The tunnel behind the stone hall was deeper and more winding than expected.

It was less of a tunnel and more of a massive, downward-sloping fissure forcefully carved out.

The rock walls on both sides were rough, covered in marks from Sharp Weapons and some kind of immense impact, vaguely revealing the wildness and power of those who carved it in the past.

The ancient Spiritual Qi permeating the air was purer, but the Evil Qi mixed within was becoming increasingly thick and chilling, like tangible ice needles constantly trying to drill into everyone's protective spiritual light.

The Disciples in the group with weaker cultivation were already turning pale, forced to increase their spiritual power consumption to resist the erosion.

Han Feiyu walked at the very front, a faint, clear radiance glowing on his moon-white brocade robe, easily pushing away the surrounding Evil Qi.

He held a fist-sized bead emitting a soft white light in his hand, called the "Evil-Repelling Bead," a Magical Artifact specifically for dealing with such environments; he was clearly well-prepared.

Two Foundation Establishment deacons guarded his sides, their gazes scanning the darkness ahead sharply.

Sun Miao, Chen Feng, and the others followed closely behind, while Lin Xuan was mixed into the left wing, walking with Wang Mang and Li Dali.

He did not conspicuously stimulate his spiritual power or physical blood energy to resist the Evil Qi; he simply kept his body naturally relaxed, allowing the [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] to circulate slowly within his body, silently absorbing, transforming, or guiding the invading Evil Qi to his skin surface to be tempered using the method of the Ancient God Body Refining Technique.

To him, this intense Evil Qi environment was more like warm water—though slightly stimulating, it was beneficial and harmless.

Su Qingyue walked at the front of the right wing, cold light flowing faintly on the long sword in her hand; she was clearly using some ice-attribute spiritual power to protect her body.

She would occasionally glance at Han Feiyu's composed back in front, or steal a glimpse at the steady figure in plain clothes in the middle-rear of the group; deep within her cold eyes, her thoughts were indecipherable.

The tunnel wound downward, seemingly endless.

Apart from the suppressed breathing and footsteps of the group, there was only the occasional heart-palpitating "rumbling" sound from deep within the rock walls, as if a giant beast were turning over beneath the earth.

That was the sound of the earth vein's Evil Qi flowing, becoming clearer as they went deeper.

After descending about two or three hundred zhang, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

A subterranean space several times larger than the previous plaza appeared before everyone's eyes.

The space was an irregular circle, over a thousand zhang in diameter and a hundred zhang in height.

The dome was no longer glowing rock, but countless dark red crystals of varying sizes embedded within, emitting a dim red light that bathed the entire space in a dark, eerie, and oppressive red.

The most eye-catching feature was the center of the space.

It was not flat ground, but a gigantic circular "pit," or rather, a "basin."

The edges of the basin were steep and bottomless, revealing only the thick, liquid Evil Qi rolling and surging like a sea of blood below!

The astonishing fluctuations of Evil Qi formed visible dark red air waves, constantly gushing out from the center of the basin, striking the space above and emitting low roars.

This was the "magnified version" of the Evil Qi source discovered by the left wing, or rather, the location of the main vein!

On the rock walls inside the circular basin, it was not smooth, but carved with countless holes, platforms, and stone steps of varying sizes, and even remnants of broken chains and huge metal hooks, as if it had once been a facility for some kind of cruel training or ritual.

Many of the dark holes led to unknown places.

Directly opposite the basin, the side of the rock wall where everyone was currently standing was relatively flat.

On the rock wall, a massive stone gate ten zhang high and five zhang wide was embedded!

The stone gate was a dull bronze color, but its surface flowed with a pale golden luster like water ripples, forming countless complex, profound, and incomprehensible runes and patterns.

A desolate, heavy, terrifying pressure that seemed capable of suppressing the ages radiated from the stone gate, making everyone who approached feel involuntarily palpitating and insignificant.

The stone gate was tightly shut, with two sunken palm prints in the center, where the runes were densest.

Above the stone gate, four iron-drawn, silver-hooked characters of majestic Aura were carved in ancient seal script on the rock wall: Ancient God Martial Training Grounds · Inner Grounds Forbidden Ground.

"It's here!" Han Feiyu shouted, a sharp light bursting from his eyes, unable to hide his excitement.

He stepped forward quickly and stopped ten zhang away from the stone gate, carefully examining the pale golden Restriction light waves and the palm prints on the door.

Sun Miao, Su Qingyue, and the others also walked forward, their faces showing shock.

Such a large-scale sea of Evil Qi and such a magnificent bronze giant gate all highlighted the extraordinary nature of this place.

"The power of the Restriction is indeed connected to the earth vein's Evil Qi tides." A Foundation Establishment deacon skilled in Formations said in a deep voice after careful observation, "Look, the pale golden light waves on the stone gate are not constant; they show periodic fluctuations in strength as the sea of Evil Qi below surges.

When the Evil Qi erupts most violently, the light waves are strongest, and the Restriction is fully open; when the eruption slows down, like a receding tide, the light waves weaken, and gaps appear in the Restriction."

Everyone looked intently, and it was indeed so.

The sea of blood-colored Evil Qi below rose and fell as if it had a life of its own, occasionally creating towering waves that caused the entire space to tremble slightly, making the pale golden light waves on the stone gate as scorching as the sun; at other times, it would slowly calm down like a receding tide, and the light waves would dim and soften accordingly.

"According to the fluctuation cycle of the secondary Evil Qi source discovered by the left wing, the window for the next 'tide recession' is about... half an hour away." Sun Miao estimated.

"Half an hour..." Han Feiyu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Time is short. Everyone, take this time to recover and adjust your state.

When the Restriction weakens slightly, we must all strike with our full power and attempt to push this door open!

Senior Martial Uncle Sun, Junior Sister Su, take people to patrol the surrounding rock wall holes to prevent any ruins guards or other dangers from interfering at the critical moment.

Two Junior Martial Uncles, come with me to study the palm prints and runes on the door to find the best point of force."

The arrangements were orderly, showing the capability of an inner sect elite.

The team immediately went into action.

Most people sat cross-legged on the spot, swallowing Medicinal Pills, seizing the final time to recover.

Sun Miao and Su Qingyue each led a few people, dispersing to both sides, vigilantly observing those dark, cavernous holes and platforms.

Han Feiyu gathered with the two Foundation Establishment deacons in front of the stone gate, discussing in low voices, occasionally casting probes of spiritual power to observe the reaction of the Restriction.

Lin Xuan did not immediately meditate.

He walked to the edge of the circular basin and looked down.

The rolling blood-colored Evil Qi was like magma, yet cold and bone-piercing, and the energy contained within was pure and violent, far exceeding that small pit on the left wing.

If he could Cultivate the Ancient God Body Refining Technique here... The thought had just arisen before he suppressed it.

Now was not the time, and the Evil Qi here was too violent; blindly introducing it into his body would carry huge risks.

His gaze fell more on the remains of the training facilities on the rock walls and the runes on the stone gate.

Those runes... some faintly produced a slight, extremely weak resonance with parts of the visualization images of the Ancient God Body Refining Technique in his mind, as well as the patterns on the dark red metal piece.

This made him even more certain that this place was closely related to the core Legacy of the ancient Body Cultivators.

"Brother Lin, look at the palm prints on that door," Li Dali approached at some point, lowering his voice, his eyes shining with shrewd light.

"I feel that it might not be meant to be pushed by spiritual power.

Look at the size and texture of those palm prints; it looks more like... requiring someone who Cultivates a specific Body Refining technique to press their palms onto them and trigger the mechanism with their own physical blood energy or some special power, or... perform a verification?"

Lin Xuan's heart stirred.

Li Dali's observation was not unreasonable.

The outline of the palm prints did indeed look more like they were prepared for a certain type of physical palm that had been cultivated to a certain level.

If it really was "power verification," then among the people present, perhaps only he, who followed the "Martial Dao Spiritualization" path and possessed the Ancient God Body Refining Technique, had the best chance of meeting the conditions.

Did Han Feiyu and the others know this? Or did they have another method to break the Restriction?

Time passed bit by bit in the heavy atmosphere.

The roaring of the Evil Qi sea below gradually weakened, turning from towering waves into a low surge.

The pale golden light waves on the stone gate dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye, the light becoming soft, and even appearing with subtle "weak points" like water ripples in some areas.

"That's it!" Han Feiyu shouted sharply.

"Everyone, get ready!"

The resting Disciples leaped up one after another, each wielding their Magical Artifacts as Spiritual Qi surged.

Sun Miao and Su Qingyue also led their people to tighten the defensive line, remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

"Three Junior Martial Uncles, follow me and attack the node on the upper left corner of the stone gate where the light wave is weakest! Concentrate your power and break open a gap in one blow!"

Han Feiyu pointed to an area above the stone gate where the light was noticeably dim.

His own Aura surged, and his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Spiritual Qi was released without reservation, transforming into a brilliant cyan sword radiance that struck the node first!

The two Foundation Establishment deacons also attacked simultaneously; one swung his palm, sending out a heavy, earth-yellow palm print, while the other shot three sharp golden finger winds from his fingertips!

The combined strike of the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators was astonishing in power; the air was torn apart, emitting piercing shrieks as it slammed fiercely against the stone gate's Restriction!

"Boom—!!!" A massive roar resounded throughout the entire space!

The pale gold light waves on the stone gate rippled violently, and the light at the attacked node flashed chaotically, visibly caving inward by a few points, splitting open a hairline-thin gap!

A stream of Spiritual Qi that was more ancient and pure, yet carried a wild Evil Qi, leaked out from that gap!

"The gap has opened! Continue! Increase the intensity!" Han Feiyu was greatly encouraged and urged his sword radiance on, preparing to attack again.

However, an unexpected change occurred suddenly!

"Roar—!" "Awoo—!" From deep within those pitch-black cave entrances on the surrounding rock walls, a series of hair-raising roars and howls suddenly erupted! The sounds were filled with violence and hunger!

The next moment, countless black shadows swarmed out from every cave entrance and platform like a tidal wave!

These were not Evil Spirits, but a type of Yao Beast that resembled an ape, yet was covered in dark red scales, with blood-red eyes and exposed fangs!

They moved as swiftly as the wind, climbing and leaping on the steep rock walls as if walking on flat ground.

Their Aura was generally at the Qi Refining Middle Stage to Late Stage, and a few particularly large ones clearly reached the fluctuations of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage!

They were so numerous that in the blink of an eye, over a hundred appeared, and the number was still increasing!

"It is the 'Blood Evil Yao Apes'! Yao Beasts that have mutated from being eroded by the Evil Qi here all year round! They are bloodthirsty, violent, and live in groups!"

Sun Miao's expression changed drastically, and he shouted urgently, "Defensive Formation! Protect the Senior Brother breaking the Restriction!"

No one expected that so many mutated Yao Beasts were lurking in the outer perimeter of this Inner Field Forbidden Ground!

They seemed to have been alarmed by the movement of breaking the Restriction and the leaked pure Spiritual Qi, and were crazily pouncing on the crowd!

The scene instantly descended into chaos!

The Yunni Sect Disciples and Guest Elders hurriedly engaged in battle; the light of Spells, the sound of weapons clashing, the roars of Yao Beasts, and screams immediately filled the air.

The Blood Evil Yao Apes possessed immense strength, their scale armor offered strong defense, and they were fearless of death, instantly scattering part of the outer defensive line and becoming entangled in battle with the Cultivators.

Han Feiyu's expression darkened; breaking the Restriction was imminent, yet they were being disturbed by these beasts.

His eyes turned sharp, and he said to the two Foundation Establishment deacons: "The two Junior Martial Uncles, continue breaking the Restriction; I will hold these beasts back!"

After saying this, his figure flickered, and he actually took the initiative to charge toward the direction where the Yao Apes were densest.

In his hand, he now held a long sword that was entirely azure and overflowing with cold air.

As the sword radiance unfolded like snow filling the sky, it instantly froze and slew several pouncing Yao Apes, fully displaying his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage strength and temporarily stabilizing one corner of the defensive line.

However, the number of Yao Apes was simply too great, and they were surging in from all directions, causing the defensive line to be in critical condition in many places.

Lin Xuan punched a Qi Refining Late Stage Yao Ape that was pouncing on him, sending it flying and slamming it into the rock wall with broken bones and severed tendons.

His gaze swept across the battlefield and then looked toward the stone gate.

That gap was slowly expanding under the continuous attacks of the two Foundation Establishment deacons, but the speed was clearly affected.

Meanwhile, more Yao Apes were attempting to bypass Han Feiyu and pounce on the deacons who were breaking the Restriction!

Just then, Lin Xuan keenly sensed that from an inconspicuous shadow to his side and rear, a blurred figure that was almost integrated with the environment slid out quietly like a ghost.

In its hand, a point of faint blue cold radiance, like a viper flicking its tongue, shot silently toward the back of a Foundation Establishment deacon who was attacking the stone gate Restriction with all his might!

The timing was grasped with extreme viciousness! It was exactly the moment when that deacon's old strength was exhausted, new strength had not yet arisen, and his attention was completely focused on the stone gate!

It was that assassin hidden in the dark! He had actually been lurking nearby the whole time, waiting for this most chaotic moment!

"Watch out behind you!" Lin Xuan shouted sharply, while his body shot out like a cannonball, rushing straight toward that shadow!

He was a bit too far away, and rescue was already too late, so he could only use the tactic of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao—attacking where the enemy must defend!

The assassin in the shadow did not seem to expect Lin Xuan to react so quickly and have such keen perception.

The faint blue cold radiance paused slightly, but still stubbornly shot toward that Foundation Establishment deacon, only its speed slowed slightly.

At the same time, the assassin's figure retreated rapidly, merging back into the shadows.

That Foundation Establishment deacon was also experienced; hearing Lin Xuan's warning, he was alarmed but not panicked, forcibly interrupting his spellcasting, and his body shifted sideways by half a foot!

"Pfft!" The faint blue cold radiance flew past his ribs, bringing up a spray of blood; it was actually a poison needle as thin as an ox hair!

The deacon groaned, a layer of black Qi instantly covered his face, and his movements immediately became stiff and sluggish; he was clearly poisoned heavily!

The offensive to break the Restriction stalled! The expansion speed of the gap on the stone gate slowed down significantly.

"Bastard!" The other Foundation Establishment deacon saw this and was furious, turning to pursue the hidden assassin, but saw that the opponent had already disappeared into the chaotic battlefield and the shadows of the rock wall, with no trace to be found.

And Lin Xuan, having rushed to the scene, only had time to see the last traces of the shadow dissipating, as well as a few nearly invisible spots of soil marks on the ground that carried a peculiar fishy smell.

The assassin's escape technique was bizarre, and he had escaped again.

"Junior Martial Uncle Wu!" Han Feiyu also noticed the turn of events here, his face turning livid.

Losing a Foundation Establishment combat strength at the critical moment of breaking the Restriction, and being successfully ambushed by an enemy in the dark, made his anger burn.

Just at this moment of chaos and stalemate, the gap on the stone gate, because the attacks had weakened, actually began to slowly close!

Even worse, the low surging sound of the Evil Qi ocean below was becoming high-pitched again! The next Evil Qi "tide rise" was imminent!

When that happened, the Restriction would recover to its strongest state, and trying to break it again would be even harder.

"Damn it!" Han Feiyu's eyes changed rapidly, and finally, he gritted his teeth fiercely, his gaze suddenly turning to Lin Xuan, who had been hovering on the edge of the battlefield and had not exerted his full strength.

His voice carried an unquestionable, commanding tone: "Lin Xuan! You have extremely high resistance to Evil Qi, and your Physical Body strength is strange! That palm print on the gate might require special blood Qi power! Now that Junior Martial Uncle Wu is injured, we lack the power to break the Restriction! You, go try that palm print! If you can help me open this gate, everything from before will be let bygones be bygones, and you will be allowed to pick one item from what we obtain in the Inner Field first!"

At this critical moment, he finally showed his true colors, setting his sights on Lin Xuan.

It was both utilization and a test, and even more so, throwing the most dangerous task away.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Lin Xuan.

Sun Miao wanted to speak but hesitated.

Su Qingyue tightened her grip on her sword hilt, her eyes complex.

Lin Xuan looked at Han Feiyu's eager and implicitly coercive gaze, and then looked at the stone gate gap that was slowly closing—which might contain great Opportunity and risk behind it—as well as the increasing number of Blood Evil Yao Apes around and the viper hidden in the dark.

He suddenly smiled, a very faint smile, but it carried a cold meaning.

"Since Senior Brother Han has given the order, Lin will naturally do his best."

After saying this, he no longer looked at anyone, turned around, and amidst the surprised, worried, or gloating gazes of the crowd, he walked alone, stepping over the corpses and blood of the Yao Apes covering the ground, step by step, toward that massive bronze gate radiating ancient pressure.

His palm slowly raised, aiming at one of the indented palm prints.

Inside his body, the Ancient God Body Refining Technique quietly operated, and his blood Qi began to surge.

(Volume 1, Chapter 16 End)