With the compass guiding them, the group traveled through the bizarre Sea of Falling Stars. Though the environment was perilous, they finally had a clear objective and no longer had to blunder around like headless flies.
Along the way, they encountered all kinds of unheard-of Chaos creatures. There were slime-like monsters that could split apart and reassemble, phantoms capable of unleashing disorienting mental shocks, and invisible hunters concealed within warped space... They came in every imaginable form, impossible to guard against.
Fortunately, Xuan was there as their stabilizing force, casually resolving most dangers. The Power of Annihilation seemed especially effective against creatures formed from chaotic energy; often, a single point of her finger reduced them to nothingness. Li Wuyang barely got any chances to fight. All he could do was stand to the side and shout, "Awesome!" while studying the creatures' bizarre forms and mocking this place's abstract art aesthetic.
The Qingyun Sect disciples gradually went from nervous to numb, looking at Xuan's back as though they were gazing upon a deity. Qingyunzi was even more relieved. Clinging to this powerful ally had absolutely been the wisest decision of this expedition.
After several days of travel, the surrounding sights grew ever stranger. They passed through a "Sound Swamp," where every step produced some bizarre noise—crying, laughing, singing—until their heads buzzed from the racket. They also crossed a "River of Colors," its waters like a flowing oil painting. Falling in might dye someone into an eyesore.
The compass needle remained unwavering, but its target seemed to be constantly moving—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, its path impossible to predict.
"Where the hell is this thing leading us? It isn't just taking us for a walk, is it?" Li Wuyang began to doubt the compass's reliability.
Just as he muttered to himself, the compass