"Tianji Shangren, what insights do you have?"
Liu Buqun leaned in closer. Compared to Xu Hei, he preferred to be near this person.
"The Yin Sha Qi is so intense here; many must have died in this place," Tianji Shangren muttered to himself.
After observing for a moment, Tianji Shangren took out two sheets of paper and folded them into a paper man and a paper crane.
The paper man and the paper crane, one burrowed underground, the other flew into the sky, both moving forward.
After advancing about a thousand meters, a sudden sandstorm erupted in the sky, instantly tearing the paper crane to shreds, and the sandstorm vanished with it.
"It seems we can't fly above; we'll have to use earth escape..."
Suddenly, a quicksand vortex appeared underground, unleashing a terrifying suction that pulled the paper man deep below, shattering it as well.
Tianji Shangren fell into deep thought.
Xu Hei's pupils contracted. He had vaguely sensed danger ahead and knew he shouldn't proceed further, and now it was confirmed.
The suction that erupted just now—if he encountered it, he definitely wouldn't escape.
"The Five Elements Path, none of them are safe. Since others have passed through the other three paths, there must be a way through this one too. Better let others try first," Xu Hei thought to himself.
He didn't make a move, letting others explore first was the safest option, avoiding situations like the Illusionary Forest, where relying on teammates was crucial, and he had suffered greatly before.
Then, Tianji Shangren took out several more paper men, advancing them from different directions and in various postures, but without exception, they were all attacked.
Either by sandstorms, quicksand burial, emerging stone pillars, or flying stone blades.
All sorts of dangers emerged one after another.
Xu Hei vaguely sensed something unusual.
These attacks were clearly the most basic earth-type spells!
The other two also noticed this but remained silent, merely observing quietly, their eyes flickering with speculation.
"There are no spells without a source. If there are spells, there must be a caster, either a person or a formation."
Tianji Shangren, well-versed in formations, immediately saw through the mystery.
With a serious expression, he took out a brush, waved it in the air, and scattered ink droplets, forming a massive formation base that encompassed the area ahead.
"This formation is called the Spirit Ban Formation. Within its area, no spells can take effect, whether by humans or formations!"
Tianji Shangren, full of confidence, set up the formation and stepped forward.
Liu Buqun hesitated slightly, intending to follow, but seeing Xu Hei unmoved, he decided to stay put as well.
As Tianji Shangren walked further away, Xu Hei remained indifferent. Liu Buqun grew anxious and transmitted a message: "Fellow Daoist, Tianji Shangren has gone far. If we don't follow, any treasures ahead might be lost to us."
Xu Hei still didn't move, sitting cross-legged and observing quietly.
There was no other reason; he needed to restore his True Qi. Without ensuring his peak condition, Xu Hei wouldn't take a single step forward.
Otherwise, if there was any danger, how would Xu Hei cope?
Even if there were opportunities ahead, they would have to be left for Tianji Shangren. There was no other way; being cautious first was a matter of principle.
"Rest assured, fellow Daoists, with the Spirit Ban Formation in place, the crisis is resolved. No need to worry."
Tianji Shangren's voice came from afar.
Liu Buqun glanced at Xu Hei again, frowning. He had seen the Spirit Ban Formation before and knew it effectively prohibited spells, just as he remembered.
He tried casting some minor spells, and indeed, they couldn't manifest, which reassured him. Without further hesitation, he moved forward.
Three meters, six meters, nine meters... thirty meters...
The sand on the ground rose into the air with lightning speed, engulfing Tianji Shangren. Liu Buqun's hair stood on end, and he burned a talisman in his hand, returning to the starting point as if by teleportation.
As for Tianji Shangren, he vanished without a trace, not even a bone fragment left.
Liu Buqun was drenched in sweat from the pain. The sand came and went quickly, disappearing the moment it touched his arm, leaving Tianji Shangren with no remains.
This terrified him; the danger here was more frightening than the other three paths!
At least the other three paths had been explored, and their dangers were clear. This one was completely unknown.
Xu Hei remained motionless, but a gleam flashed in his eyes as he vaguely discerned some clues.
"Strange, why did spells appear despite the Spirit Ban Formation? And why didn't they appear when Tianji Shangren first entered, but did immediately when I entered? Why is that?"
Liu Buqun found it hard to believe and looked at Xu Hei, hoping to see his perspective.
"Tianji Shangren, what do you think?"
Xu Hei didn't answer but turned his gaze to an empty spot nearby.
There, a shadow gradually solidified into a figure in a robe—it was Tianji Shangren.
Earlier, he had left a paper man in place, and at the moment of death, he used it as a substitute, altering causality to escape the calamity.
However, his face was slightly pale, indicating that the cost of this causality technique was not small.
"This place is tricky. My Spirit Ban Formation is genuine, and I had no intention of deceiving you two, but it indeed couldn't stop those bizarre spells," Tianji Shangren said solemnly.
As he spoke, he took out a blood-red pill and tossed it to Liu Buqun.
"The Blood Spirit Pill."
Liu Buqun's eyes flashed. This pill could regenerate flesh and bones, allowing a severed limb to regrow quickly, making it a holy healing pill.
But he didn't take it, instead storing it away and consuming a lesser Bone Regeneration Pill.
This pill could also regrow limbs, albeit more slowly.
The main reason was his deep suspicion, unable to fully trust others' pills.
"I've expended a lot of energy, so I'll meditate for a while. Let's discuss this in an hour," Tianji Shangren said, sitting down to perform breathing exercises.
Liu Buqun quickly sat down to heal as well.
Xu Hei stared at the black sand, lost in thought.
He could tell that the Spirit Ban Formation indeed prohibited spells, preventing even Spiritual Qi from flowing, and Tianji Shangren hadn't lied.
So how did these deadly earth-type spells appear?
Or perhaps, they weren't spells at all?
Sandstorm Technique, Earth Spike, Flying Stone Technique, Quicksand Technique... all familiar to Xu Hei, yet not spells. What were they then?
After a long time, Xu Hei's eyes suddenly lit up. He stood up and walked to the edge of the sand.
He grabbed a handful of black sand, observing it closely as it slipped through his fingers.
The two others watched Xu Hei, puzzled.
Xu Hei remained silent for a long time, as if realizing something, his eyes flickering as he walked into the black desert.
Tianji Shangren squinted his eyes and asked, "Butcher Daoist, have you discovered something?"
Xu Hei didn't respond, stepping onto the black sand and walking forward.
He quickened his pace, continuing onward, and the earth-type spells never appeared.
Tianji Shangren's eyes flickered.
Liu Buqun stared intently, curious about how the Butcher would handle a place even Tianji Shangren couldn't cross.