Chapter 581

Chapter 581: God-Blocking Miasma

Murong Wuqing’s face turned deathly pale, his breathing shallow. A bloody claw mark stretched from his shoulder to his abdomen, nearly splitting his torso open. Even with his cultivation level at the peak Golden Core stage, he couldn’t withstand a mere glancing blow from the dark green beast. A direct hit would’ve surely killed him.

The beast shrouded in dark green flames glared viciously as Murong Wuqing retreated from its territory before settling back onto the ground.

“Sister Ding, have you decided?” Ye Yun called out, already certain Ding Qian wouldn’t dare attempt it.

True to his guess, Ding Qian’s face whitened. Every shred of courage had fled her heart. How could she take even half a step toward such a monstrous beast?

Ye Yun darted forward at blinding speed, pushing the Illusory Thunderlight Escape to its limits to evade the beast’s attacks. Murong Wuqing, though only at the Golden Core stage, possessed strength rivaling a Fourth Level Nascent Soul Ancestor—a prodigy with unmatched cultivation.

Yet even he had barely survived a glancing strike from the beast’s claw, nearly meeting death and disappearance of the spirit. The gap between Ding Qian and Murong Wuqing was an uncrossable chasm. How could she possibly slip past?

Moreover, the beast hadn’t unleashed its flames twice now. What if it did this time? She’d be reduced to ashes before getting close.

“I… I’ll wait here. The spiritual energy here is abundant—two or three times richer than outside. Perfect for cultivation.” Ding Qian shook her head. “Ye Yun, tend to Brother Wuqing. Search for the array’s eye. If you find an entrance to the second layer, proceed with caution.”

Her attitude had shifted. Though spoiled by her upbringing at Demon Suppression Peak, her heart wasn’t wicked. Ye Yun and Murong Wuqing had shielded her in that ink-black void, saving her life. For that, she felt gratitude.

Ye Yun nodded, having expected her refusal. “Stay safe, Sister Ding. Once Brother Wuqing recovers somewhat, we’ll attempt the second layer.”

Ding Qian nodded, envy flickering across her features. Resignation followed—the beast’s power made any attempt suicidal.

Ye Yun’s own injuries weren’t fully healed. As Murong Wuqing meditated, he settled into recovery.

The two men sat separated from Ding Qian by the beast. A mere ten zhang apart, yet it might as well have been an impassable gorge.

Two hours later, Murong Wuqing rose. Though not fully recovered, he was stable. His gaze lingered on the resting beast, a shadow of fear in his eyes.

He’d misjudged the beast’s speed, believing he could evade it. Yet even the glancing strike’s residual force had nearly killed him.

“How’s your injury, Brother Wuqing?” Ye Yun asked softly, himself fully healed.

Murong Wuqing studied him, startled. Ye Yun continually defied expectations, escaping perils that should’ve been fatal. Perhaps this was the “heaven’s favor” Hua Changchun often spoke of—divine luck protecting the blessed.

“Manageable. Pain remains, but it won’t hinder combat.” Murong Wuqing waved dismissively.

“Good. I’ve searched but found no trace of the array eye here.”

A glimmer of excitement flashed in Murong Wuqing’s eyes. “This array likely has multiple eyes.”

“Why? Normally there’s only one.”

“Simple arrays do. Complex ones?” Murong Wuqing shook his head. “Some have ten or more interconnected eyes. Destroying one doesn’t collapse the system—others compensate. This Secret Vault’s array functions thus.”

Ye Yun’s brow furrowed then smoothed. “The hall draining spiritual energy—one of the eyes?”

Murong Wuqing nodded. “Breaking it requires all Golden Core cultivators to leave. Their departure would disable that eye.”

Ye Yun sucked in a breath. He remembered the ink-black void’s horrors. Their trio—among the strongest Golden Core teams—had barely escaped using the Soul Protecting Tower, Soul Nourishing Pill, and a mental intent shield.

Yet over a thousand Golden Core cultivators had entered. How many teams could match their strength and treasures? How many could escape that hall?

“Hundreds of eyes? Impossible.”

“Unlikely,” Murong Wuqing conceded. “But other halls may host different arrays. Each requiring unique methods to break. Destroying enough to open the vault? Near impossible. No wonder no sect’s claimed this Secret Vault in millennia.”

Ye Yun fell silent. If true, opening the first layer was futile. Even Tian Yunzi’s group couldn’t breach it. The void’s terror allowed few survivors.

But this implied Nascent Soul experts couldn’t enter either. Which meant… the vault’s treasures might yet fall to Golden Core disciples like them.

Ye Yun raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "In that case, even the Nascent Soul stage ancestors from those sects can’t enter. We’ll have to accept these heavenly materials and earthly treasures along with the cultivation techniques without refusal."

Murong Wuqing paused before laughing. "That makes sense."

The two waved at Ding Qian and approached the dark opening.

Since this passage existed behind the beasts, it must lead to the next layer. Otherwise, why would it be here? Could it possibly contain the same terrifying violent energy as the pitch-black space?

Exchanging determined glances, Ye Yun and Murong Wuqing stepped into the blackened entrance side by side. Having come this far, neither would retreat even if faced with dangers matching the pitch-black space.

"Be careful!" Ding Qian instinctively called out as their figures vanished.

Darkness enveloped Ye Yun completely. Time seemed frozen while space itself felt stagnant. He couldn’t tell if he was moving forward or backward through this endless void.

After what felt like an eternity, when despair began to cloud his mind, a flash of light pierced through the darkness ahead, bright as lightning in the night.

Ye Yun found himself standing in a mist-shrouded valley. Murong Wuqing was nowhere to be seen.

"Brother Wuqing?" he shouted.

No reply came.

"Teleportation separation? But there was no spatial array fluctuation…" Ye Yun frowned. His surroundings showed thick fog obscuring all beyond ten zhang, though the clear space around him remained constant regardless of movement.

How peculiar.

Releasing his mental intent, he found it dissipated upon reaching the fog’s edge. The mist absorbed spiritual probes like mud swallowing oxen.

"Not strange at all," rumbled the Ancestor of the Sword Path’s voice. "This God-Blocking Miasma hinders mental intent transmission. Remarkably, it maintains this ten-zhang clearance."

"God-Blocking Miasma?" Ye Yun’s eyes lit up. "Brother Jian, can you still sense your treasure?"

The ancestor snorted. "Foolish boy. Our spiritual bond transcends mere mental intent. Move leftward."

Ye Yun obeyed without hesitation. Ordinary travelers might wander lost in this fog, but with the ancestor’s guidance, he advanced purposefully.

After two hours’ travel, Ye Yun noted inconsistencies. "I’ve walked over hundred li, yet this vault spans mere dozens. No spatial laws detected…"

"The vault’s master reached Earth Immortal realm’s peak, perhaps brushing the Immortal realm," the ancestor mused. "My fragmented memory… no matter. Focus forward."

When the ancestor suddenly called halt hours later, Ye Yun scanned the foggy expanse. "The signal’s intermittent here," the sword spirit growled. "Sit and focus while I trace the interference."

Cross-legged on the ground, Ye Yun cycled his mystical power. Half an hour passed before the ancestor barked: "Left again! Close now!"

Within moments, the old spirit’s excited whisper came: "Here. It’s right here."