That scream immediately affected the other two. The pair, clearly terrified by the fire dragon in the sky above, instinctively dropped their flight altitude.
But by lowering themselves, they drew ever closer to the magma below — so close that they could hear it churning and boiling.
Countless geysers of molten rock surged upward, nearly brushing the tips of their noses.
The scorching heat — a wave of searing energy that felt as though it could melt the entire world — nearly suffocated them. They could feel the moisture in their bodies evaporating at a visible rate.
Below them, the two could sense that the restriction's binding force weakened ever so slightly, which brought a marginal measure of relief to their already frayed nerves.
Just then, within their field of vision, something suddenly surfaced from the magma below.
Yes — a skeleton had risen from the molten rock.
Only a few breaths ago, this person had still been brimming with vitality. Now all that remained was a bare white skeleton. The flesh and blood on his body had been completely dissolved by the magma!
The two cultivators' hearts lurched with terror. They wanted nothing more than to accelerate and fly through as quickly as possible.
But the restriction's power was like a quagmire — the more they struggled, the harder it became to move. The deeper they ventured, the slower their speed became, until eventually they were creeping forward like two snails, each step within the restriction a herculean effort.
Those watching could see the two struggling to advance through the restriction, their bodies bent as though carrying an entire mountain on their backs, utterly overwhelmed.
Everyone present was lost in thought.
"Brother Yunlan, it seems this restriction truly is a binding-type. It looks like those two won't be able to make it through."
Neither of the two cultivators possessed particularly impressive cultivation. One was at the Saint realm, the other at the half-step Emperor realm.
With their strength, they were clearly struggling enormously within the restriction. It appeared they had no way to shake free of its hold.
Jiang Chen observed the restriction covertly, musing to himself: *This restriction contains spatial Divine Ability. It's quite obvious — this restriction doesn't merely deliver physical attacks; it also deploys various forms of spatial Divine Ability binding. These two fools see a mountain and treat it as a mountain, completely inflexible. They'll have a very hard time getting through this layer of restriction…*
Jiang Chen's thought had barely formed when the Saint realm cultivator among the two suddenly let out a strange cry. Sweat the size of beans rolled profusely down his entire body — he was clearly spent.
Right after that cry, his body went rigid as though struck by lightning. He straightened abruptly, as if seized by an invisible force.
His body plunged straight downward, snatched away by that invisible power, and with a splash he fell into the boiling magma.
A scream rose, and after only a moment, another white skeleton floated to the surface.
The second person's demise made the remaining cultivator even more frantic. He could clearly see that the previous person hadn't been struck by the restriction's attack — he had simply lost control of his body after exhaustion took him and fallen out of the restriction.
The sole survivor was a half-step Emperor realm cultivator, his cultivation a full tier above the previous two.
However, in Jiang Chen's estimation, even if this person could hold on for the time being, he was at the end of his rope. At this rate, he would collapse within a quarter of an hour.
True to Jiang Chen's expectations, less than a quarter of an hour passed before the man, trapped within the spatial restriction like a cornered beast in utter despair, could find no way to break through. Finally, exhausted beyond all measure, he followed in the footsteps of the previous two and plunged into the terrifying magma, becoming yet another white skeleton.
This horrifying spectacle left every face in the crowd ashen.
Scouting — this was the price of scouting!
One of them had even been a half-step Emperor realm cultivator, and his fate had been this wretched. The majority of those present were below the Emperor realm. At this point, who among them would dare to volunteer as a expendable scout?
Grand Emperor Yunlan's brow furrowed at the sight.
The three had gone to scout and accomplished virtually nothing — the outcome was barely different from before they went. He had simply wasted the pills he'd given them for nothing.
Grand Emperor Yunlan's face was grim as he stared at the restriction that stretched across the space like a river of silver stars. For the moment, he was at something of a loss.
He was thinking the same thing as everyone else: those three cultivators had been trapped by the restriction and couldn't break through. But if someone of their caliber — Emperor realm powerhouses — went in, the situation would surely not be the same.
But thinking it was one thing; no one had absolute certainty.
Those three scouts had failed to probe the restriction's true depth. Just how much terrifying energy did this restriction conceal?
Grand Emperor Yunlan had no idea, and he certainly wasn't going to risk going in himself.
"Send more people to scout — higher-level ones!" Grand Emperor Yunlan issued the order via divine sense.
Three had just died, and now he wanted to send even more to scout. The assembled factions erupted in outrage.
"We won't go! No matter how many you send, it's just throwing lives away. Why should it always be us? If we're taking turns, it should be the Upper Eight Domains' people next."
"That's right — we've already lost three. By all rights, it should be their turn now."
"Exactly. If the Upper Eight Domains claim to be the leaders of the human territories, then in moments like these, they need to show leadership. If they refuse to bear any responsibility and keep pushing us weaker factions to go die, what kind of leaders are they?"