Deep within the vortex, Jiang Chen was barely managing to protect himself thanks to his absolute speed, but breaking free of the grinding force of this whirlpool proved impossible.
Without hesitation, Jiang Chen lightly gripped a Space-Time Talisman.
The moment he sensed a lethal threat, regardless of the situation, he would crush the talisman and teleport straight back to the sixth palace of inheritance within the Glass King Pagoda's main tower.
Fortunately, although the vortex's sweeping force was tyrannical, it had not launched any direct lethal attacks. Jiang Chen kept the Space-Time Talisman at the ready, not daring to let his guard down for even an instant.
This sensation of being dragged toward the brink lasted only a few breaths before it was over. In the next moment, everyone plummeted into a expanse of blood-red mist.
The color of this red mist was identical to the hue Young Master Miao had taken on after his demonic transformation. Only this mist was denser, more eerie, and far more sinister.
If Young Master Miao's demonic transformation had been merely unsettling, then this red-mist region now made one's skin crawl involuntarily.
As they tumbled into the red mist, they discovered that the vortex's pulling force had vanished entirely.
Once the vortex's suction disappeared, everyone regained the ability to move. Within the red mist, anyone who had not cultivated eye techniques had visibility of barely one zhang.
Even those who had cultivated eye techniques could see no more than ten zhang around them at most.
Even Jiang Chen, who had cultivated the Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and the Evil Golden Eye, could only see twenty to thirty zhang at most without exerting his full power.
If he pushed his eye techniques to their limit, Jiang Chen could see roughly sixty zhang outward.
However, within that sixty-zhang range, there was nothing but red mist — no living creatures, no objects, not even a single blade of grass.
It was as though they had been plunged without warning into a vast ocean of fog.
Jiang Chen was inwardly astonished, but his divine sense quickly told him that this had to be a formation array.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for there to be absolutely no vegetation within sixty zhang of sight — nothing at all beyond the red mist.
"This is definitely a formation array, and this terrifying sea of mist must be controlled by the Cuihua Pavilion Master," Jiang Chen silently speculated. He kept the Space-Time Talisman gripped in his hand; no matter how powerful the restraint, he could tear through the void and leave this place.
But Jiang Chen had no intention of leaving just yet. His goal was clear — he was here for that earth-attribute treasure.
Since the great stone array had been able to operate at high speed while producing powerful tremors of the earth's pulse, that at least meant the earth-attribute treasure had to be somewhere in this vicinity.
But where exactly?
Jiang Chen drifted through the formation array, probing in every direction. No matter how he swept with his divine sense, all he saw were endless waves of red mist.
After observing for a while, Jiang Chen became even more certain that this was unquestionably a formation array. To find the earth-attribute treasure, he would have to break through the array's visual obstructions.
Jiang Chen frowned inwardly. He was confident he could flee this place, but breaking through a formation array while also securing the earth-attribute treasure — that was another matter entirely.
"It seems getting this treasure won't be easy at all," Jiang Chen mused. "But since I've come this far, if I leave empty-handed and allow this Demon Emperor to awaken, even if I escape, I won't be able to rest easy. Fortune favors the bold. Even if there's some risk, I must claim that treasure."
With that, Jiang Chen steeled his resolve.
Although the great stone array had crushed a portion of the cultivators, those who had been ground down were essentially the weakest among them.
Most of the Emperor realm experts had been swept into this sea of red mist.
Fortunately, the red mist had not completely scattered them. Every cultivator within it was instinctively calling out to allies and companions.
Fellow sect members had to band together at a time like this.
"Your Highness, it seems we really have fallen into a trap," Elder Zhang said before Prince Zhao, his expression extremely grave.
Prince Zhao snorted coldly. "The Cuihua Pavilion Master's appetite is truly enormous. Does he really think he can suppress us all with this damned red mist?"
Elder Zhang sighed. "This red mist is everywhere — looking out, there's no end in sight. I just scouted around and couldn't find the edge at all. I suspect this may be a formation array."
"It's not 'may be' — it is absolutely a formation array!" Prince Zhao's discernment was still quite sharp, and he had seen through the strangeness of the red mist at a single glance.
"What exactly does this Cuihua Pavilion Master want?" Elder Zhang's tone was complex. "He's at least from the Red Cauldron Central Domain — what benefit could he possibly gain from capturing all of us in one net?"
Prince Zhao cursed under his breath. "With ambitions like a wolf and the heart of a tiger, who can say? Perhaps his target is the royal family, or even control over the entire Red Cauldron Central Domain!"
In the martial world, there were always a few madmen who harbored ambitions and appetites beyond what ordinary people could imagine. They would go to extremes that outsiders would consider sheer insanity.
In Prince Zhao's eyes, the Cuihua Pavilion Master was undoubtedly one of those people.