367: Chapter 367 Time-Space Mirage

Shortly after he left, on that small floating island, the Void Realm rippled slightly, and a figure completely shrouded in a cloak slowly emerged.

He looked down at the remains of the warning Talisman Ye Tian had set up—which had been triggered but failed to function—then gazed in the direction Ye Tian had departed. A cold whisper came from beneath the cloak:

“Target has entered the core area of ‘Lingzhao Crystal Plain,’ suspected of having an interest in the ‘Crystal Core Hive’ or the ‘Enforcers Ruins.’

Number Two and Number Four have already set up the ‘Void-Trapping Array’ and ‘Soul-Eroding Incense’ in the core area according to plan.

Number Three continues peripheral monitoring to intercept any Liuli Xuan Sect Disciple who might provide support. The Master has sent a new order: eliminate the target within the core area at all costs. Use ‘that thing’ if necessary.”

After the gray shadow finished speaking, his figure dissipated like smoke.

The concept of the ‘depths’ of the Lingzhao Crystal Plain was vague.

There were no clear geographical boundaries here; the larger the floating platforms, the more ancient the crystal bridges connecting them.

Furthermore, the omnipresent terrifying pressure made Ye Tian feel as if he were walking in a swamp rather than on solid ground.

“I must be careful. The pressure here has increased drastically, the Laws are chaotic, and spiritual sense is suppressed to the point of being almost no different from a Mortal's. Any danger could erupt right in front of me.”

Ye Tian focused intently. With every step, Chaos Power circulated through his body to neutralize the pressure as much as possible, while he simultaneously withdrew his aura to lower his presence.

sword was already unsheathed in his hand, ready for action.

He had been deep in the heart of the crystal plain for nearly two days.

During this time, he had avoided the aftermath of several fierce battles between other Prodigies and powerful Law creatures, and had remotely sensed the aura eruptions of at least three taichu seal.

However, he had given up on them all because he sensed more than one powerful aura nearby, or because the creatures guarding the seals were too terrifying.

He still only had two seals in his hand, one step away from the three required to trigger the clues for the ‘Enforcers Ruins.’

But the sensation from the chaos bead and the acquisition of the ruins' clues seemed to point toward the same area.

Ahead, a wondrous sight appeared.

Countless inverted ‘Crystal Cores’ were fitted together, forming a dizzying three-dimensional nest; this was the ‘Crystal Core Hive.’

The smallest of these Crystal Cores were the size of houses, while the largest were comparable to mountains. Their surfaces were covered in energy patterns, with various colors of spiritual energy fluid flowing within them.

Inside the broodmother, the light was dim, and Chaos currents formed swirling vortexes.

The throbbing of the chaos bead clearly pointed to the deepest part of the broodmother.

At the same time, the fluctuations sensed by the identity spirit pendant in Ye Tian's robe for the ‘Enforcers Ruins’ suddenly intensified.

“It seems the target is inside.”

Ye Tian chose an ‘entrance’ with dimmer energy patterns and slipped inside.

The interior of the broodmother was a world of its own.

The passages between the Crystal Cores were as winding and convoluted as a maze, arranged in staggered layers.

The Chaos Spiritual Qi in the air was so dense it was almost physical.

It was terrifyingly quiet; Ye Tian traveled in the direction sensed by the chaos bead.

He tried his best to avoid areas where the fluid flowed rapidly.

Even so, he encountered several entrenched ‘Broodmother Guards’—small Law creatures composed of Crystal Cores, with strengths ranging from the Middle to Late Stages of the Third Order.

After advancing like this for about an hour, the passage gradually widened. From ahead came sounds different from the energy fluid, along with a terrifying aura!

Ye Tian's heart tightened. He slowed down, withdrew all his aura, and hugged the inner wall of a Crystal Core, slowly approaching the end of the passage.

Beyond the end, the view suddenly opened up.

It was an unimaginably massive underground hollow.

Below the hollow was a boundless ‘Sea of Law Spirit’!

Within the spirit sea, countless Law fragments of various colors floated and collided, emitting dense energy fluctuations.

At its center floated a small island composed of Chaos Crystal Cores.

What drew all of Ye Tian's attention was a gargantuan creature ‘breathing’ on the island.

The creature resembled a ‘mirage shell’ magnified millions of times. The shell was not physical but composed of flowing space-time phantoms, with images of mountains and rivers swirling upon it.

The shell opened a crack. With each ‘breath,’ it swallowed massive amounts of Chaos Spiritual Qi and Law fragments from the Sea of Law Spirit below, and the space-time phantoms on the shell shifted accordingly.

When it exhaled, it spat out spiritual mist that merged into the surrounding Crystal Cores.

Its size was so immense it was comparable to a mountain!

The pressure it emitted made Ye Tian's scalp tingle and his hair stand on end.

Peak of the Fourth Order! Equivalent to the Peak of the Sea Transformation Realm for human Cultivators!

“Space-Time Mirage Shell... the ‘Lord’ of the Crystal Core Hive? Or perhaps the ‘Manager’ of this Sea of Law Spirit?” Ye Tian was filled with shock.

Such a being was definitely not something he could contend with now. He probably couldn't even withstand the aftermath of a single breath!

Compared to this giant, the Shadow Aggregate he encountered when seizing the first seal was like a firefly next to the bright moon!

The throbbing of the chaos bead was now like a beating drum, pointing beneath that ‘Space-Time Mirage Shell’!

Clearly, what the chaos bead desired was right there!

And the identity spirit pendant's sensing of the ‘Enforcers Ruins’ was so strong it almost wanted to leap out of his robe.

However, how was he to get over there?

Right under the nose of that terrifying Space-Time Mirage Shell?

Just as Ye Tian was considering whether to take the risk or temporarily retreat to find another way, the Space-Time Mirage Shell finished its ‘breathing’ and its shell slowly closed.

A flowing space-time phantom on its shell suddenly expanded due to a slight imbalance in energy flow, forming a small patch of unstable space-time turbulence!

“Buzz!”

Where the turbulence reached, space twisted and shattered.

As luck would have it, a trace of the turbulence's aftermath swept across a section of the Crystal Core's inner wall near the entrance of the passage where Ye Tian was hiding!

“Crack!”

The inner wall of the Crystal Core shattered silently, revealing the deep darkness behind it.

The shell of the Space-Time Mirage Shell, which was about to close completely, suddenly paused!

The perception of a high-level being instantly locked onto the passage entrance, locking onto Ye Tian, whose aura had leaked for a split second due to the spatial disturbance!

He had been discovered!

“Roar!!!”

A terrifying spiritual roar that struck the Soul directly exploded within Ye Tian's Sea of Consciousness!

He felt his Divine Soul shake violently, his vision went black, and blood almost seeped from his ears and nose!

Had the chaos bead not protected him in time, this single blow would have been enough to damage his Divine Soul and scatter his consciousness!

Escape!

Without any hesitation, Ye Tian pushed his movement technique to the limit, turning into a gray shadow and fleeing for his life back toward the passage he came from!

He didn't dare look back. Behind him, that terrifying Space-Time Mirage Shell had completely ‘awakened.’ A horrific force field that made his Soul tremble was rapidly approaching, intending to crush this entire area!

“Too fast!” Ye Tian's heart went cold.

The speed of a Peak Sea Transformation being was far beyond imagination.

The force field caused his speed to plummet, and the aura of destruction behind him approached rapidly!

Between life and death! Ye Tian could even feel that the space-time turbulence triggered by the Space-Time Mirage Shell's next ‘breath’ would be enough to completely ‘erase’ him from this world!

At this critical moment, at a corner of the passage ahead, the energy patterns on the inner wall of the Crystal Core suddenly shattered due to the influence of the Space-Time Mirage Shell's force field!

Unexpectedly, an opening hidden by chaotic energy was revealed!

The opening led to who knows where, emitting an aura completely different from the surrounding Crystal Core energy.

Pursuers behind, force field lockdown, and the path ahead twisted.

This suddenly appearing opening became his only life-saving straw.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Tian lunged into the opening! He even went so far as to slam his left shoulder into the sharp, shattered Crystal Cores at the edge of the opening, causing blood to spray!

“Roar!”

The Space-Time Mirage Shell roared in anger outside the opening. Its terrifying force field crashed into the Crystal Cores near the opening, triggering a violent energy explosion and Crystal Core collapse, intending to bury the opening along with the intruder.

However, when the Space-Time Mirage Shell's force field touched the edge of the opening, it was actually blocked by a ‘membrane.’ The collapsing Crystal Cores did not completely seal the opening, but only left the entrance in a mess, covered by more debris.