186: Chapter 187 The Ancient Will

The Elders of the Imperial Dynasty and the experts from various Sects could no longer care about their dignity; they successively unleashed their trump cards for life-saving—

Some threw out Legacy Spirit Treasures, their bodies protected by brilliant light as they retreated rapidly like lightning; others grabbed their Disciples and turned into streams of light, fleeing toward the horizon; even more, several Elders proficient in Formations joined forces to cast chains of spiritual power, attempting to lock down the constantly tearing space rift—

But the moment the chains touched the edge of the rift, they were shredded into a sky full of fragmented light by the violent turbulence, dissipating without a trace like fireflies.

Futile.

In the center of the giant pit, the twisting space vortex finally condensed into a bottomless black hole, rotating slowly like a living creature, emitting a heart-palpitating devouring force—

Rubble, dust, scattered spiritual power, and even light were all ruthlessly devoured by it, as if it were an ancient giant mouth opening silently, patiently waiting for more sacrifices.

"Honored... Honored Master... W-what should we do?"

Qian Fugui shrank behind Chu Changsheng, his voice trembling uncontrollably, his rotund body almost embedded into the wall, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down like rain.

Chu Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves flapping in the chaotic air currents. A trace of gravity finally crossed his eyes, which were usually as calm as an ancient well.

His brows furrowed slightly as he asked in his heart in a deep voice:

"System, what exactly happened?"

"Ding—The ancient existence sealed within the Eternal Graveyard has awakened."

The System's voice remained steady, yet it sounded like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens exploding in Chu Changsheng's Sea of Consciousness. "The energy level of its dissipation far exceeds the bearing limit of this world. It not only completely destroyed the teleportation Formation base but also distorted the regional space Law, forcibly stripping the Eternal Graveyard from the main world and turning it into an independent Secret Realm."

"An independent Small World?"

Chu Changsheng's pupils contracted suddenly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his cuffs, his heart surging with undercurrents.

To forcibly sever a piece of heaven and earth from the main world and form its own realm—such great power was beyond the reach of ordinary mighty figures; perhaps only the legendary Soul Transformation Old Ancestor could touch upon it!

Just at this moment—

The black hole in the center of the Martial Arts Arena that was constantly rotating and devouring stopped expanding suddenly.

Under the fearful gazes of the crowd, the black vortex slowly shrank like a receding tide, and finally disappeared completely like an illusion, leaving only the bottomless giant pit and the spiderweb-like space ripples in the air that had yet to calm down.

Chu Changsheng could no longer maintain his calm; he took a step forward, his voice revealing a trace of imperceptible urgency:

"System, can you teleport those trapped in the Small World out?"

"Ding—The Eternal Graveyard has formed a completely closed, independent Small World, and the space barrier is extremely stable." The System's response was cold and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. "Unless someone can break the barrier from the inside, no one from the outside can teleport them out."

"What?!"

Even with Chu Changsheng's Heart-Nature and cultivation, his mind could not help but be severely shaken at this moment!

The System's answer was like a ten-thousand-ton hammer, smashing heavily onto his heart.

"Break from the inside"—these four words meant that if no one could break that world barrier, all those trapped would be forever lost in the absolute forbidden zone, with no hope of seeing the light of day again!

The Eternal Graveyard was originally a place where thousand-year-old evil spirits gathered. Now that it had turned into a completely closed Small World, the dangers within would be more than doubled. It was feared that even a Nascent Soul Cultivator stepping inside would have to tread carefully, facing a life-or-death situation.

Chu Changsheng's gaze suddenly became as sharp as a drawn cold blade, locking tightly onto the place where the space black hole had vanished.

The shattered Formation base lay scattered like the remains of ancient gods, the Formation patterns on the black jade fragments had long since dimmed, and the space ripples in the depression on the ground had not yet completely calmed, but there was no trace left of the path to the Eternal Graveyard.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian, Li Chengsi, and those Cultivators trapped inside—

They had all completely disappeared from this world along with the dissipation of that black hole!

"Honored Master?!"

Qian Fugui's voice was shaking uncontrollably, the color drained from his face, leaving it as pale as paper.

Having followed Chu Changsheng for a long time, he knew better than anyone how much the Honored Master valued those three Disciples.

Now that even Chu Changsheng showed such gravity, it was clear how dangerous the situation had become—those were the Legacy seeds the Honored Master had high hopes for, including Xuanyuan Zhanxian!

Almost at the same instant the space black hole completely vanished, Emperor Wu Tianba also sensed that the space connection had been completely severed.

He stepped forward fiercely, his black iron combat boots hitting the ground with a boom, causing the hard stone bricks to shatter and rubble to spray everywhere!

His tyrannical Divine Thought swept across the entire Martial Arts Arena like a monstrous wave, from the shattered Formation base to the pervasive dust, not missing any subtle fluctuation of spiritual power.

However, no matter how he searched, he could no longer sense even a trace of the Eternal Graveyard's aura.

Emperor Wu Tianba's face turned livid instantly, and a flash of rare paleness even crossed the depths of his eyes.

"It disappeared... The space coordinates... have completely disappeared!"

An Elder of the Imperial Dynasty responsible for monitoring space stumbled backward, the detection jade plate in his hand having already turned to powder. He shouted hoarsely, his voice filled with despair:

"A Small World has actually... completely hidden itself right before our eyes!"

"Search for it!"

Emperor Wu Tianba's voice was like an ice pick piercing the sky, carrying suppressed, extreme rage, echoing rumblingly over the Martial Arts Arena:

"Use all the power of the Imperial Dynasty, deduce the space trajectory, and capture any possible remaining ripples! Even if there is only a single clue, you must not let it go!"

With his command, the entire Imperial Dynasty began to operate crazily like a waking ancient Vicious Beast.

Dozens of Formation Masters acted simultaneously, embedding detection Magical Artifacts covered in runes deep into the ground, the pale golden Formation light weaving into a heaven-and-earth net that shrouded the entire Martial Arts Arena; several Elders proficient in deduction sat cross-legged, their finger Seals changing, the cracks on the tortoise shells in front of them flickering, attempting to reverse-deduce the whereabouts of the Eternal Graveyard.

On the high platform, the powerhouses of the various Sects were not to be outdone—

Some unleashed compass secret treasures, the needles spinning crazily but unable to lock onto the direction; some used secret techniques to stimulate their vital blood, their eyes blood-red, staring fixedly at the collapsed ruins; even more, several Grand Elders joined forces to cast spells, their vast spiritual power pouring in like a river, attempting to tear the Void Realm and find a gap—

However—

All efforts were in vain.

The Eternal Graveyard seemed to have never existed in this world, completely merging into the boundless Void Realm without leaving a trace.

The light of the detection Formations dimmed one by one, the cracks on the tortoise shells returned to silence, the needles of the compasses hung limply, leaving only heavy gravity and unwillingness spreading silently across the field.

Chu Changsheng stood still, his robes fluttering without wind. The aura around him became unconsciously as sharp as deep winter frost, and even tiny ice crystals condensed in the air.

Deep in his Divine Sense, the communication with the System had not stopped for a moment:

"System, what is the probability of locking onto the current coordinates of the Eternal Graveyard?"

"Ding—The target has left the main world coordinate System and completely merged into the disordered Void Realm turbulence. Forcibly locking onto it would require consuming 30% of the host's Origin energy, and the success rate is less than one in ten thousand. From a cost-effectiveness perspective, it is recommended to give up."

"Less than one in ten thousand..."

Starlight flickered in Chu Changsheng's eyes, and his fingertips slowly loosened, his cuffs already having deep wrinkles from being unconsciously clenched.

If even the System had such a slim chance, it showed that the concealment level of this Eternal Graveyard far exceeded the scope of ordinary Secret Realms.

He raised his eyes and swept over Emperor Wu Tianba and the others nearby, who were busy but had gained nothing, and he already understood in his heart—whether it was the Great Wu Dynasty or the Sects present, it was impossible for them to find the traces of the Eternal Graveyard again in the short term.

Just as Chu Changsheng's thoughts were churning and he was racking his brain for a countermeasure—

The space behind him suddenly rippled.

Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, a faint halo rippled out silently, spreading layer by layer from the inside out.

Patriarch Tian Yuanzi walked out slowly from the Void Realm—still wearing that washed-out Daoist robe, holding a whisk, his immortal appearance no different from usual.

But at this moment, his eyes, which were usually as gentle as an ancient well, were staring fixedly at the ruins in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, with unprecedented gravity in the depths of his eyes, and even... a trace of imperceptible trembling.

"Old Ancestor?"

Chu Changsheng turned to look at the person who arrived, his heart moved slightly. Patriarch Tian Yuanzi had always been detached from worldly affairs, and today he had appeared on his own initiative, clearly having sensed that extraordinary power.

Patriarch Tian Yuanzi did not respond.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the broken black jade and twisted meteorite iron, looking straight into the depths of the Void Realm, as if tracing the space trajectory that had long since dissipated.

He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread open, silvery-white spiritual light flowing at his fingertips—

The light contained the trajectories of the stars in the heavens, and every flicker was in harmony with the rhythm of heaven and earth, clearly using a supreme secret technique to deduce something.

A moment later, Patriarch Tian Yuanzi slowly withdrew his hand, and the spiritual light at his fingertips suddenly dissipated.

The gravity in his eyes deepened, even tinged with a hint of shock.

"Such overbearing power... such ancient will..."

His voice was hoarse, as if he had just experienced an invisible battle:

"Forcibly severing the main world and forming its own realm... This is definitely not the work of an ordinary ancient mighty figure."

He took a deep breath, his gaze looking at the void complex and indescribable, his tone heavy as an eternal cold abyss:

"This aura... is desolate, dead, and carries the unwillingness and resentment of all living things when they perished..."

He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were clear but even deeper:

"Sure enough—"

"They... have awakened after all..."