Escaping into the mortal world
Within the cavern deep within the shattered star, suppressed breathing echoed. The protective light barrier flickered weakly, slightly blocking the turbulent and sparse spiritual energy and the ubiquitous void currents from the outside world.
Fang Li's face was pale as she tried to guide a wisp of spiritual energy into her body, but the spiritual energy stumbled along her meridians like a dull knife, causing far more pain than nourishment.
Helplessly, she lowered her hand, looking at her equally listless companion beside her. The last few pills she had distributed were long gone, and the empty jade bottle lay scattered to the side.
Xie Chen's fingertips slowly traced the dim Star Compass, the divine light emanating from it far less bright than before. He raised his head, his eyes filled with unprecedented solemnity: "We cannot linger here. The Celestial Court's Sky Patrol Division's search... will inevitably spread here sooner or later."
Ye Wuyang closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, but opened them upon hearing this: "The Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves, the Seventy-Two Immortal Realms, and even the major Immortal Sects... are all places we must not go." The target is too large; it would be tantamount to walking into a trap.
Shen Yunzhou paused slightly as he wiped the Frost Chant Sword, his voice low and deep: "The area around the Ascension Platform, a gathering place for ascendants, may seem like a mixed bag, making it easy to hide, but in reality, it's teeming with eyes and ears, and fraught with undercurrents." The risk is too high, and it's extremely easy to expose our whereabouts.
"What do we do?!" Ji Qianqiu scratched his head in frustration, leaning his battle axe against the side. His once surging energy now seemed somewhat dim. "I can't absorb spiritual energy, my injuries won't heal, and I've run out of pills! I can't just keep chewing on rocks in this godforsaken place, can I?!"
Silence fell over the cave, and an atmosphere of despair, like a raging storm outside, slowly eroded people's hearts.
Just then, Fang Li suddenly recalled the scenes from those mortal stories she had secretly read before descending the mountain, and her eyes lit up slightly: "Speaking of which... could the most dangerous place be the safest place?"
The system immediately jumped out, its voice rising several decibels: [“Host is brilliant! Those guys in the Celestial Court are always so arrogant and high and mighty, they would never expect us to dare to go against the grain and hide in the mortal realm right under their noses! The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is incredibly thin, which is perfect for concealing our presence!”]
A glint flashed in Xie Chen's eyes, and a few remaining stars on the Star Compass lit up faintly. "The mortal dynasties have vast territories, countless living beings, and a rich atmosphere of worldly affairs. They are indeed the best places to hide. To find a few people in the vast sea of people is like finding a needle in a haystack."
Ye Wuyang pondered for a moment, then nodded: "It's feasible. But we need to completely suppress our energy and transform into mortals." This means that they must completely suppress and seal all their immortal energy, divine sense, and even Daoist fluctuations, simulating the state of a mortal's blood and qi, without the slightest leakage.
“Let’s do it this way!” Ji Qianqiu was the first to agree. As long as he could get away from this godforsaken place, he felt he would go anywhere.
Shen Yunzhou glanced at Fang Li and nodded silently.
With the decision made, the five of them no longer hesitated. Despite their injuries, they set up a small concealment array around the center of the cave.
Complex runes condensed at Ye Wuyang's fingertips as he forcefully suppressed his vast Ice Glaze Immortal Essence deep into his dantian, sealing it layer by layer. The terrifying pressure of the peak Nascent Soul stage around him rapidly diminished, his icy aura subsided, and his face even flushed slightly due to the reduction of his power, ultimately making him resemble a somewhat cold and aloof mortal martial artist.
Shen Yunzhou pointed his fingers like a sword, placing them on his brow. He sealed his sword intent and spirit, and the Frost Chant Sword hummed, its brilliance fading away, becoming ancient and unadorned. The sharpness in his eyes gradually settled, transforming into a deep, still pool, with only occasional flashes of spiritual light revealing its extraordinary nature.
Ji Qianqiu let out a low roar, forcefully suppressing his immense blood and qi back into his limbs and bones. His bronze skin lost its luster, and the patterns on his battle axe became blurred. He moved his hands and feet, feeling as if he were wearing heavy shackles, which he was very unaccustomed to, but the oppressive fighting spirit was finally hidden.
Xie Chen gently waved his jade fan, and the Star Compass transformed into a stream of light that disappeared into his sleeve. The profound aura of divination around him vanished without a trace, and he became like a refined scholar from the mortal world, though the light of wisdom still lingered deep in his eyes.
Fang Li circulated her Chaos Dao Foundation, carefully concealing the fluctuations of the Thoughts Return Hairpin and the Farewell Crane Qin. Feeling the sluggish and heavy power within her body, she sighed softly. At this moment, she looked like an ordinary girl with a slightly frail body.
Even the Qilin beast beside them, with the help of everyone, lost its spiritual light and shrank slightly, transforming into a "big dog" that looked only somewhat fierce but had no spiritual pressure fluctuations. However, a trace of the arrogance of an ancient spirit beast remained deep in its eyes.
Once everything was ready, the five people looked at each other and nodded.
Ye Wuyang pointed his fingers like a sword, gathering the remaining power of the five people, and thrust it fiercely into the void in front of him!
Sizzle—!
"Go!" Ye Wuyang shouted in a low voice.
Without hesitation, the five humans and one beast leaped into the dangerous spatial rift. The intense spatial tearing force exacerbated their already severe injuries, but they all gritted their teeth and endured the pain.
After being tossed about in the darkness for an unknown amount of time, just when everyone was almost exhausted, light finally appeared ahead.
Thump—!
Several people fell heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. A strong sense of dizziness washed over them.
They struggled to their feet and looked around.
Before me lay a desolate Gobi Desert, and in the distance, the outline of a yellowish-brown city could be vaguely seen, with a faded flag hanging on the city wall bearing the words "Black Stone".
The spiritual energy in the air was so thin that it was almost imperceptible; instead, there was the smell of wind and sand and a faint scent of everyday life.
“Dayan Dynasty…Black Stone City…” Xie Chen gasped as he recognized the information about this place.
The five people helped each other to their feet and dusted themselves off.
Their clothes were torn and tattered by the power of space as they moved through the air, covered in dust, which perfectly matched the image of ordinary people fleeing from disaster.
Ye Wuzhong took a few steps, deliberately slowing his pace and making heavy footsteps on the sand and gravel.
Shen Yunzhou wrapped the Frost Chant sword in coarse cloth and carried it on his back, just like the most ordinary swordsman.
Ji Qianqiu carried a battle axe that looked like scrap metal, muttering that the sandstorm in this godforsaken place was really strong.
Xie Chen straightened his slightly disheveled robes, trying to adapt to the way he judged the world by his naked eyes and common sense after losing his ability to deduce.
Fang Li took a deep breath of the dry air, feeling the completely different rules of the world, and a sense of novelty arose in her heart.
The giant Qilin dog shook its head and snorted, seemingly dissatisfied with the barren atmosphere, but still obediently followed the group.
They adjusted their breathing, glanced at each other to make sure they were both in the right mindset, and then began to walk, stumbling along the path, toward the mortal city called Blackrock City.
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