The void around Pingsha Island shimmered with eerie, pulsating lights, fading in and out of sight.
Within those lights, countless runic symbols danced and flickered, spreading like a visible pestilence, surging ceaselessly in every direction.
The entirety of Pingsha Island seemed to be shrouded within this luminous haze. The countless beams of light intertwined, forming a colossal furnace that engulfed the entire island, subjecting it to a furious, refining blaze.
Patriarch Guangming let out a cold snort and barked, "What manner of demons and monsters dares cause trouble at Pingsha Island?"
As he spoke, he swept his arm forward, unleashing a formidable wave of power that crashed directly into the barrier of light.
The force slammed against the luminous membrane. The light shuddered violently, yet, surprisingly, it did not shatter.
It was remarkably resilient, as though possessing endless elasticity—so much so that even a strike from a Divine Dao cultivator could not break it.
In that instant, Patriarch Guangming and Patriarch Xuri exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock reflected in the other's eyes.
Without a doubt, this sight foretold that something momentous was about to unfold.
"Let's strike together," Patriarch Guangming suggested.
He and Patriarch Xuri had long been partners, their understanding of each other profound. A single glance was all it took. Both men attacked simultaneously.
Two terrifying streams of energy, like two dragons vying for a pearl, charged downward with extraordinary momentum, converging upon the shimmering curtain of light.
This time, the combined might was even fiercer. With a thunderous roar, they struck the barrier head-on.
Yet, the light simply trembled more intensely than before. After a prolonged, violent shuddering, it still refused to yield. The vibrations gradually subsided, and the barrier returned to its tranquil, unfathomable state.
It was like an immovable spring: no matter how hard you pressed, it would only compress, and the moment the force was withdrawn, it would snap back to its original position.
Both men felt a jolt in their hearts. There were virtually nothing left in the Myriad Islands Domain that could withstand their combined assault. Yet this seemingly unremarkable curtain of light had just done exactly that.
The bizarre nature of the situation caused their expressions to darken considerably. For a moment, both wore grave looks as they carefully probed the barrier.
However, despite their scrutiny, they could discern no clues whatsoever. The eerie light seemed to have materialized out of thin air.
Sensing the situation was dire, they abandoned further probing and turned to fly back swiftly toward the interior of Pingsha Island. Seeing their return, the gathered cultivators all wore expressions of doubt.
"Pingsha Island has been enclosed by a strange barrier of light. Everyone, we are in trouble," Patriarch Guangming said in a somber voice.
The crowd was stunned. Several pairs of eyes involuntarily turned toward Jiang Chen. It was clearly surprising that not the Patriarchs of the Ten Great Sacred Lands, but Jiang Chen had been the first to detect the anomaly.
For a time, the atmosphere on the scene grew strangely tense.
"Come, let us all go have a look." As the leader of the Eternal Sacred Land, everyone looked to them for direction, so it was the Eternal Sacred Land's patriarch who spoke first.
Despite the cloud of questions in everyone's mind, not a single person objected.
They all surged toward the outer perimeter.
Jiang Chen, however, did not rush to leave. He lingered for a moment, falling behind the group. Ziche Min, seeing his unhurried demeanor, could not help but ask, "Did you discover something?"
"There's something peculiar here. I'm going to look around."