Chapter 553

Chapter 553: Time and Space Barrier

Returning to reality, Yun Ye’s eyes were filled with astonishment.

He didn’t expect this relic to involve the Dao Classics; no wonder even with the Power of Opening Heaven and Earth, he was drawn here.

It seems he has a chance to point at those Dao Classics and say, “This item is fated to be with me.” Such a display worthy of a Celestial Lord, who else could take my place?

“Boom!”

The talisman exploded, and a beam of light shot up to the sky, lingering for a long time. Even with the formation suppressing it, the five who had run a thousand miles felt continuous vibrations.

No wonder they said it could be sensed from nine thousand miles away; this power was indeed astonishing. The most remarkable part was that this explosion was not meant to cause harm; rather, much of its power transformed into a signal comprehensible only to the human race, transmitting vast amounts of information.

Hours later…

As planned, the surviving cultivators aboard the dragon ship gathered together, their expressions serious as they exchanged Spirit Sense, trying to uncover the cause of the anomalies.

Unfortunately, despite their discussions, no one revealed any flaws; they couldn’t fathom what the hidden hand was planning.

If it was to trap and kill them, such a grand spectacle seemed pointless.

If it was to use them, could this place of the Absolute Emperor’s fall really be influenced by their mere Mystic Realm?

They needed to have that much self-awareness.

The Boundary Sea wasn’t a remote area that even Monarchs didn’t comprehend; here, real cultivators often clashed, with traces of Honored Beings’ actions preserved for thousands of years, visible at any time.

As long as one has witnessed even a fight between real cultivators, it would be instantly clear how strong the Monarchs, who claimed “None in heaven or earth could rival me,” truly are.

Monarch relics?

They didn’t dare to even think about it. Where in the world would such fortune come to them? Surviving to leave was already quite fortunate!

“The current problem is how to leave this strange space; does anyone have any clues?”

Dragon Ship Owner Long Yuan spoke up.

“…”

Everyone fell silent. What clues could they have? This space was too strange, completely beyond their understanding.

A simulated world constructed by Spirit Law?

Was the Spatial Transfer into a genuine relic?

They could only think of these two possibilities, but neither had a solution.

If it were a Spirit Law illusion, they would have cracked it long ago.

If it were a true relic, they only knew it was the Fire Jade Heavenly City, with no clue on how to exit.

“The legendary Fire Jade Heavenly City has long been buried, lost to history. This much is certain; this place must be a false one. In other words, there must be something supporting the illusion; once we break it, we can return to the dragon ship.”

Someone suddenly spoke up—it was the sect man from Yun Ye’s team, and his words drew everyone’s attention.

Especially Tian Hou and Jiu Xiao; as the hidden figures, they naturally did not want the right to explain to be taken by others.

“Are you certain? The age is ancient, and there are claims about the mystery of the Fire Jade Heavenly City—some say it was sealed, while others say it was intercepted and moved to another space.”

Tian Hou questioned.

“I’m certain. And to prove the falsehood here, simply use your fingers to calculate and see what year it is tonight.”

The sect man said.

All the cultivators present began to calculate using Spirit Law, and their expressions turned strange.

“Spirit Law actually tells me this is seventy thousand years ago? What about you all?” Long Yuan spoke up.

“The same, also seventy thousand years ago, and it indeed originated from the Red Heaven realm. Who could fake it at the level of heaven and earth?” Yun Ye responded second.

“It seems this is truly a place within the genuine Red Heaven realm, just from a different era. What a grand display; it’s truly a time and space barrier.” Tian Hou also had to speak up.

This was indeed the simplest way to confirm everything; he could not go against the common sense of many cultivators.

The operation of the heavenly way made deceptive illusions useless. Spirit Law relies on a certain unique authentication that connects to the world, not just feelings.

No matter how realistic an illusion is, it will inevitably reveal flaws in this aspect. The vast majority of illusion-type Spirit Law follows the common flow of time to avoid being exposed by such simple methods.

“A time and space barrier; only a time and space barrier can perfectly replicate the operation of the heavenly way, after all, it is a segment of history extracted from the world itself.”

“Seventy thousand years ago was the era of the Absolute Emperor. Although the specifics of his fall are lost to history, this place is likely thousands of years after the Absolute Emperor’s fall, without the Fourth Heaven’s cover. What could possibly support such a massive time and space barrier, allowing even the heavenly city from seventy thousand years ago to be replicated?”

Long Yuan stroked his chin, faintly sensing a conspiracy.

Such a grand scheme to deal with them, mere unknown soldiers? That didn’t seem right; someone was likely trying to use them for something.

He scanned the crowd, lost in thought. They were just Mystic Realm cultivators; what could they possibly use?

Soon, he shook his head, abandoning the thought. With information asymmetry, no amount of speculation would help; the opponent’s logic was entirely beyond his realm of consideration.

They could only take it one step at a time.

“Then what is most likely supporting this time and space barrier?” someone asked.

“It must be the Heavenly Palace’s Tai Ling Divine Tree! Legend has it that the Absolute Emperor planted this divine tree thirty thousand years ago; it is the Absolute Emperor’s companion divine tree and wields power comparable to the Royal Path’s ultimate weapon. It has always protected the Fire Jade Heavenly City as its ancestral ground. Look, even to this day, this divine tree still shows remnants of power!”

The sect man said.

At the end of their gaze, the vast Heavenly Palace indeed sprawled with various fiery branches and leaves. Though withered, one could still perceive its former glory.

The trunk of the Tai Ling Divine Tree was even larger than the Heavenly Palace, disappearing into the sky at the horizon, but cracks spread all over, indicating its death.

Its residual power appeared to be the center of this space, perhaps their hope for escape lay in this divine tree.

After a brief discussion, everyone decided to head towards the Heavenly Palace of Fire Jade City for a closer look.

Waiting alone would not bring about a way out.

“The formations in the core area are fewer, but they allowed a significant amount of fire spirit energy to disperse in the air, attracting numerous Fire Spirits. The further we go into the core area, the higher the rank of the Fire Spirits we encounter; while it’s rare to see Third Stage evolution individuals outside, at the Heavenly Palace’s entrance, there are definitely Fourth Stage individuals guarding it.”

“The Fourth Stage of the Fire Spirit clan is equivalent to our Mystic Realm cultivation level. Their destructive capacity is also suppressed but still exceeds ours. If we lower our ranks directly, these monsters can still utilize Mystic Realm powers in this time and space. We must cooperate closely to suppress them directly.”

Long Yuan, being the strongest, took command.

Everyone nodded, indicating they would give their all; as for the specifics of their thoughts, no one knew.

A group of thirty-seven people set off in secrecy, employing various means as they swiftly approached the Heavenly Palace. During this time, some were unfortunate enough to encounter a Fourth Stage Fire Spirit and fell behind, but no one went to rescue them; everyone remained indifferent.

Cultivators did not value numbers; it was easy for a strong cultivator to sweep all opponents aside. Falling behind only indicated that one’s strength was too weak; they were not qualified to participate in this operation.