Chapter 1786: Spatial Flux
“Since he is helping us to this extent, what about the final inheritance…”
Ming Yu cast a secretive glance at the gray-robed Li Yan, who was currently closing his eyes in meditation, and sent another silent mental transmission. Even though Ming Qi had already warned her, she was already dreaming of the inheritance.
“Everything will be done according to the Blood Covenant. The reason he is so diligent is likely because, in a strict sense, he can be considered half a kinsman of ours. It is only natural for him to desire the inheritance…”
Before she could finish, Ming Qi cut her off.
Had it not been for the gray-robed elder’s help, they would still be trapped within that magical treasure, perhaps never to escape in this lifetime. The elder’s rescue of them certainly carried an ulterior motive—he undoubtedly wanted the inheritance as well. If he were helping them with such fervor without any prospect of profit, Ming Qi would be even more suspicious, regardless of the Blood Covenant.
She was not certain whether their mental transmissions could be intercepted by him. Furthermore, if Ming Yu harbored certain intentions, a single subjective action later on might provoke him. Therefore, she did not let Ming Yu continue, instead nipping this growing negativity in the bud.
Though Ming Qi’s words were left unfinished, she knew Ming Yu understood. It was better to talk about him as little as possible. Cultivators possessed keen senses; even if he couldn’t overhear their transmissions, he might sense it when someone spoke of him in close proximity.
If the gray-robed elder’s goal was merely the inheritance, they could likely share it. But when that time came… everything would depend on the circumstances. They even considered the possibility that the elder, upon seeing a true treasure, might decide to kill them after they had outlived their usefulness.
However, Ming Qi could not fathom how the elder could violate the Blood Covenant. The contract explicitly stated that all major treasures would be divided equally, and any shareable inheritance could be studied by all parties. Thus, the elder’s previous rescue had earned some of their trust. Had they come here directly from the riverbed, the situation would not be as harmonious as it was now.
About a hundred breaths later, the two sisters suddenly looked to the side.
There, a black beetle abruptly flew out from the gray light screen and landed directly on the elder’s shoulder. Li Yan did not open his eyes immediately, instead engaging in a rapid mental exchange with the insect.
After another thirty or forty breaths, Li Yan opened his eyes. The black beetle on his shoulder flickered and vanished.
“No danger was found within the light screen. After another five miles, one can pass through it. There is an opaque barrier membrane there that the Gu insect could not pass. However, I suspect this light screen is not truly harmless; it is likely linked to that barrier membrane ahead.”
Li Yan pondered for a moment before sharing the results of the Gu’s reconnaissance and his own deductions.
“A barrier membrane?”
Ming Qi frowned. There were simply too many restrictions in this place.
Li Yan moved through the light screen, while on the other side, the yellow light on Ming Qi and Ming Yu’s bodies flickered unsteadily.
The light screen indeed lacked any offensive capabilities, yet none of the three believed it was there merely to block sight and Divine Sense. They confirmed it had no illusory effects; even a mortal could vaguely distinguish directions through the dimly visible surroundings. What purpose did such a layout serve for a cultivator who had broken in?
The five-mile distance was covered quickly. A barrier membrane about forty fathoms wide blocked their path. The edges of the membrane seemed perfectly embedded into the rock walls. Through the membrane, one could vaguely see a white light shining from behind. Compared to the darkness they had just left, this looked more like an exit to an underground cavern.
The three stood a fathom away from the membrane, allowing them to see it clearly. At this distance, their Divine Sense could scan forward, though any attempt to probe backward was once again blocked by the light screen.
When their Divine Sense touched the membrane, they saw that it was covered in thin, vein-like structures beneath the faint white light. It was a terrifying sight, resembling a piece of human skin stretched across the passage, with blue veins appearing under the light from behind.
“Still cannot penetrate it,” Li Yan said shortly.
The barrier membrane was highly elastic. His Divine Sense could only skim across the surface, unable to seep inside. Li Yan also sensed a power of restriction on the surface, though his Divine Sense was not violently repelled, which was another difference from the light screen behind them. Other than that, everything appeared exactly as it seemed to the naked eye.
“Test it,” Ming Qi said.
She spoke only those two words, without specifying the method, but Ming Yu understood instantly. Li Yan also nodded expressionlessly, and the protective glow around their bodies intensified significantly.
Seeing this, Ming Qi suddenly sank her waist and threw a punch forward. A sharp gale, transformed into a beam of yellow light infused with silver-white, erupted from her fist. This punch seemed simple, but Ming Qi had exerted eighty percent of her power.
“Boom!”
The moment the light beam struck the membrane, the barrier suddenly lit up. But as it brightened, the previously calm light screen behind them underwent a sudden change. The gray light vanished, replaced by shifting hues of yellow and blue that began to flow like a dream.
“This is the Law of Space!”
Their expressions shifted. Ming Qi’s face changed most drastically. As she spoke, she suddenly grabbed Li Yan’s sleeve.
A moment earlier, Li Yan had also felt the surrounding spiritual energy turn violent. His sensitivity to the flow of the five elements was peerless. Hearing Ming Qi’s warning, he was horrified to discover that invisible blades were appearing in the space around them. It was as if the area was about to be sliced into countless fragments in an instant—a phenomenon Li Yan had only seen from a distance in chaotic spatial voids.
Li Yan instinctively accelerated his internal power, intending to use the Five Elements Chaotic Cape to disrupt the local laws and prevent the nascent spatial rules from solidifying. He didn’t know if it would work, but it was his first instinct. However, Ming Qi suddenly grabbed him.
At the same time, Li Yan felt a strange spatial fluctuation emanating from her. In that brief instant, Li Yan’s thoughts raced, and he chose to abandon his technique, allowing her to pull him along.
“Buzz!”
Li Yan heard a slight spatial tremor. Then, after a blur of vision, he found himself standing in darkness. Dozens of fathoms ahead, colors were still swirling within the light screen. However, that patch of space had become incredibly distorted; even a single glance made him feel dizzy and nauseous.
He was now standing back in the cavern they had traversed before entering the light screen. The sound of heavy panting reached his ears.
In the darkness, Li Yan turned his gaze away from the distorted light screen. Ming Qi had released his sleeve. Ming Yu stood on her other side. Both women’s faces were flushed with an unnatural crimson, making them look alluringly beautiful.
However, from their heavy breathing, it was clear that this flush was no sign of health. It was a clear indication of overexertion or the backlash from a technique.
“Are you alright?” Li Yan asked in a low voice, frowning.
They had used a spatial law technique to forcibly exit the light screen and had even pulled him along.
“No… we’re fine. Our mastery over this Law is not deep enough. Just now… that was a spatial law slaughter. Although we moved a step ahead and escaped, there was still a slight collision. We’ve suffered a minor backlash from the Law. A short rest… will suffice.”
As Ming Qi spoke, she stepped back several paces to put distance between herself and Li Yan. A jade bottle appeared in her snow-white hand. With a flick of her power, a green pill flew into her mouth. Ming Yu performed the exact same action. Clearly, they were not strangers to this kind of backlash.
After swallowing the pills, the two sisters sat cross-legged on the ground. They didn’t bother setting up any defenses against Li Yan. After all, Li Yan couldn’t directly attack them due to the covenant, and he had saved them before. Petty precautions were unnecessary.
Li Yan’s eyes flickered. He walked a few steps toward the light screen to give the sisters space, then looked at it once more. In just a few moments, the light screen had returned to normal, becoming a hazy gray again. The dizziness vanished when he looked at it now.
‘Spatial Flux, Spatial Severance… could this secret realm truly be the place where the Immortal Underworld Phoenix once resided?’