70: Lost treasures and clues, the elder's pursuit of his soul.

In this desperate situation, there was no room for the slightest hesitation. Ahead lay the Burial Star Sea blocking the way; without a "boat," it was impossible to cross. Behind were the pursuing troops of the Guixu Cult; if they were entangled, it would mean certain death in this wasteland.

"Go! Head in the direction sensed by the cardinal edict first!" Lin Xuan made a prompt decision, grabbing Gongsun Yu, who was still regulating her breath, and looked sharply at Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan.

The two Senior Sisters nodded without hesitation. At this moment, every possible sliver of hope had to be seized.

The four of them did not delay any longer, suppressing their injuries and exhaustion, and pushed their speed to the limit as they sped toward the direction guided by the immortal abode pivot token. The Black Stone Plain was vast and desolate, with nothing but craggy, strange rocks and the whistling, dry wind. The Dao Rhyme of extinction from the Burial Star Sea acted like background noise, continuously eroding their minds and Qi, making flight exceptionally strenuous.

While flying, Lin Xuan fully exerted his Divine Sense, remaining vigilant against the pursuers behind while carefully sensing the fluctuations coming from the cardinal edict. The fluctuations were sometimes strong and sometimes weak, as if the target was not stationary, or its own state was unstable.

"The source of the fluctuation is moving! The speed is not fast, but the direction is erratic!" Lin Xuan warned in a deep voice.

This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the search. They had to move faster than that thing and also predict its trajectory.

Behind them, those cold and tyrannical auras were like maggots on rotting bone, pursuing relentlessly, and the distance was slowly closing. Clearly, the opponents seemed to possess some kind of tracking secret technique or adaptability in this environment.

"This won't do; we will be caught sooner or later." Qu Feiyan's charming eyes held a hint of malice as she looked back. "We must find a way to hinder them."

Su Wanqing's icy eyes flashed, and she said, "There is a stone forest ahead. The terrain is complex, perhaps it can be used."

Lin Xuan looked in the direction of her gaze and indeed saw a dense "forest" composed of countless black stone pillars, each a hundred feet high, appearing ahead. The winding paths between them were indeed a good place for an ambush or to shake off pursuit.

"Go in!" Lin Xuan immediately changed direction and plunged into the stone forest first.

The light inside the stone forest was even dimmer, with each giant stone pillar casting twisted shadows, and Divine Sense was also interfered with to a certain extent here. The four of them relied on agile footwork to shuttle quickly between the stone pillars.

"Senior Sister Su, Senior Sister Qu, follow me and set up the 'Profound Ice Bewildering Heart Formation'! Little Yu, follow me and protect me while I sense the direction!" Lin Xuan quickly assigned the tasks. The Profound Ice Bewildering Heart Formation was a trapping Formation formed by combining Su Wanqing's Profound Ice power and Qu Feiyan's Seduction Skill illusions; although it lacked lethality, it was perfectly suited for stalling.

Su Wanqing and Senior Sister Qu immediately understood. The two Senior Sisters dispersed like ghosts, hiding in the shadows of the stone pillars, as icy auras and intangible seductive energy began to be set up quietly.

Lin Xuan, taking Junior Sister Gongsun Yu with him, continued to push deeper into the stone forest, following the sensing of the cardinal edict. He could feel that the source of the fluctuation was getting closer and closer!

Just at this moment, several sharp screams of shock and anger came from behind! Clearly, the pursuers had triggered the Formation set up by Su Wanqing and the other woman, falling into the ice-sealed illusion.

"Hmph, petty tricks! Break for this Elder!" An old and sinister voice rang out, carrying surging mana fluctuations; it was clearly a Late-stage Golden Core powerhouse! He was likely the leader of this pursuit party.

"Boom!"

A loud noise from the Formation being forcibly broken came, accompanied by a muffled groan from Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan; they had evidently suffered a backlash.

"Go!" Lin Xuan knew the Formation could not hold them for long, so he grabbed Gongsun Yu and increased their speed again.

Finally, after passing through a particularly dense area of stone pillars, the view ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a small clearing. In the center of the clearing, there was not the treasure they had imagined, but a... broken Puppet half-buried in the black gravel?

The Puppet was about the height of a person, made entirely of a dark silver material that was neither metal nor wood. Its design was ancient, and its lines were smooth, but it was now covered in cracks and signs of corrosion. One arm was missing, and there was a huge hole in its chest, revealing the complex and dim rune structure inside. It seemed to still be moving slowly by relying on its remaining instincts, but its movements were stiff, like a headless fly.

And the strong resonance coming from the immortal abode pivot token originated from deep within the hole in the chest of this broken Puppet: a strange metal fragment only the size of a fingernail, flickering with a faint starlight!

"A relic from outside the realm!" Lin Xuan's eyes lit up! The aura emitted by the fragment was completely different from this Desolate Sea or any Artifact Refining Materials he knew, carrying a kind of pure, cold Power of Stars and a charm that transcended the Laws of this realm!

However, just as he was preparing to step forward to take the fragment, the broken Puppet seemed to be disturbed. Its only remaining eye suddenly lit up with a scarlet glow, locking onto Lin Xuan. Its broken body erupted with a speed inconsistent with its state, wielding its single arm, carrying a sharp intent of cutting, and it lunged forward ferociously! Its aura had actually reached the level of an Early-stage Golden Core!

At the same time, the sound of air being torn apart erupted from behind. The Black-Robed Elder of the Guixu Cult had already broken through the obstacles of the stone forest, arriving with two other Mid-stage Golden Core cultists. His cold gaze instantly locked onto Lin Xuan... and the starlight fragment in the chest of the broken Puppet in front of him!

"Hand over the immortal palace token and the star marrow gold! I will spare your life!" The Black-Robed Elder's voice was hoarse, carrying unquestionable killing intent.

Ahead was a Puppet blocking the way, and behind were strong enemies surrounding them!

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, shielding Gongsun Yu behind him. His Mid-stage Golden Core mana erupted fully, and his cold gaze swept across the Puppet and the people of the Guixu Cult.

"You want it? Come and take it yourself!"

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!