98: Chapter 98 Ancient Teleportation Array, Retrieving the Void Vine

That place was the ruins of the "Ancient Teleportation Array."

However, as they approached the square, they noticed the atmosphere was somewhat off.

Over twenty people had already gathered at the edge of the square, divided into several small groups, each warily watching the others.

Ye Chen saw Zhao Feng, Duan Tianya, and Liu Qingqing.

They were standing with several other Inner Sect Disciples, their expressions vigilant.

He also saw Bai Yu; he was alone, leaning against a broken stone pillar and playing with his iron fan, looking leisurely.

He even saw Liu Kun and the two or three remaining Disciples from Golden Flame Peak; their faces were grim as they stood on the other side of the square.

Murong Bai and the other Core Disciples were also gathered in small groups of two or three, conversing in low voices.

Everyone's gaze would occasionally flicker toward the center of the square.

There stood the Ancient Teleportation Array, dilapidated yet still showing a faint outline of its former grandeur.

Scattered around the teleportation array were shattered Spirit Stones and broken Formation patterns.

It had clearly been abandoned for many years and was unusable.

"What's going on? Is the teleportation array broken?"

Leng Ningshuang's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Ye Chen's heart also sank.

If the teleportation array was unusable, how would they leave the Secret Realm?

Would they really be trapped here for three years, waiting for the next opening?

The two of them walked toward Zhao Feng and the others.

"Brother Ye! Senior Sister Leng! You've finally arrived!"

Duan Tianya, being sharp-eyed, immediately waved excitedly upon seeing Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang.

Zhao Feng and Liu Qingqing also showed looks of joy and came forward to greet them.

"Brother Zhao, Brother Duan, Junior Sister Liu."

Ye Chen nodded and looked toward the center of the square.

"This teleportation array..."

Zhao Feng's expression was grave as he whispered.

"It's broken. We were among the first batch to arrive, and it was already like this. According to the Core Disciples who got here first, it seems the Secret Realm's space has been unstable recently."

"This caused the foundation of this Ancient Teleportation Array to be damaged, making it impossible to activate. They have already tried to repair it, but they lack key Materials, and the Formation is too ancient and complex to succeed quickly."

"Then what should we do? The Secret Realm is going to close in a few days!"

Duan Tianya said anxiously.

"Senior Brother Murong and several other Core Disciples proficient in Formations are researching an alternative solution; perhaps they can temporarily set up a small-scale teleportation array."

"Or perhaps they can trigger some functions of the teleportation array, but it requires time and Materials, and... success isn't guaranteed."

Liu Qingqing was full of worry.

Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang exchanged a glance.

Both saw the gravity in each other's eyes.

This was truly adding insult to injury.

"Ye Chen!"

A voice filled with venomous resentment rang out.

Liu Kun, leading two Golden Flame Peak Disciples, walked over with an unfriendly expression.

His gaze swept over Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang.

It lingered for a moment on Leng Ningshuang's unhealed shoulder wound and her slightly pale face.

A flash of suspicion and ruthlessness crossed his eyes.

"Where is Senior Brother Liu Yunfei? Why isn't he with you?"

The square suddenly fell silent, and many gazes turned toward them.

As a Core Disciple, Liu Yunfei's strength was extraordinary, and his whereabouts were of great interest.

Leng Ningshuang's face was like frost as she said coldly,

"Liu Yunfei? We haven't seen him. Why do you say that, Junior Brother Liu?"

"Bullshit!"

Liu Kun shouted harshly.

"Someone saw you all entering the direction of Gale Gorge together! Now you've come out alive, but Senior Brother Liu is nowhere to be found. You must have made a secret move and harmed Senior Brother Liu!"

His words immediately caused an uproar.

Many Disciples looked at Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang with gazes full of suspicion and scrutiny.

Harming a Core Disciple was a serious crime!

Ye Chen's eyes were cold as he took a step forward, shielding Leng Ningshuang, and looked at Liu Kun calmly.

"Senior Brother Liu, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. You say someone saw us; who is that person? Can you call them out for a confrontation? The Secret Realm is full of dangers; perhaps Senior Brother Liu was harmed by a Yao Beast, or perhaps he encountered some other accident."

"Without any evidence, you are making baseless accusations and slandering a fellow Disciple. What is your intention? Are you trying to divert attention from Golden Flame Peak's previous actions, or are you related to Senior Brother Liu's death and trying to frame someone else?"

His words were sharp, turning the tables on him.

Liu Kun was left speechless, his face turning green; he indeed had no evidence.

He had only seen that Leng Ningshuang was injured and thought of Liu Yunfei's plan.

That was why he spoke up to test them and sling mud.

"You... you're using twisted logic!"

Liu Kun said angrily.

"Enough."

A gentle yet indisputably authoritative voice rang out.

Murong Bai walked over slowly, his calm gaze sweeping over Liu Kun and Ye Chen.

"The Secret Realm is about to close; the priority is to find a way to leave. Between fellow Disciples, there should be no mutual suspicion or attacks without evidence. As for Junior Brother Liu's matter, the Law Enforcement Hall will investigate it thoroughly after we leave the Secret Realm."

As soon as he spoke, Liu Kun immediately didn't dare to say more. He glared hatefully at Ye Chen and retreated to the side.

Murong Bai looked at Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang, nodding slightly.

"Junior Brother Ye, Junior Sister Leng, it is good that you could return safely. Regarding the teleportation array, you already know the situation. My fellow brothers and I are trying to find a way, but we need some special space-attribute Materials and a large amount of Spirit Stones."

"Fellow Disciples, if anyone has such Materials or is willing to contribute Spirit Stones, I hope you will not hesitate to help so we can overcome this difficulty together."

Hearing this, everyone began to discuss in low voices.

Contribute Materials and Spirit Stones?

In this Secret Realm, who wouldn't want to keep more resources for themselves?

Ye Chen pondered for a moment and said loudly,

"Senior Brother Murong, I wonder what kind of space Materials are needed? Perhaps this Disciple was lucky enough to obtain some."

Murong Bai glanced at him and listed the names of several Materials.

"Void Gazer Stones, Realm-Stabilizing Sand, Void Vines..."

Ye Chen's heart stirred; in Liu Yunfei's Storage Pouch,

he happened to have seen a small piece of "Void Gazer Stone" and several grains of "Realm-Stabilizing Sand"!

As for the "Void Vine," he seemed to have seen a similar plant on the cliff walls of Gale Gorge.

Ye Chen did not hesitate.

He took out the fist-sized "Void Gazer Stone" shimmering with silver light and a small jade bottle containing the "Realm-Stabilizing Sand."

He handed them to Murong Bai.

"Senior Brother Murong, are these enough?"

A flash of surprise crossed Murong Bai's eyes. He took the Materials, examined them carefully, and nodded.

"The quality is good, and the quantity is sufficient. Junior Brother Ye's Opportunity is indeed not shallow. With these, our chances are a few points higher. As for the Void Vine..."

"This Disciple seems to have seen it in Gale Gorge and is willing to go and pluck it."

Ye Chen said.

"I will go too."

Leng Ningshuang suddenly spoke up.

Murong Bai looked at the two and nodded.

"I'll trouble you two. Go and return quickly, and be careful. The rest of the Junior Brothers and sisters can stay here on guard or split up to collect the necessary Spirit Stones."

Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang did not delay any further, nodding to Zhao Feng and the others.

They turned around and sped off once again toward Gale Gorge.

What they didn't know was that after they left,

in a corner of the square, Bai Yu's movement of playing with his iron fan paused slightly.

His gaze looked thoughtfully toward the direction they had departed.

Meanwhile, Liu Kun's eyes flickered with an even more venomous light.

He quietly gave a meaningful look to a Golden Flame Peak Disciple beside him.

Undercurrents were once again quietly surging before the seemingly peaceful journey home.

...

Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang left the ruins of the Ancient Teleportation Array and once again hurried toward Gale Gorge.

Neither of their injuries had fully healed, but they were eager to make progress, so their speed was not slow.

Along the way, Ye Chen relied on his powerful Divine Sense and sensitivity to energy fluctuations.

He avoided several dangerous places marked on the map and several groups of wandering Yao Beasts, avoiding any unnecessary trouble.

Leng Ningshuang still didn't say much, only silently following by Ye Chen's side, occasionally using her scabbard to push aside vines and thorns blocking the path.

Her face looked a bit better than before.

However, the coldness in her expression and the faint worry brought by Liu Yunfei's death had not dissipated.

"Senior Sister Leng, what exactly does that Void Vine look like? In what kind of environment does it grow?"

Ye Chen asked while they hurried along.

His ability to identify Spiritual Plants was far inferior to the Danding Peak Disciples who specialized in this path.

"The Void Vine is silver-gray all over, with weak spatial fluctuations; the body of the vine is covered in fine silver patterns and has no leaves."

"It usually grows in places where space is unstable or where the protective winds are fierce. Because it can absorb spatial power, it is one of the key Materials for refining storage Magical Artifacts and stabilizing teleportation arrays."

Leng Ningshuang explained briefly.

"Deep within Gale Gorge, the space is occasionally turbulent due to years of cutting by the protective winds; it might grow there."

Ye Chen nodded and took note.

The two of them soon arrived at the outskirts of Gale Gorge again.

The wild winds howled, and a sharp Protective Aura blew against their faces.

With their previous experience, the two of them circulated their True Essence to protect their bodies and headed straight toward the depths of the canyon.

They moved toward the altar where they had fought the Iron Feather Wind Eagles and were later hunted by the "Shadow Fiend."

Ye Chen remembered seeing similar silver vines on the cliff walls near the altar.

The deeper they went, the fiercer the protective winds became, and the soul-eroding yin wind appeared once again.

The two were more careful, avoiding areas where the yin wind was dense.

Along the way, they saw the traces of that day's battle again, as well as some remaining feathers from the three Iron Feather Wind Eagles.

However, the corpses had long since been scavenged by other Yao Beasts.

They arrived at the circular valley where the altar was located.

The altar still stood there, its damaged Formation emitting a sinister aura.

But that soul-eroding yin wind seemed to have weakened a bit compared to before, perhaps because the yinhun fruit had been picked.

The valley was deathly silent.

Ye Chen's gaze swept across the steep cliffs around them, his Divine Sense carefully investigating.

Soon, he found it behind the right side of the altar.

In the middle of a cliff face where the astral wind had carved countless tiny cracks and the space was faintly fluctuating.

He discovered several hanging vines flickering with a faint silver light.

"There!"

Ye Chen pointed toward that part of the cliff.

Leng Ningshuang looked in the direction he pointed, her beautiful eyes lighting up.

"It is indeed the Void Vine. However, the position is precarious, and the surrounding space is fluctuating unstablely; we must be careful when harvesting."

That spot on the cliff was about ten zhang high from the ground.

It was smooth and steep, and the astral wind was particularly fierce there.

Moreover, tiny spatial cracks flashed in and out of existence from time to time, making it exceptionally dangerous.

"I'll go pick it; Senior Sister, provide backup from below."

Ye Chen said.

He cultivated the Hunyuan One-Qi Art, giving him stronger energy perception and control.

And with Phantom Step, he was more confident in dealing with this kind of environment.

Leng Ningshuang hesitated slightly before nodding.

"Be careful."

Ye Chen wasted no more words, took a deep breath, and circulated the Hunyuan True Essence within his body.

Executing Phantom Step, his figure climbed up the steep cliff like a nimble ape.

His hands occasionally hooked into rock crevices or lightly tapped protruding stones, his movements light and swift.

He tried his best to avoid the areas where the astral wind was strongest and spatial fluctuations were abnormal.

The closer he got to those few strands of Void Vine, the more chaotic the surrounding astral wind became.

Bursts of subtle pulling sensations also came from the space, as if he could be torn apart by invisible forces at any moment.

Ye Chen had to use more True Essence for body protection to stabilize his figure.

Finally, he reached the vicinity of the Void Vine.

Three silver-grey vines, about as thick as a thumb and a zhang long, swayed slightly in the astral wind as if they were alive.

The silver patterns on the vines shimmered with a dreamlike luster, and the spatial fluctuations they emitted were clearly perceptible.

Ye Chen carefully reached out, a strand of Hunyuan True Essence condensing at his fingertip, and lightly touched the base of the vine.

The balanced and upright nature of the Hunyuan True Essence seemed to calm the somewhat restless Void Vine.

He took out a jade knife, preparing to cut.

However, just as his jade knife was about to descend, a sudden change occurred!

At the entrance of the valley below, without any warning.

Several streaks of extremely sharp killing intent erupted, shooting straight at Leng Ningshuang, who was standing guard beneath the cliff, like venomous snakes emerging from their holes!

At the same time, a crimson blade aura.

Carrying a heat that could burn everything, it slashed toward the base of the cliff where Ye Chen was clinging from the side.

It actually intended to cut him down along with the cliff!

A sneak attack!

And the timing was grasped so precisely.

It was exactly when Ye Chen was fully focused on harvesting and Leng Ningshuang's attention was also concentrated on him!

"Senior Sister Leng, watch out!"

Ye Chen shouted, disregarding the harvest as his figure suddenly shifted sideways.

He narrowly avoided that crimson blade aura that slashed into the cliff.

The blade aura cut into the rock wall, exploding into a large crater with flying debris; the entire cliff shook violently.

Below, Leng Ningshuang's reaction was also extremely fast.

The moment the killing intent approached her body, her long sword was already unsheathed, and the Purple Cloud sword light flashed brilliantly.

She danced a dense, airtight sword screen in front of her!

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Several poisoned hidden weapons were deflected by the sword screen.

But immediately after, three figures pounced like ghosts, with blades, swords, and claws carrying ruthless killing moves, instantly enveloping Leng Ningshuang!

These three were none other than Liu Kun and two other Elite Disciples from Golden Flame Peak with cultivations at the Fourth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm!

They had actually followed them all the way here and laid an ambush!

"Liu Kun! How dare you!"

Leng Ningshuang was both shocked and enraged; she brandished her sword to meet the attack, but in her haste, she was surrounded by the three opponents.

She immediately fell into a disadvantage, her situation becoming precarious.

Her injuries hadn't healed yet, and fighting three against one made it even more difficult; the wound on her shoulder split open again, and blood seeped out.

"Hehe, Leng Ningshuang, Ye Chen, today is the day you die!"

Liu Kun grinned hideously, his crimson longsword's offensive like a tide, tightly entangling Leng Ningshuang.

"Once you're killed, Senior Brother Liu's revenge will be considered settled, and the crimson sun vermilion fruit and the secrets on you will all be ours! Do it, cripple this wench first!"

The other two Golden Flame Peak Disciples increased their offensive, every move lethal.

Ye Chen watched from the cliff, his eyes nearly splitting from rage.

He knew this was a long-premeditated retaliation from Golden Flame Peak!

Liu Kun and the others had likely been targeting them for a long time, just waiting for this Opportunity!

He had to go down and rescue her immediately, or Leng Ningshuang would be in danger!

He no longer hesitated, disregarding the harvesting of the Void Vine, and kicked off the rock wall with all his might.

Like a falling star, his figure plummeted toward the battlefield below!

Simultaneously, the ice scar sword was already in his hand, Hunyuan True Essence poured into it frantically, and the sword body erupted with grey light!

"Liu Kun, die!"

While still in mid-air, Ye Chen had already slashed out with his sword.

The grey sword light, carrying the sharp Concept of the Hunyuan Wind Severing Slash, struck directly at the back of Liu Kun's head! Besieging Wei to rescue Zhao!

Liu Kun felt the sharp killing intent attacking from behind, his heart tightening, and he had to turn his blade to block.

"Clang!"

Blade and sword collided, and a wave of air exploded.

Ye Chen's downward momentum combined with his full-power strike actually forced Liu Kun to stumble back several steps, his blood and qi churning.

Liu Kun was secretly horrified.

This kid's injuries seemed to have recovered significantly, and his strength was even greater than before!

Ye Chen landed, his figure not stopping for a moment as he immediately stood back-to-back with Leng Ningshuang.

They faced the three pouncing enemies once more.

"Junior Brother Ye, you..."

Seeing Ye Chen give up on harvesting the Void Vine to come to her rescue, a flash of complexity crossed Leng Ningshuang's cold eyes.

"Let's deal with them first."

Ye Chen said in a deep voice, his icy gaze sweeping over Liu Kun and the other two.

At this moment, both he and Leng Ningshuang were injured, their True Essence not yet recovered, facing three enemies at the Fourth Level of the Wheel Sea Realm who were in perfect condition.

Among them, Liu Kun was even at the Early Stage of the Fifth Level; the situation was more dangerous than before.

But the two of them working together was better than fighting separately.

"Humph, coming down to seek death? We'll just take you both out at once!"

Liu Kun stabilized himself, the killing intent in his eyes growing even stronger.

"Deploy the 'Three Talents Flame Killing Formation'!"

Upon hearing this, the other two Golden Flame Peak Disciples.

Immediately shifted their positions, forming a triangle with Liu Kun and surrounding Ye Chen and Leng Ningshuang in the center.

The True Essence of the three erupted simultaneously, their crimson flame True Essence connecting with each other.

Forming a scorching triangular light barrier that enveloped Ye Chen and the other.

Inside the barrier, the temperature rose sharply, and the air distorted.

Flame chains even formed out of thin air, coiling and lashing toward the two!

This Formation was clearly a combined attack technique they had practiced to perfection, its power multiplied.

"Be careful, this Formation can stack the True Essence of three people; the flames have the effect of burning True Essence and eroding the Divine Soul!"

Leng Ningshuang warned, brandishing her sword to sever an incoming flame chain.

But the collision between her Purple Cloud True Essence and the flames consumed a great deal of energy.

Ye Chen also felt the pressure. Although Hunyuan True Essence could neutralize part of the flame power.

Under the enhancement of this Formation, the opponent's flame True Essence was inexhaustible and its power was terrifying.

Moreover, being inside the Formation restricted their movements, and the space for dodging became smaller.

"We must break the Formation!"

Ye Chen's eyes turned sharp.

He saw that the core of this Formation lay with Liu Kun.

As long as Liu Kun was defeated, the Formation would break on its own.

"Senior Sister, help me!"

Ye Chen gave a low shout, and Phantom Step was fully unleashed; he actually stopped caring about the surrounding flame chains.

His figure turned into a blurry grey shadow, pouncing directly at Liu Kun in front of him!

He was actually going to trade injury for a life, forcibly breaking the Formation!

"You're looking for death!"

Seeing Ye Chen dare to charge straight at him, Liu Kun was not surprised but delighted.

His crimson longsword erupted with blinding light as he slashed at Ye Chen with the move "Crimson Sun Burning Heaven"!

The other two Disciples also manipulated the flame chains, coiling toward Ye Chen from the left and right to restrict his evasion.

"Purple Clouds Filling the Sky!"

Seeing this, Leng Ningshuang also knew it was time for a desperate struggle.

She gave a delicate shout, and disregarding her injuries, she poured all her remaining True Essence into her long sword.

The sword body shone with intense purple light, turning into countless sharp purple sword shadows.

Like a torrential rain, they shot toward the flame chains and the two Golden Flame Peak Disciples attacking from the sides.

Sharing the pressure for Ye Chen.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Sword shadows collided with chains, resulting in continuous explosions.

Leng Ningshuang's face grew even paler, and blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth, but she firmly blocked the attacks from both sides.

Facing Liu Kun's heaven-burning slash, Ye Chen's gaze was icy to the extreme.

He condensed all his Hunyuan True Essence, along with his Physical Body's strength.

And the last trace of Chaos cold qi from the Ice Lotus Imprint, all into the tip of the ice scar sword!

On the sword body, the grey light was denser than ever before, faintly forming a rapidly rotating miniature Chaos vortex.

It carried a terrifying Sword Intent of extinction, termination, and returning to nothingness.

"Hunyuan Return to Void!"

It was still this move, but this time.

Ye Chen poured all his power into it without reservation, with only one target—Liu Kun!

"Hum!"