chsdbacks Chapter 125 Ruins
Chapter 125 Ruins
"This is……"
Fairy Yaoguang approached the edge of the pit, gazing at the scattered rubble. Her beautiful eyes widened in astonishment: "These are fragments of 'Void Stone'! They only form where space violently trembles and breaks apart! Below this pit is likely a spatial rift that hasn't fully healed, perhaps connecting to the outside world!"
Qin Xiao walked to the edge of the pit and looked down.
The cave was pitch black, and even divine senses could not penetrate it without being swallowed.
But spatial fluctuations did indeed originate from there.
Moreover, its strength varies greatly, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, making it extremely unstable.
"It could lead to the outside world, or it could lead to an even more dangerous wasteland."
Qin Xiao pondered, "But staying here is fraught with danger; we have no choice but to take the risk and explore."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I am willing to accompany Your Majesty."
Fairy Yaoguang nodded, looking at Qin Xiao with clear and firm eyes.
Qin Xiao said no more, and once again embraced Fairy Yaoguang. His body shone with five-colored spiritual light, which transformed into a light shield that enveloped the two of them.
"Walk!"
He leaped into the bottomless, dark pit.
Falling.
An endless darkness and a feeling of weightlessness descended.
The surrounding spatial forces were chaotic and tearing apart. If Qin Xiao hadn't used his Five Elements spiritual power to firmly protect the two of them, they would probably have been torn to pieces in an instant.
Fairy Yaoguang nestled tightly in Qin Xiao's arms, the Moonlight Silk shimmering around her on its own.
It helps stabilize the turbulent airflow in the surrounding space.
It is unknown how long they fell.
Suddenly, a point of light appeared below and quickly expanded!
"We're almost at the bottom! Watch out!"
Qin Xiao shouted in a low voice, urging his spiritual power to slow down the descent.
"boom!"
The two of them crashed heavily into a pool of cold liquid!
A bone-chilling cold swept over my entire body!
Qin Xiao's body flashed with the five elements' spiritual light, which neutralized most of it.
Despite being protected by the Moonlight Silk, Fairy Yaoguang's face turned blue from the cold, and she shivered uncontrollably.
The two struggled to rise to the surface and soon broke through the water.
Looking up, everyone was taken aback.
What lies before us is neither the desolate wasteland nor the outside world as we had imagined.
It is an enormous underground cavern, the extent of which defies description.
At the top of the cave, countless crystals emitting a ghostly blue and pale light are embedded.
The entire space was illuminated as if it were a ghostly realm.
The place where they landed was a black, icy pool, nearly a hundred feet in diameter.
The water in the cold pool was as black as ink, exuding wisps of gray mist and a bone-chilling cold.
The edge of the pool is lined with jagged black rocks.
Further away, deep within the cave, the outlines of collapsed giant stone pillars and ruined palaces can be vaguely seen!
This place is definitely not a safe place!
But compared to the previous desolate Xuanming Land, shrouded in gray mist and teeming with monsters, at least there are traces of man-made structures here.
Fairy Yaoguang looked around, her gaze suddenly settling on the ruins of the palace complex, which was the best preserved.
Her delicate body trembled violently, her beautiful eyes widened, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her face. "That...that is..."
Qin Xiao followed her gaze and saw that the layout and style of the palace ruins were seven or eight parts similar to the architectural features of Xuanji Pavilion that Fairy Yaoguang had described before!
Especially the central main hall, which, though half-collapsed, still retains the outline of its former grandeur.
The remaining relief patterns on the roof of the hall, with stars surrounding a jade plate, are the very symbol of the Xuanji Pavilion!
"Could this place be...?"
Fairy Yaoguang spoke again, her voice trembling with barely suppressed excitement, "The main hall of Xuanji Pavilion is actually here..."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiao's gaze also sharpened.
The main hall of Xuanji Pavilion is hidden deep within this mysterious and unpredictable Xuanming Land?
No wonder no one has found it for thousands of years!
"Is the fairy confirmed?"
Qin Xiao asked in a deep voice, his five elements spiritual energy still lingering around him as he cautiously observed his surroundings.
Fairy Yaoguang suppressed the surging emotions in her heart, carefully discerned the details of the distant palace, and slowly nodded:
"There's no mistake. The star-shaped jade disc relief on the ceiling was carved by the founder of the Xuanji Pavilion himself, containing the true meaning of the 'Zhou Tian Star Array.' Even in its current state of damage, I can still sense its residual Daoist charm... However, why is the sect's main hall here? When we evacuated back then, the mountain gate was clearly in the Starfall Mountain Range..."
A look of confusion and pain crossed her eyes, as if she were witnessing the collapse of her sect once again, across thousands of years.
Qin Xiao pulled her into the cold pool and they landed on the black rocks on the shore.
The pool water was icy cold, and even with spiritual energy protecting her, a thin layer of frost still formed on Fairy Yaoguang's skirt, causing her delicate body to tremble slightly.
Qin Xiao transferred a gentle and peaceful stream of Five Elements spiritual energy to her, helping her dispel the chill.
At the same time, he spread his divine sense to explore this underground space.
Although there is no gray fog here.
However, the yin energy is extremely heavy, and the spiritual energy is still very thin and almost non-existent.
The palace ruins in the distance were silent.
"Since we're here, let's go and find out what's going on."
Qin Xiao decided, "Perhaps there are clues left here that can help us escape and also resolve your doubts."
Fairy Yaoguang took a deep breath and nodded.
Moonlight ribbons surrounded her, their gentle glow illuminating the path ahead.
The two proceeded cautiously, their feet treading on slippery black rocks, with glimmering blue moss emanating from the crevices.
The closer you get to the palace ruins, the heavier the sense of vicissitude and decay permeates the air.
The star patterns carved on the collapsed giant pillar have become blurred.
Scattered among the ruins are fragments of rusted magical artifacts.
Occasionally, one can still see skeletons half-buried in the dust, their clothing ancient in style and long since weathered.
Whenever Fairy Yaoguang saw these things, her delicate body would tremble involuntarily, her beautiful eyes would well up with tears, but she would forcefully hold back her tears.
Qin Xiao walked silently beside her, offering no words of comfort.
Some wounds can only be gradually healed by facing them personally.
Finally, the two arrived at the ruins of the main hall.
The once magnificent palace gates have long since collapsed.
Only two crooked giant pillars remain to support part of the remaining roof.
The hall was dimly lit, with only a few crystals on the ceiling casting a pale glow.
Fairy Yaoguang took a step to enter, but Qin Xiao reached out and stopped her.
"Wait a minute."
He narrowed his eyes, focused his divine sense, and pierced the darkness within the hall.
"There are residual restrictive fluctuations, though weak, but if triggered, they could cause unforeseen changes."
Upon hearing this, Fairy Yaoguang also focused her mind and sensed it, and nodded after a moment:
"It's a remnant of the 'Starlight Protecting Spirit Array'... This array once protected the core of the main hall. Anyone who entered without being a disciple of our sect or possessing a token would suffer a backlash from the starlight. Now the array is damaged, and its power is less than one-tenth of what it used to be, but it is still not to be underestimated."
As she spoke, she took out the phoenix-shaped jade pendant from her bosom.
It is the token that controls the Nine Luminaries Soul-Nourishing Coffin, and also a symbol of the identity of a core disciple of the Xuanji Pavilion.
The jade pendant emitted a soft bluish glow in the dim light, resonating with a subtle fluctuation somewhere in the hall.
"Come with me."
Fairy Yaoguang entered the hall first, followed closely by Qin Xiao.
Sure enough, wherever the jade pendant's green light reached, the residual restrictive energy within the hall quietly dissipated.
The interior space of the main hall is more spacious than its exterior.
Although nearly half of the top has collapsed and the four walls are cracked, one can still vaguely see the grandeur of its former glory.
The ground was paved with white jade and engraved with intricate star maps, but most of them were buried by dust.
In the center of the hall, the high platform that should have been used to enshrine the patriarch has collapsed.
Only a broken jade statue lay on the ground, its face blurred.
The niches on both sides, which originally displayed books and ritual implements, are now empty, with only some broken wood and dust remaining.
Fairy Yaoguang walked slowly to the broken jade statue, knelt down gently, and kowtowed deeply.
"Your unworthy disciple Yaoguang... has returned."
Her voice choked with emotion, echoing softly in the empty, deathly silent hall.
Qin Xiao stood quietly to the side, not disturbing him.
After a long while, Fairy Yaoguang stood up, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and her expression had returned to calm. "Your Majesty, please forgive my embarrassment."
"It's only human nature."
Qin Xiao shook his head, his gaze sweeping around. "Fairy, can you sense anything special about this place? Or, are there any clues to leaving?"
Fairy Yaoguang closed her eyes and concentrated, using the jade pendant as a guide to subtly sense the surroundings.
A moment later, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at a relatively intact wall deep inside the hall.
"There...is a secret room!"