Chapter 1028: Opening of the Ancient Domain
Chapter 1028: Opening of the Ancient Domain
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
At this moment, the thought of ending his life flashed through Feng Xun's mind.
He had thought that the other party had already exerted the full extent of his strength in the duel they had just a moment ago, but he realized that the other party hadn't even displayed a fifth of his true might.
In other words, with just a small portion of his strength, the other party was already able to crush him easily. Yet, somehow provoked by something, the other party was going all out against him at this very moment. Without a doubt, there was no way he could withstand the other party's strength. Under the vicious pummeling, he found that even his desire to live had been beaten out of him.
Honestly speaking…
What the heck is this? Didn't you say that it was just a friendly spar? On top of that, you had already won earlier… To rush back here to pummel me once more, what is going on?
Seeing how the other party was continuing to pummel him, Feng Xun couldn't stand it any longer. Releasing the cap on his cultivation, he raised his cultivation to Saint 1-dan. The outcome was that… there was no difference at all. He was still getting pummeled without fail.
What left him on the verge of spurting blood was that the other party didn't seem to have even noticed that his strength had increased!
Clenching his jaws, he raised his cultivation up to Saint 2-dan, but… the outcome still wasn't any different. He was still getting pummeled viciously!
He was a Thousand Men Commander of the Combat Master Hall, a top-notch genius who boasted the greatest fighting prowess among his peers. He could knock down even opponents stronger than him, and yet… even when his cultivation was two realms stronger than the fellow before him, he was still no match for the other party at all.
The crushing blow to his pride left him on the verge of insanity.
Forget it, to hell with my pride and dignity… With a look of savagery, Feng Xun cast away his final shred of hesitation and released his full might.
With the entirety of his strength as a Saint 3-dan pinnacle expert released, an incredible force burst forth from him, rattling even the sky.
"I will make you pay the price for your insolence…" Roaring furiously, he raised his fist to strike the other party, but before he could do so, the sight before him turned dark.
A leg had already arrived in front of his face.
Putting aside the immense strength that the kick harnessed, it was even aimed toward one of his cultivation mingmen. Barely a moment after he had roared excitedly, he was already back to convulsing powerlessly on the ground.
In that instant, an epiphany struck him…Treasure your life, distance yourself from Zhang Xuan!
He carried the reputation of a genius as well, but he didn't even come close to the level of the young man before him; there was a world of difference between their capabilities!
It was no wonder his direct disciple was qualified to challenge the Progeny of Combat Selection, and even a feeble-looking student whom he had barely begun teaching could floor the members of their Combat Master Hall.
The young man before him was a true monster!
After knocking Feng Xun out, Zhang Xuan finally succeeded in venting the frustrations within him. Stretching his back lazily, he felt refreshed once more. Turning around, he returned to Luo Ruoxin's residence.
However, before he could enter the residence, he saw Mu shi walking out from the doors.
"Senior Uncle, Luo shi has already retired for the night. She has said to leave whatever you have to say until tomorrow."
"Ah…" Hearing that Luo Ruoxin didn't intend to meet him, Zhang Xuan could only return to his residence while scratching his head.
The night felt exceptionally long.
When dawn arrived, everyone was already gathered in the main hall of the Master Teacher Pavilion. After a night of recuperation, Feng Xun had mostly recovered from the pummeling he had suffered the previous night, but the swelling all over his body hadn't disappeared yet.
Upon seeing Feng Xun's current state, the leader of the expedition, Guild Leader Han, asked worriedly, "Combat Master Feng, what happened? Can you still join the expedition in your current state?"
The other party had been fine the day before, so how did he end up in such a state overnight?
Feng Xun hurriedly waved his hands. "I'm fine; I only met with some problems in my cultivation last night. I have already taken some medicine, so it won't pose any trouble."
To challenge a Nascent Saint and end up being pummeled badly instead… Even if someone were to threaten him with a knife on his throat, he would still be too embarrassed to admit it!
"You met with some problems in your cultivation?" Guild Leader Han shook his head.
He was not a master teacher, but that didn't mean he was a fool. How could someone end up with swelling all over his body from cultivation? It was apparent that he had been beaten up!
Nevertheless, since the other party was unwilling to speak, he wasn't interested in prying any further either. Thus, he quickly scanned through the crowd before nodding. "Alright. Since everyone is here, let's head over!"
The seal to the ancient domain was about to open, so it was time for them to set off.
Riding on the back of the saint beast, Zhang Xuan secretly sneaked Luo Ruoxin a peek. Noting the composed look on the other party's face, seemingly not blaming him for the matter yesterday, he heaved a sigh of relief internally before heading up to her.
"Luo shi, there are many dangers lurking in the ancient domain. Why don't we team up together so that we can look after one another?"
"Sure." Luo Ruoxin nodded.
"That's great!"
Taking Luo Ruoxin's acceptance of his request as a sign to indicate that she wasn't angry at him, Zhang Xuan let out another sigh of relief.
A few minutes later, the massive Swallow Embracing Mountain came into sight once more.
The crowd landed on the ground.
The seal didn't seem to be much different than how it had been a few days earlier. The flag that Zhang Xuan had planted in the ground was still sitting quietly amid the formation, and surges of powerful energy were being released into the surroundings.
"According to my calculations, the seal will be opening today. However, I am not certain of the exact timing, so we will have to wait patiently," Guild Leader Han explained.
To be able to calculate the day of the opening of such a powerful seal was already an incredible feat in itself. To calculate its timing on top of that would be demanding too much from Guild Leader Han.
Understanding this fact, the crowd waited patiently on the spot. Around two hours later, some changes began occurring to the mist-like seal. The entire depression first turned crimson with a seven-colored bridge abruptly materializing before everyone's eyes.
"It's opening!" Upon noticing the changes, the eyes of the crowd lit up.
Guild Leader Han stepped forward to assess the situation in front for a moment before turning around to brief the crowd on the happenings. "That seven-colored bridge is the key to entering the seal. It will only appear for around fifteen minutes, so we should quickly enter!"
After saying those words, he took the lead.
The others quickly followed suit.
While the seven-colored bridge was made out of the energy harnessed by the formation, it didn't feel unsteady or wobbly in the least. On the contrary, it was exceptionally sturdy. Walking on it felt no different from walking anywhere else; it didn't feel dangerous at all.
Following behind the crowd, Zhang Xuan stepped onto the seven-colored bridge. The scenery around him, an azure sky with fleeting white clouds accompanied by a verdant mountain and an emerald lake, formed a stark contrast to the world beneath his feet, a dark abyss with occasional bursts of searing currents. Such vastly different existences placed together formed quite a mystical sight, leaving Zhang Xuan feeling as if he was standing on the intersection between two worlds.
To construct such a sturdy bridge out of emptiness, the person who created the ancient domain sure is fearsome, Zhang Xuan remarked internally.
Zhang Xuan was also capable of constructing a bridge that one could walk on out of his zhenqi, but to do so through a formation… that was far beyond his current capability.
It wasn't just him; even 7-star formation masters would be incapable of such a feat.
It seemed like Zhang Xuan's prior guess was right. The elder who had left behind the ancient domain was, at the very least, an 8-star formation master!
It was no wonder the old principal was so wary, leaving even a tombstone behind for himself in the Master Teacher Academy out of fear that he would never return.
Eye of Insight!
While Zhang Xuan proceeded forward, he focused his eyes toward the very end of the bridge.
Over there, a seven-colored light barrier was positioned perpendicularly to the bridge. Crimson lava flurried beyond the barrier, generating an immense amount of heat that seemed as if it would reduce any man to ash.
After studying it for a moment, Zhang Xuan frowned. The structure of the light barrier… there is some resemblance to the seal in the Subterranean Gallery.
Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel that there was something uncanny about the light barrier, so he took a closer look. To his astonishment, he realized that it was nearly identical to the seal he had seen in the Subterranean Gallery, the only difference being that the one before him was a simplified version.
Nevertheless, it still harnessed incredible power that prevented anyone from barging through it forcefully. As long as it didn't open up, it would be impossible for anyone to enter.
Otherwise, the seal in the Subterranean Gallery wouldn't have kept the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe at bay for several dozen millenniums either, only allowing a few small fries to slip through its defenses occasionally.
Before long, following the crowd in front of him, he arrived before the light barrier.
By this point, the others had also caught sight of the scenery that lay ahead of the light barrier, and their faces paled in horror.
"It's nothing but lava in front! It can't be that… the ancient domain lies in the midst of the lava?" one of the master teachers of the expedition exclaimed in shock.
With the temperature of the lava, even metal would melt in moments upon contact with it. Even though most members of the expedition had already reached Saint realm, they still dared not enter such a place haphazardly.
"The details I know about the ancient domain are severely limited. The only way we can find out is to explore it ourselves." Wu shi shook his head.
"Then…"
"Don't think too much about it. Since we are already here, let's just go in and take a look!" Wu shi said. However, there was still some hesitation on the faces of those around him, so after a moment of contemplation, he stepped forward and said, "How about this? I will try it out first, and if I meet with any danger, you all should evacuate the area quickly."
On top of being the highest-ranked master teacher among the group, he was the strongest one as well. In face of danger, he was obliged to step forward to protect the others. If even he was unable to face whatever dangers lay within the lava, it was unlikely that the others would be able to either.
After saying those words, Wu shi channeled his zhenqi out from his acupoints and wrapped his body with it. Once that was done, he charged straight through the light barrier.
Hu!
Without the slightest impediment, 'huala!', Wu shi slid through the light barrier and disappeared from everyone's sight.
A few moments later, Wu shi's silhouette emerged once more. His figure was a little indistinct and vague, but his gesture was most certainly beckoning them over. Most likely, there was no danger within.
"Let's enter," Guild Leader Han said before stepping through the light barrier.
Zhang Xuan followed suit as well. The light barrier felt slightly viscous, reminiscent of the surface of water. Stepping through it, it was as if he had stepped into another world. Intense heat, as if omnipresent, assaulted him from all directions relentlessly, leaving his skin with a slightly stinging sensation.
Gazing downward, he realized that a ten kilometers wide enormous volcano vent stood beneath him. From time to time, flames would burst forth, threatening to devour the group whole.
Is the ancient domain really beneath the lava? Zhang Xuan frowned.
He had imagined that there would be some kind of passageway beyond the light barrier to lead the group into the ancient domain, but to his bewilderment, there was nothing but lava around him.
If the ancient domain was truly located beneath the lava, this expedition would be far more dangerous than he had previously imagined.
Putting aside the searing heat harnessed in the lava, just its sheer scale of the lava pool and the inability to see past the opaque lava made it extremely plausible that one could lose their way within, possibly never returning at all.
"Where do we go?"
The first person to enter, Wu shi, turned to Guild Leader Han with a deep frown on his face.
The other party was a formation master; perhaps, there might be some kind of formation hidden in the area that they were supposed to utilize to enter the ancient domain.
"Let me take a look." Nodding, Guild Leader Han took out a compass and paced around the massive vent of the volcano. Gradually, the frown on his forehead deepened.
"The spiritual energy current in this area is extremely stable; there is no formation hidden in the area. It seems like we can only slowly explore the area to find the entrance."
"Explore the area?" Looking at the lava pool, which boasted a diameter of ten kilometers, the lips of the crowd twitched uncontrollably.
How were they supposed to explore the area?
Were they to dive into the lava?
Even if their bodies could endure the heat, their clothes couldn't possibly do the same!
A bunch of 6-star and 7-star master teachers and combat masters walking past one another stark naked…
The image was so beautiful that it was more likely that they would die of embarrassment before they found the ancient domain!
Realizing the same, Zhang Xuan subconsciously turned his gaze toward Luo Ruoxin. With a deeply conflicted expression, he mumbled unknowingly beneath his breath, "If her clothes were to be burnt as well, should I look… or not look?"
Just as Zhang Xuan was deep in thought over the serious problem he was facing, he suddenly heard a feminine voice quivering with rage beside him.
"You… What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?"