As Shen Lang frantically chased after Ling Feng, Murong Wu, Yan Jinghong, and others within the scripture depository pavilion finally began to awaken.
They had originally been battling Devils from Beyond within an illusionary realm, only to find the illusion collapsing, their consciousness thrown into a muddled state. Who knew how long it had been before they finally regained awareness.
As they opened their eyes, they noticed that the golden vortex was gone—any teachings, any treasure, already taken.
"Damn it, who! Who took it?"
Yan Jinghong leapt to his feet, quickly surveying the area to discover that Ling Feng's group, along with Feng Yan and Shen Lang, were already gone.
Murong Wu and Nangong Yu also regained full awareness around the same time, furious to find the valuable items gone without so much as seeing what they were.
"Outrageous, utterly outrageous!"
They weren't fools. It was obvious now that one of those treasures had likely been snatched by Ling Feng, Feng Yan, or Shen Lang.
Murong Wu bristled with killing intent, launching himself toward the exit of the scripture depository pavilion. Perhaps if he pursued them immediately, he'd still have a sliver of a chance.
But as Murong Wu emerged from the depository, he found the ancient barrier completely restored, forming an impenetrable protective screen.
Earlier, they couldn't get in—now they couldn't get out!
Murong Wu was so angry his eyes seemed to blaze with fury, hacking at the barrier in a frenzy. But his lone efforts made little progress; it would be impossible for him to break through on his own.
Meanwhile, the martial artists who had been frantically fighting over various secret arts in the other half of the pavilion heard the commotion and rushed out. They found the barrier now fully repaired, the massive crack vanished without a trace.
Only now did everyone realize the severity of their situation. With only ten days to remain within the Battlefield of the Gods and Demons, and most of those days already gone, if they couldn't break through the barrier, it meant they'd spend the rest of their time staring helplessly at each other in the depository.
"What are you all standing around for? Attack the barrier with me, or else, you die!"
Murong Wu, shaking with rage, glared menacingly at the martial artists below, ready to explode.
Yan Jinghong's thoughts flickered to Ling Feng. For some reason, his instincts told him that the valuable items within the depository had surely been taken by Ling Feng.
However, he quickly realise the priority was breaking through the ancient array's barrier.
What they hadn't realized was that the barrier, once restored, had become even stronger. The weak points Ling Feng had identified had shifted, meaning they'd have to locate new ones before shattering it.
By the time they finally managed to break through the barrier, ten days had passed, and they were automatically teleported out.
They will miss out on the other opportunities within the Battlefield of the Gods and Demons.
Not far from the depository, Feng Yan and his two companions had also woken up. The illusion they'd been under hadn't had much to do with their cultivation, so their awakening was about the same.
"Where are we?" Feng Yan took stock of the surroundings, confirming they were still within the ruins of the ancient Huangji Sect but had been removed from the depository.
"Ouch!" Fatty Huang rubbed his calf, utterly bewildered. "Weren't we just in the Golden Illusion Spirit Array? Are we in a second illusion now?"
"Use your head!" Yingying Lan rolled her eyes at him, glancing at Feng Yan and asking, "Young Master Feng, do you understand what's happening?"
Feng Yan slowly stood, thinking for a moment as he looked toward the direction of the scripture depository. From there, he could see the barrier around it fully restored, with bursts of light flashing as if others inside were attacking it.
"It seems Brother Ling was behind all this," Feng Yan remarked with a faint smile. "Only he would know that this ancient array has a self-repair function."
"What do you mean, Young Master Feng? That Ling Feng guy?" Fatty Huang was at a loss.
"The teachings and treasures in that depository must've been taken by him," Feng Yan replied, his eyes narrowing, though he showed little disappointment. After all, he had obtained over twenty ancient manuals on the third floor himself, leaving far from empty-handed.
Moreover, Ling Feng had even saved him from wasting precious time trapped within the barrier—enough to repay any debt.
"What? Those teachings went to him?" Fatty Huang fumed, "Young Master Feng, that opportunity was supposed to be yours!"
"If it's meant to be mine, it will be. If not, there's no point forcing it. Besides, better it goes to Brother Ling than Murong Wu."
Feng Yan laughed, shaking his head. "Come on, there's still much of the ruins left unexplored, and we only have less than three days left."
"We can find valuable items in the Treasure Pavilion, the Forging Pavilion, and blessed cave heavens[1] of some sects, or the residences of high-level elders. Why bother with things that have already been lost?"
He expanded his movement technique, setting his sights southward in the ruins.
Perhaps it was Feng Yan's attitude that allowed his martial heart to remain unbreakable, propelling him to the top ranks of the Tiansheng Empire's young prodigies.
"Oh? Done running? Are you ready to die?"
Shen Lang retrieved his flying sword, gripping it coldly as he stared down Ling Feng.
Even though the woman with Ling Feng had regained consciousness, Shen Lang didn't consider them a threat.
At that moment, the three hovered over a massive lake.
The lake was boiling and steaming, the wind carving countless ripples across the surface. Huge waves rose and crashed, blowing scalding winds that stung the skin.
"Two against one, so perhaps it's you who should be preparing to die?" Ling Feng raised his sword, channeling his Mystical Yellow true fire.
At the same time, a black-and-white halo rotated around Tuoba Yan, a glowing book suspended in front of her—the fully fused Tiance Mirror.
Ling Feng had once controlled the Tiance Mirror himself and was well aware of its power. With his Heaven-Slaying Sword Art and Tuoba Yan's abilities fully unleashed through the Tiance Mirror, they could match Shen Lang's Wine God Sword Dao.
After all, Tuoba Yan's strength exceeded Ling Feng's!
(P.S. The biggest weakness of the Tiance Clan is their lack of close-combat ability, but their advantage lies in illusion techniques. Ling Feng's Eye of the Emperor makes him immune to illusions, so Tuoba Yan is less of a threat to him. However, with the complete Tiance Mirror, Tuoba Yan has become something else entirely!)
1. cave heaven means paradise or fairyland, a beautiful/supernatural place. ☜