Chapter 615

Chapter 615: The Shadow World

With a resounding boom, hundreds of shadows landed on the massive, broken stone platform jutting from the mountain peaks. Half the practitioners in the group coughed up blood, their expressions weak and dispirited.

The surroundings were dark and gloomy; even the vision of Profound Law Stage Practitioners couldn’t penetrate far.

Tianyi and Tianzhu knelt beside Li Hui, their faces pale and their limbs weary. Had it not been for their joint efforts, the situation would have been far worse than just half the practitioners spitting blood; many would have died.

A great pressure pressed down on this space, and dark clouds surged toward the stone platform from all directions. Li Hui hurriedly drew the Sheng Dou talisman, which dispelled the shadow, revealing a vast landscape. But when he looked closer, he was alarmed to see countless giant black insects crawling beneath the platform, some hundreds of zhang long, raising their heads to roar, immediately casting a shadow that blocked the light.

Tianyi weakly said, “Is this the Heavenly Realm? It’s submerged in such overwhelming darkness. According to the Guardian Clan’s heritage, only two months every hundred years are safe, during which there is sunlight.”

Clearly, Li Hui wasn’t fortunate enough to hit that two-month safe period.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…” The sound of wind howled as if a massive figure was moving; the chaotic energy thickened. Many practitioners stumbled and collapsed on the ground, even worse than ordinary people.

“Hold fast!” A piercing light burst forth, warding off the darkness.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as their cultivation returned instantly, but through the light, they saw massive shadows rushing toward them.

“Damn, what are these shadows? They seem… alive.”

Li Hui felt a wave of horror. If this continued, the brow bone of the Kangyang golden wind beast wouldn’t hold for long. Without a way to restrain the shadows, he feared they wouldn’t even be able to leave the stone platform, let alone explore the crystal palace in the sea.

“The dark energy here is overwhelming. Let’s try the Mixed Yuan Yin Absorption Talismans.”

Before long, hundreds of talismans soared into the air.

The Mixed Yuan Yin Absorption Talismans activated, immediately absorbing a large amount of dark energy, forming a torch of yin power that crackled and made the shadows approaching the stone platform hesitate, seemingly losing their direction.

“Quick! Use the dark energy to hide our presence.” The practitioners under his command, all clever, rapidly took appropriate measures. One Profound Law Stage Practitioner, skilled in the path of ghosts, took out a Wan Skulls Yin Bone Fan and gently waved it to create a dark wind tornado, obscuring their movements based on the Mixed Yuan Yin Absorption Talismans.

As long as the nearby dark energy was thick enough, the distant living-like shadows wouldn’t approach.

Everyone relaxed for a moment, only to realize their spiritual sense was limited to a mile. Beyond that, everything was murky, unclear, and any attempts to create light would certainly invite danger.

“Please guide us, master!” The practitioners faced Li Hui, awaiting his decision on where to go next.

Li Hui looked beyond the dark energy tornado, contemplating, “Is this the Heavenly Realm that practitioners once yearned for? Will the Wutu Continent after six hundred years become like this too? Terrifying! The world collapses, heaven and earth overturn, life is extinguished; I cannot express the scene before my eyes in words. If the Wutu Continent becomes this horrific sight, it’s certain that all beings are on the brink of hell! No, this is worse than hell; it’s a great catastrophe!”

After his reflections, he pointed east, saying, “We’ll advance in a straight line through the air. I will prepare a large number of Mixed Yuan Yin Absorption Talismans to absorb dark energy every hour for cover.”

“Yes!” replied the practitioners in unison.

Moments later, the dark energy tornado twisted and spiraled, the team soaring rapidly through the eye of the tornado.

There was no light in front, back, or sides; everything was shrouded in shadow. The team tried to gain altitude and avoid the peaks, plowing through with a whoosh. Occasionally, dark shadows would dart toward them but were pushed back by the dark wind.

Half an hour soared by, and they still didn’t know what the shadows were.

Some shadows resembled thin black veils, while others were like heavy dark clouds, oppressive and stifling. Some shadows even took on humanoid or beast-like shapes, albeit large and loose, responding much slower than the black veils and dark clouds.

When Tianyi and Tianzhu regained their strength, they began to hasten the speed of the dark energy tornado.

Li Hui frowned, his eye area filled with runes as he formed a formation to scan the surroundings. The more he looked, the more alarmed he became, feeling increasingly anxious.

“How could this be? These shadows are eerily similar to the Dream Incarnation of the Xiahou Family ancestor. Could they all be Void Ascension Stage existences trapped in dreams, with their consciousness projected into the outside world?”

“What if that’s true?” Li Hui was already horrified to an extreme. “If that’s true, how many Void Ascension Stage beings does the Heavenly Realm have? The question is, why has the Dream Incarnation manifested into these ghastly images? Could it be… the Dream Incarnation after death?”

Upon reaching this conclusion, his eyes widened in shock.

“It’s not just possible; it’s highly likely! Those who existed and died surely would not be willing to fade away, which would cause phenomena and lead to catastrophe.” Li Hui felt he was nearing the truth. Perhaps the Void Ascension Stage practitioners of the Nine-Mystic Continent dared not reveal their true forms due to some ominous ties with the Heavenly Realm.

What unsettled everyone was that, as they advanced, they gradually lost track of time.

Tianyi, weeping, said, “Why can’t I remember how long we’ve been in the Heavenly Realm? It feels like… I’ve been in this silence for countless Yuan Meetings.”

Tianzhu also cried, sobbing, “Woe is me, it’s so terrifying. I… I don’t want to be quiet; I don’t want to be muted; even becoming a zombie would be better than this.”

Li Hui moved quickly, striking Tianyi and Tianzhu unconscious with two lightning-fast blows, noting that his subordinates were much stronger than these Qingfu tribe sisters.

“I see now: an unstable heart can be affected by shadows. Tianyi and Tianzhu’s characters are relatively pure; they haven’t gone through life and death trials or faced challenges in the mortal world, making their minds susceptible to harm.”

Understanding the crux of the issue, Li Hui began drawing the Dust Cleansing and Heart Calming Talisman and the Nine Sealing Ice Heart Talisman.

In such a situation, he had to first secure their hearts from outside interference and then find a way to resolve the issue of time; otherwise, this journey would be for naught.

It was easy to lock the heart, but time seemed to be at a standstill, which was much harder to deal with!

“Is time truly standing still? Or have we entered a region of stasis?” Li Hui employed various methods for verification, ultimately concluding that the time force on all sides was minimal.

In other words, within a certain range, there was no flow of time; everything resembled being trapped in amber, slowly solidifying and remaining in a frozen moment.

Li Hui’s heart raced; perhaps he would soon become utterly still. When the time eventually started to flow again, maybe he could awaken, or he might never awaken, eternally trapped in an unfinished journey until the Heavenly Realm crumbled.

“No, this cannot continue.”

At the critical moment, Li Hui released an explosive aura, instantaneously locking onto himself with the pursuing force from the Time line. In the next moment, the world trembled.