossal stone pillars, each edifice resembling a small mountain.
Of these nine palaces, many pillars were shattered, and three had lost their roofs entirely, appearing ready to collapse at any moment.
“Damn it, many people have been here before. These corpses are completely stripped clean—even their clothes are gone. Nothing is left,” Yang Qi grumbled loudly after circling one of the palaces and sifting through piles of skeletal remains to no avail, shaking his head.
Shi Yan approached, not moving an inch, certain that no rare treasures could possibly exist here.
“Nonsense. I told you long ago you wouldn't find anything here,” Li Feng’er frowned. “The restrictions and barriers here are gone, so if we can enter, naturally others came long before us. How could anything be left for you? When I was last here, I checked thoroughly too… and found nothing. It would be strange if you could find something.”
“Indeed, it’s exceptionally safe here; nothing should remain,” Yang Mu nodded, having finished his survey. “I suspect Pan Zhe and his group will track us down. This terrain is wide open, suitable for a fight. The only question is how many are coming. If too many arrive and don't split up, killing them will be difficult.”
“Let’s confirm a withdrawal route first,” Yang Xue hesitated. “If too many people come and the battle goes against us, we must retreat immediately. We can find another opportunity to deal with them later. After all, the Abyss Battlefield is vast, and we are scheduled to stay here for three years; there’s no need to fight to the death right at the beginning.”
“These nine palaces actually form a peculiar formation, though it’s damaged and no longer functions correctly,” Jiang Huquan mused. “Passing through these nine palaces is easy. The grey clouds over there are much heavier, and there are extremely abnormal energy fluctuations within them. I believe restrictions still exist in that area, but if we need to retreat, we must go that way. The area that poses a danger to us will equally threaten our pursuers.”
Shi Yan couldn't help but gaze toward the area behind the nine palaces where the grey clouds thickened. He released his divine sense but detected no signs of life, only a persistently bizarre energy fluctuation.
It felt as though the restrictions within were constantly active, waiting for the living to walk into the trap.
“Let’s confirm the withdrawal route first,” Yang Mu nodded toward Jiang Huquan.
“Alright, I’ll go take a look.” Jiang Huquan walked alone toward that area. Staring at the dense grey mist, he hesitated for a moment before telling Yang Mu, “Don't follow me in. I’ll check it out first. Once I ensure it’s safe, I’ll call you over.”
With that, Jiang Huquan ventured in alone. The moment his figure stepped inside, he vanished.
It was as if he had stepped into another world, his very aura completely concealed.
Shi Yan’s expression subtly shifted. He cautiously extended his divine sense to investigate, only to discover an utter lack of Jiang Huquan’s life essence in that section.
Secretly alarmed, Shi Yan realized the Abyss Battlefield was indeed riddled with oddities and immediately became more cautious.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Jiang Huquan emerged, looking disheveled and battered. Dust covered him, and his hair was a mess, suggesting he had just endured some catastrophe.
“How was it?” Yang Mu asked urgently.
“A Meteorite Array! As soon as I entered, huge meteorites began falling from the sky. They were incredibly dense, each one the size of a millstone, striking with terrifying force. To get through, one must face the bombardment; one careless move and you’ll be flattened into a meat patty,” Jiang Huquan stated grimly.
“Is there a way to break it?” Li Feng’er gasped softly.
“I haven’t found it yet. I need to recover first, then go back in to search,” Jiang Huquan shook his head, silently sitting down, pulling out a jade bottle, and swallowing three Yuan-Restoring Pills.
“This place is truly fraught with danger. It seems surviving in the Abyss Battlefield won’t be easy at all,” Yang Qi sighed.
“Indeed. The restrictions and barriers ubiquitous in the Abyss Battlefield are far more difficult to handle than the pursuers we are about to face!” Yang Mu’s expression grew heavy and solemn.
After recovering for a while, Jiang Huquan stood up and plunged back into the mist.
A long while later, Jiang Huquan stumbled out again, looking even more wretched. There was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth; it seemed he had been struck by a meteorite inside, and his aura was chaotic.
Upon exiting, Jiang Huquan wasted no time, taking out another Yuan-Restoring Pill to continue regulating and recovering.
Shi Yan and the others watched silently, their faces grim, fixed on Jiang Huquan.
He had gone in twice, and each time he looked worse off. If even he, who was proficient in formations, ended up like this, how could someone ignorant of formations possibly get out alive?
This Meteorite Array was just the first formation they encountered in the Abyss Battlefield. If Jiang Huquan, who had reached the Earthly Realm and mastered formations, fared so poorly, what hope did anyone else have of passing through?
“It seems staying in the Abyss Battlefield truly won’t be easy,” Yang Mu sighed softly. “I always heard rumors about its strangeness but never quite believed them, thinking the legends might have exaggerated the peril. Only today do I realize the rumors were completely accurate. One cannot imagine the terror within without experiencing it.”
“That’s fine,” Shi Yan smiled calmly. “The more dangerous this place is, the more advantageous it is for us. If we die, others will be equally unable to escape the deadly attacks here. Heh heh, I imagine the overall strength of those pursuing us is greater than ours, meaning their losses here will be even heavier… Well, this is why we came here.” Yang Xue nodded in agreement. “Precisely because danger lurks everywhere, making it extremely difficult for them to deal with us.”
As they spoke, Jiang Huquan opened his eyes again.
“Uncle Jiang, how was it?” Yang Qi asked anxiously.
Shaking his head, Jiang Huquan looked dejected. “I did manage to see what appears to be the formation core controlling the Meteorite Array, but that core is covered in obscure ancient script. Even I cannot recognize those ancient characters, and I don't know what they mean… I can’t figure out a way to break it.”
“Ancient characters?” Shi Yan was momentarily stunned, then asked, “What kind of ancient characters?”
“It should be a form of Cuneiform script from the primordial era, used specifically for formations and restrictions. Only formation masters of that age understood those characters. In our current era, very few people recognize them,” Jiang Huquan sighed. “Even my master couldn't recognize all of them, let alone me.”
“What should we do now?” Yang Ke asked, astonished. “If we don’t understand the ancient writing, does that mean the Meteorite Array can’t be broken?”
“I certainly won’t dare to touch anything if I don’t know the meaning of those characters—that would only increase the danger,” Jiang Huquan nodded helplessly.
“Can you sketch out the ancient characters you saw?” Shi Yan suddenly proposed.
The others looked at Shi Yan in surprise, wondering what he intended to do.
“Little Yanzi, what are you planning?” Yang Mu stammered. “Don’t tell me you actually understand the writing from the ancient era?”
“I know a little… but I don’t know if those specific characters are ones I recognize,” Shi Yan confirmed.
“Ah? You really do know some?” Li Feng’er’s beautiful eyes flashed with surprise, then she shook her head in disbelief. “Are you joking? Even Uncle Jiang couldn’t recognize them all; do you think you can?”
“Uncle Jiang, please write them down so I can see,” Shi Yan insisted.
Jiang Huquan was also confused. After pondering for a moment, he said, “There were only a few ancient characters in the formation core, and I do remember them, though I don't know their meaning. If you want to see them, I can draw them for you.”
Jiang Huquan squatted down, holding a dagger, and etched six strange characters onto the ground before them.
“Lin! Xiu! Huo! Feng! Sheng! Si!”
Shi Yan pointed at the ancient characters on the ground and recited them slowly and calmly, one by one: “These are the six characters… and as it happens, I recognize them all.”
The crowd stood frozen, dumbstruck.
“You’re not just guessing, are you?” Li Feng’er exclaimed involuntarily, utterly astonished.
Yang Mu, Yang Qi, and the others all wore expressions of profound disbelief, their gazes peculiar—half-believing, half-skeptical, as the idea that Shi Yan could recognize these primordial characters seemed utterly unrealistic.
“Young Master Yan, are you absolutely certain these are the six characters?” Jiang Huquan’s expression shook, and he suddenly stood up, a glimmer of astonishment flashing in his eyes.
“There is no mistake,” Shi Yan nodded firmly. “Before I turned seventeen, I was deeply interested in ancient writing. I happen to recognize these specific characters. They are definitely these six.”
“I will go in one more time,” Jiang Huquan deliberated, then suddenly declared, “This time, I will interact with the formation core. If the information Young Master Yan provided is correct, I believe I can break the Meteorite Array. However, if Young Master Yan’s intelligence is wrong, I doubt I will return…”
Jiang Huquan stared deeply at Shi Yan, seemingly awaiting some response.
The faces of the others changed; they understood the implication in Jiang Huquan’s words. When they looked back at Shi Yan, their expressions were grave.
“There will be no mistake,” Shi Yan replied calmly under everyone’s scrutiny. “Rest assured, Uncle Jiang, I will not harm you. Believe me, these six characters are absolutely correct.”
“Good!” Jiang Huquan shouted sharply and no longer hesitated, plunging into the mist for the third time.
“Little Yanzi…” Yang Mu called out softly, intending to say something, but ultimately shook his head with a wry smile, leaving his words unspoken.
“I know what you are worried about,” Shi Yan said calmly, grinning. “Big Brother, do I look like the kind of person who would mess around carelessly?”
Yang Mu paused, then shook his head.
“Exactly. Don't worry, Uncle Jiang will be fine,” Shi Yan reassured him.
“Someone’s coming. That was fast,” Li Feng’er exclaimed sharply. At some point, she had ascended to perch atop a broken stone pillar, looking out into the distance with a darkening expression. “Pan Zhe, Gu Linglong, Zha Yanqing, Cao Zhilan, Xie Kui, He Qingman…”
“Xie Kui! He Qingman!” Yang Mu’s eyes instantly turned cold, and he sneered. “The Heaven’s Evil Cave Heaven truly dares to make a move. It seems they have utterly disregarded everything when dealing with our Yang family this time.”
“He Qingman is here too?” Yang Xue’s eyes flashed with icy light, annoyance coloring her tone. “She’s involved in this matter!”
“I know you two have a good relationship,” Yang Mu sighed. “But at a time like this, even the best relationship is useless. Alas, let’s see. If this girl is just putting on a show, we don’t need to be ruthless. But if she genuinely intends to kill us, hmph, then show no mercy!”
“I know what to do,” Yang Xue took a deep breath and nodded gravely.
P.S. I need to pull myself together! Starting today, I will stick to three updates! If possible, a little monthly ticket support would be greatly appreciated, not for rankings or bonuses, but just to reignite my own passion and give me some encouragement! (To be continued)