248: Chapter 248 The Hidden Forbidden Land of Cangxuan?

Night swallowed the last trace of sunset, and the crimson wasteland turned into an inky domain of death.

The temperature plummeted, and the bone-chilling wind whirled with grit, stinging his face. The Grandmaster Dao robe on Su Changge's body, which should have been spotless, was now tattered, soaked in blood and sweat, and frozen stiff in the cold wind.

The boots on his feet had long since become rags; every step landed on sharp stones, instantly bursting newly formed blisters. Piercing pain shot straight to his mind, tearing at his nearly collapsing will.

The Spiritual Qi in his body had long since dried up, and his Dantian and Qi Sea were empty. Without Spiritual Qi to protect him, this Physical Body, once nourished by Heaven And Earth Treasures, was reverting to a mortal state at an alarming speed. Hunger, fatigue, and pain—these long-lost mortal sensations—frenziedly gnawed at his Divine Soul.

The last half of the wheat cake in his arms had already been eaten, and his water skin was empty. Su Changge leaned against a wind-eroded rock, panting heavily. Every breath brought out a puff of scorching white mist, and even the strength to lift his arm was nearly gone.

He looked up at the sky; the stars shone brightly on the inky canopy, but none were the constellations he knew. Those stars were arranged in eerie patterns, emitting a cold and alien radiance that completely crushed the last bit of hope in his heart.

This place was not anywhere he was familiar with.

Was he really going to die here? Die in this godforsaken place whose name he didn't even know? He was unwilling. The massive figure of sixty million emotion points in his mind was the foundation of his life and the source of his confidence in roaming the world, but now, it had all become a pipe dream.

Despair, like the night of this wasteland, was boundless.

Su Changge leaned against the rock, his consciousness drifting in the darkness. Just moments before he was about to fall unconscious, a long-buried memory surfaced from the depths of the original owner's Sea of Consciousness.

The Cangxuan Dao Domain was vast and boundless. Besides the five domains known to the world, there existed countless secret places enveloped by spatial turbulence. These places were called "Forbidden Grounds," with extremely unstable entrances and isolated from the world; the Laws of heaven and earth within them were even different from the outside. Powerful Forbidden Grounds had spatial barriers so thick they could even interfere with all Divine Sense probes...

The System's notification sound also echoed in his mind at this time—"Qingming Domain, Lingxu Wasteland."

A flash of lightning suddenly pierced the darkness in his mind.

Su Changge's originally unfocused eyes instantly sharpened.

Qingming Domain? Lingxu Wasteland?

He abruptly sat up straight, the despair in his heart scattered by a wild thought.

Right! It must be so!

He had been thrown out by a space-time vortex and happened to land in some isolated secret Forbidden Ground within the Cangxuan Dao Domain!

These Forbidden Grounds had all sorts of strange names; what was so unusual about "Lingxu Wasteland"? As for the "Qingming Domain" mentioned by the System, it must be because he had just escaped the space-time turbulence, causing a deviation in positioning!

He was still in Cangxuan! He hadn't left!

This thought was like a wildfire, instantly burning away all the dejection in his heart. Su Changge's heart became more settled than ever before.

So it was just a Forbidden Ground.

What was there to fear? As long as he was still in the Cangxuan Dao Domain, as long as he could find someone and ask about the location of a teleportation array, returning to the Taixuan Sect was only a matter of time.

A fresh surge of strength welled up from his heart. He struggled to support himself against the rock and stood up shakily. He looked down at his disheveled state, his brow furrowing slightly.

He brushed off the yellow dust, tore off the tattered hem of his robe to tie around his waist, and tried to make his appearance look as neat as possible. He straightened his back, suppressed all the pain and fatigue on his face, and his eyes regained their depth and indifference.

No matter what desperate situation he was in, the poise of the Taixuan Sect's Junior Martial Uncle could not be lost.

Identifying the positions of the stars, Su Changge took firm steps in one direction. Having a goal, even the pain in his feet seemed to lessen.

He didn't know how long he had been walking, but just as his physical strength was approaching its limit again, muffled sounds of Spiritual Qi explosions vaguely came from below the distant horizon, mixed with the clanging of metal and the dying roars of some beast.

Su Changge's spirits lifted, and his eyes burst with a sharp light.

There are people!

He immediately quickened his pace, running toward the source of the sound, completely disregarding the wounds on his feet tearing open again.

Crossing over a sand dune, the scene ahead suddenly opened up.

On an open space, more than ten Cultivators dressed in uniform azure Dao robes were forming a crude battle formation, struggling to fend off a pack of hideous-looking desolate beasts.

Among those Cultivators, the highest cultivation was only at the Golden Core Early Stage, while most of the others were in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the light from the Magic Treasures in their hands was dim. Their opponents were a pack of pig-like desolate beasts covered in rock-like shells, thick-skinned and fearless of death; every collision shook the formation to its brink.

"Senior Brother! We can't hold on! These Tusked Rock Swine have gone mad!" A young Cultivator's arm had been slashed with a wound deep enough to see bone, and his Flying Sword almost slipped from his hand.

"Form the array! Don't panic!" the leading Golden Core Cultivator shouted sternly. He sacrificed a small bronze shield to block the charge of a rock swine; his body shook violently, and his face turned a shade paler.

The battle was critical.

Su Changge hid behind a giant rock, calmly surveying the battlefield while his mind calculated rapidly.

These Cultivators' cultivation wasn't high. As long as he used the System's special effects to create the pressure of an unfathomable expert, it would be enough to intimidate them effortlessly. Then, asking for directions or even having them escort him out would be perfectly natural.

With the plan set, Su Changge no longer hesitated. He straightened his robe, placed his hands behind his back, and paced out from behind the rock with an indifferent expression. His steps were very light, making no sound on the sandy ground, completely out of place with the noisy battlefield.

As soon as he appeared, the chaotic battlefield fell into an instant silence.

Whether it was the struggling Cultivators or the frantically attacking desolate beasts, all stopped their movements and simultaneously turned their gazes toward this unexpected visitor.

The group of azure-robed Cultivators gripped their Magic Treasures, their eyes filled with vigilance. On the outskirts of the Lingxu Wasteland, any stranger could be a fatal threat.

Meanwhile, those Tusked Rock Swine stopped their charge, emitting uneasy low growls from their throats. Their animalistic instinct let them smell an extremely dangerous aura from this seemingly frail human.

Su Changge stood in place, his face as calm as an ancient well, while his heart was already calling the System.

"System, get ready! Sages Purple Qi, Great Dao Sanskrit, Heaven and Earth Anomalies... max out the style for me!"

However, the moment he appeared, one of the System's passive special effects had already quietly activated.

[Myriad Laws Immunity (Pseudo)]!

An invisible and intangible force field, yet containing the supreme Dao Rhyme, centered on Su Changge and instantly enveloped the entire open space.

Out of caution, the leading Golden Core Cultivator immediately cast his Sect's highest-level investigative secret technique, "Dongxuan Spirit Light," on Su Changge. An almost imperceptible spiritual light shot toward Su Changge, yet the moment it touched the three-foot range around him, the spiritual light melted like snow and instantly dissipated.

A terrifying backlash force brazenly surged back along his Divine Sense!

"Pfft!"

The Golden Core Cultivator felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow; he violently spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning as pale as paper. He stumbled back several steps, his eyes filled with endless horror.

His Divine Sense probe didn't return a blank; instead, it returned Chaos! It was a supreme Dao Rhyme that seemed to contain the beginning of heaven and earth and the Origin of all things! The moment his Divine Sense touched that Dao Rhyme, it was nearly assimilated and crushed!

What Realm of existence is this?!

Even when facing the Nascent Soul Elders in the pavilion, his investigative secret technique could glimpse a thing or two. But in front of this person, he couldn't even shake him in the slightest; instead, he suffered a heavy blow himself!

This meant the other party's cultivation had far exceeded his scope of understanding! Soul Transformation? Void Returning? Or even a legendary Great Emperor Level existence that had long since vanished?

A living fossil walking among mortals!

The Golden Core Cultivator felt his Divine Soul shake violently, as if falling into an ice cellar. His legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the spot. What kind of "luck" did they have to run into such a god-like being on the outskirts of the Lingxu Wasteland?

The reaction of those Tusked Rock Swine was even more direct. They felt an absolute suppression originating from the depths of their Bloodline. In their perception, the person before them was not prey, but the Heavens! The Dao!

"Awoo..."

The strongest rock swine let out a shrill wail, its massive body prostrating on the ground, trembling. Then, it actually turned around regardless of everything and fled like crazy toward the depths of the wasteland with its tail between its legs. Seeing this, the other rock swine also felt as if they had been granted a grand amnesty, and in an instant, they vanished without a trace.

Su Changge was slightly stunned as he watched this sudden scene, then he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

It seemed that without needing to take the initiative, the passive effects were already enough.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his deep gaze calmly scanning the group of panic-stricken azure-robed Cultivators.

That look was extremely plain, without a hint of emotion, but in the eyes of the Cultivators, it seemed to contain the vicissitudes of eternity, piercing through their Divine Souls and seeing through their past and present lives.

Thud!

The leading Golden Core Cultivator could no longer hold on; his knees hit the ground heavily, and in a full prostration, he cried out in a trembling voice:

"Junior Fang Chen, a Disciple of the Jade Cauldron Pavilion, greets Senior! I did not know Senior had arrived; I failed to welcome you from afar, and I deserve ten thousand deaths!"

The Foundation Establishment Cultivators behind him didn't dare to remain standing; they all threw down their Magic Treasures and knelt on the ground, not even daring to lift their heads.

Su Changge looked at the people kneeling before him, his heart completely at ease.

It's settled.

I can finally leave this godforsaken place.

He looked at the leading Golden Core Cultivator and calmly uttered three words.

"Rise."

The voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed as if Words Become Law, making Fang Chen and the others stand up involuntarily, though they remained bowed, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Su Changge was about to ask a question, but Fang Chen beat him to it, carefully bowing and asking:

"Junior takes the liberty to ask, Senior... why have you deigned to grace the outskirts of this Spirit Qi-sparse Lingxu Wasteland with your presence?"

Lingxu Wasteland.

Upon hearing these three words, the last trace of doubt in Su Changge's heart vanished. It was indeed the Forbidden Ground he had suspected.

He became increasingly certain, yet on the surface, he remained as calm as ever, just standing quietly without answering.

To Fang Chen and the others, this silence further confirmed their suspicions. How could they possibly fathom the actions of a Master? Perhaps Senior was just amusing himself in the mortal world, and they had disturbed Senior's quiet cultivation.

At this thought, Fang Chen grew even more apprehensive, but a thought also followed—this was a massive Opportunity! If they could forge a bit of good karma, it would be a blessing for the Jade Cauldron Pavilion for ten thousand generations!

He immediately bowed deeply again, his attitude respectful to the extreme:

"Senior, this place is desolate and not fit for guests. If Senior does not mind, would you please move to our Jade Cauldron Pavilion to rest for a moment? We will certainly welcome you with the utmost hospitality."

Jade Cauldron Pavilion.

Hearing the name of this Sect, a flash of joy flickered deep in Su Changge's eyes.

Where there's a Sect, there's a teleportation array.

The road home is near.

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, his face remaining indifferent as if considering for a moment before nodding slightly.

"Very well."

Hearing this, Fang Chen and the others were overjoyed. They hurriedly led the way, respectfully surrounding Su Changge as they headed toward the Jade Cauldron Pavilion.

Su Changge set out on the return journey with only one thought in his mind—going home.

He looked at the path ahead illuminated by moonlight, but he couldn't see the true distance between himself and home.

It wasn't just a wasteland; it was a thousand years.