"Damn it!"

"Everyone, be careful—don’t act alone. These immortal remnants can attack on their own!"

Shi Feng, Can Sutian, and the other powerhouses roared in unison.

At the same time, the team drew together.

One after another, several people fell, filling everyone with dread!

Their bodies and souls obliterated, not even ashes remaining—truly too terrifying!

Xu Yang followed the team, quickly swallowing down immortal energy.

Refining it into vital essence—one strand of immortal energy was nearly equal to one percent of immortal marrow!

"What a treasure!"

Xu Yang’s spirits soared; he circulated his cultivation technique, greedily drawing in the vital essence within the cauldron.

In his dantian, the inky immortal light, like a grain of rice, trembled violently and faintly swelled.

The team pressed on, but far more cautiously than before.

The assembled powerhouses led the way, never ceasing to slay the immortal remnants.

Immortal energy itself was fortune earned.

But this time, each strike came from the joint efforts of several individuals.

Even when encountering a formidable immortal remnant, concentrated attacks swiftly felled them.

"Hm?"

Xu Yang suddenly lifted his gaze to the heavens.

As they advanced, the immortal remnants around them were destroyed.

He vaguely sensed the world’s aura growing chaotic, permeated by a sense of annihilation.

A thought struck Xu Yang—he recalled Yun Zheng’s words before leaving.

When the manifesting ends, a world-annihilating storm would erupt.

"That warning seems all too real!"

"This entire ancient land, once devastated by war, yet still stable today—there must be some treasure or lingering power at work. Now that equilibrium’s broken, the eruption is nigh!"

"We must find a safe place before disaster strikes!"

To glimpse the Immortal Gate and seize celestial fortune—yet truly setting foot on the immortal path was nigh impossible.

After all, this was not a true immortal inheritance.

Indeed, even if one reached the end of this ancient land, ascended the immortal road—could they truly enter the immortal realms?

But such concerns were for later; now was far too soon to dwell on this!

Xu Yang glanced up ahead at Can Sutian and the others.

He could sense the change—Can Sutian, Shi Feng, and the others surely noticed as well.

How to respond was not his burden to bear.

As leaders of great factions, there was no doubting the wisdom of Shi Feng, Zuo Shenzong, Can Sutian, and their peers!

The journey continued—and with preparations in place, none fell along the way.

Xu Yang too struck now and then, harvesting immortal energy!

Within his dantian, the inky immortal light had swelled from a grain to the size of a longan fruit.

Forging the immortal foundation demanded the immortal light swell to fill the dantian’s void, radiating without limit, crystal clear in its perfection!

Yet it was still far from enough!

The others went without saying.

Meanwhile, up ahead—

The Four Great Powers’ teams, led by those of the Five Elements Celestial Realm, swept forth like an unstoppable tide.

With three avatar-forms of the Celestial (Heaven) and the presence of Gou Mu among them, their might was unmatched.

Their knowledge was deeper, power greater.

Hardly anyone among them had perished.

Suddenly, Gou Mu halted, turned back, and looked: "I’ve sensed them."

"Such speed," Divine Monarch Nantian exclaimed in awe.

"Once they saw that soul and form perished in this place, they’d take warning. The battle clans have numbers on their side; once cautious, these immortal remnants can’t threaten them."

"But leaving none dead—this is hardly ideal," Yun Zheng squinted, eyes flashing coldly.

Gou Mu grinned, a chilling laugh escaping him: "They’re about to near the place this immortal arranged. Even if they’re wary, it’s useless! Prepared or not, once the trigger’s sprung, the manifested immortal remnants will go berserk, plunging everything into chaos and unleashing a tempest beyond imagining!"

"In this struggle, carnage is certain—essence and spirit to be sacrificed for the ancient immortal artifact!"

The three Celestial avatars exchanged glances and grinned in delight.

"Best if only a dozen of them survive when it’s done!"

"If they’re wiped out to the last, so much the better."

"Hahaha!"

Xiao Ming, hearing their laughter, looked back with a deep, intent gaze.

"Xu Yang, you damn well better not die—I want to crush you with my own hand!"

...

"Immortal artifact fragments?"

"What was this place, once? It looks like a shattered vast palace—so many immortal artifact fragments scattered about."

"A pity that all these immortal artifacts have rotted away—no power remains in them!"

...

The crowd gazed at the area ahead, a desolate ruin; faintly, vast pillars that once held up the palace could be discerned, but all were mottled, decayed, devoid of immortal light, steeped in bleakness.

At the edges, countless rotted immortal artifact fragments scattered everywhere.

Swords, spears, staffs, clay bottles, jade seals—all present.

The sheer number made one’s tongue curl in astonishment.

One could only imagine how extraordinary this place must have been in ages past.

"Be careful. Do not touch anything."

Shi Feng’s warning rang out from ahead.

Everyone focused with full vigilance.

"Careful!"

"Do not touch these immortal artifacts!"

Xu Yang’s soul quivered suddenly, sensing the Heaven Locking intent within him grow restless. In alarm, he shouted sharply.

"Xu Yang, what did you sense?" Xue Ming hurriedly asked.

In front, Can Sutian—about to inspect the fragments—halted at once upon hearing this.

The team rapidly contracted, steering clear of the immortal artifact shards.

Gazes turned together toward Xu Yang.

Xu Yang took a deep breath and spoke: "The spirit intent I cultivate seals all—just now, I sensed something amiss."

"These immortal artifacts are mottled and decayed, devoid of any residue—unless some hidden scheme lies within!"

Otherwise, with not a ripple of energy remaining, why would the Heaven Locking intent be roused?

Faces blanched in unison.

"A hidden scheme? How can that be?"

"These artifact fragments appear utterly decayed—it’s impossible they could..."

"Wait, could it be—something Yun Zheng and his group did?"

Zuo Shenzong’s sudden question startled everyone into awareness.

Yun Zheng!

Gou Mu!

Shi Feng, Can Sutian, and Zuo Shenzong exchanged glances; at once, Can Sutian barked, "Leave this area—touch nothing!"

The group’s hearts chilled, all following orders, carefully steering clear.

Xu Yang kept a close watch on the immortal artifact shards, inwardly tense.

Just as all were about to skirt the region, abruptly, a strange wind seemed to blow!

Whoosh!

The broken, rubble-strewn ground suddenly shuddered—a host of immortal fraction fragments began to glow with eerie, radiant immortal light.

Immortal radiance amid ruin—a scene jarringly out of place!

Shhh! Shhh!

Swish!

The fragments soared up, immortal light surging like a tidal wave, connecting the four directions.

In the distance, the immortal remnants—manifested in every guise—were caught up as if drawn, unleashing a sky-covering storm rushing toward them.

The void twisted; broken ruins crumbled further—killing intent flared!

"Damn it!"

"Someone has definitely worked a trick here!"

"Group together!"

"That Gou Mu—using residual intent through a Spirit Realm Martial Artist, and he can pull this off?"

...

The crowd was overwhelmed with terror, hastily clustering together.

The disturbance among the artifact fragments and the encroaching storm collided at breakneck speed.

There was no way to flee the region in time before those fragments eerily merged with the immortal remnants, one after another.

In an instant—

Boom!

The thunderous detonation roared across heaven and earth!

The remnants merged with immortal artifact fragments instantly became more solid, radiating terrifying immortal might.

"Kill!"

Shadows of immortals roared—among them ancient immortals and demonic immortals!

They fought each other, making the storm even more violent.

Worse still, several struck directly at the crowd.

Xu Yang’s face turned ashen.

The immortal might exuded by these shadows now surpassed even the strongest—Can Sutian!

The rest, too, had all grown stronger!

If this were all, they might still hold out.

But the storm closing from all sides pressed with suffocating force and devastation.

"Damn it!"

Shi Feng’s expression was steel, his rage at its peak.

Anyone could guess with a single thought—this was no ordinary event!

To understand the immortal path, and carry out this scheme—only Gou Mu could do so!

But now was not the time to hate Yun Zheng and Gou Mu and the rest!

"Everyone, regroup!"

"The strong on the outside, the weak within—provide immortal energy and essence!"

"Resist with your full might! Otherwise, not only will the immortal path be severed, but we all will die here!"

...