103: Chapter 103 Exploring the Core of the Ruins Encounters a Forbidden Zone; Demonstrating Strength to Break Through the Formation and Proceed.

After bidding farewell to Iron Sword Zhao Wuji and the others, Ye Qing merged his figure into the gray-black mist and quietly sneaked deeper into the basin.

The deeper he went, the more violent the Evil Qi of the stars and spatial turbulence permeating the air became.

The color of the ground gradually shifted from gray-black to an ominous dark red, as if soaked in blood that had flowed over countless years. The craggy, strange rocks took on a glass-like texture, as if melted by high heat and then cooled, refracting a hazy and dangerous light.

Ye Qing condensed his Divine Sense into a line, maintaining it within a range of five hundred zhang around him, carefully sensing every trace of energy fluctuation and spatial abnormality.

The "Void Dao Seed" vibrated slightly in his Dantian, continuously transmitting the subtle changes in the surrounding spatial structure to him, allowing him to find relatively safe paths amidst the intricate spatial folds and energy vortices.

He traveled for about an hour.

The mist ahead suddenly thinned, and the view before him opened up, revealing a huge, circular plaza leveled by an invisible force.

The plaza was over a thousand zhang in diameter, and the ground was paved with a strange, dark silver stone that emitted a faint starlight. It was smooth as a mirror and engraved with dense, layered, and dazzlingly complex ancient formation patterns and star symbols.

These formation patterns were not static; instead, they flowed, flickered, and intertwined like living things, emitting a vast, ancient, majestic, and terrifying aura that seemed to come from the ancient stars.

In the center of the plaza stood a huge archway, a hundred zhang high, entirely condensed from brilliant starlight.

The archway was archaic in design. The door frame was carved with countless reliefs of stars in motion and the birth and death of the Void Realm. Inside the archway was a deep darkness that seemed capable of swallowing all light, with occasional fragments of starlight flashing and vanishing within, emitting heart-palpitating spatial fluctuations.

"The ancient teleportation array... the main body!"

Ye Qing's pupils constricted, his heart shaken.

That huge starlight archway was clearly the core hub of this ancient teleportation array. Although its energy appeared dim and it seemed to be in a dormant state, the aura it emitted still made him, a Nascent Soul Cultivator, feel a trace of pressure.

On the edge of the plaza, in several directions near the archway, several figures and simple camp facilities were faintly visible.

They belonged to different factions.

On one side to the left, a few light blue tents were set up. Cultivators wearing the robes of the Tianxing Sect were busy, surrounding several complex star-themed Magical Artifacts, seemingly attempting to analyze and crack the formation patterns on the edge of the plaza.

On the right side, the area was occupied by Liuyun City Cultivators. They were the most numerous, with about a dozen people, most of whom were at the Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage. The leader was a middle-aged man with a sharp aura and a long sword on his back, who had reached the Early Stage of the Golden Core Stage. They were clearing the ruins of a collapsed side hall, seemingly searching for something.

Further away, at the edge of the mist, one could faintly sense several obscure gazes carrying a faint Demonic Qi spying from the shadows. Clearly, the Yao Race was also closely monitoring this place.

The several factions seemed to have reached a fragile tacit understanding, not directly fighting here, but each occupying a side, carrying out their own work while remaining vigilant and on guard against each other.

Ye Qing's appearance immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the plaza.

Several gazes shot over in unison, filled with scrutiny, vigilance, and inquiry.

When he controlled his aura to the Early Stage of the Golden Core Stage and slowly walked out of the mist, the vigilance in those gazes lessened slightly, but they remained scrutinizing.

On the Tianxing Sect side, a White-haired Elder with an aura at the Middle Stage of the Golden Core Stage put down the star compass in his hand, his eyes sweeping sharply over Ye Qing: "Who are you, Your Excellency? This place is a joint exploration area for the Tianxing Sect and Liuyun City; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach."

His tone carried unquestionable majesty, clearly mistaking Ye Qing for a Loose Cultivator looking to fish in troubled waters.

On the Liuyun City side, the leading Sword Cultivator at the Early Stage of the Golden Core Stage also pressed his hand onto his sword hilt, looking coldly at Ye Qing, waiting for his answer.

Ye Qing's expression remained unchanged. His gaze calmly swept across the plaza and finally landed on the huge starlight archway, and he said indifferently: "This seat is passing through this place and saw that this gate has an affinity with me, so I came to take a look."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the plaza instantly froze.

The White-haired Elder of the Tianxing Sect frowned, a trace of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

The Liuyun City Sword Cultivator curled his lips into a sneer, thinking that this Loose Cultivator really did not know the immensity of heaven and earth.

"Affinity?" The White-haired Elder's voice turned cold. "This is the ruins of an ancient teleportation array, which is of great importance. How can you just peek at it with a simple 'affinity'? Leave quickly, or don't blame this old man for being impolite!"

As his voice fell, several Tianxing Sect Disciples beside him faintly spread out, forming a semi-encirclement, the light of the Magical Artifacts in their hands flickering, clearly ready to attack at the slightest disagreement.

Ye Qing, however, seemed not to have heard the elder's warning. His gaze remained on the starlight archway, and he slowly lifted his feet, walking toward the center of the plaza.

"Presumptuous!"

A fierce look flashed in the White-haired Elder's eyes, and the star compass in his hand shone brightly. A condensed silver starlight, like a ribbon, struck down fiercely at the ground in front of Ye Qing, leaving a deep scorched mark on the ground, blocking his path.

"Take one more step forward, and don't blame this old man for being ruthless!"

Ye Qing's steps paused slightly, and he finally turned his gaze toward the White-haired Elder, his eyes calm but carrying a trace of indifference as if looking down from above.

"Why should I explain my actions to you?"

Before his voice had even faded, he slowly raised his right hand and waved it gently toward the White-haired Elder.

The movement was gentle, as if brushing dust off his sleeves.

However, with this action, an invisible and intangible, yet terrifying force that seemed capable of tearing apart the Void Realm, instantly descended!

The White-haired Elder only felt the surrounding space suddenly freeze, and an indescribable great power squeezed in from all directions. The operation of his Golden Core Stage mana instantly became stagnant, and even lifting a finger became incredibly difficult!

The color instantly drained from his face, and his eyes were filled with horror and disbelief!

"Nascent... Nascent Soul?!"

A dry, trembling voice came from his throat.

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place fell into a deathly silence!

The sneer on the Liuyun City Sword Cultivator's face instantly froze and turned into shock. The hand pressing on the sword hilt involuntarily let go.

All the Tianxing Sect and Liuyun City Cultivators, as well as the Yao Race spies lurking in the shadows, were all dumbfounded, looking at Ye Qing as if they had seen a ghost!

A Nascent Soul Cultivator?!

That was an existence standing at the pinnacle of this world! How could one suddenly appear here? And disguised as an Early Stage Golden Core Cultivator?!

Cold sweat poured down the White-haired Elder, and he quickly bowed and saluted, his voice trembling: "Junior... Junior had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended Senior. I hope Senior will forgive me!"

The Tianxing Sect Disciples behind him also quickly followed suit and saluted, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The Liuyun City Sword Cultivator also quickly led his subordinate Cultivators to bow and salute, his expression extremely respectful.

Ye Qing withdrew his hand, and that terrifying pressure instantly dissipated, as if it had never appeared.

He didn't even look at those terrified Cultivators, his gaze falling once again on the huge starlight archway, and he said indifferently: "I want this gate. Do any of you have any objections?"

The plaza was silent.

No one dared to answer.