Chapter 1787: An Unexpected Turn
Li Yan stared at the light screen, his mind racing. The attack that had just occurred was likely Spatial Severance. This brought the Immortal Underworld Phoenix clan to mind. They were a branch of the phoenixes; while it was said they weren’t as proficient in spatial laws as other phoenix species, that was only in relative terms.
The Immortal Underworld Phoenix possessed innate spatial talents. However, they preferred to use their powerful physical bodies to traverse space, which made their mastery appear weaker than other branches. Judging by the strength of the restrictions and magical treasures they had encountered so far, the master of this place must have been at least at the Body Integration stage. If such a powerful cultivator was from the Underworld Phoenix clan, their comprehension of spatial laws would be far beyond his understanding.
‘How sinister. They used spatial laws to seal off the retreat! Even if it’s only five miles, under the influence of spatial laws, a single inch can become unreachable, not to mention that lethal weapon, Spatial Severance…’
Li Yan stared ahead, pondering their next move. They had to break through, which meant more attempts. But in their current state, the Ming sisters couldn’t afford many more escapes using spatial laws. Even they couldn’t guarantee they would escape a second time.
Li Yan himself was not confident in using his own laws to interfere with the opponent’s and escape. The likelihood was slim. The one who had set this formation was far more powerful than he was. His law power might be used for clever evasion, but if he tried to forcibly interfere, he would most likely be ground into dust.
Li Yan remained lost in deep thought for several hours. By the time he snapped out of it, he had considered several methods, but none could guarantee he wouldn’t be on the verge of death. Still, he had no better options.
‘I’ll discuss it with them once they recover. If they have no ideas, we’ll use my method.’
Li Yan calmed himself. He was used to such perils. When exploring the unknown reaches of the Immortal Spirit Realm, casualties were only natural. He sat down and began to breathe slowly.
Half a day later, Li Yan’s eyes snapped open. Ming Qi and Ming Yu stood up together. Li Yan felt a trace of envy at their perfect synchronicity. Despite their different cultivation levels and varying recovery times, as soon as one had a thought, the other responded in kind. This cooperation doubled their strength and significantly increased their chances of survival.
Li Yan stood up, dusting off his robes. He looked at the two women. Deep in Ming Qi’s eyes, a dark light flickered for a moment, but her expression remained neutral.
“Do you have a way to break the formation ahead?” Li Yan asked directly.
“We should have a way,” Ming Qi replied even more directly.
Li Yan was stunned. His usually stoic expression faltered for a brief moment. He looked at Ming Qi with hesitation, speaking with uncertainty. “You… you have a way?”
“Yes.”
As Ming Qi answered, her beautiful eyes looked past Li Yan toward the light screen.
“Surely you don’t mean to use your own spatial laws to forcibly pass through that barrier membrane?” Li Yan thought they might be planning a suicidal charge. Their mastery over space was far inferior to the one who set the trap. If they tried that, it would be a head-on collision. In a contest of laws, the stronger would always prevail. What difference was there between an egg hitting a rock?
“No. My sister and I just confirmed something. This formation, which includes spatial restrictions, was left behind by an ancestor of our clan…”
As she said this, a look of excitement she couldn’t hide appeared on Ming Qi’s face. Under Li Yan’s gaze, she continued.
“This isn’t just based on the activation of the restriction. At most, that would only tell us it’s related to the Underworld Phoenix. At the moment the restriction appeared, we sensed a specific aura from that barrier membrane. This aura… is not something that can be sensed just by having the bloodline.”
She spoke seriously. By mentioning the bloodline, she was pointedly telling Li Yan that a physical body that had merely refined essence blood was not a pure-blooded beast and lacked many nuances. She was indirectly asking Li Yan if he had sensed anything earlier. If he hadn’t, it meant the amount of refined blood in his body was too small, or that the sensing was limited to true members of the clan. No matter how much essence blood Li Yan refined, he could never truly become an Immortal Underworld Phoenix.
“Oh? You had such a sensation? And having this sensation allows you to break the restriction?” Li Yan nodded, but he followed up with another question.
This was an indirect answer to her inquiry. He didn’t ask if she was sure it wasn’t an illusion. They were two phoenixes; if they had conferred and were this certain, it wasn’t likely to be a mistake.
“Our clan’s Great Elder performed many divinations and gave us methods to break ancient formations of the Underworld Phoenix clan. The sensation just now should be an Attraction Mechanism that triggers the spatial laws. That is to say, as long as someone tries to break the barrier, it will generate a specific attraction that activates the laws. This is very similar to a method we know. I believe we have a high degree of certainty in attempting to break it.”
Ming Qi answered his question but only in general terms, offering no details. The specific name of the Attraction Mechanism was a clan secret, so she glossed over it.
“If that is the case, then it is truly for the best!”
Li Yan didn’t care what secret arts they used. He only cared about what lay within the secret realm. They had spent so much time and gained nothing while consuming a great deal of energy. He wanted to finish this exploration as soon as possible.
Li Yan once again stood a few fathoms away from the barrier membrane. Ming Qi and Ming Yu slowly approached it, stopping only when they were an inch away. Without communicating, they closed their eyes simultaneously, their movements perfectly synchronized.
During their last visit, all three had inspected the membrane, but the sisters wanted to confirm if anything else had changed. When exploring the secret realms or grotto-heavens of ancient cultivators, one could never be too careful. Death could come at any moment.
Li Yan stood at a distance. After half an hour, the sisters opened their eyes at the same time. They turned their heads and shook them at Li Yan.
“That perception is indeed gone. It likely only appears when the restriction is triggered. However, we still believe our previous sensation was correct. We intend to try. Do you wish to retreat first, Senior?” Ming Qi looked at him.
Li Yan didn’t answer immediately. He pondered for a moment. “Which method do you intend to use?”
His question seemed cryptic, but he knew the Ming sisters understood. Since the “special aura” could no longer be sensed, they were left with two paths. First, attack the membrane again to trigger the aura, then break it. Second, ignore the trigger and directly use a secret art to dispel it.
“Directly break it,” Ming Qi answered quickly, waiting for his decision.
“Will you act together, or is one sufficient?” Li Yan’s voice was steady.
“Both of us. I am not confident alone. Therefore, I will not be able to attend to other matters!” Ming Qi’s meaning was clear.
“Then I shall trouble the two of you,” Li Yan nodded, yet he remained where he was, unmoving.
Seeing this, the sisters exchanged a look. Ming Yu seemed to want to say something, but seeing her sister turn away, she merely glanced at Li Yan and turned as well.
They weren’t certain they could lift the restriction. If their guess was wrong, the Spatial Severance would descend instantly. In that case, no one could look after Li Yan. If they had asked him to leave the light screen, it might have been out of goodwill, but there was no telling how Li Yan would interpret it.Divine Sense was blocked here; if Li Yan retreated, he wouldn’t know what was happening inside.
If the sisters failed, they would use their innate abilities to teleport outside. But if they succeeded, they could potentially enter and leave Li Yan behind without him knowing. Thus, they left the choice to him.
Li Yan’s question about whether they would act together showed he understood the risk. He chose to stay. Ming Qi was not surprised. For a cultivator, opportunities were not found by being timid; no one gave up easily.