172: Chapter 172 Ruins in the Ruins

The spherical space was in shambles, the ground covered in cracks, and the Chaos barrier was teetering on the brink of collapse.

"Cough, cough." Ling Hao coughed, forcibly suppressing the churning Qi and blood within his body. Having repeatedly deployed the Space-Time Rules and the Spear of Fate Reversal, even with his Late Stage Void Refining cultivation, he felt the strain.

"Fellow Daoist Ling!" Manager Nangong He quickly stepped forward, handing over a golden Medicinal Pill. "This is a 'Wanbao Heaven-Returning Pill,' take it quickly!"

Ling Hao did not refuse; he swallowed the Medicinal Pill. As the medicinal potency dissolved, his pale complexion quickly recovered.

"Many thanks." He looked at Nangong Xuan. "The Time Retrospection technique you used just now was timed perfectly."

Nangong Xuan gasped slightly. "I could only manage it with difficulty; I still cannot truly reverse time. I could only make the attack retreat for one breath."

"One breath is enough to change the course of the battle." Ling Hao nodded in approval.

Ling Hao vigilantly scanned his surroundings, guarding against another attack from the Heavenly Dao Palace, while simultaneously observing the space. It was too "orderly" to have formed naturally. He crouched down, his fingers lightly touching the ground as his Primordial Chaos Force seeped in.

"There are signs of artificial construction." He frowned slightly. "This place was remodeled, and a very long time ago."

"The Huangtian Divine Dynasty?" Nangong Xuan walked over, the Seal of Chronology between her brows glowing faintly. "I sense a similar aura."

Ling Hao nodded, his gaze falling on an inconspicuous protrusion in the center of the space. The protrusion resembled an altar, its surface carved with long-faded patterns.

He walked forward and pressed his palm onto the center of the protrusion.

The moment his Primordial Chaos Force was injected, the altar's patterns suddenly lit up! It was not ordinary light, but nine-colored radiance and an aura of the same origin as the heart of origin!

"What is this?" Manager Nangong He's pupils constricted. "A Space-Time Anchor Point! A special structure used by the Huangtian Divine Dynasty to stabilize space and time!"

The patterns on the altar spread rapidly, weaving into an incomplete star map in the air. In the center of the star map, one coordinate was particularly eye-catching.

"Burial Immortal Ruins, Seventh Layer, Xingtian Hall." Ling Hao read the coordinate information, a flash of brilliance in his eyes.

"The Seventh Layer?" Manager Nangong He gasped. "How many layers does the Burial Immortal Ruins have in total?"

"According to the Tianxuan Sect Jade Slip, there are nine layers in total." Ling Hao stared at the star map, his brows slightly furrowed. "The degree of spatial turbulence increases with every layer we descend into. The Seventh Layer is already the limit for a Void Refining Cultivator."

Everyone's expressions turned grave.

Where they were at this moment was merely the outermost edge of the Burial Immortal Ruins, not even counting as the first layer, yet they had already paid the price of two people being injured. If they were to venture deep into the Seventh Layer, it was simply unimaginable.

"Fellow Daoist Ling, is there a detailed route?" Manager Nangong He asked.

Ling Hao did not answer immediately; instead, he immersed his Divine Sense into the altar's star map. The information in the star map was incomplete, but the core coordinates were still clear. Combined with the records in the Tianxuan Sect Jade Slip, he silently deduced for a moment before finally speaking.

"From our current position to the entrance of the first layer is about three hundred li. Along the way, we must traverse three spatial turbulence zones and two Void Realm rift areas. To get from the first layer to the second, we must find a 'Space-Time Node' to teleport. The node location is here."

He pointed to the star map, and a blurred coordinate appeared.

"The same applies to the second layer to the third; nodes are required. And so on, until the seventh layer."

"The node location for every layer is different?" Manager Nangong He frowned.

"They are different, but there is a pattern." Ling Hao's fingertip traced a winding curve across the star map. "These nodes are actually the 'Space-Time Chains' laid down by the Huangtian Divine Dynasty, connecting all nine layers of space together. As long as we can find the first node, the subsequent ones can be found one by one by following the path of the 'Chain'."

He paused and looked at the group. "But there is a problem. This Space-Time Chain naturally rotates once every fifty years, and the node locations change accordingly. There are only three months left until the next rotation."

"That means we must reach the Seventh Layer within three months?" Manager Nangong He's expression changed.

"Not just that." Ling Hao shook his head. "Within three months, we must not only reach the Seventh Layer but also find the source of time, complete our exploration, and return. Otherwise, when the nodes rotate, all coordinates will become invalid, and we will be trapped deep within the Burial Immortal Ruins for fifty years."

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere inside the cabin became even heavier.

The three Wanbao Pavilion consultants looked at each other. The white-haired elder among them said in a deep voice, "Patriarch Ling, is traversing seven layers in three months too risky? In my humble opinion, wouldn't it be better to first explore the first and second layers, figure out the patterns, and then enter again after fifty years?"

"Fifty years is too long." Ling Hao interrupted him. "The Ling Family cannot wait fifty years, and the Master of Wanbao Pavilion cannot wait fifty years either."

He looked at Nangong Xuan. Nangong Xuan was silent for a moment before saying softly, "My father's Heavenly Dao Chain can hold on for at most one more year. If we do not obtain the source of time within a year..."

She did not continue, but everyone understood.

This was not a multiple-choice question, but a mandatory one.

"Since that is the case, let us go." Manager Nangong He put away the ten thousand treasure sky-net umbrella, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. "Since Wanbao Pavilion has come, we did not intend to return empty-handed. Fellow Daoist Ling, lead the way!"

Ling Hao nodded and was the first to dash out of the vortex eye.

Seventeen figures plunged into the spatial turbulence once again.

---

The first leg of the journey was even more perilous than anticipated.

Barely ten li away from the vortex eye, the group encountered the first spatial turbulence zone. The turbulence here was completely different from the periphery; it was no longer chaotic and violent, but instead exhibited a strange "pattern." Countless fragments of space and time rotated and collided at a fixed frequency, forming a massive vortex.

"This was not naturally formed." Ling Hao halted, his gaze sharp. "It is the remnants of a Formation."

"A Formation?" Manager Nangong He was stunned. "Who could set up a Formation in a place like this?"

"The Huangtian Divine Dynasty." Ling Hao pointed toward the depths of the vortex, where a few broken stone pillars were vaguely visible. "These stone pillars were originally the foundation of the Formation, used to stabilize space and time. But eroded by the passage of time, the Formation has long since failed, and instead, it has become the source of the turbulence."

He observed for a moment and found a relatively safe path.

"Follow me, and do not make a single wrong step."

The sixteen people walked as if on thin ice, traversing along the edge of the turbulent vortex. Ling Hao walked at the very front, every step landing in the gaps between the spatial fluctuations. Shadow Seven and the other two followed closely behind, using the Chaos Stealth Technique to perceive the surrounding spatial changes and provide warnings at any moment.

Nangong Xuan walked in the center of the group, the Seal of Chronology between her brows glowing faintly. She could clearly perceive the Chaos in the flow of time around them; in some areas, time was as fast as a flying arrow, while in others, it was as slow as a snail. If not for Ling Hao leading the way, she would not have been able to walk even ten steps.

Half an hour later, the group finally passed through the turbulence zone, and a relatively stable Void Realm appeared ahead.

"The entrance to the first layer is right ahead." Ling Hao pointed into the distance, where a faint golden light gate was vaguely visible.

However, just as the group prepared to accelerate, a sudden change occurred.