Rumble rumble rumble— That thunderous rumbling not only echoed endlessly within the Unknown Burial Ground, but even beyond the desert, it blanketed everything in its roar.
"What's going on?"
At that moment, both Ying Mingchao and Zi Xunyi, who were standing atop the grand formation, had their expressions shift.
They weren't worried about anything else—they were both concerned for Chu Feng's safety. After all, they could all tell that the Unknown Burial Ground wouldn't act like this without reason. Something must have changed.
However, the rumbling showed no sign of subsiding. On the contrary, it grew increasingly ear-piercing, and one could deeply feel the desert beneath them trembling violently.
"Xunyi, fall back."
Sensing that things were going badly, Ying Mingchao grabbed Zi Xunyi and pulled her away from the grand formation.
Rumble rumble rumble— Almost the very instant the two of them moved away, thick clouds of smoke surged skyward from the Unknown Burial Ground that had been covered by the formation.
In the next moment, the entire Unknown Burial Ground collapsed inward, transforming into a vast and unfathomably deep pit.
Moreover, the range of the collapse was still expanding—it extended far beyond the area the formation had covered.
Under these circumstances, everyone took to the air, retreating further and further back.
They were filled with an intense fear of the Unknown Burial Ground.
Even though it was merely a simple collapse, none of them dared hover above it. Only by retreating to what they deemed a safe distance could they feel at ease.
"How could this happen? Did Chu Feng fail?"
Zi Xunyi was incredibly anxious. In fact, she wasn't the only one—many people present had begun to think the same thing.
After all, this was the first time any of them had witnessed such an anomaly. Instinctively, they assumed it was a crisis.
"No—I'm going down to save Chu Feng." Yet, just as everyone was pulling back, Ying Mingchao suddenly sprang into motion, arriving above the Unknown Burial Ground. He was preparing to enter it.
"Mingchao, have you lost your mind?" But almost the instant Ying Mingchao moved, Zi Xunyi moved as well, blocking his path.
"Xunyi, my life was saved by Chu Feng. Now that he's in trouble, I can't just stand by." Ying Mingchao said.
"Chu Feng has already passed through the Life-and-Death Formation. He's most likely in no danger. If he ends up fine, but you lost your life trying to save him—what would that leave Chu Feng? He'd be consumed with guilt and self-blame." Zi Xunyi urged.
"Don't worry, Xunyi. I'll be careful about my own safety. If anything goes wrong, I'll pull back." Ying Mingchao said.
"Then fine—I'm going with you." Zi Xunyi said.
"Xunyi, you..." Hearing Zi Xunyi say that, Ying Mingchao didn't know what to do.
After all, what he'd said before had been a lie to comfort her. To save Chu Feng, he would charge in regardless of the danger.
In that case, having Zi Xunyi go down with him was something he naturally couldn't agree to. He could risk himself, but he didn't want Zi Xunyi to risk herself alongside him.
Meanwhile, inside the Unknown Burial Ground, the collapse was still ongoing. However, the collapse had no effect on Chu Feng and the others.
A certain power had sealed off this place, so it would not cave in.
"Elder, what exactly is going on?" Chu Feng asked the old man in the yellow robe.
"Back then, I made a bet with someone. Because of that bet, we set up this entire scenario."
"To break through this scenario, it wasn't enough to simply pass the three trials. One had to pass the three trials and then give away everything they had gained to another person."
"Back then, I thought it was impossible. Who would be willing to give away benefits they'd risked their lives for?"
"But I never expected—she was actually right. A fool like you really does exist."
"So you see, boy—you've caused me to lose this bet." As the old man in the yellow robe said this, the look in his eyes shifted.