422: Chapter 422 Relinquishing the Seal

"Young Master... Young Master Li," a Loose Cultivator with a relatively high cultivation base gathered his courage, licked his dry, cracked lips, and stared at the fire element mark. "This mark... if you would look..."

Li Xuanxiao finally shifted his gaze away from the hall door and indifferently swept a glance at the speaker.

That gaze was colder than his sword.

The Loose Cultivator shivered in fear, and the rest of his words were choked back.

Li Xuanxiao bent down and used the tip of his sword to gently pick up that broken fire element mark.

The mark felt warm to the touch, still retaining a trace of Ye Tian's Chaos True Essence, as well as that sense of annihilation that made him uncomfortable.

"Your possession," he said in a low voice, speaking to the tightly closed hall door in a tone only he could hear, "keep it safe for me for now."

"When we meet next time, I will take it back, along with your life."

He no longer looked at the people in the plaza, turned around, walked to a quiet corner at the edge of the plaza, and sat down cross-legged.

He laid his long sword across his knees, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.

It was as if the thrilling pursuit just now had been nothing more than an insignificant breeze.

But everyone knew that the matter was not over.

Li Xuanxiao was waiting, waiting for the hall door to open again, or for some other opportunity to enter.

And his target, without a doubt, was Ye Tian behind the door.

In the plaza, the remaining crowd looked at each other in dismay.

The hall door had closed, only one broken fire element mark remained, and it had been taken by Li Xuanxiao.

They... had no hope left.

Some slumped to the ground in despair, some attacked the hall door in unwillingness, only to be injured even more severely by the rebounding force, while more people turned their gazes toward others.

Since they couldn't get in, they might as well scavenge for other things in this Secret Realm!

Under the catalysis of despair, the slaughter spread once again in an even bloodier manner.

But all of this had nothing to do with the world behind the door.

Behind the door.

There were no palaces, corridors, or any trial grounds as anticipated.

Ye Tian felt as if he were tumbling and falling in a rapid river made of five-colored light.

From all directions came Spiritual Qi of the Five Elements, so dense it could not be dissolved, violently washing over his body.

His wounds were soaked by the Spiritual Qi, bringing a sensation of intertwined numbness, itching, and stinging. His Chaos True Essence operated spontaneously, greedily absorbing these pure energies to repair his damaged Meridians and internal organs.

But there was even more repulsion.

Powerful spatial force and Formation force tore at him, as if wanting to crush and decompose him, the "intruder," and return him to the most basic Five Elements particles.

"Argh!"

Ye Tian gritted his teeth, his muscles bulging. The chaos bead in his Sea of Consciousness shone with a brilliant clear light, striving to stabilize his Divine Soul, which was on the verge of collapse, while simultaneously emitting a gray radiance that enveloped his entire body.

This gray radiance seemed to have a peculiar harmonizing and soothing effect on the surrounding Spiritual Qi of the Five Elements, causing that violent tearing force to slightly weaken.

He did not know how long he had floated and sunk in the river of light, but just as Ye Tian's consciousness began to blur, he slammed heavily onto the ground.

The river of light vanished, and the tearing force disappeared without a trace in an instant.

Ye Tian lay prone on the ground, coughing violently, each cough accompanied by blood foam.

Every part of his body ached; new wounds were layered over old ones. The wounds on his left leg and right shoulder were deep enough to see the bone, and fresh blood stained the dark golden bricks beneath him red.

The wound on his neck, sliced by the tip of Li Xuanxiao's sword, burned with pain. If it had been half a fraction deeper, he would have truly been done for.

He struggled to roll over, lying face up, gasping for air.

His vision was somewhat blurry. Above him was a vault that seemed to have no ceiling, emitting a white light that illuminated the surroundings.

This appeared to be the interior of an immensely huge hall.

The place where he lay seemed to be the starting point of a wide passage.

The passage extended forward, disappearing into the dimness in the distance. On both sides were towering pillars, their surfaces carved with the sun, moon, and stars, mountains and rivers, flowers, birds, insects, and fish, as well as countless unrecognizable runes, with spiritual light flowing through them.

The air was fresh, the concentration of Spiritual Qi was frighteningly high, and the Five Elements were balanced. Taking a single breath made him feel refreshed, and his injuries recovered just a little bit faster.

Suddenly, Ye Tian heard chaotic footsteps and immediately became vigilant.

But when he saw who it was, he let out a sigh of relief.

Qin Pojun, Yun Wuji, Shui Qingdie, Xiahou Ba, and others came running quickly from the depths of the passage, their faces showing lingering panic and wild joy upon seeing him.

"Junior Brother Ye!"

"Brother Ye!"

"How are you?" Shui Qingdie was the first to rush to his side, kneeling down. Her hands trembled as she wanted to touch him, but she was afraid of hurting him. Tears fell like beads with broken strings. "You've lost so much blood... your injuries are so severe..."

"Still... not dead yet." Ye Tian forced a smile.

He swept his gaze over the group.

Qin Pojun's armor was stained with blood, but his aura was still relatively stable.

Yun Wuji's face was pale, and the hand holding his sword was trembling slightly.

Xiahou Ba had a few more cuts on his body and was cursing.

Yu Miaoqing and Feng Xuan were supporting each other, their auras weak.

Pei Tieshan was covered in blood on one side of his body, but he was grinning.

Dongfang Xinghe and Han Xiao were slightly better, but it was obvious they had consumed a great deal of energy.

The Ghost Girl, supported by Han Xiao, was still unconscious, but her aura was steadier than it had been outside.

"Where is Li Xuanxiao?" Qin Pojun asked urgently, gripping his long spear tightly, his gaze sweeping toward the passage behind Ye Tian.

There was only a wall there, no door.

After they entered, the entrance behind them had disappeared.

"He didn't come in." Ye Tian coughed twice, and with Shui Qingdie's support, he managed to sit up, leaning against a huge pillar. "The door closed. He... took the fire element mark."

He briefly recounted the process of how he had thrown the mark and taken the opportunity to break in.

After hearing this, everyone was silent for a moment.

Although it was extremely perilous, it was a great fortune that Ye Tian was able to enter alive.

"That bastard got off easy!" Xiahou Ba punched the pillar next to him fiercely, causing it to echo.

"The mark he took is damaged, it might not be useful." Yun Wuji analyzed calmly, but his brows were tightly locked. "However, this person is vindictive and his sword Dao is bizarre; he will surely be a great threat in the future."

"Screw him!" Xiahou Ba stiffened his neck. "When I... ouch!" The movement was too sudden and tugged at his wounds, making him wince in pain.

"Alright, everyone say less, hurry up and heal your injuries." Qin Pojun said in a deep voice, his eyes full of vigilance. "This place is the interior of the Five Elements Unification Hall."

"I don't know what trials there are, but it will definitely not be peaceful. We must recover our combat strength as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded, each finding a place to sit, taking Medicinal Pills, and beginning to regulate their breathing.

Shui Qingdie stayed by Ye Tian's side, carefully helping him treat his wounds and applying medicine.

Ye Tian also closed his eyes, operating the Star Qi Induction Art with all his might, guiding the Five Elements Spiritual Qi of this place into his body, converting it into Chaos True Essence, and repairing his body.

The chaos bead rotated slightly, helping him absorb and refine the Spiritual Qi faster, and his injuries were healing at a perceptible speed.

He did not know how long had passed, but Ye Tian's injuries had initially stabilized; he was no longer bleeding, and the internal tremors had subsided significantly.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The others also woke up one after another from their meditation, their states having recovered quite a bit, at least having the strength to fight again.

Only the Ghost Girl remained unconscious, but her complexion had improved a little.

"The Spiritual Qi here is pure, and there is no outside interference; it is a precious place for healing."

Dongfang Xinghe stood up, surveying the surrounding huge pillars and runes, his eyes revealing obsession. "These runes... are incredibly profound, far exceeding anything I have seen in my entire life. If I could comprehend just a little..."

"Forget about the runes for now." Han Xiao interrupted him, his gaze cast toward the depths of the passage. "The urgent priority is to figure out where we are and where we should go next. This passage seems to have only two directions, forward and backward."

Behind them was a solid wall; there was no retreat. They could only move forward.

Ye Tian leaned against the huge pillar and slowly stood up.

Shui Qingdie wanted to support him, but he shook his head gently to signal that he was fine.

He walked to the center of the passage and looked into the depths.

The two taichu seals and the chaos token in his bosom were currently all pointing in a certain direction deep within the passage.

The chaos bead also transmitted a clear desire, even stronger than when they were outside.

"The answer is ahead," Ye Tian said in a low voice, gripping sword tightly.

"Let's go." Qin Pojun picked up his long spear and walked at the very front.

Xiahou Ba followed with his axe on his shoulder, Yun Wuji, Yu Miaoqing, and Feng Xuan guarded the two flanks, Han Xiao supported the Ghost Girl, and Dongfang Xinghe and Pei Tieshan brought up the rear.

Shui Qingdie followed closely by Ye Tian's side.

The group, carrying lingering trepidation, walked toward the depths of the Five Elements Unification Hall.

And behind them, on that wall that appeared solid, in an extremely hidden corner, a golden rune that had almost blended in with the color of the wall flickered once, then extinguished, leaving no trace.

It seemed that something had been triggered, or perhaps it was just an illusion of light and shadow.