The entire sky and earth seemed to dim in response. The countless snowflakes drifting in the surrounding air were violently wrenched downward by an immense force, funneling toward the Spirit-Slaying Sword in a torrent, each flake transforming into spiritual energy that sank into the blade and vanished without a trace.
A faint line of silver runes flashed across the surface of the dark green longsword. A ribbon of dark green sword light unfurled and struck squarely against the golden barrier of light.
A muffled "pu" sounded.
The sword light blazed with radiance at once, transforming almost into a blinding emerald sun that engulfed the entire barrier within its brilliance.
A deep hum rose from the surface of the barrier as five-colored runes suddenly flickered into view, spinning frantically in swirling patterns. Yet in the end, they dissolved and disintegrated beneath the green sun.
With a final boom, the entire barrier vanished completely into thin air without a trace.
Han Li's face paled slightly. He flicked his wrist, and the longsword in his hand disappeared in a flash. His figure blurred, and he materialized in an instant upon the teleportation formation atop the stone platform.
A single finger pointed toward the formation's edge, and a streak of white light shot forth, vanishing into the void.
The entire formation emitted a low hum of activation. White light coiled at its center, and Han Li's silhouette flickered and was gone.
The next moment, when Han Li re-emerged from the faint white glow, he found himself standing in a vast, grayish expanse of space. Before him towered a colossal stone stele that rose high into the sky like a mountain.
The stele was so immense that looking up from its base, one could not even glimpse its summit. Its entire surface glistened with a crystalline, blood-red luster, and countless thick silver runes shimmered faintly in and out of visibility—a profoundly mysterious sight. Han Li stared at the stone monument, then surveyed the hazy gray void around him, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
No matter how he looked at it, this place bore absolutely no resemblance to the palaces and pavilions he had glimpsed through the barrier outside in the previous area.
It seemed he had been teleported directly from the wards of one region into a completely unfamiliar place altogether.
At the same moment, the three who had finally broken through the icy expanse of the restriction—Xiao Ming and his companions—gazed upon the golden halls that resembled a celestial paradise and the rows of pale silver buildings nearby, and their expressions turned equally grim.
"Something's wrong. This is not the central hub of Perfected Master Dingding's Palace. But according to the records in my inherited texts, the teleportation formation we found earlier should have led directly to the central region. How could we have ended up here instead?" Daoist Qingping murmured in disbelief.
"Senior Qingping's texts cannot be mistaken, otherwise we would never have made it this far. The only explanation is that an unforeseen change occurred within the restrictions of the previous region, causing this error," Xiao Ming said calmly, stroking his chin.
"Unforeseen change? What nonsense! You're telling me these restrictions can mutate on their own?!" Madam Wan exclaimed, exasperated.
"It's hard to say. Perfected Master Dingding's mastery of formations far exceeded my expectations, and Perfected Master Dingding's Palace has existed for so many ages. It wouldn't be entirely strange if some of the restrictions changed over time. However, every other restriction remaining intact while only the one leading to the central space is altered—that is far too coincidental. I suspect the more likely explanation is that someone tampered with the restrictions in that region," Xiao Ming said, his gaze sharp.
"Tampered with the restrictions? How is that possible? Apart from that human brat, no one entered the previous area before us. And even if someone else had, in such a short time, even a Golden Immortal's powers couldn't alter something as complex as those massive restrictions," Madam Wan shook her head repeatedly.
"Heh heh, it seems Madam Wan has forgotten the people who entered Perfected Master Dingding's Palace during its last opening. Although their cultivation levels weren't particularly high at the time, several of them truly possessed genuine keys to the original artifacts. And when the palace closed last time, it seems precious few of them were teleported out alive," Xiao Ming said slowly, his eyes glinting.
"Brother Xiao, you mean to say that someone who entered the palace last time is still alive, and it was one of them who altered the restrictions?" Daoist Qingping's expression shifted again upon hearing this.
"That must be it. There's no other way to explain all of this." Xiao Ming looked ahead at the golden halls and replied.
"Generally speaking, such a thing should be impossible. Once the closing time of Perfected Master Dingding's Palace arrives, everyone is forcibly teleported out. If someone tried to stay behind using forbidden arts, they would be directly obliterated by the restrictions here. The only exceptions would be someone powerful enough to surpass even Perfected Master Dingding himself, capable of directly resisting these restriction forces, or someone who has already entered the central hub and obtained Perfected Master Dingding's complete legacy. If either were the case, one could remain in the palace without issue, and altering the exit of a particular region would be effortless. But that outcome would be the worst possible news for us," Daoist Qingping said after a moment's thought, a trace of worry in his voice.
"Perfected Master Dingding's Palace was constructed before Perfected Master Dingding ascended—someone even more powerful than the Perfected Master himself? That's certainly impossible. But if this person truly controls the central hub or has obtained Perfected Master Dingding's complete legacy, that's also highly unlikely. Otherwise, the palace would never have manifested on schedule—it would have been hidden away under someone's control long ago," Xiao Ming said with a cold laugh.
"Then the person remaining in the palace can only control portions of the restrictions, and hasn't yet fully seized the central hub or obtained Perfected Master Dingding's complete techniques and treasures," Madam Wan's eyes brightened as she grasped the meaning behind Xiao Ming's words.
"Most likely," Xiao Ming said with certainty.
"If that's the case, we still have a good chance. But since the teleportation exit recorded in my texts is unreliable now, the only way to reach the central hub is to pierce through the barrier on the other side of this region and force our way in using the most direct method. The central hub should be a towering stone stele," Daoist Qingping said, a glimmer of hope returning to his face as he finally revealed a few more details.
"But the restrictions in the previous region were so formidable—it took us this long just to break through. If we have to fight our way through them all over again, will there still be time? Won't we lose too much?" Madam Wan hesitated.
"We're already somewhat familiar with these restrictions now. Breaking through a second time should save us considerable effort. If need be, my two fellow Daoists and I can expend some of our true essence to unleash a few decisive techniques—we should be able to compress the time to the absolute minimum," Xiao Ming replied.
Daoist Qingping and Madam Wan considered this and found it reasonable. They nodded in agreement.