Chapter 39: The Suspended Land, the Isolated Qilin

Determined, Miss Vilyric immediately turned and left while the rock spirit was still busy regenerating.

After traversing the last stretch of the nearly within-reach road, she arrived at the deepest part of the passage that didn’t exist in the replicated space.

The sight that greeted her was one of wonder and faint astonishment.

“This must be the true source of the underground water in the Tidal Deep Valley; it’s truly amazing…”

Unbelievably, the end of the passage where she stood opened up to a vast underground inner sea, an area more than a thousand times greater than the lake where the demon-suppressing seal point was previously located, almost boundless!

A sea beneath the land? It sounds unbelievable to anyone.

But such a reality was now vividly presented before the Priestess, and the area of this inner sea probably surpassed even the entire Yangyuan County.

In other words, beneath the land near Yangyuan County… there was a hollow space.

But such a spectacle could not have formed naturally.

Standing on the stone platform at the edge of the inner sea, listening to the soft lapping waves against the shore, Vilyric tilted her head upward.

The brilliant silver patterns that covered every corner of the stone walls of this spatial dome made the truth all too clear.

“What a grand endeavor.”

It seemed that someone had forcefully hollowed out the underground and excavated dark rivers, connecting this space to the distant Western Sea, drawing seawater into this place, and then upheld the entire underground inner sea space using something akin to a barrier, ultimately creating this peculiar landscape.

If that were the case, the one who accomplished this feat must have extraordinary means—no ordinary group of mortals could achieve this with mere effort.

And the previous earthquake that resembled a dragon turning in the earth’s belly…

Undoubtedly, it was due to the disturbance of the barrier here.

Vilyric’s attention was quickly drawn to a pitch-black mark, several hundred feet wide, located somewhere on the silver barrier that upheld the underground space and even the entire Yangyuan County.

That wasn’t a charred mark from some powerful attack but rather formed from a more tainted energy, like the extreme concentration of an evil aura, akin to a malignant growth that covered the surface of the barrier and continued to erode inward, gradually spreading with time.

Clearly, it was this kind of energy that was eroding the massive barrier sustaining Yangyuan County, causing it to weaken, making it unable to bear the weight of all things above the ground, ultimately leading to the earlier earthquake.

Based on the speed at which this filth is spreading and its current scale, it was evident this was no quick formation, yet as the saying goes, a thousand-mile dam collapses with just an ant hole; if this situation continues to develop…

The final result would likely be that the entire Yangyuan County, or even a larger area of land, would completely collapse downward, similar to a building’s foundation failing, sinking entirely into this vast underground sea.

At that time, at least over ninety percent of the living beings on this land would be obliterated together with their abode.

Naturally, this result was something many people could not accept, so there were already “heroes” stepping forward, trying to prevent such a terrifying disaster from occurring.

Snow-white wings spread from the back of the black-haired girl, lifting her into the air.

Oh, don’t get it wrong; Miss Vilyric is not that “hero,” at least not yet.

The underground inner sea was not entirely devoid of life; in approximately the central position, there existed a tiny isolated island of just a few kilometers in circumference, and the dark marks eroding the barrier happened to be right above this island.

Floating over the isolated island, Vilyric used her dispersed spiritual points to probe the nature of the dark energy and the current state of the entire barrier while conveniently observing what lay below.

Hmm… this feeling is somewhat similar to the elusive destruction aura in those overlapping spaces, but more concentrated and chaotic. While the energy is larger, it seems far less threatening to the Priestess, more like some form of derivative substance.

At the very least, this vast darkness did not invoke any mild sense of danger in her heart.

As for that barrier, despite having shaken violently before, it definitely wouldn’t collapse in a short while, so there was no hurry to deal with it.

Vilyric’s attention turned once more to the isolated island below.

Hmm, it seemed there were three factions altogether.

The largest faction was led by Murong Yun, comprised of those noble exploration team members, while another group of about ten people and ten demons seemed to be partially restraining Murong Yun and his crew, with the majority of their main forces ruthlessly bombarding the central barrier of the isolated island.

While these two groups were within Vilyric’s expectations, the remaining third faction was indeed quite eye-catching.

That was a majestic beast lying flat on the ground, its head drooping, yet measuring three meters in height and several zhang in length.

This was perhaps one of the most beautiful creatures Vilyric had seen since her traversal.

Its head was nearly lion-like, sporting antlers reminiscent of a deer, covered in smooth, splendid crimson scales, equipped with hooves, and that long, thin tail, though its eyes were only half-closed, appearing lethargic. Yet, the combination of dignity and splendor made its noble aura unforgettable at first glance.

“Is this the holy beast, Qilin, representing good omens…?”

Although she was secretly amazed by its colorful appearance, Vilyric immediately recognized.

The condition of this Qilin was not very good, or rather, it was quite poor.

The barrier protecting it was evidently emitted by the Qilin itself, but its glow was very dim, flickering visibly from time to time, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Additionally, it was incredibly strong.

Not ordinary strong but overwhelmingly powerful, surpassing every human and demon around it; this was evident as it endured all enemy attacks standing firm despite its weakened state.

If in prime condition, this Qilin could easily flatten all those minor fish around it.

In fact, it deployed its barrier not solely to protect itself; within that barrier, there were, astonishingly, two other figures.

Interestingly, Vilyric had seen them before.

None other than Yuan Hong and the somewhat pampered, arrogant girl named Yuan Zhi, whom he was tasked with protecting.

Beside the prone Qilin, there lay a stone coffin evidently customized for humans, slightly smaller than the previous, tightly sealed with an ornate lid, covered in mysterious talismans, the occupant inside remains unknown.

However, on the opposite side of that coffin, Yuan Zhi was lying back with her eyes closed on another stone platform, similarly adorned with talismans. The spirits from both places were shining in harmony, a faint glow continuously rising from the coffin, converging in lines toward her body.

Clearly, this was a special ceremony, approved by both parties; otherwise, Yuan Hong would not simply be standing beside, looking solemnly protective, aligned with the Qilin against the outside.

“Hmm, while it’s lively and interesting, it feels like it doesn’t involve me at all?”

Although the Suspected Demon-Suppressing Sect’s people and the demons they controlled were launching fierce attacks, making the protective barrier seem precarious, in reality, most of the barrier swaying was simply due to the Qilin’s unstable condition, along with the energy being consumed by hosting the ceremony—thus fluctuating in output.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was too large; even if these people hammered away all day long, it would probably be difficult to break through the barrier, and their role seemed limited to merely distracting the Qilin’s attention.

Wait, where did Ling Feng and her little companion go? Did they accidentally fall into those overlapping spaces too?

But then—

As if to confirm the Priestess’s mounting doubts, a massive whirlpool with a diameter exceeding several hundred meters suddenly erupted on the previously calm sea surface!

A jet of black, shocking rainbow light burst out of the whirlpool, instantly piercing through the protective barrier that the Demon-Suppressing Sect’s people couldn’t handle, rushing straight toward Yuan Zhi on the altar!

   

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