Volume 1, Chapter 24: Earth-Shaking Tremors, Life-and-Death Race against Time

"Boom—!"

A sound like the sky and earth collapsing, like billions of thunders exploding underground simultaneously!

The moment the obelisk collapsed, it wasn't just the structure itself. The entire subterranean Qi equilibrium system, built around the "evil-absorbing soul-suppressing stele" as its core, began to collapse in a chain reaction from the very depths, like a skyscraper with its load-bearing walls removed.

First, the isolated platform. The dark red rocky platform, incredibly hard and undamaged even after eons of erosion by Evil Qi, instantly became covered in spiderweb-like cracks after losing the suppression of the stele and the anchoring of the chains. Large chunks of rock peeled off and plummeted into the even more violent sea of Evil Qi below, splashing up towering waves of blood.

Next was the thick stone bridge connecting the isolated island to the cliff. Although this ancient structure wasn't directly connected to the stele, it clearly relied on the stable structure of the entire underground space. At this moment, the bridge body trembled violently. From the middle section, hideous cracks spread rapidly, and gravel fell like rain from the bridge, plummeting into the churning sea of Evil Qi below, only to be swallowed and dissolved instantly.

The entire massive underground space was shaking crazily! On the dome, those glowing crystal clusters of various sizes fell like ripe fruit, smashing onto the turbulent ground or falling directly into the sea of Evil Qi, triggering even more violent explosions and chaotic currents of energy. The air was torn apart, emitting shrill shrieks. The thick Evil Qi, having lost its constraints, turned into countless destructive turbulent currents, rampaging through the space and tearing everything in their path to shreds!

Lin Xuan had already stepped onto the edge of the cliff the moment before the stone bridge collapsed. The intense tremors beneath his feet made him stumble, but he forcefully summoned a breath of Qi and blood—barely repaired by the warm current of the Legacy—and exerted force from his feet, darting onto the relatively stable cliff ground like an arrow leaving the bow.

Looking back, the middle of the stone bridge had already broken. The massive wreckage of the bridge slowly tilted and sank, swallowed by the blood-colored waves of Evil Qi rising hundreds of feet high. The isolated platform was completely torn apart, sinking into the boiling ocean. That once-towering "evil-absorbing soul-suppressing stele" was reduced to a pile of disintegrating, massive rubble, repeatedly battered by the waves of blood. The final intent of relief and gratification from the war spirit seemed to linger in the violent air, only to be completely drowned out by the roar of destruction.

"Quick! Run up! The stone steps are collapsing!" Sun Miao's hoarse roar came from above, filled with panic.

The spiraling stone steps were also shaking violently. Large areas of the rock walls on both sides were peeling off, and the steps themselves were constantly developing cracks and collapsing. Han Feiyu and the others, who had escaped a step ahead, were fleeing for their lives toward the upper part of the stone steps—the direction of the passage they had come from. From time to time, unlucky Disciples who ran too slowly or were hit by falling rocks screamed as they fell off the stone steps, disappearing into the dark red turbulent currents of Evil Qi surging up from below.

The situation was completely out of control. Everyone was looking out for themselves, wishing they had been born with an extra pair of legs.

Lin Xuan didn't hesitate any longer and turned to join the flow of fleeing people. His state was actually extremely poor; his Physical Body was heavily injured both inside and out, and his Divine Soul was aching to the point of splitting due to the impact of the Legacy information and previous exhaustion. He was only supporting his movement with a tenacious will and the lingering warmth of the Legacy within him. His speed was much slower than in his prime, but still faster than most of the severely injured Disciples.

Wang Mang and Li Dali followed by his side, desperately running and dodging falling rocks while occasionally having to pull him to prevent him from stumbling due to weakness.

"Brother Lin! Hang in there!" Wang Mang said, sweating profusely with anxiety.

"Medicinal Pill! Eat it quickly!" Li Dali hurriedly took out a few ordinary-quality Qi-returning pills and stuffed them to Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan accepted everything and swallowed them whole; it was better than nothing. However, his gaze remained sharp, guarding against everything around him, especially Han Feiyu, who was running at the very front and occasionally glancing back at him.

Han Feiyu's state was equally terrible. The backlash from the Medicinal Pill combined with the consumption from the previous battle made his face as pale as a ghost, and his aura was unstable. But every time he looked back at Lin Xuan, the light of greed and calculation in his bloodshot eyes remained intense, especially when the faint dark golden glow occasionally shone from Lin Xuan's embrace due to the jolting; his gaze became like that of a starving wolf.

Su Qingyue was running in the middle of the group. Her condition was slightly better, but her spiritual power was also greatly depleted, her hair was disheveled, and her breathing was rapid. She, too, would look at Lin Xuan from time to time, worry and complexity intertwined in her eyes. Several times she wanted to get closer, but was blocked by the fleeing crowd and the constantly collapsing environment.

"Boom!" A massive stalactite fell from the dome, landing right at the corner in front of the stone steps, blocking most of the already narrow passage and leaving only a gap wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways!

"Damn it!" Han Feiyu and the two Foundation Establishment Deacons running at the front were forced to stop.

"Quick! Blast it open!" Han Feiyu said sharply, though he stepped back, giving the position to the two Deacons. His current state was no longer suitable for forcibly breaking the rock.

Although the two Foundation Establishment Deacons had also consumed a lot of energy, their cultivation was, after all, there. The two joined forces, fists and palms striking together, and the earthy yellow and golden spiritual power light bombarded the giant rock blocking the road, shattering most of it. But this delay allowed the turbulent Evil Qi and collapsing rubble from behind to catch up a bit more. Furthermore, an Outer Sect Disciple who was lagging at the end was swept by a turbulent current of Evil Qi, instantly screaming as he turned into white bones, and then even the bones were completely corroded!

The shadow of death had never been so close.

Everyone scrambled to squeeze through the narrow gap. From time to time, someone was hit by falling rocks or pushed off the stone steps by the crowded people, and screams were endless.

Under the protection of Wang Mang and Li Dali, Lin Xuan also managed to pass through the gap with difficulty. The moment he passed, his peripheral vision caught Han Feiyu, while passing through the gap, seemingly "inadvertently" kicking a loose piece of gravel with his toe. The gravel tumbled down the sloping stone steps, accelerating and hitting the lower leg of a Deacon Disciple under Sun Miao's command who was struggling to maintain balance!

"Ah!" That Disciple was caught off guard, his lower leg in excruciating pain, and his body instantly lost balance, falling backward, on the verge of falling into the surging waves of Evil Qi behind!

"Junior Brother Wang!" Sun Miao was nearby, furious and shocked, but unable to rescue him in time.

In a flash, a figure lunged out—not to save the person, but to—knock away another larger, teetering falling rock nearby! The rock changed direction and slammed into the Disciple who was about to fall!

It was a loyal Inner Sect Disciple beside Han Feiyu! He acted ruthlessly, intending to use the momentum of the collapse to eliminate a "burden," or perhaps... to silence him? Because that Disciple surnamed Wang seemed to have had complaints about Han Feiyu monopolizing the jade box earlier?

"Bastard!" Sun Miao's eyes were splitting with rage.

However, just as the Disciple surnamed Wang was about to be hit by the falling rock, and the Evil Qi from behind had already reached him—

A dark golden afterimage cut in like a ghost from an angle!

It was Lin Xuan! Amidst Wang Mang's exclamation, he forcefully activated the power of the last trace of the Legacy warm current within him, combined with the short-term stimulation of his Physical Body potential by the "Ancient God Body Refining Technique". His speed soared, and he swept past the side of the Disciple in a hair-raising maneuver! He didn't try to catch the falling rock; instead, his right hand's five fingers hooked like claws, dark golden light flickering at his fingertips, precisely grabbing the clothing on the Disciple's back. At the same time, his left palm slapped, a gentle, skillful force deflecting the falling rock and sending it crashing into the turbulent Evil Qi nearby!

"Go!"

Lin Xuan shouted in a low voice, and with the momentum of his forward rush, he took the shaken Disciple with him, rushing through the most dangerous section and dropping him on a relatively safe stone step. As for himself, because he had forcefully activated his power, he aggravated his severe internal injuries. His face turned pale, his throat felt sweet, and he almost spat out another mouthful of blood, his figure staggering.

"Brother Lin!" Wang Mang and Li Dali hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

The rescued Disciple surnamed Wang, having escaped death, collapsed on the ground. Looking at Lin Xuan's back, he was shocked, fearful, and grateful, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

Sun Miao rushed over, glanced at Han Feiyu's direction, anger rising in his eyes, but he suppressed it, cupped his hands at Lin Xuan, his voice trembling slightly: "Lin... Young Friend Lin, I cannot thank you enough for your great kindness!"

Han Feiyu glanced coldly at this side, especially taking a deep look at Lin Xuan, his eyes sinister, but he didn't say anything, just urged: "Hurry! Don't stop!"

This small episode was merely an insignificant ripple in the face of a greater disaster. The collapse was intensifying, the turbulent Evil Qi was spreading, and the flight continued, but a deeper rift and vigilance had already been quietly planted in everyone's hearts.

I don't know how long it had been; it felt as long as a century. When everyone finally saw the familiar entrance to the tunnel leading to the upper stone hall, they almost wept with joy.

However, the scene at the entrance made everyone's hearts sink again.

The originally relatively stable tunnel was now covered in cracks, with debris falling constantly. Worse, the ground near the entrance was collapsing, forming an ever-expanding black hole. Emerging from the black hole was no longer just pure Evil Qi, but a muddy torrent mixed with sand, gravel, and violent energy!

The only path left seemed to be a narrow stone beam clinging to the upper part of the rock wall, covered in cracks and only wide enough for one person to crawl through!

"Go above!" Han Feiyu made a decisive decision, jumping onto the stone beam first, using his hands and feet to climb up like a gecko. The two Foundation Establishment Deacons followed closely behind.

Others followed suit. At this point, the level of cultivation and status no longer mattered; surviving was the only goal.

With Li Dali's help, Lin Xuan also climbed onto the stone beam. The stone beam was slippery and shaking violently; every sway made people's hearts tremble. Below was a bottomless black hole of collapse, surging with destructive energy; falling in meant there was absolutely no chance of survival.

"Crack!"

Just as Lin Xuan crawled to the middle of the stone beam, a heart-stopping cracking sound suddenly came from the stone beam beneath him! A massive crack, centered on his support point, spread rapidly!

"Oh no!" An exclamation came from behind.

Lin Xuan's pupils shrank. At the critical moment of life and death, a remnant of a secret technique about "Qi and blood explosion, short-term mid-air suspension" from the "Ancient God Body Refining Technique" flashed through his mind, along with some superficial knowledge about the ultimate control of Physical Body strength from the Foundation Establishment chapter of the newly acquired "Indestructible Body of the Martial God".

There was no time to think; instinct drove him!

He gave a low roar. The remaining Qi and blood in his body, along with that weak warm current of the Legacy, exploded in a way that was almost self-mutilating! His feet kicked hard against the stone beam that was about to break!

"Bang!"

The stone beam broke completely! And Lin Xuan's body, borrowing this counter-force, shot forward and diagonally upward like a cannonball! At the same time, he stretched his arms, his ten fingers hooked like claws, dark golden light condensing at his fingertips, and he grabbed fiercely toward the intact rock wall opposite!

"Squelch!"

His fingertips embedded deep into the rock wall! The powerful inertia brought his body slamming heavily against the rock wall, shaking his internal organs as if they had shifted, and another mouthful of blood sprayed out, his vision going black.

But he held on!

"Brother Lin!" Wang Mang roared anxiously from the broken stone beam opposite, but he was powerless to help.

Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, enduring the dizziness and intense pain, exerted strength with his arms, and climbed upward bit by bit, finally flipping onto the relatively stable tunnel floor, collapsing on the ground, breathing heavily.

Behind him, the stone beam collapsed completely, and along with several Disciples who couldn't pass in time, it fell into the abyss of destruction below.

The survivors finally passed through this last "ghost gate" and stepped into the relatively familiar upper stone hall area. But the number of people was less than half of those who had entered the inner Forbidden Ground.

The stone hall was also shaking, with rubble falling constantly, but compared to the earth-shattering collapse deep inside, it was considered "safe" here.

Han Feiyu leaned against a hall pillar, his face gray, but his eyes still scanned the survivors sharply, finally landing on Lin Xuan, who was sitting on the ground, breathless but with clear eyes. He looked at Sun Miao, then at the others who were equally exhausted and panicked, and spoke slowly, his voice hoarse but carrying an unquestionable tone:

"This place is not suitable for staying long. Return to the surface along the original path immediately! All gains shall be sealed for now and counted and distributed after returning to the base! No one is allowed to hide anything, or else... it will be treated as rebellion against the sect!"

His gaze lingered on Lin Xuan for a moment, and he added: "Junior Brother Lin is severely injured. Wang Mang, Li Dali, you are responsible for looking after him. Everyone else, support each other, go quickly!"

The order was given, and no one had any objections. At this moment, escaping alive was the top priority.

The team set off again, following the path they came, towards the entrance of the ruins, staggering forward amidst the continuous tremors and collapse sounds.

Lin Xuan was supported by Wang Mang, following silently. He closed his eyes, mobilizing the weak warm current in his body to repair his injuries while organizing the surging fragments of Legacy information in his mind, and at the same time, being more vigilant about everything around him.

He knew that the real crisis might have just begun after leaving the ruins.

The metal token in his arms, the ancient Legacy he carried, and Han Feiyu's undisguised greedy gaze all indicated that once he returned to the relatively safe Qingshi Town, the turmoil would be even more turbulent than these collapsing ruins.

(End of Volume 1, Chapter 24)