The heavy darkness seemed to have been cleaved open by a blade.
One moment, there had been nothing but deathly stillness and emptiness with nowhere to escape; the next, his field of vision suddenly opened wide.
A vast expanse of heaven and earth abruptly unfolded before him.
Endless mountain ranges stretched in every direction, their contours rugged and ancient, with neither beginning nor end in sight. They seemed to have stood here since time immemorial, never once wavering.
Yet not a trace of life stirred across the land. The earth was cracked and hardened, and dull yellow soil filled his sight.
Wind passed through the valleys, silently sweeping dust into the sky. Sand swirled through the low air, obscuring the distant mountains and deepening the desolation.
Qin He stood aboard the boat, his nostrils twitching slightly.
The wind here was not cold, but it was steeped in thick, heavy demonic energy.
Unlike the savage frenzy of the demon tide outside, this demonic energy was still and ancient, like stagnant water that had settled over endless ages. It silently permeated the entire world without surging wildly, making it all the more eerie.
Beyond the layers of sandy haze, the Lonely Temple stood quietly atop the distant mountains.
The temple was gray-black throughout. Time and windblown sand had long since worn away the edges of its bricks, tiles, beams, and pillars. Its outer walls were covered in mottled, weathered marks, as though the passage of time had utterly forgotten it.
There was no need to investigate. The sealed-away, ancient air that washed over him was enough to attest to this place's immense age.
At the same time, the Void-Splitting Boat beneath his feet shuddered gently.
After racing along and trembling continuously throughout the journey, the hull finally settled completely.
The precarious white